|
| 1. |
|
01/08/09 |
Very Good |
 "Duke might not have been the best choice to helm such genre matter. His hand does steady as the film builds, but the real credit goes to the leads." |
| 2. |
|
01/15/09 |
Weak |
 "Jewish mysticism, Josef Mengele, and poor Gary Oldman as a sagely rabbi all factor into the convoluted ghost tale. Oy." |
| 3. |
|
01/22/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...the strays aren't your usual mangy curs but well-groomed pedigreed show dogs who're aw-shucks cute. That's the kind of bright, fluffy, Nickelodeon world it is." |
| 4. |
|
01/22/09 |
Moderate |
 "It's the viewer who's in real danger, from the stiff acting and the hoky FXs.... comes off like a Sci-Fi Network offering minus the tongue-in-cheek cheese." |
| 5. |
|
01/22/09 |
Moderate |
 "...pedestrian hack-'em-up about a pickax-wielding wonk gone berserk in a sleepy mining town... It's 'Scream' before 'Scream,' minus the deconstructive verve." |
| 6. |
|
01/29/09 |
Moderate |
 "The first two chapters provided a backdrop against which Kate Beckinsale could look sleek and fetching as she hacked at werewolves and double-dealing vampires.... More of the same..." |
| 7. |
|
01/29/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "The predictable squalls of melodrama and touching resolve flow like 'poop through a tall Swede,' as a random yokel puts it." |
| 8. |
|
02/05/09 |
Moderate |
 "Martin has grown into the role as far as physical comedy goes... Director Harald Zwart keeps the ninny nonsense moving quick enough to stave off the staleness." |
| 9. |
|
02/26/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Perry does score plenty of laughs in his tent dress, and the members of 'The View' and 'Dr. Phil' kick in as comic accomplices." |
| 10. |
|
03/12/09 |
Moderate |
 "Johnson holds his own against the cute wunderkinder, but nobody's a match for the f/x onslaught of the noisy climax." |
| 11. |
|
03/12/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...writer/director Daniel Barnz endows Phoebe with enough tenderness and wit... an awkward yet rewarding wonderment." |
| 12. |
|
03/19/09 |
Moderate |
 "The plot is a sham (shades of 'Signs' and 'Close Encounters'), and Alex Proyas's slick visuals do little to dress it up." |
| 13. |
|
03/26/09 |
Outstanding |
 "...this movie's payoff, like that of 'The Incredibles,' comes in the everyday dilemmas of its protagonist, and in that regard, Susan is a universal force to reckon with." |
| 14. |
|
04/02/09 |
Very Good |
 "...painstakingly re-creates the genre's era-mired milieu with affection. Even the crafty framing device is an elegiac paean." |
| 15. |
|
04/09/09 |
Moderate |
 "The gaseous exposition in the middle breaks down. Director Justin Lin should have heeded his film's title and just punched it." |
| 16. |
|
04/16/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Miley puts on a rousing show and never takes it too seriously.... Directed by Peter Chelsom ('Serendipity'), the film never gets too heavy..." |
| 17. |
|
04/16/09 |
Moderate |
 "Burr Steers, who showed promise with 'Igby Goes Down,' appears to be slumming it for the paycheck." |
| 18. |
|
04/23/09 |
Very Good |
 "...uneven but affecting.... Wright never indulges in maudlin heavy-handedness, and that allows Downey to achieve genuine pathos." |
| 19. |
|
04/30/09 |
Weak |
 "...recycles 'The Temp' and 'Fatal Attraction' and makes them look like masterpieces... the inevitable catfight between Ali Larter and Beyoncé -- even that gets botched." |
| 20. |
|
04/30/09 |
Very Good |
 "...the film's directors excel at weaving in comments from the show's originator, Michael Bennett, who died in 1987." |
