Production Company(ies)
National Geographic Documentary Films, Ventureland Storyteller Productions,
 
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language
 
Year of Release
2009
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama/Biography
 
Keyword(s)
starring Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Stephen Graham, Joe Dempsie, Colm Meaney, directed by Tom Hooper, written by Peter Morgan, drama, biography, R rating, box office gross $449.6K, reviewed by Deborah Ross, Ed Koch, Graham Fuller, Fionnuala Halligan, Joe Williams, Roger Moore, Jason Best, Leigh Paatsch, David Harris, Dan DiNicola, Kelly Jane Torrance, Patrick Nabarro, Brian Clough, Leeds United Football Club, Don Revie, England boss, 1974 England, David Pearce, Andy Harries, Grainne Marmion, Sony Pictures Classics, English
 

Cast & Crew

Michael Sheen

Brian Clough

Timothy Spall

Peter Taylor

Jim Broadbent

Brian Clough

Peter Taylor

Sam Longson

Billy Bremner

Duncan McKenzie

Michael Sheen – Brian Clough
Timothy Spall – Peter Taylor
Jim Broadbent – Sam Longson
Stephen Graham – Billy Bremner
Joe Dempsie – Duncan McKenzie
Colm Meaney – Don Revie

 

Tom Hooper

Peter Morgan

Andy Harries

Grainne Marmion

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Tom Hooper
 
Writer(s)
Peter Morgan
 
Producer(s)
Andy Harries, Grainne Marmion

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
5 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Deborah Ross

Ed Koch

Graham Fuller

Fionnuala Halligan

Joe Williams

The Spectator

The Atlantic

Film Comment Magazine

Screen International

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

THE DAMNED UNITED
  All Critics (138) | Top Critics (53) | Fresh (127) | Rotten (11)
  Moves along crisply with, mercifully, very little on-pitch football and many beautifully crafted, touching moments.
 
  August 29, 2018
 
  Deborah Ross
  The Spectator
  TOP CRITIC
  The story should have added up to an interesting and exciting movie, but it didn’t for me. It was not due to Sheen’s acting, but rather to a boring and confusing script.
 
  January 17, 2018
 
  Ed Koch
  The Atlantic
  TOP CRITIC
  The Damned United eliminates the existential anguish and pain that propelled Peace’s novel, and curtails its lowering style.
 
  October 20, 2014
 
  Graham Fuller
  Film Comment Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Offering just enough football to satisfy the fans in the stands, The Damned United is also a pleasingly high-quality British drama with some terrific performances.
 
  December 15, 2009
 
  Fionnuala Halligan
  Screen International
  TOP CRITIC
  Two things that the British know that most Americans don’t: Michael Sheen is the best actor in the English-speaking world; and soccer is the only football that matters.
 
  November 24, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Joe Williams
  St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  TOP CRITIC
  The Damned United is a most entertaining study in obsession wrapped in a traditional sports movie.
 
  November 11, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Roger Moore
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  Even if you have next to no interest in football, The Damned United is enormously entertaining.
 
  November 21, 2020
 
  Jason Best
  Movie Talk
  A superb sports film, based on the best-selling book by David Peace.
 
  April 20, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Leigh Paatsch
  Herald Sun (Australia)
  The Damned United proves that Sheen is fully capable of carrying his own film.
 
  October 11, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
 
  David Harris
  Spectrum Culture
  The searing drama amasses its considerable force the old-fashioned way; it earns its wings by virtue of impeccable performances, strong direction and a stellar screenplay.
 
  December 1, 2018
 
  Dan DiNicola
  The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)
  It’s entertaining even if you don’t quite follow all of the intricacies of the game, mostly thanks to the boisterous cast.
 
  December 1, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Kelly Jane Torrance
  Washington Times
  The Damned United is a populist – at times, almost cartoonish – attempt to make comprehensible the story behind Brian Clough’s ill-fated 44-day tenure at Leeds United.
 
  November 3, 2018 | Rating: 2/5
 
  PJ Nabarro
  Patrick Nabarro…

 

Plot
Taking over England’s top football club Leeds United, previously successful manager Brian Clough’s abrasive approach and his clear dislike of the players’ dirty style of play make it certain there is going to be friction. Glimpses of his earlier career help explain both his hostility to previous manager Don Revie and how much he is missing right-hand man Peter Taylor who has loyally stayed with Brighton & Hove Albion.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
 

 
Tom-Hooper.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
El Deseo Renn Productions, France 2 Cinéma
 
Distributor
Apparition
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for thematic elements, some sensuality, brief language and incidental smoking
 
Year of Release
2009
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
 
Keyword(s)
starring Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Paul Schneider, Kerry Fox, Edie Martin, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, directed by Jane Campion, written by Jane Campion, produced by Jan Chapman, Caroline Hewitt, drama, romance, PG rating, box office gross $4.4M, reviewed by Valerie Lapinski, Deborah Ross, Ed Koch, Caryn James, Nicola Evans, Christine Champ, CJ Sheu, Andrea Thompson, Felicia Feaster, PJ Nabarro, Nikki Baughan, Mattie Lucas, period drama, Jane Austen-esque, love story, poetry, John Keats, Fanny Brawne, 19th century, English literature, unrequited love, financial struggles, artistic passion, beautiful cinematography, refined direction, understated performances, attention to detail, natural world, lyrical prose, heart-breaking, tragic, romantic, aloof poet, high-spirited young woman, struggling poet, money troubles, poetic inspiration, period clothing, furniture, Apparition distribution
 

Cast & Crew

Abbie Cornish

Ben Whishaw

Paul Schneider

Kerry Fox

Edie Martin

Fanny Brawne

John Keats

Mr. Brown

Mrs. Brawne

Toots

Abbie Cornish – Fanny Brawne
Ben Whishaw – John Keats
Paul Schneider – Mr. Brown
Kerry Fox – Mrs. Brawne
Edie Martin – Toots
Thomas Brodie-Sangster – Samuel

 

Jane Campion

Jane Campion

Jan Chapman

Caroline Hewitt

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Jane Campion
 
Writer(s)
Jane Campion
 
Producer(s)
Jan Chapman, Caroline Hewitt

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
16 wins & 54 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Valerie Lapinski

Deborah Ross

Ed Koch

Caryn James

Nicola Evans

Vox

The Spectator

The Atlantic

Marie Claire

Film Comment Magazine

BRIGHT STAR
  All Critics (179) | Top Critics (68) | Fresh (148) | Rotten (31)
  Manages to bottle the fleeting feeling of spring bliss.
 
  May 20, 2022
 
  Valerie Lapinski
  Vox
  TOP CRITIC
  Yes, it is a thing of beauty and, yes, things of beauty are joys for ever but we can also probably say this about them: they don’t always add up to the most affecting movies.
 
  August 30, 2018
 
  Deborah Ross
  The Spectator
  TOP CRITIC
  Wonderful attention is paid to detail, including clothing, furniture and highly-stylized behavior. What is missing is emotion.
 
  January 17, 2018
 
  Ed Koch
  The Atlantic
  TOP CRITIC
  Director Jane Campion’s most enthralling film since The Piano.
 
  October 11, 2017
 
  Caryn James
  Marie Claire
  TOP CRITIC
  [Jane Campion] shows us here the beautiful sanctuaries that word and image create together, and the reasons why life requires us … to abandon them.
 
  September 24, 2014
 
  Nicola Evans
  Film Comment Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  May 6, 2011 | Rating: A
 
  Christine Champ
  Film.com
  TOP CRITIC
  Everything is simple and understated, allowing the big moments their space. … [Whishaw’s] line readings are disastrous. … Cornish is a revelation[.]
 
  November 9, 2021
 
  CJ Sheu
  Review Film Review
  Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” manages to accomplish quite a bit, not the least of which is a love story where the lovers not only rarely get any time alone together, but fall in love in front of the whole family.
 
  October 8, 2020
 
  Andrea Thompson
  A Reel of One’s Own
  Bright Star is filled with such an enormity of love and feeling, it nearly takes your breath away. The film’s rapturous images and Campion’s vision make you long for a world as vivid and true as this one.
 
  January 24, 2020
 
  Felicia Feaster
  Charleston City Paper
  The film succeeds in making the lustre of Keats’ words come borne out of the inspiration he finds in his love for Fanny Brawn and the transcendent beauty of the natural world.
 
  October 31, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
 
  PJ Nabarro
  Patrick Nabarro
  The love story between John and Fanny fuels the narrative and draws in the viewer – we root for their happiness even though we know only heartbreak lies ahead.
 
  October 29, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Nikki Baughan
  Roll Credits
  There are moments of great and sublime beauty at work here.
 
  August 5, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Mattie Lucas
  From the Front Row…

 

Plot
It’s 1818 in Hampstead Village on the outskirts of London. Poet Charles Brown lives in one half of a house, the Dilkes family the other. Through association with the Dilkes, the fatherless Brawne family knows Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown and the Brawne’s eldest daughter, Fanny, don’t like each other. She thinks him arrogant and rude; he feels that she’s a pretentious flirt, knowing only how to sew (admittedly well as she makes all her own fashionable clothes), and voicing opinions on subjects about which she knows nothing. Insecure struggling poet John Keats comes to live with his friend, Mr. Brown. Miss Brawne and Mr. Keats have a mutual attraction to each other, but their relationship is slow to develop, in part, since Mr. Brown does whatever he can to keep the two apart. Other obstacles face the couple, including their eventual overwhelming passion for each other clouding their view of what the other does, Mr. Keats’ struggling career, which offers him little in the way of monetary security (which will lead to Mrs. Brawne not giving consent for them to marry), and health issues which had earlier taken the life of Mr. Keats’ brother, Tom.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing goofy or funny or odd is said about the film on Fresh Kernels.
 

 
Jane-Campion.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Am Psycho Productions, Lions Gate Films, Muse Productions,
 
Distributor
Weinstein Co.
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
 
Filming Location(s)
White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence
 
Year of Release
2008
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle, directed by Michel Hazanavicius, written by Michel Hazanavicius, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Tara Brady, Candice Frederick, Christopher Kelly, Anna Smith, Robbie Collin, Jonathan Romney, James Wegg, Kent Garrison, PJ Nabarro, Patrick Nabarro, PG-13, silent cinema, sound in movies, matinee idol, ingenue, falling in love, cheating, wife, actress, popularity, fading career, rising star, Weinstein Co., Thomas Langmann, 1920s, black and white, visual style, audience score, Tomatometer, critic reviews, audience reviews, homage, metafilm, silent movies, talkies, Douglas Fairbanks, Lillian Gish, Uggy, canine performance, Blancanieves, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows, streaming movies, box office, theaters, limited release, streaming release, distributor, producer
 

Cast & Crew

Jean Dujardin

George Valentin

Bérénice Bejo

Peppy Miller

John Goodman

George Valentin

Peppy Miller

Al Zimmer

Clifton

Doris

Jean Dujardin – George Valentin
Bérénice Bejo – Peppy Miller
John Goodman – Al Zimmer
James Cromwell – Clifton
Penelope Ann Miller – Doris
Missi Pyle – Constance

 

Michel Hazanavicius

Michel Hazanavicius

Thomas Langmann

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Michel Hazanavicius
 
Writer(s)
Michel Hazanavicius
 
Producer(s)
Thomas Langmann

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 5 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Tara Brady

Candice Frederick

Christopher Kelly

Anna Smith

Robbie Collin

Irish Times

Reel Talk Online

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

Daily Mirror (UK)

Daily Telegraph (UK)

THE ARTIST
  All Critics (323) | Top Critics (81) | Fresh (307) | Rotten (16)
  The fiction, ultimately, is the thing. The Artist, in the best possible sense, is more of a movie than a film. It’s played for laughs and tears; it switches from action to tenderness; it’s got a really funny dog.
 
  February 20, 2019
 
  Tara Brady
  Irish Times
  TOP CRITIC
  The Artist is simply a pleasure to watch, if only for just two hours in time.
 
  September 8, 2017 | Rating: A-
 
  Candice Frederick
  Reel Talk Online
  TOP CRITIC
  Michel Hazanavicius’ black-and-white, mostly silent comedy The Artist is a gorgeously made curiosity — a film that functions as a testament to its own obsession with other movies.
 
  February 17, 2015
 
  Christopher Kelly
  Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com
  TOP CRITIC
  Uplifting, heart-warming, hilarious… not necessarily words you’d expect to apply to a black and white silent French film. But The Artist is no ordinary movie.
 
  February 17, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Anna Smith
  Daily Mirror (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  The Artist is drunk on the history of cinema and art, and culture buffs will get giddy on it.
 
  February 17, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Robbie Collin
  Daily Telegraph (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Retro but totally modern, frivolous yet fundamentally serious, The Artist is a thing of grace and joy and a great American film — of the sort it takes the French to make.
 
  February 17, 2015
 
  Jonathan Romney
  Independent on Sunday
  TOP CRITIC
  Words defeat me
 
  May 8, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
  James Wegg
  JWR
  The Artist holds up as a great technical achievement, but that’s about it.
 
  December 26, 2021 | Rating: A-
 
  Kent Garrison
  Mad About Movies Podcast
  Hazanavicius deserves credit for making his thesis on silent movies so digestible and entertaining, and there is much to engage with in The Artist.
 
  October 25, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
 
  PJ Nabarro
  Patrick Nabarro
  Jean Dujardin is like flashbulbs bursting in your eyeballs. He’s every inch the movie star the movie demands and then sixteen swaggering steps further. Total hammy megawatted perfection.
 
  July 2, 2021
 
  Jason Adams
  My New Plaid Pants
  Much care has been given to the look of the film. But its originality and effort stop there.
 
  February 28, 2021
 
  Joanne Laurier
  World Socialist Web Site
  The experiment in recreating a silent motion picture is superbly realized.
 
  November 30, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins…

 

Plot
Dr. Helen Benson is summoned to a military facility with several other scientists when an alien spacecraft of sorts arrives in New York City. Aboard is a human-like alien and a giant robot of immense size and power. The alien identifies himself as Klaatu and says he has come to save the Earth. The US military and political authorities see him as a threat however and decide to use so-called intensive interrogation techniques on him but Dr. Benson decides to facilitate his escape. When she learns exactly what he means when he says he is there to save the Earth, she tries to convince him to change his intentions.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Jean Dujardin’s performance in The Artist is described as “total hammy megawatted perfection.”
 

 
Michel-Hazanavicius.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Lucasfilm,
 
Distributor
Focus Features
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Duboce Park, San Francisco, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violence
 
Year of Release
2009
 

 
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco, Alison Pill, directed by Gus Van Sant, written by Dustin Lance Black, biography, drama, LGBTQ+, box office, budget, reviewed by Namrata Joshi, Nathan Lee, David Ansen, Nell Minow, Melissa Anderson, Cole Haddon, Candace Moore, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, Joanne Laurier, Debbie Lynn Elias, Nikki Baughan, R rating, Harvey Milk, San Francisco, Castro District, camera shop, Board of Supervisors, Dan White, Sean Penn’s performance, ensemble cast, civil rights, American history, streaming, rental, subscription, Tomatometer, audience score, critic reviews, audience reviews, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV premiere dates, Fandango
 

Cast & Crew

Sean Penn

Emile Hirsch

Josh Brolin

Diego Luna

James Franco

Harvey Milk

Cleve Jones

Dan White

Jack Lira

Scott Smith

Sean Penn – Harvey Milk
Emile Hirsch – Cleve Jones
Josh Brolin – Dan White
Diego Luna – Jack Lira
James Franco – Scott Smith
Alison Pill – Anne Kronenberg

 

Gus Van Sant

Dustin Lance Black

Dan Jinks

Bruce Cohen

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Gus Van Sant
 
Writer(s)
Dustin Lance Black
 
Producer(s)
Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
66 wins & 145 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Winners, Oscar Winners
 

Top Reviews

Namrata Joshi

Nathan Lee

David Ansen

Nell Minow

Melissa Anderson

Outlook

Film Comment Magazine

Newsweek

Movie Mom

Time Out

MILK
  All Critics (245) | Top Critics (70) | Fresh (227) | Rotten (18)
  Penn is so well-tuned that not for a minute does his Milk lapse into a caricature.
 
  January 31, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Namrata Joshi
  Outlook
  TOP CRITIC
  Milk is fortuitously, if inevitably, a movie of its moment.
 
  March 20, 2018
 
  Nathan Lee
  Film Comment Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Penn may be the main attraction, but this is very much an ensemble piece. Emile Hirsch, as cheeky street kid turned activist Cleve Jones, Diego Luna as Milk’s annoyingly needy, unstable second lover and James Franco’s Scott, add to the communal spirit.
 
  February 6, 2018
 
  David Ansen
  Newsweek
  TOP CRITIC
  February 18, 2012 | Rating: A-
 
  Nell Minow
  Movie Mom
  TOP CRITIC
  November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Melissa Anderson
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  At the moment, it’s my favorite movie of the year.
 
  May 6, 2011 | Rating: A
 
  Cole Haddon
  Film.com
  TOP CRITIC
  Every queer person worth her salt should see this film at least once.
 
  May 24, 2022
 
  Candace Moore
  Curve
  A commanding and persuasive biopic that is easily the best thing to come from the hit-or-miss director in a very long time.
 
  November 28, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  The best film of 2008.
 
  September 16, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
 
  Richard Propes
  TheIndependentCritic.com
  The artistic consequence of all this is a distinct unevenness…
 
  September 2, 2020
 
  Joanne Laurier
  World Socialist Web Site
  With Milk, Harvey’s legacy and voice live on and he still does give us hope. A film for our time. A film that is timely. A film not to be missed.
 
  November 13, 2019
 
  Debbie Lynn Elias
  Behind The Lens
  Milk is very much an accessible journey driven by a remarkably charismatic performance from Sean Penn.
 
  October 30, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Nikki Baughan
  Roll Credits…

 

Plot
Using flashbacks from a statement recorded late in life and archival footage for atmosphere, this film traces Harvey Milk’s career from his 40th birthday to his death. He leaves the closet and New York, opens a camera shop that becomes the salon for San Francisco’s growing gay community, and organizes gays’ purchasing power to build political alliances. He runs for office with lover Scott Smith as his campaign manager. Victory finally comes on the same day Dan White wins in the city’s conservative district. The rest of the film sketches Milk’s relationship with White and the 1978 fight against a statewide initiative to bar gays and their supporters from public school jobs.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Sean Penn delivers a “powerhouse performance” in Milk, according to Fresh Kernels.
 

 
Gus-Van-Sant.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Star Thrower Entertainment, Westbrook Studios,
 
Distributor
Universal Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Palos Verdes Estates, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some language
 
Year of Release
2009
 

 
Genre(s)
History/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
Frost/Nixon, R, History/Drama, 2h 2m, directed by Ron Howard, written by Peter Morgan, starring Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Hall, Toby Jones, Matthew Macfadyen, produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, reviewed by Deborah Ross, Tom Charity, Fionnuala Halligan, Christy Lemire, Dan Fienberg, Richard Roeper, Matt Brunson, James Croot, Nikki Baughan, more, box office gross of $18.6M, Oscar-worthy performances, Watergate scandal, one-on-one interview, candid and revealing, court of public opinion, British TV personality, former US president, mislead, unexpectedly, eloquent, weighty, ballet, boxing match, history, drama, some language, Universal Pictures, English, Caroline Cushing, Swifty Lazar, Jack Brennan, John Burt, MPAA rating R
 

Cast & Crew

Frank Langella

Michael Sheen

Kevin Bacon

Rebecca Hall

Toby Jones

Richard Nixon

David Frost

Jack Brennan

Caroline Cushing

Swifty Lazar

Frank Langella – Richard Nixon
Michael Sheen – David Frost
Kevin Bacon – Jack Brennan
Rebecca Hall – Caroline Cushing
Toby Jones – Swifty Lazar
Matthew Macfadyen – John Burt
Director – Ron Howard
Producer – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
Writer – Peter Morgan

 

Ron Howard

Peter Morgan

Tim Bevan

Eric Fellner

Brian Grazer

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Ron Howard
 
Writer(s)
Peter Morgan
 
Producer(s)
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 5 Oscars
23 wins & 81 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Deborah Ross

Tom Charity

Fionnuala Halligan

Christy Lemire

Dan Fienberg

The Spectator

CNN.com

Screen International

Associated Press

HitFix

FROST/NIXON
  All Critics (258) | Top Critics (73) | Fresh (239) | Rotten (19)
  This is a splendid film that’s genuinely fascinating and gripping, and you don’t get many of those for the pound these days.
 
  August 29, 2018
 
  Deborah Ross
  The Spectator
  TOP CRITIC
  In its glib and reductionist way, it works like a charm. Or better yet, like television. Which, finally, is a compliment.
 
  October 28, 2014
 
  Tom Charity
  CNN.com
  TOP CRITIC
  The magnificently-flawed former US president Richard Milhous Nixon, as embodied by Frank Langella, is a magnetic presence in Ron Howard’s adaptation of Peter Morgan’s stageplay.
 
  October 28, 2014
 
  Fionnuala Halligan
  Screen International
  TOP CRITIC
  You never feel like you’re watching a play on film: The way Morgan has opened up the proceedings in his screenplay feels organic under the direction of Ron Howard, who has crafted his finest film yet, and one of the year’s best.
 
  October 28, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Christy Lemire
  Associated Press
  TOP CRITIC
  Many viewers will just go along with Frost/Nixon because of how great Sheen and Langella absolutely are.
 
  October 28, 2014
 
  Dan Fienberg
  HitFix
  TOP CRITIC
  Nixon is infinitely more complex than George W. Bush, which is probably why this one slice of his life is more intriguing than “W,” which covers decades.
 
  February 8, 2009 | Rating: 4.5/5
 
  Richard Roeper
  Richard Roeper.com
  TOP CRITIC
  Peter Morgan adapts his own play, and together he and director Ron Howard open it up so that the end result feels much more vibrant than merely a constricted stage piece plunked down in front of a camera.
 
  September 24, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Matt Brunson
  Film Frenzy
  Already an award-winning play, Frost/ Nixon made a seamless transition to celluloid.
 
  June 14, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
 
  James Croot
  Stuff.co.nz
  Plays out like a tense cat-and-mouse thriller – which is quite a feat for what is essentially a series of interviews.
 
  November 28, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  Sheen… gradually conveys the grit that lies beneath Frost’s jet-set charm, the unexpected steeliness behind the catchphrases and mannerisms.
 
  November 14, 2020
 
  Jason Best
  What’s On TV
  As these two men slowly but surely change the face of both television and politics, so Frost/Nixon develops into a beautifully crafted, expertly handled drama of the highest order.
 
  October 31, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Nikki Baughan
  Roll Credits
  A smart, crackling political drama marked by excellent performances and a finely tuned screenplay.
 
  July 7, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Mattie Lucas
  From the Front Row…

 

Plot
Writer Peter Morgan’s legendary battle between Richard Nixon, the disgraced president with a legacy to save, and David Frost, a jet-setting television personality with a name to make, in the story of the historic encounter that changed both their lives. For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans (as well as a $600,000 fee). Likewise, Frost’s team harbored doubts about their boss’ ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Frank Langella’s portrayal of Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon is considered one of his best performances and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
 

 
Ron-Howard.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures,
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Chambers Street, New York City, New York, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
2009
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Matt Boren, Ken Jacobs, Flo Jacobs, Dana Varon, Richard Edson, Piero Arcilesi, directed by Azazel Jacobs, written by Azazel Jacobs, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Ben Kenigsberg, Rob Nelson, J.R Jones, Edward Porter, David Jenkins, Wendy Ide, Robert Koehler, Ian Buckwalter, Philip French, Nicholas Barber, Jon Fortgang, Kevin Harley, producer Hunter Gray, Alex Orlovsky, MPAA rating, adolescence, nostalgia, family, coming of age, New York City, Los Angeles, business meeting, safety of childhood, leaving childhood, low-fi, American independent film, minimalist approach, extraordinary sensitivity, thirtysomething men, eccentric family, anxiety, struggles, adulthood, touching, moody, elegant simplicity, critic reviews, audience score, Tomatometer, streaming, rent/buy, runtime, cast and crew, photos, original language, release date
 

Cast & Crew

Matt Boren

Ken Jacobs

Flo Jacobs

Dana Varon

Richard Edson

Mikey

Dad

Mom

Laura

Tom

Matt Boren – Mikey
Ken Jacobs – Dad
Flo Jacobs – Mom
Dana Varon – Laura
Richard Edson – Tom
Piero Arcilesi – Dante

 

Azazel Jacobs

Azazel Jacobs

Hunter Gray

Alex Orlovsky

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Azazel Jacobs
 
Writer(s)
Azazel Jacobs
 
Producer(s)
Hunter Gray, Alex Orlovsky

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 3 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Ben Kenigsberg

Rob Nelson

J. R. Jones

Edward Porter

David Jenkins

Time Out

indieWire

Chicago Reader

Times (UK)

Observer (UK)

MOMMA’S MAN
  All Critics (46) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (4)
  November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Ben Kenigsberg
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  Jacobs’s low-fi third feature forges unique stylistic territory for the American independent film.
 
  August 24, 2009
 
  Rob Nelson
  indieWire
  TOP CRITIC
  This simple but assured indie drama about the safety of childhood and the necessity of leaving it is particularly affecting because writer-director Azazel Jacobs draws so heavily on his own life.
 
  May 29, 2009
 
  J. R. Jones
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  The film is decidedly low-key. As such movies go, it’s enjoyable, though you might find yourself wishing Mikey would just pull himself together.
 
  May 13, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Edward Porter
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Awkward pauses and gestures and moments of self-examination give it a rich texture. It’s a lovely work, sad and funny. A melancomedy, if you will.
 
  May 8, 2009 | Rating: 5/6
 
  David Jenkins
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  Slyly funny and genuinely original, Momma’s Man represents that rarest of things, a truly independent American movie.
 
  May 8, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Wendy Ide
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Momma’s Man is not a document of an artist making a film as an exorcism, but a memoir of recent things past, when the act of doing away with childish matters was confronted and done.
 
  October 2, 2017
 
  Robert Koehler
  Cinema Scope
  Jacobs’ minimalist approach demands acting of extraordinary sensitivity, which he gets from his cast, particularly from Matt Boren in the lead role.
 
  June 12, 2010 | Rating: 9.2/10
 
  Ian Buckwalter
  DCist
  This is one of the most tiresome recent examples of American independent cinema.
 
  May 13, 2009
 
  Philip French
  Observer (UK)
  It’s a quiet film, with its own measured pace, but it has more painfully astute observations than most comedies with 10 times the budget.
 
  May 13, 2009
 
  Nicholas Barber
  Independent on Sunday
  Azazel Jacobs’ film is an enjoyably idiosyncratic tribute to his own eccentric family, and it adopts a fascinatingly novel approach to the strange anxieties of thirtysomething men.
 
  May 8, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
  Jon Fortgang
  Film4
  Azazel Jacobs’ lo-fi indie comedy unfolds slowly but with patient precision.
 
  May 8, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Kevin Harley
  Total Film…

 

Plot
Mikey visits his parents in their downtown loft and becomes overwhelmed with nostalgia for his adolescence, leading him to stay longer than planned and struggle with his fears of adulthood in Momma’s Man.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The film Momma’s Man stars Matt Boren, Ken Jacobs, Flo Jacobs, Dana Varon, Richard Edson, and Piero Arcilesi.
 

 
Azazel-Jacobs.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
Zeitgeist
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
China
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
2008
 

 
Genre(s)
Documentary
 
Keyword(s)
documentary, China, Three Gorges Dam, modernization, economy, construction, displacement, families, teenagers, cruise lines, Yangtze River, consumer capitalism, society, progress, government, critic reviews, Yung Chang, directed by Yung Chang, written by Yung Chang, box office, Zeitgeist, produced by Zeitgeist, MPAA rating, English, genre, budget, reviewed by David Fear, Hank Sartin, Richard Nilsen, Tirdad Derakhshani, John Hartl, Michael O’Sullivan, Mattie Lucas, Louis Proyect, Kelly Vance, Jeffrey Overstreet, Nora Lee Mandel, Sarah Boslaugh, audience score, runtime, distributor, starring Chen Bo Yu, Yu Shi
 

Cast & Crew

Yung Chang

Yung Chang

Yung Chang

Writer

Yung Chang – Director
Yung Chang – Writer

 

Yung Chang

Yung Chang

NA

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Yung Chang
 
Writer(s)
Yung Chang
 
Producer(s)
NA

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
14 wins & 11 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

David Fear

Hank Sartin

Richard Nilsen

Tirdad Derakhshani

John Hartl

Time Out

Arizona Republic

Philadelphia Inquirer

Seattle Times

Washington Post

UP THE YANGTZE
  All Critics (53) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (2)
  November 18, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
  David Fear
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  November 17, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Hank Sartin
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  The movie never editorializes; it simply presents. It is tragedy, not statistics.
 
  July 10, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Richard Nilsen
  Arizona Republic
  TOP CRITIC
  Myth and reality, past and present, tradition and progress go head to head in Yung Chang’s remarkable documentary about China’s longest river, Up the Yangtze.
 
  July 3, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Tirdad Derakhshani
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  TOP CRITIC
  The tone is finally one of wistful resignation.
 
  June 27, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
 
  John Hartl
  Seattle Times
  TOP CRITIC
  There’s plenty for the director to focus on. Examining the dam’s environmental impact alone would take another whole movie. Instead, [director] Yung trains his lens mainly on the cultural impact.
 
  June 26, 2008
 
  Michael O’Sullivan
  Washington Post
  TOP CRITIC
  A poignant reminder of the human, natural, and historical cost of technological advancement, where the price is not only tangible, but the very soul of a nation.
 
  July 6, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Mattie Lucas
  From the Front Row
  Modernization is a double-edged sword as this superb documentary illustrates.
 
  July 7, 2012
 
  Louis Proyect
  rec.arts.movies.reviews
  Up the Yangtze drips with irony, something only the rich can afford.
 
  August 15, 2011
 
  Kelly Vance
  East Bay Express
  Yung gets to the broken heart of a dying culture by conveying the impact of the dam on two individuals affected by, and participating in, the government’s vision for ‘progress.’
 
  December 12, 2008 | Rating: A
 
  Jeffrey Overstreet
  Looking Closer
  Very visually documents the human cost of the abrupt changes in the Chinese economy, and intimately into the sociological changes wrought by the astounding Three Gorges Dam.
 
  November 21, 2008 | Rating: 9/10
 
  Nora Lee Mandel
  Film-Forward.com
  A cruise on the Yangtze, site of the Three Gorges Dam (the largest hydroelectric project in the world) is a fitting metaphor for the promise and cost of China’s rapid modernization.
 
  September 19, 2008 | Rating: 8/10
 
  Sarah Boslaugh
  Playback:stl…

 

Plot
A luxury cruise boat motors up the Yangtze – navigating the mythic waterway known in China simply as “The River.” The Yangtze is about to be transformed by the biggest hydroelectric dam in history. At the river’s edge – a young woman says goodbye to her family as the floodwaters rise towards their small homestead. The Three Gorges Dam – contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle – provides the epic backdrop for Up the Yangtze, a dramatic feature documentary on life inside modern China.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
 

 
Yung-Chang.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
ThinkFilm
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Antarctica
 
MPAA / Certificate
G
 
Year of Release
2008
 

 
Genre(s)
Documentary
 
Keyword(s)
documentary, Antarctica, human psyche, Werner Herzog, Henry Kaiser, English, G, McMurdo Station, scientists, wildlife, natural wonders, box office, gross USA, ThinkFilm, reviewed by Ty Burr, David Fear, Ben Kenigsberg, Roger Moore, Edward Porter, Trevor Johnston, Brian Eggert, Mattie Lucas, Jerry White, Nick Rogers, Ian Buckwalter, Louise Keller, starring Werner Herzog, directed by Werner Herzog, written by Werner Herzog, produced by Henry Kaiser, MPAA rating G, untouched landscape, unique people, risky research, haunting landscapes, environmental effects, fate of humanity, underwater footage, dirty buildings, noisy, cluttered, seals, penguins, wanderers, truck drivers, welders, Antarctic research center, poignant study, desolate, beautiful landscape, untouched by human hands, volatile conditions, awe-inspiring natural wonders
 

Cast & Crew

Werner Herzog

Scott Rowland

Stefan Pashov

Doug MacAyeal

Ryan Andrew Evans

Narrator

Self

Self

Self

Self

Werner Herzog – Narrator
Scott Rowland – Self
Stefan Pashov – Self
Doug MacAyeal – Self
Ryan Andrew Evans – Self
Kevin Emery – Self

 

Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog

Henry Kaiser

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Werner Herzog
 
Writer(s)
Werner Herzog
 
Producer(s)
Henry Kaiser

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
2 wins & 16 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Ty Burr

David Fear

Ben Kenigsberg

Roger Moore

Edward Porter

Boston Globe

Time Out

Orlando Sentinel

Times (UK)

Deep Focus Review

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
  All Critics (112) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (105) | Rotten (7)
  November 24, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Ty Burr
  Boston Globe
  TOP CRITIC
  November 16, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
  David Fear
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  November 16, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Ben Kenigsberg
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  May 13, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Roger Moore
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  This documentary about life in and around a vast scientific research centre in Antarctica. None of these meetings, however, is as interesting as the interspersed footage of the pole’s natural wonders.
 
  April 28, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Edward Porter
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Seemingly off-hand, cumulatively imposing, utterly masterful.
 
  April 24, 2009 | Rating: 5/6
 
  Trevor Johnston
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  An exceptionally beautiful and thoughtful documentary.
 
  April 4, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  A minor miracle of a movie, one that dares, even for an instant, to reach out and touch the face of god.
 
  July 7, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Mattie Lucas
  From the Front Row
  Some TV viewers may tune in expecting more penguins; what they get instead is a portrait of people in search of the sublime.
 
  March 30, 2018
 
  Jerry White
  Cinema Scope
  Damnably frustrating and fascinating, Herzog’s questions deconstruct Earth’s DNA in a scientific process going beyond statistics to ancestry or spirituality – an idea that we’re witnesses and valets who are here and, sooner than we think, will be gone.
 
  September 25, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Nick Rogers
  The Film Yap
  Respect for the environment is not a moral issue for Herzog, but a common sense issue of survival. In the harsh environs of the polar regions, his point is made with crystalline clarity.
 
  June 12, 2010 | Rating: 8.9/10
 
  Ian Buckwalter
  DCist
  The footage is breathtaking. We also are privileged to watch seals feeding their young, but the revelations about penguin ‘prostitutes’ are perhaps the film’s most extraordinary. Gay penguins? Insane penguins?
 
  September 10, 2009
 
  Louise Keller
  Urban Cinefile…

 

Plot
Acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog travels to Antarctica to explore the minds of scientists studying the continent’s wildlife and natural wonders in Encounters at the End of the World.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Werner Herzog, the acclaimed filmmaker, serves as both the director and writer of Encounters at the End of the World.
 

 
Werner-Herzog.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Tremolo Productions,
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
2007
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
 
Keyword(s)
Tuya’s Marriage, Drama, Romance, Inner Mongolia, divorce, disabled, peasant, injury, work, children, husband, medical care, wealthy, oilman, schoolmate, neighbor, landscapes, intense, comical, Chinese, directed by Quanan Wang, starring Yu Nan, reviewed by Kirk Honeycutt, Dennis Fisher, Geoff Andrew, Andrea Gronvall, Derek Elley, John Hartl, David D’Arcy, Mattie Lucas, Brian D Johnson, Dorothy Woodend, Annie Wagner, Kelly Vance, produced by x, written by x, box office gross $87.3K, MPAA rating, Bater, Sen’ge, herdsman, equestrian, fable, modernization, grasslands life, romantic comedy, patriotism, authentic, understated, sincere
 

Cast & Crew

Yu Nan

Quanan Wang

Tuya

Director

Yu Nan – Tuya
Quanan Wang – Director

 

Quanan Wang

NA

NA

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Quanan Wang
 
Writer(s)
NA
 
Producer(s)
NA

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
7 wins & 2 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Kirk Honeycutt

Dennis Fisher

Geoff Andrew

Andrea Gronvall

Derek Elley

Hollywood Reporter

Boston Globe

Time Out

Chicago Reader

Variety

TUYA’S MARRIAGE
  All Critics (40) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (2)
  Yu is an experienced and most talented actress. But the real surprise here is how well the non-pros — Bater, a Mongolian herdsman, and Sen’ge, an equestrian — perform.
 
  September 23, 2020
 
  Kirk Honeycutt
  Hollywood Reporter
  TOP CRITIC
  The weight of the performances from Yu Nan and Bater is enough to make for a satisfying, if uneven, film.
 
  November 24, 2011
 
  Dennis Fisher
  Boston Globe
  TOP CRITIC
  A refusal to pass judgment and a palpable chemistry between the actors ensure that the film succeeds both as a fable about the pitfalls of rapid modernisiation, and as tough, unsentimental drama.
 
  November 17, 2011
 
  Geoff Andrew
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  This 2006 drama is refreshing not only for its gentle comic touches but for director Wang Quanan’s refusal to sentimentalize China’s vanishing nomadic culture: life is harsh and no one’s a saint, including his outspoken heroine.
 
  December 9, 2008
 
  Andrea Gronvall
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Made with a scrupulous attention to the slow-moving realities of grasslands life but lacking in dramatic heft.
 
  October 18, 2008
 
  Derek Elley
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  [Yu Nan] owns the role of Tuya, delivering a wide-ranging performance that might be called ‘star-making’ if she didn’t already suggest the confidence of an established star.
 
  August 29, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
 
  John Hartl
  Seattle Times
  TOP CRITIC
  Funny, tender, and vividly shot, this delightful comedy is far more satisfying as story and cinema than other features recently shot in Mongolia.
 
  September 23, 2020
 
  David D’Arcy
  Screen International
  Beneath its sparse exterior lies an achingly romantic tale of longing, devotion, and the lengths that people are willing to go to for love.
 
  July 6, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Mattie Lucas
  From the Front Row
  Now that the dust is settling from the Bejiing Olympics, here’s a chance to [experience] a very different kind of Chinese spectacle.
 
  December 16, 2017
 
  Brian D. Johnson
  Maclean’s Magazine
  It’s beautiful and ordinary, strange and utterly familiar all at the same time — a wonderful film.
 
  August 22, 2017
 
  Dorothy Woodend
  The Tyee (British Columbia)
  The arid landscape, seen with a patriotic affection, is a stirring sight. More wonderful, though, is the story: unusual, understated, and sincere.
 
  August 21, 2017
 
  Annie Wagner
  The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
  An authentic Mongolian romantic comedy, perhaps the first.
 
  August 15, 2011
 
  Kelly Vance
  East Bay Express…

 

Plot
After an injury leaves her unable to work, Tuya is forced to divorce her disabled husband and find a new husband to support them and their children, but struggles to choose between a wealthy oilman and her neighbor who promises to care for her husband’s medical needs in Tuya’s Marriage.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Yu Nan delivers a standout performance as Tuya in this film.
 

 
Quanan-Wang.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
Nice, Alpes- Maritimes, France
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some strong violence, brief sexuality/nudity and language
 
Year of Release
2008
 

 
Genre(s)
History/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach, Dolores Chaplin, August Zirner, Josef Aichholzer, Nina Bohlmann, Babette Schröder, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, written by Stefan Ruzowitzky, History, Drama, $5.5M box office, reviewed by David Ansen, Steven Rea, Paul Byrnes, Jim Schembri, David Stratton, Roger Moore, Carlos Marañón, Felicia Feaster, Mattie Lucas, Sarah Manvel, Diane Carson, R MPAA rating, Nazi-era, concentration camp, fake foreign currency, Salomon Sorowitsch, Adolf Burger, Friedrich Herzog, Holst, Red-Haired Woman, Dr Klinger, Sony Pictures Classics, German, Dolby SRD, Dolby SR
 

Cast & Crew

Karl Markovics

Salomon Sorowitsch

August Diehl

Adolf Burger

Devid Striesow

Salomon Sorowitsch

Adolf Burger

Friedrich Herzog

Holst

Red-Haired Woman

Karl Markovics – Salomon Sorowitsch
August Diehl – Adolf Burger
Devid Striesow – Friedrich Herzog
Martin Brambach – Holst
Dolores Chaplin – Red-Haired Woman
August Zirner – Dr. Klinger
Stefan Ruzowitzky – Director/Writer
Josef Aichholzer – Producer
Nina Bohlmann – Producer
Babette Schröder – Producer

 

Stefan Ruzowitzky

Stefan Ruzowitzky

Josef Aichholzer

Nina Bohlmann

Babette Schröder

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Stefan Ruzowitzky
 
Writer(s)
Stefan Ruzowitzky
 
Producer(s)
Josef Aichholzer, Nina Bohlmann, Babette Schröder

 

Film Festivals
Berlin
 
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
7 wins & 10 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

David Ansen

Steven Rea

Paul Byrnes

Jim Schembri

David Stratton

Newsweek

Philadelphia Inquirer

Sydney Morning Herald

The Age (Australia)

At the Movies (Australia)

THE COUNTERFEITERS
  All Critics (128) | Top Critics (47) | Fresh (119) | Rotten (9)
  It’s details like that-too bizarre not to be true-that give “The Counterfeiters” its bitter wallop. It’s an astonishing tale of cunning, compromise and survival.
 
  February 6, 2018
 
  David Ansen
  Newsweek
  TOP CRITIC
  As writer-director Stefan Ruzowitzky shows, powerfully, affectingly, in The Counterfeiters, the privileges experienced by this small team of Jews and criminals came at a price.
 
  October 18, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Steven Rea
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  TOP CRITIC
  The winner of this year’s Oscar for best foreign-language film puts devils, as well as angels, on the head of the pin.
 
  June 8, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Paul Byrnes
  Sydney Morning Herald
  TOP CRITIC
  This Oscar-winning film ranks as the most unnerving, disturbing, true-life account yet of endurance under Nazi oppression.
 
  June 8, 2008 | Rating: 4.5/5
 
  Jim Schembri
  The Age (Australia)
  TOP CRITIC
  Ruzowitzky has some fine performers in the three key roles but there is a hint of unsubtlety in some of the other characters and situations. The obvious is rammed home.
 
  May 15, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
  David Stratton
  At the Movies (Australia)
  TOP CRITIC
  This dark, absorbing thriller is not just a moral exercise in the awful choices faced by those determined to survive history’s worst genocide. It invites us to imagine ourselves in the shoes of a not-quite-lovable rogue.
 
  April 24, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Roger Moore
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  [The protagonist] illuminates a depth that’s lacking in the entertaining class struggle that became the world’s most macabre money factory. [Full review in Spanish]
 
  November 5, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
  Carlos Marañón
  Cinemanía (Spain)
  And though the story line is fascinating, things grow relatively slack in the film’s middle passage.
 
  January 28, 2020
 
  Felicia Feaster
  Charleston City Paper
  While it is compulsively watchable, I never felt that the moral complexities were explored to their fullest extent.
 
  July 6, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Mattie Lucas
  From the Front Row
  Is this how we confront evil in 2007, not by documenting it faithfully or fighting it openly, but instead by blaming its victims for their victimhood?
 
  August 7, 2018
 
  Sarah Manvel
  Cinemattraction
  What makes this film a must-see is Markovics, who plays Saloman. Not just his performance, but his face-a long, dour, hound-dog face that suggests a cosmic shrug, splitting the difference between resignation and resistance.
 
  November 30, 2017
 
  Brian D. Johnson
  Maclean’s Magazine
  The breathtaking performances and superb style earned The Counterfeiters the 2008 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
 
  August 29, 2017
 
  Diane Carson
  KDHX (St. Louis)…

 

Plot
The Counterfeiters is the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazis in 1936. Salomon “Sally” Sorowitsch is the king of counterfeiters. He lives a mischievous life of cards, booze, and women in Berlin during the Nazi-era. Suddenly his luck runs dry when arrested by Superintendent Friedrich Herzog. Immediately thrown into the Mauthausen concentration camp, Salomon exhibits exceptional skills there and is soon transferred to the upgraded camp of Sachsenhausen. Upon his arrival, he once again comes face to face with Herzog, who is there on a secret mission. Hand-picked for his unique skill, Salomon and a group of professionals are forced to produce fake foreign currency under the program Operation Bernhard. The team, which also includes detainee Adolf Burger, is given luxury barracks for their assistance. But while Salomon attempts to weaken the economy of Germany’s allied opponents, Adolf refuses to use his skills for Nazi profit and would like to do something to stop Operation Bernhard’s aid to the war effort. Faced with a moral dilemma, Salomon must decide whether his actions, which could prolong the war and risk the lives of fellow prisoners, are ultimately the right ones.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Karl Markovics delivers a superb portrayal of Salomon Sorowitsch in The Counterfeiters.
 

 
Stefan-Ruzowitzky.jpg