Tomato 3.5/4 |
Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) |
"In all its unscripted glory, it shows us pre-adolescence with an astonishing authenticity that should be the envy of a hundred coming-of-age movies." |
Carolyn Arends |
Splat 2/4 |
Mad Money (2008) |
"This is a fluff film you rent on a rainy day when you want some cute, mindless entertainment. If that's all you're looking for, this is right on the money." |
Camerin Courtney |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Madagascar (2005) |
"I wanted a moral to the story. In Finding Nemo: Don't let fear rule your life. Shrek: True beauty is on the inside. Madagascar: Don't eat your friends?" |
Camerin Courtney |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) |
"Definitely not a film for the ages, and you might not even remember it by the end of the year, but as it is, it's a reasonably pleasant, amusing and diverting bit of animation." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Made of Honor (2008) |
"Made of Honor is like a paint-by-the numbers exercise in filmmaking, sealed with a misogynistic lacquer." |
Lisa Ann Cockrel |
Splat 2/4 |
Madea's Family Reunion (2006) |
"Although his work isn't high art and is occasionally problematic, he's telling stories that aren't often told. And for that, this black woman can't be too mad at him." |
LaTonya Taylor |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Madison (2005) |
"Madison only reinforces stereotypes that 'old-fashioned' and 'small-town' mean 'good' while 'modern' and 'big city' mean 'bad.'" |
Jeffrey Overstreet |
Splat 2/4 |
Mamma Mia! (2008) |
"Mamma Mia! leaves me sending out an S.O.S., with much of the blame falling to the filmmakers. It's more akin to a music video than a musical, and a sloppy one at that." |
Russ Breimeier |
Tomato 4/4 |
A Man Escaped (1956) |
"It's a wonder that so stark and minimal a film can create such potent feelings, images and moments that linger so persistently, divine intimations that seem so inescapable." |
Ron Reed |
Splat 2/4 |
Man of the Year (2006) |
"It will draw audiences who want to see topical humor, and it will bog them down in a typical thriller, before capping things off with an earnest yet cautious political statement." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Man on Fire (2004) |
"[It suggests] that John Creasy -- J.C. -- is a Christ figure: scars, prayers, acting as savior. But where Christ overcomes evil with good, J.C. uses heavy artillery." |
Jeffrey Overstreet |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Manchurian Candidate (2004) |
"The movie is playing with ideas, and they're important enough to bear thinking about now. What it's playing on are our fears. And they're real enough, and worth addressing." |
Ron Reed |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Margot at the Wedding (2007) |
"Margot at the Wedding is a story told from a perspective that's as viciously condescending and critical as Margot's own worldview." |
Jeffrey Overstreet |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Marley & Me (2008) |
"A fun, cinematic Currier and Ives experience for the whole family that will leave you hugging on Dad and Grandma%u2014and eager to return home to hug on your own Marley or Rover or Rex." |
Camerin Courtney |
Splat 2/4 |
Martian Child (2007) |
"The film feels lazily conventional. There are truths to be had here, but much of the film still rings false." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Tomato 4/4 |
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) |
"Through its emphasis on characters and not merely action, Master does not let us forget that all individuals are souls with flesh and blood, not merely empty casualties of war." |
Angie Ward |
Splat 2/4 |
Match Point (2005) |
"By developing his characters so superficially, Allen makes it impossible to feel the depth of the horror that he is clearly aiming for." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Splat .5/4 |
Max Payne (2008) |
"Simply terrible. An insult to gamers and action fans. Frankly, it doesn't even deserve notoriety as one of the year's worst; it deserves to be forgotten." |
Russ Breimeier |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Me and Orson Welles (2009) |
"It's no Citizen Kane, and it won't change your life. But it's a well-told story, and sometimes that's enough." |
Brett McCracken |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Mean Girls (2004) |
"Mean Girls lacks sincerity, and instead acts like any teenage queen bee -- being cruel and picking on the weak -- only to then break its own rules and be hypocritical." |
Todd Hertz |
Splat 2/4 |
Meet Dave (2008) |
"If anything in Meet Dave surprises you, you've never seen a family movie before. Instead, go to the movie only for Murphy, whose talents really shine in this role." |
Josh Hurst |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Meet the Fockers (2004) |
"Meet the Fockers is frequently funny, but it turns a bit too cruel in the third act to be as worthy a sequel to its predecessor as it could have been" |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Splat 2/4 |
Meet the Robinsons (2007) |
"There is a strong sense around Meet the Robinsons that the folks at Disney are trying to find their bearings. Which leaves the film itself looking kind of lost." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Tomato 3/4 |
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) |
"The overall effect is not so unlike Mameha's description of geisha themselves: a moving work of art." |
Camerin Courtney |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Messenger (2009) |
"The Messenger involves difficult subject matter, but it's not hard to watch. It's sad and sobering, but also humorous and touching at turns." |
Lisa Ann Cockrel |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Miami Vice (2006) |
"...the non-stop action doesn't just complicate the officers' relationships -- it prevents us from connecting strongly with them." |
Jeffrey Overstreet |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Michael Clayton (2007) |
"A deliberate and measured look at what happens when you wake up one day and realize you can no longer recognize the man staring back at you from the bathroom mirror." |
Brandon Fibbs |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) |
"Not to say it's a major cinematic achievement, but it does entertain, and uniquely so." |
Russ Breimeier |
Tomato 3/4 |
A Mighty Heart (2007) |
"Winterbottom's films are often shot in a gritty, realistic fashion, and A Mighty Heart, much of which was shot on location in Pakistan, is no exception." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Tomato 3/4 |
Milk (2008) |
"Milk achieves what it sets out to do, telling an inspiring tale of one man's quest to legitimize his identity, to give hope to his community." |
Brett McCracken |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Million Dollar Baby (2004) |
"Freeman's doleful, musical narration gives Million Dollar Baby its haunting beauty." |
Jeffrey Overstreet |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Millions (2005) |
"It's 2005's first fiction film to deserve the word 'fantastic.' Millions sends the audience out feeling like … well … a million bucks.
" |
Jeffrey Overstreet |
Splat 2/4 |
Mindhunters (2005) |
"There's nothing particularly deep about this film -- and Harlin's efforts to jazz things up do occasionally go over-the-top." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Miracle at St. Anna (2008) |
"Miracle doesn't seem to have any one point of view, and without a united, central perspective to hold things together, the storyline feels very random and meandering." |
Todd Hertz |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005) |
"There is a bit of a lesson about identity and self-worth imparted here, but it's muddled at best. Who has two hours to waste watching this movie?" |
Lisa Ann Cockrel |
Splat 2/4 |
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) |
"Adams can be a better actress than this, and the result is something like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?--Miss Pettigrew is a real person, and Delysia is a toon." |
Frederica Mathewes-Green |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Miss Potter (2006) |
"Miss Potter is for moviegoers who are drawn more to the delightful than the destructive. It's undeniably refreshing to see a PG-rated movie for adults done so well." |
Camerin Courtney |
Splat C |
The Missing (2003) |
"Despite gorgeous scenery and an uncharacteristically subtle soundtrack from James Horner, the film has a 'been-there, done-that' quality." |
Jeffrey Overstreet |
Tomato 3/4 |
Mission: Impossible III (2006) |
"Abrams and Cruise deserve credit for breathing life and heart into a franchise with lots of potential." |
Todd Hertz |
Tomato 3/4 |
Mongol (2008) |
"Mongol is a Far East Braveheart, charged with the same sense of pseudo-history, movie heroics and inspirational grandeur." |
Brandon Fibbs |
Tomato B- |
Monster House (2006) |
"The most troubling element of the film is its conclusion ... which comes to rather alarming conclusions about how to deal with a resentful social outcast." |
Jeffrey Overstreet |
Splat 2/4 |
Monster House (2006) |
"Monster House may look like the sort of movie that is more or less safe for little kids, but the humour gets a little crude in places." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Splat 1/4 |
Monster-in-Law (2005) |
"For such a rich premise, Kochoff produced a fairly lackluster script." |
Mary Lasse |
Splat 2/4 |
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) |
"It's about a tenth as entertaining as, say, Monsters, Inc. -- one of the lesser Pixar movies -- and it doesn't reach the same heights as DreamWorks' previous monster franchise, Shrek." |
Josh Hurst |
Tomato A- |
Moon (2009) |
"Sam's predicament touches on issues from the deconstruction of human nature and the commodification of human life to existential loneliness, alienation and the dehumanizing effects of corporate ruthlessness." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) |
"A thought-provoking film, grounded in breathtaking scenery and engaging performances." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Mr. 3000 (2004) |
"Bernie Mac has a talent for cussing. It's a talent that can take you pretty far in the entertainment industry, but it still can't carry a movie, as Mr. 3000 demonstrates." |
Lisa Ann Cockrel |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) |
"Pitt and Jolie have chemistry to burn, and the film hits more often than it misses." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Mr. Brooks (2007) |
"The film demonstrates the complexity of human nature and its faculties -- our sinful side is never far removed from our capacity to think and feel." |
Russ Breimeier |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007) |
"Because of inspiring discussions of death and belief%u2014and truly creative moments of warmth and wonder%u2014the movie ultimately overcomes its flaws to charm, inspire and satisfy." |
Todd Hertz |
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