Splat 2/5 |
Dorian Gray (2010) |
"If it was Oscar Wilde who said that experience is the name that everyone gives to their mistakes, then this Dorian Gray is quite an experience!" |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2.5/5 |
9 (2009) |
"Grown from a superb 10-minute animation, this feature length version runs out of steam despite its stunning visual design." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2.5/5 |
Adam (2009) |
"Australian Rose Byrne plays Beth, who falls for a man with Asperger's Syndrome. It's a gentle, slow but far too caring a film, sacrificing drama, comedy and romance in the cause of an sympathetic representation of Adam's condition." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Adventureland (2009) |
"ottola is better known as the director of Superbad, but this film is a far more mature work, and not just in terms of its humour. His screenplay hits the right notes between irony and sentimentality, and though not laugh-a-minute, is full of warm small mo" |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Baader Meinhof Complex (2009) |
"Edel uses a variety of film stocks to match the patchiness of the vintage footage he weaves into his narrative, adding to the authentic feel. If he meanders off track at times, it is because there is much to cover here. This could easily have been a long" |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 4/5 |
Beautiful Kate (2009) |
"Director Rachel Ward creates an beautiful, tender and delicate story, exploring a damaged family and complex social taboos - with Ben Mendelsohn giving the best performance of his career." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Bronson (2009) |
"Strap yourself in for a jaw-dropping performance from Tom Hardy as he completely inhabits the role of Britain's most notorious prisoner in this highly stylised piece of mischievous cinematic vaudeville." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
The Burning Plain (2009) |
"Charlize Theron and Kim Bassinger star in an intriguing drama where past and present are brought together to reveal how you can be redeemed through love" |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2.5/5 |
The Combination (2009) |
"A less than subtle look at racism in Sydney through the eyes of an ex-con committed to protecting his family from the influences of drug dealers and gangs." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Cove (2009) |
"Part thriller, part undercover spy story and all activism, this is a brilliantly put together documentary aimed quite consciously at winning the hearts and minds of the world by exposing the dreadful slaughter of dolphins in a quite cove in South-eastern" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Disgrace (2009) |
"A light, unsatisfying and rather unsubtle version of the famous novel, with John Malkovich playing the disgraced academic experiencing the personal effects of social change in South Africa." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Dogtooth (2009) |
"Riding the perverse line between bizarre, awkward and darkly funny, this award-winning film follows the strange antics of three siblings brought up by their misguided parents in complete isolation from the rest of the world." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
Drag Me To Hell (2009) |
"A rollicking white-knuckle ride through the classics elements that make a horror film, done well, such an enjoyable experience." |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
The Escapist (2009) |
"A fractured, stylish and tense affair built around a band of great performances." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2/5 |
The Final Destination (2009) |
"The final (really?) film in this lifeless franchise about the inevitability of death, which typically comes in the form of some grisly three-dimensional accident." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Hannah Montana The Movie (2009) |
"The perfect combination of old and new versions of the American Dream: country girl riding out into the misty wilderness by day, and teen pop phenomenon by night." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Hotel for Dogs (2009) |
"So, never work with children and animals, eh?" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
The Hurt Locker (2009) |
"A visceral, gripping and totally absorbing film that follows one man's life on the front line of bomb disposal." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
I Love You, Man (2009) |
"What is impressive about Hamburg's screenplay (co-written with John Levin) is the way it explores the complexities of modern, grown-up friendships, and especially the awkwardness of making new friends in middle age, while still retaining a bracing sense o" |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 4/5 |
In the Loop (2009) |
"Satire has never been this searingly astute and funny in a story where Washington and Westminster are desperately trying to control the media spin on a possible Middle-east war." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2.5/5 |
The Informant! (2009) |
"Director Steven Soderbergh is desperate to make us laugh, but can only make Matt Damon podgy and bland in this underwhelming and unfunny tale of deception and whistleblowers in the food industry." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
Inglourious Basterds (2009) |
"After some indulgent side trips (Grindhouse, Deathproof), Quentin Tarantino is back to form with this World War II fantasy fiasco. It's mad, it's bad and it's thoroughly entertaining, with some of the most disciplined storytelling Tarantino has produced." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Inkheart (2009) |
"Gaping plot holes aside, Inkheart is a lovely little film, aimed at the bookish among us, and peppered with a love of the literary." |
Cris Kennedy |
Splat 2.5/5 |
The International (2009) |
"A world-weary Clive Owen takes on a powerful and corrupt bank in a tough but ultimately tedious - game of cat and mouse that ranges across Europe and North America" |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 1.5/5 |
Land of the Lost (2009) |
"Somewhere in a distant corner of the near infinite universe there must be a life form that finds Will Ferrell funny. Come and take him. Please." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Last Ride (2009) |
"Solid Aussie filmmaking elevated by its capable cast." |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 3/5 |
Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009) |
"Sure, the whole thing sets gay rights and feminism back 40 years, but Lesbian Vampire Killers doesn't mean to offend. It is, in fact, all rather tongue-in-cheek, very much in the tradition of Sean of the Dead or Lair of the White Worm." |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Looking for Eric (2009) |
"When the whistle blows on this rather unlikely Ken Loach film, they'll be plenty of cheers at the result, but also a sense that it's been a bit of an inconsistent game!" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Love The Beast (2009) |
"Although it's the shiny red 1974 Ford Falcon coupe that occupies the screen time, it's Eric Bana who engages in this very personal look at the boy from suburban Melbourne, Australia who might have been a racing car driver." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 5/5 |
The Milk of Sorrow (2009) |
"Gently paced and exquisitely shot, this story - tinged with magical realism - tells of an anxious young woman finding her way in the world after the death of her mother." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Moon (2009) |
"A moody, brooding low-key sci-fi feature that makes the most of the eeriness and solitude of long-distance separation to explore some very poignant themes of memory and existence." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2.5/5 |
My Life in Ruins (2009) |
"The words 'Starring Richard Dreyfuss' are a deal-breaker in my books, and it took a good 30 minutes after seeing them to unclench and enjoy My Life in Ruins." |
Cris Kennedy |
Splat 2/5 |
My Sister's Keeper (2009) |
"What starts as an exploration of the ethics of organ-donation and genetic selection, rapidly disintegrates into a sloppy, unstructured, tear-jerking mess." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Nowhere Boy (2009) |
"Visual artist Sam Taylor-Wood casts aside her moody conceptual art and directs a lively, insightful and slightly nostalgic look at the drama of John Lennon's formative years and his relationship with the two women who brought him up." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Of Time and the City (2009) |
"This personal and poetic meditation on England's portside city of Liverpool is a nostalgic journey through archival footage accompanied by an eclectic collection of lyrical ramblings by writer/director Terence Davies." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Orphan (2009) |
"Strange and nasty Esther is the consummate political player in a deadly game of unhappy families, in this fairly straightforward psychological thriller." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2.5/5 |
Red Cliff (2009) |
"John Woo's original two part epic telling of an ancient Chinese battle tale is amalgamated and cut to create a stylised but characterless piece with some spectacular fighting scenes." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 1.5/5 |
Saw VI (2009) |
"No longer just gruesome but also morally bloodied, this franchise about games of death aimed at those who need to understand the value of life - grinds along, wringing out whatever cash is left in the original idea." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 5/5 |
Sin Nombre (2009) |
"An epic and stunningly shot thriller about two young people crossing the gauntlet of Central America in their attempt to get to the USA." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Summer Hours (2009) |
"A fractured, ultra-naturalistic and detached examination of the significance of memory and the value of objects, explored through the story of three siblings dealing with their mother's death" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Sunshine Cleaning (2009) |
"Everything Amy Adams touches turns to gold, and even here where she is playing a character thoroughly down on her luck, she is luminous." |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 4/5 |
Thirst (2009) |
"The story of a noble priest resurrected as a vampire and plunged into a life of desire is opulently brought to the screen by one of South Korea's leading filmmakers." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
A Town Called Panic (2009) |
"A deliriously wild and totally charming ride from start to finish, as Cowboy, Indian and Horse charge all over the world in a whimsical assault of fun." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Uninvited (2009) |
"A standard supernatural thriller, carefully and thoughtfully crafted with little sign of cheap gore, about two sisters coping with the death of their mother and the arrival of Dad's new girlfriend." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Valentino: the Last Emperor (2009) |
"You don't have to be a fashionista to get something out of this unique documentary about the famous designer, his way of working, and his long term relationship with business partner Giancarlo Giammetti." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Vicious Kind (2009) |
"In a sharply scripted comic drama, Brittany Snow stars as the pensive Emma, a girl caught between two quite different brothers." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2.5/5 |
Australia (2008) |
"It is a huge film - in scale, scope, look and feel, and of course budget. It is also a huge disappointment." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato |
Bottle Shock (2008) |
"Bottle Shock is one of those cockle-warming, feel-good underdog films in the tradition of Strictly Ballroom. Only in this case Scott and Fran are, respectively, a Chardonnay with tangerine undertones, and a Cabernet Merlot blend." |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 3/5 |
Brideshead Revisited (2008) |
"slow and beautiful, rather than intense, dramatic and insightful" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Burn After Reading (2008) |
"a quirky, delicious comedy with an A-list cast clearly enjoying every moment of their screen time" |
Simon Weaving |
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