Rotten 2/10
| Rotten 28%
| Serious Moonlight (2009) | "
Small indie that has all the ingredients of a typical Hollywood Meg Ryan romantic comedy from the 1990s%u2014including Meg Ryan, but lacks the spark of the best of her genre." Posted Dec 6, 2009 |
Rotten 5/10
| Rotten 57%
| Brothers (2009) | "
A sympathetic case study of PTSD, but seems to be solved by an embrace. The histrionics keep it short of the effectiveness of more restrained war-at-home message dramas." Posted Dec 6, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 63%
| Loot (2009) | "
Patient as-it-happens direction intertwines two startling stories of how treasures were obtained and hidden with the horrors of war experienced by then-young soldiers." Posted Dec 6, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| N/A | The Necessities of Life (2008) | "
Combines poignancy with realism for a touching yet not overly sentimental exploration of an Inuit man and boy's deep need for family and tradition in a Quebec TB ward." Posted Dec 2, 2009 |
Fresh 6/10
| Fresh 79%
| Before Tomorrow (2009) | "
Episodic portrayal of Arctic women's role in physical and cultural survival, from feisty friends to storytelling as a nurturing rite of passage, but depressingly realistic." Posted Dec 2, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 92%
| Home (2009) | "
Eases down the road from an intimate family portrait to a disturbing environmental-disaster fable with a harrowing credibility that has more depth than most apocalypses." Posted Nov 29, 2009 |
Rotten 4/10
| Fresh 68%
| The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) | "
Takes the woman's perspective to both mock and sympathize with the old-fashioned notion of The Great Man's Wife, but with a woefully underused ensemble." Posted Nov 29, 2009 |
Rotten 4/10
| Fresh 73%
| William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe (2010) | "
A fond introduction to the activist lawyer by his daughters that may be more informative for their generation given that it covers little new ground." Posted Nov 14, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 87%
| Four Seasons Lodge (2009) | "
A quietly revealing tribute to unique octogenarians%u2014Holocaust survivors who have summered together for 25 years and the cinema vérité pioneer Albert Maysles." Posted Nov 11, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Rotten 55%
| The Little Traitor (2007) | "
Poignant, child's view of the summer of 1947, just before the sun set on the Brit Empire in Jerusalem and everything changed, but does't catch the ruefulness of Oz's novel." Posted Nov 8, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 94%
| Good Hair (2010) | "
The "Girlfriend, ya gotta see this movie!" of the year for an entertaining and provocative tour of some of the permutations of African-American women with their hair." Posted Nov 3, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 88%
| Skin (2009) | "
On-location authenticity lifts poignant debut feature out of pathos and melodrama for a sobering lesson about racism and the dystopian reality of apartheid." Posted Oct 30, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 71%
| Killing Kasztner (2008) | "
Absorbing untangling of how history judges choices made in extreme circumstances. Scrapes the scab off raw ethical, emotional and political perceptions of WWII heroism." Posted Oct 24, 2009 |
Fresh 6/10
| Fresh 84%
| Disgrace (2009) | "
More convincing as an allegory, but faithful to Coetzee's acerbic, alternative view of S. Africa's future than the usual uplifting themes of reconciliation and forgiveness." Posted Oct 12, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 100%
| Sweetgrass (2009) | "
Extraordinary piece of visual anthropology that is as beautiful and involving as it is informative about a threatened way of life." Posted Oct 9, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 84%
| Bright Star (2009) | "
Sensitively, slowly explores the interplay between a living, breathing muse and an inspired artist. Quietly makes a Regent-era, circumspect romance palpable." Posted Oct 9, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 87%
| Amreeka (2009) | "
Charming, poignant story with 3-dimensional characters as the familiar struggle for economic and cultural survival is updated for Arabs, centered by a zaftig force of nature." Posted Sep 1, 2009 |
Rotten 3/10
| Rotten 31%
| Tickling Leo (2009) | "
In beautifully photographed settings, brings together an excellent cast, which almost overcomes the film's very labored themes, but an unconvincing debut feature." Posted Sep 1, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 100%
| Still Walking (2009) | "
Sensitively demonstrates how nothing much happening to this idiosyncratic family is the universal story of every family." Posted Aug 26, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 79%
| Unmade Beds (2009) | "
Exudes an exuberant energy as Dos Santos keeps coming up with different visual styles and sounds, with a terrific soundtrack, to signal the longing for connection." Posted Aug 25, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 86%
| Fifty Dead Men Walking (2009) | "
Suspenseful thriller about divided loyalties and tensions of a double agent in his own home, informing on those he has known since childhood, but without political context." Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 87%
| The Baader Meinhof Complex (2009) | "
Meticulous and fascinating, this stark look at ideological terrorism within a democracy . . remains gripping because of the three captivating central figures." Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Rotten 5/10
| Fresh 78%
| It Might Get Loud (2009) | "
[O]nly occasionally turns the volume up beyond fanboy adulation. . [and] the guitar gods never get off their thrones." Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 91%
| Cloud 9 (2009) | "
Dresen's intimate, naturalistic style is key to how absorbing and convincing. . . are relationships exceptional and rare in a film." Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 67%
| Bliss (2007) | "
Lovely, swirling cinematography and the novelist's own emotive score help gloss over stereotypes and some clunky melodrama. Realistic touches overall make it satisfying." Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 86%
| Flame & Citron (2008) | "
[Amidst] corruption and complicity. . .a no-frills male friendship to fight against impossible odds [where] life during wartime is seen as the precursor to postwar noir [yet] stirringly vivid." Posted Aug 1, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 96%
| The Cove (2009) | "
Overflowing with research and passion, The Cove is an environmental horror story that exceptionally combines brains and beauty." Posted Aug 1, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 93%
| Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2009) | "
Using a dizzying array of clips and revealing interviews, the documentary is very affectionate, entertaining, and informative." Posted Aug 1, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 95%
| In the Loop (2009) | "
Clever and laugh out loud funny, this hilarious political satire delights at skewering the very human foibles behind undiplomatic diplomacy." Posted Jul 24, 2009 |
Rotten 3/10
| Rotten 50%
| Death In Love (2009) | "
Even as the frustrated audience can already see the truths, secrets, and manipulations congeal around the characters, they seem impotent to stop being victims." Posted Jul 18, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 79%
| A Woman in Berlin (2008) | "
[C]reates complex, three-dimensional men and women, Germans and Russians, who are each victims of political propaganda and the horrors of a brutal, total war." Posted Jul 17, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 92%
| Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg (2009) | "
Intro to the most famous Jewish mother of the 20th century and the auteur behind her, making a strong case beyond nostalgia for her positive strong image and business acumen." Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 84%
| Soul Power (2009) | "
A thrilling time machine that lets you travel to Zaire in 1974 to see legendary performers bringing it all back home." Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Fresh 10/10
| Fresh 97%
| The Beaches of Agnes (2009) | "
Brilliantly reinvents the autobiography in a glorious multi-media collage that eschews a standard biographical format, even as she incidentally provides facts." Posted Jul 1, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 100%
| Afghan Star (2009) | "
Entertaining and pointed, reveals the cultural, political, and social power of an old-fashioned televised talent show in a country where voting is a newfangled notion." Posted Jun 27, 2009 |
Fresh 6/10
| Rotten 54%
| The Stoning of Soraya M. (2009) | "
Fervidly but effectively makes the point how an entire community was complicit in a gruesome to watch honor killing." Posted Jun 27, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 78%
| $9.99 (2009) | "
Stop-action animation of painted sculptures creates beautiful, full-bodied characters with bemused sophistication and tender charm, where the odd becomes sweetly normal." Posted Jun 19, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 100%
| My Neighbor, My Killer (2009) | "
An intimate, nuanced and engrossing look at the implementation of an indigenous, grassroots approach to judging man's inhumanity to man." Posted Jun 19, 2009 |
Fresh 6/10
| Fresh 86%
| Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love (2009) | "
While the rambling, repetitive look at his life off stage is unevenly edited, his music is gloriously heard and seamlessly presented to an appreciative global audience." Posted Jun 19, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 89%
| Séraphine (2008) | "
Beyond a must for those interested in art and women's history are Moreau's brilliant performance, Brunet's luscious cinematography and Galasso's lovely score." Posted Jun 10, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| N/A | Under the Bombs () | "
In extraordinary circumstances with quasi-documentary style, two genuine individuals search through powerful images of a country torn apart by religion, politics and war." Posted Jun 2, 2009 |
Rotten 5/10
| Fresh 89%
| O'Horten (2009) | "
Charming and beautiful looking, but just another mode of transportation for a stubborn old guy lurching through a series of unscheduled stops while finally learning to live." Posted May 22, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 87%
| Jerichow (2009) | "
The ironic denouement doesn't match the fever pitch of the build up. But . . .the walls of Jerichow fall down just from the heat Fürmann and Hoss generate." Posted May 16, 2009 |
Fresh 6/10
| Fresh 68%
| Adoration (2009) | "
After arty flashbacks and brouhaha around larger social issues, slowly, quietly comes down to one family touchingly healing. Fine acting surmounts didactic plot construction." Posted May 9, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 86%
| Throw Down Your Heart (2009) | "
Fleck speaks more with his fingers than in conversation, and the pure musician-to-musician communications joyfully cross language barriers and instrument differences." Posted May 5, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 78%
| Three Monkeys (2009) | "
Tells an old-fashioned, melodramatic story, but director Nuri Bilge Ceylan does so vividly. . . A moral morass is a bit overwrought, but is revealed through visual poetry." Posted May 5, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Rotten 53%
| Empty Nest (2009) | "
A leisurely, genial look at a man escaping from his insecurities into a surreal fantasy life, keeping the audience guessing what is real, until he floats into maturity." Posted May 5, 2009 |
Fresh 6/10
| Fresh 93%
| My Father My Lord (2008) | "
Overemphasizes the parents' rigidities in detailed portrait of Ultra-Orthodox, but this family is three-dimensionally human through beautiful hand-held cinematography." Posted Apr 20, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 92%
| The Lemon Tree (2008) | "
Abbass's striking performance dominates. As pointed as the sometimes exaggerated situations are, film shines in visual interactions that bypass verbal miscommunications." Posted Apr 20, 2009 |
Rotten 4/10
| Rotten 11%
| The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2009) | "
Sarsgaard revels in a character who attracts all eyes and mouths, but the narration is too much of an explanatory crutch to parse the roundelay of identity exploration." Posted Apr 11, 2009 |
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