Rotten
| Fresh 83%
| Avatar (2009) | "
Yes, the wonderful CGI effects and sophisticated editing rhythms in these moments represent all that's good about contemporary blockbuster cinema. But the film is compromised by a rather juvenile story exposition. A pity." Posted Dec 17, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 73%
| Where the Wild Things Are (2009) | "
Jonze evokes the amplified emotions of childhood, from jubilation to despair, with such a well crafted sense of timing that he carries us along for the ride." Posted Dec 3, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 77%
| The Informant! (2009) | "
The Informant!'s capacity to acknowledge both the malign and the good natured sides of this tragic individual makes it an absorbing tale." Posted Dec 3, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 57%
| The Invention of Lying (2009) | "
The fatal flaw of The Invention of Lying is that the film conspires with the hero -- not against him -- in a way that's ideologically driven and humourless." Posted Nov 26, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 87%
| A Serious Man (2009) | "
It's cinema at its best, leaving your mind in motion long after the final credits have rolled." Posted Nov 19, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 39%
| 2012 (2009) | "
2012 is a sideshow ride, a rollickingly good thrill until it loses momentum in the last act, but even so, at 158 minutes, there's plenty of bang for your buck." Posted Nov 12, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 63%
| The Brothers Bloom (2009) | "
It's the kind of wry, picturesque fable that recalls the work of Hal Ashby, with the difference that the late, great master had the red blood of political conviction running through his veins. This is a bloodless corpse by comparison." Posted Nov 12, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 60%
| Prime Mover (2009) | "
Were it not for Thomas's convoluted personal story, and a rather unlikable performance from Dorman who struggles to channel the idealistic, hard-as-steel spirit of his character, I might have liked it more." Posted Nov 5, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 65%
| The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | "
The melding together of the streamlined urbanscapes of modern London with the old-time production design of the Parnassus carriage, not to mention the CGI wonderlands beyond the mirror, is a spectacle that's worth the price of admission alone." Posted Oct 29, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 80%
| Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) | "
What's missing in the electricity of a live crowd is more than made up for with behind-the-scenes insights into Michael Jackson's extraordinary talent." Posted Oct 29, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 81%
| Departures (2009) | "
It's an affecting experience (you'll need to bring some tissues) but rest assured it's a joyous one too." Posted Oct 15, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 83%
| Whip It (2009) | "
It's like a raucous slumber party: laughter; tears; drinking; a food fight... and some big purple bruises in the morning. Go see it. You'll glide out of the cinema." Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 12%
| Couples Retreat (2009) | "
This is what passes for middle of the road comedy these days, safe without being prudish, never too disturbing, never too funny." Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 73%
| Mao's Last Dancer (2009) | "
This is a film that seems afraid to show its claws, and for me, it's a real pity." Posted Oct 1, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 71%
| Van Diemen's Land (2009) | "
There's no doubting the premise held great high-concept horror possibilities, but the end result is surprisingly bloodless despite some close-range gore." Posted Sep 24, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 89%
| Séraphine (2008) | "
If you're in the mood for a gentle, unsentimental film, where the director has made choices that are intelligent and thoughtful, seek this out." Posted Sep 24, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 88%
| Looking for Eric (2009) | "
Loach looks like he's having fun here (and it's contagious), weaving a comic thread of magic realism into an otherwise familiar study of working-class characters struggling to pull together." Posted Sep 24, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 86%
| 500 Days of Summer (2009) | "
500 Days of Summer never quite convinces, despite the charm of the leads. This is wannabe indie, and these two Hollywood names are too 'big' to play beautiful nobodies navigating a heart-wrenching misunderstanding." Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 78%
| $9.99 (2009) | "
The film is more than picturesque whimsy, though: at times it reaches for some really quite weird imagery – and some raw honesty." Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 77%
| Valentino: the Last Emperor (2009) | "
The film successfully paints a picture of how this relationship worked so well as a business; it's less capable of penetrating the emotional story." Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 68%
| Funny People (2009) | "
It's interesting stuff, I feel myself wanting to like it more than I did. Judd Apatow has a lot to say, he just hasn't mastered the tools to say it well." Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 98%
| Up (2009) | "
Overall it is up there (pardon the pun) with the best of the big studio CGI animations for kids and adults." Posted Sep 3, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 55%
| The Soloist (2009) | "
There's something about The Soloist's aura of religiosity that seems simplistic. An unsatisfying, jarring note, in this otherwise hopeful, triumphant story." Posted Sep 3, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 49%
| Taking Woodstock (2009) | "
Don't expect too much from Taking Woodstock and you might just enjoy its kind-hearted, sunny spirit. It is not, however, an experience that will linger long." Posted Aug 27, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 51%
| The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) | "
If you're not feeling too cerebral Tony Scott's action movie set pieces are pretty good -- also silly sometimes -- but they're more than enough to fill in time between the lines of clichéd dialogue." Posted Aug 27, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 88%
| Inglourious Basterds (2009) | "
It's a lurid, wide-screen fantasy of how things might have gone if Sergio Leone or Sam Fuller had called the shots." Posted Aug 23, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Eden à l'Ouest (2009) | "
The tone of the film, despite some pretty hard living, remains warm with flashes of magic realism. This works against our expectations for this kind of road movie, and may seem too saccharine for some. I enjoyed the journey." Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 88%
| Inglourious Basterds (2009) | "
I think it's Tarantino's best film since Jackie Brown. It's up there, in fact, with his best ever." Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 55%
| Orphan (2009) | "
Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther does her best with the material, but frankly the story lacks a strong central thesis about the nature of evil." Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 90%
| District 9 (2009) | "
This is vibrant, original and marks the arrival of a talent to watch." Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 36%
| G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) | "
The tongue-in-cheek action film they've inspired aims for 'so bad it's good' cheesiness, but just ends up being -- well, bad." Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 14%
| The Ugly Truth (2009) | "
The big shame ... is that Heigl must wade through a string of second-rate gags. Her comedic talent deserves much more." Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 85%
| Tyson (2009) | "
In the end this is an unflinching portrait of a man, honest and beguiling. It puts Tyson's sins into context, but never excuses him. In a way, it's also a very American story about success from nothing and the double-edged sword of money and fame." Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 47%
| My Sister's Keeper (2009) | "
Cassavetes...shows great skill in weaving bright moments -- even an adolescent romance -- into the gloom. It's still bittersweet, but like mass-produced crème caramel, never too bitter." Posted Jul 31, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 92%
| Drag Me To Hell (2009) | "
It's like watching a slide down a slippery slope with big, sharp spikes at the bottom. For horror fans -- irresistible." Posted Jul 24, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 89%
| Red Cliff (2009) | "
[Woo] pulls out all the stops to recreate extensive battle scenes with high spectacle impact, but fails to capture the nuance and personal touch of his early action films." Posted Jul 24, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 43%
| The Proposal (2009) | "
It simply doesn't give this screwball premise the workout it deserves." Posted Jun 21, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 15%
| Year One (2009) | "
I expected more from veteran comic filmmaker Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day, Analyze That), who does little with the loss of innocence idea, and doesn't really find the laughs to make the premise go the distance." Posted Jun 21, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 43%
| The Proposal (2009) | "
[Bullock and Reynolds] should be a winning combination, but they're slightly out of synch here: she overplays the gags and he isn't given enough to do to." Posted Jun 19, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 15%
| Year One (2009) | "
[Ramis] does little with the loss of innocence idea, and doesn't really find the laughs to make the premise go the distance." Posted Jun 19, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 25%
| Land of the Lost (2009) | "
Land of the Lost probably looked hilarious in pre-production, but on the big screen, it only induces the odd chuckle." Posted Jun 11, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 77%
| The Hangover (2009) | "
The revelations of the night before won't shock you (strippers, wedding chapel, drugs), but there's so much vomiting, car crashing and tasering of genitals that you don't have time to ponder how uninteresting the story really is." Posted Jun 11, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 32%
| Terminator Salvation (2009) | "
Unfortunately, whenever this film attempts to depict anything resembling the motivational keys of emotional storytelling -- love, revenge, anger -- it feels like McG is wishing he could be blowing stuff up." Posted Jun 5, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 83%
| I Love You, Man (2009) | "
This odd couple idea works well, mainly because Peter is dragged into some very silly situations as he tries to loosen up and find his inner dude." Posted Jun 5, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 88%
| Adventureland (2009) | "
While ultimately Adventureland never quite delivers the punch, or the laughs, that it promises, it has a bittersweet nostalgia that works." Posted Jun 5, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 91%
| Katyn (2007) | "
Wajda's own father died in this tragedy, and there is a palpable feeling of personal liberation here as he finally gets to exorcise his demons." Posted May 29, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 30%
| Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009) | "
For others just looking for schlocky kicks, this might have a finger-clicking pace and high-gloss finish, but it's no more than a calling card from director Phil Claydon and the script, written by a pair of comedy-sketch writers, is surprisingly dull." Posted May 22, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 25%
| Rip!: A Remix Manifesto (2009) | "
There is a feeling, as the film goes on, that a more subtle, sophisticated debate is being sacrificed in the interests of a video clip." Posted May 22, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 44%
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) | "
Like too many sequels, more money and fewer ideas has made for a disappointing film." Posted May 22, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 36%
| Angels & Demons (2009) | "
Director Ron Howard and his writers deserve a hefty penance for this abomination." Posted May 14, 2009 |
RSS Feeds