Funny People (2009)
[4] This is the first miss for Judd Apatow, coming off a string of memorable comedy hits like The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Funny People features the usual array of wacky Apatow characters, but the personality and…
The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
[5] You know the drill: a family moves into a new home, weird shit starts happening, SURPRISE. Ghosts. A Haunting in Connecticut is a so-so haunted house movie with some interesting concepts and hackneyed execution. The mother-son relationship between Kyle…
Dead Snow (2009)
[6] Just when you thought the Nazi zombie subgenre was dead, Scandinavia gives us Dead Snow. For those who find the concept appealing, the movie cuts the mustard, as well as several arteries. Unfortunately, a hackneyed plot, stock characters, and…
Twilight: New Moon (2009)
[2] A bunch of sad, scowling, mopey teenagers cry and whine for two hours because they're afraid to fuck each other. Some of them are vampires, some of them are werewolves, but nothing ever comes of it. And the main…
The Hurt Locker (2009)
[7] Kathryn Bigelow (Strange Days, Near Dark) won the Oscar for directing this suspense thriller about three soldiers who disarm bombs in Iraq. The movie also won Best Picture, maybe just because nothing better came out during the year (except…
Precious (2009)
[7] Precious is the kind of movie a studio exec must dread hearing a pitch about: "So, there's this girl, and she's really sad, her daddy raped her, she named her down syndrome baby Mongo, her mother violently abuses her,…
Whip It (2009)
[6] Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with what is basically a high school sports movie. It reminded me of those '80s flicks where the young guy (be it Cruise, Bacon, Lowe, or Modine) commited himself to a sport his…
9 (2009)
[6] Shane Acker's computer-animated post-apocalyptic fantasy is visually interesting, but the characters are bland and the story is wobbly. The movie is a tonal quagmire, trying to balance its dark and dreary subject matter with a kid-friendly PG-13 rating. The…
The Blind Side (2009)
[5] Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her performance in this film, and that's pretty much the best reason to see this movie. I'm not sure if it was the best performance of the year, but she is certainly very…
Youth in Revolt (2009)
[6] Michael Cera plays a teen looking to lose his virginity in this lighthearted teenage rebellion romp that features some fun performances from the likes of Zach Galifianakis, Fred Willard, Jean Smart, and Justin Long -- but it ultimately doesn't…