Popular reviews

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  Review by karsten ★★★★ 33

  the dad looked like nakey jakey

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  Review by Matt Singer ★★★★½ 1

  This is why I don't go skiing. NEVER GO SKIING YOU GUYS.

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  Review by Blain LaMotta ★★★★½ 9

  A stunning examination of masculinity in crisis and how one split second decision under duress can change the whole infrastructure of a family unit. Increasingly tense dialogue exchanges ensue. It's also surprisingly humorous at times. Some bravura sequences in this sucker too, like the epic avalanche long take, and the stressful, thought-provoking bus ride that closes the film. The scene at the bar with the song Reload playing in the background might be my favorite though. It tells a lot by doing very little. Lots to debate in this one. Authentic performances, restrained direction, and gorgeous cinematography round things out. Any film that can make me question myself deserves all the praise I can muster. Superb job, Ruben Östlund!

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  Review by maria ★★★★ 8

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  is skiing like a thing? is skiing like a thing real people do irl? or is it just a plot device for horror movies, survival movies and maybe idk... rich dads to abandon their kids and wives during a "controlled" avalanche maybe???

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  Review by davidehrlich ★★★★ 8

  THE LONELIEST PLANET chilled and served family style.

  mordantly mirthful riff on the fragility of gender roles that soars to the top of the list of films you should never watch with your partner. so good. still mulling over the last scene, though... which is some heart-in-your-throat cinema, but feels redundant in the wake of the penultimate scene? would be interested to discuss in vague terms.

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  Review by fran hoepfner ★★★★★ 1

  [tomas shrieking in the hallway]

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  Review by Jonathan White ★★★★ 18

  TIFF 2014 Film #3

  Reason for pick : Peter Strauss recommendation based on buzz at Cannes.

  Guys … we’ve all been there before. You make one ‘teensy’ and she never lets you forget it. Alas, sometimes, well, most times .. ok, all the time we deserve it.

  Swedish director Ruben Östlund takes a look the topic of gender roles, reflexes, instinct, honor, and what society expects of us in the face of a sudden crisis. What makes Force Majeure special is how Östlund shifts between tragic and hilarious with such ease, constantly keeping you off balance. Just when you think you’re catching a break, a swift punch to the gut is delivered.

  The comedy is blacker than black, and the…

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  Review by Mike D'Angelo ★★★½

  63/100

  A movie for anyone whose response to The Loneliest Planet was "But why don't they just talk about it?" Here's the answer: Because that's much less interesting—which is not to say uninteresting, by any means. Very sharp on masculinity, plausibly positing that the man's natural instinct would be staunch denial (until confronted with evidence); the presence of the children complicates matters as well, though some of their behavior rang false to me. Thought Östlund had devised a superb ending, implying an act of compassionate self-sacrifice on Mom's part to restore order, but was then flummoxed by the actual ending, which seems to undo that manufactured balance with an explicit turning of the tables. Also, the most interesting aspect for…

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  Review by LinusMxx ★★★★ 2

  I LOVED IT.

  Imagine you and your loved ones are faced with a life-threatening situation, what would you do? Surely, your initial instinct is to make sure your loved ones are safe and free from harm, right? You need to protect them first before yourself, right? You need to act heroically, right?

  But what if you suddenly cower in fear and run away? Does that mean you're a bad person? Does that mean you didn't really love them?

  I mean, what exactly is a "hero"? What makes a real "man"? If a man reveals himself to be a coward and weak, would that make him less of a man?

  This 2014 Swedish film offers plenty of thought-provoking questions that'll stay…

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  Review by kayla ★★★★½ 5

  Yo if I had a husband and he acted like this man did about the whole situation I’d heavily consider getting a divorce

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  Review by jarod ★★★★½ 4

  when your husband becomes a stranger in the alps...

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  Review by Mike Ginn ★★★★★ 1

  girlfriend asked if I would abandon her in an avalanche and I said “no” faster than I’ve ever said anything