most consumers of lo mein and general tso 's chicken barely give a thought to the folks who prepare and deliver it , so , hopefully , this film will attach a human face to all those little steaming cartons .


the engagingly primitive animated special effects contribute to a mood that 's sustained through the surprisingly somber conclusion .


what a pity ... that the material is so second-rate .


gangs , despite the gravity of its subject matter , is often as fun to watch as a good spaghetti western .


it 's a technically superb film , shining with all the usual spielberg flair , expertly utilizing the talents of his top-notch creative team .


in capturing the understated comedic agony of an ever-ruminating , genteel yet decadent aristocracy that can no longer pay its bills , the film could just as well be addressing the turn of the 20th century into the 21st .


while cherish does n't completely survive its tonal transformation from dark comedy to suspense thriller , it 's got just enough charm and appealing character quirks to forgive that still serious problem .


an admirable , sometimes exceptional film


all analyze that proves is that there is really only one movie 's worth of decent gags to be gleaned from the premise .


circuit queens wo n't learn a thing , they 'll be too busy cursing the film 's strategically placed white sheets .


so brisk is wang 's pacing that none of the excellent cast are given air to breathe .


in gleefully , thumpingly hyperbolic terms , it covers just about every cliche in the compendium about crass , jaded movie types and the phony baloney movie biz .


would i see it again ?


the romance between the leads is n't as compelling or as believable as it should be .


... plenty of warmth to go around , with music and laughter and the love of family .


cinematic poo .


instead , it 'll only put you to sleep .


there 's a lot of good material here , but there 's also a lot of redundancy and unsuccessful crudeness accompanying it .


it never quite makes it to the boiling point , but manages to sustain a good simmer for most of its running time .


fear permeates the whole of stortelling , todd solondz ' oftentimes funny , yet ultimately cowardly autocritique .


be forewarned , if you 're depressed about anything before watching this film , you may just end up trying to drown yourself in a lake afterwards .


the movie is n't painfully bad , something to be ` fully experienced ' ; it 's just tediously bad , something to be fully forgotten .


a sometimes incisive and sensitive portrait that is undercut by its awkward structure and a final veering toward melodrama .


a modestly comic , modestly action-oriented world war ii adventure that , in terms of authenticity , is one of those films that requires the enemy to never shoot straight .


distances you by throwing out so many red herrings , so many false scares , that the genuine ones barely register .


everything -- even life on an aircraft carrier -- is sentimentalized .


for free .


nothing more than a widget cranked out on an assembly line to see if stupid americans will get a kick out of goofy brits with cute accents performing ages-old slapstick and unfunny tricks .


broomfield has a rather unique approach to documentary .


the pacing is deadly , the narration helps little and naipaul , a juicy writer , is negated .


another entertaining romp from robert rodriguez .


a sham construct based on theory , sleight-of-hand , and ill-wrought hypothesis .


you come away from his film overwhelmed , hopeful and , perhaps paradoxically , illuminated .


does little to elaborate the conceit of setting this blood-soaked tragedy of murderous ambition in the era of richard nixon .


you 'll get the enjoyable basic minimum .


david spade as citizen kane ?


an exercise in cynicism every bit as ugly as the shabby digital photography and muddy sound .


you feel good , you feel sad , you feel pissed off , but in the end , you feel alive - which is what they did .


evokes the frustration , the awkwardness and the euphoria of growing up , without relying on the usual tropes .


the film 's maudlin focus on the young woman 's infirmity and her naive dreams play like the worst kind of hollywood heart-string plucking .


an empty , ugly exercise in druggy trance-noir and trumped-up street credibility .


parts of the film feel a bit too much like an infomercial for ram dass 's latest book aimed at the boomer demographic .


a decidedly mixed bag .


bouquet gives a performance that is masterly .


a solid piece of journalistic work that draws a picture of a man for whom political expedience became a deadly foreign policy .


... despite lagging near the finish line , the movie runs a good race , one that will have you at the edge of your seat for long stretches . '


a lot of talent is wasted in this crass , low-wattage endeavor .


the audience when i saw this one was chuckling at all the wrong times , and that 's a bad sign when they 're supposed to be having a collective heart attack .


this painfully unfunny farce traffics in tired stereotypes and encumbers itself with complications ... that have no bearing on the story .


-lrb- reynolds -rrb- takes a classic story , casts attractive and talented actors and uses a magnificent landscape to create a feature film that is wickedly fun to watch .


will anyone who is n't a fangoria subscriber be excited that it has n't gone straight to video ?


a negligible british comedy .


it 's like rocky and bullwinkle on speed , but that 's neither completely enlightening , nor does it catch the intensity of the movie 's strangeness .


these are textbook lives of quiet desperation .


in many ways , reminiscent of 1992 's unforgiven which also utilized the scintillating force of its actors to draw out the menace of its sparse dialogue .


there 's a delightfully quirky movie to be made from curling , but brooms is n't it .


a film that plays things so nice 'n safe as to often play like a milquetoast movie of the week blown up for the big screen .


it 's better than the phantom menace .


there 's none of the happily-ever - after spangle of monsoon wedding in late marriage -- and that 's part of what makes dover kosashvili 's outstanding feature debut so potent .


give credit to everyone from robinson down to the key grip that this bold move works .


a lot of fun , with an undeniable energy sparked by two actresses in their 50s working at the peak of their powers .


it 's far from a frothy piece , and the characters are complex , laden with plenty of baggage and tinged with tragic undertones .


even the hastily and amateurishly drawn animation can not engage .


visually fascinating ... an often intense character study about fathers and sons , loyalty and duty .


if ayurveda can help us return to a sane regimen of eating , sleeping and stress-reducing contemplation , it is clearly a good thing .


the satire is unfocused , while the story goes nowhere .


even though many of these guys are less than adorable -lrb- their lamentations are pretty much self-centered -rrb- , there 's something vital about the movie .


it tends to remind one of a really solid woody allen film , with its excellent use of new york locales and sharp writing


it must be the end of the world : the best film so far this year is a franchise sequel starring wesley snipes .


it 's so badly made on every level that i 'm actually having a hard time believing people were paid to make it .


even if you do n't know the band or the album 's songs by heart , you will enjoy seeing how both evolve , and you will also learn a good deal about the state of the music business in the 21st century .


might best be enjoyed as a daytime soaper .


this will go on so long as there are moviegoers anxious to see strange young guys doing strange guy things .


... digs beyond the usual portrayals of good kids and bad seeds to reveal a more ambivalent set of characters and motivations .


at 78 minutes it just zings along with vibrance and warmth .


seems like something american and european gay movies were doing 20 years ago .


i 'm not exactly sure what this movie thinks it is about .


after an hour and a half of wondering -- sometimes amusedly , sometimes impatiently -- just what this strenuously unconventional movie is supposed to be , you discover that the answer is as conventional as can be .


rice is too pedestrian a filmmaker to bring any edge or personality to the rising place that would set it apart from other deep south stories .


once the downward spiral comes to pass , auto focus bears out as your typical junkie opera ...


it 'll keep you wide awake and ... very tense .


this one is not nearly as dreadful as expected .


a bodice-ripper for intellectuals .


all very stylish and beautifully photographed , but far more trouble than it 's worth , with fantasy mixing with reality and actors playing more than one role just to add to the confusion .


with dickens ' words and writer-director douglas mcgrath 's even-toned direction , a ripping good yarn is told .


peppering this urban study with references to norwegian folktales , villeneuve creates in maelstrom a world where the bizarre is credible and the real turns magical .


ah-nuld 's action hero days might be over .


a modestly made but profoundly moving documentary .


if we sometimes need comforting fantasies about mental illness , we also need movies like tim mccann 's revolution no. 9 .


if you do n't ... well , skip to another review .


the camera twirls !


there 's only one way to kill michael myers for good : stop buying tickets to these movies .


ultimately feels like just one more in the long line of films this year about the business of making movies .


by the time you reach the finale , you 're likely wondering why you 've been watching all this strutting and posturing .


adaptation is simply brilliant .


what can one say about a balding 50-year-old actor playing an innocent boy carved from a log ?


... an adorably whimsical comedy that deserves more than a passing twinkle .


it is refreshingly undogmatic about its characters .


... if you , like me , think an action film disguised as a war tribute is disgusting to begin with , then you 're in for a painful ride .


good actors have a radar for juicy roles -- there 's a plethora of characters in this picture , and not one of them is flat .


often shocking but ultimately worthwhile exploration of motherhood and desperate mothers .


right now , they 're merely signposts marking the slow , lingering death of imagination .


it challenges , this nervy oddity , like modern art should .


the film will appeal to discovery channel fans and will surely widen the perspective of those of us who see the continent through rose-colored glasses .


the message is that even the most unlikely can link together to conquer all kinds of obstacles , whether they be of nature , of man or of one another .


... quite good at providing some good old fashioned spooks .


elegantly produced and expressively performed , the six musical numbers crystallize key plot moments into minutely detailed wonders of dreamlike ecstasy .


laconic and very stilted in its dialogue , this indie flick never found its audience , probably because it 's extremely hard to relate to any of the characters .


o fantasma is boldly , confidently orchestrated , aesthetically and sexually , and its impact is deeply and rightly disturbing .


the early and middle passages are surprising in how much they engage and even touch us .


it 's a smart , solid , kinetically-charged spy flick worthy of a couple hours of summertime and a bucket of popcorn .


the nicest thing that can be said about stealing harvard -lrb- which might have been called freddy gets molested by a dog -rrb- is that it 's not as obnoxious as tom green 's freddie got fingered .


contrasting the original ringu with the current americanized adaptation is akin to comparing the evil dead with evil dead ii


when compared to the usual , more somber festival entries , davis ' highly personal brand of romantic comedy is a tart , smart breath of fresh air that stands out from the pack even if the picture itself is somewhat problematic .


i approached the usher and said that if she had to sit through it again , she should ask for a raise .


even when he 's not at his most critically insightful , godard can still be smarter than any 50 other filmmakers still at work .


it 's clotted with heavy-handed symbolism , dime-store psychology and endless scenic shots that make 105 minutes seem twice as long .


even if you do n't understand what on earth is going on , this is a movie that will stimulate hours of post viewing discussion , if only to be reminded of who did what to whom and why .


cuaron repeatedly , perversely undercuts the joie de vivre even as he creates it , giving the movie a mournful undercurrent that places the good-time shenanigans in welcome perspective .


it 's obvious -lrb- je-gyu is -rrb- trying for poetry ; what he gets instead has all the lyricism of a limerick scrawled in a public restroom .


what might have been acceptable on the printed page of iles ' book does not translate well to the screen .


the story suffers a severe case of oversimplification , superficiality and silliness .


it 's at once laughable and compulsively watchable , in its committed dumbness .


the hours , a delicately crafted film , is an impressive achievement in spite of a river of sadness that pours into every frame .


strange and beautiful film .


scott baio is turning in some delightful work on indie projects .


for something as splendid-looking as this particular film , the viewer expects something special but instead gets -lrb- sci-fi -rrb- rehash .


simultaneously heartbreakingly beautiful and exquisitely sad .


nights feels more like a quickie tv special than a feature film ... it 's not even a tv special you 'd bother watching past the second commercial break .


muddled , melodramatic paranormal romance is an all-time low for kevin costner .


a thoughtful and surprisingly affecting portrait of a screwed-up man who dared to mess with some powerful people , seen through the eyes of the idealistic kid who chooses to champion his ultimately losing cause .


and , thanks to the presence of ` the king , ' it also rocks .


the movie is so contrived , nonsensical and formulaic that , come to think of it , the day-old shelf would be a more appropriate location to store it .


and there 's the inimitable diaz , holding it all together .


this is an extraordinary film , not least because it is japanese and yet feels universal .


yet it 's not quite the genre-busting film it 's been hyped to be because it plays everything too safe .


a different kind of love story - one that is dark , disturbing , painful to watch , yet compelling .


the production values are of the highest and the performances attractive without being memorable .


the code talkers deserved better than a hollow tribute .


the film 's unhurried pace is actually one of its strengths .


despite the film 's bizarre developments , hoffman keeps us riveted with every painful nuance , unexpected flashes of dark comedy and the character 's gripping humanity .


the cinematic equivalent of patronizing a bar favored by pretentious , untalented artistes who enjoy moaning about their cruel fate .


it 's just too bad the screenwriters eventually shoot themselves in the feet with cop flick cliches like an oily arms dealer , squad car pile-ups and the requisite screaming captain .


for those of us who respond more strongly to storytelling than computer-generated effects , the new star wars installment has n't escaped the rut dug by the last one .


post 9\/11 the philosophical message of `` personal freedom first '' might not be as palatable as intended .


black-and-white and unrealistic .


boasts a handful of virtuosic set pieces and offers a fair amount of trashy , kinky fun .


if you love reading and\/or poetry , then by all means check it out .


it 's the filmmakers ' post-camp comprehension of what made old-time b movies good-bad that makes eight legged freaks a perfectly entertaining summer diversion .


just a bunch of good actors flailing around in a caper that 's neither original nor terribly funny .


-lrb- a -rrb- slummer .


lasker 's canny , meditative script distances sex and love , as byron and luther ... realize they ca n't get no satisfaction without the latter .


while certainly more naturalistic than its australian counterpart , amari 's film falls short in building the drama of lilia 's journey .


while the story 's undeniably hard to follow , iwai 's gorgeous visuals seduce .


visually exciting sci-fi film which suffers from a lackluster screenplay .


the santa clause 2 proves itself a more streamlined and thought out encounter than the original could ever have hoped to be .


road to perdition does display greatness , and it 's worth seeing .


in the name of an allegedly inspiring and easily marketable flick , the emperor 's club turns a blind eye to the very history it pretends to teach .


i liked this film a lot ...


the film 's darker moments become smoothed over by an overwhelming need to tender inspirational tidings , especially in the last few cloying moments .


this is the sort of low-grade dreck that usually goes straight to video -- with a lousy script , inept direction , pathetic acting , poorly dubbed dialogue and murky cinematography , complete with visible boom mikes .


two big things are missing -- anything approaching a visceral kick , and anything approaching even a vague reason to sit through it all .


it 's definitely not made for kids or their parents , for that matter , and i think even fans of sandler 's comic taste may find it uninteresting .


hardman is a grating , mannered onscreen presence , which is especially unfortunate in light of the fine work done by most of the rest of her cast .


there is a difference between movies with the courage to go over the top and movies that do n't care about being stupid


sayles is making a statement about the inability of dreams and aspirations to carry forward into the next generation .


a seriocomic debut of extravagant promise by georgian-israeli director dover kosashvili .


soderbergh seems capable only of delivering artfully lighted , earnest inquiries that lack the kind of genuine depth that would make them redeemable .


rodriguez ... was unable to reproduce the special spark between the characters that made the first film such a delight .


made me unintentionally famous -- as the queasy-stomached critic who staggered from the theater and blacked out in the lobby .


it 's also curious to note that this film , like the similarly ill-timed antitrust , is easily as bad at a fraction the budget .


delivers more than its fair share of saucy hilarity .


watching this film , what we feel is n't mainly suspense or excitement .


fathers and sons , and the uneasy bonds between them , rarely have received such a sophisticated and unsentimental treatment on the big screen as they do in this marvelous film .


tedious norwegian offering which somehow snagged an oscar nomination .


what starts off as a possible argentine american beauty reeks like a room stacked with pungent flowers .


` opening up ' the play more has partly closed it down .


an ambitious movie that , like shiner 's organizing of the big fight , pulls off enough of its effects to make up for the ones that do n't come off .


as david letterman and the onion have proven , the worst of tragedies can be fertile sources of humor , but lawrence has only a fleeting grasp of how to develop them .


campanella gets the tone just right -- funny in the middle of sad in the middle of hopeful .


judith and zaza 's extended bedroom sequence ... is so intimate and sensual and funny and psychologically self-revealing that it makes most of what passes for sex in the movies look like cheap hysterics .


a marvel of production design .


a few hours after you 've seen it , you forget you 've been to the movies .


instead of using george and lucy 's most obvious differences to ignite sparks , lawrence desperately looks elsewhere , seizing on george 's haplessness and lucy 's personality tics .


lacks the spirit of the previous two , and makes all those jokes about hos and even more unmentionable subjects seem like mere splashing around in the muck .


a dull , simple-minded and stereotypical tale of drugs , death and mind-numbing indifference on the inner-city streets .


... would be a total loss if not for two supporting performances taking place at the movie 's edges .


without resorting to camp or parody , haynes -lrb- like sirk , but differently -rrb- has transformed the rhetoric of hollywood melodrama into something provocative , rich , and strange .


instead of contriving a climactic hero 's death for the beloved-major - character-who-shall - remain-nameless , why not invite some genuine spontaneity into the film by having the evil aliens ' laser guns actually hit something for once ?


one long , numbing action sequence made up mostly of routine stuff yuen has given us before .


... watching it was painful .


clooney directs this film always keeping the balance between the fantastic and the believable ...


this insufferable movie is meant to make you think about existential suffering .


it 's the element of condescension , as the filmmakers look down on their working-class subjects from their lofty perch , that finally makes sex with strangers , which opens today in the new york metropolitan area , so distasteful .


the result is good gossip , entertainingly delivered , yet with a distinctly musty odour , its expiry date long gone .


... quite endearing .


yet another entry in the sentimental oh-those-wacky-brits genre that was ushered in by the full monty and is still straining to produce another smash hit .


most of the characters come off as pantomimesque sterotypes .


` martin lawrence live ' is so self-pitying , i almost expected there to be a collection taken for the comedian at the end of the show .


can be as tiresome as 9 seconds of jesse helms ' anti- castro rhetoric , which are included


nearly every attempt at humor here is doa .


the four feathers is definitely horse feathers , but if you go in knowing that , you might have fun in this cinematic sandbox .


i 'd be lying if i said my ribcage did n't ache by the end of kung pow .


plods along , minus the twisted humor and eye-popping visuals that have made miike ... a cult hero .


a not-so-divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood with a hefty helping of re-fried green tomatoes .


the ring never lets you off the hook .


it thankfully goes easy on the reel\/real world dichotomy that -lrb- jaglom -rrb- pursued with such enervating determination in venice\/venice .


despite besson 's high-profile name being wasabi 's big selling point , there is no doubt that krawczyk deserves a huge amount of the credit for the film 's thoroughly winning tone .


but be warned , you too may feel time has decided to stand still .


our culture is headed down the toilet with the ferocity of a frozen burrito after an all-night tequila bender -- and i know this because i 've seen ` jackass : the movie . '


paid in full is remarkably engaging despite being noticeably derivative of goodfellas and at least a half dozen other trouble-in-the-ghetto flicks .


despite the predictable parent vs. child coming-of-age theme , first-class , natural acting and a look at `` the real americans '' make this a charmer .


one of the best silly horror movies of recent memory , with some real shocks in store for unwary viewers .


the re - enactments , however fascinating they may be as history , are too crude to serve the work especially well .


sly , sophisticated and surprising .


an unintentional parody of every teen movie made in the last five years .


keenly observed and refreshingly natural , swimming gets the details right , from its promenade of barely clad bodies in myrtle beach , s.c. , to the adrenaline jolt of a sudden lunch rush at the diner .


what makes it worth watching is quaid 's performance .


no. .


breen 's script is sketchy with actorish notations on the margin of acting .


human nature is a goofball movie , in the way that malkovich was , but it tries too hard .


a ragbag of cliches .


a bittersweet contemporary comedy about benevolent deception , which , while it may not rival the filmmaker 's period pieces , is still very much worth seeing .


becomes a bit of a mishmash : a tearjerker that does n't and a thriller that wo n't .


a burst of color , music , and dance that only the most practiced curmudgeon could fail to crack a smile at .


the phone rings and a voice tells you you 've got seven days left to live .


its compelling mix of trial movie , escape movie and unexpected fable ensures the film never feels draggy .


but one thing 's for sure : it never comes close to being either funny or scary .


schnitzler does a fine job contrasting the sleekness of the film 's present with the playful paranoia of the film 's past . '


the script by david koepp is perfectly serviceable and because he gives the story some soul ... he elevates the experience to a more mythic level .


if there 's a heaven for bad movies , deuces wild is on its way .


an awful snooze .


there is something in full frontal , i guess , about artifice and acting and how it distorts reality for people who make movies and watch them , but like most movie riddles , it works only if you have an interest in the characters you see .


even when it drags , we are forced to reflect that its visual imagination is breathtaking


witty and often surprising , a dark little morality tale disguised as a romantic comedy .


a glib but bouncy bit of sixties-style slickness in which the hero might wind up caught but the audience gets pure escapism .


the soupy end result has the odd distinction of being playful without being fun , too .


pacino is the best he 's been in years and keener is marvelous .


looks more like a travel-agency video targeted at people who like to ride bikes topless and roll in the mud than a worthwhile glimpse of independent-community guiding lights .


woody allen has really found his groove these days .


it 's touching and tender and proves that even in sorrow you can find humor .


my wife is an actress works as well as it does because -lrb- the leads -rrb- are such a companionable couple .


a film of ideas and wry comic mayhem .


if you go , pack your knitting needles .


a wonderful , ghastly film .


one of the best rock documentaries ever .


sweet home alabama certainly wo n't be remembered as one of -lrb- witherspoon 's -rrb- better films .


never capitalizes on this concept and opts for the breezy and amateurish feel of an after school special on the subject of tolerance .


a surprisingly ` solid ' achievement by director malcolm d. lee and writer john ridley .


an original little film about one young woman 's education .


seems content to dog-paddle in the mediocre end of the pool , and it 's a sad , sick sight .


it is a challenging film , if not always a narratively cohesive one .


an exceptionally dreary and overwrought bit of work , every bit as imperious as katzenberg 's the prince of egypt from 1998 .


video games are more involving than this mess .


if the man from elysian fields is doomed by its smallness , it is also elevated by it -- the kind of movie that you enjoy more because you 're one of the lucky few who sought it out .


paul cox needed to show it .


aan opportunity wasted .


eric byler 's nuanced pic avoids easy sentiments and explanations ...


although tender and touching , the movie would have benefited from a little more dramatic tension and some more editing .


a reminder that beyond all the hype and recent digital glitz , spielberg knows how to tell us about people .


it does n't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is a mormon family movie , and a sappy , preachy one at that .


the cameo-packed , m : i-2-spoofing title sequence is the funniest 5 minutes to date in this spy comedy franchise ... then mike myers shows up and ruins everything .


i loved this film .


takashi miike keeps pushing the envelope : ichi the killer


hatosy ... portrays young brendan with his usual intelligence and subtlety , not to mention a convincing brogue .


the movie is virtually without context -- journalistic or historical .


so we got ten little indians meets friday the 13th by way of clean and sober , filmed on the set of carpenter 's the thing and loaded with actors you 're most likely to find on the next inevitable incarnation of the love boat .


the results , if not memorable , are at least interesting .


director todd solondz has made a movie about critical reaction to his two previous movies , and about his responsibility to the characters that he creates .


it 's such a mechanical endeavor -lrb- that -rrb- it never bothers to question why somebody might devote time to see it .


buy popcorn .


offers big , fat , dumb laughs that may make you hate yourself for giving in .


its salient points are simultaneously buried , drowned and smothered in the excesses of writer-director roger avary .


beyond the cleverness , the weirdness and the pristine camerawork , one hour photo is a sobering meditation on why we take pictures .


that storytelling has value can not be denied .


an awfully good , achingly human picture .


a series of escapades demonstrating the adage that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander , some of which occasionally amuses but none of which amounts to much of a story .


jeffs has created a breathtakingly assured and stylish work of spare dialogue and acute expressiveness .


like a bad improvisation exercise , the superficially written characters ramble on tediously about their lives , loves and the art they 're struggling to create .


the great pity is that those responsible did n't cut their losses -- and ours -- and retitle it the adventures of direct-to-video nash , and send it to its proper home .


a deliberative account of a lifestyle characterized by its surface-obsession -- one that typifies the delirium of post , pre , and extant stardom .


quiet , adult and just about more stately than any contemporary movie this year ... a true study , a film with a questioning heart and mind that is n't afraid to admit it does n't have all the answers .


it 's so laddish and juvenile , only teenage boys could possibly find it funny .


yet why it fails is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma .


yet another arnold vehicle that fails to make adequate use of his particular talents .


provides the kind of ` laugh therapy ' i need from movie comedies -- offbeat humor , amusing characters , and a happy ending .


wickedly funny , visually engrossing , never boring , this movie challenges us to think about the ways we consume pop culture .


` christian bale 's quinn -lrb- is -rrb- a leather clad grunge-pirate with a hairdo like gandalf in a wind-tunnel and a simply astounding cor-blimey-luv-a-duck cockney accent . '


a movie that harps on media-constructed ` issues ' like whether compromise is the death of self ... this orgasm -lrb- wo n't be an -rrb- exceedingly memorable one for most people .


the dramatic crisis does n't always succeed in its quest to be taken seriously , but huppert 's volatile performance makes for a riveting movie experience .


a respectable venture on its own terms , lacking the broader vision that has seen certain trek films ... cross over to a more mainstream audience .


murphy and wilson actually make a pretty good team ... but the project surrounding them is distressingly rote .


this comic gem is as delightful as it is derivative .


argento , at only 26 , brings a youthful , out-to-change-the-world aggressiveness to the project , as if she 's cut open a vein and bled the raw film stock .


you 'd think by now america would have had enough of plucky british eccentrics with hearts of gold .


dolman confines himself to shtick and sentimentality -- the one bald and the other sloppy .


a fascinating case study of flower-power liberation -- and the price that was paid for it .


he has improved upon the first and taken it a step further , richer and deeper .


the only reason you should see this movie is if you have a case of masochism and an hour and a half to blow .


nobody seems to have cared much about any aspect of it , from its cheesy screenplay to the grayish quality of its lighting to its last-minute , haphazard theatrical release .


there 's no getting around the fact that this is revenge of the nerds revisited -- again .


finally , the french-produced `` read my lips '' is a movie that understands characters must come first .


goldmember has none of the visual wit of the previous pictures , and it looks as though jay roach directed the film from the back of a taxicab .


director shekhar kapur and screenwriters michael schiffer and hossein amini have tried hard to modernize and reconceptualize things , but the barriers finally prove to be too great .


offers absolutely nothing i had n't already seen .


as crimes go , writer-director michael kalesniko 's how to kill your neighbor 's dog is slight but unendurable .


300 years of russian history and culture compressed into an evanescent , seamless and sumptuous stream of consciousness .


real women have curves does n't offer any easy answers .


return to never land is much more p.c. than the original version -lrb- no more racist portraits of indians , for instance -rrb- , but the excitement is missing .


their computer-animated faces are very expressive .


... feels as if -lrb- there 's -rrb- a choke leash around your neck so director nick cassavetes can give it a good , hard yank whenever he wants you to feel something .


report card : does n't live up to the exalted tagline - there 's definite room for improvement .


a pint-sized ` goodfellas ' designed to appeal to the younger set , it 's not a very good movie in any objective sense , but it does mostly hold one 's interest .


... most viewers will wish there had been more of the `` queen '' and less of the `` damned . ''


just about the best straight-up , old-school horror film of the last 15 years .


rock solid family fun out of the gates , extremely imaginative through out , but wanes in the middle


it 's excessively quirky and a little underconfident in its delivery , but otherwise this is the best ` old neighborhood ' project since christopher walken kinda romanced cyndi lauper in the opportunists .


the skirmishes for power waged among victims and predators settle into an undistinguished rhythm of artificial suspense .


it might be ` easier ' to watch on video at home , but that should n't stop die-hard french film connoisseurs from going out and enjoying the big-screen experience .


glizty but formulaic and silly ... cagney 's ` top of the world ' has been replaced by the bottom of the barrel .


a winning piece of work filled with love for the movies of the 1960s .


-lrb- a -rrb- smarter and much funnier version of the old police academy flicks .


there 's much tongue in cheek in the film and there 's no doubt the filmmaker is having fun with it all .


set in a 1986 harlem that does n't look much like anywhere in new york .


handsome and sophisticated approach to the workplace romantic comedy .


the sweetest thing leaves a bitter taste .


a very pretty after-school special .


all in all , an interesting look at the life of the campaign-trail press , especially ones that do n't really care for the candidate they 're forced to follow .


there is no substitute for on-screen chemistry , and when friel pulls the strings that make williams sink into melancholia , the reaction in williams is as visceral as a gut punch .


my own minority report is that it stinks .


the message of such reflections -- intentional or not -- is that while no art grows from a vacuum , many artists exist in one .


one of those movies that catches you up in something bigger than yourself , namely , an archetypal desire to enjoy good trash every now and then .


this hastily mounted production exists only to capitalize on hopkins ' inclination to play hannibal lecter again , even though harris has no immediate inclination to provide a fourth book .


in auteil 's less dramatic but equally incisive performance , he 's a charismatic charmer likely to seduce and conquer .


schneidermeister ... makin ' a fool of himself ... losin ' his fan base ...


... a cinematic disaster so inadvertently sidesplitting it 's worth the price of admission for the ridicule factor alone .


naipaul fans may be disappointed .


before it takes a sudden turn and devolves into a bizarre sort of romantic comedy , steven shainberg 's adaptation of mary gaitskill 's harrowing short story ... is a brilliantly played , deeply unsettling experience .


rarely has sex on screen been so aggressively anti-erotic .


meyjes ... has done his homework and soaked up some jazzy new revisionist theories about the origins of nazi politics and aesthetics .


gaghan captures the half-lit , sometimes creepy intimacy of college dorm rooms , a subtlety that makes the silly , over-the-top coda especially disappointing .


with rare birds , as with the shipping news before it , an attempt is made to transplant a hollywood star into newfoundland 's wild soil -- and the rock once again resists the intrusion .


the screenplay , co-written by director imogen kimmel , lacks the wit necessary to fully exploit the comic elements of the premise , making the proceedings more bizarre than actually amusing .


standing in the shadows of motown is the best kind of documentary , one that makes a depleted yesterday feel very much like a brand-new tomorrow .


a riveting documentary .


a haunting tale of murder and mayhem .


... gripping and handsome execution , -lrb- but -rrb- there is n't much about k-19 that 's unique or memorable .


an extraordinarily silly thriller .


`` the quiet american '' begins in saigon in 1952 .


a manipulative feminist empowerment tale thinly posing as a serious drama about spousal abuse .


an awful lot like one of -lrb- spears ' -rrb- music videos in content -- except that it goes on for at least 90 more minutes and , worse , that you have to pay if you want to see it .


the only thing scary about feardotcom is that the filmmakers and studio are brazen enough to attempt to pass this stinker off as a scary movie .


it almost feels as if the movie is more interested in entertaining itself than in amusing us .


... silly humbuggery ...


an amused indictment of jaglom 's own profession .


an overstylized , puréed mélange of sex , psychology , drugs and philosophy .


once folks started hanging out at the barbershop , they never wanted to leave .


just about everyone involved here seems to be coasting .


what 's invigorating about it is that it does n't give a damn .


it 's funny .


this beautifully animated epic is never dull .


the concept is a hoot .


the unexpected thing is that its dying , in this shower of black-and-white psychedelia , is quite beautiful .


i was trying to decide what annoyed me most about god is great ... i 'm not , and then i realized that i just did n't care .


the film sounds like the stuff of lurid melodrama , but what makes it interesting as a character study is the fact that the story is told from paul 's perspective .


shyamalan offers copious hints along the way -- myriad signs , if you will -- that beneath the familiar , funny surface is a far bigger , far more meaningful story than one in which little green men come to earth for harvesting purposes .


kosminsky ... puts enough salt into the wounds of the tortured and self-conscious material to make it sting .


the film 's best trick is the way that it treats conspiracy as a kind of political blair witch , a monstrous murk that haunts us precisely because it can never be seen .


i 've never seen -lrb- a remake -rrb- do anything as stomach-turning as the way adam sandler 's new movie rapes , pillages and incinerates frank capra 's classic ...


it winds up moving in many directions as it searches -lrb- vainly , i think -rrb- for something fresh to say .


an intriguing near-miss .


squandering his opportunity to make absurdist observations , burns gets caught up in the rush of slapstick thoroughfare .


constantly slips from the grasp of its maker .


they ought to be a whole lot scarier than they are in this tepid genre offering .


greg kinnear gives a mesmerizing performance as a full-fledged sex addict who is in complete denial about his obsessive behavior .


this franchise has not spawned a single good film .


matches neorealism 's impact by showing the humanity of a war-torn land filled with people who just want to live their lives .


talkiness is n't necessarily bad , but the dialogue frequently misses the mark .


cynics need not apply . '


any chekhov is better than no chekhov , but it would be a shame if this was your introduction to one of the greatest plays of the last 100 years .


really quite funny .


invigorating , surreal , and resonant with a rainbow of emotion .


queen of the damned as you might have guessed , makes sorry use of aaliyah in her one and only starring role -- she does little here but point at things that explode into flame .


unintelligible , poorly acted , brain-slappingly bad , harvard man is ludicrous enough that it could become a cult classic .


less-than-compelling documentary of a yiddish theater clan .


one of the worst films of 2002 .


a movie in which two not very absorbing characters are engaged in a romance you ca n't wait to see end .


... too sappy for its own good .


one of the funnier movies in town .


amazingly dopey .


lazy , miserable and smug .


stay for the credits and see a devastating comic impersonation by dustin hoffman that is revelatory .


the film feels uncomfortably real , its language and locations bearing the unmistakable stamp of authority .


though there 's a clarity of purpose and even-handedness to the film 's direction , the drama feels rigged and sluggish .


a college story that works even without vulgarity , sex scenes , and cussing !


if you enjoy being rewarded by a script that assumes you are n't very bright , then blood work is for you .


not that any of us should be complaining when a film clocks in around 90 minutes these days , but the plotting here leaves a lot to be desired .


an excellent sequel .


in that setting , their struggle is simply too ludicrous and borderline insulting .


an inexperienced director , mehta has much to learn .


a shame that stealing harvard is too busy getting in its own way to be anything but frustrating , boring , and forgettable .


payne constructs a hilarious ode to middle america and middle age with this unlikely odyssey , featuring a pathetic , endearing hero who is all too human .


if you 're really renting this you 're not interested in discretion in your entertainment choices , you 're interested in anne geddes , john grisham , and thomas kincaid .


suffers from all the excesses of the genre .


it 's all surface psychodramatics .


though impostor deviously adopts the guise of a modern motion picture , it too is a bomb .


a deliciously nonsensical comedy about a city coming apart at its seams .


a domestic melodrama with weak dialogue and biopic cliches .


except as an acting exercise or an exceptionally dark joke , you wonder what anyone saw in this film that allowed it to get made .


there is no solace here , no entertainment value , merely a fierce lesson in where filmmaking can take us .


if horses could fly , this is surely what they 'd look like .


like rudy yellow lodge , eyre needs to take a good sweat to clarify his cinematic vision before his next creation and remember the lessons of the trickster spider .


executed with such gentle but insistent sincerity , with such good humor and appreciation of the daily grind that only the most hardhearted scrooge could fail to respond .


the whole thing plays like a tired tyco ad .


too predictably , in fact .


in other words , about as bad a film you 're likely to see all year .


the observations of this social\/economic\/urban environment are canny and spiced with irony .


it 's another retelling of alexandre dumas ' classic .


i found the ring moderately absorbing , largely for its elegantly colorful look and sound .


it 's dull , spiritless , silly and monotonous : an ultra-loud blast of pointless mayhem , going nowhere fast .


the level of acting elevates the material above pat inspirational status and gives it a sturdiness and solidity that we 've long associated with washington the actor .


nair does n't treat the issues lightly .


while glover , the irrepressible eccentric of river 's edge , dead man and back to the future , is perfect casting for the role , he represents bartleby 's main overall flaw .


a chick flick for guys .


great character interaction .


as banal as the telling may be -- and at times , all my loved ones more than flirts with kitsch -- the tale commands attention .


there are n't too many films that can be as simultaneously funny , offbeat and heartwarming -lrb- without a thick shmear of the goo , at least -rrb- , but `` elling '' manages to do all three quite well , making it one of the year 's most enjoyable releases .


it 's not particularly subtle ... however , it still manages to build to a terrifying , if obvious , conclusion .


a loud , witless mess that has none of the charm and little of the intrigue from the tv series .


the kind of sweet-and-sour insider movie that film buffs will eat up like so much gelati .


a sentimental hybrid that could benefit from the spice of specificity .


despite its visual virtuosity , ` naqoyqatsi ' is banal in its message and the choice of material to convey it .


... while each moment of this broken character study is rich in emotional texture , the journey does n't really go anywhere .


it 's an interesting effort -lrb- particularly for jfk conspiracy nuts -rrb- , and barry 's cold-fish act makes the experience worthwhile .


if there 's no art here , it 's still a good yarn -- which is nothing to sneeze at these days .


even more baffling is that it 's funny .


try hell house , which documents the cautionary christian spook-a-rama of the same name .


smart and fun , but far more witty than it is wise .


it is n't scary .


thoroughly awful .


we 've seen the hippie-turned-yuppie plot before , but there 's an enthusiastic charm in fire that makes the formula fresh again .


a rollicking ride , with jaw-dropping action sequences , striking villains , a gorgeous color palette , astounding technology , stirring music and a boffo last hour that leads up to a strangely sinister happy ending .


not only does spider-man deliver , but i suspect it might deliver again and again .


gay or straight , kissing jessica stein is one of the greatest date movies in years .


the ingenious construction -lrb- adapted by david hare from michael cunningham 's novel -rrb- constantly flows forwards and back , weaving themes among three strands which allow us to view events as if through a prism


surprisingly , considering that baird is a former film editor , the movie is rather choppy .


the saigon of 1952 is an uneasy mix of sensual delights and simmering violence , and the quiet american brings us right into the center of that world .


american and european cinema has amassed a vast holocaust literature , but it is impossible to think of any film more challenging or depressing than the grey zone .


but it 's defiantly and delightfully against the grain .


a lot smarter than your average bond .


assayas ' ambitious , sometimes beautiful adaptation of jacques chardonne 's novel .


yes , soar .


by not averting his eyes , solondz forces us to consider the unthinkable , the unacceptable , the unmentionable .


more mature than fatal attraction , more complete than indecent proposal and more relevant than 9 1\/2 weeks , unfaithful is at once intimate and universal cinema .


far from heaven is a dazzling conceptual feat , but more than that , it 's a work of enthralling drama .


underachieves only in not taking the shakespeare parallels quite far enough .


a penetrating , potent exploration of sanctimony , self-awareness , self-hatred and self-determination .


below is well below expectations .


fans of the modern day hong kong action film finally have the worthy successor to a better tomorrow and the killer which they have been patiently waiting for .


the only surprise is that heavyweights joel silver and robert zemeckis agreed to produce this ; i assume the director has pictures of them cavorting in ladies ' underwear .


loosely speaking , we 're in all of me territory again , and , strictly speaking , schneider is no steve martin .


fear dot com is more frustrating than a modem that disconnects every 10 seconds .


the latest vapid actor 's exercise to appropriate the structure of arthur schnitzler 's reigen .


` stock up on silver bullets for director neil marshall 's intense freight train of a film . '


a good music documentary , probably one of the best since the last waltz .


a sexy , surprising romance ... idemoto and kim make a gorgeous pair ... their scenes brim with sexual possibility and emotional danger .


an ugly , revolting movie .


tale will be all too familiar for anyone who 's seen george roy hill 's 1973 film , `` the sting . ''


... enthusiastically invokes the percussion rhythm , the brass soul and the sense of fierce competition that helps make great marching bands half the fun of college football games .


it is an indelible epic american story about two families , one black and one white , facing change in both their inner and outer lives .


-lrb- t -rrb- his slop does n't even have potential as a cult film , as it 's too loud to shout insults at the screen .


a movie where story is almost an afterthought amidst a swirl of colors and inexplicable events .


done in mostly by a weak script that ca n't support the epic treatment .


it 's a hoot watching the rock chomp on jumbo ants , pull an arrow out of his back , and leap unscathed through raging fire !


an interesting psychological game of cat-and-mouse , three-dimensional characters and believable performances all add up to a satisfying crime drama .


britney spears ' phoniness is nothing compared to the movie 's contrived , lame screenplay and listless direction .


the enjoyable undercover brother , a zany mix of saturday night live-style parody , '70s blaxploitation films and goofball action comedy gone wild , dishes out a ton of laughs that everyone can enjoy .


plays like a checklist of everything rob reiner and his cast were sending up .


a rip-roaring comedy action fest that 'll put hairs on your chest .


one of those exceedingly rare films in which the talk alone is enough to keep us involved .


meant to reduce blake 's philosophy into a tragic coming-of-age saga punctuated by bursts of animator todd mcfarlane 's superhero dystopia .


hollywood ending is not show-stoppingly hilarious , but scathingly witty nonetheless .


nicely combines the enigmatic features of ` memento ' with the hallucinatory drug culture of ` requiem for a dream . '


like being trapped inside a huge video game , where exciting , inane images keep popping past your head and the same illogical things keep happening over and over again .


the gags , and the script , are a mixed bag .


the powerful success of read my lips with such provocative material shows why , after only three films , director\/co-writer jacques audiard , though little known in this country , belongs in the very top rank of french filmmakers .


this is n't a new idea .


berry 's saucy , full-bodied performance gives this aging series a much needed kick , making `` die another day '' one of the most entertaining bonds in years


works because reno does n't become smug or sanctimonious towards the audience .


in the era of the sopranos , it feels painfully redundant and inauthentic .


an elegant film with often surprising twists and an intermingling of naiveté and sophistication .


who knows , but it works under the direction of kevin reynolds .


not a film for the faint of heart or conservative of spirit , but for the rest of us -- especially san francisco lovers -- it 's a spirited film and a must-see .


it 's still terrible !


this is one of mr. chabrol 's subtlest works , but also one of his most uncanny .


-lrb- at least -rrb- moore is a real charmer .


s1m0ne 's satire is not subtle , but it is effective .


hard as this may be to believe , here on earth , a surprisingly similar teen drama , was a better film .


but it 's worth the concentration .


the film does n't sustain its initial promise with a jarring , new-agey tone creeping into the second half


japanese director shohei imamura 's latest film is an odd but ultimately satisfying blend of the sophomoric and the sublime .


it is also a testament to the integrity and vision of the band .


russell lacks the visual panache , the comic touch , and perhaps the budget of sommers 's title-bout features .


about as big a crowdpleaser as they possibly come .


an emotionally and spiritually compelling journey seen through the right eyes , with the right actors and with the kind of visual flair that shows what great cinema can really do .


combines sharp comedy , old-fashioned monster movie atmospherics , and genuine heart to create a film that 's not merely about kicking undead \*\*\* , but also about dealing with regret and , ultimately , finding redemption .


the very simple story seems too simple and the working out of the plot almost arbitrary .


the re-release of ron howard 's apollo 13 in the imax format proves absolutely that really , really , really good things can come in enormous packages .


from both a great and a terrible story , mr. nelson has made a film that is an undeniably worthy and devastating experience .


what a concept , what an idea , what a thrill ride .


beautiful , angry and sad , with a curious sick poetry , as if the marquis de sade had gone in for pastel landscapes .


a true-blue delight .


the leads are natural and lovely , the pace is serene , the humor wry and sprightly .


the christ allegory does n't work because there is no foundation for it


it 's still a comic book , but maguire makes it a comic book with soul .


wes craven 's presence is felt ; not the craven of ' a nightmare on elm street ' or ` the hills have eyes , ' but the sad schlock merchant of ` deadly friend . '


coal is n't as easy to come by as it used to be and this would be a worthy substitute for naughty children 's stockings .


it 's the movie equivalent of a sweaty old guy in a rain coat shopping for cheap porn .


the somber pacing and lack of dramatic fireworks make green dragon seem more like medicine than entertainment .


sayles has an eye for the ways people of different ethnicities talk to and about others outside the group .


the actresses find their own rhythm and protect each other from the script 's bad ideas and awkwardness .


a characteristically engorged and sloppy coming-of-age movie .


sodden and glum , even in those moments where it 's supposed to feel funny and light .


my wife is an actress has its moments in looking at the comic effects of jealousy .


there 's no good answer to that one .


if you 're a fan of the series you 'll love it and probably want to see it twice .


an exceptionally acted , quietly affecting cop drama .


there 's something to be said for a studio-produced film that never bothers to hand viewers a suitcase full of easy answers .


it zips along with b-movie verve while adding the rich details and go-for-broke acting that heralds something special .


the makers of mothman prophecies succeed in producing that most frightening of all movies -- a mediocre horror film too bad to be good and too good to be bad .


while the now 72-year-old robert evans been slowed down by a stroke , he has at least one more story to tell : his own .


an escapist confection that 's pure entertainment .


i have to admit i walked out of runteldat .


the inevitable double - and triple-crosses arise , but the only drama is in waiting to hear how john malkovich 's reedy consigliere will pronounce his next line .


trailer park magnolia : too long , too cutesy , too sure of its own importance , and possessed of that peculiar tension of being too dense & about nothing at all .


` rare birds ' tries to force its quirkiness upon the audience .


don michael paul uses quick-cuts , -lrb- very -rrb- large shadows and wide-angle shots taken from a distance to hide the liberal use of a body double -lrb- for seagal -rrb- .


canada 's arctic light shines bright on this frozen tundra soap opera that breathes extraordinary life into the private existence of the inuit people .


an often watchable , though goofy and lurid , blast of a costume drama set in the late 15th century .


comes across as a fairly weak retooling .


the film never finds its tone and several scenes run too long .


it must be in the genes .


it 's a perfect show of respect to just one of those underrated professionals who deserve but rarely receive it .


made for teens and reviewed as such , this is recommended only for those under 20 years of age ... and then only as a very mild rental .


ararat feels like a book report


oh , james !


for those who pride themselves on sophisticated , discerning taste , this might not seem like the proper cup of tea , however it is almost guaranteed that even the stuffiest cinema goers will laugh their \*\*\* off for an hour-and-a-half .


the movie is ... very funny as you peek at it through the fingers in front of your eyes .


shankman ... and screenwriter karen janszen bungle their way through the narrative as if it were a series of bible parables and not an actual story .


the picture uses humor and a heartfelt conviction to tell a story about discovering your destination in life , but also acknowledging the places , and the people , from whence you came .


based on dave barry 's popular book of the same name , the movie benefits from having a real writer plot out all of the characters ' moves and overlapping story .


this is a superior horror flick .


woven together handsomely , recalling sixties ' rockumentary milestones from lonely boy to do n't look back .


as the movie dragged on , i thought i heard a mysterious voice , and felt myself powerfully drawn toward the light -- the light of the exit sign .


throw smoochy from the train !


journalism of the 1960s .


what redeems the film is the cast , particularly the ya-yas themselves .


it 's not difficult to spot the culprit early-on in this predictable thriller .


you may feel compelled to watch the film twice or pick up a book on the subject .


the merchant-ivory team continues to systematically destroy everything we hold dear about cinema , only now it 's begun to split up so that it can do even more damage .


this is n't a stand up and cheer flick ; it 's a sit down and ponder affair .


this movie is to be cherished .


the pace and the visuals are so hyped up that a curious sense of menace informs everything .


an entertaining mix of period drama and flat-out farce that should please history fans .


but mr. polanski creates images even more haunting than those in mr. spielberg 's 1993 classic .


provides a porthole into that noble , trembling incoherence that defines us all .


personal velocity has a no-frills docu-dogma plainness , yet miller lingers on invisible , nearly psychic nuances , leaping into digressions of memory and desire .


... begins with promise , but runs aground after being snared in its own tangled plot .


astonishing is n't the word -- neither is incompetent , incoherent or just plain crap .


a dreary movie .


the movie has generic virtues , and despite a lot of involved talent , seems done by the numbers .


viewers are asked so often to suspend belief that were it not for holm 's performance , the film would be a total washout .


although frailty fits into a classic genre , in its script and execution it is a remarkably original work .


a lively and engaging examination of how similar obsessions can dominate a family .


it 's a diverting enough hour-and-a-half for the family audience .


its director 's most substantial feature for some time .


tells a fascinating , compelling story .


starts slowly , but adrien brody -- in the title role -- helps make the film 's conclusion powerful and satisfying .


unfunny comedy with a lot of static set ups , not much camera movement , and most of the scenes take place indoors in formal settings with motionless characters .


it 's quaid who anchors the film with his effortless performance and that trademark grin of his -- so perfect for a ballplayer .


children and adults enamored of all things pokemon wo n't be disappointed .


and a very rainy day .


yes , mibii is rote work and predictable , but with a philosophical visual coming right at the end that extravagantly redeems it .


enough is not a bad movie , just mediocre .


seagal ran out of movies years ago , and this is just the proof .


a film of epic scale with an intimate feeling , a saga of the ups and downs of friendships .


where janice beard falters in its recycled aspects , implausibility , and sags in pace , it rises in its courageousness , and comedic employment .


spielberg 's realization of a near-future america is masterful .


cold , pretentious , thoroughly dislikable study in sociopathy .


-lrb- a -rrb- rather thinly-conceived movie .


it does n't make for great cinema , but it is interesting to see where one 's imagination will lead when given the opportunity .


the entire movie has a truncated feeling , but what 's available is lovely and lovable .


eh .


psychologically revealing .


byler is too savvy a filmmaker to let this morph into a typical romantic triangle .


too much of nemesis has a tired , talky feel .


drumline ably captures the complicated relationships in a marching band .


dismally dull sci-fi comedy .


i had more fun with ben stiller 's zoolander , which i thought was rather clever .


this is a movie so insecure about its capacity to excite that it churns up not one but two flagrantly fake thunderstorms to underscore the action .


the sequel plays out like a flimsy excuse to give blade fans another look at wesley snipes ' iconic hero doing battle with dozens of bad guys -- at once .


-lrb- gosling 's -rrb- combination of explosive physical energy and convincing intelligence helps create a complex , unpredictable character .


to better understand why this did n't connect with me would require another viewing , and i wo n't be sitting through this one again ... that in itself is commentary enough .


although it tries to be much more , it 's really just another major league .


here 's yet another cool crime movie that actually manages to bring something new into the mix .


miller comes at film with bracing intelligence and a vision both painterly and literary .


a dark , dull thriller with a parting shot that misfires .


as the princess , sorvino glides gracefully from male persona to female without missing a beat .


is there a group of more self-absorbed women than the mother and daughters featured in this film ?


all the sensuality , all the eroticism of a good vampire tale has been , pardon the pun , sucked out and replaced by goth goofiness .


psychologically savvy .


the movie is a desperate miscalculation .


by applying definition to both sides of the man , the picture realizes a fullness that does not negate the subject .


ultimately , the film never recovers from the clumsy cliché of the ugly american abroad , and the too-frosty exterior ms. paltrow employs to authenticate her british persona is another liability .


call me a cynic , but there 's something awfully deadly about any movie with a life-affirming message .


the film has several strong performances .


better still , he does all of this , and more , while remaining one of the most savagely hilarious social critics this side of jonathan swift .


hilarious musical comedy though stymied by accents thick as mud .


the film was n't preachy , but it was feminism by the book .


delight your senses and crash this wedding !


whatever satire lucky break was aiming for , it certainly got lost in the `` soon-to-be-forgettable '' section of the quirky rip-off prison romp pile .


the milieu is wholly unconvincing ... and the histrionics reach a truly annoying pitch .


this story still seems timely and important .


clare peploe 's airless movie adaptation could use a little american pie-like irreverence .


a slight and obvious effort , even for one whose target demographic is likely still in the single digits , age-wise .


you do n't need to be a hip-hop fan to appreciate scratch , and that 's the mark of a documentary that works .


a full experience , a love story and a murder mystery that expands into a meditation on the deep deceptions of innocence .


there 's not one decent performance from the cast and not one clever line of dialogue .


garcia and the other actors help make the wobbly premise work .


trades run-of-the-mill revulsion for extreme unease .


a film that presents an interesting , even sexy premise then ruins itself with too many contrivances and goofy situations .


an 83 minute document of a project which started in a muddle , seesawed back and forth between controlling interests multiple times , then found its sweet spot


it has its faults , but it is a kind , unapologetic , sweetheart of a movie , and mandy moore leaves a positive impression .


a french film with a more down-home flavor .


hopelessly inane , humorless and under-inspired .


formuliac , but fun .


it may play well as a double feature with mainstream foreign mush like my big fat greek wedding


thanks to confident filmmaking and a pair of fascinating performances , the way to that destination is a really special walk in the woods .


a feature-length , r-rated , road-trip version of mama 's family .


... a delightfully unpredictable , hilarious comedy with wonderful performances that tug at your heart in ways that utterly transcend gender labels .


dreary tale of middle-class angst


she 's not yet an actress , not quite a singer ...


displays the potential for a better movie than what bailly manages to deliver


phoned-in business as usual .


starts as a tart little lemon drop of a movie and ends up as a bitter pill .


writer\/director alexander payne -lrb- election -rrb- and his co-writer jim taylor brilliantly employ their quirky and fearless ability to look american angst in the eye and end up laughing .


parris ' performance is credible and remarkably mature .


bravo for history rewritten , and for the uncompromising knowledge that the highest power of all is the power of love .


it desperately wants to be a wacky , screwball comedy , but the most screwy thing here is how so many talented people were convinced to waste their time .


exceptionally well acted by diane lane and richard gere .


lookin ' for sin , american-style ?


yet another iteration of what 's become one of the movies ' creepiest conventions , in which the developmentally disabled are portrayed with almost supernatural powers to humble , teach and ultimately redeem their mentally `` superior '' friends , family ...


a wild ride of a movie that keeps throwing fastballs .


with tiny little jokes and nary an original idea , this sappy ethnic sleeper proves that not only blockbusters pollute the summer movie pool .


... the whole thing succeeded only in making me groggy .


terrific casting and solid execution give all three stories life .


although purportedly a study in modern alienation , it 's really little more than a particularly slanted , gay s\/m fantasy , enervating and deadeningly drawn-out .


directing with a sure and measured hand , -lrb- haneke -rrb- steers clear of the sensational and offers instead an unflinching and objective look at a decidedly perverse pathology .


whatever the movie 's sentimental , hypocritical lessons about sexism , its true colors come out in various wet t-shirt and shower scenes .


a close-to-solid espionage thriller with the misfortune of being released a few decades too late .


turns a potentially interesting idea into an excruciating film school experience that plays better only for the film 's publicists or for people who take as many drugs as the film 's characters


-lrb- woo 's -rrb- most resonant film since the killer .


the film desperately sinks further and further into comedy futility .


how inept is serving sara ?


a selection of scenes in search of a movie .


illiterate , often inert sci-fi action thriller .


mr. polanski is in his element here : alone , abandoned , but still consoled by his art , which is more than he has ever revealed before about the source of his spiritual survival .


cedar somewhat defuses this provocative theme by submerging it in a hoary love triangle .


a solid , spooky entertainment worthy of the price of a ticket .


brown 's saga , like many before his , makes for snappy prose but a stumblebum of a movie .


a retread of material already thoroughly plumbed by martin scorsese .


producer john penotti surveyed high school students ... and came back with the astonishing revelation that `` they wanted to see something that did n't talk down to them . ''


every five minutes or so , someone gets clocked .


nohe 's documentary about the event is sympathetic without being gullible : he is n't blind to the silliness , but also captures moments of spontaneous creativity and authentic co-operative interaction .


hard-core slasher aficionados will find things to like ... but overall the halloween series has lost its edge .


fred schepisi 's tale of four englishmen facing the prospect of their own mortality views youthful affluence not as a lost ideal but a starting point .


it gets bogged down by hit-and-miss topical humour before getting to the truly good stuff .


worth catching for griffiths ' warm and winning central performance .


... a bland , pretentious mess .


what 's most refreshing about real women have curves is its unforced comedy-drama and its relaxed , natural-seeming actors .


if `` lilo & stitch '' is n't the most edgy piece of disney animation to hit the silver screen , then this first film to use a watercolor background since `` dumbo '' certainly ranks as the most original in years .


they are what makes it worth the trip to the theatre .


like a can of 2-day old coke .


uneven , self-conscious but often hilarious spoof .


but first , you have to give the audience a reason to want to put for that effort


dodgy mixture of cutesy romance , dark satire and murder mystery .


beautifully reclaiming the story of carmen and recreating it an in an african idiom .


unless you come in to the film with a skateboard under your arm , you 're going to feel like you were n't invited to the party .


by the end of the movie , you 're definitely convinced that these women are spectacular .


the logic of it all will be greek to anyone not predisposed to the movie 's rude and crude humor .


completely creatively stillborn and executed in a manner that i 'm not sure could be a single iota worse ... a soulless hunk of exploitative garbage .


a moving essay about the specter of death , especially suicide .


cheap , vulgar dialogue and a plot that crawls along at a snail 's pace .


the audacity to view one of shakespeare 's better known tragedies as a dark comedy is , by itself , deserving of discussion .


a rather brilliant little cult item : a pastiche of children 's entertainment , superhero comics , and japanese animation .


the script is too mainstream and the psychology too textbook to intrigue .


there 's not much to fatale , outside of its stylish surprises ... but that 's ok .


if you 're looking for a tale of brits behaving badly , watch snatch again .


draggin ' about dragons


although shot with little style , skins is heartfelt and achingly real .


ultimately the , yes , snail-like pacing and lack of thematic resonance make the film more silly than scary , like some sort of martha stewart decorating program run amok .


maid in manhattan proves that it 's easier to change the sheets than to change hackneyed concepts when it comes to dreaming up romantic comedies .


she is a lioness , protecting her cub , and he a reluctant villain , incapable of controlling his crew .


what makes how i killed my father compelling , besides its terrific performances , is fontaine 's willingness to wander into the dark areas of parent-child relationships without flinching .


one of those films where the characters inhabit that special annex of hell where adults behave like kids , children behave like adults and everyone screams at the top of their lungs no matter what the situation .


driven by a fantastic dual performance from ian holm ... the film is funny , insightfully human and a delightful lark for history buffs .


rehearsals are frequently more fascinating than the results .


many of the effective horror elements are dampened through familiarity , -lrb- yet -rrb- are worthwhile .


for all its problems ... the lady and the duke surprisingly manages never to grow boring ... which proves that rohmer still has a sense of his audience .


veers uncomfortably close to pro-serb propaganda .


best enjoyed as a work of fiction inspired by real-life events .


gets bogged down by an overly sillified plot and stop-and-start pacing .


manages to accomplish what few sequels can -- it equals the original and in some ways even betters it .


he nonetheless appreciates the art and reveals a music scene that transcends culture and race .


one-of-a-kind near-masterpiece .


ultimately engages less for its story of actorly existential despair than for its boundary-hopping formal innovations and glimpse into another kind of chinese ` cultural revolution . '


the first question to ask about bad company is why anthony hopkins is in it .


quitting , however , manages just to be depressing , as the lead actor phones in his autobiographical performance .


if you do n't flee , you might be seduced .


the film is grossly contradictory in conveying its social message , if indeed there is one .


watching `` ending '' is too often like looking over the outdated clothes and plastic knickknacks at your neighbor 's garage sale .


the film 's trailer also looked like crap , so crap is what i was expecting .


donovan ... squanders his main asset , jackie chan , and fumbles the vital action sequences .


-lrb- city -rrb- reminds us how realistically nuanced a robert de niro performance can be when he is not more lucratively engaged in the shameless self-caricature of ` analyze this ' -lrb- 1999 -rrb- and ` analyze that , ' promised -lrb- or threatened -rrb- for later this year .


whatever heartwarming scene the impressively discreet filmmakers may have expected to record with their mini dv , they show a remarkable ability to document both sides of this emotional car-wreck .


while i ca n't say it 's on par with the first one , stuart little 2 is a light , fun cheese puff of a movie .


the lack of naturalness makes everything seem self-consciously poetic and forced ... it 's a pity that -lrb- nelson 's -rrb- achievement does n't match his ambition .


what emerges is an unsettling picture of childhood innocence combined with indoctrinated prejudice .


the film has an infectious enthusiasm and we 're touched by the film 's conviction that all life centered on that place , that time and that sport .


monte cristo smartly emphasizes the well-wrought story and omits needless chase scenes and swordfights as the revenge unfolds .


unexpected moments of authentically impulsive humor are the hallmark of this bittersweet , uncommonly sincere movie that portrays the frank humanity of ... emotional recovery .


nakata 's technique is to imply terror by suggestion , rather than the overuse of special effects .


the overall feel is not unlike watching a glorified episode of `` 7th heaven . ''


all of the elements are in place for a great film noir , but director george hickenlooper 's approach to the material is too upbeat .


even as i valiantly struggled to remain interested , or at least conscious , i could feel my eyelids ... getting ... very ... heavy ...


barely manages for but a few seconds over its seemingly eternal running time to pique your interest , your imagination , your empathy or anything , really , save your disgust and your indifference .


frankly , it 's pretty stupid .


but here 's a glimpse at his life .


you 'll laugh at either the obviousness of it all or its stupidity or maybe even its inventiveness , but the point is , you 'll laugh .


there has to be a few advantages to never growing old .


imagine the cleanflicks version of ` love story , ' with ali macgraw 's profanities replaced by romance-novel platitudes .


on a certain base level , blue crush delivers what it promises , just not well enough to recommend it .


the banter between calvin and his fellow barbers feels like a streetwise mclaughlin group ... and never fails to entertain .


a muddled limp biscuit of a movie , a vampire soap opera that does n't make much sense even on its own terms .


the bodily function jokes are about what you 'd expect , but there are rich veins of funny stuff in this movie .


the film , despite the gratuitous cinematic distractions impressed upon it , is still good fun .


read my lips is to be viewed and treasured for its extraordinary intelligence and originality as well as its lyrical variations on the game of love .


we get light showers of emotion a couple of times , but then -- strangely -- these wane to an inconsistent and ultimately unsatisfying drizzle .


helmer hudlin tries to make a hip comedy , but his dependence on slapstick defeats the possibility of creating a more darkly edged tome .


horrible .


it 's jagger 's bone-dry , mournfully brittle delivery that gives the film its bittersweet bite .


it would take a complete moron to foul up a screen adaptation of oscar wilde 's classic satire .


an enjoyable experience .


screenwriter chris ver weil 's directing debut is good-natured and never dull , but its virtues are small and easily overshadowed by its predictability .


gorgeous scenes , masterful performances , but the sickly sweet gender normative narrative left an acrid test in this gourmet 's mouth .


eyre is on his way to becoming the american indian spike lee .


as literary desecrations go , this makes for perfectly acceptable , occasionally very enjoyable children 's entertainment .


tv skit-com material fervently deposited on the big screen .


what madonna does here ca n't properly be called acting -- more accurately , it 's moving and it 's talking and it 's occasionally gesturing , sometimes all at once .


even through its flaws , revolution # 9 proves to be a compelling , interestingly told film .


a tour de force of modern cinema .


... the cast portrays their cartoon counterparts well ... but quite frankly , scoob and shag do n't eat enough during the film . '


watching harris ham it up while physically and emotionally disintegrating over the course of the movie has a certain poignancy in light of his recent death , but boyd 's film offers little else of consequence .


the overall result is an intelligent , realistic portrayal of testing boundaries .


this is a sincerely crafted picture that deserves to emerge from the traffic jam of holiday movies .


becomes the last thing you would expect from a film with this title or indeed from any plympton film : boring .


as directed by dani kouyate of burkina faso , sia lacks visual flair .


a really good premise is frittered away in middle-of-the-road blandness .


ferrara 's strongest and most touching movie of recent years .


the most brilliant and brutal uk crime film since jack carter went back to newcastle , the first half of gangster no. 1 drips with style and , at times , blood .


dong shows how intolerance has the power to deform families , then tear them apart .


it 's a film that 's destined to win a wide summer audience through word-of-mouth reviews and , not far down the line , to find a place among the studio 's animated classics .


the trappings of i spy are so familiar you might as well be watching a rerun .


for casual moviegoers who stumble into rules expecting a slice of american pie hijinks starring the kid from dawson 's creek , they 'll probably run out screaming .


though its atmosphere is intriguing ... the drama is finally too predictable to leave much of an impression .


the gorgeously elaborate continuation of `` the lord of the rings '' trilogy is so huge that a column of words can not adequately describe co-writer\/director peter jackson 's expanded vision of j.r.r. tolkien 's middle-earth .


both lead performances are oscar-size .


the acting is n't much better .


please , someone , stop eric schaeffer before he makes another film .


a showcase for both the scenic splendor of the mountains and for legendary actor michel serrault , the film is less successful on other levels .


an absurdist spider web .


... post-september 11 , `` the sum of all fears '' seems more tacky and reprehensible , manipulating our collective fear without bestowing the subject with the intelligence or sincerity it unequivocally deserves .


too much of the movie feels contrived , as if the filmmakers were worried the story would n't work without all those gimmicks .


while guzmán frustratingly refuses to give pinochet 's crimes a political context , his distance from the material is mostly admirable .


... a powerful sequel and one of the best films of the year .


there 's a spontaneity to the chateau , a sense of light-heartedness , that makes it attractive throughout .


enough may pander to our basest desires for payback , but unlike many revenge fantasies , it ultimately delivers .


an incoherent jumble of a film that 's rarely as entertaining as it could have been .


the lady and the duke is eric rohmer 's economical antidote to the bloated costume drama


the most horrific movie experience i 've had since `` ca n't stop the music . ''


a banal , virulently unpleasant excuse for a romantic comedy .


ending .


while serving sara does have a long way to go before it reaches the level of crudity in the latest austin powers extravaganza , there 's nothing here to match that movie 's intermittent moments of inspiration .


make like the title and dodge this one .


the origin story is well told , and the characters will not disappoint anyone who values the original comic books .


as plain and pedestrian as catsup --


takes a clunky tv-movie approach to detailing a chapter in the life of the celebrated irish playwright , poet and drinker .


it strikes hardest ... when it reminds you how pertinent its dynamics remain .


it 's about issues most adults have to face in marriage and i think that 's what i liked about it -- the real issues tucked between the silly and crude storyline .


labute 's careful handling makes the material seem genuine rather than pandering .


it sends you away a believer again and quite cheered at just that .


you know that ten bucks you 'd spend on a ticket ?


it 's a smart , funny look at an arcane area of popular culture , and if it is n't entirely persuasive , it does give exposure to some talented performers .


an honest , sensitive story from a vietnamese point of view .


it 's makes a better travelogue than movie .


bacon keeps things interesting , but do n't go out of your way to pay full price .


poor editing , bad bluescreen , and ultra-cheesy dialogue highlight the radical action .


affable if not timeless , like mike raises some worthwhile themes while delivering a wholesome fantasy for kids .


not to mention a sharper , cleaner camera lens .


sometimes shorter is better .


woefully pretentious .


harvard man is a semi-throwback , a reminiscence without nostalgia or sentimentality .


for all the dolorous trim , secretary is a genial romance that maintains a surprisingly buoyant tone throughout , notwithstanding some of the writers ' sporadic dips into pop freudianism .


fun and nimble .


what bloody sunday lacks in clarity , it makes up for with a great , fiery passion .


at least it 's a fairly impressive debut from the director , charles stone iii .


both a successful adaptation and an enjoyable film in its own right .


true to its title , it traps audiences in a series of relentlessly nasty situations that we would pay a considerable ransom not to be looking at .


and the reason for that is a self-aware , often self-mocking , intelligence .


the characters are interesting and the relationship between yosuke and saeko is worth watching as it develops , but there 's not enough to the story to fill two hours .


anyone who suffers through this film deserves , at the very least , a big box of consolation candy .


robert harmon 's less-is-more approach delivers real bump-in - the-night chills -- his greatest triumph is keeping the creepy crawlies hidden in the film 's thick shadows .


informative , intriguing , observant , often touching ... gives a human face to what 's often discussed in purely abstract terms .


overall , it 's a very entertaining , thought-provoking film with a simple message : god is love .


it may ... work as a jaunt down memory lane for teens and young adults who grew up on televised scooby-doo shows or reruns .


in the new guy , even the bull gets recycled .


the script is smart and dark - hallelujah for small favors .


the town has kind of an authentic feel , but each one of these people stand out and everybody else is in the background and it just seems manufactured to me and artificial .


slow , dry , poorly cast , but beautifully shot .


a word of advice to the makers of the singles ward : celebrity cameos do not automatically equal laughs .


the komediant is a tale worth catching .


shadyac , who belongs with the damned for perpetrating patch adams , trots out every ghost trick from the sixth sense to the mothman prophecies .


madonna has made herself over so often now , there 's apparently nothing left to work with , sort of like michael jackson 's nose .


much of what we see is horrible but it 's also undeniably exceedingly clever .


it 's just a little too self-satisfied .


filled with alexandre desplat 's haunting and sublime music , the movie completely transfixes the audience .


the storytelling may be ordinary , but the cast is one of those all-star reunions that fans of gosford park have come to assume is just another day of brit cinema .


fresh and raw like a blown-out vein , narc takes a walking-dead , cop-flick subgenre and beats new life into it .


... a series of tales told with the intricate preciseness of the best short story writing .


the band performances featured in drumline are red hot ... -lrb- but -rrb- from a mere story point of view , the film 's ice cold .


surprisingly insightful


as predictable as the outcome of a globetrotters-generals game , juwanna mann is even more ludicrous than you 'd expect from the guy-in-a-dress genre , and a personal low for everyone involved .


jacquot 's strategy allows his cast the benefit of being able to give full performances ... while demonstrating vividly that the beauty and power of the opera reside primarily in the music itself .


alternating between facetious comic parody and pulp melodrama , this smart-aleck movie ... tosses around some intriguing questions about the difference between human and android life .


chelsea walls is a case of too many chefs fussing over too weak a recipe .


something must have been lost in the translation .


as they used to say in the 1950s sci-fi movies , signs is a tribute to shyamalan 's gifts , which are such that we 'll keep watching the skies for his next project .


into how long is this movie ?


woody allen can write and deliver a one liner as well as anybody .


the master of disguise represents adam sandler 's latest attempt to dumb down the universe .


what 's so fun about this silly , outrageous , ingenious thriller is the director 's talent .


the members manage to pronounce kok exactly as you think they might , thus giving the cast ample opportunity to use that term as often as possible .


sure , i hated myself in the morning .


yet in its own aloof , unreachable way it 's so fascinating you wo n't be able to look away for a second .


maryam is a small film , but it offers large rewards .


in -lrb- screenwriter -rrb- charlie kaufman 's world , truth and fiction are equally strange , and his for the taking .


the problem is not that it 's all derivative , because plenty of funny movies recycle old tropes .


this kind of hands-on storytelling is ultimately what makes shanghai ghetto move beyond a good , dry , reliable textbook and what allows it to rank with its worthy predecessors .


elling builds gradually until you feel fully embraced by this gentle comedy .


i highly recommend irwin , but not in the way this film showcases him .


does n't really add up to much .


it 's just plain lurid when it is n't downright silly .


pleasant but not more than recycled jock piffle .


very amusing , not the usual route in a thriller , and the performances are odd and pixilated and sometimes both .


perhaps it 's cliche to call the film ` refreshing , ' but it is .


this version of h.g. wells ' time machine was directed by h.g. wells ' great-grandson .


a terrifically entertaining specimen of spielbergian sci-fi .


a sharp satire of desperation and cinematic deception .


affirms the gifts of all involved , starting with spielberg and going right through the ranks of the players -- on-camera and off -- that he brings together .


unspools like a highbrow , low-key , 102-minute infomercial , blending entrepreneurial zeal with the testimony of satisfied customers .


rarely , a movie is more than a movie .


who cares ? -rrb- .


the entire cast is first-rate , especially sorvino .


two hours of sepia-tinted heavy metal images and surround sound effects of people moaning .


of all the halloween 's , this is the most visually unappealing .


a soul-stirring documentary about the israeli\/palestinian conflict as revealed through the eyes of some children who remain curious about each other against all odds .


a loud , low-budget and tired formula film that arrives cloaked in the euphemism ` urban drama . '


hashiguchi vividly captures the way young japanese live now , chafing against their culture 's manic mix of millennial brusqueness and undying , traditional politesse .


the following things are not at all entertaining : the bad sound , the lack of climax and , worst of all , watching seinfeld -lrb- who is also one of the film 's producers -rrb- do everything he can to look like a good guy .


the culmination of everyone 's efforts is given life when a selection appears in its final form -lrb- in `` last dance '' -rrb- .


the premise of jason x is silly but strangely believable .


deliciously slow .


a depressingly retrograde , ` post-feminist ' romantic comedy that takes an astonishingly condescending attitude toward women .


for all its plot twists , and some of them verge on the bizarre as the film winds down , blood work is a strong , character-oriented piece .


a dreadful day in irish history is given passionate , if somewhat flawed , treatment .


never lets go your emotions , taking them to surprising highs , sorrowful lows and hidden impulsive niches ... gorgeous , passionate , and at times uncommonly moving .


there 's a whole heap of nothing at the core of this slight coming-of-age\/coming-out tale .


how many more times will indie filmmakers subject us to boring , self-important stories of how horrible we are to ourselves and each other ?


it establishes its ominous mood and tension swiftly , and if the suspense never rises to a higher level , it is nevertheless maintained throughout .


otto-sallies has a real filmmaker 's eye .


one of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature .


life or something like it has its share of high points , but it misses too many opportunities .


every child 's story is what matters .


shanghai ghetto , much stranger than any fiction , brings this unknown slice of history affectingly to life .


strange , funny , twisted , brilliant and macabre .


all leather pants & augmented boobs , hawn is hilarious as she tries to resuscitate the fun-loving libertine lost somewhere inside the conservative , handbag-clutching sarandon .


nothing about the film -- with the possible exception of elizabeth hurley 's breasts -- is authentic .


the script is high on squaddie banter , low on shocks .


instead of panoramic sweep , kapur gives us episodic choppiness , undermining the story 's emotional thrust .


if the tuxedo actually were a suit , it would fit chan like a $ 99 bargain-basement special .


enchanted with low-life tragedy and liberally seasoned with emotional outbursts ... what is sorely missing , however , is the edge of wild , lunatic invention that we associate with cage 's best acting .


howard and his co-stars all give committed performances , but they 're often undone by howard 's self-conscious attempts to find a ` literary ' filmmaking style to match his subject .


a whole lot of fun and funny in the middle , though somewhat less hard-hitting at the start and finish .


an impenetrable and insufferable ball of pseudo-philosophic twaddle .


what with all the blanket statements and dime-store ruminations on vanity , the worries of the rich and sudden wisdom , the film becomes a sermon for most of its running time .


now he makes them .


truly terrible .


it all seemed wasted like deniro 's once promising career and the once grand long beach boardwalk .


the film presents visceral and dangerously honest revelations about the men and machines behind the curtains of our planet .


this is a poster movie , a mediocre tribute to films like them !


does a good job of establishing a time and place , and of telling a fascinating character 's story .


i had a dream that a smart comedy would come along to rescue me from a summer of teen-driven , toilet-humor codswallop , and its name was earnest .


the scriptwriters are no less a menace to society than the film 's characters .


you could put it on a coffee table anywhere .


the result puts a human face on derrida , and makes one of the great minds of our times interesting and accessible to people who normally could n't care less .


yes , spirited away is a triumph of imagination , but it 's also a failure of storytelling .


the animation and game phenomenon that peaked about three years ago is actually dying a slow death , if the poor quality of pokemon 4 ever is any indication .


punitively affirmational parable .


you begin to long for the end credits as the desert does for rain .


... generically , forgettably pleasant from start to finish .


depending upon your reaction to this movie , you may never again be able to look at a red felt sharpie pen without disgust , a thrill , or the giggles .


my little eye is the best little `` horror '' movie i 've seen in years .


a real snooze .


but darned if it does n't also keep us riveted to our seats .


... one resurrection too many .


this chicago has hugely imaginative and successful casting to its great credit , as well as one terrific score and attitude to spare .


the performances are all solid ; it merely lacks originality to make it a great movie .


a delightful surprise because despite all the backstage drama , this is a movie that tells stories that work -- is charming , is moving , is funny and looks professional .


a mawkish self-parody that plays like some weird masterpiece theater sketch with neither a point of view nor a compelling reason for being .


nair 's attention to detail creates an impeccable sense of place , while thurman and lewis give what can easily be considered career-best performances .


bittersweet comedy\/drama full of life , hand gestures , and some really adorable italian guys .


the campy results make mel brooks ' borscht belt schtick look sophisticated .


ben kingsley is truly funny , playing a kind of ghandi gone bad .


rubbo runs through a remarkable amount of material in the film 's short 90 minutes .


a fascinating literary mystery story with multiple strands about the controversy of who really wrote shakespeare 's plays .


piccoli 's performance is amazing , yes , but the symbols of loss and denial and life-at-arm 's - length in the film seem irritatingly transparent .


plays like a series of vignettes -- clips of a film that are still looking for a common through-line .


proves a lovely trifle that , unfortunately , is a little too in love with its own cuteness .


has some visual wit ... but little imagination elsewhere .


the story , touching though it is , does not quite have enough emotional resonance or variety of incident to sustain a feature , and even at 85 minutes it feels a bit long .


chamber of secrets will find millions of eager fans .


every now and again , a movie comes along to remind us of how very bad a motion picture can truly be .


in the book-on-tape market , the film of `` the kid stays in the picture '' would be an abridged edition


lead actress gaï , she of the impossibly long limbs and sweetly conspiratorial smile , is a towering siren .


succeeds where its recent predecessor miserably fails because it demands that you suffer the dreadfulness of war from both sides .


um , no. .


there are some laughs in this movie , but williams ' anarchy gets tiresome , the satire is weak .


there is nothing funny in this every-joke-has - been-told-a - thousand-times - before movie .


what results is the best performance from either in years .


there 's a little violence and lots of sex in a bid to hold our attention , but it grows monotonous after a while , as do joan and philip 's repetitive arguments , schemes and treachery .


star\/producer salma hayek and director julie taymor have infused frida with a visual style unique and inherent to the titular character 's paintings and in the process created a masterful work of art of their own .


a fascinating , bombshell documentary that should shame americans , regardless of whether or not ultimate blame finally lies with kissinger .


it looks good , but it is essentially empty .


there is something that is so meditative and lyrical about babak payami 's boldly quirky iranian drama secret ballot ... a charming and evoking little ditty that manages to show the gentle and humane side of middle eastern world politics


under-rehearsed and lifeless