Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 40%
| The Lovely Bones (2009) | "
It is unusual, emotionally satisfying and, in an echo of his early exploitation splatterfests, darkly funny." — The Age (Australia) Posted Dec 23, 2009 |
Rotten 3/5
| Fresh 83%
| Avatar (2009) | "
As superbly rendered as his 3D world is, Cameron has populated it with characters who are strictly 2D. And sometimes not even that." — The Age (Australia) Posted Dec 11, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 57%
| 9 (2009) | "
Looking like a rag-doll version of Terminator Salvation, the film boasts an arresting visual style." — The Age (Australia) Posted Dec 9, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 23%
| Planet 51 (2009) | "
Just how much of this will be appreciated by children is questionable, but the film is clearly intended to keep them happy with lashings of colour, movement and cheesy jokes while older, diehard geeks can enjoy all the reference spotting." — The Age (Australia) Posted Dec 9, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 89%
| Zombieland (2009) | "
The only quibble is that unlike a classic horror comedy such as An American Werewolf in London, Zombieland goes for the laughs over providing any genuine scares." — The Age (Australia) Posted Dec 2, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Fresh 82%
| Paranormal Activity (2009) | "
Demonstrates that when filmgoers decide they want to be scared, they will forgive absolutely anything -- bad acting, cheesy dialogue, poor camerawork, bad editing, unconvincing effects, incoherent storytelling -- for the sake of a good scare." — The Age (Australia) Posted Dec 2, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 50%
| Antichrist (2009) | "
Yes, Antichrist is harrowing and often shrill, but the horrors all serve the underlying theme that, try as they might, men can never fully understand the inconsolable grief women endure when they lose a child." — The Age (Australia) Posted Nov 26, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 57%
| The Invention of Lying (2009) | "
Fans of Gervais from the classic TV shows Extras and The Office will enjoy the half-sentences, stop-start comic delivery and awkward pauses that have become his trademark." — The Age (Australia) Posted Nov 26, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 21%
| Amelia (2009) | "
Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank gives Earhart a convincing Kansas twang but little else in a performance that is unaccountably stiff." — The Age (Australia) Posted Nov 12, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 72%
| The Boys Are Back (2009) | "
This beautifully etched, deeply moving drama about single fatherhood [is] the best film Adelaide director Scott Hicks has made since Shine -- and the peak of Clive Owen's acting career" — The Age (Australia) Posted Nov 12, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 39%
| 2012 (2009) | "
It's easy to mock throwaway blockbusters like 2012, but as enthralling, mindless entertainment, the film is difficult to fault." — The Age (Australia) Posted Nov 12, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 77%
| Genova (2008) | "
Though he labours the symbolism of the maze, Winterbottom infuses this otherwise subtle observational drama with the verisimilitude that has become his chief style signature." — The Age (Australia) Posted Nov 4, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 38%
| The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) | "
Without any notion of what type of film it wants to be, The Time Traveller's Wife is neither funny nor charming, moving nor romantic." — The Age (Australia) Posted Nov 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 75%
| Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) | "
Moore has long proved himself an excellent editor and comedian, but he always insists on preaching to the like-minded and, thus, can't string together a political film persuasive enough to make a real difference." — The Age (Australia) Posted Nov 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 44%
| The Box (2009) | "
Regrettably, and despite a lot of effects -- including those watery tentacles he seems so fond of -- Kelly delivers a Big Reveal that is, frankly, boring." — The Age (Australia) Posted Oct 28, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 80%
| Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) | "
Respectful without being mawkish or sentimental, the film is fashioned with the heart Jackson always demanded of himself. It's not a great film, but This Is It is a fabulously entertaining account of somebody striving to be so one last time." — The Age (Australia) Posted Oct 28, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 78%
| It Might Get Loud (2009) | "
By delving into their backgrounds and character quirks, Guggenheim aims the film beyond the interests of purists, academics, fans and musicians to provide an adventure film exploring the heart of creativity." — The Age (Australia) Posted Oct 28, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 6%
| All About Steve (2009) | "
Her most irritating and unfunniest film to date." — The Age (Australia) Posted Oct 22, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 94%
| The Damned United (2009) | "
As fine a sports movie as it is, The Damned United is as much a bromance as I Love You, Man. And it's touching, too." — The Age (Australia) Posted Oct 15, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 48%
| Astro Boy (2009) | "
Astro Boy should please new-generation fans as thoroughly as nostalgia-hungry adults who grew up with the cartoons of the 1960s and 1980s." — The Age (Australia) Posted Oct 15, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 83%
| Whip It (2009) | "
Surprisingly touching moments of realisation and emotional connection manage to rise above the dramatic cliches that pepper the rest of the film and account for the best scenes in Whip It. Next to all the punch-ups on the track, that is." — The Age (Australia) Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 12%
| Couples Retreat (2009) | "
The film maintains a sufficiently pleasant comic vibe as the couples bicker and pick away at each other, but director Peter Billingsley never really brings matters to a satisfying boil." — The Age (Australia) Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 73%
| Mao's Last Dancer (2009) | "
Beresford does make absolutely sure the big themes central to Cunxin's journey ring out loudly enough to strike those heart strings at which he is so clearly and shamelessly taking aim." — The Age (Australia) Posted Oct 1, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Fresh 86%
| Stone Bros. (2009) | "
Frankland's attempt at a broad stoner comedy misses the mark in so many ways the film almost qualifies as a tragedy." — The Age (Australia) Posted Sep 24, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 88%
| Looking for Eric (2009) | "
The result is the closest he has ever come to making a beautiful film." — The Age (Australia) Posted Sep 24, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 74%
| The Young Victoria (2009) | "
The film sags in its third act as it succumbs to all-out adoration for Victoria, but the ever-impressive Blunt carries it admirably with an affecting portrayal." — The Age (Australia) Posted Aug 27, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 51%
| The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) | "
In yet another blander-than-bland remake of a classic film, flash-over-substance specialist Tony Scott takes Joseph Sargent's taut, 1974 action-thriller and processes it through the multiplex mulching machine." — The Age (Australia) Posted Aug 27, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 100%
| Eden à l'Ouest (2009) | "
The brightest, most-entertaining film of [Costas-Gavras'] illustrious career." — The Age (Australia) Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Fresh 4.5/5
| Fresh 88%
| Inglourious Basterds (2009) | "
What really makes Inglourious Basterds stick out like a Royale with cheese...is its sheer playfulness. Tarantino does digress, as is his wont, but these are not the irritating indulgences they were in Kill Bill." — The Age (Australia) Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/5
| Fresh 80%
| Bandslam (2009) | "
A tedious, predictable tale about following your dreams and being yourself." — The Age (Australia) Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 94%
| Beautiful Kate (2009) | "
Helps redress a long-standing problem with Australian cinema by illustrating how fully developed, emotionally driven, three-act stories result in films that immerse you in their visions." — The Age (Australia) Posted Aug 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Rotten 36%
| G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) | "
Another deliriously overloaded, effects-driven, bubble-headed extravaganza designed to leave your eyes spinning from one too many camera-shaking explosions." — The Age (Australia) Posted Aug 5, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Rotten 14%
| The Ugly Truth (2009) | "
The comic highlight is when Heigl wears a pair of vibrating pants to a business dinner." — The Age (Australia) Posted Aug 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 47%
| My Sister's Keeper (2009) | "
Bring the tissues. This film works." — The Age (Australia) Posted Jul 31, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 92%
| Drag Me To Hell (2009) | "
As its shameless, tell-all, schlock title signals, Drag Me to Hell is great fun that goes light on gore in favour of inventive freak-outs." — The Age (Australia) Posted Jul 24, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/5
| Rotten 10%
| My Life in Ruins (2009) | "
The film contains a constant stream of lowbrow gags and pratfalls as Georgia lurches her way towards happiness, romance and a secure job in the Grecian tourist trade. It's lightweight, inoffensive fluff." — The Age (Australia) Posted Jul 17, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Fresh 83%
| Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) | "
The film is simply a bore, a frustrating, yawn-inducing, 2½-hour teaser with no pay-off." — The Age (Australia) Posted Jul 16, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Rotten 36%
| Angels & Demons (2009) | "
[It] not only doesn't suck, it is positively enjoyable. And fun." — The Age (Australia) Posted May 15, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Fresh 94%
| Star Trek (2009) | "
Well, at least they got it half right." — The Age (Australia) Posted May 15, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 100%
| Samson and Delilah (2009) | "
It is the most confronting, powerful, honest and important film about indigenous culture yet made in this country." — The Age (Australia) Posted May 14, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 83%
| Acolytes (2008) | "
The performances from the young cast are a tad bland, but director Jon Hewitt infuses his low-budget genre jolter with just enough menace as it powers towards an effective, if predictable, climax." — The Age (Australia) Posted May 1, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 40%
| Tenderness (2008) | "
Polson maintains an unsettling tension throughout the narrative, building his slow-burn thriller to a climax that deliberately runs counter to the in-your-face genre principles of which he proved such a master with his first two thriller outings." — The Age (Australia) Posted May 1, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Rotten 36%
| X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) | "
Ultimately, what Wolverine says about the evolution of a franchise film character is actually less interesting than what it says about the evolution of Hugh Jackman as the all-round showman movie star." — The Age (Australia) Posted May 1, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Rotten 54%
| The Boat That Rocked (2009) | "
An energetic, semi-farcical comedy romp blessed with a great ensemble cast, some gloriously tasteless jokes and a soundtrack of period hits." — The Age (Australia) Posted Apr 17, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 92%
| Mary and Max (2009) | "
Only long after the film, and with considerable effort, do you have to remind yourself that what you went all weak-kneed and misty-eyed over was a blob of plasticine -- a superbly directed blob of plasticine." — The Age (Australia) Posted Apr 17, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Rotten 48%
| Bottle Shock (2008) | "
Rickman is priceless as the self-parodying wine snob, stealing every scene he is in by continually pulling the rug from under himself." — The Age (Australia) Posted Mar 27, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 34%
| Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) | "
James makes a funny, likeable doofus, and the expansion of his girth since his hit sitcom The King of Queens is used to great comic effect." — The Age (Australia) Posted Mar 20, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 100%
| Two Fists, One Heart (2008) | "
Brandishes the type of confidence, commercial appeal and clarity of vision all too seldom seen in Australian cinema. We should be producing movies like this 10 times a year, not once in a blue moon." — The Age (Australia) Posted Mar 20, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Rotten 59%
| The International (2009) | "
There is considerable satisfaction in seeing these tyrants of high finance live up to their image as the new villains of modern cinema, but even more satisfying are Tykwer's superbly staged action set pieces." — The Age (Australia) Posted Feb 20, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 65%
| Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) | "
A well-meaning, foul-mouthed misfire." — The Age (Australia) Posted Feb 20, 2009 |
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