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V.A. Musetto, New York Post

1. 5 Broken Cameras 2012 The issues are complex and not easily solved. But no matter which side you are on, you'll be moved by this intimate work. full review
2. After Fall, Winter 2012 A mixed-up movie about mixed-up people. full review
3. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry 2012 Klayman had full access to Ai, 55, following him around for two years. The sweetest footage involves Ai and his mother. full review
4. Ballplayer: Pelotero 2012 A documentary narrated by John Leguizamo that provides a seldom-seen look inside the training camps run by MLB in that impoverished nation. full review
5. Breathing 2012 Elegant cinematography by Martin Gschlacht, one of Austria's most sought-after lensers, gives "Breathing" added depth. full review
6. China Heavyweight 2012 Call it "Rocky,'' Asian style. full review
7. Elena 2012 'Elena" is a grim, somber portrait of life in Putin's Russia, where the haves and have-nots uneasily co-exist. full review
8. Elles 2012 Szumowska provides lurid scenes of perverted sex, but she offers no new insight into the sordid world of prostitution and the dangers sex workers face. full review
9. The Forgiveness of Blood 2012 A suspenseful work using nonprofessional actors and co-written with an Albanian filmmaker... full review
10. The Front Line 2012 A potent anti-war movie with breathtaking battle sequences. full review
11. Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai 2012 A 3-D epic that, despite its title, is more of a soap opera than a swordplay thriller. full review
12. Headhunters 2012 The sex, nudity and violence are nonstop, but that's what makes "Headhunters" exciting entertainment. full review
13. The Island President 2012 Viewers get an eye-opening look at behind-the-scenes wrangling. full review
14. Jiro Dreams of Sushi 2012 The real star of the movie is the delectable sushi itself. full review
15. My Way 2012 An eye-popping, empty-headed World War II epic made in South Korea. full review
16. Oslo, August 31st 2012 Despite its themes, "Oslo, August 31st" is an exhilarating film, with impeccable direction and pitch-perfect performances that make the bleakness worthwhile. full review
17. Payback 2012 Baichwal could have devoted a single film to just BP's disgraceful behavior. full review
18. Putin's Kiss 2012 "Putin's Kiss'' is more than just the portrait of a naive young woman. It's a frightening look at Putin's warped version of democracy. full review
19. Tai Chi Zero 2012 "Tai Chi Zero" is loads of fun to watch, especially a battle in which watermelons, bananas and other fruits and veggies serve as flying weapons. full review
20. The Turin Horse 2012 A sumptuous masterpiece by one of the greatest moviemakers of all time. full review
21. Waiting For Lightning 2012 The person we want most to hear from, Way himself, is largely missing. Go figure. full review
22. We Have a Pope 2012 The film is perhaps 15 minutes too long, and there are a few too-convenient scenes, but overall "We Have a Pope'' should prove a crowd-pleaser. full review
23. Whores' Glory 2012 Austrian documentarian Michael Glawogger takes his cameras to three red-light districts around the world, and finds life is miserable for the women who work in the world's oldest profession - and for the men who pay cash for sex. full review
24. Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day 2012 A contrived and preachy melodrama produced by big-time televangelist T.D. Jakes. full review
25. Angel of Evil 2011 What is missing is any sort of psychological insight. Just what made Renato run? You won't find out here. full review
26. Bellflower 2011 Glodell is a filmmaker with a future, if the apocalypse doesn't get in the way. full review
27. Bones Brigade: An Autobiography 2011 This film makes a great companion piece to Peralta's "Dogtown and Z-Boys,'' which leaves off where "Bones Brigades'' begins. full review
28. Buck 2011 I don't know why, but I just can't get all worked up over Dan (Buck) Brannaman, subject of the documentary "Buck." full review
29. Cracks 2011 "Cracks" recalls any number of girls-school dramas, like the much better "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1969). full review
30. The Flowers of War 2011 Battle scenes are spectacular - great explosions! - but most of the screen time is taken up by a contrived and schmaltzy script with little emotional punch. full review
31. Gerhard Richter Painting 2011 Instead of trotting out people - friend and foe - to comment on the renowned German abstract painter, Belz allows Richter to tell his own story. full review
32. Goodbye First Love 2011 "Goodbye First Love" showcases two young women with bright futures. full review
33. Hell and Back Again 2011 Dennis refuses to push a political agenda down viewers' throats. But the message of his film -- a breathlessly paced look at the realities of war -- is clear: War and its aftermath are indeed hell. full review
34. Hobo With a Shotgun 2011 Japan's Takashi Miike has the formula down pat, but Eisener has no idea how to give violence a touch of class. full review
35. House of Pleasures 2011 It's a gorgeously filmed portrait of a bygone era, with painstaking attention to period detail. full review
36. Khodorkovsky 2011 The gripping documentary "Khodor-kovsky'' tells how Russia's richest man became its most famous political prisoner. full review
37. Mysteries of Lisbon 2011 The story is nothing if not convoluted. Characters, subplots and overlapping narratives come and go. full review
38. The Names of Love 2011 Strained and mildly amusing. full review
39. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia 2011 Patient viewers will be rewarded, as long as they pay attention. full review
40. Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow 2011 A daunting work that will please movie lovers willing to invest their time and intellect. full review
41. The Perfect Host 2011 Ultimately breaks down under the weight of too many characters and unbelievable twists. full review
42. Pina 2011 It should appeal to dance mavens, and to folks who have no idea what a pas de deux is. full review
43. Polisse 2011 While never exploitative, "Polisse" can be extremely disturbing. full review
44. Snow Flower And The Secret Fan 2011 You're advised to bring a hankie or two should you venture forth to see the tearjerker "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan." full review
45. Tales from the Golden Age 2011 The collection is a mixed bag, although there are no clunkers. full review
46. True Legend 2011 Fans don't go to martial-arts movies for the story. They want action -- and Yuen doesn't disappoint. full review
47. Young Goethe In Love 2011 "Young Goethe" looks great, and the cast is appealing. But the story is riddled with cliches and fabrications, like a duel between Lotte's two suitors. full review
48. Burzynski 2010 When I want to see an infomercial, I'll turn on my TV in the middle of the night. I definitely won't pay good money to see one in a theater. full review
49. Casino Jack And The United States Of Money 2010 Watching Casino Jack and the United States of Money made me sick to my stomach. full review
50. Cherry Tree Lane 2010 full review
51. Four Lions 2010 The director, Chris Morris, has been successfully making TV and radio comedies for 20 years. But he falters in this, his first feature. He's taken what might make a funny sketch and forced it to run more than an hour and a half. full review
52. Heartbeats 2010 "Heartbeats" looks good, and it has some funny dialogue. But there isn't enough to sustain the film's running time. full review
53. The Human Resources Manager 2010 An enjoyable mix of tragedy and comedy. full review
54. I Saw the Devil 2010 When it comes to bloody revenge movies, it's difficult to beat the South Koreans. full review
55. Ip Man 2010 If you're looking for great action scenes, you've found them. But if you desire more than eye candy, such as character and plot development and historical accuracy, you'll have to look elsewhere. full review
56. Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen 2010 The result is disappointing. full review
57. The Lottery 2010 Charter schools, good or bad? That's the question raised by director Madeleine Sackler's timely but standard documentary The Lottery. full review
58. Marwencol 2010 First-time director Jeff Malmberg tells Hogancamp's fascinating story with sensitivity, never resorting to exploitation. full review
59. Nostalgia for the Light 2010 Katell Djian's stunning cinematography adds to the film's power. full review
60. Tiny Furniture 2010 The actors, mostly nonprofessionals, deliver their lines with understated charm, the pacing is just right and Jody Lee Lipes' cinematography is clear and concise. full review
61. Waste Land 2010 Walker's breezy film turns Muniz into a folk hero. And who am I to argue? full review
62. The Woodmans 2010 Willis provides no easy answers and points no fingers, but the search proves fascinating. full review
63. Beeswax 2009 Beeswax ranks as one of the most mature mumblecore exercises yet, a sure sign that the movement will live on despite its misguided detractors. full review
64. Antichrist 2009 Please don't take anything I've said to indicate that Antichrist isn't difficult to watch. It most certainly is, but as somebody (the Marquis de Sade, perhaps) once said: No pain, no gain. full review
65. Blood: The Last Vampire 2009 Not only isn't the new effort up to the standards of the anime, it's bloody awful by any standard. full review
66. Collapse 2009 Collapse is boring. But what do you expect from a one-sided movie about a kook, who, at the time the film was shot, faced eviction from his home because he hadn't paid the rent? full review
67. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2009 A finely plotted, stylishly photographed and brilliantly acted whodunit that clocks in at 2 1/2 hours but never seems long. full review
68. Kings of Pastry 2009 How sweet it is! full review
69. Last Train Home 2009 Last Train Home is a startling look at the devastating human cost of China's newfound embrace of capitalism. full review
70. The Limits of Control 2009 This is one of those movies that's too cool to have a plot. full review
71. Mine 2009 full review
72. Ondine 2009 If only the film had stuck with its fairy-tale story. Instead, the final 30 minutes turn into a bloody thriller with a tacked-on happy ending. full review
73. Soul Kitchen 2009 There are moments of fun (an aphrodisiac-laced dessert, for example), but generally the humor seems warmed-over. full review
74. Splinterheads 2009 Splinterheads might suffice some late night on cable, but that's about it. full review
75. The Time That Remains 2009 Another Palestinian director dealing with the same events might rant and rave. Not Suleiman. He knows the power of well-conceived humor. full review
76. TiMER 2009 TiMER never rises above the level of a sitcom. All that's missing is the laugh track. full review
77. Vincere 2009 Bellocchio's bigger-than-life story requires over-the-top performances, which are provided by Giovanna Mezzogiorno as Ida and Filippo Timi as the young Mussolini and, later, his grown son. full review
78. Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen 2009 full review
79. White Material 2009 'White Material" unites France's most precious actress, Isabelle Huppert, with one of that nation's leading directors, Claire Denis. The result is as impressive as one would expect. full review
80. At the Edge of the World 2008 I'm a big fan of Japanese food, but after watching At the Edge of the World, I'll be thinking twice about ordering sushi. full review
81. Beautiful Losers 2008 [A] pleasant film, which sings the praises of nonconformity. full review
82. The Beautiful Truth 2008 There may be truth in what Kroschel says, but you won't find it in this pedantic film, which has all the veracity of a late-night TV infomercial. full review
83. Constantine's Sword 2008 The movie raises important issues, but it provides few answers as it moves along in uninspired, talking-heads fashion. full review
84. Disgrace 2008 I cannot tell a lie. I derive great satisfaction watching John Malkovich act. full review
85. Eldorado 2008 Eldorado is fueled by the chemistry between Lanners and Adde. They're so good together, they should make a sequel. full review
86. Examined Life 2008 full review
87. Forever Strong 2008 As directed by Ryan Little and written by David Pliler, Forever Strong dredges up every sports movie cliché and stereotype ever invented. (Cue the slow-mo in the rain.) full review
88. Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema 2008 The opening credits of Gangster's Paradise note that it was "inspired by real events." It would be more accurate to say that the film was inspired by Brian De Palma's Scarface and similar fare. full review
89. I Sell the Dead 2008 Genre fans will definitely get off on I Sell the Dead, but outsiders might be less enthusiastic. full review
90. Momma's Man 2008 It's time to stop calling Azazel Jacobs a 'promising' filmmaker. With Momma's Man, Jacobs achieves the promise.
91. NoBody's Perfect 2008 The film tastefully handles the sensitive subject, but it lacks the bite that a Michael Moore would have provided. full review
92. Our City Dreams 2008 Clemente shows she knows a thing or two about filmmaking. As somebody once said: like father, like daughter. full review
93. Theater of War 2008 Theater of War, while informative, feels more like a trailer for Mother Courage than a film of its own. full review
94. Unmade Beds 2008 full review
95. Unmistaken Child 2008 The story unfolds in Israeli director Nati Baratz's intriguing, beautifully filmed documentary Unmistaken Child, which records Tenzin Zopa's search and its aftermath. full review
96. We Live in Public 2008 There must be a reason why, after all these year, Timoner chose to make a movie about Harris. If you figure it out, please let me know. full review
97. Beaufort 2007 Cedar, who was born in New York and now lives in Israel, has a mission of his own: to show the folly of war. He succeeds, even if the claustrophobic filming sometimes makes viewers feel as closed in as the Israeli troops. full review
98. Before the Rains 2007 Merchant-Ivory productions are usually visual delights, and Before the Rains is no exception. Pity that the direction and narrative lack passion. If there's anything a story of interracial adultery needs, it's passion. full review
99. Encounters at the End of the World 2007 Encounters may lack the power of, say, the Herzog doc Grizzly Man, because it has no bigger-than-life character at its nexus, but it does confirm the filmmaker as an iconoclastic master. full review
100. The Girl Next Door 2007 There's little reason to see the movie. Unless, of course, you get off on watching the sexual exploitation of underage girls. full review
101. Liberty Kid 2007 There is no shortage of films about the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but there is a lack of good ones. The low-budget indie Liberty Kid, produced by downtown auteur Larry Fessenden, is one of those that succeeds. full review
102. Owl and the Sparrow 2007 Owl and the Sparrow is a beautifully com posed romance from Vietnam. full review
103. Paranoid Park 2007 [An] intriguing, mind-altering skateboard elegy. full review
104. The Rape of Europa 2007 The directors (Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen and Nicole Newnham) have their hearts in the right place. But their film is uninspired in style, and Joan Allen's narration is dry. full review
105. Sangre De Mi Sangre 2007 A suspenseful movie with no intention of sugarcoating the daily hardships of New York's underclass. full review
106. The Signal 2007 A slasher fest that references such predecessors as George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead and Pulse, a 2001 chiller by Japan's talented Kiyoshi Kurosawa, while still remaining original. full review
107. Crossing the Line 2006 Fascinating. full review
108. The Fall of Fujimori 2006 Fujimori is such a charming gentleman that I'm kind of sad he's a world-class sleaze.
109. The Garden of Earthly Delights 2006 You're either going to love this film and run out to see everything Majewski has directed, or you're going to be bored silly.
110. Lady Chatterley 2006 Intelligent and tasteful, even while being sexually frank. full review
111. A Man Named Pearl 2006 Meet the real-life Edward Scissorhands, Pearl Fryar. full review
112. One to Another 2006 Only the French could or would make a movie like this. You'll enjoy it if you turn off your brain and concentrate on the eye candy. full review
113. This Is England 2006 The lensing by Daniel Cohen captures the day-in, day-out dreariness of dead-end lives, and the musical soundtrack is infectious. full review
114. Taxidermia 2005 And now a word of advice from your friendly film critic: If you go to see the Hungarian black comedy Taxidermia, don't plan to eat afterward. full review
115. Cowboy Del Amor 2005 Ohayon doesn't judge Thompson or his customers, but you don't need to be a Harvard-educated psychiatrist to realize that the bunch of them are dirty old men who treat women as commodities.
116. The Devil's Miner 2005 Guaranteed to leave you outraged at the way children -- and, for that matter, adults -- are exploited by mining companies.
117. Grizzly Man 2005 In the most amazing scene, Treadwell gets up close as two male bears do battle over a female, and notes with delight that one of the bears 'did a number two' during the fight.
118. Into Great Silence 2005 Groning then moved into the isolated, centuries-old monastery and for six months, minus crew or artificial light, recorded the monks' daily routine. The result is the seductive documentary Into Great Silence. full review
119. Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man 2005 If you're going to make a documentary about Leonard Cohen, the singer-songwriter, you should have him perform some of his better-known melodies, like Suzanne.
120. Psychopathia Sexualis 2005 Sex can be fun and exciting and wonderful. It also can be deadly boring, as in Pschopathia Sexualis.
121. A State of Mind 2005 A nifty documentary by Brit Daniel Gordon, who directed, wrote and narrated.
122. Following Sean 2004 Arlyck spends more time following himself and his own lefty family than checking up on Sean.
123. Moog 2004 A collection of dry interviews and so-so music, it's better suited to public TV than the big screen.
124. The Puffy Chair 2004 Combines a wise script with funky performances, especially by Aselton, who could give Jennifer Aniston a run for her money.
125. Secuestro Express 2004 Jakubowicz pleases the eyes with closeups, sped-up scenes, hand-held camerawork and other stylized tricks.
126. Word Wars 2004 Who knew Scrabble could be so exciting?
127. Untold Scandal 2003 Worth seeking out.
128. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress 2002 A meditation on literature, love and remembrance that is able to find humor and hope in the dark days of the Cultural Revolution. Quite an achievement, we'd say.
129. The Deserted Station 2002 The sweet script, crisp direction and a delightful performance by Leila Hatami, as the sad-eyed wife, should put Deserted Station on your must-see list.
130. Ram Dass: Fierce Grace 2002
131. Secret Things 2002 Second-rate soft-core porn with art-house pretentions.
132. Sex Is Comedy 2002 It's a sweet and light-hearted endeavor that shows Breillat isn't a one-trick pony.
133. Suddenly 2002 It's an unusual and interesting piece of filmmaking.
134. Suspended Animation 2002
135. Acts Of Worship 2000 Rosemary Rodriguez makes a worthy debut with this troubling tale of a young druggie struggling to survive on the streets of the East Village.
136. As Tears Go By 1988 As Tears Go By doesn't measure up to Wong's later classics, such as In the Mood for Love (2000) and Chungking Express (1994), but it shows a master in the making. full review