Awards season
Our reviews of nominated films
Blue Valentine
"Williams and Gosling, both of whom were involved with this long-gestating project for several years, give fiercely committed performances."
Country Strong
"The actors try valiantly to make Country Strong work, and it’s a testament to their talents that the musical numbers are as rousing as they are."
True Grit
"Much of the humour comes from the contrast between the way the characters speak and act. Grubby outlaws use phrases suited to an Oxford don."
The Fighter
"Director David O. Russell understands dysfunction and the most interesting battles in The Fighter take place outside the ring."
Rabbit Hole
"Nicole Kidman's performance is the hole in Rabbit Hole, the deficiency that turns what ought to be a tear-inducing drama into an pallid exercise in melancholy."
The Tempest
"Julie Taymor isn’t shy about messing with a classic while also recapturing its basic appeal."
The King's Speech
"The King's Speech is a typical triumph-of-the-spirit movie, but Colin Firth makes you feel the sweat and yearning of that triumph in every frame."
The Tourist
"Venice is gorgeous and so is Angelina Jolie, but those are the only good things to be said about this silly, sluggish excuse for a romantic thriller."
Black Swan
"For viewers who like high drama, Black Swan is a spellbinding, wickedly entertaining treat."
Made in Dagenham
"The film is perfectly pleasant and predictable, but you have to hand it to the Brits – they know how to do this formulaic material with style."
Love and Other Drugs
"One minute you're watching a crass sex comedy about Viagra, the next it's a cloying tearjerker about Parkinson's disease."
Burlesque
"Burlesque is a hot mess. But damn if I didn't succumb to every campy second of it."
127 Hours
"A film about such an ordeal could be an ordeal to watch, but director Danny Boyle makes it a dazzling, kaleidoscopic thrill."
Waiting for Superman
"Waiting for Superman is a rallying cry on behalf of the single moms and unemployed dads fighting to help their bright, eager kids get ahead in the U.S. educational system."
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
"As always, Oliver Stone delivers a glossy product that's long on testosterone and short on subtlety."
The Social Network
"Director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin have great fun exposing the immature undergrad heart beating beneath Facebook's multi-billion-dollar empire."
The Town
"The Town skillfully navigates between visceral thrills and involving character drama. "
Easy A
"Newcomer Emma Stone gives a commanding performance in this sassy teen satire."
Inception
"Inception gets stuck in the same ponderous groove as The Dark Knight — and like that film, it’s too long."
Winter's Bone
"This Sundance winner is a taut mystery and a chilling statement about rural decay."
