The Silver Screen in 2009 - The Young Victoria

Incessantly entertaining.

***1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart is one of the better character-study/comeback-story films to be released in [a nonspecific amount of time].

*** (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - A Single Man

Colin Firth has never been better, but the film - while beautiful - is merely middling.

**1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes - while in possession of the first great bromance since the cinematic movement - ultimately falls shy of remarkable.

** (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Avatar

A lifetime of dreaming and positive influence realized.

**** (out of 4)

Iron Man 2

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Invictus

It's a nice story with solid performances, but Invictus is not among Eastwood's best efforts.

**1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Up in the Air

As far as movies go, Up in the Air is easily among the greater dips an American pen has taken in existential ink. If that makes any sense.

**** (out of 4)

Youth in Revolt

St. John of Las Vegas

Greenberg

The Silver Screen in 2009 - The Road

Cormac McCarthy should be proud.

**** (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox - that says it all.

***1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - The Messenger

Every now and then a film like The Messenger comes along to blow its audience away. The praise "must-see" was fashioned for this type of movie-going experience.

**** (out of 4)

The Lovely Bones

The Silver Screen in 2009 - 2012

All things considered, Roland Emmerich's latest disaster film is about as good as it can be.

** (out of 4)

Date Night

Extraordinary Measure

Clash of the Titans

Avatar (International)

No fucking way...

The Silver Screen in 2009 - A Serious Man

Another masterpiece from the Coen brothers.

**** (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - An Education

A very good movie.

***1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Where the Wild Things Are

As Dave Eggers (and his wife, Vendela Vida) wrote not too long ago: Superb.

***1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Whip It

An entertaining formula film that - at times - felt as if the production had been rushed.

**1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - The Informant!

Both fun and funny, but the word 'almost' might cross one's mind.

*** (out of 4)

The Messenger

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Pandorum

An exhilarating motion picture event that proves itself to be a more than decent addition to the science-fiction/horror sub-genre.

***1/2 (out of 4)

1. 
   

Where the Wild Things Are

October 16th seems so far away...

Up in the Air

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Zombieland

An absolute blast (that almost nullifies a ranking system because this film has nothing in mind but pleasing its audience)!

*** (out of 4)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

A Single Man

Up in the Air

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Gamer

The film has its moments - most of which, yes, are owed to Michael C. Hall - but the script is painfully, unbearably execrable.

*1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Taking Woodstock

An entertaining film, but less remarkable than it should be.

**1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - (500) Days of Summer

An honest - and, quite unexpectedly, less than excessively quirky - film about love and loss.

***1/2 (out of 4)

The Men Who Stare At Goats

Inception

The Silver Screen in 2009 - In the Loop

Refreshingly absurd.

***1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Inglourious Basterds

Hilarious. Vicious. Ludicrous. Marvelous.

**** (out of 4)

The Wolfman

Avatar

The Silver Screen in 2009 - District 9

From Sharlto Copley's commanding performance to Image Engine's astounding visuals, District 9 is one brilliant motion picture.

**** (out of 4)

Legion

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Funny People

Judd Apatow's third film is anything but his ninth symphony.

**1/2 (out of 4)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

A Serious Man

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Seriously?

No Stars (out of... well, does it matter?)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - The Hurt Locker

Utterly absorbing.

**** (out of 4)

Dorian Gray

Tron Legacy

The Book of Eli

Alice in Wonderland

Jonah Hex

How to Be a Serial Killer

See also: Man Bites Dog

Charlotte Gainsbourg

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Bride Wars

Anne Hathaway is always good for at least one star.

* (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

While striking a decent - albeit imperfect - balance between light and dark, the film remains engrossing throughout.

**1/2 (out of 4)

An Education

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Okay. I'll admit it. I'm stoked.

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Brüno

How many people will actually take a long, hard look at themselves after seeing this film? Or rather, how many people laughed at "long, hard" just now?

*1/2 (out of 4)

Zombieland

Jennifer's Body

Where's the love?

Two of my all-time favorite performances...

Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge in 

A Muppet's Christmas Carol

Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice in 

Beetlejuice

Old Dogs

In the Loop

The Informant!

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Public Enemies

Over the course of its 143-minute running time, Public Enemies gets better and better, but never grows a big enough heart to break.

***1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Cheri

Another solid film from Stephen Frears.

***1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Away We Go

Very funny and very sweet.

**** (out of 4)

Ponyo

Daybreakers

The Hurt Locker

The Silver Screen in 2009 - The Proposal

Surprisingly funny, but ultimately deficient.

* (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Moon

Moon is overwhelmingly engaging and brilliantly executed.

**** (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 -The Hangover

From either sobbing with joy or pissing your pants, there's not much chance of coming out dry.

**1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Easy Virtue

Easy Virtue is an absolute joy - very funny and very fast.

***1/2 (out of 4)

The Answer Man

Shutter Island

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Up

A decent successor to Wall-E.

*** (out of 4)

Planet 51

Gamer

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Angels and Demons

If only the Bluth's had shown...

*1/2 (out of 4)

Sherlock Holmes

The Road

Nine

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Star Trek

Dazzling.

***1/2 (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Mildly - perhaps even moderately - entertaining.

** (out of 4)

Inglorious Basterds

Away We Go

Where the Wild Things Are

Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock

The Boat That Rocked

(500) Days of Summer

Paper Heart

The Silver Screen in 2009 - I Love You, Man

Funny, yet formulaic and forgettable.

** (out of 4)

The Silver Screen in 2009 - State of Play

A handful of actors from the star-studded cast tear up the screen, but this is no The Last King of Scotland.

**1/2 (out of 4)

Lars von Trier's Antichrist

Lars von Trier's Antichrist - Official Trailer (Danish subtitles) from Zentropa on Vimeo.

Moon

Public Enemies

(Trailer B)

Zooey and Parker

Because Zooey Deschanel always makes me think of Parker Posey...

The Silver Screen in 2009 - Adventureland

Cast to perfection; this coming-of-age tale filled with hilarity, heartache, and hip music is well worth the price of admission - many times over.

**** (out of 4)