Splat D |
2012 (2009) |
"The audience paid for money shots, and money shots are what they get." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B |
9 (2009) |
"It may not be a great film, but in its own way, it embodies the greatness of its chosen genre in ways no other piece of animation could." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat C+ |
Alien Trespass (2009) |
"Fans of the era will respond warmly to it, but more through its expressed affection than any notable assets of its own." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B- |
Avatar (2009) |
"Nothing destroys a decent movie more than calling it great, and while this one's a little better than decent, it's definitely a long way from great." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat D |
Babylon A.D. (2008) |
"While Babylon A.D. isn't the worst big-budget sci-fi film ever made, it comes near enough to merit avoiding at all costs." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B- |
Blood: The Last Vampire (2009) |
"[It] turns its collection of overused action/horror staples into... well... a kind of fun collection of overused action/horror staples." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B- |
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) |
"Between this and having to sit through New Moon, I'll take the freaks every time." |
Rob Vaux |
- |
Coraline (2009) |
"Interview: Neil Gaiman" |
Rob Vaux |
- |
Coraline (2009) |
"Stop-Motion Magic: An Interview With Henry Selick" |
Rob Vaux |
- |
The Dark Knight (2008) |
"The 5 Best and 5 Worst Movie Breaches of Comic Book Canon" |
Rob Vaux |
- |
The Dark Knight (2008) |
"Why the Dark Knight Owes Adam West" |
Rob Vaux |
Splat C |
Dead Snow (2009) |
"Dead Snow ultimately settles for run-of-the-mill scares... adequate for zombie fans, but nothing like the marvelous things it might have shown us." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B- |
Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009) |
"Succeeds in delivering a respectful--if not always magical--interpretation of Dickens' famous tale." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato A |
District 9 (2009) |
"Aren't the best summer movies supposed to come out before August?" |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B+ |
Drag Me To Hell (2009) |
"Evil Dead 4? Not quite, but you can see it from here." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat C- |
Dragonball: Evolution (2009) |
"It may be vaguely engaging, provided you've never seen Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz or any other variation of the Hero's Journey in your entire life." |
Rob Vaux |
- |
Fanboys (2009) |
"Fans' Fans: An Interview with the Cast of FANBOYS" |
Rob Vaux |
- |
Fanboys (2009) |
"The Force Is With Him: An Interview With FANBOYS' Kyle Newman" |
Rob Vaux |
Splat C |
Fanboys (2009) |
"The best parts commingle with a lot of shopworn ideas that Kevin Smith more or less milked dry a decade ago." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B+ |
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) |
"Anderson maintains that all-important balance between adult sophistication and child-like simplicity." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat D |
Fast & Furious (2009) |
"You know why movies like Fast and Furious are so easy to pick on? Because they take themselves so damn seriously." |
Rob Vaux |
- |
The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) |
"Mania Interview: Martial Arts Legend Jackie Chan" |
Rob Vaux |
Splat D |
The Fourth Kind (2009) |
"As Truth, it's bullshit, and as Bullshit, it isn't remotely entertaining." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B- |
Friday the 13th (2009) |
"Friday the 13th makes no secret about its purpose, and there's no use pretending it should be anything else." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat D+ |
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) |
"Its pointless noise remains devoid of energy or fun, going from merely stupid August mayhem to a colossal waste of time." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat D |
Gamer (2009) |
"For starters, it's just plain goofy." |
Rob Vaux |
- |
Halloween II (2009) |
"Interview With Rob Zombie" |
Rob Vaux |
Splat F |
Halloween II (2009) |
"Blood and guts are fine, and nihilism can be quite powerful in the right hands. But Halloween II uses them to cover up an utterly blighted experience." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B |
The House of the Devil (2009) |
"Those of us who remember that strange and marvelous era when the grindhouse gave way to VHS pajama parties are apt to see a kindred spirit at work here." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat C |
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) |
"In a year that has produced the likes of Up and Coraline, Dawn of the Dinosaurs counters with nothing but energetic mediocrity..." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B |
Inglourious Basterds (2009) |
"Effort still matters and originality is too damn scarce to lightly dismiss. Inglourious Basterds has plenty of both to spare." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat C |
The International (2009) |
"Filmmakers talented enough to deliver the best shoot-out since Ronin shouldn't have to settle for the otherwise mediocre results on display here." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B- |
Jennifer's Body (2009) |
"The real saving grace of Jennifer's Body comes in the way its two principles play off against each other." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat D+ |
Knowing (2009) |
"There's nothing to do but shake your head in awestruck wonder: as much for its squandered beginning as for its truly ridiculous conclusion." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat C- |
Land of the Lost (2009) |
"It bears too much resemblance to the detritus jumbled across its frame: patchwork components trying vainly to form a cohesive whole." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat C+ |
The Last House on the Left (2009) |
"If one engages in such an endeavor to begin with, then filing away the harshest edges becomes counterproductive." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat C |
The Lovely Bones (2009) |
"If someone like Jackson could only manage mediocrity, one shudders to think what a less talented filmmaker would have produced." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B+ |
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) |
"It also contains a (very big) surprise: a female hero, the sort which hardly ever appears in movies like this." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat C+ |
My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) |
"Slasher movies already know how to vary the same gag over and over, which means they can keep the 3-D plate spinning far longer than other, more 'respectable' genres could." |
Rob Vaux |
- |
My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) |
"Bloody Good: An Interview With My Bloody Valentine's Director and Writers" |
Rob Vaux |
- |
My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) |
"Bloody Fangirl: An Interview With My Bloody Valentine's Jaime King" |
Rob Vaux |
- |
My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) |
"Mania Interviews My Bloody Valentine's Kerr Smith" |
Rob Vaux |
Splat D |
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) |
"You can actually hear the writers pulling ideas out of their butts and flinging them willy-nilly at the screen." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat D+ |
Orphan (2009) |
"Just because Orphan is relentlessly bad doesn't mean it's not entertaining." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat D |
Pandorum (2009) |
"Remember the scene in Star Trek where Dr. McCoy talks about all the horrible ways you can die in space? Pandorum is basically a visual aid for that speech." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato A |
Paranormal Activity (2009) |
"A peerless exercise in stimulus response." |
Rob Vaux |
Splat D |
Planet 51 (2009) |
"After positing its central gimmick, it more or less stands there for 90 minutes, waiting for applause that never comes." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B+ |
Ponyo (2009) |
"A warm summer treat amid the gunfights and explosions that reminds us how beautiful a child's innocence can be." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B+ |
The Princess and the Frog (2009) |
"The Princess and the Frog carries a lot on its shoulders, but--the odd stumble notwithstanding--thrives admirably under the weight." |
Rob Vaux |
Tomato B+ |
Public Enemies (2009) |
"Public Enemies succeeds in having its cake and eating it too, exemplifying Hollywood filmmaking the way it's supposed to be." |
Rob Vaux |
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