Rotten
| Rotten 15%
| The Fourth Kind (2009) | "
A gimmicky, inordinately self-impressed attempt to cash in on the latest tabloid buzzwords. If this was made in the '70s, it'd be narrated by Leonard Nimoy and chock-full of yetis and the Devil's Triangle." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 48%
| Ong Bak 2 (2009) | "
Head-thumping nirvana ... By the time a dude in a bird suit starts fighting on top of a moving elephant, it seems like a logical, completely awesome progression." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Oct 22, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 23%
| Law Abiding Citizen (2009) | "
May be lacking in social graces -- it's about as dignified and refined as a Hell's Angel fighting a caveman -- but on the red meat, reptile brain level, it scores." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Oct 17, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 72%
| The Boys Are Back (2009) | "
So ravishing [looking], actually, that it severely diminishes the emotional beats of the narrative. How mopey can you be when you've got wallabies on your veranda?" — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Oct 1, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 89%
| Zombieland (2009) | "
Somehow rises above the Hot Topic-ization of its subject matter and becomes an absolute, occasionally surreal hoot." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Sep 30, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 84%
| Paranormal Activity (2009) | "
Peli's method of imbuing everyday objects -- a slightly ajar door, a swinging chandelier, a (gulp) strangely rumpled bedsheet -- with an atmosphere of ball-crawling dread is really something to see. It doesn't let up." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 76%
| The Informant! (2009) | "
Featuring a steadily mounting shaggy-dog plot and a majestically nerdish turn by Matt Damon, it feels of a piece with the Soderbergh who so effortlessly batted for the cycle ... at the beginning of the decade." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Sep 16, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 91%
| Il Divo (2009) | "
Combining clammy skin, busy hands, and a posture reminiscent of Snoopy in his vulture phase, [Servillo] (re-)creates a fascinating monster ... Given some CliffsNotes, the surrounding film might even be worthy of him." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Sep 2, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 63%
| Extract (2009) | "
Scores on a number of small fronts ... but lacks that core of real, exasperated indignation that gave his previous films such a charge." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Sep 2, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 38%
| X Games 3D: The Movie (2009) | "
A slick, fawning, shamelessly commercial puff piece that occasionally hits on an eye-popping image and just goes sick." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Aug 24, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 91%
| Ponyo (2009) | "
Several notches below [Hayao Miyazaki's] masterworks, which makes it only, oh, super-duper wonderful ... it makes big magic, seemingly effortlessly." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Aug 12, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 58%
| A Perfect Getaway (2009) | "
Taut, propulsive, and supremely confident, it functions as both a far-above-average thriller and a riotous p*** take on the conventions of its genre." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Aug 11, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 68%
| Funny People (2009) | "
Taken as a sloppy, maudlin, two-and-a-half-hour whole, it paints the picture of a talented filmmaker whose insular self-regard is beginning to attract small planetoids." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Jul 30, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 55%
| Orphan (2009) | "
Sets up a series of increasingly queasy taboo points and then proceeds to rocket-cycle over them." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Jul 23, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 47%
| Lakeview Terrace (2008) | "
A potentially decent B-picture stymied by the director's newfound tendency to stay within the lines." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Sep 17, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 63%
| Hamlet 2 (2008) | "
[S]tands as an act of comedic alchemy -- a slick, occasionally inspired Dangerous Minds satire that Coogan forcibly drags to a state of near brilliance." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Aug 20, 2008 |
Fresh
| Rotten 15%
| Mirrors (2008) | "
The combination of Sutherland's beyond-the-call gravitas, director Alexandre (High Tension) Aja's demento visual sense, and a spookily lyrical ending earns it at least a short-term stay in the Halls of Yick." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Aug 15, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 82%
| Tropic Thunder (2008) | "
A bit toothless -- it's difficult to cut too deeply when your satirical take on studio blockbusters and crazy actors is produced by a major studio with Tom Cruise in a supporting role -- but offers a number of genuine laughs between the self-congratulator" — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Aug 13, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 77%
| Baghead (2008) | "
Takes an ingenious -- and perhaps necessary -- shift into more accessible filmmaking. Okay, it's less of a shift than a sort of yawning amiable slouch, but you get my drift." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Aug 6, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 68%
| Pineapple Express (2008) | "
Divvied up into YouTube lengths, it'd be awesome. Seen as a whole, it comes worryingly close to the feature-length equivalent of Burt Reynolds slapping Dom DeLuise during the end credits to The Cannonball Run." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Aug 6, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 13%
| The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) | "
I mean, honestly, how does somebody screw up a Yeti attack?" — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Jul 31, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 67%
| CSNY Déjà Vu (2008) | "
Give Young credit for getting beyond the standard tour-bus and backstage environments, but the broad scope ultimately gives short shrift to both the veterans and the legendary discord among the bandmates." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Jul 23, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 61%
| Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) | "
The comin'-at-ya effects are certainly state of the art ... but any hopes that the film might blaze new trails are squashed the first time someone picks up a paddleball. Kids should lap it up; for anyone else, Dramamine is advised." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Jul 9, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 89%
| Kung Fu Panda (2008) | "
Chalk it up to either a newfound maturity or [Dreamworks] management being asleep at the wheel, but, somehow, someway, it achieves a low-impact playfulness that actually feels kind of... charming." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Jun 5, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 64%
| The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) | "
Yeah, it's a dopey kid's movie, but -- significant detail -- one that feels like it was actually written for kids ... Also, whenever things threaten to get too schlocky, this amazing villainess with a magic bullwhip shows up." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted May 15, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 37%
| Speed Racer (2008) | "
An immense, Otter Pop colored nostalgic thing that expends so much energy replicating every last widget and geegaw from its source that it forgets to be, you know, fun." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted May 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 93%
| Iron Man (2008) | "
The action scenes lack the fizz of the character moments ... still, there's enough good stuff here to place this in the upper tier of movies about guys in long underwear." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted May 1, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 40%
| Zombie Strippers (2008) | "
That faint thumping noise you hear is Russ Meyer doing donuts in his grave." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Apr 25, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 86%
| Shine a Light (2008) | "
Never aims for transcendence, settling instead for really, really good ... the overriding impression is of a bunch of legendary deviants content to remain in showman mode." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Apr 3, 2008 |
Fresh
| Rotten 54%
| Charlie Bartlett (2007) | "
In this era of the slick, soundtrack-propelled high-school movie, it's refreshing to see one that tries to chew too much." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Feb 20, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 60%
| George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead (2008) | "
[Drowns]its predecessors' virtues in what feels like an endless Mad Lib of Wired magazine buzzwords ... If America's defining doomcryer is right that today's audiences need this much spoon-feeding, then his latest and least film is scarier than it seems." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Feb 13, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 37%
| Rambo (2008) | "
Stays on the verge of being a rousing dumbass flick at all times -- you've never seen so many mid-air organs -- yet its combination of outrageous bodily trauma and beagle-eyed moments of reflection never quite makes it go over the top." — Portland Mercury Posted Jan 24, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 4%
| In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2008) | "
A magnum dopus so utterly inept that it somehow comes off as perversely admirable. The other two people at Friday's matinee seemed to enjoy it, too." — Portland Mercury Posted Jan 14, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 13%
| Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) | "
It's a Wonderful Life is no longer the most depressing Christmas movie ever made." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Dec 26, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 81%
| Charlie Wilson's War (2007) | "
An extremely entertaining conversation starter of a movie, of the sort earmarked for a better-than-average night out with the folks. Depending, of course, on their tolerance for scenes involving talky naked strippers in hot tubs." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Dec 19, 2007 |
Rotten
| Rotten 44%
| The Color of Freedom (2007) | "
Another well-meaning, dopily prosaic movie of the sort that often gets a mercy nomination thrown its way ... Does a severe disservice to a truly great history." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Dec 12, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 69%
| I Am Legend (2007) | "
A largely terrific, meanly gripping movie ... nearly upended by the use of some noticeably lousy CGI effects. Ditch the computers, slather some greasepaint on some extras, and we'd be talking a minor classic." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Dec 12, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 85%
| War Dance (2007) | "
Children in dire situations can be a tricky, quasi-exploitive subject for filmmakers ... but it's handled here in a responsible, occasionally joyous fashion. You can still feel your heartstrings being pulled, but when it's done this well, it's tough to be" — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Nov 30, 2007 |
Fresh
| Rotten 15%
| Hitman (2007) | "
Rooted firmly on the positive side of good and dumb ... Whether you go for it or not may ultimately depend on your feelings about a movie that helpfully explains its locations with onscreen captions like "London: England" and "Moscow: Russia."" — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Nov 21, 2007 |
Fresh
| Rotten 52%
| Margot at the Wedding (2007) | "
Brilliantly astringent ... To watch it is to see a filmmaker at the absolute top of his game, even if this particular game probably shouldn't be topped." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Nov 21, 2007 |
N/A | Fresh 94%
| No Country for Old Men (2007) | "
Interview with Josh Brolin" — The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
INTERVIEW Posted Nov 14, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 94%
| No Country for Old Men (2007) | "
Call it terrifying, stunningly bleak, humane, epic, intimate, darkly funny, deadly serious, or what have you: Whatever laudatory adjectives you throw its way are going to stick." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Nov 14, 2007 |
Fresh
| Rotten 34%
| P2 (2007) | "
Doesn't exactly advance the genre -- think Red Eye with twice the gore and triple the dumb -- but some above-the-call performances and a nifty use of its setting make this two-hander a genuinely creepy diversion." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Nov 7, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 98%
| Ten Canoes (2007) | "
Really a fairly amazing achievement: an engrossing, witty cultural document that doesn't feel staid in the least. All this, plus spear fights." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Oct 31, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 65%
| Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007) | "
Enjoyably oddball without falling into molar-decaying twee ... favorably recalls the all-too-brief post-Repo Man era, when the possibilities of indie film seemed head-bustingly limitless." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Oct 31, 2007 |
Rotten
| Fresh 79%
| American Gangster (2007) | "
Everyone involved seems to be coasting ... Scott's gift for composition and the occasional flash of wickedness from Washington keeps this from being a bad film, precisely, just a disappointing one." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Oct 31, 2007 |
Rotten
| Rotten 26%
| Waist Deep (2006) | "
Would most likely have made for a decent late-night Cinemax staple, but its stabs at higher significance only bring on the giggles." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Oct 21, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 73%
| Lady Vengeance (2005) | "
The kind of glorious sensory rush that you can only get when a supremely confident director fully kicks out the jams. Submerged within the flash, however, is a nihilistic worldview that may be even more curdled than its predecessors." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Oct 21, 2007 |
Fresh
| Rotten 37%
| Reservation Road (2007) | "
Extremely well acted, admirably evenhanded, and wholly respectful of a subject that could easily devolve into Lifetime-channel schmaltz. It just fails to make much of an impression." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Oct 17, 2007 |
Fresh
| Rotten 49%
| 30 Days of Night (2007) | "
Rises above its source material, both in plot and gut-rumbling tone. Even accounting for a few logy sequences, it's the most relentless, sustained freak-out since The Descent." — The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Posted Oct 17, 2007 |
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