marinated in clichés and mawkish dialogue .


from the choppy editing to the annoying score to ` special effects ' by way of replacing objects in a character 's hands below the camera line , `` besotted '' is misbegotten


fortunately , elling never gets too cloying thanks to the actors ' perfect comic timing and sweet , genuine chemistry .


for all the charm of kevin kline and a story that puts old-fashioned values under the microscope , there 's something creepy about this movie .


for all its violence , the movie is remarkably dull with only caine making much of an impression .


rifkin no doubt fancies himself something of a hubert selby jr. , but there is n't an ounce of honest poetry in his entire script ; it 's simply crude and unrelentingly exploitative .


a flawed but engrossing thriller .


something for everyone .


in the wake of saving private ryan , black hawk down and we were soldiers , you are likely to be as heartily sick of mayhem as cage 's war-weary marine .


amid the cliché and foreshadowing , cage manages a degree of casual realism ... that is routinely dynamited by blethyn .


prepare to marvel again .


at times , the movie looks genuinely pretty .


even though the film does n't manage to hit all of its marks , it 's still entertaining to watch the target practice .


the most brilliant work in this genre since the 1984 uncut version of sergio leone 's flawed but staggering once upon a time in america .


it goes on for too long and bogs down in a surfeit of characters and unnecessary subplots .


by the time the plot grinds itself out in increasingly incoherent fashion , you might be wishing for a watch that makes time go faster rather than the other way around .


but seriously , folks , it does n't work .


spielberg 's picture is smarter and subtler than -lrb- total recall and blade runner -rrb- , although its plot may prove too convoluted for fun-seeking summer audiences .


if a few good men told us that we `` ca n't handle the truth '' than high crimes poetically states at one point in this movie that we `` do n't care about the truth . ''


the unexplored story opportunities of `` punch-drunk love '' may have worked against the maker 's minimalist intent but it is an interesting exercise by talented writer\/director anderson .


the soul-searching deliberateness of the film , although leavened nicely with dry absurdist wit , eventually becomes too heavy for the plot .


starts out ballsy and stylish but fails to keep it up and settles into clichés .


definitely worth 95 minutes of your time .


ratliff 's two previous titles , plutonium circus and purgatory county show his penchant for wry , contentious configurations , and this film is part of that delicate canon .


except for paymer as the boss who ultimately expresses empathy for bartleby 's pain , the performances are so stylized as to be drained of human emotion .


the sundance film festival has become so buzz-obsessed that fans and producers descend upon utah each january to ferret out the next great thing .


in addition to gluing you to the edge of your seat , changing lanes is also a film of freshness , imagination and insight .


very predictable but still entertaining


while not quite `` shrek '' or `` monsters , inc. '' , it 's not too bad .


too smart to ignore but a little too smugly superior to like , this could be a movie that ends up slapping its target audience in the face by shooting itself in the foot .


stevens has a flair for dialogue comedy , the film operates nicely off the element of surprise , and the large cast is solid .


one of the best , most understated performances of -lrb- jack nicholson 's -rrb- career .


damon brings the proper conviction to his role as -lrb- jason bourne -rrb- .


the sentimental cliches mar an otherwise excellent film .


deserves a place of honor next to nanook as a landmark in film history .


there 's too much forced drama in this wildly uneven movie , about a young man 's battle with his inescapable past and uncertain future in a very shapable but largely unfulfilling present .


a breezy blend of art , history , esoteric musings and philosophy .


nothing more than a run-of-the-mill action flick .


` would n't it be nice if all guys got a taste of what it 's like on the other side of the bra ? '


though uniformly well acted , especially by young ballesta and galan -lrb- a first-time actor -rrb- , writer\/director achero manas 's film is schematic and obvious .


another week , another gross-out college comedy -- ugh .


rob schneider , dana carvey and sarah michelle gellar in the philadelphia story ?


in theory , a middle-aged romance pairing clayburgh and tambor sounds promising , but in practice it 's something else altogether -- clownish and offensive and nothing at all like real life .


here , alas , it collapses like an overcooked soufflé .


shows that jackie chan is getting older , and that 's something i would rather live in denial about


kurys seems intimidated by both her subject matter and the period trappings of this debut venture into the heritage business .


the movie spends more time with schneider than with newcomer mcadams , even though her performance is more interesting -lrb- and funnier -rrb- than his .


and it 's not that funny -- which is just generally insulting .


martyr gets royally screwed and comes back for more .


a handsome but unfulfilling suspense drama more suited to a quiet evening on pbs than a night out at an amc .


this humbling little film , fueled by the light comedic work of zhao benshan and the delicate ways of dong jie , is just the sort for those moviegoers who complain that ` they do n't make movies like they used to anymore . '


i found myself liking the film , though in this case one man 's treasure could prove to be another man 's garbage .


a bold -lrb- and lovely -rrb- experiment that will almost certainly bore most audiences into their own brightly colored dreams .


the kids in the audience at the preview screening seemed bored , cheering the pratfalls but little else ; their parents , wise folks that they are , read books .


the film brilliantly shines on all the characters , as the direction is intelligently accomplished .


the master of disguise is funny -- not `` ha ha '' funny , `` dead circus performer '' funny .


if s&m seems like a strange route to true love , maybe it is , but it 's to this film 's -lrb- and its makers ' -rrb- credit that we believe that that 's exactly what these two people need to find each other -- and themselves .


yes .


smarter than its commercials make it seem .


contrived pastiche of caper clichés .


throughout all the tumult , a question comes to mind : so why is this so boring ?


sluggish , tonally uneven .


a minor film with major pleasures from portuguese master manoel de oliviera ...


when mr. hundert tells us in his narration that ` this is a story without surprises , ' we nod in agreement .


open-ended and composed of layer upon layer , talk to her is a cinephile 's feast , an invitation to countless interpretations .


you could hate it for the same reason .


like its title character , this nicholas nickleby finds itself in reduced circumstances -- and , also like its hero , it remains brightly optimistic , coming through in the end .


a movie version of a paint-by-numbers picture .


silly , loud and goofy .


one gets the impression the creators of do n't ask do n't tell laughed a hell of a lot at their own jokes .


the last scenes of the film are anguished , bitter and truthful .


a must for fans of british cinema , if only because so many titans of the industry are along for the ride .


they 're going through the motions , but the zip is gone .


its strengths and weaknesses play off each other virtually to a stand-off , with the unfortunate trump card being the dreary mid-section of the film .


even kids deserve better .


a first-class road movie that proves you can run away from home , but your ego and all your problems go with you .


lucy 's a dull girl , that 's all .


an alternately raucous and sappy ethnic sitcom ... you 'd be wise to send your regrets .


this follow-up seems so similar to the 1953 disney classic that it makes one long for a geriatric peter .


what one is left with , even after the most awful acts are committed , is an overwhelming sadness that feels as if it has made its way into your very bloodstream .


every once in a while , a movie will come along that turns me into that annoying specimen of humanity that i usually dread encountering the most - the fanboy


chomp chomp !


an unfortunate title for a film that has nothing endearing about it .


credit director ramsay for taking the sometimes improbable story and making it feel realistic .


the solid filmmaking and convincing characters makes this a high water mark for this genre .


warmed-over hash .


as animation increasingly emphasizes the computer and the cool , this is a film that takes a stand in favor of tradition and warmth .


the film is ultimately about as inspiring as a hallmark card .


a return to pure disney magic and is enjoyable family fare .


director elie chouraqui , who co-wrote the script , catches the chaotic horror of war , but why bother if you 're going to subjugate truth to the tear-jerking demands of soap opera ?


the filmmaker 's heart is in the right place ...


there are times when you wish that the movie had worked a little harder to conceal its contrivances , but brown sugar turns out to be a sweet and enjoyable fantasy .


an example of quiet , confident craftsmanship that tells a sweet , charming tale of intergalactic friendship .


apparently reassembled from the cutting-room floor of any given daytime soap .


befuddled in its characterizations as it begins to seem as long as the two year affair which is its subject


the lively appeal of the last kiss lies in the ease with which it integrates thoughtfulness and pasta-fagioli comedy .


it should be doing a lot of things , but does n't .


rubbo 's humorously tendentious intervention into the who-wrote-shakespeare controversy .


instead , she sees it as a chance to revitalize what is and always has been remarkable about clung-to traditions .


the modern master of the chase sequence returns with a chase to end all chases


hardly a nuanced portrait of a young woman 's breakdown , the film nevertheless works up a few scares .


i 'm happy to have seen it -- not as an alternate version , but as the ultimate exercise in viewing deleted scenes .


a well-crafted letdown .


like a soft drink that 's been sitting open too long : it 's too much syrup and not enough fizz .


snipes relies too much on a scorchingly plotted dramatic scenario for its own good .


while this one gets off with a good natured warning , future lizard endeavors will need to adhere more closely to the laws of laughter


great performances , stylish cinematography and a gritty feel help make gangster no. 1 a worthwhile moviegoing experience .


but its storytelling prowess and special effects are both listless .


angela gheorghiu as famous prima donna floria tosca , roberto alagna as her lover mario cavaradossi , and ruggero as the villainous , lecherous police chief scarpia , all sing beautifully and act adequately .


it 's the kind of effectively creepy-scary thriller that has you fixating on a far corner of the screen at times because your nerves just ca n't take it any more .


imamura has said that warm water under a red bridge is a poem to the enduring strengths of women .


australia : land beyond time is an enjoyable big movie primarily because australia is a weirdly beautiful place .


muddled , trashy and incompetent


a moving picture that does not move .


arguably the best script that besson has written in years .


an uneven mix of dark satire and childhood awakening .


there 's an epic here , but you have to put it together yourself .


i found myself growing more and more frustrated and detached as vincent became more and more abhorrent .


filmmaker tian zhuangzhuang triumphantly returns to narrative filmmaking with a visually masterful work of quiet power .


seemingly disgusted with the lazy material and the finished product 's unshapely look , director fisher stevens inexplicably dips key moments from the film in waking life water colors .


the byplay and bickering between the now spy-savvy siblings , carmen -lrb- vega -rrb- and juni -lrb- sabara -rrb- cortez , anchor the film in a very real and amusing give-and-take .


but it 's surprisingly harmless .


neatly constructed thriller .


a visual spectacle full of stunning images and effects .


ambitious , unsettling psychodrama that takes full , chilling advantage of its rough-around-the-edges , low-budget constraints .


the story 's scope and pageantry are mesmerizing , and mr. day-lewis roars with leonine power .


an asian neo-realist treasure .


unexpected , and often contradictory , truths emerge .


a meatballs for the bare-midriff generation .


arliss howard 's ambitious , moving , and adventurous directorial debut , big bad love , meets so many of the challenges it poses for itself that one can forgive the film its flaws .


... no charm , no laughs , no fun , no reason to watch .


painful , horrifying and oppressively tragic , this film should not be missed .


you 'd have to be a most hard-hearted person not to be moved by this drama .


there 's undeniable enjoyment to be had from films crammed with movie references , but the fun wears thin -- then out -- when there 's nothing else happening .


for the most part , the film does hold up pretty well .


a funny and touching film that is gorgeously acted by a british cast to rival gosford park 's .


... a pretentious and ultimately empty examination of a sick and evil woman .


there 's no real reason to see it , and no real reason not to .


... the story is far-flung , illogical , and plain stupid .


no worse a film than breaking out , and breaking out was utterly charming .


contrived as this may sound , mr. rose 's updating works surprisingly well .


it 's a ripper of a yarn and i for one enjoyed the thrill of the chill .


will undoubtedly play well in european markets , where mr. besson is a brand name , and in asia , where ms. shu is an institution , but american audiences will probably find it familiar and insufficiently cathartic .


a low-budget affair , tadpole was shot on digital video , and the images often look smeary and blurry , to the point of distraction .


this picture is mostly a lump of run-of-the-mill profanity sprinkled with a few remarks so geared toward engendering audience sympathy that you might think he was running for office -- or trying to win over a probation officer .


it 's like an old warner bros. costumer jived with sex -- this could be the movie errol flynn always wanted to make , though bette davis , cast as joan , would have killed him .


` unfaithful ' cheats on itself and retreats to comfortable territory .


-lrb- barry -rrb- gives assassin a disquieting authority .


it all unfolds predictably , and the adventures that happen along the way seem repetitive and designed to fill time , providing no real sense of suspense .


content merely to lionize its title character and exploit his anger - all for easy sanctimony , formulaic thrills and a ham-fisted sermon on the need for national health insurance .


the corpse count ultimately overrides what little we learn along the way about vicarious redemption .


you emerge dazed , confused as to whether you 've seen pornography or documentary .


amy and matthew have a bit of a phony relationship , but the film works in spite of it .


quitting offers piercing domestic drama with spikes of sly humor .


wishy-washy .


true hollywood story .


the santa clause 2 's plot may sound like it was co-written by mattel executives and lobbyists for the tinsel industry .


entertains not so much because of its music or comic antics , but through the perverse pleasure of watching disney scrape the bottom of its own cracker barrel .


as it turns out , you can go home again .


but fans of the show should not consider this a diss .


it 's mindless junk like this that makes you appreciate original romantic comedies like punch-drunk love .


the production design , score and choreography are simply intoxicating .


` it 's painful to watch witherspoon 's talents wasting away inside unnecessary films like legally blonde and sweet home abomination , i mean , alabama . '


the doofus-on - the-loose banter of welcome to collinwood has a cocky , after-hours loopiness to it .


brian tufano 's handsome widescreen photography and paul grabowsky 's excellent music turn this fairly parochial melodrama into something really rather special .


if you love the music , and i do , its hard to imagine having more fun watching a documentary ...


payami tries to raise some serious issues about iran 's electoral process , but the result is a film that 's about as subtle as a party political broadcast .


this is n't a retooled genre piece , the tale of a guy and his gun , but an amiably idiosyncratic work .


there is truth here


smaller numbered kidlets will enjoy .


the film grows on you .


starts promisingly but disintegrates into a dreary , humorless soap opera .


an intoxicating experience .


bogdanovich puts history in perspective and , via kirsten dunst 's remarkable performance , he showcases davies as a young woman of great charm , generosity and diplomacy .


` moore is like a progressive bull in a china shop , a provocateur crashing into ideas and special-interest groups as he slaps together his own brand of liberalism . '


far more successful , if considerably less ambitious , than last year 's kubrick-meets-spielberg exercise .


it is sentimental but feels free to offend , is analytical and then surrenders to the illogic of its characters , is about grief and yet permits laughter .


the artwork is spectacular and unlike most animaton from japan , the characters move with grace and panache .


laugh-out-loud lines , adorably ditsy but heartfelt performances , and sparkling , bittersweet dialogue that cuts to the chase of the modern girl 's dilemma .


if borstal boy is n't especially realistic , it is an engaging nostalgia piece .


worthy of the gong .


mib ii is a movie that makes it possible for the viewer to doze off for a few minutes or make several runs to the concession stand and\/or restroom and not feel as if he or she has missed anything .


... fuses the events of her life with the imagery in her paintings so vividly that the artist 's work may take on a striking new significance for anyone who sees the film .


i firmly believe that a good video game movie is going to show up soon .


-lrb- shyamalan -rrb- continues to cut a swathe through mainstream hollywood , while retaining an integrity and refusing to compromise his vision .


children , christian or otherwise , deserve to hear the full story of jonah 's despair -- in all its agonizing , catch-22 glory -- even if they spend years trying to comprehend it .


feels like the work of an artist who is simply tired -- of fighting the same fights , of putting the weight of the world on his shoulders , of playing with narrative form .


if anything , see it for karen black , who camps up a storm as a fringe feminist conspiracy theorist named dirty dick .


it 's a masterpeice .


due to stodgy , soap opera-ish dialogue , the rest of the cast comes across as stick figures reading lines from a teleprompter .


the large-frame imax camera lends itself beautifully to filming the teeming life on the reefs , making this gorgeous film a must for everyone from junior scientists to grown-up fish lovers .


has an uppity musical beat that you can dance to , but its energy ca n't compare to the wit , humor and snappy dialogue of the original .


if you 're not deeply touched by this movie , check your pulse .


the wanton slipperiness of \* corpus and its amiable jerking and reshaping of physical time and space would make it a great piece to watch with kids and use to introduce video as art .


it provides a grim , upsetting glimpse at the lives of some of the 1.2 million palestinians who live in the crowded cities and refugee camps of gaza .


the only way to tolerate this insipid , brutally clueless film might be with a large dose of painkillers .


unfortunately , contrived plotting , stereotyped characters and woo 's over-the-top instincts as a director undermine the moral dilemma at the movie 's heart .


feeling like a dope has rarely been more fun than it is in nine queens .


the story really has no place to go since simone is not real -- she ca n't provide any conflict .


by no means a slam-dunk and sure to ultimately disappoint the action fans who will be moved to the edge of their seats by the dynamic first act , it still comes off as a touching , transcendent love story .


though frodo 's quest remains unfulfilled , a hardy group of determined new zealanders has proved its creative mettle .


pratfalls aside , barbershop gets its greatest play from the timeless spectacle of people really talking to each other .


tennessee williams by way of oprah 's book club .


stiff and schmaltzy and clumsily directed .


recoing 's fantastic performance does n't exactly reveal what makes vincent tick , but perhaps any definitive explanation for it would have felt like a cheat .


a big-budget\/all-star movie as unblinkingly pure as the hours is a distinct rarity , and an event .


nice piece of work .


noyce 's greatest mistake is thinking that we needed sweeping , dramatic , hollywood moments to keep us


i was hoping that it would be sleazy and fun , but it was neither .


move over bond ; this girl deserves a sequel .


the film ultimately offers nothing more than people in an urban jungle needing other people to survive ...


what a great shame that such a talented director as chen kaige has chosen to make his english-language debut with a film so poorly plotted and scripted .


i enjoyed the movie in a superficial way , while never sure what its purpose was .


the movie , despite its rough edges and a tendency to sag in certain places , is wry and engrossing .


otherwise , this could be a passable date film .


delightfully rendered


still , the updated dickensian sensibility of writer craig bartlett 's story is appealing .


everybody loves a david and goliath story , and this one is told almost entirely from david 's point of view .


stuart 's poor-me persona needs a whole bunch of snowball 's cynicism to cut through the sugar coating .


did the film inform and educate me ?


the movie 's vision of a white american zealously spreading a puritanical brand of christianity to south seas islanders is one only a true believer could relish .


a venturesome , beautifully realized psychological mood piece that reveals its first-time feature director 's understanding of the expressive power of the camera .


any film that does n't even in passing mention political prisoners , poverty and the boat loads of people who try to escape the country is less a documentary and more propaganda by way of a valentine sealed with a kiss .


will probably be one of those movies barely registering a blip on the radar screen of 2002 .


the riveting performances by the incredibly flexible cast make love a joy to behold .


why would anyone cast the magnificent jackie chan in a movie full of stunt doubles and special effects ?


is a question for philosophers , not filmmakers ; all the filmmakers need to do is engage an audience .


meyjes focuses too much on max when he should be filling the screen with this tortured , dull artist and monster-in-the - making .


the faithful will enjoy this sometimes wry adaptation of v.s. naipaul 's novel , but newcomers may find themselves stifling a yawn or two during the first hour .


poor ben bratt could n't find stardom if mapquest emailed him point-to-point driving directions .


daughter from danang sticks with its subjects a little longer and tells a deeper story


it is supremely unfunny and unentertaining to watch middle-age and older men drink to excess , piss on trees , b.s. one another and put on a show in drag .


qutting may be a flawed film , but it is nothing if not sincere .


apart from its own considerable achievement , metropolis confirms tezuka 's status as both the primary visual influence on the animé tradition and its defining philosophical conscience .


otherwise , maybe .


no , i hate it .


that old adage about women being unknowable gets an exhilarating new interpretation in morvern callar .


short and sweet , but also more than anything else slight ... tadpole pulls back from the consequences of its own actions and revelations .


this feature is about as necessary as a hole in the head


comes across as a relic from a bygone era , and its convolutions ... feel silly rather than plausible .


superbly photographed and staged by mendes with a series of riveting set pieces the likes of which mainstream audiences have rarely seen .


the piano teacher , like its title character , is repellantly out of control .


the film is a verbal duel between two gifted performers .


the symbols float like butterflies and the spinning styx sting like bees .


be patient with the lovely hush !


if the film 's vision of sport as a secular religion is a bit cloying , its through-line of family and community is heartening in the same way that each season marks a new start .


when not wallowing in its characters ' frustrations , the movie is busy contriving false , sitcom-worthy solutions to their problems .


laced with liberal doses of dark humor , gorgeous exterior photography , and a stable-full of solid performances , no such thing is a fascinating little tale .


the ending does n't work ... but most of the movie works so well i 'm almost recommending it , anyway -- maybe not to everybody , but certainly to people with a curiosity about how a movie can go very right , and then step wrong .


as broad and cartoonish as the screenplay is , there is an accuracy of observation in the work of the director , frank novak , that keeps the film grounded in an undeniable social realism .


beautiful to watch and holds a certain charm .


films are made of little moments .


... the picture 's cleverness is ironically muted by the very people who are intended to make it shine .


no matter how firmly director john stainton has his tongue in his cheek , the fact remains that a wacky concept does not a movie make .


opera on film is never satisfactory .


but here 's a movie about it anyway .


boy , has this franchise ever run out of gas .


`` austin powers in goldmember '' has the right stuff for silly summer entertainment and has enough laughs to sustain interest to the end .


my big fat greek wedding is that rare animal known as ' a perfect family film , ' because it 's about family .


to paraphrase a line from another dickens ' novel , nicholas nickleby is too much like a fragment of an underdone potato .


like other great documentaries ... this goes after one truth -lrb- the ford administration 's complicity in tearing ` orphans ' from their mothers -rrb- and stumbles upon others even more compelling .


graham greene 's novel of colonialism and empire is elevated by michael caine 's performance as a weary journalist in a changing world .


`` what john does is heroic , but we do n't condone it , '' one of the film 's stars recently said , a tortuous comment that perfectly illustrates the picture 's moral schizophrenia .


-lrb- raimi 's -rrb- matured quite a bit with spider-man , even though it 's one of the most plain white toast comic book films you 'll ever see .


but it does n't need gangs of new york .


inherently caustic and oddly whimsical , the film chimes in on the grieving process and strangely draws the audience into the unexplainable pain and eccentricities that are attached to the concept of loss .


lush and beautifully photographed -lrb- somebody suggested the stills might make a nice coffee table book -rrb- , but ultimately you 'll leave the theater wondering why these people mattered .


the fact that it is n't very good is almost beside the point .


still , this flick is fun , and host to some truly excellent sequences .


` synthetic ' is the best description of this well-meaning , beautifully produced film that sacrifices its promise for a high-powered star pedigree .


beautifully crafted and brutally honest , promises offers an unexpected window into the complexities of the middle east struggle and into the humanity of its people .


it labours as storytelling .


lazily and glumly settles into a most traditional , reserved kind of filmmaking .


... jones , despite a definitely distinctive screen presence , just is n't able to muster for a movie that , its title notwithstanding , should have been a lot nastier if it wanted to fully capitalize on its lead 's specific gifts .


c'mon !


it 's so downbeat and nearly humorless that it becomes a chore to sit through -- despite some first-rate performances by its lead .


this is a movie that refreshes the mind and spirit along with the body , so original is its content , look , and style .


makes one thing abundantly clear .


suffers from a flat script and a low budget .


serving sara is little more than a mall movie designed to kill time .


featherweight romantic comedy has a few nice twists in a standard plot and the charisma of hugh grant and sandra bullock .


as a science fiction movie , `` minority report '' astounds .


scherfig , the writer-director , has made a film so unabashedly hopeful that it actually makes the heart soar .


- style cross-country adventure ... it has sporadic bursts of liveliness , some so-so slapstick and a few ear-pleasing songs on its soundtrack .


so beautifully acted and directed , it 's clear that washington most certainly has a new career ahead of him if he so chooses .


time stands still in more ways that one in clockstoppers , a sci-fi thriller as lazy as it is interminable .


and people make fun of me for liking showgirls .


if you 've got a house full of tots -- do n't worry , this will be on video long before they grow up and you can wait till then .


the problem with all of this : it 's not really funny .


the troubling thing about clockstoppers is that it does n't make any sense .


it 's truly awful and heartbreaking subject matter , but one whose lessons are well worth revisiting as many times as possible .


none of this sounds promising and , indeed , the first half of sorority boys is as appalling as any ` comedy ' to ever spill from a projector 's lens .


this off-putting french romantic comedy is sure to test severely the indulgence of fans of amélie .


gussied up with so many distracting special effects and visual party tricks that it 's not clear whether we 're supposed to shriek or laugh .


a polished and vastly entertaining caper film that puts the sting back into the con .


and thanks to kline 's superbly nuanced performance , that pondering is highly pleasurable .


a chilling movie without oppressive gore .


cal is an unpleasantly shallow and immature character with whom to spend 110 claustrophobic minutes .


puts a refreshing and comical spin on the all-too-familiar saga of the contemporary single woman .


this stuck pig of a movie flails limply between bizarre comedy and pallid horror .


jones has delivered a solidly entertaining and moving family drama .


it 's likely that whatever you thought of the first production -- pro or con -- you 'll likely think of this one .


yakusho , as always , is wonderful as the long-faced sad sack ... and his chemistry with shimizu is very believable .


it 's refreshing to see a movie that embraces its old-fashioned themes and in the process comes out looking like something wholly original .


-lrb- reno -rrb- delivers a monologue that manages to incorporate both the horror and the absurdity of the situation in a well-balanced fashion .


confounding because it solemnly advances a daringly preposterous thesis .


may offend viewers not amused by the sick sense of humor .


poetry in motion captured on film .


soderbergh skims the fat from the 1972 film .


a reasonably entertaining sequel to 1994 's surprise family hit that may strain adult credibility .


however , it 's pleasant enough and its ecological , pro-wildlife sentiments are certainly welcome .


wobbly senegalese updating of `` carmen '' which is best for the stunning star turn by djeinaba diop gai


if this is cinema , i pledge allegiance to cagney and lacey .


never decides whether it wants to be a black comedy , drama , melodrama or some combination of the three .


helps to remind the first world that hiv\/aids is far from being yesterday 's news .


if you like blood , guts and crazy beasts stalking men with guns though ... you will likely enjoy this monster .


for single digits kidlets stuart little 2 is still a no brainer .


wildly incompetent but brilliantly named half past dead -- or for seagal pessimists : totally past his prime .


whether quitting will prove absorbing to american audiences is debatable .


while this gentle and affecting melodrama will have luvvies in raptures , it 's far too slight and introspective to appeal to anything wider than a niche audience .


well , in some of those , the mother deer even dies .


a marvelous performance by allison lohman as an identity-seeking foster child .


finely crafted , finely written , exquisitely performed


the film is really closer to porn than a serious critique of what 's wrong with this increasingly pervasive aspect of gay culture .


one big blustery movie where nothing really happens .


an uplifting , largely bogus story .


he does this so well you do n't have the slightest difficulty accepting him in the role .


you will likely prefer to keep on watching .


the country bears has no scenes that will upset or frighten young viewers .


for proof of that on the cinematic front , look no further than this 20th anniversary edition of the film that spielberg calls , retrospectively , his most personal work yet .


ultimately , the film amounts to being lectured to by tech-geeks , if you 're up for that sort of thing .


those unfamiliar with mormon traditions may find the singles ward occasionally bewildering .


does n't deserve a passing grade -lrb- even on a curve -rrb- .


kids should have a stirring time at this beautifully drawn movie .


it all looks and plays like a $ 40 million version of a game you 're more likely to enjoy on a computer .


... a plotline that 's as lumpy as two-day old porridge ... the filmmakers ' paws , sad to say , were all over this `` un-bear-able '' project !


tom shadyac has learned a bit more craft since directing adams , but he still lingers over every point until the slowest viewer grasps it .


the director and her capable cast appear to be caught in a heady whirl of new age-inspired good intentions , but the spell they cast is n't the least bit mesmerizing .


exhilarating , funny and fun .


, the sum of all fears is simply a well-made and satisfying thriller .


more than their unique residences , home movie is about the people who live in them , who have carved their own comfortable niche in the world and have been kind enough to share it .


michael moore has perfected the art of highly entertaining , self-aggrandizing , politically motivated documentary-making , and he 's got as potent a topic as ever here .


remember it .


this film is an act of spiritual faith -- an eloquent , deeply felt meditation on the nature of compassion .


it 's an entertaining movie , and the effects , boosted to the size of a downtown hotel , will all but take you to outer space .


director tom shadyac and star kevin costner glumly mishandle the story 's promising premise of a physician who needs to heal himself .


this film is so different from the apple and so striking that it can only encourage us to see samira makhmalbaf as a very distinctive sensibility , working to develop her own film language with conspicuous success .


the film 's desire to be liked sometimes undermines the possibility for an exploration of the thornier aspects of the nature\/nurture argument in regards to homosexuality .


no better or worse than ` truth or consequences , n.m. ' or any other interchangeable actioner with imbecilic mafia toolbags botching a routine assignment in a western backwater .


all in all , it 's a pretty good execution of a story that 's a lot richer than the ones hollywood action screenwriters usually come up with on their own .


another boorish movie from the i-heard-a-joke - at-a-frat-party school of screenwriting .


` it 's better to go in knowing full well what 's going to happen , but willing to let the earnestness of its execution and skill of its cast take you down a familiar road with a few twists .


a delightful stimulus for the optic nerves , so much that it 's forgivable that the plot feels like every other tale of a totalitarian tomorrow .


the densest distillation of roberts ' movies ever made .


like its script , which nurses plot holes gaping enough to pilot an entire olympic swim team through , the characters in swimfan seem motivated by nothing short of dull , brain-deadening hangover .


it 's mildly entertaining , especially if you find comfort in familiarity .


... the plot weaves us into a complex web .


the ingenuity that parker displays in freshening the play is almost in a class with that of wilde himself .


it may not be as cutting , as witty or as true as back in the glory days of weekend and two or three things i know about her , but who else engaged in filmmaking today is so cognizant of the cultural and moral issues involved in the process ?


so aggressively cheery that pollyana would reach for a barf bag .


a good film with a solid pedigree both in front of and , more specifically , behind the camera .


pray has really done his subject justice .


its initial excitement settles into a warmed over pastiche .


not about scares but a mood in which an ominous , pervasive , and unknown threat lurks just below the proceedings and adds an almost constant mindset of suspense .


vincent gallo is right at home in this french shocker playing his usual bad boy weirdo role .


writer-director stephen gaghan has made the near-fatal mistake of being what the english call ` too clever by half . '


yet another genre exercise , gangster no. 1 is as generic as its title .


it 's about time .


first-time director joão pedro rodrigues ' unwillingness to define his hero 's background or motivations becomes more and more frustrating as the film goes on .


fast , frantic and fun , but also soon forgotten


this is n't a movie ; it 's a symptom .


lucky break is perfectly inoffensive and harmless , but it 's also drab and inert .


what 's most memorable about circuit is that it 's shot on digital video , whose tiny camera enables shafer to navigate spaces both large ... and small ... with considerable aplomb .


the film is old-fashioned , occasionally charming and as subtle as boldface .


a special kind of movie , this melancholic film noir reminded me a lot of memento ...


flamboyant in some movies and artfully restrained in others , 65-year-old jack nicholson could be looking at his 12th oscar nomination by proving that he 's now , more than ever , choosing his roles with the precision of the insurance actuary .


it rapidly develops into a gut-wrenching examination of the way cultural differences and emotional expectations collide .


... the tale of her passionate , tumultuous affair with musset unfolds as sand 's masculine persona , with its love of life and beauty , takes form .


i did n't laugh .


manages to delight without much of a story .


an incredibly thoughtful , deeply meditative picture that neatly and effectively captures the debilitating grief felt in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks .


one senses in world traveler and in his earlier film that freundlich bears a grievous but obscure complaint against fathers , and circles it obsessively , without making contact .


the emperor 's club , ruthless in its own placid way , finds one of our most conservative and hidebound movie-making traditions and gives it new texture , new relevance , new reality .


director yu seems far more interested in gross-out humor than in showing us well-thought stunts or a car chase that we have n't seen 10,000 times .


it 's a very tasteful rock and roll movie .


the dangerous lives of altar boys ' take on adolescence feels painfully true .


while tattoo borrows heavily from both seven and the silence of the lambs , it manages to maintain both a level of sophisticated intrigue and human-scale characters that suck the audience in .


it 's a sweet , laugh-a-minute crowd pleaser that lifts your spirits as well as the corners of your mouth .


all the more disquieting for its relatively gore-free allusions to the serial murders , but it falls down in its attempts to humanize its subject .


i do n't even care that there 's no plot in this antonio banderas-lucy liu faceoff .


a strong first act and absolutely , inescapably gorgeous , skyscraper-trapeze motion of the amazing spider-man .


in a big corner office in hell , satan is throwing up his hands in surrender , is firing his r&d people , and has decided he will just screen the master of disguise 24\/7 .


pretty good little movie .


klein , charming in comedies like american pie and dead-on in election , delivers one of the saddest action hero performances ever witnessed .


a wonderfully speculative character study that made up for its rather slow beginning by drawing me into the picture .


the overall fabric is hypnotic , and mr. mattei fosters moments of spontaneous intimacy .


it celebrates the group 's playful spark of nonconformity , glancing vividly back at what hibiscus grandly called his ` angels of light . '


weaver and lapaglia are both excellent , in the kind of low-key way that allows us to forget that they are actually movie folk .


in its dry and forceful way , it delivers the same message as jiri menzel 's closely watched trains and danis tanovic 's no man 's land .


it may be about drug dealers , kidnapping , and unsavory folks , but the tone and pacing are shockingly intimate .


captures all the longing , anguish and ache , the confusing sexual messages and the wish to be a part of that elusive adult world .


with three excellent principal singers , a youthful and good-looking diva and tenor and richly handsome locations , it 's enough to make you wish jacquot had left well enough alone and just filmed the opera without all these distortions of perspective .


nair just does n't have the necessary self-control to guide a loose , poorly structured film through the pitfalls of incoherence and redundancy .


ritchie 's film is easier to swallow than wertmuller 's polemical allegory , but it 's self-defeatingly decorous .


ms. seigner and mr. serrault bring fresh , unforced naturalism to their characters .


a modest masterpiece .


a straight-shooting family film which awards animals the respect they 've rarely been given .


that 's its first sign of trouble .


how do you make a movie with depth about a man who lacked any ?


frei assembles a fascinating profile of a deeply humanistic artist who , in spite of all that he 's witnessed , remains surprisingly idealistic , and retains an extraordinary faith in the ability of images to communicate the truth of the world around him .


even if you 're an agnostic carnivore , you can enjoy much of jonah simply , and gratefully , as laugh-out-loud lunacy with a pronounced monty pythonesque flavor .


rarely does a film so graceless and devoid of merit as this one come along .


... there 's a choppy , surface-effect feeling to the whole enterprise .


... its stupidities wind up sticking in one 's mind a lot more than the cool bits .


labute masterfully balances both traditional or modern stories together in a manner that one never overwhelms the other .


that such a horrible movie could have sprung from such a great one is one of the year 's worst cinematic tragedies .


scooby doo is surely everything its fans are hoping it will be , and in that sense is a movie that deserves recommendation .


we 've seen it all before in one form or another , but director hoffman , with great help from kevin kline , makes us care about this latest reincarnation of the world 's greatest teacher .


you do n't know whether to admire the film 's stately nature and call it classicism or be exasperated by a noticeable lack of pace .


no one involved , save dash , shows the slightest aptitude for acting , and the script , credited to director abdul malik abbott and ernest ` tron ' anderson , seems entirely improvised .


here 's my advice , kev .


alternately frustrating and rewarding .


not all of the stories work and the ones that do are thin and scattered , but the film works well enough to make it worth watching .


as spent screen series go , star trek : nemesis is even more suggestive of a 65th class reunion mixer where only eight surviving members show up -- and there 's nothing to drink .


jaunty fun , with its celeb-strewn backdrop well used .


there 's a thin line between likably old-fashioned and fuddy-duddy , and the count of monte cristo ... never quite settles on either side .


high crimes is a cinematic misdemeanor , a routine crime thriller remarkable only for its lack of logic and misuse of two fine actors , morgan freeman and ashley judd .


friday after next is a lot more bluster than bite .


nothing short of a masterpiece -- and a challenging one .


if the film has a problem , its shortness disappoints : you want the story to go on and on .


grenier is terrific , bringing an unforced , rapid-fire delivery to toback 's heidegger - and nietzsche-referencing dialogue .


all the pieces fall together without much surprise , but little moments give it a boost .


one of the best looking and stylish animated movies in quite a while ...


renner ?


the rest of the film ... is dudsville .


it just goes to show , an intelligent person is n't necessarily an admirable storyteller .


this u-boat does n't have a captain .


better effects , better acting and a hilarious kenneth branagh .


even these tales of just seven children seem at times too many , although in reality they are not enough .


no such thing breaks no new ground and treads old turf like a hippopotamus ballerina .


takes a simple premise and carries it to unexpected heights .


and diesel is n't the actor to save it .


just another generic drama that has nothing going for it other than its exploitive array of obligatory cheap thrills .


this is a movie full of grace and , ultimately , hope .


-lrb- sam 's -rrb- self-flagellation is more depressing than entertaining .


toward the end sum of all fears morphs into a mundane '70s disaster flick .


this tale has been told and retold ; the races and rackets change , but the song remains the same .


he watches them as they float within the seas of their personalities .


... a spoof comedy that carries its share of laughs -- sometimes a chuckle , sometimes a guffaw and , to my great pleasure , the occasional belly laugh .


predictably melodramatic .


like a medium-grade network sitcom -- mostly inoffensive , fitfully amusing , but ultimately so weightless that a decent draft in the auditorium might blow it off the screen .


sadly , ` garth ' has n't progressed as nicely as ` wayne . '


to build a feel-good fantasy around a vain dictator-madman is off-putting , to say the least , not to mention inappropriate and wildly undeserved .


yet another movie which presumes that high school social groups are at war , let alone conscious of each other 's existence .


it 's as if a bored cage spent the duration of the film 's shooting schedule waiting to scream : `` got aids yet ? ''


the series ' message about making the right choice in the face of tempting alternatives remains prominent , as do the girls ' amusing personalities .


i hope the movie is widely seen and debated with appropriate ferocity and thoughtfulness .


blue crush is as predictable as the tides .


makes a joke out of car chases for an hour and then gives us half an hour of car chases .


... rogers 's mouth never stops shut about the war between the sexes and how to win the battle .


the acting is fine but the script is about as interesting as a recording of conversations at the wal-mart checkout line .


an unforgettable look at morality , family , and social expectation through the prism of that omnibus tradition called marriage .


features one of the most affecting depictions of a love affair ever committed to film .


evelyn may be based on a true and historically significant story , but the filmmakers have made every effort to disguise it as an unimaginative screenwriter 's invention .


shanghai ghetto may not be as dramatic as roman polanski 's the pianist , but its compassionate spirit soars every bit as high .


douglas mcgrath 's nicholas nickleby does dickens as it should be done cinematically .


seagal is painfully foolish in trying to hold onto what 's left of his passe ' chopsocky glory .


full of surprises .


nicholas nickleby celebrates the human spirit with such unrelenting dickensian decency that it turned me -lrb- horrors ! -rrb-


every individual will see the movie through the prism of his or her own beliefs and prejudices , but the one thing most will take away is the sense that peace is possible .


this is a story that zings all the way through with originality , humour and pathos .


so could young romantics out on a date .


a funny film .


jackson tries to keep the plates spinning as best he can , but all the bouncing back and forth ca n't help but become a bit tedious -- even with the breathtaking landscapes and villainous varmints there to distract you from the ricocheting .


max pokes , provokes , takes expressionistic license and hits a nerve ... as far as art is concerned , it 's mission accomplished .


upper teens may get cynical .


what 's next ?


downright transparent is the script 's endless assault of embarrassingly ham-fisted sex jokes that reek of a script rewrite designed to garner the film a `` cooler '' pg-13 rating .


alternates between deadpan comedy and heartbreaking loneliness and is n't afraid to provoke introspection in both its characters and its audience .


singer\/composer bryan adams contributes a slew of songs -- a few potential hits , a few more simply intrusive to the story -- but the whole package certainly captures the intended , er , spirit of the piece .


the quirky drama touches the heart and the funnybone thanks to the energetic and always surprising performance by rachel griffiths .


occasionally loud and offensive , but more often , it simply lulls you into a gentle waking coma .


more than simply a portrait of early extreme sports , this peek into the 1970s skateboard revolution is a skateboard film as social anthropology ...


eerily accurate depiction of depression .


they can and will turn on a dime from oddly humorous to tediously sentimental .


attal 's hang-ups surrounding infidelity are so old-fashioned and , dare i say , outdated , it 's a wonder that he could n't have brought something fresher to the proceedings simply by accident .


these characters are so well established that the gang feels comfortable with taking insane liberties and doing the goofiest stuff out of left field , and i 'm all for that .


what remains is a variant of the nincompoop benigni persona , here a more annoying , though less angry version of the irresponsible sandlerian manchild , undercut by the voice of the star of road trip .


naomi watts is terrific as rachel ; her petite frame and vulnerable persona emphasising her plight and isolation .


even if it pushes its agenda too forcefully , this remains a film about something , one that attempts and often achieves a level of connection and concern .


by the final whistle you 're convinced that this mean machine was a decent tv outing that just does n't have big screen magic .


do n't let the subtitles fool you ; the movie only proves that hollywood no longer has a monopoly on mindless action .


parker updates the setting in an attempt to make the film relevant today , without fully understanding what it was that made the story relevant in the first place .


to the filmmakers , ivan is a prince of a fellow , but he comes across as shallow and glib though not mean-spirited , and there 's no indication that he 's been responsible for putting together any movies of particular value or merit .


is a mess .


a bad movie that happened to good actors .


sometimes this ` blood ' seems as tired as its protagonist ... still , the pulse never disappears entirely , and the picture crosses the finish line winded but still game .


but it could be , by its art and heart , a necessary one .


it 's the humanizing stuff that will probably sink the film for anyone who does n't think about percentages all day long .


not exaggerated enough to be a parody of gross-out flicks , college flicks , or even flicks in general .


even by the intentionally low standards of frat-boy humor , sorority boys is a bowser .


koury frighteningly and honestly exposes one teenager 's uncomfortable class resentment and , in turn , his self-inflicted retaliation .


that ` alabama ' manages to be pleasant in spite of its predictability and occasional slowness is due primarily to the perkiness of witherspoon -lrb- who is always a joy to watch , even when her material is not first-rate -rrb- ...


noyce creates a film of near-hypnotic physical beauty even as he tells a story as horrifying as any in the heart-breakingly extensive annals of white-on-black racism .


while the humor is recognizably plympton , he has actually bothered to construct a real story this time .


... an hour-and-a-half of inoffensive , unmemorable filler .


a noble failure .


when seagal appeared in an orange prison jumpsuit , i wanted to stand up in the theater and shout , ` hey , kool-aid ! '


some movies can get by without being funny simply by structuring the scenes as if they were jokes : a setup , delivery and payoff .


in his u.s. debut , mr. schnitzler proves himself a deft pace master and stylist .


there 's absolutely no reason why blue crush , a late-summer surfer girl entry , should be as entertaining as it is


the movie wavers between hallmark card sentimentality and goofy , life-affirming moments straight out of a cellular phone commercial .


the film has -lrb- its -rrb- moments , but they are few and far between .


` the film is stark , straightforward and deadly ... an unnatural calm that 's occasionally shaken by ... blasts of rage , and later , violent jealousy . '


the animation merely serves up a predictable , maudlin story that swipes heavily from bambi and the lion king , yet lacks the emotional resonance of either of those movies .


pull -lrb- s -rrb- off the rare trick of recreating not only the look of a certain era , but also the feel .


victor rosa is leguizamo 's best movie work so far , a subtle and richly internalized performance .


starts as an intense political and psychological thriller but is sabotaged by ticking time bombs and other hollywood-action cliches .


one of the year 's most weirdly engaging and unpredictable character pieces .


-lrb- russell -rrb- makes good b movies -lrb- the mask , the blob -rrb- , and the scorpion king more than ably meets those standards .


well cast and well directed - a powerful drama with enough sardonic wit to keep it from being maudlin .


this is more a case of ` sacre bleu ! '


if you 're the kind of parent who enjoys intentionally introducing your kids to films which will cause loads of irreparable damage that years and years of costly analysis could never fix , i have just one word for you - -- decasia


the movie is n't horrible , but you can see mediocre cresting on the next wave .


supposedly authentic account of a historical event that 's far too tragic to merit such superficial treatment .


sometimes there are very , very good reasons for certain movies to be sealed in a jar and left on a remote shelf indefinitely .


some motion pictures portray ultimate passion ; others create ultimate thrills .


it does n't work as either .


... too contrived to be as naturally charming as it needs to be .


showtime is n't particularly assaultive , but it can still make you feel that you never want to see another car chase , explosion or gunfight again .


ong 's promising debut is a warm and well-told tale of one recent chinese immigrant 's experiences in new york city .


expect no major discoveries , nor any stylish sizzle , but the film sits with square conviction and touching good sense on the experience of its women .


it 's mildly amusing , but i certainly ca n't recommend it .


no such thing is sort of a minimalist beauty and the beast , but in this case the beast should definitely get top billing .


much of all about lily chou-chou is mesmerizing : some of its plaintiveness could make you weep .


norton is magnetic as graham .


a hard look at one man 's occupational angst and its subsequent reinvention , a terrifying study of bourgeois desperation worthy of claude chabrol .


... bright , intelligent , and humanly funny film .


-lrb- moore 's -rrb- better at fingering problems than finding solutions .


watching junk like this induces a kind of abstract guilt , as if you were paying dues for good books unread , fine music never heard .


guy gets girl , guy loses girl , audience falls asleep .


the modern-day royals have nothing on these guys when it comes to scandals .


little is done to support the premise other than fling gags at it to see which ones shtick .


the next big thing 's not-so-big -lrb- and not-so-hot -rrb- directorial debut .


a riveting story well told .


just the labour involved in creating the layered richness of the imagery in this chiaroscuro of madness and light is astonishing .


a dreary indulgence .


a compelling film .


the film is about the relationships rather than about the outcome .


no amount of burning , blasting , stabbing , and shooting can hide a weak script .


sounding like arnold schwarzenegger , with a physique to match , -lrb- ahola -rrb- has a wooden delivery and encounters a substantial arc of change that does n't produce any real transformation .


this often-hilarious farce manages to generate the belly laughs of lowbrow comedy without sacrificing its high-minded appeal .


leigh 's daring here is that without once denying the hardscrabble lives of people on the economic fringes of margaret thatcher 's ruinous legacy , he insists on the importance of those moments when people can connect and express their love for each other .


a singularly off-putting romantic comedy .


shyamalan should stop trying to please his mom .


it 's actually pretty funny , but in all the wrong places .


we get the comedy we settle for .


a small independent film suffering from a severe case of hollywood-itis .


if you really want to understand what this story is really all about , you 're far better served by the source material .


this 100-minute movie only has about 25 minutes of decent material .


using an endearing cast , writer\/director dover kosashvili takes a slightly dark look at relationships , both sexual and kindred .


while the material is slight , the movie is better than you might think .


how this one escaped the lifetime network i 'll never know .


a compelling coming-of-age drama about the arduous journey of a sensitive young girl through a series of foster homes and a fierce struggle to pull free from her dangerous and domineering mother 's hold over her .


if you can get past the taboo subject matter , it will be well worth your time .


caviezel embodies the transformation of his character completely .


feels like a cold old man going through the motions .


the elements were all there but lack of a pyschological center knocks it flat .


so riddled with unanswered questions that it requires gargantuan leaps of faith just to watch it plod along .


like all of egoyan 's work , ararat is fiercely intelligent and uncommonly ambitious .


a hugely rewarding experience that 's every bit as enlightening , insightful and entertaining as grant 's two best films -- four weddings and a funeral and bridget jones 's diary .


but the cinematography is cloudy , the picture making becalmed .


a genuine mind-bender .


a mostly believable , refreshingly low-key and quietly inspirational little sports drama .


theological matters aside , the movie is so clumsily sentimental and ineptly directed it may leave you speaking in tongues .


one problem with the movie , directed by joel schumacher , is that it jams too many prefabricated story elements into the running time .


a woefully dull , redundant concept that bears more than a whiff of exploitation , despite iwai 's vaunted empathy .


in this case zero .


obvious , obnoxious and didactic burlesque .


-lrb- lin chung 's -rrb- voice is rather unexceptional , even irritating -lrb- at least to this western ear -rrb- , making it awfully hard to buy the impetus for the complicated love triangle that develops between the three central characters .


presents nothing special and , until the final act , nothing overtly disagreeable .


leaks treacle from every pore .


although melodramatic and predictable , this romantic comedy explores the friendship between five filipino-americans and their frantic efforts to find love .


the film boasts at least a few good ideas and features some decent performances , but the result is disappointing .


the movie is hardly a masterpiece , but it does mark ms. bullock 's best work in some time .


this is not chabrol 's best , but even his lesser works outshine the best some directors can offer .


a gift to anyone who loves both dance and cinema


although barbershop boasts some of today 's hottest and hippest acts from the world of television , music and stand-up comedy , this movie strangely enough has the outdated swagger of a shameless ` 70s blaxploitation shuck-and-jive sitcom .


the director explores all three sides of his story with a sensitivity and an inquisitiveness reminiscent of truffaut .


it 's a bizarre curiosity memorable mainly for the way it fritters away its potentially interesting subject matter via a banal script , unimpressive acting and indifferent direction .


i 'm sorry to say that this should seal the deal - arnold is not , nor will he be , back .


takes one character we do n't like and another we do n't believe , and puts them into a battle of wills that is impossible to care about and is n't very funny .


steven spielberg brings us another masterpiece


labute was more fun when his characters were torturing each other psychologically and talking about their genitals in public .


you 'll know a star when you see one .


with jump cuts , fast editing and lots of pyrotechnics , yu clearly hopes to camouflage how bad his movie is .


deliciously mean-spirited and wryly observant .


beware the quirky brit-com .


sorvino is delightful in the central role .


how good this film might be , depends if you believe that the shocking conclusion is too much of a plunge or not .


the rock is destined to be the 21st century 's new `` conan '' and that he 's going to make a splash even greater than arnold schwarzenegger , jean-claud van damme or steven segal .


it 's affecting , amusing , sad and reflective .


a comedy that is warm , inviting , and surprising .


to the vast majority of more casual filmgoers , it will probably be a talky bore .


this is just lazy writing .


this picture is murder by numbers , and as easy to be bored by as your abc 's , despite a few whopping shootouts .


but it 's hard to imagine a more generic effort in the genre .


a solid , psychological action film from hong kong .


marvelously entertaining and deliriously joyous documentary .


lavishly , exhilaratingly tasteless .


i liked it because it was so endlessly , grotesquely , inventive .


do n't expect any subtlety from this latest entry in the increasingly threadbare gross-out comedy cycle .


none of birthday girl 's calculated events take us by surprise ...


well-acted , well-directed and , for all its moodiness , not too pretentious .


garcía bernal and talancón are an immensely appealing couple , and even though their story is predictable , you 'll want things to work out .


call it magic realism or surrealism , but miss wonton floats beyond reality with a certain degree of wit and dignity .


lyne 's latest , the erotic thriller unfaithful , further demonstrates just how far his storytelling skills have eroded .


god bless crudup and his aversion to taking the easy hollywood road and cashing in on his movie-star gorgeousness .


mindless and boring martial arts and gunplay with too little excitement and zero compelling storyline .


amazingly lame .


has its moments -- and almost as many subplots .


like a less dizzily gorgeous companion to mr. wong 's in the mood for love -- very much a hong kong movie despite its mainland setting .


film ca n't quite maintain its initial momentum , but remains sporadically funny throughout .


the feature-length stretch ... strains the show 's concept .


a non-mystery mystery .


the talk-heavy film plays like one of robert altman 's lesser works .


it 's refreshing that someone understands the need for the bad boy ; diesel , with his brawny frame and cool , composed delivery , fits the bill perfectly .


some movies blend together as they become distant memories .


this is not a jackie chan movie .


a wannabe comedy of manners about a brainy prep-school kid with a mrs. robinson complex founders on its own preciousness -- and squanders its beautiful women .


she 's a cipher , played by an actress who smiles and frowns but does n't reveal an inner life .


long before it 's over , you 'll be thinking of 51 ways to leave this loser .


new ways of describing badness need to be invented to describe exactly how bad it is .


a collage of clichés and a dim echo of allusions to other films .


serving sara should be served an eviction notice at every theater stuck with it .


hollywood ending just is n't very funny .


tian emphasizes the isolation of these characters by confining color to liyan 's backyard .


full of detail about the man and his country , and is well worth seeing .


this deeply spiritual film taps into the meaning and consolation in afterlife communications .


blisteringly rude , scarily funny , sorrowfully sympathetic to the damage it surveys , the film has in kieran culkin a pitch-perfect holden .


a puzzling experience .


despite its raucous intent , xxx is as conventional as a nike ad and as rebellious as spring break .


a decided lack of spontaneity in its execution and a dearth of real poignancy in its epiphanies .


the rich performances by friel -- and especially williams , an american actress who becomes fully english -- round out the square edges .


`` spider-man is better than any summer blockbuster we had to endure last summer , and hopefully , sets the tone for a summer of good stuff .


the entire point of a shaggy dog story , of course , is that it goes nowhere , and this is classic nowheresville in every sense .


a crisply made movie that is no more than mildly amusing .


this bracingly truthful antidote to hollywood teenage movies that slather clearasil over the blemishes of youth captures the combustible mixture of a chafing inner loneliness and desperate grandiosity that tend to characterize puberty .


this is the kind of movie where people who have never picked a lock do so easily after a few tries and become expert fighters after a few weeks .


the problem with the mayhem in formula 51 is not that it 's offensive , but that it 's boring .


it all plays out ... like a high-end john hughes comedy , a kind of elder bueller 's time out .


both a grand tour through 300 hundred years of russian cultural identity and a stunning technical achievement .


a gorgeously strange movie , heaven is deeply concerned with morality , but it refuses to spell things out for viewers .


shallow .


its audacious ambitions sabotaged by pomposity , steven soderbergh 's space opera emerges as a numbingly dull experience .


but death to smoochy keeps firing until the bitter end .


it may also be the best sex comedy about environmental pollution ever made .


films about loss , grief and recovery are pretty valuable these days .


the movie is so thoughtlessly assembled .


beautifully shot , delicately scored and powered by a set of heartfelt performances , it 's a lyrical endeavour .


a tasty masala .


melodrama with a message .


kirshner and monroe seem to be in a contest to see who can out-bad-act the other .


this scarlet 's letter is a. . .


may cause you to bite your tongue to keep from laughing at the ridiculous dialog or the oh-so convenient plot twists .


a generous , inspiring film that unfolds with grace and humor and gradually becomes a testament to faith .


it 's an 88-minute highlight reel that 's 86 minutes too long .


see it now , before the inevitable hollywood remake flattens out all its odd , intriguing wrinkles .


plays like a bad blend of an overripe episode of tv 's dawson 's creek and a recycled and dumbed-down version of love story .


for all its brooding quality , ash wednesday is suspenseful and ultimately unpredictable , with a sterling ensemble cast .


satin rouge is not a new , or inventive , journey , but it 's encouraging to see a three-dimensional , average , middle-aged woman 's experience of self-discovery handled with such sensitivity .


the 1960s rebellion was misdirected : you ca n't fight your culture .


enigma is well-made , but it 's just too dry and too placid .


sleek and arty .


the plot is nothing but boilerplate clichés from start to finish , and the script assumes that not only would subtlety be lost on the target audience , but that it 's also too stupid to realize that they 've already seen this exact same movie a hundred times


twenty-three movies into a mostly magnificent directorial career , clint eastwood 's efficiently minimalist style finally has failed him .


wilco is a phenomenal band with such an engrossing story that will capture the minds and hearts of many .


a tremendous piece of work .


this story of a determined woman 's courage to find her husband in a war zone offers winning performances and some effecting moments .


deuces wild treads heavily into romeo and juliet\/west side story territory , where it plainly has no business going .


tambor and clayburgh make an appealing couple -- he 's understated and sardonic , she 's appealingly manic and energetic .


both a beautifully made nature film and a tribute to a woman whose passion for this region and its inhabitants still shines in her quiet blue eyes .


a surprisingly sweet and gentle comedy .


a solidly entertaining little film .


on its own , it 's not very interesting .


to say that this vapid vehicle is downright doltish and uneventful is just as obvious as telling a country skunk that he has severe body odor .


the dirty jokes provide the funniest moments in this oddly sweet comedy about jokester highway patrolmen .


many of benjamins ' elements feel like they 've been patched in from an episode of miami vice .


`` catch me '' feels capable of charming the masses with star power , a pop-induced score and sentimental moments that have become a spielberg trademark .


... the story simply putters along looking for astute observations and coming up blank .


most of the things that made the original men in black such a pleasure are still there .


a tedious parable about honesty and good sportsmanship .


a gem of a movie .


the filmmaker ascends , literally , to the olympus of the art world , but he would have done well to end this flawed , dazzling series with the raising of something other than his own cremaster .


writer-director randall wallace has bitten off more than he or anyone else could chew , and his movie veers like a drunken driver through heavy traffic .


it 's a pedestrian , flat drama that screams out ` amateur ' in almost every frame .


it is as uncompromising as it is nonjudgmental , and makes clear that a prostitute can be as lonely and needy as any of the clients .


murderous maids pulls no punches in its depiction of the lives of the papin sister and the events that led to their notorious rise to infamy ...


oliveira seems to pursue silent film representation with every mournful composition .


nothing more than four or five mild chuckles surrounded by 86 minutes of overly-familiar and poorly-constructed comedy .


cherry orchard is badly edited , often awkwardly directed and suffers from the addition of a wholly unnecessary pre-credit sequence designed to give some of the characters a ` back story . '


predecessors the mummy and the mummy returns stand as intellectual masterpieces next to the scorpion king .


perhaps the grossest movie ever made .


there is simply no doubt that this film asks the right questions at the right time in the history of our country .


feels like the work of someone who may indeed have finally aged past his prime ... and , perhaps more than he realizes , just wants to be liked by the people who can still give him work .


demonstrates the unusual power of thoughtful , subjective filmmaking .


i also believe that resident evil is not it .


i like my christmas movies with more elves and snow and less pimps and ho 's .


it might not be 1970s animation , but everything else about it is straight from the saturday morning cartoons -- a retread story , bad writing , and the same old silliness .


an ugly , pointless , stupid movie .


a flawed film but an admirable one that tries to immerse us in a world of artistic abandon and political madness and very nearly succeeds .


efteriades gives the neighborhood -- scenery , vibe and all -- the cinematic equivalent of a big , tender hug .


rather , pity anyone who sees this mishmash .


scherfig 's light-hearted profile of emotional desperation is achingly honest and delightfully cheeky .


this is a film that manages to find greatness in the hue of its drastic iconography .


the movie is without intent .


you can thank me for this .


in a movie full of surprises , the biggest is that secret ballot is a comedy , both gentle and biting .


imagine kevin smith , the blasphemous bad boy of suburban jersey , if he were stripped of most of his budget and all of his sense of humor .


staggeringly dreadful romance .


... spiced with humor -lrb- ' i speak fluent flatula , ' advises denlopp after a rather , er , bubbly exchange with an alien deckhand -rrb- and witty updatings -lrb- silver 's parrot has been replaced with morph , a cute alien creature who mimics everyone and everything around -rrb-


it 's so crammed with scenes and vistas and pretty moments that it 's left a few crucial things out , like character development and coherence .


lacks the inspiration of the original and has a bloated plot that stretches the running time about 10 minutes past a child 's interest and an adult 's patience .


unofficially , national lampoon 's van wilder is son of animal house .


as a film director , labute continues to improve .


sweet home alabama is n't going to win any academy awards , but this date-night diversion will definitely win some hearts .


not everyone will welcome or accept the trials of henry kissinger as faithful portraiture , but few can argue that the debate it joins is a necessary and timely one .


there 's not a single jump-in-your-seat moment and believe it or not , jason actually takes a backseat in his own film to special effects .


a movie i loved on first sight and , even more important , love in remembrance .


gibney and jarecki just want to string the bastard up .


a crass and insulting homage to great films like some like it hot and the john wayne classics .


it 's hard to imagine anybody ever being `` in the mood '' to view a movie as harrowing and painful as the grey zone , but it 's equally hard to imagine anybody being able to tear their eyes away from the screen once it 's started .


the new film of anton chekhov 's the cherry orchard puts the ` ick ' in ` classic . '


an ambitious and moving but bleak film .


too long , and larded with exposition , this somber cop drama ultimately feels as flat as the scruffy sands of its titular community .


the most audacious , outrageous , sexually explicit , psychologically probing , pure libido film of the year has arrived from portugal .


moore provides an invaluable service by sparking debate and encouraging thought .


interview with the assassin is structured less as a documentary and more as a found relic , and as such the film has a difficult time shaking its blair witch project real-time roots .


van wilder has a built-in audience , but only among those who are drying out from spring break and are still unconcerned about what they ingest .


simply put , `` far from heaven '' is a masterpiece .


for those who are intrigued by politics of the '70s , the film is every bit as fascinating as it is flawed .


trapped presents a frightening and compelling ` what if ? '


less worrying about covering all the drama in frida 's life and more time spent exploring her process of turning pain into art would have made this a superior movie .


-- was a fad that had long since vanished .


it 's not hateful .


fortunately , you still have that option .


an inelegant combination of two unrelated shorts that falls far short of the director 's previous work in terms of both thematic content and narrative strength .


a lightweight , uneven action comedy that freely mingles french , japanese and hollywood cultures .


you try to guess the order in which the kids in the house will be gored .


awesome work : ineffable , elusive , yet inexplicably powerful


it 's not a bad premise , just a bad movie .


it manages to squeeze by on angelina jolie 's surprising flair for self-deprecating comedy .


what makes this film special is serry 's ability to take what is essentially a contained family conflict and put it into a much larger historical context .


you 'll forget about it by monday , though , and if they 're old enough to have developed some taste , so will your kids .


not even solondz 's thirst for controversy , sketchy characters and immature provocations can fully succeed at cheapening it .


i have to admit that i am baffled by jason x.


despite engaging offbeat touches , knockaround guys rarely seems interested in kicking around a raison d'etre that 's as fresh-faced as its young-guns cast .


it would work much better as a one-hour tv documentary .


reign of fire never comes close to recovering from its demented premise , but it does sustain an enjoyable level of ridiculousness .


at once emotional and richly analytical , the cosby-seinfeld encounter alone confirms the serious weight behind this superficially loose , larky documentary .


a meatier deeper beginning and\/or ending would have easily tipped this film into the `` a '' range , as is , it 's a very very strong `` b + . ''


in fact , it does n't even seem like she tried .


nearly all the fundamentals you take for granted in most films are mishandled here .


writer-director david jacobson and his star , jeremy renner , have made a remarkable film that explores the monster 's psychology not in order to excuse him but rather to demonstrate that his pathology evolved from human impulses that grew hideously twisted .


though filmed partly in canada , paid in full has clever ways of capturing inner-city life during the reagan years .


complex , sinuously plotted and , somehow , off-puttingly cold .


maelstrom is strange and compelling , engrossing and different , a moral tale with a twisted sense of humor .


harris is supposed to be the star of the story , but comes across as pretty dull and wooden .


aloof and lacks any real raw emotion , which is fatal for a film that relies on personal relationships .


ozpetek joins the ranks of those gay filmmakers who have used the emigre experience to explore same-sex culture in ways that elude the more nationally settled .


a thriller whose style , structure and rhythms are so integrated with the story , you can not separate them .


fierce , glaring and unforgettable .


the film belongs to the marvelous verdu , a sexy slip of an earth mother who mourns her tragedies in private and embraces life in public


the plot is romantic comedy boilerplate from start to finish .


this documentary is a dazzling , remarkably unpretentious reminder of what -lrb- evans -rrb- had , lost , and got back .


pc stability notwithstanding , the film suffers from a simplistic narrative and a pat , fairy-tale conclusion .


the piano teacher is not an easy film .


make no mistake , ivans xtc .


continually challenges perceptions of guilt and innocence , of good guys and bad , and asks us whether a noble end can justify evil means .


it 's all about anakin ... and the lustrous polished visuals rich in color and creativity and , of course , special effect .


what might 've been an exhilarating exploration of an odd love triangle becomes a sprawl of uncoordinated vectors .


watching these eccentrics is both inspiring and pure joy .


neither the funniest film that eddie murphy nor robert de niro has ever made , showtime is nevertheless efficiently amusing for a good while .


the warnings to resist temptation in this film ... are blunt and challenging and offer no easy rewards for staying clean .


-lrb- reaches -rrb- wholly believable and heart-wrenching depths of despair .


there 's a reason the studio did n't offer an advance screening .


perhaps the film should be seen as a conversation starter .


but it is entertaining on an inferior level .


if you 've grown tired of going where no man has gone before , but several movies have - take heart .


talky , artificial and opaque ... an interesting technical exercise , but a tedious picture .


clockstoppers is one of those crazy , mixed-up films that does n't know what it wants to be when it grows up .


some of the visual flourishes are a little too obvious , but restrained and subtle storytelling , and fine performances make this delicate coming-of-age tale a treat .


you 'll just have your head in your hands wondering why lee 's character did n't just go to a bank manager and save everyone the misery .


bloody sunday has the grace to call for prevention rather than to place blame , making it one of the best war movies ever made .


it 's an exhilarating place to visit , this laboratory of laughter .


and it marks him as one of the most interesting writer\/directors working today .


the movie suffers from two fatal ailments -- a dearth of vitality and a story that 's shapeless and uninflected .


not a bad premise , but the execution is lackluster at best .


really dumb but occasionally really funny .


being latently gay and liking to read are hardly enough .


the filmmakers know how to please the eye , but it is not always the prettiest pictures that tell the best story .


shows holmes has the screen presence to become a major-league leading lady , -lrb- but -rrb- the movie itself is an underachiever , a psychological mystery that takes its sweet time building to a climax that 's scarcely a surprise by the time it arrives .


director chris wedge and screenwriters michael berg , michael j. wilson and peter ackerman create some episodes that rival vintage looney tunes for the most creative mayhem in a brief amount of time .


remove spider-man the movie from its red herring surroundings and it 's apparent that this is one summer film that satisfies .


presents a good case while failing to provide a reason for us to care beyond the very basic dictums of human decency .


the cast ... keeps this pretty watchable , and casting mick jagger as director of the escort service was inspired .


one of those films that started with a great premise and then just fell apart .


occasionally funny , sometimes inspiring , often boring .


about half of them are funny , a few are sexy and none are useful in telling the story , which is paper-thin and decidedly unoriginal .


good-naturedly cornball sequel .


weird .


clever but not especially compelling .


bolstered by exceptional performances and a clear-eyed take on the economics of dealing and the pathology of ghetto fabulousness .


i did go back and check out the last 10 minutes , but these were more repulsive than the first 30 or 40 minutes .


borstal boy represents the worst kind of filmmaking , the kind that pretends to be passionate and truthful but is really frustratingly timid and soggy .


although no pastry is violated , this nasty comedy pokes fun at the same easy targets as other rowdy raunch-fests -- farts , boobs , unmentionables -- without much success .


less a heartfelt appeal for the handicapped than a nice belgian waffle .


the bottom line , at least in my opinion , is imposter makes a better short story than it does a film .


it 's absolutely amazing how first-time director kevin donovan managed to find something new to add to the canon of chan .


a poorly scripted , preachy fable that forgets about unfolding a coherent , believable story in its zeal to spread propaganda .


entirely suspenseful , extremely well-paced and ultimately ... dare i say , entertaining !


that frenetic spectacle -lrb- on the tv show -rrb- has usually been leavened by a charm that 's conspicuously missing from the girls ' big-screen blowout .


the country bears wastes an exceptionally good idea .


it 's not too fast and not too slow .


texan director george ratliff had unlimited access to families and church meetings , and he delivers fascinating psychological fare .


why sit through a crummy , wannabe-hip crime comedy that refers incessantly to old movies , when you could just rent those movies instead , let alone seek out a respectable new one ?


the search for redemption makes for a touching love story , mainly because blanchett and ribisi compellingly tap into a spiritual aspect of their characters ' suffering .


as gory as the scenes of torture and self-mutilation may be , they are pitted against shimmering cinematography that lends the setting the ethereal beauty of an asian landscape painting .


but this is lohman 's film .


its vision of that awkward age when sex threatens to overwhelm everything else is acute enough to make everyone who has been there squirm with recognition .


the movie is gorgeously made , but it is also somewhat shallow and art-conscious .


real women have curves wears its empowerment on its sleeve but even its worst harangues are easy to swallow thanks to remarkable performances by ferrera and ontiveros .


it 's unfortunate that wallace , who wrote gibson 's braveheart as well as the recent pearl harbor , has such an irrepressible passion for sappy situations and dialogue .


the most repugnant adaptation of a classic text since roland joffé and demi moore 's the scarlet letter .


the thought of watching this film with an audience full of teenagers fixating on its body humour and reinforcement of stereotypes -lrb- of which they 'll get plenty -rrb- fills me with revulsion .


the movie is the equivalent of french hip-hop , which also seems to play on a 10-year delay .


freundlich 's made -lrb- crudup -rrb- a suburban architect , and a cipher .


good performances keep it from being a total rehash .


frankly , it 's kind of insulting , both to men and women .


the sort of picture in which , whenever one of the characters has some serious soul searching to do , they go to a picture-perfect beach during sunset .


it is dark , brooding and slow , and takes its central idea way too seriously .


you see robin williams and psycho killer , and you think , hmmmmm .


overall tomfoolery like this is a matter of taste .


happily , some things are immune to the folly of changing taste and attitude .


it 's plotless , shapeless -- and yet , it must be admitted , not entirely humorless .


but mostly it 's a work that , with humor , warmth , and intelligence , captures a life interestingly lived .


we do n't get paid enough to sit through crap like this .


`` -lrb- hopkins -rrb- does n't so much phone in his performance as fax it .


like being able to hit on a 15-year old when you 're over 100 .


` like a child with an important message to tell ... -lrb- skins ' -rrb- faults are easy to forgive because the intentions are lofty . '


sunk by way too much indulgence of scene-chewing , teeth-gnashing actorliness .


it 's up to -lrb- watts -rrb- to lend credibility to this strange scenario , and her presence succeeds in making us believe .


shunji iwai 's all about lily chou chou is a beautifully shot , but ultimately flawed film about growing up in japan .


an exhilarating serving of movie fluff .


the script falls back on too many tried-and-true shenanigans that hardly distinguish it from the next teen comedy .


it feels like very light errol morris , focusing on eccentricity but failing , ultimately , to make something bigger out of its scrapbook of oddballs .


franco is an excellent choice for the walled-off but combustible hustler , but he does not give the transcendent performance sonny needs to overcome gaps in character development and story logic .


until its final minutes this is a perceptive study of two families in crisis -- and of two girls whose friendship is severely tested by bad luck and their own immaturity .


at its best , which occurs often , michael moore 's bowling for columbine rekindles the muckraking , soul-searching spirit of the ` are we a sick society ? '


what it lacks in substance it makes up for in heart .


like kissing jessica stein , amy 's orgasm has a key strength in its willingness to explore its principal characters with honesty , insight and humor .


in imax in short , it 's just as wonderful on the big screen .


the difference between cho and most comics is that her confidence in her material is merited .


stone seems to have a knack for wrapping the theater in a cold blanket of urban desperation .


to be influenced chiefly by humanity 's greatest shame , reality shows -- reality shows for god 's sake !


a manically generous christmas vaudeville .


a high-minded snoozer .


chris columbus ' sequel is faster , livelier and a good deal funnier than his original .


the one-liners are snappy , the situations volatile and the comic opportunities richly rewarded .


`` 13 conversations about one thing '' is an intelligent flick that examines many different ideas from happiness to guilt in an intriguing bit of storytelling .


pacino and williams seem to keep upping the ante on each other , just as their characters do in the film .


munch 's screenplay is tenderly observant of his characters .


at its best , this is grand-scale moviemaking for a larger-than-life figure , an artist who has been awarded mythic status in contemporary culture .


just the sort of lazy tearjerker that gives movies about ordinary folk a bad name .


while the film is competent , it 's also uninspired , lacking the real talent and wit to elevate it beyond its formula to the level of classic romantic comedy to which it aspires .


... another example of how sandler is losing his touch .


this is for the most part a useless movie , even with a great director at the helm .


like a comedian who starts off promisingly but then proceeds to flop , comedian runs out of steam after a half hour .


the directive to protect the code at all costs also begins to blur as the importance of the man and the code merge


officially , it is twice as bestial but half as funny .


the most offensive thing about the movie is that hollywood expects people to pay to see it .


light , silly , photographed with colour and depth , and rather a good time .


for all the complications , it 's all surprisingly predictable .


a classy , sprightly spin on film .


a little uneven to be the cat 's meow , but it 's good enough to be the purr .


fails in making this character understandable , in getting under her skin , in exploring motivation ... well before the end , the film grows as dull as its characters , about whose fate it is hard to care .


thirteen conversations about one thing lays out a narrative puzzle that interweaves individual stories , and , like a mobius strip , elliptically loops back to where it began .


a dazzling thing to behold -- as long as you 're wearing the somewhat cumbersome 3d goggles the theater provides .


wallace gets a bit heavy handed with his message at times , and has a visual flair that waxes poetic far too much for our taste .


vera has created a provocative , absorbing drama that reveals the curse of a self-hatred instilled by rigid social mores .


the obnoxious special effects , the obligatory outbursts of flatulence and the incessant , so-five-minutes-ago pop music on the soundtrack overwhelm what is left of the scruffy , dopey old hanna-barbera charm .


this is a dark , gritty , sometimes funny little gem .


the filmmakers lack the nerve ... to fully exploit the script 's potential for sick humor .


this is a stunning film , a one-of-a-kind tour de force .


a nearly 21\/2 hours , the film is way too indulgent .


there 's back-stabbing , inter-racial desire and , most importantly , singing and dancing .


mazel tov to a film about a family 's joyous life acting on the yiddish stage .


this is a gorgeous film - vivid with color , music and life .


but though he only scratches the surface , at least he provides a strong itch to explore more .


if any of them list this ` credit ' on their resumes in the future , that 'll be much funnier than anything in the film ...


transcends its agenda to deliver awe-inspiring , at times sublime , visuals and offer a fascinating glimpse into the subculture of extreme athletes whose derring-do puts the x into the games .


the waterlogged script plumbs uncharted depths of stupidity , incoherence and sub-sophomoric sexual banter .


polished , well-structured film .


the date movie that franz kafka would have made .


there are things to like about murder by numbers -- but , in the end , the disparate elements do n't gel .


plays like one of those conversations that comic book guy on `` the simpsons '' has .


there are plenty of scenes in frida that do work , but rarely do they involve the title character herself .


a bit too eager to please .


throwing it all away for the fleeting joys of love 's brief moment .


entertaining enough , but nothing new


poignant and funny .


chan 's stunts are limited and so embellished by editing that there 's really not much of a sense of action or even action-comedy .


a listless and desultory affair .


it does give you a peek .


it 's exactly what you 'd expect .


fudges fact and fancy with such confidence that we feel as if we 're seeing something purer than the real thing .


there is a subversive element to this disney cartoon , providing unexpected fizzability .


it concentrates far too much on the awkward interplay and utter lack of chemistry between chan and hewitt .


the movie tries to be ethereal , but ends up seeming goofy .


an energetic , violent movie with a momentum that never lets up .


for most of the distance the picture provides a satisfyingly unsettling ride into the dark places of our national psyche .


it 's a smartly directed , grown-up film of ideas .


one of those staggeringly well-produced , joylessly extravagant pictures that keep whooshing you from one visual marvel to the next , hastily , emptily .


diane lane 's sophisticated performance ca n't rescue adrian lyne 's unfaithful from its sleazy moralizing .


it 's refreshing to see a romance this smart .


the directing and story are disjointed , flaws that have to be laid squarely on taylor 's doorstep .


... a somber film , almost completely unrelieved by any comedy beyond the wistful everyday ironies of the working poor .


there 's something about a marching band that gets me where i live .


this is a visually stunning rumination on love , memory , history and the war between art and commerce .


delirious fun .


i prefer to think of it as `` pootie tang with a budget . ''


the performances are strong , though the subject matter demands acting that borders on hammy at times .


the whole movie is simply a lazy exercise in bad filmmaking that asks you to not only suspend your disbelief but your intelligence as well .


thoroughly engrossing and ultimately tragic .


like its predecessor , it 's no classic , but it provides a reasonably attractive holiday contraption , one that families looking for a clean , kid-friendly outing should investigate .


nothing overly original , mind you , but solidly entertaining .


not one moment in the enterprise did n't make me want to lie down in a dark room with something cool to my brow .


, `` they 're out there ! ''


... built on the premise that middle-class arkansas consists of monster truck-loving good ol' boys and peroxide blond honeys whose worldly knowledge comes from tv reruns and supermarket tabloids .


the spaniel-eyed jean reno infuses hubert with a mixture of deadpan cool , wry humor and just the measure of tenderness required to give this comic slugfest some heart .


the holes in this film remain agape -- holes punched through by an inconsistent , meandering , and sometimes dry plot .


i have n't seen such self-amused trash since freddy got fingered .


brings to a spectacular completion one of the most complex , generous and subversive artworks of the last decade .


just dreadful .


-lrb- a -rrb- poorly executed comedy .


the biggest problem i have -lrb- other than the very sluggish pace -rrb- is we never really see her esther blossom as an actress , even though her talent is supposed to be growing .


a surprisingly flat retread , hobbled by half-baked setups and sluggish pacing .


if you 're not fans of the adventues of steve and terri , you should avoid this like the dreaded king brown snake .


a prolonged extrusion of psychopathic pulp .


-lrb- dong -rrb- makes a valiant effort to understand everyone 's point of view , and he does such a good job of it that family fundamentals gets you riled up .


its almost too-spectacular coastal setting distracts slightly from an eccentric and good-naturedly aimless story .


a piquant meditation on the things that prevent people from reaching happiness .


niccol the filmmaker merges his collaborators ' symbolic images with his words , insinuating , for example , that in hollywood , only god speaks to the press


the attraction between these two marginal characters is complex from the start -- and , refreshingly , stays that way .