ROTTEN TOMATOES: Andrew L. Urban

ANDREW L. URBAN

Agrees with the Tomatometer 69% 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: 389

Location: Sydney, Australia

MOVIE REVIEWS ONLY

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

Fresh	Fresh 85%	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
Fresh	N/A	Poker House (2009)	" One of those autobiographical films... like Running With Scissors... that shows how children can survive and even prosper emotionally, spiritually (eventually) despite a ghastly childhood" Posted Dec 12, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 82%	Broken Embraces (2009)	" The sure cinematic hand of Pedro Almodóvar falters and fumbles here as he attempts to fuse together a melodrama with a thriller plus something of a spiritual journey for his central character, Mateo ... superbly portrayed by Lluis Homar" Posted Dec 12, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 89%	Zombieland (2009)	" If you want escapism with a capital F for fun, Zombieland is it to a T (with a Zee)." Posted Nov 30, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 100%	The French Kissers (2009)	" Written in the ink of painful experience, Raid Sattouf's screenplay rests his humour on reality; like Absolutely Fabulous the material is serious to the point of tragedy. These characters survive emotionally by the skin of their teeth; a few don't" Posted Nov 28, 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	Rotten 57%	9 (2009)	" More like an animation showcase of wonders than a genuine cinematic story" Posted Nov 28, 2009
Fresh	Rotten 25%	Powder Blue (2009)	" Patrick Swayze's final feature film role as Wild Velvet strip club boss Velvet Larry is a flamboyant extravaganza" Posted Nov 28, 2009
Fresh	Rotten 40%	Streets of Blood ()	" All in all, a devil of a cocktail for an evening's bullet ridden entertainment" Posted Nov 28, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 73%	Where the Wild Things Are (2009)	" This film is not for me, but I do recognise its accomplishments and see how it appeals to the fan base, and how the young Max's journey connects with youngsters" Posted Nov 28, 2009
Rotten	Fresh 82%	Paranormal Activity (2009)	" A couple may be desperate enough to place a camera on a tripod to record what goes bump in the night but the enforced recording of every other moment soon becomes a tiresome construct that turns the whole film into a wobbly home video with terrible sound." Posted Nov 28, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 77%	The Informant! (2009)	" It isn't until the third act that we really get to grips with the whole scenario enough to ride it like a theme park adventure" Posted Nov 28, 2009
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	Rotten 57%	The Invention of Lying (2009)	" The premise allows the filmmakers latitude to invent a scenario that works as irony and satire about our modern world. It shows, humorously, how impossibly confronting it would be if we really didn't lie, flatter and smooth over our social interactions" Posted Nov 20, 2009
Fresh	N/A	My Tehran for Sale (2009)	" Complex and engaging, My Tehran For Sale is not a simplistic cry or a victim's story; it's a big subject and Granaz Moussavi handles it with grace and sensitivity" Posted Nov 13, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 88%	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 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	Rotten 47%	Dorian Gray (2010)	" It's a morality tale told through amorality and the pursuit of pleasures of the flesh" Posted Nov 6, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 72%	The Boys Are Back (2009)	" It's the two boys, young George Mackay and younger Nicholas McAnulty who walk away with the acting honours in astonishingly mature and controlled performances" Posted Nov 5, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 60%	Prime Mover (2009)	" Prime Mover deals in the everyday lives of recognisably Australian characters in a way that makes their journey matter to us. And it does it in unique style" Posted Nov 5, 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
Rotten	Fresh 77%	Genova (2008)	" I didn't know Michael Winterbottom could make a dull movie until now. Genova, otherwise known perhaps as The Narrow Lanes of Genova, is a strange film which seems to have lost its bearings and its direction somewhere between concept and production" Posted Oct 31, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 69%	Coffin Rock (2009)	" Hold us on the edge of our seats in a tightly made genre film that boasts outstanding performances and dynamic direction" Posted Oct 17, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 83%	Call + Response (2008)	" Laced with the potent music of a dozen bands and solo artists, Call Response is an urgent call to arms in the war against modern slavery." Posted Oct 17, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 94%	An Education (2009)	" Sheer joy of an intelligent, grown up film" Posted Oct 17, 2009
Fresh	Rotten 47%	Whatever Works (2009)	" The result is a stew that is not as satisfying as the gumbo which Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David) gets to enjoy" Posted Oct 8, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 81%	Departures (2009)	" The film has enjoyed tremendous acclaim but I hesitate to recommend it unreservedly. Better to lower your expectations and discover those elements that touch you most deeply without waiting for the film to deliver something that it doesn't really promise" Posted Oct 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
Rotten	Fresh 89%	Moon (2009)	" The filmmakers say they wanted to make a sci-fi story within their limited budget, so used ingredients that would satisfy both. Sadly, the screenplay is a bit low on other things as well, like meaningful content." Posted Oct 2, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 75%	Julie & Julia (2009)	" It's a delicious, irresistible film whose primary exuberance and pull is created by the combined forces of Meryl Streep and Amy Adams %u2013 their second pairing after Doubt, in which they also hit the acting jackpot" Posted Oct 2, 2009
Rotten	Fresh 62%	Che (2008)	" Great showcase for Benicio del Toro, of course, a wonderful actor who gives it his all. But Che, the T shirt hero of three generations, is a myth that so many today THINK Che stood for." Posted Sep 26, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 73%	Mao's Last Dancer (2009)	" A mature work from a master filmmaker relishing his work" Posted Sep 23, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 72%	Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)	" It's an easy and lightweight date movie for teens who will enjoy also discovering some New York bands." Posted Sep 19, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 89%	Séraphine (2008)	" As far as biopics of painters go, Séraphine is one of the very best" Posted Sep 19, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 71%	Van Diemen's Land (2009)	" The film is a consummate piece of movie making, with Ellery Ryan's cinematography a powerful contributor to the film's tone and effect" Posted Sep 19, 2009
Rotten	Rotten 38%	Imagine That (2009)	" Ham fisted and formulaic, Imagine That nevertheless has some endearing qualities to save it from the trash can %u2013 notably Yara Shahidi, the cute little bundle whose smartly innocent presence and likeable little face are so loved by the camera that dir" Posted Sep 15, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 78%	Valentino: the Last Emperor (2009)	" This remarkably intimate portrait, made with less formality than you might expect, gives a real insight into Valentino as a living, working phenomenon at the end of his career" Posted Sep 10, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 81%	$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	Fresh 68%	Funny People (2009)	" A surfeit of the kind of crude, sexually graphic jokes that work in a darkly lit stand up comedy stores and Adam Sandler's unremittingly morose George drag the film down" Posted Sep 4, 2009
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	Lacombe, Lucien (1974)	" Superbly evocative of the period in both imagery and mood, Lacombe Lucien is a character study of a young man during a dark chapter in French history" Posted Aug 29, 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
Rotten	Fresh 64%	Charlie & Boots (2009)	" It's inoffensive and even sweet at times, rather like a friendly puppy. It's a bit scant for a movie, though, and the underlying tension between the men that is supposed to provide the grist is never properly realised. This omission leaves the film with v" Posted Aug 28, 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	Rotten 55%	The Soloist (2009)	" This film isn't as much about homelessness as about helplessness - and how some people are able not necessarily to overcome it, but to manage it. And how people like Steve Lopez, unintentionally help themselves when they try to help others. That's a great" Posted Aug 28, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 98%	Up (2009)	" A triumph of animation and imagination, Up is impossible not to enjoy, with its combination of adventure, true love and humour" Posted Aug 28, 2009
Fresh	N/A	Burning Season (2008)	" This globe trotting doco is a handy insight into the tragic deforestation around Indonesia" Posted Aug 27, 2009
Fresh	Fresh 100%	Last Ride (2009)	" Glendyn Ivin's natural cinematic flair ensures the smooth transition from text to screen in a story that Mac Gudgeon has scripted with a sparse, raw, slow-burning dynamic." Posted Aug 27, 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	N/A	Wake in Fright (1971)	" A riveting film with exceptional relevance today in its cultural veracity and its observation of not just outback Australian society (if you can call it that), but in human nature." Posted Aug 26, 2009

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ANDREW L. URBAN

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