Rotten 2.5/5
| Rotten 47%
| Towelhead (2008) | "
Too much of Towelhead is pitched on a hysterical, one-dimensional note, with Jasira being consistently mistreated in one way or another by pretty much everyone she encounters -- a reverse Candide for our cynical times." Posted Sep 12, 2008 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Rotten 40%
| YPF (2008) | "
Actually a pretty staid affair, showing much less nudity than most R-rated films and coming down firmly, for the most part, in the pro-monogamy camp." Posted Sep 3, 2008 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Fresh 77%
| Lou Reed's Berlin (2008) | "
A well made concert film that will, nevertheless, fail to satisfy Reed's many dedicated fans." Posted Jul 18, 2008 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Rotten 20%
| Meet Bill (2008) | "
Takes scattershot aim at all manner of appropriate targets—the vapid nature of local television news, the perceived stigma of standing out from the pack in America, the dilemma of dreams deferred and abandoned—but rarely hits the comic bull’s-eye." Posted May 9, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 55%
| Trailer Park Boys - The Movie (2008) | "
If your idea of humor is spending time with creepy-looking lowlifes who don’t have a brain among them, by all means check out Trailer Park Boys. The rest of you can save your money for better, smarter movies." Posted Feb 6, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 80%
| The Flight of the Red Balloon (2008) | "
For the first time, the great Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien (Three Times, Café Lumiere) has made a movie set outside of Asia. The project, alas, is of little interest." Posted Jan 24, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 67%
| The Duchess of Langeais (2008) | "
Jacques Rivette, one of France’s most original filmmakers, stumbles with his latest film from a novella by Honore de Balzac, a period drama set in mid-19th-century France and Italy that is stopped dead by the one-note performance of Guillaume Depardieu." Posted Jan 4, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 67%
| Honeydripper (2007) | "
This likable, laidback movie goes down well, a pleasant dash of Southern Comfort with some great tunes mixed into the batch." Posted Dec 26, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 98%
| The Band's Visit (2007) | "
Eran Kolirin’s uncommonly assured directorial debut hinges on its characters, and in Ronit Elkabetz as Dina, and Sasson Gabai as Tewfiq, he strikes cinematic gold." Posted Dec 19, 2007 |
Rotten
| Fresh 96%
| 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2008) | "
This Romanian drama suffers from a flaw common to many European films: too much intellect, not enough heart." Posted Dec 19, 2007 |
Rotten
| Rotten 53%
| The Walker (2007) | "
Schrader's pallid thriller fails to entice." Posted Dec 7, 2007 |
Fresh
| Rotten 52%
| Margot at the Wedding (2007) | "
Lacerating and impeccably directed look at the fragile, complex relationship between two sisters." Posted Nov 16, 2007 |
Rotten
| Rotten 45%
| Bella (2007) | "
Bella is as pedestrian as they come." Posted Oct 25, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 81%
| Lars And The Real Girl (2007) | "
A timely reminder that love stories don’t have to be crass or contrived to succeed, even if one of the star-crossed lovers is entirely artificial." Posted Sep 29, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 74%
| The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) | "
Much of the film, burdened by unnecessary, obvious narration, is an overly languid, dully paced prelude to the main event..." Posted Sep 21, 2007 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Rotten 34%
| Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) | "
Elizabeth: The Golden Age squanders its chance to paint history in the fascinating strokes of gray that make for the best cinematic epics." Posted Sep 20, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 7%
| Silk (2007) | "
This thin silk doesn’t hold together for long." Posted Sep 14, 2007 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 94%
| In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) | "
That human touch is what distinguishes In the Shadow of the Moon from run-of-the-mill documentaries and is a timely reminder, in these dark days, that mankind is capable of much that is good." Posted Sep 7, 2007 |
— | Fresh 88%
| I Don't Want To Sleep Alone (2007) |
Click here to read article Posted Aug 30, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Rotten 52%
| Manufacturing Dissent (2007) | "
Though much of what’s in the film isn’t new information, seeing it all compiled in one place and building to its damning argument against Moore is effective and disturbing." Posted Aug 30, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 88%
| The Willow Tree (2005) | "
Anchored by Parastui’s luminous, heartfelt performance, [director] Majidi also revels in the joy of sight, especially as manifested in the beauty and lovely colors of nature. The Willow Tree is a powerful and ultimately optimistic movie." Posted Aug 3, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 81%
| Ghosts of Cite Soleil (2007) | "
Shot like a music video, the movie is quick-cutting, glossy and superficial, causing one to wonder about its serious intent." Posted Jun 29, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 69%
| Fido (2007) | "
The film retreats to political allegory -- evocations of the Bush administration’s so-called fear-mongering on terrorism -- and obvious pot shots at family values. More than anything, Fido is a missed opportunity." Posted Jun 15, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 44%
| Fay Grim (2007) | "
Fay Grim is not exactly a sequel but the law of diminishing returns applies to it just the same." Posted May 18, 2007 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 96%
| Triad Election (2007) | "
Guided by To’s elegant camera moves, less visceral than most Hong Kong filmmakers, the Election movies put a fresh, intriguing spin on the usual cinematic gangster motifs." Posted May 5, 2007 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 56%
| Civic Duty (2007) | "
It’s an ineptly put-together concoction that, despite its political musings, offers nothing new to the viewer." Posted May 4, 2007 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Fresh 62%
| Spider-Man 3 (2007) | "
The highly disappointing Spider-Man 3 has its touching moments, to be sure, but they’re few and far between." Posted May 4, 2007 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Fresh 67%
| Whole New Thing (2007) | "
Buchbinder displays an original filmic eye, but mostly Whole New Thing is a few drafts short of an emotionally fulfillilng feature." Posted Apr 14, 2007 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Fresh 79%
| Private Fears in Public Places (2007) | "
It’s well acted by Resnais’s usual troop of performers, but this is decidedly one of the master’s lesser works." Posted Apr 13, 2007 |
Rotten 3/5
| Fresh 87%
| After The Wedding (2007) | "
Script takes one melodramatic turn too many, ultimately pushing the film’s characters around like so many pieces on a chessboard. What begins so promisingly ends on a decidedly soapy note." Posted Mar 30, 2007 |
Rotten 1.5/5
| Rotten 26%
| Ghost Rider (2007) | "
As unwieldy a film as one can imagine, Ghost Rider mixes Christian theology, classic Western motifs, pure horror, glitzy special effects and modern superhero angst to deathly ill effect." Posted Feb 16, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 82%
| Sweet Mud (2006) | "
Subtly directed and flawlessly acted, Sweet Mud packs a genuine punch." Posted Jan 25, 2007 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 82%
| Manufactured Landscapes (2007) | "
A feature film demands more depth and imagination, both of which are largely lacking in this superficial offering." Posted Jan 25, 2007 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Fresh 74%
| The Painted Veil (2006) | "
The film, alas, never scales their acting heights, plodding along in a staid fashion and tamping down the strong emotions that reside below its surface. This should have been a much more powerful movie." Posted Dec 22, 2006 |
Rotten 1/5
| Fresh 76%
| Rocky Balboa (2006) | "
This is a tedious tale badly told." Posted Dec 20, 2006 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 82%
| Days of Glory (2006) | "
The film also conveniently omits the fact that many other Arabs supported the Germans. That smoothing out of complex issues makes Indigenes more of a simple crowd pleaser than a genuinely challenging film." Posted Dec 15, 2006 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Rotten 50%
| Ever Again (2005) | "
Ever Again is laudable in its intent but less than impressive in its execution." Posted Dec 8, 2006 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 46%
| The Holiday (2006) | "
The Holiday is a drippily sentimental and contrived movie that ladles on the treacle with a particularly heavy hand and strands some good actors -- and not so good ones -- along the way." Posted Dec 8, 2006 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 89%
| Starter For 10 (2007) | "
It is uniformly well acted, but the cast deserves better than this prepackaged, artificially preserved concoction." Posted Dec 7, 2006 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 65%
| Severance (2007) | "
There's nothing new or noteworthy here." Posted Dec 7, 2006 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Fresh 75%
| Black Book (2007) | "
The film may ostensibly deal with serious issues such as collaboration, the fight to survive and the need for forgiveness or revenge, but they’re really just window dressing for Verhoeven’s elaborately assembled but empty set pieces." Posted Nov 29, 2006 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 94%
| Away From Her (2007) | "
One of those 'small' movies that, because it’s uncompromisingly honest, risks being inflated into something more than it is." Posted Nov 29, 2006 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 65%
| Wondrous Oblivion (2006) | "
A family film with a difference, Wondrous Oblivion displays real bite as it incisively tackles such adult subjects as racism, anti-Semitism, adultery and the plight of immigrants in an intolerant land." Posted Nov 23, 2006 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 6%
| Deck the Halls (2006) | "
What's plentiful are stupid pratfalls, obvious plotting, cozy homilies and a big helping of saccharine moralizing." Posted Nov 23, 2006 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 43%
| The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes (2006) | "
While The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes is a handsomely mounted production and not an unintelligent one, it’s also emotionally cold and too familiar by half." Posted Nov 17, 2006 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 26%
| Copying Beethoven (2006) | "
...Too many dull subplots, notably one concerning Anna’s disapproving boyfriend, and director Agnieszka Holland’s typically heavy hand, dampen any musical fireworks that the film might have generated." Posted Nov 10, 2006 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Fresh 75%
| The Prestige (2006) | "
Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige revisits some of the same themes -- questioning appearances, reality and perceptions -- as the director’s previous Memento but with less satisfying results." Posted Oct 20, 2006 |
Rotten 1.5/5
| Rotten 11%
| All The King's Men (2006) | "
A clunky, unconvincing drama that’s pretty much stillborn from the outset." Posted Sep 30, 2006 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 44%
| Renaissance (2006) | "
Set in Paris circa 2054, the animated Renaissance deliberately meshes science fiction and film noir. Unfortunately, all it does with that provocative combination is remind the viewer that there have been better films made in both genres." Posted Sep 22, 2006 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 45%
| The Last Kiss (2006) | "
... despite its deficiencies, this film cuts pretty deep, especially when compared to most recent Hollywood dramas." Posted Sep 14, 2006 |
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