Splat 2/5 |
Macbeth (2007) |
"Ultimately, though, it's just a load of sound and fury, indifferently played by a Neighbours-lite cast and fatally compromised by graphic violence that makes Roman Polanski's 1971 version seem tame by comparison. Strewth…" |
Neil Smith |
Splat 1/5 |
Mad, Sad and Bad (2009) |
"A British-Asian comedy that may not be mad or sad but is... Well, you’ve guessed it. another underachieving comedy to file and forget in British cinema’s already overstuffed bottom drawer. Yawn." |
Jamie Russell |
Tomato 3/5 |
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) |
"Everything that worked about the first Madagascar, plus a lot that didn’t. The zebra prattles and the giraffe whines, but when the lemur blows raspberries or sings ‘Private Dancer’, giggles all round." |
|
Tomato 3/5 |
Made in Jamaica (2006) |
"The haphazard structure chafes against its gritty aspirations." |
Carmen Grey |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Magic Flute (2006) |
"Branagh’s imagery is imaginative and the music lifts you. A neat trick." |
Nev Pierce |
Splat 2/5 |
Make It Happen (2008) |
"It’s all just filler between the dance scenes, which are admittedly fun. Think Pussycat Dolls with slightly more clothes on. Unrepentantly formulaic, but enjoyable all the same." |
Ellen E Jones |
Tomato 4/5 |
Man On Wire (2008) |
"Marsh’s film is an achievement in itself, beautifully constructed and carried off; and that’s only fitting when his subject epitomises the soul-lifting power of that perpetual human hunger to do the impossible." |
Matt Mueller |
Tomato 4/5 |
Margot at the Wedding (2007) |
"Emotional car-crash cinema at its best, packed with characters you’d hate to meet but who are riveting to watch. Baumbach’s barbed cynicism won’t be to everyone’s taste, but those still suffering the aftermath of a family Christmas will grin in grim recog" |
Philip Kemp |
Splat 2/5 |
Marigold (2007) |
"A sari attempt to hybridise Hollywood and Bollywood." |
Matthew Leyland |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Mark of an Angel (2008) |
"Predictable in places, but there’s much to savour here: dedicated performances, an atmospheric score, unsettling set-pieces (which are all viewed from Elsa’s troubled perspective)… and above all a satisfying sense of ambiguity." |
Tom Dawson |
Splat 2/5 |
Married Life (2008) |
"A classy cast and production design to die for are the only features of note in an underpowered tale of adultery and intrigue in ’50s America." |
Neil Smith |
Tomato 5/5 |
Martyrs (2008) |
"Arthouse? Grindhouse? The Passion Of Joan Of Arc: Unrated Edition? Defying all boundaries, Martyrs relentlessly dishes the visceral pain and emerges as a work of not just ceaseless terror but also gravity and beauty." |
Jamie Graham |
Splat 1/5 |
Material Girls (2006) |
"“This thing is screwier than Courtney Love!” whimpers Hilary in her usual chihuahua-on-helium whine. Even she, however, manages to shine next to her aggravating older sister, saddled as she is with all the comic timing of a mortally wounded elephant." |
Neil Smith |
Tomato 4/5 |
Max Manus (2008) |
"Bandidas directors Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg employ impressive production values and a blockbuster sensibility here, nailing the suspense." |
Richard Jordan |
Splat 2/5 |
Max Payne (2008) |
"The occasional muzzle-flare of stylish violence, but that’s it. Dull, depressing and dragging its knuckles at 100 minutes, Max Payne misfires and Wahlberg’s leading-man jinx continues." |
Chris Hicks |
Tomato 3/5 |
Me and Orson Welles (2009) |
"A diverting period comedy-drama, but slight compared to Linklater at his sharpest. Worth catching, though, for newcomer Christian McKay’s magisterial portrayal of the young Welles in all his moody, manipulative glory." |
Philip Kemp |
Splat 2/5 |
Meet the Robinsons (2007) |
"This is eye candy with a hollow centre." |
Matthew Leyland |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) |
"This Coens-lite comedy squeezes every last drop of craziness from its source but is undone by a thin third act. McGregor’s a good straight man, but it’s Clooney’s show." |
Mark Salisbury |
Splat 2/5 |
The Merry Gentleman (2009) |
"Part tastefully muted, part plain morose, Keaton’s direction styles this as a character study of hearts in winter. But it doesn’t wash." |
Kevin Harley |
Tomato 4/5 |
Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2009) |
"What follows is episodic enough to make Instinct resemble a TV mini-series. But each fresh incident serves to embellish Mesrine’s reckless character and inch him from man to myth." |
Neil Smith |
Tomato 4/5 |
Mesrine: Part 2 - Public Enemy #1 (2009) |
"Tonally different to its predecessor but just as engrossing." |
Neil Smith |
Splat 1/5 |
Messages (2007) |
"The horror, the horror: this Brit chiller is a strong contender for worst film of the year." |
Jamie Russell |
Tomato 4/5 |
Michael Clayton (2007) |
"Continuing to seek out writer/directors with something to say, Clooney’s latest pair-up packs its anti-corporate agenda with enough meat to keep you hooked." |
Matt Mueller |
Tomato 3/5 |
Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) |
"A concert doc without the concert, this airbrushed vision of Jackson’s final months doesn’t really tally with the tragic reality. Still, it’s hard to take your eyes off the King of Pop as he struts his stuff one last time." |
Neil Smith |
Tomato 4/5 |
Mid-August Lunch (2009) |
"Appealingly acted by a mostly non-professional cast and propelled by a moving score, Mid-August Lunch proves how small can indeed be beautiful." |
Tom Dawson |
Splat 2/5 |
Middletown (2006) |
"It errs on the side of caution, never delving beyond the two-dimensional as Macfadyen’s steely-eyed bogeyman delivers one Bible-bashing speech after another." |
Jamie Russell |
Tomato 4/5 |
A Mighty Heart (2007) |
"A fitting tribute to courage under fire and stoicism in the face of senseless brutality, Winterbottom conjures up a perfect marriage of subject and technique. Good also to see Jolie acting for a change..." |
Neil Smith |
Splat 2/5 |
Mirrors (2008) |
"There's a crippling sense of familiarity about the whole shebang that no one seems remotely bothered about fixing. Let's hope they all get seven years bad luck." |
|
Tomato 3/5 |
Miss March (2009) |
"Pure eye-poking, boob-baring raunch that will tickle your inner idiot and wind up everyone else something rotten." |
Ken McIntyre |
Tomato 3/5 |
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) |
"Stagey fluff, yes, but old romantics will spare a sigh for the fairytale fade-out." |
Matthew Leyland |
Tomato 4/5 |
Mister Foe (2008) |
"Get past the goofy animated titles and you’ll be captivated by a coming-of-age tale with a subversive edge. The hero may be have a few hang-ups, but Jamie Bell’s an ideal star for such defiantly off-kilter fare." |
Neil Smith |
Tomato 3/5 |
Mister Lonely (2008) |
"Korine comes back strong with an affected but intermittently affecting curio featuring the pseudo-starriest line-up you’ll ever see. Flying nuns on BMX bikes will be a leap of faith for many, but the wild black laughs keep things grounded." |
Tom Charity |
Tomato 4/5 |
Moliere (2007) |
"Both a glittering showcase for a literary giant’s comic genius and a first-class farce in its own right. By turns funny, mysterious, suffering and sexy, Romain Duris again proves he’s the most charismatic French actor working today." |
Matt Mueller |
Tomato 4/5 |
Momma's Man (2008) |
"Azazel Jacobs’ lo-fi indie comedy unfolds slowly but with patient precision." |
Kevin Harley |
Tomato 4/5 |
Mongol (2008) |
"Surrender to its exotic oddity and guttural throat-singing and you’ll be entertained by a sweeping saga that’s like a Mongolian Braveheart." |
Neil Smith |
Tomato 4/5 |
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) |
"A snappy script and some neat 3D make for an above-average romp with plenty of in-jokes for cineastes and fan-boys alike." |
Neil Smith |
Tomato 5/5 |
Moon (2009) |
"Fans of speculative and conceptual sci-fi and classic storytelling should take this trip to identity’s dark side. The direction is elegant, the acting impeccable. Take the trip." |
Kevin Harley |
Splat |
Mother (2009) |
"Mother is competent, no more, no less." |
Jamie Graham |
Splat 2/5 |
Mr. Brooks (2007) |
"Everyone involved takes this tat seriously except William Hurt, who goes gung-ho as the alter-ego goading Brooks’ kill frenzies. If only they’d cut out the middle-Kev and cast Hurt instead…" |
Kevin Harley |
Splat 2/5 |
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007) |
"Too dark for kids, too daffy for grown-ups. There’s the odd glimmer of charm, but beneath the fluttering FX and existential fluster, Helm has buried the most important toy in the box: a good story." |
|
Splat 1/5 |
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) |
"Dumb, inept and more than a little dull, this lacklustre blockbuster suggests it’s time to put The Mummy back in its sarcophagus. If The Scorpion King’s anything to go by, though, those bloody Yetis will probably get their own spin-off." |
|
Tomato 4/5 |
Mutual Appreciation (2006) |
"The focus is narrow, but its scrutiny is absolutely unerring." |
Tom Charity |
Tomato 3/5 |
My Blueberry Nights (2008) |
"Away from home, Wong is on far-from-vintage form. But he still speaks the seductive language of longing with tactile tenderness, and draws out a natural performance from Jones. Worth a look, if not quite one to fall for." |
Kevin Harley |
Splat 2/5 |
My Life in Ruins (2009) |
"Vardalos’ peppy charm and the postcard scenery make for pleasant diversions, but there’s no getting away from the script’s mawkishness." |
Ellen E Jones |
Tomato 3/5 |
My Life to Live (1962) |
"Jean Luc-Godard’s third feature fuses trademark stylistic playfulness with a stark portrait of the dehumanising nature of capitalist society." |
Tom Dawson |
Tomato 3/5 |
My Nikifor (2004) |
"A spare yet affecting portrait of Polish ‘outsider artist’ Nikifor Krynicki, bringing to light the winter years of his life." |
Tom Dawson |
Splat 2/5 |
My Sister's Keeper (2009) |
"Full of clunky voiceovers, corny music and maudlin montages, this manipulative yarn plays with issues of medical morality and parental duty only to discard them in favour of a manipulative paean to valuing life and accepting death." |
Neil Smith |
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