Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 75%
| Bruno (2009) | "
Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles are maestros conducting a symphony of discomfort." — MSNBC Posted Jul 8, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 96%
| The Beaches of Agnes (2009) | "
It's exciting to have someone with Varda's energy and creativity continuing to make provocative and inspirational art as she enters her ninth decade on the planet." — MSNBC Posted Jun 30, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 45%
| Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) | "
I don't know if Timex or any of the major timepiece manufacturers gives out a Most Glances at Wristwatch award for movies, but if they do, this achingly monotonous cartoon has a lock on at least a nomination." — MSNBC Posted Jun 30, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 66%
| Public Enemies (2009) | "
Even as a valentine to gangster movies, Public Enemies leaves you wishing that you, like Dillinger on the last night of his life, were watching Manhattan Melodrama instead." — MSNBC Posted Jun 30, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 44%
| My Sister's Keeper (2009) | "
Given how easily the filmmakers could have cranked up the string section and gone for the quivering lip in soft focus, their restraint is admirable." — MSNBC Posted Jun 26, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 96%
| The Hurt Locker (2009) | "
The kind of uncompromising movie that any politician who claims to support the troops while extending the war and cutting funds for veterans' benefits (or any chickenhawk pundit who pooh-poohs the ongoing effects of PTSD) should be forced to see." — MSNBC Posted Jun 25, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 51%
| Cheri (2009) | "
The chemistry-free and inexplicable romantic relationship between the two lead characters causes a ripple effect that dooms the entire movie." — MSNBC Posted Jun 23, 2009 |
N/A | Rotten 19%
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) | "
Whatever happened to grownups on film?" — MSNBC Posted Jun 23, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 19%
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) | "
A cinematic avalanche in which Michael Bay eschews anything resembling plot or characters and instead screams at the audience's eyes for two and a half hours." — MSNBC Posted Jun 23, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 17%
| Year One (2009) | "
[Harold] Ramis and co-writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg mostly avoid the easy anachronism jokes, to their credit, but instead they wind up plumbing the depths of poop, fart, urine, foreskin and gay-panic humor." — MSNBC Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
Rotten 3/5
| Rotten 46%
| The Proposal (2009) | "
Classic screwball comedies knew how to get antagonistic lovers to fall for each other without having to resort to bathos; one wants to send first-time screenwriter Pete Chiarelli to an all-day Howard Hawks film festival." — MSNBC Posted Jun 17, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 43%
| Imagine That (2009) | "
Murphy's scenes with Shahidi prove that he can manage a real rapport with young performers -- why the makers of this movie back-burnered that in favor of more scenes about stock projections, I can't imagine." — MSNBC Posted Jun 10, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 88%
| Moon (2009) | "
The intelligence and care with which the movie was produced makes the script's minor deficiencies stand out in contrast, but on the whole, Moon is the sort of trippy sci-fi dystopia that's best enjoyed on the big screen." — MSNBC Posted Jun 9, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 50%
| The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) | "
Scott seems not to trust the cat-and-mouse maneuverings of Washington and Travolta to carry the film, instead sucking away the claustrophobic intensity with car chases and other superfluous frills." — MSNBC Posted Jun 9, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 28%
| Land of the Lost (2009) | "
It's not that Land of the Lost is devoid of humor or adventure... Ultimately, though, the film feels like a series of ideas thrown at the wall, with only some of them sticking." — MSNBC Posted Jun 4, 2009 |
Rotten 3/5
| Fresh 78%
| The Hangover (2009) | "
If you've seen the trailer for The Hangover, then you've pretty much seen all the funny parts. You've probably also unspooled a movie in your head that's way more fun than what's actually screening in theaters." — MSNBC Posted Jun 3, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 12%
| My Life in Ruins (2009) | "
So why did I have such a good time at such a spectacularly middling movie? Nia Vardalos." — MSNBC Posted Jun 2, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 66%
| Away We Go (2009) | "
It's hard to say whether Mendes and Eggers complement each other's weak spots or if one manages to bring out the best in his collaborator, but ultimately it doesn't matter: Even those who aren't a fan of either should give Away We Go a shot." — MSNBC Posted Jun 2, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 93%
| Drag Me To Hell (2009) | "
Drag Me to Hell composes an underscore of terror that will keep its admirers on edge for the entire running time." — MSNBC Posted May 26, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 97%
| Up (2009) | "
For any run-of-the-mill movie studio, Up would represent a major achievement. But this is Pixar we're talking about ... and so the standards have to be a little tougher." — MSNBC Posted May 26, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 97%
| Up (2009) | "
Old folks rarely find a good home onscreen" — MSNBC Posted May 26, 2009 |
Rotten 3/5
| Rotten 32%
| Terminator Salvation (2009) | "
The machines, as the movie keeps reminding us, must be stopped. Especially the machine that sucked the lifeblood out of this franchise." — MSNBC Posted May 20, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 58%
| The Girlfriend Experience (2009) | "
There's an unforgettable moment in Klute where Jane Fonda's hooker character peeks at her watch while pretending to be in the throes of orgasm; Chelsea seems to operate entirely in watch-peeking mode." — MSNBC Posted May 19, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 44%
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) | "
How can one movie contain Ricky Gervais, Hank Azaria, Steve Coogan, Amy Adams, Christopher Guest, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Jay Baruchel and Craig Robinson while offering so very little in the way of laughs?" — MSNBC Posted May 19, 2009 |
N/A | Rotten 32%
| Terminator Salvation (2009) | "
The stars may leave, but sequels keep coming" — MSNBC Posted May 18, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 37%
| Angels & Demons (2009) | "
Still, even if the whodunit aspect of Angels would barely pass muster on Scooby-Doo, this Ron Howard-directed sequel is less howlingly moronic than its predecessor." — MSNBC Posted May 14, 2009 |
Rotten 3/5
| Rotten 47%
| Management (2009) | "
Romance isn't about logic, but seriously -- the way Mike keeps popping up in Sue's life, unbidded, from a long distance, comes off as more than just a bit creepy and not at all charming." — MSNBC Posted May 13, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 62%
| The Brothers Bloom (2009) | "
Even if The Brothers Bloom winds up smothering itself with twee self-awareness, there's a certain jauntiness to the proceedings that keeps it aloft for most of its running time." — MSNBC Posted May 12, 2009 |
N/A | Rotten 37%
| Angels & Demons (2009) | "
Hey, Tom Hanks, didn't you used to be fun?" — MSNBC Posted May 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 18%
| Next Day Air (2009) | "
Any shreds of comedy are literally blown away in a violent climax that sees most of the cast shooting at each other, complete with graphic blood spurts." — MSNBC Posted May 7, 2009 |
Rotten 3/5
| Fresh 75%
| Adoration (2009) | "
Egoyan will continue to make some of this generation's most provocative and enduring films; Adoration just isn't one of them." — MSNBC Posted May 6, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 95%
| Star Trek (2009) | "
It's exciting, moving, hilarious, action-packed, sexy and suspenseful -- in short, exactly what big, fun summer popcorn movies are supposed to be and yet so rarely are." — MSNBC Posted May 5, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 36%
| X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) | "
We get something more akin to Jim Henson's Mutant Babies, with some Highlander touches thrown in for good measure." — MSNBC Posted May 1, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 46%
| Battle for Terra (2009) | "
You can't fault Battle for Terra for its intentions, but sadly, you can on almost every other front." — MSNBC Posted Apr 30, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 28%
| Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) | "
McConaughey's self-satisfied and oleaginous performance scrapes away the trace amounts of charm the film has to offer." — MSNBC Posted Apr 28, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 18%
| Obsessed (2009) | "
When wronged wife and crazy lady finally let loose on each other in the film's final scenes, Obsessed becomes a wildly campy and deliciously trashy must-see." — MSNBC Posted Apr 24, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 55%
| The Soloist (2009) | "
The Soloist keeps skirting the gassy clichés of the uplifting triumph-of-the-underdog movie before ultimately surrendering to soppy sentimentality." — MSNBC Posted Apr 24, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 41%
| Fighting (2009) | "
Why does it feel like there's a good half-hour missing from the final product? Specifically, the 30 minutes where the characters and motivations are explained?" — MSNBC Posted Apr 22, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 62%
| Crank High Voltage (2009) | "
Imagine a gonzo collaboration between Jean-Luc Godard, Michael Bay and Tex Avery on a weekend meth binge, and you begin to get an idea of what writer-directors Mark Neveldine and Brad Taylor have up their sleeves." — MSNBC Posted Apr 17, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 56%
| 17 Again (2009) | "
Grafting together pieces of Big, Freaky Friday and Peggy Sue Got Married, among many others, "17 Again" hits the usual plot beats. If only any of this were funny." — MSNBC Posted Apr 16, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 85%
| State of Play (2009) | "
State of Play starts out like an All the President's Men wannabe, but the story eventually begins very cleverly twisting upon itself in a way that never feels like a cheat or an insult to the audience's intelligence." — MSNBC Posted Apr 15, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 13%
| Dragonball: Evolution (2009) | "
It may be silly and occasionally miscast, but Dragonball Evolution never loses steam; the movie is both entertainingly ridiculous and ridiculously entertaining." — MSNBC Posted Apr 10, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Rotten 51%
| Observe and Report (2009) | "
Things go from bad to worse to violent and yet -- as in Pineapple Express, which also starred Rogen -- the film never stops being funny, even though you'll find yourself squirming more and more over Ronnie's behavior." — MSNBC Posted Apr 8, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 46%
| Hannah Montana The Movie (2009) | "
The movie repeatedly knocks Miley down a peg and humiliates her whenever she expresses an interest in blooming into international sensation Hannah full-time." — MSNBC Posted Apr 8, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 35%
| Alien Trespass (2009) | "
Trafficking in arch, winking jokes that even the laziest improv comics would consider beneath them, Alien Trespass is a handsomely mounted, and occasionally well-acted, snooze." — MSNBC Posted Apr 1, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 70%
| The Escapist (2009) | "
Director Rupert Wyatt and his co-writer Daniel Hardy have neatly trimmed the fat from this story -- there's almost no character, incident or visual cue that doesn't somehow enhance the plot or set up a surprise or key revelation later on." — MSNBC Posted Apr 1, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 88%
| Adventureland (2009) | "
While Adventureland fits squarely into the that-was-the-summer-that-changed-everything genre, it showcases its characters with such grace that you don't mind the familiarity of the story." — MSNBC Posted Mar 31, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 28%
| Fast & Furious (2009) | "
We get stuck watching Vin Diesel and Paul Walker squint and say words in a weak approximation of acting, wasting precious time that could be spent enjoying street racers zipping through crowded thoroughfares and jumping over obstacles." — MSNBC Posted Mar 31, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 18%
| The Haunting in Connecticut (2009) | "
I wish Haunting had trusted its plot and its dank visuals -- which are often extraordinary -- instead of relying on cheap thrills of the cat-jumps-out-of-the-closet variety." — MSNBC Posted Mar 27, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 72%
| Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) | "
While the jokes take a back seat to the action in the film's big climax, there are earlier moments that rank among the most fighting-for-breath funny stuff I've seen at the movies in ages." — MSNBC Posted Mar 23, 2009 |
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