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 .5/5 |
10,000 B.C. (2008) |
"You actually have to feel sorry for the actors, one of which is New Zealander Cliff Curtis, the only person I recognised." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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2/5 |
21 (2008) |
"For a film about gambling, you don’t actually see enough of it to satisfy." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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 4/5 |
American Gangster (2007) |
"Best of all, there are top-flight performances from both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe who create interesting, rounded characters out of potential clichés." |
David Stratton |
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4.5/5 |
Atonement (2007) |
"This is one fine film and I found it even more moving than the book." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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0.5/5 |
Babylon A.D. (2008) |
"Whatever happened to Mathieu Kassovitz, the French actor director whose amazing film La Haine made such an impact 13 years ago?" |
David Stratton |
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2/5 |
Be Kind Rewind (2008) |
"And the film ought to be funny, with Mike and Jerry recreating those films as home movies. But somehow it’s not, the laughs are very thin on the ground." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) |
"Conceptually bold and unnervingly suspenseful, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is one of the best films Lumet has directed in a very long and at times uneven career." |
David Stratton |
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3/5 |
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) |
"Quite sweet." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
The Black Balloon (2008) |
"It’s a very auspicious debut for this young Australian filmmaker." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
Body of Lies (2008) |
"The complex plot is rendered with clarity and precision, the action scenes are very well staged, the suspense is palpable, and the performances are first-rate." |
David Stratton |
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4.5/5 |
Brick Lane (2008) |
"It is, like all immigrant stories, about identity and Nazneen’s journey is both painful and touching." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4.5/5 |
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) |
"This is a dark romantic epic, which at times recalls such classic sagas as Ivanhoe and Quentin Durward, and it’s very enjoyable on a number of levels, not least in the realm of pure spectacle." |
David Stratton |
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1.5/5 |
Closing the Ring (2007) |
"Though this original screenplay by Peter Woodward has the potential for an interesting examination of the endurance of love, it’s saddled with characters who are not very believable and situations which are more melodramatic than realistic." |
David Stratton |
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4/5 |
The Dark Knight (2008) |
"This is a terrific movie, the action sequences are splendiferous, the acting impeccable but there’s something missing at the heart of it. And it seems to be Batman." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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2.5/5 |
Death Defying Acts (2008) |
"In every technical department, the film is impeccable but at the core there’s something rather frustrating about it." |
David Stratton |
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4/5 |
The Duchess (2008) |
"Keira Knightley is really splendid..." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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2.5/5 |
Eagle Eye (2008) |
"We're told that the idea for Eagle Eye came from executive producer Steven Spielberg, but it's not a very original idea and it's no surprise that Spielberg didn't want to direct it himself..." |
David Stratton |
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3/5 |
Feast of Love (2007) |
"Thanks to his excellent cast, and a very light touch, Benton makes these tangled relationships both real and touching." |
David Stratton |
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4/5 |
The Flight of the Red Balloon (2008) |
"Delicately handled and handsomely made." |
David Stratton |
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3/5 |
Funny Games (2008) |
"I'm not at all sure that, in manipulating the audience to make his points, Haneke isn't as guilty of exploitation as the filmmakers and the films he's attacking here." |
David Stratton |
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3/5 |
The Grocer's Son (2008) |
"The location shooting in the narrow lanes and small communities is good, and among Antoine's customers there are some really wonderful characters..." |
David Stratton |
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2.5/5 |
The Happening (2008) |
"There are some creepy moments but overall The Happening is a bit of a non-event." |
David Stratton |
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3.5/5 |
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) |
"Not only are the creatures amazingly conceived, but there’s a lovely sense of humour to it all as Del Toro references horror movies of the past and even the work of John Landis." |
David Stratton |
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1.5/5 |
The House Bunny (2008) |
"This puerile so-called comedy is a complete waste of the talents of Anna Faris, a cheeky beauty who is obviously channelling Marilyn Monroe – God forbid a remake of Some Like it Hot is in the works." |
David Stratton |
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3.5/5 |
In Bruges (2008) |
"Despite the contrived conclusion, it all works marvellously, and that's thanks to some terrific performances." |
David Stratton |
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4.5/5 |
In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) |
"I wouldn’t have missed this chance to revisit one of earth’s most significant encounters with deep space for anything." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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2.5/5 |
The Incredible Hulk (2008) |
"This is just another case of special effects overwhelming an action film." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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2.5/5 |
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) |
"They had 19 years since the last Indiana Jones movie to come up with something truly exciting and fresh, but I feel there’s a certain laziness and cynicism in this latest adventure." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4.5/5 |
Iron Man (2008) |
"Iron Man is what mainstream, big screen entertainment ought to be like." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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2/5 |
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) |
"Poor Brendan Fraser, he must have known he had nothing to work with here, he looks as if he’s sleepwalking through the role, not a career highlight for him." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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3.5/5 |
Kung Fu Panda (2008) |
"It’s funny at times, and quite exciting, but of course you know where it’s going from its opening moments, so no surprises dramatically." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
Leatherheads (2008) |
"Leatherheads is like an oasis in the middle of a desert – a genuinely enjoyable romantic comedy." |
David Stratton |
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1/5 |
The Love Guru (2008) |
"The satire of Bollywood musicals is obvious but about the closest thing to humour in what is undoubtedly the worst comedy of the year." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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3/5 |
Love in the Time of Cholera (2007) |
"Though Cartagena in the late 19th Century is beautifully evoked in director Mike Newell’s visually sumptuous film, there’s something missing at the core of this love story." |
David Stratton |
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3.5/5 |
Mamma Mia! (2008) |
"Perhaps your enjoyment will depend on how much you like the songs (I’m not a huge ABBA fan), but the great thing about this film is its joyousness." |
David Stratton |
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3.5/5 |
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) |
"This delicious froth of an entertainment could have creaked all over the place and at times you feel it does, but Amy Adams is just magic, she lifts every role she takes on to absolutely delightful heights." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
Mongol (2008) |
"Russian director Sergei Bodrov has made a magnificent epic which evokes some of the greats of the past, including Lawrence of Arabia." |
David Stratton |
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3/5 |
My Best Friend's Girl (2008) |
"The film veers off into that realm of unbelievability that I react against. But there is a certain fascination in watching Cook strut his stuff (and boy does he strut), and Kate Hudson is pleasant to watch." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
My Brother Is An Only Child (2006) |
"This is such a lovely film from writer/director Daniele Luchetti, nostalgic perhaps, but with that indefinable Italian whimsy that takes serious political themes and undermines them beautifully." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4.5/5 |
Noise (2008) |
"What I want from a film is a punch in that emotional gut, and it’s there in Noise. But I don’t want it delivered in a facile fashion, and this certainly isn’t." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008) |
"I’m not sure how this will appeal to a general public but for those of us who remember the films, Not Quite Hollywood is a blast." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
The Orphanage (2007) |
"It touches on primal stuff in terms of childhood, motherhood and the unknown." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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3/5 |
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) |
"It’s a fairly uninspired screenplay. And the same can be said for both the Boleyn girls. They are both extremely fetching in their tight bodices but unengaging as characters." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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3.5/5 |
Paranoid Park (2008) |
"I embraced what Van Sant achieved with his earlier three films, I just can’t feel quite that same enthusiasm for this one, even though it’s an extremely well-made film." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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3/5 |
Rats and Cats (2008) |
"Rats and Cats is a sort-of comedy, very laid-back and meandering, and it’s mostly content to explore life in this little town and some of its inhabitants." |
David Stratton |
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3.5/5 |
Run, Fat Boy, Run (2008) |
"This is an amiable film that will provoke some chuckles." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
The Savages (2007) |
"This film is immensely rewarding and in its own way exceptionally beautiful." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
Sex and the City - The Movie (2008) |
"This movie has generated record excitement in just about every woman of my acquaintance." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
Sharkwater (2007) |
"It’s a film you come away from feeling that you should get out there on the streets and start marching for sharks." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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4/5 |
Shine a Light (2008) |
"It is stupendously filmed and, as edited by David Tedeschi over nine months, really captures the energy and spirit of the performances." |
Margaret Pomeranz |
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