Filmfodder Movie Reviews

Review: Shutter Island

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:17:20 -0500

Director Martin Scorsese works with his typical widescreen gusto, only to end up with a flaccid central mystery barely worth the exertion. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: C+)

Review: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:07:30 -0500

Boldly produced and vivid throughout, "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief" isn't brave enough to shut up and let the audience process the screen magic. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: C)

Review: Valentine's Day

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:49:55 -0500

With the exception of a few charming stars, "Valentine's Day" is an unsufferable lifeless film. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: D)

Review: The Wolfman

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:13:57 -0500

A mangled, short-sheeted stab at reanimating a horror icon, "The Wolfman" is a mess. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: D+)

Review: The Tooth Fairy

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 09:43:22 -0500

�Tooth Fairy� is profoundly unfunny and infuriatingly conventional. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: D)

Review: Extraordinary Measures

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 09:41:22 -0500

A frivolous disease-of-the-week picture avoids a severe case of the blahs due to strong casting. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: B-)

Review: Legion

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 07:42:51 -0500

"Legion" is astronomically tiresome and teems with idiotic dialogue bluntly performed by a limited cast. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: D)

Review: The Lovely Bones

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:41:51 -0500

Director Peter Jackson condenses a frightful story of loss into something between a Hitchcockian thriller and an Enya music video. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: C)

Review: The Spy Next Door

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:41:46 -0500

"The Spy Next Door" is dreary, by-the-numbers action comedy. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: D)

Review: The Book of Eli

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:41:44 -0500

The Hughes Brothers craft a compellingly abrasive tone of moral manipulation to embellish the traditional post-apocalyptic tale. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: B-)

Review: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:26:27 -0500

Perhaps Heath Ledger's death tore the heart out of this film. Or maybe Terry Gilliam never knew what to do with it. Either way, "Parnassus" is a mess. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: D+)

Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:50:37 -0500

An Oscar-caliber animation classic that ... oh who are we kidding? If you saw the first "Chipmunk" movie you've seen this one, too. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: D+)

Review: It's Complicated

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:01:00 -0500

Nancy Meyers owes everything to her stellar case. Without them, this is a glorified sitcom. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: B-)

Review: Sherlock Holmes

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:00:00 -0500

This reworked version of Sherlock Holmes goes far beyond pipe sucking and deerstalker hats. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: B+)

Review: Did You Hear About the Morgans?

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:17:49 -0500

"Did You Hear About the Morgans?" is an obnoxious, poorly performed, and distastefully executed comedy. Review by Brian Orndorf. (Grade: F)