Fresh
| Fresh 89%
| Moon (2009) | "
A frequently engrossing science fiction story given a particular tension and seriousness by its moral inquiry into what it means to be fully human and alive." Screen International Posted Dec 16, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 93%
| Sugar (2009) | "
In a word, Sugar is extraordinary." Screen International Posted Dec 16, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Afghan Star (2009) | "
Not a radical act of film-making and visually, it is far from an inspired piece of work - but it's a great example of a film where the strong content rules supreme." Screen International Posted Jun 23, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 54%
| Choke (2008) | "
The movie's not quite there, but it represents a dark ride into the night that unleashes a series of precarious thrills." Screen International Posted Oct 18, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 77%
| A Thousand Years of Good Prayers (2007) | "
The minor key and quietly observational work is not earth-shattering or particularly urgent, though it enables a talented filmmaker to work through personal ideas about assimilation and family conflict in an open, smart and gracious way." Screen International Posted Oct 18, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 80%
| Trumbo (2008) | "
Trumbo is hurt by an unwillingness to actually explore Trumbo's own politics and delve into his actual beliefs about communism, Stalin or Marxist ideology." Screen International Posted Oct 18, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 50%
| One Week (2008) | "
Another dispiriting example of a director using sickness and physical deterioration in rationalising dishonest and narcissistic behaviour." Screen International Posted Oct 18, 2008 |
Fresh
| Rotten 56%
| Assassination of a High School President (2008) | "
Brett Simon's Assassination of a High School President is a small and pleasant surprise." Screen International Posted Oct 18, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 65%
| The Escapist (2009) | "
Wyatt and his superb cast pull it together in the movie's boldly-imagined final act that justifies the movie's sometimes elusive form and turns it into something a cut above the rest." Screen International Posted Oct 18, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 33%
| The Guitar (2008) | "
Saffron Burrows is commanding as a distraught woman who finds a novel way to cope with tragedy, but the movie constantly subverts realistic detail with the fantastic in ways that are not dramatically satisfying." Screen International Posted Oct 18, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 80%
| Nothing But the Truth (2008) | "
A miscalculated piece damaged by poor direction, mediocre writing and performances that feel consistently misguided and off-key." Screen International Posted Sep 9, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 72%
| Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) | "
The whole never quite registers as forcefully as individual pieces." Screen International Posted Sep 9, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 92%
| Bloody Sunday (2002) | "
Greengrass sacrifices character and plot to a chilling impressionistic stylization." Chicago Reader Posted Mar 11, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 64%
| The Merry Gentleman (2009) | "
[Keaton] summons a wonderful performance by Kelly Macdonald and strong character distinction to the secondary players, but otherwise his movie works only in fragments." Screen International Posted Feb 1, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 54%
| What Just Happened (2008) | "
A desultory Hollywood satire that fatally lacks the guts or verve to say anything vitally new or different." Screen International Posted Jan 22, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 49%
| Mother of Tears (2008) | "
As a piece of narrative, however, the movie is virtually incomprehensible." Screen International Posted Sep 22, 2007 |
Fresh B-
| Fresh 76%
| Stardust (2007) | "
The movie is jaunty and stylish and is blessed with some fun stretches." EmanuelLevy.Com Posted Aug 8, 2007 |
Fresh B-
| Fresh 76%
| Stardust (2007) | "
The movie is jaunty and stylish and is blessed with some fun stretches. It features some stunning uses of the Scottish locations, particularly sweeping, aerial camera work that floats and rises above the evocative mountain landscapes." EmanuelLevy.Com Posted Aug 1, 2007 |
Fresh B
| Fresh 77%
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) | "
Dark, malevolent, and serious, this Harry Potter was designed by its new writer, director, and composer as a waking nightmare." EmanuelLevy.Com Posted Jul 4, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Bus 174 (2003) | "
Padilha allows neither easy answers nor ironic commentary, producing on both sides of the conflict a world of inconsolable grief." Chicago Reader Posted May 8, 2007 |
Rotten
| Rotten 0%
| Sex, Politics, & Cocktails (2005) | "
Less a narrative than a haphazard succession of vignettes populated by crude stereotypes instead of credible characters." Chicago Reader Posted Oct 19, 2004 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 94%
| Manito (2003) | "
Captures in unadorned style the energy and emotions binding a Dominican family in Manhattan's Washington Heights section." Chicago Tribune Posted Jun 12, 2003 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 87%
| Bugs! (2003) | "
Narrated with stentorian authority by English actress Dame Judi Dench, and watching this IMAX movie often feels like being at the receiving end of a dry, dull lecture." Chicago Tribune Posted May 15, 2003 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 17%
| Pokemon - Heroes: The Movie (2003) | "
It looks cheap and feels slapped together." Chicago Tribune Posted May 15, 2003 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Rotten 50%
| Onmyoji (2001) | "
Rarely solemn or dull, and Takita holds its disparate parts together fairly well." Chicago Tribune Posted May 1, 2003 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 80%
| Japon (2003) | "
It is the work of a remarkable new talent." Chicago Tribune Posted Apr 17, 2003 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 80%
| Better Luck Tomorrow (2003) | "
Though Better Luck Tomorrow is the work of an intriguing new talent, there remains something amiss about a movie so desperate to legitimize its own daring." Chicago Tribune Posted Apr 10, 2003 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 69%
| Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2003) | "
This is magnetic, beautiful stuff." Chicago Tribune Posted Apr 3, 2003 |
Rotten 2/4
| N/A | All About You (2001) | "
Utterly lacking surprise, tension or any flair." Chicago Tribune Posted Mar 25, 2003 |
Rotten 1/4
| Rotten 7%
| Boat Trip (2003) | "
The movie's offenses are too numerous to catalog." Chicago Tribune Posted Mar 20, 2003 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 52%
| Down and Out with the Dolls (2003) | "
The movie belongs to the women, and they perform with attitude and power." Chicago Tribune Posted Mar 20, 2003 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Fresh 67%
| Amen (2003) | "
On its own terms, Amen is a memorably prickly film." Chicago Tribune Posted Mar 6, 2003 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Fresh 88%
| Baraka (1994) | "
The form is ravishing, though the content suffers by comparison." Chicago Tribune Posted Jan 9, 2003 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 67%
| Happiness of the Katakuris (2002) | "
By the second hour, Miike's story fails to punctuate its powerful setup, and the work, much like the family itself, ends up a tangled mess." Chicago Tribune Posted Dec 5, 2002 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 89%
| My Father and I (2002) | "
Cold, nervy and memorable." Chicago Tribune Posted Nov 21, 2002 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 67%
| Interview with the Assassin (2002) | "
Consummate actor Barry has done excellent work here." Chicago Tribune Posted Nov 21, 2002 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 74%
| His Secret Life (2002) | "
A boisterous, occasionally deft but also finally strained and uneven work." Chicago Tribune Posted Nov 14, 2002 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 77%
| Quitting (2002) | "
Daring and beautifully made." Chicago Tribune Posted Nov 14, 2002 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 83%
| Satin Rouge (2002) | "
A fascinating examination of the joyous, turbulent self-discovery made by a proper, middle-aged woman." Chicago Tribune Posted Oct 31, 2002 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 48%
| Naqoyqatsi (2002) | "
A disturbing and frighteningly evocative assembly of imagery and hypnotic music composed by Philip Glass." Chicago Tribune Posted Oct 24, 2002 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 65%
| Lan Yu (2002) | "
The movie is gorgeously made, but it is also somewhat shallow and art-conscious." Chicago Tribune Posted Oct 17, 2002 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 91%
| A Grin Without A Cat (2002) | "
This is a movie about the world at war with itself, and the result is riveting, sublime and unforgettable." Chicago Tribune Posted Sep 26, 2002 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 82%
| Secret Ballot (2002) | "
A gem, captured in the unhurried, low-key style favored by many directors of the Iranian new wave." Chicago Tribune Posted Aug 29, 2002 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 88%
| Devdas (2002) | "
It does what the movies were meant to do: move, dance and swirl in the popular imagination." Chicago Tribune Posted Jul 25, 2002 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 73%
| Tuvalu (2001) | "
A fascinating work that never quite coalesces, Tuvalu finally becomes oppressively repetitive." Chicago Tribune Posted Jul 20, 2002 |
Rotten 2/4
| N/A | IMAX - Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun (1997) | "
Doesn't transcend the feeling that the content never achieves the kinetic power and magnetism of the IMAX format." Chicago Tribune Posted Jul 11, 2002 |
Fresh
| Rotten 29%
| Second Time Around (2002) | "
Extremely well acted by the four primary actors, this is a seriously intended movie that is not easily forgotten." Chicago Tribune Posted Feb 7, 2002 |
Rotten .5/4
| Rotten 10%
| Slackers (2002) | "
Not only is Slackers painfully bad, but it's also about as morally unpleasant as a teen sex comedy can be." Chicago Tribune Posted Jan 31, 2002 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 74%
| Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001) | "
This is a movie that is neither sentimental nor cheap; it never takes itself too seriously, and it has faith in the intelligence of its audience." Chicago Tribune Posted Dec 20, 2001 |