becomes the last thing you would expect from a film with this title or indeed from any plympton film : boring .


heavy with flabby rolls of typical toback machinations .


last orders nurtures the multi-layers of its characters , allowing us to remember that life 's ultimately a gamble and last orders are to be embraced .


the only thing i laughed at were the people who paid to see it .


the script , the gags , the characters are all direct-to-video stuff , and that 's where this film should have remained .


on the evidence before us , the answer is clear : not easily and , in the end , not well enough .


an awkwardly contrived exercise in magic realism .


each scene immediately succumbs to gravity and plummets to earth .


assayas ' ambitious , sometimes beautiful adaptation of jacques chardonne 's novel .


nothing but one relentlessly depressing situation after another for its entire running time , something that you could easily be dealing with right now in your lives .


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


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


... hokey art house pretension .


unfortunately the story and the actors are served with a hack script .


and there 's the inimitable diaz , holding it all together .


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


comes across as a fairly weak retooling .


one of the best films of the year with its exquisite acting , inventive screenplay , mesmerizing music , and many inimitable scenes of tenderness , loss , discontent , and yearning .


the big finish is a bit like getting all excited about a chocolate eclair and then biting into it and finding the filling missing .


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


the film was immensely enjoyable thanks to great performances by both steve buscemi and rosario dawson ...


it 's quite an achievement to set and shoot a movie at the cannes film festival and yet fail to capture its visual appeal or its atmosphere .


apparently designed as a reverie about memory and regret , but the only thing you 'll regret is remembering the experience of sitting through it .


it never rises to its clever what-if concept .


shallow , noisy and pretentious .


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


not a film for the faint of heart or conservative of spirit , but for the rest of us -- especially san francisco lovers -- it 's a spirited film and a must-see .


engages us in constant fits of laughter , until we find ourselves surprised at how much we care about the story , and end up walking out not only satisfied but also somewhat touched .


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


it 's probably worth catching solely on its visual merits .


an enjoyable feel-good family comedy regardless of race .


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


a fine production with splendid singing by angela gheorghiu , ruggero raimondi , and roberto alagna .


it may scream low budget , but this charmer has a spirit that can not be denied .


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


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


do n't wait to see this terrific film with your kids -- if you do n't have kids borrow some .


could as easily have been called ` under siege 3 : in alcatraz ' ... a cinematic corpse that never springs to life .


cedar somewhat defuses this provocative theme by submerging it in a hoary love triangle .


is it a comedy ?


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 .


it does n't make for great cinema , but it is interesting to see where one 's imagination will lead when given the opportunity .


its and pieces of the hot chick are so hilarious , and schneider 's performance is so fine , it 's a real shame that so much of the movie -- again , as in the animal -- is a slapdash mess .


this is sandler running on empty , repeating what he 's already done way too often .


both exuberantly romantic and serenely melancholy , what time is it there ?


... a series of tales told with the intricate preciseness of the best short story writing .


i walked away not really know who `` they '' were , what `` they '' looked like .


the movie is genial but never inspired , and little about it will stay with you .


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


long on twinkly-eyed close-ups and short on shame .


familiar but utterly delightful .


the chocolate factory without charlie .


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


steven spielberg brings us another masterpiece


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


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


a lot of the credit for the film 's winning tone must go to grant , who has n't lost a bit of the dry humor that first made audiences on both sides of the atlantic love him .


the rare imax movie that you 'll wish was longer than an hour .


if you 're a comic fan , you ca n't miss it .


a marvel of production design .


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


a welcome relief from baseball movies that try too hard to be mythic , this one is a sweet and modest and ultimately winning story .


from both a great and a terrible story , mr. nelson has made a film that is an undeniably worthy and devastating experience .


consider it ` perfection . '


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


if the material is slight and admittedly manipulative , jacquot preserves tosca 's intoxicating ardor through his use of the camera .


like the tuck family themselves , this movie just goes on and on and on and on


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


moretti ... is the rare common-man artist who 's wise enough to recognize that there are few things in this world more complex -- and , as it turns out , more fragile -- than happiness .


... irritating soul-searching garbage .


a humorless journey into a philosophical void .


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


you can drive right by it without noticing anything special , save for a few comic turns , intended and otherwise .


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


the story gives ample opportunity for large-scale action and suspense , which director shekhar kapur supplies with tremendous skill .


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


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


triple x is a double agent , and he 's one bad dude .


wanders all over the map thematically and stylistically , and borrows heavily from lynch , jeunet , and von trier while failing to find a spark of its own .


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


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


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


jeffs has created a breathtakingly assured and stylish work of spare dialogue and acute expressiveness .


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


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 .


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


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


a really good premise is frittered away in middle-of-the-road blandness .


a bit too eager to please .


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


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


rarely has skin looked as beautiful , desirable , even delectable , as it does in trouble every day .


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


funny and also heartwarming without stooping to gooeyness .


this kiddie-oriented stinker is so bad that i even caught the gum stuck under my seat trying to sneak out of the theater


shreve 's graceful dual narrative gets clunky on the screen , and we keep getting torn away from the compelling historical tale to a less-compelling soap opera .


the story passes time until it 's time for an absurd finale of twisted metal , fireballs and revenge .


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


he 's not good with people .


big mistake .


aan opportunity wasted .


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


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


it is quite a vision .


a stupid , derivative horror film that substitutes extreme gore for suspense .


the color sense of stuart little 2 is its most immediate and most obvious pleasure , but it would count for very little if the movie were n't as beautifully shaped and as delicately calibrated in tone as it is .


downbeat , period-perfect biopic hammers home a heavy-handed moralistic message .


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


the pairing does sound promising in theory ... but their lack of chemistry makes eddie murphy and robert deniro in showtime look like old , familiar vaudeville partners .


you come away thinking not only that kate is n't very bright , but that she has n't been worth caring about and that maybe she , janine and molly -- an all-woman dysfunctional family -- deserve one another .


if you 're looking for something new and hoping for something entertaining , you 're in luck .


a triumph of pure craft and passionate heart .


cool .


the film boasts dry humor and jarring shocks , plus moments of breathtaking mystery .


beautiful , angry and sad , with a curious sick poetry , as if the marquis de sade had gone in for pastel landscapes .


morvern callar confirms lynne ramsay as an important , original talent in international cinema .


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


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


depressingly thin and exhaustingly contrived .


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


bouquet gives a performance that is masterly .


it 's as sorry a mess as its director 's diabolical debut , mad cows .


there 's a lot to recommend read my lips .


i 'd rather watch a rerun of the powerpuff girls


this submarine drama earns the right to be favorably compared to das boot .


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


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


maintains your interest until the end and even leaves you with a few lingering animated thoughts .


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


britney spears ' phoniness is nothing compared to the movie 's contrived , lame screenplay and listless direction .


the movie 's progression into rambling incoherence gives new meaning to the phrase ` fatal script error . '


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


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


terrific as nadia , a russian mail-order bride who comes to america speaking not a word of english , it 's kidman who holds the film together with a supremely kittenish performance that gradually accumulates more layers .


he fails .


this new movie version of the alexandre dumas classic is the stuff of high romance , brought off with considerable wit .


nicolas cage is n't the first actor to lead a group of talented friends astray , and this movie wo n't create a ruffle in what is already an erratic career .


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


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


the bodily function jokes are about what you 'd expect , but there are rich veins of funny stuff in this movie .


for a film about action , ultimate x is the gabbiest giant-screen movie ever , bogging down in a barrage of hype .


it 's a solid movie about people whose lives are anything but .


one ca n't shake the feeling that crossroads is nothing more than an hour-and-a-half-long commercial for britney 's latest album .


visually engrossing , seldom hammy , honorably mexican and burns its kahlories with conviction .


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


it makes even elizabeth hurley seem graceless and ugly .


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


a terrifically entertaining specimen of spielbergian sci-fi .


simply a re-hash of the other seven films .


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


a playful iranian parable about openness , particularly the need for people of diverse political perspectives to get along despite their ideological differences .


death might be a release .


the movie 's messages are quite admirable , but the story is just too clichéd and too often strains credulity .


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


as ex-marine walter , who may or may not have shot kennedy , actor raymond j. barry is perfectly creepy and believable .


the production design , score and choreography are simply intoxicating .


the result puts a human face on derrida , and makes one of the great minds of our times interesting and accessible to people who normally could n't care less .


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


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


the picture uses humor and a heartfelt conviction to tell a story about discovering your destination in life , but also acknowledging the places , and the people , from whence you came .


a perfect example of rancid , well-intentioned , but shamelessly manipulative movie making .


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


lux , now in her eighties , does a great combination act as narrator , jewish grandmother and subject -- taking us through a film that is part biography , part entertainment and part history .


a stylish but steady , and ultimately very satisfying , piece of character-driven storytelling .


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


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


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


an exercise in cynicism every bit as ugly as the shabby digital photography and muddy sound .


ken russell would love this .


has all the scenic appeal of a cesspool .


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


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


kitschy , flashy , overlong soap opera .


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


sex is one of those films that aims to confuse .


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


salma goes native and she 's never been better in this colorful bio-pic of a mexican icon .


human nature is a goofball movie , in the way that malkovich was , but it tries too hard .


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


a literary detective story is still a detective story and aficionados of the whodunit wo n't be disappointed .


the soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission .


it sounds like another clever if pointless excursion into the abyss , and that 's more or less how it plays out .


the film has the high-buffed gloss and high-octane jolts you expect of de palma , but what makes it transporting is that it 's also one of the smartest , most pleasurable expressions of pure movie love to come from an american director in years .


sly , sophisticated and surprising .


-lrb- kline 's -rrb- utterly convincing -- and deeply appealing -- as a noble teacher who embraces a strict moral code , and as a flawed human being who ca n't quite live up to it .


more trifle than triumph .


it 's hard to believe these jokers are supposed to have pulled off four similar kidnappings before .


murphy and wilson actually make a pretty good team ... but the project surrounding them is distressingly rote .


the screenplay , co-written by director imogen kimmel , lacks the wit necessary to fully exploit the comic elements of the premise , making the proceedings more bizarre than actually amusing .


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


she may not be real , but the laughs are .


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


a depressingly retrograde , ` post-feminist ' romantic comedy that takes an astonishingly condescending attitude toward women .


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


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 .


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


both garcia and jagger turn in perfectly executed and wonderfully sympathetic characters , who are alternately touching and funny .


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 .


you 'll trudge out of the theater feeling as though you rode the zipper after eating a corn dog and an extra-large cotton candy .


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


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


by surrounding us with hyper-artificiality , haynes makes us see familiar issues , like racism and homophobia , in a fresh way .


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


a highly spirited , imaginative kid 's movie that broaches neo-augustinian theology : is god stuck in heaven because he 's afraid of his best-known creation ?


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


when the fire burns out , we 've only come face-to-face with a couple dragons and that 's where the film ultimately fails .


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


the pianist is polanski 's best film .


you feel good , you feel sad , you feel pissed off , but in the end , you feel alive - which is what they did .


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


from the dull , surreal ache of mortal awareness emerges a radiant character portrait .


utter mush ... conceited pap .


despite its hawaiian setting , the science-fiction trimmings and some moments of rowdy slapstick , the basic plot of `` lilo '' could have been pulled from a tear-stained vintage shirley temple script .


gooding is the energetic frontman , and it 's hard to resist his enthusiasm , even if the filmmakers come up with nothing original in the way of slapstick sequences .


... the whole thing succeeded only in making me groggy .


just when you think that every possible angle has been exhausted by documentarians , another new film emerges with yet another remarkable yet shockingly little-known perspective .


think of it as gidget , only with muscles and a lot more smarts , but just as endearing and easy to watch .


grant carries the day with impeccable comic timing , raffish charm and piercing intellect .


a frustrating ` tweener ' -- too slick , contrived and exploitative for the art houses and too cynical , small and decadent for the malls .


predictably soulless techno-tripe .


the filmmakers keep pushing the jokes at the expense of character until things fall apart .


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


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


the film 's most improbable feat ?


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


there is no substitute for on-screen chemistry , and when friel pulls the strings that make williams sink into melancholia , the reaction in williams is as visceral as a gut punch .


there are some fairly unsettling scenes , but they never succeed in really rattling the viewer .


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


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


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


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


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


a dark , quirky road movie that constantly defies expectation .


mr. spielberg and his company just want you to enjoy yourselves without feeling conned .


what the audience feels is exhaustion , from watching a movie that is dark -lrb- dark green , to be exact -rrb- , sour , bloody and mean .


mr. polanski is in his element here : alone , abandoned , but still consoled by his art , which is more than he has ever revealed before about the source of his spiritual survival .


a devastating indictment of unbridled greed and materalism .


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


it 's full of cheesy dialogue , but great trashy fun that finally returns de palma to his pulpy thrillers of the early '80s .


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


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


darkly funny and frequently insightful .


formuliac , but fun .


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 .


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


the movie does n't generate a lot of energy .


and yet , it still works .


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


... a light , yet engrossing piece .


really quite funny .


pretty much sucks , but has a funny moment or two .


a singularly off-putting romantic comedy .


diaz wears out her welcome in her most charmless performance


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


the off-center humor is a constant , and the ensemble gives it a buoyant delivery .


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


an eye-boggling blend of psychedelic devices , special effects and backgrounds , ` spy kids 2 ' is a visual treat for all audiences .


a lot of talent is wasted in this crass , low-wattage endeavor .


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


an engaging criminal romp that will have viewers guessing just who 's being conned right up to the finale .


an engrossing portrait of uncompromising artists trying to create something original against the backdrop of a corporate music industry that only seems to care about the bottom line .


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


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


like coming into a long-running , well-written television series where you 've missed the first half-dozen episodes and probably wo n't see the next six .


its flame-like , roiling black-and-white inspires trembling and gratitude .


although it includes a fair share of dumb drug jokes and predictable slapstick , `` orange county '' is far funnier than it would seem to have any right to be .


-lrb- the film -rrb- tackles the topic of relationships in such a straightforward , emotionally honest manner that by the end , it 's impossible to ascertain whether the film is , at its core , deeply pessimistic or quietly hopeful .


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


it 's a visual rorschach test and i must have failed .


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


the huskies are beautiful , the border collie is funny and the overall feeling is genial and decent .


charming and witty , it 's also somewhat clumsy .


amari has dressed up this little parable in a fairly irresistible package full of privileged moments and memorable performances .


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 .


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


... an eerily suspenseful , deeply absorbing piece that works as a treatise on spirituality as well as a solid sci-fi thriller .


despite juliet stevenon 's attempt to bring cohesion to pamela 's emotional roller coaster life , it is not enough to give the film the substance it so desperately needs .


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


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


what with all the blanket statements and dime-store ruminations on vanity , the worries of the rich and sudden wisdom , the film becomes a sermon for most of its running time .


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


those eternally devoted to the insanity of black will have an intermittently good time .


the pretensions -- and disposable story -- sink the movie .


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


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


meyjes ... has done his homework and soaked up some jazzy new revisionist theories about the origins of nazi politics and aesthetics .


poetic , heartbreaking .


a memorable experience that , like many of his works , presents weighty issues colorfully wrapped up in his own idiosyncratic strain of kitschy goodwill .


as an actress , madonna is one helluva singer .


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


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


the direction has a fluid , no-nonsense authority , and the performances by harris , phifer and cam ` ron seal the deal .


a film that will enthrall the whole family .


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


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


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


a quaint , romanticized rendering .


filmmakers david weissman and bill weber benefit enormously from the cockettes ' camera craziness -- not only did they film performances , but they did the same at home .


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


a little too ponderous to work as shallow entertainment , not remotely incisive enough to qualify as drama , monsoon wedding serves mostly to whet one 's appetite for the bollywood films .


a movie that the less charitable might describe as a castrated cross between highlander and lolita .


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


a full experience , a love story and a murder mystery that expands into a meditation on the deep deceptions of innocence .


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


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


the cast is top-notch and i predict there will be plenty of female audience members drooling over michael idemoto as michael .


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


it 's all stitched together with energy , intelligence and verve , enhanced by a surplus of vintage archive footage .


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


a faster paced family flick .


`` 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 .


fairy-tale formula , serves as a paper skeleton for some very good acting , dialogue , comedy , direction and especially charm .


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


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 .


in its understanding , often funny way , it tells a story whose restatement is validated by the changing composition of the nation .


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


tiresomely derivative and hammily acted .


i walked away from this new version of e.t. just as i hoped i would -- with moist eyes .


what should have been a cutting hollywood satire is instead about as fresh as last week 's issue of variety .


the film does a solid job of slowly , steadily building up to the climactic burst of violence .


the heart of the film is a touching reflection on aging , suffering and the prospect of death .


the notion of deleting emotion from people , even in an advanced prozac nation , is so insanely dysfunctional that the rampantly designed equilibrium becomes a concept doofus .


puts to rest any thought that the german film industry can not make a delightful comedy centering on food .


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


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


a well-executed spy-thriller .


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 .


the trailer is a riot .


this cloying , voices-from-the-other-side story is hell .


alas , getting there is not even half the interest .


a chilly , brooding but quietly resonant psychological study of domestic tension and unhappiness .


the result is somewhat satisfying -- it still comes from spielberg , who has never made anything that was n't at least watchable .


i 'll go out on a limb .


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


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


as improbable as this premise may seem , abbass 's understated , shining performance offers us the sense that on some elemental level , lilia deeply wants to break free of her old life .


maybe leblanc thought , `` hey , the movie about the baseball-playing monkey was worse . ''


gives an intriguing twist to the french coming-of-age genre .


he nonetheless appreciates the art and reveals a music scene that transcends culture and race .


escapes the precious trappings of most romantic comedies , infusing into the story very real , complicated emotions .


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


a naturally funny film , home movie makes you crave chris smith 's next movie .


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


the quirky and recessive charms of co-stars martin donovan and mary-louise parker help overcome the problematic script .


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


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


graced with the kind of social texture and realism that would be foreign in american teen comedies .


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


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


with little visible talent and no energy , colin hanks is in bad need of major acting lessons and maybe a little coffee .


this movie feel more like a non-stop cry for attention , than an attempt at any kind of satisfying entertainment .


exhilarating but blatantly biased .


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


rarely , a movie is more than a movie .


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


to some eyes this will seem like a recycling of clichés , an assassin 's greatest hits .


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


an achingly enthralling premise , the film is hindered by uneven dialogue and plot lapses .


the innate theatrics that provide its thrills and extreme emotions lose their luster when flattened onscreen .


a gentle and engrossing character study .


sluggish , tonally uneven .


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


the film is undone by anachronistic quick edits and occasional jarring glimpses of a modern theater audience watching the events unfold .


what could have easily become a cold , calculated exercise in postmodern pastiche winds up a powerful and deeply moving example of melodramatic moviemaking .


russell lacks the visual panache , the comic touch , and perhaps the budget of sommers 's title-bout features .


some remarkable achival film about how shanghai -lrb- of all places -rrb- served jews who escaped the holocaust .


`` interview '' loses its overall sense of mystery and becomes a tv episode rather than a documentary that you actually buy into .


an old-fashioned but emotionally stirring adventure tale of the kind they rarely make anymore .


intelligent and moving .


a bodice-ripper for intellectuals .


it 's fun , wispy , wise and surprisingly inoffensive for a film about a teen in love with his stepmom .


the narrator and the other characters try to convince us that acting transfigures esther , but she 's never seen speaking on stage ; one feels cheated , and esther seems to remain an unchanged dullard .


time out is existential drama without any of the pretension associated with the term .


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


peppering this urban study with references to norwegian folktales , villeneuve creates in maelstrom a world where the bizarre is credible and the real turns magical .


elling builds gradually until you feel fully embraced by this gentle comedy .


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


maryam is a small film , but it offers large rewards .


ya-yas everywhere will forgive the flaws and love the film .


a stylistic romp that 's always fun to watch .


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


a shimmeringly lovely coming-of-age portrait , shot in artful , watery tones of blue , green and brown .


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


there 's a heavy stench of ` been there , done that ' hanging over the film .


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


but never mind all that ; the boobs are fantasti


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


stress ` dumb . '


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


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


huppert and girardot give performances of exceptional honesty .


where 's the movie here ?


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


whether this is art imitating life or life imitating art , it 's an unhappy situation all around .


it does n't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is a mormon family movie , and a sappy , preachy one at that .


this makes minority report necessary viewing for sci-fi fans , as the film has some of the best special effects ever .


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


swimming is above all about a young woman 's face , and by casting an actress whose face projects that woman 's doubts and yearnings , it succeeds .


mattei 's underdeveloped effort here is nothing but a convenient conveyor belt of brooding personalities that parade about as if they were coming back from stock character camp -- a drowsy drama infatuated by its own pretentious self-examination .


` the war of the roses , ' trailer-trash style .


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


originality is sorely lacking .


it trusts the story it sets out to tell .


the film has a kind of hard , cold effect .


strip it of all its excess debris , and you 'd have a 90-minute , four-star movie .


while there 's likely very little crossover appeal to those without much interest in the elizabethans -lrb- as well as rank frustration from those in the know about rubbo 's dumbed-down tactics -rrb- , much ado about something is an amicable endeavor .


did we really need a remake of `` charade ? ''


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


the mystery of enigma is how a rich historical subject , combined with so much first-rate talent ... could have yielded such a flat , plodding picture .


all leather pants & augmented boobs , hawn is hilarious as she tries to resuscitate the fun-loving libertine lost somewhere inside the conservative , handbag-clutching sarandon .


throughout , mr. audiard 's direction is fluid and quick .


the observations of this social\/economic\/urban environment are canny and spiced with irony .


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 .


undoubtedly the scariest movie ever made about tattoos .


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


watching a brian depalma movie is like watching an alfred hitchcock movie after drinking twelve beers .


ian holm conquers france as an earthy napoleon


time out is as serious as a pink slip .


tykwer 's surface flash is n't just a poor fit with kieslowski 's lyrical pessimism ; it completely contradicts everything kieslowski 's work aspired to , including the condition of art .


-lrb- creates -rrb- the worst kind of mythologizing , the kind that sacrifices real heroism and abject suffering for melodrama .


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


a tremendous piece of work .


as an actor 's showcase , hart 's war has much to recommend it , even if the top-billed willis is not the most impressive player .


a pretty funny movie , with most of the humor coming , as before , from the incongruous but chemically perfect teaming of crystal and de niro .


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 .


our culture is headed down the toilet with the ferocity of a frozen burrito after an all-night tequila bender -- and i know this because i 've seen ` jackass : the movie . '


moonlight mile does n't quite go the distance but the cast is impressive and they all give life to these broken characters who are trying to make their way through this tragedy .


american and european cinema has amassed a vast holocaust literature , but it is impossible to think of any film more challenging or depressing than the grey zone .


the script is too mainstream and the psychology too textbook to intrigue .


if you recognize zeus -lrb- the dog from snatch -rrb- it will make you wish you were at home watching that movie instead of in the theater watching this one .


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


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


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


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 .


brings together some of the biggest names in japanese anime , with impressive results .


woefully pretentious .


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


-lrb- leigh -rrb- has a true talent for drawing wrenching performances from his actors -lrb- improvised over many months -rrb- and for conveying the way tiny acts of kindness make ordinary life survivable .


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


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


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


gaping plot holes sink this ` sub ' - standard thriller and drag audience enthusiasm to crush depth .


no surprises .


the film is so bad it does n't improve upon the experience of staring at a blank screen .


a stylish cast and some clever scripting solutions help chicago make the transition from stage to screen with considerable appeal intact .


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


an effective portrait of a life in stasis -- of the power of inertia to arrest development in a dead-end existence .


nights feels more like a quickie tv special than a feature film ... it 's not even a tv special you 'd bother watching past the second commercial break .


blue crush is as predictable as the tides .


we 're left with a story that tries to grab us , only to keep letting go at all the wrong moments .


the subtitled costume drama is set in a remote african empire before cell phones , guns , and the internal combustion engine , but the politics that thump through it are as timely as tomorrow .


with minimal imagination , you could restage the whole thing in your bathtub .


just consider what new best friend does not have , beginning with the minor omission of a screenplay .


instead of contriving a climactic hero 's death for the beloved-major - character-who-shall - remain-nameless , why not invite some genuine spontaneity into the film by having the evil aliens ' laser guns actually hit something for once ?


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


their computer-animated faces are very expressive .


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


the acting is n't much better .


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 .


another best of the year selection .


the film runs on a little longer than it needs to -- muccino either does n't notice when his story ends or just ca n't tear himself away from the characters -- but it 's smooth and professional .


it 's just too bad the screenwriters eventually shoot themselves in the feet with cop flick cliches like an oily arms dealer , squad car pile-ups and the requisite screaming captain .


its one-sidedness ... flirts with propaganda .


the overall effect is awe and affection -- and a strange urge to get on a board and , uh , shred , dude .


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


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


the film proves unrelentingly grim -- and equally engrossing .


too clumsy in key moments ... to make a big splash .


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


the château would have been benefited from a sharper , cleaner script before it went in front of the camera .


... quite good at providing some good old fashioned spooks .


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


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


in that setting , their struggle is simply too ludicrous and borderline insulting .


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


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 .


it 's rare to see a movie that takes such a speedy swan dive from `` promising '' to `` interesting '' to `` familiar '' before landing squarely on `` stupid '' .


a wild ride of a movie that keeps throwing fastballs .


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


the actresses find their own rhythm and protect each other from the script 's bad ideas and awkwardness .


romething 's really wrong with this ricture !


an uninspired preachy and clichéd war film .


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


a processed comedy chop suey .


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 .


part of the charm of satin rouge is that it avoids the obvious with humour and lightness .


its story about a young chinese woman , ah na , who has come to new york city to replace past tragedy with the american dream is one that any art-house moviegoer is likely to find compelling .


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


but that they are doing it is thought-provoking .


the film has a nearly terminal case of the cutes , and it 's neither as funny nor as charming as it thinks it is .


the screenplay flounders under the weight of too many story lines .


an improvement on the feeble examples of big-screen poke-mania that have preceded it .


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


what starts off as a possible argentine american beauty reeks like a room stacked with pungent flowers .


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


what 's hard to understand is why anybody picked it up .


a winning and wildly fascinating work .


blue crush is so prolonged and boring it is n't even close to being the barn-burningly bad movie it promised it would be .


for once , a movie does not proclaim the truth about two love-struck somebodies , but permits them time and space to convince us of that all on their own .


-lrb- fincher 's -rrb- camera sense and assured pacing make it an above-average thriller .


but while the highly predictable narrative falls short , treasure planet is truly gorgeous to behold .


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


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


and if you appreciate the one-sided theme to lawrence 's over-indulgent tirade , then knock yourself out and enjoy the big screen postcard that is a self-glorified martin lawrence lovefest .


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 .


it 's definitely not made for kids or their parents , for that matter , and i think even fans of sandler 's comic taste may find it uninteresting .


things really get weird , though not particularly scary : the movie is all portent and no content .


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


drawing on an irresistible , languid romanticism , byler reveals the ways in which a sultry evening or a beer-fueled afternoon in the sun can inspire even the most retiring heart to venture forth .


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


mike leigh populates his movie with a wonderful ensemble cast of characters that bring the routine day to day struggles of the working class to life


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


transforms one of -lrb- shakespeare 's -rrb- deepest tragedies into a smart new comedy .


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


a sweet-tempered comedy that forgoes the knee-jerk misogyny that passes for humor in so many teenage comedies .


an elegant film with often surprising twists and an intermingling of naiveté and sophistication .


even better than the first one !


i ca n't recommend it .


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


more of the same from taiwanese auteur tsai ming-liang , which is good news to anyone who 's fallen under the sweet , melancholy spell of this unique director 's previous films .


allen shows he can outgag any of those young whippersnappers making moving pictures today .


by-the-numbers yarn .


on the granger movie gauge of 1 to 10 , the powerpuff girls is a fast , frenetic , funny , even punny 6 -- aimed specifically at a grade-school audience .


those who trek to the ` plex predisposed to like it probably will enjoy themselves .


an ambitious ` what if ? '


when a movie has stuck around for this long , you know there 's something there .


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


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


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


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


even if you 've seen `` stomp '' -lrb- the stage show -rrb- , you still have to see this !


this familiar rise-and-fall tale is long on glamour and short on larger moralistic consequences , though it 's told with sharp ears and eyes for the tenor of the times .


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


while not all that bad of a movie , it 's nowhere near as good as the original .


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


its use of the thriller form to examine the labyrinthine ways in which people 's lives cross and change , buffeted by events seemingly out of their control , is intriguing , provocative stuff .


a less-than-thrilling thriller .


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


the hard-to-predict and absolutely essential chemistry between the down-to-earth bullock and the nonchalant grant proves to be sensational , and everything meshes in this elegant entertainment .


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


morton deserves an oscar nomination .


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


it 's too harsh to work as a piece of storytelling , but as an intellectual exercise -- an unpleasant debate that 's been given the drive of a narrative and that 's been acted out -- the believer is nothing less than a provocative piece of work .


there 's no excuse for following up a delightful , well-crafted family film with a computer-generated cold fish .


a very capable nailbiter .


one scene after another in this supposedly funny movie falls to the floor with a sickening thud .


a witty , whimsical feature debut .


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


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


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


wedding feels a bit anachronistic .


it 's like rocky and bullwinkle on speed , but that 's neither completely enlightening , nor does it catch the intensity of the movie 's strangeness .


schepisi , aided by a cast that seems to include every top-notch british actor who did not appear in gosford park -lrb- as well as one , ms. mirren , who did -rrb- , has succeeded beyond all expectation .


this movie got me grinning .


a haunting tale of murder and mayhem .


weighted down with slow , uninvolving storytelling and flat acting .


me without you has a bracing truth that 's refreshing after the phoniness of female-bonding pictures like divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood .


consummate actor barry has done excellent work here .


a decent-enough nail-biter that stands a good chance of being the big hit franklin needs to stay afloat in hollywood .


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


too infuriatingly quirky and taken with its own style .


the most opaque , self-indulgent and just plain goofy an excuse for a movie as you can imagine .


the scorpion king is more fun than conan the barbarian .


he has a great cast and a great idea .


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


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


diaz , applegate , blair and posey are suitably kooky which should appeal to women and they strip down often enough to keep men alert , if not amused .


sure , it 's contrived and predictable , but its performances are so well tuned that the film comes off winningly , even though it 's never as solid as you want it to be .


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


runs on the pure adrenalin of pacino 's performance .


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


shyamalan takes a potentially trite and overused concept -lrb- aliens come to earth -rrb- and infuses it into a rustic , realistic , and altogether creepy tale of hidden invasion .


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


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


... a complete shambles of a movie so sloppy , so uneven , so damn unpleasant that i ca n't believe any viewer , young or old , would have a good time here .


like many western action films , this thriller is too loud and thoroughly overbearing , but its heartfelt concern about north korea 's recent past and south korea 's future adds a much needed moral weight .


a charmer from belgium .


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


even during the climactic hourlong cricket match , boredom never takes hold .


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


pipe dream does have its charms .


if you 're part of her targeted audience , you 'll cheer .


crush could be the worst film a man has made about women since valley of the dolls .


it 's very beavis and butthead , yet always seems to elicit a chuckle .


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


a modestly made but profoundly moving documentary .


... grows decidedly flimsier with its many out-sized , out of character and logically porous action set pieces .


fessenden continues to do interesting work , and it would be nice to see what he could make with a decent budget .


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


frank capra played this story straight .


control-alt-delete simone as quickly as possible


nevertheless , it still seems endless .


there 's a persistent theatrical sentiment and a woozy quality to the manner of the storytelling , which undercuts the devastatingly telling impact of utter loss personified in the film 's simple title .


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


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


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


though lan yu lacks a sense of dramatic urgency , the film makes up for it with a pleasing verisimilitude .


this hastily mounted production exists only to capitalize on hopkins ' inclination to play hannibal lecter again , even though harris has no immediate inclination to provide a fourth book .


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


but it has an ambition to say something about its subjects , but not a willingness .


please , someone , stop eric schaeffer before he makes another film .


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


despite its faults , gangs excels in spectacle and pacing .


a loud , low-budget and tired formula film that arrives cloaked in the euphemism ` urban drama . '


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


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


flat , misguided comedy .


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


berling and béart ... continue to impress , and isabelle huppert ... again shows uncanny skill in getting under the skin of her characters .


serious movie-goers embarking upon this journey will find that the road to perdition leads to a satisfying destination .


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


there are moments of hilarity to be had .


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 .


i never thought i 'd say this , but i 'd much rather watch teens poking their genitals into fruit pies !


i suspect this is the kind of production that would have been funnier if the director had released the outtakes theatrically and used the film as a bonus feature on the dvd .


it offers a glimpse of the solomonic decision facing jewish parents in those turbulent times : to save their children and yet to lose them .


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


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


elegant , mannered and teasing .


... plays like a badly edited , 91-minute trailer -lrb- and -rrb- the director ca n't seem to get a coherent rhythm going .


there are flaws , but also stretches of impact and moments of awe ; we 're wrapped up in the characters , how they make their choices , and why .


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


not the great american comedy , but if you liked the previous movies in the series , you 'll have a good time with this one too .


kapur 's contradictory feelings about his material result in a movie that works against itself .


but they fascinate in their recklessness .


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


this is an action movie with an action icon who 's been all but decommissioned .


worth catching for griffiths ' warm and winning central performance .


` cq may one day be fondly remembered as roman coppola 's brief pretentious period before going on to other films that actually tell a story worth caring about


who cares ? -rrb- .


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


an unflinching , complex portrait of a modern israel that is rarely seen on-screen .


the first question to ask about bad company is why anthony hopkins is in it .


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


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


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


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


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


enjoyably dumb , sweet , and intermittently hilarious -- if you 've a taste for the quirky , steal a glimpse .


there 's a great deal of corny dialogue and preposterous moments .


williams absolutely nails sy 's queasy infatuation and overall strangeness .


curiously , super troopers suffers because it does n't have enough vices to merit its 103-minute length .


as exciting as all this exoticism might sound to the typical pax viewer , the rest of us will be lulled into a coma .


watch barbershop again if you 're in need of a cube fix -- this is n't worth sitting through .


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


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


i have n't laughed that hard in years !


sorvino is delightful in the central role .


a gracious , eloquent film that by its end offers a ray of hope to the refugees able to look ahead and resist living in a past forever lost .


what a great way to spend 4 units of your day .


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


both a successful adaptation and an enjoyable film in its own right .


and vin diesel is the man .


just a kiss is a just a waste .


murder by numbers just does n't add up .


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


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


in death to smoochy , we do n't get williams ' usual tear and a smile , just sneers and bile , and the spectacle is nothing short of refreshing .


an uneven mix of dark satire and childhood awakening .


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


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


dramatically lackluster .


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


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


yes , mibii is rote work and predictable , but with a philosophical visual coming right at the end that extravagantly redeems it .


their contrast is neither dramatic nor comic -- it 's just a weird fizzle .


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


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


a gently funny , sweetly adventurous film that makes you feel genuinely good , that is to say , entirely unconned by false sentiment or sharp , overmanipulative hollywood practices .


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


the obnoxious title character provides the drama that gives added clout to this doc .


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


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


sensitive ensemble performances and good period reconstruction add up to a moving tragedy with some buoyant human moments .


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 .


it looks closely , insightfully at fragile , complex relationships .


the story has some nice twists but the ending and some of the back-story is a little tired .


is an inexpressible and drab wannabe looking for that exact niche .


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


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


this is one of the rarest kinds of films : a family-oriented non-disney film that is actually funny without hitting below the belt .


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


... a cheap , ludicrous attempt at serious horror .


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


enticing and often funny documentary .


but one thing 's for sure : it never comes close to being either funny or scary .


the movie eventually snaps under the strain of its plot contrivances and its need to reassure .


whereas oliver stone 's conspiracy thriller jfk was long , intricate , star-studded and visually flashy , interview with the assassin draws its considerable power from simplicity .


the komediant is a tale worth catching .


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


worth seeing just for weaver and lapaglia .


it follows the blair witch formula for an hour , in which we 're told something creepy and vague is in the works , and then it goes awry in the final 30 minutes .


an encouraging effort from mccrudden


i was amused and entertained by the unfolding of bielinsky 's cleverly constructed scenario , and greatly impressed by the skill of the actors involved in the enterprise .


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


initially gripping , eventually cloying pow drama .


this is not a jackie chan movie .


chamber of secrets will find millions of eager fans .


lacks the visual flair and bouncing bravado that characterizes better hip-hop clips and is content to recycle images and characters that were already tired 10 years ago .


a timid , soggy near miss .


a solidly constructed , entertaining thriller that stops short of true inspiration .


a quiet family drama with a little bit of romance and a dose of darkness .


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


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


thoroughly engrossing and ultimately tragic .


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


if only it were , well , funnier .


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


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


charly comes off as emotionally manipulative and sadly imitative of innumerable past love story derisions .


kung pow seems like some futile concoction that was developed hastily after oedekerk and his fellow moviemakers got through crashing a college keg party .


its premise is smart , but the execution is pretty weary .


an engrossing iranian film about two itinerant teachers and some lost and desolate people they encounter in a place where war has savaged the lives and liberties of the poor and the dispossessed .


for those for whom the name woody allen was once a guarantee of something fresh , sometimes funny , and usually genuinely worthwhile , hollywood ending is a depressing experience


somewhere inside the mess that is world traveler , there is a mediocre movie trying to get out .


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


connoisseurs of chinese film will be pleased to discover that tian 's meticulous talent has not withered during his enforced hiatus .


gaunt , silver-haired and leonine , -lrb- harris -rrb- brings a tragic dimension and savage full-bodied wit and cunning to the aging sandeman .


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


the problem with the bread , my sweet is that it 's far too sentimental .


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


loud , chaotic and largely unfunny .


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


a movie to forget


rife with nutty cliches and far too much dialogue .


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 .


a raunchy and frequently hilarious follow-up to the gifted korean american stand-up 's i 'm the one that i want .


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


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


the movie ends with outtakes in which most of the characters forget their lines and just utter ` uhhh , ' which is better than most of the writing in the movie .


if that does n't clue you in that something 's horribly wrong , nothing will .


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


it 's not an easy one to review .


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


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


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


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


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


the film fearlessly gets under the skin of the people involved ... this makes it not only a detailed historical document , but an engaging and moving portrait of a subculture .


for a movie about the power of poetry and passion , there is precious little of either .


unfortunately , we 'd prefer a simple misfire .


... a true delight .


an awful snooze .


does n't really add up to much .


an interesting psychological game of cat-and-mouse , three-dimensional characters and believable performances all add up to a satisfying crime drama .


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


watching `` ending '' is too often like looking over the outdated clothes and plastic knickknacks at your neighbor 's garage sale .


cox offers plenty of glimpses at existing photos , but there are no movies of nijinsky , so instead the director treats us to an aimless hodgepodge .


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


nothing happens , and it happens to flat characters .


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


`` white oleander , '' the movie , is akin to a reader 's digest condensed version of the source material .


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


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


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


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


the action sequences are fun and reminiscent of combat scenes from the star wars series .


the work of an exhausted , desiccated talent who ca n't get out of his own way .


the problem is that van wilder does little that is actually funny with the material .


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


comes off like a bad imitation of the bard .


the sweetest thing leaves an awful sour taste .


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


resembles a soft porn brian de palma pastiche .


a uniquely sensual metaphorical dramatization of sexual obsession that spends a bit too much time on its fairly ludicrous plot .


the sentimental cliches mar an otherwise excellent film .


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


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


eyre is on his way to becoming the american indian spike lee .


in questioning the election process , payami graphically illustrates the problems of fledgling democracies , but also the strength and sense of freedom the iranian people already possess , with or without access to the ballot box .


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 .


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


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


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


the good girl is a film in which the talent is undeniable but the results are underwhelming .


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


amazingly dopey .


the christ allegory does n't work because there is no foundation for it


romanek keeps adding flourishes -- artsy fantasy sequences -- that simply feel wrong .


combines improbable melodrama -lrb- gored bullfighters , comatose ballerinas -rrb- with subtly kinky bedside vigils and sensational denouements , and yet at the end , we are undeniably touched .


you do n't need to be a hip-hop fan to appreciate scratch , and that 's the mark of a documentary that works .


i 'm not sure which half of dragonfly is worse : the part where nothing 's happening , or the part where something 's happening , but it 's stupid .


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 .


the journey to the secret 's eventual discovery is a separate adventure , and thrill enough .


roman polanski directs the pianist like a surgeon mends a broken heart ; very meticulously but without any passion .


it 's soulful and unslick , and that 's apparently just what -lrb- aniston -rrb- has always needed to grow into a movie career .


like blended shades of lipstick , these components combine into one terrific story with lots of laughs .


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


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


tells a fascinating , compelling story .


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


one of those films where the characters inhabit that special annex of hell where adults behave like kids , children behave like adults and everyone screams at the top of their lungs no matter what the situation .


devotees of star trek ii : the wrath of khan will feel a nagging sense of deja vu , and the grandeur of the best next generation episodes is lacking .


beautifully reclaiming the story of carmen and recreating it an in an african idiom .


the punch lines that miss , unfortunately , outnumber the hits by three-to-one .


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


read my lips is to be viewed and treasured for its extraordinary intelligence and originality as well as its lyrical variations on the game of love .


those seeking a definitive account of eisenstein 's life would do better elsewhere .


yes , soar .


as banal as the telling may be -- and at times , all my loved ones more than flirts with kitsch -- the tale commands attention .


although frailty fits into a classic genre , in its script and execution it is a remarkably original work .


naipaul fans may be disappointed .


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


poignant and moving , a walk to remember is an inspirational love story , capturing the innocence and idealism of that first encounter .


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


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


if there 's a heaven for bad movies , deuces wild is on its way .


a huge box-office hit in korea , shiri is a must for genre fans .


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


the thing about guys like evans is this : you 're never quite sure where self-promotion ends and the truth begins .


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


it 's like an all-star salute to disney 's cheesy commercialism .


like a bad improvisation exercise , the superficially written characters ramble on tediously about their lives , loves and the art they 're struggling to create .


though her fans will assuredly have their funny bones tickled , others will find their humor-seeking dollars best spent elsewhere .


the first fatal attraction was vile enough .


a sentimental but entirely irresistible portrait of three aging sisters .


measured against practically any like-themed film other than its oscar-sweeping franchise predecessor the silence of the lambs , red dragon rates as an exceptional thriller .


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


... a quietly introspective portrait of the self-esteem of employment and the shame of losing a job ...


garcia and the other actors help make the wobbly premise work .


it 's just plain lurid when it is n't downright silly .


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 .


it is also beautifully acted .


this dubious product of a college-spawned -lrb- colgate u. -rrb- comedy ensemble known as broken lizard plays like a mix of cheech and chong and chips .


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


... a powerful sequel and one of the best films of the year .


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


a gift to anyone who loves both dance and cinema


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


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


poor editing , bad bluescreen , and ultra-cheesy dialogue highlight the radical action .


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


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


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


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


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


... expands the horizons of boredom to the point of collapse , turning into a black hole of dullness , from which no interesting concept can escape .


as steamy as last week 's pork dumplings .


the story itself it mostly told through on-camera interviews with several survivors , whose riveting memories are rendered with such clarity that it 's as if it all happened only yesterday .


the movie is clever , offbeat and even gritty enough to overcome my resistance .


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


a laughable -- or rather , unlaughable -- excuse for a film .


too silly to take seriously .


low comedy does n't come much lower .


it 's a very tasteful rock and roll movie .


meticulously mounted , exasperatingly well-behaved film , which ticks off kahlo 's lifetime milestones with the dutiful precision of a tax accountant .


davis ' candid , archly funny and deeply authentic take on intimate relationships comes to fruition in her sophomore effort .


a fast paced and suspenseful argentinian thriller about the shadow side of play .


ultimately the , yes , snail-like pacing and lack of thematic resonance make the film more silly than scary , like some sort of martha stewart decorating program run amok .


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


hard to resist .


there 's an excellent 90-minute film here ; unfortunately , it runs for 170 .


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


like a precious and finely cut diamond , magnificent to behold in its sparkling beauty yet in reality it 's one tough rock .


no cute factor here ... not that i mind ugly ; the problem is he has no character , loveable or otherwise .


suffers from its timid parsing of the barn-side target of sons trying to breach gaps in their relationships with their fathers .


it 's a frankenstein-monster of a film that does n't know what it wants to be .


an incredibly narrow in-joke targeted to the tiniest segment of an already obscure demographic .


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


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


the overall result is an intelligent , realistic portrayal of testing boundaries .


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


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


a poignant comedy that offers food for thought .


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


there is no psychology here , and no real narrative logic -- just a series of carefully choreographed atrocities , which become strangely impersonal and abstract .


secretary manages a neat trick , bundling the flowers of perversity , comedy and romance into a strangely tempting bouquet of a movie .


everything about it from the bland songs to the colorful but flat drawings is completely serviceable and quickly forgettable .


this fascinating experiment plays as more of a poetic than a strict reality , creating an intriguing species of artifice that gives the lady and the duke something of a theatrical air .


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


ah-nuld 's action hero days might be over .


the movie has a script -lrb- by paul pender -rrb- made of wood , and it 's relentlessly folksy , a procession of stagy set pieces stacked with binary oppositions .


the filmmakers ' eye for detail and the high standards of performance convey a strong sense of the girls ' environment .


it also shows how deeply felt emotions can draw people together across the walls that might otherwise separate them .


even accepting this in the right frame of mind can only provide it with so much leniency .


it 's at once laughable and compulsively watchable , in its committed dumbness .


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 .


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


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


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


all in all , brown sugar is a satisfying well-made romantic comedy that 's both charming and well acted .


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


so bland and utterly forgettable that it might as well have been titled generic jennifer lopez romantic comedy .


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


a stylish thriller .


constantly touching , surprisingly funny , semi-surrealist exploration of the creative act .


birthday girl does n't try to surprise us with plot twists , but rather seems to enjoy its own transparency .


a poky and pseudo-serious exercise in sham actor workshops and an affected malaise .


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 .


the universal theme of becoming a better person through love has never been filmed more irresistibly than in ` baran . '


there 's got to be a more graceful way of portraying the devastation of this disease .


unfolds as one of the most politically audacious films of recent decades from any country , but especially from france .


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


adults , other than the parents ... will be hard pressed to succumb to the call of the wild .


here , alas , it collapses like an overcooked soufflé .


plays like one long , meandering sketch inspired by the works of john waters and todd solondz , rather than a fully developed story .


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


before it takes a sudden turn and devolves into a bizarre sort of romantic comedy , steven shainberg 's adaptation of mary gaitskill 's harrowing short story ... is a brilliantly played , deeply unsettling experience .


... very funny , very enjoyable ...


the hackneyed story about an affluent damsel in distress who decides to fight her bully of a husband is simply too overdone .


... with the gifted pearce on hand to keep things on semi-stable ground dramatically , this retooled machine is ultimately effective enough at achieving the modest , crowd-pleasing goals it sets for itself .


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


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


he has improved upon the first and taken it a step further , richer and deeper .


it 's a testament to de niro and director michael caton-jones that by movie 's end , we accept the characters and the film , flaws and all .


this method almost never fails him , and it works superbly here .


it 's technically sumptuous but also almost wildly alive .


a characteristically engorged and sloppy coming-of-age movie .


often likable , but just as often it 's meandering , low on energy , and too eager to be quirky at moments when a little old-fashioned storytelling would come in handy .


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


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


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


a hypnotic portrait of this sad , compulsive life .


an ugly , pointless , stupid movie .


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


a smart little indie .


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


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


goes on and on to the point of nausea .


i have a new favorite musical -- and i 'm not even a fan of the genre


master of disguise runs for only 71 minutes and feels like three hours .


you 'll feel like you ate a reeses without the peanut butter ... '


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


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 .


broder 's screenplay is shallow , offensive and redundant , with pitifully few real laughs .


looks more like a travel-agency video targeted at people who like to ride bikes topless and roll in the mud than a worthwhile glimpse of independent-community guiding lights .


that 's why sex and lucia is so alluring .


after an hour and a half of wondering -- sometimes amusedly , sometimes impatiently -- just what this strenuously unconventional movie is supposed to be , you discover that the answer is as conventional as can be .


nettelbeck ... has a pleasing way with a metaphor .


a puzzle whose pieces do not fit .


a bit of a downer and a little over-dramatic at times , but this is a beautiful film for people who like their romances to have that french realism .


after the first 10 minutes , which is worth seeing , the movie sinks into an abyss of clichés , depression and bad alternative music .


not everything in this ambitious comic escapade works , but coppola , along with his sister , sofia , is a real filmmaker .


it 's fun , but it 's a real howler .


even through its flaws , revolution # 9 proves to be a compelling , interestingly told film .


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


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


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


when twentysomething hotsies make movies about their lives , hard-driving narcissism is a given , but what a world we 'd live in if argento 's hollywood counterparts ... had this much imagination and nerve .