Fresh
| Fresh 84%
| Avatar (2009) | "
Love and acceptance are at the heart of this megabuck megapic; while our hearts are opened by the Emotion Key, our eyes are dazzled by the visual spectacle, enhanced by remarkable 3D. An event of a film, a spectacle that allows us to live the fantasy." Posted Dec 13, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 82%
| Broken Embraces (2009) | "
With its themes of revenge, sexual obsession, love and jealousy, Pedro Almodóvar follows his own tried and true recipe for grand melodrama...characters spin complex webs. It's engaging and involving, although it is not Almodóvar's best work" Posted Dec 12, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 23%
| Planet 51 (2009) | "
Much of the detail will go above the heads of its young audience, but adults will enjoy the clever touches, like the Alien Hotline, the upcoming anticipated release of the movie Humanian 3 and the rock-collecting probe called Rover" Posted Nov 28, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| The French Kissers (2009) | "
an expressive ode to the awkward sexual awakening of a teenage boy, zits and all. There's no slick plot, no prince charming on a white horse, just the bumpy, every day reality of a fourteen year old boy whose thoughts are consumed by sex and girls" Posted Nov 28, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 66%
| Away We Go (2009) | "
Parenthood, relationships and belonging are the themes of this occasionally endearing road movie on which acclaimed director Sam Mendes puts his stamp." Posted Nov 28, 2009 |
Fresh
| N/A | The Strength of Water (2009) | "
With its unique Maori backdrop, this moody drama about life, death and coming to terms with both is punctuated by a well devised fantasy element." Posted Nov 28, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 73%
| Where the Wild Things Are (2009) | "
A wildly mixed bag. With its mix of live action, computer animation and puppetry, there is plenty that is wonderful, yet there are some irritating aspects. Like the manic hand-held camera. However, young Max Records' performance is sensational" Posted Nov 28, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 77%
| The Informant! (2009) | "
The adaptation of Kurt Eichenwald's book is as smooth as silk in Steven Soderbergh's hands while Matt Damon is a revelation as the self-professed 'good guy' who spills the beans" Posted Nov 28, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 75%
| Cold Souls (2009) | "
I love the bizarreness of the premise about a man who feels so heavy by the weight of his soul he puts it into cold storage, and although Cold Souls doesn't quite gel in the final analysis, there is much about this dream-inspired film that is wonderful" Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 86%
| Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) | "
A seriously delicious and imaginative concept takes flight in this whimsical animated film where food, glorious food rains from the heavens and reminds us to believe in yourself and accept who you are." Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 57%
| The Invention of Lying (2009) | "
A brilliant and original concept, The Invention of Lying is witty, seriously funny and utterly charming. The trick to it all is that Gervais' alternate reality, where there is no deceit, flattery or fiction, is grounded solidly in a credible way" Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 28%
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) | "
The screenplay feels padded and the different strands of the storyline do not mesh together seamlessly. Performances however, live up to expectations with Stewart and Pattinson exuding the magic that reminds us why we care so much about their relationship" Posted Nov 18, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 88%
| Amreeka (2009) | "
Writer director Cherien Dabis writes about what she knows about being a stranger in a new land: the difficulties, the isolation, the conflicts, the misunderstandings. The result is a heartfelt and engaging film" Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 87%
| A Serious Man (2009) | "
I guarantee Woody Allen will love this film just as I do, for its truthful depiction, great characterisations and bite. The beginning is a surprise, too" Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 39%
| 2012 (2009) | "
It's big and cheesy and if you're in the mood for a dose of exaggerated end-of-world chaos, this is the popcorn movie for you. Roland Emmerich has gleefully combined every possible disaster extreme with child-like enthusiasm: massive visual effects" Posted Nov 11, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 64%
| The Brothers Bloom (2009) | "
The first hour especially grabs our attention before disintegrating into a swirl of confusion. We expect the lines between reality and fantasy to become blurred, but we do need to have a stake in the characters or at least believe in their reality" Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 47%
| Dorian Gray (2010) | "
There's an edge of psychological horror in director Oliver Parker's third Oscar Wilde story that tells how Ben Barnes' Dorian Gray sells his soul to the devil in return for his youth and beauty" Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 72%
| The Boys Are Back (2009) | "
It's about emotional chaos and who better to embody it than Clive Owen as the soulful widower trying to master being an everyday father. It feels like a work of love for Hicks, who injects serenity within the chaos as he conducts a mantle of melancholy" Posted Nov 5, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 60%
| Prime Mover (2009) | "
Big dreams, harsh reality and a quirky fantasy make up the engine of David Caesar's likeable new film, in which a prime mover is the prime motivation of his pie-in-the-sky protagonist" Posted Nov 5, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 55%
| Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009) | "
Conceptually brilliant with mind-blowing special effects, but who is the intended audience of this visual extravaganza? Certainly not children: the content is far too dark with haunting imagery that could provoke nightmares for impressionable youngsters" Posted Nov 2, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 77%
| Genova (2008) | "
Life affirming and warm, Genova captures a great sense of place as we explore the intricate maze of cobbled streets, the historic buildings with peeling facades and well-worn green shutters, sunny beaches and dense forests" Posted Oct 31, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 11%
| Case 39 (2010) | "
A deftly made horror thriller with plenty of scares, Case 39 may be predictable and somewhat heavy handed, but it ticks all the boxes for the genre." Posted Oct 31, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 38%
| The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) | "
It's a complex and often confusing story as the two key characters weave in and out of different time zones, but somehow it works; no doubt due to terrific performances by Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana" Posted Oct 31, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 80%
| Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) | "
It is with a mix of voyeuristic fascination, amazement and poignancy, I watched and loved this unique, spectacular film that invites us for a back-stage peek at the creative process of an enigmatic, eccentric, influential and supremely talented artist" Posted Oct 28, 2009 |
Fresh
| N/A | Tinker Bell And The Lost Treasure (2009) | "
Imaginative ideas and exquisite execution are the key to the success of this second full length feature about the petite fairy born of laughter, and there is nothing as powerful as good storytelling and engaging characters" Posted Oct 17, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 67%
| The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) | "
A road movie whose destinations are emotional pit stops... also the platform for an electric performance by Robin Wright Penn who dazzles in the title role" Posted Oct 17, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 69%
| Coffin Rock (2009) | "
It's a tense, edge-of-seat ride" Posted Oct 17, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 94%
| An Education (2009) | "
An irresistible tale of seduction in which innocence and intellect are the prize stakes." Posted Oct 17, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 47%
| Whatever Works (2009) | "
I really enjoyed the film. It's not Allen's best and there is a theatricality that keeps us at arm's length; despite the highly successful direct to camera confidences, which are surprisingly endearing. Allen has knitted together a sweater of angst" Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 48%
| Astro Boy (2009) | "
It may be the gleaming blue core power source that allows Astro Boy to function as a superhero robot, but it is the massive heart of the story that makes this updated animated spectacular a sure-fire winner" Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 75%
| Julie & Julia (2009) | "
Who cannot relate to Julia enrolling in the all-male Cordon Bleu Cooking School, crying buckets as she practises chopping mountains of onions?" Posted Oct 2, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 94%
| In Search Of Beethoven (2009) | "
Just as Beethoven's composing process is equated to that of a sculptor like Michelangelo, Grabsky has sculpted a mesmerising film ripe with crescendos and modulations that allow us an even greater appreciation of the man's music" Posted Oct 2, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 28%
| Fame (2009) | "
A terrific score coupled with exciting choreography, tight editing and a talented cast make Fame a joyous and upbeat experience." Posted Sep 26, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 73%
| Mao's Last Dancer (2009) | "
An engrossing and profoundly moving film that hits the emotional bullseye multiple times" Posted Sep 23, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 40%
| Surrogates (2009) | "
High concept and high budget, Surrogates adds astounding techno magic to ideas mooted in films like Multiplicity, Total Recall and I Robot, but fails to achieve the humanity the film champions" Posted Sep 23, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 72%
| Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) | "
It's a pleasant enough interlude and the young band-crazy target market may get involved, but its appeal is limited and there is nothing especially fresh or novel about the content." Posted Sep 19, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 60%
| Paper Heart (2009) | "
Compelling when you least expect it, this feature-documentary hybrid juggles fact and fiction in dizzying fashion when actress/ comedienne Charlyne Yi embarks on a road trip whose destination is love" Posted Sep 19, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 88%
| Looking for Eric (2009) | "
A life-affirming film whose gritty exterior hides an undercoat of silky humour and an unexpected soft heart, Looking for Eric marries harsh reality with a sprinkling of fantasy in the down to earth way at which Ken Loach excels" Posted Sep 19, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 38%
| Imagine That (2009) | "
Eddie Murphy, in his hyperactive comedic guise, is in fine fettle in this family-friendly comedy, although he is largely upstaged by his enchanting 7 year old co-star Yara Shahidi, who steals scenes as quickly as Murphy talks." Posted Sep 15, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 78%
| Valentino: the Last Emperor (2009) | "
A wonderful documentary that allows us to peek at the excess but stays real by its candid fly on the wall approach. It's riveting, insightful, funny and enjoyable as we go on and behind the catwalks and glimpse the public and private Valentino Garavani" Posted Sep 10, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 45%
| Shorts (2009) | "
Good clean fun is what Robert Rodriguez delivers in this energetic and inventive film about wishes and being connected." Posted Sep 10, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 93%
| Encounters At the End of the World (2007) | "
The footage is breathtaking. We also are privileged to watch seals feeding their young, but the revelations about penguin 'prostitutes' are perhaps the film's most extraordinary. Gay penguins? Insane penguins?" Posted Sep 10, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 24%
| G-Force (2009) | "
Believe in yourself is the motto of this sweetly madcap and amusing family adventure in which talking guinea-pigs turn the world upside down in order to save it. The execution is inventive and the cast works well." Posted Sep 10, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 81%
| $9.99 (2009) | "
It's a challenging film with plenty of merit as a handful of unrelated stories criss-cross and involve us in a mountainous thought provoking journey in which we ponder the meaning of happiness" Posted Sep 10, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 86%
| 500 Days of Summer (2009) | "
Charm effuses from this quirky love story in which fate, coincidence, dreams, expectations and reality are chaotically intertwined." Posted Sep 7, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 23%
| Push (2009) | "
Pushing ideas into other people's minds is what this sci-fi fantasy thriller is all about, and Paul McGuigan's film looks great. The cast is good too. But there's a problem. The story doesn't make sense" Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 98%
| Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2009) | "
Incongruous, funny, unexpected and moving, Sacha Gervasi's film about the 80s band whose long career is anything but what we expect, is much more than a doco about a band" Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 68%
| Funny People (2009) | "
A slice of life from a pie whose ingredients comprise the eccentricities, foibles, egos and motivations of jaded man who has forgotten why he does what he does. There are some great moments but plenty of self indulgence by Apatow as the film drags" Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 80%
| Blessed (2009) | "
Ana Kokkinos has made an exquisitely and brutally powerful film about the indestructible but fragile thread that connects mothers and children." Posted Sep 2, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 62%
| The Girlfriend Experience (2009) | "
It's a bit like an unsatisfying sexual encounter %u2013full of anticipation but not complete. One thing that does deliver, however, is 21 year old porn star Sasha Grey, who tantalises at every turn as the hooker who offers The Girlfriend Experience." Posted Aug 28, 2009 |
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