Carlos Aguilar

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IGN, IndieWire, Los Angeles Times, RogerEbert.com, The A.V. Club, The Playlist, TheWrap, Variety
For 479 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 68% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 27% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 9.1 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Carlos Aguilar's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 75
Highest review score: 100 All of a Sudden
Lowest review score: 10 Overcomer
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 367 out of 479
  2. Mixed: 79 out of 479
  3. Negative: 33 out of 479
479 movie reviews
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    • 76 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Hail Satan?
    Although fascinatingly hilarious, Hail Satan? is a conventional non-fiction effort on the technical front, but Lane does spike her frames with an offbeat score by Brian McOmber (“Little Woods”) that reaffirms the quirky tone of the piece with circus-like melodies.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
    Sight gags baked into the production design (the books the Gromit reads or the signs that populate the sets) and gnome puns aplenty make for a ride in which every frame packs a dense layer of comedy, at times conspicuous, others not so much.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    White on White
    In White on White, what permeates is a merited sense of dread, by design too starkly impenetrable on emotional grounds, but direct in its fierce thematic intent.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    DJ Ahmet
    The sort of film that urges one to tell everyone about it so that they too can bask in its wondrous pleasures, “DJ Ahmet” is a revelation in that it seamlessly straddles the line between laugh-out-loud crowd-pleaser and art-house gem with affecting gravitas.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Moonage Daydream
    Wielding chaos into cinema — rather than creating an accumulation of factoids and anecdotes told by those who knew the performer — Morgen manifests a sensorial invocation of Bowie’s spirit, suited to delight acolytes and nonbelievers alike, for a tribute worthy of his unclassifiable genius.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Will-o'-the-Wisp
    Like the fiery folklore entity that lends it its name, Will-o’-the-Wisp burns bright with idiosyncratic ambition. Few cineastes out there are making deliciously defiant art like Rodrigues, and this entry in his catalog is a concentrated shot of his sardonic mastery.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Hoppers
    There are many heavy hitters still to come, but Hoppers feels like the first great animated movie of the year. At a time when our right to protest is under siege, this sci-fi yarn exalts the way an individual’s conviction can plant seeds of change, leading to a stronger sense of community.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Apples
    Even if one considers Apples part of the so-called Greek Weird Wave, such a subtly thoughtful and soothing approach to probe at existential concerns, rather than being predictably cynical or violent, makes it stand out.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Soft & Quiet
    One of the most audacious American debuts of the year, writer-director Beth de Araújo’s Soft & Quiet shocks one’s system from its opening moments and doesn’t ever slow down to let you fully process it as it happens.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Cuties
    Bolstered by an infectiously reckless joie de vivre and artfully handled hard-hitting truths, Cuties diffuses the impulse to dismiss it as just one more example of a trend.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Private Desert
    Buoyed by two superb performances, writer-director Aly Muritiba’s tenderly electrifying new feature is part sensual queer romance and part moving character study.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    2nd Chance
    Davis’ story seems ripe for a sensational, multi-episode streaming event à la "Tiger King," but in Bahrani’s thorough and tactful hands, it yields a fascinating, infuriating but eventually touching piece of non-fiction storytelling.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    In the Summers
    In the Summers is the type of personal, confidently executed first outing that should hopefully put the filmmaker on an auspicious track to produce other keenly humanist work.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    My Imaginary Country
    My Imaginary Country is as much about the causes, participants and outcomes of a collective awakening in search of a more promising future as it is about an artist allowing himself to feel hope for a homeland that has forever been the focus of his artistic preoccupations.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Omaha
    A humble marvel, Omaha introduces a filmmaker with a privileged sensibility to translate these opposing forces into a tapestry of scenes imbued with loving compassion for the characters experiencing them.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Shadow
    A marvel of cinematic craftsmanship, Shadow acts curiously as both a return to form for Zhang Yimou and a perceptible departure. Not only are his characters more physically grounded, but his writing also seeks more ties to emotional reality even if the stories are still far from commonplace.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Preparation for the Next Life
    Thanks to its terrific stars and Liu’s patient direction, which luxuriates in the smallest of gestures, “Preparation” transcends its most predictable beats.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Weathering with You
    As irresistibly romantic as it is awe-inspiringly gorgeous, Weathering With You on the whole satisfies the craving for more of what “Your Name” ignited in viewers, yet with slightly less impact.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire?
    Solemn in tone and indispensable in significance, the latest from an artist with a track record for surveying marginalized Americans is structured like a collage of incendiary and heart-wrenching moments that toe dip into social justice issues without staying long with any one idea.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Plaza Catedral
    For all the commendable directorial moves Benaim makes, it’s the miraculous casting of first-time actor De Casta that propels Plaza Catedral into exceptional territory.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Cha Cha Real Smooth
    Avoiding the sophomore slump, Raiff’s delightfully sigh-worthy Cha Char Real Smooth is the type of sincere enterprise that could easily be spoiled with hackneyed platitudes or simplistically rose-colored plot points, yet here it sings with a wondrous candor and an unforced dramatic rhythm that turns it mightily irresistible.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    The Platform
    Formidable from a technical standpoint, The Platform thrives on effectively grotesque production design and ghastly special effects that shock and disgust with purpose.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    The Things You Kill
    With The Things You Kill Khatami turns in an absorbing and twisty take on introspection.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    José
    Precisely written and deliberately shot, José, a Guatemala-set LGBTQ character examination from Chinese-born director Li Cheng, is a movie preoccupied with the private tragedy of unfulfilled impulses and aspirations as a result of widespread homophobia and emotional blackmail.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)
    Steeped in both unfaltering and pleasant humanity, Vargas’ characters are what some might deem “problematic.” But they ultimately depict complicated mentalities, with shades of true-to-life negative and redeeming traits.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Bantú Mama
    The moody drama speaks of the inextricable links between Africa and the Caribbean without ever discussing it in academic terms but, instead, illustrating the bond with everyday exchanges between the unexpected visitor from abroad and the locals.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Kneecap
    Bursting with unruly energy that practically escapes the confines of the screen, Kneecap is a riotous, drug-laced triumph in the name of freedom that bridges political substance and crowd-pleasing entertainment.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Us Kids
    For its merits as a dynamic nonfiction piece incisively dealing with a pivotal issue from heartbreakingly human angle, Us Kids is indispensable viewing for anyone who genuinely cares about the future of this country beyond “thoughts and prayers.”
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Rocks
    Heartfelt but not cloying, Rocks is a radiant must-see.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 90 Carlos Aguilar
    Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It
    At once an affecting celebration of a truly peerless icon and a critique of the industry that almost broke her, Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It has the enormous responsibility of synthesizing the grandeur of a life well lived, bumps and all, and the unbreakable, giving spirit that took to get her to the pinnacle of respect and recognition.
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