Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 88%
| Nowhere Boy (2009) | "
It's a confident debut to be appreciated by cineastes, laymen and Lennonites alike." Posted Dec 18, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 11%
| The Stepfather (2009) | "
This rehash - toned (and dumbed) down for adolescent audiences by the director responsible for taking the slash out of Prom Night - provides thin gruel." Posted Dec 11, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 83%
| Me and Orson Welles (2009) | "
A thoroughly enjoyable wheeze, bobbing along to a jaunty score (cue Jools Holland cameo) and blessed with moments of knowing wit." Posted Dec 4, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 50%
| The Descent: Part 2 (2009) | "
Even without the original element of surprise, Harris keeps nerves jangling and leaves no stomach unturned on an unrelenting seesaw between uneasy silence and grisly bedlam." Posted Dec 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 44%
| The Box (2009) | "
So shudder to think what [Matheson would] make of this dogs' dinner of an adaptation by Richard Kelly, a shambles rivalled only by the writer-director's own Southland Tales." Posted Dec 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 56%
| Bunny & The Bull (2009) | "
There's no question that King has enough visual ideas to fill a movie. He just needs to master the art of stretching his plot - and the comedy that drives it - beyond 30 minutes." Posted Nov 27, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 50%
| Glorious 39 (2009) | "
Unfortunately, Stephen Poliakoff's tale of wartime skulduggery should have stayed on paper. The sort you can flush. Tedious, overlong and laughably unconvincing, the only remarkable thing about it is Bill Nighy's performance. Specifically, how bad it is." Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 87%
| A Serious Man (2009) | "
The Coen brothers most personal film to date, a typically shkrewy look at Jewishness that smartly nails the ticky-tackiness of American suburbia in 1967." Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 49%
| Taking Woodstock (2009) | "
Taking Woodstock will leave the unstoned cold and won’t have anyone aching for those legendary ‘three days of peace and music’ that wasn’t there in the first place." Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 75%
| Cold Souls (2009) | "
Competently made but remarkably smug for a film unique only in its paucity of original ideas." Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 39%
| 2012 (2009) | "
158 minutes represents a heavy investment in time and popcorn. But the unrelenting pace, almighty effects and sheer tongue-in-cheekiness make it more than worth your while." Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 94%
| An Education (2009) | "
The film's a gem - and [Carey Mulligan's] performance is an education in itself." Posted Oct 30, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 57%
| 9 (2009) | "
Despite using a limited palette of earth tones and cold metals, there’s a satisfying richness and depth to his CG world. Against unforgiving and ominous backdrops, the characters emerge with genuine soul." Posted Oct 30, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 93%
| Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) | "
Wes Anderson has come up with the liveliest adventure set on English soil since Wallace and Gromit ran into the were-rabbit." Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 37%
| Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) | "
It's worth the price of a ticket but, like most passing curiosities, the first coming of Cirque Du Freak is all sideshows and no main event." Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 65%
| The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | "
Like the cartoons of Monty Python, the results are weirdly inspired and fitfully amusing but mostly unfathomable. Such is the delirium of Doctor Gilliam." Posted Oct 16, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 100%
| The Army of Crime (2009) | "
Favouring character and atmosphere over flamboyant technique, this is as focused, balanced and compelling a war drama as you're likely to see." Posted Oct 4, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 10%
| My Life in Ruins (2009) | "
While Vardalos does her big fat best to keep it fresh, the duff characters and uninspired direction make Greece look as appealing as a week-old kebab." Posted Oct 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 76%
| The Firm (2009) | "
Love's film is ultimately pointless, having nothing new to say on the issues of male bonding, acceptance and tribalism." Posted Sep 18, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 26%
| Blind Dating (2007) | "
Small wonder this hard-to-swallow cocktail of bawdy comedy, cross-cultural romance and issue-of-the-week melodrama was left on the shelf for three years. The marketing people can’t have had a clue what to do with it." Posted Sep 18, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 66%
| Away We Go (2009) | "
Sweet and sometimes sharp but never bitter, this is a heartwarming work of refreshing geniality." Posted Sep 18, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 6%
| Whiteout (2009) | "
With plotholes you could drive a snowplough through and as eventful as an Antarctic winter, Whiteout is less a whodunit than a getonwithit." Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 88%
| Adventureland (2009) | "
Wisely, Mottola doesn't try to reinvent the comedy wheel. He's simply taken the plot-free route of Superbad, made the like-for-like swap of Jesse Eisenberg for Michael Cera, upscaled the romance, downsized the slapstick." Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 23%
| Sorority Row (2009) | "
The combination of gore and giggles can work. But where Scream was funny and knowing and peppered with genuine scares, Sorority Row seems happy merely to play dumb and make a joke of its own derivativeness." Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 50%
| Jetsam (2008) | "
Jetsam makes an interesting proposition but neither the execution or resolution exert any real grip." Posted Aug 29, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 28%
| The Final Destination (2009) | "
You know exactly what to expect: a blood-and-guts joyride with Death In Excess. And the wonderfully in-yer-face 3D will knock your block off." Posted Aug 29, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 15%
| I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009) | "
A sexed-up, dumbed-down romp that can’t decide whether to please undemanding adults, sniggering adolescents or naughty children who shouldn't be watching in the first place." Posted Aug 24, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 77%
| Afterschool (2009) | "
Afterschool presents modern youth in a cold light. It’s difficult to like but even harder to dismiss." Posted Aug 24, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 38%
| Imagine That (2009) | "
The dubious combination of business, buffoonery and child manipulation makes Imagine That a tough sell." Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 58%
| A Perfect Getaway (2009) | "
It's as crazy as a crackpipe on a kayak, but the title alone proves that this is a hell of a lot smarter than it looks." Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 29%
| Aliens in the Attic (2009) | "
This is just a giant slurp of cinematic Sunny D, quenching the thirst for instant fun with CGI sweeteners and a fast-acting concoction of other slapstick additives." Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 80%
| Yes Men Fix the World (2009) | "
Optimistic and constantly amusing, the Yes Men are a force for the good. That, plus the knowledge that many of those free marketeering goons will have been crushed in the credit crunch, makes this a guilt-edged pleasure." Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 55%
| Orphan (2009) | "
Collet-Serra manages to sustain tension throughout, prudently deploying his jumps and jolts and pumping up the grue factor. So while it often prompts hoots of derision, they’re often choked off with a vice-tight wince." Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 65%
| Adam (2009) | "
Adam provides a welcome explanation of why some folk seem queerer than others." Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 96%
| Burma VJ (2009) | "
Not particularly well-rounded then, but any film that gives voice to the oppressed while raising global awareness has got to be a good thing." Posted Jul 17, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 53%
| Embodiment of Evil (2008) | "
With a script of pure gibberish stitching the pieces together, it’s as though Ed Wood Jr, Clive Barker and Hieronymous Bosch had too much absinthe one night and decided to make a home movie." Posted Jul 3, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 60%
| Am I Black Enough For You () | "
It's clear that there isn't enough imagery to cover the narrative. This is a 50-minute radio programme stuck in 90 minutes of pixels." Posted Jul 3, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 11%
| Beyond the Fire (2009) | "
Loathe to say it, but even after the closing stats about rape and the amount of compensation paid out by the Vatican, Beyond The Fire has little more resonance than a Madonna video." Posted Jun 19, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 89%
| Red Cliff (2009) | "
With superb planning and execution from Woo, his stuntmen and the backroom boys, the action unfolds like a game of Risk played on the grandest scale." Posted Jun 12, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 88%
| Looking for Eric (2009) | "
Looking For Eric is his most entertaining film yet, a feelgood, footy-mad gem that takes spectators through several rounds of anguish to a cheer-inducing finale of hope and glory." Posted Jun 12, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 42%
| The Last House on the Left (2009) | "
Director Iliadis succeeds by building tension and putting everyone at unease rather than grinding out cheap shocks." Posted Jun 12, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 70%
| Last Chance Harvey (2008) | "
It's always nice to see pros at work. But while there’s nothing wrong with unabashed fluff, you'd expect something more substantial from two such seasoned campaigners." Posted Jun 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 31%
| Terminator Salvation (2009) | "
Salvation is clearly aimed at a younger audience than its predecessors. The carnage is surprisingly bloodless, there’s virtually no cussing and several scenes were clearly conceived with one eye on the PlayStation." Posted Jun 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 44%
| Hannah Montana The Movie (2009) | "
Extolling the virtues of honesty, decency, friendship and family while portraying capitalism as the root of all evil, this big-screen outing for Disney's latest pop princess is a wholesome treat for her legions of young fans." Posted May 1, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 27%
| Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) | "
Director Waters pulls out the odd cracker, injecting Dickens’ timeless story of redemption with a healthy dose of self-awareness." Posted May 1, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 62%
| Crank High Voltage (2009) | "
Stick two fingers up at the moral majority... then shove them in the High Voltage socket and get ready to have your socks blown off." Posted Apr 17, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 72%
| Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) | "
Despite being second out of the 3D traps after Bolt, their first special-specs-required outing is at least as eye-catching as Pixar’s Oscar-nominated pacesetter. Occasionally, it’s even better." Posted Apr 3, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 100%
| La Vie Moderne (2008) | "
These are private people whose every careworn expression tells a story. It’s during their silences that we see the real, human cost of progress." Posted Apr 3, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 71%
| American Teen (2008) | "
The tears and laughter are genuine enough, but Berstein’s orchestrations make her less of a fly on the wall than a fly in the ointment." Posted Mar 7, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 18%
| New in Town (2009) | "
Handed a role that will amuse nobody but her bank manager, Zellweger displays an infectious lack of enthusiasm, convincing only in capturing the look of someone who wishes they would rather be anywhere else. It’s easy to sympathise." Posted Feb 27, 2009 |
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