Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 91%
| Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire (2009) | "
While Precious isn't perfect, it's a moving drama that gives veteran performer Mo'Nique and first-timer Gabourey Sidibe the opportunity to create indelibly-etched characterizations." — MSNBC Posted Nov 5, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 54%
| The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) | "
There are a handful of funny moments -- most of which appear in the trailer -- but overall, this is a film that would have benefited from someone staring at some rewrites." — MSNBC Posted Nov 3, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 55%
| Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009) | "
Bob Hoskins looks just right as kind old Mr. Fezziwig, but that may be more of a testament to the actor's physiognomy than to the motion-capture process, which makes most of the film's cast look like they just sauntered out of Madame Tussauds." — MSNBC Posted Nov 3, 2009 |
N/A | Rotten 54%
| The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) | "
When it comes to stardom, Clooney has smarts" — MSNBC Posted Nov 2, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 80%
| Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) | "
To remember Jackson's singing voice at its finest, put his albums on; if you want to experience his breathtaking talent as a dancer and showman, in what would turn out to be the final weeks of his life, well, This Is It." — MSNBC Posted Oct 28, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 16%
| Gentlemen Broncos (2009) | "
Lacking any level of empathy or sympathy, however, Broncos becomes an exercise in disgust; this feels like art created by people who get their kicks tripping people on crutches." — MSNBC Posted Oct 27, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Rotten 48%
| Astro Boy (2009) | "
One of the most pleasant surprises I've had at the movies all year." — MSNBC Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 20%
| Amelia (2009) | "
Gere and McGregor are fine actors, but Nair uses them like the expendable males (Zachary Scott, Franchot Tone, et al) who stood back and let Bette Davis and Joan Crawford do all the heavy lifting back in the day." — MSNBC Posted Oct 22, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 38%
| Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) | "
If this clever and stylish hybrid is your bucket of blood, then you'll certainly be clamoring for the further adventures of these bizarre and delightful freaks." — MSNBC Posted Oct 21, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 49%
| Antichrist (2009) | "
Frankly, von Trier, I don't give a damn." — MSNBC Posted Oct 20, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 26%
| Motherhood (2009) | "
What Eliza writes, like Motherhood itself, feels like a stale collection of harried-parent material that the bland comedy duo The Mommies milked dry more than a decade ago." — MSNBC Posted Oct 20, 2009 |
Rotten 3/5
| Rotten 22%
| Law Abiding Citizen (2009) | "
The movie remains admittedly entertaining, mainly because it's so shamelessly ridiculous that you can't believe an Oscar-winning actor (Jamie Foxx) can get through this thing with a straight face." — MSNBC Posted Oct 16, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 70%
| Where the Wild Things Are (2009) | "
There's so very much to like about Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers' adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved book Where the Wild Things Are, but it winds up being a well-crafted vehicle that never soars." — MSNBC Posted Oct 14, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 70%
| Where the Wild Things Are (2009) | "
Kids' books face a rough path to the big screen" — MSNBC Posted Oct 14, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 58%
| Trucker (2009) | "
Were it not for Michelle Monaghan's convincingly dirt-under-the-fingernails performance in the title role, there would be absolutely nothing about the film to distinguish it from dozens of other movies." — MSNBC Posted Oct 7, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 94%
| An Education (2009) | "
Even if the story gets derailed, the early part of the ride is such fun that you'll want to take the journey." — MSNBC Posted Oct 7, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 56%
| The Invention of Lying (2009) | "
There are a few funny bits sprinkled throughout, but the premise of the movie never goes anywhere particularly interesting, even with the potentially outrageous subplot regarding religion as an outgrowth of chicanery." — MSNBC Posted Oct 1, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 89%
| Zombieland (2009) | "
There's a lot to bite into here, but it's a film that doesn't always live up to its own dizzying potential." — MSNBC Posted Sep 29, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 82%
| Whip It (2009) | "
...a fun female-empowerment movie that marks an impressively crowd-pleasing directorial debut for Drew Barrymore." — MSNBC Posted Sep 28, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 86%
| A Serious Man (2009) | "
If Philip Roth and Franz Kafka sat down to write an adaptation of the Book of Job, the result might be something like A Serious Man." — MSNBC Posted Sep 28, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 39%
| Surrogates (2009) | "
Director Jonathan Mostow makes the proceedings such fun that you're willing to forfeit the smart satire this might have been for the trashy adventure flick that it is." — MSNBC Posted Sep 24, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 28%
| Fame (2009) | "
Thanks to the blitheringly awful script -- credited screenwriter Allison Burnett disavows it, and he willingly put his name on Feast of Love and Untraceable -- we barely get to know any of the young lead characters." — MSNBC Posted Sep 24, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 75%
| Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) | "
Provides lots of insights and enraging bits of information while, ultimately, coming off as somewhat amorphous." — MSNBC Posted Sep 23, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 45%
| Jennifer's Body (2009) | "
Cody's sophomore effort shows no real feel for teen comedy or teen horror; somebody undid her doodle." — MSNBC Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Rotten 3/5
| Fresh 76%
| The Informant! (2009) | "
Marvin Hamlisch's goofy score all but bruises your ribs by jabbing you with "isn't this hilarious?" wackiness, but ultimately the cast plays it so straight that to respond with laughter almost feels like chuckling at a funeral." — MSNBC Posted Sep 16, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 85%
| Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) | "
Overstuffed with enough sight gags to delight children while throwing in healthy dollops of wordplay and absurdist humor to keep their adult chaperones entertained as well." — MSNBC Posted Sep 15, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 62%
| Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009) | "
Ultimately, we wind up with another Tyler Perry movie in which a wayward woman must learn to submit to two patriarchies: the nice blue-collar guy who's going to solve her problems, and Jesus." — MSNBC Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 6%
| Whiteout (2009) | "
If you want the real Whiteout experience, just read the book. Or ask the manager of your local 7-Eleven if you can play Clue in the beer cooler." — MSNBC Posted Sep 10, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 56%
| 9 (2009) | "
While the grim and gritty post-apocalyptic setting -- call it Industrial Blight and Tragic -- make this PG-13 title very much not for little kids, 9 gets a lot of empathy and pathos from its cast of (literally) stitched-together characters." — MSNBC Posted Sep 8, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 29%
| Gamer (2009) | "
Where Neveldine/Taylor lose their way is by trying to marry their no-shot-lasts-longer-than-five-seconds style with overstuffed storytelling." — MSNBC Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 6%
| All About Steve (2009) | "
Frantic, inane, moronic and obnoxious, All About Steve ranks among the very worst movies of the year. The decade, even." — MSNBC Posted Sep 3, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 63%
| Extract (2009) | "
Jason Bateman's long, strange trip to the top" — MSNBC Posted Sep 2, 2009 |
Rotten 3/5
| Fresh 63%
| Extract (2009) | "
Judge is a brilliant chronicler of social absurdity, workplace humor and that uniquely American brand of doltishness, but he hasn't quite figured out how to channel his observations into sharp storytelling." — MSNBC Posted Sep 2, 2009 |
Rotten 3/5
| Rotten 29%
| The Final Destination (2009) | "
The latest entry skimps on the series' strongest point, setting up the most obvious calamities." — MSNBC Posted Aug 28, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 21%
| Halloween II (2009) | "
For a filmmaker who began his career with relatively clever and visionary splatter films like House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, Zombie seems to be pursuing the path of least resistance." — MSNBC Posted Aug 28, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 49%
| Taking Woodstock (2009) | "
Eliot is conceived as something of a blank-slate character, and [Demetri] Martin isn't engaging enough to give anything but a blank-slate performance." — MSNBC Posted Aug 25, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 45%
| Shorts (2009) | "
Rodriguez never lets things get too noisy or chaotic to follow, and he wraps everything up in a satisfying resolution that even slips in a stealth moral or two." — MSNBC Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 9%
| Post Grad (2009) | "
The greatest actress in the history of drama couldn't make first-timer Kelly Fremon's sow's ear of a screenplay into a sow's ear sandwich, much less a silk purse." — MSNBC Posted Aug 19, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 85%
| World's Greatest Dad (2009) | "
World's Greatest Dad crushes a boldly funny concept with inert and bloodless filmmaking." — MSNBC Posted Aug 18, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 88%
| Inglourious Basterds (2009) | "
Even if you wish Tarantino would calm down a bit and rely more on his considerable skills at straightforward storytelling, this World War II saga is undeniably suspenseful, violent and entertaining." — MSNBC Posted Aug 18, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 38%
| The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) | "
I can only imagine that the scenes of a 40-something man getting chummy with his 6-year-old bride-to-be must have played better in the book. On film, it feels like To Catch a Time-Traveling Predator." — MSNBC Posted Aug 12, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 91%
| Ponyo (2009) | "
...a sweetly lovable and visually trippy movie that young tots and their parents can enjoy in equal measure." — MSNBC Posted Aug 12, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 36%
| G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) | "
I'll have forgotten most of it by Labor Day, but I was never bored." — MSNBC Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 60%
| Paper Heart (2009) | "
Paper Heart wallows in that irritating hipster preciousness known as "twee" for nearly its entire running time." — MSNBC Posted Aug 5, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 75%
| Julie & Julia (2009) | "
5Top: Cheers! Movies that make you lift a glass" — MSNBC Posted Aug 4, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 75%
| Julie & Julia (2009) | "
5Top: Movies that revolve around eating" — MSNBC Posted Aug 4, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 75%
| Julie & Julia (2009) | "
How did Meryl Streep become Will Smith?" — MSNBC Posted Aug 4, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 75%
| Julie & Julia (2009) | "
In the end, Julie & Julia doesn't stack up as much more than a pleasant summertime diversion, but it's hands down the best such trifle that Ephron has ever concocted." — MSNBC Posted Aug 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 65%
| Adam (2009) | "
[M]erely a Very Special Episode of a TV series I never wanted to watch." — MSNBC Posted Jul 29, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 95%
| The Cove (2009) | "
What makes The Cove so powerful is that it's not just an ecological horror show -- it's a real-life thriller that's as suspenseful as anything cooked up by Hollywood." — MSNBC Posted Jul 28, 2009 |
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