Fresh
| Fresh 79%
| Me and Orson Welles (2009) | "
Welles is brilliantly embodied by Christian McKay in one of those, hey-who's-that? performances that tends to draw Oscar talk, even if the film itself isn't much more than an extremely pleasant lark." — TIME Magazine Posted Nov 25, 2009 |
Rotten 0/5
| Rotten 8%
| Old Dogs (2009) | "
It is an irredeemable affair." — MSN Movies Posted Nov 24, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 30%
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) | "
'New Moon' is also a less pretentious movie than its predecessor. Writer Melissa Rosenberg, who wrote the screenplay for 'Twilight' as well, has loosened up a bit..." — MSN Movies Posted Nov 19, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 92%
| Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) | "
Anderson's stop-motion Fantastic Mr. Fox is both a delightful amusement and a distillation of the filmmaker's essential playfulness." — TIME Magazine Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Rotten 55%
| Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009) | "
The movie may be yet another retelling of an iconic story, but visually it is often quite breathtaking." — MSN Movies Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Rotten 0/5
| Rotten 16%
| Gentlemen Broncos (2009) | "
If you're past the age of worrying about detention, it's an endurance test. How many grotesques, morons and creeps can you watch twist in a barely moving narrative wind?" — MSN Movies Posted Oct 30, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 20%
| Amelia (2009) | "
It leaves the odd impression of being merely a very long trailer for a film you'd actually love to see." — TIME Magazine Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 70%
| Where the Wild Things Are (2009) | "
The beasts are recognizable from Sendak's pages, but Jonze gives them names and distinct personalities that connect to aspects of Max's psyche and to the people he loves. (Freud would adore this movie.)" — TIME Magazine Posted Oct 14, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 12%
| Couples Retreat (2009) | "
What's depressing is that there's hardly a creative spark in this sour, offensive, contrived story, and its sloppiness is more consistent than its comedy." — TIME Magazine Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 89%
| Zombieland (2009) | "
...if you weren't foolish enough to have, say, a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs in advance of seeing it, you... will have a lot of fun." — MSN Movies Posted Oct 2, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 82%
| Whip It (2009) | "
Even if a tale of female empowerment through roller derby is not your particular cup of tea, Barrymore delivers it with such a giddy good sense of fun that it's easy enough to go along with." — TIME Magazine Posted Oct 2, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 44%
| Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009) | "
[Krasinski's] generosity of intent is really the main impression that remains. He read, he loved, and unfortunately, he did not conquer." — TIME Magazine Posted Sep 28, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 28%
| Fame (2009) | "
"Already?" the woman behind me said plaintively when the words "Sophomore Year" flashed up on the screen. That's the joy of this Fame. Like the old ones, it convinces you that high school, if not life, should go on forever." — TIME Magazine Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 65%
| Coco Before Chanel (2009) | "
It may be too respectful of the legend it seeks to illuminate." — TIME Magazine Posted Sep 24, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Fresh 85%
| Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) | "
... a well-intentioned children's film that has the unfortunate effect of making food, all food, seem utterly revolting. It's the gastronomical version of 'Scared Straight!' 3-D." — MSN Movies Posted Sep 18, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 18%
| Love Happens (2009) | "
Love never happens in this movie, but at least there's some liking here and there." — TIME Magazine Posted Sep 18, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 45%
| Jennifer's Body (2009) | "
[Its] depiction of the ways in which women like Needy are willing to compromise themselves to indulge an ultimately less secure friend is spot-on." — TIME Magazine Posted Sep 18, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/5
| Rotten 6%
| Whiteout (2009) | "
...the whole cast delivers numb, almost affect-less performances; the cold must have got to them." — MSN Movies Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 56%
| 9 (2009) | "
In movies, our technology is so often the ruin of us. We got that message from Stanley Kubrick way back when, and we get it now. But couldn't filmmakers let something else ruin us for a change? Even the apocalypse needs variety." — TIME Magazine Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Rotten 6%
| All About Steve (2009) | "
He's the thing that lets Mary -- and the movie -- off the crazy hook. It quickly devolves into one of those 'what's normal anyway?' stories, and Bullock's dedication to the role is ultimately undermined." — MSN Movies Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 63%
| Extract (2009) | "
Judge's gifts parallel those of his leading man. His plotting is full of funny, unpredictable moments but lacks the grating hysteria of the comic genre." — TIME Magazine Posted Sep 3, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 84%
| The September Issue (2009) | "
The movie offers insights that lift it beyond the realist version of The Devil Wears Prada." — TIME Magazine Posted Aug 28, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 75%
| Humpday (2009) | "
Humpday makes you squirm and think, in the best possible way." — TIME Magazine Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Rotten 15%
| I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009) | "
The mood doesn't build on itself, the emotional moments barely register and you start to hope the sun will rise soon." — MSN Movies Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 54%
| Cheri (2009) | "
The movie speaks to issues of traditional desirability and dignity, specifically to the point in a woman's life when she either makes decisions about how well those two qualities can exist together or has them made for her." — TIME Magazine Posted Jun 26, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 32%
| Terminator Salvation (2009) | "
McG knows how to slap an audience into awed submission. But at a certain point, you may feel so pummeled that you check out and begin pondering things like the time-travel question." — TIME Magazine Posted May 20, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 95%
| Star Trek (2009) | "
There are many satisfyingly sly flourishes in Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman's script." — TIME Magazine Posted May 7, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 55%
| The Soloist (2009) | "
A deeply empathetic exploration of mental illness and a winning showcase for the talents of its two stars, Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx." — TIME Magazine Posted Apr 24, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 44%
| He's Just Not That Into You (2009) | "
He's Just Not That Into You is like reliving your 20s, without any of the fun." — TIME Magazine Posted Feb 18, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 12%
| Bride Wars (2009) | "
In the end, the movie owes its mild success to Anne Hathaway, who makes it watchable." — TIME Magazine Posted Jan 9, 2009 |
Fresh B
| Fresh 75%
| Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman (2007) | "
I'd mark how effective Flying is by the fact that I'm under no obligation to watch the rest of the series, but I'm eager to do so." — Contra Costa Times Posted Mar 14, 2008 |
Fresh B-
| Rotten 51%
| Funny Games (2008) | "
While I admire the film's tone, acting (Pitt in particular is divinely nasty) and general irreverence, I don't feel I need the spanking." — Contra Costa Times Posted Mar 14, 2008 |
Fresh B
| Fresh 78%
| Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) | "
It sparkles mostly because of McDormand and her two main co-stars, Amy Adams and Shirley Henderson, a lesser-known actress from Scotland who just about steals the show." — Contra Costa Times Posted Mar 7, 2008 |
Rotten C
| Fresh 67%
| Honeydripper (2007) | "
Honeydripper is a pleasant enough story, but when Sayles is involved, it is a shock to feel so little." — Contra Costa Times Posted Feb 29, 2008 |
Fresh B
| Rotten 50%
| Penelope (2008) | "
Behold the mysterious ways of Hollywood; a charming fairy tale with a heartening message of self-acceptance, something truly an entire family can enjoy, languishes while dreck like Over Her Dead Body gets rushed into theaters." — Contra Costa Times Posted Feb 29, 2008 |
Fresh B
| Fresh 79%
| The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) | "
While the film is essentially an action flick for kids, it's nice that the script is willing to tackle real-life sources of pain for both parents and children." — Contra Costa Times Posted Feb 13, 2008 |
Fresh B+
| Fresh 100%
| Taxi to the Dark Side (2008) | "
These members of the military were dubbed the 'few bad apples' by Bush administration officials, but the new documentary Taxi to the Dark Side painstakingly illustrates how the rot that reached them came from the highest branches of government." — Contra Costa Times Posted Feb 7, 2008 |
Rotten C+
| Rotten 59%
| Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland (2008) | "
We never particularly care about the notion of the tour itself; it's a marathon, but so what? There is no effort to make the venues come alive; indeed, many of them are just names slapped up on the screen." — Contra Costa Times Posted Feb 7, 2008 |
Fresh B-
| Rotten 10%
| Fool's Gold (2008) | "
McConaughey makes an amiable enough fool, and the sunny, spirited Hudson is just as Gold(ie) as ever. For a mainstream February release, this one isn't so bad." — Contra Costa Times Posted Feb 7, 2008 |
Fresh A-
| Fresh 96%
| 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2008) | "
Although the film takes place over two days, writer/director Cristian Mungiu keeps us so close to every mundane moment that he conveys the sense that he's shot in real time." — Contra Costa Times Posted Feb 1, 2008 |
Fresh B
| Fresh 92%
| Caramel (2008) | "
I were to seek out one of these mystical fictional salons, I'd book at the one in Caramel over those in Steel Magnolias or Beauty Shop." — Contra Costa Times Posted Feb 1, 2008 |
Rotten D
| Rotten 15%
| Over Her Dead Body (2008) | "
Over Her Dead Body is, if nothing else, a conversation piece. Among the important discussion points it raises are, 'What was Paul Rudd thinking?' and 'Does Eva Longoria Parker think?'" — Contra Costa Times Posted Feb 1, 2008 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 82%
| Teeth (2008) | "
It's safe to say that he [writer/director Mitchell Lichtenstein] has made the boldest debut of this admittedly young year." — Contra Costa Times Posted Jan 25, 2008 |
Fresh b-
| Rotten 40%
| 27 Dresses (2008) | "
[A] traditionally contrived but still rather charming rom-com." — Contra Costa Times Posted Jan 17, 2008 |
Fresh A-
| Fresh 86%
| The Orphanage (2007) | "
I'd argue it's emotionally richer and more surprising [than Pan's Labyrinth]." — Contra Costa Times Posted Jan 11, 2008 |
Rotten C-
| Rotten 42%
| The Bucket List (2007) | "
Even Freeman and Nicholson can't make gold from hay, or find greatness in Justin Zackman's skimpy, sentimental script. Their mere presence seems to be the gift we get. But it's not enough." — Contra Costa Times Posted Jan 11, 2008 |
Fresh A-
| Fresh 91%
| There Will Be Blood (2007) | "
There will be no other film like it this year or next, nothing that sounds like it or looks like it or feels like it." — Contra Costa Times Posted Jan 4, 2008 |
Fresh A
| Fresh 89%
| The Savages (2007) | "
Jenkins couldn't have found actors more suited to straddle the delicate, subtle line between detestable and sympathetic." — Contra Costa Times Posted Dec 21, 2007 |
Fresh B-
| Fresh 81%
| Charlie Wilson's War (2007) | "
Crile's book is a detailed, cautionary tale. Nichols and Sorkin's version isn't completely without reflection, but it mostly dodges the ugly in favor of personality." — Contra Costa Times Posted Dec 21, 2007 |
Rotten C+
| Fresh 85%
| Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) | "
The whole experience is underwhelming, except for the violence, which is entirely overwhelming." — Contra Costa Times Posted Dec 21, 2007 |
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