j. lo will earn her share of the holiday box office pie , although this movie makes one thing perfectly clear : she 's a pretty woman , but she 's no working girl .


... may work as an addictive guilty pleasure but the material never overcomes its questionable satirical ambivalence .


a cultural wildcard experience : wacky , different , unusual , even nutty .


does an impressive job of relating the complicated history of the war and of filling in the background .


disney again ransacks its archives for a quick-buck sequel .


by the time the surprise ending is revealed , interest can not be revived .


kiarostami has crafted a deceptively casual ode to children and managed to convey a tiny sense of hope .


there 's nothing interesting in unfaithful whatsoever .


the french director has turned out nearly 21\/2 hours of unfocused , excruciatingly tedious cinema that , half an hour in , starts making water torture seem appealing .


speaks eloquently about the symbiotic relationship between art and life .


spend your benjamins on a matinee .


in the wrong hands , i.e. peploe 's , it 's simply unbearable


the film is way too full of itself ; it 's stuffy and pretentious in a give-me-an-oscar kind of way .


even murphy 's expert comic timing and famed charisma ca n't rescue this effort .


or intelligent .


kudos to the most enchanting film of the year .


trailer trash cinema so uncool the only thing missing is the `` gadzooks ! ''


ultimately , in the history of the academy , people may be wondering what all that jazz was about `` chicago '' in 2002 .


a truly wonderful tale combined with stunning animation .


director charles stone iii applies more detail to the film 's music than to the story line ; what 's best about drumline is its energy .


a respectable but uninspired thriller that 's intelligent and considered in its details , but ultimately weak in its impact .


to work , love stories require the full emotional involvement and support of a viewer .


in his debut as a director , washington has a sure hand .


as the mediterranean sparkles , ` swept away ' sinks .


feels more like a rejected x-files episode than a credible account of a puzzling real-life happening .


too campy to work as straight drama and too violent and sordid to function as comedy , vulgar is , truly and thankfully , a one-of-a-kind work .


no , it 's not as single-minded as john carpenter 's original , but it 's sure a lot smarter and more unnerving than the sequels .


has nothing good to speak about other than the fact that it is relatively short , tries its best to hide the fact that seagal 's overweight and out of shape .


a comedy that swings and jostles to the rhythms of life .


this is one of the biggest disappointments of the year .


in terms of execution this movie is careless and unfocused .


nor is it a romantic comedy .


might be one of those vanity projects in which a renowned filmmaker attempts to show off his talent by surrounding himself with untalented people .


it 's just plain boring .


nicholson 's understated performance is wonderful .


both damning and damned compelling .


the movie itself appears to be running on hypertime in reverse as the truly funny bits get further and further apart .


elegantly crafted but emotionally cold , a puzzle whose intricate construction one can admire but is difficult to connect with on any deeper level .


the movie is brilliant , really .


the connected stories of breitbart and hanussen are actually fascinating , but the filmmaking in invincible is such that the movie does not do them justice .


probes in a light-hearted way the romantic problems of individuals for whom the yearning for passion spells discontent .


without -lrb- de niro -rrb- , city by the sea would slip under the waves .


-lrb- l -rrb- ame and unnecessary .


the film has the thrown-together feel of a summer-camp talent show : hastily written , underrehearsed , arbitrarily plotted and filled with crude humor and vulgar innuendo .


audiard successfully maintains suspense on different levels throughout a film that is both gripping and compelling .


there 's no question that epps scores once or twice , but it 's telling that his funniest moment comes when he falls about ten feet onto his head .


a fascinating , dark thriller that keeps you hooked on the delicious pulpiness of its lurid fiction .


one of the most important and exhilarating forms of animated filmmaking since old walt doodled steamboat willie .


all in all , a great party .


but it will just as likely make you weep , and it will do so in a way that does n't make you feel like a sucker .


arteta directs one of the best ensemble casts of the year


there are a couple of things that elevate `` glory '' above most of its ilk , most notably the mere presence of duvall .


the aaa of action , xxx is a blast of adrenalin , rated eee for excitement .


adults will certainly want to spend their time in the theater thinking up grocery lists and ways to tell their kids how not to act like pinocchio .


it 's worth taking the kids to .


while some will object to the idea of a vietnam picture with such a rah-rah , patriotic tone , soldiers ultimately achieves its main strategic objective : dramatizing the human cost of the conflict that came to define a generation .


-lrb- grant -rrb- goes beyond his usual fluttering and stammering and captures the soul of a man in pain who gradually comes to recognize it and deal with it .


there 's some outrageously creative action in the transporter ... -lrb- b -rrb- ut by the time frank parachutes down onto a moving truck , it 's just another cartoon with an unstoppable superman .


adam sandler !


though not for everyone , the guys is a somber trip worth taking .


anyone else seen this before ?


the plot of the comeback curlers is n't very interesting actually , but what i like about men with brooms and what is kind of special is how the film knows what 's unique and quirky about canadians .


-lrb- jeff 's -rrb- gorgeous , fluid compositions , underlined by neil finn and edmund mcwilliams 's melancholy music , are charged with metaphor , but rarely easy , obvious or self-indulgent .


the success of undercover brother is found in its ability to spoof both black and white stereotypes equally .


a refreshingly realistic , affectation-free coming-of-age tale .


the ya-ya 's have many secrets and one is - the books are better .


as comedic spotlights go , notorious c.h.o. hits all the verbal marks it should .


a powerful and telling story that examines forbidden love , racial tension , and other issues that are as valid today as they were in the 1950s .


a live-action cartoon , a fast-moving and cheerfully simplistic 88 minutes of exaggerated action put together with the preteen boy in mind .


not only does leblanc make one spectacularly ugly-looking broad , but he appears miserable throughout as he swaggers through his scenes .


the irwins ' scenes are fascinating ; the movie as a whole is cheap junk and an insult to their death-defying efforts .


a conventional , but well-crafted film about a historic legal battle in ireland over a man 's right to raise his own children .


-lrb- hayek -rrb- throws herself into this dream hispanic role with a teeth-clenching gusto , she strikes a potent chemistry with molina and she gradually makes us believe she is kahlo .


a touching , small-scale story of family responsibility and care in the community .


this bond film goes off the beaten path , not necessarily for the better .


leigh is n't breaking new ground , but he knows how a daily grind can kill love .


... better described as a ghost story gone badly awry .


in his latest effort , storytelling , solondz has finally made a movie that is n't just offensive -- it also happens to be good .


the crap continues .


most of the problems with the film do n't derive from the screenplay , but rather the mediocre performances by most of the actors involved


the storylines are woven together skilfully , the magnificent swooping aerial shots are breathtaking , and the overall experience is awesome .


... tackling a low-budget movie in which inexperienced children play the two main characters might not be the best way to cut your teeth in the film industry .


this is the kind of movie where the big scene is a man shot out of a cannon into a vat of ice cream .


just too silly and sophomoric to ensnare its target audience .


flashy gadgets and whirling fight sequences may look cool , but they ca n't distract from the flawed support structure holding equilibrium up .


suffers from a decided lack of creative storytelling .


the exclamation point seems to be the only bit of glee you 'll find in this dreary mess .


how can such a cold movie claim to express warmth and longing ?


i 've seen some bad singer-turned actors , but lil bow wow takes the cake .


confuses its message with an ultimate desire to please , and contorting itself into an idea of expectation is the last thing any of these three actresses , nor their characters , deserve .


one hour photo may seem disappointing in its generalities , but it 's the little nuances that perhaps had to escape from director mark romanek 's self-conscious scrutiny to happen , that finally get under your skin .


but , for that , why not watch a documentary ?


the film 's messages of tolerance and diversity are n't particularly original , but one ca n't help but be drawn in by the sympathetic characters .


the movie starts with a legend and ends with a story that is so far-fetched it would be impossible to believe if it were n't true .


an old-fashioned drama of substance about a teacher 's slide down the slippery slope of dishonesty after an encounter with the rich and the powerful who have nothing but disdain for virtue .


a wordy wisp of a comedy .


aside from the fact that the film idiotically uses the website feardotcom.com or the improperly hammy performance from poor stephen rea , the film gets added disdain for the fact that it is nearly impossible to look at or understand .


a new film from bill plympton , the animation master , is always welcome .


it 's too bad that the rest is n't more compelling .


dense , exhilarating documentary .


a fantastic premise anchors this movie , but what it needs is either a more rigid , blair witch-style commitment to its mockumentary format , or a more straightforward , dramatic treatment , with all the grandiosity that that implies .


the whole thing 's fairly lame , making it par for the course for disney sequels .


spare yet audacious ...


has its charming quirks and its dull spots .


... a fairly disposable yet still entertaining b picture .


without a fresh infusion of creativity , 4ever is neither a promise nor a threat so much as wishful thinking .


it 's just merely very bad .


deadly dull , pointless meditation on losers in a gone-to-seed hotel .


plodding , poorly written , murky and weakly acted , the picture feels as if everyone making it lost their movie mojo .


... manages to fall closer in quality to silence than to the abysmal hannibal .


... works on some levels and is certainly worth seeing at least once .


performances are potent , and the women 's stories are ably intercut and involving .


the movie just has too much on its plate to really stay afloat for its just under ninety minute running time .


-lrb- an -rrb- absorbing documentary .


i like it .


in the director 's cut , the film is not only a love song to the movies but it also is more fully an example of the kind of lush , all-enveloping movie experience it rhapsodizes .


it may not be a huge cut of above the rest , but i enjoyed barbershop .


assured , glossy and shot through with brittle desperation .


the music makes a nice album , the food is enticing and italy beckons us all .


filled with low-brow humor , gratuitous violence and a disturbing disregard for life .


-lrb- allen -rrb- manages to breathe life into this somewhat tired premise .


... the maudlin way its story unfolds suggests a director fighting against the urge to sensationalize his material .


defies logic , the laws of physics and almost anyone 's willingness to believe in it .


... unspeakably , unbearably dull , featuring reams of flatly delivered dialogue and a heroine who comes across as both shallow and dim-witted .


claire is a terrific role for someone like judd , who really ought to be playing villains .


excellent performances from jacqueline bisset and martha plimpton grace this deeply touching melodrama .


the asylum material is gripping , as are the scenes of jia with his family .


the film has a terrific look and salma hayek has a feel for the character at all stages of her life .


beneath the film 's obvious determination to shock at any cost lies considerable skill and determination , backed by sheer nerve .


good-looking but relentlessly lowbrow outing plays like clueless does south fork .


there 's very little sense to what 's going on here , but the makers serve up the cliches with considerable dash .


a graceful , moving tribute to the courage of new york 's finest and a nicely understated expression of the grief shared by the nation at their sacrifice .


the extent to which it succeeds is impressive .


... the film 's considered approach to its subject matter is too calm and thoughtful for agitprop , and the thinness of its characterizations makes it a failure as straight drama . '


as relationships shift , director robert j. siegel allows the characters to inhabit their world without cleaving to a narrative arc .


a bittersweet film , simple in form but rich with human events .


some fine acting , but ultimately a movie with no reason for being .


it 's an often-cute film but either needs more substance to fill the time or some judicious editing .


it seems impossible that an epic four-hour indian musical about a cricket game could be this good , but it is .


no cliche escapes the perfervid treatment of gang warfare called ces wild .


... a weak and ineffective ghost story without a conclusion or pay off .


it 's the kind of under-inspired , overblown enterprise that gives hollywood sequels a bad name .


if you 're burnt out on it 's a wonderful life marathons and bored with a christmas carol , it might just be the movie you 're looking for .


moonlight mile gives itself the freedom to feel contradictory things .


this is no `` waterboy ! ''


young everlyn sampi , as the courageous molly craig , simply radiates star-power potential in this remarkable and memorable film .


it squanders chan 's uniqueness ; it could even be said to squander jennifer love hewitt !


it 's packed with adventure and a worthwhile environmental message , so it 's great for the kids .


the son of the bride 's humour is born out of an engaging storyline , which also is n't embarrassed to make you reach for the tissues .


the plot grows thin soon , and you find yourself praying for a quick resolution .


where their heads were is anyone 's guess .


more trifle than triumph .


simple , poignant and leavened with humor , it 's a film that affirms the nourishing aspects of love and companionship .


run for your lives !


there is no denying the power of polanski 's film ...


what eric schaeffer has accomplished with never again may not , strictly speaking , qualify as revolutionary .


a film that should be relegated to a dark video store corner is somehow making its way instead to theaters .


sewer rats could watch this movie and be so skeeved out that they 'd need a shower .


merci pour le movie .


there 's something poignant about an artist of 90-plus years taking the effort to share his impressions of life and loss and time and art with us .


highly irritating at first , mr. koury 's passive technique eventually begins to yield some interesting results .


was that movie nothing more than a tepid exercise in trotting out a formula that worked five years ago but has since lost its fizz ?


hollywood has taken quite a nosedive from alfred hitchcock 's imaginative flight to shyamalan 's self-important summer fluff .


the histrionic muse still eludes madonna and , playing a charmless witch , she is merely a charmless witch .


a treat for its depiction on not giving up on dreams when you 're a struggling nobody .


viewers of barney 's crushingly self-indulgent spectacle will see nothing in it to match the ordeal of sitting through it .


the story is smart and entirely charming in intent and execution .


death might be a release .


carrying off a spot-on scottish burr , duvall -lrb- also a producer -rrb- peels layers from this character that may well not have existed on paper .


a sad and rote exercise in milking a played-out idea -- a straight guy has to dress up in drag -- that shockingly manages to be even worse than its title would imply .


conforms itself with creating a game of ` who 's who ' ... where the characters ' moves are often more predictable than their consequences .


as happily glib and vicious as its characters .


a disturbing examination of what appears to be the definition of a ` bad ' police shooting .


about a boy vividly recalls the cary grant of room for one more , houseboat and father goose in its affectionate depiction of the gentle war between a reluctant , irresponsible man and the kid who latches onto him .


a big fat pain .


whether or not ram dass proves as clear and reliable an authority on that as he was about inner consciousness , fierce grace reassures us that he will once again be an honest and loving one .


believability was n't one of the film 's virtues .


cinematic poetry showcases the city 's old-world charm before machines change nearly everything .


this is a movie filled with unlikable , spiteful idiots ; whether or not their friendship is salvaged makes no difference in the least .


what is the filmmakers ' point ?


a very depressing movie of many missed opportunities .


guilty of the worst sin of attributable to a movie like this : it 's not scary in the slightest .


a slick , engrossing melodrama .


the disjointed mess flows as naturally as jolie 's hideous yellow ` do .


a small movie with a big impact .


a well-crafted film that is all the more remarkable because it achieves its emotional power and moments of revelation with restraint and a delicate ambiguity .


but rather , ` how can you charge money for this ? '


a thoughtful movie , a movie that is concerned with souls and risk and schemes and the consequences of one 's actions .


it 's all gratuitous before long , as if schwentke were fulfilling a gross-out quota for an anticipated audience demographic instead of shaping the material to fit the story .


chances are you wo n't , either .


you see the movie and you think , zzzzzzzzz .


the dialogue is cumbersome , the simpering soundtrack and editing more so .


lightweight but appealing .


the story is so light and sugary that were it a macy 's thanksgiving day parade balloon , extra heavy-duty ropes would be needed to keep it from floating away .


it 's a wise and powerful tale of race and culture forcefully told , with superb performances throughout .


the film exudes the urbane sweetness that woody allen seems to have bitterly forsaken .


with its hint of an awkward hitchcockian theme in tact , harmon 's daunting narrative promotes a reasonable landscape of conflict and pathos to support the scattershot terrorizing tone


twenty years after its first release , e.t. remains the most wondrous of all hollywood fantasies -- and the apex of steven spielberg 's misunderstood career .


a well-acted , but one-note film .


lillard and cardellini earn their scooby snacks , but not anyone else .


a vivid , spicy footnote to history , and a movie that grips and holds you in rapt attention from start to finish .


it 's just not very smart .


no big hairy deal .


the bottom line with nemesis is the same as it has been with all the films in the series : fans will undoubtedly enjoy it , and the uncommitted need n't waste their time on it .


a terrible movie that some people will nevertheless find moving .


if you think it 's a riot to see rob schneider in a young woman 's clothes , then you 'll enjoy the hot chick .


hugh grant 's act is so consuming that sometimes it 's difficult to tell who the other actors in the movie are .


the leads we are given here are simply too bland to be interesting .


one of those movies that make us pause and think of what we have given up to acquire the fast-paced contemporary society .


a rich tale of our times , very well told with an appropriate minimum of means .


a beautiful , entertaining two hours .


a picture as erratic as its central character .


a fairly enjoyable mixture of longest yard ... and the 1999 guy ritchie caper lock stock and two smoking barrels .


the things this movie tries to get the audience to buy just wo n't fly with most intelligent viewers .


a powerful , chilling , and affecting study of one man 's dying fall .


piercingly affecting ... while clearly a manipulative film , emerges as powerful rather than cloying .


although mainstream american movies tend to exploit the familiar , every once in a while a film arrives from the margin that gives viewers a chance to learn , to grow , to travel .


see it .


much has been written about those years when the psychedelic '60s grooved over into the gay '70s , but words do n't really do the era justice .


the innocence of holiday cheer ai n't what it used to be .


lawrence should stick to his day job .


the people in abc africa are treated as docile , mostly wordless ethnographic extras .


sorority boys , which is as bad at it is cruel , takes every potential laugh and stiletto-stomps the life out of it .


the underworld urban angst is derivative of martin scorsese 's taxi driver and goodfellas , but this film speaks for itself .


it 's anchored by splendid performances from an honored screen veteran and a sparkling newcomer who instantly transform themselves into a believable mother\/daughter pair .


discursive but oddly riveting documentary .


before it collapses into exactly the kind of buddy cop comedy it set out to lampoon , anyway .


affectionately reminds us that , in any language , the huge stuff in life can usually be traced back to the little things .


only two-fifths of a satisfying movie experience .


just is n't as weird as it ought to be .


on top of a foundering performance , -lrb- madonna 's -rrb- denied her own athleticism by lighting that emphasizes every line and sag .


your 20th outing shows off a lot of stamina and vitality , and get this , madonna 's cameo does n't suck !


it 's both sitcomishly predictable and cloying in its attempts to be poignant .


it 's supposed to be post-feminist breezy but ends up as tedious as the chatter of parrots raised on oprah .


if you like peace , you 'll like promises .


if you 're not a fan , it might be like trying to eat brussels sprouts .


a heartbreakingly thoughtful minor classic , the work of a genuine and singular artist .


secret ballot is a funny , puzzling movie ambiguous enough to be engaging and oddly moving .


`` what really happened ? ''


if you open yourself up to mr. reggio 's theory of this imagery as the movie 's set ... it can impart an almost visceral sense of dislocation and change .


`` not really as bad as you might think ! ''


jacobi , the most fluent of actors , is given relatively dry material from nijinsky 's writings to perform , and the visuals , even erotically frank ones , become dullingly repetitive .


this toothless dog , already on cable , loses all bite on the big screen .


top-notch action powers this romantic drama .


eric schweig and graham greene both exude an air of dignity that 's perfect for the proud warrior that still lingers in the souls of these characters .


he makes you realize that deep inside righteousness can be found a tough beauty .


a brilliant gag at the expense of those who paid for it and those who pay to see it .


too stagey , talky -- and long -- for its own good .


straightforward and old-fashioned in the best possible senses of both those words , possession is a movie that puts itself squarely in the service of the lovers who inhabit it .


too infuriatingly quirky and taken with its own style .


a dull , inconsistent , dishonest female bonding picture .


dripping with cliche and bypassing no opportunity to trivialize the material .


graphic sex may be what 's attracting audiences to unfaithful , but gripping performances by lane and gere are what will keep them awake .


austin powers in goldmember is a cinematic car wreck , a catastrophic collision of tastelessness and gall that nevertheless will leave fans clamoring for another ride .


a movie that falls victim to frazzled wackiness and frayed satire .


a chronicle not only of one man 's quest to be president , but of how that man single-handedly turned a plane full of hard-bitten , cynical journalists into what was essentially , by campaign 's end , an extended publicity department .


what happens when something goes bump in the night and nobody cares ?


when cowering and begging at the feet a scruffy giannini , madonna gives her best performance since abel ferrara had her beaten to a pulp in his dangerous game .


judd 's characters ought to pick up the durable best seller smart women , foolish choices for advice .


weirdly , broomfield has compelling new material but he does n't unveil it until the end , after endless scenes of him wheedling reluctant witnesses and pointing his camera through the smeared windshield of his rental car .


this is amusing for about three minutes .


and i expect much more from a talent as outstanding as director bruce mcculloch .


a slam-bang extravaganza that is all about a wild-and-woolly , wall-to-wall good time .


uneven but a lot of fun .


`` freaky friday , '' it 's not .


sharp edges and a deep vein of sadness run through its otherwise comic narrative .


it 's a spectacular performance - ahem , we hope it 's only acting .


it 's a lovely , sad dance highlighted by kwan 's unique directing style .


knows how to make our imagination wonder .


in the end , there is n't much to it .


cho continues her exploration of the outer limits of raunch with considerable brio .


the movie attempts to mine laughs from a genre -- the gangster\/crime comedy -- that wore out its welcome with audiences several years ago , and its cutesy reliance on movie-specific cliches is n't exactly endearing .


jagger , stoppard and director michael apted ... deliver a riveting and surprisingly romantic ride .


promises is one film that 's truly deserving of its oscar nomination .


it finds no way to entertain or inspire its viewers .


taken outside the context of the current political climate -lrb- see : terrorists are more evil than ever ! -rrb-


the strength of the film comes not from any cinematic razzle-dazzle but from its recovery of an historical episode that , in the simple telling , proves simultaneously harrowing and uplifting .


though its story is only surface deep , the visuals and enveloping sounds of blue crush make this surprisingly decent flick worth a summertime look-see .


a virtual roller-coaster ride of glamour and sleaze .


a soulless jumble of ineptly assembled cliches and pabulum that plays like a 95-minute commercial for nba properties .


sad to say -- it accurately reflects the rage and alienation that fuels the self-destructiveness of many young people .


collateral damage offers formula payback and the big payoff , but the explosions tend to simply hit their marks , pyro-correctly .


many a parent and their teen -lrb- or preteen -rrb- kid could bond while watching a walk to remember .


like a skillful fisher , the director uses the last act to reel in the audience since its poignancy hooks us completely .


no amount of good intentions is able to overcome the triviality of the story .


-lrb- a -rrb- real pleasure in its laid-back way .


just a collection of this and that -- whatever fills time -- with no unified whole .


is it really an advantage to invest such subtlety and warmth in an animatronic bear when the humans are acting like puppets ?


skins has a desolate air , but eyre , a native american raised by white parents , manages to infuse the rocky path to sibling reconciliation with flashes of warmth and gentle humor .


judging by those standards , ` scratch ' is a pretty decent little documentary .


the movie does its best to work us over , with second helpings of love , romance , tragedy , false dawns , real dawns , comic relief , two separate crises during marriage ceremonies , and the lush scenery of the cotswolds .


a small fortune in salaries and stunt cars might have been saved if the director , tom dey , had spliced together bits and pieces of midnight run and 48 hours -lrb- and , for that matter , shrek -rrb- .


for a story set at sea , ghost ship is pretty landbound , with its leaden acting , dull exposition and telegraphed ` surprises . '


yet this one makes up for in heart what it lacks in outright newness .


wimps out by going for that pg-13 rating , so the more graphic violence is mostly off-screen and the sexuality is muted .


we ca n't accuse kung pow for misfiring , since it is exactly what it wants to be : an atrociously , mind-numbingly , indescribably bad movie .


-lrb- there 's -rrb- quite a bit of heart , as you would expect from the directors of the little mermaid and aladdin .


this is one baaaaaaaaad movie .


this time , the hype is quieter , and while the movie is slightly less successful than the first , it 's still a rollicking good time for the most part .


what begins as a film in the tradition of the graduate quickly switches into something more recyclable than significant .


the hook is the drama within the drama , as an unsolved murder and an unresolved moral conflict jockey for the spotlight .


here is a vh1 behind the music special that has something a little more special behind it : music that did n't sell many records but helped change a nation .


too clever by about nine-tenths .


been there , done that , liked it much better the first time around - when it was called the professional .


there 's not a fresh idea at the core of this tale .


the characters never change .


` snow dogs ' has both .


when the violence actually shocked ?


saddled with an unwieldy cast of characters and angles , but the payoff is powerful and revelatory .


he 's a better actor than a standup comedian .


imagine a film that begins as a seven rip-off , only to switch to a mix of the shining , the thing , and any naked teenagers horror flick from the 1980s .


while american adobo has its heart -lrb- and its palate -rrb- in the right place , its brain is a little scattered -- ditsy , even .


interesting and thoroughly unfaithful version of carmen


demonstrates a vivid imagination and an impressive style that result in some terrific setpieces .


some people want the ol' ball-and-chain and then there are those who just want the ball and chain .


despite the surface attractions -- conrad l. hall 's cinematography will likely be nominated for an oscar next year -- there 's something impressive and yet lacking about everything .


hey everybody , wanna watch a movie in which a guy dressed as a children 's party clown gets violently gang-raped ?


i know that i 'll never listen to marvin gaye or the supremes the same way again


solondz may well be the only one laughing at his own joke


in visual fertility treasure planet rivals the top japanese animations of recent vintage .


imagine -lrb- if possible -rrb- a pasolini film without passion or politics , or an almodovar movie without beauty or humor , and you have some idea of the glum , numb experience of watching o fantasma .


a lifetime movie about men .


after all , it 'll probably be in video stores by christmas , and it might just be better suited to a night in the living room than a night at the movies .


can be viewed as pure composition and form -- film as music


there 's lots of cool stuff packed into espn 's ultimate x.


the movie generates plot points with a degree of randomness usually achieved only by lottery drawing .


undoubtedly the scariest movie ever made about tattoos .


alain choquart 's camera barely stops moving , portraying both the turmoil of the time and giving conduct a perpetual sense of urgency , which , for a film that takes nearly three hours to unspool , is both funny and irritating .


a brutally dry satire of middle american numbness .


so verbally flatfooted and so emotionally predictable or bland that it plays like the standard made-for-tv movie .


simply a re-hash of the other seven films .


earnest , unsubtle and hollywood-predictable , green dragon is still a deeply moving effort to put a human face on the travail of thousands of vietnamese .


the movie has no respect for laws , political correctness or common decency , but it displays something more important : respect for its flawed , crazy people .


at the end of the movie , my 6-year-old nephew said , `` i guess i come from a broken family , and my uncles are all aliens , too . ''


a major waste ... generic .


it 's good , hard-edged stuff , violent and a bit exploitative but also nicely done , morally alert and street-smart .


the lousy lead performances ... keep the movie from ever reaching the comic heights it obviously desired .


it has the air of a surprisingly juvenile lark , a pop-influenced prank whose charms are immediately apparent and wear thin with repetition .


will certainly appeal to asian cult cinema fans and asiaphiles interested to see what all the fuss is about .


` butterfingered ' is the word for the big-fisted direction of jez butterworth , who manages to blast even the smallest sensitivities from the romance with his clamorous approach .


if you are into splatter movies , then you will probably have a reasonably good time with the salton sea .


alternative medicine obviously has its merits ... but ayurveda does the field no favors .


dark and disturbing , yet compelling to watch .


a melancholy , emotional film .


often messy and frustrating , but very pleasing at its best moments , it 's very much like life itself .


it 's a rare window on an artistic collaboration .


a sobering and powerful documentary about the most severe kind of personal loss : rejection by one 's mother .


wiseman reveals the victims of domestic abuse in all of their pity and terror .


the bai brothers have taken an small slice of history and opened it up for all of us to understand , and they 've told a nice little story in the process .


a mildly enjoyable if toothless adaptation of a much better book .


the screenplay comes across , rather unintentionally , as hip-hop scooby-doo .


plays like john le carré with a couple of burnt-out cylinders .


even if you have no interest in the gang-infested , east-vs .


spectacular in every sense of the word , even if you don ' t know an orc from a uruk-hai .


you wo n't exactly know what 's happening but you 'll be blissfully exhausted .


a solid and refined piece of moviemaking imbued with passion and attitude .


this engrossing , characteristically complex tom clancy thriller is shifty in the manner in which it addresses current terrorism anxieties and sidesteps them at the same time .


why ?


much of the movie 's charm lies in the utter cuteness of stuart and margolo .


the whole affair , true story or not , feels incredibly hokey ... -lrb- it -rrb- comes off like a hallmark commercial .


high crimes knows the mistakes that bad movies make and is determined not to make them , and maybe that is nobility of a sort .


evokes the style and flash of the double-cross that made mamet 's `` house of games '' and last fall 's `` heist '' so much fun .


robert john burke as the monster horns in and steals the show .


one key problem with these ardently christian storylines is that there is never any question of how things will turn out .


has its moments , but it 's pretty far from a treasure .


as the sulking , moody male hustler in the title role , -lrb- franco -rrb- has all of dean 's mannerisms and self-indulgence , but none of his sweetness and vulnerability .


the appeal of the vulgar , sexist , racist humour went over my head or -- considering just how low brow it is -- perhaps it snuck under my feet .


just about all of the film is confusing on one level or another , making ararat far more demanding than it needs to be .


this is a very ambitious project for a fairly inexperienced filmmaker , but good actors , good poetry and good music help sustain it .


` men in black ii creates a new threat for the mib , but recycles the same premise .


it 's like going to a house party and watching the host defend himself against a frothing ex-girlfriend .


steers has an unexpectedly adamant streak of warm-blooded empathy for all his disparate manhattan denizens -- especially the a \*\* holes .


as commander-in-chief of this film , bigelow demonstrates a breadth of vision and an attention to detail that propels her into the upper echelons of the directing world .


what makes the movie special is its utter sincerity .


and the positive change in tone here seems to have recharged him .


once he starts learning to compromise with reality enough to become comparatively sane and healthy , the film becomes predictably conventional .


the genius of the work speaks volumes , offering up a hallucinatory dreamscape that frustrates and captivates .


we just do n't really care too much about this love story .


collateral damage is trash , but it earns extra points by acting as if it were n't .


plays like a glossy melodrama that occasionally verges on camp .


hard to resist .


a farce of a parody of a comedy of a premise , it is n't a comparison to reality so much as it is a commentary about our knowledge of films .


the movie straddles the fence between escapism and social commentary , and on both sides it falls short .


much like robin williams , death to smoochy has already reached its expiration date .


michele is a such a brainless flibbertigibbet that it 's hard to take her spiritual quest at all seriously .


i found it slow , predictable and not very amusing .


instead of making his own style , director marcus adams just copies from various sources -- good sources , bad mixture


an exhilarating experience .


an occasionally interesting but mostly repetitive look at a slice of counterculture that might be best forgotten .


meandering and glacially paced , and often just plain dull .


nachtwey clears the cynicism right out of you .


what sets this romantic comedy apart from most hollywood romantic comedies is its low-key way of tackling what seems like done-to-death material .


whereas the extremely competent hitman films such as pulp fiction and get shorty resonate a sardonic verve to their caustic purpose for existing , who is cletis tout ?


though it never rises to its full potential as a film , still offers a great deal of insight into the female condition and the timeless danger of emotions repressed .


though there are entertaining and audacious moments , the movie 's wildly careening tone and an extremely flat lead performance do little to salvage this filmmaker 's flailing reputation .


a dull , dumb and derivative horror film .


a static and sugary little half-hour , after-school special about interfaith understanding , stretched out to 90 minutes .


the film is ... determined to treat its characters , weak and strong , as fallible human beings , not caricatures , and to carefully delineate the cost of the inevitable conflicts between human urges and an institution concerned with self-preservation .


rouge is less about a superficial midlife crisis than it is about the need to stay in touch with your own skin , at 18 or 80 .


a semi-autobiographical film that 's so sloppily written and cast that you can not believe anyone more central to the creation of bugsy than the caterer had anything to do with it .


the most surprising thing about this film is that they are actually releasing it into theaters .


a gentle and engrossing character study .


savvy director robert j. siegel and his co-writers keep the story subtle and us in suspense .


labute ca n't avoid a fatal mistake in the modern era : he 's changed the male academic from a lower-class brit to an american , a choice that upsets the novel 's exquisite balance and shreds the fabric of the film .


feels strangely hollow at its emotional core .


the stunt work is top-notch ; the dialogue and drama often food-spittingly funny .


... hopefully it 'll be at the dollar theatres by the time christmas rolls around .


the performances are an absolute joy .


goldbacher draws on an elegant visual sense and a talent for easy , seductive pacing ... but she and writing partner laurence coriat do n't manage an equally assured narrative coinage .


any intellectual arguments being made about the nature of god are framed in a drama so clumsy , there is a real danger less sophisticated audiences will mistake it for an endorsement of the very things that bean abhors .


maybe there 's a metaphor here , but figuring it out would n't make trouble every day any better .


from beginning to end , this overheated melodrama plays like a student film .


a jumbled fantasy comedy that did not figure out a coherent game plan at scripting , shooting or post-production stages .


a gripping drama .


an enthralling , entertaining feature .


demme finally succeeds in diminishing his stature from oscar-winning master to lowly studio hack .


it just does n't have anything really interesting to say .


a preposterous , prurient whodunit .


works better in the conception than it does in the execution ... winds up seeming just a little too clever .


at once overly old-fashioned in its sudsy plotting and heavy-handed in its effort to modernize it with encomia to diversity and tolerance .


cold , sterile and lacking any color or warmth .


insanely hilarious !


there 's some good material in their story about a retail clerk wanting more out of life , but the movie too often spins its wheels with familiar situations and repetitive scenes .


a hypnotic cyber hymn and a cruel story of youth culture .


where the film falters is in its tone .


he 's worked too hard on this movie .


for a film about explosions and death and spies , `` ballistic : ecks vs. sever '' seems as safe as a children 's film .


directed without the expected flair or imagination by hong kong master john woo , windtalkers airs just about every cliche in the war movie compendium across its indulgent two-hour-and-fifteen-minute length .


`` sum '' is jack ryan 's `` do-over . ''


you leave feeling like you 've endured a long workout without your pulse ever racing .


michel piccoli 's moving performance is this films reason for being .


this may be the first cartoon ever to look as if it were being shown on the projection television screen of a sports bar .


a perceptive , good-natured movie .


more busy than exciting , more frantic than involving , more chaotic than entertaining .


how i killed my father is one of those art house films that makes you feel like you 're watching an iceberg melt -- only it never melts .


` tobey maguire is a poster boy for the geek generation . '


surprisingly , the film is a hilarious adventure and i shamelessly enjoyed it .


a compelling pre-wwii drama with vivid characters and a warm , moving message .


skip this dreck , rent animal house and go back to the source .


the movie is too amateurishly square to make the most of its own ironic implications .


eight legged freaks is clever and funny , is amused by its special effects , and leaves you feeling like you 've seen a movie instead of an endless trailer .


if you saw it on tv , you 'd probably turn it off , convinced that you had already seen that movie .


a wild comedy that could only spring from the demented mind of the writer of being john malkovich .


together -lrb- time out and human resources -rrb- establish mr. cantet as france 's foremost cinematic poet of the workplace .


take nothing seriously and enjoy the ride .


if the last man were the last movie left on earth , there would be a toss-up between presiding over the end of cinema as we know it and another night of delightful hand shadows .


-lrb- fiji diver rusi vulakoro and the married couple howard and michelle hall -rrb- show us the world they love and make us love it , too .


the pitch must have read like a discarded house beautiful spread .


it is also beautifully acted .


maybe it is formula filmmaking , but there 's nothing wrong with that if the film is well-crafted and this one is .


this is a movie where the most notable observation is how long you 've been sitting still .


like the chilled breath of oral storytelling frozen onto film .


viewing this underdramatized but overstated film is like watching a transcript of a therapy session brought to humdrum life by some freudian puppet .


it 's too interested in jerking off in all its byzantine incarnations to bother pleasuring its audience .


press the delete key .


this is the kind of movie during which you want to bang your head on the seat in front of you , at its cluelessness , at its idiocy , at its utterly misplaced earnestness .


the fetid underbelly of fame has never looked uglier .


these guys seem great to knock back a beer with but they 're simply not funny performers .


ice age wo n't drop your jaw , but it will warm your heart , and i 'm giving it a strong thumbs up .


... a lesson in prehistoric hilarity .


-lrb- p -rrb- artnering murphy with robert de niro for the tv-cops comedy showtime would seem to be surefire casting .


it 's a terrible movie in every regard , and utterly painful to watch .


romanek 's themes are every bit as distinctive as his visuals .


they threw loads of money at an idea that should 've been so much more even if it was only made for teenage boys and wrestling fans .


resurrection has the dubious distinction of being a really bad imitation of the really bad blair witch project .


slow and ponderous , but rohmer 's drama builds to an intense indoor drama about compassion , sacrifice , and christian love in the face of political corruption .


a smart , provocative drama that does the nearly impossible : it gets under the skin of a man we only know as an evil , monstrous lunatic .


you might be shocked to discover that seinfeld 's real life is boring .


feeble comedy .


count on his movie to work at the back of your neck long after you leave the theater .


lacking substance and soul , crossroads comes up shorter than britney 's cutoffs .


tully is worth a look for its true-to-life characters , its sensitive acting , its unadorned view of rural life and the subtle direction of first-timer hilary birmingham .


the result is so tame that even slightly wised-up kids would quickly change the channel .


holds limited appeal to those who like explosions , sadism and seeing people beat each other to a pulp .


a well paced and satisfying little drama that deserved better than a ` direct-to-video ' release .


like leafing through an album of photos accompanied by the sketchiest of captions .


not bad , but not all that good .


i 'll go out on a limb .


jones helps breathe some life into the insubstantial plot , but even he is overwhelmed by predictability .


it ends up being neither , and fails at both endeavors .


represents the depths to which the girls-behaving-badly film has fallen .


then you get another phone call warning you that if the video is n't back at blockbuster before midnight , you 're going to face frightening late fees .


you can sip your vintage wines and watch your merchant ivory productions ; i 'll settle for a nice cool glass of iced tea and a jerry bruckheimer flick any day of the week .


contains the humor , characterization , poignancy , and intelligence of a bad sitcom .


less an examination of neo-nazism than a probe into the nature of faith itself .


this would have been better than the fiction it has concocted , and there still could have been room for the war scenes .


the cat 's meow marks a return to form for director peter bogdanovich ...


and in a sense , that 's a liability .


less a study in madness or love than a study in schoolgirl obsession .


it never rises to its clever what-if concept .


works , it 's thanks to huston 's revelatory performance .


alternately hilarious and sad , aggravating and soulful , scathing and joyous .


your nightmares , on the other hand , will be anything but .


it 's not an easy one to review .


although the sequel has all the outward elements of the original , the first film 's lovely flakiness is gone , replaced by the forced funniness found in the dullest kiddie flicks .


it 's rare for any movie to be as subtle and touching as the son 's room .


smug , artificial , ill-constructed and fatally overlong ... it never finds a consistent tone and lacks bite , degenerating into a pious , preachy soap opera .


two weeks notice has appeal beyond being a sandra bullock vehicle or a standard romantic comedy .


busy urban comedy is clearly not zhang 's forte , his directorial touch is neither light nor magical enough to bring off this kind of whimsy .


tries to work in the same vein as the brilliance of animal house but instead comes closer to the failure of the third revenge of the nerds sequel .


the plot is plastered with one hollywood cliche after another , most of which involve precocious kids getting the better of obnoxious adults .


light the candles , bring out the cake and do n't fret about the calories because there 's precious little substance in birthday girl -- it 's simply , and surprisingly , a nice , light treat .


it drowns in sap .


nelson 's intentions are good , but the end result does no justice to the story itself .


despite an overwrought ending , the film works as well as it does because of the performances .


rifkin 's references are ... impeccable throughout .


it is too bad that this likable movie is n't more accomplished .


well , it 's not as pathetic as the animal .


friday after next is the kind of film that could only be made by african-americans because of its broad racial insensitivity towards african-americans .


so purely enjoyable that you might not even notice it 's a fairly straightforward remake of hollywood comedies such as father of the bride .


the movie 's captivating details are all in the performances , from foreman 's barking-mad taylor to thewlis 's smoothly sinister freddie and bettany\/mcdowell 's hard-eyed gangster .


a story which fails to rise above its disgusting source material .


neither a rousing success nor a blinding embarrassment .


it gets the details of its time frame right but it completely misses its emotions .


the four feathers has rewards , from the exoticism of its seas of sand to the fierce grandeur of its sweeping battle scenes .


goes on and on to the point of nausea .


a deft , delightful mix of sulky teen drama and overcoming-obstacles sports-movie triumph .


fans of critics ' darling band wilco will marvel at the sometimes murky , always brooding look of i am trying to break your heart .


another useless recycling of a brutal mid - '70s american sports movie .


there is one surefire way to get a nomination for a best-foreign-film oscar : make a movie about whimsical folk who learn a nonchallenging , life-affirming lesson while walking around a foreign city with stunning architecture .


the beauty of the piece is that it counts heart as important as humor .


please .


a distinguished and thoughtful film , marked by acute writing and a host of splendid performances .


`` sorority boys '' was funnier , and that movie was pretty bad .


offers no new insight on the matter , nor do its characters exactly spring to life .


director claude chabrol has become the master of innuendo .


-lrb- macdowell -rrb- ventures beyond her abilities several times here and reveals how bad an actress she is .


in the spirit of the season , i assign one bright shining star to roberto benigni 's pinocchio -- but i guarantee that no wise men will be following after it .


boomers and their kids will have a barrie good time .


promises is a compelling piece that demonstrates just how well children can be trained to live out and carry on their parents ' anguish .


there 's a neat twist , subtly rendered , that could have wrapped things up at 80 minutes , but kang tacks on three or four more endings .


empire ca n't make up its mind whether it wants to be a gangster flick or an art film .


in xxx , diesel is that rare creature -- an action hero with table manners , and one who proves that elegance is more than tattoo deep .


stage director sam mendes showcases tom hanks as a depression era hit-man in this dark tale of revenge .


will assuredly rank as one of the cleverest , most deceptively amusing comedies of the year .


clumsy , obvious , preposterous , the movie will likely set the cause of woman warriors back decades .


paxton 's uneven directorial debut fails to unlock the full potential of what is in many ways a fresh and dramatically substantial spin on the genre .


the best of the pierce brosnan james bond films to date .


a clumsily manufactured exploitation flick , a style-free exercise in manipulation and mayhem .


ah , yes , that would be me : fighting off the urge to doze .


it is n't that stealing harvard is a horrible movie -- if only it were that grand a failure !


even with its $ 50-million us budget , pinocchio never quite achieves the feel of a fanciful motion picture .


... begins on a high note and sustains it beautifully .


and he allows a gawky actor like spall -- who could too easily become comic relief in any other film -- to reveal his impressively delicate range .


`` the road paved with good intentions leads to the video store ''


both overstuffed and undernourished ... the film ca n't be called a solid success , although there 's plenty of evidence here to indicate clooney might have better luck next time .


told in scattered fashion , the movie only intermittently lives up to the stories and faces and music of the men who are its subject .


you may leave the theater with more questions than answers , but darned if your toes wo n't still be tapping .


eight legged freaks wo n't join the pantheon of great monster\/science fiction flicks that we have come to love ...


try as you might to resist , if you 've got a place in your heart for smokey robinson , this movie will worm its way there .


but for the most part , the weight of water comes off as a two-way time-switching myopic mystery that stalls in its lackluster gear of emotional blandness .


directed in a flashy , empty sub-music video style by a director so self-possessed he actually adds a period to his first name


in this film , aussie david caesar channels the not-quite-dead career of guy ritchie .


baby-faced renner is eerily convincing as this bland blank of a man with unimaginable demons within .


not good enough to pass for a litmus test of the generation gap and not bad enough to repulse any generation of its fans .


too silly to take seriously .


a mimetic approximation of better films like contempt and 8 1\/2 .


cage makes an unusual but pleasantly haunting debut behind the camera .


a compelling french psychological drama examining the encounter of an aloof father and his chilly son after 20 years apart .


touché !


you have to see it .


gorgeous to look at but insufferably tedious and turgid ... a curiously constricted epic .


malcolm mcdowell is cool .


unfortunately , that 's precisely what arthur dong 's family fundamentals does .


you may be captivated , as i was , by its moods , and by its subtly transformed star , and still wonder why paul thomas anderson ever had the inclination to make the most sincere and artful movie in which adam sandler will probably ever appear .


hugely entertaining from start to finish , featuring a fall from grace that still leaves shockwaves , it will gratify anyone who has ever suspected hollywood of being overrun by corrupt and hedonistic weasels .


implicitly acknowledges and celebrates the glorious chicanery and self-delusion of this most american of businesses , and for that reason it may be the most oddly honest hollywood document of all .


there 's an energy to y tu mamá también .


there is greatness here .


could i have been more geeked when i heard that apollo 13 was going to be released in imax format ?


a feel-good movie that does n't give you enough to feel good about .


sadly , as blood work proves , that was a long , long time ago .


problem is , we have no idea what in creation is going on .


even in the summertime , the most restless young audience deserves the dignity of an action hero motivated by something more than franchise possibilities .


the film is impressive for the sights and sounds of the wondrous beats the world has to offer .


... a solid , unassuming drama .


often hilarious .


the film is moody , oozing , chilling and heart-warming all at once ... a twisting , unpredictable , cat-and-mouse thriller .


the powerpuff girls arrive on the big screen with their super-powers , their super-simple animation and their super-dooper-adorability intact .


that rare movie that works on any number of levels -- as a film of magic and whimsy for children , a heartfelt romance for teenagers and a compelling argument about death , both pro and con , for adults .


this pathetic junk is barely an hour long .


many went to see the attraction for the sole reason that it was hot outside and there was air conditioning inside , and i do n't think that a.c. will help this movie one bit .


with more character development this might have been an eerie thriller ; with better payoffs , it could have been a thinking man 's monster movie .


aggravating and tedious .


while somewhat less than it might have been , the film is a good one , and you 've got to hand it to director george clooney for biting off such a big job the first time out .


nothing happens , and it happens to flat characters .


barry convinces us he 's a dangerous , secretly unhinged guy who could easily have killed a president because it made him feel powerful .


expanded to 65 minutes for theatrical release , it still feels somewhat unfinished .


where bowling for columbine is at its most valuable is in its examination of america 's culture of fear as a root cause of gun violence .


but kouyate elicits strong performances from his cast , and he delivers a powerful commentary on how governments lie , no matter who runs them .


writer\/director david caesar ladles on the local flavour with a hugely enjoyable film about changing times , clashing cultures and the pleasures of a well-made pizza .


it 's clear that mehta simply wanted to update her beloved genre for the thousands of indians who fancy themselves too sophisticated for the cheese-laced spectacles that pack 'em in on the subcontinent .


-lrb- a -rrb- painfully flat gross-out comedy ...


to call this film a lump of coal would only be to flatter it .


the big ending surprise almost saves the movie .


in one scene , we get a stab at soccer hooliganism , a double-barreled rip-off of quentin tarantino 's climactic shootout -- and meat loaf explodes .


blood work is laughable in the solemnity with which it tries to pump life into overworked elements from eastwood 's dirty harry period .


attal pushes too hard to make this a comedy or serious drama .


lisa rinzler 's cinematography may be lovely , but love liza 's tale itself virtually collapses into an inhalant blackout , maintaining consciousness just long enough to achieve callow pretension .


two tedious acts light on great scares and a good surprise ending .


enigma looks great , has solid acting and a neat premise .


this is christmas future for a lot of baby boomers .


a heroic tale of persistence that is sure to win viewers ' hearts .


even though it is infused with the sensibility of a video director , it does n't make for completely empty entertainment


a soap-opera quality twist in the last 20 minutes ... almost puts the kibosh on what is otherwise a sumptuous work of b-movie imagination .


there 's a sheer unbridled delight in the way the story unfurls ...


the results are far more alienating than involving .


a passionately inquisitive film determined to uncover the truth and hopefully inspire action .


hollywood ending is the most disappointing woody allen movie ever .


enormously enjoyable , high-adrenaline documentary .


smith examines the intimate , unguarded moments of folks who live in unusual homes -- which pop up in nearly every corner of the country .


literary purists may not be pleased , but as far as mainstream matinee-style entertainment goes , it does a bang-up job of pleasing the crowds .


the film does n't have enough innovation or pizazz to attract teenagers , and it lacks the novel charm that made spy kids a surprising winner with both adults and younger audiences .


though harris is affecting at times , he can not overcome the sense that pumpkin is a mere plot pawn for two directors with far less endearing disabilities .


pap invested in undergraduate doubling subtexts and ridiculous stabs at existentialism reminding of the discovery of the wizard of god in the fifth trek flick .


just as the lousy tarantino imitations have subsided , here comes the first lousy guy ritchie imitation .


a disappointment for a movie that should have been the ultimate imax trip .


a subtle , humorous , illuminating study of politics , power and social mobility .


adolescents will be adequately served by the movie 's sophomoric blend of shenanigans and slapstick , although the more lascivious-minded might be disappointed in the relative modesty of a movie that sports a ` topless tutorial service . '


the rollerball sequences feel sanitised and stagey .


this charming but slight tale has warmth , wit and interesting characters compassionately portrayed .


it 's a cool event for the whole family .


-lrb- rises -rrb- above its oh-so-hollywood rejiggering and its conventional direction to give the film a soul and an unabashed sense of good old-fashioned escapism .


it makes me say the obvious : abandon all hope of a good movie ye who enter here .


the story alone could force you to scratch a hole in your head .


it 's young guns meets goodfellas in this easily skippable hayseeds-vs .


this is an insultingly inept and artificial examination of grief and its impacts upon the relationships of the survivors .


this little film is so slovenly done , so primitive in technique , that it ca n't really be called animation .


the plot meanders from gripping to plodding and back .


the emotional overload of female angst irreparably drags the film down .


the characterizations and dialogue lack depth or complexity , with the ironic exception of scooter .


jason patric and ray liotta make for one splendidly cast pair .


director chris eyre is going through the paces again with his usual high melodramatic style of filmmaking .


well-meaning but inert .


it 's all arty and jazzy and people sit and stare and turn away from one another instead of talking and it 's all about the silences and if you 're into that , have at it .


there 's a scientific law to be discerned here that producers would be well to heed : mediocre movies start to drag as soon as the action speeds up ; when the explosions start , they fall to pieces .


the emotion is impressively true for being so hot-blooded , and both leads are up to the task .


i 'd rather watch a rerun of the powerpuff girls


however sincere it may be , the rising place never quite justifies its own existence .


if you love him , you 'll like it .


... for all its social and political potential , state property does n't end up being very inspiring or insightful .


it 's mildly sentimental , unabashedly consumerist ... studiously inoffensive and completely disposable .


analyze that regurgitates and waters down many of the previous film 's successes , with a few new swings thrown in .


than ` magnifique ' .


before long , you 're desperate for the evening to end .


it trusts the story it sets out to tell .


this overproduced piece of dreck is shockingly bad and absolutely unnecessary .


pretend like your sat scores are below 120 and you might not notice the flaws .


` god help us , but capra and cooper are rolling over in their graves . '


it does n't flinch from its unsettling prognosis , namely , that the legacy of war is a kind of perpetual pain .


just plain silly .


the combination of lightness and strictness in this instance gives italian for beginners an amiable aimlessness that keeps it from seeming predictably formulaic .


aggressive self-glorification and a manipulative whitewash .


when it comes to the battle of hollywood vs. woo , it looks like woo 's a p.o.w.


more intellectually scary than dramatically involving .


trouble every day is a success in some sense , but it 's hard to like a film so cold and dead .


the abiding impression , despite the mild hallucinogenic buzz , is of overwhelming waste -- the acres of haute couture ca n't quite conceal that there 's nothing resembling a spine here .


an awful movie that will only satisfy the most emotionally malleable of filmgoers .


the first half bursts with a goofy energy previous disney films only used for a few minutes here and there .


resident evil is n't a product of its cinematic predecessors so much as an mtv , sugar hysteria , and playstation cocktail .


without shakespeare 's eloquent language , the update is dreary and sluggish .


a very familiar tale , one that 's been told by countless filmmakers about italian - , chinese - , irish - , latin - , indian - , russian - and other hyphenate american young men struggling to balance conflicting cultural messages .


... the story , like ravel 's bolero , builds to a crescendo that encompasses many more paths than we started with .


the film sparkles with the the wisdom and humor of its subjects .


when the movie mixes the cornpone and the cosa nostra , it finds a nice rhythm .


medem may have disrobed most of the cast , leaving their bodies exposed , but the plot remains as guarded as a virgin with a chastity belt .


if villainous vampires are your cup of blood , blade 2 is definitely a cut above the rest .


carrying this wafer-thin movie on his nimble shoulders , chan wades through putrid writing , direction and timing with a smile that says , ` if i stay positive , maybe i can channel one of my greatest pictures , drunken master . '


it 's good to see michael caine whipping out the dirty words and punching people in the stomach again .


this one is strictly a lightweight escapist film .


it 's not too much of anything .


they just do n't work in concert .


a rote exercise in both animation and storytelling .


`` the kid stays in the picture '' is a great story , terrifically told by the man who wrote it but this cliff notes edition is a cheat .


there are far worse messages to teach a young audience , which will probably be perfectly happy with the sloppy slapstick comedy .


... what a banal bore the preachy circuit turns out to be


an often unfunny romp .


-lrb- breheny 's -rrb- lensing of the new zealand and cook island locations captures both the beauty of the land and the people .


one of the smarter offerings the horror genre has produced in recent memory , even if it 's far tamer than advertised .


a poignant and gently humorous parable that loves its characters and communicates something rather beautiful about human nature .


but this is not a movie about an inhuman monster ; it 's about a very human one .


been there , done that ... a thousand times already , and better .


canadian filmmaker gary burns ' inventive and mordantly humorous take on the soullessness of work in the city .


the movie is amateurish , but it 's a minor treat .


land , people and narrative flow together in a stark portrait of motherhood deferred and desire explored .


with ` bowling for columbine , ' michael moore gives us the perfect starting point for a national conversation about guns , violence , and fear .


i like all four of the lead actors a lot and they manage to squeeze a few laughs out of the material , but they 're treading water at best in this forgettable effort .


-lrb- crystal and de niro -rrb- manage to squeeze out some good laughs but not enough to make this silly con job sing .


a sensitive , cultivated treatment of greene 's work as well as a remarkably faithful one .


most of the movie is so deadly dull that watching the proverbial paint dry would be a welcome improvement .


rewarding .


-lrb- stevens is -rrb- so stoked to make an important film about human infidelity and happenstance that he tosses a kitchen sink onto a story already overladen with plot conceits .


but it 's hardly a necessary enterprise .


if the plot seems a bit on the skinny side , that 's because panic room is interested in nothing more than sucking you in ... and making you sweat .


there is a real subject here , and it is handled with intelligence and care .


it 's just weirdness for the sake of weirdness , and where human nature should be ingratiating , it 's just grating .


... standard guns versus martial arts cliche with little new added .


there is nothing redeeming about this movie .


ryan gosling ... is at 22 a powerful young actor .


you really have to salute writer-director haneke -lrb- he adapted elfriede jelinek 's novel -rrb- for making a film that is n't nearly as graphic but much more powerful , brutally shocking and difficult to watch .


if ever such a dependable concept was botched in execution , this is it .


the kind of sense of humor that derives from a workman 's grasp of pun and entendre and its attendant need to constantly draw attention to itself .


no laughs .


sheds light on a subject few are familiar with , and makes you care about music you may not have heard before .


brainless , but enjoyably over-the-top , the retro gang melodrama , deuces wild represents fifties teen-gang machismo in a way that borders on rough-trade homo-eroticism .


director lee has a true cinematic knack , but it 's also nice to see a movie with its heart so thoroughly , unabashedly on its sleeve .


an amusing and unexpectedly insightful examination of sexual jealousy , resentment and the fine line between passion and pretence .


-lrb- t -rrb- he ideas of revolution # 9 are more compelling than the execution


while this has the making of melodrama , the filmmaker cuts against this natural grain , producing a work that 's more interested in asking questions than in answering them .


definitely a crowd-pleaser , but then , so was the roman colosseum .


cassavetes thinks he 's making dog day afternoon with a cause , but all he 's done is to reduce everything he touches to a shrill , didactic cartoon .


it 's a satisfying summer blockbuster and worth a look .


not quite as miraculous as its dreamworks makers would have you believe , but it more than adequately fills the eyes and stirs the emotions .


with mcconaughey in an entirely irony-free zone and bale reduced mainly to batting his sensitive eyelids , there 's not enough intelligence , wit or innovation on the screen to attract and sustain an older crowd .


drug abuse , infidelity and death are n't usually comedy fare , but turpin 's film allows us to chuckle through the angst .


` it looks good , sonny , but you missed the point . '


new yorkers always seem to find the oddest places to dwell ...


a giddy and provocative sexual romp that has something to say .


as inept as big-screen remakes of the avengers and the wild wild west .


take any 12-year-old boy to see this picture , and he 'll be your slave for a year .


vividly demonstrates that the director of such hollywood blockbusters as patriot games can still turn out a small , personal film with an emotional wallop .


it gets old quickly .


it 's a testament to the film 's considerable charm that it succeeds in entertaining , despite playing out like a feature-length sitcom replete with stereotypical familial quandaries .


a rude black comedy about the catalytic effect a holy fool has upon those around him in the cutthroat world of children 's television .


how about surprising us by trying something new ?


the film does give a pretty good overall picture of the situation in laramie following the murder of matthew shepard .


britney 's performance can not be faulted .


it 's a boring movie about a boring man , made watchable by a bravura performance from a consummate actor incapable of being boring .


a fairly harmless but ultimately lifeless feature-length afterschool special .


a brisk , reverent , and subtly different sequel .


alas , it 's the man that makes the clothes .


looks and feels like a low-budget hybrid of scarface or carlito 's way .


more vaudeville show than well-constructed narrative , but on those terms it 's inoffensive and actually rather sweet .


interesting both as a historical study and as a tragic love story .


a weird and wonderful comedy .


it 's incredible the number of stories the holocaust has generated .


with notorious c.h.o. cho proves she has the stuff to stand tall with pryor , carlin and murphy .


reyes ' directorial debut has good things to offer , but ultimately it 's undone by a sloppy script


the main story ... is compelling enough , but it 's difficult to shrug off the annoyance of that chatty fish .


i ca n't remember the last time i saw an audience laugh so much during a movie , but there 's only one problem ... it 's supposed to be a drama .


a fine effort , an interesting topic , some intriguing characters and a sad ending .


it 's been done before but never so vividly or with so much passion .


it 's consistently funny , in an irresistible junior-high way , and consistently free of any gag that would force you to give it a millisecond of thought .


and for all the wrong reasons besides .


by turns very dark and very funny .


just a kiss wants desperately to come off as a fanciful film about the typical problems of average people .


anemic , pretentious .


it follows the basic plot trajectory of nearly every schwarzenegger film : someone crosses arnie .


director roger kumble offers just enough sweet and traditional romantic comedy to counter the crudity .


oh , look at that clever angle !


the most anti-human big studio picture since 3000 miles to graceland .


the direction , by george hickenlooper , has no snap to it , no wiseacre crackle or hard-bitten cynicism .


represents a worthy departure from the culture clash comedies that have marked an emerging indian american cinema .


finally coming down off of miramax 's deep shelves after a couple of aborted attempts , waking up in reno makes a strong case for letting sleeping dogs lie .


the exploitative , clumsily staged violence overshadows everything , including most of the actors .


a sweet , tender sermon about a 12-year-old welsh boy more curious about god than girls , who learns that believing in something does matter .


frida is certainly no disaster , but neither is it the kahlo movie frida fans have been looking for .


too slow for a younger crowd , too shallow for an older one .


nicole holofcenter , the insightful writer\/director responsible for this illuminating comedy does n't wrap the proceedings up neatly but the ideas tie together beautifully .


aspires to the cracked lunacy of the adventures of buckaroo banzai , but thanks to an astonishingly witless script ends up more like the adventures of ford fairlane .


` blue crush ' swims away with the sleeper movie of the summer award .


a quasi-documentary by french filmmaker karim dridi that celebrates the hardy spirit of cuban music .


if we 're to slap protagonist genevieve leplouff because she 's french , do we have that same option to slap her creators because they 're clueless and inept ?


allen 's underestimated charm delivers more goodies than lumps of coal .


shot in rich , shadowy black-and-white , devils chronicles , with increasingly amused irony , the relationship between reluctant captors and befuddled captives .


even bigger and more ambitious than the first installment , spy kids 2 looks as if it were made by a highly gifted 12-year-old instead of a grown man .


a movie in which laughter and self-exploitation merge into jolly soft-porn 'em powerment . '


the film is like sitting in a downtown café , overhearing a bunch of typical late-twenty-somethings natter on about nothing , and desperately wishing you could change tables .


seeing as the film lacks momentum and its position remains mostly undeterminable , the director 's experiment is a successful one .


it has no affect on the kurds , but it wore me down .


most of the information has already appeared in one forum or another and , no matter how broomfield dresses it up , it tends to speculation , conspiracy theories or , at best , circumstantial evidence .


elegant and eloquent -lrb- meditation -rrb- on death and that most elusive of passions , love .


zoom !


a bore that tends to hammer home every one of its points .


the way home is an ode to unconditional love and compassion garnered from years of seeing it all , a condition only the old are privy to , and ... often misconstrued as weakness .


a beautiful , timeless and universal tale of heated passions -- jealousy , betrayal , forgiveness and murder .


the hanukkah spirit seems fried in pork .


a few pieces of the film buzz and whir ; very little of it actually clicks .


it 's loud and boring ; watching it is like being trapped at a bad rock concert .


the best thing about the movie is its personable , amusing cast .


is truth stranger than fiction ?


fails to satisfactorily exploit its gender politics , genre thrills or inherent humor .


high drama , disney-style - a wing and a prayer and a hunky has-been pursuing his castle in the sky .


this loud and thoroughly obnoxious comedy about a pair of squabbling working-class spouses is a deeply unpleasant experience .


kwan is a master of shadow , quietude , and room noise , and lan yu is a disarmingly lived-in movie .


-lrb- seagal 's -rrb- strenuous attempt at a change in expression could very well clinch him this year 's razzie .


an instantly forgettable snow-and-stuntwork extravaganza that likely will be upstaged by an avalanche of more appealing holiday-season product .


it 's hard to imagine anyone managing to steal a movie not only from charismatic rising star jake gyllenhaal but also from accomplished oscar winners susan sarandon , dustin hoffman and holly hunter , yet newcomer ellen pompeo pulls off the feat with aplomb .


the year 's greatest adventure , and jackson 's limited but enthusiastic adaptation has made literature literal without killing its soul -- a feat any thinking person is bound to appreciate .


catch it ... if you can !


potty-mouthed enough for pg-13 , yet not as hilariously raunchy as south park , this strangely schizo cartoon seems suited neither to kids or adults .


sex with strangers will shock many with its unblinking frankness .


a properly spooky film about the power of spirits to influence us whether we believe in them or not .


but that they are doing it is thought-provoking .


the one not-so-small problem with expecting is that the entire exercise has no real point .


nicole kidman evolved from star to superstar some time over the past year , which means that birthday girl is the kind of quirkily appealing minor movie she might not make for a while .


viewers will need all the luck they can muster just figuring out who 's who in this pretentious mess .


miller has crafted an intriguing story of maternal instincts and misguided acts of affection .


the irony is that this film 's cast is uniformly superb ; their performances could have -- should have -- been allowed to stand on their own .


if cinema had been around to capture the chaos of france in the 1790 's , one imagines the result would look like something like this .


ver wiel 's desperate attempt at wit is lost , leaving the character of critical jim two-dimensional and pointless .


sandra bullock and hugh grant make a great team , but this predictable romantic comedy should get a pink slip .


k-19 will not go down in the annals of cinema as one of the great submarine stories , but it is an engaging and exciting narrative of man confronting the demons of his own fear and paranoia .


some of the characters die and others do n't , and the film pretends that those living have learned some sort of lesson , and , really , nobody in the viewing audience cares .


tsai has a well-deserved reputation as one of the cinema world 's great visual stylists , and in this film , every shot enhances the excellent performances .


fulfills the minimum requirement of disney animation .


deepa mehta provides an accessible introduction as well as some intelligent observations on the success of bollywood in the western world .


vibrantly colored and beautifully designed , metropolis is a feast for the eyes .


contradicts everything we 've come to expect from movies nowadays .


not to mention absolutely refreshed .


the director mostly plays it straight , turning leys ' fable into a listless climb down the social ladder .


does n't come close to justifying the hype that surrounded its debut at the sundance film festival two years ago .


a lame romantic comedy about an unsympathetic character and someone who would not likely be so stupid as to get involved with her .


better than the tepid star trek : insurrection ; falls short of first contact because the villain could n't pick the lint off borg queen alice krige 's cape ; and finishes half a parsec -lrb- a nose -rrb- ahead of generations .


a passable romantic comedy , in need of another couple of passes through the word processor .


while the transgressive trappings -lrb- especially the frank sex scenes -rrb- ensure that the film is never dull , rodrigues 's beast-within metaphor is ultimately rather silly and overwrought , making the ambiguous ending seem goofy rather than provocative .


a distinctly mixed bag , the occasional bursts of sharp writing alternating with lots of sloppiness and the obligatory moments of sentimental ooze .


as the dominant christine , sylvie testud is icily brilliant .


a well-intentioned effort that 's still too burdened by the actor 's offbeat sensibilities for the earnest emotional core to emerge with any degree of accessibility .


slap her - she 's not funny !


it 's so devoid of joy and energy it makes even jason x ... look positively shakesperean by comparison .


serious and thoughtful .


... wallace is smart to vary the pitch of his movie , balancing deafening battle scenes with quieter domestic scenes of women back home receiving war department telegrams .


it 's impossible to indulge the fanciful daydreams of janice beard -lrb- eileen walsh -rrb- when her real-life persona is so charmless and vacant .


the santa clause 2 is a barely adequate babysitter for older kids , but i 've got to give it thumbs down .


the script by vincent r. nebrida ... tries to cram too many ingredients into one small pot .


tartakovsky 's team has some freakish powers of visual charm , but the five writers slip into the modern rut of narrative banality .


it 's really just another silly hollywood action film , one among a multitude of simple-minded , yahoo-ing death shows .


throwing in everything except someone pulling the pin from a grenade with his teeth , windtalkers seems to have ransacked every old world war ii movie for overly familiar material .


it should be interesting , it should be poignant , it turns out to be affected and boring .


writer-director walter hill and co-writer david giler try to create characters out of the obvious cliches , but wind up using them as punching bags .


sunshine state surveys the landscape and assesses the issues with a clear passion for sociology .


for a film that 's being advertised as a comedy , sweet home alabama is n't as funny as you 'd hoped .


this movie is so bad , that it 's almost worth seeing because it 's so bad .


the armenian genocide deserves a more engaged and honest treatment .


foster and whitaker are especially fine .


even if the naipaul original remains the real masterpiece , the movie possesses its own languorous charm .


amidst the action , the script carries arnold -lrb- and the viewers -rrb- into the forbidden zone of sympathizing with terrorist motivations by presenting the `` other side of the story . ''


warm in its loving yet unforgivingly inconsistent depiction of everyday people , relaxed in its perfect quiet pace and proud in its message .


this film biggest problem ?


hatfield and hicks make the oddest of couples , and in this sense the movie becomes a study of the gambles of the publishing world , offering a case study that exists apart from all the movie 's political ramifications .


few films have captured the chaos of an urban conflagration with such fury , and audience members will leave feeling as shaken as nesbitt 's cooper looks when the bullets stop flying .


turturro is fabulously funny and over the top as a ` very sneaky ' butler who excels in the art of impossible disappearing\/reappearing acts


its impressive images of crematorium chimney fires and stacks of dead bodies are undermined by the movie 's presentation , which is way too stagy .


a waste of fearless purity in the acting craft .


the film is so packed with subplots involving the various silbersteins that it feels more like the pilot episode of a tv series than a feature film .


its screenplay serves as auto-critique , and its clumsiness as its own most damning censure .


those who are n't put off by the film 's austerity will find it more than capable of rewarding them .


streamlined to a tight , brisk 85-minute screwball thriller , `` big trouble '' is funny , harmless and as substantial as a tub of popcorn with extra butter .


low comedy does n't come much lower .


it 's not a film to be taken literally on any level , but its focus always appears questionable .


a very well-meaning movie , and it will stand in future years as an eloquent memorial to the world trade center tragedy .


think the lion king redone for horses , with fewer deliberate laughs , more inadvertent ones and stunningly trite songs by bryan adams , the world 's most generic rock star .


p.t. anderson understands the grandness of romance and how love is the great equalizer that can calm us of our daily ills and bring out joys in our lives that we never knew were possible .


reminiscent of alfred hitchcock 's thrillers , most of the scary parts in ` signs ' occur while waiting for things to happen .


-lrb- cho 's face is -rrb- an amazing slapstick instrument , creating a scrapbook of living mug shots .


this movie may not have the highest production values you 've ever seen , but it 's the work of an artist , one whose view of america , history and the awkwardness of human life is generous and deep .


mr. wollter and ms. seldhal give strong and convincing performances , but neither reaches into the deepest recesses of the character to unearth the quaking essence of passion , grief and fear .


`` analyze that '' is one of those crass , contrived sequels that not only fails on its own , but makes you second-guess your affection for the original .


the direction occasionally rises to the level of marginal competence , but for most of the film it is hard to tell who is chasing who or why .


a puppy dog so desperate for attention it nearly breaks its little neck trying to perform entertaining tricks .


super troopers is an odd amalgam of comedy genres , existing somewhere between the often literal riffs of early zucker brothers\/abrahams films , and the decidedly foul stylings of their post-modern contemporaries , the farrelly brothers .


has the marks of a septuagenarian ; it 's a crusty treatment of a clever gimmick .


it 's a very sincere work , but it would be better as a diary or documentary .


a brutally honest documentary about a much anticipated family reunion that goes wrong thanks to culture shock and a refusal to empathize with others .


it 's harmless , diverting fluff .


i have not been this disappointed by a movie in a long time .


while insomnia is in many ways a conventional , even predictable remake , nolan 's penetrating undercurrent of cerebral and cinemantic flair lends -lrb- it -rrb- stimulating depth .


its adult themes of familial separation and societal betrayal are head and shoulders above much of the director 's previous popcorn work .


can be classified as one of those ` alternate reality ' movies ... except that it would have worked so much better dealing in only one reality .


the result is more depressing than liberating , but it 's never boring .


routine and rather silly .


to honestly address the flaws inherent in how medical aid is made available to american workers , a more balanced or fair portrayal of both sides will be needed .


i 'm sure the filmmakers found this a remarkable and novel concept , but anybody who has ever seen an independent film can report that it is instead a cheap cliché .


well-meant but unoriginal .


uzumaki 's interesting social parallel and defiant aesthetic seems a prostituted muse ...


works on the whodunit level as its larger themes get lost in the murk of its own making


goes a long way on hedonistic gusto .


one of the most slyly exquisite anti-adult movies ever made .


but not without cheesy fun factor .


... you can be forgiven for realizing that you 've spent the past 20 minutes looking at your watch and waiting for frida to just die already .


shows moments of promise but ultimately succumbs to cliches and pat storytelling .


the hot topics of the plot are relegated to the background -- a welcome step forward from the sally jesse raphael atmosphere of films like philadelphia and american beauty .


seriously , rent the disney version .


not only does the thoroughly formulaic film represent totally exemplify middle-of-the-road mainstream , it also represents glossy hollywood at its laziest .


a fun family movie that 's suitable for all ages -- a movie that will make you laugh , cry and realize , ` it 's never too late to believe in your dreams . '


the package in which this fascinating -- and timely -- content comes wrapped is disappointingly generic .


good , solid storytelling .


and neither do cliches , no matter how ` inside ' they are .


an uncomfortable movie , suffocating and sometimes almost senseless , the grey zone does have a center , though a morbid one .


my advice is to skip the film and pick up the soundtrack .


confessions is without a doubt a memorable directorial debut from king hunk .


this is an exercise in chilling style , and twohy films the sub , inside and out , with an eye on preserving a sense of mystery .


best described as i know what you did last winter .


a fascinating glimpse into an insular world that gives the lie to many clichés and showcases a group of dedicated artists .


happy times maintains an appealing veneer without becoming too cute about it .


starts out with tremendous promise , introducing an intriguing and alluring premise , only to fall prey to a boatload of screenwriting cliches that sink it faster than a leaky freighter .


it 's a fanboy ` what if ? '


an imponderably stilted and self-consciously arty movie .


bluto blutarsky , we miss you .


too much power , not enough puff .


the movie keeps coming back to the achingly unfunny phonce and his several silly subplots .


o.k. , not really .


tsai ming-liang 's ghosts are painfully aware of their not-being .


it 's not a particularly good film , but neither is it a monsterous one .


despite terrific special effects and funnier gags , harry potter and the chamber of secrets finds a way to make j.k. rowling 's marvelous series into a deadly bore .


not once in the rush to save the day did i become very involved in the proceedings ; to me , it was just a matter of ` eh . '


the filmmakers want nothing else than to show us a good time , and in their cheap , b movie way , they succeed .


reign of fire is hardly the most original fantasy film ever made -- beyond road warrior , it owes enormous debts to aliens and every previous dragon drama -- but that barely makes it any less entertaining .


the pianist -lrb- is -rrb- a supremely hopeful cautionary tale of war 's madness remembered that we , today , can prevent its tragic waste of life .


the more you think about the movie , the more you will probably like it .


the sinister inspiration that fuelled devito 's early work is confused in death to smoochy into something both ugly and mindless .


it 's a shame that the storyline and its underlying themes ... finally seem so impersonal or even shallow .


apparently writer-director attal thought he need only cast himself and his movie-star wife sitting around in their drawers to justify a film .


deuces wild is an encyclopedia of cliches that shoplifts shamelessly from farewell-to-innocence movies like the wanderers and a bronx tale without cribbing any of their intelligence .


an overly melodramatic but somewhat insightful french coming-of-age film ...


visually breathtaking , viscerally exciting , and dramatically moving , it 's the very definition of epic adventure .


rarely , indeed almost never , is such high-wattage brainpower coupled with pitch-perfect acting and an exquisite , unfakable sense of cinema .


among the many pleasures are the lively intelligence of the artists and their perceptiveness about their own situations .


the film tries to touch on spousal abuse but veers off course and becomes just another revenge film .


a refreshing change from the usual whoopee-cushion effort aimed at the youth market .


sweet gentle jesus , did the screenwriters just do a cut-and-paste of every bad action-movie line in history ?


these people are really going to love the piano teacher .


` in this poor remake of such a well loved classic , parker exposes the limitations of his skill and the basic flaws in his vision . '


if you 're looking for a smart , nuanced look at de sade and what might have happened at picpus , sade is your film .


... the first 2\/3 of the film are incredibly captivating and insanely funny , thanks in part to interesting cinematic devices -lrb- cool visual backmasking -rrb- , a solid cast , and some wickedly sick and twisted humor ...


if this movie leaves you cool , it also leaves you intriguingly contemplative .


according to the script , grant and bullock 's characters are made for each other .


it pulls the rug out from under you , just when you 're ready to hate one character , or really sympathize with another character , something happens to send you off in different direction .


feels like pieces a bunch of other , better movies slapped together .


the film feels formulaic , its plot and pacing typical hollywood war-movie stuff , while the performances elicit more of a sense of deja vu than awe .


a dazzling dream of a documentary .


partly a schmaltzy , by-the-numbers romantic comedy , partly a shallow rumination on the emptiness of success -- and entirely soulless .


` this movie sucks . '


peralta 's mythmaking could have used some informed , adult hindsight .


an incredibly irritating comedy about thoroughly vacuous people ... manages to embody the worst excesses of nouvelle vague without any of its sense of fun or energy .


a pointed , often tender , examination of the pros and cons of unconditional love and familial duties .


what `` empire '' lacks in depth it makes up for with its heart .


a doa dud from frame one .


the biggest problem with satin rouge is lilia herself .


melds derivative elements into something that is often quite rich and exciting , and always a beauty to behold .


a romance ?


as is often the case with ambitious , eager first-time filmmakers , mr. murray , a prolific director of music videos , stuffs his debut with more plot than it can comfortably hold .


meeting , even exceeding expectations , it 's the best sequel since the empire strikes back ... a majestic achievement , an epic of astonishing grandeur and surprising emotional depth .


old people will love this movie , and i mean that in the nicest possible way : last orders will touch the heart of anyone old enough to have earned a 50-year friendship .


arteta paints a picture of lives lived in a state of quiet desperation .


such a premise is ripe for all manner of lunacy , but kaufman and gondry rarely seem sure of where it should go .


rollerball is as bad as you think , and worse than you can imagine .


the filmmakers are playing to the big boys in new york and l.a. to that end , they mock the kind of folks they do n't understand , ones they figure the power-lunchers do n't care to understand , either .


sheridan is painfully bad , a fourth-rate jim carrey who does n't understand the difference between dumb fun and just plain dumb .


it 's supposed to be a humorous , all-too-human look at how hope can breed a certain kind of madness -- and strength -- but it never quite adds up .


... even if you 've never heard of chaplin , you 'll still be glued to the screen .


the complex , politically charged tapestry of contemporary chinese life this exciting new filmmaker has brought to the screen is like nothing we westerners have seen before .


a delightful , if minor , pastry of a movie .


antwone fisher certainly does the trick of making us care about its protagonist and celebrate his victories but , with few exceptions , it rarely stoops to cheap manipulation or corny conventions to do it .


while there are times when the film 's reach exceeds its grasp , the production works more often than it does n't .


watching this gentle , mesmerizing portrait of a man coming to terms with time , you barely realize your mind is being blown .


gere gives a good performance in a film that does n't merit it .


the most compelling performance of the year adds substantial depth to this shocking testament to anti-semitism and neo-fascism .


i liked it just enough .


-lrb- t -rrb- oo many of these gross out scenes ...


director nancy savoca 's no-frills record of a show forged in still-raw emotions captures the unsettled tenor of that post 9-11 period far better than a more measured or polished production ever could .


this big screen caper has a good bark , far from being a bow-wow .


... a pretentious mess ...


this enthralling documentary ... is at once playful and haunting , an in-depth portrait of an iconoclastic artist who was fundamentally unknowable even to his closest friends .


captures the raw comic energy of one of our most flamboyant female comics .