|
43%
|
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)
|
"The equivalent of those pre-made sandwiches you buy at Starbucks -- not bad for you, and not entirely lacking in flavor, but nothing particularly memorable, either."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
36%
|
Casino Jack (2010)
|
"[T]his year's non-fiction treatment of the Jack Abramoff story, Alex Gibney's Casino Jack and the United States of Money, crackles and engages where this docudrama falls flat."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
91%
|
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
|
"While Precious isn't perfect, it's a moving drama that gives veteran performer Mo'Nique and first-timer Gabourey Sidibe the opportunity to create indelibly-etched characterizations."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
52%
|
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
|
"There are a handful of funny moments -- most of which appear in the trailer -- but overall, this is a film that would have benefited from someone staring at some rewrites."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
53%
|
Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009)
|
"Bob Hoskins looks just right as kind old Mr. Fezziwig, but that may be more of a testament to the actor's physiognomy than to the motion-capture process, which makes most of the film's cast look like they just sauntered out of Madame Tussauds."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
81%
|
Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009)
|
"To remember Jackson's singing voice at its finest, put his albums on; if you want to experience his breathtaking talent as a dancer and showman, in what would turn out to be the final weeks of his life, well, This Is It."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
18%
|
Gentlemen Broncos (2009)
|
"Lacking any level of empathy or sympathy, however, Broncos becomes an exercise in disgust; this feels like art created by people who get their kicks tripping people on crutches."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
50%
|
Astro Boy (AstroBoy) (2009)
|
"One of the most pleasant surprises I've had at the movies all year."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
20%
|
Amelia (2009)
|
"Gere and McGregor are fine actors, but Nair uses them like the expendable males (Zachary Scott, Franchot Tone, et al) who stood back and let Bette Davis and Joan Crawford do all the heavy lifting back in the day."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
38%
|
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)
|
"If this clever and stylish hybrid is your bucket of blood, then you'll certainly be clamoring for the further adventures of these bizarre and delightful freaks."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
48%
|
Antichrist (2009)
|
"Frankly, von Trier, I don't give a damn."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
20%
|
Motherhood (2009)
|
"What Eliza writes, like Motherhood itself, feels like a stale collection of harried-parent material that the bland comedy duo The Mommies milked dry more than a decade ago."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
25%
|
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
|
"The movie remains admittedly entertaining, mainly because it's so shamelessly ridiculous that you can't believe an Oscar-winning actor (Jamie Foxx) can get through this thing with a straight face."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
73%
|
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
|
"There's so very much to like about Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers' adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved book Where the Wild Things Are, but it winds up being a well-crafted vehicle that never soars."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
58%
|
Trucker (2009)
|
"Were it not for Michelle Monaghan's convincingly dirt-under-the-fingernails performance in the title role, there would be absolutely nothing about the film to distinguish it from dozens of other movies."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
94%
|
An Education (2009)
|
"Even if the story gets derailed, the early part of the ride is such fun that you'll want to take the journey."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
56%
|
The Invention of Lying (2009)
|
"There are a few funny bits sprinkled throughout, but the premise of the movie never goes anywhere particularly interesting, even with the potentially outrageous subplot regarding religion as an outgrowth of chicanery."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
90%
|
Zombieland (2009)
|
"There's a lot to bite into here, but it's a film that doesn't always live up to its own dizzying potential."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
84%
|
Whip It (2009)
|
"...a fun female-empowerment movie that marks an impressively crowd-pleasing directorial debut for Drew Barrymore."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
89%
|
A Serious Man (2009)
|
"If Philip Roth and Franz Kafka sat down to write an adaptation of the Book of Job, the result might be something like A Serious Man."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
39%
|
Surrogates (2009)
|
"Director Jonathan Mostow makes the proceedings such fun that you're willing to forfeit the smart satire this might have been for the trashy adventure flick that it is."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
25%
|
Fame (2009)
|
"Thanks to the blitheringly awful script -- credited screenwriter Allison Burnett disavows it, and he willingly put his name on Feast of Love and Untraceable -- we barely get to know any of the young lead characters."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
75%
|
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
|
"Provides lots of insights and enraging bits of information while, ultimately, coming off as somewhat amorphous."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
43%
|
Jennifer's Body (2009)
|
"Cody's sophomore effort shows no real feel for teen comedy or teen horror; somebody undid her doodle."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
78%
|
The Informant! (2009)
|
"Marvin Hamlisch's goofy score all but bruises your ribs by jabbing you with "isn't this hilarious?" wackiness, but ultimately the cast plays it so straight that to respond with laughter almost feels like chuckling at a funeral."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
86%
|
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
|
"Overstuffed with enough sight gags to delight children while throwing in healthy dollops of wordplay and absurdist humor to keep their adult chaperones entertained as well."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
60%
|
I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009)
|
"Ultimately, we wind up with another Tyler Perry movie in which a wayward woman must learn to submit to two patriarchies: the nice blue-collar guy who's going to solve her problems, and Jesus."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
7%
|
Whiteout (2009)
|
"If you want the real Whiteout experience, just read the book. Or ask the manager of your local 7-Eleven if you can play Clue in the beer cooler."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
57%
|
9 (2009)
|
"While the grim and gritty post-apocalyptic setting -- call it Industrial Blight and Tragic -- make this PG-13 title very much not for little kids, 9 gets a lot of empathy and pathos from its cast of (literally) stitched-together characters."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
30%
|
Gamer (2009)
|
"Where Neveldine/Taylor lose their way is by trying to marry their no-shot-lasts-longer-than-five-seconds style with overstuffed storytelling."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
6%
|
All About Steve (2009)
|
"Frantic, inane, moronic and obnoxious, All About Steve ranks among the very worst movies of the year. The decade, even."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
63%
|
Extract (2009)
|
"Judge is a brilliant chronicler of social absurdity, workplace humor and that uniquely American brand of doltishness, but he hasn't quite figured out how to channel his observations into sharp storytelling."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
30%
|
The Final Destination (2009)
|
"The latest entry skimps on the series' strongest point, setting up the most obvious calamities."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
21%
|
H2: Halloween II (2009)
|
"For a filmmaker who began his career with relatively clever and visionary splatter films like House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, Zombie seems to be pursuing the path of least resistance."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
48%
|
Taking Woodstock (2009)
|
"Eliot is conceived as something of a blank-slate character, and [Demetri] Martin isn't engaging enough to give anything but a blank-slate performance."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
44%
|
Shorts (Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock) (2009)
|
"Rodriguez never lets things get too noisy or chaotic to follow, and he wraps everything up in a satisfying resolution that even slips in a stealth moral or two."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
7%
|
Post Grad (2009)
|
"The greatest actress in the history of drama couldn't make first-timer Kelly Fremon's sow's ear of a screenplay into a sow's ear sandwich, much less a silk purse."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
89%
|
World's Greatest Dad (2009)
|
"World's Greatest Dad crushes a boldly funny concept with inert and bloodless filmmaking."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
88%
|
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
|
"Even if you wish Tarantino would calm down a bit and rely more on his considerable skills at straightforward storytelling, this World War II saga is undeniably suspenseful, violent and entertaining."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
37%
|
The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
|
"I can only imagine that the scenes of a 40-something man getting chummy with his 6-year-old bride-to-be must have played better in the book. On film, it feels like To Catch a Time-Traveling Predator."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
92%
|
Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo) (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) (2009)
|
"...a sweetly lovable and visually trippy movie that young tots and their parents can enjoy in equal measure."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
33%
|
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (2009)
|
"I'll have forgotten most of it by Labor Day, but I was never bored."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
58%
|
Paper Heart (2009)
|
"Paper Heart wallows in that irritating hipster preciousness known as "twee" for nearly its entire running time."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
75%
|
Julie & Julia (2009)
|
"In the end, Julie & Julia doesn't stack up as much more than a pleasant summertime diversion, but it's hands down the best such trifle that Ephron has ever concocted."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
63%
|
Adam (2009)
|
"[M]erely a Very Special Episode of a TV series I never wanted to watch."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
95%
|
The Cove (2009)
|
"What makes The Cove so powerful is that it's not just an ecological horror show -- it's a real-life thriller that's as suspenseful as anything cooked up by Hollywood."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
68%
|
Funny People (2009)
|
"Prepare to laugh, yes, but also be ready to let Apatow take his good sweet time in telling his story."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
21%
|
G-Force (2009)
|
"G-Force is short on wit, characterization and logic, but the car chases sure are breathtaking and just about everything blows up real good while the heroes run from the fireballs in slow motion."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
30%
|
The Answer Man (Arlen Faber) (2009)
|
"What's the point of giving us unsentimentalized and messed-up characters if you're just going to steer them all towards a tidy, unconvincing denouement?"
|
Alonso Duralde
|
|
13%
|
The Ugly Truth (2009)
|
"By the time they have their big showdown in a hot air balloon (a sequence, incidentally, featuring some of the fakiest green-screen work in recent memory), you'll be pleading for an 'Oh, the humanity!' ending to this cinematic Hindenberg."
|
Alonso Duralde
|
