Movie Review for The Nines

Summary: Consists of three short films. In "The Prisoner," a troubled television star finds himself under house arrest, with his chipper publicist and disillusioned next-door neighbor providing his only links to the outside world. Mysterious events lead him to question whether one or both women are deceiving him about the nature of his incarceration. "Reality Television“ is a 30-minute episode of "Behind the Screen,” a Project Greenlight-style documentary series tracking the process of creating a network television drama. Having shot the pilot, creator/showrunner Gavin Taylor faces post-production with the help of his best friend (and lead actress) Melissa McCarthy and development VP Susan Howard. “Knowing” finds an acclaimed videogame designer and his wife facing car trouble deep in the woods. Their daughter uncovers information which leads to a difficult and irrevocable choice.

                         Reviews of The Nines
By Christy Lemire of Associated Press (7/0)
            Confusing? Yes, and intentionally so. But it's never boring.

By Marc Savlov of Austin Chronicle (7/0)
            The Nines is the feature-film-directing debut from screenwriter John August, but it feels much mo...

By Robert Koehler of Christian Science Monitor (7/0)
            So unspeakably bad is screenwriter John August's debut as director, so hilariously unaware is the...

By Harry Chotiner of culturevulture.net (7/0)
            August's screenplay for "The Nines" is fun, confusing, provocative...And if he isn't as edgy or d...

By Erik Childress of eFilmCritic.com (7/0)
            A challenging loop of spiritual indecision within the confines of a city known for quick creation...

By Jonathan W. Hickman of Entertainment Insiders (7/0)
            The Nines is a movie that aims to raise more questions than it answers.

                         Reviews of The Nines
By Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly (7/0)
            You'll go ''Huh?'' but you won't feel cheated.

By Lewis Beale of Film Journal International (7/0)
            Isn't funny enough to be classified as a comedy, weird enough to attract cult attention, nor spir...

By Jamie Tipps of Film Threat (7/0)
            This movie is metaphysical fun, and while some elements are predictable, it's an engaging mystery...

By Jesse Hassenger of filmcritic.com (7/0)
            ...(John) August the director fits a lot of architecture into his tiny spaces.

By Brent Simon of FilmStew.com (7/0)
            Does not work one�s id into a tizzy in the manner that Lynch�s Mulholland Drive or Ozon�s Swimmin...

By Sura Wood of Hollywood Reporter (7/0)
            An offbeat, unpredictable story that plays out in parallel universes.

                         Reviews of The Nines
By Stax of IGN Movies (7/0)
            The Nines is imaginative and intriguing, but not enough so to keep from alienating some viewers w...

By Prairie Miller of Long Island Press (7/0)
            A rather aimless and convoluted brain teaser that attempts to transfer the kind of introspective ...

By Carina Chocano of Los Angeles Times (7/0)
            Bright and vicious, desperate and cruel, the characters of the first two stories pop with a kind ...

By Carina Chocano of Los Angeles Times (7/0)
            ...mysterious and often hilarious...

By Ron Wilkinson of Monsters and Critics (7/0)
            A valid exploration of chaos and control told by a guy who knows. Good low budget sci-fi with a ...

By Michael Dequina of Mr. Brown's Movies (6/1)
            All three stories don't congeal into the grand sum profundity that August so clearly is striving ...

                         Reviews of The Nines
By Kurt Loder of MTV (7/0)
            This fascinating puzzle box of a movie is so clever it almost feels like a stunt - an attempt to ...

By Jack Mathews of New York Daily News (7/0)
            The dialogue snaps, crackles and pops. And confusing as they may be, the stories are never boring...

By Lou Lumenick of New York Post (7/0)
            ...clever but pretentious...

By Armond White of New York Press (7/0)
            The sharpest, subtlest satire of a California stereotype since Evan Rachel Woods� the ...too-litt...

By Stephen Holden of New York Times (7/0)
            The Nines is a philosophical mind teaser with satirical fangs.

By Stephen Holden of New York Times (7/0)
            ...a philosophical mind teaser with satirical fangs...

                         Reviews of The Nines
By Gene Seymour of Newsday (7/0)
            The cosmic "resolution" that ties the stories together proves less interesting than the stories t...

By Aaron Hillis of Premiere Magazine (7/0)
            Clever and fun with compelling lead performances... Maybe it's all a message of sympathy for the ...

By Pam Grady of Reel.com (7/0)
            It's that increasingly rare animal, a comedy that is engaging, funny, and smart. And since this i...

By Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com (7/0)
            The movie never fails to be crisply written and cannily delivered, but it's way too steeped in TV...

By Rich Cline of Shadows on the Wall (7/0)
            With an almost Donnie Darko sense of apocalyptic mystery, writer-director August really gets our ...

By Nick Schager of Slant Magazine (7/0)
            Ryan Reynolds may not be a demigod (much less a full-fledged deity), but he plays one to sterling...

                         Reviews of The Nines
By Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out New York (7/0)
            How do ridiculous films like The Nines (the latest bit of quasimystical nonsense in the Magnolia ...

By Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide's Movie Guide (7/0)
            The payoff fizzles, but the buildup is intriguing until it topples under its own weight.

By Dennis Harvey of Variety (7/0)
            There's more than enough intelligence, intrigue and performance dazzle to make this an adventures...

Movie Distributors
Newmarket Films

Production Companies
Jinks/Cohen Company

Movie Studios