Critics » Andrew L. Urban » Rotten
Andrew L. Urban

Andrew L. Urban

Agrees with the Tomatometer 69% of the time.

Biography:
Andrew L. Urban is Publisher & Editor of Urban Cinefile, Australia's award winning online weekly movie magazine (est. 1997). Specialising in film journalism, Andrew was Australian bureau chief for London based film trade publications from 1985 to 1994. He was Channel Host for the World Movies subscription movie channel (2002-6), and with his publishing partner and wife Louise Keller, he co-produced and hosted Movies This Week, a short movie review program, broadcast on World Movies and the Ovation arts & entertainment channel (2004-5). Since July 2005, Andrew has presented Movies Now, a contemporary movie appreciation course at Sydney University's Centre for Continuing Education. In January 2007, Andrew was commissioned by the Australian Film Television and Radio School's Centre for Screen Business to produce an extensive series of in depth on camera interviews with film and TV industry practitioners, for the CSB website; the series continues into 2008. Prior to Urban Cinefile, Andrew created the prime time social documentary series, Front Up, which ran for 9 years on SBS TV.
Publications:
Urban Cinefile
Total Reviews:
995
Location:
Sydney, Australia

Worst Reviewed Films

Showing 1 - 50 of 477
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Rating T-Meter Title | Year Add Date
59% Centurion (2010) " Nasty scenes are set off by some breathtakingly beautiful scenes in the wintry Scottish mountains, and a few tender moments, very few" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jul 22, 2010
68% Leaving (Partir) (2010) " Incomplete and unsatisfying, the film drags through its paces" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jul 16, 2010
45% Creation (2010) " For the most part, it's a sombre and gloomy story about a dark period in Charles and Emma Darwin's lives in which the profoundly Christian Emma is in spiritual conflict with her husband over his scientific approach to the origin of species, including man" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jul 11, 2010
81% I Am Love (2010) " Ponderous from beginning to end." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jul 6, 2010
9% Marmaduke (2010) " Marmaduke was never meant to star in his own movie; trying to strap a story to his back ends up a clunky and often lame affair." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jul 6, 2010
66% The Karate Kid (2010) " It runs 140 minutes, and wears out its welcome" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jun 25, 2010
82% Mademoiselle Chambon (2010) " A delicate - too delicate - adaptation of Eric Holder's novel presents us with pauses as the prose equivalents of internal goings on, making the film ponderous and slight." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jun 9, 2010
90% Fish Tank (2010) " Andrea Arnold seems to be trying hard to emulate the hard edged work of her English realist masters, but she is selfish and uncaring about her audience" — Urban Cinefile
Posted May 29, 2010
36% New York, I Love You (2009) " A considerable effort by all has resulted in less than the sum of its parts" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Apr 25, 2010
—— The Triangle (2001) " With more work, the script could have finished up as a creepy entry in the ghost ship sub-genre, but as it stands it is less than satisfying" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Apr 24, 2010
41% 44 Inch Chest (2010) " The title suggests an exploration of the macho notion of masculinity, and while the theme filters through, it is less than satisfying; the film also lacks layers, making it a one-note movie with the odd flash of wit" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Apr 24, 2010
48% The Book of Eli (2010) " A sense of heavy handed earnestness weigh the film down, with meaningful close ups of Denzel's determined and decent face. He is doing God's work. And God has armed him well; the sense of déjà vu is heightened by the entire production design and CGI" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Apr 12, 2010
28% Clash of the Titans (2010) " ...the likes of Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes (and the other veterans) end up looking foolish or farcical, thanks to the direction" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Mar 31, 2010
42% The Rebound (2009) " It's laboured and clunky, or crude and vulgar, when it should be funny and zippy" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Mar 13, 2010
28% Remember Me (2010) " The relevance of the film's title only becomes clear at the film's ill-conceived end, in a dragged out sequence that totally overshadows the film's already flakey premise. The best thing that can be said of the film is that it is well intentioned" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Mar 6, 2010
—— Separation City (2009) " The film's shifting, unsettled tone makes it less than satisfying, even while admiring some its strengths. Sex is ever present, and not always to the film's advantage" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Feb 27, 2010
28% Dear John (2010) " Even director Lasse Hallstrom's giant talent can barely hold the film aloft. The story on the big screen seems slighter than intended" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Feb 27, 2010
25% Law Abiding Citizen (2009) " The screenplay mashes up its elements and develops as a hairbrained plot without enough character substanc" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jan 21, 2010
37% Nine (2009) " There's something bumpy about the way the narrative spills into the production numbers" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jan 16, 2010
12% Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) " In one of those perfect cinematic storms, everything is wrong about this film, from screenplay to casting to performances and especially directing." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Dec 18, 2009
67% Away We Go (2009) " The film is a bit too sentimental and rather flat, despite some amusing scenes" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Nov 28, 2009
83% Paranormal Activity (2009) " A couple may be desperate enough to place a camera on a tripod to record what goes bump in the night but the enforced recording of every other moment soon becomes a tiresome construct that turns the whole film into a wobbly home video with terrible sound." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Nov 28, 2009
48% Antichrist (2009) " A tough film on every level, and each viewer will have their personal and private response; but von Trier's cinematic flourish is undeniable" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Nov 20, 2009
79% Genova () " I didn't know Michael Winterbottom could make a dull movie until now. Genova, otherwise known perhaps as The Narrow Lanes of Genova, is a strange film which seems to have lost its bearings and its direction somewhere between concept and production" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Oct 31, 2009
90% Moon (2009) " The filmmakers say they wanted to make a sci-fi story within their limited budget, so used ingredients that would satisfy both. Sadly, the screenplay is a bit low on other things as well, like meaningful content." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Oct 2, 2009
66% Che: Part One (The Argentine) (2009) " Great showcase for Benicio del Toro, of course, a wonderful actor who gives it his all. But Che, the T shirt hero of three generations, is a myth that so many today THINK Che stood for." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Sep 26, 2009
40% Imagine That (2009) " Ham fisted and formulaic, Imagine That nevertheless has some endearing qualities to save it from the trash can %u2013 notably Yara Shahidi, the cute little bundle whose smartly innocent presence and likeable little face are so loved by the camera that dir" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Sep 15, 2009
68% Funny People (2009) " A surfeit of the kind of crude, sexually graphic jokes that work in a darkly lit stand up comedy stores and Adam Sandler's unremittingly morose George drag the film down" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Sep 4, 2009
64% Charlie & Boots (2009) " It's inoffensive and even sweet at times, rather like a friendly puppy. It's a bit scant for a movie, though, and the underlying tension between the men that is supposed to provide the grist is never properly realised. This omission leaves the film with v" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Aug 28, 2009
73% The Age of Stupid (2009) " Does little more than enumerate the ills and evils of today's world in a cry of panic and accusation, regurgitating those images and messages that serve its cause." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Aug 21, 2009
55% Orphan (2009) " There's something wrong with Esther says the marketing tagline to this film, which sums up my response to the film itself." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Aug 8, 2009
—— Prey () " Supernatural thriller meets splatter movie meets clunky horror (with chainsaw), meets zombie movie ... Prey is a hybrid that doesn't have enough juice in any of the genres in which plays to be effective, despite some promise in its conception." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Aug 5, 2009
68% Public Enemies (2009) " At times incoherent, at times self conscious and thanks to Dante Spinotti being allowed to go hand held, almost always irritating to watch." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jul 23, 2009
66% The Escapist (2008) " The filmmakers succumb to the temptation of trying to have their escape movie cake and eat the psychological drama, too" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jul 10, 2009
9% My Life in Ruins (2009) " We almost get to care about Georgia's fate, if it weren't for the fact that none of the film rings true and real" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jul 10, 2009
67% Brüno (2009) " Where Borat was an innocent abroad, Brüno is just broad; Sacha Baron Cohen makes Brüno the self centred and self obsessed centre of the film, which is not so much a story as a series of sketches designed to shock, disgust and outrage" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jul 6, 2009
45% Fragments (2008) " An unconventional film in which traditional story resolutions (plural because several would be needed) are not forthcoming" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jul 4, 2009
—— I Really Hate My Job (2007) " Unfortunately a lack of genuine observation continues to dog the film throughout and despite excellent performances, it's all 'pretend'." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jun 27, 2009
—— La Personne aux Deux Personnes (The Person Who Is Two Persons) (Me Two) (2008) " Not as humorous as I'd like, mind you, and you have to totally surrender to the silliness to make this work." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Jun 3, 2009
65% Is Anybody There? (2009) " It wants so badly to be meaningful, relevant and compassionate, but struggles even to keep our attention, never mind our hearts or minds. Not even Michael Caine's slowly sinking geriatric Clarence or affecting young Bill Milner can elevate the material." — Urban Cinefile
Posted May 27, 2009
—— 10:30 P.M. Summer (2007) " The script is stilted and even Melina Mercouri is below par as the hard drinking Maria, although Peter Finch elevates his character, Paul, by the sheer force of his personality" — Urban Cinefile
Posted May 21, 2009
43% Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) " A lack of discipline and a desire to appeal to the lowest common denominator have wreaked havoc on a decent cast and a great idea, almost burying the outstanding effects. It's a flimsy rescue story." — Urban Cinefile
Posted May 18, 2009
31% A Kiss Before Dying (1991) " Most unkindly (but amusingly), the 1992 Razzie Awards gave Sean Young both the Worst Actress and Worst Supporting Actress Awards for playing the twins" — Urban Cinefile
Posted May 16, 2009
40% RiP: A Remix Manifesto (2009) " As a piece of polemic, it's a well worked doco, using energy, narration and home video style footage to ram home the message. Pity the message is flawed" — Urban Cinefile
Posted May 16, 2009
51% What Just Happened? (2008) " The film must have great resonance in Hollywood, which loves nothing more than to see its innards hung out in proud dirty linen fashion, but the nebulous structure and meandering storytelling leaves the rest of us a little dissatisfied." — Urban Cinefile
Posted May 16, 2009
—— Closed for Winter (2009) " Imbruglia seems quite capable of creating a credible and interesting screen character, but she's defeated by the material and the direction." — Urban Cinefile
Posted May 1, 2009
23% Fired Up (2009) " Most of the characters are unappealing in many ways; many of the girls are air heads with so little nous as to be embarrassing. Most of the young males are either obnoxious, self obsessed caricatures, sexual predators without teeth, or nerds" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Apr 18, 2009
63% The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas) (2008) " The story is passable, albeit a little too manufactured for my taste in terms of its moral lessons, but the execution is so stilted and unconvincing that the experience is uncomfortable" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Apr 18, 2009
50% Camino (2008) " Don't mind me, I'm a fallen angel. But I can now understand why it was the SPANISH inquisition." — Urban Cinefile
Posted Apr 9, 2009
39% Inkheart (2009) " There's nothing terribly wrong with Inkheart but it just doesn't quite engage us,"" — Urban Cinefile
Posted Mar 27, 2009
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