|
|
85%
|
Me and Orson Welles (2009) |
"
The only problem is the me."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 19, 2010
|
|
|
91%
|
Up in the Air (2009) |
"
One of the things that makes George Clooney a great movie star is that he's always letting us know just how much fun he's having being George Clooney."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 19, 2010
|
|
|
88%
|
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) |
"
A tragedy replayed as farce, and probably the funniest film I've seen all year."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 19, 2010
|
|
|
75%
|
The Road (2009) |
"
It's just a slow wander through wreckage, waiting for bad stuff to get worse."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 19, 2010
|
|
|
90%
|
The Messenger (2009) |
"
The first warning bell sounds when Woody boasts of his AA membership, as I don't believe anybody has ever seen Harrelson stay sober for an entire movie... or even an afternoon."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 19, 2010
|
|
|
66%
|
The Blind Side (2009) |
"
It pushed my outrage buttons like no movie since those Ghetto-bots in Transformers 2 admitted they didn't know how to read."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 19, 2010
|
|
|
39%
|
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009) |
"
Everywhere this poor lady tries to go, there's always a guy or two loudly performing a David Foster Wallace monologue within earshot."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 19, 2010
|
|
|
45%
|
The Box (2009) |
"
Kelly stretches a perfectly good 22-minute television episode out to two hours with an insane barrage of red herrings and metaphysical sci-fi mumbo-jumbo"
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 19, 2010
|
|
|
52%
|
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) |
"
Strained and uncomfortably buffonish. Everybody (except Clooney) is mugging when they should've just tried acting. Real satire draws blood. This one nudges you in the ribs."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 19, 2010
|
|
|
81%
|
Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) |
"
It's a goddamn American tragedy. Let the poor sick bastard rest in peace."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 19, 2010
|
|
|
48%
|
Antichrist (2009) |
"
Provocative, sloppy and intellectually retarded -- the entire picture feels like it's sprung forth from Von Trier's Id without a second thought as to the consequences."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 27, 2009
|
|
|
21%
|
Amelia (2009) |
"
Eventually I just wanted her to crash the damn plane so I could go home already."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 27, 2009
|
|
|
73%
|
Where the Wild Things Are (2009) |
"
What stays with you is the sadness. There's an almost unbearable undertow of melancholy in director Spike Jonze's awkward, arty adaptation of Maurice Sendak's 1963 picture book."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 27, 2009
|
|
|
94%
|
An Education (2009) |
"
Tenderly looks back upon statutory rape as a rite of passage, and it's a testament to fine performances that the film only feels icky in retrospect."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 27, 2009
|
|
|
89%
|
A Serious Man (2009) |
"
Grappling with massive cosmic mysteries on a deceptively mundane stage, it's a film about the silence of God, seething with profound existential panic... viewed through the hilariously cracked prism of everyday suburban minutiae."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 27, 2009
|
|
|
71%
|
The Boys Are Back (2009) |
"
Even a corrosive influence like yours truly finds something a bit hinky about the motto 'Just Say Yes.' At least when applied to raising children."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 27, 2009
|
|
|
58%
|
The Invention of Lying (2009) |
"
All the dazzling, limitless comedic potential here, and we're stuck waiting for the hot younger girl to wise up and learn to love the homely guy who wrote the movie?"
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 27, 2009
|
|
|
75%
|
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) |
"
Of course Moore's angry. I don't know anybody who isn't. But what about the movie?"
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Sep 29, 2009
|
|
|
90%
|
Zombieland (2009) |
"
It has a lot more in common with Little Miss Sunshine than just Abigail Breslin."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Sep 29, 2009
|
|
|
69%
|
Paris (2008) |
"
Were it possible for The City of Light to see Nashville or Manhattan, it would probably want to sue for defamation."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Sep 29, 2009
|
|
|
87%
|
Amreeka (2009) |
"
As much as I enjoyed spending time with these characters, it's hard not to bristle at the overall After-School Special vibe."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Sep 29, 2009
|
|
|
78%
|
The Informant! (2009) |
"
The sublime Damon has a ridiculous moustache, a bad toupee and carries himself with the supreme confidence of a man who has no idea he's acting like an imbecile."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Sep 15, 2009
|
|
|
85%
|
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (The Baader Meinhof Complex) (2008) |
"
Hustling like a blockbuster action flick, it's a crash course in domestic terrorism as rock n' roll adrenaline rush."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Sep 8, 2009
|
|
|
89%
|
World's Greatest Dad (2009) |
"
Brilliantly cynical in dealing with grief as a fashion statement... exposing the vanity of mourning in public and our often absurd sanctification of the dead."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Sep 3, 2009
|
|
|
21%
|
H2: Halloween II (2009) |
"
Zombie's rowdy redneck phantasmagorias and weird swoons of empathy can't disguise that there's nowhere left for the story to go."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Sep 3, 2009
|
|
|
71%
|
Husbands (1970) |
"
Cassavetes' most dangerous and unfiltered expression of masculine anxiety -- a raw, deliberately off-putting masterpiece."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Aug 25, 2009
|
|
|
74%
|
Cold Souls (2009) |
"
A dreary-looking, glacially paced collection of missed opportunities."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Aug 25, 2009
|
|
|
88%
|
Inglourious Basterds (2009) |
"
As is often the case with Tarantino's post-1990's output, great scenes are adrift in an undisciplined sea of ugly-spirited, juvenile self-indulgence."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Aug 18, 2009
|
|
|
91%
|
District 9 (2009) |
"
After you've watched a doomed alien race become obsessed with cat food and Nigerian prostitutes, gunfights don't seem all that impressive anymore."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Aug 18, 2009
|
|
|
34%
|
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) |
"
A slightly more pleasurable experience than Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. But then again, so is a prolapsed colon."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Aug 11, 2009
|
|
|
75%
|
Julie & Julia (2009) |
"
Streep nimbly apes that famous warbly voice and bemused laugh, clomping around the set like a delightful giantess."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Aug 6, 2009
|
|
|
68%
|
Funny People (2009) |
"
Bitterly clear-eyed about the consequences of Apatowian perpetual adolescence, it's a dark movie that comes from somewhere deeply personal."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Aug 6, 2009
|
|
|
85%
|
Soul Power (2009) |
"
A footnote to a masterpiece."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 28, 2009
|
|
|
87%
|
500 Days of Summer (2009) |
"
The movie keeps leaning toward some awful truths, only to sheepishly retreat into the safe comedy of fakey shopworn devices."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2009
|
|
|
30%
|
The Answer Man (Arlen Faber) (2009) |
"
For all intents and purposes an uncredited remake of As Good As It Gets, which was kind of a crap flick to begin with..."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2009
|
|
|
84%
|
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) |
"
All setup and no payoff, it serves mainly as logistical scaffolding to reposition the characters and strum up some backstory, stalling for time before the final chapter."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2009
|
|
|
67%
|
Brüno (2009) |
"
I don't think Cohen's targets are even being particularly homophobic, they'd just prefer if this crazed, half-naked circus freak would just put his penis away and stop invading their personal space"
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2009
|
|
|
89%
|
Séraphine (2009) |
"
Here's one that feels like homework."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2009
|
|
|
71%
|
Tetro (2009) |
"
A dazzling mess... it throbs with an excess of emotion and idealistic, cuckoo daring."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2009
|
|
|
68%
|
Public Enemies (2009) |
"
A wonky art-house curio disguised as a summer blockbuster... it's also one hell of a Western."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2009
|
|
|
90%
|
Moon (2009) |
"
There's a marvelous sense of isolation in the picture's cold, aloof setting and classical, still frames."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2009
|
|
|
20%
|
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) |
"
You asked for this, America."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2009
|
|
|
50%
|
Whatever Works (2009) |
"
David's human sandpaper delivery gives a full, deep voice to Allen's reckless misanthropy."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2009
|
|
|
51%
|
Chéri (2009) |
"
What a drag it is getting old."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2009
|
|
|
51%
|
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) |
"
Foolishly attempts to update the 1974 classic by cranking the volume and inflating the Noo Yawk attitude to a cartoonish level of macho posturing."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jun 9, 2009
|
|
|
52%
|
Easy Virtue (2009) |
"
Presumably the first Noël Coward adaptation feature a Billy Ocean song."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jun 3, 2009
|
|
|
92%
|
Drag Me to Hell (2009) |
"
Not a movie likely to be enjoyed by cat lovers..."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jun 3, 2009
|
|
|
73%
|
Rudo y Cursi (2009) |
"
The air of jaunty vivaciousness is promising, but nothing sticks."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted May 27, 2009
|
|
|
66%
|
The Brothers Bloom (2009) |
"
Unfortunately, writer-director Rian Johnson is suffering from a fatal case of 'the cutes.'"
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted May 19, 2009
|
|
|
37%
|
Angels & Demons (2009) |
"
Ron Howard's funniest film since Splash!"
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted May 12, 2009
|
|
|
44%
|
The Limits of Control (2009) |
"
Jim Jarmusch is a national treasure, and The Limits of Control is his first stinker."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted May 12, 2009
|
|
|
91%
|
Every Little Step (2009) |
"
Treats a series of complicated artistic decisions like the season finale of Dancing With the Stars."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted May 12, 2009
|
|
|
95%
|
Star Trek (2009) |
"
More than any Trek project in decades, this one conjures the camaraderie, the easy humor and most important the swagger we associate with headstrong Jim Kirk and his logical, pointy-eared pal."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted May 5, 2009
|
|
|
84%
|
Tyson (2009) |
"
It's like a Spalding Gray monologue performed by a maniac."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted May 5, 2009
|
|
|
56%
|
The Soloist (2009) |
"
A well-acted, finely crafted movie that has everything going for it... except a reason to exist."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Apr 29, 2009
|
|
|
64%
|
Crank 2: High Voltage (2009) |
"
Bigger, dumber and even sicker than the rotgut original... I had a blast, but don't say you weren't warned."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Apr 21, 2009
|
|
|
93%
|
Sugar (2008) |
"
Of course, calling a movie 'too humane' isn't really all that much of a complaint..."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Apr 21, 2009
|
|
|
90%
|
Amarcord (2009) |
"
Watching the movie feels like flipping through a cartoon sketchbook of Fellini's vivid remembrances and formative experiences."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Apr 14, 2009
|
|
|
51%
|
Observe and Report (2009) |
"
Uneven at best... But say what you will about Hill's sicko, squirmy humor, at least it's distinctive."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Apr 7, 2009
|
|
|
73%
|
Tokyo! (2008) |
"
Anthology films are like communism or the rhythm method --things that work much better in theory than actual practice."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Apr 7, 2009
|
|
|
88%
|
Adventureland (2009) |
"
Like a John Hughes movie directed by Francois Truffaut...gangly, deeply felt and just lovely."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 31, 2009
|
|
|
72%
|
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) |
"
It's not great -- but it's not bad -- and it's the first DreamWorks animated flick that won't feel dated by the time it hits home video."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 24, 2009
|
|
|
33%
|
Knowing (2009) |
"
The good news is that M. Night Shyamalan doesn't have to feel quite so ashamed of himself anymore."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 24, 2009
|
|
|
64%
|
Duplicity (2009) |
"
A fluffy, comedic sequel to CLOSER... breezy, delightful and bitterly hilarious."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 18, 2009
|
|
|
16%
|
Crossing Over (2009) |
"
The movie matches nicely with Ford's somnambulistic nonperformance -- they're both pokey, morose and don't really say much at all."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 10, 2009
|
|
|
64%
|
Watchmen (2009) |
"
Some things just defy adaptation."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Mar 4, 2009
|
|
|
82%
|
Two Lovers (2008) |
"
While I'll concede that on some level it's fairly absurd, I also found it impossible not to be swept up in the film's gonzo sincerity..."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Feb 24, 2009
|
|
|
25%
|
Friday the 13th (2009) |
"
The fact that Travis Van Winkle's smarmy rich kid is a dead ringer for Michael Bay has got to be some sort of inside joke, right?"
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Feb 17, 2009
|
|
|
59%
|
The International (2009) |
"
Howard Hawks once said that the key to making a good movie was "three good scenes and no bad ones." The International has a bunch of bad scenes... but the good one is downright amazing."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Feb 10, 2009
|
|
|
97%
|
The Class (2008) |
"
This is a marvelous film."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Feb 10, 2009
|
|
|
49%
|
Donkey Punch (2008) |
"
On the plus side, at least it wasn't called Dirty Sanchez."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Feb 3, 2009
|
|
|
58%
|
Taken (2009) |
"
Junk, reactionary father-knows-best-because-he-used-to-murder-people-for-a-living nonsense, implicitly reinforcing all sorts of xenophobic paranoias and insidious patriarchal hierarchies. It's also absurdly entertaining."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jan 28, 2009
|
|
|
29%
|
Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans (2009) |
"
And this time there aren't even any leather pants."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jan 28, 2009
|
|
|
96%
|
Waltz with Bashir (2008) |
"
The aloof quality of the film gnaws away at you... it's a fluid, slippery thing that seems to be discovering itself as you watch it."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jan 20, 2009
|
|
|
57%
|
My Bloody Valentine 3-D (2009) |
"
It's paint- by-numbers, puritanical kill-the-horny-kids garbage, with the usual graphic impalements offering up a Freudian minefield of vengeful penetrations... but 3-D sure is a nifty way to polish a turd."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jan 20, 2009
|
|
|
57%
|
Defiance (2009) |
"
Is Edward Zwick the dullest filmmaker in America?"
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jan 13, 2009
|
|
|
98%
|
The Wrestler (2008) |
"
Welcome back, Mickey. It's been too long."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Jan 6, 2009
|
|
|
68%
|
Revolutionary Road (2008) |
"
Kate and Leo just stand around shouting the subtext at one another, mired in that typical Mendes swamp of gloss wherein every shot looks like a picture from a coffee-table book."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Dec 30, 2008
|
|
|
80%
|
Gran Torino (2009) |
"
Clumsy and crude, yet preposterously entertaining throughout -- the movie plays like catnip to longtime Clint Eastwood fans."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Dec 25, 2008
|
|
|
62%
|
Valkyrie (2008) |
"
It'll probably be wicked suspenseful for anybody who didn't pay attention in history class."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Dec 25, 2008
|
|
|
27%
|
Seven Pounds (2008) |
"
And then there's also much ado about an allegedly poisonous computer-generated jellyfish."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Dec 17, 2008
|
|
|
21%
|
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) |
"
Wise's original was an alarming cautionary tale, full of menace and stern warnings. The remake, as befits our times, coddles the audience, assuring us all this bad stuff will eventually work itself out. And hey, let's all go to McDonald's!"
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Dec 17, 2008
|
|
|
92%
|
Frost/Nixon (2008) |
"
Sometimes I worry that Ron Howard actually listens to every dumb 18-year-old drunk kid who tells him how to edit his movies"
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Dec 10, 2008
|
|
|
94%
|
Milk (2008) |
"
Like the inclusive American ideals its hero so staunchly advocates, this movie is open to everybody."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Dec 10, 2008
|
|
|
49%
|
Twilight (2008) |
"
No, it's not as bad as you think. It's actually worse."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Dec 10, 2008
|
|
|
64%
|
Quantum of Solace (2008) |
"
How fascinating is it that 2008's two most inconsolable, borderline psychotic movie heroes are Batman and James Bond?"
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Nov 12, 2008
|
|
|
88%
|
I've Loved You So Long (2008) |
"
Locked into a scheme of formal rigor and peek-a-boo screenwriting, the film is too busy calling attention to its own cleverness to allow any room for emotional connection."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Nov 12, 2008
|
|
|
69%
|
Synecdoche, New York (2008) |
"
One of those movies that's full of ideas and sparks lively discussions after the lights come up. Too bad that actually sitting through the thing feels like torture."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Nov 6, 2008
|
|
|
65%
|
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) |
"
Even old dogs can learn new tricks, and Kevin Smith just directed a good movie."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 29, 2008
|
|
|
62%
|
Changeling (2008) |
"
Flattened out and oversimplified to the point of preposterousness...Eastwood's never handled such a squeaky-clean, insufferably perfect protagonist before, and let's hope he never does again."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 29, 2008
|
|
|
51%
|
What Just Happened? (2008) |
"
De Niro puts so little into his performances lately, I think I work harder just sitting through them."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 29, 2008
|
|
|
24%
|
Filth and Wisdom (2008) |
"
As Bart Simpson once said of NAKED LUNCH, I can think of two things wrong with this title."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 29, 2008
|
|
|
59%
|
W. (2008) |
"
Stone has accomplished something I would've thought impossible: he made me feel sorry for this miserable son of a bitch."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 29, 2008
|
|
|
85%
|
Rachel Getting Married (2008) |
"
There's so much joy in this movie... and also such pain."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 29, 2008
|
|
|
54%
|
Body of Lies (2008) |
"
Like Alec Baldwin, Russell Crowe is way more fun to watch when he's fat."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 29, 2008
|
|
|
11%
|
An American Carol (2008) |
"
Zucker's film reeks of a deeply insecure psychosis, one that's often insultingly mislabeled as patriotism -- which is how it gets away with wrapping itself in red, white and blue while simultaneously ridiculing our Bill Of Rights."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 29, 2008
|
|
|
40%
|
Fireproof (2008) |
"
People like Kirk Cameron apparently require Scriptural instruction about how to not act like a complete **** to your wife."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 29, 2008
|
|
|
96%
|
Trouble the Water (2008) |
"
A real-life CLOVERFIELD... only infinitely scarier."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 29, 2008
|
|
|
59%
|
Flash of Genius (2008) |
"
Following a twelve-year patent dispute regarding the invention of the intermittent windshield-wiper motor, it's not as interesting as it sounds."
—
Philadelphia Weekly
Posted Oct 28, 2008
|
73%
21%
63%
85%
46%
40%
