stealing harvard aspires to comedic grand larceny but stands convicted of nothing more than petty theft of your time .


the ga-zillionth airhead movie about a wife in distress who resorts to desperate measures .


good old-fashioned slash-and-hack is back !


a movie with a real anarchic flair .


it 's one pussy-ass world when even killer-thrillers revolve around group therapy sessions .


characters still need to function according to some set of believable and comprehensible impulses , no matter how many drugs they do or how much artistic license avary employs .


maneuvers skillfully through the plot 's hot brine -- until it 's undone by the sogginess of its contemporary characters , and actors .


a densely constructed , highly referential film , and an audacious return to form that can comfortably sit among jean-luc godard 's finest work .


a thinly veiled look at different aspects of chinese life clashing with each other .


far more imaginative and ambitious than the trivial , cash-in features nickelodeon has made from its other animated tv series .


pumpkin means to be an outrageous dark satire on fraternity life , but its ambitions far exceed the abilities of writer adam larson broder and his co-director , tony r. abrams , in their feature debut .


it 's too bad that the helping hand he uses to stir his ingredients is also a heavy one .


zhang ... has done an amazing job of getting realistic performances from his mainly nonprofessional cast .


without ever becoming didactic , director carlos carrera expertly weaves this novelistic story of entangled interrelationships and complex morality .


it 's hampered by a lifetime-channel kind of plot and a lead actress who is out of her depth .


pumpkin wants to have it both ways .


gives you the steady pulse of life in a beautiful city viewed through the eyes of a character who , in spite of tragic loss and increasing decrepitude , knows in his bones that he is one of the luckiest men alive .


-lrb- chaiken 's -rrb- talent lies in an evocative , accurate observation of a distinctive milieu and in the lively , convincing dialogue she creates for her characters .


a psychological thriller with a genuinely spooky premise and an above-average cast , actor bill paxton 's directing debut is a creepy slice of gothic rural americana .


it 's worth seeing just on the basis of the wisdom , and at times , the startling optimism , of the children .


dragonfly has no atmosphere , no tension -- nothing but costner , flailing away .


the film flat lines when it should peak and is more missed opportunity and trifle than dark , decadent truffle .


less dizzying than just dizzy , the jaunt is practically over before it begins .


a science-fiction pastiche so lacking in originality that if you stripped away its inspirations there would be precious little left .


-lrb- w -rrb- hile long on amiable monkeys and worthy environmentalism , jane goodall 's wild chimpanzees is short on the thrills the oversize medium demands .


intriguing documentary which is emotionally diluted by focusing on the story 's least interesting subject .


the son 's room is a triumph of gentility that earns its moments of pathos .


a disappointment for those who love alternate versions of the bard , particularly ones that involve deep fryers and hamburgers .


it 's clear the filmmakers were n't sure where they wanted their story to go , and even more clear that they lack the skills to get us to this undetermined destination .


... a hollow joke told by a cinematic gymnast having too much fun embellishing the misanthropic tale to actually engage it .


this time mr. burns is trying something in the martin scorsese street-realist mode , but his self-regarding sentimentality trips him up again .


manages to be both repulsively sadistic and mundane .


a simple , but gritty and well-acted ensemble drama that encompasses a potent metaphor for a country still dealing with its fascist past .


yes , ballistic is silly .


the film is beautifully mounted , but , more to the point , the issues are subtly presented , managing to walk a fine line with regard to the question of joan 's madness .


a sequel that 's much too big for its britches .


this is an egotistical endeavor from the daughter of horror director dario argento -lrb- a producer here -rrb- , but her raw performance and utter fearlessness make it strangely magnetic .


nicks , seemingly uncertain what 's going to make people laugh , runs the gamut from stale parody to raunchy sex gags to formula romantic comedy .


it deserves to be seen by anyone with even a passing interest in the events shaping the world beyond their own horizons .


it treats women like idiots .


there are some wonderfully fresh moments that smooth the moral stiffness with human kindness and hopefulness .


the result is a gaudy bag of stale candy , something from a halloween that died .


an interesting story with a pertinent -lrb- cinematically unique -rrb- message , told fairly well and scored to perfection , i found myself struggling to put my finger on that elusive `` missing thing . ''


weaves a spell over you , with its disturbingly close-up look at damaged psyches and its subtle undercurrents of danger .


what 's next : `` my mother the car ? ''


not far beneath the surface , this reconfigured tale asks disturbing questions about those things we expect from military epics .


a momentary escape from the summer heat and the sedentary doldrums that set in at this time of year .


an absurdist comedy about alienation , separation and loss .


the talented and clever robert rodriguez perhaps put a little too much heart into his first film and did n't reserve enough for his second .


hilariously inept and ridiculous .


vera 's three actors -- mollà , gil and bardem -- excel in insightful , empathetic performances .


for close to two hours the audience is forced to endure three terminally depressed , mostly inarticulate , hyper dysfunctional families for the price of one .


good car chases , great fight scenes , and a distinctive blend of european , american and asian influences .


the performances take the movie to a higher level .


some of their jokes work , but most fail miserably and in the end , pumpkin is far more offensive than it is funny .


chokes on its own depiction of upper-crust decorum .


if looking for a thrilling sci-fi cinematic ride , do n't settle for this imposter .


would n't one about their famous dad , author of death in venice , etc. , be more valuable ?


though catch me if you can is n't badly made , the fun slowly leaks out of the movie .


despite impeccable acting ... and a script that takes some rather unexpected -lrb- even , at times , preposterous -rrb- turns , love is just too , too precious in the end .


deadeningly dull , mired in convoluted melodrama , nonsensical jargon and stiff-upper-lip laboriousness .


collateral damage finally delivers the goods for schwarzenegger fans .


part three stooges .


still , as a visual treat , the film is almost unsurpassed .


his last movie was poetically romantic and full of indelible images , but his latest has nothing going for it .


portentous and pretentious , the weight of water is appropriately titled , given the heavy-handedness of it drama .


the minor figures surrounding -lrb- bobby -rrb- ... form a gritty urban mosaic .


no one but a convict guilty of some truly heinous crime should have to sit through the master of disguise .


complete lack of originality , cleverness or even visible effort


it 's inoffensive , cheerful , built to inspire the young people , set to an unending soundtrack of beach party pop numbers and aside from its remarkable camerawork and awesome scenery , it 's about as exciting as a sunburn .


while it 's nice to watch a movie that has n't been focus-grouped into tedium , yu 's cinematic alchemy produces nearly as much lead as gold .


the movie does a good job of laying out some of the major issues that we encounter as we journey through life .


returning aggressively to his formula of dimwitted comedy and even dimmer characters , sandler , who also executive produces , has made a film that makes previous vehicles look smart and sassy .


there 's enough melodrama in this magnolia primavera to make pta proud yet director muccino 's characters are less worthy of puccini than they are of daytime television .


zaidan 's script has barely enough plot to string the stunts together and not quite enough characterization to keep the faces straight .


not only are the special effects and narrative flow much improved , and daniel radcliffe more emotionally assertive this time around as harry , but the film conjures the magic of author j.k. rowling 's books .


the best revenge may just be living well because this film , unlike other dumas adaptations , is far more likened to a treasure than a lengthy jail sentence .


the film is a contrivance , as artificial as the video games japanese teens play in a nightclub sequence , but it 's an enjoyable one .


chilling but uncommercial look into the mind of jeffrey dahmer , serial killer .


too much of the humor falls flat .


falls neatly into the category of good stupid fun .


if the count of monte cristo does n't transform caviezel into a movie star , then the game is even more rigged than it was two centuries ago .


jaglom ... put -lrb- s -rrb- the audience in the privileged position of eavesdropping on his characters


if only the story about a multi-million dollar con bothered to include the con .


every dance becomes about seduction , where backstabbing and betrayals are celebrated , and sex is currency .


velocity represents everything wrong with '' independent film '' as a commodified , sold-out concept on the american filmmaking scene .


hardly a masterpiece , but it introduces viewers to a good charitable enterprise and some interesting real people .


one of creepiest , scariest movies to come along in a long , long time , easily rivaling blair witch or the others .


it has its moments of swaggering camaraderie , but more often just feels generic , derivative and done to death .


the so-inept - it 's - surreal dubbing -lrb- featuring the voices of glenn close , regis philbin and breckin meyer -rrb- brings back memories of cheesy old godzilla flicks .


it 's everything you do n't go to the movies for .


mattei is tiresomely grave and long-winded , as if circularity itself indicated profundity .


the twist that ends the movie is the one with the most emotional resonance , but twists are getting irritating , and this is the kind of material where the filmmakers should be very careful about raising eyebrows .


pacino is brilliant as the sleep-deprived dormer , his increasing weariness as much existential as it is physical .


a compelling spanish film about the withering effects of jealousy in the life of a young monarch whose sexual passion for her husband becomes an obsession .


holy mad maniac in a mask , splat-man !


there 's something auspicious , and daring , too , about the artistic instinct that pushes a majority-oriented director like steven spielberg to follow a.i. with this challenging report so liable to unnerve the majority .


whereas last year 's exemplary sexy beast seemed to revitalize the british gangster movie , this equally brutal outing merely sustains it .


bad .


an intriguing cinematic omnibus and round-robin that occasionally is more interesting in concept than in execution .


it 's sweet , harmless , dumb , occasionally funny and about as compelling as a fishing show .


the subtle strength of `` elling '' is that it never loses touch with the reality of the grim situation .


not exactly the bees knees


audrey tatou has a knack for picking roles that magnify her outrageous charm , and in this literate french comedy , she 's as morning-glory exuberant as she was in amélie .


just not campy enough


an unpredictable blend of gal-pal smart talk , romantic comedy and dark tragedy that bites off considerably more than writer\/director john mckay can swallow .


equilibrium is what george orwell might have imagined had today 's mood-altering drug therapy been envisioned by chemists in 1949 .


a must-see for the david mamet enthusiast and for anyone who appreciates intelligent , stylish moviemaking .


a spellbinding african film about the modern condition of rootlessness , a state experienced by millions around the globe .


a cartoon that 's truly cinematic in scope , and a story that 's compelling and heartfelt -- even if the heart belongs to a big , four-legged herbivore .


you will emerge with a clearer view of how the gears of justice grind on and the death report comes to share airtime alongside the farm report .


an operatic , sprawling picture that 's entertainingly acted , magnificently shot and gripping enough to sustain most of its 170-minute length .


i 've always dreamed of attending cannes , but after seeing this film , it 's not that big a deal .


morton uses her face and her body language to bring us morvern 's soul , even though the character is almost completely deadpan .


and i 've decided to leave a light on every night from now on .


the stripped-down approach does give the film a certain timeless quality , but the measured pace and lack of dramatic inflection can also seem tedious .


it conveys a simple message in a visual style that is willfully overwrought .


rarely has leukemia looked so shimmering and benign .


we have n't seen such hilarity since say it is n't so !


true tale of courage -- and complicity -- at auschwitz is a harrowing drama that tries to tell of the unspeakable .


how do you spell cliché ?


manages to be somewhat well-acted , not badly art-directed and utterly unengaging no matter how hard it tries to be thrilling , touching or , yikes , uproarious .


the script is n't very good ; not even someone as gifted as hoffman -lrb- the actor -rrb- can make it work .


a giggle a minute .


made with no discernible craft and monstrously sanctimonious in dealing with childhood loss .


the only excitement comes when the credits finally roll and you get to leave the theater .


maud and roland 's search for an unknowable past makes for a haunting literary detective story , but labute pulls off a neater trick in possession : he makes language sexy .


but this films lacks the passion required to sell the material .


just an average comedic dateflick but not a waste of time .


vera 's technical prowess ends up selling his film short ; he smoothes over hard truths even as he uncovers them .


a ragbag of promising ideas and failed narrative , of good acting and plain old bad filmmaking .


the film is based on truth and yet there is something about it that feels incomplete , as if the real story starts just around the corner .


corny , schmaltzy and predictable , but still manages to be kind of heartwarming , nonetheless .


huston nails both the glad-handing and the choking sense of hollow despair .


in an effort , i suspect , not to offend by appearing either too serious or too lighthearted , it offends by just being wishy-washy .


if i had been thinking about the visual medium , they would have been doing something wrong .


nelson 's brutally unsentimental approach ... sucks the humanity from the film , leaving behind an horrific but weirdly unemotional spectacle .


a sequence of ridiculous shoot - 'em - up scenes .


it seems like i have been waiting my whole life for this movie and now i ca n't wait for the sequel .


liotta put on 30 pounds for the role , and has completely transformed himself from his smooth , goodfellas image .


passable entertainment , but it 's the kind of motion picture that wo n't make much of a splash when it 's released , and will not be remembered long afterwards .


the movie is for fans who ca n't stop loving anime , and the fanatical excess built into it .


a sober and affecting chronicle of the leveling effect of loss .


it 's made with deftly unsettling genre flair .


it 's dumb , but more importantly , it 's just not scary .


a study in shades of gray , offering itself up in subtle plot maneuvers ...


ruzowitzky has taken this mothball-y stuff and made a rather sturdy , old-fashioned entertainment out of it .


the tale of tok -lrb- andy lau -rrb- , a sleek sociopath on the trail of o -lrb- takashi sorimachi -rrb- , the most legendary of asian hitmen , is too scattershot to take hold .


something like scrubbing the toilet .


`` the ring '' is pretty much an english-language copy of the film that inspired it , and it carries the same strengths and flaws .


smart , provocative and blisteringly funny .


this one is definitely one to skip , even for horror movie fanatics .


charles ' entertaining film chronicles seinfeld 's return to stand-up comedy after the wrap of his legendary sitcom , alongside wannabe comic adams ' attempts to get his shot at the big time .


an effectively creepy , fear-inducing -lrb- not fear-reducing -rrb- film from japanese director hideo nakata , who takes the superstitious curse on chain letters and actually applies it .