instantwatcher.com

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter

  1. The Babymakers 2012 Viewers may suspect the filmmakers have no clue about the actual operation of fertility clinics and sperm banks (the plot depends on some pretty dubious practices, particularly involving donor anonymity), but most will be laughing too hard to care. full review
  2. Beauty Is Embarrassing 2012 Painter Wayne White emerges as an unsung force of nature in Neil Berkeley's zippy, delightful Beauty is Embarrassing. full review
  3. Beneath The Darkness 2012 Dennis Quaid goes Psycho in dull Texas-set thriller. full review
  4. Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story 2012 Rediscovered historical footage plants the seed for a moving, beautifully crafted Civil Rights doc. full review
  5. Brooklyn Castle 2012 Socioeconomic concerns bring depth to doc about pre-teen chess whizzes. full review
  6. Burning Man 2012 The extremity of the film's slice-and-dice approach is invigorating at the outset but may also prompt viewers to suspect they're being challenged for no good reason. full review
  7. Cheerful Weather For The Wedding 2012 Finely crafted English period piece works best for those who like their love stories romantically doomed. full review
  8. Citadel 2012 U.K.-set monster movie has few scares, plenty of noxious overtones. full review
  9. Detropia 2012 Doc about Detroit's state of abandonment offers snapshots and sounds but little new information. full review
  10. The Do-Deca-Pentathlon 2012 A pre-Cyrus film by the Duplass Brothers bolsters their rep as distinctive low-budget auteurs. full review
  11. Fat Kid Rules the World 2012 K.L. Going's celebrated young-adult novel gets sensitive adaptation by actor-turned-director Matthew Lillard. full review
  12. Freaky Deaky 2012 full review
  13. The Giant Mechanical Man 2012 A romance whose anodyne find-your-bliss theme is likeable but underwhelming, Lee Kirk's The Giant Mechanical Man doesn't fully exploit its premise's charms. full review
  14. God Bless America 2012 Semi-comic fantasia of violence against vapid pop culture can't do justice to its own ideas. full review
  15. Grassroots 2012 Poli-sci students may roll their eyes at true story of an upstart campaign for Seattle City Council. full review
  16. The Island President 2012 A portrait of defiant optimism as a last-chance means of survival, Jon Shenk's The Island President offers not only a Mandela-like tale of political heroism but a much-needed perspective on climate change. full review
  17. Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet 2012 Music-centric doc offers an undepressing look at Lou Gehrig's disease. full review
  18. Jesus Henry Christ 2012 Mildly nutty comedy about a teen prodigy suffers from an underwritten script and overstylized gags. full review
  19. Kill List 2012 Deeply edgy, gory crime film maintains perfectly calibrated tension before dropping a bombshell that will be too much for some viewers. full review
  20. Little Birds 2012 Debut by writer/director Elgin James offers a sensitive but not fragile look at young friends in a crisis. full review
  21. Losing Control 2012 Science-themed rom-com isn't ready for clinical trials. full review
  22. Nature Calls 2012 full review
  23. Seeking Justice 2012 Neither the script's conspiracies nor Nicolas Cage's performance is weird enough to trump the film's generic feel... full review
  24. Sleepless Night 2012 Full-tilt French crime film weaves multiple threads of cat-and-mouse through the labyrinthine innards of a big nightclub. full review
  25. Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie 2012 Adult Swim's cult series makes awkward stab at the big screen. full review
  26. The Zen Of Bennett 2012 Friendly doc offers plentiful guest stars but only one perspective on the singer's career. full review
  27. Angels Crest 2011 Drama about the small-town aftermath of a child's accidental death can't match its sincerity with dramatic heft. full review
  28. Another Happy Day 2011 Laugh-laced dark drama of family angst overcomes the hurdle of its wedding-weekend setting. full review
  29. Bellflower 2011 Evan Glodell's uncategorizable debut mixes messy romance and ill-advised D.I.Y. obsessions into a knotty but compelling vision of pop culture-damaged youth. full review
  30. Girl Walks Into a Bar 2011 full review
  31. The Last Rites of Joe May 2011 Downbeat vision of a small-time crook's final days offers a plum role for Dennis Farina. full review
  32. Sarah Palin: You Betcha! 2011 Fleshing out now-familiar tales of misconduct and bad judgment, Palin investigation is entertaining but holds no dramatic discoveries. full review
  33. Surrogate Valentine 2011 Offers a certain mild slacker charm. full review
  34. The Swell Season 2011 Sensitive doc manages to show Once duo as both blissed-out lovers and post-romance partners without overdramatizing the transition. full review
  35. You've Been Trumped 2011 Underdogs stand their ground in Anthony Baxter's modest but revealing doc. full review
  36. Young Goethe In Love 2011 Highbrow pedigree is mostly window dressing for a commercial period romance about Germany's literary giant. full review
  37. The Best and the Brightest 2010 Absurd premise and weak script doom this comedy about haute-preschool angst. full review
  38. Centurion 2010 Unpretentious swords-and-sandals film crafts a tight survival drama out of Roman Empire lore. full review
  39. Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child 2010 Lively and touching doc combines insider view of its art-star subject with smart present-day interviews. full review
  40. Vidal Sassoon: The Movie 2010 Almost comically overconvinced of the importance of its subject, Vidal Sassoon: The Movie is nonetheless entertaining and comprehensive in its account of the man's career. full review
  41. Waste Land 2010 A joy to watch despite the abject poverty it contains. full review
  42. Kings of Pastry 2009 Documentary peeking into a high-stakes French competition will fascinate foodies. full review
  43. The Big White 2005 Never completely finds its balance.
  44. Conversations With Other Women 2005 That the movie holds viewers' attention despite its contrivances is a testament to the script and acting.