Rotten
| Rotten 13%
| Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) | "
In one of those perfect cinematic storms, everything is wrong about this film, from screenplay to casting to performances and especially directing." Posted Dec 18, 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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Rotten
| Fresh 88%
| The Age of Stupid (2009) | "
Does little more than enumerate the ills and evils of today's world in a cry of panic and accusation, regurgitating those images and messages that serve its cause." Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Rotten
| N/A | The Age of Stupid (2009) | "
The Age of Stupid does little more than enumerate the ills and evils of today's world in a cry of panic and accusation, regurgitating those images and messages that serve its cause" Posted Aug 17, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 55%
| Orphan (2009) | "
There's something wrong with Esther says the marketing tagline to this film, which sums up my response to the film itself." Posted Aug 8, 2009 |
Rotten
| N/A | Prey (2009) | "
Supernatural thriller meets splatter movie meets clunky horror (with chainsaw), meets zombie movie ... Prey is a hybrid that doesn't have enough juice in any of the genres in which plays to be effective, despite some promise in its conception." Posted Aug 5, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 67%
| Public Enemies (2009) | "
At times incoherent, at times self conscious and thanks to Dante Spinotti being allowed to go hand held, almost always irritating to watch." Posted Jul 23, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 65%
| The Escapist (2009) | "
The filmmakers succumb to the temptation of trying to have their escape movie cake and eat the psychological drama, too" Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 10%
| My Life in Ruins (2009) | "
We almost get to care about Georgia's fate, if it weren't for the fact that none of the film rings true and real" Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 67%
| Bruno (2009) | "
Where Borat was an innocent abroad, Brüno is just broad; Sacha Baron Cohen makes Brüno the self centred and self obsessed centre of the film, which is not so much a story as a series of sketches designed to shock, disgust and outrage" Posted Jul 6, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 43%
| Fragments (2009) | "
An unconventional film in which traditional story resolutions (plural because several would be needed) are not forthcoming" Posted Jul 4, 2009 |
Rotten
| N/A | I Really Hate My Job (2007) | "
Unfortunately a lack of genuine observation continues to dog the film throughout and despite excellent performances, it's all 'pretend'." Posted Jun 27, 2009 |
Rotten
| N/A | La Personne aux Deux Personnes (2008) | "
Not as humorous as I'd like, mind you, and you have to totally surrender to the silliness to make this work." Posted Jun 3, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 66%
| Is Anybody There? (2009) | "
It wants so badly to be meaningful, relevant and compassionate, but struggles even to keep our attention, never mind our hearts or minds. Not even Michael Caine's slowly sinking geriatric Clarence or affecting young Bill Milner can elevate the material." Posted May 27, 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 |
Rotten
| Rotten 44%
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) | "
A lack of discipline and a desire to appeal to the lowest common denominator have wreaked havoc on a decent cast and a great idea, almost burying the outstanding effects. It's a flimsy rescue story." Posted May 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 |
Rotten
| Rotten 25%
| Rip!: A Remix Manifesto (2009) | "
As a piece of polemic, it's a well worked doco, using energy, narration and home video style footage to ram home the message. Pity the message is flawed" Posted May 16, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 54%
| What Just Happened (2008) | "
The film must have great resonance in Hollywood, which loves nothing more than to see its innards hung out in proud dirty linen fashion, but the nebulous structure and meandering storytelling leaves the rest of us a little dissatisfied." Posted May 16, 2009 |
Rotten
| N/A | Closed for Winter (2009) | "
Imbruglia seems quite capable of creating a credible and interesting screen character, but she's defeated by the material and the direction." Posted May 1, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 23%
| Fired Up (2009) | "
Most of the characters are unappealing in many ways; many of the girls are air heads with so little nous as to be embarrassing. Most of the young males are either obnoxious, self obsessed caricatures, sexual predators without teeth, or nerds" Posted Apr 18, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 64%
| The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) | "
The story is passable, albeit a little too manufactured for my taste in terms of its moral lessons, but the execution is so stilted and unconvincing that the experience is uncomfortable" Posted Apr 18, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 43%
| Camino (2009) | "
Don't mind me, I'm a fallen angel. But I can now understand why it was the SPANISH inquisition." Posted Apr 9, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 39%
| Inkheart (2009) | "
There's nothing terribly wrong with Inkheart but it just doesn't quite engage us,"" Posted Mar 27, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 32%
| The Uninvited (2009) | "
Apart from excellent performances, there is little to recommend The Uninvited, not even great ghoulish effects." Posted Mar 20, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 25%
| Friday the 13th (2009) | "
Thinly disguised as a movie, Friday the 13th is a series of overused genre conventions glued together by the flimsiest of stories" Posted Mar 9, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 50%
| Notorious (2009) | "
There is little here to attract anyone but the core fan-base." Posted Mar 6, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 12%
| The Unborn (2009) | "
Odette Yustman, indeed all the cast, deserve a better fate than to be sucked into this misguided attempt at horror" Posted Feb 23, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 55%
| My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) | "
If you like a bloody laugh and you relish the idea of body parts hurtling at you threatening to shower your popcorn with blood, this might be the film for you. Greeted by more guffaws than screams, My Bloody Valentine wears its heart on its pickaxe" Posted Feb 9, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 8%
| Miss Conception (2008) | "
A misconceived hodge podge of genuine romantic comedy and plastic story" Posted Feb 6, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 36%
| While She Was Out (2008) | "
Lots of edgy night chasing and some tense moments, but the resolution is a tad disappointing" Posted Jan 23, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 60%
| Valkyrie (2008) | "
I'm baffled by the casting of a bunch of British actors to play German characters %u2026 it's not just a matter of an accent; actors bring their cultural personas with them %u2013 and that's where the trouble lies; they don't fit here" Posted Jan 15, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 76%
| Role Models (2008) | "
Like so many of Hollywood's youth oriented comedies, this is like a mound of dog turd flavoured with honey; the crass vulgarities are sweetened by add-on humanity. But just like dog turd with honey on it, the mess is unappetising" Posted Jan 9, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 27%
| Seven Pounds (2008) | "
It's the kind of premise that a writer will lovingly nurture and probe, but it fails the truth test. As a love story it's unsatisfactory and as a redemption story it's slightly ridiculous" Posted Dec 22, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 20%
| The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) | "
Instead of the 1950s mindset %u2013 postwar, cold war, fear of aliens %u2013 it's been resettled into the mindset of today %u2013 man's inhumanity to the planet...It was a great little B movie then, and it's an ugly big B movie now" Posted Dec 21, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 33%
| The Guitar (2008) | "
We've probably all wondered what we'd do if given a few short months to live and the premise of The Guitar takes one self indulgent option" Posted Dec 20, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 0%
| Witless Protection (2008) | "
Witless, lowbrow fun is the signature of this so-so comedy with Larry the Cable Guy in fine fat form as a country bumpkin deputy sheriff with delusions of grander than smalltown cop" Posted Dec 20, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 55%
| The Tale of Despereaux (2008) | "
Laboured and disjointed, the film has none of the charm of a Ratatouille or a Shrek, but seems derivative of them." Posted Dec 19, 2008 |
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 |
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
| Rotten 44%
| Redacted (2007) | "
We're being manipulated, and the irony is that the filmmaker is trying to prove how manipulated we are by the various interests around the Iraq war" Posted Nov 14, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 30%
| Youth Without Youth (2007) | "
A stilted and inelegant work, well below par for Francis Ford Coppola" Posted Nov 14, 2008 |
RSS Feeds