Box Office Prophets: Box Office Database, Movie Reviews, Movie Trailers, Up-to-the-Minute Release Schedule, Box Office Analysis

You Should See This
1. Away We Go
    Krasinski's outburst scenes are hilarious, and the rest is just honest to goodness sweet romance.
2. State of Play
    Maybe it doesn't deserve to be #2 for the year, but this is a great condensed version of the excellent British miniseries. Great pacing and urgency.
3. The Hangover
    I kept thinking as I watched that I'd seen it before in Bachelor Party, whcih I recommend renting. Be sure to see this one with a group.
4. Up in the Air
    Everyone was good in this, but Farminga especially has the best performance of her career.
5. District 9
    Wild, intense, and terribly true as far as the theme goes. But how the aliens had their own weapons on the ground baffles me.
6. Star Trek
    The casting was surprisingly good (except for Clifton Collins as the #2 baddie), but the lense flare is pointlessly annoying. Wrath of Khan is still the best of Trek.
7. Watchmen
    The style and tone of this movie is a little jarring - it feels like something Paul Verhoven would have directed. It's too bad The Comedian is despicable, but Rorschach's scenes are excellent.
8. Up
    This is one of Pixar's most emotionally touching stories, but there isn't as much action/adventure as say Toy Story.
9. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    This simmered more than boiled. Luna cracks me up - Evanna Lynch will be great in light comedy or as a femme fatale.
10. (500) Days of Summer
    Deschanel is adorable. The park outburst scene is great. The final scene went in the right direction but just a step too contrived.
11. Taken
    Not quite on the level of Jason Bourne, but it still manages to go a step further than you expect.
12. Crazy Heart
    I really liked the easygoing style of the first half, not as enthusastic about the second half, but this a good movie. Bridges is a natural, halfway between Kenny Rogers and Kris Kristofferson.
13. Management
    Like Away We Go, there's a lot of sweet and funny here. Aniston is believably underdressed and James Liao is great as Zahn's instant friend.
14. Inglourious Basterds
    Christoph Waltz is great, but the movie could have been trimmed by a half hour.
15. Zombieland
    Rent this and have a group of friends over, it's a lot of fun. Woody is great, and I like Emma Stone. Great cameo, too. For a more serious take on the same story, see Chris Pine in Carriers. For
16. The Hurt Locker
    Aside from a couple slow moments in the pacing, this was a good treatment of soldiers in Iraq. For a double header, The Kingdom would also be a good choice.
17. I Love You, Man
    Pretty funny, but The Hangover beats it for the year. Jaime Pressly is great.
18. Extract
    Ben Affleck's scenes were the funniest. Pretty funny movie though I exited feeling some regret over paying full price.
19. Avatar
    Impressive visuals, but not something I'd call a Best Picture. I was bored for a while, I think because the training portion was too long. The final battle did give me a positive Braveheart vibe.
20. Black Dynamite
    This is a brilliant and really funny homage/sendup of blaxploitation films. Michael Jai White immediately earned my viewer loyalty, and the delivery of all the actors was great.

Worth A Look
21. Couples Retreat
    I laughed a lot during this, mostly because the delivery is largely deadpan.
22. It's Complicated
    I was concerned 30 Rock Baldwin wouldn't translate well to a movie, but he does, and there are laughs, but it's uneasy to be rooting for adulterers.
23. World's Greatest Dad
    This is a darkly, subversively funny drama. Just when I thought there was no way it would work, it did. Bobcat Goldthwait is proving to be a good director. Who would have thought?
24. The Informant!
    This is lightly amusing, but in a weird limbo between drama and outright comedy. I liked The Hoax better because The Informant glossed over the more interesting second half's details.
25. Good Hair
    This is a great documentary about an open secret, very interesting and entertaining at the same time.
26. An Education
    I liked the movie but Carey Mulligan was too good - she acted much older than a 16 year old, but of course placing her as a college student would negate the point of the story.
27. Spread
    I really liked this. Anne Heche was surprisingly good, as was Margarita Levieva.
28. A Perfect Getaway
    I didn't like the twist so much, but the actors really delivered a strong ending, which made me like the characters more.
29. Fantastic Mr. Fox
    This is a peculiarly quiet film.
30. Goodbye Solo
    Souleymane Sy Savane is really great in this.
31. Taking Woodstock
    Lightly charming. Jonathan Groff was the only low point, trying too hard and overacting his 'coolness.' I loved the LSD scene. (I mean, as far as I can remember there was only one LSD scene...)
32. The Men Who Stare at Goats
    In the strange-but-true category, I found Confessions of a Dangerous Mind funnier and more creative.
33. Adventureland
    This was misadvertised as mostly starring the SNL actors, but Ryan Reynolds is more important to the story, which is more drama than comedy. I liked it.
34. Bandslam
    I liked it enough, but really in comparison, I think of Some Kind of Wonderful, School of Rock, and Starter for 10 to be better. This felt a little too Disney Channel for me. I would happily watch M
35. Duplicity
    Great dialogue, but the flashbacks of mistrust dampen the chemistry rather than spice it up.
36. A Single Man
    This is like an opera shot in closeup and slow motion, an extended flirt and foreplay. On the other hand a contrarian would say that pieces of this would fit in as alarmist evidence in Reefer Madness
37. Monsters vs. Aliens
    The 3D technology is amazing and does add to already good cgi, but the characters were underdeveloped and underused. Plus I wanted more than five monsters.
38. Two Lovers
    This started off more slowly than I liked but it finished...well. I wished Vinessa Shaw had more scenes.
39. In the Loop
    This was one tone-step away from being a Sorkin sitcom. Oddly funny, but a small of your brain wonders what you're watching.
40. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
    I liked this more than I expected to, mostly because of Peter Sarsgaard's character. Mena Suvari was also surprisingly good.
41. The Blind Side
    This isn't quite Erin Brockovich. It's too overt, and Bullock is too stiff.
42. Brothers (I)
    For a movie titled Brothers this was a little too focussed on Portman's character and not enough on Gyllenhaal.
43. The Road
    This is a movie that will make you think about how you would survive. I was a little more impressed with The Pianist and Cold Mountain in the survivalist genre.
44. Moon
    Sam's deterioration is a little on the nose, but his revelation scene is excellent.
45. The Lovely Bones
    The afterlife effects are pretty cool. Readers say the movie is a letdown; without having read the book the movie is fine, but a lot like a tv procedural.
46. Paranormal Activity
    I wouldn't put this at the top of a best of all time horror list, but my hair stood up during a daylight viewing. Audience reactions in theaters must have been fantastic. I wasn't really impressed
47. Funny People
    This is a decent light comedy drama if you don't go in expecting gutbusting jokes.
48. Tyson
    Pretty interesting to hear how Tyson sees himself.
49. The Damned United
    This bio unabashedly plays favorites, but it's still a good entry in the sports genre.
50. Broken Embraces
    I usually have to be a captive audience for subtitles to sink in, so at home I don't favor them much, but this movie caught me and held me to the end.
51. Facing Ali
    My favorite parts of this documentary were the interviews with his earlier, less familiar opponents.
52. Whip It
    This had some charm. I especially liked Kristen Wiig in it.
53. 17 Again
    This had some charm.
54. The Cove
    I'm not bothered by dolphin slaughter if they eat them like we do cattle, but it's interesting to see the Japanese exposed as lying about the process. This at least was more sensible than the silly
55. Fighting
    This has two good fights between Tatum and Brian J. White and Cung Le, the rest is pretty generic.
56. The Yes Men Fix the World
    It's too bad the Yes Men go overlooked, because their approach is a lot better than Michael Moore's.
57. Humpday
    This is obviously an amateur film, but it's not amateurish. Adlibbed dialogue usually bothers me but Humpday reminded me of college dorm discussions. Don't let the subject keep you from seeing it.
58. Ponyo
    Like a dream this starts weird and gets stranger, but it's almost equally wonderful and pleasant. The dialogue isn't great, and it might have been better as a silent movie with the score. My eyes
59. Land of the Lost
    Ferrell's sometimes annoying constant chatter is kind of funny here, and Anna Friel is a beaut. I liked this more than Brendan Fraser's Journey to the Center of the Earth.
60. He's Just Not That Into You
    This was better than I expected, maybe a little disjointed.
61. The Burning Plain
    I didn't like the jumping around in time at first, but the story comes together at the end with a great performance by Jennifer Lawrence.

If You've Got the Time
62. The Eclipse
    This is mostly slow going, but when you least expect it it will scare you out of your chair. One of the most effective uses of music I've ever seen.
63. Next Day Air
    I really liked Omari Hardwick and Wood Harris. The ending kind of just dies though.
64. Bright Star
    Abbie Cornish has a gaze that is either captivating or distractingly yearning, but it fits this angsty romance. Paul Schneider on the other hand just doesn't fit.
65. Love Happens
    I was surprised by this romance and really liked the interaction between Eckhart and Aniston.
66. The Soloist
    Nothing surprising here. Robert Downey Jr. and Foxx are good as always. For a double header rent Immortal Beloved.
67. It Might Get Loud
    Jack White starts out as a jerk but the trio trading off riffs at the end is pretty cool. This is more a retrospective than analysis of technique.
68. Terminator Salvation
    The machine cycles are great, as are the aerial shots of the action. The plot evokes a lot of Matrix 2. Anton Yelchin is having a great summer at the movies. (I loved the reveal at the climax.)
69. Jennifer's Body
    The first 15 minutes is trashy good, and Adam Brody makes a good baddie, but the rest of the film doesn't meet hopes. Seyfried in glasses is an interesting bridge between Fanning and Pfeiffer.
70. Planet 51
    Lots of great sci-fi sight gags but the forced message lost me.
71. The Princess and the Frog
    There's nothing wrong with this movie, it just lacks the spark of homeruns like The Little Mermaid. Two days after watching it I can't recall any of the songs.
72. Public Enemies
    Decent, but ultimately forgettable in the shadow of Heat. Stephen Lang is great as one of the lawmen.
73. Pirate Radio
    There are some amusing moments, but to find out the ship and the characters were fabricated is a real disappointment.
74. Angels & Demons
    The cinematography makes for a beautiful tour of the Vatican's art, but the plot is more like a basic Tom Clancy (Sum of All Fears, for instance) race to beat the clock than symbolophile mystery.
75. Serious Moonlight
    The tone is all over the place, trying to be sing-songy romantic and then surprisingly violent.
76. 9
    Visually pretty cool, but the dreary post-apocalyptic quest feels unoriginal.
77. Armored
    There's a pretty cool armored car crash, but the rest is generic action thriller.
78. Observe and Report
    I get that dark is the point here but it's still a touch too dark to enjoy. I did crack up at the Flash Gordon music though.
79. Ninja Assassin
    There may be more fake blood in this movie than in Kill Bill 2. Most of the movie didn't meet my expectations, but I was impressed with Sho Kosugi (the original 1980s ninja). Stephen Marcus also ha
80. Precious
    I suppose it's important to depict the sometimes brutal conditions of the poor and abused, but I wouldn't call this a Best Picture. Her glamor fantasies distracted from the movie. Paula Patton was
81. The Young Victoria
    Great looking costumes and settings, but however accurate it may be, the message feels too contemporary - independently minded woman refuses to be caged by men or any other authority.
82. My Sister's Keeper
    Tearjerky and sweet. I didn't mind the voiceover but I think the story might have been just as strong without the courtroom surprise.
83. Sunshine Cleaning
    The story is pretty simple and doesn't offer much other than what's advertised. Adams acts according to plot, but Blunt gets the emotional performance.
84. Coraline
    Remarkable set design and cinematography, and a pretty score, but psychedelic trips aren't for me.
85. The New Daughter
    As possessed-in-the-forest thrillers go, this one is pretty creepy.
86. Trucker
    If you liked Crazy Heart (and you should), you might like this similar story (grittier), and vice versa.
87. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
    By this point the characters, themes, and story are old hat and the inferior animation is more apparent. I actually fell asleep watching it at home.
88. Julie & Julia
    Streep was well cast as Child. I like Amy Adams but her character just seemed like a needy brat.
89. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
    This sequel felt really paint-by-numbers, but Hank Azaria had some funny moments.
90. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
    The story just lacks momentum, and Wolverine's claw cgi looked terrible. Jackman looks impressive though , and I really liked Taylor Kitsch as Gambit - I'd be interested in a movie on his character
91. Capitalism: A Love Story
    Moore was a bit behind the curve on this one, but there's a positive in that it's a helpful reminder/summary of everything that happened with the economy..
92. Invictus
    Watching this movie is about as thrilling as watching CSPAN, and that's including the sports scenes. What's really missing is any sense of serious consequence of failure.
93. Gentlemen Broncos
    If you like the total silliness of Napoleon Dynamite you might like this. It's a good sendup of the fantasy writer's market, and both Clement and Rockwell are funny.
94. Tenderness
    I liked Sophie Traub, and this is an interesting take on the serial killer drama.
95. Coco avant Chanel
    I really like Tautou, but the movie just didn't hold my attention.
96. The Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day
    It's too hokey, too made-for-tv. And even after the plot was explained at the end I wasn't interested enough to sort it out.
97. Amelia
    This was a nice history lesson of little factoids I didn't know, but the acting was wooden, I think due to the writing.
98. Gamer
    After The Running Man, these prison gladiator movies come across as like paint by numbers imitators. Michael C. Hall makes for a pretty creepy baddie
99. G-Force
    Enjoyable only for kids of course, but it's watchable for adults.
100. The Proposal
    I don't really buy Bullock as an ice queen, but she does have a really nice emotional moment midway through the film. Otherwise it's pretty much what'd you'd expect.
101. Motherhood
    I think I would have liked this much more if it hadn't felt like an essay.
102. Cold Souls
    I see what they're going for, but if Uncle Vanya is so "woe is me" why would I want to watch it in movie form any more than on stage?

Not Worth Your Time
103. Food Inc.
    Lots of doomsaying and conspiratorial accusations, but not much convincing information.
104. Have You Heard About the Morgans?
    I laughed a few times. If you liked this you should also check out Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley among the Amish in For Richer or Poorer.
105. The International
    Clive gives more gusto than the slow moving movie does. Lord of War, Michael Clayton, State of Play and Duplicity all have better elements, save the Guggenheim shootout.
106. Law Abiding Citizen
    I feel like this traded a challenging opportunity for a standard action thriller at the end. V for Vendetta is the better version.
107. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
    I suppose this plot would have played on audience fears when the original was released, but Die Hard upped the requirements for this genre.,
108. Fame
    The near-documentary style was an interesting approach, but as a result I felt no connection to the characters at all.
109. Personal Effects
    As if you needed more proof of how beautiful and sexy Pfeiffer is, this does the trick. It's a decent downer drama as well.
110. Five Minutes of Heaven
    Interesting, but it takes too long to get there.
111. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
    Unfortunately this is a completely forgettable movie.
112. A Serious Man
    I get what they're going for and it probably amuses its target audience, but watching this was like watching the full length version of the ugly sister's talent show practice in Dirty Dancing.
113. Sherlock Holmes
    I went in as a Holmes and RDJ fan hoping this would be good, but it's just too commercialized. Jude Law was good. From Hell was better.
114. Surrogates
    I, Robot is simply the superior movie.
115. The Brothers Bloom
    I had such high hopes for this, and it turned out too long, convoluted, and muted. A missed opportunity.
116. Crossing Over
    I like Alice Eve, and not just because she gets plenty naked. Mostly this is an immigration companion to Crash.
117. Race to Witch Mountain
    This doesn't have the same family charm as its predecessors (more of just a chase) but it's not as weird either.
118. Where the Wild Things Are
    I barely remember anything from the original story, but I don't remember it being this depressing. I wasn't a fan of the music choices either. But the set design was amazing.
119. Notorious
    Jamal Woolard makes a very likable Biggie.
120. Ong Bak 2
    Most of the movie is a lot of dramatic music and slow motion stares. The final battle is great though, notable even more for its blade work than for Jaa's trademark knees and elbows.
121. The Invention of Lying
    I think the problem here is lack of focus - the romance and the satire distract from each other. But I still can't wait for the next Gervais project.
122. Killshot
    Rouke provides an interesting character but the story editing needed tightening.
123. Confessions of a Shopaholic
    Isla Fisher is cute as anything but the movie feels very paint-by-numbers.
124. New in Town
    Not as bad as the reviews make it out to be, this is simply an easy listening style romantic comedy.
125. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
    Creepy, and not in the cool vampire way. "Shut up and jump on my back."
126. The Limits of Control
    I can take a slow drama, but this one just had too much staring. Bill Murray's scene was the most interesting and would have made a great central story.
127. I Love You, Beth Cooper
    Such a letdown from the book. The movie needed a lot more energy (and supporting soundtrack). License to Drive and Chris Columbus' own Adventures in Babysitting are a lot more fun.
128. Whiteout
    Did the trailers mislead me into expecting some alien/supernatural element to this movie? Dramatic things happen but the drama isn't gripping, especially since it's like a long episode of Cold Case
129. Post Grad
    Boring.
130. Bride Wars
    Interesting how the guys are pushed to the sidelines. I was most impressed by Hathaway's legs during her strip club dance.
131. Disgrace
    Dreary.
132. An American Affair
    Weepy, self destructive female characters just don't impress me. Cameron Bright's character was unrealistic in his actions, I think.
133. Creation
    This may be the most boring movie about science ever, and that's saying something.
134. Julia
    Swinton tries to sell her gritty character too much. Rent Frozen River instead.
135. The Lodger
    Wow, this movie is full of actors who make you say It's that guy! Worth a look for fans of Jack the Ripper lore, but otherwise a slow thriller.
136. Donkey Punch
    This is an okay thriller in the accident-makes-vacationers-turn-on-each-other genre. Pacing is a little slow. I'd recommend Severance instead.
137. Cheri
    Sympathy for the decadently wealthy is hard to achieve, and like most attempts this movie takes too long to get there.
138. The Slammin' Salmon
    Minus the swearing, this could have been an episode of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. I entertained myself by making comparisons between April Bowlby and Yzma in The Emperor's New Groove (not a cr
139. Me and Orson Welles
    I just find Danny Huston so tedious.
140. The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
    This is an unfortunate letdown for a Piven movie. But Kathryn Hahn adds some awkward funny.
141. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
    It's so unfortunate that it's so easy for McConaughey to slip into this typical drivel.
142. My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
    Sure, people are crazy, but why should I care about this one?
143. All About Steve
    Crazy, nutty bad. It's really hard to champion a main character you can't respect. But Thomas Haden Church is pretty funny.
144. The Twilight Saga: New Moon
    This movie can't decide what it wants to be. With Pattison out of the way it gets better, though I did like the Michael Sheen scene. But it'll take more patience than most people have in order to
145. Explicit Ills
    I don't remember enough about this to say anything other than it was forgettable.
146. Transylmania
    Jennifer Lyons is pretty funny switching from American blonde to slavic vamp.

What the Crap?
147. The Final Destination
    I liked the previous movie in the series for the different (almost humorous) ways in which characters met their demise, but this was like a boring episode of Fear Factor. Cheap cgi too.
148. The Haunting in Connecticut
    This plays out like a made for cable thriller.
149. Old Dogs
    What a pointless money grab.
150. Obsessed
    Idris is good and I'll keep watching for his movies, but I have to think the theater audience burst out laughing at the ridiculous climax. And come on, no nudity? Swimfan is better.
151. 2012
    Ridiculous, but not as bad as Knowing. The Yellowstone volcano scenes were pretty visually exciting.
152. The Ugly Truth
    Dumb. Heigl looks great but plays an unbelievable character, and Eric Winter didn't even get a chance at playing a character.
153. Push
    Boring, but again Fanning shows off her talent.
154. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
    About as noisy and pointless as Transformers 2, but I did like the ninja action.
155. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
    Some cool effects, but it's all just noise. I actually left during the climax to go pick someone up at the airport.
156. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
    I had completely forgotten who was who and did what to whom by this movie. But how great is Michael Sheen to swing this and Frost?
157. St. Trinians
    Rupert Everett in drag? The tone here is just weird and not that funny.
158. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
    Just bad. Nic Cage continues his streak of lousy productions.
159. Bruno
    Borat worked well to expose American prejudices, but other than the scene about child actor parents, Bruno is just antagonistic.
160. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
    It's no wonder this movie didn't last in theaters. Michael Douglas is good, but the production feels like a cheap made for cable thriller from a decade ago.
161. Year One
    Slow and stupid doesn't win the race. This comes across like it was intended as a weird Bible primer.
162. Crank: High Voltage
    Shoot 'Em Up at least delivered its absurdity with some flair. This is just a noisy, pointless mess.
163. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li
    Chris Klein's slow drawl makes for a lousy cop, and Neal McDonough's character went overboard on being a brutal villain. But Robin Shou's moves were pretty good.
164. Paul Blart: Mall Cop
    It took me an hour of painful watching to realize this was an homage to Die Hard. They should have gone even more silly to make that point.
165. 12 Rounds
    I could see casually leaving this playing on the USA channel if I had nothing else to watch, but it's not worth the rental.
166. Dance Flick
    Shockingly there was actually something approaching decent acting and drama in this spoof, but that just put it out of place.
167. Surveillance
    Took way too long to get to the story, and then reveals that it was all for nothing except to fool the audience. The only thing this demonstrates is that criminals can get away with murder.
168. The Box
    What starts off as a creepy and promising premise is almost immediately subverted by the overbearing score and Diaz's accent, followed by an out of this world plot development that offers nothing to
169. Miss March
    Completely stupid and lacking in much needed titilation. I don't think they even bothered to make sense of the timeline.
170. Knowing
    After an exciting first disaster, this just gets worse and worse. I wanted to throw my remote at the tv during the lousy finale. For a bad double header, avoid The Number 23 as well.
171. The Mutant Chronicles
    I don't get how something like this gets greenlighted, much less attacts actors like Jane and Malkovich.

RELEASED BUT HAVEN'T SEEN
172. Antichrist
173. Adam
174. Adventures of Power
175. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
176. Aliens in the Attic
177. Astro Boy
178. American Violet
179. Anvil
180. Battle for Terra
181. Big Fan
182. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
183. Bronson
184. The Boys Are Back
185. Blood: The Last Vampire
186. Closing the Ring
187. Chandni Chowk to China
188. Don't Fade Away
189. Drag Me to Hell
190. Disney's A Christmas Carol
191. Dragonball Evolution
192. Everybody's Fine
193. Eva
194. Fired Up
195. Friday the 13th
196. Fifty Dead Men Walking
197. Frankie and Alice
198. Free Style
199. The Fourth Kind
200. Fanboys
201. Halloween II
202. Hannah Montana: The Movie
203. Hotel for Dogs
204. The House of the Devil
205. The Great Buck Howard
206. Inkheart
207. Iron Cross
208. Imagine That
209. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
210. Is Anybody There?
211. The Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
212. The Last House on the Left
213. The Little Traitor
214. Little Ashes
215. Looking for Palladin
216. The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond
217. London River
218. The Messenger
219. Mammoth
220. The Lightkeepers
221. Lymelife
222. Mary and Max
223. My Bloody Valentine 3D
224. The Merry Gentleman
225. My Life in Ruins
226. The Missing Person
227. More Than a Game
228. Not Easily Broken
229. New York, I Love You
230. Orphan
231. Outlander
232. The Pink Panther 2
233. Peter and Vandy
234. Pandorum
235. Sorority Row
236. Soul Power
237. Splinterheads
238. The Secret of Kells
239. Shorts
240. The Stepfather
241. Saw VI
242. Thirst
243. Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself
244. Michael Jackson's This Is It
245. Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail
246. The Uninvited
247. The Unborn
248. Whatever Works
249. Vicious Kind
250. Adoration



     


 
 

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