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Some of the most favorable film reviews coming out of Sundance, via Variety:
MURDERBALL
Powered by a fantastic subject and real-life characters who would be difficult to invent, “Murderball” is a blast and a half—as entertaining as mainstream American docus get. Not simply profiling but burrowing into the lives of members of the U.S. Paralympics quadriplegic rugby team over a two-year-plus period, Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro’s propulsive and superbly crafted pic successfully juggles macho drive, intense emotions and classic sports movie bravado. Even as the B.O. bar continues to rise for nonfiction, ThinkFilm should anticipate smash results in theaters and vid, with a high-gear launch from the Sundance doc competish.
The masterstroke of the docu is the opening, which sets the tone by not showing any pity toward guys rendered quadriplegic in their prime by life’s hazards. To the contrary: These rugby fanatics are shown as downright intimidating, foul-mouthed and ultra-competitive.
THE MATADOR
Deftly maneuvering through audacious mood swings and tonal shifts, “The Matador” emerges as a quirky yet commercial commingling of black comedy, seriocomic psychodrama, heart-tugging sudser and buddy-movie farce. Propelled by a fearlessly self-mocking perf by Pierce Brosnan as a swaggering vulgarian who’s losing his edge as an international hit man, writer-director Richard Shepard’s eccentric amalgam remains funny and sustains interest even during a shaky third act. Still, pic will require critical kudos and clever marketing to maximize bullish theatrical potential before charging into ancillary venues.
Pic pivots on a chance meeting between strangers in a hotel bar, the kind of latenight interlude that encourages complete honestly between lonely travelers who feel secure in their anonymity. Denver businessman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) is in Mexico City to close a deal that he desperately hopes will end a long string of bad luck that includes the loss of his son in a school bus accident.
