Tomato 3/4 |
Adam (2009) |
"This is an affirmation that it's still possible to find smart movies about one of the most basic aspects of the human experience: falling in love." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Adventureland (2009) |
"A sharp, insightful, charming motion picture." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Amelia (2009) |
"A by-the-book bio-pic." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
An Education (2009) |
"One of 2009's finest motion pictures -- an open and honest look at sexual politics and a woman's place in the world during the early1960s." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Angels & Demons (2009) |
"This movie takes preposterousness to new levels; there are times when the proceedings become so ludicrous that one is tempted to laugh aloud at the sheer audacity of the plotting." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
The Answer Man (2009) |
"The Answer Man is one of those modestly diverting motion pictures that's as sweet as cotton candy -- and as insubstantial." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Antichrist (2009) |
"This is a classic case of a filmmaker believing he has found a greater truth and attempting with only middling success to regurgitate it in a film. And, like all vomit, you can kind-of see what it's composed of but the smell drives you away." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 4/4 |
Avatar (2009) |
"This is the most technically amazing motion picture to have arrived on screens in many years." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
American Teen (2008) |
"This kind of production is better suited to television than movie theaters. American Teen is a pretty bauble: shiny and alluring from a distance but cheap and plastic when you get close." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
Appaloosa (2008) |
"There's a refreshing vein of understated humor running throughout the production. It's neither forced nor unnatural and it keeps things from becoming too somber, even when the bullets start flying." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Australia (2008) |
"It looks great, but the same comment can be made about Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor, which shares more than a passing resemblance." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2/4 |
Across the Universe (2007) |
"One could never argue that Across the Universe isn't ambitious. However, like many ambitious movies, this one fails spectacularly." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
After The Wedding (2007) |
"This is a fine tale of families and secrets, and its seemingly cold exterior gives way to something unexpectedly warm and soft inside." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 1/4 |
Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) |
"Ho, ho, ho -- the joke's on anyone who pays to see this." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
Alpha Dog (2007) |
"Director Nick Cassavetes should be commended for the unflinching manner in which he tells the story -- it packs a punch, although it lingers too long to be truly unsettling." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Amazing Grace (2007) |
"Apted is without a doubt one of the foremost documentarians working today. His Up Series represents a cinematic hallmark. His feature credits are less certain." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
American Gangster (2007) |
"Washington rules the screen. His portrayal is one of many things that elevates this film to the level of being consistently entertaining and occasionally compelling." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Angel-A (2007) |
"Besson's dialogue is often inane, occasionally sounding like it is copied verbatim out of a new age self-help manual." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) |
"Parts of the movie are brilliant in a Terrence Malick-inspired way, but the lugubrious middle section is badly in need of the hand of a ruthless editor." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Astronaut Farmer (2007) |
"No adult should feel ashamed seeing it because, regardless of the age of the viewer, the reward is worth the investment of 100 minutes." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Atonement (2007) |
"The film is gorgeous to look at, well paced (especially during the first half), and by turns touching and sad. The ending packs an emotional punch, which is what one would expect from any movie developed from a McEwan novel." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 1/4 |
August Rush (2007) |
"An aggressively bad movie. There are times when it tips the scales of absurdity and becomes almost comical." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
Avenue Montaigne (2007) |
"Pleasant is perhaps the best word to describe the film. It entertains while it lasts, does not overstay its welcome (1:45 feels just about right), and provides reasonable closure to all the storylines." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2/4 |
Awake (2007) |
"The way characters interact with each other and the manner in which the master plan unfolds will stretch the credulity of even the most generous viewer." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
Away From Her (2007) |
"Represents one of the few clear-headed, uncompromising looks at [Alzheimer's] and its impacts." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
A Scanner Darkly (2006) |
"A Scanner Darkly is always interesting, but it's not always involving, and it's even less often entertaining." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2/4 |
All The King's Men (2006) |
"Those familiar with the novel will undoubtedly agree that reading it is a more satisfying experience than watching this disappointing film. One expects more -- much more, in fact -- with cast of this caliber." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
American Dreamz (2006) |
"Is it possible to satirize something that, in and of itself, often crosses the line into self-parody?" |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2/4 |
Annapolis (2006) |
"This isn't as much a movie as it is a recipe for a cinematic casserole in which the ingredients are clichés and rip-offs." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2/4 |
The Ant Bully (2006) |
"The Ant Bully is a sore disappointment to anyone hoping for a turnaround to the recent downward quality spiral of animated films. In fact, this movie may represent a new nadir for 3D animation." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Apocalypto (2006) |
"It's unlike any other movie to reach theaters this year and, because it is as visual an experience as it is visceral, it is best seen on a large screen." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Aquamarine (2006) |
"It's a solid recommendation for young girls and those unfortunate parents trapped into chaperone duty. For everyone else, especially those possessing a Y chromosome, there's not much of interest. But then, you weren't planning to see it anyway, were you?" |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
Art School Confidential (2006) |
"Art School Confidential shows the kind of backbone needed by limp parodies like Thank You for Smoking and American Dreamz." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
ATL (2006) |
"An engaging experience." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Aeon Flux (2005) |
"Although it would be difficult to laud this movie as being anything stronger than mediocre, it is superior to what one would reasonably expect from something Paramount was trying to keep under wraps." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2/4 |
The Amityville Horror (2005) |
"In a ghost story, the narrative doesn't have to be a model of originality or coherence, but it needs to support the scares. In The Amityville Horror, the writing is so bad that it detracts from the 'boo!' moments and creepy interludes." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
The Aristocrats (2005) |
"Like The Joke after which it is named, it's easily dismissed." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
Ask the Dust (2005) |
"Towne has not given us the great American love story, but he has presented us with a captivating view of 1933 Los Angeles and a tale of romance that involves us in the plight of the characters." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) |
"It's not great art, but, for B-movie fans and those looking for a mid-winter jolt of energy, it's good fun." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
After the Sunset (2004) |
"A film of small moments and big laughs." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2/4 |
The Alamo (2004) |
"Emotionally inert and poorly paced, The Alamo transforms one of Texas' best-known events into an uninvolving bore." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2/4 |
Alexander (2004) |
"Although some aspects of Oliver Stone's sword-and-sandals epic are worthy of mention (and even praise), they are dwarfed by the missteps and examples of bad judgment." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Alfie (2004) |
"The question of 'Why?' (more than 'What's it all about?) still lingers where this remake is concerned." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Alien vs. Predator (2004) |
"This is a dull, plodding, ultra-serious feature that has a lot more in common with a video game than a motion picture." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Along Came Polly (2004) |
"Every truly successful raunchy romantic comedy has at its heart a couple worth rooting for. This one doesn't." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) |
"Farrell carries the movie on his broad shoulders, nailing the character perfectly." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2/4 |
Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (2004) |
"It's questionable whether fans of the musical will be enamored with this adaptation. The energy that characterizes a live performance is absent, resulting in a production that often feels sluggish and slow-moving." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2/4 |
Around the World in 80 Days (2004) |
"Offers only snooze-worthy action scenes." |
James Berardinelli |
Splat 2.5/4 |
The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004) |
"Penn and the historical context will generate some interest, but the film's ultimate reception is likely to be as chilly as the month in which it receives its theatrical release (December 2004)." |
James Berardinelli |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Aviator (2004) |
"A good, but not great, filmed biography, and continues Scorsese's recent flirtation with mediocrity." |
James Berardinelli |
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