Production Company(ies)
Road Movies Filmproduktion, Argos Films, Westdeutscher Rundfunk
 
Distributor
Columbia TriStar Home Video, Samuel Goldwyn Company
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
County Donegal, Ireland
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some moments that may be disquieting to small children
 
Year of Release
1995
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Mick Lally, Eileen Colgan, John Lynch, Jeni Courtney, Richard Sheridan, Cillian Byrne, directed by John Sayles, written by John Sayles, drama, PG rating, box office gross $82.6K, reviewed by Anne Billson, Bruce Diones, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Dennis Harvey, Michael Rechtshaffen, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Melinda Miller, Josh Larsen, Emanuel Levy, Robert Roten, Douglas Pratt, Daniel M Kimmel, Maggie Renzi produced, mythical creatures, selkies, Irish folklore, family history, missing baby brother, west coast of Ireland, Roan Inish, small island, ancestral home, seal to human form, gentle fairy tale, optimism, suitable for the whole family
 

Cast & Crew

Mick Lally

Eileen Colgan

John Lynch

Jeni Courtney

Richard Sheridan

Hugh

Tess

Tadhg

Fiona

Eamon

Mick Lally – Hugh
Eileen Colgan – Tess
John Lynch – Tadhg
Jeni Courtney – Fiona
Richard Sheridan – Eamon
Cillian Byrne – Jamie

 

John Sayles

John Sayles

Maggie Renzi

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
John Sayles
 
Writer(s)
John Sayles
 
Producer(s)
Maggie Renzi

 

Film Festivals
Cannes
 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Anne Billson

Bruce Diones

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Dennis Harvey

Michael Rechtshaffen

Daily Telegraph

New Yorker

Entertainment Weekly

Variety

Hollywood Reporter

THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH
  All Critics (45) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (2)
  I wish I liked it more, but there’s more than whiff of worthy Irish heritage in the air, and the story drifts all over the place. I’m afraid I kept drifting off as well.
 
  November 27, 2017
 
  Anne Billson
  Daily Telegraph (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  The rhythms are placid and the camerawork (by Haskell Wexler) is simple and unfussy. The film’s a charm.
 
  May 3, 2013
 
  Bruce Diones
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  September 7, 2011 | Rating: B+
 
  Lisa Schwarzbaum
  Entertainment Weekly
  TOP CRITIC
  John Sayles’ latest marks his entry into family-pic terrain, a crossing that draws pleasant but unexciting results.
 
  March 11, 2008
 
  Dennis Harvey
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  Moving from passion fish to mystical seals, versatile filmmaker John Sayles’ latest is a first-rate, all-ages fairy tale steeped in Irish folklore.
 
  March 11, 2008
 
  Michael Rechtshaffen
  Hollywood Reporter
  TOP CRITIC
  This is all rather low-key and uninsistent, but the settings are gorgeous, and Haskell Wexler’s cinematography makes the most of them.
 
  March 11, 2008
 
  Jonathan Rosenbaum
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Roan Inish is a beautiful tale of a lovely legend, of love and seals and, instead of giving up your hopes, of giving them a chance to come true.
 
  May 11, 2021
 
  Melinda Miller
  Buffalo News
  …a story about storytelling, and how folk tales and real life can intermingle.
 
  July 18, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Josh Larsen
  LarsenOnFilm
  One of his most accomplished movies, this is Sayles’ corrective fable to a genre thas has favored male protags, exploring another outsider character, a young girl alone in the world.
 
  January 31, 2007 | Rating: A-
 
  Emanuel Levy
  EmanuelLevy.Com
  May 3, 2006 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Robert Roten
  Laramie Movie Scope
  A beautifully told faerie tale
 
  June 10, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Douglas Pratt
  DVDLaser
  April 30, 2004 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Daniel M. Kimmel
  Worcester Telegram & Gazette…

 

Plot
10-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village in Donegal, Ireland. She soon learns the local legend that an ancestor of hers married a Selkie – a seal who can turn into a human. Years earlier, her baby brother washed out to sea in a cradle shaped like a boat; someone in the family believes the boy is being raised by the seals. Then Fiona catches sight of a naked little boy on the abandoned Isle of Roan Inish and takes an active role in uncovering the secret of Roan Inish.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The Secret of Roan Inish stars Jeni Courtney as Fiona, a young Irish girl with an unusual family history.
 

 
John-Sayles.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Lurker
 
Distributor
Criterion Collection, New Line Cinema
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate

 
Year of Release
1995
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama/Crime
 
Keyword(s)
starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, directed by David Fincher, written by Andrew Kevin Walker, drama, crime, mystery, thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Gene Siskel, Michael Wilmington, Jami Bernard, John Hartl, Desmond Ryan, Jay Boyar, Quentin Crisp, James Croot, Margaret A McGurk, Nicholas Oon, Luke Hicks, Sean Collier, R-rated, Arnold Kopelson, Phyllis Carlyle, produced by Criterion Collection, New Line Cinema, serial killer, seven deadly sins, retiring police detective, newly transferred detective, elaborate murders, haunting finale, taut performances, slick gore effects, brutal, relentlessly grimy shocker, Morgan Freeman’s performance, David Fincher’s directing prowess, suspenseful, psychological fabrication, thematic scope, open-ended vision, grisly imagery, cinematic tour de force
 

Cast & Crew

Brad Pitt

Morgan Freeman

Gwyneth Paltrow

R. Lee Ermey

Richard Roundtree

Detective David Mills

Detective Lt. William Somerset

Tracy Mills

Police Captain

Dist. Atty. Martin Talbot

Brad Pitt – Detective David Mills
Morgan Freeman – Detective Lt. William Somerset
Gwyneth Paltrow – Tracy Mills
R. Lee Ermey – Police Captain
Richard Roundtree – Dist. Atty. Martin Talbot
John C. McGinley – California

 

David Fincher

Andrew Kevin Walker

Arnold Kopelson

Phyllis Carlyle

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
David Fincher
 
Writer(s)
Andrew Kevin Walker
 
Producer(s)
Arnold Kopelson, Phyllis Carlyle

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Gene Siskel

Michael Wilmington

Jami Bernard

John Hartl

Desmond Ryan

Chicago Tribune

New York Daily News

Seattle Times

Philadelphia Inquirer

Orlando Sentinel

SEVEN
  All Critics (83) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (68) | Rotten (15)
  Worth seeing if you can look past the gruesome details.
 
  March 29, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Gene Siskel
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  Unfortunately, most of the scenes in Seven are unlikely, which means that by the end of the movie the duo is battling not just an insane killer but an off-the-wall screenwriter.
 
  March 25, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
  Michael Wilmington
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  There’s none of the humor that takes the sting out of slasher movies, and certainly none of the psychology and depth that made The Silence of the Lambs such an intellectual thriller.
 
  March 25, 2014 | Rating: 1/4
 
  Jami Bernard
  New York Daily News
  TOP CRITIC
  Were it not for the gravity and thoughtfulness of Morgan Freeman’s performance as a retiring policeman, and the third-act appearance of its bizarre villain, Seven would be unendurable.
 
  March 25, 2014 | Rating: 2/4
 
  John Hartl
  Seattle Times
  TOP CRITIC
  The reason to see Seven, which is decidedly not for the faint of stomach, is not for the punishment of sin, but the many virtues of Freeman’s contribution.
 
  March 25, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
  Desmond Ryan
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  TOP CRITIC
  The odd thing about Seven, however, is that except for its facile, familiar and ridiculously gimmicky plot, it’s a pretty involving murder mystery.
 
  March 25, 2014
 
  Jay Boyar
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  Mr. Freeman has the easier part of the tired, unmoved, methodical policeman, and he plays it to perfection.
 
  April 4, 2022
 
  Quentin Crisp
  Christopher Street
  A searing, smart, very adult crime thriller.
 
  November 18, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
  James Croot
  Stuff.co.nz
  A disturbing and suspenseful trip to the dark side.
 
  August 19, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Margaret A. McGurk
  Cincinnati Enquirer
  A testament to David Fincher’s directing prowess. He is so good at directing your focus in this movie, and, like, just holding your attention.
 
  August 14, 2021 | Rating: 9.1/10
 
  Nicholas Oon
  Maximum Hype (YouTube)
  The modern serial killer film was far from invented by Fincher, but his entries have damn near immortalized the subgenre.
 
  February 17, 2021
 
  Luke Hicks
  Film School Rejects
  The structure of the narrative is dense but its beats are deliberate, making for a viewing experience that’s hypnotic on first viewing and only deepens on subsequent watches.
 
  January 1, 2021 | Rating: 9/10
 
  Sean Collier
  Pittsburgh Magazine…

 

Plot
Detectives Somerset and Mills investigate a series of gruesome murders that lead them to a serial killer targeting people he believes represent the seven deadly sins in the dark and gritty crime thriller, Seven.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman star as the odd couple detectives in this gritty crime thriller.
 

 
David-Fincher.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Ghost Pictures, Passion Pictures,
 
Distributor
MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Park, Taipei City, Taiwan
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
1994
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Sihung Lung, Kuei-Mei Yang, Chien-Lien Wu, Yu-wen Wang, Ya-lei Kuei, Sylvia Chang, directed by Ang Lee, written by Ang Lee, Hui-Ling Wang, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Noel Murray, Angie Errigo, Steven Rea, Jay Boyar, Michael Wilmington, Anthony Lane, Nicholas Bell, David Lamble, Owen McNally, Wendy Shreve, Quentin Curtis, produced by Knog Hsu, Li-Kong Hsu, MPAA rating, Master Chef Chu, widowed chef, daughters, Jia-Jen, Jia-Chien, Jia-Ning, preparing and eating an elaborate dinner, romantic relationships, family drama, Chinese language, Dolby sound, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc
 

Cast & Crew

Liang Hsiung – Chu

Kuei-Mei Yang – Jia-Jen

Chien-Lien Wu – Jia-Chien

Yu-wen Wang – Jia-Ning

Ya-lei Kuei – Madame Liang

Liang Hsiung

Kuei-Mei Yang

Chien-Lien Wu

Yu-wen Wang

Ya-lei Kuei

Liang Hsiung – Chu
Kuei-Mei Yang – Jia-Jen
Chien-Lien Wu – Jia-Chien
Yu-wen Wang – Jia-Ning
Ya-lei Kuei – Madame Liang
Sylvia Chang – Jin-Rong

 

Ang Lee

Ang Lee

Knog Hsu

Li-Kong Hsu

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Ang Lee
 
Writer(s)
Ang Lee, Hui-Ling Wang
 
Producer(s)
Knog Hsu, Li-Kong Hsu

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Noel Murray

Angie Errigo

Steven Rea

Jay Boyar

Michael Wilmington

The Dissolve

Empire Magazine

Philadelphia Inquirer

Orlando Sentinel

Chicago Tribune

EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN
  All Critics (50) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (6)
  What makes this a Lee film-and one of his best-is how well he and his co-writers understand all the relationships, and what’s going unspoken.
 
  March 2, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Noel Murray
  The Dissolve
  TOP CRITIC
  This is a startlingly superior piece of craftsmanship, with the flavour of life and richness of the script conveyed via uniformly wonderful performances.
 
  February 10, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Angie Errigo
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Lee’s Eat Drink Man Woman is tender without being mushy, sweet without being syrupy — and surprising in ways that can only make you smile.
 
  February 10, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Steven Rea
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  TOP CRITIC
  But by the end, I felt that Lee had, so to speak, stuck a little too closely to the recipe: His movie is moderately enjoyable in a been-there, done-that sort of way.
 
  February 10, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Jay Boyar
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  Eat Drink Man Woman may not just amuse and entertain you. It’s likely to make you very hungry, too-perhaps for more than food.
 
  February 10, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Michael Wilmington
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  That guarantee of good taste is, finally, a bit of a downer; there are plenty of surprises, but no hint of risk.
 
  February 3, 2014
 
  Anthony Lane
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  Unfortunately, though visually sumptuous, the film is a cold dish.
 
  October 29, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/5
 
  Nicholas Bell
  IONCINEMA.com
  The food is the star, virtually the only thing to recommend about famed Taiwan-born director Ang Lee’s follow-up to his first US hit…
 
  June 8, 2020
 
  David Lamble
  Bay Area Reporter
  Watch a master filmmaker [Ang Lee] hone his craft.
 
  May 9, 2020
 
  Wendy Shreve
  Featuring Film
  The film is seasoned with humor and has a brisk pace. It’s pleasing to the eye and stocked with zesty performances all the way around.
 
  January 29, 2019 | Rating: 4.5/5
 
  Owen McNally
  Hartford Courant
  The constant parallels between food and love are too facile to be illuminating.
 
  December 12, 2017
 
  Quentin Curtis
  Independent on Sunday
  A richly textured comedy about the tensions across two generations of a Confucian family, Eat Drink Man Woman typifies the filial focus of Lee’s early work
 
  September 1, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Patrick Gamble
  The Skinny…

 

Plot
Eat Drink Man Woman is a classic tale of simmering frustrations and relationship woes as semi-retired Master Chef Chu shares his culinary skills and tends to his three unmarried daughters’ respective emotional journeys. Jia-Jen is a chemistry teacher, Jia-Chien an airline executive and Jia-Ning works at a fast-food establishment. Together they help prepare and eat a sumptuously elaborate dinner each Sunday, a family tradition which allows for considerable insight into their lives and fuels the fire for each daughter to deal with the turmoil of new romantic challenges.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Taiwanese actor Sihung Lung as the semi-retired Master Chef Chu.
 

 
Ang-Lee.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Animal Kingdom, Traction Media,
 
Distributor
Alta Films S.A., Criterion Collection
 
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Netflix)
 
Filming Location(s)
London, England, UK
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
1994
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring David Thewlis, directed by Mike Leigh, written by Mike Leigh, comedy, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kevin Maher, reviewed by Peter Bradshaw, reviewed by Manohla Dargis, reviewed by Derek Malcolm, reviewed by Carrie Rickey, produced by Simon Channing Williams, MPAA rating, unemployed, Brit, nocturnal London odyssey, Lesley Sharp, Katrin Cartlidge, Greg Cruttwell, Claire Skinner, Peter Wight, Dolby, Surround, Alta Films S.A., Criterion Collection, Johnny, Louise Klemser, Sophie, Jeremy G Smart, Sebastian Hawks, Sandra the Nurse, Brian the Nightwatchman
 

Cast & Crew

David Thewlis

Lesley Sharp

Katrin Cartlidge

Greg Cruttwell

Claire Skinner

Johnny

Louise Klemser

Sophie

Jeremy G. Smart aka Sebastian Hawks

Sandra the Nurse

David Thewlis – Johnny
Lesley Sharp – Louise Klemser
Katrin Cartlidge – Sophie, Louise’s Roomate
Greg Cruttwell – Jeremy G. Smart aka Sebastian Hawks
Claire Skinner – Sandra the Nurse
Peter Wight – Brian the Nightwatchman

 

Mike Leigh

Mike Leigh

Simon Channing Williams

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Mike Leigh
 
Writer(s)
Mike Leigh
 
Producer(s)
Simon Channing Williams

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
8 wins & 7 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Kevin Maher

Peter Bradshaw

Manohla Dargis

Derek Malcolm

Carrie Rickey

Times

Guardian

Artforum

Philadelphia Inquirer

Chicago Tribune

NAKED
  All Critics (58) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (7)
  This is the greatest David Thewlis performance, in one of the greatest Mike Leigh films.
 
  November 12, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Kevin Maher
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  This is a movie of virtuoso nihilism and scorn.
 
  November 11, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  An anti-epic — retrofitted to the consciousness of an antihero raging into the close of a century, the end of the millennium.
 
  November 13, 2018
 
  Manohla Dargis
  Artforum
  TOP CRITIC
  This is an astonishing film in a number of ways, a tour de force that’s brilliantly played and written and directed with total conviction.
 
  March 4, 2015
 
  Derek Malcolm
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  Naked is a revelation, a parable of spiritual homelessness and the terror it engenders.
 
  March 4, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Carrie Rickey
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  TOP CRITIC
  Mike Leigh’s Naked is a great one — a film of brutal impact, withering wit and humanity. It deserves one of the highest accolades movies can receive: Seeing it shakes you up, changes your vision.
 
  March 4, 2015 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Michael Wilmington
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  Naked proves well worth the wait.
 
  May 23, 2018
 
  Malcolm Johnson
  Hartford Courant
  Once Johnny’s babble of half-baked ideas and hand- me-down theology begins to pall, we’re bogged down in the slough of despond, with only the banality of evil for company.
 
  December 7, 2017
 
  Quentin Curtis
  Independent on Sunday
  You may feel like you need a drink and a shower when you come out of Naked, but at least you’ll know you’ve been somewhere new.
 
  March 4, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Stephen Hunter
  Baltimore Sun
  There are also moments of tenderness, necessary chinks of compassion spearing the murk. It’s also bitingly, appallingly funny. And it’s a masterpiece.
 
  March 4, 2015
 
  Ali Catterall
  Film4
  That wonderful British writer-director Mike Leigh continues down his brave, lonely road, making movies about believable people living and suffering under painfully believable circumstances.
 
  March 4, 2015
 
  Joanne Kaufman
  People Magazine
  See this film with a group of friends, and you may stay up late talking about it.
 
  March 4, 2015
 
  Candice Russell
  South Florida Sun-Sentinel…

 

Plot
Johnny flees Manchester for London, to avoid a beating from the family of a girl he has raped. There he finds an old girlfriend, and spends some time homeless, spending much of his time ranting at strangers, and meeting characters in plights very much like his own.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
David Thewlis delivers a “thoroughly committed performance” in Naked, according to Fresh Kernels.
 

 
Mike-Leigh.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Ferndale Films, Granada Television, Hell’s Kitchen Films,
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Hulu)
 
Filming Location(s)
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for intense, realistic depiction of urban violence, and for drug content, pervasive language, and some sexuality
 
Year of Release
1994
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L Jackson, N’Bushe Wright, Ron Brice, Jean-Claude La Marre, directed by Boaz Yakin, written by Boaz Yakin, drama, $7.7M box office, R rating, reviewed by David Ansen, Kenneth Turan, Kim Newman, John Hartl, Gene Siskel, Richard Corliss, Mal Vincent, Deborah Hornblow, Stephen Hunter, Leah Rozen, Candice Russell, Tom Hutchinson, Adam Holender, Lawrence Bender, Randy Ostrow, poverty, corruption, racial tension, Brooklyn, New York, drug dealer, drug-addict sister, drug lord, chess, alcoholic father, speed-chess champion, strategy, urban drama
 

Cast & Crew

Sean Nelson

Giancarlo Esposito

Samuel L. Jackson

N’Bushe Wright

Ron Brice

Fresh

Esteban

Sam

Nichole

Corky

Sean Nelson – Fresh
Giancarlo Esposito – Esteban
Samuel L. Jackson – Sam
N’Bushe Wright – Nichole
Ron Brice – Corky
Jean-Claude La Marre – Jake

 

Boaz Yakin

Boaz Yakin

Lawrence Bender

Randy Ostrow

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Boaz Yakin
 
Writer(s)
Boaz Yakin
 
Producer(s)
Lawrence Bender, Randy Ostrow

 

Film Festivals
Sundance
 
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 5 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

David Ansen

Kenneth Turan

Kim Newman

John Hartl

Gene Siskel

Newsweek

Los Angeles Times

Empire Magazine

Seattle Times

Chicago Tribune

FRESH
  All Critics (41) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (5)
  Though well acted, and handsomely shot by veteran Adam Holender, Fresh sacrifices real emotion for thriller contrivances. It’s a tourist’s drive through inner-city hell.
 
  March 4, 2019
 
  David Ansen
  Newsweek
  TOP CRITIC
  Glibly shocking, it would like you to think it deals with the hard realities of urban life, but in fact it uses its patina of social consciousness as a come-on for the most conventional kind of violent commercial filmmaking.
 
  April 21, 2015
 
  Kenneth Turan
  Los Angeles Times
  TOP CRITIC
  The strength of the piece is that it realises which aspects of its genre have been seen too many times, always coming back to Nelson’s blank but expressive stare as he watches terrible things the director doesn’t need to shove in our faces.
 
  April 21, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Kim Newman
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Sean Nelson is a quiet revelation as the title character, a child who actively participates in what he regards as the only game in town, yet consistently demonstrates more caution and smarts than his friends or relatives.
 
  April 21, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
 
  John Hartl
  Seattle Times
  TOP CRITIC
  The script by writer-director Boaz Yakin is fresh itself, marrying the physical violence of Fresh’s world with the intellectual violence of competitive chess.
 
  April 21, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Gene Siskel
  Chicago Tribune
  TOP CRITIC
  [Fresh is] made with a subtle precision that suggests a Vermeer landscape of the ninth circle of hell.
 
  April 21, 2015
 
  Richard Corliss
  TIME Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Surely not for the squeamish, this film will send you away with scars of your own.
 
  February 25, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Mal Vincent
  The Virginian-Pilot
  Screenwriter Boaz Yakin makes a stunning directorial debut with “Fresh,” the gripping, finely acted tale of a 12- year-old’s life on the mean streets of New York.
 
  September 15, 2020 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Deborah Hornblow
  Hartford Courant
  The movie’s two instincts are at complete odds with each other.
 
  April 21, 2015 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
  Stephen Hunter
  Baltimore Sun
  A gripping story of survival on the streets and survival of the soul.
 
  April 21, 2015
 
  Leah Rozen
  People Magazine
  It’s rigorous and quite depressing fare.
 
  April 21, 2015
 
  Candice Russell
  South Florida Sun-Sentinel
  The absence of moralising and macho posturing gives authenticity and poignancy to the film.
 
  April 21, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Tom Hutchinson
  Radio Times…

 

Plot
Fresh (Sean Nelson) is a 12-year-old drug dealer who finds himself trapped in a web of poverty, corruption and racial tension in Brooklyn, New York. When his drug-addict sister Nichole (N’Bushe Wright) starts sleeping with local drug lord Esteban (Giancarlo Esposito), Fresh calls upon the skills he learned playing chess with his alcoholic father and speed-chess champion Sam (Samuel L. Jackson) and devises a complex strategy that will free both himself and his sister.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh stars a young Sean Nelson in the lead role as a 12-year-old drug dealer.
 

 
Boaz-Yakin.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
Touchstone Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Skellington Productions – 375 7th Street, San Francisco, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some scary images
 
Year of Release
1993
 

 
Genre(s)
Holiday/Fantasy
 
Keyword(s)
starring Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, directed by Henry Selick, written by Michael McDowell, Caroline Thompson, holiday, fantasy, comedy, box office gross, PG rating, reviewed by Chris Stuckmann, Kenneth Turan, Anthony Lane, Jay Boyar, John Hartl, Desmond Ryan, David Reddish, Brandon Collins, Tatiana Albandos, Justin Brown, Tim Burton, Denise Di Novi, Kathleen Gavin, Touchstone Pictures, Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Surround, Dolby SR, Flat (1.85:1), Jack Skellington, Sally, Santa Claus, stop-motion animation, misadventures, Halloweentown, Christmastown, kidnapping, pumpkin king, evil scientist, mayor, lock, barrel, shock, some scary images, original language, English, runtime 1h 15m, distributor Touchstone Pictures
 

Cast & Crew

Danny Elfman

Chris Sarandon

Catherine O’Hara

William Hickey

Glenn Shadix

Jack Skellington

Barrel

Jack

Sally

Shock

Danny Elfman – Jack Skellington, Barrel – Voice
Chris Sarandon – Jack – Voice
Catherine O’Hara – Sally, Shock – Voice
William Hickey – Evil Scientist – Voice
Glenn Shadix – Mayor – Voice
Paul Reubens – Lock – Voice

 

Henry Selick

Michael McDowell

Tim Burton

Denise Di Novi

Kathleen Gavin

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Henry Selick
 
Writer(s)
Michael McDowell, Caroline Thompson
 
Producer(s)
Tim Burton, Denise Di Novi, Kathleen Gavin

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
6 wins & 17 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Chris Stuckmann

Kenneth Turan

Anthony Lane

Jay Boyar

John Hartl

ChrisStuckmann.com

Los Angeles Times

New Yorker

Orlando Sentinel

Seattle Times

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
  All Critics (100) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (95) | Rotten (5)
  I’m blown away by just the construction of the scenes, and by all of the effects that have been incorporated to make everything move fluidly; and there’s also this charming imperfection to the animation that just makes it so gorgeous.
 
  April 13, 2018 | Rating: A
 
  Chris Stuckmann
  ChrisStuckmann.com
  TOP CRITIC
  Part avant-garde art film, part amusing but morbid fairy tale, it is a delightfully ghoulish holiday musical that displays more inventiveness in its brief 75 minutes than some studios can manage in an entire year.
 
  December 3, 2013
 
  Kenneth Turan
  Los Angeles Times
  TOP CRITIC
  This full-length animated movie was shot in stop motion, with all the febrile, twittery fascination that the medium exerts; it has a magic-toy shop feeling, with unexpected objects stuttering into life.
 
  December 3, 2013
 
  Anthony Lane
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  Burton and his collaborators present a movie musical that’s like nothing you’ve ever seen.
 
  December 3, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Jay Boyar
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  Visually a macabre knockout, this 75-minute fantasy boasts some of the wittiest, most vigorous stop-motion animation effects in the history of the process.
 
  December 3, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
 
  John Hartl
  Seattle Times
  TOP CRITIC
  Burton, the man who gave us Batman, Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, is incapable of a conventional idea. His take on the holiday fairy tale is delightfully off the wall.
 
  December 3, 2013
 
  Desmond Ryan
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  TOP CRITIC
  Films dont get more imaginative or original than this. The Nightmare Before Christmas is not just a good movieits everything we go to the movies for in the first place.
 
  March 20, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  David Reddish
  Queerty
  This is a timeless classic that still entertains. I love this film.
 
  October 22, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Brandon Collins
  Medium Popcorn
  This in an incredible film. One of my favorite films without question.
 
  October 22, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Tatiana Albandos
  Medium Popcorn
  This was fun, the music is great and the animation is fascinating given all of the work that goes into it.
 
  October 22, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Justin Brown
  Medium Popcorn
  The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of those rare holiday films that seems to transcend generations…
 
  April 14, 2021
 
  Jim Rohner
  Battleship Pretension
  On a visual level, the movie qualifies as poetry in stop-motion.
 
  January 24, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Matt Brunson
  Film Frenzy…

 

Plot
Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town, is bored with doing the same thing every year for Halloween. One day he stumbles into Christmas Town, and is so taken with the idea of Christmas that he tries to get the resident bats, ghouls, and goblins of Halloween Town to help him put on Christmas instead of Halloween
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film on Fresh Kernels.
 

 
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