Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 89%
| Moon (2009) | "
What makes this science-fiction/thriller really work is that it favors a more cerebral style of storytelling. There are clear nods to such sci-fi classics as 2001: A Space Odyssey." Posted Jul 9, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Fresh 96%
| Tulpan (2008) | "
Interesting is the drama's portrayal of a culture that's been spoofed and parodied by other features, including the aforementioned 'mockumentary.'" Posted Jul 9, 2009 |
Rotten 1/4
| Rotten 11%
| I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009) | "
There's not one remotely funny thing about this movie, except for maybe the fact that the filmmakers are trying to pass off Rust as a teen." Posted Jul 9, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 71%
| Bruno (2009) | "
Producer/star Sacha Baron Cohen keeps trying to mine humor from the same type of jokes. And in terms of story structure, it's pretty much the same movie as its predecessor." Posted Jul 9, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 51%
| Cheri (2009) | "
Frears and Hampton are never able to balance the dramatic and comic elements, and the film feels dour and unpleasant." Posted Jul 3, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 46%
| Whatever Works (2009) | "
This acidic, patronizing and painfully unfunny comedy nearly undoes all the good will that the veteran screenwriter/director had recouped with his later-period, Europe-bound mysteries and dramas." Posted Jul 3, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 44%
| Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) | "
The cast of characters for these films is already too jam-packed as it is. Yet the filmmakers find time to introduce a new one -- a crazed, one-eyed weasel named Buck." Posted Jun 30, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 66%
| Public Enemies (2009) | "
This film deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible, though. It certainly features terrific performances by the cast, especially the leads." Posted Jun 30, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 93%
| Summer Hours (2009) | "
Parts of Summer Hours feel very much like real life, which is both the film's strength and its ultimate weakness." Posted Jun 25, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 70%
| Rudo and Cursi (2009) | "
This Spanish-language comedy-drama keeps trying to convince us it's lighter-hearted than its material would suggest." Posted Jun 25, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 66%
| Away We Go (2009) | "
Ultimately, what saves the amiable movie is that we come to know and care about its characters." Posted Jun 25, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 44%
| My Sister's Keeper (2009) | "
This ethical drama tries to make people think about medical and family dilemmas while wringing a few tears out of them along the way." Posted Jun 25, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 19%
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) | "
The dubious, tasteless humor and awful dialogue don't help. Neither does having a leading lady who can't act -- Fox seems to be regressing in her development as a performer." Posted Jun 23, 2009 |
Rotten 1/4
| Rotten 17%
| Year One (2009) | "
Year One -- a film so simple-minded that even a caveman could have written it. Or could have directed it …" Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 73%
| Departures (2009) | "
It is the type of film that needs some time to find its story and its characters. This thoughtful drama is pretty rewarding, though the very deliberate tempo may test the patience of some." Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 50%
| Easy Virtue (2009) | "
To say that her casting doesn't work is an understatement. And there's not nearly enough of Coward's biting wit on display here." Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 46%
| The Proposal (2009) | "
All this predictable, romantic/screwball comedy really has to do is supply us with a steady supply of laughs. And in that regard, the film succeeds." Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| N/A | Call of the Wild 3D (2009) | "
Even comparing itself to the beloved book makes this clunky and supposedly family-friendly drama seem worse than it already is." Posted Jun 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 77%
| Valentino: the Last Emperor (2009) | "
[Director] Tyrnauer and the movie seem blinded by Valentino's stardom and start to lose their way. As a result, the documentary is unfocused." Posted Jun 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 83%
| Treeless Mountain (2009) | "
Whatever magic filmmaker So Yong Kim used to get the two girls to feel so at ease, you wish she would have used a little of that on the rest of the film as well. While it is a fairly realistic and no-frills drama, it's also dull." Posted Jun 11, 2009 |
Rotten 1/4
| Rotten 43%
| Imagine That (2009) | "
This particular movie is so deprived of genuine humor and jokes that it almost defies categorization as a comedy." Posted Jun 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 50%
| The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) | "
This version of the hijacking thriller tale is pretty messy and has all-over-the-map performances and a too-showy directorial style." Posted Jun 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 92%
| The Lemon Tree (2008) | "
Being dry is not necessarily a bad thing for a movie, at least when that dryness includes humor. But Lemon Tree is too dour and too humorless for its own good." Posted Jun 4, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 78%
| The Hangover (2009) | "
As goofy and strange as the situations become, we wouldn't have any investment in this sometimes distasteful silliness if we didn't like these guys." Posted Jun 4, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 11%
| My Life in Ruins (2009) | "
This supposed comedy is full of big, fat Greek stereotypes, crude sexual references and jokes, and some even-more-questionable humor." Posted Jun 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 28%
| Land of the Lost (2009) | "
This only intermittently amusing film isn't going to win over any new fans of the divisive Will Ferrell." Posted Jun 4, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 78%
| The Garden (2009) | "
[Director Kennedy] lets his subjects tell their tales in their own words. And that's what really makes the film interesting." Posted May 28, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 62%
| The Brothers Bloom (2009) | "
It probably takes a particular sensibility to really enjoy and appreciate The Brothers Bloom." Posted May 28, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 100%
| Sita Sings the Blues (2008) | "
Sita Sings the Blues uses the supposed 'handicap' and 'limitations' of traditional animation to its advantage." Posted May 28, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 93%
| Drag Me To Hell (2009) | "
Drag Me to Hell proves two important points about the horror genre: A horror movie can be rated PG-13 and still be scary, and a horror film can be every bit as fun as the big and loud, supposed 'popcorn' movies." Posted May 28, 2009 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 97%
| Up (2009) | "
While it may seem to have a limiting premise and characters, it's done so well that it's easily on par with the Pixar films that came before it." Posted May 28, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 44%
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) | "
Perhaps it should have been titled either Night at the Museum: We're Doing It for the Money or Night at the Museum: Contractually Obligated Sequel, instead." Posted May 21, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 55%
| Lymelife (2009) | "
While the performers do what they can with the material, we've seen this premise done too many times, especially recently." Posted May 21, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 76%
| Shall We Kiss? (2008) | "
Refreshingly, Mouret also shows that marital infidelity is not without serious repercussions." Posted May 21, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Rotten 32%
| Terminator Salvation (2009) | "
You should probably turn your "brain wattage" down in order to enjoy this silly science-fiction thriller." Posted May 20, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 93%
| Sugar (2009) | "
That the movie manages to avoid some of the customary cliches and formulaic machinations of the sports drama genre makes the film rewarding, as do the performances by its mostly fresh-faced cast." Posted May 14, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 74%
| Tokyo! (2009) | "
The oddness is sort of refreshing." Posted May 14, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 94%
| Goodbye Solo (2009) | "
A nice antidote to the action-comes-first style of filmmaking that dominates movies this time of year." Posted May 14, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 37%
| Angels & Demons (2009) | "
The plotting here is so convoluted and so far-fetched that it makes the conspiracy elements in the National Treasure movies look plausible by comparison." Posted May 14, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 58%
| Paris 36 (2008) | "
This flaky French import can't stick to one story and can't find a way to resolve its myriad story lines in the proper fashion." Posted May 8, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 95%
| Star Trek (2009) | "
This Trek is an exciting, constantly entertaining feature that helps kick off this year's summer movie season in spectacular fantasy." Posted May 7, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 67%
| Is Anybody There? (2009) | "
It probably wouldn't work at all without [Caine]. He's so charismatic and so watchable that we can forgive the film's occasional lapses in logic and storytelling." Posted May 7, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 77%
| In a Dream (2009) | "
When it works, it's well. When it doesn't, it seems unfocused and nearly loses our interest." Posted May 7, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 18%
| Love 'N Dancing (2009) | "
If you cut the extraneous parts of Love n' Dancing -- you know, all the ones except for the dancing scenes -- it might not be a half-bad movie." Posted May 7, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 78%
| 12 (2007) | "
Much of it is done so clumsily that the characters verge on becoming caricatures." Posted Apr 30, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 46%
| Battle for Terra (2009) | "
Battle for Terra shows that you need more than computer-generated graphics to make a quality animated movie these days." Posted Apr 30, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 36%
| X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) | "
While it might not be as much of a cinematic train wreck as 2006's X-Men: The Land Stand, it's not quite the rousing, spectacular summer movie season opener we were hoping for, either." Posted Apr 30, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 28%
| Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) | "
This romantic comedy/fantasy goes exactly where we expect it to go. (And that can't be considered a serious plot 'spoiler'. Anyone who's ever seen a movie fantasy will be able to predict this film's ending.)" Posted Apr 30, 2009 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 85%
| Earth (2009) | "
No other movie (documentary or feature film) has featured as many "wow!" moments as this one does in quite some time." Posted Apr 23, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 90%
| Hunger (2008) | "
Seriously brutal." Posted Apr 23, 2009 |