Movie Ratings & Reviews

Last film added: January 25, 2021. There are currently 1678 films in the database (since 1996).

2006-2009 Releases

Search returned all films from 2006-2009 out of 1678 total rated films.

MASTERPIECES

Amazing Screw-On Head, The (2006) 10
A TV pilot featuring Emperor Zombie and Lincoln. Any last words before I spark it?
Fall, The (2008) 10
Tarsem Singh, director of 'The Cell,' creates a delightful fantasy based in 1920s Los Angeles.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) 10
A brilliant adaptation by Wes Anderson of the classic Roald Dahl book. Fantastic stop-motion animation.
Hurt Locker, The (2009) 10
An intense, complex war film. Intelligent, exhilarating psychological thriller about urban warfare in Iraq.
Inglourious Basterds (2009) 10
A funny, violent Tarantino film about guerrilla soldiers in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.
Inland Empire (2006) 10
Lynch examines Hollywood and its artistic constraints in a bizarre/long jumble of movies within movies.
Juno (2007) 10
A whip-smart 16-year-old girl is faced with an unexpected pregnancy and makes an unusual decision.
Moon (2009) 10
One man and a computer run a lunar base that supplies Earth with energy. Meditative.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) 10
Guillermo del Toro presents a young girl's fantastic alternate reality, set in 1944 fascist Spain.
Persepolis (2007) 10
Autobiographical, cinematic graphic novel of a young outspoken girl in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
Planet Earth (2006) 10
Spectacular 11-part BBC documentary of the diversity of Earth's life, from the poles to deserts.
Scanner Darkly, A (2006) 10
Richard Linklater, Philip K. Dick, Keanu Reeves, Radiohead and interpolated rotoscoping animation. Brilliant.
South Park - Imaginationland (2007) 10
Epic three-part story arc from season 11 released as a standalone movie. The best ever.
V for Vendetta (2006) 10
The Wachowski Brothers present the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, starring Natalie Portman.
Waltz with Bashir (2008) 10
Stunning. Folman interviews Israeli veterans of the 1982 Lebanon invasion to reconstruct his own memories.

EXCELLENT

(500) Days of Summer (2009) 9
Offbeat, witty romantic comedy (not a love story) starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. Great.
Animation Show 2007, The (2007) 9
The touring festival's third anthology of animated shorts collected by Don Hertzfeldt and Mike Judge.
Atonement (2007) 9
One night in 1935 England, bearing false witness changes three lives forever. Keira Knightley stars.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glo... (2006) 9
A most gloriously comical moviefilm for make advertise American prejudices and cultural intolerance. High-five!
Bourne Ultimatum, The (2007) 9
The third installment, with Bourne as clever as ever. A satisfying and frenetically edited action-thriller.
Brand Upon the Brain! A Remembrance in 12 Chapters (2006) 9
Guy Maddin's homage to silent film. A return to an abandoned island home. Orphanage memories.
Broken Embraces (2009) 9
Pedro Almodóvar's cinematic poem about a blind writer-director and his lost love Penélope Cruz.
Child, The (2006) 9
An uncompromising morality tale by the Dardenne Brothers. Stark but hopeful portrayal of youth poverty.
Children of Men (2007) 9
Humankind is facing the likelihood of its own extinction. Set in dystopian London in 2027.
Chop Shop (2008) 9
A hard-working, resourceful street orphan in Queens struggles to create a better life for himself.
Coraline (2009) 9
A secret door reveals a young girl's alternate, button-eyed life. Fantastic experience in RealD 3D.
Cove, The (2009) 9
Activists infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose tragic abuses of dolphins. Thrilling investigation.
Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (2008) 9
A man ages backwards, with bizarre consequences. Directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt.
Darjeeling Limited, The (2007) 9
Three estranged, drug-addicted brothers meet for a train trip across India. Heartwarming Wes Anderson cinema.
Dark Knight, The (2008) 9
Nolan's nightmarish adaptation of Batman, Joker and Two-Face raises the bar for comic-book movies, again.
Departed, The (2006) 9
Martin Scorsese's gritty crime drama is centered on two cops, the Irish mob and rats.
District 9 (2009) 9
Biotechnology fable about an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth. Political.
Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The (2007) 9
The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who was stricken with locked-in syndrome.
Drunk History - Season 1 (2008) 9
Drunk historians try to describe history while Jack Black, Michael Cera and others reenact. Hilarious.
Eastern Promises (2007) 9
Cronenberg's metaphysical exploration of Russian mobsters in London. A fantastic descent into the underworld.
Encounters at the End of the World (2008) 9
Werner Herzog travels to Antarctica and talks to wayward travelers and philosophers on the frontier.
Food, Inc. (2009) 9
A disturbing look inside America's corporate-controlled food industry. Necessary documentary about what we eat.
Frisky Dingo - Seasons 1 and 2 (2008) 9
A supervillain named Killface plans to destroy humanity using the Annihilatrix. Clever and often hilarious.
Go-Getter, The (2008) 9
A great road movie, starting from Eugene, Oregon. Features Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's music.
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008) 9
A fast-moving, entertaining portrait of late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, narrated by Johnny Depp.
Grindhouse (2007) 9
Tarantino/Rodriguez double bill. A gory, witty homage to seedy 1970s B-movie thrillers, including fake trailers.
Helvetica (2007) 9
No modern typeface is more ubiquitous than Helvetica. What are the responsibilities of graphic designers?
In Pursuit of Panama (2009) 9
An allegorical, Kerouac-like documentary about two lifelong friends who embark on a seven-country road trip.
Inconvenient Truth, An (2006) 9
Al Gore's lecture about global warming and environmental responsibility is Carl Saganesque. It's PowerPoint cinema!
Into the Wild (2007) 9
Christopher McCandless abandons his privileged life and adventures to live alone in the Alaskan wilderness.
Lars and the Real Girl (2007) 9
A remarkable achievement that reveals pure, heartbreaking humanity through a sex doll from the Internet.
Let the Right One In (2008) 9
A dark, dreamlike fairytale about a young Scandinavian vampire that explores a tender childhood friendship.
Lives of Others, The (2007) 9
In 1984 East Berlin, a Stasi agent finds himself fascinated by individuals under his surveillance.
Lorna's Silence (2009) 9
The Dardenne Brothers' stunning film about Albanian emigrants in Belgium. Study of a woman's conscience.
Man from Earth, The (2007) 9
Set in a single room, this thoughtful, philosophical play might blow your mind a little.
Michael Clayton (2007) 9
This paranoid, intelligent legal thriller stars Clooney as a large New York law firm's fixer.
My Winnipeg (2008) 9
Haunting, personal portrait of filmmaker Guy Maddin's hometown of Winnipeg, and of his psyche. Unique.
No Country for Old Men (2007) 9
A heroin stash and $2 million spirals into catastrophic violence, courtesy of the Coen Brothers.
Paprika (2007) 9
An insane anime that blurs the separation between reality, dreams, memory, cinema and the Internet.
Pixar Story, The (2008) 9
Documentary about the history of animation, and the origin and successes of Pixar Animation Studios.
Ponyo (2009) 9
Miyazaki's charming story of a magical goldfish princess who begins a quest to become human.
Prestige, The (2006) 9
A rivalry of deadly stage illusions escalates between Victorian-era magicians. David Bowie is Nikola Tesla!
Prisoner - Complete Series Megaset, The (2006) 9
Resigned secret agent McGoohan becomes trapped in an idyllic village. A 1967-68 TV cult classic.
Revolutionary Road (2009) 9
Titanic II is emotionally devastating, gut-wrenching and profound. Shakes the American Dream to its core.
Savages, The (2007) 9
Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman become responsible for their ailing father's care. Witty humanity.
Science of Sleep, The (2006) 9
A charming hyperactive blur of cellophane-animated fantasy and reality. Surreal and inventive, but not profound.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) 9
A love story intertwines the slums and gangs of Mumbai with a TV game show.
Star Trek (2009) 9
An inspired reboot of the Star Trek franchise. J.J. Abrams expertly renders the lens-flare brilliance.
Stranger Than Fiction (2006) 9
Will Ferrell tries to figure out who's narrating his unraveling life. Maggie Gyllenhaal is adorable.
Synecdoche, New York (2008) 9
Charlie Kaufman blends self-referential existence with a living play inside a New York City warehouse.
There Will Be Blood (2007) 9
A P.T. Anderson film about family, greed, religion, and oil, centered on a California prospector.
Timecrimes (2008) 9
Like Primer, this is a film of time-travel paradoxes, but with more voyeurism and nudity.
Twin Peaks - The Definitive Gold Box Edition (2007) 9
David Lynch's groundbreaking 1990-91 TV series. It's a paranormal murder mystery set in northern Washington.
Up (2009) 9
An old man ties thousands of balloons to his house, flies to South America. Poignant.
Up in the Air (2009) 9
Downsizing expert Clooney spends his days isolated in planes and hotels. Complex, intelligent and moving.
WALL-E (2008) 9
Humans have left Earth, but a charming, curious robot is still cleaning up our mess.
Watchmen (2009) 9
Zack Snyder successfully films Alan Moore's graphic novel about an alternate, quantum America in 1985.
When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions (2008) 9
Discovery's compelling six-part series about the race into space, the moon landings, shuttles, and beyond.
Where the Wild Things Are (2009) 9
Spike Jonze adapts Maurice Sendak's classic story for the screen. Reality is a child's imagination.
Wrestler, The (2008) 9
Professional wrestler Mickey Rourke must retire, but life outside the ring is a dispiriting struggle.

VERY GOOD

3 Idiots (2009) 8
Three Indian students challenge their college's draconian methods. A smart Bollywood comedy. All is well!
300 (2007) 8
An epic rendering of Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae. Stunning Spartan art-blood.
3:10 to Yuma (2007) 8
Complex Western remake centered on a stagecoach robbery. Stars outlaw Crowe and rancher Bale.
Aerial, The (La Antena) (2008) 8
Near-silent black and white film from Argentina. A voiceless city. German Expressionism for the 2000s.
American Gangster (2007) 8
In Manhattan during the 1970s, heroin kingpin Frank Lucas smuggles drugs into America from Vietnam.
Antichrist (2009) 8
Lars von Trier offers a bleak, self-indulgent vision of female sexuality and human cruelty. Shocking.
Art & Copy (2009) 8
Documents advertising's history and influence. Wisdom and inspiration from creative artists behind the campaigns.
Ashes of Time Redux (2008) 8
Kar-Wai Wong's recut version of the 1994 wuxia epic. A broken-hearted swordsman in the desert.
Aura, The (2006) 8
An epileptic taxidermist imagines executing the perfect robbery, then gets his chance. A psychological thriller.
Avatar (2009) 8
Cameron delivers a forbidden love story set in an extraordinary, photorealistic alien world. 3D wonderment.
Away From Her (2007) 8
A man deals with the progression of his wife's Alzheimer's. Sarah Polley's character-driven directorial debut.
Beautiful Losers (2009) 8
A collective group of do-it-yourself artists and designers in 1990s New York find success.
Between the Folds (2008) 8
PBS documentary about artists and scientists who have devoted their lives to modern origami.
Bothersome Man, The (2007) 8
A man arrives in a strange city with no memory of how he got there.
Box, The (2009) 8
Richard Kelly's third film is intriguing, frustrating, surreal and brimming with water imagery. Haunting absurdity.
Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football (2008) 8
HBO chronicles the profound effect of the 1960s Civil Rights movement on college football programs.
Brick (2006) 8
A memorable noir mystery set at a modern-day Southern California high school, using 1940s slang.
Brothers Bloom, The (2009) 8
A charming tale of con artists and the intricate scams they concoct and live out.
Bubble (2006) 8
Soderbergh's haunting, low-budget film featuring a doll factory in a decaying Midwest town, and murder.
Bunny and the Bull (2009) 8
A surreal, Gondry-esque comedy starring an agoraphobic man who reconstructs a tragic European road trip.
Cars (2006) 8
Pixar presents hotshot rookie racecar Lightning McQueen, who crashes through Radiator Springs on Route 66.
Che: Part One (2009) 8
Soderbergh and Del Toro recount the Cuban Revolution: Castro, Che Guevara and the guerrilla army.
Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon (2006) 8
A documentary about political conflict in an Oregon logging town, directed by Peter Richardson.
Cloverfield (2008) 8
It's Godzilla epicness, Blair Witch Project shakiness, and Alien viciousness concealing a Manhattan love story.
Death Proof (2007) 8
Tarantino's half of Grindhouse. Scarred stuntman Kurt Russell uses his car to murder voluptuous women.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) 8
Joss Whedon's three-part online musical miniseries. Filmed during the writers' strike, starring Neil Patrick Harris.
Drag Me to Hell (2009) 8
Loan officer Alison Lohman becomes cursed after evicting an elderly gypsy woman from her home.
Dynamic:01 - The Best Of DavidLynch.com (2007) 8
A collection of short films and interviews created for subscribing members of DavidLynch.com. Weird experiments.
Fast Food Nation (2006) 8
A humanistic, fictionalized behind-the-scenes portrait of America's fast food and meat packing industries.
Fountain, The (2006) 8
Three stories of love/mortality that weave in the legendary quest for the Fountain of Youth.
Franklyn (2009) 8
In a future metropolis (see Dark City, Blade Runner) and contemporary London, Eva Green stars.
Frost/Nixon (2008) 8
A dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon.
Girl Who Leapt Through Time, The (2008) 8
A Tokyo teen discovers she can suddenly time-travel. She mostly does it frivolously, and paradox-free.
Gruffalo, The (2009) 8
A cunning mouse outwits a succession of predators while walking in the deep dark wood.
Half Nelson (2006) 8
Inner-city junior high history teacher Gosling forms an unlikely friendship with a student. Complex, absorbing.
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) 8
Poppy is a cheery North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) 8
Stunning grotesqueness and visual poetry from Guillermo del Toro. Incredible set design and beautiful effects.
Hot Fuzz (2007) 8
A clever, over-the-top pastiche of every buddy cop movie you've ever seen, set in London.
Illusionist, The (2006) 8
In 1900 Vienna, Edward Norton is Eisenheim the Illusionist. This lush production inspires supernatural reflection.
I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2007) 8
A troubled girl who attempts to charge her body with electronics meets another eccentric patient.
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, The (2009) 8
Gilliam shows us the death of magic (while honoring Heath Ledger) in spectacular visual form.
In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) 8
The surviving crew members from NASA's Apollo missions tell their story in their own words.
Iron Man (2008) 8
Robert Downey Jr. builds an armored suit and decides to use the technology against evil.
Kinamand (2006) 8
A Danish plumber begins eating at a family-run Chinese diner and makes unexpected emotional connections.
King Corn (2007) 8
Good-natured introduction to industrialized agriculture. We subsidize the Happy Meals, but not the healthy ones.
King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, The (2007) 8
Curiously compelling documentary about a classic arcade battle between two Donkey Kong video game champions.
Kite Runner, The (2007) 8
Pain and redemption through Afghanistan's recent history, from boyhood kite-flying contests to brutal Taliban rule.
Knocked Up (2007) 8
Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl have a drunken one-night stand with unexpected consequences. Very funny.
Limits of Control, The (2009) 8
Jim Jarmusch's stylized, dreamlike tale of an enigmatic loner on a shadowy criminal mission. Meditative.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) 8
An entertaining comedy about a dysfunctional family's California roadtrip. Everyone just pretend to be normal.
Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup (2009) 8
Investigates the conspiracy theory that 9/11 was an inside job. An example of history repeating?
Lucky Number Slevin (2006) 8
A clever Pulp Fictionesque story of violent revenge featuring rival crime bosses Kingsley and Freeman.
Mary and Max (2009) 8
An Australian girl becomes pen pals with an obese New Yorker with Asperger's. Charming claymation.
Messenger, The (2009) 8
Poignant military tale about soldiers assigned to notify families of casualties during the Iraq War.
Milk (2008) 8
Van Sant's biography of openly gay politician Harvey Milk. An empathic portrayal by Sean Penn.
My Blueberry Nights (2008) 8
A soul-searching journey across America, starring Norah Jones. Beautifully shot, but Kar-Wai Wong's weakest film.
Neverwas (2007) 8
A psychiatrist befriends a patient in a mental institution and discovers his father's secrets. Magical.
Paranoid Park (2007) 8
Dreamlike, fractured story about a young Portland skateboarder's life and a security guard's accidental death.
Planet Terror (2007) 8
Rodriguez's half of Grindhouse. Rose McGowan mows down flesh-eating, mutating zombies with a machine-gun leg.
Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire (2009) 8
Dark social commentary and ugliness with an ending that's hopeful, but not happy and contrived.
Pushing Daisies - The Complete First Season (2007) 8
A man can bring dead people back to life, with Amélie-style narration. Whimsical forensic romance.
Reel Injun (2009) 8
How depictions of Native Americans in cinema have shaped perceptions of their cultures and histories.
Rescue Dawn (2007) 8
American pilot Christian Bale is shot down in Laos during a top-secret Vietnam War mission.
Road, The (2009) 8
Viggo Mortensen and his son try to survive in post-apocalyptic America. Noble and heartbreaking humanity.
Robot Chicken - Seasons 1-3 (2007) 8
Demented stop-motion animation using action figures and toys. These sketch-comedy vignettes skewer pop culture.
Rock-afire Explosion, The (2008) 8
The inventor behind (and fans of) the Showbiz Pizza and Chuck E. Cheese's animatronic puppets.
Séraphine (2009) 8
Moving, evenhanded historical drama about the difficult but ecstatic life of French painter Séraphine Louis.
Sin Nombre (2009) 8
A Honduran teen meets a young gang member atop a freight train. Poignant immigration story.
South Park - The Complete 13 Seasons (2009) 8
The misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.
Special (2008) 8
Michael Rapaport participates in an experimental drug study and becomes sure his superpowers are strengthening.
Sunshine (2007) 8
Could've been great science fiction, but it slips away with B-movie horror and religious metaphors.
Superbad (2007) 8
Friends Seth and Evan display a charming, hilarious crudeness in this coming-of-age high school comedy.
Tales from the Script (2009) 8
Veteran Hollywood screenwriters share their triumphs and failures, insider insights, anecdotes and artistic compromises.
Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak (2009) 8
Diary-style documentary by Spike Jonze about Maurice Sendak, the unconventional author of iconic children's books.
Tetro (2009) 8
Stylish indie film by Francis Ford Coppola. Could've been better with fewer staged productions though.
Tokyo! (2008) 8
A cinematic triptych (transformation, anarchy, rebirth) set in Tokyo. Directed by Gondry, Carax and Bong.
Tokyo Sonata (2009) 8
Social satire through the many misfortunes of a Japanese family, particularly the father's downward spiral.
Tropic Thunder (2008) 8
Ben Stiller's big-budget satire of celebrity excess and Hollywood action movies. Downey Jr. is hilarious.
Unmade Beds (2009) 8
The stories of Vera and Axl intersect via artsy, free-spirited squatters in a London warehouse.
Venture Bros. - Seasons One and Two, The (2006) 8
The warped misadventures of a middle-aged mad scientist, his teenage sons, and their maniac bodyguard.
Zeitgeist: The Movie (2007) 8
Important, incendiary exploration of global societal control through religion, 9/11, foreign wars and central banks.
Zodiac (2007) 8
A cerebral, gripping thriller based on actual unresolved 1970s case files about the Zodiac Killer.

GOOD

28 Weeks Later (2007) 7
Bloody sequel to 28 Days Later. The rage virus annihilated Mainland Britain six months earlier.
9 (2009) 7
A visually stunning, steampunk world inhabited by robot rag dolls. Ending is weak, plot underdeveloped.
Across the Universe (2007) 7
A psychedelic love story musical set in the 1960s, using the songs of The Beatles.
Apocalypto (2006) 7
Mel Gibson's sadistic take on the Maya civilization's decline and practice of human sacrifice. Bloody.
Appaloosa (2008) 7
Satisfying Western by Ed Harris about hired guns. Zellweger's face is a creepy kabuki mask.
Atom Smashers, The (2008) 7
How does life exist? Documentary chronicles the search for the Higgs boson by Fermilab physicists.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) 7
Surreal black comedy from master storyteller Werner Herzog. Nicolas Cage is a drug-addled, maniacal detective.
Bernard and Doris (2008) 7
An HBO Films picture about tobacco heiress Doris Duke (Sarandon) and her gay butler (Fiennes).
Black Balloon, The (2008) 7
Explores the intense emotions of the family of an Australian teenager and his autistic brother.
Black Snake Moan (2007) 7
Provocative, ludicrous and sweet. Blues musician Samuel L. Jackson and sex-addicted Christina Ricci star.
Bomb It (2008) 7
A global history of street art. Explores cultural/political issues of tagging, graffiti and art activism.
Book of the Dead, The (2006) 7
Intricate stop-motion animation set in feudal Japan. A mysterious Buddhist parable involving a ghost prince.
Cashback (2007) 7
An insomniac artist starts working the graveyard shift at the local supermarket after a breakup.
Charlie Bartlett (2008) 7
A charismatic rich kid acts as a psychiatrist to students of his new high school.
Che: Part Two (2009) 7
Soderbergh and Del Toro depict Che Guevara in the ill-fated revolutionary guerrilla war in Bolivia.
Clerks II (2006) 7
The sequel to Kevin Smith's breakthrough comedy. Dante and Randal are back in New Jersey.
Collection of 2005 Academy Award Nominated Short Films, A (2006) 7
Death abounds. I enjoyed Six Shooter and Jasper Morello. Hated the Moon and the Son.
Country Wedding (2008) 7
A couple tries to find a church in the Icelandic countryside to have their wedding.
Doubt (2008) 7
A nun confronts a priest after suspecting him of abusing a student. But did he?
Drakmar: A Vassal's Journey (2008) 7
A sensitive 14-year-old escapes to the medieval fantasy kingdom of Adria to survive his adolescence.
Eagle vs. Shark (2007) 7
Quirky portrait of awkward, misfit New Zealanders. Akin to Wes Anderson films and Napoleon Dynamite.
Extras - The Complete Series (2007) 7
Movie extra Ricky Gervais weasels his way into speaking roles, then finds commercial success miserable.
Fracture (2007) 7
Hotshot attorney Ryan Gosling goes up against Anthony Hopkins, a manipulative criminal, in court. Clever.
Funny Games (2008) 7
An aggressively unpleasant film that tortures the audience for its bloodlust. Both sadistic and pretentious.
Girlfriend Experience, The (2009) 7
Soderbergh's experimental film about free enterprise via the life of a high-end Manhattan call girl.
Golden Compass, The (2007) 7
A fantasy adventure that rushes forward with a spectacle of soul-animals. Could be more engaging.
Gone Baby Gone (2007) 7
Ben Affleck directs Casey Affleck in a story about a little girl's kidnapping in Boston.
Good Dick (2008) 7
A lonely, introverted girl who rents adult films meets a young, chatty video store clerk.
Good Shepherd, The (2006) 7
The early history of the CIA, viewed through a fictional man's life. Serious and tedious.
Hangover, The (2009) 7
Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen, the groom and one night of drunken misadventures.
Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron (2007) 7
Hellboy ends up battling the goddess Hecate after a professor resurrects a powerful female vampire.
History Boys, The (2006) 7
A class of bright, funny history students pursue acceptance into Oxford or Cambridge. Highly literate.
Home (2009) 7
A film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand featuring aerial footage from around the globe. Beautiful but tedious.
Hunt for Gollum, The (2009) 7
Chris Bouchard's impressive Lord of the Rings film. Gandalf sends Strider out to find Gollum.
I Am Legend (2007) 7
Will Smith, sole survivor in New York City, seeks a cure for the deadly virus.
Idiots and Angels (2009) 7
Bill Plympton's animated dark comedy about a morally bankrupt man who wakes up with wings.
Ingredients (2009) 7
Compares America's industrialized food system to a rising local-growth movement, from Oregon to New York.
Ink (2009) 7
High-concept visual thriller that weaves the conscious with the subconscious. Falls down on unconvincing acting.
It Might Get Loud (2009) 7
Documentary on the electric guitar starring rock musicians Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White.
Jellyfish (2008) 7
Intersecting stories of three very different Israeli women living in Tel Aviv. Loved Batiya's story.
King of California (2007) 7
Mentally unstable Michael Douglas is convinced that Spanish treasure is buried in suburban California.
Knee Deep (2007) 7
In rural Maine, a young, hardworking dairy farmer is betrayed by family. A humanistic documentary.
Love Songs (2008) 7
Chain-smoking and breaking into song on the streets of Paris. Musical beds. Clotilde Hesme shines.
Lunopolis (2009) 7
Pseudo-documentary about aliens on the moon and a secret Scientology-like group. A fun, riveting conspiracy.
Margot at the Wedding (2007) 7
Jennifer Jason Leigh plans to marry Jack Black, but estranged sister Nicole Kidman shows up.
Match Point (2006) 7
Woody Allen's ugly story of infidelity amidst British wealth. Tennis, opera, investments, horses and murder.
Men Who Stare at Goats, The (2009) 7
A reporter in Iraq learns about a secret, psychic U.S. Army unit. It's pretty amusing.
Nines, The (2007) 7
The lives of a troubled actor, TV producer and video-game designer intertwine in mysterious ways.
Objectified (2009) 7
Documentary about how humans relate to manufactured objects, featuring designers like Dieter Rams and Apple.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) 7
Tom Tykwer's memorable film about an 18th century Parisian murderer, with a profoundly flawed climax.
Phoebe in Wonderland (2009) 7
An unconventional drama teacher inspires a troubled girl. Elle Fanning and Patricia Clarkson are amazing.
Piano Tuner of Earthquakes, The (2006) 7
The Brothers Quay present a dark fairytale about a diabolical doctor and beautiful opera singer.
Pineapple Express (2008) 7
Stoner Seth Rogen freaks out after witnessing a murder. Pot-joke heavy and also fairly violent.
Priceless (2008) 7
Young gold digger Audrey Tautou mistakenly woos a mild-mannered bartender thinking he's a wealthy suitor.
Princess and the Frog, The (2009) 7
Disney fairytale set in Jazz Age-era New Orleans. Waitress Tiana kisses a frog prince. Voodoo.
Prisoner, The (2009) 7
AMC miniseries based on the classic 1960s TV show. Interesting but muddled. Caviezel lacks personality.
Radiant City (2007) 7
Faux-documentary about the disaggregated, unwalkable, intolerant nature of modern suburbia. Mocking.
Reader, The (2008) 7
Kate Winslet initiates a surprising, secretive romance in this solemn drama set in post-WWII Germany.
Religulous (2008) 7
Bill Maher's provocative, smartass dialogue with Jews, Christians and Muslims. An irreverent but smug rant.
Secret of Kells, The (2009) 7
A hand-drawn medieval adventure of the boy behind the famed Book of Kells. Intricate visuals.
Sherlock Holmes (2009) 7
Ritchie's overwrought, violent CGI explosion. Quick-witted Downey is great, but why is Holmes constantly fighting?
Sherrybaby (2006) 7
Former drug addict Maggie Gyllenhaal is out of prison, seeking her daughter and emotional recovery.
Silent Hill (2006) 7
Fantastic atmosphere and set design. A grotesque purgatory of undead meat-creatures, cults, and zombie nurses.
Stanley Kubrick's Boxes (2008) 7
Kubrick's incredible attention to detail revealed in 1,000+ boxes of his meticulously sorted film materials.
Stardust (2007) 7
A funny Neil Gaiman fairytale set in England that feels somewhat like The Princess Bride.
Superman Returns (2006) 7
Bryan Singer's reverent reboot of the Superman franchise. Good, but lacks surprises and new ideas.
Taken (2009) 7
A fast-paced xenophobic thriller. Professional spy Liam Neeson exacts vigilante justice on everyone. Everyone!
Tin Man (2007) 7
Dark re-imagining of the Land of Oz. Zooey Deschanel stars in this three-part Sci-Fi miniseries.
Transformers (2007) 7
Spectacularly rendered Autobot and Decepticon destruction. ADHD kids love these plotless nonsensical blasts.
Winter Passing (2006) 7
Zooey Deschanel visits her novelist father, now rooming with a young woman and Christian rocker.

FAIR

4th Dimension, The (2008) 6
Feels inspired by Eraserhead and Pi, but this Aphex Twin-scored meditation on reality ultimately disappoints.
Beowulf (2007) 6
I am Beowulf! My lips don't move right and my eyes are dead. Corny, unsatisfying.
Bolt (2008) 6
A lovable cartoon dog movie. Plus, Miley Cyrus sounds like she drinks whiskey every night.
Burn After Reading (2008) 6
A CIA agent's memoirs falls into the hands of opportunistic idiots. Pointless Coen Brothers farce.
Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary (2009) 6
A metadocumentary. This film about making documentaries should have been richer, deeper and edited better.
Choke (2008) 6
Screen adaptation of the Palahniuk novel about a sex-addicted scam artist and his hospitalized mother.
City of Ember (2008) 6
An underground city is falling apart after 200 years. Fairly dark for a kids' movie.
Crank (2006) 6
An entertaining movie because it is so intentionally ridiculous. Chock full of contrived adrenaline rushes.
Dan in Real Life (2007) 6
A very sweet, unremarkable romantic comedy. Steve Carell is a struggling single parent and widower.
Déjà Vu (2006) 6
Are you ready for the space-time continuum to get Bruckheimered? Explosions! Insulted intelligence! More explosions!
Exterminating Angels, The (2007) 6
A provocative, high-minded exercise about sexual pleasure in film. It's self-indulgent and oh so French.
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) 6
A fictionalized, metaphorical account of the formation of artist Diane Arbus. Nicole Kidman is brilliant.
Get Smart (2008) 6
Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway are super-secret spies or whatever. Can their gadgets defeat KAOS?
Give 'em Hell, Malone (2009) 6
Mediocre, ultraviolent detective noir in need of a better director. Ridiculous villains in second-rate makeup.
Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006) 6
A samurai sword sends Hellboy into a dangerous realm of Japanese legends, ghosts and monsters.
Heroes - Seasons 1-3 (2009) 6
Cleverly structured graphic novel in TV-show format about people with diverse superpowers. It became unwatchable.
Imagination (2007) 6
Eric Leiser's surreal experiment with puppetry, stop-motion sketches and claymation. And unconvincing actors.
Incredible Hulk, The (2008) 6
Too bad the awkward computer-generated creatures killed the movie, despite Edward Norton. Noisy and boring.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) 6
Indy battles the Soviets in 1957. Spielberg/Lucas feature Area 51 and interdimensional cosmic Mayan nonsense.
Ingenious (2009) 6
Likable rags-to-riches comedy based on the true story of an Arizona inventor of novelty items.
International, The (2009) 6
Worth watching for the Guggenheim Museum shootout, but this globetrotting thriller is fairly unremarkable.
Killshot (2009) 6
Diane Lane is placed in the witness protection program. Is she safe from Mickey Rourke?
Kingdom, The (2007) 6
FBI agents are sent to investigate a Saudi bombing. It's really just a revenge movie.
Mr. Brooks (2007) 6
A surprisingly likable and engaging Hollywood serial killer movie, especially with Costner as the lead.
Night at the Museum (2006) 6
New night security guard Ben Stiller discovers that museum exhibits come to life at night.
Night Watch (2006) 6
First chapter of a derivative Russian fantasy epic featuring warring forces of daytime and nighttime.
Ninja Assassin (2009) 6
A ninja turns his back on the orphanage that raised him. So much CGI blood.
Next (2007) 6
Nicholas Cage can see the future. An unsatisfying Philip K. Dick adaptation of slow-mo explosions.
Origin: Spirits of the Past (2007) 6
In a post-apocalyptic anime future, cell-animated humans battle sentient forests with CG war machines.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) 6
An overlong cartoonish setup to the third movie in the Disney franchise. Johnny Depp shines.
PU-239: The Half Life of Timofey Berezin (2007) 6
A nuclear plant worker with radiation poisoning tries to sell stolen plutonium to Moscow gangsters.
Push (2009) 6
Dakota Fanning was the only compelling part of this telekinetic incoherence set in Hong Kong.
Revolver (2007) 6
This stylish Guy Ritchie art film about con-men feels jumbled, pretentious and psychoanalytical. But intriguing.
Ricky (2009) 6
French parable about a bizarre baby's physical development, his precocious sister and his irresponsible mother.
Snakes on a Plane (2006) 6
A cheesy Samuel L. Jackson horror-comedy that knows it's ridiculous and plays it refreshingly well.
Soloist, The (2009) 6
Downey Jr., Foxx and Keener are great, but this biography feels slightly heavy-handed and exploitive.
Southland Tales (2007) 6
Richard Kelly's dystopian, genre-defying mess of destruction and pop-culture doom. Bad actors cast on purpose?
Sunshine Cleaning (2009) 6
Cash-strapped single mother Amy Adams works as a maid, but is looking for new opportunities.
Taking of Pelham 123, The (2009) 6
Another generic, disposable Tony Scott thriller. This one has subway trains and stars Denzel Washington.
Tideland (2006) 6
A young girl with drug-addicted parents creates a half-fantasy world with doll heads, deranged neighbors.
Trick 'r Treat (2009) 6
Four interwoven Halloween stories. It doesn't rely on lame CGI ghouls and jack-o'-lanterns! Pretty decent.
Wanted (2008) 6
A young man finds out his long-lost father is an assassin. Then hyperkinetic bullet-bending ensues.
Wonders Are Many: The Making of Doctor Atomic (2008) 6
Irritating modern opera rehearsals dominate the story of Oppenheimer and the 1945 Trinity atomic test.

ADEQUATE

2012 (2009) 5
So soulless and insulting that we don't care about billions dying in the global cataclysm.
August Rush (2007) 5
An orphaned musical prodigy uses his gift to help find his birth parents. Overtly sentimental.
Born of Hope (2009) 5
Kate Madison's Lord of the Rings prequel, based on Tolkien's appendix paragraphs. Decent low-budget effort.
Crank 2: High Voltage (2009) 5
Chev Chelios is back in an even more random and intentionally absurd movie. Insane action.
Feed (2006) 5
An Internet sex crimes expert investigates feeder-gainer relationships (sexual fetish of the grotesquely obese).
Final Destination 3 (2006) 5
Better than the first two. I watched the Rube-Goldberg deaths with amusement. The nudity helped.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) 5
Brendan Fraser travels to Iceland looking for Verne's lost subterranean world. Turn off your brain.
Knowing (2009) 5
A disappointment from Alex Proyas. I was ready for the apocalypse after two long hours.
Martian Child (2007) 5
It's emotional manipulation from Mars. This is K-PAX with a six-year-old instead of Kevin Spacey.
Mist, The (2007) 5
A fairly derivative, depressing creature-horror film with too much religious ranting. Final scene is staggering.
Number 23, The (2007) 5
Far-fetched but sometimes clever thriller starring Jim Carrey. 23 equals bad numerology and worse directing.
Pandorum (2009) 5
Derivative sci-fi thriller on a spaceship. Crewmembers wake up with no knowledge of their mission.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) 5
This Disney pirate saga is worse than its predecessor (again). Yo-ho-horribly incoherent. Franchise over yet?
Race to Witch Mountain (2009) 5
Good, family-friendly Disney fun that damages your will to live. Spectacularly bland and poorly written.
Ruins, The (2008) 5
Bone-crunching gore as American tourists learn the horrors of sightseeing in the forbidding Mexican jungle.
Speed Racer (2008) 5
A hyperfrenetic explosion of sound and color in the form of Car-Fu. It's marginally watchable.
Spider-Man 3 (2007) 5
Boring/incoherent/awkward for 90 minutes, then three minutes of cool, then Venom and the climactic battle.
Spirit, The (2008) 5
Frank Miller's self-aware film noir is gorgeous, vapid, overacted and emotionless. Based on Eisner's comics.
Stay Alive (2006) 5
A videogame kills players in the real world. It's gory CGI fun featuring Samaire Armstrong.
Step Brothers (2008) 5
Mildly amusing but so stupid. Juvenile bickering and pouting from 40-year-old adolescents Ferrell and Reilly.
Stuck (2008) 5
The callous aftermath of a hit-and-run. I winced at the bad acting and grisly suffering.
Superstorm (2007) 5
Scientists attempt to divert or weaken a Miami-bound hurricane using cloud seeding. A miniseries docudrama.
Surrogates (2009) 5
Soulless industrial entertainment. Most humans live in isolation and interact entirely via glamorous surrogate robots.
Surveillance (2009) 5
A crude, unsettling thriller by Jennifer Lynch. It's a disappointment, but Bill Pullman is great.
What Just Happened (2008) 5
Two weeks in the life of big-time Hollywood producer Robert De Niro. Anxious, high-stakes triviality.

FROM BAD TO WORSE

10,000 BC (2008) CRAP
Anti-visionary Roland Emmerich directs this dumb prehistoric epic. It's dull, preposterous and sanitized for kids.
88 Minutes (2008) CRAP
Features ludicrous, unthrilling plot twists, perky young women and the famous forensic psychiatrist Al Pacino.
Balls of Fury (2007) CRAP
Horrendously unfunny comedy mixes Ping-Pong, kung fu and sophomoric jokes with a secret FBI mission.
Bride Wars (2009) CRAP
Was subjected to this loathsome, soul-crushingly shallow piece while traveling, almost killed self. Fuck this.
Date Movie (2006) CRAP
Two Scary Movie screenwriters spoof the romantic comedy genre to death. Alyson Hannigan stars. Lame.
Epic Movie (2007) CRAP
Following the unwatchable Date Movie, now these hacks imitate mega-blockbusters. I enjoyed Jayma Mays.
Eragon (2006) CRAP
A bad movie about dragons, dragon riders, a Shade's dark magic and evil King Galbatorix.
Failure to Launch (2006) CRAP
Matthew McConaughey's parents set him up with Sarah Jessica Parker so he'll finally move out.
Friday the 13th (2009) CRAP
Boobs, beer and pot. The characters are so annoying that you wish they'd die faster.
Gamer (2009) CRAP
Brainless, ultraviolent sci-fi mishmash of bad writing, bad acting, jerky editing, digital effects and boobs.
Lady Ninja Kaede 2 (2009) CRAP
Why? Bizarre, terrible Japanese erotica. Lady ninja's mission is to destroy an Edo sex cult.
Macbeth (2007) CRAP
Bad acting with laser-sighted guns, drugs and tattooed naked girls. A straight retelling of Shakespeare.
Meet the Spartans (2008) CRAP
Friedberg and Seltzer reinforce their status as truly unparalleled hacks of the spoof genre. Terrible.
Prey (2007) CRAP
A poorly written movie about Americans in Africa who are stalked by lions. Embarrassingly bad.
P.S. I Love You (2007) CRAP
Hilary Swank was miscast among sitcom-quality sentimental actors where everyone is trying to be cute.
Return, The (2006) CRAP
Sarah Michelle Gellar is supernaturally drawn to an old farmhouse where a murder took place.
S. Darko (2009) CRAP
Cash-grab follow-up to Donnie Darko. Huge plot holes and weak characters, but exceeded worst expectations.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) CRAP
A tedious and loathsome sequence of explosions. Despite childhood nostalgia, I hoped everyone might die.
Underworld: Evolution (2006) CRAP
Acting-challenged vampire Kate Beckinsale is still battling werewolves, but now with extra CGI incoherence.
Year One (2009) CRAP
Even though Jack Black and Michael Cera are naturally hilarious, this plotless movie doesn't work.

Statistical ratings distribution of these 315 films

bell curve

6.5

CRAP

7.2

10:

4.8%

19%

26%

22.2%

13.7%

7.9%

CRAP:

6.3%

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Movie Ratings & Reviews

2006-2009 Releases