|
| 1. |
|
01/21/10 |
Very Good |
 "Who knew writer's block could be so riveting? ...delivers surprising domestic drama and religious controversy.... the sweet chemistry between the real-life couple helps bring dry history to vibrant life." |
| 2. |
|
12/10/09 |
Weak |
 "How much you like 'Bones' may depend on how strongly you believe in a neon-bright afterlife.... overwhelms slender material with garish special effects." |
| 3. |
|
12/10/09 |
Very Good |
 "...starts slowly but builds to reach a rousing and moving ending. Freeman is fun once he loosens up, while Damon is a natural on the rugby field..." |
| 4. |
|
12/10/09 |
Outstanding |
 "In this marvelously loose-limbed character study, a sensational Bridges gives a deeply felt performance, one as authentic and lived-in as the worn couch in Blake's living room." |
| 5. |
|
12/10/09 |
Very Good |
 "Day-Lewis suffers sexily and the talented ladies each belt out a showstopper or two, but 'Nine,' while fun in many parts, never achieves full liftoff." |
| 6. |
|
12/03/09 |
Outstanding |
 "...a beautifully underplayed film." |
| 7. |
|
12/03/09 |
Moderate |
 "...a comic drama that turns cloying." |
| 8. |
|
12/03/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Meg Ryan lights up a sometimes grating comedy about a wife who holds prisoner her two-timing hubby..." |
| 9. |
|
12/03/09 |
Outstanding |
 "...would be a terrific movie anytime but coming out right now this surprisingly jaunty comedy about a man whose job is to fire people thrums with zeitgeistian zing." |
| 10. |
|
11/26/09 |
Very Good |
 "It's a grim world and a grim film, but one imbued with hopeful glints of humanity and a spare, effective performance by Viggo Mortensen." |
| 11. |
|
11/26/09 |
Poor |
 "A flaccid, falsely sentimental comedy, it stinks worse than an unbathed basset hound that's been lolling in pig manure for a week." |
| 12. |
|
11/19/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...scores a touchdown for worthy intentions and Bullock is feisty fun, but it's all a little too, well, white bread." |
| 13. |
|
11/19/09 |
Moderate |
 "You'd have to be an already ardent 'Twilight' fan -- girls and moms, you know who you are -- to get moony over this teen twaddle." |
| 14. |
|
11/12/09 |
Very Good |
 "This slender story is told with droll wit, clever staging and doll house charm thanks to Fox's use of old-fashioned, stop-motion animation." |
| 15. |
|
11/05/09 |
Very Good |
 "There's real artistry and heart here." |
| 16. |
|
10/29/09 |
Outstanding |
 "...the straw-thin, cookie-cutter cuties who populate most films these days have their place, but here Precious wipes 'em to insignificance with a wave of her meaty forearm..." |
| 17. |
|
10/29/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Though he leans too much on bathroom humor, director-cowriter Jared Hess ('Napoleon Dynamite') concocts a fun, quirky coming-of-age comedy about a teenage aspiring sci-fi writer..." |
| 18. |
|
10/22/09 |
Moderate |
 "...weighed down by a stolid, overworked script.... There's a great movie to be made about Earhart, only this isn't it." |
| 19. |
|
10/22/09 |
Weak |
 "Danish bad-boy director Lars Von Trier has made an arty horror film, full of talk and sexual mutilation, adding up to naught." |
| 20. |
|
10/22/09 |
Moderate |
 "...likable if predictable.... Plucky and apple-cheeked, the computer-animated Astro Boy has the plastic beatitude of a Jeff Koons sculpture." |
