Contemporary Color
Oscilloscope | Release Date: March 1, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
79
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
VarietyPeter DebrugeMar 5, 2017
It’s not every documentary that can so exhilaratingly make us feel a part of something so special. Read full review
91
IndieWireEric KohnMar 2, 2017
Ultimately, Contemporary Color captures the essence of the event in question with expert craftsmanship, and the filmmaking prowess doesn’t overwhelm the show. Read full review
91
The PlaylistKimber MyersMar 2, 2017
Throughout the documentary, infectious joy leaps off the screen with the same energy the color-guard teams display. Read full review
88
Rolling StoneDavid FearMar 2, 2017
This may be one of the few rockumentaries since Stop Making Sense to tap the cinematic potential of sound and vision in a way that feels genuinely collaborative and borderline transcendental. Read full review
83
The Film StageNick NewmanJan 16, 2017
In its formal inventiveness and compassion, Contemporary Color moves well past the boundaries of “concert movie.” Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleMar 16, 2017
The Ross brothers augment the teams’ richly choreographed, competition-tested routines with slow motion, superimpositions, and separately shot material with individual color guard members. But these artful divergences feel naturally expressive, the filmmakers’ way of honoring the expressiveness, and wanting in on the inspiration. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMar 2, 2017
Throughout the film, a talent-rich gang of cinematographers (many doc-makers in their own right, like Approaching the Elephant's Amanda Rose Wilder and Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo's Jessica Oreck) favor that intimacy over the big picture. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzMar 2, 2017
You could call it a musical performance documentary and not be wrong, but it's trying to do other things too, some expertly and others not so well; but there's never a point where you quite get a handle on it because it keeps changing in front of your eyes. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineChuck BowenFeb 27, 2017
The Rosses share David Byrne’s interest in the minutiae of habitats and the comforting enclosure they provide along with the discomfiting constriction of anonymity. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlFeb 28, 2017
The approach is experiential, a you-are-there-and-overwhelmed dazzlement, rather than a definitive record of each squad's big moment. Read full review
60
The New York TimesGlenn KennyMar 1, 2017
Over all, this movie is less “you are there” than “you had to be there.” Read full review
50
ConsequenceBlake GobleMar 2, 2017
A passion project from the sing-talk god David Byrne, Contemporary Color is a concert film, but a finicky one, unstable and unfocused. Read full review
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