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Movie Review for Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
Movie Review for
Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
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Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The | | |
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78 Reviews total.
Release date: 2/9/2005
Run length: 83 mins.
Categories:
Documentary
Summary:
The true story of a Bohemian "St. Francis" and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild green-and-red parrots: Mark Bittner, a dharma bum, a homeless street musician in San Francisco, falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life--unaware that the wild parrots will bring him everything he needs. Mark was born and raised in southwestern Washington State. His ambition as a teenager was to be a Great Novelist, but Mark was alarmed by the uniformly miserable fates of all the writers whom he loved. So he decided to pursue a career in music instead. After hitch-hiking through Europe in search of experience, he moved to San Francisco determined to sink or swim as a poet-singer-songwriter. He sank. Completely bereft, he turned to spiritual seeking and ended up on the street where he spent the next fourteen years. Ultimately his search led him to the wild parrot flock, which, in turn, led him back to writing, and his first book: "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill." The hardcover edition, published by Random House, was a best seller; the paperback edition comes out in late January 2005.
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Jurgen Fauth
of About.com (7/0)
A loving portrait of a displaced flock of birds, a fascinating city, and a unique man.
By
Phil Villarreal
of Arizona Daily Star (7/0)
Connor bubbles with more humanity than most other characters you'll see in theaters during the su...
By
Philip Martin
of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (7/0)
... objections recede in the face of the prime fact of this movie: It makes us feel better about ...
By
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
of Atlanta Journal-Constitution (5/2)
An absolute delight and nothing like the wimpy nature film its title suggests. It's a soaring -- ...
By
Marrit Ingman
of Austin Chronicle (7/0)
Well-considered, beautifully made, and often gripping in its narrative, the film epitomizes the b...
By
Jordan Hiller
of Bangitout.com (7/0)
Wild Parrots is not showy or revealing or exploitive. Its intentions are undemanding and its styl...
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Matt McNally
of BBC (7/0)
In the spirit of all good documentaries, Wild Parrots transcends its ostensive subject.
By
Rob Thomas
of Capital Times (Madison, WI) (7/0)
It’s a nature film that’s not just for nature lovers, as it has a lot to show us about both the f...
By
Roger Ebert
of Chicago Sun-Times (7/0)
Bittner is calm, intelligent, confiding, wise and well-spoken.
By
Robert K. Elder
of Chicago Tribune (7/0)
Irving's insightful, glorious little documentary reveals larger personal truths for her subject w...
By
David Sterritt
of Christian Science Monitor (7/0)
Lovely to look at, if not very deep in its thinking about relations between humans and their anim...
By
Jules Brenner
of Cinema Signals (7/0)
Nature-loving, pet hugger patrons will absorb every detail of this man's singular relationship to...
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Jeffrey M. Anderson
of Combustible Celluloid (7/0)
The story it tells is unique and moving, especially for its perfect snapshot of a specific city's...
By
Harvey S. Karten
of Compuserve (7/0)
Interesting man, flighty birds, but repetitious.
By
Arthur Lazere
of culturevulture.net (7/0)
The birds...are a natural subject for a documentary film, but in the end Judy Irving's film is as...
By
Chris Vognar
of Dallas Morning News (7/0)
Not that San Francisco needs more tourists, but Wild Parrots captures a nice little piece of the ...
By
Steven D. Greydanus
of Decent Films Guide (7/0)
Irving captures some memorable images… but generally relies on the birds' natural photogeni...
By
Collin Souter
of eFilmCritic.com (7/0)
The parrots are every bit as endearing and interesting as the man looking after them.
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Lisa Schwarzbaum
of Entertainment Weekly (7/0)
In watching the birds and the man with an affectionate, curious eye, the filmmaker builds a story...
By
Eric Monder
of Film Journal International (7/0)
It should touch anyone who cares about the world's more vulnerable creatures.
By
Phil Hall
of Film Threat (7/0)
An excellent film. By all means, flock to it!
By
Chris Cabin
of filmcritic.com (7/0)
Perhaps if Judy Irving's The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill had been released in any other year, ...
By
Kent Turner
of Film-Forward.com (7/0)
Its amicability and bittersweet tone will charm more than just bird lovers.
By
Edward Havens
of FilmJerk.com (7/0)
More captivating and enchanting than most of the rubbish being passed off as “entertainment” in m...
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Peter Canavese
of Groucho Reviews (7/0)
The gentle, G-rated documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill records the sort of story that...
By
Steve Rhodes
of Internet Reviews (7/0)
A sweet little film that is a surprising hit.
By
Bruce Kirkland
of Jam! Movies (7/0)
A quietly profound way to understand the importance of mankind's relationship with nature.
By
Andrea Chase
of Killer Movie Reviews (7/0)
Funny, sweet, and unexpectedly moving, this is not just a study of man and birds, it’s also . . ....
By
Linda Cook
of KWQC-TV (Iowa) (7/0)
Even though it's only August, I'm not going out on a limb when I say that "The Wild Parrots of Te...
By
Robert Roten
of Laramie Movie Scope (7/0)
Curiously engaging because of the unique personalities of both man and birds.
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Kenneth Turan
of Los Angeles Times (7/0)
Bittner has a passion for these parrots, he's taken the time to painstakingly befriend them, and ...
By
Michele Kenner
of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (7/0)
It's filled with mystery, humor, compassion and fulfillment.
By
David N. Butterworth
of Movie Boeuf (7/0)
The oddest bird here doesn't have wings.
By
Frank Swietek
of One Guy's Opinion (7/0)
Small but charming...It's a nice story, and it's nicely told.
By
Steve Schneider
of Orlando Weekly (7/0)
Something about the way in which it's been told can turn even a fellow fauna fancier into a harru...
By
Dennis Schwartz
of Ozus' World Movie Reviews (7/0)
Affectionate thought-provoking documentary, filmed in a relaxing informal manner.
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Jeanne Aufmuth
of Palo Alto Weekly (7/0)
Filmmaker Judy Irving makes a lovely little mountain out of a molehill in this poignant documenta...
By
Sean Burns
of Philadelphia Weekly (7/0)
If Clint Eastwood were a parrot, he'd be Connor.
By
Mark R. Leeper
of rec.arts.movies.reviews (7/0)
It shows how strong and involving a documentary can be about a subject that may sound only of mar...
By
Robin Clifford
of Reeling Reviews (7/0)
A documentary film that can affect you...and get you to invest your feelings in a flock of wild b...
By
Donald J. Levit
of ReelTalk Movie Reviews (7/0)
A gentle and unusual nonfiction about a gentle and unusual man who drifts to his own genius.
By
Sean Means
of Salt Lake Tribune (7/0)
Director Judy Irving works her central metaphor, comparing the birds' untamed but non-native stat...
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Larry Ratliff
of San Antonio Express-News (7/0)
The tables are turned in The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. In this mentally invigorating nonfic...
By
Jean Lowerison
of San Diego Metropolitan (7/0)
No great action sequences here, just a portrait of a man with more patience and time than most, w...
By
Walter V. Addiego
of San Francisco Chronicle (7/0)
Irving's film [is] as informal and easygoing as its subject.
By
Moira MacDonald
of Seattle Times (7/0)
Turns out to be that rarity: a movie that makes its audience happier for having seen it.
By
Andrew Wright
of The Stranger (Seattle, WA) (7/0)
Honestly earns its sentimentality, with a Zapruderish photographic reveal in the final act that's...
By
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
of TheMovieChicks.com (7/0)
It's surprising how engaging this simple little movie can be... As a nature study, the footage i...
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Maitland McDonagh
of TV Guide's Movie Guide (7/0)
Though Bittner's slacker charm may not be to all tastes, the parrots are natural-born scene-steal...
By
Urban Cinefile Critics
of Urban Cinefile (7/0)
Amusing, touching and satisfying, this gentle yet probing little doco is a hand made movie whose ...
By
Ann Hornaday
of Washington Post (7/0)
Quite simply, a beautiful film, in both form and content.
By
Desson Thomson
of Washington Post (7/0)
This is a charmfest of a movie, for bird lovers and non-bird lovers alike.
By
John Beifuss
of Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (3/5) Login Required (Login Required)
Its sweet surprise ending may be the most satisfying movie moment of the year to date.
By
Stephen Holden
of New York Times (6/5) Login Required (Login Required)
Judy Irving's affectionate documentary profiles a 50-ish San Franciscan who tends a flock of arou...
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Sheri Linden
of Boxoffice Magazine (3/4) No reference
Irving, a longtime filmmaker and lifelong birdwatcher, captures her subjects with striking intima...
By
Lisa Kennedy
of Denver Post (3/4) No reference
[A] charming, layered documentary.
By
Robert Denerstein
of Denver Rocky Mountain News (3/4) No reference
It contains ample joys and sorrows, and it will introduce you to some of the year's most memorabl...
By
Jeffrey Bruner
of Des Moines Register (3/4) No reference
A precious gem of a film.
By
Richard Roeper
of Ebert & Roeper (3/4) No reference
This is a gem.
By
Donald Munro
of Fresno Bee (3/4) No reference
It's hard not to fall under the spell of the colorful title characters in this charming documenta...
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Sura Wood
of Hollywood Reporter (6/1) No reference
Genuinely sweet, beautifully constructed documentary.
By
Robert W. Butler
of Kansas City Star (3/4) No reference
Irving's camera captures enough intimate parrot moments to make us all believers.
By
Ron Stringer
of L.A. Weekly (3/4) No reference
Following an arc from whimsical detachment to profound engagement, this is a remarkable document ...
By
Glenn Whipp
of Los Angeles Daily News (3/4) No reference
This is a beautiful movie.
By
Jeff Strickler
of Minneapolis Star Tribune (3/4) No reference
The biggest problem with this documentary is its title, which makes it sound like a bird-watching...
By
Nell Minow
of Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies (6/1) No reference
The movie concludes with a moment of breathtaking perfection with the sweetest connection of all....
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Russell Scott Smith
of New York Post (3/4) No reference
By the end of the movie, you might find yourself so wrapped up in Bittner and the parrots that yo...
By
Lisa Rose
of Newark Star-Ledger (3/4) No reference
Its allure lies not only in its exotic creatures, but also in its depiction of human kindness.
By
Shawn Levy
of Oregonian (3/4) No reference
It's a charming film, but you may end up glad, perhaps for the first time in your life, that you ...
By
Forrest Hartman
of Reno Gazette-Journal (6/1) No reference
Director Judy Irving has created a picture that should fascinate not only bird lovers, but genera...
By
Mark Halverson
of Sacramento News & Review (6/1) No reference
Wild Parrots is informative, moving, sad, optimistic and irresistible.
By
David Elliott
of San Diego Union-Tribune (3/4) No reference
It's a deeply San Francisco story, a splash of tropic color on the city's watercolor fabric.
Reviews of Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The
By
Angela Baldassarre
of Sympatico.ca (3/4) No reference
Parrots not so wild.Documentary shows quirks but not much else.
By
Peter Howell
of Toronto Star (3/4) No reference
A bright window into the wild kingdom just outside our door that most of us barely notice, if at ...
By
Kam Williams
of Upstage Magazine (6/1) No reference
A documentary which captures an eccentric ornithologist communing with his flock with an intimacy...
By
Dennis Harvey
of Variety (3/4) No reference
Appealing as both nature docu and character study.
By
Marta Barber
of Miami Herald (6/1) Not Reachable
The beautiful shots of San Francisco's lush Telegraph Hill are captivating by themselves, but the...
By
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
of St. Paul Pioneer Press (3/4) Not Reachable
Parrots has some problems on the filmmaking side -- attention-getting camera freezes that are too...
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