- |
Adventureland (2009) |
"Failure shaped Mottola's outlook" |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Adventureland (2009) |
"The thunder that follows the Superbad lightning." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
Angels & Demons (2009) |
"Heavier on demons than angels." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
An American Carol (2008) |
"The right should follow Zucker's lead engage its liberal opposition with humor rather than the crass protests and attempts at bans usually flung at Moore's films." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
American Teen (2008) |
"A doctored snapshot that nails the angst, hope and spirit of an emerging generation." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Animation Show 4 (2008) |
"Hits year four without losing any sizzle." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
Appaloosa (2008) |
"With Wayne's gruff arrogance, Eastwood's squinting revenge eyes and Stewart's ambling cool, Harris carves a daunting figure." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
Across the Universe (2007) |
"Every little thing Julie Taymor does is magic." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
Air Guitar Nation (2007) |
"As "Seinfeld" proved, shows about nothing can be a lot of fun." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
Alpha Dog (2007) |
"Alpha Dog may be more crass exploitation than an earnest attempt at laying out the facts of a crime, but it's exciting and watchable for anyone willing to romp in the mud for two hours." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
Amazing Grace (2007) |
"Coming soon to a social studies class near you." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 4/4 |
American Gangster (2007) |
"Martin Scorsese will buy the movie's poster and frame it on his bedroom wall." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
Arctic Tale (2007) |
"During the end credits, kids pop up onscreen to warn you that every time you turn on your lights, a baby polar bear falls to his death through a crevasse of ice cracked by global warming. Or something to that effect." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Are We Done Yet? (2007) |
"Call it habitat for stupidity." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Arthur and the Invisibles (2007) |
"Audiences should ignore this one until Arthur becomes invisible." |
Phil Villarreal |
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The Astronaut Farmer (2007) |
"Billy Bob brings it" |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Astronaut Farmer (2007) |
"The Astronaut Farmer may not be fresh or unpredictable, but it has no problem lifting off. It's nice to believe we live in a world in which Charles can launch into the heavens." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
Atonement (2007) |
"The regret I felt the most while watching Atonement was not Briony's, but my own for having gotten myself stuck in two hours of drudgery." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 1/4 |
August Rush (2007) |
"All this could totally happen, just like an oak tree might spurt out of the ground to start singing and dancing, the Arizona Cardinals could win the next 50 Super Bowls." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Avenue Montaigne (2007) |
"You know where to find "Avenue Montaigne." It's in Paris, near the intersection of Sappy Circle and Derivative Drive." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 4/4 |
Away From Her (2007) |
""Away From Her" is at once one of the most romantic love stories and most frightening horror films I've ever seen." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
A Scanner Darkly (2006) |
"If it leaves you with a facial expression as stunned as that of Keanu, you know Linklater and his crew have done their jobs." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
Accepted (2006) |
"Bartleby thinks he's onto something new but doesn't realize somebody already thought of the concept - it's called junior college." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
Adam & Steve (2006) |
"Chester could have used a major rewrite, or at least some serious editing." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
Akeelah and the Bee (2006) |
"Akeelah's predictable journey to success and self-actualization bounds with depth and heart." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
Al Franken: God Spoke (2006) |
"The documentary skims the surface, appreciating Franken's crass, troublemaking modus operandi. This would be OK if the doc were crammed with hilarious footage, but Franken comes off as more droll and bitter than clever." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
All The King's Men (2006) |
"Stark will start a speech in front of a few people, then throngs scamper in after he finishes his first sentence. By the end of his speeches he gets the crowd to chant catch-phrases. Willie Stark totally could have hosted "TRL."" |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
America: Freedom To Fascism (2006) |
"The catch is the IRS doesn't care and will seize all your property and possibly throw you in jail if you refuse to pay.Talk about a buzzkill." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2.5/4 |
American Dreamz (2006) |
"You won't know whether or not to recommend it to your friends. They'll ask you if it was good or bad, and you'll only be able to respond with "yes."" |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
American Hardcore (2006) |
""American Hardcore" harkens back to the time when punk rockers were actual punks, not whining, prefabricated MTV pretty boys." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Ant Bully (2006) |
"The Ant Bully won't battle your Pixar collection for DVD shelf space for that matter, neither will Pixar's latest, Cars -- but nor will it have you staring at your watch." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Apocalypto (2006) |
"It's the cinematic equivalent of Pop Rocks and soda." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Art School Confidential (2006) |
"grabs you by the backpack and sends you hurtling into a realm of false praise, vicious backbiting and pretentious gallery openings. A rich, bleedingly authentic cast of characters emerges." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 1/4 |
ATL (2006) |
"Don't expect to see it as a featured film on NBC or even HBO. Maybe it's got a shot at late-night BET. If this had gone straight to DVD, that would have been A-OK. RIP, "ATL."" |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
The Aura (2006) |
"It's tough to get behind a character who doesn't even seem to care about himself." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
Azur and Asmar - The Princes' Quest (2006) |
"The film is full of out-there artistic decisions that don't quite pay off, it makes you feel like you're taking medicine without a spoonful of sugar." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
A Tout de Suite (2005) |
"Thoroughly assured as a piece of art, and bears rewards worth enduring stretches of palled uneventfulness." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl in 3-D (2005) |
"Every time you stop to catch your breath, the movie's round, electric eyes stare up at you and push you to keep going. After all, the sun's up and bedtime is an eternity away." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
The Amityville Horror (2005) |
"Things don't go bump in the night in this movie; they wake you up, introduce themselves and pull up a chair for a cup of coffee." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
Apres Vous (2005) |
"If anyone tries to insist that you come along to see the film, it's best to reply, Après vous, and then head in the other direction." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 1/4 |
Are We There Yet? (2005) |
"You think, Hey, these kids have put Nick through every conceivable indignity except kicking him in the groin! Then, sure enough, one of them kicks Nick in the groin." |
Phil Villarreal |
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The Aristocrats (2005) |
"Putting Penn to paper" |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Aristocrats (2005) |
"You'd think that hearing the same joke told dozens of time in a row would get boring, and you'd be right - some of the time. But when a comic captures fire, look out." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) |
"Jean-François Richet - by the way, could there possibly be a first name that's more French than "Jean-François?" - pounds out the tense tale with vigor and finesse." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
Asylum (2005) |
"The film is basically a string of repetitive ruts." |
Phil Villarreal |
Splat 2/4 |
After the Sunset (2004) |
"Ratner's films chug with the precision of a machine, and with just as little soul." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Agronomist (2004) |
"His story makes us feel for the Haitian people and appreciate the glorious right of a free press." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Alamo (2004) |
"Does its best to shake off the baggage of its predecessors." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
Alexander (2004) |
"Like Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, Alexander is an overindulgent, sprawling specimen of the director's lavish strengths and harrowing weaknesses." |
Phil Villarreal |
Tomato 3/4 |
Alfie (2004) |
"Law, chronically aware of his own charm, doesn't mimic Caine's performance; he rei-nterprets the character and sparks it with a new life, making Alfie thoroughly his own." |
Phil Villarreal |
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