Splat 2.5/5 |
Adam (2009) |
"Australian Rose Byrne plays Beth, who falls for a man with Asperger's Syndrome. It's a gentle, slow but far too caring a film, sacrificing drama, comedy and romance in the cause of an sympathetic representation of Adam's condition." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Adventureland (2009) |
"ottola is better known as the director of Superbad, but this film is a far more mature work, and not just in terms of its humour. His screenplay hits the right notes between irony and sentimentality, and though not laugh-a-minute, is full of warm small mo" |
Cris Kennedy |
Splat 2.5/5 |
Australia (2008) |
"It is a huge film - in scale, scope, look and feel, and of course budget. It is also a huge disappointment." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Baader Meinhof Complex (2009) |
"Edel uses a variety of film stocks to match the patchiness of the vintage footage he weaves into his narrative, adding to the authentic feel. If he meanders off track at times, it is because there is much to cover here. This could easily have been a long" |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 4/5 |
Beautiful Kate (2009) |
"Director Rachel Ward creates an beautiful, tender and delicate story, exploring a damaged family and complex social taboos - with Ben Mendelsohn giving the best performance of his career." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 1/5 |
The Benchwarmers (2006) |
"In the last line of the film, as the final credits thankfully disappear, Richie casually says "that was a waste of time wasn't it?" Yes. Definitely." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
Bombon, El Perro (2006) |
"From the director of Historias Minimas comes another wonderfully modest and gentle film, this time about a man, a dog, trust and libido." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato |
Bottle Shock (2008) |
"Bottle Shock is one of those cockle-warming, feel-good underdog films in the tradition of Strictly Ballroom. Only in this case Scott and Fran are, respectively, a Chardonnay with tangerine undertones, and a Cabernet Merlot blend." |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 3/5 |
Brideshead Revisited (2008) |
"slow and beautiful, rather than intense, dramatic and insightful" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Bronson (2009) |
"Strap yourself in for a jaw-dropping performance from Tom Hardy as he completely inhabits the role of Britain's most notorious prisoner in this highly stylised piece of mischievous cinematic vaudeville." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Burn After Reading (2008) |
"a quirky, delicious comedy with an A-list cast clearly enjoying every moment of their screen time" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Caché (2005) |
"Many things are hidden in the layers of this brilliantly clever mystery from Michael Haneke: the truth, the point of view from which the story is told, the political references and, most intriguingly, the ending. Which is not to say you can't find them. B" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Class (2008) |
"So truthful and engaging that you feel part of the class, sitting at a desk in the room as the events slowly unfold." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2.5/5 |
The Combination (2009) |
"A less than subtle look at racism in Sydney through the eyes of an ex-con committed to protecting his family from the influences of drug dealers and gangs." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Cove (2009) |
"Part thriller, part undercover spy story and all activism, this is a brilliantly put together documentary aimed quite consciously at winning the hearts and minds of the world by exposing the dreadful slaughter of dolphins in a quite cove in South-eastern" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) |
"It's a curious story indeed, a long and rambling exploration of time and what we make of it." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
Dean Spanley (2008) |
"A delightful period piece about reincarnation, friendship and dogs with a wonderful collection of performances from its four main characters." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Disgrace (2009) |
"A light, unsatisfying and rather unsubtle version of the famous novel, with John Malkovich playing the disgraced academic experiencing the personal effects of social change in South Africa." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
Dogtooth (2009) |
"Riding the perverse line between bizarre, awkward and darkly funny, this award-winning film follows the strange antics of three siblings brought up by their misguided parents in complete isolation from the rest of the world." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2/5 |
Dorian Gray (2010) |
"If it was Oscar Wilde who said that experience is the name that everyone gives to their mistakes, then this Dorian Gray is quite an experience!" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Doubt (2008) |
"A cat-and-mouse game of power and posture, played out by two of the finest actors of the moment." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
Drag Me To Hell (2009) |
"A rollicking white-knuckle ride through the classics elements that make a horror film, done well, such an enjoyable experience." |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
The Escapist (2009) |
"A fractured, stylish and tense affair built around a band of great performances." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2/5 |
The Final Destination (2009) |
"The final (really?) film in this lifeless franchise about the inevitability of death, which typically comes in the form of some grisly three-dimensional accident." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Fugitive Pieces (2008) |
" take a dip into this thoughtful and intimate portrait of a man slowly warming to the beauty of life as he shakes off the ghosts of a family lost in the Holocaust." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Genova (2008) |
"A beautifully observed, moving, yet unfocused story about a professor (Colin Firth) and his two daughters, dealing with the intensities of feeling after a death in the family." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
Ghost Town (2008) |
"Ricky Gervais is an anti-social dentist who can speak with the dead in this very funny romantic comedy about unfinished business." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Hannah Montana The Movie (2009) |
"The perfect combination of old and new versions of the American Dream: country girl riding out into the misty wilderness by day, and teen pop phenomenon by night." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Hotel for Dogs (2009) |
"So, never work with children and animals, eh?" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4.5/5 |
The Hurt Locker (2009) |
"A visceral, gripping and totally absorbing film that follows one man's life on the front line of bomb disposal." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
I Love You, Man (2009) |
"What is impressive about Hamburg's screenplay (co-written with John Levin) is the way it explores the complexities of modern, grown-up friendships, and especially the awkwardness of making new friends in middle age, while still retaining a bracing sense o" |
Cris Kennedy |
Splat 1/5 |
I Really Hate My Job (2007) |
"At first glance, there appears much to recommend about his latest work, I really hate my job, though appearances can be deceptive, despite a fine cast, including Brit character actor Shirley Henderson and the long-lost Neve Campbell as two of a team of wo" |
Cris Kennedy |
Splat 2.5/5 |
Igor (2008) |
"Director Anthony Leondis needs to go back to the lab." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
Inglourious Basterds (2009) |
"After some indulgent side trips (Grindhouse, Deathproof), Quentin Tarantino is back to form with this World War II fantasy fiasco. It's mad, it's bad and it's thoroughly entertaining, with some of the most disciplined storytelling Tarantino has produced." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Inkheart (2009) |
"Gaping plot holes aside, Inkheart is a lovely little film, aimed at the bookish among us, and peppered with a love of the literary." |
Cris Kennedy |
Splat 2.5/5 |
The International (2009) |
"A world-weary Clive Owen takes on a powerful and corrupt bank in a tough but ultimately tedious - game of cat and mouse that ranges across Europe and North America" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Keeping Mum (2006) |
"Don't expect Rowan Atkinson in full Bean or Blackadder flight: this is much more delicate Country Life comeuppance at the hands of a deliciously dark fairy godmother." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 1.5/5 |
Land of the Lost (2009) |
"Somewhere in a distant corner of the near infinite universe there must be a life form that finds Will Ferrell funny. Come and take him. Please." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Lassie (2006) |
"This story of a boy and his dog comes home to its roots in Yorkshire with a beautifully sensitive and traditional rendering. Using the original 1938 short story as its source, writer & director Charles Sturridge %u2013 best known for his superb work on Br" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Last Ride (2009) |
"Solid Aussie filmmaking elevated by its capable cast." |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 3/5 |
Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009) |
"Sure, the whole thing sets gay rights and feminism back 40 years, but Lesbian Vampire Killers doesn't mean to offend. It is, in fact, all rather tongue-in-cheek, very much in the tradition of Sean of the Dead or Lair of the White Worm." |
Cris Kennedy |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Looking for Eric (2009) |
"When the whistle blows on this rather unlikely Ken Loach film, they'll be plenty of cheers at the result, but also a sense that it's been a bit of an inconsistent game!" |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Love The Beast (2009) |
"Although it's the shiny red 1974 Ford Falcon coupe that occupies the screen time, it's Eric Bana who engages in this very personal look at the boy from suburban Melbourne, Australia who might have been a racing car driver." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2/5 |
Max Payne (2008) |
"Based on a Finnish shoot-em up video game, Max Payne is all style and little story, cheerless detective Max (Mark Wahlberg) drifting through a washed out and snowy New York in search of his wife's killer." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) |
"It's lush, stylish and a feast for the eyes and ears rather than the heart and soul." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 4/5 |
Milk (2002) |
"Gus Van Sant's intimate, graceful and nostalgic portrait of gay politician Harvey Milk resonates with honesty for the period, the man, and those around him." |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2/5 |
Mirrors (2008) |
"Clunky dialogue sets up the film, unlikely backstory drives it along, and it all concludes in a ludicrous cataclysm of cinematic hyperbole." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Moon (2009) |
"A moody, brooding low-key sci-fi feature that makes the most of the eeriness and solitude of long-distance separation to explore some very poignant themes of memory and existence." |
Simon Weaving |
Tomato 3/5 |
My Blueberry Nights (2008) |
"a languorously slow-baked affair" |
Simon Weaving |
Splat 2.5/5 |
My Life in Ruins (2009) |
"The words 'Starring Richard Dreyfuss' are a deal-breaker in my books, and it took a good 30 minutes after seeing them to unclench and enjoy My Life in Ruins." |
Cris Kennedy |
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