Fresh 10/10
| Fresh 82%
| A Single Man (2009) | "
A Single Man is one of the most beautiful things you will set eyes on all year." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 24, 2009 |
Fresh 6/10
| Fresh 70%
| Sherlock Holmes (2009) | "
Sherlock Holmes is a noisy, brutish film that, while forgettable, is at least an entertaining romp." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 24, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Rotten 49%
| It's Complicated (2009) | "
I laughed in It's Complicated more than in any other film this year. Comedies, especially those for thinking adults, don't get any funnier than this." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 24, 2009 |
Rotten 4/10
| Rotten 37%
| Nine (2009) | "
Nine is all songs and no story, a vulgar artistic endeavor that adds nothing whatsoever to the classic film on which it is based." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 24, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 74%
| The Young Victoria (2009) | "
The Young Victoria is a simple story sumptuously told." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 17, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 83%
| Avatar (2009) | "
While its cinematic impact may not quite rise to the hubristic heights some have speculated, it is as bold and audacious a step in that direction as cinema has ever seen." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 15, 2009 |
Rotten 5/10
| Fresh 76%
| Invictus (2009) | "
There is only one word needed to sum up Invictus -- underwhelming. While the historically significant story is certainly worthy of a film adaptation, Invictus is little more than a clichéd sports drama, and a rather stale one at that." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 11, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 83%
| Me and Orson Welles (2009) | "
Christian McCay's performance is mesmerizing. It is as if Orson Welles himself rose from the grave, shed several hundred pounds and 60 years, and walked imperiously back on screen." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 11, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 83%
| The Princess and the Frog (2009) | "
Disney's The Princess and the Frog is like a visit from an old friend after a long time spent apart." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 11, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 90%
| The Messenger (2009) | "
It's hard to believe that an actor of Ben Foster's caliber is just now getting a leading role." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 11, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 89%
| Up in the Air (2009) | "
Of every film that came out this year, I didn't see a single one more assured, more confident, more utterly comfortable in its own skin than Up in the Air." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 4, 2009 |
Rotten 4/10
| Rotten 57%
| Brothers (2009) | "
Brother turns on a single moment of such implausibility that nearly everything that comes after it rings false as a result." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 4, 2009 |
Rotten 5/10
| Rotten 46%
| Everybody's Fine (2009) | "
Americans and their perverse obsession with happy endings. Especially during the holidays. Ba Humbug!" — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Dec 4, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 89%
| Red Cliff (2009) | "
Many people see Red Cliff as Hong Kong actioneer John Woo's return to form. I'm not one of them. John Woo has never once made a film I've liked. Until now." — Christianity Today Posted Nov 25, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 72%
| The Blind Side (2009) | "
Potentially culturally offensive and overly schmaltzy, The Blind Side instead threads an almost impossible needle, pulling off a surprisingly moving and inspirational story of compassion, self-discovery and hope." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Nov 25, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 93%
| Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) | "
Cheeky, original, funny, satisfyingly silly and even a bit profound, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, like Where the Wild Things Are, is a quirky delight for children and the child hopefully still residing in every adult." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Nov 25, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 72%
| The Road (2009) | "
Breathtaking in the totality of its harrowing vision, The Road is an unflinching contemplation on the astonishing duality of the human animal." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Nov 25, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 85%
| Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) | "
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans is a magnificent mess of the sort only Herzog can get away with making." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Nov 25, 2009 |
Rotten 3/10
| Rotten 28%
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) | "
Walking out of New Moon, I was struck by the odd sensation that I was living in an alternate universe peopled by vampires and the movie we'd just seen was their version of Days of our Lives." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Rotten 3/10
| Rotten 39%
| 2012 (2009) | "
It is better that the world ends here, right now, this instant, in a calamitous and civilization-decimating apocalypse before anyone else has to suffer through the disaster of a disaster film that is 2012. You'll thank me later." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 92%
| Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire (2009) | "
Precious is one of the most harrowing films you will ever see, with one of the most monstrous villains in movie history. Yet it earns both a levity and a hope that somehow never feels out of place, an almost impossible balancing act to pull off." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Rotten 44%
| The Box (2009) | "
The Box...breezes right past slick, pre-packed sci-fi to find a resting place somewhere in the outlandish and exceedingly eccentric world of artists so true to themselves that their work inspires and infuriates in equal measure." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Rotten 55%
| Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009) | "
In a very real sense, this version of A Christmas Carol is the most faithful to Charles Dickens' original text ever filmed." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Rotten 5/10
| Rotten 54%
| The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) | "
If looks could really kill, this film would already be dead." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Fresh 8.5/10
| Fresh 94%
| An Education (2009) | "
Carey Mulligan...allows us to observe and participate in something truly special %u2014 the birth of a major talent." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 30, 2009 |
Rotten 4/10
| Rotten 47%
| Ong Bak 2 (2009) | "
Ong Bak 2, which bears absolutely no relation to the film that preceded it other than a title and a lead actor, is cinematic proof that you can indeed have too much of a good thing." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Fresh 6/10
| Rotten 37%
| Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) | "
The first image of Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant tells us everything we need to know about what kind of film this is going to be: we open on a tub full of popcorn." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Rotten 4/10
| Rotten 48%
| Astro Boy (2009) | "
The icon's first big screen appearance is sure to be a let down for his long-time fans, too light for their sophisticated tastes and too dark for the simpler appetites of their children." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 73%
| Where the Wild Things Are (2009) | "
Where the Wild Things Are is too simple to be understood by adults. Only a child can truly grasp it (even though this film is in no way intended for them). Reach down deep and find the child who still lives within you." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 16, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 87%
| A Serious Man (2009) | "
A Serious Man is exquisitely, perhaps even flawlessly, realized. If one were to say that the Coens have stopped evolving as filmmakers, it is only because one cannot improve upon perfection." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 82%
| Paranormal Activity (2009) | "
Paranormal Activity is not a movie; it is a participatory sport, an amusement park haunted house complete with the obligatory shrieking teenaged girls clinging to each other for solace." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Rotten 3/10
| Rotten 12%
| Couples Retreat (2009) | "
Couples Retreat is an unending parade of offensive scenes, a tedious cavalcade of miserable, shallow people with whom we are no doubt supposed to identify but with whom we should hope to see nothing in common." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Rotten 57%
| The Invention of Lying (2009) | "
The Invention of Lying is a small comedy with big things on its mind. At its core beats an almost Capra-esque heart. But its reach exceeds its grasp and unfortunately, it fizzles in the end, falling far short of its lofty goals." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 89%
| Zombieland (2009) | "
It's fitting that much of the film takes place in an amusement park, because Zombieland is one thrill ride after another." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 1, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 83%
| Whip It (2009) | "
Surprisingly moving and pervasively funny, this celebration of female camaraderie is, to borrow a word, pure bliss. Miracle...whip!" — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 1, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 75%
| Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) | "
As a child, my mother taught me that there was always a kernel of truth in every bit of criticism; always some veracity in every condemnation, no matter how outlandish the claim or the claimant." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 1, 2009 |
Rotten 5/10
| Fresh 72%
| The Boys Are Back (2009) | "
Bland, uneventful and going in circles for most of its second half, The Boys are Back never really gets to the point." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Oct 1, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 84%
| Bright Star (2009) | "
[O]ne of the finest films about the life of an artist ever made." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Sep 24, 2009 |
Rotten 5/10
| Rotten 40%
| Surrogates (2009) | "
Surrogates is a compelling set-up buttressed by slick effects and impressive production values that ultimately proves to be as hollow and superficial as the technology it conjures." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Sep 24, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 77%
| The Informant! (2009) | "
...some of the most fun I've had at the theater all year." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 85%
| Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) | "
I loved, loved, loved this movie! Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is easily the best non-Pixar animated film to come out in our post-Pixar world." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Rotten 3/10
| Rotten 44%
| Jennifer's Body (2009) | "
There is a fine, almost invisible line between the satire and the B-movie, and unfortunately for Cody, her new film spends nearly two hours looking for it, without any success." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Fresh 6/10
| Rotten 18%
| Love Happens (2009) | "
[The director] goes for the melodramatic jugular, knocking over the pitcher of lemonade his characters have so faithfully made from their lemons, and souring the entire film." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Rotten 3.5/10
| Rotten 6%
| Whiteout (2009) | "
Perhaps it would have been better if I'd blacked out for most of Whiteout." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Sep 10, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 57%
| 9 (2009) | "
9 is enthralling and beguiling, a flawed but gripping narrative suffused with wonder, imagination and dread-tinged awe." — Christianity Today Posted Sep 10, 2009 |
Rotten 4/10
| Fresh 63%
| Extract (2009) | "
...moves with all the speed of celluloid being pulled through a vat of oatmeal." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Sep 3, 2009 |
Fresh 6/10
| Fresh 85%
| World's Greatest Dad (2009) | "
World's Greatest Dad is Ferris Bueller's Day Off %u2026 with autoerotic asphyxiation." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Sep 3, 2009 |
Fresh 9/10
| Fresh 88%
| Inglourious Basterds (2009) | "
A piece of bravura filmmaking, a scrumptiously over the top revenge fantasy that melds high comedy with tragic melodrama for pure hypnotic effect. I've never enjoyed a Tarantino movie more." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Sep 3, 2009 |
Fresh 8/10
| Fresh 90%
| District 9 (2009) | "
Easily one of the best and most surprising films of the summer, an edge-of-your-seat actioneer that represents the very best that science fiction has to offer." — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Sep 3, 2009 |
Fresh 7/10
| Fresh 68%
| Funny People (2009) | "
[I]f not all of Funny People works, who of us matured into adulthood without first struggling though some growing pains?" — BrandonFibbs.com Posted Jul 28, 2009 |
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