Tomato 4/5 |
21 (2008) |
"The movie introduces a world and sells it extremely well. It does a good job of explaining the rules of the card-counting scam, and the actual blackjack scenes are quite exciting" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
500 Days of Summer (2009) |
"Probably the most honest thing in the film is the breakup scenes feel like REAL breakups, much more than they resemble the contrived obstacles to love in most romantic comedies." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
An Education (2009) |
""An Education" is worth seeing, mostly for its superb period detail and the strong performance at its center." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2009) |
"The film is very funny at times, especially in its use of early '80s archival footage; the comedy of Anvil's hair, outfits, and lyrics from the '80s are worth the price of admission alone." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) |
"a bizarre amalgam of source material, director and star that's just nutso enough to work" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Bigger, Stronger, Faster* (2008) |
""It's hard to dislike any movie that begins with footage of Hulk Hogan defeating the Iron Sheik in 1984, although knowing how closely Vince McMahon guards the WWE's tape library, I don't know how Bell got permission to use the footage in the film."" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Blind Side (2009) |
"Yes, it is one of the more tired genres around, and no, it's not as good as the book. But "The Blind Side," is a nice surprise- a heartfelt drama that tells an amazing story remarkably well." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Body of Lies (2008) |
"Body of Lies is the movie Syriana and The Kingdom wanted to be." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) |
""In the two battle scenes, we always have an exact sense of what an old film professor of mine called the "axis of action." We know who is where, and why, and where things stand" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 5/5 |
The Dark Knight (2008) |
"Batman and Robin it ain't; it's hard to believe "The Dark Knight" and Joel Schumacher's infamous camp extravaganza even came from the same universe, let alone the same franchise." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3/5 |
Defiance (2008) |
"It's an imperfect film - slow-moving and without much narrative momentum - but it tells an inspiring story, and when it gets going, it's quite rousing." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Definitely, Maybe (2008) |
"Despite repeatedly falling for three of the most beautiful women in the movies, Reynolds winds up largely miserable" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Duplicity (2009) |
"It's a complex and at times hard-to-follow script, but it leaves no loose ends and makes perfect sense in the end. Even the ending is a legitimate surprise" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Elegy (2008) |
"It's a dark, dark film, and not a fun night out at the movies by any means, but... the filmmakers have clearly done a good job with material from a major author whose work is difficult to adapt." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Extract (2009) |
"As with virtually all of Judge's work, Extract is based on the idea that most people are total, blithering idiots. It's all very off-beat, but a top-flight comedic cast makes it work" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 5/5 |
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) |
"[The film] works, first and foremost because of Segel, who knocks it out of the park in both his first starring role and first produced screenplay." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Funny People (2009) |
"The film does a lot of things that Apatow's previous work did... but is almost ruined by a too-long running time and a third act that seems to drag on forever." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3/5 |
Hamlet 2 (2008) |
"Hamlet 2 has a lot on its mind, not all of it good. You can tell everyone involved here knows what they're doing... it's just that they have too many balls in the air and can't effectively juggle them at once." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
The Hangover (2009) |
"The best bachelor party movie since, well, "Bachelor Party"" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) |
"Those wishing to defend the honor of the red states will find much to dislike here, starting with the depiction of Southerners as rednecks and Klansmen" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3/5 |
He's Just Not That Into You (2009) |
"It's far from a revolutionary film, but it's still quite enjoyable, thanks to an attractive cast and some funny moments." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
The Hurt Locker (2009) |
"What makes Hurt Locker truly great is that it's most interested in telling us an honest story about these soldiers and this war, without servicing any type of political agenda." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
The Incredible Hulk (2008) |
"Strange a project as it is, "The Incredible Hulk" actually counts as something of a success." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Informant! (2009) |
"It may be slow at times and structured sort of oddly, but The Informant! is one of the year's true originals, and Soderbergh's best film since the first Ocean's" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3/5 |
The International (2009) |
"The film goes off to a sort of sluggish start, and its ending just goes on and on. But in the middle is one of the most astonishingly awesome action sequences in recent cinematic history." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3/5 |
Invictus (2009) |
"A deeply flawed but still impressive sports epic, which follows an unimaginative and by-the-numbers first 90 minutes with one of the most expertly staged sports sequences ever committed to film." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Iron Man (2008) |
""Iron Man"'s true revelation is leading man Robert Downey, Jr., who may not be giving the greatest superhero performance ever, but is certainly the best actor to ever portray a superhero." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Man On Wire (2008) |
"Are these people inspiring, talented stars, pursuing a difficult and dangerous athletic feat, or are there they disturbed nuts with a death wish? The film doesn't judge and doesn't take sides." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 5/5 |
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) |
"There are many, many things to love about this movie, starting with the sweet love story, the charm and chemistry of the two stars, and the amazingly great photography of New York City. It's also full of fun little details, as well as memorable and affect" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Notorious (2009) |
"Even though it brings little that's new or innovative to the table, "Notorious" is a must for anyone even moderately interested in the history of hip-hop in the 1990s." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Observe and Report (2009) |
"This is a movie about damaged, deranged people, who you wouldn't want to be near if you met them in real life.You'll ask yourself if you should be laughing- until you shrug and laugh anyway." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Pineapple Express (2008) |
"It's some of the most hilarious on-screen fight choreography this side of They Live, though in this case, the laughs are intentional." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
The Proposal (2009) |
"It breaks no new ground, is predictable at every turn, and no one will remember a thing about it a week after they see it. All that said, The Proposal is above-average." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3/5 |
Public Enemies (2009) |
"Mann doesn't let his movie breathe. It's a downright beautiful production... everything looks great- so why not show it?" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 5/5 |
Rachel Getting Married (2008) |
"The film succeeds where [Margot at the Wedding] failed for several reasons, most notably a remarkably intimate spirit; a tone that rings true through comedy, tragedy and back again; great, great music from start to finish; and an amazing, career-best perf" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 5/5 |
A Serious Man (2009) |
"Never has a movie packed with so much hostility or existential angst made me smile from start to finish as this one did." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Soul Men (2008) |
"Mostly, the film works, due largely to the bickering, grumpy-old-men dynamic between the two leads." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Star Trek (2009) |
"The film is a success because of beautiful visuals, swift storytelling that never loses its momentum, and the sheer joy of having these characters back in our lives again." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Step Brothers (2008) |
"While the movie in general is sloppy and unwieldy, the gags [Ferrell] pulls off with co-star John C. Reilly deliver lots of big laughs." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Stop-Loss (2008) |
"The reason "Stop Loss" works, unlike its 2007 predecessors, is that it cares more about its characters than it does about making a political point." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Tropic Thunder (2008) |
"There are whole subplots that just plain don't work, but when it's on, "Tropic Thunder" is as funny as any comedy this year." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Two Lovers (2009) |
"A true gem, a fascinating character study that appears to actually live in the real world." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 5/5 |
Up (2009) |
"A beautiful film in every sense of the word, UP belongs at or near the top of the list of Pixar's best movies." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 5/5 |
Up in the Air (2009) |
"What could be more perfectly in tune with the zeitgeist at the end of the '00s as a movie about a guy who's job it is to fire people? The best movie of 2009." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
Valkyrie (2008) |
"Gets off to a slow start, but once it gets going, it's one of the more fascinating thrillers in recent memory, even though everyone who paid attention in history class will know exactly how it turns out." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
W. (2008) |
"W breaks little new ground and cares little for historical accuracy, but it remains a must-see for anyone who has observed the ups and downs of 21st century American politics." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Wackness (2008) |
"Whether it's blowing on Nintendo games to get them to work, the music, or the clothes, the production gets the city and the times exactly right." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
WALL-E (2008) |
"The first half of "Wall*E" can best be described as "Star Wars," only if R2-D2 were the only character." |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Where the Wild Things Are (2009) |
"Charming, affecting and heartbreaking. It could have gone wrong in any number of ways, but never does" |
Stephen Silver |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
You Don't Mess With The Zohan (2008) |
""Zohan's" first hour may well be the strongest stretch of any Sandler comedy. But, in its second half, the film's humor takes a backseat in favor of a heavy-handed plea for Mideast peace. A noble goal, of course, but not a very funny one." |
Stephen Silver |
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