instantwatcher.com

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

1. 5 Broken Cameras 2012 [It] makes no pretense at balance - it's unambiguously pro-Palestinian - but it offers a unique and intimate record. full review
2. Brooklyn Castle 2012 "Brooklyn Castle" easily checkmates your inner cynic. full review
3. A Burning Hot Summer 2012 While I have to acknowledge Garrel's skill, the film, which actually has its compelling moments, falls somewhat flat. full review
4. Deadfall 2012 Despite a super-dark noir plot and respectable cast, "Deadfall" is a thriller that never quite delivers on its promise. full review
5. The Forgiveness of Blood 2012 Marston artfully uses handheld cameras and natural light and has a nice eye for compositions. full review
6. Headhunters 2012 "Headhunters" is a well-oiled, nasty machine. full review
7. In Another Country 2012 If you take the film as the bauble it is, you'll be entertained by its lighthearted wit, social observations and resolute sidestepping of profundity. full review
8. The Island President 2012 "The Island President" is a mostly compelling documentary about that rarest of breeds, an appealing politician. full review
9. The Loneliest Planet 2012 Though it's not without virtues, "The Loneliest Planet" may try the patience of even the most dedicated lovers of art film. full review
10. Monsieur Lazhar 2012 An understated story of coping with emotional blows that offers a compelling portrait of a decent man. full review
11. Nobody Walks 2012 The direction is decent, and the film is handsome. But it's finally frustrating, enigmatic in a way that suggests emptiness more than mystery. full review
12. Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey 2011 Watching Clash realize his dream is gratifying, and the behind-the-scenes Muppets stuff is fun. full review
13. The Flowers of War 2011 Affecting at times, but finally feels overblown and heavy-handed. full review
14. Hell and Back Again 2011 The director has no intention of making a prefab antiwar statement. He simply wants to show us an experience, just as it happened, and let the chips fall where they may. full review
15. Mysteries of Lisbon 2011 A sprawling 19th century novel filtered through the mind of a trickster filmmaker, the late Raul Ruiz, who both delights in and subverts his wildly complex and melodramatic source material. full review
16. The Swell Season 2011 Overall the film seems like a collection of bits and pieces, and it's hard to see how it could have much resonance for non-fans. full review
17. And Everything Is Going Fine 2010 This was obviously a labor of love for Soderbergh, and a fitting memorial to the artist. full review
18. Bill Cunningham New York 2010 Cunningham's work is about seeing and teaching us how to see, and that should be plenty for us. full review
19. Casino Jack 2010 It's a movie of sporadically entertaining scenes that add up to a vaguely unsatisfying whole. full review
20. Cave of Forgotten Dreams 2010 Art history lessons don't get much better: "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" presents the world's oldest paintings captured by one of film's great visionaries. full review
21. The Human Resources Manager 2010 Ivanir's acting is the key - he portrays the transition without sentimentalizing his character. full review
22. Marwencol 2010 If you have even a passing interest in outsider art, you owe it to yourself to see "Marwencol." full review
23. Nostalgia for the Light 2010 Guzman offers a poetic narrative that celebrates the searches and insists on the moral obligation to remember Chile's not-too-distant past. full review
24. Waste Land 2010 "Waste Land" is a film about recycling, but it's far more intriguing than the average eco-documentary. full review
25. The Woodmans 2010 It's impossible to listen to Francesca's parents, deadly serious about art as a higher calling, without feeling both saddened and disturbed. full review
26. Beeswax 2009 There are viewers and critics who simply can't abide mumblecore. But give this movie a chance: Bujalski has a serious talent for finding resonance in the mundane. full review
27. 44 Inch Chest 2009 It's an interesting spectacle, but not enough to carry a movie. full review
28. Amreeka 2009 This could be rough going, but Cherien Dabis' Amreeka tells this immigrants' tale with some humor and only a dash of political correctness. full review
29. Breaking Upwards 2009 Breaking Upwards has its amusing and touching moments, but we're left wondering just what we're supposed to make of it all. full review
30. Crude 2009 No film could convey all the complexities of the case -- what Crude does is air the plaintiffs' claims and show the lawyers at work. full review
31. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2009 Those who stick it out will see an especially dark murder mystery that presents Swedish society as corrupt and profoundly antagonistic to women. full review
32. Soul Kitchen 2009 A loose, generally good-natured comedy with screwball overtones. full review
33. The Time That Remains 2009 Despite its abundance of deadpan and absurdist humor, "The Time That Remains," a look at the Arab-Israeli conflict from a Palestinian perspective, was clearly made with a sorrowful heart. full review
34. What's the Matter with Kansas? 2009 It's finally a very sad movie, because it speaks to the profound depths of the political division in this country. full review
35. White on Rice 2009 A cockeyed tale about a Japanese nebbish in suburban America, White on Rice will wring some laughs out of anyone but the most humor-impaired. full review
36. Eldorado 2008 Eldorado was named best European film in the directors' fortnight last year at Cannes. full review
37. Humboldt County 2008 Humboldt County has an impressive cast and captures some of that era's fuzzy rebelliousness and humanism, but taken on its own the picture is finally thin stuff. full review
38. I.O.U.S.A. 2008 Any documentary about the alarming level of our national debt faces a major hurdle -- making the dismal subject at least somewhat palatable. I.O.U.S.A. does about as good a job as any film could be expected to, thanks to the direction of Patrick Creadon. full review
39. Theater of War 2008 For theater lovers in general, this documentary -- a look at a high-powered production of a modern classic and a chance to watch Meryl Streep build a character -- is intriguing and educational. For partisans of Bertolt Brecht, it's mandatory. full review
40. Unmistaken Child 2008 A compelling documentary about events that followed the 2001 death of the revered Tibetan master Geshe Lama Kochog. full review
41. Ben X 2007 The film is harrowing, if maybe a bit melodramatic, until it crashes and burns in a feel-good ending. full review
42. Encounters at the End of the World 2007 Encounters at the End of the World is an enjoyable example of this extraordinary director's documentary work, and accessible enough to make it a good introduction to his singular vision. full review
43. King Corn 2007 While there's no startling news here -- most people know that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a staple in food processing and isn't particularly good for us -- this documentary neatly, and often humorously, summarizes a very unhealthy situation. full review
44. Munyurangabo 2007 Munyurangabo, a simple, naturalistic parable about a journey to the countryside by two young men, reflects on the chances of peace and reconciliation for survivors of Rwanda's bloody recent past. full review
45. Owl and the Sparrow 2007 The principal actors all do a nice job, but a special commendation goes to young Han, a Saigon resident with some experience onstage. full review
46. Shotgun Stories 2007 An austere rural landscape, festering hatred, class tensions, terse dialogue -- these are common currency in indie movies these days. Shotgun Stories uses them all, but manages to stand out from the crowd. full review
47. Shrooms 2007 [A] half-baked effort. full review
48. Grizzly Man 2005 Although the film has sympathy for its subject's idiosyncrasy, Herzog makes it clear that he strongly disagrees with Treadwell's sentimental view of nature. full review
49. Into Great Silence 2005 The silence captured in this documentary may be the most eloquent you'll ever hear. full review
50. Secuestro Express 2004 Secuestro Express seems less interested in dramatizing the crushing inequities of that nation than in serving up hefty doses of sadism and titillation. full review
51. Bukowski: Born into This 2002 'Poet laureate of the gutter,' ranter, sexual boaster, bane of the middle class and lifelong outcast, the writer cultivated a persona that begs for documentary treatment, and he gets a good one in Bukowski: Born Into This. full review
52. Suddenly 2002 The film has nice black-and-white photography, and attitude to spare, but finally leaves you with that unhappily familiar 'so what?' feeling. full review