|
5/10
|
68%
|
Red Hook Summer (2012) |
"
From a storytelling perspective, Red Hook Summer is an absolute mess."
—
NPR
Posted Aug 9, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
74%
|
Hope Springs (2012) |
"
Contrasting the cookie-cutter rom-com ad campaign, Hope Springs comes as a pleasant surprise: Vanessa Taylor's screenplay is largely a subdued and thoughtful piece, a no-frills look at scenes from this marriage."
—
NPR
Posted Aug 8, 2012
|
|
7.9/10
|
75%
|
Killer Joe (2012) |
"
Friedkin plays a trick that might be mean if it wasn't so fascinating to see him pull off, blending laugh-out-loud humor with absolutely repulsive images, forcing disoriented and unsettled audiences to wind up laughing when they should be disturbed."
—
The Washingtonian
Posted Aug 6, 2012
|
|
8/10
|
96%
|
Searching for Sugar Man (2012) |
"
A fantastic music doc with a surprising twist; which, when done as well as it is here, works just as effectively whether you know what's coming or not."
—
The Atlantic
Posted Jul 27, 2012
|
|
8.8/10
|
87%
|
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
"
The degree of difficulty involved in balancing on that many knives' edges overlooking potential disaster is high, yet by the time the credits roll, there it is: Nolan sticks the landing."
—
The Washingtonian
Posted Jul 21, 2012
|
|
7.9/10
|
78%
|
Shut Up and Play the Hits (2012) |
"
Shut Up and Play the Hits manages to effectively display the power of that final concert while putting the band's leader into thoughtful cultural perspective."
—
NPR
Posted Jul 17, 2012
|
|
8.8/10
|
98%
|
The Imposter (2012) |
"
Centered on a 15-year-old cold case, there should be no real surprises here. Why, then, is the experience of watching The Imposter one of edge-of-the-seat disbelief and nerve-jangling thrills?"
—
The Atlantic
Posted Jul 13, 2012
|
|
8/10
|
67%
|
Trishna (2012) |
"
Something in Hardy's tragic inclinations obviously appeals to Winterbottom; this is the third time he's adapted one of the author's novels, with the liberties he takes with the source material increasing each time."
—
NPR
Posted Jul 12, 2012
|
|
9/10
|
86%
|
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) |
"
Ebullient and brimming over with imagination, this is easily one of the most unapologetically (and earnedly) joyful films you'll see this year."
—
The Washingtonian
Posted Jul 6, 2012
|
|
7.9/10
|
74%
|
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon (2012) |
"
Do-Deca-Pentathlon showcases the deft way with interpersonal relationships that's making the Duplasses two of our premier chroniclers of just why it is that we can never seem to get along."
—
NPR
Posted Jul 5, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
79%
|
Magic Mike (2012) |
"
The film's portrait of self-delusion and gradual awakening makes for compelling viewing, even if it's eventually somewhat undercut by a pop-romance ending that seems undeservedly tidy."
—
NPR
Posted Jun 28, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
52%
|
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) |
"
The genuine sweetness of the friendship that develops between these two wins out over any of the movie's failings."
—
The Atlantic
Posted Jun 22, 2012
|
|
8.8/10
|
——
|
The Source () |
"
The filmmakers give equal voice to all perspectives, reverential and critical, without ever pulling any punches when it comes to objectively putting on display the group's creepier and more dangerous practices."
—
The Washingtonian
Posted Jun 21, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
——
|
Bad Brains: Band In DC () |
"
The filmmakers get access to a treasure trove of archival footage from the band's early days, but the question of what's going on with H.R., their erratic singer, is the one area of the film that feels frustratingly incomplete. "
—
The Washingtonian
Posted Jun 21, 2012
|
|
8.5/10
|
——
|
Tchoupitoulas () |
"
Shooting in what sometimes approximates a semi-inebriated haze, and emphasizing the overlapping of diverse sounds coming from different quarters, Tchoupitoulas almost does manage to transcend the sight and sound limitations of cinema."
—
The Washingtonian
Posted Jun 21, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
93%
|
Wagner's Dream (2012) |
"
The first hour here is the most fascinating, as Froemke details the nuts and bolts of getting this massive undertaking off the ground. Once we get past the opening night of the first opera in the cycle, things start to get repetitive."
—
The Washingtonian
Posted Jun 21, 2012
|
|
3.5/10
|
35%
|
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) |
"
To say that it's an exercise in style over substance is perhaps an overstatement, in that it suggests there's any substance here at all."
—
NPR
Posted Jun 21, 2012
|
|
8/10
|
——
|
Virgin Tales (2012) |
"
Even-handedness is the hallmark of von Arx's work here, and it's a breath of fresh air in an era when so many filmmakers treat documentaries as a bully pulpit."
—
The Washingtonian
Posted Jun 18, 2012
|
|
5.4/10
|
——
|
Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey (2011) |
"
Without any real conflict, there's enough story here for 45 minutes to an hour, after which the filmmakers pad it with a brief history of Journey pre-Pineda and scenes from the tour and Pineda's new life; a passable feel-good doc, but not very memorable."
—
The Washingtonian
Posted Jun 18, 2012
|
|
8.4/10
|
84%
|
Your Sister's Sister (2012) |
"
Effective evidence that the emotional immediacy in the halting rhythms of extemporaneous speech can often trump the art of the well-chosen word. A film that is both warmly and naturally funny as well as uncomfortable and awkward."
—
The Atlantic
Posted Jun 15, 2012
|
|
5.8/10
|
41%
|
Rock of Ages (2012) |
"
Just like the music, it's far more fun than it has any right being."
—
NPR
Posted Jun 14, 2012
|
|
5.5/10
|
73%
|
Prometheus (2012) |
"
An infuriating example of a film that holds huge potential and borders on greatness, but in falling just short of that mark feels little more than mediocre."
—
The Washingtonian
Posted Jun 8, 2012
|
|
6.5/10
|
75%
|
Dark Horse (2012) |
"
Despite its flaws, Dark Horse largely succeeds as yet another installment in Todd Solondz's career-long examination of the lust for love and security among the deeply damaged."
—
NPR
Posted Jun 7, 2012
|
|
3/10
|
21%
|
Chernobyl Diaries (2012) |
"
This is a standard-issue slasher movie without much slashing, substituting the Chernobyl-workers' ghost town of Pripyat for the likes of Friday the 13th's Camp Crystal Lake."
—
The Atlantic
Posted May 25, 2012
|
|
9/10
|
94%
|
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) |
"
For all the self-conscious distancing techniques and quirky humor Anderson employs, when he's at his best, his work can be surprising in its disarming emotion."
—
NPR
Posted May 24, 2012
|
|
9/10
|
97%
|
Monsieur Lazhar (2012) |
"
There's a lighthearted inspiration infused throughout Monsieur Lazhar that makes it also touching, but never maudlin. "
—
The Washingtonian
Posted May 11, 2012
|
|
8/10
|
92%
|
Marvel's The Avengers (2012) |
"
Whedon delivers a thoroughly entertaining compilation of the best of these heroes while never hiding either his giddy love for the characters or the wry wit that has formed the bedrock of his career."
—
The Washingtonian
Posted May 11, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
67%
|
God Bless America (2012) |
"
This is no simple wish-fulfillment revenge fantasy. It's an indictment of us as viewers and tacit supporters of the cultural trash heap. "
—
The Atlantic
Posted May 11, 2012
|
|
5/10
|
40%
|
Dark Shadows (2012) |
"
Unfortunately, Burton abandons a promisingly quirky first half approach & undermines a hugely enjoyable Depp performance with an effects-heavy, action-packed second half that's neither funny nor thrilling, and mostly just boring. "
—
The Washingtonian
Posted May 11, 2012
|
|
6.5/10
|
50%
|
Small, Beautifully Moving Parts (2012) |
"
Small, Beautifully Moving Parts isn't always completely elegant about getting its point across, but its imperfections are only human - a quality, as Sarah eventually realizes, that can have its own appeal."
—
NPR
Posted May 10, 2012
|
|
4.5/10
|
48%
|
The Perfect Family (2012) |
"
The film's gentle, sentimental approach prevents it from ever really getting at the pain that's been swirling around this imperfect family for years."
—
NPR
Posted May 4, 2012
|
|
3.5/10
|
57%
|
Safe (2012) |
"
The thoroughly mediocre Safe provides little more than an excuse for Statham to do what Statham does better than anyone else: look stern while punishing bad guys. That's just not enough."
—
The Atlantic
Posted Apr 30, 2012
|
|
7.9/10
|
86%
|
The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012) |
"
Pirates is just what audiences have come to expect from Aardman: smart, adventure-driven comedy with all-ages appeal and an affinity for clever sight gags."
—
NPR
Posted Apr 26, 2012
|
|
7.8/10
|
95%
|
Marley (2012) |
"
Stylistically unremarkable, playing it safe with structure, the film is still quietly revelatory."
—
NPR
Posted Apr 19, 2012
|
|
9.2/10
|
90%
|
The Cabin in the Woods (2012) |
"
For all of its many intellectual pleasures, and smart commentary, Cabin in the Woods is a visceral roller coaster of a movie at heart. And like the best thrill rides, when it's over, you just want to get back on and go again."
—
NPR
Posted Apr 13, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
63%
|
Keyhole (2012) |
"
Maddin looks to the past of film the same way he often obsessively examines his own, and the two can't really be separated."
—
NPR
Posted Apr 5, 2012
|
|
8/10
|
86%
|
Bully (2012) |
"
What Bully does is offer viewers the potential to connect a growing network of like-minded people, and does so with elegant storytelling."
—
The Atlantic
Posted Apr 1, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
93%
|
Turn Me On, Dammit! (2012) |
"
Jacobsen's frank, funny but nonexploitative approach to teen libido has the feel of honest memoir, a look back at those years that recognizes,with the benefit of distance, that there's plenty of humor to be found in even the most arduous of growing pains."
—
NPR
Posted Mar 29, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
44%
|
Casa de mi padre (2012) |
"
As a low-budget independent not necessarily intended for a broad audience, Casa doesn't have to bow to the middle-of-the-road multiplex appeal that handcuffs many SNL-pedigreed films. That works to the film's great benefit."
—
The Atlantic
Posted Mar 27, 2012
|
|
3.5
|
25%
|
The Trouble with Bliss (2012) |
"
Without much actual character to latch on to, most of the actors seem lost and awkward, even the usually dependable Hall."
—
NPR
Posted Mar 22, 2012
|
|
7.5/10
|
77%
|
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2012) |
"
Both Jeff and the film have a way of sneaking up on you."
—
NPR
Posted Mar 15, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
42%
|
Silent House (2012) |
"
The camera's unblinking eye constantly stays with Olsen, and we feel in as much danger as she is."
—
The Atlantic
Posted Mar 9, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
51%
|
John Carter (2012) |
"
All of these characters, and the richly detailed backdrops, are utterly immersive and lifelike - even without the completely unnecessary 3-D."
—
NPR
Posted Mar 8, 2012
|
|
10/10
|
99%
|
A Separation (2011) |
"
The complex realities of human emotions and experience are more than sufficient to carry a film, and Farhadi doesn't let fussy direction or attempts to be overly clever get in the way of letting this brilliant, quietly insightful story unfold."
—
DCist
Posted Mar 4, 2012
|
|
8.5/10
|
93%
|
Coriolanus (2011) |
"
A portrait of the birth of a fascist leader, Shakespeare's play sets his will to power in direct opposition to the people of Rome and their right to rule themselves. In modernizing the setting, Fiennes only makes the comparison more relevant."
—
DCist
Posted Mar 4, 2012
|
|
8.8/10
|
89%
|
In Darkness (2012) |
"
On the surface, In Darkness hits all the standard notes of Holocaust cinema...What sets it apart, though, is that subtle but unmistakeable undercurrent of anger, the sense that Holland is frustrated by the hate we all have inside of us."
—
DCist
Posted Mar 4, 2012
|
|
5/10
|
84%
|
Bullhead (2012) |
"
There's a lean, tough, streamlined film to be found here; the main problem is that Bullhead, just like its protagonist, is artificially bulked up until what's underneath is barely visible."
—
DCist
Posted Mar 4, 2012
|
|
6.5/10
|
37%
|
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012) |
"
Even with a measly $3 million dollar price tag, Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie feels like the work of comedic outlaws getting away with something."
—
NPR
Posted Mar 1, 2012
|
|
7.5/10
|
60%
|
Wanderlust (2012) |
"
Wain's willingness to do anything for a laugh is a risk that pays off."
—
NPR
Posted Feb 23, 2012
|
85%
83%
74%
