|
| 1. |
|
01/16/09 |
Moderate |
 "...a combo platter of Bollywood excess and classic kung fu... a live-action Looney Tunes cartoon that lasts 154 minutes rather than just five... exhausting..." |
| 2. |
|
01/30/09 |
Excellent |
 "A satisfying little thriller... pairs the ruthless hand-to-hand combat of the 'Bourne' series with the potent child-in-peril plotline of a Lifetime original movie." |
| 3. |
|
02/27/09 |
Excellent |
 "...filled with excellent acting, beautifully composed shots, and one or two legitimate storytelling surprises.... afterward, I couldn't stop thinking about it." |
| 4. |
|
03/20/09 |
Excellent |
 "...a pleasant big-studio diversion, a screwball romance with beautiful movie stars... It's smart, it's for grown-ups and it lets Julia Roberts laugh, if just once." |
| 5. |
|
03/27/09 |
Poor |
 "...suffers most of all from a feeling of creeping irrelevance... shelved since filming completed in 2006, the film feels stuck in a particularly '90s-flavored argument..." |
| 6. |
|
04/10/09 |
Moderate |
 "There's certainly unfettered passion flowing... but with nearly every song pitched at the same overwrought level, you may find yourself drifting away from time to time..." |
| 7. |
|
04/17/09 |
Fair |
 "...engaging but pedestrian... What's disappointing is that its view of teenagerhood is as straightforward as its leading man (boy)." |
| 8. |
|
04/24/09 |
Poor |
 "...contains only four fights, and only two of them are any good. Such is the critical math necessary to assess this limp underground-brawling drama." |
| 9. |
|
05/01/09 |
Weak |
 "...you may find yourself wishing that director Aristomenis Tsirbas had replaced the movie's poorly written dialogue and implausible plot with more battle scenes." |
| 10. |
|
05/08/09 |
Weak |
 "...a fitfully amusing, sloppy comedy that doesn't work very hard for your 10 bucks." |
| 11. |
|
05/15/09 |
Good |
 "To certain serious world-cinema aficionados, 'Tulpan's' combination of understated comedy and documentary-level depiction of rural Kazakh life will be catnip." |
| 12. |
|
05/22/09 |
Good |
 "...the lineage of 'Summer Hours,' with its exploration of the changing traditions of family life, stretches all the way back to Chekhov..." |
| 13. |
|
05/22/09 |
Fair |
 "No doubt the cash-strapped Smithsonian will be glad for the exposure... the museum sparkles, but the movie's awfully dull." |
| 14. |
|
05/29/09 |
Outstanding |
 "What elevates 'Drag Me to Hell' above the level of exemplary horror movie is its mix of inventive supernatural gross-outs and carefully observed everyday details." |
| 15. |
|
07/14/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...might be the most enjoyable 'Harry Potter' movie yet... Whether die-hard fans of the books will love it, though, is another story." |
| 16. |
|
07/24/09 |
Poor |
 "A dispiriting primer on the low regard Hollywood has for the intelligence and curiosity of children -- and the time and money of their parents..." |
| 17. |
|
08/07/09 |
Good |
 "At its best, 'Adam' makes the viewer understand the frustration of living in a world in which everyone is a stranger..." |
| 18. |
|
08/08/09 |
Poor |
 "...as polished and entertaining as war-mongering toy commercials get. And did I mention it's loud?" |
| 19. |
|
08/14/09 |
Outstanding |
 "...beautiful, quirky fable has magic other children's movies can't touch.... a reminder of the messy pleasures of a film that's the product of a single vision." |
| 20. |
|
08/21/09 |
Fair |
 "...an uneasy mix of family comedy, 20-something romance and recession horror story... never quite succeeds in capturing a generation adrift." |
