Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 53%
| Glorious 39 (2009) | "
A cracking British character cast, an intriguing angle on World War II and scrummy frocks can't compensate for what's highly coloured tosh, whose every 'twist' is more heavily signposted than roadworks on the M25." — Metro [UK] Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 76%
| The Informant! (2009) | "
Damon's rarely been better as a seemingly normal guy who you never really get a handle on, but the light-toned narrative could certainly be snappier." — Metro [UK] Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 77%
| Harry Brown (2009) | "
[Daniel Barber's] bludgeon-you-over-the-head social commentary and borderline fascistic torture porn is thankfully offset by some remarkably sensitive camera work, plus a tear-jerking performance from the 76-year-old Caine." — Metro [UK] Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Rotten 38%
| 2012 (2009) | "
Emmerich confidently controls his marathon; teasing you with a street crack here, a supermarket tremor there, before going for all-out, balls-to-the -all world destruction. Effects truly don't get more special than this." — Metro [UK] Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 45%
| Jennifer's Body (2009) | "
It's barely scary, but it's a treat for every boy (or girl) who'd hack off their right arm to hear Megan Fox purr: 'You've given me such a wettie.'" — Metro [UK] Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 83%
| Bright Star (2009) | "
Bright Star is at once sublimely swoonsome yet marvellously down to Earth." — Metro [UK] Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Rotten 3/5
| Rotten 55%
| Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009) | "
There's no warmth from these spooky, human-modelled digitised automatons, who glide about like all-night trance festival-goers the morning after." — Metro [UK] Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 56%
| 9 (2009) | "
Too dark for littl'uns, too hectic and cutesy for adults, it's pretty much guaranteed to please no one." — Metro [UK] Posted Oct 30, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 94%
| An Education (2009) | "
Hornby is more interested in the confrontation of self cocooning fantasy with cold reality, of learning to grow up and take responsibility for your life, whatever your age." — Metro [UK] Posted Oct 30, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 92%
| Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) | "
Less Roald Dahl, more The Royal Tenenbaums with a tail and whiskers. Visually, as you'd expect from Anderson, it's gorgeous." — Metro [UK] Posted Oct 23, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 82%
| Thirst (2009) | "
As intelligent as it is blackly humorous, visually elegant, full-bloodedly erotic and a good half-hour too long." — Metro [UK] Posted Oct 16, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 81%
| Triangle (2009) | "
The déjà vu plot loop-the-loops back on itself till it sends you right round the twist." — Metro [UK] Posted Oct 16, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 65%
| The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | "
For a movie that champions the importance of storytelling, that is, ironically, its limpest department." — Metro [UK] Posted Oct 16, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 89%
| Zombieland (2009) | "
The narrative suffers from a recurrent limp but there are memorable high notes, namely a genius cameo by the ever marvellous Bill Murray as himself." — Metro [UK] Posted Oct 9, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 94%
| Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee (2009) | "
This chuckle-inducing, improvised collaboration between Considine and director/mate Shane Meadows feels more like a lark than a feature movie but it's got a serious motive." — Metro [UK] Posted Oct 9, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 98%
| Up (2009) | "
Pixar's tenth movie is undoubtedly a work of art but what truly makes it glow is that it's a timeless story about love and has obviously been made with tons of the stuff." — Metro [UK] Posted Oct 9, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 10%
| My Life in Ruins (2009) | "
Think Carry On without the sophisticated humour or enlightened views on foreign stereotyping." — Metro [UK] Posted Oct 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 56%
| The Invention of Lying (2009) | "
Go in with (very) low expectations and they may just be surpassed." — Metro [UK] Posted Oct 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 39%
| Surrogates (2009) | "
Set your brain to standby and you'll just about suck up this glossy dollop of Total Recall-lite." — Metro [UK] Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 28%
| Fame (2009) | "
'Lame!' would be a better title for this utterly unmemorable remake of Alan Parker's edgier, darker, remarkably fresh 1980 multi-Oscar-winner." — Metro [UK] Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 100%
| Three Miles North Of Molkom (2009) | "
Neatly observed and a right giggle." — Metro [UK] Posted Sep 18, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 84%
| The September Issue (2009) | "
Glimpsing the emotional chinks in Wintour's armour makes this a fascinating watch as much as the to-die-for frocks, XXL personalities and hilarious fashionista nonsense intoned like papal decree. Eg: 'Jackets are the new coats.'" — Metro [UK] Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 75%
| Julie & Julia (2009) | "
Comfort viewing for credit-crunch times, this over-long movie is cosy, bland, a bit sugary and totally undemanding. The cinematic equivalent of sticking your brain inside a warm oven." — Metro [UK] Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 94%
| Fish Tank (2009) | "
Visually striking but never stylised, it's simply astonishing to find a film that's such a hard-hitting smack in the mouth, yet, at the same time, a marvel of such fragile, natural beauty. Best British film of the year? You bet." — Metro [UK] Posted Sep 11, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 95%
| Big River Man (2009) | "
This raw, eccentric documentary is both hugely entertaining and 'can do' inspirational." — Metro [UK] Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 64%
| Greek Pete (2009) | "
Why not just make a fictional film? Conflating these seemingly mocked-up scenarios with non-actors and their genuine experiences (eg the shoots for porn magazines) just results in an unsatisfying mess." — Metro [UK] Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Tricks (2007) | "
Andrzej Jakimowski's intimate if slightly disjointed tale of dreams abandoned, connections not made and things not said evokes such a timeless sense of sun-drenched, small-town life, even non-Poles will feel nostalgic." — Metro [UK] Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh 5/5
| Fresh 90%
| District 9 (2009) | "
District 9 socks you with humour, gore and fast-paced action and it never feels worthy, while delivering an unexpectedly touching reflection on man's inhumanity to man." — Metro [UK] Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 92%
| Mesrine: Part 2 - Public Enemy #1 (2009) | "
It boasts all the analytical depth of a bullet graze but it's still a grippingly groovy watch." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 29, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 98%
| The Hurt Locker (2009) | "
Director Kathryn Bigelow brilliantly surfs a line between challenging, realistic grit and Hollywood thrills, her gripping buddy movie all the more exciting for not blindly following the orders of most big action flicks." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 29, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 68%
| Funny People (2009) | "
This is a kind of cuddly bromance take on Scorsese's The King Of Comedy, in which sentimentality balances bleakness without toppling into schmaltz." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 29, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 29%
| The Final Destination (2009) | "
They lazily let the effects do most of the hard work in this 'ain't broke' scenario." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 29, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 82%
| Broken Embraces (2009) | "
Pedro Almodóvar's visually sumptuous feature will please but not wow his fans, since it retreads familiar waters to unremarkable effect." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 29, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 18%
| Dance Flick (2009) | "
Another movie spoof so lame the kindest thing one could do is shoot it and put it - and us - out of our collective misery." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 15%
| I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009) | "
Wises are cracked and touching coming-of-age lessons learned – think Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist with a more rubbish soundtrack." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 45%
| Shorts (2009) | "
[A] fantastically zany if draggingly storyless story." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 76%
| Afterschool (2009) | "
Provocative, unflinching and stripped of anything approaching a consoling music soundtrack, it's a must for fans of challenging, A+ intelligent cinema desperately seeking the antithesis of High School Musical." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 88%
| Inglourious Basterds (2009) | "
At a bum-numbing two-and-a-half hours, you need more. You may have seen war through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino - but there's nowt going on behind them." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 38%
| The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) | "
This isn't the fully marshmallow-basted turkey it seems at first glance. However, it barely scratches the surface of Audrey Niffenegger's superior beach read." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 88%
| Sin Nombre (2009) | "
As vibrantly coloured and in-your-face visceral as you'd expect: a woozy, punch-out shot makes you feel like it's your own head hitting the dirt." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 38%
| Imagine That (2009) | "
A painfully prolonged saccharine gunk tank, guaranteed to displease all ages." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 80%
| Bandslam (2009) | "
This oddly toned high-school flick may boast less of the X-Factor but it's all the more interesting for its raggedy edges." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 15%
| The Ugly Truth (2009) | "
It's actually hard to tell who's less likeable in this ugly, unfunnily vulgar battle of the sexes: Heigl's prim control freak or Butler's dim sexist." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 55%
| Orphan (2009) | "
Scoff-inducing twist aside, this is an uncannily astute and unnerving family psychodrama, over-garnished by final-act splatter." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 36%
| G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) | "
Who was shooting who and why? No idea! I didn't care! Because there was loads of constantly exploding stuff. Expect no more, and you'll be reasonably satisfied by this least demanding of summer blockbusters." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 65%
| Adam (2009) | "
An utterly charming love story between two quirky, vulnerable loners? A vomitous fairy-cake concoction of nursery rhyme tweeness? It's all certainly rather less Rain Man, and more Drizzle Boy." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 79%
| Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2009) | "
Slightly overrated and over here, this slick French thriller may not be the crime classic it's touted as, but it's still a gripping, action-driven portrait of the last of France's great gangsters." — Metro [UK] Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 52%
| The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) | "
Director Scott is, as usual, way more into blowing stuff up than a moral cat-and-mouse game. Any hint of depth sends him zooming into yet another flashily pointless 'woo woo' motorbike chase, destroying the masterful two-hander tension." — Metro [UK] Posted Jul 31, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 25%
| Land of the Lost (2009) | "
A good-natured, hit-and-miss mess, further muddied by some seriously inappropriate humour." — Metro [UK] Posted Jul 31, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 24%
| G-Force (2009) | "
Guaranteed non-stop, gung-ho action plugged directly into your synapses." — Metro [UK] Posted Jul 31, 2009 |
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