Production Company(ies)
Bandai Visual Company, Cine Qua Non Films, Engine Film
 
Distributor
IFC Films
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Haneda International Airport, Ota-ku, Tokyo, Japan
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements and some sexual references
 
Year of Release
2004
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
Nobody Knows, PG-13, Drama, Japanese, Hirokazu Koreeda, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, written by Hirokazu Koreeda, produced by Hirokazu Koreeda, Yûya Yagira, Ayu Kitaura, Hiei Kimura, Momoko Shimizu, Hanae Kan, You, reviewed by David Parkinson, Roger Moore, Marjorie Baumgarten, Terry Lawson, Chris Vognar, Moira MacDonald, David Lamble, Tom Dawson, Catherine Graham, PG-13 rating, child abandonment, Tokyo, apartment building, preteen, siblings, survival, poverty, tragedy, heart-wrenching, innocence, insight, emotional sucker-punch, non-professional cast, Ozu-esque beauty, slow-paced, naturalistic, heartwarming, family, friendship, responsibility, box office gross $683.6K, IFC Films, Dolby SR
 

Cast & Crew

Yûya Yagira

Ayu Kitaura

Hiei Kimura

Momoko Shimizu

Hanae Kan

Chounan

Kyoko

Shigeru

Yuki

Saki

Yûya Yagira – Chounan
Ayu Kitaura – Kyoko
Hiei Kimura – Shigeru
Momoko Shimizu – Yuki
Hanae Kan – Saki
You – Keiko, the mother
Hirokazu Koreeda – Director, Producer, Writer

 

Hirokazu Koreeda

Hirokazu Koreeda

Hirokazu Koreeda

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Hirokazu Koreeda
 
Writer(s)
Hirokazu Koreeda
 
Producer(s)
Hirokazu Koreeda

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
13 wins & 10 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

David Parkinson

Roger Moore

Marjorie Baumgarten

Terry Lawson

Chris Vognar

Empire Magazine

Orlando Sentinel

Austin Chronicle

Detroit Free Press

Dallas Morning News

NOBODY KNOWS
  All Critics (94) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (87) | Rotten (7)
  Rarely has a kid’s-eye view of the adult world been captured with such innocence and insight.
 
  April 1, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
 
  David Parkinson
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Nobody Knows will chill you, further proof that the ability to procreate does not automatically qualify you to be a parent.
 
  June 17, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Roger Moore
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  The rare film that successfully tells its tale of childhood from the children’s point of view.
 
  April 23, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Marjorie Baumgarten
  Austin Chronicle
  TOP CRITIC
  At its heart, Nobody Knows is a sweet salute to the tenacity and courage of children who are blithely mistreated by adults who should know better and probably do.
 
  March 18, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Terry Lawson
  Detroit Free Press
  TOP CRITIC
  This gem from Hirokazu Kore-eda unfolds with the graceful simplicity of a real-life episode turned into a minimalist fable.
 
  March 17, 2005 | Rating: A
 
  Chris Vognar
  Dallas Morning News
  TOP CRITIC
  Profoundly sad, but it’s made with such artistry that it’s almost uplifting; you watch it mesmerized, immersed in the strange community the children create.
 
  March 11, 2005 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Moira MacDonald
  Seattle Times
  TOP CRITIC
  Nobody Knows substitutes an emotional sucker-punch of too much knowledge and no easy fixes.
 
  May 7, 2020
 
  David Lamble
  Bay Area Reporter
  Although it’s perhaps overlong, Nobody Knows is shot with Ozu-esque beauty over four seasons and exceptionally acted by its non-professional cast.
 
  April 23, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Tom Dawson
  The List
  Yuya Yogira is remarkable, a screen debut as exciting as Jean Pierre Leaud’s in The 400 Blows.
 
  March 22, 2019 | Rating: B
 
  Catherine Graham
  Santa Cruz Sentinel
  August 7, 2008 | Rating: 2/5
 
  Jim Lane
  Sacramento News & Review
  Those who can tolerate slower rhythms will appreciate Kore-eda’s patient approach. And all will admire his handling of the children.
 
  March 1, 2007
 
  Bruce Feld
  Film Journal International
  It’s rather slow and a bit overlong (139 minutes), it may not be for everyone, but for viewers with the patience, the rewards are many.
 
  October 25, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Ken Hanke
  Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)…

 

Plot
Four siblings are left to fend for themselves in a Tokyo apartment after their mother abandons them in Nobody Knows.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Yûya Yagira’s performance in Nobody Knows is described as “remarkable” and compared to Jean Pierre Leaud’s in The 400 Blows.
 

 
Hirokazu-Koreeda.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
United Artists Lions Gate Films, Industrial Development Corporation, of South Africa
 
Distributor
United Artists
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Kigali, Rwanda
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 on appeal for violence, disturbing images and brief strong language
 
Year of Release
2005
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
Hotel Rwanda, Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Nick Nolte, Desmond Dube, David O’Hara, Terry George, A Kitman Ho, Keir Pearson, Drama, PG-13, United Artists, $23.5M, reviewed by David Ansen, Dan Jolin, Philippa Hawker, Scott Tobias, Nick Schager, Steven D Greydanus, Richard Propes, Mark Steyn, Nick Rogers, Joaquin Phoenix, reviewed by Cole Smithey, Amber Wilkinson, genocide, Rwanda, ethnic cleansing, refugees, U.N., violence, massacre, heroic, tragedy, sobering, heartfelt, Oscar nomination, best actor, raw, naked, painful, humanity, Western films, Africa, humanitarianism, Schindler’s List, true face of human barbarity, true face of human heroism, useless, combat, loose ends, individual heroism, insanity, evil
 

Cast & Crew

Don Cheadle

Paul Rusesabagina

Sophie Okonedo

Tatiana Rusesabagina

Joaquin Phoenix

Paul Rusesabagina

Tatiana Rusesabagina

Jack

Colonel Oliver

Dube

Don Cheadle – Paul Rusesabagina
Sophie Okonedo – Tatiana Rusesabagina
Joaquin Phoenix – Jack
Nick Nolte – Colonel Oliver
Desmond Dube – Dube
David O’Hara – David

 

Terry George

Terry George

A. Kitman Ho

Terry George

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Terry George
 
Writer(s)
Terry George, Keir Pearson
 
Producer(s)
A. Kitman Ho, Terry George

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
16 wins & 49 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

David Ansen

Dan Jolin

Philippa Hawker

Scott Tobias

Nick Schager

Newsweek

Empire Magazine

The Age (Australia)

AV Club

Lessons of Darkness

HOTEL RWANDA
  All Critics (192) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (174) | Rotten (18)
  Cheadle, in his richest role since Devil in a Blue Dress, burrows deep inside this complex man, who discovers in himself a strength he never knew he possessed as he faces the disillusion of all the “civilized” notions he believes in.
 
  July 6, 2010
 
  David Ansen
  Newsweek
  TOP CRITIC
  Who cares about overdone orchestral blasts or signpost-waving lines of dialogue when such raw, naked, painful humanity is displayed by Don Cheadle in the central role?
 
  April 1, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Dan Jolin
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Cheadle has an Oscar nomination for best actor. But this isn’t a grandstanding portrayal: it is a performance at the service of the work.
 
  January 17, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Philippa Hawker
  The Age (Australia)
  TOP CRITIC
  Showing traces of the well-meaning paternalism that dogs many Western films about Africa, Hotel Rwanda doesn’t go far enough in indicting Europeans and Americans for protecting their own while failing to intervene in time to stop the mass killings.
 
  September 26, 2005
 
  Scott Tobias
  AV Club
  TOP CRITIC
  Incapable of honestly confronting its ugly subject matter.
 
  May 4, 2005 | Rating: C
 
  Nick Schager
  Lessons of Darkness
  TOP CRITIC
  Here, now, is the true face of human barbarity, and the true face of human heroism. Not in the now-distant mythology of World War II…
 
  May 2, 2005 | Rating: A
 
  Steven D. Greydanus
  Decent Films
  TOP CRITIC
  Don Cheadle absolutely, 100% deserves the Oscar for Best Actor.
 
  September 11, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
 
  Richard Propes
  TheIndependentCritic.com
  Remarkably, the director Terry George and his co-writer Keir Pearson have pulled it off, rooting the big picture of anonymous murder in one small precise close-up.
 
  February 3, 2018
 
  Mark Steyn
  The Spectator
  Like “Schindler’s List,” “Hotel Rwanda” shows how the madness of genocide and war converted one man’s context of wealth and success from capitalism to humanitarianism. Don Cheadle honors Paul Rusesabagina by tapping his brave face and internal rage.
 
  September 24, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Nick Rogers
  The Film Yap
  potentially fantastic material…unfortunately, [Terry] George’s attempt is too mired in movie-of-the-week sensibilities…to do any justice to its subject matter
 
  August 17, 2010 | Rating: 1.5/4
 
  Jay Antani
  Cinema Writer
  Don Cheadle gives a beautifully restrained tour de force performance as a singular voice of reason at the epicenter of writer/director Terry George’s depiction of Rwanda’s outbreak of genocide in 1994 when Hutu militias slaughtered one million Tutsis with
 
  April 16, 2009 | Rating: A-
 
  Cole Smithey
  ColeSmithey.com
  This is a solid film, but it is the truth that holds the power, not the direction.
 
  December 7, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
  Amber Wilkinson
  Eye for Film…

 

Plot
1994. In Rwanda, the classification of the native population into Hutus and Tutsis, arbitrarily done by the colonial Belgians, is now ingrained within Rwandan mentality despite the Rwandan independence. Despite the Belgians having placed the Tutsis in a higher position during the Belgian rule, they have placed the majority Hutus in power after independence. Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu married to a Tutsi, Tatiana Rusesabagina, is the House Manager of the Hotel Des Milles Collines in Kigali. The Milles Collines, owned by Sabena (the national airline of Belgium), is a four-star hotel catering primarily to wealthy white westerners. Paul, who knows how to work the system to run the hotel effectively for its guests and for Sabena, is proud that most of the Caucasians who he meets in this professional capacity treat him with respect. After a specific incident, the relative calm between the Tutsi guerrillas and government-backed Hutu militia takes a turn. Paul’s thought that the native population as a whole who are not directly involved in the conflict will be protected as the UN peacekeeping forces and thus the world is watching doesn’t happen as the western world largely evacuates from Rwanda and abandons the natives. Such begins what will become a genocide of the Tutsi population. Paul, who is able to get his immediate family to the hotel which is still largely seen as a place of sanctuary, will have to use the considerable skills he has used to run the hotel as well as he has instead to keep himself, his family and any others taking refuge at the hotel alive, whether they be Hutu or Tutsi. Meanwhile, Colonel Oliver, a Canadian heading the UN peacekeeping forces, and Pat Archer with the Red Cross do what they can to assist Paul and to get people to safety first to the hotel then out of the country, while field journalists, like photographer Jack Daglish, try to bring the genocide back into the global media to have the world once again care about what is going on.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Don Cheadle’s performance in Hotel Rwanda earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
 

 
Terry-George.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Lakeshore Entertainment, Malpaso Productions,
 
Distributor
Warner Bros.
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Hollywood Athletic Club – 6525 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for violence, some disturbing images, thematic material and language
 
Year of Release
2005
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Paul Haggis, drama, PG-13, directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Paul Haggis, produced by Clint Eastwood, Albert S Ruddy, Tom Rosenberg, box office, $100.4M, reviewed by Namrata Joshi, Peter Bradshaw, Paul Byrnes, Derek Malcolm, Christopher Orr, David Stratton, David Walsh, Alix Turner, Mike Massie, Mattie Lucas, Kaleem Aftab, Sky Staff, boxing, trainer, gym, Missouri, veteran, Los Angeles, Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupris, Shawrelle Berry, Danger Barch, Big Willie Little, Warner Bros., Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS, Scope (2.35:1)
 

Cast & Crew

Clint Eastwood

Hilary Swank

Morgan Freeman

Anthony Mackie

Jay Baruchel

Frankie Dunn

Maggie Fitzgerald

Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris

Shawrelle Berry

Danger Barch

Clint Eastwood – Frankie Dunn
Hilary Swank – Maggie Fitzgerald
Morgan Freeman – Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris
Anthony Mackie – Shawrelle Berry
Jay Baruchel – Danger Barch
Mike Colter – Big Willie Little

 

Clint Eastwood

Paul Haggis

Clint Eastwood

Albert S. Ruddy

Tom Rosenberg

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Clint Eastwood
 
Writer(s)
Paul Haggis
 
Producer(s)
Clint Eastwood, Albert S. Ruddy, Tom Rosenberg, Paul Haggis

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 4 Oscars
67 wins & 86 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Directing Winners, Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
 

Top Reviews

Namrata Joshi

Peter Bradshaw

Paul Byrnes

Derek Malcolm

Christopher Orr

Outlook

Guardian

Sydney Morning Herald

London Evening Standard

The Atlantic

MILLION DOLLAR BABY
  All Critics (269) | Top Critics (70) | Fresh (243) | Rotten (26)
  The film does obliquely posit a new model of womanhood, one about risking the all-important beauty for a larger mission. But more than Maggie, the show actually belongs to the guilt-ridden Frankie…
 
  January 8, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Namrata Joshi
  Outlook
  TOP CRITIC
  A heartfelt, creditable picture.
 
  February 27, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  I don’t think it’s his masterpiece, but it’s a big, beautiful, sad film with unforgettable performances.
 
  February 27, 2015
 
  Paul Byrnes
  Sydney Morning Herald
  TOP CRITIC
  Anyone who doesn’t believe that Clint Eastwood is one of the best film-makers in America ought to see Million Dollar Baby.
 
  February 27, 2015
 
  Derek Malcolm
  London Evening Standard
  TOP CRITIC
  The movie is simultaneously conventional and subversive, broad and nuanced, shamelessly manipulative and genuinely moving, a cheap sucker punch and a work of real moral weight.
 
  February 27, 2015
 
  Christopher Orr
  The Atlantic
  TOP CRITIC
  The film is impeccably made, but more than that, the director who also composed the lovely music score, brings a rare degree of humanity to the intensely moving conclusion.
 
  February 27, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
 
  David Stratton
  At the Movies (Australia)
  TOP CRITIC
  The characters Eastwood plays are not answerable to anyone, except themselves. As long as they pull a long face, furrow their brows and look pained after the fact, they are permitted to commit any number of crimes.
 
  February 15, 2021
 
  David Walsh
  World Socialist Web Site
  Million Dollar Baby boasts wonderful acting and character writing, but a frustrating treatment of themes within a plot adapted from two short stories.
 
  February 2, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Alix Turner
  Ready Steady Cut
  As the film draws to its powerhouse close, gentle piano music by Eastwood himself gives this haunting tragedy an even higher level of poignancy.
 
  November 7, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  Fakes you out, then knocks you flat with a right hook to the heart.
 
  June 5, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Mattie Lucas
  The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
  Million Dollar Baby is aesthetically and emotionally a dark movie that ultimately falls short because every rough edge is softened by a cliché. Here, Eastwood throws a handful of sugar in for good measure, too.
 
  April 23, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Kaleem Aftab
  The List
  Turning the conventions of the boxing movie inside out, this sees Eastwood – as actor and director – at the top of his game.
 
  February 21, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Sky Staff
  Sky Cinema…

 

Plot
Wanting to learn from the best, aspiring boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) wants Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) to train her. At the outset, he flatly refuses saying he has no interest in training a girl. Frankie leads a lonely existence, alienated from his only daughter and having few friends. Maggie’s rough around the edges, but shows a lot of grit in the ring and he eventually relents. Maggie not only proves to be the boxer he always dreamed of having under his wing, but a friend who fills the great void he’s had in his life. Maggie’s career skyrockets, but an accident in the ring leads her to ask Frankie for one last favor.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Morgan Freeman won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Million Dollar Baby.
 

 
Clint-Eastwood.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Red Light Films, HBO, Cinemax Documentary Creative Visions
 
Distributor
ThinkFilm
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Calcutta, West Bengal, India
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some sequences of strong language
 
Year of Release
2005
 

 
Genre(s)
Documentary/Biography
 
Keyword(s)
Born into Brothels, documentary, biography, Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman, directed by Zana Briski, directed by Ross Kauffman, written by Ross Kauffman, written by Zana Briski, starring Avijit Halder, starring Shanti Das, produced by Zana Briski, produced by Ross Kauffman, reviewed by Richard Porton, reviewed by Steven D Greydanus, reviewed by Marjorie Baumgarten, reviewed by Richard Nilsen, reviewed by Roger Moore, reviewed by Rene Rodriguez, reviewed by Richard Propes, reviewed by Jay Antani, reviewed by Beth Accomando, reviewed by Jeffrey Overstreet, reviewed by Kam Williams, R rated, documentary photographer, Calcutta, prostitutes, photography, children, poverty, Academy Award, box office, $3.4M
 

Cast & Crew

Avijit Halder

Shanti Das

Zana Briski

Ross Kauffman

Avijit Halder

Shanti Das

Zana Briski

Ross Kauffman

Avijit Halder – self
Shanti Das – self
Zana Briski – Director, Producer, Writer
Ross Kauffman – Director, Writer, Producer

 

Zana Briski

Ross Kauffman

Zana Briski

Ross Kauffman

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman
 
Writer(s)
Ross Kauffman, Zana Briski
 
Producer(s)
Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
21 wins & 5 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Richard Porton

Steven D. Greydanus

Marjorie Baumgarten

Richard Nilsen

Roger Moore

Chicago Reader

Decent Films

Austin Chronicle

Arizona Republic

Orlando Sentinel

BORN INTO BROTHELS
  All Critics (108) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (103) | Rotten (5)
  Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman’s Born Into Brothels is both sustained and ultimately sunk by its lofty intentions.
 
  September 29, 2017
 
  Richard Porton
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Briski doesn’t merely document the children’s milieu. Instead, she does something revolutionary: She empowers them to document it for themselves.
 
  April 4, 2005 | Rating: A-
 
  Steven D. Greydanus
  Decent Films
  TOP CRITIC
  A devastating portrait of impoverished Calcutta children who are born into the sex trades, yet the film is also an inspiring document about human possibilities and the need to strive despite impossible odds.
 
  March 27, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Marjorie Baumgarten
  Austin Chronicle
  TOP CRITIC
  One feels manipulated rather than enlightened.
 
  March 11, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Richard Nilsen
  Arizona Republic
  TOP CRITIC
  A beautifully made essay on a filmmaker’s efforts to teach the children of Calcutta’s prostitutes the fine art of photography.
 
  March 11, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Roger Moore
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  The film says all it needs to say through the photos of the kids and their excited, wide-eyed reactions when they realize the outside world is paying attention to them.
 
  March 11, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Rene Rodriguez
  Miami Herald
  TOP CRITIC
  A reminder of the power of the documentary to educate, inspire and share openly and honestly the world that surrounds us.
 
  September 4, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
 
  Richard Propes
  TheIndependentCritic.com
  an absorbing journey over gritty social terrain, driven by a fierce sense of purpose
 
  January 20, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Jay Antani
  Cinema Writer
  This bond of trust between the filmmakers and their subjects exemplifies the kind of personal involvement that many documentary makers are striving for these days.
 
  June 8, 2008
 
  Beth Accomando
  KPBS.org
  As bright as a box of new crayons, and just as full of creative potential, these children give us vibrant pictures of hope in the midst of oppression.
 
  September 20, 2007 | Rating: A+
 
  Jeffrey Overstreet
  Looking Closer
  In the end, you can’t help but wonder exactly what it was you’ve just seen. A hard-hitting exposé? Voyeuristic slumming? A true tale of triumph, against all odds? A self-aggrandizing, vanity biopic? Some new type of reality film?Perhaps all of the above.
 
  June 20, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Kam Williams
  Princeton Town Topics
  Profundamente comovente e trágico, apesar de suas óbvias falhas estruturais e %u2013 o mais grave %u2013 de pisar em um terreno instável em seu aspecto ético.
 
  January 10, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Pablo Villaça
  Cinema em Cena…

 

Plot
Born Into Brothels is a documentary about a photographer who teaches the children of Calcutta’s prostitutes the basics of photography so that they can document their own lives on the streets of one of the world’s poorest cities.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing goofy, funny, or odd is said about the film or anyone in the cast.
 

 
Zana-Briski.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Warner Independent Pictures, Castle Rock Entertainment, Detour Filmproduction
 
Distributor
Warner Independent
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Seine River, Paris, France
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and sexual references
 
Year of Release
2004
 

 
Genre(s)
Romance/Drama
 
Keyword(s)

Cast & Crew

Ethan Hawke

Julie Delpy

Vernon Dobtcheff

Louise Lemoine Torres

Rodolphe Pauly

Jesse

Celine

Book Store Manager

Journalist

Journalist

CAST & CREW

Ethan Hawke – Jesse

Julie Delpy – Celine

Vernon Dobtcheff – Book Store Manager

Louise Lemoine Torres – Journalist

Rodolphe Pauly – Journalist

Mariane Plasteig – Waitress

Director – Richard Linklater

Producer – Anne Walker-McBay

Writers – Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan

 

Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater

Anne Walker-McBay

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Richard Linklater
 
Writer(s)
Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan
 
Producer(s)
Anne Walker-McBay

 

Film Festivals
Cannes
 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
9 wins & 32 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Christy Lemire

Joe Morgenstern

Scott Tobias

Nell Minow

Peter Bradshaw

Associated Press

Wall Street Journal

AV Club

Common Sense Media

Guardian

BEFORE SUNSET
  All Critics (176) | Top Critics (53) | Fresh (166) | Rotten (10)
  It’s a lovely, beguiling little film a rare treat during this overheated season of blockbusters. It’s also an unusual example of a follow-up that doesn’t seem forced, but expands effortlessly on the original.
 
  August 8, 2012
 
  Christy Lemire
  Associated Press
  TOP CRITIC
  The reunion has some lively moments, but a great deal of slow walking and fatuous talking about love, married life and sex.
 
  August 8, 2012
 
  Joe Morgenstern
  Wall Street Journal
  TOP CRITIC
  Shooting in long takes, Linklater and his actors (who get co-screenwriting credit) allow the conversation to curlicue effortlessly from literate banter to matters of the heart, and sometimes to places in between.
 
  August 8, 2012
 
  Scott Tobias
  AV Club
  TOP CRITIC
  Charming, talky romance for older teens and adults.
 
  December 22, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Nell Minow
  Common Sense Media
  TOP CRITIC
  Before Sunset retains most of what was engaging about the first movie: it has its gentleness, its romanticism and, most importantly, its idealism. What it has lost is the sense of mystery.
 
  August 25, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  Before Sunrise and Before Sunset are a rare case of two movies that rightfully demand yet another sequel.
 
  August 1, 2004
 
  David Denby
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  One of the difficulties is that the film makes no distinction between the inevitable, natural processes of aging and change and the ways in which people are worn down by man-made circumstances.
 
  February 15, 2021
 
  David Walsh
  World Socialist Web Site
  This middle segment ends up being the least invigorating… Before Sunset feels a bit less substantial. Jesse and Celine play less easily off one another, their interactions clouded by adulthood, responsibility, etc.
 
  September 15, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
  Nicholas Bell
  IONCINEMA.com
  Before Sunset is a joy to behold.
 
  September 2, 2020 | Rating: 3.0/4.0
 
  Richard Propes
  TheIndependentCritic.com
  Before Sunset is proof that practice can make perfect. Linklater not only tackles loose ends of the original with imaginative aplomb, but he also works hard to make the movie work as a standalone essay…
 
  April 18, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Kaleem Aftab
  The List
  Before Sunset is a great film, great for the ways it transforms and enlarges the conceit of the single night together to allow for years of elapsed time.
 
  March 13, 2019
 
  Dan Chiasson
  The New York Review of Books
  …a superior sequel that accomplishes everything that one might’ve hoped…
 
  July 22, 2013 | Rating: 4/4
 
  David Nusair
  Reel Film Reviews…

 

Plot
Early thirty-something American Jesse Wallace is in a Paris bookstore, the last stop on a tour to promote his best selling book, This Time. Although he is vague to reporters about the source material for the book, it is about his chance encounter nine years earlier on June 15-16, 1994 with a Parisienne named Celine, and the memorable and romantic day and evening they spent together in Vienna. At the end of their encounter at the Vienna train station, which is also how the book ends, they, not providing contact information to the other, vowed to meet each other again in exactly six months at that very spot. As the media scrum at the bookstore nears its conclusion, Jesse spots Celine in the crowd, she who only found out about the book when she earlier saw his photograph promoting this public appearance. Much like their previous encounter, Jesse and Celine, who is now an environmental activist, decide to spend time together until he is supposed to catch his flight back to New York, this time only being about an hour. Beyond the issue of the six month meeting, what has happened in their lives in the intervening nine years, and their current lives, they once again talk about their philosophies of life and love, this time with the knowledge of their day together and how it shaped what has happened to them.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
 

 
Richard-Linklater.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Studio Canal, Working Title Films,
 
Distributor
Focus Features
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
The Duke of Albany – 39 Monson Road, New Cross, London, England, UK
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for zombie violence/gore and language
 
Year of Release
2004
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Horror
 
Keyword(s)
starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, directed by Edgar Wright, written by Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, comedy, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Antonia Quirke, Tim Robey, Wendy Ide, Paul Byrnes, Keith Phipps, Christy Lemire, Danilo Castro, Rachel Wagner, Kristy Strouse, Robin Holabird, Howard Gorman, produced by Nira Park, MPAA rating R, zombies, London, electronics store, girlfriend, best friend, mother, gore, language, zombie violence, surround sound, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS, scope, 2.35:1, Cornetto Trilogy, cinematography, character development, action, humor, heart, Queen, Apatow, visual cues, horror movies, MCU, Netflix series, TV shows, streaming movies, theaters, Fresh Kernels
 

Cast & Crew

Simon Pegg

Kate Ashfield

Lucy Davis

Nick Frost

Dylan Moran

Shaun

Liz

Dianne

Ed

David

Simon Pegg – Shaun
Kate Ashfield – Liz
Lucy Davis – Dianne
Nick Frost – Ed
Dylan Moran – David
Bill Nighy – Philip

 

Edgar Wright

Simon Pegg

Nira Park

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Edgar Wright
 
Writer(s)
Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright
 
Producer(s)
Nira Park

 

Film Festivals
Cannes
 
Awards & Nominations
13 wins & 20 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Antonia Quirke

Tim Robey

Wendy Ide

Paul Byrnes

Keith Phipps

London Evening Standard

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Screen International

Sydney Morning Herald

AV Club

SHAUN OF THE DEAD
  All Critics (216) | Top Critics (53) | Fresh (198) | Rotten (18)
  Shaun of the Dead is a cute, successful zombie spoof built on a central joke: if the undead actually came to London, supposedly turned-on town of nattering youth, no one would really notice.
 
  December 18, 2017
 
  Antonia Quirke
  London Evening Standard
  TOP CRITIC
  It may only be April, but what we have here is pretty likely to be the British comedy of the year, its knockout final punchline planting a silly grin on your face that takes some while to fade.
 
  October 7, 2014
 
  Tim Robey
  Daily Telegraph (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Despite the emphasis on humour, Shaun shows its zombie movie credentials with some impressively gory special effects makeup and a willingness to despatch cast members in an exceptionally gruesome fashion.
 
  October 7, 2014
 
  Wendy Ide
  Screen International
  TOP CRITIC
  Some scenes are too talky, too much like a sitcom, but whenever that threatens to sink the film, the zombies appear and save the day (if you see what I mean).
 
  October 7, 2014
 
  Paul Byrnes
  Sydney Morning Herald
  TOP CRITIC
  Mixing horror and humor is no mean feat, but Shaun Of The Dead tightens throats in fear without making the laughs stick there in the process.
 
  October 6, 2013
 
  Keith Phipps
  AV Club
  TOP CRITIC
  The pasty, scruffy Pegg shows a surprising amount of range for the unlikely hero of a zombie flick.
 
  October 6, 2013
 
  Christy Lemire
  Associated Press
  TOP CRITIC
  Every single aspect of the film feels earned, including its classic status.
 
  May 17, 2022 | Rating: 9/10
 
  Danilo Castro
  Next Best Picture
  You have to give a lot of the credit for Shaun of the Dead to Pegg who pulls of the comedic and more emotional moments quite well.
 
  March 6, 2022 | Rating: 8.5/10
 
  Rachel Wagner
  rachelsreviews.net
  A witty riff on zombie lore with plenty of gore to suffice, if you’re a fan of comedic reprieve on a horrifying sub-genre, look no further than Shaun of the Dead, you won’t be let down.
 
  November 12, 2021
 
  Kristy Strouse
  Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying
  Shaun of the Dead provides all the basics of the Zombie Apocalypse genre and adds laughs to the mix.
 
  October 15, 2021
 
  Robin Holabird
  Robin Holabird
  It’s no easy task combining comedy and horror into a neat little package but Edgar Wright provides a taut homage and self-aware parody without ever falling into spoof territory.
 
  June 10, 2021
 
  Howard Gorman
  NME
  The best zombie comedy yet made.
 
  December 16, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Wesley Lovell
  Cinema Sight…

 

Plot
Shaun (Simon Pegg) doesn’t have a very good day, so he decides to turn his life around by getting his ex to take him back, but he times it for right in the middle of what may be a zombie apocalypse. But for him, it’s an opportunity to show everyone he knows how useful he is by saving them all. All he has to do is survive, and get his ex back.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no specific tidbit about someone in the cast mentioned on the Fresh Kernels page.for Shaun of the Dead.
 

 
Edgar-Wright.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Dreamworks Pictures, Pacific Data Images Dream Works Animation,
 
Distributor
DreamWorks SKG
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some crude humor, a brief substance reference and some suggestive content
 
Year of Release
2004
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Fantasy
 
Keyword(s)
starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas, John Cleese, Jennifer Saunders, directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon, written by Andrew Adamson, J David Stem, Joe Stillman, David N Weiss, William Steig, comedy, fantasy, PG rating, box office success, $436.5M gross, DreamWorks SKG, reviewed by Derek Malcolm, James Christopher, Miranda Sawyer, Philippa Hawker, David Denby, Kenneth Turan, Mike Massie, Rachel Wagner, Kevin Carr, Cosmo Landesman, Nanciann Cherry, producer Aron Warner, David Lipman, John H Williams
 

Cast & Crew

Mike Myers

Eddie Murphy

Cameron Diaz

Julie Andrews

Antonio Banderas

Shrek

Donkey

Princess Fiona

Queen Lillian

Puss-in-Boots

Mike Myers – Shrek (Voice)
Eddie Murphy – Donkey (Voice)
Cameron Diaz – Princess Fiona (Voice)
Julie Andrews – Queen Lillian (Voice)
Antonio Banderas – Puss-in-Boots (Voice)
John Cleese – King Harold (Voice)

 

Andrew Adamson

Andrew Adamson

Aron Warner

David Lipman

John H. Williams

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon
 
Writer(s)
Andrew Adamson, J. David Stem, Joe Stillman, David N. Weiss, William Steig
 
Producer(s)
Aron Warner, David Lipman, John H. Williams

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
18 wins & 52 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Derek Malcolm

James Christopher

Miranda Sawyer

Philippa Hawker

David Denby

London Evening Standard

Times (UK)

New Statesman

The Age (Australia)

New Yorker

SHREK 2
  All Critics (236) | Top Critics (64) | Fresh (209) | Rotten (27)
  The animation by which it stands or falls is as brilliant as ever and, though it wouldn’t really be right to call it totally anti-Disney, it certainly trumps that institution for sharpness of focus, notably as far as the screenplay is concerned.
 
  December 6, 2014
 
  Derek Malcolm
  London Evening Standard
  TOP CRITIC
  All hail the angriest rebel since James Dean. All right, he’s green, pot-bellied, and has the social graces of a slug. But in terms of attitude? Peerless.
 
  December 6, 2014
 
  James Christopher
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Go and see Shrek 2. You’ll enjoy yourself thoroughly. Only the churlish could find any faults.
 
  December 6, 2014
 
  Miranda Sawyer
  New Statesman
  TOP CRITIC
  Donkey, with his endless asides and phenomenally thick skin, is as much of a pleasure as he was in the first film, but he has a challenger: Puss in Boots, voiced by Antonio Banderas.
 
  December 6, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Philippa Hawker
  The Age (Australia)
  TOP CRITIC
  The movie is obvious, but consistently entertaining and animated in DreamWorks’s “realistic” digitized style.
 
  November 25, 2013
 
  David Denby
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  Can an ogre live happily ever after? Can fairy tale characters be content with their fairy tale lives? Can an Oscar-winning animated success generate a successful sequel? To all these questions, Shrek 2 is happy to answer yes, yes and yes.
 
  November 25, 2013
 
  Kenneth Turan
  Los Angeles Times
  TOP CRITIC
  Introduces one of the most lovable and laughable characters in animation history: Puss in Boots.
 
  November 9, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  Shrek 2 actually tells a creative story and doesn’t just make fun of the fairytale genre but subverts it in some clever ways.
 
  March 11, 2019 | Rating: B-
 
  Rachel Wagner
  rachelsreviews.net
  It’s just as good – if not better – than the original.
 
  January 17, 2016 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Kevin Carr
  Fat Guys at the Movies
  Don’t get me wrong. I’m not sulking. I liked Shrek 2. Honest. Kids will like Shrek 2. Most mums and dads will like Shrek 2. My problem is this: I didn’t love it the way I loved Shrek.
 
  December 6, 2014
 
  Cosmo Landesman
  Sunday Times (UK)
  There’s no denying that Shrek 2 is fun, but it’s fun without substance, and like the bubbles in the Fairy Godmother’s potions, it evaporates quickly.
 
  December 6, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Nanciann Cherry
  Toledo Blade
  It’s a close call as to which one’s better.
 
  December 6, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Matt Soergel
  Florida Times-Union…

 

Plot
Shrek (Mike Myers) has rescued Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), got married, and now is time to meet the parents. Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) set off to Far, Far Away to meet Fiona’s mother and father. But not everyone is happy. Shrek and King Harold (John Cleese) find it hard to get along, and there’s tension in the marriage. It’s not just the family who are unhappy. Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) returns from a failed attempt at rescuing Fiona, and works alongside his mother, the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), to try and find a way to get Shrek away from Fiona.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Antonio Banderas’ performance as Puss in Boots is described as “truly unforgettable” by one critic.
 

 
Andrew-Adamson.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
X-Filme Creative Pool Westdeutscher Rundfunk ARTE
 
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Alexanderplatz, Mitte, Berlin, Germany
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for brief language and sexuality
 
Year of Release
2004
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy
 
Keyword(s)

Cast & Crew

Daniel Brühl

Maria Simon

Chulpan Khamatova

Florian Lukas

Alexander Beyer

Alexander “Alex” Kerner

Ariane Kerner

Lara

Denis

Rainer

Daniel Brühl – Alexander “Alex” Kerner
Maria Simon – Ariane Kerner
Chulpan Khamatova – Lara
Florian Lukas – Denis
Alexander Beyer – Rainer
Michael Gwisdek – Direktor Klapprath

 

Wolfgang Becker

Wolfgang Becker

Stefan Arndt

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Wolfgang Becker
 
Writer(s)
Wolfgang Becker, Bernd Lichtenberg
 
Producer(s)
Stefan Arndt

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award
36 wins & 23 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

J. R. Jones

Kirk Honeycutt

Eleanor Ringel Cater

Roger Moore

Richard Nilsen

Chicago Reader

Hollywood Reporter

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Orlando Sentinel

Arizona Republic

GOOD BYE LENIN!
  All Critics (111) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (100) | Rotten (11)
  German writer-director Wolfgang Becker creates an intriguing story of a family traumatized by politics, then lets it drift off into an elaborate sitcom-style hoax …
 
  June 29, 2022
 
  J. R. Jones
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Non-Germans will certainly get the essence of the humor but may find the movie long and repetitive.
 
  July 21, 2004
 
  Kirk Honeycutt
  Hollywood Reporter
  TOP CRITIC
  Charming and eventually poignant.
 
  May 13, 2004 | Rating: B-
 
  Eleanor Ringel Cater
  Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  TOP CRITIC
  A funny movie that rises above farce to the level of sophisticated satire.
 
  April 23, 2004 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Roger Moore
  Orlando Sentinel
  TOP CRITIC
  It is a sweethearted comedy about the fall of Communism and the lingering nostalgia for an East Germany that no longer exists.
 
  April 22, 2004 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Richard Nilsen
  Arizona Republic
  TOP CRITIC
  The film seems overlong and drawn out, with variations on the same joke occurring throughout.
 
  April 11, 2004 | Rating: 2.5/5
 
  Marjorie Baumgarten
  Austin Chronicle
  TOP CRITIC
  While the finale might be a bit neat and tidy for some, Good Bye Lenin! still manages to be a political comedy with a heart and a conscience.
 
  December 17, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Alistair Lawrence
  Common Sense Media
  A film of great history, great poetry, and great power.
 
  September 9, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
 
  Richard Propes
  TheIndependentCritic.com
  “Good bye, Lenin!” is a wonder of a film with humor and heart and political savvy to spare. Don’t miss it.
 
  January 2, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Deborah Hornblow
  Hartford Courant
  combines fairytale elements with actual documentary footage, and the personal with the political, creating a contemporary allegory of the dreams and delusions upon which the lives of East Germans were sustained.
 
  June 11, 2013
 
  Anton Bitel
  Daily Info
  Succeeds as a comedy, as a glimpse at a tumultuous time in European history, and as a thoughtful look at the great lengths to which people will go for important relationships.
 
  November 1, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Angie Ward
  Christianity Today
  The influx of Western culture may have been inevitable, but thanks to this charming film, we see that there was plenty in the East worth saving.
 
  October 29, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Betsy Bozdech
  DVDJournal.com…

 

Plot
East Germany, the year 1989: A young man protests against the regime. His mother watches the police arresting him and suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma. Some months later, the DDR does not exist anymore and the mother awakes. Since she has to avoid every excitement, the son tries to set up the DDR again for her in their flat. But the world has changed a lot.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Daniel Brühl, who plays the lead character Alex Kerner, is also known for his roles in Inglourious Basterds and Captain America: Civil War.
 

 
Wolfgang-Becker.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Film Four UK Film Council Darlow Smithson Productions,
 
Distributor
IFC Films
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Siula Grande, Peru
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language
 
Year of Release
2004
 

 
Genre(s)
Adventure/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
Touching the Void, adventure, drama, R, English, Kevin Macdonald, John Smithson, Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron, Richard Hawking, Joe Simpson, Simon Yates, box office, $4.6M, reviewed by Sheila Norman-Culp, Nell Minow, David Ansen, Todd McCarthy, Ed Halliwell, Wally Hammond, Nick Rogers, Cole Smithey, Mark Halverson, Ethan Alter, Tony Medley, MPAA rating, IFC Films, surround sound, Siula Grande, Peruvian Andes, climbers, first to reach summit, treacherous descent, disaster, broken leg, fall, ropes, storm, cut the rope, gripping, emotional, storytelling, docudrama, excitement, survival, extreme human endeavor, character, friendship, facing death, food for thought
 

Cast & Crew

Brendan Mackey

Joe Simpson

Nicholas Aaron

Simon Yates

Richard Hawking

Joe Simpson

Simon Yates

Self

Brendan Mackey – Joe Simpson
Nicholas Aaron – Simon Yates
Richard Hawking – Self
Joe Simpson – Self
Simon Yates –
Ollie Ryall – Show all Cast & Crew

 

Kevin Macdonald

NA

John Smithson

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Kevin Macdonald
 
Writer(s)
NA
 
Producer(s)
John Smithson

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 BAFTA Film Award
8 wins & 10 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Sheila Norman-Culp

Nell Minow

David Ansen

Todd McCarthy

Ed Halliwell

Associated Press

Common Sense Media

Newsweek

Variety

Empire Magazine

TOUCHING THE VOID
  All Critics (139) | Top Critics (51) | Fresh (130) | Rotten (9)
  In the right hands, a docudrama can deliver all the excitement, emotion and storytelling of the very best feature films — and director Kevin Macdonald has done that with startling clarity in the mountaineering adventure Touching the Void.
 
  January 23, 2019
 
  Sheila Norman-Culp
  Associated Press
  TOP CRITIC
  Excruciatingly tense story of a terrible accident.
 
  December 29, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Nell Minow
  Common Sense Media
  TOP CRITIC
  Touching the Void leaves you emotionally and physically spent, and grateful it was only a movie, not a mountain, you had to endure.
 
  March 26, 2007
 
  David Ansen
  Newsweek
  TOP CRITIC
  Awesome and harrowing.
 
  March 26, 2007
 
  Todd McCarthy
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  A slow starter which builds into a chilling depiction of the agonising disintegration of body and mind as they are exposed to the elements.
 
  April 1, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Ed Halliwell
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  As a meditation on extreme human endeavour, character, friendship and the mysteries revealed by facing death, it provides much food for thought.
 
  February 9, 2006
 
  Wally Hammond
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  “Void” plummets into the nucleus of instinct and consciousness – survival a near-primordial pursuit beyond bravery or weakness. It concocts no comfort about what was gained, but stares in transfixed, unforgettable awe at the horror of all that was lost.
 
  November 4, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Nick Rogers
  The Film Yap
  “Touching the Void” towers above the rest of that rarest of all film genres, the docudrama.
 
  August 9, 2009 | Rating: A+
 
  Cole Smithey
  ColeSmithey.com
  This harrowing, white-knuckle tale of human endurance and gut-wrenching dilemma mingles the dramatization of these events and interviews with both climbers into an unforgettable, sometimes comically deadpan nightmare.
 
  August 7, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Mark Halverson
  Sacramento News & Review
  It’s certainly a far better thriller than anything Hollywood has churned out lately.
 
  March 5, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Ethan Alter
  NYC Film Critic
  This is a gripping tale of courage and survival with gorgeous cinematography.
 
  October 7, 2004 | Rating: 9/10
 
  Tony Medley
  tonymedley.com
  With his new film Macdonald has achieved, if not physical elevation, then at least spiritual soaring.
 
  October 6, 2004 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Jeffrey M. Anderson
  SPLICEDWire…

 

Plot
In 1985 two friends, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, set out to climb Siula Grande in Peru via the West Face, a hitherto unaccomplished feat by any climber. After a tough ascent they succeed but on the descent they run into significant problems. Soon they are both in dire danger and the chances of surviving are slim.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t provide any goofy or funny comments about the film, but it does mention the cast, which includes Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron, and Richard Hawking.
 

 
Kevin-Macdonald.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Zazen Produções
 
Distributor
ThinkFilm
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language, violent images and some drug material
 
Year of Release
2003
 

 
Genre(s)
Documentary
 
Keyword(s)
Bus 174, documentary, Rio de Janeiro, hijacking, police violence, societal tensions, poverty, urban poverty, Brazil, Brazilian society, media, police, governor, institutionalized poverty, real-life tragedy, gripping, thought-provoking, reviewed by Amy Taubin, Deborah Young, Patrick Z McGavin, Nick Schager, Will Lawrence, Jamie Russell, directed by José Padilha, produced by José Padilha and Marcos Prado, written by Bráulio Mantovani and José Padilha, starring Yvonne Bezerra De Mello, Sandro do Nascimento, Rodrigo Pimentel, Luiz Eduardo Soares, Maria Aparecida, Luanna Belmon, R rating, Portuguese language, box office gross $216.2K, ThinkFilm, Surround sound mix
 

Cast & Crew

Yvonne Bezerra De Mello

Sandro do Nascimento

Rodrigo Pimentel

Luiz Eduardo Soares

Maria Aparecida

Yvonne Bezerra De Mello

Sandro do Nascimento

Rodrigo Pimentel

Luiz Eduardo Soares

Maria Aparecida

Yvonne Bezerra De Mello – Self
Sandro do Nascimento – Self
Rodrigo Pimentel – Self
Luiz Eduardo Soares – Self
Maria Aparecida – Self
Luanna Belmon – Self

 

José Padilha

Bráulio Mantovani

José Padilha

Marcos Prado

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
José Padilha
 
Writer(s)
Bráulio Mantovani, José Padilha
 
Producer(s)
José Padilha, Marcos Prado

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
21 wins & 9 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Amy Taubin

Deborah Young

Patrick Z. McGavin

Nick Schager

Will Lawrence

Film Comment Magazine

Variety

Chicago Reader

Lessons of Darkness

Empire Magazine

BUS 174
  All Critics (79) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (76) | Rotten (3)
  Building an indictment of the media, the police, and the provincial governor for placing self-interest above saving lives, Bus 174 opens out from the people directly involved in the incident to an examination of institutionalized poverty.
 
  April 10, 2018
 
  Amy Taubin
  Film Comment Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  A tense documentary with multiple layers of meaning.
 
  June 10, 2008
 
  Deborah Young
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  Padilha allows neither easy answers nor ironic commentary, producing on both sides of the conflict a world of inconsolable grief.
 
  May 8, 2007
 
  Patrick Z. McGavin
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Masterful.
 
  May 3, 2005
 
  Nick Schager
  Lessons of Darkness
  TOP CRITIC
  If City Of God cracked the skin, Bus 174 digs deep into the wound. An astounding, depressing triumph.
 
  May 14, 2004 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Will Lawrence
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  A stunning indictment of Brazil’s social meltdown, this startling documentary plays like City Of God — except this time the bullets are real.
 
  April 23, 2004 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Jamie Russell
  BBC.com
  TOP CRITIC
  Bus 174 is too long because the filmmakers are too timid about making a frontal attack on Brazilian society. Detail becomes a substitute for an open indictment.
 
  February 16, 2021
 
  David Walsh
  World Socialist Web Site
  Relentlessly gripping.
 
  December 27, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Joe Lozito
  Big Picture Big Sound
  March 5, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Ethan Alter
  NYC Film Critic
  August 7, 2004 | Rating: C+
 
  Daniel Kasman
  d+kaz. intelligent movie reviews
  Much more troubling than any fiction…
 
  July 24, 2004
 
  Urban Cinefile Critics
  Urban Cinefile
  Padilha lays out the story with a crusader’s fury while remaining careful not to slight the testimony or the suffering of Sandro’s hostages.
 
  May 19, 2004
 
  Jim Ridley
  City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul…

 

Plot
Bus 174 is a documentary that chronicles the hijacking of a bus in Rio de Janeiro and the incompetent response by police officers, shedding light on societal tensions and police violence in modern Brazil.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Bus 174 on Fresh Kernels.
 

 
José-Padilha.jpg