Splat 2.5/10 |
Ninja Assassin (2009) |
"Blood spurts out of every imaginable orifice without a respectable clot in sight. Welcome to the poorly-scripted gush-fest, perfect for the Xbox set -- it's not a film, it's Grand Theft Ninja." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 7/10 |
Paris 36 (2008) |
"Like ever-changing vaudeville scenes, this delightful, yet slightly plot-heavy film mingles elements of drama, comedy, romance and musical. However, less could have been more." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 2.5/10 |
Planet 51 (2009) |
"What gives with Joe Stillman, a credited writer on the wonderfully witty Shrek/Shrek 2? Here, his prior expertise in working with lime green characters has inexplicably given way to lifeless gray." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 5.5/10 |
Public Enemies (2009) |
"After all the gunfire exchanges, there's not much time for the human exchange. Neither for the leads or the colorful secondary characters. Such glorious acting talent, gone up in so much machine gun smoke." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 4/10 |
Push (2009) |
"an overheated stewpot of divisions, sects and subsects of extra-special, special and quasi-special mentalists, all running around like their pants are on fire ... maybe in search of a viable plot?" |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 3/10 |
Rachel Getting Married (2008) |
"Like the guest who's overstayed his welcome by a week, the camera simply can't take a clue when it's time to move on. Presenting Runaway Bride's sequel: 'Runaway Bridal Party.'" |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 6.5/10 |
The Road (2009) |
"By only allowing us a peek at the characters' interior lives before we're forced to move on down that eternal Road is to deny this fascinating piece its full power. An emotional highway robbery, if you will." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 7.5/10 |
The September Issue (2009) |
"Like the sunglasses concealing a big portion of Anna's face, this film conceals more than it reveals. But we still catch glimpses of this iconic personality, often in the reactions of those around her." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 9/10 |
A Serious Man (2009) |
"The Coens nip at fundamental questions: how we conduct ourselves now, and how such conduct might resonate in an unknowable afterlife. Consider this film as a Rorschach for the soul." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 4.5/10 |
Serious Moonlight (2009) |
"Meg Ryan's Louise is problematic. It's not so much that she chooses to hold on to her man, as it is the man who she chooses to hold on to." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 9/10 |
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) |
"A kaleidoscope of multiplicity -- romance, memoir, coming-of-age, sibling rivalry, gangsterism -- accompanied by trains, always trains, carrying us in, around and through this masterpiece." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 8/10 |
The Soloist (2009) |
"Just as director Joe Wright conveyed the multiplicity of emotion at the Dunkirk beachhead in Atonement, he conducts his version of downtown L.A. with a maestro's baton." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 3/10 |
The Spirit (2008) |
"Miller's directing chops, er, chop, is non-existent, offering up a muck of amateurish posturing, weak storyline and tedious characters. As for the title? Ouch, that's some irony." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 9/10 |
Star Trek (2009) |
"With a warp-speed 'Wow!', Abrams&Co. has taken a spent franchise and, unlike a heavy-handed plastic surgeon, has reinvigorated it without destroying the original look. Leonard Nimoy might want to see what they can do for him." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 5/10 |
State of Play (2009) |
"The attempt to examine a decaying print world overrun by the sensationalist-driven blogosphere sadly gets lost in ham-fisted scenes, with Affleck decrying 'I thought you were my friend!'" |
Kimberly Gadette |
- |
Sugar (2009) |
"INTERVIEW -- Pitching Q's, Fielding Answers from Filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck" |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 8/10 |
Sugar (2009) |
"Like a slow curve ball, its journey unexpectedly going off course, Boden and Fleck deliver their magnificent take on the American dream by skewing it sideways." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 8/10 |
Sunshine Cleaning (2009) |
"Adams and Blunt are spectacular. Balancing out Rose's grit-your-teeth optimism is Norah's furrowed-brow cynic. Two halves of one aching (w)hole." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 4.5/10 |
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) |
"Instead of Helgeland pumping energy into the story, it's the external elements that benefit from a modern sensibility, leaving the plot and dialogue to languish on a gummy subway car floor." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 3.5/10 |
Taking Woodstock (2009) |
"In 1969, the term 'wasted' referred to good times. But in Ang Lee's take on 1969, 'wasted' is what happens to 2 perfectly good hours -- which might be better spent tie-dyeing the dog." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 3/10 |
Terminator Salvation (2009) |
"The title promises us salvation. It also hints at termination. Neither of which occur until we're released at film's end." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 4/10 |
The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) |
"Like Henry, there are elements from the best-selling book that have simply disappeared. Humor, for one. A deeper texture. This is less of a movie than it is a glammed-up revolving door." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 2/10 |
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) |
"These unchained masses of tin men, their cumbersome cubic feet galumphing across screens worldwide...sheer lightweights. With an iron deficiency like you wouldn't believe." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 3/10 |
Twilight (2008) |
"Bella, a fairly unlikable young woman with a glum expression, has "put a smell" on Edward, a ruby red-lipped Nosferatu. It's a tedious stare-down. Bring a thermos of espresso. And an alarm clock." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 9.5/10 |
Up in the Air (2009) |
"A perfect end to the 1st decade of the 21st century. Tech advances have created hermits of us all, heads bent over smartphones and screens, blue-toothed in the face. We, too, are cushioned in clouds; all somewhat up in the air." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 4/10 |
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) |
"At the end of the dia, the movie's a lovely, empty Spanish travelogue hosted by beautiful people, their problems no more taxing than whether to meet at the amusement park or the marina." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 5/10 |
Whip It (2009) |
"Barrymore's budding directing skills are on dazzling display during the skating scenes . But given the lack of depth in the writing, promising characters are often rolled over and flattened out." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 3/10 |
Whiteout (2009) |
"We get an irritated Nancy Drew with a flashlight, stomping about in mukluks through a plot with as much clarity as an ice storm at midnight." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Tomato 9/10 |
The Wrestler (2008) |
"Out of the fake world of theatrical wrestling comes one of the most real performances of the year. Rourke seizes on to this role from the first frame forward, never letting up until the screen fades to black." |
Kimberly Gadette |
Splat 5.5/10 |
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) |
"Even with the bloated budget of an X-Men, less can be more. The character-driven Iron Man is a perfect example of how the hero, rather than a mega-ton of TNT, is the one who's truly dynamite." |
Kimberly Gadette |
IGN RSS Feeds