Tomato 4/5 |
The Baader Meinhof Complex (2009) |
"It's an impressive achievement lent extra weight by masterful performances from Bleibtrau, Gedeck and Wokalek as the conflicted terrorists who became psychologically shredded by the unstoppable force the RAF had become." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 3/5 |
Baby Mama (2008) |
"Fey and Poehler are class comedy actresses, yet this lacks the dramatic spark which would have been supplied by both their characters genuinely hating the sight of one another." |
Tim Evans |
Splat 1/5 |
Babylon A.D. (2008) |
"He does, however, leave the door open for a sequel. But who'd want to clone a runt?" |
Elliott Noble |
Splat 2/5 |
The Baker (2007) |
"The good new is that it goes to DVD almost immediately so can be left to gather dust in a Woolies bargain bin." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 3/5 |
Bandslam (2009) |
"A teen movie that strikes all the right chords." |
Tim Evans |
Splat 1/5 |
Bangkok Dangerous (2008) |
"Ludicrous? Occasionally. Ponderous? Frequently. But dangerous? Only for the careers of Cage and his stylist." |
Elliott Noble |
Splat |
The Banishment (2007) |
"Though every shot is painstakingly framed and perfectly lit, the film fails at the human level. These people remain strangers throughout. There is nothing wrong with the performances but it’s difficult to create empathy without intimacy." |
Elliott Noble |
Splat |
The Bank Job (2008) |
"It's watchable...but to some people so was Last of the Summer Wine." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 3/5 |
Barry Lyndon (1975) |
"Director Stanley Kubrick's opulent epic is certainly a feast for the eyes, with every scene beautifully framed and the attention to exquisite detail breathtaking." |
|
Tomato 4/5 |
Be Kind Rewind (2008) |
"It's a happy pill in the shape of a cinema ticket." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato |
Beaufort (2008) |
"Beaufort is reflective, quietly powerful, and thought provoking - a sobering postscript to the movie is that one month after filming finished, the 33 day “Second Lebanon War” broke out." |
Rob Daniel |
Tomato 3/5 |
Beautiful Losers (2008) |
"The affection these people have for each other is what makes Beautiful Losers (the name is taken from one of their shows) so attractive." |
Rob Daniel |
Splat 2/5 |
Bedtime Stories (2008) |
"With the right material – think the day-glo campery of Hairspray – director Adam Shankman is capable of good things. Here you get the distinct impression there’s not enough room to accommodate Sandler’s ego." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 3/5 |
Bee Movie (2007) |
"Bee Movie has its moments but all in all there is very little sting in its tale." |
Rebecca Garson |
Tomato 3/5 |
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) |
"Veteran director Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon) shows he's no slouch at 83 when it comes to crafting first-class thrillers with a pitch black core." |
Tim Evans |
Splat 2/5 |
Belle Toujours (2006) |
"Pointless and just a little bit silly, it lumbers from one unlikely scenario to another while also managing to shoehorn in a couple of blousy strumpets who look like they've wandered in from an adult panto." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato |
Ben X (2008) |
"Flawed, but a forceful debut from a promising director." |
Rob Daniel |
Tomato 3/5 |
Beowulf (2007) |
"Visually, there's little to quibble about - but to luxuriate in its full gory glory you'll have to head for a cinema, or preferably, a 3D Imax theatre. Waiting for the DVD is not an option." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 3/5 |
Better Things (2009) |
"The stately silences, brooding landscapes and pallor of nihilism will alienate many hoping for Skins-in-Stow-on-the-Wold – but it’s definitely the work of an original talent." |
Tim Evans |
Splat 2/5 |
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) |
"Not that anybody would expect perfection from a film called Beverly Hills Chihuahua, but the chewed bone of a story makes it all mutts ado about nothing." |
Elliott Noble |
Splat 2/5 |
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." |
Elliott Noble |
Tomato 4/5 |
Big River Man (2009) |
"Director John Maringouin has chanced upon documentary gold - Strel is the sort of off-kilter character even the most imaginative fiction writer would have had troiuble dreaming up." |
Tim Evans |
Splat 2/5 |
Bigga than Ben (2008) |
"Where she’s less sure is the disintegration of the friendship between Spiker and Cobakka. It’s less than convincing and strangely unaffecting because – to be brutally honest – they’re both a pair of neo-Nazi gits." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 3/5 |
BirdWatchers (2009) |
"A timely and subtly powerful piece of film-making." |
Tim Evans |
Splat 1/5 |
Black Sheep (2007) |
"Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but there's plenty of chuckles and chills along the way as Henry, Tucket and Experience face the threat of a couple of hundred sheep bright-eyed with bloodlust." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 3/5 |
Black Water (2007) |
"Lean and mean, this basically does for crocodiles what Open Water did for sharks, Snap it up." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 4/5 |
Blame it on Fidel (2006) |
"Illuminating, witty and touching, Blame it on Fidel is a gem just awaiting discovery." |
Rob Daniel |
Splat 2/5 |
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." |
Elliott Noble |
Tomato 3/5 |
Blindness (2008) |
"It's a sharply realistic allegory yet its symbolic thrust - moral blindness is worse than losing your sight - is diluted by an arbitrary story that runs out of places to go." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 4/5 |
Blindsight (2008) |
"Lucy Walker’s inspirational, award-winning documentary, which leaves condescension and treacle out in the cold, emerging as one of the year’s most illuminating, heartbreaking, and life-affirming movies." |
Rob Daniel |
Tomato 3/5 |
Blue Eyelids (2008) |
"Their awkwardness with each other speaks far more eloquent emotional truths than the lazy formula of the Hollywood rom-com." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Blues Brothers (1980) |
"Full of belly-laughs as well as toe-tappingly great tunes, the sharp suits and cool shades of the Blues brothers will have you rocking with joy." |
|
Tomato 3/5 |
The Boat That Rocked (2009) |
"Basically, what starts as a sharp comedy ends up - like most Radio 1 DJs - just going on. And on. And on. And on...." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 3/5 |
Body of Lies (2008) |
"With high-class acts to match the hi-tech savvy of Scott and his trusty crew (cinematographer Alexander Witt, editor Pietro Scalia, composer Mark Streitenfeld), this is as taut and engrossing a couple of hours as you’ll experience all year." |
Elliott Noble |
Tomato 4/5 |
Bolt (2008) |
"While any remaining competitors slink away with their tails between their legs, Pixar and Disney just need to find a name for their new pedigree. Here, Pixey!" |
Elliott Noble |
Tomato 3/5 |
Boogie (2008) |
"This is superior film-making, equally comfortable with the light (Boogie's obvious delight in his nipper and the realistic family dynamic) to the dark (his risibly macho deceipt with a jolly hooker)." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato |
The Book of Revelation (2006) |
"The Book of Revelation is interesting enough to hope Kokkinos follows it with something equally daring." |
Rob Daniel |
Splat 2/5 |
Born in 68 |
"While watchable in a soapy way, TV level dialogue and script offer few surprises, and characters feel at the mercy of the next big bit of history Ducastel and Martineau have lined up." |
Rob Daniel |
Tomato |
The Boss of it All (2007) |
"Unpolished, but winning." |
|
Splat |
Botched (2007) |
"Aptly-titled." |
Rob Daniel |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) |
"It's a noble, sincere undertaking that will see many leave the cinema with fresh insights. You can't really ask for much more than that." |
Tim Evans |
Splat |
The Brave One (2007) |
"Foster convinces as the petrified victim turned vengeful killer and Howard is superb as the world weary detective. Together, they just about managed to save a frequently ham-fisted script." |
Bill Beattie |
Tomato |
Breach (2007) |
"Breach rarely treads new ground, but the set pieces are used so sparingly and with such focus on the central characters, the movie reaches a degree of tension you might not think possible." |
Rich Phippen |
Splat 1/5 |
Bride Wars (2009) |
"A jaw-clenchingly unfunny insult to both sexes and everyone’s intelligence, it redefines the term ‘bridal shower’." |
Elliott Noble |
Tomato 3/5 |
Brideshead Revisited (2008) |
"Purists may baulk at Jarrold's liberties with the text but it's a well-constructed story that works on many levels. If you enjoyed the book or the series, revisit Brideshead." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 4/5 |
Bright Star (2009) |
"This shrugs off the musty restraints of costumed stereotypes and concentrates exclusively on the slowburning affair as Keats finds himself "dissolving" as love draws him in." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Broken (2009) |
"A slick if derivative concept is well served by cold, grey cinematography and a chilling sense of shadowy menace." |
Tim Evans |
Tomato 3/5 |
Broken Embraces (2009) |
"Despite first-class performances – from Cruz, Gomez and Homar – Almodovar’s narrative appears laboured, offering none of the surprises that lent vim and vigour to his earlier outings." |
Tim Evans |
Splat 1/5 |
The Brothers Solomon (2007) |
"The only amusement here comes from counting the imaginary tumbleweeds that so frequently roll across the screen." |
Elliott Noble |
Tomato 3/5 |
Bruno (2009) |
"A mixed bag - obvious targets sitting alongside worthy demolition jobs - but it's never less than amusing...and often excruciatingly funny." |
Tim Evans |
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