Des Partridge
Des Partridge's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Courier Mail (Australia)
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Up in the Air (2009) |
Jason Reitman's slick romance is a studio movie that is a throwback to the sort of relevant and entertaining adult movies Hollywood once turned out routinely. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jan 13, 2010
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Bran Nue Dae (2009) |
You should leave your cinema seat wearing a broad smile after this fun-filled experience, officially the first Aussiewood musical. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jan 13, 2010
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Avatar (2009) |
Avatar is a landmark film everyone will be talking about. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Dec 17, 2009
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Bright Star (2009) |
One of the year's pleasures for the eyes, mind and heart -- a bright star indeed. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Dec 17, 2009
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Broken Embraces (2009) |
Tending to meander at times, there's still plenty to enjoy if typical Almodovar multiple narratives don't confuse you. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Dec 13, 2009
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Away We Go (2009) |
It's the sincerity of the performances by Krasinski and Rudolph that makes you want to see how the journey will end for the couple they play. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Dec 07, 2009
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Zombieland (2009) |
Zombie comedies have been plentiful since the British-made Shaun of the Dead five years ago, but none has been as funny as Zombieland. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Dec 02, 2009
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Where the Wild Things Are (2009) |
Jonze has succeeded splendidly in making a movie about the challenges of childhood, and it's likely the material will resonate more with the adults who read Wild Things to their children rather than delight the children themselves. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Dec 02, 2009
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The Invention of Lying (2009) |
Ricky Gervais' new film isn't as out-and-out funny as you might have hoped, but it's still got some funny moments. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 26, 2009
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Cold Souls (2009) |
There's added appeal thanks to Barthes' silly but fun film via the outstanding cinematography by her collaborator, Andrij Parekh, whose arty lighting and careful framing make the film a visual treat. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 26, 2009
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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) |
It all can be swallowed very easily, with the likeable characters, including the policeman Earl (Mr T), ensuring that the adventure serves up a tasty conclusion. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 26, 2009
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The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) |
This is undoubtedly Bana's best American performance and you can genuinely believe in Bana and McAdams as lovers who give the story its emotion. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 05, 2009
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Genova (2008) |
Genova fails to provide the view with much that is satisfying and instead accomplishes only a superficial examination of grief and the way people respond. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 05, 2009
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Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009) |
Enough elements of Dickens's story remain for a viewer to be refreshed by Scrooge's change of heart, and to be moved by his rediscovery of the Christmas spirit that climaxes the story. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 05, 2009
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Case 39 (2009) |
One of those movies that's bad enough to make it worth seeing. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 05, 2009
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Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) |
There's nothing too subtle about Moore's filmmaking style, but he does get his points across in a straightforward, uncomplicated way. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 01, 2009
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The Box (2009) |
The movie gives the impression of being pasted together from many different parts rather than presented as a cohesive whole. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 28, 2009
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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) |
A visual feast is served up in former Monty Python cast member Terry Gilliam's fantasy -- credited to "Heath Ledger and friends" -- that should enthral loyal fans of the veteran's colourful film history, but is more than likely to baffle Gilliam novices. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 28, 2009
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Astro Boy (2009) |
The feature-length film, modelled on Pixar films, merges the best of western and eastern animation styles. result is an entertaining film that should satisfy both adults and children. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 18, 2009
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Whatever Works (2009) |
Fans of Allen's work should be happy to find him back in Manhattan, still exploring the meaning of his existence through some typically funny one-liners. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 11, 2009
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Moon (2009) |
While there are echoes of Kubrick's 2001 classic, Moon has enough that's original and surprising to make it worth recommending, and not only to diehard fans of sci-fi films. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 08, 2009
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Couples Retreat (2009) |
Despite the potential for humour from the couples and their relationship problems, the script relies on lame situation jokes. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 08, 2009
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Whip It (2009) |
While Whip It follows the pattern of the majority of underdog sports dramas, Barrymore's film has a vitality, energy and heart (in the beautifully acted mother-daughter story) that's often lacking in male-centred movies. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 08, 2009
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Julie & Julia (2009) |
Nora Ephron serves up a hearty silver-service banquet with a story that links the lives of two exceptional American women. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 05, 2009
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Looking for Eric (2009) |
It would be unthinkable for Britain's Ken Loach to make a film without some social purpose, but at 72, he's made the funniest film of his long career. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 24, 2009
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Stoned Bros. (2009) |
In a significant year for indigenous films, Stone Bros. plays the Joker's role: a bromance disguising the film's intent to prick consciences in the hardest writing form (comedy) to master. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 24, 2009
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Fame (2009) |
Tancharoen does not bring anything particularly fresh or distinctive to the song and dance elements of the story, but the new group of students (led by possible star Kay Panabaker as Jenny) deliver credible-enough performances. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 24, 2009
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Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008) |
The unique behind-the-scenes profile Tyrnauer has achieved makes this more than just another excuse to look at beautiful models in pretty frocks, and a film not only for fashionistas. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 16, 2009
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Imagine That (2009) |
An uncharacteristically restrained performance by Eddie Murphy, a sharply funny supporting role filled by Thomas Haden Church, and a beguiling new child actor, Yara Shahidi, make this fantasy-comedy about the power of imagination agreeable enough. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 16, 2009
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G-Force (2009) |
Billed as children's fare, G-Force's incessant action provides trainer wheels for youngsters soon to grow into the teens who have made Bruckheimer's live-action films such moneyspinners. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 16, 2009
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(500) Days of Summer (2009) |
Despite the tricky punctuation, (500) Days of Summer might be the most truthful rom-com about the sort of people you're likely to know; not inhabitants of some movie version of Fairyland. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 16, 2009
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$9.99 (2008) |
Think Robert Altman's Short Cuts with clay characters as engaging as human actors, and you might get a sense of what you'll experience. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 16, 2009
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Funny People (2009) |
Funny People would have been funnier and more meaningful with fewer offensive jokes and more self-control from the undeniably talented Apatow. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 09, 2009
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Blessed (2009) |
Blessed is a powerful and truthful movie experience that lingers long after the end. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 09, 2009
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Sorority Row (2009) |
Mean Girls meets I Know What You Did Last Summer... You won't be able to scream for laughing at this sloppy reimagining of a forgotten '80s slasher thriller. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 09, 2009
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The Soloist (2009) |
The facts offer potential for a heart-rending and emotional movie experience, but Wright (director of Atonement and Pride and Prejudice) goes Hollywood with his first American feature. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 02, 2009
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Charlie & Boots (2009) |
Murphy's straight-forward direction and the genuine charisma that's drawn from Hogan and Jacobson's characters, make this film fun. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 02, 2009
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Up (2009) |
This is probably the most original of all [Pixar's] films to date, and the realism brought to the screen is constantly surprising. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 02, 2009
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Orphan (2009) |
Enough jump-out-of-your-seat moments to make this nonetheless trashy, implausible thirller watchable. - Daily Telegraph (Australia)
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| Posted Aug 12, 2009
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Beautiful Kate (2009) |
While the sexual subject matter may be confronting, Ward's confident filmmaking featuring a mix of seasoned pros, including Bryan Brown, Ben Mendelsohn, Rachel Griffiths and new talent, particularly Sophie Lowe, should satisfy mature audiences. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 29, 2009
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Public Enemies (2009) |
Certainly worth a look, but you might feel that Mann keeps his characters, apart from Billie, at arm's length. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 29, 2009
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My Sister's Keeper (2009) |
As manufactured Disease of the Week weepies go, Nick Cassavetes's drama based on a Jodi Picoult bestseller, is surprisingly moving. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 29, 2009
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Red Cliff (2008) |
The most beautiful Asian epic since Bernardo Bertolucci's Oscar triumph, The Last Emperor, 22 years ago. - Daily Telegraph (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 24, 2009
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Drag Me to Hell (2009) |
Director Sam Raimi returns to his roots, and fans of his controlled style of horror, where less is often more, should be grateful. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 22, 2009
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Chéri (2009) |
While it's not likely to be as admired as much as his Dangerous Liaisons, Frears - who is heard as the narrator - has given audiences an elegant treat that's easy to escape into, and there are skilful performances by the entire ensemble. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 22, 2009
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Red Cliff (2008) |
The mix of real history and imagined events results in filmmaking of high quality, despite the gaps and possible confusion of the foreign story. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 22, 2009
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Last Ride (2009) |
Weaving draws on his vast experience to show the complexities of his rugged and violent character, while also offering glimpses of the man's softer side and his genuine affection for his growing son. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 02, 2009
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Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009) |
Won't shake up the movie world, but it is a family film that's easy enough to like while overlooking the fact it sprouts corn and movie cliches. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jun 24, 2009
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Disgrace (2008) |
Near-flawless casting through the film ensures it will be recalled as one of the year's outstanding dramas from Australia, or anywhere. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jun 17, 2009
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The Proposal (2009) |
The stars aren't going to erase memories of Hepburn and Tracy, or Lombard and Powell, but Bullock and Reynolds - even when playing a naked bathroom scene together - make a good fit. - Courier Mail (Australia)
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| Posted Jun 17, 2009
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