CriterionCast » Film Reviews

Joshua Reviews Robin Hardy’s ‘The Wicker Tree’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:36:47 +0000

New film is a long awaited sequel to the iconic cult classic, The Wicker Man.

Joshua Reviews Frederick Wiseman’s ‘Crazy Horse’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:17:22 +0000

Joshua reviews the newest film from iconic documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman.

James Reviews Jalmari Helander’s Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale [Blu-ray Review]

James McCormick — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:57:25 +0000

James takes a look at the recent Blu-ray release of Rare Exports from Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Joshua Reviews Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Haywire’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:47:11 +0000

And spoiler: it's a kick-ass piece of work from the director of 'Schizopolis' and 'Traffic.'

Joshua Reviews Patric Chiha’s ‘Domain’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 07:30:08 +0000

Joshua reviews the new film from from first time director Patric Chiha.

Joshua Reviews Tran Anh Hung’s ‘Norwegian Wood’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:10:01 +0000

Joshua reviews the new adaptation of the beloved novel from cult Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami.

Catherine Reviews Lech Majewski’s The Mill and the Cross [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:49:43 +0000

Not many films deal with how humans have always used art to cope and reconcile what we experience and see. The Mill and the Cross uses a recent medium to show how an older medium lends itself to creative expression that gives desperately needed meaning to the inconsolable atrocities that can occur.

James Reviews Shinji Imaoka’s Underwater Love [UK DVD Review]

James McCormick — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:43:46 +0000

For months we were hearing little whispers of this pinku eiga film from Japan. Why was a pinku eiga film getting so much attention? [...]

Joshua Reviews David Fincher’s ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:34:48 +0000

Joshua reviews David Fincher's adaptation of the beloved Swedish thriller.

Catherine Reviews Michelangelo Frammartino’s Le Quattro Volte [Blu-Ray Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:04:43 +0000

Part minimalist observations, part docudrama; it is a trancelike rumination that shows everything and tells nothing, allowing us to drift in and out of our own ponderous observations. Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray release amply captures this meditative wonder.

Joshua Reviews Tristan Patterson’s Dragonslayer [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:37:27 +0000

The past few years have been a golden age for the documentary. With Werner Herzog working at a crazy clip, and other films [...]

Catherine Reviews Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:38:59 +0000

Is it possible to, knowing a film cannot sum up a historical figure’s life, make enough of an artistic impression [...]

Catherine Reviews Lars von Trier’s Melancholia [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:33:12 +0000

This review does contain spoilers

It may seem contradictory to say that Lars von Trier’s end-of-the world opus is the director as [...]

Catherine Reviews Pedro Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:05:19 +0000

Pedro Almodóvar made a horror film? Oh the possibilities! Well, apparently not. The Skin I Live In feels like any other Almodóvar [...]

Joshua Reviews Edgar Michael Bravo’s Mother’s Red Dress [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:13:19 +0000

With the onslaught of consumer cameras increasing in quality and decreasing in price, more and more people are starting to jump [...]

Joshua Reviews Michael Brandt’s ‘The Double’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:11:06 +0000

Going into a film blind these days is nearly impossible. Be it the crazy accessibility of trailers, or clips, or even [...]

Catherine Reviews Jeff Nichols’ Take Shelter [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:43:36 +0000

Warning: this review contains spoilers.

Jeff Nichols does not play the ‘is he or isn’t he’ game with his audience; Curtis (Michael [...]

James Reviews Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado’s Rabies [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:16:59 +0000

If anyone knows me, they know I’m a bit of a horror fanatic. I will check out the majority of horror films [...]

James Reviews Yoshimasa Ishibashi’s Milocrorze: A Love Story [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:41:10 +0000

Director Yoshimasa Ishibashi (of The Fuccons TV series fame) brings us a fever dream of colors, self help, violence, love, pain, destruction, [...]

James Reviews Noboru Iguchi’s Karate-Robo Zaborgar [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:00:37 +0000

Sometimes a film comes along, shoves insanity right into your eyeballs and you accept it right from the start. This is one [...]

Catherine Reviews George Clooney’s The Ides of March [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:55:23 +0000

It is difficult to pinpoint why The Ides of March never quite had me in its grip. All of the elements are [...]

Joshua Reviews Nick Broomfield And Joan Churchill’s Sarah Palin – You Betcha! [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:13:21 +0000

Politics, be it the people involved or the topics which they draw their focus on, are tough to handle in any way outside [...]

James Reviews Michael Roskam’s Bullhead [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:43:49 +0000

When you think about crime films, usually you don’t think of Belgium. I personally do, but that’s because I love the film [...]

James Reviews Nacho Vigalondo’s Extraterrestrial [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:32:33 +0000

When Nacho Vigalondo came into Austin back in 2007 with his film Timecrimes, nobody knew who he was. This all changed when [...]

Catherine Reviews Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:17:37 +0000

Seen through Cinecache’s Free Preview Screening at Brattle Theatre on September 27, 2011

How far will people delude themselves in [...]

James Reviews Evan Kelly’s The Corridor [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 03:51:00 +0000

Paranoia is one of the most frightening things in life and when done well in a film, it gives you that sense of [...]

James Reviews Justin Kurzel’s Snowtown [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:14:10 +0000

Sometimes when you go into a film with some lofty expectations, you’re going to be left disappointed. Sometimes it’s the [...]

Catherine Reviews Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:53:55 +0000

It is an all too uncommon feeling when a film ends and you realize you are not yet ready to leave its [...]

Joshua Reviews Tom Tykwer’s Drei [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:43:01 +0000

When it comes to directors, there aren’t many as visually astute as one Tom Tykwer. However, the world of relationship dramas don’t always [...]

Joshua Reviews Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:26:35 +0000

One touch. One sneeze. One cough.

Millions dead.

That’s all it takes for a lethal epidemic to spread across the planet, in [...]

Joshua Reviews Lech Majewski’s The Mill And The Cross [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:22:01 +0000

While it goes without saying that cinema is one of the world’s highest art forms, people still see arts such as painting [...]

Catherine Reviews Asif Kapadia’s Senna [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:19:57 +0000

Note: Senna had no subtitles in the theater I viewed it in. A moderate chunk of the film is spoken in Portuguese. [...]

Joshua Reviews Vivi Friedman’s The Family Tree [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 05:48:19 +0000

The world of modern American independent cinema is one with both many fans, and many critics. Often seen as either pretentious art [...]

Catherine Reviews Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall’s Winnie the Pooh [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:20:49 +0000

Looking at Christopher Robin’s room at the start of Winnie the Pooh, we see that the boy has not been tainted by [...]

James Reviews Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block [Theatrical Review]

James McCormick — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 04:23:55 +0000

That’s an alien bruv, believe it.

Coming out of the streets of South London, Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block is [...]

Catherine Reviews John Carpenter’s The Ward [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 06:35:41 +0000

John Carpenter’s best work exudes a kind of subtle magnetism rooted in minimalist atmosphere. Mainly I speak of Halloween and [...]

James Reviews John Carpenter’s The Ward [Theatrical Review]

James McCormick — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:44:36 +0000

I’ve been contemplating this review for the last week since seeing the film. I’ve been attempting to piece together the words that [...]

Catherine Reviews André Øvredal’s The Troll Hunter [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 07:16:23 +0000

Found footage films, almost always taking place within horror, have certainly made themselves a cozy spot in the bevy of subgenres within [...]

Catherine Reviews Kihachi Okamoto’s The Sword of Doom

Catherine Stebbins — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 05:38:28 +0000

We open on a mountaintop. An elderly man (Kamatami Fujiwara) and his granddaughter (Yoko Naito) emerge. He tells her the Buddhist origins [...]

Catherine Reviews Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men First Class [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 07:13:39 +0000

When it was announced that X-Men: First Class was being made, many including me, groaned. After X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men [...]

Catherine Reviews Giuseppe Capotondi’s The Double Hour [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 18 May 2011 02:52:24 +0000

Plot twists are inherently risky. Over recent years, they have become much more complicated. Certain genres, like horror or thriller, naturally invite [...]

Catherine Reviews James Marsh’s Project Nim [IFFBoston 2011 Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Sun, 08 May 2011 05:17:57 +0000

Beginning to write about James Marsh’s documentary Project Nim, it becomes tempting to immediately spring into all-out praise mode. Marsh approaches stories [...]

Catherine Reviews Miranda July’s The Future [IFFBoston 2011 Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 04 May 2011 06:04:40 +0000

Miranda July’s brand of storytelling works mainly in spurts. When her methods work, they resonate with an authenticity that rarely comes around [...]

Catherine Reviews Liz Garbus’ Bobby Fischer Against the World [IFFBoston 2011 Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 04 May 2011 05:47:31 +0000

Biographical documentaries always present an inherent problem; how does one sum up a person’s life in ninety minutes? Some films take an [...]

Catherine Reviews Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip [IFFBoston 2011 Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:22:20 +0000

The Trip boasts an unusual combination of dialogue-heavy comedy, of scenic travelogue complete with a focus on high-end food and finally a [...]

Catherine Reviews Richard Ayoade’s Submarine [IFFBoston 2011 Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:16:07 +0000

By the end of Submarine, the audience will have spent ninety minutes in the head of Oliver Tate. It is an inventive [...]

Joshua Reviews Matt D’Elia’s American Animal [Late SXSW Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 06:41:26 +0000

Film can do many things. Inspiring awe in its viewers, drawing tears out of their tear ducts, or bringing laughs right from [...]

Catherine Reviews Joe Wright’s Hanna [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 04:28:53 +0000

Sometimes a film’s failings can be completely trumped by its strengths, so much so that it becomes an absolute triumph in spite [...]

Catherine Reviews Duncan Jones’ Source Code [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 04:20:41 +0000

Did you know that life is precious? Did you know that you should make every minute count? If you didn’t, Source Code [...]

James Reviews Lindsay Ellis’ The A Word [Film Review]

James McCormick — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 04:06:16 +0000

Abortion. A word that makes many people uneasy. And it’s also the center of an ongoing war between the Pro-Life supporters and [...]

Catherine Reviews Cary Joji Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:51:00 +0000

The story of Jane Eyre shares several similarities with the phenomenon known as the teen romance, which has taken over [...]

Catherine Reviews Kim Ji-woon’s I Saw the Devil [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:03:25 +0000

Revenge films have been done plenty of times. Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance trilogy and Tarantino’s Kill Bill have reestablished the subgenre as the [...]

Rudie Reviews Tom McCarthy’s Win Win [Theatrical Review]

Rudie Obias — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 05:24:25 +0000

It’s easy to know the difference between right and wrong but it’s tough to actually act upon. This is what [...]

Rudie Reviews Greg Mottola’s Paul [Theatrical Review]

Rudie Obias — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 04:02:00 +0000

This year’s spring slate of movie releases seem to be drawing from the overload of summer movies. And by all [...]

Rudie Reviews Jonathan Liebesman’s Battle: Los Angeles [Theatrical Review]

Rudie Obias — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:00:12 +0000

Alien invasion is not a new theme in storytelling. From H.G. Wells classic novel to Orson Welles re-telling on a radio broadcast [...]

Rudie Reviews Cary Joji Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre [Theatrical Review]

Rudie Obias — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 03:16:56 +0000

Since the beginning of the moving image there have been twenty-six iterations of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre on the big [...]

Rudie Reviews Gore Verbinski’s Rango [Theatrical Review]

Rudie Obias — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 23:32:45 +0000

From the opening of “Rango”, I knew I was in for something special. Four little owls dressed as [...]

Andrew Reviews Hilda Hidalgo’s Of Love And Other Demons [PIFF 2011 Review]

Andrew Collins — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:24:50 +0000

There are moments in “Of Love and Other Demons” where it feels as though the main character of the film is Eliza [...]

Jamie Reviews Iciar Bollain’s Even the Rain [PIFF 2011 Review]

Jamie S. Rich — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 05:36:04 +0000

The Spanish film Even the Rain begins with an open casting call. Bolivian locals have lined up around the block for [...]

Jamie Reviews Hans Petter Moland’s A Somewhat Gentle Man [PIFF 2011 Review]

Jamie S. Rich — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 02:47:13 +0000

Ulrik, played with understated humor and gravity by Stellan Skarsgård, has been in prison for 12 years. Too long for him, [...]

Jamie Reviews Giuseppe Capotondi’s The Double Hour [PIFF 2011 Review]

Jamie S. Rich — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 02:37:26 +0000

A “double hour” occurs when the hour is the same as the minutes on the clock. So, for instance, the first [...]

Jamie Reviews Craig McCall’s Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff [PIFF 2011 Review]

Jamie S. Rich — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 02:15:26 +0000

Any cinema fan knows the story of a good cinematographer is really the tale of a good painter. Legendary cameraman Jack [...]

Jamie Reviews Im Sang-soo’s The Housemaid [PIFF 2011 Review]

Jamie S. Rich — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:00:17 +0000

You pretty much know where this one is going to go. A pretty young girl is hired to work as the [...]

Jamie Reviews Susanne Bier’s In a Better World [PIFF 2011 Review]

Jamie S. Rich — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:00:11 +0000

One of the nominees for this year’s Best Foreign Language Oscar, the Danish film In a Better World is really two [...]

Jamie Reviews Larysa Kondracki’s The Whistleblower [PIFF 2011 Review]

Jamie S. Rich — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 06:02:33 +0000

I swear this film festival is trying to break me.

The Whistleblower is tough viewing. Know that up front. It’s not [...]

Jamie Reviews Benjamin Heisenberg’s The Robber [PIFF 2011 Review]

Jamie S. Rich — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 19:00:16 +0000

The new film from Benjamin Heisenberg (Sleeper) is based on a novel by Martin Prinz, which in turn was taken from [...]

Jamie Reviews Feng Xiaogang’s Aftershock [PIFF 2011 Review]

Jamie S. Rich — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:00:15 +0000

A few years back, a couple of friends of mine were running their own meme where they described the movie tastes [...]

Jamie Reviews Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy [PIFF 2011 Review]

Jamie S. Rich — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:00:26 +0000

“It would be stupid for us to ruin our lives for an ideal.”

If ever a film was made for an [...]

Jamie Reviews Jan Hrebejk’s Kawasaki’s Rose [PIFF 2011 Review]

Jamie S. Rich — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 06:18:42 +0000

Kawasaki’s Rose pulls off a fairly effective rope-a-dope. The Czech film, written by Petr Jarchovskýn and directed by Jan Hrebejk begins [...]

Catherine Reviews Im Sang-Soo’s The Housemaid [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 06:15:02 +0000

Im Sang-soo’s remake of the essential 1960 Korean classic The Housemaid is one of the more highly anticipated films to come [...]

James Reviews Lynn Hershman Leeson’s W.A.R.: !Women Art Revolution [Sundance 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:41:12 +0000

W”.A.R.” asks the question, “Can you name three women artists?” Can you do it? I know I had to think long [...]

James Reviews Leonard Retel Helmrich’s Position Among the Stars [Sundance 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 05:40:40 +0000

Leonard Retel Helmrich has been chronicling the lives of Bachtiar “Bakti” Becker and his mother, Rumidjah Sjamsuddin for three films and [...]

Rudie Reviews Clay Jeter’s Jess + Moss [Sundance Film Festival 2011 Review]

Rudie Obias — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:00:32 +0000

The balance between entertainment and art is a slippery slope. Most movies that strive for one or another usually peak with [...]

Rudie Reviews Joe Swanberg’s Uncle Kent [Sundance Film Festival Review 2011]

Rudie Obias — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:00:26 +0000

I’m just going to put this out there, right now, it’s movies like this that make me excited about cinema! Whether [...]

Rudie Reviews Richard J Lewis’ Barney’s Version [Theatrical Review]

Rudie Obias — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 07:25:21 +0000

It’s not very often I recommend a movie that is a complete mess, but Barney’s Version is one of them. This [...]