Alex Saveliev

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Film Threat
For 411 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 58% higher than the average critic
  • 10% same as the average critic
  • 32% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 1.5 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Alex Saveliev's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 67
Highest review score: 100 No Country for Old Men
Lowest review score: 20 Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 245 out of 411
  2. Mixed: 144 out of 411
  3. Negative: 22 out of 411
411 movie reviews
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    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    Sound of Metal
    Here’s a film so quietly visceral it can sear through metal, “quietly” being the keyword. Don’t come in expecting a no-holds-barred assault on the senses. Nor is this a metal music extravaganza. The bulk of the film is silent, deliberate. We are thrust inside Ruben’s mind to hear what he hears, a pulsating, muted nothing, which is then jarringly contrasted with everyday sounds when we’re yanked back out of his head. The sound mixing and editing are nothing short of phenomenal in Sound of Metal.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    Buoyancy
    A grueling affair, purposefully so, bringing to mind Steve McQueen’s similarly relentless 12 Years a Slave. There’s not much respite to be found in those bloodied waters, nary a buoy to grasp.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    The Plagiarists
    A reminder of the importance and intimacy of literature, a meta-study of art vs. fabrication, an indictment of cultural appropriation/racial stereotypes, our increasingly digitized world and entitled generation, The Plagiarists is also an ode to how much can be done with very little. Parlow and his crew knock it out of the park.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    Prey
    At 90 or so minutes, Prey is a lean, mean machine without an ounce of fat on its muscular body. It’s a reminder that this land was populated long before we, the original predators, overtook it, a subtle treatise of “man as predator,” but mostly, a vicious, wildly entertaining flick that’s bound to become the new classic in the series.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    The Hummingbird Project
    This hummingbird soars. It has that based-on-a-true-story feel, with all the urgency and verisimilitude of a real-life tale. A sad and visceral indictment of our society under the guise of a thriller, Kim Nguyen’s rousing cinematic elegy will sneak up on you, like its titular moth.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    American Star
    It’s artistic without being pretentious, thoughtful, and elegiac without treading into monotony, beautifully acted without drawing too much attention to its stars.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    The First Wave
    With unprecedented access to overfilled, frenzied hospital rooms, as well as quarantined homes, Heineman makes one cringe at every prolonged beep of the vitals monitor, delves right into the patients’ eyes, their very souls. He imbues the documentary with the same sense of urgency and empathy that were evident in his previous docs Cartel Land and City of Ghosts. A tough watch but a necessary one, The First Wave marks the finest cinematic account of the COVID-19 pandemic yet.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    In Your Dreams
    Woo and Benson don’t underestimate their young audience’s intelligence, subtly layering in complexity, which comes off as a mini-miracle.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    Bad Roads
    A warm heart beats subliminally throughout the narrative, a tinge of hope that may be gasping for air but remains vibrant, especially when juxtaposed against the disheveled, rotten backdrop.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    Midnight Traveler
    A call to action, a sobering first-hand look at the grueling ordeals refugees face, a story of love persevering against all odds, and a visceral, real-life thriller, Midnight Traveler is a unique cinematic experience that will hopefully snap us all to reality.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    Socrates
    With an authenticity rarely seen in contemporary cinema, it examines the lives of those that struggle to survive in ecosystems that function according to their own decrepit principles.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    South Mountain
    The female-centric, lo-fi South Mountain is an excellent example of how little a budget matters when all the other puzzle pieces are in place. We need more cinema like this.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    Hope
    Like its central performance, Hope manages to convey and dissect so much with (seemingly) so little: the way real struggle makes us realize how much we love, truly see, and trust each other; the hidden reserves of human perseverance in the face of certain death; the healing power of art; and hope, of course. Hope and despair give life meaning, one unable to exist without the other.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    International Falls
    Unlike its male protagonist, who seems to remain immune to the town’s charms, you will surely not want to leave International Falls.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    Never Gonna Snow Again
    Never Gonna Snow Again says so much with so little: how thinly shielded these people are from the encroaching doom, how said doom is brought about by utter ignorance (an extended shot of a tree being devoured by metallic jaws scars the soul), and how this distance from the realities of the world manifests itself in their distance from each other.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    All My Friends Hate Me
    Uproarious. Disturbing. Melancholic. Shrewd. All adjectives that the marketing teams behind Andrew Gaynord’s terrific dark comedy All My Friends Hate Me are welcome to use for promotional purposes.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
    Wolfe's movie functions as an ode to Black culture, Black music, Black art; as a scathing treatise on the obstacles Black people have had to overcome (and are still overcoming) to be seen and heard and respected; as a celebration of jazz; as a showcase for two stellar performances and a majestic farewell to one of our greatest young actors.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 90 Alex Saveliev
    Men
    Garland is a master at ratcheting tension to an almost unbearable degree, and he flexes that muscle hard in Men. The way he gradually presses the acceleration pedal, allowing the narrative to gather momentum until it almost implodes in its final third, is really quite remarkable.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    Aviva
    Aviva is a palindrome, reflecting the film’s ouroboros-like narrative. It’s also a Hebrew name, which translates as “spring-like” or “fresh”–both adjectives applicable to the sensual and passionate Aviva. Love it or hate it, it’s… well, it’s art. I loved it, warts and all. Perhaps Yakin has finally discovered his style.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    Everything Went Fine
    No stranger to eliciting powerful performances from his entire cast, Ozon does it again here, with nary a foot stepped wrong.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    The Blech Effect
    The filmmaker casts an unflinching eye at his broken-down subject baring his soul, atoning for his sins, and lamenting the past. There’s no way back for him. This is a trip down a rabbit hole that’s as devastating as it is transfixing.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    Brothers By Blood
    It may not break new ground when it comes to this genre, one involving betrayal and heavily-accented mob bosses and brotherly love, but when a familiar path is tread with such confidence, you just may want to take another stroll.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    Settlers
    With Settlers, Rockefeller and his crew have created a striking little treatise on our misguided ambitions.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    Suspended Time
    Audiences have grown so accustomed to nonstop thrills that the film does feel like a relic of sorts; they don’t make ’em like this anymore.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    Save Yourselves!
    In a miserable year filled with grim cinematic fare, this eminently re-watchable science-fiction comedy provides a much-needed spark of lighthearted exultation.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    The Mad Women's Ball
    The Mad Women’s Ball avoids caricature or stereotype, though the grounds it walks may seem somewhat familiar. Laurent treads them with skill and passion, immersing us into a period wildly different and dishearteningly similar to ours.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    Seeds
    It’s a strong, confident debut, with something original to say. We all have a hidden darkness, a lurking depravity, which we suppress, push away, ignore. Violence and sexuality lie side-by-side in the recesses of our minds. Seeds masterfully explores what happens when one cannot stop the dam from opening.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    Viva Verdi!
    Featuring fascinating archival footage, timeless music, and a plethora of compelling subjects, Viva Verdi may have a rather narrow target audience. But boy, will it please them.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    Underdog
    Underdog may seem like a story with niche appeal, but the result will surely resonate with all the underdogs out there.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Alex Saveliev
    Rodeo
    It is, first and foremost, a blistering character study, raw in its power and realism, its beats as unpredictable as its protagonist. I’d say buckle up, but dirt bikes don’t have seat belts.
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