Tomato 3/5 |
La Vie En Rose (2007) |
"Marion Cotillard’s majestic, uncannily accurate portrayal is the main reason to see a film that makes heavy going of an exceptional life. For all Dahan’s lofty ambitions, you leave wishing he’d chosen a more straightforward way to retell Piaf’s story." |
Neil Smith |
Tomato 3/5 |
La Vie Moderne (2008) |
"The beautifully shot Modern Life is a richly compassionate tribute to its hardy subjects and their slowly vanishing way of life." |
Tom Dawson |
Tomato 4/5 |
La Zona (2007) |
"Director Rodrigo Plá pulls off a biting critique of middle-classes living in smug seclusion, but doesn’t compromise on tension as the suburbanites’ morals spiral out of control." |
Chris Hicks |
Splat 2/5 |
Lady Chatterley (2006) |
"Feran favours intellectual showboating over subtlety, slathering this poorly paced and cripplingly long film in primitive symbolism, meaningful gazes and pensive longueurs." |
David Jenkins |
Splat 1/5 |
Lady Godiva (2008) |
"Avoid like you would a naked nutter bouncing down the street." |
Ellen E Jones |
Tomato 5/5 |
The Lady Vanishes (1938) |
"As fresh and witty as ever." |
|
Tomato 3/5 |
Lagerfeld Confidential (2007) |
"Marconi colludes like an awestruck fan, letting the witty eccentric hold court with childhood anecdotes and quotable gems. Not that we’re complaining – after all, who needs reality when the illusion’s sweeter than Chanel?" |
Carmen Grey |
Tomato 3/5 |
Lakeview Terrace (2008) |
"Lacking even a Changing Lanes level of insight into America’s racial partition, this old-school, domestic-invasion thriller still has Samuel L Jackson’s twisted enforcer to push the right buttons." |
|
Splat 2/5 |
Land of the Lost (2009) |
"As a TV-to-movie remake, LOTL ranks with Lost In Space: fitfully entertaining, largely uninspired. Ferrell does his best, but ends up stranded in the middle of an ideas desert." |
Tony Horkins |
Tomato 3/5 |
Last Chance Harvey (2008) |
"Hoffman’s undimmed star power papers over the script cracks in an otherwise polished vehicle for his and Thompson’s talents." |
Neil Smith |
Splat 2/5 |
The Last House on the Left (2009) |
"A passable, pointless remake that’s as slick as it is empty." |
Rosie Fletcher |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Last King of Scotland (2006) |
"A smart, searing thriller with blistering performances from McAvoy and Whitaker. Like the best Graham Greene script Graham Greene never wrote." |
Nev Pierce |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Last Mimzy (2007) |
"Cliches notwithstanding, this trippy fantasy always keeps you watching, even if it is with open-mouthed bemusement." |
Neil Smith |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Last Mistress (2008) |
"As the liaisons grow more dangerous, Breillat masterfully exposes seething undercurrents of jealousy and desire." |
|
Splat 2/5 |
Law Abiding Citizen (2009) |
"Could have made for a decent enough B-movie renter if it had just aimed a bit lower, but the moral drum-banging only serves to throw its failings into even sharper relief." |
|
- |
Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee (2009) |
"It may just be an extended short, but Meadows’ latest still crams in enough laughs to fill a comedy twice its size. Considine, meanwhile, brings his character to such exhilarating life you can’t tell where he ends and Donk begins." |
|
Tomato 3/5 |
Leatherheads (2008) |
"Is it a romantic comedy? A sporting history lesson? A homage to Howard Hawks? It’s all three. Not the touchdown we expected after Good Night, And Good Luck, but still enough style, sophistication and movie-love to save Clooney from a kicking." |
Rob James |
Tomato 4/5 |
Les Chansons d'Amour (2007) |
"An affecting, vibrantly-acted work." |
Tom Dawson |
Tomato 4/5 |
Let the Right One In (2008) |
"As cold as a corpse, as warm as love and thick with shady business in between, Alfredson’s chiller is moving and nerve-jangling. A vampire movie to nourish the heart, mind and fear glands." |
Kevin Harley |
Tomato 4/5 |
Let's Get Lost (1988) |
"plays like an elegy for the demise of the cool, thick with the small-hours allure of addiction and infatuation but smart enough to see clearly." |
|
Tomato 3/5 |
Let's Talk About The Rain (2008) |
"Rooted in richly played, likeable characters, this modest set-up percolates with smart, urbane humour, with Jaoui still finding time for some broad set-piece chuckles." |
|
Tomato 3/5 |
Letters From Iwo Jima (2006) |
"An elegant improvement on Flags, with terrific performances and heart-in-mouth moments, but little lasting impact. Worth watching but worth not fighting for." |
Nev Pierce |
Tomato 4/5 |
Libero (2005) |
"Amid a crop of fine performances, Morace brings stand-out subtlety with his hurt and confusion at the betrayals of the adult world." |
Tom Dawson |
Splat 2/5 |
License To Wed (2007) |
"Ken Kwapis’ comedy ploughs a well-tended furrow, from the hard truths our lovebirds discover to Williams’ family-friendly schtick. There aren’t enough laughs or sparks to warrant saying, “I do!” at the box office." |
James White |
Splat 2/5 |
The Life Before Her Eyes (2008) |
"Part Elephant, part Jacob’s Ladder, moments of bruising power are dulled by overwrought symbolism and a baffling wrap-up." |
Rob James |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Limits of Control (2009) |
"Jarmusch’s film captivates stylistically, and at least some credit’s due to his less-is-more plotting. But extensive introversion leaves it gasping for air, almost vanishing up itself." |
Kevin Harley |
Splat 2/5 |
Lions for Lambs (2007) |
"A real mixed bag, then, destined to be remembered more for its indulgent use of three Hollywood heavyweights than its call to action against a war-mongering government, the compliant media in its thrall and a youth too apathetic to care." |
|
Tomato 3/5 |
Little Ashes (2009) |
"Leaving questions dangling, this isn’t the definitive take on Dalí art-lovers may crave. Still, shot on a shoestring, it’s nevertheless a lush, involving period drama that proves there are other strings to Pattinson’s bow." |
Jane Crowther |
Splat 1/5 |
Live! (2007) |
"This crass, inauthentic mock-doc exposing the evils of reality shows and the venality of TV honchos manages both to bore and insult simultaneously." |
Jane Crowther |
Splat 2/5 |
Lives of the Saints (2006) |
"Thanks to some sluggish pacing, sketchily drawn characterisations (notably Marc Warren’s doubting priest) and a predictable, gun-toting finale, though, it ends up as far less than you might have hoped for." |
Tom Dawson |
Tomato 5/5 |
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) |
"Ultimately, Richardson’s pot-shots at consumerism and class have lost some urgency, but the nihilistic, punky buzz packs an immortal wallop. Classic." |
Simon Crook |
Tomato 4/5 |
Lonesome Jim (2006) |
"The world would be a better place if Steve Buscemi made more movies." |
Nev Pierce |
Tomato 4/5 |
Looking for Eric (2009) |
"With less of the grit but still plenty of the earthy humour Loach is renowned for, this walks the indie/ commercial line with assurance." |
James Mottram |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Lookout (2007) |
"Retooling Memento with a hip young cast, Frank’s debut feature steeps its familiar elements in graveyard humour and indie cool. Plot quibbles aside, the result both grips and moves; it’ll be your lookout if you miss it..." |
Neil Smith |
Tomato 4/5 |
Lorna's Silence (2009) |
"Another immensely subtle, skilful emotional drama from the Belgian masters. Perhaps not up with their spellbinding best – but if only everything at the movies was this disappointing." |
|
Tomato 5/5 |
Los Olvidados (1950) |
"A hugely influential, matter-of-factly brilliant film." |
Tom Dawson |
Tomato 3/5 |
Lou Reed's Berlin (2008) |
"If you don't like the music, there's nothing to see here." |
|
Tomato 4/5 |
Love Exposure |
"It’s as mad as a box of frogs, but a strain of melancholy romance adds emotional backbone to the gags, gore and kung fu." |
Carmen Grey |
Splat 2/5 |
The Love Guru (2008) |
"Beneath the disguise there lurks the spirit of Austin Powers, whose love of double entendres and fart gags remains present and politically incorrect. Which is exactly where and why The Love Guru falls down." |
Tony Horkins |
Tomato 3/5 |
Love The Beast (2009) |
"Slight but unexpectedly sweet." |
Jamie Russell |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Lovely Bones (2009) |
"Lovely Bones is a touching, at times distressing film. It deals with loss, grief, rage, familial breakdown and love, most of all love. But it’s also energetic and entertaining." |
Jamie Graham |
Splat 2/5 |
Lucky You (2007) |
"A frustrating case of good pedigree, bad form. Delayed time and again, this mish-mash of listless plotting, shallow characters and uninvolving action sadly wasn’t worth the wait. Poker fans are better off looking up The Cincinnati Kid or Rounders." |
Tony Horkins |
Tomato 4/5 |
Lust, Caution (2007) |
"Lee’s saucy, sumptuous slow-burner is a complex, elegant seduction, drawing on Hitchcock but putting a singular stamp on a rich spread of spies and sex, repression and sacrifice. Just don’t try those moves at home…" |
Kevin Harley |
IGN RSS Feeds
