an intelligent romantic thriller of a very old-school kind of quality .


let 's see , a haunted house , a haunted ship , what 's next ... ghost blimp ?


audiences are advised to sit near the back and squint to avoid noticing some truly egregious lip-non-synching , but otherwise the production is suitably elegant .


the cast , collectively a successful example of the lovable-loser protagonist , shows deft comic timing .


the mothman prophecies is best when illustrating the demons bedevilling the modern masculine journey .


see scratch for the history , see scratch for the music , see scratch for a lesson in scratching , but , most of all , see it for the passion .


it 's light on the chills and heavy on the atmospheric weirdness , and there are moments of jaw-droppingly odd behavior -- yet i found it weirdly appealing .


the chateau belongs to rudd , whose portrait of a therapy-dependent flakeball spouting french malapropisms ... is a nonstop hoot .


the little girls understand , and mccracken knows that 's all that matters .


filmmakers dana janklowicz-mann and amir mann area headed east , far east , in retelling a historically significant , and personal , episode detailing how one international city welcomed tens of thousands of german jewish refugees while the world 's democracie


it finds its moviegoing pleasures in the tiny events that could make a person who has lived her life half-asleep suddenly wake up and take notice .


unfortunately , we 'd prefer a simple misfire .


birthday girl walks a tricky tightrope between being wickedly funny and just plain wicked .


although made on a shoestring and unevenly acted , conjures a lynch-like vision of the rotting underbelly of middle america .


we could have expected a little more human being , and a little less product .


egoyan 's work often elegantly considers various levels of reality and uses shifting points of view , but here he has constructed a film so labyrinthine that it defeats his larger purpose .


inconsequential road-and-buddy pic .


the film 's only missteps come from the script 's insistence on providing deep emotional motivation for each and every one of abagnale 's antics .


a live-wire film that never loses its ability to shock and amaze .


an even more predictable , cliche-ridden endeavor than its predecessor .


the script manages the rare trick of seeming at once both refreshingly different and reassuringly familiar .


this ill-conceived and expensive project winds up looking like a bunch of talented thesps slumming it .


thoroughly enjoyable .


reno does what he can in a thankless situation , the film ricochets from humor to violence and back again , and ryoko hirosue makes us wonder if she is always like that .


given the fact that virtually no one is bound to show up at theatres for it , the project should have been made for the tube .


does what should seem impossible : it makes serial killer jeffrey dahmer boring .


sadly , though many of the actors throw off a spark or two when they first appear , they ca n't generate enough heat in this cold vacuum of a comedy to start a reaction .


mattei so completely loses himself to the film 's circular structure to ever offer any insightful discourse on , well , love in the time of money .


the main problem being that it 's only a peek .


` linklater fans , or pretentious types who want to appear avant-garde will suck up to this project ... '


poignant and delicately complex .


despite these annoyances , the capable clayburgh and tambor really do a great job of anchoring the characters in the emotional realities of middle age .


wallace directs with such patronising reverence , it turns the stomach .


this is a heartfelt story ... it just is n't a very involving one .


a highly watchable , giggly little story with a sweet edge to it .


cineasts will revel in those visual in-jokes , as in the film 's verbal pokes at everything from the likes of miramax chief harvey weinstein 's bluff personal style to the stylistic rigors of denmark 's dogma movement .


the isolated moments of creative insanity finally are lost in the thin soup of canned humor .


spare but quietly effective retelling .


the film offers an intriguing what-if premise .


`` brown sugar '' admirably aspires to be more than another `` best man '' clone by weaving a theme throughout this funny film .


reyes ' word processor .


as averse as i usually am to feel-good , follow-your-dream hollywood fantasies , this one got to me .


an `` o bruin , where art thou ? ''


proof once again that if the filmmakers just follow the books , they ca n't go wrong .


charlize chases kevin with a gun .


gondry 's direction is adequate ... but what gives human nature its unique feel is kaufman 's script .


hoffman 's performance is authentic to the core of his being .


fulford-wierzbicki ... deftly captures the wise-beyond-her-years teen .


does n't get the job done , running off the limited chemistry created by ralph fiennes and jennifer lopez .


while the film is not entirely successful , it still manages to string together enough charming moments to work .


are we dealing with dreams , visions or being told what actually happened as if it were the third ending of clue ?


the ensemble cast turns in a collectively stellar performance , and the writing is tight and truthful , full of funny situations and honest observations .


ali 's graduation from little screen to big is far less painful than his opening scene encounter with an over-amorous terrier .


a `` black austin powers ? ''


the only question ... is to determine how well the schmaltz is manufactured -- to assess the quality of the manipulative engineering .


robin williams departs from his fun friendly demeanor in exchange for a darker unnerving role .


hey , happy !


does anyone much think the central story of brendan behan is that he was a bisexual sweetheart before he took to drink ?


the wonder of mostly martha is the performance of gedeck , who makes martha enormously endearing .


it 's funny , as the old saying goes , because it 's true .


heavy with flabby rolls of typical toback machinations .


watching spirited away is like watching an eastern imagination explode .


few of the increasingly far-fetched events that first-time writer-director neil burger follows up with are terribly convincing , which is a pity , considering barry 's terrific performance .


a thought-provoking picture .


it will break your heart many times over .


the entire movie establishes a wonderfully creepy mood .


boasts eye-catching art direction but has a forcefully quirky tone that quickly wears out its limited welcome .


it says a lot about a filmmaker when he can be wacky without clobbering the audience over the head and still maintain a sense of urgency and suspense .


no one can doubt the filmmakers ' motives , but the guys still feels counterproductive .


after seeing ` analyze that , ' i feel better already .


but the execution is a flop with the exception of about six gags that really work .


hard , endearing , caring , warm .


almost peerlessly unsettling .


as his circle of friends keeps getting smaller one of the characters in long time dead says ` i 'm telling you , this is f \*\*\* ed ' .


rob schneider 's infantile cross-dressing routines fill the hot chick , the latest gimmick from this unimaginative comedian .


bring tissues .


it 's the kind of movie that , aside from robert altman , spike lee , the coen brothers and a few others , our moviemakers do n't make often enough .


a series of immaculately composed shots of patch adams quietly freaking out does not make for much of a movie .


nothing wrong with performances here , but the whiney characters bugged me .


cox creates a fluid and mesmerizing sequence of images to match the words of nijinsky 's diaries .


manages to be wholesome and subversive at the same time .


a different movie -- sometimes tedious -- by a director many viewers would like to skip but film buffs should get to know .


would that greengrass had gone a tad less for grit and a lot more for intelligibility .


on the surface a silly comedy , scotland , pa would be forgettable if it were n't such a clever adaptation of the bard 's tragic play .


brosnan 's finest non-bondish performance yet fails to overcome the film 's manipulative sentimentality and annoying stereotypes .


-lrb- haynes ' -rrb- homage to such films as `` all that heaven allows '' and `` imitation of life '' transcends them .


it makes compelling , provocative and prescient viewing .


there must be an audience that enjoys the friday series , but i would n't be interested in knowing any of them personally .


not once does it come close to being exciting .


but even then , i 'd recommend waiting for dvd and just skipping straight to her scenes .


it may sound like a mere disease-of - the-week tv movie , but a song for martin is made infinitely more wrenching by the performances of real-life spouses seldahl and wollter .


the animation is competent , and some of the gags are quite funny , but jonah ... never shakes the oppressive , morally superior good-for-you quality that almost automatically accompanies didactic entertainment .


the rules of attraction gets us too drunk on the party favors to sober us up with the transparent attempts at moralizing .


the performers are so spot on , it is hard to conceive anyone else in their roles .


an estrogen opera so intensely feminine that it serves as the antidote -lrb- and cannier doppelganger -rrb- to diesel 's xxx flex-a-thon .


it 's a lovely , eerie film that casts an odd , rapt spell .


this is an undeniably intriguing film from an adventurous young talent who finds his inspiration on the fringes of the american underground .


pompous and garbled .


it is not what you see , it is what you think you see .


wilco fans will have a great time , and the movie should win the band a few new converts , too .


at no point during k-19 : the widowmaker did this viewer feel enveloped in a story that , though meant to be universal in its themes of loyalty , courage and dedication to a common goal , never seems to leave the lot .


an hour and a half of joyful solo performance .


director uwe boll and writer robert dean klein fail to generate any interest in an unsympathetic hero caught up in an intricate plot that while cleverly worked out , can not overcome blah characters .


one of those so-so films that could have been much better .


some of the most ravaging , gut-wrenching , frightening war scenes since `` saving private ryan '' have been recreated by john woo in this little-known story of native americans and their role in the second great war .


a dark , quirky road movie that constantly defies expectation .


could this be the first major studio production shot on video tape instead of film ?


more of the same old garbage hollywood has been trying to pass off as acceptable teen entertainment for some time now .


to call this one an eventual cult classic would be an understatement , and woe is the horror fan who opts to overlook this goofily endearing and well-lensed gorefest .


but the performances of pacino , williams , and swank keep the viewer wide-awake all the way through .


first and foremost ... the reason to go see `` blue crush '' is the phenomenal , water-born cinematography by david hennings .


it 's a barely tolerable slog over well-trod ground .


the best thing i can say about this film is that i ca n't wait to see what the director does next .


yet another weepy southern bore-athon .


the film is enriched by an imaginatively mixed cast of antic spirits , headed by christopher plummer as the subtlest and most complexly evil uncle ralph i 've ever seen in the many film and stage adaptations of the work .


yes , but also intriguing and honorable , a worthwhile addition to a distinguished film legacy .


kids will love its fantasy and adventure , and grownups should appreciate its whimsical humor .


woody , what happened ?


it 's the funniest american comedy since graffiti bridge .


zhuangzhuang creates delicate balance of style , text , and subtext that 's so simple and precise that anything discordant would topple the balance , but against all odds , nothing does .


visually striking and viscerally repellent .


as a kind of colorful , dramatized pbs program , frida gets the job done .


spain 's greatest star wattage does n't overcome the tumult of maudlin tragedy .


what 's really so appealing about the characters is their resemblance to everyday children .


it would be disingenuous to call reno a great film , but you can say that about most of the flicks moving in and out of the multiplex .


it 's crap on a leash -- far too polite to scale the lunatic heights of joe dante 's similarly styled gremlins .


the film is all over the place , really .


director roger michell does so many of the little things right that it 's difficult not to cuss him out severely for bungling the big stuff .


beautifully shot against the frozen winter landscapes of grenoble and geneva , the film unfolds with all the mounting tension of an expert thriller , until the tragedy beneath it all gradually reveals itself .


mama africa pretty much delivers on that promise .


a piece of mildly entertaining , inoffensive fluff that drifts aimlessly for 90 minutes before lodging in the cracks of that ever-growing category : unembarrassing but unmemorable .


a rare and lightly entertaining look behind the curtain that separates comics from the people laughing in the crowd .


rodriguez does a splendid job of racial profiling hollywood style -- casting excellent latin actors of all ages -- a trend long overdue .


i stopped thinking about how good it all was , and started doing nothing but reacting to it - feeling a part of its grand locations , thinking urgently as the protagonists struggled , feeling at the mercy of its inventiveness , gasping at its visual delights .


the script covers huge , heavy topics in a bland , surfacey way that does n't offer any insight into why , for instance , good things happen to bad people .


whether you like it or not is basically a matter of taste .


easily one of the best and most exciting movies of the year .


it shows us a slice of life that 's very different from our own and yet instantly recognizable .


like the rugrats movies , the wild thornberrys movie does n't offer much more than the series , but its emphasis on caring for animals and respecting other cultures is particularly welcome .


nettelbeck has crafted an engaging fantasy of flavours and emotions , one part romance novel , one part recipe book .


despite an impressive roster of stars and direction from kathryn bigelow , the weight of water is oppressively heavy .


as if trying to grab a lump of play-doh , the harder that liman tries to squeeze his story , the more details slip out between his fingers .


with an expressive face reminiscent of gong li and a vivid personality like zhang ziyi 's , dong stakes out the emotional heart of happy .


the limited sets and small confined and dark spaces also are homages to a classic low-budget film noir movie .


highly recommended as an engrossing story about a horrifying historical event and the elements which contributed to it .


nevertheless , it still seems endless .


we do get the distinct impression that this franchise is drawing to a close .


dignified ceo 's meet at a rustic retreat and pee against a tree .


teens only .


there 's a reason why halftime is only fifteen minutes long .


vulgar is too optimistic a title .


a worthy idea , but the uninspired scripts , acting and direction never rise above the level of an after-school tv special .


succeeds only because bullock and grant were made to share the silver screen .


like vardalos and corbett , who play their roles with vibrant charm , the film , directed by joel zwick , is heartfelt and hilarious in ways you ca n't fake .


as simple and innocent a movie as you can imagine .


an affable but undernourished romantic comedy that fails to match the freshness of the actress-producer and writer 's previous collaboration , miss congeniality .


it is up to you to decide if you need to see it .


the movie is about as humorous as watching your favorite pet get buried alive .


he 's the scariest guy you 'll see all summer .


maybe he was reading the minds of the audience .


has far more energy , wit and warmth than should be expected from any movie with a `` 2 '' at the end of its title .


a culture-clash comedy that , in addition to being very funny , captures some of the discomfort and embarrassment of being a bumbling american in europe .


... somehow manages to escape the shackles of its own clichés to be the best espionage picture to come out in weeks .


-lrb- the kid 's -rrb- just too bratty for sympathy , and as the film grows to its finale , his little changes ring hollow .


-lrb- danny huston gives -rrb- an astounding performance that deftly , gradually reveals a real human soul buried beneath a spellbinding serpent 's smirk .


decasia is what has happened already to so many silent movies , newsreels and the like .


whenever you think you 've seen the end of the movie , we cut to a new scene , which also appears to be the end .


the filmmakers needed more emphasis on the storytelling and less on the glamorous machine that thrusts the audience into a future they wo n't much care about .


jackie chan movies are a guilty pleasure - he 's easy to like and always leaves us laughing .


perhaps a better celebration of these unfairly dismissed heroes would be a film that is n't this painfully forced , false and fabricated .


after an uncertain start , murder hits and generally sustains a higher plateau with bullock 's memorable first interrogation of gosling .


just a kiss is a just a waste .


little more than a super-sized infomercial for the cable-sports channel and its summer x games .


it 's also not smart or barbed enough for older viewers -- not everyone thinks poo-poo jokes are ` edgy . '


beautifully crafted and cooly unsettling ... recreates the atmosphere of the crime expertly .


dense and thoughtful and brimming with ideas that are too complex to be rapidly absorbed .


clint eastwood 's blood work is a lot like a well-made pb & j sandwich : familiar , fairly uneventful and boasting no real surprises -- but still quite tasty and inviting all the same .


coupling disgracefully written dialogue with flailing bodily movements that substitute for acting , circuit is the awkwardly paced soap opera-ish story .


the film is full of charm .


it certainly wo n't win any awards in the plot department but it sets out with no pretensions and delivers big time .


at best , cletis tout might inspire a trip to the video store -- in search of a better movie experience .


infidelity drama is nicely shot , well-edited and features a standout performance by diane lane .


you want to call domino 's .


... the implication is kissinger may have decided that -- when it comes to truncheoning -- it 's better to give than to receive .


as pure over-the-top trash , any john waters movie has it beat by a country mile .


the photographer 's show-don ` t-tell stance is admirable , but it can make him a problematic documentary subject .


` anyone with a passion for cinema , and indeed sex , should see it as soon as possible . '


a gripping documentary that reveals how deep the antagonism lies in war-torn jerusalem .


this is the first film i 've ever seen that had no obvious directing involved .


an older cad instructs a younger lad in zen and the art of getting laid in this prickly indie comedy of manners and misanthropy .


if the film fails to fulfill its own ambitious goals , it nonetheless sustains interest during the long build-up of expository material .


gives us a lot to chew on , but not all of it has been properly digested .


viveka seldahl and sven wollter will touch you to the core in a film you will never forget -- that you should never forget .


the characters seem one-dimensional , and the film is superficial and will probably be of interest primarily to its target audience .


witless , pointless , tasteless and idiotic .


a little more intensity and a little less charm would have saved this film a world of hurt .


this is one of the year 's best films .


-lrb- d -rrb- espite its familiar subject matter , ice age is consistently amusing and engrossing ...


and as with most late-night bull sessions , eventually the content is n't nearly as captivating as the rowdy participants think it is .


behan 's memoir is great material for a film -- rowdy , brawny and lyrical in the best irish sense -- but sheridan has settled for a lugubrious romance .


if this silly little cartoon can inspire a few kids not to grow up to be greedy bastards , more power to it .


rumor , a muddled drama about coming to terms with death , feels impersonal , almost generic .


then you 'd do well to check this one out because it 's straight up twin peaks action ...


a backhanded ode to female camaraderie penned by a man who has little clue about either the nature of women or of friendship .


haneke 's script -lrb- from elfriede jelinek 's novel -rrb- is contrived , unmotivated , and psychologically unpersuasive , with an inconclusive ending .


photographed with melancholy richness and eloquently performed yet also decidedly uncinematic .


at a time when commercialism has squeezed the life out of whatever idealism american moviemaking ever had , godfrey reggio 's career shines like a lonely beacon .


just about the surest bet for an all-around good time at the movies this summer .


the case is a convincing one , and should give anyone with a conscience reason to pause .


although devoid of objectivity and full of nostalgic comments from the now middle-aged participants , dogtown and z-boys has a compelling story to tell .


one of those rare films that come by once in a while with flawless amounts of acting , direction , story and pace .


you get the impression that writer and director burr steers knows the territory ... but his sense of humor has yet to lose the smug self-satisfaction usually associated with the better private schools .


though nijinsky 's words grow increasingly disturbed , the film maintains a beguiling serenity and poise that make it accessible for a non-narrative feature .


as warren he stumbles in search of all the emotions and life experiences he 's neglected over the years .


um ... is n't that the basis for the entire plot ?


duvall is strong as always .


whenever it threatens to get bogged down in earnest dramaturgy , a stirring visual sequence like a surge through swirling rapids or a leap from pinnacle to pinnacle rouses us .


almodovar is an imaginative teacher of emotional intelligence in this engaging film about two men who discover what william james once called ` the gift of tears . '


though overall an overwhelmingly positive portrayal , the film does n't ignore the more problematic aspects of brown 's life .


it does n't offer audiences any way of gripping what its point is , or even its attitude toward its subject .


while hollywood ending has its share of belly laughs -lrb- including a knockout of a closing line -rrb- , the movie winds up feeling like a great missed opportunity .


after all , he took three minutes of dialogue , 30 seconds of plot and turned them into a 90-minute movie that feels five hours long .


all the filmmakers are asking of us , is to believe in something that is improbable .


this is the stuff that disney movies are made of .


a mesmerizing cinematic poem from the first frame to the last .


that the film opens with maggots crawling on a dead dog is not an out of place metaphor .


most of the dialogue made me want to pack raw dough in my ears .


morvern rocks .


showtime is a fine-looking film with a bouncy score and a clutch of lively songs for deft punctuation .


claims to sort the bad guys from the good , which is its essential problem .


witless and utterly pointless .


a listless sci-fi comedy in which eddie murphy deploys two guises and elaborate futuristic sets to no particularly memorable effect .


curling may be a unique sport but men with brooms is distinctly ordinary .


it 's petty thievery like this that puts flimsy flicks like this behind bars


simultaneously heart-breaking and very funny , the last kiss is really all about performances .


clayburgh and tambor are charming performers ; neither of them deserves eric schaeffer .


dull , a road-trip movie that 's surprisingly short of both adventure and song .


missteps take what was otherwise a fascinating , riveting story and send it down the path of the mundane .


ong chooses to present ah na 's life as a slight , weightless fairy tale , whose most unpleasant details seem to melt away in the face of the character 's blank-faced optimism .


even the digressions are funny .


the performances of the children , untrained in acting , have an honesty and dignity that breaks your heart .


while the story does seem pretty unbelievable at times , it 's awfully entertaining to watch .


what a stiflingly unfunny and unoriginal mess this is !


passions , obsessions , and loneliest dark spots are pushed to their most virtuous limits , lending the narrative an unusually surreal tone .


-lrb- allen 's -rrb- been making piffle for a long while , and hollywood ending may be his way of saying that piffle is all that the airhead movie business deserves from him right now .


for veggietales fans , this is more appetizing than a side dish of asparagus .


or for the year , for that matter .


elaborate special effects take centre screen , so that the human story is pushed to one side .


george clooney , in his first directorial effort , presents this utterly ridiculous shaggy dog story as one of the most creative , energetic and original comedies to hit the screen in years .


this cinema verite speculation on the assassination of john f. kennedy may have been inspired by blair witch , but it takes its techniques into such fresh territory that the film never feels derivative .


really is a pan-american movie , with moments of genuine insight into the urban heart .


in the end , the film feels homogenized and a bit contrived , as if we 're looking back at a tattered and ugly past with rose-tinted glasses .


imagine susan sontag falling in love with howard stern .


tres greek writer and star nia vardalos has crafted here a worldly-wise and very funny script .


shanghai ghetto should be applauded for finding a new angle on a tireless story , but you might want to think twice before booking passage .


a moving and solidly entertaining comedy\/drama that should bolster director and co-writer juan josé campanella 's reputation in the united states .


terminally brain dead production .


-lrb- a -rrb- crushing disappointment .


large budget notwithstanding , the movie is such a blip on the year 's radar screen that it 's tempting just to go with it for the ride .


about schmidt is undoubtedly one of the finest films of the year .


its message has merit and , in the hands of a brutally honest individual like prophet jack , might have made a point or two regarding life .


bursting through the constraints of its source , this is one adapted - from-television movie that actually looks as if it belongs on the big screen .


after several scenes of this tacky nonsense , you 'll be wistful for the testosterone-charged wizardry of jerry bruckheimer productions , especially because half past dead is like the rock on a wal-mart budget .


a moving tale of love and destruction in unexpected places , unexamined lives .


like a pack of dynamite sticks , built for controversy .


one can only assume that the jury who bestowed star hoffman 's brother gordy with the waldo salt screenwriting award at 2002 's sundance festival were honoring an attempt to do something different over actually pulling it off


crikey indeed .


davis ... gets vivid performances from her cast and pulls off some deft ally mcbeal-style fantasy sequences .


a supernatural mystery that does n't know whether it wants to be a suspenseful horror movie or a weepy melodrama .


derailed by bad writing and possibly also by some of that extensive post-production reworking to aim the film at young males in the throes of their first full flush of testosterone .


the trinity assembly approaches the endeavor with a shocking lack of irony , and george ratliff 's documentary , hell house , reflects their earnestness -- which makes for a terrifying film .


mel gibson fights the good fight in vietnam in director randall wallace 's flag-waving war flick with a core of decency .


winds up being both revelatory and narcissistic , achieving some honest insight into relationships that most high-concept films candy-coat with pat storylines , precious circumstances and beautiful stars .


as gamely as the movie tries to make sense of its title character , there remains a huge gap between the film 's creepy , clean-cut dahmer -lrb- jeremy renner -rrb- and fiendish acts that no amount of earnest textbook psychologizing can bridge .


while the performances are often engaging , this loose collection of largely improvised numbers would probably have worked better as a one-hour tv documentary .


but it also comes with the laziness and arrogance of a thing that already knows it 's won .


very stupid and annoying .


in a strange way , egoyan has done too much .


amazing !


it 's never dull and always looks good .


the film truly does rescue -lrb- the funk brothers -rrb- from motown 's shadows .


the modern remake of dumas 's story is long on narrative and -lrb- too -rrb- short on action .


i wish windtalkers had had more faith in the dramatic potential of this true story .


he has a great cast and a great idea .


a movie more to be prescribed than recommended -- as visually bland as a dentist 's waiting room , complete with soothing muzak and a cushion of predictable narrative rhythms .


what starts off as a potentially incredibly twisting mystery becomes simply a monster chase film .


oddly , the film is n't nearly as downbeat as it sounds , but strikes a tone that 's alternately melancholic , hopeful and strangely funny .


overall , cletis tout is a winning comedy that excites the imagination and tickles the funny bone .


each punch seen through prison bars , the fights become not so much a struggle of man vs. man as brother-man vs. the man .


it 's super - violent , super-serious and super-stupid .


it 's pretentious in a way that verges on the amateurish .


overcomes its visual hideousness with a sharp script and strong performances .


about the best thing you could say about narc is that it 's a rock-solid little genre picture .


it 's better suited for the history or biography channel , but there 's no arguing the tone of the movie - it leaves a bad taste in your mouth and questions on your mind .


works as pretty contagious fun .


is one of this year 's very best pictures .


visually , ` santa clause 2 ' is wondrously creative .


the characters are more deeply thought through than in most ` right-thinking ' films .


it 's the sweet cinderella story that `` pretty woman '' wanted to be .


directors john musker and ron clements , the team behind the little mermaid , have produced sparkling retina candy , but they are n't able to muster a lot of emotional resonance in the cold vacuum of space .


at times auto focus feels so distant you might as well be watching it through a telescope .


this movie , a certain scene in particular , brought me uncomfortably close to losing my lunch .


a very capable nailbiter .


the film falls short on tension , eloquence , spiritual challenge -- things that have made the original new testament stories so compelling for 20 centuries .


true to its animatronic roots : ... as stiff , ponderous and charmless as a mechanical apparatus ... ` the country bears ' should never have been brought out of hibernation .


samuel beckett applied to the iranian voting process .


an unsophisticated sci-fi drama that takes itself all too seriously .


a clever script and skilled actors bring new energy to the familiar topic of office politics .


one of the worst movies of the year .


the film 's sense of imagery gives it a terrible strength , but it 's propelled by the acting .


unfortunately , one hour photo lives down to its title .


in addition to hoffman 's powerful acting clinic , this is that rare drama that offers a thoughtful and rewarding glimpse into the sort of heartache everyone has felt , or will feel someday .


an unremittingly ugly movie to look at , listen to , and think about , it is quite possibly the sturdiest example yet of why the dv revolution has cheapened the artistry of making a film .


weiss and speck never make a convincing case for the relevance of these two 20th-century footnotes .


we never truly come to care about the main characters and whether or not they 'll wind up together , and michele 's spiritual quest is neither amusing nor dramatic enough to sustain interest .


more precious than perspicacious


for all its brilliant touches , dragon loses its fire midway , nearly flickering out by its perfunctory conclusion .


the movie should jolt you out of your seat a couple of times , give you a few laughs , and leave you feeling like it was worth your seven bucks , even though it does turn out to be a bit of a cheat in the end .


diverting french comedy in which a husband has to cope with the pesky moods of jealousy .


is `` ballistic '' worth the price of admission ?


vividly conveys the passion , creativity , and fearlessness of one of mexico 's most colorful and controversial artists -- a captivating drama that will speak to the nonconformist in us all .


what 's so striking about jolie 's performance is that she never lets her character become a caricature -- not even with that radioactive hair .


a humorless journey into a philosophical void .


combines a comically dismal social realism with a farcically bawdy fantasy of redemption and regeneration .


a triumph of pure craft and passionate heart .


though the film is well-intentioned , one could rent the original and get the same love story and parable .


-lrb- caine -rrb- proves once again he has n't lost his touch , bringing off a superb performance in an admittedly middling film .


this is a fragmented film , once a good idea that was followed by the bad idea to turn it into a movie .


the beautiful , unusual music is this film 's chief draw , but its dreaminess may lull you to sleep .


when it 's this rich and luscious , who cares ?


a rehash of every gangster movie from the past decade .


boasting some of the most poorly staged and lit action in memory , impostor is as close as you can get to an imitation movie .


a bracing , unblinking work that serves as a painful elegy and sobering cautionary tale .


el crimen del padre amaro would likely be most effective if used as a tool to rally anti-catholic protestors .


typical animé , with cheapo animation -lrb- like saturday morning tv in the '60s -rrb- , a complex sword-and-sorcery plot and characters who all have big round eyes and japanese names .


brainy , artistic and muted , almost to the point of suffocation .


highly engaging .


it 's dark but has wonderfully funny moments ; you care about the characters ; and the action and special effects are first-rate .


a sleep-inducing thriller with a single twist that everyone except the characters in it can see coming a mile away .


unless bob crane is someone of particular interest to you , this film 's impressive performances and adept direction are n't likely to leave a lasting impression .


in the end , though , it is only mildly amusing when it could have been so much more .


... it 's as comprehensible as any dummies guide , something even non-techies can enjoy .


... a guiltless film for nice evening out .


there are many things that solid acting can do for a movie , but crafting something promising from a mediocre screenplay is not one of them .


does point the way for adventurous indian filmmakers toward a crossover into nonethnic markets .


too damn weird to pass up , and for the blacklight crowd , way cheaper -lrb- and better -rrb- than pink floyd tickets .


a wildly erratic drama with sequences that make you wince in embarrassment and others , thanks to the actors , that are quite touching .


the charming result is festival in cannes .


it made me want to get made-up and go see this movie with my sisters .


a tightly directed , highly professional film that 's old-fashioned in all the best possible ways .


spirit is a visual treat , and it takes chances that are bold by studio standards , but it lacks a strong narrative .


a pleasant , if forgettable , romp of a film .


the film ... presents classic moral-condundrum drama : what would you have done to survive ?


a pale xerox of other , better crime movies .


philosophically , intellectually and logistically a mess .


certainly the big finish was n't something galinsky and hawley could have planned for ... but part of being a good documentarian is being there when the rope snaps .


cube 's charisma and chemistry compensate for corniness and cliche .


fifty years after the fact , the world 's political situation seems little different , and -lrb- director phillip -rrb- noyce brings out the allegory with remarkable skill .


the story is -- forgive me -- a little thin , and the filmmaking clumsy and rushed .


it 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .


an extremely unpleasant film .


feral and uncomfortable .


brown sugar signals director rick famuyiwa 's emergence as an articulate , grown-up voice in african-american cinema .


it 's a thin notion , repetitively stretched out to feature length , awash in self-consciously flashy camera effects , droning house music and flat , flat dialogue .


daughter from danang reveals that efforts toward closure only open new wounds .


the picture 's fascinating byways are littered with trenchant satirical jabs at the peculiar egocentricities of the acting breed .


despite the opulent lushness of every scene , the characters never seem to match the power of their surroundings .


it makes me feel weird \/ thinking about all the bad things in the world \/ like puppies with broken legs \/ and butterflies that die \/ and movies starring pop queens


-lrb- less a movie than -rrb- an appalling , odoriferous thing ... so rotten in almost every single facet of production that you 'll want to crawl up your own \*\*\* in embarrassment .


a tired , unimaginative and derivative variation of that already-shallow genre .


the performances are remarkable .


a rip-off twice removed , modeled after -lrb- seagal 's -rrb- earlier copycat under siege , sometimes referred to as die hard on a boat .


it 's a boom-box of a movie that might have been titled ` the loud and the ludicrous ' ... the pandering to a moviegoing audience dominated by young males is all too calculated .


craig bartlett and director tuck tucker should be commended for illustrating the merits of fighting hard for something that really matters .


beautifully directed and convincingly acted .


this movie has a strong message about never giving up on a loved one , but it 's not an easy movie to watch and will probably disturb many who see it .


a chiller resolutely without chills .


but the movie that does n't really deliver for country music fans or for family audiences


further sad evidence that tom tykwer , director of the resonant and sense-spinning run lola run , has turned out to be a one-trick pony -- a maker of softheaded metaphysical claptrap .


see clockstoppers if you have nothing better to do with 94 minutes .


the sequel is everything the original was not : contrived , overblown and tie-in ready .


disjointed parody .


a macabre and very stylized swedish fillm about a modern city where all the religious and civic virtues that hold society in place are in tatters .


like life on the island , the movie grows boring despite the scenery .


one of the most original american productions this year , you 'll find yourself remembering this refreshing visit to a sunshine state .


jaw-droppingly superficial , straining to get by on humor that is not even as daring as john ritter 's glory days on three 's company .


a perfectly respectable , perfectly inoffensive , easily forgettable film .


sade achieves the near-impossible : it turns the marquis de sade into a dullard .


it shows that some studios firmly believe that people have lost the ability to think and will forgive any shoddy product as long as there 's a little girl-on-girl action .


it 's almost as if it 's an elaborate dare more than a full-blooded film .


has a solid emotional impact .


a thoroughly awful movie -- dumb , narratively chaotic , visually sloppy ... a weird amalgam of ` the thing ' and a geriatric ` scream . '


leave it to the french to truly capture the terrifying angst of the modern working man without turning the film into a cheap thriller , a dumb comedy or a sappy melodrama .


meyjes 's movie , like max rothman 's future , does not work .


like edward norton in american history x , ryan gosling -lrb- murder by numbers -rrb- delivers a magnetic performance .


birot creates a drama with such a well-defined sense of place and age -- as in , 15 years old -- that the torments and angst become almost as operatic to us as they are to her characters .


successfully blended satire , high camp and yet another sexual taboo into a really funny movie .


it 's just a movie that happens to have jackie chan in it .


bravado kathy !


god is great , the movie 's not .


feeling to it , but like the 1920 's , the trip there is a great deal of fun .


the name says it all .


it bites hard .


everything about girls ca n't swim , even its passages of sensitive observation , feels secondhand , familiar -- and not in a good way .


there are some movies that hit you from the first scene and you know it 's going to be a trip .


by turns pretentious , fascinating , ludicrous , provocative and vainglorious .


statham employs an accent that i think is supposed to be an attempt at hardass american but sometimes just lapses into unhidden british .


` possession , ' based on the book by a.s. byatt , demands that labute deal with the subject of love head-on ; trading in his cynicism for reverence and a little wit


may seriously impair your ability to ever again maintain a straight face while speaking to a highway patrolman .


you can tell almost immediately that welcome to collinwood is n't going to jell .


the screenplay never lets us forget that bourne was once an amoral assassin just like the ones who are pursuing him ... there is never really a true `` us '' versus `` them '' .


there 's not a spark of new inspiration in it , just more of the same , done with noticeably less energy and imagination .


there are problems with this film that even 3 oscar winners ca n't overcome , but it 's a nice girl-buddy movie once it gets rock-n-rolling .


there are laughs aplenty , and , as a bonus , viewers do n't have to worry about being subjected to farts , urine , feces , semen , or any of the other foul substances that have overrun modern-day comedies .


ken russell would love this .


adroit but finally a trifle flat , mad love does n't galvanize its outrage the way , say , jane campion might have done , but at least it possesses some .


the leads are so unmemorable , despite several attempts at lengthy dialogue scenes , that one eventually resents having to inhale this gutter romancer 's secondhand material .


any movie that makes hard work seem heroic deserves a look .


... a bland murder-on-campus yawner .


there is a strong directorial stamp on every frame of this stylish film that is able to visualize schizophrenia but is still confident enough to step back and look at the sick character with a sane eye .


glazed with a tawdry b-movie scum .


extremely well acted by the four primary actors , this is a seriously intended movie that is not easily forgotten .


... delivers few moments of inspiration amid the bland animation and simplistic story .


a surprisingly funny movie .


behind the glitz , hollywood is sordid and disgusting .


mana gives us compelling , damaged characters who we want to help -- or hurt .


overall , it 's a pretty mediocre family film .


it is a happy , heady jumble of thought and storytelling , an insane comic undertaking that ultimately coheres into a sane and breathtakingly creative film .


paul bettany playing malcolm mcdowell ?


maggie smith as the ya-ya member with the o2-tank will absolutely crack you up with her crass , then gasp for gas , verbal deportment .


one of the most splendid entertainments to emerge from the french film industry in years .


an exit sign , that is .


the delicious trimmings ... arrive early and stay late , filling nearly every minute ... with a lighthearted glow , some impudent snickers , and a glorious dose of humankind 's liberating ability to triumph over a scrooge or two .


hmmm ... might i suggest that the wayward wooden one end it all by stuffing himself into an electric pencil sharpener ?


good fun , good action , good acting , good dialogue , good pace , good cinematography .


a coming-of-age film that avoids the cartoonish clichés and sneering humor of the genre as it provides a fresh view of an old type -- the uncertain girl on the brink of womanhood .


maelstrom is a deliberately unsteady mixture of stylistic elements .


a stylish thriller .


but even while his characters are acting horribly , he is always sympathetic .


that 's not vintage spielberg and that , finally , is minimally satisfying .


the master of disguise falls under the category of ` should have been a sketch on saturday night live . '


i admit it , i hate to like it .


an enjoyable comedy of lingual and cultural differences ... the château is a film -- full of life and small delights -- that has all the wiggling energy of young kitten .


a crisp psychological drama -lrb- and -rrb- a fascinating little thriller that would have been perfect for an old `` twilight zone '' episode .


like a poor man 's you can count on me


a knowing sense of humor and a lot of warmth ignite son of the bride .


until it goes off the rails in its final 10 or 15 minutes , wendigo , larry fessenden 's spooky new thriller , is a refreshingly smart and newfangled variation on several themes derived from far less sophisticated and knowing horror films .


this slow-moving swedish film offers not even a hint of joy , preferring to focus on the humiliation of martin as he defecates in bed and urinates on the plants at his own birthday party .


tells -lrb- the story -rrb- with such atmospheric ballast that shrugging off the plot 's persnickety problems is simply a matter of -lrb- being -rrb- in a shrugging mood .


a technically well-made suspenser ... but its abrupt drop in iq points as it races to the finish line proves simply too discouraging to let slide .


the film thrusts the inchoate but already eldritch christian right propaganda machine into national media circles .


it asks nothing of the audience other than to sit back and enjoy a couple of great actors hamming it up .


full of the kind of obnoxious chitchat that only self-aware neurotics engage in .


by turns touching , raucously amusing , uncomfortable , and , yes , even sexy , never again is a welcome and heartwarming addition to the romantic comedy genre .


predictably soulless techno-tripe .


jeong-hyang lee 's film is deceptively simple , deeply satisfying .


like an afterschool special with costumes by gianni versace , mad love looks better than it feels .


not as good as the full monty , but a really strong second effort .


does n't do more than expand a tv show to movie length .


this is more fascinating -- being real -- than anything seen on jerry springer .


oedekerk mugs mercilessly , and the genuinely funny jokes are few and far between .


this strenuously unfunny showtime deserves the hook .


what starts off as a satisfying kids flck becomes increasingly implausible as it races through contrived plot points .


less than fresh .


instead of hitting the audience over the head with a moral , schrader relies on subtle ironies and visual devices to convey point of view .


the new insomnia is a surprisingly faithful remake of its chilly predecessor , and when it does elect to head off in its own direction , it employs changes that fit it well rather than ones that were imposed for the sake of commercial sensibilities .


this is a film tailor-made for those who when they were in high school would choose the cliff-notes over reading a full-length classic .


comedian , like its subjects , delivers the goods and audiences will have a fun , no-frills ride .


from the opening strains of the average white band 's `` pick up the pieces '' , you can feel the love .


there is so much plodding sensitivity .


the uneven movie does have its charms and its funny moments but not quite enough of them .


they cheapen the overall effect .


it has a way of seeping into your consciousness , with lingering questions about what the film is really getting at .


no new plot conceptions or environmental changes , just different bodies for sharp objects to rip through .


in the end , all you can do is admire the ensemble players and wonder what the point of it is .


efficient , suitably anonymous chiller .


overall , interesting as a documentary -- but not very imaxy .


despite bearing the paramount imprint , it 's a bargain-basement european pickup .


blessed with a searing lead performance by ryan gosling -lrb- murder by numbers -rrb- , the movie is powerful and provocative .


simply and eloquently articulates the tangled feelings of particular new yorkers deeply touched by an unprecedented tragedy .


worthless , from its pseudo-rock-video opening to the idiocy of its last frames .


cherish is a dud -- a romantic comedy that 's not the least bit romantic and only mildly funny .


quaid is utterly fearless as the tortured husband living a painful lie , and moore wonderfully underplays the long-suffering heroine with an unflappable '50s dignity somewhere between jane wyman and june cleaver .


what it lacks in originality it makes up for in effective if cheap moments of fright and dread .


... in no way original , or even all that memorable , but as downtown saturday matinee brain candy , it does n't disappoint .


... an incredibly heavy-handed , manipulative dud that feels all too familiar .


this is standard crime drama fare ... instantly forgettable and thoroughly dull .


this film is too busy hitting all of its assigned marks to take on any life of its own .


fans of so-bad-they 're - good cinema may find some fun in this jumbled mess .


quitting delivers a sucker-punch , and its impact is all the greater beause director zhang 's last film , the cuddly shower , was a non-threatening multi-character piece centered around a public bath house .


the film may not hit as hard as some of the better drug-related pictures , but it still manages to get a few punches in .


this sade is hardly a perverse , dangerous libertine and agitator -- which would have made for better drama .


technically and artistically inept .


the result might look like vulgar .


has the rare capability to soothe and break your heart with a single stroke .


gooding offers a desperately ingratiating performance .


thriller directorial debut for traffic scribe gaghan has all the right parts , but the pieces do n't quite fit together .


it takes you somewhere you 're not likely to have seen before , but beneath the exotic surface -lrb- and exotic dancing -rrb- it 's surprisingly old-fashioned .


but the feelings evoked in the film are lukewarm and quick to pass .


it leaves little doubt that kidman has become one of our best actors .


steers , in his feature film debut , has created a brilliant motion picture .


its simplicity puts an exclamation point on the fact that this is n't something to be taken seriously , but it also wrecks any chance of the movie rising above similar fare .


it 's not just the vampires that are damned in queen of the damned -- the viewers will feel they suffer the same fate .


the entire movie is in need of a scented bath .


kaufman 's script is never especially clever and often is rather pretentious .


as chilling and fascinating as philippe mora 's modern hitler-study , snide and prejudice .


a mean-spirited film made by someone who surely read the catcher in the rye but clearly suffers from dyslexia


an awkwardly garish showcase that diverges from anything remotely probing or penetrating .


diggs and lathan are among the chief reasons brown sugar is such a sweet and sexy film .


has all the values of a straight-to-video movie , but because it has a bigger-name cast , it gets a full theatrical release .


stupid , infantile , redundant , sloppy , over-the-top , and amateurish .


a strangely stirring experience that finds warmth in the coldest environment and makes each crumb of emotional comfort feel like a 10-course banquet .


the film 's heady yet far from impenetrable theory suggests that russians take comfort in their closed-off nationalist reality .


the art direction and costumes are gorgeous and finely detailed , and kurys ' direction is clever and insightful .


exploits -lrb- headbanger -rrb- stereotypes in good fun , while adding a bit of heart and unsettling subject matter .


by turns gripping , amusing , tender and heart-wrenching , laissez-passer has all the earmarks of french cinema at its best .


... the same tired old gags , modernized for the extreme sports generation .


even when crush departs from the 4w formula ... it feels like a glossy rehash .


american musical comedy as we know it would n't exist without the precedent of yiddish theater , whose jolly , fun-for-fun 's - sake communal spirit goes to the essence of broadway .


directed with purpose and finesse by england 's roger mitchell , who handily makes the move from pleasing , relatively lightweight commercial fare such as notting hill to commercial fare with real thematic heft .


it gives devastating testimony to both people 's capacity for evil and their heroic capacity for good .


all mood and no movie .


very well made , but does n't generate a lot of tension .


about one in three gags in white 's intermittently wise script hits its mark ; the rest are padding unashamedly appropriated from the teen-exploitation playbook .


lawrence plumbs personal tragedy and also the human comedy .


all three women deliver remarkable performances .


it 's as if solondz had two ideas for two movies , could n't really figure out how to flesh either out , so he just slopped ` em together here .


the boys ' sparring , like the succession of blows dumped on guei , wears down the story 's more cerebral , and likable , plot elements .


a comedy-drama of nearly epic proportions rooted in a sincere performance by the title character undergoing midlife crisis .


as saccharine movies go , this is likely to cause massive cardiac arrest if taken in large doses .


i 'm convinced i could keep a family of five blind , crippled , amish people alive in this situation better than these british soldiers do at keeping themselves kicking .


one of those rare films that seems as though it was written for no one , but somehow manages to convince almost everyone that it was put on the screen , just for them .


ca n't get enough of libidinous young city dwellers ?


a plethora of engaging diatribes on the meaning of ` home , ' delivered in grand passion by the members of the various households .


evokes the 19th century with a subtlety that is an object lesson in period filmmaking .


the tuxedo was n't just bad ; it was , as my friend david cross would call it , ` hungry-man portions of bad ' .


... unlike -lrb- scorsese 's mean streets -rrb- , ash wednesday is essentially devoid of interesting characters or even a halfway intriguing plot .


is significantly less charming than listening to a four-year-old with a taste for exaggeration recount his halloween trip to the haunted house .


a documentary to make the stones weep -- as shameful as it is scary .


as a feature-length film , it wears out its welcome as tryingly as the title character .


could use a little more humanity , but it never lacks in eye-popping visuals .


jacquot has filmed the opera exactly as the libretto directs , ideally capturing the opera 's drama and lyricism .


watching this film , one is left with the inescapable conclusion that hitchens ' obsession with kissinger is , at bottom , a sophisticated flower child 's desire to purge the world of the tooth and claw of human power .


a culture clash comedy only half as clever as it thinks it is .


-lrb- jackson and bledel -rrb- seem to have been picked not for their acting chops , but for their looks and appeal to the pre-teen crowd .


george lucas returns as a visionary with a tale full of nuance and character dimension .


-lrb- denis ' -rrb- bare-bones narrative more closely resembles an outline for a '70s exploitation picture than the finished product .


an unexpectedly sweet story of sisterhood .


has enough gun battles and throwaway humor to cover up the yawning chasm where the plot should be .


full of bland hotels , highways , parking lots , with some glimpses of nature and family warmth , time out is a discreet moan of despair about entrapment in the maze of modern life .


all the movie 's narrative gymnastics ca n't disguise the fact that it 's inauthentic at its core and that its story just is n't worth telling .


cinematic pratfalls given a working over .


one of -lrb- jaglom 's -rrb- better efforts -- a wry and sometime bitter movie about love .


its inescapable absurdities are tantamount to insulting the intelligence of anyone who has n't been living under a rock -lrb- since sept. 11 -rrb- .


tadpole may be one of the most appealing movies ever made about an otherwise appalling , and downright creepy , subject -- a teenage boy in love with his stepmother .


hugh grant , who has a good line in charm , has never been more charming than in about a boy .


i 'm not sure these words have ever been together in the same sentence : this erotic cannibal movie is boring .


the movie is about as deep as that sentiment .


a tour de force drama about the astonishingly pivotal role of imagination in the soulful development of two rowdy teenagers .


the jokes are telegraphed so far in advance they must have been lost in the mail .


to those who have not read the book , the film is a much better mother-daughter tale than last summer 's ` divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood , ' but that 's not saying much .


no amount of arty theorizing -- the special effects are ` german-expressionist , ' according to the press notes -- can render it anything but laughable .


it grabs you in the dark and shakes you vigorously for its duration .


bad in such a bizarre way that it 's almost worth seeing , if only to witness the crazy confluence of purpose and taste .


is n't as sharp as the original ... despite some visual virtues , ` blade ii ' just does n't cut it .


unfortunately , the experience of actually watching the movie is less compelling than the circumstances of its making .


a witty , low-key romantic comedy .


it 's exactly the kind of movie toback 's detractors always accuse him of making .


ramsay succeeds primarily with her typical blend of unsettling atmospherics , delivering a series of abrasive , stylized sequences that burn themselves upon the viewer 's memory .


it 's not a motion picture ; it 's an utterly static picture .


what 's needed so badly but what is virtually absent here is either a saving dark humor or the feel of poetic tragedy .


despite the holes in the story and the somewhat predictable plot , moments of the movie caused me to jump in my chair ...


a movie so bad that it quickly enters the pantheon of wreckage that includes battlefield earth and showgirls .


jam-packed with literally bruising jokes .


beautifully filmed and well acted ... but admittedly problematic in its narrative specifics .


the plot 's contrivances are uncomfortably strained .


those moviegoers who would automatically bypass a hip-hop documentary should give `` scratch '' a second look .


a sleek advert for youthful anomie that never quite equals the sum of its pretensions .


sinks into the usual cafeteria goulash of fart jokes , masturbation jokes , and racist japanese jokes .


the characters are so generic and the plot so bland that even as rogue cia assassins working for chris cooper 's agency boss close in on the resourceful amnesiac , we do n't feel much for damon\/bourne or his predicament .


not completely loveable -- but what underdog movie since the bad news bears has been ?


fails as a dystopian movie , as a retooling of fahrenheit 451 , and even as a rip-off of the matrix .


alan and his fellow survivors are idiosyncratic enough to lift the movie above its playwriting 101 premise .


some like it hot on the hardwood proves once again that a man in drag is not in and of himself funny .


maryam is more timely now than ever .


ringu is a disaster of a story , full of holes and completely lacking in chills .


sheridan 's take on the author 's schoolboy memoir ... is a rather toothless take on a hard young life .


too bad .


mandel holland 's direction is uninspired , and his scripting unsurprising , but the performances by phifer and black are ultimately winning .


a `` home alone '' film that is staged like `` rosemary 's baby , '' but is not as well-conceived as either of those films .


skillfully weaves both the elements of the plot and a powerfully evocative mood combining heated sexuality with a haunting sense of malaise .


the charm of revolution os is rather the way it introduces you to new , fervently held ideas and fanciful thinkers .


with or without the sex , a wonderful tale of love and destiny , told well by a master storyteller


rather than real figures , elling and kjell bjarne become symbolic characters whose actions are supposed to relate something about the naïf 's encounter with the world .


an indispensable peek at the art and the agony of making people laugh .


wonder of wonders -- a teen movie with a humanistic message .


mctiernan 's remake may be lighter on its feet -- the sober-minded original was as graceful as a tap-dancing rhino -- but it is just as boring and as obvious .


will warm your heart without making you feel guilty about it .


everything 's serious , poetic , earnest and -- sadly -- dull .


... a visually seductive , unrepentantly trashy take on rice 's second installment of her vampire chronicles .


such master screenwriting comes courtesy of john pogue , the yale grad who previously gave us `` the skulls '' and last year 's `` rollerball . ''


it is one more celluloid testimonial to the cruelties experienced by southern blacks as distilled through a caucasian perspective .


some stunning visuals -- and some staggeringly boring cinema .


the film starts promisingly , but the ending is all too predictable and far too cliched to really work .


it 's all pretty tame .


... a hokey piece of nonsense that tries too hard to be emotional .


often lingers just as long on the irrelevant as on the engaging , which gradually turns what time is it there ?


... del toro maintains a dark mood that makes the film seem like something to endure instead of enjoy .


director tom dey demonstrated a knack for mixing action and idiosyncratic humor in his charming 2000 debut shanghai noon , but showtime 's uninspired send-up of tv cop show cliches mostly leaves him shooting blanks .


the characters are never more than sketches ... which leaves any true emotional connection or identification frustratingly out of reach .


k-19 : the widowmaker is a great yarn .


strident and inelegant in its ` message-movie ' posturing .


lots of effort and intelligence are on display but in execution it is all awkward , static , and lifeless rumblings .


it 's stylishly directed with verve ...


but believe it or not , it 's one of the most beautiful , evocative works i 've seen .


an inventive , absorbing movie that 's as hard to classify as it is hard to resist .


in a summer overrun with movies dominated by cgi aliens and super heroes , it revigorates the mind to see a feature that concentrates on people , a project in which the script and characters hold sway .


birthday girl lucks out with chaplin and kidman , who are capable of anteing up some movie star charisma when they need it to sell us on this twisted love story , but who can also negotiate the movie 's darker turns .


it was only a matter of time before some savvy producer saw the potential success inherent in the mixture of bullock bubble and hugh goo .


one just waits grimly for the next shock without developing much attachment to the characters .


once again , director chris columbus takes a hat-in-hand approach to rowling that stifles creativity and allows the film to drag on for nearly three hours .


has lost some of the dramatic conviction that underlies the best of comedies ...


each of these stories has the potential for touched by an angel simplicity and sappiness , but thirteen conversations about one thing , for all its generosity and optimism , never resorts to easy feel-good sentiments .


devos delivers a perfect performance that captures the innocence and budding demons within a wallflower .


i suspect that you 'll be as bored watching morvern callar as the characters are in it .


likeable thanks to its cast , its cuisine and its quirky tunes .


in all the annals of the movies , few films have been this odd , inexplicable and unpleasant .


... a triumph of emotionally and narratively complex filmmaking .


anybody who enjoys quirky , fun , popcorn movies with a touch of silliness and a little bloodshed .


dogtown & z-boys evokes the blithe rebel fantasy with the kind of insouciance embedded in the sexy demise of james dean .


while this film has an ` a ' list cast and some strong supporting players , the tale -- like its central figure , vivi -- is just a little bit hard to love .


writer-director ritchie reduces wertmuller 's social mores and politics to tiresome jargon .


this is mostly well-constructed fluff , which is all it seems intended to be .


it does n't really know or care about the characters , and uses them as markers for a series of preordained events .


at the film 's centre is a precisely layered performance by an actor in his mid-seventies , michel piccoli .


reign of fire has the disadvantage of also looking cheap .


not a schlocky creature feature but something far more stylish and cerebral -- and , hence , more chillingly effective .


at a time when we 've learned the hard way just how complex international terrorism is , collateral damage paints an absurdly simplistic picture .


the entire cast is extraordinarily good .


a film that suffers because of its many excesses .


with very little to add beyond the dark visions already relayed by superb recent predecessors like swimming with sharks and the player , this latest skewering ... may put off insiders and outsiders alike .


the inherent limitations of using a video game as the source material movie are once again made all too clear in this schlocky horror\/action hybrid .


death to smoochy tells a moldy-oldie , not-nearly - as-nasty - as-it - thinks-it-is joke .


... if you 're just in the mood for a fun -- but bad -- movie , you might want to catch freaks as a matinee .


i have returned from the beyond to warn you : this movie is 90 minutes long , and life is too short .


khouri manages , with terrific flair , to keep the extremes of screwball farce and blood-curdling family intensity on one continuum .


it 's rare to find a film to which the adjective ` gentle ' applies , but the word perfectly describes pauline & paulette .


the characters ... are paper-thin , and their personalities undergo radical changes when it suits the script .


definitely in the guilty pleasure b-movie category , reign of fire is so incredibly inane that it is laughingly enjoyable .


lovingly photographed in the manner of a golden book sprung to life , stuart little 2 manages sweetness largely without stickiness .


you expect more from director michael apted -lrb- enigma -rrb- and screenwriter nicholas kazan -lrb- reversal of fortune -rrb- than this cliche pileup .


one thing you have to give them credit for : the message of the movie is consistent with the messages espoused in the company 's previous video work .


stephen earnhart 's documentary is a decomposition of healthy eccentric inspiration and ambition -- wearing a cloak of unsentimental , straightforward text -- when it 's really an exercise in gross romanticization of the delusional personality type .


an undeniably moving film to experience , and ultimately that 's what makes it worth a recommendation .


from a deceptively simple premise , this deeply moving french drama develops a startling story that works both as a detailed personal portrait and as a rather frightening examination of modern times .


an uplifting , near-masterpiece .


a smug and convoluted action-comedy that does n't allow an earnest moment to pass without reminding audiences that it 's only a movie .


-lrb- davis -rrb- wants to cause his audience an epiphany , yet he refuses to give us real situations and characters .


... stale and uninspired .


is many things -- stoner midnight flick , sci-fi deconstruction , gay fantasia -- but above all it 's a love story as sanguine as its title .


earnest and tentative even when it aims to shock .


it 's not like having a real film of nijinsky , but at least it 's better than that eponymous 1980 biopic that used soap in the places where the mysteries lingered .


the film can depress you about life itself .


this latest installment of the horror film franchise that is apparently as invulnerable as its trademark villain has arrived for an incongruous summer playoff , demonstrating yet again that the era of the intelligent , well-made b movie is long gone .


thumbs up to paxton for not falling into the hollywood trap and making a vanity project with nothing new to offer .


a dramatic comedy as pleasantly dishonest and pat as any hollywood fluff .


but as you watch the movie , you 're too interested to care .


steve oedekerk is , alas , no woody allen .


like the full monty , this is sure to raise audience 's spirits and leave them singing long after the credits roll .


y tu mamá también is hilariously , gloriously alive , and quite often hotter than georgia asphalt .


cynical and serious look at teenage boys doing what they do best - being teenagers .


-lrb- lee -rrb- treats his audience the same way that jim brown treats his women -- as dumb , credulous , unassuming , subordinate subjects .


an amalgam of the fugitive , blade runner , and total recall , only without much energy or tension .


it excels because , unlike so many other hollywood movies of its ilk , it offers hope .


about the only thing to give the movie points for is bravado -- to take an entirely stale concept and push it through the audience 's meat grinder one more time .


unfortunately , neither sendak nor the directors are particularly engaging or articulate .


the first five minutes will have you talking 'til the end of the year !


grainy photography mars an otherwise delightful comedy of errors .


the biggest problem with roger avary 's uproar against the mpaa is that , even in all its director 's cut glory , he 's made a film that 's barely shocking , barely interesting and most of all , barely anything .


leaves us wondering less about its ideas and more about its characterization of hitler and the contrived nature of its provocative conclusion .


no big whoop , nothing new to see , zero thrills , too many flashbacks and a choppy ending make for a bad film .


apart from anything else , this is one of the best-sustained ideas i have ever seen on the screen .


a realistically terrifying movie that puts another notch in the belt of the long list of renegade-cop tales .


it made me feel unclean , and i 'm the guy who liked there 's something about mary and both american pie movies .


a battle between bug-eye theatre and dead-eye matinee .


whatever complaints i might have , i 'd take -lrb- its -rrb- earnest errors and hard-won rewards over the bombastic self-glorification of other feel-good fiascos like antwone fisher or the emperor 's club any time .


some episodes work , some do n't .


a solid cast , assured direction and complete lack of modern day irony .


has an unmistakable , easy joie de vivre .


a somewhat disappointing and meandering saga .


wise and deadpan humorous .


possibly the most irresponsible picture ever released by a major film studio .


a perfectly competent and often imaginative film that lacks what little lilo & stitch had in spades -- charisma .


a big meal of cliches that the talented cast generally chokes on .


... a mostly boring affair with a confusing sudden finale that 's likely to irk viewers .


entertaining despite its one-joke premise with the thesis that women from venus and men from mars can indeed get together .


needed a little less bling-bling and a lot more romance .


the large-format film is well suited to capture these musicians in full regalia and the incredible imax sound system lets you feel the beat down to your toes .


a brilliant , absurd collection of vignettes that , in their own idiosyncratic way , sum up the strange horror of life in the new millennium .


do n't say you were n't warned .


like many such biographical melodramas , it suffers from the awkwardness that results from adhering to the messiness of true stories .


the most remarkable -lrb- and frustrating -rrb- thing about world traveler , which opens today in manhattan , is that its protagonist , after being an object of intense scrutiny for 104 minutes , remains a complete blank .


much of the lady and the duke is about quiet , decisive moments between members of the cultural elite as they determine how to proceed as the world implodes .


so mind-numbingly awful that you hope britney wo n't do it one more time , as far as movies are concerned .


in an art film !


unfortunately , it 's also not very good .


the pleasures that it does afford may be enough to keep many moviegoers occupied amidst some of the more serious-minded concerns of other year-end movies .


shamelessly resorting to pee-related sight gags that might even cause tom green a grimace ; still , myer 's energy and the silliness of it all eventually prevail


it 's depressing to see how far herzog has fallen .


solaris is rigid and evasive in ways that soderbergh 's best films , `` erin brockovich , '' `` out of sight '' and `` ocean 's eleven , '' never were .


the film 's constant mood of melancholy and its unhurried narrative are masterfully controlled .


it 's like a drive-by .


benigni 's pinocchio is extremely straight and mind-numbingly stilted , its episodic pacing keeping the film from developing any storytelling flow .


it 's a great american adventure and a wonderful film to bring to imax .


it remains to be seen whether statham can move beyond the crime-land action genre , but then again , who says he has to ?


the colorful masseur wastes its time on mood rather than riding with the inherent absurdity of ganesh 's rise up the social ladder .


offers a persuasive look at a defeated but defiant nation in flux .


he drags it back , single-handed .


jackson is always watchable .


if you already like this sort of thing , this is that sort of thing all over again .


as action-adventure , this space-based homage to robert louis stevenson 's treasure island fires on all plasma conduits .


a buoyant romantic comedy about friendship , love , and the truth that we 're all in this together .


i felt trapped and with no obvious escape for the entire 100 minutes .


too bad .


slack and uninspired , and peopled mainly by characters so unsympathetic that you 're left with a sour taste in your mouth .


the jokes are flat , and the action looks fake .


nohe has made a decent ` intro ' documentary , but he feels like a spectator and not a participant .


i 'd be hard pressed to think of a film more cloyingly sappy than evelyn this year .


the graphic carnage and re-creation of war-torn croatia is uncomfortably timely , relevant , and sickeningly real .


it 's surprisingly bland despite the heavy doses of weird performances and direction .


the movie fails to portray its literarily talented and notorious subject as anything much more than a dirty old man .


the best animated feature to hit theaters since beauty and the beast 11 years ago .


washington overcomes the script 's flaws and envelops the audience in his character 's anguish , anger and frustration .


a remarkable film by bernard rose .


a shoddy male hip hop fantasy filled with guns , expensive cars , lots of naked women and rocawear clothing .


stuffed to the brim with ideas , american instigator michael moore 's film is a rambling examination of american gun culture that uses his usual modus operandi of crucifixion through juxtaposition .


so genial is the conceit , this is one of those rare pictures that you root for throughout , dearly hoping that the rich promise of the script will be realized on the screen .


by the standards of knucklehead swill , the hot chick is pretty damned funny .


the performances are uniformly good .


tony gayton 's script does n't give us anything we have n't seen before , but director d.j. caruso 's grimy visual veneer and kilmer 's absorbing performance increase the gravitational pull considerably .


there 's already been too many of these films ...


none of his actors stand out , but that 's less of a problem here than it would be in another film : characterization matters less than atmosphere .


confessions may not be a straightforward bio , nor does it offer much in the way of barris ' motivations , but the film is an oddly fascinating depiction of an architect of pop culture .


ou 've got to love a disney pic with as little cleavage as this one has , and a heroine as feisty and principled as jane .


writer\/director walter hill is in his hypermasculine element here , once again able to inject some real vitality and even art into a pulpy concept that , in many other hands would be completely forgettable .


too bad writer-director adam rifkin situates it all in a plot as musty as one of the golden eagle 's carpets .


i could n't help but feel the wasted potential of this slapstick comedy .


despite a performance of sustained intelligence from stanford and another of subtle humour from bebe neuwirth , as an older woman who seduces oscar , the film founders on its lack of empathy for the social milieu - rich new york intelligentsia - and its off


everything that was right about blade is wrong in its sequel .


a punch line without a premise , a joke built entirely from musty memories of half-dimensional characters .


unsurprisingly , the way this all works out makes the women look more like stereotypical caretakers and moral teachers , instead of serious athletes .


art-house to the core , read my lips is a genre-curling crime story that revives the free-wheeling noir spirit of old french cinema .


like the best of godard 's movies ... it is visually ravishing , penetrating , impenetrable .


its appeal will probably limited to lds church members and undemanding armchair tourists .


an unorthodox little film noir organized crime story that includes one of the strangest love stories you will ever see .


the filmmakers try to balance pointed , often incisive satire and unabashed sweetness , with results that are sometimes bracing , sometimes baffling and quite often , and in unexpected ways , touching .


... in the pile of useless actioners from mtv schmucks who do n't know how to tell a story for more than four minutes .


if welles was unhappy at the prospect of the human race splitting in two , he probably would n't be too crazy with his great-grandson 's movie splitting up in pretty much the same way .


what makes barbershop so likable , with all its flaws , is that it has none of the pushiness and decibel volume of most contemporary comedies .


a well-done film of a self-reflexive , philosophical nature .


it 's not only dull because we 've seen -lrb- eddie -rrb- murphy do the genial-rogue shtick to death , but because the plot is equally hackneyed .


charming , if overly complicated ...


nair and writer laura cahill dare to build a movie around some flawed but rather unexceptional women , emerging with a fine character study that 's short on plot but rich in the tiny revelations of real life .


a lovely film ... elegant , witty and beneath a prim exterior unabashedly romantic ... hugely enjoyable in its own right though not really faithful to its source 's complexity .


in addition to scoring high for originality of plot -- putting together familiar themes of family , forgiveness and love in a new way -- lilo & stitch has a number of other assets to commend it to movie audiences both innocent and jaded .


so boring that even its target audience talked all the way through it .


raimi and his team could n't have done any better in bringing the story of spider-man to the big screen .


a stirring tribute to the bravery and dedication of the world 's reporters who willingly walk into the nightmare of war not only to record the events for posterity , but to help us clearly see the world of our making .


for those in search of something different , wendigo is a genuinely bone-chilling tale .


who knew ...


-lrb- it -rrb- has the feel of a summer popcorn movie .


manages to please its intended audience -- children -- without placing their parents in a coma-like state .


i 'm not saying that ice age does n't have some fairly pretty pictures , but there 's not enough substance in the story to actually give them life .


kaufman and jonze take huge risks to ponder the whole notion of passion -- our desire as human beings for passion in our lives and the emptiness one feels when it is missing .


the mantra behind the project seems to have been ` it 's just a kids ' flick . '


... hokey art house pretension .


the problems and characters it reveals are universal and involving , and the film itself -- as well its delightful cast -- is so breezy , pretty and gifted , it really won my heart .


like the best 60 minutes exposé , the film -lrb- at 80 minutes -rrb- is actually quite entertaining .


... an enjoyably frothy ` date movie ' ...


if they broke out into elaborate choreography , singing and finger snapping it might have held my attention , but as it stands i kept looking for the last exit from brooklyn .


it 's a glorified sitcom , and a long , unfunny one at that .


a cartoon ?


if it 's unnerving suspense you 're after -- you 'll find it with ring , an indisputably spooky film ; with a screenplay to die for .


the 3-d vistas from orbit , with the space station suspended like a huge set of wind chimes over the great blue globe , are stanzas of breathtaking , awe-inspiring visual poetry .


his -lrb- nelson 's -rrb- screenplay needs some serious re-working to show more of the dilemma , rather than have his characters stage shouting matches about it .


everything in maid in manhattan is exceedingly pleasant , designed not to offend .


if religious films are n't your bailiwick , stay away .


i 'm giving it thumbs down due to the endlessly repetitive scenes of embarrassment .


it 's bright , pristine style and bold colors make it as much fun as reading an oversized picture book before bedtime .


exhilarating but blatantly biased .


a tone poem of transgression .


one of the best films i have ever seen , constantly pulling the rug from underneath us , seeing things from new sides , plunging deeper , getting more intense .


an entertaining documentary that freshly considers arguments the bard 's immortal plays were written by somebody else .


that is because - damn it !


it is depressing , ruthlessly pained and depraved , the movie equivalent of staring into an open wound .


this 90-minute postmodern voyage was more diverting and thought-provoking than i 'd expected it to be .


never having seen the first two films in the series , i ca n't compare friday after next to them , but nothing would change the fact that what we have here is a load of clams left in the broiling sun for a good three days .


the most ill-conceived animated comedy since the 1991 dog rover dangerfield .


imagine a scenario where bergman approaches swedish fatalism using gary larson 's far side humor


one of those unassuming films that sneaks up on you and stays with you long after you have left the theatre .


bad and baffling from the get-go .


you need n't be steeped in '50s sociology , pop culture or movie lore to appreciate the emotional depth of haynes ' work .


the movie does n't think much of its characters , its protagonist , or of us .


bears about as much resemblance to the experiences of most battered women as spider-man does to the experiences of most teenagers .


with a romantic comedy plotline straight from the ages , this cinderella story does n't have a single surprise up its sleeve .


crudup 's screen presence is the one thing that holds interest in the midst of a mushy , existential exploration of why men leave their families .


the very definition of what critics have come to term an `` ambitious failure . ''


while puerile men dominate the story , the women shine .


but on the whole , you 're gonna like this movie .


your stomach for heaven depends largely on your appetite for canned corn .


life on the rez is no picnic : this picture shows you why .


the script ?


... once the true impact of the day unfolds , the power of this movie is undeniable .


90 punitive minutes of eardrum-dicing gunplay , screeching-metal smashups , and flaccid odd-couple sniping .


-lrb- the cockettes -rrb- provides a window into a subculture hell-bent on expressing itself in every way imaginable . '


it is a popcorn film , not a must-own , or even a must-see .


an ambitious ` what if ? '


the movie is silly beyond comprehension , and even if it were n't silly , it would still be beyond comprehension .


yo , it 's the days of our lives meets electric boogaloo .


the sweetest thing is expressly for idiots who do n't care what kind of sewage they shovel into their mental gullets to simulate sustenance .


this sensitive , smart , savvy , compelling coming-of-age drama delves into the passive-aggressive psychology of co-dependence and the struggle for self-esteem .


so muddled , repetitive and ragged that it says far less about the horrifying historical reality than about the filmmaker 's characteristic style .


but they do n't fit well together and neither is well told .


an energetic and engaging film that never pretends to be something it is n't .


needs more impressionistic cinematography and exhilarating point-of-view shots and fewer slow-motion ` grandeur ' shots and quick-cut edits that often detract from the athleticism .


just another combination of bad animation and mindless violence ... lacking the slightest bit of wit or charm .


directors harry gantz and joe gantz have chosen a fascinating subject matter , but the couples exposing themselves are n't all that interesting .


10 minutes into the film you 'll be white-knuckled and unable to look away .


everything is pegged into the groove of a new york dating comedy with ` issues ' to simplify .


handsome and sincere but slightly awkward in its combination of entertainment and evangelical boosterism .


it 's a great performance and a reminder of dickens ' grandeur .


the kind of primal storytelling that george lucas can only dream of .


if you 're paying attention , the `` big twists '' are pretty easy to guess - but that does n't make the movie any less entertaining .


a very charming and funny movie .


a movie that 's just plain awful but still manages to entertain on a guilty-pleasure , so-bad-it 's - funny level .


it 's a documentary that says that the alternate sexuality meant to set you free may require so much relationship maintenance that celibacy can start looking good .


`` frailty '' has been written so well , that even a simple `` goddammit ! ''


the story is lacking any real emotional impact , and the plot is both contrived and cliched .


a colorful , joyous celebration of life ; a tapestry woven of romance , dancing , singing , and unforgettable characters .


the characters are paper thin and the plot is so cliched and contrived that it makes your least favorite james bond movie seem as cleverly plotted as the usual suspects .


i am not generally a huge fan of cartoons derived from tv shows , but hey arnold !


cold , nervy and memorable .


a headline-fresh thriller set among orthodox jews on the west bank , joseph cedar 's time of favor manages not only to find a compelling dramatic means of addressing a complex situation , it does so without compromising that complexity .


if you can tolerate the redneck-versus-blueblood cliches that the film trades in , sweet home alabama is diverting in the manner of jeff foxworthy 's stand-up act .


it 's a lot to ask people to sit still for two hours and change watching such a character , especially when rendered in as flat and impassive a manner as phoenix 's .


puportedly `` based on true events , '' a convolution of language that suggests it 's impossible to claim that it is `` based on a true story '' with a straight face .


but the 2002 film does n't really believe in it , and breaks the mood with absurdly inappropriate ` comedy ' scenes .


halloween : resurrection is n't exactly quality cinema , but it is n't nearly as terrible as it cold have been .


terry is a sort of geriatric dirty harry , which will please eastwood 's loyal fans -- and suits the story , wherein our hero must ride roughshod over incompetent cops to get his man .


ice cube is n't quite out of ripe screwball ideas , but friday after next spreads them pretty thin .


the criticism never rises above easy , cynical potshots at morally bankrupt characters ...


the film is darkly atmospheric , with herrmann quietly suggesting the sadness and obsession beneath hearst 's forced avuncular chortles .


it 's a film with an idea buried somewhere inside its fabric , but never clearly seen or felt .


ram dass fierce grace moulds itself as an example to up-and-coming documentarians , of the overlooked pitfalls of such an endeavour .


this sci-fi techno-sex thriller starts out bizarre and just keeps getting weirder .


authentic , and at times endearing , humorous , spooky , educational , but at other times as bland as a block of snow .


if mostly martha is mostly unsurprising , it 's still a sweet , even delectable diversion .


this is the kind of movie that gets a quick release before real contenders arrive in september .


but there 's plenty to offend everyone ...


anyone who gets chills from movies with giant plot holes will find plenty to shake and shiver about in ` the ring . '


pretend it 's a werewolf itself by avoiding eye contact and walking slowly away .


it 's 51 times better than this .


a delightful little film that revels in its own simplicity , mostly martha will leave you with a smile on your face and a grumble in your stomach .


even when there are lulls , the emotions seem authentic , and the picture is so lovely toward the end ... you almost do n't notice the 129-minute running time .


the movie is undone by a filmmaking methodology that 's just experimental enough to alienate the mainstream audience while ringing cliched to hardened indie-heads .


start reading your scripts before signing that dotted line .


astonishing ... -lrb- frames -rrb- profound ethical and philosophical questions in the form of dazzling pop entertainment .


director-writer bille august ... depicts this relationship with economical grace , letting his superb actors convey martin 's deterioration and barbara 's sadness -- and , occasionally , anger .


a potentially good comic premise and excellent cast are terribly wasted .


the gags are often a stitch .


offers laughs and insight into one of the toughest ages a kid can go through .


the satire is just too easy to be genuinely satisfying .


horns and halos benefits from serendipity but also reminds us of our own responsibility to question what is told as the truth .


it lacks the compassion , good-natured humor and the level of insight that made -lrb- eyre 's -rrb- first film something of a sleeper success .


nothing here seems as funny as it did in analyze this , not even joe viterelli as de niro 's right-hand goombah .


if you like quirky , odd movies and\/or the ironic , here 's a fun one .


an awkwardly contrived exercise in magic realism .


a superlative b movie -- funny , sexy , and rousing .


a chilling tale of one of the great crimes of 20th century france : the murder of two rich women by their servants in 1933 .


even fans of ismail merchant 's work , i suspect , would have a hard time sitting through this one .


even with all its botches , enigma offers all the pleasure of a handsome and well-made entertainment .


barney throws away the goodwill the first half of his movie generates by orchestrating a finale that is impenetrable and dull .


a small gem of a movie that defies classification and is as thought-provoking as it is funny , scary and sad .


the entire movie is filled with deja vu moments .


a sloppy , amusing comedy that proceeds from a stunningly unoriginal premise .


the increasingly diverse french director has created a film that one can honestly describe as looking , sounding and simply feeling like no other film in recent history .


that , in itself , is extraordinary .


it briefly flirts with player masochism , but the point of real interest - -- audience sadism -- is evaded completely .


not kids , who do n't need the lesson in repugnance .


cockettes has the glorious , gaudy benefit of much stock footage of those days , featuring all manner of drag queen , bearded lady and lactating hippie .


a little melodramatic , but with enough hope to keep you engaged .


pan nalin 's exposition is beautiful and mysterious , and the interviews that follow , with the practitioners of this ancient indian practice , are as subtle and as enigmatic .


twist open the ouzo !


it is there to give them a good time .


high crimes steals so freely from other movies and combines enough disparate types of films that it ca n't help but engage an audience .


an ill-conceived jumble that 's not scary , not smart and not engaging .


a movie like the guys is why film criticism can be considered work .


a knowing look at female friendship , spiked with raw urban humor .


a psychic journey deep into the very fabric of iranian ... life .


gone are the flamboyant mannerisms that are the trademark of several of his performances .


in the end , the film is less the cheap thriller you 'd expect than it is a fairly revealing study of its two main characters -- damaged-goods people whose orbits will inevitably and dangerously collide .


it is not the first time that director sara sugarman stoops to having characters drop their pants for laughs and not the last time she fails to provoke them .


an unflinching look at the world 's dispossessed .


a baffling subplot involving smuggling drugs inside danish cows falls flat , and if you 're going to alter the bard 's ending , you 'd better have a good alternative .


whether jason x is this bad on purpose is never clear .


a sleep-inducingly slow-paced crime drama with clumsy dialogue , heavy-handed phoney-feeling sentiment , and an overly-familiar set of plot devices .


i do n't feel the least bit ashamed in admitting that my enjoyment came at the expense of seeing justice served , even if it 's a dish that 's best served cold .


as if drop dead gorgeous was n't enough , this equally derisive clunker is fixated on the spectacle of small-town competition .


... while dark water is n't a complete wash -lrb- no pun intended -rrb- , watched side-by-side with ringu , it ultimately comes off as a pale successor .


despite its dry wit and compassion , the film suffers from a philosophical emptiness and maddeningly sedate pacing .


a mature , deeply felt fantasy of a director 's travel through 300 years of russian history .


if you 're looking for a story , do n't bother .


it is that rare combination of bad writing , bad direction and bad acting -- the trifecta of badness .


steers refreshingly clear of the usual cliches .


if h.g. wells had a time machine and could take a look at his kin 's reworked version , what would he say ?


after that it becomes long and tedious like a classroom play in a college history course .


though writer\/director bart freundlich 's film ultimately becomes a simplistic story about a dysfunctional parent-child relationship , it has some special qualities and the soulful gravity of crudup 's anchoring performance .


narc is all menace and atmosphere .


the only type of lives this glossy comedy-drama resembles are ones in formulaic mainstream movies .


less front-loaded and more shapely than the two-hour version released here in 1990 .


the film is weighed down by supporting characters who are either too goodly , wise and knowing or downright comically evil .


the wonderful combination of the sweetness and the extraordinary technical accomplishments of the first film are maintained , but its overall impact falls a little flat with a storyline that never quite delivers the original magic .


there is a beautiful , aching sadness to it all .


irwin is so earnest that it 's hard to resist his pleas to spare wildlife and respect their environs .


tsai may be ploughing the same furrow once too often .


no french people were harmed during the making of this movie , but they were insulted and the audience was put through torture for an hour and a half .


bread , my sweet has so many flaws it would be easy for critics to shred it .


hampered -- no , paralyzed -- by a self-indulgent script ... that aims for poetry and ends up sounding like satire .


the dark and bittersweet twist feels strange as things turn nasty and tragic during the final third of the film .


murderous maids has a lot going for it , not least the brilliant performances by testud ... and parmentier .


... one of the most entertaining monster movies in ages ...


exposing the ways we fool ourselves is one hour photo 's real strength .