|
| 1. |
|
09/09/09 |
Very Good |
 "...not a perfect 10, but its imperfection is what makes it gripping and bewitching." |
| 2. |
|
07/24/09 |
Moderate |
 "Only when you get home will you look back on fondness to the good parts, which occur when Tom is looking back on some of the good parts, too." |
| 3. |
|
02/20/09 |
Excellent |
 "...the animated shorts have garnered more attention than live-action shorts in recent years... the dramatic slate is equally varied, enjoyable and invigorating." |
| 4. |
|
10/23/09 |
Moderate |
 "...there are Jews everywhere, also a couple of Koreans and a smattering of Gentiles. They are nothing like each other. And there are no recognizable human beings." |
| 5. |
|
08/21/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Considering how subtly yet relentlessly manipulative much of this movie can be, the honest, sensitive finale comes as a welcome revelation." |
| 6. |
|
09/18/09 |
Moderate |
 "...plays like a post-9/11 talk show done as modernist cinema. All it does is relentlessly pose questions about terrorism, prejudice, family dynamics..." |
| 7. |
|
04/03/09 |
Outstanding |
 "...a bittersweet joy. Its humor and romance are refreshing because writer-director Greg Mottola realizes that maturity is a two-steps-forward, one-step-backward process." |
| 8. |
|
09/18/09 |
Very Good |
 "...a rich, involving subject - the emergence of an 'American Idol'-like TV show in post- Taliban Afghanistan.... essential fascination and integrity swamp any qualms..." |
| 9. |
|
09/04/09 |
Poor |
 "...settles swiftly into inept crazy comedy... Bullock looks as bland and thin as a bleached pretzel stick and acts as if she were starring in a medical cartoon about logorrhea." |
| 10. |
|
11/13/09 |
Outstanding |
 "...a documentary about the subprime mortgage crisis, has the power of a haymaker that somehow sneaks up on you." |
| 11. |
|
05/15/09 |
Moderate |
 "...the filmmakers expend a lot of time, craft and energy just to keep a potboiler at low-to-medium boil." |
| 12. |
|
05/22/09 |
Outstanding |
 "The tragicomedy of artistic striving has never been more grittily or more sweetly captured... exudes a boundless, generous humor." |
| 13. |
|
06/19/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "It's refreshing to watch a couple, not just buddies, survive the ups and downs of a freewheeling road film. But 'Away We Go' often comes off as a fools' parade." |
| 14. |
|
10/02/09 |
Very Good |
 "Like many a small picture, 'Big Fan' makes you wish that the mainstream cinema had some equivalent to the short story or novella form." |
| 15. |
|
01/09/09 |
Poor |
 "Gary Winick shows little of the knack for true emotional detail or rounded fable and none of the talent with performers that he displayed in 'Tadpole,' 'Charlotte's Web'..." |
| 16. |
|
09/25/09 |
Outstanding |
 "...a prismatic depiction - tart, funny and piercing - of the romance between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne in the three years before he died, in 1821, at age 25." |
| 17. |
|
07/10/09 |
Weak |
 "...isn't funny or purposeful enough.... movie fans and late-night comedy lovers may think to themselves, 'the director did this better with Bill Maher in 'Religulous.' ' " |
| 18. |
|
10/02/09 |
Very Good |
 "...wildly uneven... Moore wants to be a revolutionary figure, but at best he's still an impassioned pop impresario trying to shake things up..." |
| 19. |
|
07/01/09 |
Outstanding |
 "Michelle Pfeiffer's performance as Colette's 49-year-old courtesan, Lea de Lonval, provides a rare sensual depiction of maturity and aging." |
| 20. |
|
09/04/09 |
Outstanding |
 "Giamatti is perfect at the center of 'Cold Souls,' the kind of sardonic lark that triggers more silent laughter than belly laughs. Against all odds, it proves to be haunting, too." |
