AltWeeklies Wire
The Top 10 in a Year of Solid Filmmakingnew
While there were no real masterpieces in 2004, there were enough solid films to make two serviceable top-10 lists of equal value.
Small Movies Came Up Big in 2004new
New Times critics pick as their top film of the year Alexander Payne's Sideways, which juxtaposes a wine freak's brittle angst with his friend's doofy recklessness.
High-School Outcasts Rule in Dynamitenew
Napoleon Dynamite scribbles a deadpan portrait of an adolescent on the margins. Hess reveals his lack of fresh ideas by spending too much time on pointlessly nasty caricatures. As long as Napoleon Dynamite restricts itself to the misadventures of the title role, the film finds laughs that are plentiful, if not exactly deep.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-01-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Jared Hess, Napoleon Dynamite
Festival Charmer Graduates to Big Timenew
Indie film about teenage dork celebrates the youthful underdog.
Austin Chronicle |
Marrit Ingman |
06-24-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Jared Hess, Napoleon Dynamite
"Napoleon Dynamite" Laughs with Its Characters, Not at Them
Forget condescension: There's something deeply affectionate in the hilarious private Idaho of director Jared Hess.
Salt Lake City Weekly |
Scott Renshaw |
06-21-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Jared Hess, Napoleon Dynamite
