Fresh 4.5/5
| Fresh 97%
| The Hurt Locker (2009) | "
The Hurt Locker takes the viewer by the scruff of the neck. And it embeds him or her in the middle of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal squad in Baghdad." — tonymacklin.net Posted Dec 21, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/5
| Fresh 89%
| Up in the Air (2009) | "
Up in the Air... flies the friendly skies of termination. Given his style and tone in Up in the Air, (director) Jason Reitman would make a good lobbyist for Big Pharma." — tonymacklin.net Posted Dec 20, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 83%
| Avatar (2009) | "
James Cameron seeks revolution -- not only in the way we see movies, but in the way we see life. Avatar is revolutionary in that it tries to shake up established attitudes. In the case of Avatar, 3-D is decisive, daring, and drastic." — tonymacklin.net Posted Dec 15, 2009 |
Rotten 2.0/5
| Fresh 76%
| Invictus (2009) | "
Invictus is caught in a rugby scrum between Clint's good intentions and dull execution. I love the game, but am disappointed in the match." — tonymacklin.net Posted Dec 7, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/5
| Rotten 40%
| The Lovely Bones (2009) | "
The Lovely Bones is a film in cinematic limbo -- caught between heaven and earth. The Lovely Bones is another movie that makes me fear hell. But it doesn't make me want to go to heaven." — tonymacklin.net Posted Dec 5, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/5
| Fresh 72%
| The Blind Side (2009) | "
In the movie The Blind Side, truth is sacked and authenticity is fumbled -- all in the name of cheerleading. The Blind Side is not true -- it is a crowd-pleasing white wash." — tonymacklin.net Posted Dec 2, 2009 |
Fresh 3.0/5
| Fresh 93%
| Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) | "
Fantastic Mr. Fox is a smart, droll animated film that may not be for everybody, but it has charm and panache." — tonymacklin.net Posted Nov 23, 2009 |
Fresh 2.0/5
| Rotten 46%
| Everybody's Fine (2009) | "
Everybody's Fine is a nice picture about a dysfunctional family which keeps secrets. It should appeal to nice, dysfunctional, secretive people in the audience -- which probably is the majority." — Fayetteville Free Weekly Posted Nov 23, 2009 |
Rotten 1.0/5
| Rotten 39%
| 2012 (2009) | "
After seeing 2012 I had to take a shower I felt so unclean. If 2012 succeeds, we'll have the deluge of crap. It won't be the Rapture; it will be the Evacuation." — Fayetteville Free Weekly Posted Nov 11, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 60%
| Pirate Radio (2009) | "
Sometimes there's a movie that comes along that shivers your timbres. Pirate Radio is one such delight. It's a treasure trove of rock and roll memories, energy, and infectious spirit. It's as groovy as the 1960s." — tonymacklin.net Posted Nov 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2.0/5
| Rotten 53%
| The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) | "
The Men Who Stare at Goats has no edge. [It] is merely a slight, innocuous diversion. It depends on how tolerant you are of such meanderings as to how much you will enjoy it." — tonymacklin.net Posted Nov 5, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/5
| Fresh 72%
| The Road (2009) | "
When a movie is bleak and depressing, it had better be damned good. The Road is damned bad." — tonymacklin.net Posted Nov 5, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/5
| Fresh 65%
| Coco Before Chanel (2009) | "
In Coco Before Chanel, Audrey Tautou coolly charms as the designer in her formative years. On a scale of 8, the film is a Chanel #5." — tonymacklin.net Posted Oct 29, 2009 |
Fresh 3.0/5
| Fresh 82%
| Paranormal Activity (2009) | "
Once in a full moon, a movie comes along that ignores all the established rules and yet somehow captivates a large, enthusiastic following. Paranormal Activity is such a phenomenon." — tonymacklin.net Posted Oct 16, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/5
| Fresh 72%
| The Boys Are Back (2009) | "
The Boys Are Back is a poignant and rowdy celebration of a broken family dealing with grief and drastic change. It has a lame title and a rambling story, but it also has an outstanding performance by Clive Owen and beautiful Australian scenery." — tonymacklin.net Posted Oct 9, 2009 |
Fresh 2.0/5
| Rotten 27%
| Fame (2009) | "
Burnett's script almost sinks Fame, but the voice of Naturi Naughton, the heart of Dutton, and the energy of Tancharoen give it a pulse. Fame is erratic, but it definitely has a beat." — tonymacklin.net Posted Sep 27, 2009 |
Fresh 3.0/5
| Fresh 75%
| Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) | "
Michael Moore titled his most recent film Capitalism: A Love Story, probably because in Capitalism you never have to say you're sorry. And Moore never says he's sorry as he trashes Capitalism in America." — Fayetteville Free Weekly Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Fresh 3.0/5
| Fresh 84%
| The September Issue (2009) | "
The documentary film The September Issue is enchanting, bewildering, and informing... a terrific merging of fashion and cinema." — tonymacklin.net Posted Sep 17, 2009 |
Fresh 3.0/5
| Fresh 90%
| District 9 (2009) | "
District 9 is a ferocious fable. Potent and provocative, it is an allegory for our time. It is bursting with contemporary themes -- oppression, greed, power, propaganda, and the conflict of disparate cultures." — tonymacklin.net Posted Sep 8, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/5
| Rotten 49%
| Taking Woodstock (2009) | "
Taking Woodstock is homogenized mud. Director Ang Lee slides all over the place. He takes away all the sharp edges; what is left is pretty much a mess." — tonymacklin.net Posted Aug 29, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/5
| Fresh 88%
| Inglourious Basterds (2009) | "
(Note: This is a follow-on to my original review.) Inglourious Basterds is like a beautiful woman with bad breath. It's a week later, and... I'm still in the dating process." — Fayetteville Free Weekly Posted Aug 27, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/5
| Fresh 88%
| Inglourious Basterds (2009) | "
Inglourious Basterds is a mixture that some will think is a masterpiece; others will think it an audacious hodgepodge. I think I'm among the latter." — tonymacklin.net Posted Aug 19, 2009 |
Fresh 3.0/5
| Fresh 75%
| Julie & Julia (2009) | "
Julie & Julia is a scrumptious delight... a vivacious pleasure. In the word of both Julie and Julia: Yum." — tonymacklin.net Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Rotten 2.0/5
| Fresh 86%
| 500 Days of Summer (2009) | "
The independent film 500 Days of Summer is as refreshing as hot air. It's as formulaic and calculating as the Hallmark greeting cards to which it feigns superiority." — Bright Lights Film Journal Posted Aug 12, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/5
| Fresh 69%
| Loren Cass (2009) | "
Loren Cass is neither a success nor a failure. It has a young director who is a work in progress." — Las Vegas Weekly Posted Aug 12, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 95%
| Nashville (1975) | "
Audio Interview with Robert Altman circa 1976" — tonymacklin.net Posted Aug 9, 2009 |
Fresh 2.0/5
| Fresh 68%
| Funny People (2009) | "
Funny People is an odd mixture of humanity, vulgarity, and soap opera. At its best, it is an engaging character study. At its worst, it is a crass, self-indulgent home movie." — tonymacklin.net Posted Aug 6, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 97%
| The Wild Bunch (1969) | "
Audio Interview with Sam Peckinpah circa 1975-1976" — tonymacklin.net Posted Aug 4, 2009 |
Fresh 2.0/5
| Rotten 24%
| G-Force (2009) | "
When I review movies, I ask myself... "does the movie do what it set out to do?" G-Force set out to be an entertaining family movie that makes money. On that basis, G-Force succeeds." — tonymacklin.net Posted Aug 1, 2009 |
Fresh 3.0/5
| Fresh 83%
| Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) | "
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is an intoxicating potion of teenage hormones and evil spirits. Both are raging." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jul 23, 2009 |
Fresh 2.0/5
| Fresh 100%
| Motherland (2009) | "
I have a soft spot for an endeavor such as Motherland, so in some ways I want to give it a pass, but I also realize its limitations, calculations, and glaring omissions. When a movie wants to be uplifting, it had better be true to its vision." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jul 19, 2009 |
Fresh 3.0/5
| Fresh 67%
| Bliss (2007) | "
Set in an intriguing locale, based on an important novel, Bliss is the tale of diverse culture and sharp -- sometimes brutal -- conflicts. It is a voyage of coming to grips with the challenging cultural mix of tradition and modernity." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jul 14, 2009 |
Fresh 4.0/5
| Fresh 66%
| Public Enemies (2009) | "
Public Enemies is a delicious feast for an interpretive viewer." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jul 2, 2009 |
Fresh 2.0/5
| Rotten 20%
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) | "
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is an impressive potboiler. But its overheated pot has a lot of holes." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jul 1, 2009 |
Fresh 3.0/5
| Rotten 43%
| Very Bad Things (1998) | "
Very Bad Things is a horrible hoot. It is one of those movies that put you through the wringer. It doesn't tickle the funny bone -- it pulverizes it. You don't know whether to laugh, gasp, or walk out." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jun 22, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/5
| Rotten 51%
| The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) | "
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 begins in disarray.... But as undependable as director Tony Scott is, his two leading actors are not going to lose their way." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 96%
| The Long Goodbye (1973) | "
Audio Interview with Leigh Brackett. Listen to an audio interview with Leigh Brackett (MP3 format, approximately 70 minutes)." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 95%
| The Big Sleep (1946) | "
Audio Interview with Leigh Brackett. Listen to an audio interview with Leigh Brackett (MP3 format, approximately 70 minutes)." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 100%
| Rio Bravo (1959) | "
Audio Interview with Leigh Brackett. Listen to an audio interview with Leigh Brackett (MP3 format, approximately 70 minutes)." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jun 18, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 97%
| The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) | "
A Conversation with Lee Marvin. Listen to a conversation with Lee Marvin (MP3 format, approximately 9 minutes) about music, film, and his work. Circa 1973." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jun 16, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 60%
| Emperor of the North (1973) | "
A Conversation with Lee Marvin. Listen to a conversation with Lee Marvin (MP3 format, approximately 9 minutes) about music, film, and his work. Circa 1973." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jun 14, 2009 |
Fresh 2.0/5
| Fresh 77%
| The Hangover (2009) | "
The Hangover is nothing special. It's a fair-to-middling bombardment of humor thrown against the wailing walls of Las Vegas. It misses as much as it hits." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jun 11, 2009 |
N/A | Fresh 100%
| Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) | "
Audio Interview with Martin Scorsese circa 1974. The Scorsese interview was in his apartment in the hills above Los Angeles. Published in the Spring 1975 issue of Film Heritage." — Bright Lights Film Journal Posted Jun 10, 2009 |
Fresh 4.0/5
| Fresh 98%
| Up (2009) | "
Up is an engaging, exciting, warm-hearted trip at the movies. Up starts slowly, but picks up helium and soars... In 1923 Buster Keaton made The Balloonatic. 86 years later Up enters the Buster Keaton stratosphere." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jun 6, 2009 |
Fresh 2.0/5
| Rotten 11%
| What Goes Up (2009) | "
What Goes Up is an earnest morality tale. It's very uneven, but it also seems sincere." — tonymacklin.net Posted Jun 6, 2009 |
Fresh 3.0/5
| Fresh 73%
| Rudo and Cursi (2009) | "
The best thing about Rudo y Cursi is that despite its relying on many of the conventions of sports movies, it still keeps us unsure about what will happen at the end." — tonymacklin.net Posted May 31, 2009 |
Rotten 2.0/5
| Fresh 63%
| The Brothers Bloom (2009) | "
The Brothers Bloom jerks us around without end. The cons and twists pile up like debris. If The Brothers Bloom had one more twist I would have screamed." — tonymacklin.net Posted May 27, 2009 |
Fresh 4.0/5
| Fresh 94%
| Star Trek (2009) | "
In making yet another Star Trek, the great challenge the filmmakers... faced was to be contemporary while also respecting the past. Star Trek passes its obstacles with dazzling, time-warping colors." — tonymacklin.net Posted May 12, 2009 |
Rotten 2.0/5
| Rotten 36%
| Angels & Demons (2009) | "
Angels and Demons performs a miracle. It makes 2 hours seem like 4 hours. Like a lot of religion itself, Angels and Demons should be so much more than it is." — tonymacklin.net Posted May 10, 2009 |
Fresh 3.0/5
| Fresh 85%
| Tyson (2009) | "
Hardly anyone thinks of ... Tyson as articulate and sincere. But director James Toback does and captures these qualities in a fascinating, sympathetic portrait. Tyson is a film of vast surprises." — tonymacklin.net Posted May 8, 2009 |
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