Rotten
| Rotten 30%
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) | "
This episode is as repetitive as the first, with endless scenes of kissus interruptus punctuated by moody indie-rock songs." — Newsday Posted Nov 18, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 92%
| Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) | "
With its clever visual jokes and sassy dialogue, Anderson's first foray into animation doesn't seem to be made entirely with children in mind. Maybe that's why it seems so perfect for them." — Newsday Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 38%
| Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) | "
The script, by Brian Helgeland and director Paul Weitz, frequently strays off course, though the underlying story is always compelling. And, just like Twilight, this movie doesn't end so much as beg to be continued." — Newsday Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Rotten 1/4
| Rotten 42%
| New York, I Love You (2009) | "
New York, I Love You weaves 10 short, trivial vignettes into one long, irritating whole." — Newsday Posted Oct 15, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 70%
| Where the Wild Things Are (2009) | "
Jonze and Eggers have a firm grasp on the way a child's joy can quickly turn to tears, but they squeeze hard and can't let go. The film is essentially a parade of negative emotions -- sorrow, anger, jealousy, regret." — Newsday Posted Oct 15, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 56%
| The Invention of Lying (2009) | "
Ultimately, the small-scale, often downbeat jokes in Lying never quite match the grand concept." — Newsday Posted Oct 2, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 89%
| Zombieland (2009) | "
Harrelson mugs wonderfully, Eisenberg stutters charmingly, Stone emerges as more than a token hottie, and Breslin plays a hardhearted tweener who, nevertheless, misses Hannah Montana." — Newsday Posted Oct 2, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 82%
| Whip It (2009) | "
The cast is mostly female, the first-time director is Drew Barrymore, and the screenplay comes from Shauna Cross, based on her novel. But the teenage themes are universal: breaking from your parents, discovering yourself and following your bliss." — Newsday Posted Oct 1, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 45%
| Jennifer's Body (2009) | "
Last year, a ... horror flick called Teeth, about a ... girl who had incisors where she shouldn't, covered this territory with more creativity, complexity and humor. Jennifer's Body, for all its promise, could use some of that bite." — Newsday Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 85%
| Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) | "
Writer-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, whose television credits include CBS' How I Met Your Mother, pack each scene with jokes big and small, and the voice cast shines..." — Newsday Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 76%
| The Informant! (2009) | "
Soderbergh, despite three lighthearted Ocean's films, is not a natural comedic director." — Newsday Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Rotten 1/4
| Rotten 18%
| Love Happens (2009) | "
Love happens in Love Happens, along with hearts, flowers, wine, roses, sweetness, light and every other cliche the filmmakers can squeeze into a two-hour film." — Newsday Posted Sep 16, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Rotten 56%
| 9 (2009) | "
Fans of sophisticated, adult-oriented animation may savor Acker's elaborate visuals. Younger children, however, might wonder why they sat through all the terror." — Newsday Posted Sep 8, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Rotten 29%
| Gamer (2009) | "
Butler is perfect as a piece of barbequed beef, Kyra Sedgwick plays a sexy talk-show host and there are small roles for John Leguizamo and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges." — Newsday Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 84%
| The September Issue (2009) | "
Cutler never mentions animal fur, sweatshop labor or any issues that can make fashion seem less than fabulous. The September Issue is more about surface than depth, much like its subject. And in case you're wondering: Yes, this movie makes you look fat." — Newsday Posted Sep 3, 2009 |
Rotten 0/4
| Rotten 6%
| All About Steve (2009) | "
The film isn't merely unfunny and stupefyingly inane but a depressing waste of money, energy and time, yours included." — Newsday Posted Sep 3, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 49%
| Taking Woodstock (2009) | "
Lee and producer-screenwriter James Schamus aim for comedy but come up with cliches." — Newsday Posted Aug 25, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 45%
| Shorts (2009) | "
Slipped into Robert Rodriguez's smart, funny, fast-as-lightning kids' movie, Shorts, are several sly comments on American culture and the tyranny of technology." — Newsday Posted Aug 20, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 9%
| Post Grad (2009) | "
The film's typically Hollywood message is timeless: If you're a woman, your dreams and plans are meaningless without a man." — Newsday Posted Aug 20, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 88%
| Inglourious Basterds (2009) | "
Tarantino is the most fearlessly inventive filmmaker alive -- but we knew that. And while Inglourious Basterds is never anything less than ridiculously entertaining, it's nothing Tarantino hasn't done before." — Newsday Posted Aug 20, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 36%
| G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) | "
It’s enjoyable enough while it’s speeding along. Like the Joes themselves, the movie succeeds by simply crashing headfirst through every obstacle." — Newsday Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 75%
| Julie & Julia (2009) | "
Meryl Streep, as Child, is this film's butter; everything else is garnish." — Newsday Posted Aug 6, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 58%
| A Perfect Getaway (2009) | "
A Perfect Getaway is smarter than it looks and more fun than it has a right to be." — Newsday Posted Aug 6, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 68%
| Funny People (2009) | "
Funny People veers wildly in tone and style, with jarring cameos (Ray Romano, Eminem) and a third act that mimics one of John Cassavetes' improvised experiments. Apatow may deserve to be taken seriously, but for now he's still kidding around." — Newsday Posted Jul 30, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 15%
| The Ugly Truth (2009) | "
The film's central romance flips and flops like a dying fish." — Newsday Posted Jul 23, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 93%
| Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg (2009) | "
Berg's name no longer rings so many bells, but Aviva Kempner's documentary Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg may change that." — Newsday Posted Jul 17, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 83%
| Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) | "
The movie franchise based on J.K. Rowlings' novels gets its The Empire Strikes Back moment. It's a downbeat cliffhanger that suggests its central characters are exiting their age of innocence." — Newsday Posted Jul 14, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 98%
| The Hurt Locker (2009) | "
The Hurt Locker leaves an impression. It practically leaves a bruise." — Newsday Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 92%
| Séraphine (2008) | "
It's also a comforting story that allows us to elevate the notion of purity above success." — Newsday Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 45%
| Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) | "
Treacly and barely amusing." — Newsday Posted Jun 30, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 67%
| Public Enemies (2009) | "
Something about Dillinger's bloody, summary death has always nagged at the public; Mann is clearly urging today's audiences to draw its own conclusions." — Newsday Posted Jun 30, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 47%
| My Sister's Keeper (2009) | "
A moving story, but the film's overly romantic tone rings hollow." — Newsday Posted Jun 25, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 19%
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) | "
The magic isn't in the plot (no disrespect to returning screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, joined by Ehren Kruger), but in the obvious delight Bay takes in boyish fantasies of battles, cars, aliens and babes." — Newsday Posted Jun 23, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 84%
| The Windmill Movie (2009) | "
The examined life may be the only one worth living, but as The Windmill Movie profoundly illustrates, it's no guarantee of happiness." — Newsday Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 66%
| Away We Go (2009) | "
Rudolph lends depth and complexity to this otherwise facile story." — Newsday Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 47%
| Whatever Works (2009) | "
Whatever Works is a slapdash composition built around a single note." — Newsday Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 43%
| The Proposal (2009) | "
Somehow, someone decided this rom-com needed less rom and more com -- a fatal mistake." — Newsday Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 52%
| The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) | "
Director Tony Scott may not suffer from attention-deficit disorder, but he is convinced you do." — Newsday Posted Jun 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 33%
| Tennessee (2009) | "
As a Texas waitress, Carey is convincing -- more so than the film itself." — Newsday Posted Jun 5, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Fresh 78%
| The Hangover (2009) | "
Surprisingly funny and smartly acted." — Newsday Posted Jun 5, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 25%
| Land of the Lost (2009) | "
Not a children's movie, but a movie for people with childlike minds, Land of the Lost" combines the kind of juvenile humor that might amuse a 14-year-old with a shoddy plot that wouldn't satisfy a 5-year-old." — Newsday Posted Jun 4, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 92%
| Drag Me To Hell (2009) | "
A near-brilliant comedy disguised as a quickie horror flick, Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell is the year's most frightfully hilarious movie so far." — Newsday Posted May 28, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 98%
| Up (2009) | "
A whimsical story that taps into the magical relationship between the young and the old." — Newsday Posted May 28, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 64%
| The Brothers Bloom (2009) | "
That rare and wonderful thing: a movie lover's movie." — Newsday Posted May 21, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 44%
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) | "
What follows is less a story than a series of semi-clever ideas." — Newsday Posted May 21, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 32%
| Terminator Salvation (2009) | "
Skynet, Schmynet -- the future is here." — Newsday Posted May 20, 2009 |
Rotten 1/4
| Rotten 45%
| Management (2009) | "
It's a handful of ostensibly quirky ideas glued together by irritatingly conventional devices." — Newsday Posted May 14, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 86%
| Tyson (2009) | "
The closest most of us will ever come to an intimate chat with the champ." — Newsday Posted May 14, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 36%
| Angels & Demons (2009) | "
Ultimately, the film tries so hard to strike a balance that it ends up standing stock-still." — Newsday Posted May 14, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 78%
| Nursery University (2009) | "
There's wicked fun in watching the wealthy sweat the small stuff, but this documentary has empathy for parents of all incomes." — Newsday Posted May 7, 2009 |
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