a portrait of hell so shattering it 's impossible to shake .


this new time machine is hardly perfect ... yet it proves surprisingly serviceable .


a determined , ennui-hobbled slog that really does n't have much to say beyond the news flash that loneliness can make people act weird .


a party-hearty teen flick that scalds like acid .


just plain bad .


drowning 's too good for this sucker .


meticulously uncovers a trail of outrageous force and craven concealment .


the film jolts the laughs from the audience -- as if by cattle prod .


the problematic characters and overly convenient plot twists foul up shum 's good intentions .


- west coast rap wars , this modern mob music drama never fails to fascinate .


it 's a big idea , but the film itself is small and shriveled .


ub equally spoofs and celebrates the more outre aspects of ` black culture ' and the dorkier aspects of ` white culture , ' even as it points out how inseparable the two are .


a sensitive , modest comic tragedy that works as both character study and symbolic examination of the huge economic changes sweeping modern china .


control-alt-delete simone as quickly as possible


all in all , road to perdition is more in love with strangeness than excellence .


most haunting about `` fence '' is its conclusion , when we hear the ultimate fate of these girls and realize , much to our dismay , that this really did happen .


one of those decades-spanning historical epics that strives to be intimate and socially encompassing but fails to do justice to either effort in three hours of screen time .


the strength of the film lies in its two central performances by sven wollter as the stricken composer and viveka seldahl as his desperate violinist wife .


the cast comes through even when the movie does n't .


harks back to a time when movies had more to do with imagination than market research .


its plot and animation offer daytime tv serviceability , but little more .


a cruelly funny twist on teen comedy packed with inventive cinematic tricks and an ironically killer soundtrack


mr. goyer 's loose , unaccountable direction is technically sophisticated in the worst way .


yet the act is still charming here .


it 's not going to be everyone 's bag of popcorn , but it definitely gives you something to chew on .


but i had a lot of problems with this movie .


why anyone who is not a character in this movie should care is beyond me .


bolstered by an astonishing voice cast -lrb- excepting love hewitt -rrb- , an interesting racial tension , and a storyline that i have n't encountered since at least pete 's dragon .


cletis is playful but highly studied and dependent for its success on a patient viewer .


merry friggin ' christmas !


alas , the black-and-white archival footage of their act showcases pretty mediocre shtick .


it 's replaced by some dramatic scenes that are jarring and deeply out of place in what could have -lrb- and probably should have -rrb- been a lighthearted comedy .


this odd , distant portuguese import more or less borrows from bad lieutenant and les vampires , and comes up with a kind of art-house gay porn film .


the pain , loneliness and insecurity of the screenwriting process are vividly and painfully brought to slovenly life in this self-deprecating , biting and witty feature written by charlie kaufman and his twin brother , donald , and directed by spike jonze .


bad movie .


i have always appreciated a smartly written motion picture , and , whatever flaws igby goes down may possess , it is undeniably that .


there are a few chuckles , but not a single gag sequence that really scores , and the stars seem to be in two different movies .


well , they 're ` they ' .


bears is even worse than i imagined a movie ever could be .


the film , while not exactly assured in its execution , is notable for its sheer audacity and openness .


sometimes this modest little number clicks , and sometimes it does n't .


it 's definitely a step in the right direction .


as i settled into my world war ii memories , i found myself strangely moved by even the corniest and most hackneyed contrivances .


an uplifting drama ... what antwone fisher is n't , however , is original .


initial strangeness inexorably gives way to rote sentimentality and mystical tenderness becomes narrative expedience .


another trumpet blast that there may be a new mexican cinema a-bornin ' . '


observant intelligence constantly vies with pretension -- and sometimes plain wacky implausibility -- throughout maelstrom .


her fans walked out muttering words like `` horrible '' and `` terrible , '' but had so much fun dissing the film that they did n't mind the ticket cost .


feels slight , as if it were an extended short , albeit one made by the smartest kids in class .


it 's weird , wonderful , and not necessarily for kids .


only for young children , if them .


... bibbidy-bobbidi-bland .


will you go ape over this movie ?


comes off more like a misdemeanor , a flat , unconvincing drama that never catches fire .


the story has its redundancies , and the young actors , not very experienced , are sometimes inexpressive .


as home movie gone haywire , it 's pretty enjoyable , but as sexual manifesto , i 'd rather listen to old tori amos records .


the dominant feeling is something like nostalgia . '


most fish stories are a little peculiar , but this is one that should be thrown back in the river .


it 's all a rather shapeless good time ...


slow , silly and unintentionally hilarious .


no amount of good acting is enough to save oleander 's uninspired story .


julie davis is the kathie lee gifford of film directors , sadly proving once again ego does n't always go hand in hand with talent .


austin powers for the most part is extremely funny , the first part making up for any flaws that come later .


cho 's latest comic set is n't as sharp or as fresh as i 'm the one that i want ... but it 's still damn funny stuff .


a canny , derivative , wildly gruesome portrait of a london sociopath who 's the scariest of sadists .


almost .


a completely spooky piece of business that gets under your skin and , some plot blips aside , stays there for the duration .


the performances are so overstated , the effect comes off as self-parody .


a long , dull procession of despair , set to cello music culled from a minimalist funeral .


a life-size reenactment of those jack chick cartoon tracts that always ended with some hippie getting tossed into the lake of fire .


the modern-day characters are nowhere near as vivid as the 19th-century ones .


... is funny in the way that makes you ache with sadness -lrb- the way chekhov is funny -rrb- , profound without ever being self-important , warm without ever succumbing to sentimentality .


a wildly entertaining scan of evans ' career .


fubar is very funny , but not always in a laugh-out-loud way .


jonah is only so-so ... the addition of a biblical message will either improve the film for you , or it will lessen it .


what 's surprising is how well it holds up in an era in which computer-generated images are the norm .


the determination of pinochet 's victims to seek justice , and their often heartbreaking testimony , spoken directly into director patricio guzman 's camera , pack a powerful emotional wallop .


go for la salle 's performance , and make do as best you can with a stuttering script .


would 've been nice if the screenwriters had trusted audiences to understand a complex story , and left off the film 's predictable denouement .


... creates a visceral sense of its characters ' lives and conflicted emotions that carries it far above ... what could have been a melodramatic , lifetime channel-style anthology .


a creaky staircase gothic .


-lrb- stephen -rrb- earnhart 's film is more about the optimism of a group of people who are struggling to give themselves a better lot in life than the ones they currently have .


-lrb- javier bardem is -rrb- one of the few reasons to watch the film , which director gerardo vera has drenched in swoony music and fever-pitched melodrama .


distinctly sub-par ... more likely to drown a viewer in boredom than to send any shivers down his spine .


may prove to be -lrb- tsai 's -rrb- masterpiece .


imagine o. henry 's the gift of the magi relocated to the scuzzy underbelly of nyc 's drug scene .


if you 're a crocodile hunter fan , you 'll enjoy at least the `` real '' portions of the film .


`` auto focus '' works as an unusual biopic and document of male swingers in the playboy era


the film is a fierce dance of destruction .


it 's quite another to feel physically caught up in the process .


everything is off .


but the actors make this worth a peek .


koepp 's screenplay is n't nearly surprising or clever enough to sustain a reasonable degree of suspense on its own .


the action is reasonably well-done ... yet story , character and comedy bits are too ragged to ever fit smoothly together .


for the future , one hopes mr. plympton will find room for one more member of his little band , a professional screenwriter .


this may be dover kosashvili 's feature directing debut , but it looks an awful lot like life -- gritty , awkward and ironic .


largely , this is a movie that also does it by the numbers .


a half-assed film .


several of steven soderbergh 's earlier films were hailed as the works of an artist .


more successful at relating history than in creating an emotionally complex , dramatically satisfying heroine


many insightful moments .


though a touch too arthouse 101 in its poetic symbolism , heaven proves to be a good match of the sensibilities of two directors .


-lrb- toback 's -rrb- fondness for fancy split-screen , stuttering editing and pompous references to wittgenstein and kirkegaard ... blends uneasily with the titillating material .


director carl franklin , so crisp and economical in one false move , bogs down in genre cliches here .


left me with the visceral sensation of longing , lasting traces of charlotte 's web of desire and desperation .


there is a welcome lack of pretension about the film , which very simply sets out to entertain and ends up delivering in good measure .


the low-key direction is pleasingly emphatic in this properly intense , claustrophobic tale of obsessive love .


let 's issue a moratorium , effective immediately , on treacly films about inspirational prep-school professors and the children they so heartwarmingly motivate .


the lady and the duke is a smart , romantic drama that dares to depict the french revolution from the aristocrats ' perspective .


a sentimental mess that never rings true .


evokes a palpable sense of disconnection , made all the more poignant by the incessant use of cell phones .


it 's a hellish , numbing experience to watch , and it does n't offer any insights that have n't been thoroughly debated in the media already , back in the dahmer heyday of the mid - '90s .


it appears as if even the filmmakers did n't know what kind of movie they were making .


abysmally pathetic


it 's too bad nothing else is .


admirers of director abel ferrara may be relieved that his latest feature , r xmas , marks a modest if encouraging return to form .


the only entertainment you 'll derive from this choppy and sloppy affair will be from unintentional giggles -- several of them .


with a completely predictable plot , you 'll swear that you 've seen it all before , even if you 've never come within a mile of the longest yard .


one of the most exciting action films to come out of china in recent years .


or else a doggie winks .


with a tighter editorial process and firmer direction this material could work , especially since the actresses in the lead roles are all more than competent , but as is , personal velocity seems to be idling in neutral .


stale , futile scenario .


if legendary shlockmeister ed wood had ever made a movie about a vampire , it probably would look a lot like this alarming production , adapted from anne rice 's novel the vampire chronicles .


williams plays sy , another of his open-faced , smiling madmen , like the killer in insomnia .


could n't someone take rob schneider and have him switch bodies with a funny person ?


gives everyone something to shout about .


an affectionately goofy satire that 's unafraid to throw elbows when necessary ...


what makes the movie work -- to an admittedly limited extent -- is the commitment of two genuinely engaging performers .


snipes is both a snore and utter tripe .


arty gay film .


the film 's plot may be shallow , but you 've never seen the deep like you see it in these harrowing surf shots .


its one-sidedness ... flirts with propaganda .


making such a tragedy the backdrop to a love story risks trivializing it , though chouraqui no doubt intended the film to affirm love 's power to help people endure almost unimaginable horror .


it does give a taste of the burning man ethos , an appealing blend of counter-cultural idealism and hedonistic creativity .


a violent initiation rite for the audience , as much as it is for angelique , the -lrb- opening -rrb- dance guarantees karmen 's enthronement among the cinema 's memorable women .


the best part about `` gangs '' was daniel day-lewis .


so devoid of pleasure or sensuality that it can not even be dubbed hedonistic .


shatner is probably the funniest person in the film , which gives you an idea just how bad it was .


abandon spends 90 minutes trying figure out whether or not some cocky pseudo-intellectual kid has intentionally left college or was killed .


it 's impossible to even categorize this as a smutty guilty pleasure .


the movie slides downhill as soon as macho action conventions assert themselves .


enticing and often funny documentary .


the only problem is that , by the end , no one in the audience or the film seems to really care .


boisterous , heartfelt comedy .


put it somewhere between sling blade and south of heaven , west of hell in the pantheon of billy bob 's body of work .


terrific performances , great to look at , and funny .


if oscar had a category called best bad film you thought was going to be really awful but was n't , guys would probably be duking it out with the queen of the damned for the honor .


it 's a talking head documentary , but a great one .


for decades we 've marveled at disney 's rendering of water , snow , flames and shadows in a hand-drawn animated world .


harmless fun .


stealing harvard ca n't even do that much .


... little more than a well-acted television melodrama shot for the big screen .


an unintentionally surreal kid 's picture ... in which actors in bad bear suits enact a sort of inter-species parody of a vh1 behind the music episode .


michael moore 's latest documentary about america 's thirst for violence is his best film yet ...


it has plenty of laughs .


it was a dark and stormy night ...


an infuriating film .


a bonanza of wacky sight gags , outlandish color schemes , and corny visual puns that can be appreciated equally as an abstract frank tashlin comedy and as a playful recapitulation of the artist 's career .


the film 's thoroughly recycled plot and tiresome jokes ... drag the movie down .


it may not be a great piece of filmmaking , but its power comes from its soul 's - eye view of how well-meaning patronizing masked a social injustice , at least as represented by this case .


seen in that light , moonlight mile should strike a nerve in many .


a moving and stark reminder that the casualties of war reach much further than we imagine .


it treats ana 's journey with honesty that is tragically rare in the depiction of young women in film .


like being invited to a classy dinner soiree and not knowing anyone .


asks what truth can be discerned from non-firsthand experience , and specifically questions cinema 's capability for recording truth .


from its invitingly upbeat overture to its pathos-filled but ultimately life-affirming finale , martin is a masterfully conducted work .


wow .


this is lightweight filmmaking , to be sure , but it 's pleasant enough -- and oozing with attractive men .


i think it was plato who said , ' i think , therefore i know better than to rush to the theatre for this one . '


the director , mark pellington , does a terrific job conjuring up a sinister , menacing atmosphere though unfortunately all the story gives us is flashing red lights , a rattling noise , and a bump on the head .


this would-be ` james bond for the extreme generation ' pic is one big , dumb action movie .


watching these two actors play against each other so intensely , but with restraint , is a treat .


the wonderfully lush morvern callar is pure punk existentialism , and ms. ramsay and her co-writer , liana dognini , have dramatized the alan warner novel , which itself felt like an answer to irvine welsh 's book trainspotting .


... unbearably lame .


formula 51 promises a new kind of high but delivers the same old bad trip .


it takes a really long , slow and dreary time to dope out what tuck everlasting is about .


a b-movie you can sit through , enjoy on a certain level and then forget .


talk to her is so darned assured , we have absolutely no idea who the main characters are until the film is well under way -- and yet it 's hard to stop watching .


parents , on the other hand , will be ahead of the plot at all times , and there is n't enough clever innuendo to fil


with nary a glimmer of self-knowledge , -lrb- crane -rrb- becomes more specimen than character -- and auto focus remains a chilly , clinical lab report .


director hoffman , his writer and kline 's agent should serve detention


holland lets things peter out midway , but it 's notably better acted -- and far less crass - than some other recent efforts in the burgeoning genre of films about black urban professionals .


although some viewers will not be able to stomach so much tongue-in-cheek weirdness , those who do will have found a cult favorite to enjoy for a lifetime .


it 's sweet , funny , charming , and completely delightful .


it 's horribly depressing and not very well done .


one regards reign of fire with awe .


there may have been a good film in `` trouble every day , '' but it is not what is on the screen .


great dragons !


an involving , inspirational drama that sometimes falls prey to its sob-story trappings .


in both the writing and cutting , it does not achieve the kind of dramatic unity that transports you .


the dialogue is very choppy and monosyllabic despite the fact that it is being dubbed .


on its icy face , the new film is a subzero version of monsters , inc. , without the latter 's imagination , visual charm or texture .


summer 's far too fleeting to squander on offal like this .


the best didacticism is one carried by a strong sense of humanism , and bertrand tavernier 's oft-brilliant safe conduct -lrb- `` laissez-passer '' -rrb- wears its heart on its sleeve .


such a wildly uneven hit-and-miss enterprise , you ca n't help suspecting that it was improvised on a day-to-day basis during production .


i survived .


her film is like a beautiful food entrée that is n't heated properly , so that it ends up a bit cold and relatively flavorless .


a disoriented but occasionally disarming saga packed with moments out of an alice in wonderland adventure , a stalker thriller , and a condensed season of tv 's big brother .


enjoyably fast-moving , hard-hitting documentary .


this overlong infomercial , due out on video before month 's end , is tepid and tedious .


a lot like the imaginary sport it projects onto the screen -- loud , violent and mindless .


the cast is spot on and the mood is laid back .


a no-holds-barred cinematic treat .


seems like someone going through the motions .


this movie plays like an extended dialogue exercise in retard 101 .


a beautifully observed character piece .


twenty years later , e.t. is still a cinematic touchstone .


a painfully slow cliche-ridden film filled with more holes than clyde barrow 's car .


i thought the relationships were wonderful , the comedy was funny , and the love ` real ' .


schnieder bounces around with limp wrists , wearing tight tummy tops and hip huggers , twirling his hair on his finger and assuming that 's enough to sustain laughs ...


they kept much of the plot but jettisoned the stuff that would make this a moving experience for people who have n't read the book .


ferrara 's best film in years .


the big-screen scooby makes the silly original cartoon seem smart and well-crafted in comparison .


that 's why sex and lucia is so alluring .


on its own , big trouble could be considered a funny little film .


this is a nicely handled affair , a film about human darkness but etched with a light -lrb- yet unsentimental -rrb- touch .


nolan proves that he can cross swords with the best of them and helm a more traditionally plotted popcorn thriller while surrendering little of his intellectual rigor or creative composure .


the film did n't move me one way or the other , but it was an honest effort and if you want to see a flick about telemarketers this one will due .


for most movies , 84 minutes is short , but this one feels like a life sentence .


lan yu is a genuine love story , full of traditional layers of awakening and ripening and separation and recovery .


this is surely one of the most frantic , virulent and foul-natured christmas season pics ever delivered by a hollywood studio .


i liked the original short story but this movie , even at an hour and twenty-some minutes , it 's too long and it goes nowhere .


with `` ichi the killer '' , takashi miike , japan 's wildest filmmaker gives us a crime fighter carrying more emotional baggage than batman ...


the film favors the scientific over the spectacular -lrb- visually speaking -rrb- .


both shrill and soporific , and because everything is repeated five or six times , it can seem tiresomely simpleminded .


... a solid , well-formed satire .


the entire movie is so formulaic and forgettable that it 's hardly over before it begins to fade from memory .


drama of temptation , salvation and good intentions is a thoughtful examination of faith , love and power .


less about shakespeare than the spawn of fools who saw quentin tarantino 's handful of raucous gangster films and branched out into their own pseudo-witty copycat interpretations .


beautifully crafted , engaging filmmaking that should attract upscale audiences hungry for quality and a nostalgic , twisty yarn that will keep them guessing .


an uneasy mix of run-of-the-mill raunchy humor and seemingly sincere personal reflection .


who are ` they ' ?


payne has created a beautiful canvas , and nicholson proves once again that he 's the best brush in the business .


just like a splendid meal , red dragon satisfies -- from its ripe recipe , inspiring ingredients , certified cuisine and palatable presentation .


paul bettany is good at being the ultra-violent gangster wannabe , but the movie is certainly not number 1 .


it 's more enjoyable than i expected , though , and that 's because the laughs come from fairly basic comedic constructs .


although what time offers tsai 's usual style and themes , it has a more colorful , more playful tone than his other films .


a lame comedy .


in other words , it 's badder than bad .


do you chuckle at the thought of an ancient librarian whacking a certain part of a man 's body ?


i 'm left slightly disappointed that it did n't .


huppert and girardot give performances of exceptional honesty .


-lrb- a -rrb- stuporously solemn film .


a stylistic romp that 's always fun to watch .


like the hanks character , he 's a slow study : the action is stilted and the tabloid energy embalmed .


it puts washington , as honest working man john q. archibald , on a pedestal , then keeps lifting the pedestal higher .


you can fire a torpedo through some of clancy 's holes , and the scripters do n't deserve any oscars .


less cinematically powerful than quietly and deeply moving , which is powerful in itself .


the dragons are the real stars of reign of fire and you wo n't be disappointed .


lohman adapts to the changes required of her , but the actress and director peter kosminsky never get the audience to break through the wall her character erects


were dylan thomas alive to witness first-time director ethan hawke 's strained chelsea walls , he might have been tempted to change his landmark poem to , ` do not go gentle into that good theatre . '


in my own very humble opinion , in praise of love lacks even the most fragmented charms i have found in almost all of his previous works .


an entertainment so in love with its overinflated mythology that it no longer recognizes the needs of moviegoers for real characters and compelling plots .


a winning and wildly fascinating work .


plot , characters , drama , emotions , ideas -- all are irrelevant to the experience of seeing the scorpion king .


unfortunately , carvey 's rubber-face routine is no match for the insipid script he has crafted with harris goldberg .


katz 's documentary does n't have much panache , but with material this rich it does n't need it .


every so often a film comes along that is so insanely stupid , so awful in so many ways that watching it leaves you giddy .


she nearly glows with enthusiasm , sensuality and a conniving wit .


phillip noyce and all of his actors -- as well as his cinematographer , christopher doyle -- understand the delicate forcefulness of greene 's prose , and it 's there on the screen in their version of the quiet american .


it 's an ambitious film , and as with all ambitious films , it has some problems .


not only a coming-of-age story and cautionary parable , but also a perfectly rendered period piece .


a joyous occasion


indeed , the more outrageous bits achieve a shock-you-into-laughter intensity of almost dadaist proportions .


it wo n't harm anyone , but neither can i think of a very good reason to rush right out and see it .


it 's the type of stunt the academy loves : a powerful political message stuffed into an otherwise mediocre film .


the sight of the name bruce willis brings to mind images of a violent battlefield action picture , but the film has a lot more on its mind -- maybe too much .


the movie 's gloomy atmosphere is fascinating , though , even if the movie itself does n't stand a ghost of a chance .


ignore the reputation , and ignore the film .


well made but uninvolving , bloodwork is n't a terrible movie , just a stultifyingly obvious one -- an unrewarding collar for a murder mystery .


and second , what 's with all the shooting ?


i believe silberling had the best intentions here , but he just does n't have the restraint to fully realize them .


cacoyannis ' vision is far less mature , interpreting the play as a call for pity and sympathy for anachronistic phantasms haunting the imagined glory of their own pasts .


it 's actually too sincere -- the crime movie equivalent of a chick flick .


still rapturous after all these years , cinema paradiso stands as one of the great films about movie love .


if you 're in the right b-movie frame of mind , it may just scare the pants off you .


puts on airs of a hal hartley wannabe film -- without the vital comic ingredient of the hilarious writer-director himself .


bravo reveals the true intent of her film by carefully selecting interview subjects who will construct a portrait of castro so predominantly charitable it can only be seen as propaganda .


it 's also built on a faulty premise , one it follows into melodrama and silliness .


poignant if familiar story of a young person suspended between two cultures .


a fleet-footed and pleasingly upbeat family diversion .


with we were soldiers , hollywood makes a valiant attempt to tell a story about the vietnam war before the pathology set in .


eisenstein lacks considerable brio for a film about one of cinema 's directorial giants .


the magic -lrb- and original running time -rrb- of ace japanimator hayao miyazaki 's spirited away survives intact in bv 's re-voiced version .


the author 's devotees will probably find it fascinating ; others may find it baffling .


i can analyze this movie in three words : thumbs friggin ' down .


an empty shell of an epic rather than the real deal .


well-meaning to a fault , antwone fisher manages the dubious feat of turning one man 's triumph of will into everyman 's romance comedy .


muccino , who directed from his own screenplay , is a canny crowd pleaser , and the last kiss ... provides more than enough sentimental catharsis for a satisfying evening at the multiplex .


mushes the college-friends genre -lrb- the big chill -rrb- together with the contrivances and overwrought emotion of soap operas .


unfortunately , there is almost nothing in this flat effort that will amuse or entertain them , either .


the film has a laundry list of minor shortcomings , but the numerous scenes of gory mayhem are worth the price of admission ... if `` gory mayhem '' is your idea of a good time .


allen 's funniest and most likeable movie in years .


the path ice age follows most closely , though , is the one established by warner bros. giant chuck jones , who died a matter of weeks before the movie 's release .


- greaseballs mob action-comedy .


twohy 's a good yarn-spinner , and ultimately the story compels .


bad company .


can i admit xxx is as deep as a petri dish and as well-characterized as a telephone book but still say it was a guilty pleasure ?


it 's crafty , energetic and smart -- the kid is sort of like a fourteen-year old ferris bueller .


the film fits into a genre that has been overexposed , redolent of a thousand cliches , and yet remains uniquely itself , vibrant with originality .


bluer than the atlantic and more biologically detailed than an autopsy , the movie ... is , also , frequently hilarious .


its generic villains lack any intrigue -lrb- other than their funny accents -rrb- and the action scenes are poorly delivered .


though there are many tense scenes in trapped , they prove more distressing than suspenseful .


a charming but slight comedy .


wow , a jump cut !


predictable storyline and by-the-book scripting is all but washed away by sumptuous ocean visuals and the cinematic stylings of director john stockwell .


these characters become wearisome .


the film is bright and flashy in all the right ways .


and it sees those relationships , including that between the son and his wife , and the wife and the father , and between the two brothers , with incredible subtlety and acumen .


an impeccable study in perversity .


it 's supposed to be a romantic comedy - it suffers from too much norma rae and not enough pretty woman .


the picture seems uncertain whether it wants to be an acidic all-male all about eve or a lush , swooning melodrama in the intermezzo strain .


what should have been a painless time-killer becomes instead a grating endurance test .


it makes sense that he went back to school to check out the girls -- his film is a frat boy 's idea of a good time .


the lead actors share no chemistry or engaging charisma .


... spellbinding fun and deliciously exploitative .


those 24-and-unders looking for their own caddyshack to adopt as a generational signpost may have to keep on looking .


... about as exciting to watch as two last-place basketball teams playing one another on the final day of the season .


what does n't this film have that an impressionable kid could n't stand to hear ?


exactly what its title implies : lusty , boisterous and utterly charming .


certainly the performances are worthwhile .


a difficult but worthy film that bites off more than it can chew by linking the massacre of armenians in 1915 with some difficult relationships in the present .


despite its flaws ... belinsky is still able to create an engaging story that keeps you guessing at almost every turn .


is anyone else out there getting tired of the whole slo-mo , double-pistoled , ballistic-pyrotechnic hong kong action aesthetic ?


i would be shocked if there was actually one correct interpretation , but that should n't make the movie or the discussion any less enjoyable .


it 's not original enough .


national lampoon 's van wilder may aim to be the next animal house , but it more closely resembles this year 's version of tomcats .


the movie is concocted and carried out by folks worthy of scorn , and the nicest thing i can say is that i ca n't remember a single name responsible for it .


all three descriptions suit evelyn , a besotted and obvious drama that tells us nothing new .


the film just might turn on many people to opera , in general , an art form at once visceral and spiritual , wonderfully vulgar and sublimely lofty -- and as emotionally grand as life .


if sinise 's character had a brain his ordeal would be over in five minutes but instead the plot goes out of its way to introduce obstacles for him to stumble over .


return to neverland manages to straddle the line between another classic for the company and just another run-of-the-mill disney sequel intended for the home video market .


because the genre is well established , what makes the movie fresh is smart writing , skewed characters , and the title performance by kieran culkin .


devos and cassel have tremendous chemistry -- their sexual and romantic tension , while never really vocalized , is palpable .


ends up being mostly about ravishing costumes , eye-filling , wide-screen production design and joan 's wacky decision to stand by her man , no matter how many times he demonstrates that he 's a disloyal satyr .


feels untidily honest .


this odd , poetic road movie , spiked by jolts of pop music , pretty much takes place in morton 's ever-watchful gaze -- and it 's a tribute to the actress , and to her inventive director , that the journey is such a mesmerizing one .


you leave the same way you came -- a few tasty morsels under your belt , but no new friends .


the bottom line is the piece works brilliantly .


i have two words to say about reign of fire .


wiseman is patient and uncompromising , letting his camera observe and record the lives of women torn apart by a legacy of abuse .


it 's hard to believe that something so short could be so flabby .


earnest and heartfelt but undernourished and plodding .


spider-man is in the same category as x-men - occasionally brilliant but mostly average , showing signs of potential for the sequels , but not giving us much this time around .


captivates as it shows excess in business and pleasure , allowing us to find the small , human moments , and leaving off with a grand whimper .


it 's in the action scenes that things fall apart .


a backstage must-see for true fans of comedy .


i know i should n't have laughed , but hey , those farts got to my inner nine-year-old .


a lyrical metaphor for cultural and personal self-discovery and a picaresque view of a little-remembered world .


it 's lazy for a movie to avoid solving one problem by trying to distract us with the solution to another .


i like it .


it 's fun , splashy and entertainingly nasty .


the master of disguise is awful .


smith finds amusing juxtapositions that justify his exercise .


a terrific date movie , whatever your orientation .


even if the ring has a familiar ring , it 's still unusually crafty and intelligent for hollywood horror .


the film has the courage of its convictions and excellent performances on its side .


the first bond movie in ages that is n't fake fun .


`` the turntable is now outselling the electric guitar ... ''


too bad kramer could n't make a guest appearance to liven things up .


it 's about individual moments of mood , and an aimlessness that 's actually sort of amazing .


shattering , devastating documentary on two maladjusted teens in a downward narcotized spiral .


a compelling allegory about the last days of germany 's democratic weimar republic .


this 90-minute dud could pass for mike tyson 's e !


methodical , measured , and gently tedious in its comedy , secret ballot is a purposefully reductive movie -- which may be why it 's so successful at lodging itself in the brain .


proves mainly that south korean filmmakers can make undemanding action movies with all the alacrity of their hollywood counterparts .


it 's leaden and predictable , and laughs are lacking .


waydowntown may not be an important movie , or even a good one , but it provides a nice change of mindless pace in collision with the hot oscar season currently underway .


cloaks a familiar anti-feminist equation -lrb- career - kids = misery -rrb- in tiresome romantic-comedy duds .


it 's not too racy and it 's not too offensive .


davis the performer is plenty fetching enough , but she needs to shake up the mix , and work in something that does n't feel like a half-baked stand-up routine .


though it 's equally solipsistic in tone , the movie has enough vitality to justify the notion of creating a screen adaptation of evans ' saga of hollywood excess .


the movie is a dud .


`` frailty '' starts out like a typical bible killer story , but it turns out to be significantly different -lrb- and better -rrb- than most films with this theme .


queen of the damned is too long with too little going on .


these self-styled athletes have banged their brains into the ground so frequently and furiously , their capacity to explain themselves has gone the same way as their natural instinct for self-preservation .


godard uses his characters -- if that 's not too glorified a term -- as art things , mouthpieces , visual motifs , blanks .


in any case , i would recommend big bad love only to winger fans who have missed her since 1995 's forget paris .


this movie got me grinning .


an uncomfortable experience , but one as brave and challenging as you could possibly expect these days from american cinema .


neither revelatory nor truly edgy -- merely crassly flamboyant and comedically labored .


what begins brightly gets bogged down over 140 minutes .


although the subject matter may still be too close to recent national events , the film works - mostly due to its superior cast of characters .


`` sweet home alabama '' is what it is -- a nice , harmless date film ...


an artful yet depressing film that makes a melodramatic mountain out of the molehill of a missing bike .


deflated ending aside , there 's much to recommend the film .


the thing just never gets off the ground .


although it starts off so bad that you feel like running out screaming , it eventually works its way up to merely bad rather than painfully awful .


with the dog days of august upon us , think of this dog of a movie as the cinematic equivalent of high humidity .


an awkward hybrid of genres that just does n't work .


a beyond-lame satire , teddy bears ' picnic ranks among the most pitiful directing debuts by an esteemed writer-actor .


... this is n't even a movie we can enjoy as mild escapism ; it is one in which fear and frustration are provoked to intolerable levels .


twenty years later , reggio still knows how to make a point with poetic imagery , but his ability to startle has been stifled by the very prevalence of the fast-forward technology that he so stringently takes to task .


seagal , who looks more like danny aiello these days , mumbles his way through the movie .


all three actresses are simply dazzling , particularly balk , who 's finally been given a part worthy of her considerable talents .


it 's a scorcher .


the biggest problem with this movie is that it 's not nearly long enough .


a keep - 'em - guessing plot and an affectionate take on its screwed-up characters .


... a delicious crime drama on par with the slickest of mamet .


the movie 's something-borrowed construction feels less the product of loving , well integrated homage and more like a mere excuse for the wan , thinly sketched story .


the paradiso 's rusted-out ruin and ultimate collapse during the film 's final -lrb- restored -rrb- third ... emotionally belittle a cinema classic .


... less a story than an inexplicable nightmare , right down to the population 's shrugging acceptance to each new horror .


for a long time the film succeeds with its dark , delicate treatment of these characters and its unerring respect for them .


its weighty themes are too grave for youngsters , but the story is too steeped in fairy tales and other childish things to appeal much to teenagers .


the film delivers what it promises : a look at the `` wild ride '' that ensues when brash young men set out to conquer the online world with laptops , cell phones and sketchy business plans .


appropriately cynical social commentary aside , # 9 never quite ignites .


contrived , awkward and filled with unintended laughs , the film shows signs that someone other than the director got into the editing room and tried to improve things by making the movie go faster .


a sensitive , moving , brilliantly constructed work .


a work of extraordinary journalism , but it is also a work of deft and subtle poetry .


-lrb- swimfan -rrb- falls victim to sloppy plotting , an insultingly unbelievable final act and a villainess who is too crazy to be interesting .


all of it works smoothly under the direction of spielberg , who does a convincing impersonation here of a director enjoying himself immensely .


gloriously straight from the vagina .


pure of intention and passably diverting , his secret life is light , innocuous and unremarkable .


rather less than the sum of its underventilated père-fils confrontations .


as pedestrian as they come .


at once subtle and visceral , the film never succumbs to the trap of the maudlin or tearful , offering instead with its unflinching gaze a measure of faith in the future .


the cumulative effect of the movie is repulsive and depressing .


the philosophical musings of the dialogue jar against the tawdry soap opera antics of the film 's action in a way that is surprisingly enjoyable .


but how it washed out despite all of that is the project 's prime mystery .


` the château is never quite able to overcome the cultural moat surrounding its ludicrous and contrived plot . '


i 'm guessing the director is a magician .


i admire it and yet can not recommend it , because it overstays its natural running time .


what 's most offensive is n't the waste of a good cast , but the film 's denial of sincere grief and mourning in favor of bogus spiritualism .


what a bewilderingly brilliant and entertaining movie this is .


return to never land is reliable , standard disney animated fare , with enough creative energy and wit to entertain all ages .


fails so fundamentally on every conventional level that it achieves some kind of goofy grandeur .


expands the limits of what a film can be , taking us into the lives of women to whom we might not give a second look if we passed them on the street .


taken as a whole , the tuxedo does n't add up to a whole lot .


if you like an extreme action-packed film with a hint of humor , then triple x marks the spot .


the plot is paper-thin and the characters are n't interesting enough to watch them go about their daily activities for two whole hours .


what jackson has done is proven that no amount of imagination , no creature , no fantasy story and no incredibly outlandish scenery


this one is certainly well-meaning , but it 's also simple-minded and contrived .


i can easily imagine benigni 's pinocchio becoming a christmas perennial .


while you have to admit it 's semi-amusing to watch robert deniro belt out `` when you 're a jet , you 're a jet all the way , '' it 's equally distasteful to watch him sing the lyrics to `` tonight . ''


could have been crisper and punchier , but it 's likely to please audiences who like movies that demand four hankies .


it 's hard to imagine acting that could be any flatter .


it 's a feel-bad ending for a depressing story that throws a bunch of hot-button items in the viewer 's face and asks to be seen as hip , winking social commentary .


i 've never seen or heard anything quite like this film , and i recommend it for its originality alone .


the comedy death to smoochy is a rancorous curiosity : a movie without an apparent audience .


reggio and glass so rhapsodize cynicism , with repetition and languorous slo-mo sequences , that glass 's dirgelike score becomes a fang-baring lullaby .


a movie that sends you out of the theater feeling like you 've actually spent time living in another community .


a heartening tale of small victories and enduring hope .


though jackson does n't always succeed in integrating the characters in the foreground into the extraordinarily rich landscape , it must be said that he is an imaginative filmmaker who can see the forest for the trees .


the film is a hoot , and is just as good , if not better than much of what 's on saturday morning tv especially the pseudo-educational stuff we all ca n't stand .


if the very concept makes you nervous ... you 'll have an idea of the film 's creepy , scary effectiveness .


as satisfyingly odd and intriguing a tale as it was a century and a half ago ... has a delightfully dour , deadpan tone and stylistic consistency .


if the predictability of bland comfort food appeals to you , then the film is a pleasant enough dish .


despite the film 's shortcomings , the stories are quietly moving .


a bit too derivative to stand on its own as the psychological thriller it purports to be .


its cast full of caffeinated comedy performances more than make up for its logical loopholes , which fly by so fast there 's no time to think about them anyway .


who , exactly , is fighting whom here ?


sadly , full frontal plays like the work of a dilettante .


passion , melodrama , sorrow , laugther , and tears cascade over the screen effortlessly ...


despite some strong performances , never rises above the level of a telanovela .


your taste for jonah - a veggie tales movie may well depend on your threshold for pop manifestations of the holy spirit .


... by the time it 's done with us , mira nair 's new movie has its audience giddy with the delight of discovery , of having been immersed in a foreign culture only to find that human nature is pretty much the same all over .


compassionately explores the seemingly irreconcilable situation between conservative christian parents and their estranged gay and lesbian children .


love may have been in the air onscreen , but i certainly was n't feeling any of it .


with miscast leads , banal dialogue and an absurdly overblown climax , killing me softly belongs firmly in the so-bad-it 's - good camp .


lan yu is certainly a serviceable melodrama , but it does n't even try for the greatness that happy together shoots for -lrb- and misses -rrb- .


it lets you brush up against the humanity of a psycho , without making him any less psycho .


whether our action-and-popcorn obsessed culture will embrace this engaging and literate psychodrama is n't much of a mystery , unfortunately .


festers in just such a dungpile that you 'd swear you were watching monkeys flinging their feces at you .


try as you might to scrutinize the ethics of kaufman 's approach , somehow it all comes together to create a very compelling , sensitive , intelligent and almost cohesive piece of film entertainment .


though this rude and crude film does deliver a few gut-busting laughs , its digs at modern society are all things we 've seen before .


although commentary on nachtwey is provided ... it 's the image that really tells the tale .


it 's a powerful though flawed movie , guaranteed to put a lump in your throat while reaffirming washington as possibly the best actor working in movies today .


thumbs down .


in spite of featuring a script credited to no fewer than five writers , apparently nobody here bothered to check it twice .


formulaic to the 51st power , more like .


mostly , shafer and co-writer gregory hinton lack a strong-minded viewpoint , or a sense of humor .


` tadpole ' was one of the films so declared this year , but it 's really more of the next pretty good thing .


... there 's enough cool fun here to warm the hearts of animation enthusiasts of all ages .


although disney follows its standard formula in this animated adventure , it feels more forced than usual .


a zinger-filled crowd-pleaser that open-minded elvis fans -lrb- but by no means all -rrb- will have fun with .


a hypnotic portrait of this sad , compulsive life .


one of recent memory 's most thoughtful films about art , ethics , and the cost of moral compromise .


the catch is that they 're stuck with a script that prevents them from firing on all cylinders .


simone is not a bad film .


so fiendishly cunning that even the most jaded cinema audiences will leave the auditorium feeling dizzy , confused , and totally disorientated .


a diverse and astonishingly articulate cast of palestinian and israeli children .


lurid and less than lucid work .


all the small moments and flashbacks do n't add up to much more than trite observations on the human condition .


colorful and deceptively buoyant until it suddenly pulls the rug out from under you , burkinabe filmmaker dani kouyate 's reworking of a folk story whose roots go back to 7th-century oral traditions is also a pointed political allegory .


slap me , i saw this movie .


pumpkin struts about with `` courage '' pinned to its huckster lapel while a yellow streak a mile wide decorates its back .


for his first attempt at film noir , spielberg presents a fascinating but flawed look at the near future .


the young stars are too cute ; the story and ensuing complications are too manipulative ; the message is too blatant ; the resolutions are too convenient .


the characters , cast in impossibly contrived situations , are totally estranged from reality .


a gangster movie with the capacity to surprise .


some are fascinating and others are not , and in the end , it is almost a good movie .


aptly named , this shimmering , beautifully costumed and filmed production does n't work for me .


it would be churlish to begrudge anyone for receiving whatever consolation that can be found in dragonfly , yet it is impossible to find the film anything but appalling , shamelessly manipulative and contrived , and totally lacking in conviction .


... pitiful , slapdash disaster .


beresford nicely mixes in as much humor as pathos to take us on his sentimental journey of the heart .


no thanks .


great over-the-top moviemaking if you 're in a slap-happy mood .


personally , i 'd rather watch them on the animal planet .


while it 's all quite tasteful to look at , the attention process tends to do a little fleeing of its own .


at its best when the guarded , resentful betty and the manipulative yet needy margot are front and center .


while we want macdowell 's character to retrieve her husband , we have to ask whether her personal odyssey trumps the carnage that claims so many lives around her .


debut effort by `` project greenlight '' winner is sappy and amateurish .


morton deserves an oscar nomination .


but not a whit more .


a well-acted movie that simply does n't gel .


the setting is so cool that it chills the characters , reducing our emotional stake in the outcome of `` intacto 's '' dangerous and seductively stylish game .


-lrb- sports -rrb- admirable energy , full-bodied characterizations and narrative urgency .


those who are not acquainted with the author 's work , on the other hand , may fall fast asleep .


as part of mr. dong 's continuing exploration of homosexuality in america , family fundamentals is an earnest study in despair .


too much of storytelling moves away from solondz 's social critique , casting its audience as that of intellectual lector in contemplation of the auteur 's professional injuries .


`` punch-drunk love '' is a little like a chocolate milk moustache ...


plays like some corny television production from a bygone era


the story of trouble every day ... is so sketchy it amounts to little more than preliminary notes for a science-fiction horror film , and the movie 's fragmentary narrative style makes piecing the story together frustrating difficult .


it 's difficult to feel anything much while watching this movie , beyond mild disturbance or detached pleasure at the acting .


resident evil is what comes from taking john carpenter 's ghosts of mars and eliminating the beheadings .


there are just too many characters saying too many clever things and getting into too many pointless situations .


not as well-written as sexy beast , not as gloriously flippant as lock , stock and two smoking barrels , but stylish and moody and exceptionally well-acted .


with the exception of mccoist , the players do n't have a clue on the park .


this rich , bittersweet israeli documentary , about the life of song-and-dance-man pasach ` ke burstein and his family , transcends ethnic lines .


has all the complexity and realistic human behavior of an episode of general hospital .


each scene drags , underscoring the obvious , and sentiment is slathered on top .


definitely funny stuff , but it 's more of the ` laughing at ' variety than the ` laughing with . '


assured , vital and well wrought , the film is , arguably , the most accomplished work to date from hong kong 's versatile stanley kwan .


`` barbershop '' is a good-hearted ensemble comedy with a variety of quirky characters and an engaging story .


much of this slick and sprightly cgi feature is sufficiently funny to amuse even the most resolutely unreligious parents who escort their little ones to megaplex screenings .


vereté has a whip-smart sense of narrative bluffs .


an infinitely wittier version of the home alone formula .


instead of a witty expose on the banality and hypocrisy of too much kid-vid , we get an ugly , mean-spirited lashing out by an adult who 's apparently been forced by his kids to watch too many barney videos .


henry bean 's thoughtful screenplay provides no easy answers , but offers a compelling investigation of faith versus intellect


a superfluous sequel ... plagued by that old familiar feeling of ` let 's get this thing over with ' : everyone has shown up at the appointed time and place , but visible enthusiasm is mighty hard to find .


dogtown and z-boys more than exposes the roots of the skateboarding boom that would become `` the punk kids ' revolution . ''


the crassness of this reactionary thriller is matched only by the ridiculousness of its premise .


as dumb and cheesy as they may be , the cartoons look almost shakespearean -- both in depth and breadth -- after watching this digital-effects-heavy , supposed family-friendly comedy .


low rent from frame one .


this is unusual , food-for-thought cinema that 's as entertaining as it is instructive .


it cuts to the core of what it actually means to face your fears , to be a girl in a world of boys , to be a boy truly in love with a girl , and to ride the big metaphorical wave that is life -- wherever it takes you .


it 's just hard to believe that a life like this can sound so dull .


average , at best , i 'm afraid .


a surprisingly charming and even witty match for the best of hollywood 's comic-book adaptations .


for this sort of thing to work , we need agile performers , but the proficient , dull sorvino has no light touch , and rodan is out of his league .


a first-class , thoroughly involving b movie that effectively combines two surefire , beloved genres -- the prison flick and the fight film .


provides a satisfactory overview of the bizarre world of extreme athletes as several daredevils express their own views .


diane lane works nothing short of a minor miracle in unfaithful .


a directorial tour de force by bernard rose , ivans xtc .


a witty , whimsical feature debut .


cusack 's just brilliant in this .


however stale the material , lawrence 's delivery remains perfect ; his great gift is that he can actually trick you into thinking some of this worn-out , pandering palaver is actually funny .


this is a fudged opportunity of gigantic proportions -- a lunar mission with no signs of life .


this is the best star trek movie in a long time .


formula 51 has dulled your senses faster and deeper than any recreational drug on the market .


did it move me to care about what happened in 1915 armenia ?


... there is enough originality in ` life ' to distance it from the pack of paint-by-number romantic comedies that so often end up on cinema screens .


frank capra played this story straight .


campbell scott finds the ideal outlet for his flick-knife diction in the role of roger swanson .


humorless , self-conscious art drivel , made without a glimmer of intelligence or invention .


nicole holofcener 's lovely and amazing , from her own screenplay , jumps to the head of the class of women 's films that manage to avoid the ghetto of sentimental chick-flicks by treating female follies with a satirical style .


a compelling , gut-clutching piece of advocacy cinema that carries you along in a torrent of emotion as it explores the awful complications of one terrifying day .


an entertaining , if somewhat standardized , action movie .


spiderman rocks


if you can read the subtitles -lrb- the opera is sung in italian -rrb- and you like ` masterpiece theatre ' type costumes , you 'll enjoy this movie .


it is , however , a completely honest , open-hearted film that should appeal to anyone willing to succumb to it .


ultimately ... the movie is too heady for children , and too preachy for adults .


one of those films that seems tailor made to air on pay cable to offer some modest amusements when one has nothing else to watch .


an oddity , to be sure , but one that you might wind up remembering with a degree of affection rather than revulsion .


... contains very few laughs and even less surprises .


the script is smart , not cloying .


a mess .


only those most addicted to film violence in all its forms will find anything here to appreciate .


grant is certainly amusing , but the very hollowness of the character he plays keeps him at arms length


not everything in the film works , including its somewhat convenient ending .


a formula family tearjerker told with a heavy irish brogue ... accentuating , rather than muting , the plot 's saccharine thrust .


it has that rare quality of being able to creep the living hell out of you ...


the april 2002 instalment of the american war for independence , complete with loads of cgi and bushels of violence , but not a drop of human blood .


explosions , jokes , and sexual innuendoes abound .


it did n't go straight to video .


the main characters are simply named the husband , the wife and the kidnapper , emphasizing the disappointingly generic nature of the entire effort .


you could love safe conduct -lrb- laissez passer -rrb- for being a subtitled french movie that is 170 minutes long .


at its best , it 's black hawk down with more heart .


but the second half of the movie really goes downhill .


may lack the pungent bite of its title , but it 's an enjoyable trifle nonetheless .


too bland and fustily tasteful to be truly prurient .


wins my vote for ` the 2002 enemy of cinema ' award .


a film that begins with the everyday lives of naval personnel in san diego and ends with scenes so true and heartbreaking that tears welled up in my eyes both times i saw the film .


one of the most gloriously unsubtle and adrenalized extreme shockers since the evil dead .


with flashbulb editing as cover for the absence of narrative continuity , undisputed is nearly incoherent , an excuse to get to the closing bout ... by which time it 's impossible to care who wins .


merchant has n't directed this movie so much as produced it -- like sausage .


all the characters are clinically depressed and have abandoned their slim hopes and dreams .


the unique niche of self-critical , behind-the-scenes navel-gazing kaufman has carved from orleans ' story and his own infinite insecurity is a work of outstanding originality .


even though it 's common knowledge that park and his founding partner , yong kang , lost kozmo in the end , you ca n't help but get caught up in the thrill of the company 's astonishing growth .


isabelle huppert excels as the enigmatic mika and anna mouglalis is a stunning new young talent in one of chabrol 's most intense psychological mysteries .


wedding feels a bit anachronistic .


eight legged freaks ?


troll the cult section of your local video store for the real deal .


at best this is a film for the under-7 crowd .


does n't deliver a great story , nor is the action as gripping as in past seagal films .


sad nonsense , this .


but this new jangle of noise , mayhem and stupidity must be a serious contender for the title .


certain to be distasteful to children and adults alike , eight crazy nights is a total misfire .


interminably bleak , to say nothing of boring .


a few energetic stunt sequences briefly enliven the film , but the wheezing terrorist subplot has n't the stamina for the 100-minute running time , and the protagonists ' bohemian boorishness mars the spirit of good clean fun .


even if invincible is not quite the career peak that the pianist is for roman polanski , it demonstrates that werner herzog can still leave us with a sense of wonder at the diverse , marvelously twisted shapes history has taken .


an off-beat and fanciful film about the human need for monsters to blame for all that is amiss in the world .


jackass is a vulgar and cheap-looking version of candid camera staged for the marquis de sade set .


despite its sincere acting , signs is just another unoriginal run of the mill sci-fi film with a flimsy ending and lots of hype .


the rock has a great presence but one battle after another is not the same as one battle followed by killer cgi effects .


a positively thrilling combination of ethnography and all the intrigue , betrayal , deceit and murder of a shakespearean tragedy or a juicy soap opera .


mildly amusing .


despite modest aspirations its occasional charms are not to be dismissed .


perfectly pitched between comedy and tragedy , hope and despair , about schmidt instead comes far closer than many movies to expressing the way many of us live -- someplace between consuming self-absorption and insistently demanding otherness .


if you adored the full monty so resoundingly that you 're dying to see the same old thing in a tired old setting , then this should keep you reasonably entertained .


a yawn-provoking little farm melodrama .


all right , so it 's not a brilliant piece of filmmaking , but it is a funny -lrb- sometimes hilarious -rrb- comedy with a deft sense of humor about itself , a playful spirit and a game cast .


you 'll end up moved .


it may not be particularly innovative , but the film 's crisp , unaffected style and air of gentle longing make it unexpectedly rewarding .


basically , it 's pretty but dumb .


majidi 's direction has never been smoother or more confident .


-lrb- t -rrb- he script is n't up to the level of the direction , nor are the uneven performances by the cast members , who seem bound and determined to duplicate bela lugosi 's now-cliched vampire accent .


deliberately and skillfully uses ambiguity to suggest possibilities which imbue the theme with added depth and resonance .


you have no affinity for most of the characters .


an earnest , roughshod document , it serves as a workable primer for the region 's recent history , and would make a terrific 10th-grade learning tool .


what lee does so marvelously compelling is present brown as a catalyst for the struggle of black manhood in restrictive and chaotic america ... sketchy but nevertheless gripping portrait of jim brown , a celebrated wonder in the spotlight


whatever one makes of its political edge , this is beautiful filmmaking from one of french cinema 's master craftsmen .


much like its easily dismissive take on the upscale lifestyle , there is n't much there here .


a zippy 96 minutes of mediocre special effects , hoary dialogue , fluxing accents , and -- worst of all -- silly-looking morlocks .


woody allen used to ridicule movies like hollywood ending .


an ingenious and often harrowing look at damaged people and how families can offer either despair or consolation .


benigni presents himself as the boy puppet pinocchio , complete with receding hairline , weathered countenance and american breckin meyer 's ridiculously inappropriate valley boy voice .


that it 'll probably be the best and most mature comedy of the 2002 summer season speaks more of the season than the picture


if only it were , well , funnier .


full of flatulence jokes and mild sexual references , kung pow !


exciting and well-paced .


it 's a mindless action flick with a twist -- far better suited to video-viewing than the multiplex .


peter jackson has done the nearly impossible .


costner 's warm-milk persona is just as ill-fitting as shadyac 's perfunctory directing chops , and some of the more overtly silly dialogue would sink laurence olivier .


if nothing else , `` rollerball '' 2002 may go down in cinema history as the only movie ever in which the rest of the cast was outshined by ll cool j.


the movie , like bartleby , is something of a stiff -- an extra-dry office comedy that seems twice as long as its 83 minutes .


welles groupie\/scholar peter bogdanovich took a long time to do it , but he 's finally provided his own broadside at publishing giant william randolph hearst .


she allows each character to confront their problems openly and honestly .


consider this review life-affirming .


deserving of its critical backlash and more .


for every articulate player , such as skateboarder tony hawk or bmx rider mat hoffman , are about a half dozen young turks angling to see how many times they can work the words `` radical '' or `` suck '' into a sentence .


there 's a part of us that can not help be entertained by the sight of someone getting away with something .


one of the more glaring signs of this movie 's servitude to its superstar is the way it skirts around any scenes that might have required genuine acting from ms. spears .


maid in manhattan might not look so appealing on third or fourth viewing down the road ... but as a high concept vehicle for two bright stars of the moment who can rise to fans ' lofty expectations , the movie passes inspection .


`` looking for leonard '' just seems to kinda sit in neutral , hoping for a stiff wind to blow it uphill or something .


as social exposé , skins has its heart in the right place , but that 's not much to hang a soap opera on .


the charms of the lead performances allow us to forget most of the film 's problems .


a droll , bitchy frolic which pokes fun at the price of popularity and small-town pretension in the lone star state .


white has n't developed characters so much as caricatures , one-dimensional buffoons that get him a few laughs but nothing else .


unfolds in a low-key , organic way that encourages you to accept it as life and go with its flow .


but this time , the old mib label stands for milder is n't better .


... it was n't the subject matter that ultimately defeated the film ... it was the unfulfilling , incongruous , `` wait a second , did i miss something ? ''


it 's a setup so easy it borders on facile , but keeping the film from cheap-shot mediocrity is its crack cast .


never comes together as a coherent whole .


beautifully produced .


initially gripping , eventually cloying pow drama .


it has become apparent that the franchise 's best years are long past .


a much more successful translation than its most famous previous film adaptation , writer-director anthony friedman 's similarly updated 1970 british production .


thought-provoking and stylish , if also somewhat hermetic .


parker should be commended for taking a fresh approach to familiar material , but his determination to remain true to the original text leads him to adopt a somewhat mannered tone ... that ultimately dulls the human tragedy at the story 's core .


a small movie with a big heart .


for all of its insights into the dream world of teen life , and its electronic expression through cyber culture , the film gives no quarter to anyone seeking to pull a cohesive story out of its 2 1\/2 - hour running time .


in other words , it 's just another sports drama\/character study .


bigelow offers some flashy twists and turns that occasionally fortify this turgid fable .


blithely anachronistic and slyly achronological .


passionate , irrational , long-suffering but cruel as a tarantula , helga figures prominently in this movie , and helps keep the proceedings as funny for grown-ups as for rugrats .


macdowell ... gives give a solid , anguished performance that eclipses nearly everything else she 's ever done .


quite frankly , i ca n't see why any actor of talent would ever work in a mcculloch production again if they looked at how this movie turned out .


- spy action flick with antonio banderas and lucy liu never comes together .


a film that will enthrall the whole family .


too ordinary to restore -lrb- harmon -rrb- to prominence , despite some creepy scenes that evoke childish night terrors , and a praiseworthy attempt to generate suspense rather than gross out the audience .


a prison comedy that never really busts out of its comfy little cell .


the work of an artist tormented by his heritage , using his storytelling ability to honor the many faceless victims .


merely -lrb- and literally -rrb- tosses around sex toys and offers half-hearted paeans to empowerment that are repeatedly undercut by the brutality of the jokes , most at women 's expense .


goldmember is funny enough to justify the embarrassment of bringing a barf bag to the moviehouse .


it 's a fine , focused piece of work that reopens an interesting controversy and never succumbs to sensationalism .


the problem is that for the most part , the film is deadly dull .


a journey spanning nearly three decades of bittersweet camaraderie and history , in which we feel that we truly know what makes holly and marina tick , and our hearts go out to them as both continue to negotiate their imperfect , love-hate relationship .


a great script brought down by lousy direction .


the actors improvise and scream their way around this movie directionless , lacking any of the rollicking dark humor so necessary to make this kind of idea work on screen .


a little weak -- and it is n't that funny .


the film 's gamble to occasionally break up the live-action scenes with animated sequences pays off , as does its sensitive handling of some delicate subject matter .


a full-frontal attack on audience patience .


a smart , steamy mix of road movie , coming-of-age story and political satire .


it is hard not to be especially grateful for freedom after a film like this .


these three films form a remarkably cohesive whole , both visually and thematically , through their consistently sensitive and often exciting treatment of an ignored people .


the movie barely makes sense , with its unbelievable naïveté and arbitrary flashbacks .


an extraordinary dramatic experience .


... really horrible drek .


they exist for hushed lines like `` they 're back ! ''


far more enjoyable than its predecessor .


worth a look by those on both sides of the issues , if only for the perspective it offers , one the public rarely sees .


... irritating soul-searching garbage .


stuffy , full of itself , morally ambiguous and nothing to shout about .


gangster no. 1 is solid , satisfying fare for adults .


do we really need the tiger beat version ?


director douglas mcgrath takes on nickleby with all the halfhearted zeal of an 8th grade boy delving into required reading .


it 's difficult to discern if this is a crazy work of disturbed genius or merely 90 minutes of post-adolescent electra rebellion .


forget the psychology 101 study of romantic obsession and just watch the procession of costumes in castles and this wo n't seem like such a bore .


you 'd be hard put to find a movie character more unattractive or odorous -lrb- than leon -rrb- .


neil burger here succeeded in ... making the mystery of four decades back the springboard for a more immediate mystery in the present .


death to smoochy is often very funny , but what 's even more remarkable is the integrity of devito 's misanthropic vision .


not only is it hokey , manipulative and as bland as wonder bread dipped in milk , but it also does the absolute last thing we need hollywood doing to us : it preaches .


with a large cast representing a broad cross-section , tavernier 's film bounds along with the rat-a-tat energy of `` his girl friday , '' maintaining a light touch while tackling serious themes .


a weird , arresting little ride .


-lrb- a -rrb- stale retread of the '53 original .


the misery of these people becomes just another voyeuristic spectacle , to be consumed and forgotten .


made eddie murphy a movie star and the man has n't aged a day .


this is a very funny , heartwarming film .


colorful , energetic and sweetly whimsical ... the rare sequel that 's better than its predecessor .


tunney , brimming with coltish , neurotic energy , holds the screen like a true star .


as an entertainment destination for the general public , kung pow sets a new benchmark for lameness .


this 10th film in the series looks and feels tired .


the imax screen enhances the personal touch of manual animation .


there are n't many conclusive answers in the film , but there is an interesting story of pointed personalities , courage , tragedy and the little guys vs. the big guys .


it 's been 13 months and 295 preview screenings since i last walked out on a movie , but resident evil really earned my indignant , preemptive departure .


sorvino makes the princess seem smug and cartoonish , and the film only really comes alive when poor hermocrates and leontine pathetically compare notes about their budding amours .


superb production values & christian bale 's charisma make up for a derivative plot .


the movie is not as terrible as the synergistic impulse that created it .


this is popcorn movie fun with equal doses of action , cheese , ham and cheek -lrb- as well as a serious debt to the road warrior -rrb- , but it feels like unrealized potential


a grating , emaciated flick .


the messy emotions raging throughout this three-hour effort are instantly recognizable , allowing the film to paradoxically feel familiar and foreign at the same time .


this sort of cute and cloying material is far from zhang 's forte and it shows .


while obviously aimed at kids , the country bears ... should keep parents amused with its low groan-to-guffaw ratio .


it 's kind of sad that so many people put so much time and energy into this turkey .


although the film boils down to a lightweight story about matchmaking , the characters make italian for beginners worth the journey


a jaw-droppingly beautiful work that upends nearly every cliché of japanese animation while delivering a more than satisfactory amount of carnage .


one of the pleasures in walter 's documentary ... is the parade of veteran painters , confounded dealers , and miscellaneous bohos who expound upon the subject 's mysterious personality without ever explaining him .


with the same sort of good-natured fun found in films like tremors , eight legged freaks is prime escapist fare .


a standard police-oriented drama that , were it not for de niro 's participation , would have likely wound up a tnt original .


flawed , but worth seeing for ambrose 's performance .


lazily directed by charles stone iii ... from a leaden script by matthew cirulnick and novelist thulani davis .


the kind of movie that comes along only occasionally , one so unconventional , gutsy and perfectly executed it takes your breath away .


this ludicrous film is predictable at every turn .


`` birthday girl '' is an actor 's movie first and foremost .


and for many of us , that 's good enough .


leaves viewers out in the cold and undermines some phenomenal performances .


thanks largely to williams , all the interesting developments are processed in 60 minutes -- the rest is just an overexposed waste of film .


although fairly involving as far as it goes , the film does n't end up having much that is fresh to say about growing up catholic or , really , anything .


4ever has the same sledgehammer appeal as pokemon videos , but it breathes more on the big screen and induces headaches more slowly .


hardly an objective documentary , but it 's great cinematic polemic ... love moore or loathe him , you 've got to admire ... the intensity with which he 's willing to express his convictions .


an odd drama set in the world of lingerie models and bar dancers in the midwest that held my interest precisely because it did n't try to .


it 's better than mid-range steven seagal , but not as sharp as jet li on rollerblades .


time is a beautiful film to watch , an interesting and at times captivating take on loss and loneliness .


griffin & co. manage to be spectacularly outrageous .


if there was any doubt that peter o'fallon did n't have an original bone in his body , a rumor of angels should dispel it .


a man leaving the screening said the film was better than saving private ryan .


ozpetek 's effort has the scope and shape of an especially well-executed television movie .


the actors pull out all the stops in nearly every scene , but to diminishing effect .


-lrb- janey -rrb- forgets about her other obligations , leading to a tragedy which is somehow guessable from the first few minutes , maybe because it echoes the by now intolerable morbidity of so many recent movies .


what you expect is just what you get ... assuming the bar of expectations has n't been raised above sixth-grade height .


stale first act , scrooge story , blatant product placement , some very good comedic songs , strong finish , dumb fart jokes .


if you ever wanted to be an astronaut , this is the ultimate movie experience - it 's informative and breathtakingly spectacular .


sex with strangers is fascinating ...


and that makes all the difference .


in truth , it has all the heart of a porno flick -lrb- but none of the sheer lust -rrb- .


in comparison to his earlier films it seems a disappointingly thin slice of lower-class london life ; despite the title ... amounts to surprisingly little .


ana 's journey is not a stereotypical one of self-discovery , as she 's already comfortable enough in her own skin to be proud of her rubenesque physique ...


the story is bogus and its characters tissue-thin .


... certainly an entertaining ride , despite many talky , slow scenes .


exudes the fizz of a busby berkeley musical and the visceral excitement of a sports extravaganza .


you can practically hear george orwell turning over .


... instead go rent `` shakes the clown '' , a much funnier film with a similar theme and an equally great robin williams performance .


made-up lampoons the moviemaking process itself , while shining a not particularly flattering spotlight on america 's skin-deep notions of pulchritude .


-lrb- it -rrb- highlights not so much the crime lord 's messianic bent , but spacey 's .


a frankenstein mishmash that careens from dark satire to cartoonish slapstick , bartleby performs neither one very well .


while general audiences might not come away with a greater knowledge of the facts of cuban music , they 'll be treated to an impressive and highly entertaining celebration of its sounds .


got some good , organic character work , lots of obvious political insights and little room for engaging , imaginative filmmaking in its nearly 2 1\/2 - hour , dissipated length .


it is messy , uncouth , incomprehensible , vicious and absurd .


please see previous answer .


the secrets of time travel will have been discovered , indulged in and rejected as boring before i see this piece of crap again .


possession is in the end an honorable , interesting failure .


sheridan had a wonderful account to work from , but , curiously , he waters it down , turning grit and vulnerability into light reading .


a tasty slice of droll whimsy .


well , this movie proves you wrong on both counts .


-lrb- hell is -rrb- looking down at your watch and realizing serving sara is n't even halfway through .


a cleverly crafted but ultimately hollow mockumentary .


but no. .


the story the movie tells is of brian de palma 's addiction to the junk-calorie suspense tropes that have all but ruined his career .


i could just feel the screenwriter at every moment ` tap , tap , tap , tap , tapping away ' on this screenplay .


do n't even bother to rent this on video .


... a rather bland affair .


... has about 3\/4th the fun of its spry 2001 predecessor -- but it 's a rushed , slapdash , sequel-for-the-sake - of-a-sequel with less than half the plot and ingenuity .


none of this is very original , and it is n't particularly funny .


for those of an indulgent , slightly sunbaked and summery mind , sex and lucia may well prove diverting enough .


what we have here is n't a disaster , exactly , but a very handsomely produced let-down .


although sensitive to a fault , it 's often overwritten , with a surfeit of weighty revelations , flowery dialogue , and nostalgia for the past and roads not taken .


the images are usually abbreviated in favor of mushy obviousness and telegraphed pathos , particularly where whitaker 's misfit artist is concerned .


this one is a few bits funnier than malle 's dud , if only because the cast is so engagingly messing around like slob city reductions of damon runyon crooks .


contains a few big laughs but many more that graze the funny bone or miss it altogether , in part because the consciously dumbed-down approach wears thin .


forages for audience sympathy like a temperamental child begging for attention , giving audiences no reason to truly care for its decrepit freaks beyond the promise of a reprieve from their incessant whining .


like smoke signals , the film is also imbued with strong themes of familial ties and spirituality that are powerful and moving without stooping to base melodrama


both the crime story and the love story are unusual .


seemingly a vehicle to showcase the canadian 's inane ramblings , stealing harvard is a smorgasbord of soliloquies about nothing delivered by the former mr. drew barrymore .


the project 's filmmakers forgot to include anything even halfway scary as they poorly rejigger fatal attraction into a high school setting .


a movie that 's about as overbearing and over-the-top as the family it depicts .


no matter how you slice it , mark wahlberg and thandie newton are not hepburn and grant , two cinematic icons with chemistry galore .


feels like nothing quite so much as a middle-aged moviemaker 's attempt to surround himself with beautiful , half-naked women .


one of those terrific documentaries that collect a bunch of people who are enthusiastic about something and then figures out how to make us share their enthusiasm .


gambling and throwing a basketball game for money is n't a new plot -- in fact toback himself used it in black and white .


there 's plenty to enjoy -- in no small part thanks to lau .


`` red dragon '' never cuts corners .


daring and beautifully made .


the skills of a calculus major at m.i.t. are required to balance all the formulaic equations in the long-winded heist comedy who is cletis tout ?


oscar caliber cast does n't live up to material


an eloquent , reflective and beautifully acted meditation on both the profoundly devastating events of one year ago and the slow , painful healing process that has followed in their wake .


an immensely entertaining look at some of the unsung heroes of 20th century pop music .


if damon and affleck attempt another project greenlight , next time out they might try paying less attention to the miniseries and more attention to the film it is about .


return to never land may be another shameless attempt by disney to rake in dough from baby boomer families , but it 's not half-bad .


a wishy-washy melodramatic movie that shows us plenty of sturm und drung , but explains its characters ' decisions only unsatisfactorily .


stirs potentially enticing ingredients into an uneasy blend of ghost and close encounters of the third kind .


it has fun with the quirks of family life , but it also treats the subject with fondness and respect .


the kind of trifle that date nights were invented for . .


it 's nice to see piscopo again after all these years , and chaykin and headly are priceless .


one of these days hollywood will come up with an original idea for a teen movie , but until then there 's always these rehashes to feed to the younger generations .


the only thing to fear about `` fear dot com '' is hitting your head on the theater seat in front of you when you doze off thirty minutes into the film .


rashomon-for-dipsticks tale .


not as good as the original , but what is ...


the film affords us intriguing glimpses of the insights gleaned from a lifetime of spiritual inquiry , but ram dass : fierce grace does n't organize it with any particular insight .


while dutifully pulling on heartstrings , directors dean deblois and chris sanders valiantly keep punching up the mix .


an animation landmark as monumental as disney 's 1937 breakthrough snow white and the seven dwarfs .


the story is predictable , the jokes are typical sandler fare , and the romance with ryder is puzzling .


witty , vibrant , and intelligent .


silly stuff , all mixed up together like a term paper from a kid who ca n't quite distinguish one sci-fi work from another .


other than a mildly engaging central romance , hospital is sickly entertainment at best and mind-destroying cinematic pollution at worst .


the film is visually dazzling , the depicted events dramatic , funny and poignant .


part of the film 's cheeky charm comes from its vintage schmaltz .


a harrowing account of a psychological breakdown .


the chocolate factory without charlie .


or maybe `` how will you feel after an 88-minute rip-off of the rock with action confined to slo-mo gun firing and random glass-shattering ? ''


movies like high crimes flog the dead horse of surprise as if it were an obligation .


surprisingly powerful and universal .


a visually flashy but narratively opaque and emotionally vapid exercise in style and mystification .


though its rather routine script is loaded with familiar situations , the movie has a cinematic fluidity and sense of intelligence that makes it work more than it probably should .


less funny than it should be and less funny than it thinks it is .


despite suffering a sense-of-humour failure , the man who wrote rocky does not deserve to go down with a ship as leaky as this .


the movie should be credited with remembering his victims .


... very funny , very enjoyable ...


an undeniably gorgeous , terminally smitten document of a troubadour , his acolytes , and the triumph of his band .


extremely bad .


as warm as it is wise , deftly setting off uproarious humor with an underlying seriousness that sneaks up on the viewer , providing an experience that is richer than anticipated .


while van wilder may not be the worst national lampoon film , it 's far from being this generation 's animal house .


if you 're willing to have fun with it , you wo n't feel cheated by the high infidelity of unfaithful .


though the opera itself takes place mostly indoors , jacquot seems unsure of how to evoke any sort of naturalism on the set .


novak contemplates a heartland so overwhelmed by its lack of purpose that it seeks excitement in manufactured high drama .


what 's the most positive thing that can be said about the new rob schneider vehicle ?


suspend your disbelief here and now , or you 'll be shaking your head all the way to the credits .


but then again , i hate myself most mornings .


thanks to a small star with big heart , this family film sequel is plenty of fun for all .


-lrb- ferrera -rrb- has the charisma of a young woman who knows how to hold the screen .


a non-britney person might survive a screening with little harm done , except maybe for the last 15 minutes , which are as maudlin as any after-school special you can imagine .


though it goes further than both , anyone who has seen the hunger or cat people will find little new here , but a tasty performance from vincent gallo lifts this tale of cannibal lust above the ordinary .


a taut , sobering film .


exactly what you 'd expect from a guy named kaos .


about as enjoyable , i would imagine , as searching for a quarter in a giant pile of elephant feces ... positively dreadful .


you bet there is and it 's what makes this rather convoluted journey worth taking .


snow dogs finds its humour in a black man getting humiliated by a pack of dogs who are smarter than him


... this story gets sillier , not scarier , as it goes along ...


at every opportunity to do something clever , the film goes right over the edge and kills every sense of believability ... all you have left is a no-surprise series of explosions and violence while banderas looks like he 's not trying to laugh at how bad it


everything about the quiet american is good , except its timing .


the truth about charlie is that it 's a brazenly misguided project .


maybe not a classic , but a movie the kids will want to see over and over again .


purports to be a hollywood satire but winds up as the kind of film that should be the target of something deeper and more engaging .


hawke 's film , a boring , pretentious waste of nearly two hours , does n't tell you anything except that the chelsea hotel today is populated by whiny , pathetic , starving and untalented artistes .


those prone to indignation need not apply ; those susceptible to blue hilarity , step right up .


there are no special effects , and no hollywood endings .


it irritates and saddens me that martin lawrence 's latest vehicle can explode obnoxiously into 2,500 screens while something of bubba ho-tep 's clearly evident quality may end up languishing on a shelf somewhere .


barely .


a loud , ugly , irritating movie without any of its satirical salvos hitting a discernible target .


a clash between the artificial structure of the story and the more contemporary , naturalistic tone of the film ...


the screenwriters dig themselves in deeper every time they toss logic and science into what is essentially a `` dungeons and dragons '' fantasy with modern military weaponry ...


a strong script , powerful direction and splendid production design allows us to be transported into the life of wladyslaw szpilman , who is not only a pianist , but a good human being .


until -lrb- the -rrb- superfluous ... epilogue that leaks suspension of disbelief like a sieve , die another day is as stimulating & heart-rate-raising as any james bond thriller .


it 's about as convincing as any other arnie musclefest , but has a little too much resonance with real world events and ultimately comes off as insultingly simplistic .


an inconsequential , barely there bit of piffle .


for almost the first two-thirds of martin scorsese 's 168-minute gangs of new york , i was entranced .


the advantage of a postapocalyptic setting is that it can be made on the cheap .


wait for it to hit cable .


how much you are moved by the emotional tumult of -lrb- françois and michèle 's -rrb- relationship depends a lot on how interesting and likable you find them .


not since ghostbusters has a film used manhattan 's architecture in such a gloriously goofy way .


-lrb- kirshner wins , but it 's close . -rrb-


in the pianist , polanski is saying what he has long wanted to say , confronting the roots of his own preoccupations and obsessions , and he allows nothing to get in the way .


no , i love it ... hell , i dunno .


what started out as a taut contest of wills between bacon and theron , deteriorates into a protracted and borderline silly chase sequence .


boasts enough funny dialogue and sharp characterizations to be mildly amusing .


there are so few films about the plight of american indians in modern america that skins comes as a welcome , if downbeat , missive from a forgotten front .


a classic fairy tale that perfectly captures the wonders and worries of childhood in a way that few movies have ever approached .


oozes condescension from every pore .


we get an image of big papa spanning history , rather than suspending it .


suffers from over-familiarity since hit-hungry british filmmakers have strip-mined the monty formula mercilessly since 1997 .


he seems to want both , but succeeds in making neither .


it does n't reach them , but the effort is gratefully received .


a fascinating , unnerving examination of the delusions of one unstable man .


throws in enough clever and unexpected twists to make the formula feel fresh .


a generic family comedy unlikely to be appreciated by anyone outside the under-10 set .


jones ... makes a great impression as the writer-director of this little $ 1.8 million charmer , which may not be cutting-edge indie filmmaking but has a huge heart .


by and large this is mr. kilmer 's movie , and it 's his strongest performance since the doors .


the setting turns out to be more interesting than any of the character dramas , which never reach satisfying conclusions .


`` the best disney movie since the lion king ''


ponderous , plodding soap opera disguised as a feature film .


it has more than a few moments that are insightful enough to be fondly remembered in the endlessly challenging maze of moviegoing .


... a sweetly affecting story about four sisters who are coping , in one way or another , with life 's endgame .


louiso lets the movie dawdle in classic disaffected-indie-film mode , and brother hoffman 's script stumbles over a late-inning twist that just does n't make sense .


upper west sidey exercise in narcissism and self-congratulation disguised as a tribute .


tries too hard to be funny in a way that 's too loud , too goofy and too short of an attention span .


there 's no disguising this as one of the worst films of the summer .


ryosuke has created a wry , winning , if languidly paced , meditation on the meaning and value of family .


personal velocity ought to be exploring these women 's inner lives , but it never moves beyond their surfaces .


coppola has made a film of intoxicating atmosphere and little else .


it 's easy to love robin tunney -- she 's pretty and she can act -- but it gets harder and harder to understand her choices .


but it does somehow manage to get you under its spell .


and they succeed merrily at their noble endeavor .


what the movie lacks in action it more than makes up for in drama , suspense , revenge , and romance .


worth a salute just for trying to be more complex than your average film .


at times , it actually hurts to watch .


one well-timed explosion in a movie can be a knockout , but a hundred of them can be numbing .


swims in mediocrity , sticking its head up for a breath of fresh air now and then .


this is an ungainly movie , ill-fitting , with its elbows sticking out where the knees should be .


what we get in feardotcom is more like something from a bad clive barker movie .


effective in all its aspects , margarita happy hour represents an auspicious feature debut for chaiken .


but something seems to be missing .


poetic , heartbreaking .


there 's nothing to gain from watching they .


sex ironically has little to do with the story , which becomes something about how lame it is to try and evade your responsibilities and that you should never , ever , leave a large dog alone with a toddler .


the simplicity of the way home has few equals this side of aesop


it 's as if de palma spent an hour setting a fancy table and then served up kraft macaroni and cheese .


everything was as superficial as the forced new jersey lowbrow accent uma had .


watchable up until the point where the situations and the dialogue spin hopelessly out of control -- that is to say , when carol kane appears on the screen .


the film never gets over its own investment in conventional arrangements , in terms of love , age , gender , race , and class .


the mothman prophecies , which is mostly a bore , seems to exist only for its climactic setpiece .


it 's that rare family movie -- genuine and sweet without relying on animation or dumb humor .


the plot plummets into a comedy graveyard before janice comes racing to the rescue in the final reel .


you might want to take a reality check before you pay the full ticket price to see `` simone , '' and consider a dvd rental instead .


it plays like a big-budget , after-school special with a generous cast , who at times lift the material from its well-meaning clunkiness .


not really a thriller so much as a movie for teens to laugh , groan and hiss at .


captures that perverse element of the kafkaesque where identity , overnight , is robbed and replaced with a persecuted `` other . ''


anyone who 's ever suffered under a martinet music instructor has no doubt fantasized about what an unhappy , repressed and twisted personal life their tormentor deserved .


it 's like a `` big chill '' reunion of the baader-meinhof gang , only these guys are more harmless pranksters than political activists .


it looks closely , insightfully at fragile , complex relationships .


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


a vibrant , colorful , semimusical rendition .


it tells its story in a flat manner and leaves you with the impression that you should have gotten more out of it than you did .


i realized that no matter how fantastic reign of fire looked , its story was making no sense at all .


it 's a familiar story , but one that is presented with great sympathy and intelligence .


reeks of rot and hack work from start to finish .


the problems of the people in love in the time of money are hardly specific to their era .


a rumor of angels does n't just slip -- it avalanches into forced fuzziness .


lathan and diggs carry the film with their charisma , and both exhibit sharp comic timing that makes the more hackneyed elements of the film easier to digest .


this long and relentlessly saccharine film is a clear case of preaching to the converted .


it 's hard to fairly judge a film like ringu when you 've seen the remake first .


in the end , the weight of water comes to resemble the kind of soft-core twaddle you 'd expect to see on showtime 's ` red shoe diaries . '


one of the funniest motion pictures of the year , but ... also one of the most curiously depressing .


if the title is a jeopardy question , then the answer might be `` how does steven seagal come across these days ? ''