|
57%
|
Bran Nue Dae (2010)
|
"Comes off as "Moulin Rouge" at half speed, which is more of a compliment than you might imagine."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
81%
|
Broken Embraces (2009)
|
"Gives us few reasons not to stay to the ending, but the ultimate revelation of Blanco's pain ... disappoints."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
56%
|
It's Complicated (2009)
|
""It's Complicated" will be for middle-aged women what the latest "Transformers" sequel is for teenage boys."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
37%
|
Nine (2009)
|
"How does one recommend a musical that packs a putrid songbook, hires eye candy over proven entertainers and casts perhaps the greatest actor of our generation in the lead even though he can't sing a note?"
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
94%
|
The Damned United (2009)
|
"Finds its riveting story in the locker-room and board-room wranglings of competitive team leaders, and dissects them with documentary-style precision."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
75%
|
The Road (2009)
|
"An overall impressive adaptation that, while tough to recommend because of its oppressive mood, stays on the right path for the duration of its run."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
12%
|
Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009)
|
"You've already heard every joke it has to tell."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
91%
|
Up in the Air (2009)
|
""Up In the Air," more than any film released this year, is tailored perfectly for its time."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
62%
|
Brothers (2009)
|
"Sheds some of the original's impact. But the emotional currents remain so charged that you won't need a translator to understand the heartache conveyed on screen."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
90%
|
The Messenger (2009)
|
"Beyond the interesting subjects, Moverman doesn't have a definitive place for his film to go."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
46%
|
Everybody's Fine (2009)
|
"It's schmaltzy and a tad melodramatic, but it doesn't pander, gently plucking our heartstrings when it could have hammered away."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
76%
|
Invictus (2009)
|
"While far from subtle (Eastwood rarely is), "Invictus" possesses an unmistakable air of dignity."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
93%
|
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
|
"Anderson has explored eccentric family dynamics %u2013 particularly those that exist between fathers and sons %u2013 in each of his films, and his philosophical insights are all over the precise ramblings of Fox and his motley crew."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
26%
|
Ninja Assassin (2009)
|
"Delivers everything you'd expect from a film titled "Ninja Assassin.""
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
22%
|
Planet 51 (2009)
|
"Stargazers believe there's intelligent life out there. You just won't find much of it on "Planet 51.""
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
91%
|
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
|
"Recommending "Precious" proves challenging, regardless of the film's quality. ... But to skip it would mean missing some fantastic performances."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
94%
|
An Education (2009)
|
"A handsomely crafted and beautifully acted awakening story that's predictable but consistently rewarding."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
66%
|
The Blind Side (2009)
|
"Recycles the charitable messages of other religion-based films, from "Facing the Giants" to "Fireproof," but presents them in an accessible, mainstream package."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
39%
|
2012 (2009)
|
"Packages the disaster-happy director's greatest hits into one cataclysmic picture."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
60%
|
Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked) (2009)
|
"Alive with the full-bodied embrace of anarchy"
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
54%
|
Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009)
|
"A technically proficient but disturbing adaptation (that) adopts a surprisingly macabre tone."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
52%
|
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
|
"Does a passable imitation of a Coen brothers comedy."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
62%
|
Coco Before Chanel (2009)
|
"A familiar lemonade-from-lemons period biopic or, in the case of the fashionista, a smart-suit-from-tattered-threads tale."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
81%
|
Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009)
|
"a ferociously entertaining send-off for the musical icon, a coda that permits Jackson's legacy to end on a high note."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
94%
|
Good Hair (2009)
|
"Educates more than it entertains, even though there's plenty of colorful subjects (Chris) Rock could have gently lampooned."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
25%
|
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
|
"The ultimate explanation behind Shelton's methods deflates some of the picture's fun, but by then you've enjoyed most of Gray's gritty ride."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
73%
|
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
|
"Sendak's book crackled with the combustible energy of adolescent anarchy and creative play -- two elements severely lacking from Spike Jonze's mopey, withdrawn feature-length adaptation."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
83%
|
Paranormal Activity (2009)
|
"Far more effective during its nighttime scenes"
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
85%
|
Soul Power (2009)
|
"Does its part to widen this historic concert's potential audience base."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
78%
|
The Informant! (2009)
|
"Beneath the feathered toupee, that disturbingly fuzzy mustache, and 30 pounds of listless, desk-job body fat lies Matt Damon, giving an outstanding comedic performance."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
87%
|
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
|
"Where Pixar would have made a nutritious main course out of the character issues in Lord and Miller's script, "Meatballs" skips them in favor of dessert."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
83%
|
Bright Star (2009)
|
"Plays by the strict and proper rules of the period genre, resulting in a predominantly frigid and impersonal love story."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
84%
|
Whip It (2009)
|
"Packs the same unfiltered jolts of grrrrrly-girl empowerment Barrymore likes to embrace in her acting gigs."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
90%
|
Zombieland (2009)
|
"Marrying comedy to horror isn't original, but "Zombieland" discovers inventive ways to entertain by placing its emphasis on laughs over legitimate scares."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
80%
|
It Might Get Loud (2009)
|
"Listening to rock gods speak about their music isn't nearly as enjoyable as listening to them play it."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
87%
|
Big Fan (2009)
|
"Wrings pain out of heartbreaking truths, and steamrolls to an unpredictable conclusion that's suspenseful, mildly coincidental, but gut-wrenchingly sad."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
81%
|
No Impact Man: The Documentary (2009)
|
"An interesting socio-analytical documentary that preaches valuable messages regarding global conservation. My problem is I wanted to shoot the film's pompous messenger."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
75%
|
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
|
"Comes across like a refresher course, and not the higher education Moore has strived for in the past."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
57%
|
9 (2009)
|
"Beyond the impressive visuals, there isn't much."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
68%
|
My One and Only (2009)
|
"Melodramatic, starting and stopping without achieving a flow."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
83%
|
The September Issue (2009)
|
"Even a haute couture heathen such as I recognizes that to full-blown fashionistas, "September Issue" is nothing short of a religious experience."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
48%
|
Taking Woodstock (2009)
|
"The Oscar-winning director has effectively captured the good vibes surrounding the initial festival."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
27%
|
Play The Game (2009)
|
"Did you ever wonder what face Andy Griffith makes when he's having an intimate moment with a lady friend? Me neither. Yet that's one of many "delights" foisted on us during writer-director Marc Fienberg's feature-length debut comedy."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
——
|
Shorts ()
|
"An imaginative but shamefully unsophisticated fantasy."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
88%
|
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
|
"The pop-art auteur's least-focused film to date, a rambling wreck of shrewd ideas and cinematic influences that never interlock into their own identifiable movie."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
94%
|
In the Loop (2009)
|
"One of the year's most intelligent (scripts), unifying political intrigue and backroom muckraking with stinging, pop-culture putdowns."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
94%
|
The Cove (2009)
|
"Visceral enough to inspire action, no matter your politics."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
64%
|
Adam (2009)
|
"Adam's disorder is but one piece of a tender relationship puzzle that's nurtured out of its shell by the performers."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
26%
|
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009)
|
"a raucous comedy that adheres to the one-joke-pony structure ... except the talent Brennan attracts is stronger, and the jokes his screenwriters attempt are more obscure."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
|
91%
|
District 9 (2009)
|
"Jolts with disturbing plot twists, disgusts with gory kills, showcases awesome and inventive alien technology, comments on inhumane medical experimentation and criticizes unchecked military might, but always remains in service of a nail-biting story."
|
Sean O'Connell
|
87%
22%
90%
