Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 74%
| The Young Victoria (2009) | "
The Young Victoria turns out to be as interested in charting the sexual and societal awakening of a royal naif as in examining the historical events that shaped her destiny." Posted Dec 28, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 37%
| Nine (2009) | "
The biggest disappointment of the holiday season -- make that the biggest disappointment of the YEAR -- Nine proves to be both tone-deaf and flat-footed." Posted Dec 28, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 50%
| It's Complicated (2009) | "
Writer-director Nancy Meyers surprisingly goes too easy on the character of Jake, a decision that leaves a bad taste and drains some of the fun out of this otherwise agreeable (if rarely uproarious) bauble." Posted Dec 28, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Fresh 70%
| Sherlock Holmes (2009) | "
Not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, director Guy Ritchie's full-speed-ahead effort still qualifies as decent holiday-season fare." Posted Dec 28, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 83%
| Avatar (2009) | "
The only film capable of surpassing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as the Fanboy Fave of 2009, James Cameron's massively hyped Avatar at least differs from Michael Bay's boondoggle in that it's, you know, entertaining." Posted Dec 21, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 14%
| Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) | "
Here's yet another movie that should be neither seen nor heard." Posted Dec 19, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 83%
| Me and Orson Welles (2009) | "
Lacking the sociopolitical context of Tim Robbins' 1999 Cradle Will Rock (another look at the early days of the Mercury), this nevertheless does an admirable job in its dissection of Welles' fascinating -- and infuriating -- personality." Posted Dec 19, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 72%
| The Road (2009) | "
Mortensen comes through with another haunting performance that mixes the cerebral with the physical." Posted Dec 19, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 94%
| The Damned United (2009) | "
Refusing to devolve into a routine sports flick (see Invictus), The Damned United is instead more interested in the off-field clashes than the on-field skirmishes." Posted Dec 19, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 95%
| The Maid (2009) | "
It isn't until late in the game that audiences will be able to determine the extent of the picture's darker undertones." Posted Dec 19, 2009 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 89%
| Up in the Air (2009) | "
A timely seriocomic work that manages to be breezy without once diminishing the sobering realities that constantly hover around the picture's edges." Posted Dec 19, 2009 |
Rotten 1/4
| Rotten 6%
| Old Dogs (2009) | "
The movie is never remotely funny, but it excels at being creepy." Posted Dec 16, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 46%
| Everybody's Fine (2009) | "
Writer-director Kirk Jones makes an unhealthy number of unwise decisions, from pacing to casting to his mise en scene selections." Posted Dec 16, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 90%
| The Messenger (2009) | "
Foster is a revelation, while Harrelson has arguably never been better." Posted Dec 16, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 76%
| Invictus (2009) | "
Simpliflies complicated South African issues to the level of a Berenstain Bears storybook." Posted Dec 16, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 83%
| The Princess and the Frog (2009) | "
So is The Princess and the Frog the start of a new era, or merely a hiccup that will quickly be stifled?" Posted Dec 16, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 93%
| Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) | "
This likable lark functions as a reprieve from the plasticity of most modern toon flicks." Posted Nov 25, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 28%
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) | "
Hollywood's second foray into the Twilight zone features enough fantasy and romance to satisfy most devotees, but just as many viewers will notice this is too often a case of the emperor -- or, more specifically, buff teenage boys -- wearing no clothes." Posted Nov 21, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 94%
| An Education (2009) | "
Coming-of-age movies are a dime-a-dozen, but one as exemplary as An Education deserves nothing less than the opportunity to command top dollar on the open market." Posted Nov 21, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 91%
| Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire (2009) | "
The 2009 release least likely to be mistaken for the 'feel-good movie of the year.'" Posted Nov 21, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Fresh 72%
| The Blind Side (2009) | "
The movie contains enough humor and heartbreak (though next to no dramatic tension) to make it an engaging if undemanding experience." Posted Nov 21, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 39%
| 2012 (2009) | "
The latest end-of-the-world effort from director Roland Emmerich, who there but for the grace of God goes Michael Bay." Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 87%
| A Serious Man (2009) | "
It's unclassifiable -- and also one of the best movies of the year." Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 44%
| The Box (2009) | "
Both its imagination and its ambition sprint far beyond anything offered in the creatively neutered likes of Disney's A Christmas Carol or Law Abiding Citizen." Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Fresh 65%
| Coco Before Chanel (2009) | "
Ultimately, [Benoit Poelvoorde] is the one who holds this knotty yarn in place." Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 53%
| The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) | "
Loopy enough to stand out from the homogenized pack but not bold enough to truly go the distance." Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 55%
| Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009) | "
You don't need glasses -- 3-D or otherwise -- to see that this holiday release is too diluted for adults, too frightening for children, and too tiresome for just about everybody." Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 48%
| Astro Boy (2009) | "
Just dub this one Where the Mild Things Are." Posted Nov 2, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 94%
| Good Hair (2010) | "
Good Hair stands as an informative and entertaining documentary, and one that's pulled off with no small measure of style." Posted Nov 2, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 21%
| Amelia (2009) | "
In its effort to be one of the first Oscar-bait titles out of the gate, the stately but sterile Amelia ends up stumbling over its own feet." Posted Nov 2, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Rotten 37%
| Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) | "
Older moviegoers who can recall the spate of like-minded horror flicks from the 1980s will find much to appreciate." Posted Nov 2, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 80%
| Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) | "
For two shimmering hours, all the ghosts of scandals past melt away, leaving in their wake an entertainer whose only desire is to dazzle. And dazzle he does." Posted Nov 2, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 12%
| Couples Retreat (2009) | "
For all its visual splendor, to say nothing of its likable cast, the movie never feels as liberating as its locale." Posted Oct 17, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 24%
| Law Abiding Citizen (2009) | "
A gruesome melodrama that, too afraid to tackle the issues it brings up, instead elects to transform into a ridiculous thriller about a psychopath terrorizing a city." Posted Oct 17, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Fresh 73%
| Where the Wild Things Are (2009) | "
Like the wild things inhabiting Max's world, it's fascinating but also lumbering -- and (to paraphrase The Troggs) it's unlikely to make everyone's heart sing." Posted Oct 17, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 72%
| The Boys Are Back (2009) | "
Much like its lead character, the film lacks the discipline to always do what's best." Posted Oct 9, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 87%
| Big Fan (2009) | "
Big Fan stretches credulity in spots, but for the most part, it manages to keep its eye on the ball." Posted Oct 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 89%
| No Impact Man (2009) | "
Beavan is nothing if not adept at selling himself." Posted Oct 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 83%
| Whip It (2009) | "
Easily skates by on the charms of both its novel setting and its gung-ho cast." Posted Oct 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 89%
| Zombieland (2009) | "
The blood flows freely in this gonzo horror tale, but, more importantly, so do the laughs." Posted Oct 5, 2009 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Fresh 75%
| Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) | "
As always, Moore's at his best when he gets the hell out of the way and lets average citizens have their say." Posted Oct 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 84%
| Bright Star (2009) | "
Bright Star isn't in the same ballpark as The Piano - heck, it's not even in the same time zone - but it's the first Campion movie since then to warrant 10 Best consideration." Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 44%
| Jennifer's Body (2009) | "
What might have been a penetrating high school comedy - a new Heathers or Mean Girls - turns out to be nothing more than a cheap horror flick packed with lowbrow titillation." Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 77%
| The Informant! (2009) | "
Tackling this saga of corporate malfeasance with all comic cylinders firing might have been the only palatable way to present such a downbeat tale. Otherwise, if we weren't busy laughing, we'd be busy crying." Posted Sep 19, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 85%
| Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) | "
One of those equal-opportunity exercises that provides as much merriment for adults as for kids." Posted Sep 19, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 70%
| My One and Only (2009) | "
Scripter Charlie Peters falters when it comes to the big picture." Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 57%
| 9 (2009) | "
Undermined by a pedestrian end-of-the-world storyline and by characters with zero personality." Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 92%
| Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg (2009) | "
The real kick comes from seeing the stars of yesteryear in grainy film stock." Posted Sep 7, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 95%
| In the Loop (2009) | "
A vicious satire with ice in its veins and poison in its fangs." Posted Aug 28, 2009 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 49%
| Taking Woodstock (2009) | "
While many of the characters are getting satisfactorily high, audiences are unfortunately left with a movie that's only half-baked." Posted Aug 28, 2009 |
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