Flipside Movie Emporium
Flipside Movie Emporium is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this
publication only count toward the Tomatometer when written by the following
Tomatometer-approved critic(s):
Jeremiah Kipp, Rob Vaux, Sean O'Connell
Rating
Title/Year
Author
1
C
Angels & Demons (2009)
I don't dislike Angels & Demons; I just have no respect for it intellectually.
Posted May 15, 2009
2
A
The Wrestler (2008)
The balance and nuance of this portrait hold realities that perhaps only Rourke can fully understand.
Posted Dec 18, 2008
3
B+
A time-travel story swathed in the banality of everyday life, yet girded with the tense and extraordinary inevitability possessed by the best tales of this ilk.
Posted Dec 15, 2008
4
B
Frost/Nixon (2008)
If a slight sense of mustiness remains, Howard brings enough old-fashioned spit and polish to cover it up admirably.
Posted Dec 6, 2008
5
B+
Milk (2008)
Its insight forms eerie parallels with the ongoing movement for which San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk gave his life.
Posted Nov 30, 2008
6
D
Twilight (2008)
Supporters may argue that future installments bring more depth, but soup this thin rarely improves with age.
Posted Nov 23, 2008
7
A-
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
The point isn't whether all of it is implausible -- it is -- but how easily that implausibility seduces us.
Posted Nov 19, 2008
8
B-
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
If it feels routine and workmanlike, at least it goes about its work with a spring in its step and a smile on its face.
Posted Nov 13, 2008
9
B-
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Kevin Smith may never grow up and from where I sit, that's perfectly OK.
Posted Oct 31, 2008
10
B+
If its French origins seem too art-house for such a ghoulish season, think about the last time an American monster movie provided anything more than business as usual.
Posted Oct 30, 2008
11
5/5
Red (2008)
Red is the best Ketchum adaptation to date, just edging out The Girl Next Door. It earns this achievement thanks to Brian Cox's amazing performance.
Posted Oct 30, 2008
12
C
Changeling (2008)
Proper drama is more than just screaming at the camera, and everyone involved here certainly knows the difference.
Posted Oct 26, 2008
13
A-
Let the Right One In (2008)
It quietly pushes the envelope of what stories like this are supposed to be: a feat more shocking than a thousand Hollywood boogeymen.
Posted Oct 23, 2008
14
B
W. (2008)
W. resembles a postmortem rather than an accusation: not an attempt to deride Bush's failures, but instead an examination of what drives his decision-making process.
Posted Oct 19, 2008
15
B-
It brings its share of pleasures to the table, and fans willing to be flexible will find an interesting riff on the Terminator franchise here.
Posted Oct 14, 2008
16
A+
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Everything Angelinos love and hate about their city is here, as well as anything a movie fan could possibly wish for.
Posted Oct 14, 2008
17
C
Body of Lies (2008)
It's basically just an excuse for Leonardo DiCaprio to play Jason Bourne while Scott once again turns his technical expertise towards making Morocco look pretty.
Posted Oct 10, 2008
18
C+
The Express (2008)
The Express knows what made the man great. It just has difficulty embodying that greatness itself.
Posted Oct 10, 2008
19
C
Religulous (2008)
You can't bamboozle a theme park mascot -- even one dressed up as Jesus -- and then ask to be taken seriously.
Posted Oct 4, 2008
20
D+
Eagle Eye (2008)
We need to find some new places to stage foot chases, because the airport? It's been done.
Posted Sep 27, 2008
21
B+
Choke (2008)
A polished piece of satire that bleeds deeply with the very targets it's eviscerating.
Posted Sep 27, 2008
22
C+
Appaloosa (2008)
The parts of it that work, work very well... so much so in fact that the parts which don't simply can't keep up.
Posted Sep 20, 2008
23
B
Burn After Reading (2008)
Burn After Reading aims for nothing but a few subversive giggles, which it delivers handily over the course of a quick 96 minutes.
Posted Sep 12, 2008
24
C
Righteous Kill (2008)
Fans in need of a Pacino/De Niro hit can just watch the coffee-shop scene from Heat again: it's 20 times cooler and 80 minutes shorter.
Posted Sep 12, 2008
25
B-
Hamlet 2 (2008)
The sheer absurdity of it all allows one to forgive the fact that it never truly realizes its potential.
Posted Aug 30, 2008
26
B-
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
The Clone Wars is what it is -- what Star Wars has become, for better or for worse -- and while it won't blow anyone over, you can't say you weren't warned going in.
Posted Aug 20, 2008
27
B+
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Hell, it may even save Tom Cruise's career. Let's see Batman do that.
Posted Aug 15, 2008
28
A+
Dark City (1998)
The experience of Dark City is one that no film lover should miss... seen now as it was intended after 10 long years of wandering in the shadows.
Posted Aug 10, 2008
29
C
Pineapple Express (2008)
Stoner-based or not, good comedy shouldn't need any help from the baggie in your pocket.
Posted Aug 9, 2008
30
A-
Pegg, Stevenson, and Wright know their demographic uncannily well, having shared their experiences and looked at the world through the same skewed lenses as most Gen Xers.
Posted Aug 5, 2008
31
C-
I know that dragging old franchises out of mothballs is all the rage these days, but quality control still counts for something.
Posted Jul 31, 2008
32
C-
Step Brothers (2008)
'Look, they're grown men! And they behave like children!' Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Posted Jul 26, 2008
33
A
The Dark Knight (2008)
Nolan is clearly on the title character's wavelength and understands how a crisis of such magnitude might affect good men trying to do the right thing.
Posted Jul 17, 2008
34
B+
Batman Gotham Knight (2008)
Synergistic product promotion Gotham Knight may be, but the people behind it treat their efforts as anything but disposable.
Posted Jul 13, 2008
35
C+
This director has shown us how good he can be, and with a character he adores as much as this one, he should have more to show for it than the mixed bag on display here.
Posted Jul 10, 2008
36
B-
Hancock (2008)
Hancock endures by finding the right rhythm to match its star, and by lashing enough amusing moments together to provide a trim 92 minutes of entertainment.
Posted Jul 8, 2008
37
B
Wanted (2008)
As long as you check your ethics at the door, there's nothing wrong with reveling in its skillful brand of sociopathic mayhem.
Posted Jul 8, 2008
38
A+
WALL-E (2008)
Not only does it provide further proof of Pixar's unprecedented brilliance, but it may have actually elevated their game to a whole new level.
Posted Jun 26, 2008
39
B-
Get Smart (2008)
In the land of bad comedies -- which this summer truly seems to be -- its serviceable workmanship reigns supreme.
Posted Jun 23, 2008
40
A+
While diehard fans don't need a reason to rush out and grab it, this second collection proves especially inviting for more casual viewers.
Posted Jun 21, 2008
41
B-
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
You want your "Hulk smash"? You got it.
Posted Jun 14, 2008
42
D+
The Happening (2008)
Another case of elegant filmmaking kneecapped by a thunderingly stupid concept.
Posted Jun 14, 2008
43
B
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
None of it sounds encouraging, but the directors find the right mixture of slapstick, satire, and affection to bring out the best in their material.
Posted Jun 8, 2008
44
D
The Strangers (2008)
Yes, OK, bad things happen to good people. Consider the message received... about seven movies ago.
Posted May 29, 2008
45
B
To counteract its shortcomings, what has the film got? It's got Indiana Freaking Jones, that's what.
Posted May 21, 2008
46
B
Adamson overcomes some of the book's better-read-than-spoken dialogue and the odd bits of chunky plotting with plenty of grace and charm.
Posted May 17, 2008
47
D+
Speed Racer (2008)
By trying to convince us that we're having a good time even as it pounds us senseless, Speed Racer moves beyond mediocrity and into the realm of active irritant.
Posted May 10, 2008
48
B
Redbelt (2008)
The director knows this world and the actor makes us care about it. Redbelt requires little more to make good on its promises.
Posted May 1, 2008
49
B
Iron Man (2008)
A few lowered expectations and a tolerance for the odd slow patch will serve you quite well in soaking up the dependable fun on display.
Posted Apr 30, 2008
50
C+