ROTTEN TOMATOES: Andrew L. Urban

ANDREW L. URBAN

Agrees with the Tomatometer 70% of the time.

Biography: Andrew L. Urban is Publisher & Editor of Urban Cinefile, Australia’s award winning online weekly movie magazine (est. 1997). Specialising in film journalism, Andrew was Australian bureau chief for London based film trade publications from 1985 to 1994. He was Channel Host for the World Movies subscription movie channel (2002-6), and with his publishing partner and wife Louise Keller, he co-produced and hosted Movies This Week, a short movie review program, broadcast on World Movies and the Ovation arts & entertainment channel (2004-5). Since July 2005, Andrew has presented Movies Now, a contemporary movie appreciation course at Sydney University’s Centre for Continuing Education. In January 2007, Andrew was commissioned by the Australian Film Television and Radio School’s Centre for Screen Business to produce an extensive series of in depth on camera interviews with film and TV industry practitioners, for the CSB website; the series continues into 2008. Andrew is a regular guest on ABC Radio 702 Drive’s Critics Forum with Richard Glover.

Publications: Urban Cinefile

Total Reviews: 397

Location: Sydney, Australia

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Rating	T-Meter	« Title \| Year	Add Date (default)

Fresh	Fresh 78%	$9.99 (2009)	" The Jewish melancholy and downbeat humour that oozes from the original writing is overlaid with an Australian idiom, thanks ironically to the great cast, in a transplant that doesn't really take" Posted Sep 10, 2009
Rotten	N/A	10:30 P.M. Summer (1966)	" The script is stilted and even Melina Mercouri is below par as the hard drinking Maria, although Peter Finch elevates his character, Paul, by the sheer force of his personality" Posted May 21, 2009
Fresh	Rotten 58%	9 (2009)	" More like an animation showcase of wonders than a genuine cinematic story" Posted Nov 28, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 71%	A Film With Me In It (2008)	" What begins as downbeat Irish humour soon turns into bleak, black comedy in this dryly farcical Irish film, made possible by perfectly pitched, deadpan performances that are kept in check" Posted Apr 18, 2009
Rotten	Rotten 36%	A Kiss Before Dying (1991)	" Most unkindly (but amusingly), the 1992 Razzie Awards gave Sean Young both the Worst Actress and Worst Supporting Actress Awards for playing the twins" Posted May 16, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 87%	A Serious Man (2009)	" Often subtle, often outrageous and perhaps selfish film (they didn't make it for us, they made it for themselves but we can share it); those who approach the film with a genuine curiosity will get something out of it" Posted Nov 13, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 98%	A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)	" Has a permanent place amongst the classics, not only for the performances but for Tennessee Williams' raw writing about people raw with pain, fear, longing and complicated feelings" Posted Feb 20, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 89%	A Woman Under The Influence (1974)	" An exceptional film .. a study in the complexities of love, in the subtleties of mental disorder and in the way society demands rigid conformity" Posted Jan 9, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 83%	Acolytes (2008)	" A combo of psychological thriller and bloody chiller... a superior piece of genre filmmaking" Posted Apr 11, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 65%	Adam (2009)	" Max Mayer has written a remarkably engaging screenplay about a relationship that isn't meant to be yet somehow is but not quite as we might expect, from this charming yet down to earth romantic comedy" Posted Aug 17, 2009
Fresh	Rotten 29%	Aliens in the Attic (2009)	" Undemanding and occasionally lol, Aliens in the Attic will have the youngsters in stitches at some of the fight scenes... entertaining and sometimes goofy family comedy" Posted Aug 28, 2009
Fresh	N/A	All I Desire (1953)	" Sustained by wonderful performances, especially by Barbara Stanwyck, the story is engaging and develops in unexpected ways" Posted Aug 23, 2008
Fresh	Rotten 14%	All Roads Lead Home (2008)	" This movie about a family who is first damaged by an accidental death and healed by an accidental discovery, is inspired by a true story" Posted Apr 24, 2009
Fresh	Rotten 21%	Amelia (2009)	" Amelia reminds us how little we really know about the lives of famous achievers who changed the world, and underlines the power of biography on screen. It's a creatively and technically accomplished film with thrills and emotional action in equal measure" Posted Nov 5, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 100%	American Son (2008)	" A powerful yet nuanced work" Posted May 8, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 71%	American Teen (2008)	" While the filmmaker constructs the film with verve and genuine cinematic flair, there are not enough surprises, not enough unexpected insights, to grab onto as we lurch from one scene to the next" Posted Nov 14, 2008
Fresh	Fresh 79%	Amistad (1997)	" Spielberg errs on the side of right and moral decency, and as a cinematic essay on a subject of universal validity plus eternal currency, it deserves -- and justifies -- genuine praise both as entertainment and as history lesson." Posted Jan 1, 2000
Fresh	Fresh 87%	Amreeka (2009)	" It's the humanity of the work that makes it resonate and the insight into a culture closed to most Australians that makes it illuminating" Posted Nov 13, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 94%	An Education (2009)	" Sheer joy of an intelligent, grown up film" Posted Oct 17, 2009
Fresh	Rotten 36%	Angels & Demons (2009)	" Dan Brown knows what ingredients to use for a recipe that goes down as easily as a devilish ice cream drenched in glistening, dark chocolate." Posted May 11, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 68%	Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008)	" There is plenty of fun but always grounded in serious subjects, and the parents play an unexpectedly important role in the story" Posted Sep 13, 2008
Fresh	N/A	Anthony Zimmer (2005)	" This is writer/director Jerome Salle's thrilling debut feature, and earned a nomination as Best First Feature at the 2006 Cesar Awards" Posted Jul 25, 2008
Rotten	Rotten 50%	Antichrist (2009)	" A tough film on every level, and each viewer will have their personal and private response; but von Trier's cinematic flourish is undeniable" Posted Nov 20, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 76%	Appaloosa (2008)	" Viggo Mortensen is a trustworthy ally in the project, an actor whose extraordinary range enables him to move his performance along the scale from 0 to 100 at will." Posted Mar 11, 2009
Fresh	N/A	Archangel (2006)	" A positively gripping work which never lets up the tension and the intrigue, with great performances and touches of wry humour. And a sensational subject." Posted May 8, 2009
Fresh	Rotten 48%	Astro Boy (2009)	" The symbolism and the underlying themes within this story may not be relevant to its core audience, but it's interesting to see how filmmakers feed off those elements" Posted Oct 8, 2009
Fresh	Rotten 54%	Australia (2008)	" It's not the size that matters most in Baz Luhrmann's Australia, it's the many details, the intimate, personal moments, the connection with and respect for the Aboriginal culture in the context of human interaction, and the evil that greed makes men callo" Posted Nov 18, 2008
Fresh	Fresh 82%	Avatar (2009)	" Avatar is a richly symbolic, captivating and immense film which laces together some of the great mythical stories of mankind into a contempo action adventure fusing its sci fi genes with spiritual and ecological themes. And it pivots on romance" Posted Dec 13, 2009
Rotten	Fresh 66%	Away We Go (2009)	" The film is a bit too sentimental and rather flat, despite some amusing scenes" Posted Nov 28, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 63%	Baby Mama (2008)	" This formulaic feelgood romantic comedy delivers everything it promises with a streamlined screenplay about a single professional woman, Kate (Tina Fey) who at 37 is desperate to have a baby and the complications that beset her plans" Posted Aug 14, 2008
Fresh	Rotten 7%	Babylon A.D. (2008)	" Mathieu Kassovitz is making a determined challenge for the stylish French sci-fi thriller crown of Luc Besson with this highly effective, highly charged action movie, even though he has had to rather mangle the novel on which it is based" Posted Sep 28, 2008
Fresh	N/A	Bad Bush (2009)	" Based on a true story, Sam Genocchio's thriller has all the hallmarks of a natural filmmaking talent, aware of the various tools and tricks of filmmaking to generate psychological tension in the viewer." Posted Aug 19, 2009
Fresh	N/A	Bag Boy (2008)	" The best, best things about Bag Boy is a script that is treated as drama, a cast that excels in deadpan humour and a dry, absurdist sense of fun" Posted Sep 18, 2008
Fresh	Fresh 80%	Bandslam (2009)	" With its combination of high energy music, a terrific young cast (with the relatively youthful Lisa Kudrow as a mum) and its well structured screenplay, Bandslam is an above average coming of age dramatic comedy" Posted Aug 8, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 88%	Baraka (1994)	" Critics and audiences have struggled to find the right words to describe the effect Baraka has on them for 16 years; but it seems appropriate to be speechless after seeing this wordless masterpiece of cinema." Posted Apr 2, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 81%	Barfly (1987)	" Charles Bukowski's semi-autobiographical short story-cum-screenplay is rich fodder for filmmaker Schroeder, who squeezes all the available juice out of it in a sensitively directed film" Posted Jun 5, 2009
Fresh	N/A	Bastardy (2008)	" Archival black and white footage, newspaper clippings and fresh footage taken over seven years by filmmaker Amiel Courtin-Wilson combine to paint a complex and fascinating profile of Jack." Posted Aug 26, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 94%	Beautiful Kate (2009)	" Rachel Ward doesn't put a foot wrong in her debut as writer/director, transposing the American novel with consummate ease into an Australian story - it is not rooted in the culture of a country, but in the heart of the characters" Posted Jul 27, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 67%	Ben X (2008)	" From the opening moments, as the graphics of the Archlord online game intercut with the world of Dutch teenager Ben (Greg Timmermans), we know we're in for something special" Posted Aug 29, 2009
Fresh	N/A	Beyond Our Ken (2007)	" Thoroughly riveting, Beyond Our Ken was made with the co-operation of Ken Dyer and Jan Hamilton, allowing the filmmakers insider access -- Luke Walker joined up for six months to have such access" Posted Sep 18, 2008
Fresh	Fresh 71%	Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis (2008)	" In this comedy about misconceptions, love and true friendship, Danny Boon gives us an enjoyable lesson in avoiding making assumptions about people" Posted Aug 29, 2008
Rotten	Rotten 13%	Big Stan (2007)	" If you leave all your grown up sensibilities at the door and fill up on popcorn while watching Big Stan, preferably in a crowd of your like-minded mates, you'll probably have a roaring good time." Posted Nov 20, 2008
Rotten	Fresh 86%	Billy The Kid (2007)	" The rough and ready filmmaking technique makes it challenging for the viewer at times, and perhaps a stricter editing discipline could have tightened the film" Posted Oct 18, 2008
Fresh	Rotten 56%	Bitter & Twisted (2008)	" Exceptional performances from the entire cast - and a giant one from Noni Hazlehurst - help make this a riveting film, as they conjure up real characters for us who act and feel in sometimes self-destructive ways %u2013 recognizably human, recognizably us" Posted Sep 13, 2008
Fresh	Rotten 29%	Black Cloud (2004)	" An engaging and entertaining story about a young Navajo burdened by demons about his single white ancestor, and has a chip on his shoulder" Posted Jan 23, 2009
Rotten	N/A	Black Eagle (1988)	" With one chase, one aborted fight and one small fight on a boat in the first 55 minutes, Black Eagle isn't exactly an action movie" Posted Dec 12, 2008
Fresh	Fresh 80%	Blessed (2009)	" Blessed with cinematic ambition, Ana Kokkinos and her writing collaborators have forged a striking film out of pain and dysfunction, yet managing to pull out a serene sense of closure in the final moments." Posted Sep 2, 2009
Fresh	N/A	Blue Murder (1995)	" The work has stood the test of time with its superb production values, outstanding performances and taut direction... all built on an award winning screenplay" Posted Mar 27, 2009
Fresh	Rotten 51%	Body of Lies (2008)	" Convincing and gripping, Body of Lies is at the epicentre of Ridley Scott's comfort zone as an action adventure with political overtones as well as some intimate human insights" Posted Oct 4, 2008
Fresh	Fresh 91%	Bonnie and Clyde (1967)	" Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty deliver pitch perfect performances as Bonnie and Clyde, with characterisations that are layered and engaging. Beatty's bravado is infectious, and Dunaway's abandon is life affirming - if doomed." Posted Aug 14, 2008

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ANDREW L. URBAN

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