Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 86%
| A Serious Man (2009) | "
Rigorously controlled, perhaps at the expense of a little emotional light and shade, this is one of the Coens' subtlest films. Expect smiles, grimaces, a slightly furrowed brow, and, finally, a feeling of satisfaction." — Radio Times Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 62%
| Love The Beast (2009) | "
Bana exudes downhome blokeyness throughout, but an hour of this will be enough for most, after which egomania fatigue sets in. Add another star if you’re a petrolhead, two if you really like Eric Bana and cars, three if you’re his mum." — Time Out Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 75%
| Cold Souls (2009) | "
The credible production design impresses, the camerawork offers an exquisite chill and Giamatti is in his pomp." — Time Out Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 50%
| 1 Day () | "
A well-intentioned misfire." — Time Out Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 50%
| 1 Day () | "
Woolcock deserves praise for ambition, but this tumbles awkwardly into some netherworld between streetwise musical and social-conscience crime chronicle." — Radio Times Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 47%
| The Horseman (2008) | "
It’s mean and upsetting, but though the cruelty may undermine the message of vengeance breeding vengeance, it’s never presented as slickly enjoyable or a facile solution." — Time Out Posted Oct 30, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 60%
| Made in Jamaica (2006) | "
Diffuse, but worthwhile." — Time Out Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 95%
| The Cove (2009) | "
There’s an effective thriller element to this vividly assembled doc." — Time Out Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 12%
| Couples Retreat (2009) | "
Expectations of farce are stymied by long stretches of mid-life navel gazing." — Time Out Posted Oct 16, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 67%
| District 13: Ultimatum (2009) | "
The film’s real problem is building momentum from its action set-pieces. Belle’s agility and Raffaelli’s fleet footwork are fine, but the parade of rent-a-thugs toppling like ninepins isn’t very exciting." — Time Out Posted Oct 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 56%
| The Invention of Lying (2009) | "
That a great comic idea does not necessarily make for a great screen comedy is the lesson for first-time writer-director-star Ricky Gervais as he comes unstuck." — Time Out Posted Oct 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 85%
| White Lightnin' (2009) | "
This debut British feature weaves sundry biographical details into an awkward cross-hatch of oblique celluloid portrait and backwoods horror thriller." — Time Out Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 39%
| Surrogates (2009) | "
The ideas probably have a bit more juice than the movie, but it’s still an alert piece of entertainment." — Time Out Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 83%
| Heart of Fire (2008) | "
The pint-sized heroine’s defiant adherence to humanitarian values renders her more a stand-in for arthouse viewers’ right-on worldview than a real child in a specific dramatic situation." — Time Out Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 76%
| Bustin' Down the Door (2008) | "
This impressive sports doc finds enough drama in the situation to involve a wider audience, since the archive footage of these chaps gliding through waves the size of a house is quite something." — Time Out Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 87%
| 500 Days of Summer (2009) | "
If it just misses being this generation’s ‘Annie Hall’, it’s still deliciously refreshing, sweet and fizzy. A sherbet dip of a movie." — Time Out Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 82%
| In the Realm of the Senses (1976) | "
Unsanitised, worryingly convincing in its sadomasochistic detail, this is seriously provocative cinema, a telling reminder of what it really means to be dangerous." — Time Out Posted Aug 29, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 45%
| Shorts (2009) | "
You can’t fault the film’s exuberance, but it’s draggy in spots, with the grown-up cast outshone by Jolie Vanier’s little terror – nattily monikered Helvetica Black." — Time Out Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 88%
| Sin Nombre (2009) | "
It’s a tribute to the visceral impact of the staging that the film retains its grip despite becoming somewhat predictable, while thematically it’s the usual cycle-of-violence hand wringing." — Time Out Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 38%
| Imagine That (2009) | "
Murphy at least tries to stay in character rather than overdoing the silly voices and physical knockabout, but maybe the material was so blah that he felt it wasn’t worth the effort." — Time Out Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 25%
| Land of the Lost (2009) | "
A ragbag of lackadaisical plotting, drugs references, puerile lechery and shiny effects work, an assemblage far from child-friendly yet not quite grungey enough to wow older teens." — Time Out Posted Jul 31, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 82%
| Kisses (2008) | "
While the film’s compassion is never in doubt, it’s sometimes a bit too cute for its own good." — Time Out Posted Jul 17, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 76%
| The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) | "
On a scene-by-scene basis, though, it’s classily effective, mainly because of Wright Penn’s skill in nailing the precise tenor of every moment." — Time Out Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 75%
| Heimatklänge () | "
Slightly stretched at 82 minutes, the film nevertheless makes a strong case for this high, wide and lonesome sound expressing the soul of the alpine landscape, beautifully captured by the aerial camerawork." — Time Out Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 60%
| Am I Black Enough For You () | "
Slightly woolly overall, though you might find yourself buying the CDs. I did." — Time Out Posted Jul 3, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 67%
| Public Enemies (2009) | "
It’s a fascinating moment in history, and Mann captures the cars, the guns and the buildings with painstaking, immersive authenticity." — Time Out Posted Jul 3, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 83%
| Telstar: The Joe Meek Story (2009) | "
Even if ‘Telstar’ can’t quite get the measure of its fascinating material, its pluck and ambition prove infectious enough to outweigh its flaws." — Time Out Posted Jun 19, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 75%
| Anything for Her (2008) | "
There's much to enjoy in this admittedly generic thriller - a snappy set-up, strong central performance and a story which escalates from cosy domesticity to bullet-riddled mayhem." — Channel 4 Film Posted Jun 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3/6
| Rotten 41%
| Fighting (2009) | "
The tell-it-as-it-is title hardly indicates anything out of the ordinary, but this bare-knuckle boxing flick is put together with more love than you’d expect." — Time Out Posted May 15, 2009 |
Rotten 2/6
| Rotten 36%
| Angels & Demons (2009) | "
The re-creation of St Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel on the Hollywood backlot is a production achievement, yet the movie’s about as exciting as looking over someone’s shoulder while they finish a crossword." — Time Out Posted May 15, 2009 |
Rotten 2/6
| Rotten 24%
| Little Ashes (2009) | "
In the end, it doesn’t satisfy as fact-based bio or love story, but we appreciate the effort." — Time Out Posted May 8, 2009 |
Fresh 3/6
| Rotten 55%
| Funuke domo, kanashimi no ai wo misero (2007) | "
With Kyomi’s manga-drawing skills a key part of the scenario, the visual approach is sometimes too fluffily decorative to let the emotions deliver in full. Eminently likeable nonetheless." — Time Out Posted May 1, 2009 |
Fresh 5/6
| Fresh 93%
| Encounters At the End of the World (2007) | "
Seemingly off-hand, cumulatively imposing, utterly masterful." — Time Out Posted Apr 24, 2009 |
Rotten 2/6
| Rotten 43%
| Race to Witch Mountain (2009) | "
It’s pacy all right, but glib and uninvolving for grown-ups, though perhaps furnished with enough in the way of spaceships, lasers and digital explosions to pacify undemanding little ’uns of an afternoon." — Time Out Posted Apr 9, 2009 |
Rotten 2/6
| Rotten 56%
| Waveriders (2009) | "
Although the action footage is impressive, it becomes repetitive, exposing the rest of the movie as something of a ragbag. Surfing fans may be more enthused." — Time Out Posted Apr 3, 2009 |
Fresh 3/6
| Fresh 83%
| Two Lovers (2009) | "
Gray’s direction lovingly toys with images of containment and release, effectively playing out the drama in visual terms – but we never really feel it." — Time Out Posted Mar 27, 2009 |
Rotten 1/6
| Rotten 24%
| The Life Before Her Eyes (2008) | "
Ambition and accomplishment are aeons apart in this would-be meaningful drama." — Time Out Posted Mar 27, 2009 |
Fresh 3/6
| Fresh 61%
| Marley & Me (2008) | "
Evidently contrived and something of an ungainly hybrid, the film shares its canine protagonist’s facility for wearing down your resistance." — Time Out Posted Mar 13, 2009 |
Fresh 3/6
| Rotten 58%
| The International (2009) | "
Eventually, you just let the tangled double-crossing take care of itself and enjoy the way the film defiantly bucks the contemporary thriller trend for shaky-cam coverage and lightning cuts." — Time Out Posted Feb 27, 2009 |
Fresh 3/6
| Fresh 68%
| Cadillac Records (2008) | "
In story terms, its cavalcade of melodrama and conflict isn’t always persuasive, but writer-director Darnell Martin’s respect for the music shines through." — Time Out Posted Feb 19, 2009 |
Fresh 5/6
| Fresh 98%
| Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2009) | "
The guy’s a hero in any musical language, and he deserves this heartfelt, emotive, supremely entertaining tribute. Anvil! We salute you!" — Time Out Posted Feb 19, 2009 |
Rotten 2/6
| Rotten 30%
| 20th Century Boys (2008) | "
The ideas are fun, there are some striking design ideas (the villain’s commonplace-yet-freaky mask), yet the clogged storytelling just doesn’t make enough of them. Shame." — Time Out Posted Feb 19, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 76%
| Che, Part Two (2008) | "
A gripping, astringent portrayal of what happens when you try to force a revolution on territory which isn't fertile ground, in and of itself, Soderbergh's second instalment exerts a certain analytical intrigue." — Channel 4 Film Posted Feb 19, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 46%
| Hotel for Dogs (2009) |
Click here to read article — Time Out Posted Feb 12, 2009 |
Rotten 2/6
| Rotten 16%
| The Secret of Moonacre (2008) | "
Nicely put together, but just a little dull." — Time Out Posted Feb 5, 2009 |
Rotten 2/6
| Rotten 21%
| Faintheart (2008) | "
It all feels very samey, the comic potential of the mock battles never approached with genuine enthusiasm but treated as a mere gag, and one which soon outstays its welcome. Amiable yet underwhelming." — Time Out Posted Jan 23, 2009 |
Rotten 2/6
| Rotten 27%
| Seven Pounds (2008) | "
It’s not what you’d call any good, but Claude Lelouch fans, say, might relish its grandiose romantic gestures in the face of all known logic." — Time Out Posted Jan 16, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 86%
| A Christmas Tale (2008) | "
What could have been the acme of talky dramas about the inner lives of French intellectuals turns out to be a feast of a movie." — Channel 4 Film Posted Jan 16, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 72%
| Che, Part One (2008) | "
Che: Part One is the first half of a long movie rather than a satisfying screen experience in its own right, and should clearly be approached as such." — Channel 4 Film Posted Jan 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3/6
| Rotten 49%
| Twilight (2008) | "
Some will find it all too polite, but compared to rival blockbuster exercises in explosive CGI mayhem, its character-based index of longing and protectiveness at least provides a viable alternative moodscape." — Time Out Posted Dec 19, 2008 |
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