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Appaloosa (2008) |
"The plot is engaging enough but this is best viewed as a buddy movie with a dynamite duo at its core." |
Anna Smith |
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3/5 |
The Baader-Meinhof Complex (2008) |
"This topical take on terrorism from the producer of Downfall remains well shot and acted till the end but its cold approach and rambling running time mean it goes out not with a bang but a whimper." |
Anna Smith |
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 2/5 |
Babylon A.D. (2008) |
"A sci-fi actioner that sees bald hero Vin Diesel back stomping around the future like a small, gun-toting penis." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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2/5 |
Bangkok Dangerous (2008) |
"Proof that Cage will sign up to anything that involves a mad hair weave and a motorbike." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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3/5 |
Blindness (2008) |
"It's a confused compromise between 'seeing the real person' parable, no-fun sci-fi and self-realisation drama that's basically The Day Of The Triffids minus the killer plants." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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Blindsight (2008) |
"Yes, it's literally the blind leading the blind in this ironically eye-opening doc that from the outset sounds like an un-PC South Park episode but is in fact inspirational." |
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3/5 |
Body of Lies (2008) |
"What's surprising is that such a heavyweight combo of Crowe, DiCaprio and Scott would waste their collective gravitas on something so light. Action and acting are both solid but there's no deeper human or political dimension to justify the running time." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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4/5 |
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) |
"This child's-eye perspective on the Holocaust constantly teeters on the brink of twee, yet a quiet menace pervades." |
Andrew Williams |
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3/5 |
Brideshead Revisited (2008) |
"This isn't the truffle box of Brit thesps you'd imagine; instead, the main star is Andrew Davies's nuanced, if awkwardly paced script." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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4/5 |
Burn After Reading (2008) |
"Deceptively dark for all its lightness, Coen haters will be infuriated by a stylish conceit that perversely sets out not to amount to a hill of beans." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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Changeling (2008) |
"The sensational material is episodic and gut-wrenchingly affecting but Eastwood keeps a strong hand on it, even if it often feels like a big-bucks version of a daytime TV drama. The Oscar race starts here." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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3/5 |
The Children (2008) |
"While hampered by a miniscule budget, young performers and a plot with a few holes, director Tom Shankland proves a master of suspense." |
Andrew Williams |
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3/5 |
Chocolate (2008) |
"Reminiscent of early Jackie Chan flicks, an action-packed, pick-and-mix of punch-ups include a cheeky tribute to Lee's legendary icehouse scene in The Big Boss, culminating in a spectacular multi-storey jaw-dropper." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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3/5 |
Choke (2008) |
"Wonderfully acted if wildly flawed, this a weirdly funny, ultimately uplifting ensemble comedy drama about having the courage to be a real person and love another: you won't know whether to split your sides or your wrists." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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1/5 |
City of Ember (2008) |
"And though 14-year-old Saoirse Ronan (Oscar-nominated for Atonement) shines as the city's saviour, even she can't light a path through a suspenseless plot seemingly attacked by hungry moths." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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CJ7 (2008) |
"Directed by and starring Stephen Chow of Kung Fu Hustle fame, it's definitely one only for the kiddies - those who are prepared to read subtitles. Should be a smash hit, then." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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1/5 |
College Road Trip (2008) |
"For horrified parents, Donny Osmond's cameo is – scarily – the sole lifebelt in a truly desperate mess of unamusing plot randomness, which runs from sky-diving to high-IQ pigs." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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Death Defying Acts (2008) |
"Any magic is instantly dispelled by the dead hand of a tirelessly pouting Zeta-Jones, whose slap boasts more layers than her talent." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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2/5 |
Death Race (2008) |
"If they don't take themselves too seriously, they can be fun and this remake of 1975's Death Race 2000 just about cuts it as entertainment." |
Anna Smith |
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1/5 |
Disaster Movie (2008) |
"My beef is honestly not that it's stupid – though this makes Meet The Spartans look like it was crafted by Oscar Wilde – but that it didn't make me even grin. Not once." |
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2/5 |
The Duchess (2008) |
"You'll find yourself less fixated on inner turmoil than whether you could feasibly slip a cocktail sausage between her perma-pouting lips." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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3/5 |
Eagle Eye (2008) |
"A story so awesomely far-fetched you'd have to enter deep space to retrieve it." |
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3/5 |
Easy Virtue (2009) |
"A frothy piece of period escapism, this Noël Coward adaptation is as simple and pleasurable as the title implies." |
Anna Smith |
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4/5 |
Eden Lake (2008) |
"It's the latest proof that, when it comes to scary movies at least, the British film industry is alive and screaming." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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2/5 |
The Express (2008) |
"A game of three halves, this jogs well into at least 30 minutes of extra time, while the screenplay so oozes with earnestness you'll be wiping the inspiration off your face." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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2/5 |
Face Addict (2008) |
"It's narrated with ear-tearing pretentiousness by snapper Edo Bertoglio, primarily as an attempt to get over his past – he should have concentrated on getting over himself." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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4/5 |
The Fall (2008) |
"It veers towards sentimentality at times but the leads' terrific performances help ground this original and thoroughly enjoyable tale." |
Anna Smith |
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3/5 |
Fine, Totally Fine (2008) |
"A quirky romcom, bonkers in the way only Japanese movies can be." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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2/5 |
Flawless (2007) |
"A creaky, below-par Brit heist caper that belongs in a dusty vault itself." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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2/5 |
Four Christmases (2008) |
"It feels like a long slog toward a half-baked ending that wants to have its sugary Christmas cake and eat it." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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2/5 |
Get Smart (2008) |
"An uninspired comedy that runs the full gamut from characters being punched in the groin/face to being shot in the face/groin, until everything culminates in an expensively pointless action finale." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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4/5 |
Ghost Town (2008) |
"This isn't a fantastic story, or a particularly involving one, but in a market flooded with saccharine romcoms, its dry, dark wit is a breath of fresh air. Think Sixth Sense: the comedy." |
Anna Smith |
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4/5 |
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2008) |
"Warm and engaging, this has its cutesy moments and crazy Van Gogh-inspired time-travel fantasy visuals but remains appealingly grounded in relatable, sublimated adolescent fears of growing up." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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4/5 |
Gomorrah (2009) |
"It's as unsentimental as it is understated and only afterwards do you realise how remarkable it is to find a mafia film that neither over-grits nor over-glams its underworld." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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Good Dick (2008) |
"Don't get excited by the saucy title of this offbeat US indie. What sounds like an X-rated skin flick is in fact an indulgent, emotionally ersatz 'unusual fairytale' of a lonely young woman." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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3/5 |
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) |
"The characters are sketchy and romance is underwhelming. What you're left with is a few giggles and some fantastic action. It's inoffensive stuff but in terms of director Guillermo del Toro's previous work, this is more Blade II than Pan's Labyrinth." |
Anna Smith |
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2/5 |
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008) |
"This glittery Disney product may boast the biggest, fastest advance sales in movie history but it remains largely a mystery to those of us with an age in double figures." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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3/5 |
The House Bunny (2008) |
"The ending is predictably feel-good – if it takes way too long coming – but the female-penned script keeps you perky with some surprisingly surreal flashes… such as: 'The eyes are like the nipples of the face.'" |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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3/5 |
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) |
"This comedy is gunning to do for glossy magazines what The Devil Wears Prada did for fashion - and ends up shooting itself in the hand-stitched loafers." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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5/5 |
Hunger (2008) |
"Achieving truth through beauty, Hunger is an art movie in the deepest sense." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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4/5 |
I've Loved You So Long (2008) |
"If the build-up inevitably shares Juliette's coldness, the conclusion is rich with emotion, raising questions about psychology, morality and more – even if it doesn't wholly convince." |
Anna Smith |
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3/5 |
I.O.U.S.A. (2008) |
"Not something your average cinemagoer wants to see but important information nonetheless. Let's hope Obama is watching." |
Anna Smith |
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3/5 |
Igor (2008) |
"Under-tens are unlikely to be the only ones wondering what's going on; the story is an over-brainstormed botch job." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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3/5 |
Import/Export (2007) |
"Bafflingly, this film leaves you not knowing whether to kill yourself, cry, walk out or laugh." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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2/5 |
Incendiary (2008) |
"The story is far-fetched and exploitative and the awkward dialogue is frequently laughable. But committed acting, cast chemistry and the odd touching moment just about save you from checking whether this was actually produced by Bernard Matthews." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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Jar City (2008) |
"A disturbing, bleak, multilayered mystery that will not just worm under your flesh but also wriggle inside your nightmares." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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4/5 |
Jimmy Carter Man From Plains (2007) |
"This portrait of former US President Jimmy Carter could come across as propaganda. Director Jonathan Demme clearly has an admiration for his subject." |
Anna Smith |
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4/5 |
Julia (2008) |
"Plot twists and supporting characters all play second fiddle to her portrayal of a woman who's as fascinating as she is morally bankrupt." |
Anna Smith |
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3/5 |
Lakeview Terrace (2008) |
"The script provocatively plays on white middle-class liberal fears and the direction is deft, but characters are flimsy and even Jackson can't force you to swallow a final act that's hysterical – and not in a good way." |
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3/5 |
Linha de passe |
"A game of good, solid passes that emotionally fail to hit the back of the net." |
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh |
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