Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 52%
| Hachiko: A Dog's Story (2009) | "
The subsequent tragic events are moving rather than just manipulative, while the bond between man and canine is treated with a tender gravitas that might surprise those expecting merely some doggie-themed weepie." — Radio Times Posted Mar 15, 2010 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 47%
| Ondine (2010) | "
For all the effort expended, Jordan never really entices us into believing the magic. It looks classy, but it just doesn't come off." — Radio Times Posted Mar 5, 2010 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 28%
| Extraordinary Measures (2010) | "
Moderately illuminating in parts, but the clichés of cinematic suffering tend to overwhelm it." — Time Out Posted Feb 26, 2010 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 56%
| She, A Chinese (2009) | "
An intriguing, keenly observed journey, but one that demands too much patience from the audience." — Radio Times Posted Feb 26, 2010 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 35%
| From Paris With Love (2010) | "
Saddled with a mostly thankless role as the straight man, Rhys Meyers is decidedly wooden, while the energetic Travolta fails to make us forget he's played this sort of freestyle psycho one too many times already." — Radio Times Posted Feb 26, 2010 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 75%
| Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) | "
Moore comes up with enough of these startling moments to keep us watching, though he's certainly stronger on huff and puff than concrete solutions." — Radio Times Posted Feb 26, 2010 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 100%
| The Unloved (2010) | "
Windsor’s taciturn and stoic central performance is both haunting and affecting, framed by Morton’s deliberate, even stately direction." — Time Out Posted Feb 19, 2010 |
Rotten 3/5
| Fresh 69%
| The Last Station (2009) | "
Engaging performers all, but the movie’s superficial flummery is slightly exasperating when the true-life events would have provided an even richer palette of ideas." — Time Out Posted Feb 19, 2010 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 68%
| The Headless Woman (2009) | "
There's an undertow of dread here reminiscent of the work of Hitchcock and Michelangelo Antonioni." — Radio Times Posted Feb 19, 2010 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 51%
| Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) | "
It's evidently Potter-ish, but unashamedly aimed at younger viewers — which makes the emphasis on the junior hero's fighting skills and a clearly misguided Las Vegas casino sequence all the more dismaying." — Radio Times Posted Feb 16, 2010 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 77%
| Tony () | "
This micro-budget British shocker blends horror and character study to create an absolutely convincing portrait of psychosis." — Radio Times Posted Feb 5, 2010 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 67%
| The Island () | "
Overall, the story's just a bit too neat to carry the portentous weight that the film-maker seems to be willing into the material." — Radio Times Posted Feb 5, 2010 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 100%
| Late Autumn (1960) | "
Cinema that speaks to the soul." — Time Out Posted Feb 2, 2010 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 63%
| Adoration (2009) | "
Unfortunately the elaborately unspooled plot delivering these ideas in dramatic form is so scraggy and effortful it defeats the cast and rather compromises our involvement." — Time Out Posted Feb 2, 2010 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 26%
| Ninja Assassin (2009) | "
Since the fights are all digitally conjured up anyway, genuine thrills are at a minimum and the copious sprays of pixelated blood quickly pall." — Radio Times Posted Jan 22, 2010 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 59%
| Brothers (2009) | "
A slightly bland Portman and an overwrought Maguire rather highlight the contrived turns in the plotting of what is a thoroughly respectable effort, but one that is not all it could have been." — Radio Times Posted Jan 22, 2010 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 8%
| Fireball (2009) | "
The clunking storyline is a real drag, and the movie is essentially hobbled because the nominal lead is a rock performer not a martial artist." — Time Out Posted Jan 8, 2010 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 76%
| The Road (2009) | "
Ultimately, this bracingly austere film falls a little short of the greatness of the book, but it's still a terrifyingly effective warning that we squander the planet's resources at our peril." — Radio Times Posted Jan 8, 2010 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 13%
| Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) | "
This ultra-mild frolic follows the ‘fish-out-of-water’ comedy formula so closely its lack of surprise is almost, well, surprising." — Time Out Posted Jan 5, 2010 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 22%
| Spread (2009) | "
It's fun when it's at its bitchiest, and Kutcher's astute performance will surprise a few people." — Radio Times Posted Jan 5, 2010 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 8%
| Post Grad (2009) | "
The film is never flat-out terrible — just thoroughly bland." — Radio Times Posted Jan 5, 2010 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 83%
| Nowhere Boy (2010) | "
Balancing emotive drama, pop history and evocative period piece, the film is undeniably engrossing and an illuminating addition to the Beatles mythology." — Radio Times Posted Jan 5, 2010 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 81%
| Departures (2009) | "
The movie gestures towards deep emotions, but an abiding soft-grained superficiality effectively insulates us from the piercing realities of grief." — Time Out Posted Dec 4, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 89%
| Séraphine (2008) | "
This utterly beguiling biopic about a cleaning lady with the artistic gifts of a Van Gogh is just a bit special." — Time Out Posted Nov 27, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 46%
| Nativity! () | "
The grown-ups are pretty much overshadowed by the youthful cast of the nativity play itself, who are so natural on camera that you can't help but smile." — Radio Times Posted Nov 27, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 88%
| A Serious Man (2009) | "
Rigorously controlled, perhaps at the expense of a little emotional light and shade, this is one of the Coens' subtlest films. Expect smiles, grimaces, a slightly furrowed brow, and, finally, a feeling of satisfaction." — Radio Times Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 62%
| Love The Beast (2009) | "
Bana exudes downhome blokeyness throughout, but an hour of this will be enough for most, after which egomania fatigue sets in. Add another star if you’re a petrolhead, two if you really like Eric Bana and cars, three if you’re his mum." — Time Out Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 75%
| Cold Souls (2009) | "
The credible production design impresses, the camerawork offers an exquisite chill and Giamatti is in his pomp." — Time Out Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 50%
| 1 Day () | "
A well-intentioned misfire." — Time Out Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 50%
| 1 Day () | "
Woolcock deserves praise for ambition, but this tumbles awkwardly into some netherworld between streetwise musical and social-conscience crime chronicle." — Radio Times Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 47%
| The Horseman (2008) | "
It’s mean and upsetting, but though the cruelty may undermine the message of vengeance breeding vengeance, it’s never presented as slickly enjoyable or a facile solution." — Time Out Posted Oct 30, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 60%
| Made in Jamaica (2006) | "
Diffuse, but worthwhile." — Time Out Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 96%
| The Cove (2009) | "
There’s an effective thriller element to this vividly assembled doc." — Time Out Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 11%
| Couples Retreat (2009) | "
Expectations of farce are stymied by long stretches of mid-life navel gazing." — Time Out Posted Oct 16, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 73%
| District 13: Ultimatum (2010) | "
The film’s real problem is building momentum from its action set-pieces. Belle’s agility and Raffaelli’s fleet footwork are fine, but the parade of rent-a-thugs toppling like ninepins isn’t very exciting." — Time Out Posted Oct 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 57%
| The Invention of Lying (2009) | "
That a great comic idea does not necessarily make for a great screen comedy is the lesson for first-time writer-director-star Ricky Gervais as he comes unstuck." — Time Out Posted Oct 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 86%
| White Lightnin' (2009) | "
This debut British feature weaves sundry biographical details into an awkward cross-hatch of oblique celluloid portrait and backwoods horror thriller." — Time Out Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 39%
| Surrogates (2009) | "
The ideas probably have a bit more juice than the movie, but it’s still an alert piece of entertainment." — Time Out Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 83%
| Heart of Fire (2008) | "
The pint-sized heroine’s defiant adherence to humanitarian values renders her more a stand-in for arthouse viewers’ right-on worldview than a real child in a specific dramatic situation." — Time Out Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 77%
| Bustin' Down the Door (2008) | "
This impressive sports doc finds enough drama in the situation to involve a wider audience, since the archive footage of these chaps gliding through waves the size of a house is quite something." — Time Out Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 86%
| 500 Days of Summer (2009) | "
If it just misses being this generation’s ‘Annie Hall’, it’s still deliciously refreshing, sweet and fizzy. A sherbet dip of a movie." — Time Out Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 82%
| In the Realm of the Senses (1976) | "
Unsanitised, worryingly convincing in its sadomasochistic detail, this is seriously provocative cinema, a telling reminder of what it really means to be dangerous." — Time Out Posted Aug 29, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 46%
| Shorts (2009) | "
You can’t fault the film’s exuberance, but it’s draggy in spots, with the grown-up cast outshone by Jolie Vanier’s little terror – nattily monikered Helvetica Black." — Time Out Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 88%
| Sin Nombre (2009) | "
It’s a tribute to the visceral impact of the staging that the film retains its grip despite becoming somewhat predictable, while thematically it’s the usual cycle-of-violence hand wringing." — Time Out Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 38%
| Imagine That (2009) | "
Murphy at least tries to stay in character rather than overdoing the silly voices and physical knockabout, but maybe the material was so blah that he felt it wasn’t worth the effort." — Time Out Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 25%
| Land of the Lost (2009) | "
A ragbag of lackadaisical plotting, drugs references, puerile lechery and shiny effects work, an assemblage far from child-friendly yet not quite grungey enough to wow older teens." — Time Out Posted Jul 31, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 82%
| Kisses (2008) | "
While the film’s compassion is never in doubt, it’s sometimes a bit too cute for its own good." — Time Out Posted Jul 17, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 67%
| The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) | "
On a scene-by-scene basis, though, it’s classily effective, mainly because of Wright Penn’s skill in nailing the precise tenor of every moment." — Time Out Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 75%
| Heimatklänge () | "
Slightly stretched at 82 minutes, the film nevertheless makes a strong case for this high, wide and lonesome sound expressing the soul of the alpine landscape, beautifully captured by the aerial camerawork." — Time Out Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 60%
| Am I Black Enough For You () | "
Slightly woolly overall, though you might find yourself buying the CDs. I did." — Time Out Posted Jul 3, 2009 |
