Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 73%
| Where the Wild Things Are (2009) | "
A film for anyone who’s ever climbed trees, grazed knees or basked in the comfort of a parent’s sympathy as they’ve pulled you off the ground crying. It’ll make your inner child run wild." Posted Dec 11, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 87%
| A Serious Man (2009) | "
Admirably low-key, deeply compelling and their warmest movie since Fargo." Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 94%
| An Education (2009) | "
A decent but unremarkable film with a big, unforgettable central performance. Carey Mulligan passes with First-Class Honours." Posted Oct 30, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 78%
| I P Man (2009) | "
The action is enthralling even if the storyline doesn't always have the ring of truth about it." Posted Oct 4, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 55%
| The Soloist (2009) | "
Intelligent and uncompromising, with knock-out performances from Downey Jr. and Foxx." Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 36%
| G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) | "
Bond without the style and Team America without the bellylaughs. The moronic script and nonsensical plot are good for a snicker, though." Posted Aug 5, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 15%
| Year One (2009) | "
Unless you pine for second-tier Mel Brooks, you’ll find more laughs in the Old Testament itself." Posted Jun 26, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 87%
| Sounds Like Teen Spirit () | "
A cast of cute kids and quirky teens make for an unorthodox but endearing documentary." Posted May 8, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 84%
| State of Play (2009) | "
Once you get over the unlikelihood of Affleck and Crowe as buddies, State Of Play stands as a sterling thriller, benefiting from admirable convictions and an arguable return to form by Russell Crowe." Posted Apr 24, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 96%
| Shifty (2008) | "
Good central performances in this highly, entertaining character-driven debut." Posted Apr 24, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 50%
| Observe and Report (2009) | "
An odd one. Rogen’s latest clown is an angry, confused man who you never feel entirely comfortable laughing at. There are laughs — you’ll just feel guilty afterwards..." Posted Apr 24, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 86%
| Tony Manero (2009) | "
It’s intriguing and challenging, although Castro’s Raúl never quite comes to full-blooded life, remaining a brittle vessel for the points Larrain seeks to score." Posted Apr 9, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 86%
| Fifty Dead Men Walking (2009) | "
Think Donnie Brasco, with the IRA instead of the Mafia. Jim Sturgess dominates with a star-making turn, although some stylistic slip-ups let him down a little." Posted Apr 9, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 88%
| The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2009) | "
A tangled narrative and damp-squib ending detract from an otherwise joyous Spaghetti Eastern." Posted Feb 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 60%
| Valkyrie (2008) | "
A film more concerned with ‘how’ than ‘why’ or ‘who’, Valkyrie would have benefited from more scrutiny and complexity. Still, once the bomb goes off, the thrills come in spades." Posted Jan 23, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 98%
| The Wrestler (2008) | "
An emotional smackdown. Rourke’s never been better, and the change of pace and texture suits Aronofsky perfectly. The Raging Bull of wrestling movies? Oh, go on then." Posted Jan 16, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 51%
| City of Ember (2008) | "
Kenan’s palpable affection for his central creation is so strong that once we’re gasping fresh air, we want to dive back in, get to know Ember’s intriguing denizens better and properly explore its claustrophobic hinterland. Something we’re sadly denied." Posted Oct 8, 2008 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 57%
| Taken (2009) | "
If you took Commando and replaced all its humour (intentional or otherwise) with snarling hatred, you’d end up with Taken - a risible male-re-empowerment fantasy." Posted Sep 26, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 82%
| Tropic Thunder (2008) | "
There are moments of comedy grandeur, but this isn’t as consistently funny as you’d hope. Nevertheless, Downey Jr.’s Kirk Lazarus is instantly up there with the comedy greats." Posted Sep 19, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 67%
| Ben X (2008) | "
Nic Balthazar's morality tale is a shrewd exercise in expectation-subversion." Posted Aug 29, 2008 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 92%
| Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) | "
Mike Leigh draws a bravura performance out of Sally Hawkins, and she in return makes Poppy one of Leigh's best characters yet." Posted Aug 6, 2008 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 14%
| The Love Guru (2008) | "
A film so numbingly unamusing that you seriously question whether you were mistaken to have ever found Myers funny." Posted Jul 31, 2008 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 50%
| All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2009) | "
All the boys might love Mandy Lane - discerning horror fans, however, will not." Posted Jul 2, 2008 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 34%
| P2 (2007) | "
Unscary, uninteresting tosh from people who should know better." Posted Apr 28, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 93%
| Iron Man (2008) | "
It’s not sure where to go once the final Iron Man suit is constructed, and seems in a rush to get there, but Downey Jr and the supporting cast are so perfectly placed we're already looking forward to the bound-to-be-better sequel." Posted Apr 25, 2008 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 11%
| Captain Eager and the Mark of Voth (2008) | "
Terrible, just terrible." Posted Apr 18, 2008 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 92%
| Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) | "
Mike Leigh draws a bravura performance out of Sally Hawkins, and she in return makes Poppy one of Leigh’s best characters yet - up there with the likes of Vera Drake or Beverly from Abigail’s Party." Posted Apr 18, 2008 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 74%
| Son of Rambow (2008) | "
A potentially disposable, tongue-in-cheek First Blood pisstake turns out to be a deeply effective, surprisingly touching tale of family and childhood friendship. If you only see one Rambo movie this year, make sure it’s this one." Posted Apr 6, 2008 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 50%
| All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2009) | "
All the boys might love Mandy Lane -- discerning horror fans, however, will not." Posted Feb 15, 2008 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 66%
| The Kite Runner (2007) | "
An engaging melodrama whose less convincing plot points are superseded by some astonishingly affecting performances from the mostly unknown cast." Posted Dec 26, 2007 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 68%
| I Am Legend (2007) | "
While the sun shines, it’s a four-star thriller with a superb turn from Smith. When the moon rises, it’s a two-star horror cartoon with some of the worst FX we’ve seen all year. So, really, it has to average out at…" Posted Dec 26, 2007 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 82%
| Into the Wild (2007) | "
With the whole of America as his backdrop, Penn pulls off his most ambitious movie yet. The result is a beautiful and thought-provoking road movie." Posted Nov 8, 2007 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 76%
| Stardust (2007) | "
Patchy but great fun, peppering plenty of black humour into a sweet if silly fairy-tale romance." Posted Oct 19, 2007 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 97%
| Once (2007) | "
The year’s most pleasant cinematic surprise. Once has enough heart, wit, verve and sheer songwriting genius to ensure you’ll see it far more times than its title suggests." Posted Oct 19, 2007 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 94%
| The Counterfeiters (2008) | "
A sharp and compelling war drama that delivers on the promise of its astonishing true-life origins." Posted Oct 10, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 41%
| Shrek the Third (2007) | "
Another summer threequel, another case of slipping standards – not so much in the visuals, which remain predictably impressive, but in the all-important gag rate. To waste both Donkey and Puss is a crime…" Posted Jun 29, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 56%
| Grow Your Own (2007) | "
Plenty of over-British Britishness in this predictable drama." Posted Jun 15, 2007 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 93%
| This Is England (2007) | "
Deeply impressive, as both a recreation of ’80s working-class England and an intimate tale of one childhood’s brutal end." Posted Apr 27, 2007 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 11%
| Perfect Stranger (2007) | "
A twist-burdened techno-thriller that would be by-the-numbers if it could count." Posted Apr 11, 2007 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 82%
| Days of Glory (2006) | "
A war film more of sober, grim reflection than balls-out escapades. Yet it grips consistently, its bursts of combat delivering gut-punches of veracity." Posted Mar 27, 2007 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 91%
| Letters From Iwo Jima (2006) | "
A sharper account of the Iwo Jima conflict than Flags, this balances its unflinching handling of the horrors of war with its touching portrayal of those who face them." Posted Feb 22, 2007 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 75%
| The Prestige (2006) | "
Odd, but brilliantly so. It's a small film that feels big, a period drama that looks modern, defying comparison to anything but Nolan himself." Posted Dec 30, 2006 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 57%
| Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) | "
The odd conclusion renders it somewhat oblique, but Perfume is a feast for the senses. Smell it with your eyes..." Posted Nov 29, 2006 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 90%
| United 93 (2006) | "
Impossible to recommend as a great Friday night out, yet agonisingly vital as thought-urging cinema." Posted Nov 4, 2006 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 91%
| Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) | "
Absurd, outrageous, gross, disturbing, insightful, and so funny it’ll burst half the blood vessels in your face." Posted Oct 30, 2006 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 56%
| X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) | "
Singer’s absence is felt but not fatal." Posted Oct 4, 2006 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 72%
| Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) | "
On the Ferrellometer, Talladega Nights sits just above Kicking & Screaming, when it should be redlining it up there with Anchorman." Posted Sep 23, 2006 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 54%
| The Protector (2006) | "
Thankfully, the bits that matter most -- the dust-ups -- are superb." Posted Aug 4, 2006 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 23%
| Pink Panther (2006) | "
With a better story, director and support cast, Martin could have made Clouseau his own." Posted Jul 8, 2006 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 53%
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) | "
Too long, and too wrapped up in its various plot contrivances to notice it’s veering off course. But Jack just about pulls the wheel back, aided by Verbinski’s flair for cartoonish comedy action." Posted Jul 6, 2006 |
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