Production Company(ies)
Razor Film Produktion GmbH, Highlook Communications, Group Rotana Film Production
 
Distributor
Relativity Media
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Russborough House, Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some violence
 
Year of Release
2012
 

 
Genre(s)
Action
 
Keyword(s)
starring Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, directed by Steven Soderbergh, written by Lem Dobbs, action, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Edelstein, Rafer Guzman, Sara Michelle Fetters, David Denby, J R Jones, Nell Minow, Owen Nicholls, David Bax, Joanne Laurier, Craig Schroeder, Mike Massie, R-rated, government security contractor, black-ops training, betrayal, revenge, MMA star, top-notch cast, outstanding direction, thriller, action-movie chops, found objects, clockwork precision, hand-to-hand combat, wall-climbing backflips, double-cross, survival, truth, adversary, danger, highly trained operative, dangerous areas, hostage journalist, agency, trap, intelligence community, alternate, entertainment value, intrepid resolve, cinematography, stripped down, convoluted plot, engaging, fun, entertaining, well directed, well written, talented actors, flaws, weaknesses, thrills, horror, MCU, Netflix, TV shows, streaming movies, theaters, news, podcasts, reviews, ratings, trailers, interviews, verified purchase, Fresh Kernels
 

Cast & Crew

Gina Carano

Michael Fassbender

Ewan McGregor

Bill Paxton

Channing Tatum

Mallory Kane

Paul

Kenneth

John Kane

Aaron

Gina Carano – Mallory Kane
Michael Fassbender – Paul
Ewan McGregor – Kenneth
Bill Paxton – John Kane
Channing Tatum – Aaron
Antonio Banderas – Rodrigo

 

Steven Soderbergh

Lem Dobbs

Gregory Jacobs

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Steven Soderbergh
 
Writer(s)
Lem Dobbs
 
Producer(s)
Gregory Jacobs

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
7 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

David Edelstein

Rafer Guzman

Sara Michelle Fetters

David Denby

J. R. Jones

New York Magazine/Vulture

Newsday

MovieFreak.com

New Yorker

Chicago Reader

HAYWIRE
 All Critics (199) | Top Critics (60) | Fresh (159) | Rotten (40)
 Steven Soderbergh continues his occasional practice of using actors as found objects in his perfectly enjoyable formula action-thriller Haywire.
 
 January 8, 2013
 
 David Edelstein
 New York Magazine/Vulture
 TOP CRITIC
 Mixed martial-arts star Carano puts major muscle, if minor acting ability, into this enjoyable action flick.
 
 January 8, 2013
 
 Rafer Guzman
 Newsday
 TOP CRITIC
 Dobbs and Soderbergh have a good feel for this genre, and seeing how things play out and watching Mallory exact her brutal, full-impact revenge is a total joy.
 
 January 27, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Sara Michelle Fetters
 MovieFreak.com
 TOP CRITIC
 Carano is strong, fast, relentless. She’s not much of an actress yet, but Soderbergh hides her weaknesses well…
 
 January 24, 2012
 
 David Denby
 New Yorker
 TOP CRITIC
 There’s a good deal of pleasure to be had in the clockwork precision of her hand-to-hand combat, which Soderbergh often shoots in profile to showcase her wall-climbing backflips.
 
 January 23, 2012
 
 J. R. Jones
 Chicago Reader
 TOP CRITIC
 Even in the midst fighting off a battalion of protective-gear-clad law enforcement officers, Carano has a businesslike confidence.
 
 January 23, 2012 | Rating: B
 
 Nell Minow
 Beliefnet
 TOP CRITIC
 A more than decent alternate to the award yearning fare on offer at this time of year.
 
 April 30, 2021
 
 Owen Nicholls
 NME
 Just because Soderbergh’s ambitions aren’t as grand and sweeping here as elsewhere does not make the film worth any less.
 
 March 16, 2021
 
 David Bax
 Battleship Pretension
 What was Soderbergh thinking in making a work that gives a pass to the intelligence community?
 
 February 28, 2021
 
 Joanne Laurier
 World Socialist Web Site
 Haywire is one of the best action films of the decade.
 
 January 7, 2021
 
 Craig Schroeder
 Battleship Pretension
 With such an authentic protagonist, the entertainment value is in her intrepid resolve.
 
 December 1, 2020 | Rating: 5/10
 
 Mike Massie
 Gone With The Twins
 A flawed film that still manages to entertain.
 
 September 10, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/4.0
 
 Richard Propes
 TheIndependentCritic.com…

 

Plot
Freelance covert operative Mallory Kane is hired out by her handler to various global entities to perform jobs which governments can’t authorize and heads of state would rather not know about. After a mission to rescue a hostage in Barcelona, Mallory is quickly dispatched on another mission to Dublin. When the operation goes awry and Mallory finds she has been double crossed, she needs to use all of her skills, tricks and abilities to escape an international manhunt, make it back to the United States, protect her family, and exact revenge on those that have betrayed her.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Gina Carano, a former MMA fighter, displays impressive action-movie skills in her first major acting role.
 

 
Steven-Soderbergh.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Studio Canal, Working Title Films,
 
Distributor
Weinstein Co.
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Carbondale, Pennsylvania, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R on appeal for strong graphic sexual content, language, and a beating
 
Year of Release
2011
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
 
Keyword(s)

Cast & Crew

Ryan Gosling

Dean

Dean

Ryan Gosling – Dean

 

Derek Cianfrance

Derek Cianfrance

Lynette Howell Taylor

Alex Orlovsky

Jamie Patricof

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Derek Cianfrance
 
Writer(s)
Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne
 
Producer(s)
Lynette Howell Taylor, Alex Orlovsky, Jamie Patricof

 

Film Festivals
Sundance, Cannes
 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
9 wins & 56 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

David Ansen

Candice Frederick

Laura Kern

Chuck Bowen

Rafer Guzman

Newsweek

Reel Talk Online

Film Comment Magazine

Slant Magazine

Newsday

BLUE VALENTINE
 All Critics (212) | Top Critics (65) | Fresh (183) | Rotten (29)
 See it for [Ryan] Gosling and [Michelle] Williams, but be advised: if you take a date, you’ll be sorry.
 
 February 6, 2018
 
 David Ansen
 Newsweek
 TOP CRITIC
 Williams’s beautiful performance is played nicely off Gosling’s remarkably vulnerable performance yielding a timeless portrayal of love, romance, agony and despair.
 
 September 9, 2017 | Rating: A+
 
 Candice Frederick
 Reel Talk Online
 TOP CRITIC
 Unlike Bergman’s searing Scenes from a Marriage, which sustains itself for every one of its 299 devastating minutes, Blue Valentine begins to falter somewhere during its 114.
 
 June 20, 2013
 
 Laura Kern
 Film Comment Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 An enormously overheated yet oddly affecting movie gets an appropriately earnest DVD treatment.
 
 May 17, 2011
 
 Chuck Bowen
 Slant Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 Blue Valentine has a rare emotional intensity. There is no way to prepare for its final frames, inevitable as they are.
 
 February 11, 2011
 
 Rafer Guzman
 Newsday
 TOP CRITIC
 A searing portrait of the disintegration of not just a marriage but, more importantly, the love that once fueled it.
 
 January 19, 2011 | Rating: 4.5/5
 
 Bill Goodykoontz
 Arizona Republic
 TOP CRITIC
 Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling give incredible performances in this realistic exploration of a love relationship, that back and forth between past and present. Full review in Spanish
 
 March 23, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Fico Cangiano
 CineXpress Podcast
 Does Blue Valentine’s emotional honesty make it more romantic or less? That’s just one question this artistically commendable, particularly challenging film will pose in the hours while it’s screening, and after it’s done.
 
 May 25, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
 James McMahon
 NME
 While the film gets certain superficial, external trappings right, the deeper levels of American life remain undisclosed, a fact that be can’t be masked by a faux-emotional grittiness.
 
 March 1, 2021
 
 Joanne Laurier
 World Socialist Web Site
 It’s like watching a couple bicker on the subway. You feel sorry for them but hope they’ll get off at the next stop.
 
 January 31, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/5
 
 Richard Crouse
 Richard Crouse
 It is a tremendous testimony to Gosling that we feel deeply for Dean.
 
 September 3, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
 
 Richard Propes
 TheIndependentCritic.com
 It is a subtle, beautifully filmed, inventively structured portrait of a crumbling marriage and the lengths people will go to in order to save something that can’t be saved.
 
 July 12, 2020 | Rating: A-
 
 Brent McKnight
 The Last Thing I See…

 

Plot
Dean Pereira and Cindy Heller Pereira are a young, working class married couple – Dean currently working as a painter, and Cindy working as a nurse in a medical clinic – with a young daughter named Frankie. Despite their relatively tender ages, they are both ravaged by the life they’ve eked out together and by the experiences they’ve had leading into their marriage. Dean, a high school drop out, comes from a broken home, where he never really had a mother figure. He never saw himself getting married or having a family despite falling in love at first sight with Cindy. He doesn’t have any professional ambition beyond his current work – which he enjoys since he feels he can knock off a beer at 8 o’clock in the morning without it affecting his work – although Cindy believes he has so much more potential in life. Cindy also comes from a dysfunctional family, with her own mother and father not setting an example of a harmonious married or family life. One of her previous serious relationships was with Bobby Ontario, that relationship which has a profound affect on many aspects of her marriage to Dean. Dean and Cindy head off on an overnight getaway together without Frankie, the getaway which may provide a clearer picture if their marriage can survive its many issues.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The review praises the performances of Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, stating that they give “performances of unusual depth and power.”
 

 
Derek-Cianfrance.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
Miramax Films
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Henderson Valley Studios, Hickory Avenue, Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong bloody violence
 
Year of Release
2010
 

 
Genre(s)
Adventure/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Irrfan Khan, Mandakini Goswami, Sunita Sharma, Noor Mani, Damayanti Marfatia, Anupam Shyam, directed by Asif Kapadia, written by Asif Kapadia, Adventure, Drama, $48.2K box office, reviewed by Tom Ambrose, Terry Lawson, Mick LaSalle, Janice Page, Michael Wilmington, Carrie Rickey, Felix Vasquez Jr., Cole Smithey, Lewis Beale, Christopher Null, Robert Roten, feudal India, lone warrior, violent role, enforcer, local lord, Himalayan mountains, spiritual journey, redemption, internal drama, revenge story, picturesque scenes, Rajasthan, Irfan Khan, Slumdog Millionaire, minimalist, sorrowful tale, search of peace, troubled soul, Miramax Films, Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo, R MPAA rating
 

Cast & Crew

Irrfan Khan

Mandakini Goswami

Sunita Sharma

Noor Mani

Damayanti Marfatia

Lafcadia

Rabia

The girl

Riaz

Blind woman

Irrfan Khan – Lafcadia
Mandakini Goswami – Rabia
Sunita Sharma – The girl
Noor Mani – Riaz
Damayanti Marfatia – Blind woman
Anupam Shyam – Lord

 

Asif Kapadia

Asif Kapadia

Bertrand Faivre

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Asif Kapadia
 
Writer(s)
Asif Kapadia
 
Producer(s)
Bertrand Faivre

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
1 win
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Tom Ambrose

Terry Lawson

Mick LaSalle

Janice Page

Michael Wilmington

Empire Magazine

Detroit Free Press

San Francisco Chronicle

Boston Globe

Chicago Tribune

THE WARRIOR
 All Critics (42) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (7)
 Sumptuous and profound, this is a stunning debut.
 
 December 30, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Tom Ambrose
 Empire Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 It is hardly the most original story, but Kapadia, the British-born son of Indian immigrants, infuses it so much with stately resonance and spiritual reverence, that it never seems remotely shopworn, much less laborious.
 
 August 5, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Terry Lawson
 Detroit Free Press
 TOP CRITIC
 Long before the end, it takes on the quality of a wise fable and reveals itself as an enriching experience.
 
 July 29, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Mick LaSalle
 San Francisco Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 If you can forgive its lapses in storytelling and character development, then Kapadia’s 2001 feature filmmaking debut delivers, at minimum, an impressive visual account of a worthwhile spiritual journey.
 
 July 29, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 Janice Page
 Boston Globe
 TOP CRITIC
 A film for moviegoers who love powerful stories and ravishing imagery.
 
 July 28, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Michael Wilmington
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 There’s a pinch of Akira Kurosawa, a sprinkle of Clint Eastwood, and heaps of originality in this.
 
 July 28, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Carrie Rickey
 Philadelphia Inquirer
 TOP CRITIC
 A meaningful, and well paced tale of a killer seeking redemption in a world that’s felt his touch of death.
 
 April 29, 2009
 
 Felix Vasquez Jr.
 Cinema Crazed
 “The Warrior” is a timeless and lyrical movie set against the stunning beauty of the Himalayan Mountains.
 
 April 16, 2009 | Rating: A-
 
 Cole Smithey
 ColeSmithey.com
 Its deadly pacing and almost word-free screenplay make it seem like a very long slog indeed.
 
 March 1, 2007
 
 Lewis Beale
 Film Journal International
 The Warrior plays out like one big roll in the dirt and one long wargame.
 
 April 4, 2006 | Rating: 2.5/5
 
 Christopher Null
 Filmcritic.com
 A starkly beautiful and poignant film of evil, family, transformation and redemption set in ancient India.
 
 February 25, 2006 | Rating: B
 
 Robert Roten
 Laramie Movie Scope
 Considering that this is a film set in feudal India of an indefinite era, the film should be surprisingly thoughtful and engaging for American audience.
 
 December 25, 2005 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Mark R. Leeper
 rec.arts.movies.reviews…

 

Plot
Yang, the world’s finest swordsman, packs it in and leaves Japan to find an old friend in the Wild West rather than kill the infant queen of a rival clan. He carries the baby to his friend’s desolate, broken-down town; the friend has died, so Yang reopens a laundry and settles down, hanging wet clothes, growing flowers, raising the infant, and finding himself attracted to Lynne, a red-haired woman with a tragic past. As long as Yang keeps his sword sheathed, his rivals won’t find him, but a band of reprobate gunmen terrorize the town and threaten Lynne. Showdowns are inevitable, but once the sword is drawn, can Yang find rest, a home, and a family?
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Irrfan Khan delivers a good, understated performance in the lead role.
 

 
Asif-Kapadia.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Mappa Genco
 
Distributor
Zeitgeist
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Kloster Eberbach, Eltville Am Rhein, Hessen, Germany
 
MPAA / Certificate
Unrated
 
Year of Release
2009
 

 
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Barbara Sukowa, Heino Ferch, Hannah Herzsprung, Alexander Held, Lena Stolze, Sunnyi Melles, directed by Margarethe von Trotta, written by Margarethe von Trotta, biography, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by John Anderson, Nicolas Rapold, Adam Nayman, V.A Musetto, Rene Rodriguez, Tom Long, Joanne Laurier, Yasser Medina, Mattie Lucas, Jeffrey Overstreet, Robert W Butler, MPAA rating, Markus Zimmer, produced by Zeitgeist, Benedictine nun, composer, herbalist, women’s rights, German, 12th century, mystic, visions, faith, art, science, protofeminist, religious drama, clerical politics, cloistered life, medicine, music, healing, heresy, access to knowledge, respect for the body
 

Cast & Crew

Barbara Sukowa

Heino Ferch

Hannah Herzsprung

Alexander Held

Lena Stolze

Hildegard von Bingen

Brother Volmar

Richardis von Stade

Abbot Kuno

Jutta

Barbara Sukowa – Hildegard von Bingen
Heino Ferch – Brother Volmar
Hannah Herzsprung – Richardis von Stade
Alexander Held – Abbot Kuno
Lena Stolze – Jutta
Sunnyi Melles – Richardis’ Mother

 

Margarethe von Trotta

Margarethe von Trotta

Markus Zimmer

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Margarethe von Trotta
 
Writer(s)
Margarethe von Trotta
 
Producer(s)
Markus Zimmer

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 4 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

John Anderson

Nicolas Rapold

Adam Nayman

V.A. Musetto

Rene Rodriguez

America Magazine

Film Comment Magazine

eye WEEKLY

New York Post

Miami Herald

VISION: FROM THE LIFE OF HILDEGARD VON BINGEN
 All Critics (40) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (33) | Rotten (7)
 It is a memorable, beautiful film.
 
 February 17, 2015
 
 John Anderson
 America Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 Perhaps unsurprisingly, Vision is didactic and a bit stilted-although to be fair, so are most mainstream biopics rehashing historical events more familiar than this one, which presents its subject as a rousing protofeminist.
 
 July 1, 2013
 
 Nicolas Rapold
 Film Comment Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 March 3, 2011 | Rating: 2/5
 
 Adam Nayman
 eye WEEKLY
 TOP CRITIC
 March 3, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
 
 V.A. Musetto
 New York Post
 TOP CRITIC
 March 3, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Rene Rodriguez
 Miami Herald
 TOP CRITIC
 There was obviously much to this woman, yet somehow Visions feels curiously empty feeling.
 
 February 3, 2011 | Rating: C-
 
 Tom Long
 Detroit News
 TOP CRITIC
 Von Trotta’s film is competently made, with impressive lighting and design.
 
 March 4, 2021
 
 Joanne Laurier
 World Socialist Web Site
 As a religious drama, It captivates me when Von Trotta captures an austere, absorbing and very realistic portrait of the desire for female independence. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 December 16, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Yasser Medina
 Cinemaficionados
 A lovely and lyrical film, and thanks to some striking production design and cinematography, it is a period piece that doesn’t feel like a period piece.
 
 August 5, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Mattie Lucas
 From the Front Row
 Sukowa gives Hildegard intriguing complexity and an almost irresistible charisma … but the great [film] about this woman who embraced faith, art, and science is yet to arrive.
 
 June 12, 2012 | Rating: B-
 
 Jeffrey Overstreet
 Response
 Vision, a somber but beautifully rendered story of the life of 12th-century mystic Hildegard von Bingen, isn’t a religious movie so much as a movie about people who take religion seriously.
 
 August 12, 2011
 
 Robert W. Butler
 Kansas City Star
 (A) portrayal of an immortal spirit thriving in a unique vision.
 
 May 18, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Matthew Sorrento
 Film Threat…

 

Plot
“Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen” is a biographical drama about a gifted Benedictine nun who works to expand the status and responsibilities of women within her order, exploring her life and finding compelling modern parallels.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Barbara Sukowa gives an intriguing and complex portrayal of Hildegard von Bingen.
 

 
Margarethe-von-Trotta.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Eye Steel Film Téléfilm Canada Rogers Group of Fund,s
 
Distributor
IFC Films
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Ramallah, Palestine
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
2009
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Ali Suliman, Elia Suleiman, Saleh Bakri, Amer Hlehel, Nati Ravitz, Lutuf Nouasser, directed by Elia Suleiman, written by Elia Suleiman, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Adania Shibli, Joumane Chahine, Peter Howell, Rick Groen, Walter V Addiego, Adam Markovitz, Kathy Fennessy, Mohammed Elshimi, Joanne Laurier, Yasser Medina, Mattie Lucas, MPAA rating, produced by Michael Gentile, Elia Suleiman, Arabic, Israel, Palestine, 1948, autobiographical, deadpan humor, political, absurd, IFG Films
 

Cast & Crew

Ali Suliman

Elia Suleiman

Saleh Bakri

Amer Hlehel

Nati Ravitz

Eliza’s Boyfriend

ES

Fuad

Anis

IDF Commander

Ali Suliman – Eliza’s Boyfriend
Elia Suleiman – ES
Saleh Bakri – Fuad
Amer Hlehel – Anis
Nati Ravitz – IDF Commander
Lutuf Nouasser – Abu Elias

 

Elia Suleiman

Elia Suleiman

Michael Gentile

Elia Suleiman

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Elia Suleiman
 
Writer(s)
Elia Suleiman
 
Producer(s)
Michael Gentile, Elia Suleiman

 

Film Festivals
Cannes
 
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 7 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Adania Shibli

Joumane Chahine

Peter Howell

Rick Groen

Walter V. Addiego

Sight & Sound

Film Comment Magazine

Toronto Star

Globe and Mail

San Francisco Chronicle

THE TIME THAT REMAINS
 All Critics (49) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (7)
 Though the film, like Suleiman’s other work, is undoubtedly political, its cinematic form and content are marked by a studied yet subtle simplicity.
 
 July 30, 2018
 
 Adania Shibli
 Sight & Sound
 TOP CRITIC
 Suleiman’s approach, anchored as it is in minutiae and the absurd, manages to rescue the Arab-Israeli issue from its usual hijacking by ideology.
 
 November 7, 2013
 
 Joumane Chahine
 Film Comment Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 Suleiman takes the approach of gentle observer, neither condoning nor confronting — not violently, at least. Start with humor and perhaps empathy will follow.
 
 February 5, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Peter Howell
 Toronto Star
 TOP CRITIC
 Living in a part of the world where politics, and the pursuit of politics by warring means, are the rule, director Elia Suleiman is the exception.
 
 February 4, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Rick Groen
 Globe and Mail
 TOP CRITIC
 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.
 
 February 4, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Walter V. Addiego
 San Francisco Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 Suleiman’s obvious gift for cinema makes you wish that in connecting so personally with his past, he’d occasionally reach out to the audience, too.
 
 January 19, 2011 | Rating: C+
 
 Adam Markovitz
 Entertainment Weekly
 TOP CRITIC
 If this Israeli-Italian co-production starts in neo-realist mode…it becomes lighter, looser, and more elliptical as it goes on
 
 September 15, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Kathy Fennessy
 Seattle Film Blog
 This semi auto-biographical account by Elia Suleiman is a deeply personal, intimate, and refreshingly alternative take on the plight of Palestinians under occupation.
 
 July 21, 2021
 
 Mohammed Elshimi
 emel
 The Time That Remains condenses historical events in a highly personal manner that incorporates the filmmaker’s emotional response, albeit deliberately distanced, to the episodes being recounted.
 
 March 4, 2021
 
 Joanne Laurier
 World Socialist Web Site
 It is a film that through its aesthetics, I presume, achieves a very peculiar symbiosis between historical revisionism and the social and political reality of the Palestinians. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 August 5, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Yasser Medina
 Cinemaficionados
 A deeply personal film for Suleiman, as he uses his own family as a microcosm of a greater Palestinian plight.
 
 August 5, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Mattie Lucas
 From the Front Row
 …a missed opportunity of nigh epic proportions…
 
 June 22, 2011 | Rating: 2/4
 
 David Nusair
 Reel Film Reviews…

 

Plot
The Time That Remains follows the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and its impact on Palestinian citizens through the present day, told through the personal experiences of director Elia Suleiman’s family.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The film stars Elia Suleiman, who also directed and wrote the screenplay.
 

 
Elia-Suleiman.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Plan B Entertainment, Initial Entertainment Group,
 
Distributor
Summit Entertainment
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Rømø, Denmark
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for language, brief nudity/sexuality, some violence and a drug reference
 
Year of Release
2010
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton, directed by Roman Polanski, written by Roman Polanski, Robert Harris, drama, PG-13, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Deborah Ross, Ed Koch, Andrew Sarris, Keith Uhlich, Sandra Hall, Sara Michelle Fetters, Stuart McGurk, Jason Best, Mike Massie, Sarah Boslaugh, Brian D Johnson, Pierce Brosnan as Adam Lang, Ewan McGregor as The Ghost, Kim Cattrall as Amelia, Olivia Williams as Ruth Lang, Tom Wilkinson as Paul Emmett, Timothy Hutton as Sidney Kroll, produced by Roman Polanski, Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde
 

Cast & Crew

Pierce Brosnan

Ewan McGregor

Kim Cattrall

Olivia Williams

Tom Wilkinson

Adam Lang

The Ghost

Amelia

Ruth Lang

Paul Emmett

Pierce Brosnan – Adam Lang
Ewan McGregor – The Ghost
Kim Cattrall – Amelia
Olivia Williams – Ruth Lang
Tom Wilkinson – Paul Emmett
Timothy Hutton – Sidney Kroll

 

Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski

Robert Benmussa

Alain Sarde

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Roman Polanski
 
Writer(s)
Roman Polanski, Robert Harris
 
Producer(s)
Roman Polanski, Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde

 

Film Festivals
Berlin
 
Awards & Nominations
33 wins & 56 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Deborah Ross

Ed Koch

Andrew Sarris

Keith Uhlich

Sandra Hall

The Spectator

The Atlantic

Film Comment Magazine

Time Out

Sydney Morning Herald

THE GHOST WRITER
 All Critics (210) | Top Critics (61) | Fresh (177) | Rotten (33)
 This isn’t a great film. You won’t carry it around in your heart for years to come… But it’ll keep you with it right to the very end, which has to be worth something. It may even be worth quite a lot.
 
 August 30, 2018
 
 Deborah Ross
 The Spectator
 TOP CRITIC
 The dialogue and suspense created by director Polanski are first rate. You will enjoy this film.
 
 January 13, 2018
 
 Ed Koch
 The Atlantic
 TOP CRITIC
 In the total context of Polanski’s hard life and grim ordeals … The Ghost Writer constitutes a miracle of artistic and psychological resilience.
 
 June 20, 2013
 
 Andrew Sarris
 Film Comment Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 Polanski has made a genre piece with a verve and vitality that’s in sadly short supply.
 
 November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Keith Uhlich
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 It is good to see Polanski exercising his gift for the sinister. It’s a spooky world he evokes here but its architecture doesn’t hang together, which is a great pity.
 
 August 9, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Sandra Hall
 Sydney Morning Herald
 TOP CRITIC
 But for fans of the auteur able to separate his personal life from his cinematic one, and for others open to old-school suspense where no one gets away clean and failure truly is an option, this political whirligig delivers the goods.
 
 April 29, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Sara Michelle Fetters
 MovieFreak.com
 TOP CRITIC
 It’s the kind of film that comes along all too rarely, and you find yourself hoping it won’t be his last.
 
 May 19, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Stuart McGurk
 NME
 Watching Blair’s thinly disguised surrogate get put through the wringer in The Ghost is probably the closest we’ll ever get to see him face retribution for his follies and crimes.
 
 November 29, 2020
 
 Jason Best
 Movie Talk
 Perhaps the most prominent interest in the film will be for the controversy Polanski has gotten himself into in his personal life.
 
 November 29, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Mike Massie
 Gone With The Twins
 …succeeds both as a popcorn movie and as a work of political criticism…
 
 December 30, 2019 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Sarah Boslaugh
 TheArtsStl
 It’s an overripe conspiracy thriller knotted with an unlikely twist. But it’s certainly compelling enough. The suspense is taut. Riding this hairpin narrative with McGregor at the wheel is a lot of fun.
 
 July 23, 2019
 
 Brian D. Johnson
 Maclean’s Magazine
 A good, old-fashioned suspense yarn that culminates with one of the most haunting final shots in years.
 
 June 7, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Mattie Lucas
 The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)…

 

Plot
An unremarkable ghost-writer has landed a lucrative contract to redact the memoirs of Adam Lang, the former UK Prime Minister. After dominating British politics for years, Lang is campaigning for his foundation with his wife in the USA. He lives on an island, in luxurious, isolated premises complete with a security detail and a secretarial staff. Soon, Adam Lang gets embroiled in a major scandal with international ramifications that reveals how far he was ready to go in order to nurture UK’s “special relationship” with the USA. But before this controversy has started, before even he has closed the deal with the publisher, the ghost-writer gets unmistakable signs that the turgid draft he is tasked to put into shape inexplicably constitutes highly sensitive material.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about The Ghost Writer.
 

 
Roman-Polanski.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
HBO Documentary Hit The Ground Running Films, Notorious Pictures,
 
Distributor
First Independent Pictures
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Arthur Kill Correctional Facility – 2911 Arthur Kill Road, Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and some sexuality
 
Year of Release
2021
 

 
Genre(s)

 
Keyword(s)
starring Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Michael Rapaport, Matt Servitto, Gino Cafarelli, directed by Robert D Siegel, written by Robert D Siegel, Comedy, Drama, R rating, box office gross $234.4K, reviewed by David Fear, Linda Barnard, Jonathan F Richards, Mick LaSalle, J R Jones, Brian Tallerico, Matt Brunson, Laura Hiros, Will Leitch, Austin Kennedy, Mark Pfeiffer, New York Giants, sports fanatic, parking-garage employee, sports radio, Quantrell Bishop, strip club, Philadelphia Eagles, personal injury lawyer, obsession, loneliness, dark comedy, humanity, satire, bleak, dark, indie picture, fascinating, whimsical, humanity, intoxicating, fan
 

Cast & Crew

Patton Oswalt

Paul Aufiero

Kevin Corrigan

Sal

Marcia Jean Kurtz

Paul Aufiero

Sal

Theresa Aufiero

Philadelphia Phil

Detl Velardi

Patton Oswalt – Paul Aufiero
Kevin Corrigan – Sal
Marcia Jean Kurtz – Theresa Aufiero
Michael Rapaport – Philadelphia Phil
Matt Servitto – Detl Velardi
Gino Cafarelli – Jeff Aufiero

 

Robert D. Siegel

Robert D. Siegel

Jean Kouremetis

Elan Bogarin

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Robert D. Siegel
 
Writer(s)
Robert D. Siegel
 
Producer(s)
Jean Kouremetis, Elan Bogarin

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 5 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

David Fear

Linda Barnard

Jonathan F. Richards

Mick LaSalle

J. R. Jones

Time Out

Toronto Star

Film.com

San Francisco Chronicle

Chicago Reader

BIG FAN
 All Critics (88) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (76) | Rotten (12)
 November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
 David Fear
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 First-time director Siegel shows promise. His script is solid, and although the last act feels somewhat awkward, the idea is clever.
 
 November 29, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Linda Barnard
 Toronto Star
 TOP CRITIC
 Writer-director Robert D. Siegel grew up listening to callers like Paul on The FAN, New York City’s all-sports radio, and he gives us a bizarrely sympathetic portrait of a guy who is as devout and as obsessive as any religious fanatic.
 
 November 22, 2009
 
 Jonathan F. Richards
 Film.com
 TOP CRITIC
 It’s a classic situation, transplanted to a small, petty arena. When I think of this movie, I think of Oswalt, how his anguish feels real (whether we understand it or not) and how his face unaccountably becomes an offbeat locus of dignity.
 
 October 23, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Mick LaSalle
 San Francisco Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 Though the movie isn’t much to look at, he gets a credibly dark and pathetic performance from the typically comic Oswalt.
 
 October 2, 2009
 
 J. R. Jones
 Chicago Reader
 TOP CRITIC
 Oswalt’s performance alone makes Big Fan worth seeing.
 
 October 2, 2009
 
 Brian Tallerico
 Movie Retriever
 TOP CRITIC
 Big Fan stretches credulity in spots, but, for the most part, it manages to keep its eye on the ball.
 
 September 1, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Matt Brunson
 Film Frenzy
 … exploits the talent of multifaceted comedian Patton Oswalt… [Full review in Spanish]
 
 March 16, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Laura Hiros
 Rincón de cine
 Siegel’s too busy making Paul the most pathetic person on earth to figure out what makes him tick, and he pauses from humiliating Paul only to portray Staten Island as some sort of cartoonish wasteland.
 
 June 22, 2013 | Rating: C
 
 Will Leitch
 Deadspin
 Despite the rough-around-the-edges direction, this was a compelling character study, anchored by an astonishing performance by Patton Oswalt.
 
 May 10, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Austin Kennedy
 Film Geek Central
 Astute at observing the behaviors and mindset of the fan who sees no distinction between himself and the team.
 
 April 25, 2012 | Rating: B-
 
 Mark Pfeiffer
 Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
 Unlovable loser chooses the “low” road
 
 September 28, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Marty Mapes
 Movie Habit…

 

Plot
Big Fan follows the story of Paul Aufiero, a New York Giants fan who lives with his mother and spends his free time calling into sports radio shows to talk about his favorite team. When he has a chance encounter with his favorite player, things take a dark turn.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Patton Oswalt’s sympathetic portrayal of a sports fanatic.
 

 
Robert-D.-Siegel.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios,
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Arthur Kill Correctional Facility – 2911 Arthur Kill Road, Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and some sexuality
 
Year of Release
2021
 

 
Genre(s)
Documentary
 
Keyword(s)
directed by Frederick Wiseman, starring Wayne McGregor, Aurélie Dupont, Benjamin Pech, Brigitte Lefévre, written by Frederick Wiseman, documentary, ballet, behind-the-scenes, institution, artform, hard work, sacrifice, dreams, professional dancers, rehearsals, control, strength, precision, beauty, art, heart-breaking, boring, engrossing, skill, beauty, Kate Stables, Peter Rainer, Robert Hanks, Ben Kenigsberg, Joshua Rothkopf, Jim Schembri, Mattie Lucas, Laura Hiros, Michael Sicinski, Robert Gottlieb, Dave White, Thomas Caldwell, reviewed by Sight & Sound, Christian Science Monitor, Independent (UK), Time Out, The Age (Australia), From the Front Row, Rincón de cine, Cinema Scope, The New York Review of Books, Movies.com, box office performance, budget, producer names
 

Cast & Crew

Wayne McGregor

Aurélie Dupont

Benjamin Pech

Brigitte Lefévre

Frederick Wiseman

Wayne McGregor

Aurélie Dupont

Benjamin Pech

Brigitte Lefévre

Frederick Wiseman

Wayne McGregor – self
Aurélie Dupont – self
Benjamin Pech – self
Brigitte Lefévre – self
Frederick Wiseman – Director

 

Frederick Wiseman

NA

NA

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Frederick Wiseman
 
Writer(s)
NA
 
Producer(s)
NA

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 5 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Kate Stables

Peter Rainer

Robert Hanks

Ben Kenigsberg

Joshua Rothkopf

Sight & Sound

Christian Science Monitor

Independent (UK)

Time Out

The Age (Australia)

LA DANSE — LE BALLET DE L’OPERA DE PARIS
 All Critics (55) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (7)
 This superb, utterly engrossing piece manages to dissect both an institution and an artform with extraordinary skill and beauty.
 
 July 10, 2018
 
 Kate Stables
 Sight & Sound
 TOP CRITIC
 January 22, 2013 | Rating: A
 
 Peter Rainer
 Christian Science Monitor
 TOP CRITIC
 January 22, 2013 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Robert Hanks
 Independent (UK)
 TOP CRITIC
 November 18, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Ben Kenigsberg
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Joshua Rothkopf
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 It’s not just boring, though, it’s heart-breaking. Even hardcore fans of ballet might find themselves checking their e-mails or nipping out for another bucket of popcorn.
 
 October 21, 2010 | Rating: 1/5
 
 Jim Schembri
 The Age (Australia)
 TOP CRITIC
 For anyone who has ever dreamed of dancing, for those who long for the stage, the spotlight, and the adoring cheer of the crowds, La Danse is a paean to their hard work and sacrifice, and a monument for their dreams.
 
 August 5, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Mattie Lucas
 From the Front Row
 If you like ballet and are interested in behind-the-scenes footage, endless rehearsals and the effort professional dancers have to make to reach the height of stardom do not miss La Danse — Le Ballet de l’Opera de Paris. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 March 22, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Laura Hiros
 Rincón de cine
 At least in part, Wiseman’s latest success is the result of upping the spectacle and downplaying those detailed, Zolaesque dimensions for which his great novel is usually vaunted.
 
 November 28, 2017
 
 Michael Sicinski
 Cinema Scope
 . . .it’s also highly self-indulgent, which means that it’s also something of a drag-and that’s something ballet should never be.
 
 August 21, 2017
 
 Robert Gottlieb
 The New York Review of Books
 April 4, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Dave White
 Movies.com
 La danse is as good a way as any to discover the extraordinary combination of control, strength, precision, beauty and art that goes into creating ballet.
 
 November 5, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Thomas Caldwell
 Cinema Autopsy…

 

Plot
La Danse – Le Ballet de l’Opera de Paris is a documentary that provides an inside look at the Paris Opera Ballet, showcasing the hard work and dedication of the dancers and staff.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features behind-the-scenes footage of the dancers and staff of the Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris, including Wayne McGregor, Aurélie Dupont, and Benjamin Pech.
 

 
Frederick-Wiseman.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Red Crown Productions, The Princess Grace Foundation Participant
 
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Seattle, Washington, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language, crude and sexual content, some drug use and disturbing images
 
Year of Release
2010
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
World’s Greatest Dad, Robin Williams, dark comedy, posthumous cults of celebrity, Bobcat Goldthwait, Tim Perell, Howard Gertler, Sean McKittrick, Richard Kelly, R rating, Magnolia Pictures, English, Comedy, Drama, $221.2K, reviewed by Anna Smith, Hank Sartin, Joshua Rothkopf, Derek Malcolm, Robbie Collin, Anthony Quinn, James McMahon, David Harris, Josh Larsen, Richard von Busack, Alistair Harkness, starring Alexie Gilmore, Daryl Sabara, Tom Kenny, Lorraine Nicholson, Geoff Pierson, directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, written by Bobcat Goldthwait, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating, producer names, writer names, director names, critic names, Fame, intrigue, literary renown, Lance Clayton, high school English teacher, fake suicide note, scandal, school paper, diary, keeping cool, crude and sexual content, some drug use, language, disturbing images
 

Cast & Crew

Robin Williams

Lance Clayton

Alexie Gilmore

Daryl Sabara

Tom Kenny

Lance Clayton

Claire

Kyle

Jerry Klein

Heather

Robin Williams – Lance Clayton
Alexie Gilmore – Claire
Daryl Sabara – Kyle
Tom Kenny – Jerry Klein
Lorraine Nicholson – Heather
Geoff Pierson – Principal Anderson
Bobcat Goldthwait – Writer/Director
Tim Perell – Producer
Howard Gertler – Producer
Sean McKittrick – Producer
Richard Kelly – Producer

 

Bobcat Goldthwait

Bobcat Goldthwait

Tim Perell

Howard Gertler

Sean McKittrick

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Bobcat Goldthwait
 
Writer(s)
Bobcat Goldthwait
 
Producer(s)
Tim Perell, Howard Gertler, Sean McKittrick, Richard Kelly

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
1 nomination
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Anna Smith

Hank Sartin

Joshua Rothkopf

Derek Malcolm

Robbie Collin

metro.co.uk

Time Out

London Evening Standard

News of the World

Independent (UK)

WORLD’S GREATEST DAD
 All Critics (118) | Top Critics (47) | Fresh (104) | Rotten (14)
 The film’s direction isn’t always confident – there are baggy sections, and it’s rarely deeply moving – but it is consistently funny.
 
 August 24, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Anna Smith
 metro.co.uk
 TOP CRITIC
 November 18, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Hank Sartin
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 November 17, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Joshua Rothkopf
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 Goldthwait has given it a title that will make some shy away. But don’t. It’s a comedy about the particularly American capacity to create legends out of the dead, and it’s sharper than most.
 
 September 29, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Derek Malcolm
 London Evening Standard
 TOP CRITIC
 Beware that poster, with its jolly red writing and Mork from Ork’s face thereon. This is not the Robin Williams of Old Dogs and License To Wed.
 
 September 29, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Robbie Collin
 News of the World
 TOP CRITIC
 Goldthwait’s pacing is uncertain, and his humour is frequently “off”, but the sense of risky provocation is compelling.
 
 September 24, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Anthony Quinn
 Independent (UK)
 TOP CRITIC
 I enjoyed this film a lot. I’d go as far as to say that this is best film I have ever seen about someone who masturbates themselves to death.
 
 May 20, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
 James McMahon
 NME
 Not as out-and-out funny as it should be nor as emotionally poignant as it could be…
 
 October 11, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
 
 David Harris
 Spectrum Culture
 …a bitterly dark comedy whose aim is uncomfortably true.
 
 August 20, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Josh Larsen
 LarsenOnFilm
 Here, Williams has a chance to do some of the most integral, gentle and praiseworthy acting of his career.
 
 August 11, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Richard von Busack
 MetroActive
 … This voyage through the moral maze is more entertaining and whisper it quietly, more profound, than most.
 
 June 30, 2011
 
 Ed Whitfield
 The Ooh Tray
 Writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait can’t quite manage to bring things to a satisfying conclusion, but he’s good enough at weaving the freakishly perverse into the everyday without the results seeming too forced.
 
 September 27, 2010 | Rating: 2/5
 
 Alistair Harkness
 Scotsman…

 

Plot
Lance Clayton is a man who has learned to settle. His son, Kyle’s an insufferable jerk. Lance is dating Claire, the school’s art teacher, but she doesn’t want to get serious or even acknowledge publicly they’re dating. In the wake of a freak accident, Lance suffers the worst tragedy
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Robin Williams leads the cast and gives a fairly strong performance.
 

 
Bobcat-Goldthwait.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Chenault Productions,
 
Distributor
Warner Bros.
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some scary moments and mild language
 
Year of Release
2009
 

 
Genre(s)
Fantasy/Adventure
 
Keyword(s)
starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, directed by David Yates, written by Steve Kloves, Fantasy, Adventure, PG, box office performance, $302.0M, reviewed by Laremy Legel, Giles Hardie, Anthony Lane, Cliff Doerksen, Lisa Kennedy, JW Smith, David Nusair, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, Leigh Paatsch, Nikhat Kazmi, produced by David Heyman, David Barron, Warner Bros
 

Cast & Crew

Daniel Radcliffe

Rupert Grint

Emma Watson

Helena Bonham Carter

Jim Broadbent

Harry Potter

Ron Weasley

Hermione Granger

Bellatrix Lestrange

Horace Slughorn

Daniel Radcliffe – Harry Potter
Rupert Grint – Ron Weasley
Emma Watson – Hermione Granger
Helena Bonham Carter – Bellatrix Lestrange
Jim Broadbent – Horace Slughorn
Robbie Coltrane – Rubeus Hagrid
David Yates – Director
David Heyman, David Barron – Producers
Steve Kloves – Writer

 

David Yates

Steve Kloves

David Heyman

David Barron

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
David Yates
 
Writer(s)
Steve Kloves
 
Producer(s)
David Heyman, David Barron

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
17 wins & 69 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Laremy Legel

Giles Hardie

Anthony Lane

Cliff Doerksen

Lisa Kennedy

Film.com

Sydney Morning Herald

New Yorker

Chicago Reader

Denver Post

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
 All Critics (280) | Top Critics (74) | Fresh (234) | Rotten (46)
 I think it’s the best of the series, fairly easily, and a testament to why occasionally throwing a massive budget at an endeavor of this scope can be considered a reasonable decision.
 
 May 6, 2011 | Rating: A-
 
 Laremy Legel
 Film.com
 TOP CRITIC
 If Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a roller coaster, it’s the tiny train meant for only the very youngest kids, the one that seems to go round and round forever without really ever picking up any pace.
 
 July 22, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Giles Hardie
 Sydney Morning Herald
 TOP CRITIC
 All in all, despite the verve that drives the grander set pieces, it’s hard to avoid the sensation of a film toiling overtime to convince itself of its own solemnity.
 
 July 20, 2009
 
 Anthony Lane
 New Yorker
 TOP CRITIC
 Director David Yates presides over some gorgeous CGI set pieces, but all the real magic comes from the scrum of ace British character actors.
 
 July 17, 2009
 
 Cliff Doerksen
 Chicago Reader
 TOP CRITIC
 With its deft handling of teen yearning and affection, Half-Blood Prince maneuvers mysteries of heart and hankering that resound in worlds magic and Muggle.
 
 July 17, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Lisa Kennedy
 Denver Post
 TOP CRITIC
 David Yates is a solid hand as director, he does nothing but let the taps run, leaving us with little more than a bath full of comfortable if lukewarm water.
 
 July 17, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
 
 JW Smith
 Little White Lies
 TOP CRITIC
 …a for-fans-only entry within an often distressingly hit-and-miss series of films.
 
 December 26, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
 
 David Nusair
 Reel Film Reviews
 Simultaneously the most mature and the most entertaining; the days of playful sorcery and lighthearted misadventures are long gone.
 
 November 28, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
 
 Mike Massie
 Gone With The Twins
 While we’ve always seen touches of brilliance in Radcliffe’s work, the most surprising growth comes in the performances of Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.
 
 September 10, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
 
 Richard Propes
 TheIndependentCritic.com
 Director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves crafted a challenging and decidedly mature film that paves the way perfectly for the two-part finale.
 
 July 16, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Leigh Paatsch
 Herald Sun (Australia)
 There is an overriding sense of urgency in the penultimate film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which moves at breakneck speed from the opening sequence itself.
 
 February 28, 2020
 
 Nikhat Kazmi
 The Times of India
 Good film directed for a teenage audience in which not only is magic taught but also how stereotypes affect it while the film itself recreates some British stereotypes. [Review in Spanish]
 
 July 11, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Guillem Martinez Oya
 Cinematismo…

 

Plot
This is the tale of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), an ordinary eleven-year-old boy serving as a sort of slave for his aunt and uncle who learns that he is actually a wizard and has been invited to attend the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is snatched away from his mundane existence by Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), the groundskeeper for Hogwarts, and quickly thrown into a world completely foreign to both him and the viewer. Famous for an incident that happened at his birth, Harry makes friends easily at his new school. He soon finds, however, that the wizarding world is far more dangerous for him than he would have imagined, and he quickly learns that not all wizards are ones to be trusted.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
 

 
David-Yates.jpg