no movement , no yuks , not much of anything .


a gob of drivel so sickly sweet , even the eager consumers of moore 's pasteurized ditties will retch it up like rancid crème brûlée .


` how many more voyages can this limping but dearly-loved franchise survive ? '


so relentlessly wholesome it made me want to swipe something .


gangs of new york is an unapologetic mess , whose only saving grace is that it ends by blowing just about everything up .


we never really feel involved with the story , as all of its ideas remain just that : abstract ideas .


this is one of polanski 's best films .


take care of my cat offers a refreshingly different slice of asian cinema .


acting , particularly by tambor , almost makes `` never again '' worthwhile , but -lrb- writer\/director -rrb- schaeffer should follow his titular advice


the movie exists for its soccer action and its fine acting .


arnold 's jump from little screen to big will leave frowns on more than a few faces .


a reasonably efficient mechanism , but it offers few surprises and finds its stars slumming in territory they should have avoided .


if this holiday movie is supposed to be a gift , somebody unwrapped it early , took out all the good stuff , and left behind the crap -lrb- literally -rrb- .


jason x has cheesy effects and a hoary plot , but its macabre , self-deprecating sense of humor makes up for a lot .


even as lame horror flicks go , this is lame .


oft-described as the antidote to american pie-type sex comedies , it actually has a bundle in common with them , as the film diffuses every opportunity for a breakthrough


though the violence is far less sadistic than usual , the film is typical miike : fast , furious and full of off-the-cuff imaginative flourishes .


when a set of pre-shooting guidelines a director came up with for his actors turns out to be cleverer , better written and of considerable more interest than the finished film , that 's a bad sign .


william shatner , as a pompous professor , is the sole bright spot ...


the passions aroused by the discord between old and new cultures are set against the strange , stark beauty of the mideast desert , so lovingly and perceptively filmed that you can almost taste the desiccated air .


if your senses have n't been dulled by slasher films and gorefests , if you 're a connoisseur of psychological horror , this is your ticket .


any one episode of the sopranos would send this ill-conceived folly to sleep with the fishes .


as conceived by mr. schaeffer , christopher and grace are little more than collections of quirky traits lifted from a screenwriter 's outline and thrown at actors charged with the impossible task of making them jell .


those who managed to avoid the deconstructionist theorizing of french philosopher jacques derrida in college can now take an 85-minute brush-up course with the documentary derrida .


most new movies have a bright sheen .


but what saves lives on the freeway does not necessarily make for persuasive viewing .


steve irwin 's method is ernest hemmingway at accelerated speed and volume .


d.j. qualls as indiana jones ?


it ultimately stands forth as an important chronicle of the abuses of one of latin america 's most oppressive regimes .


nicely serves as an examination of a society in transition .


the film would work much better as a video installation in a museum , where viewers would be free to leave .


culkin exudes none of the charm or charisma that might keep a more general audience even vaguely interested in his bratty character .


sometimes , fond memories should stay in the past : a lesson this film teaches all too well .


the whole thing plays out with the drowsy heaviness of synchronized swimmer wearing a wool wetsuit .


not a cozy or ingratiating work , but it 's challenging , sometimes clever , and always interesting , and those are reasons enough to see it .


the premise for this kegger comedy probably sounded brilliant four six-packs and a pitcher of margaritas in , but the film must have been written ... in the thrall of a vicious hangover .


it 's a pleasure to see seinfeld griping about the biz with buddies chris rock , garry shandling and colin quinn .


finally , a genre movie that delivers -- in a couple of genres , no less .


the low-budget full frontal was one of the year 's murkiest , intentionally obscure and self-indulgent pictures , and solaris is its big-budget brother .


exquisitely acted and masterfully if preciously interwoven ... -lrb- the film -rrb- addresses in a fascinating , intelligent manner the intermingling of race , politics and local commerce .


an enthralling , playful film that constantly frustrates our desire to know the ` truth ' about this man , while deconstructing the very format of the biography in a manner that derrida would doubtless give his blessing to .


as a singular character study , it 's perfect .


haneke challenges us to confront the reality of sexual aberration .


an experience so engrossing it is like being buried in a new environment .


all the performances are top notch and , once you get through the accents , all or nothing becomes an emotional , though still positive , wrench of a sit .


a cockamamie tone poem pitched precipitously between swoony lyricism and violent catastrophe ... the most aggressively nerve-wracking and screamingly neurotic romantic comedy in cinema history .


is it a total success ?


i do n't have an i am sam clue .


zhang yimou delivers warm , genuine characters who lie not through dishonesty , but because they genuinely believe it 's the only way to bring happiness to their loved ones .


the pleasures of super troopers may be fleeting , but they 'll register strongly with anybody who still retains a soft spot for precollegiate humor .


the new guy is one of them .


the thrill is -lrb- long -rrb- gone .


much monkeyfun for all .


a dreary , incoherent , self-indulgent mess of a movie in which a bunch of pompous windbags drone on inanely for two hours ... a cacophony of pretentious , meaningless prattle .


this is really just another genre picture .


much of the way , though , this is a refreshingly novel ride .


for the first time in several years , mr. allen has surpassed himself with the magic he 's spun with the hollywood empress of ms. leoni 's ellie .


one scarcely needs the subtitles to enjoy this colorful action farce .


as it abruptly crosscuts among the five friends , it fails to lend the characters ' individual stories enough dramatic resonance to make us care about them .


what might have been a predictably heartwarming tale is suffused with complexity .


with generic sets and b-grade special effects , jason is about as convincing on the sci-fi front as tv 's defunct cleopatra 2525 .


this is simply the most fun you 'll ever have with a documentary !


it represents better-than-average movie-making that does n't demand a dumb , distracted audience .


... the sum of the parts equals largely a confused mediocrity .


it may be an easy swipe to take , but this barbershop just does n't make the cut .


the fact that the rookie is a nearly impeccable cinematic experience -- and a wonderful all-ages triumph besides -- is a miracle akin to the story the film portrays .


how on earth , or anywhere else , did director ron underwood manage to blow $ 100 million on this ?


for all its failed connections , divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood is nurturing , in a gauzy , dithering way .


as are its star , its attitude and its obliviousness .


sluggishly directed by episodic tv veteran joe zwick , it 's a sitcom without the snap-crackle .


ferrara directs the entire film with the kind of detachment that makes any given frame look like a family 's custom-made christmas card .


a dream cast of solid female talent who build a seamless ensemble .


the plot is straight off the shelf , the performances are television - caliber and the message of providing solace through deception is a little creepy .


instead of accurately accounting a terrible true story , the film 's more determined to become the next texas chainsaw massacre .


the movie is well shot and very tragic , and one to ponder after the credits roll .


it is ridiculous , of course ... but it is also refreshing , disarming , and just outright enjoyable despite its ridiculousness .


everything you loved about it in 1982 is still there , for everybody who wants to be a kid again , or show it to their own kids .


big deal !


tadpole is a sophisticated , funny and good-natured treat , slight but a pleasure .


a turgid little history lesson , humourless and dull .


the cartoon that is n't really good enough to be on afternoon tv is now a movie that is n't really good enough to be in theaters .


a heavy reliance on cgi technology is beginning to creep into the series .


a sensual performance from abbass buoys the flimsy story , but her inner journey is largely unexplored and we 're left wondering about this exotic-looking woman whose emotional depths are only hinted at .


dissing a bond movie is quite like calling a dog stupid , but when it has the temerity to run over two hours , you feel like winding up with a kick .


a harmless and mildly amusing family comedy .


not ` terrible filmmaking ' bad , but more like , ' i once had a nightmare like this , and it 's now coming true ' bad .


a movie that , rather than skip along the seine , more or less slogs its way through soggy paris , tongue uncomfortably in cheek .


it does succeed by following a feel-good formula with a winning style , and by offering its target audience of urban kids some welcome role models and optimism .


the story wraps back around on itself in the kind of elegant symmetry that 's rare in film today , but be warned : it 's a slow slog to get there .


-lrb- schweiger is -rrb- talented and terribly charismatic , qualities essential to both movie stars and social anarchists .


a well acted and well intentioned snoozer .


serry does a fine job of capturing the climate of the times and , perhaps unwittingly , relating it to what is happening in america in 2002 .


for all its alleged youthful fire , xxx is no less subservient to bond 's tired formula of guns , girls and gadgets while brandishing a new action hero .


this cuddly sequel to the 1999 hit is a little more visually polished , a little funnier , and a little more madcap .


now it 's just tired .


not so much a movie as a picture book for the big screen .


it 's difficult to say whether the tuxedo is more boring or embarrassing -- i 'm prepared to call it a draw .


about as satisfying and predictable as the fare at your local drive through .


the movie succumbs to being nothing more than a formulaic chase in the dark .


as lo-fi as the special effects are , the folks who cobbled nemesis together indulge the force of humanity over hardware in a way that george lucas has long forgotten .


writer-director burger imaginatively fans the embers of a dormant national grief and curiosity that has calcified into chronic cynicism and fear .


truth to tell , if you 've seen more than half-a-dozen horror films , there 's nothing here you have n't seen before .


george , hire a real director and good writers for the next installment , please .


sensitive though not quite revelatory documentary .


all these developments and challenges facing santa weigh down the plot so heavily that they drain all the film of its energy and needlessly strain credibility .


it 's so full of wrong choices that all you can do is shake your head in disbelief -- and worry about what classic oliver parker intends to mangle next time .


the film runs on equal parts of innocence and wisdom -- wisdom that comes with experience .


too sincere to exploit its subjects and too honest to manipulate its audience .


goyer 's screenplay and direction are thankfully understated , and he has drawn excellent performances from his cast .


reinforces the often forgotten fact of the world 's remarkably varying human population and mindset , and its capacity to heal using creative , natural and ancient antidotes .


abandons all pretense of creating historical context and waltzes off into a hectic soap about the ups and downs of the heavy breathing between the two artists .


if it tried to do anything more , it would fail and perhaps explode , but at this level of manic whimsy , it is just about right .


scores a few points for doing what it does with a dedicated and good-hearted professionalism .


director dirk shafer and co-writer greg hinton ride the dubious divide where gay porn reaches for serious drama .


without a strong script and energetic acting , dogma films can produce the same sleep-inducing effects as watching your neighbor 's home videos .


a frantic search for laughs , with a hit-to-miss ratio that does n't exactly favour the audience .


de niro may enjoy the same free ride from critics afforded to clint eastwood in the lazy bloodwork .


an intelligent fiction about learning through cultural clash .


greengrass has delivered an undoubted stylistic tour-de-force , and has managed elements such as sound and cinematography with skill


you wo n't believe much of it , but you will laugh at the audacity , at the who 's who casting and the sheer insanity of it all .


there 's something fundamental missing from this story : something or someone to care about .


at heart the movie is a deftly wrought suspense yarn whose richer shadings work as coloring rather than substance .


sometimes , nothing satisfies like old-fashioned swashbuckling .


enough similarities to gymkata and howie long 's firestorm that my fingernails instinctively crawled towards my long-suffering eyeballs .


despite what anyone believes about the goal of its makers , the show ... represents a spectacular piece of theater , and there 's no denying the talent of the creative forces behind it .


here 's a british flick gleefully unconcerned with plausibility , yet just as determined to entertain you .


a well-made and often lovely depiction of the mysteries of friendship .


if i spy were funny -lrb- enough -rrb- or exciting -lrb- enough -rrb- then it would be fairly simple to forgive the financial extortion it 's trying to reap from the moviegoing public .


a great ending does n't make up for a weak movie , and crazy as hell does n't even have a great ending .


demands too much of most viewers .


rare is the ` urban comedy ' that even attempts the insight and honesty of this disarming indie .


its lack of quality earns it a place alongside those other two recent dumas botch-jobs , the man in the iron mask and the musketeer .


a deviant topical comedy which is funny from start to finish .


arguably the year 's silliest and most incoherent movie .


the movie quickly drags on becoming boring and predictable .


a well-made , thoughtful , well-acted clunker , but a clunker nonetheless .


while not as aggressively impressive as its american counterpart , `` in the bedroom , '' moretti 's film makes its own , quieter observations


asia authors herself as anna battista , an italian superstar and aspiring directress who just happens to be her own worst enemy .


aaliyah rarely dampens her diva persona enough to spark genuine chemistry with townsend .


imagine if you will a tony hawk skating video interspliced with footage from behind enemy lines and set to jersey shore techno .


a refreshingly authentic coming-of-age tale .


the marquis de sade could n't have been as dull a person as this film makes him out to be .


somehow both wildly implausible and strangely conventional .


ben affleck as jack ryan , tom clancy 's intrepid hero ?


the smartest bonehead comedy of the summer .


the crime matters less than the characters , although the filmmakers supply enough complications , close calls and double-crosses to satisfy us .


u.s. audiences may find -lrb- attal and gainsbourg 's -rrb- unfamiliar personas give the film an intimate and quaint reality that is a little closer to human nature than what hollywood typically concocts .


escapism in its purest form .


the cast is uniformly excellent and relaxed .


works because , for the most part , it avoids the stupid cliches and formulaic potholes that befall its brethren .


sucking all the ` classic ' out of robert louis stevenson 's treasure island and filling the void with sci-fi video game graphics and disney-fied adolescent angst ...


audiences conditioned to getting weepy over saucer-eyed , downy-cheeked moppets and their empathetic caretakers will probably feel emotionally cheated by the film 's tart , sugar-free wit .


despite some gulps the film is a fuzzy huggy .


nothing debases a concept comedy quite like the grinding of bad ideas , and showtime is crammed full of them .


it 's an example of sophisticated , challenging filmmaking that stands , despite its noticeable lack of emotional heft , in welcome contrast to the indulgent dead-end experimentation of the director 's previous full frontal .


even if britney spears is really cute , her movie is really bad .


the backyard battles you staged with your green plastic army men were more exciting and almost certainly made more sense .


the ring just left me cold and wet like i was out in the seattle drizzle without rainwear .


the plot is very clever , but boyd weighs it down with too many characters and events , all intertwined and far too complicated to keep track of .


it 's one of the saddest films i have ever seen that still manages to be uplifting but not overly sentimental .


it 's all pretty cynical and condescending , too .


it takes this never-ending confusion and hatred , puts a human face on it , evokes shame among all who are party to it and even promotes understanding .


a cinematic sleeping pill of impressive potency .


barely goes beyond comic book status .


even if you ca n't pronounce `` gyro '' correctly , you 'll appreciate much of vardalos ' humor , which transcends ethnic boundaries .


borrows from so many literary and cinematic sources that this future world feels absolutely deja vu .


fans of the tv series will be disappointed , and everyone else will be slightly bored .


it wo n't rock any boats but is solid meat-and-potatoes filmmaking .


once again , director jackson strikes a rewarding balance between emotion on the human scale and action\/effects on the spectacular scale .


as adapted by kevin molony from simon leys ' novel `` the death of napoleon '' and directed by alan taylor , napoleon 's journey is interesting but his parisian rebirth is stillborn


not everything works , but the average is higher than in mary and most other recent comedies .


it smacks of purely commercial motivation , with no great love for the original .


a fairly by-the-books blend of action and romance with sprinklings of intentional and unintentional comedy .


a dreary rip-off of goodfellas that serves as a muddled and offensive cautionary tale for hispanic americans .


sits uneasily as a horror picture ... but finds surprising depth in its look at the binds of a small family .


lacking gravitas , macdowell is a placeholder for grief , and ergo this sloppy drama is an empty vessel .


an impressive debut for first-time writer-director mark romanek , especially considering his background is in music video .


it 's push-the-limits teen comedy , the type written by people who ca n't come up with legitimate funny , and it 's used so extensively that good bits are hopelessly overshadowed .


the story and characters are nowhere near gripping enough .


ridiculous .


no. .


if it seems like a minor miracle that its septuagenarian star is young enough to be the nonagenarian filmmaker 's son , more incredible still are the clear-eyed boldness and quiet irony with which actor and director take on life 's urgent questions .


if this movie belonged to a sorority , it would be called beta alpha delta .


a long-winded and stagy session of romantic contrivances that never really gels like the shrewd feminist fairy tale it could have been .


a film so tedious that it is impossible to care whether that boast is true or not .


and in this regard , on guard delivers .


something the true film buff will enjoy .


the result is solemn and horrifying , yet strangely detached .


a gentle , compassionate drama about grief and healing .


the actors are so terrific at conveying their young angst , we do indeed feel for them .


the story itself is uninteresting , and the songs are painfully undistinguished : they might be giants ' so to be one of us may be the most tuneless tune ever composed .


it 's the cinematic equivalent of a good page-turner , and even if it 's nonsense , its claws dig surprisingly deep .


the result is something quite fresh and delightful .


if you love motown music , you 'll love this documentary .


it 's solid and affecting and exactly as thought-provoking as it should be .


you have to pay attention to follow all the stories , but they 're each interesting .


-lrb- wendigo is -rrb- why we go to the cinema : to be fed through the eye , the heart , the mind .


lovingly choreographed bloodshed taking place in a pristine movie neverland , basically .


a thoughtful , moving piece that faces difficult issues with honesty and beauty .


for a film about two mismatched buddies , crystal and de niro share little screen time and even less chemistry .


spousal abuse is a major problem in contemporary society , but the film reduces this domestic tragedy to florid melodrama .


frida 's artistic brilliance is undeniable -- it 's among the most breathtakingly designed films i 've ever seen .


i hate this movie


not so much funny as aggressively sitcom-cute , it 's full of throwaway one-liners , not-quite jokes , and a determined tv amiability that allen personifies .


the film overcomes the regular minefield of coming-of-age cliches with potent doses of honesty and sensitivity .


like dickens with his passages , mcgrath crafts quite moving scenes throughout his resolutely dramatic variation on the novel .


city by the sea is the cinematic equivalent of defensive driving : it 's careful , conscientious and makes no major mistakes .


it 's both a necessary political work and a fascinating documentary ...


this insightful , oscar-nominated documentary , in which children on both sides of the ever-escalating conflict have their say away from watchful parental eyes , gives peace yet another chance .


this film is so slick , superficial and trend-hoppy , that it 's easy to imagine that a new software program spit out the screenplay .


too much of this well-acted but dangerously slow thriller feels like a preamble to a bigger , more complicated story , one that never materializes .


so young , so smart , such talent , such a wise \*\*\* .


only a few minutes elapse before the daddy of all slashers arrives , still with the boiler suit and white mask , which look remarkably clean for a guy who has been mass-murdering since 1978 but has never been seen doing laundry .


resourceful and ingenious entertainment .


` enigma ' is a good name for a movie this delibrately obtuse and unapproachable .


rain is a small treasure , enveloping the viewer in a literal and spiritual torpor that is anything but cathartic .


this romantic thriller is steeped in the atmosphere of wartime england , and ably captures the speech patterns , moral codes and ideals of the 1940s .


reggio falls victim to relying on the very digital technology that he fervently scorns , creating a meandering , inarticulate and ultimately disappointing film .


a masterpiece four years in the making .


polished korean political-action film is just as good -- and bad -- as hollywood action epics .


`` an entire film about researchers quietly reading dusty old letters . ''


in adobo , ethnicity is not just the spice , but at the heart of more universal concerns .


do we really need a 77-minute film to tell us exactly why a romantic relationship between a 15-year-old boy and a 40-year-old woman does n't work ?


this self-infatuated goofball is far from the only thing wrong with the clumsy comedy stealing harvard , but he 's the most obvious one .


the film often achieves a mesmerizing poetry .


the movie is n't always easy to look at .


a triumph , relentless and beautiful in its downbeat darkness .


the movie 's biggest offense is its complete and utter lack of tension .


digital-video documentary about stand-up comedians is a great glimpse into a very different world .


it wants to be thought of as a subversive little indie film , but it has all the qualities of a modern situation comedy .


impresses you with its open-endedness and surprises .


the smug , oily demeanor that donovan adopts throughout the stupidly named pipe dream is just repulsive .


her delivery and timing are flawless .


if high crimes were any more generic it would have a universal product code instead of a title .


almost every scene in this film is a gem that could stand alone , a perfectly realized observation of mood , behavior and intent .


when it 's on dry land , though , this surfer-girl melodrama starts gasping like a beached grouper .


like a tone-deaf singer at a benefit concert , john q. is a bad movie appearing on behalf of a good cause .


boring we did n't .


a spunky , original take on a theme that will resonate with singles of many ages .


undercover brother does n't go far enough .


moot point .


let 's cut to the consumer-advice bottom line : stay home .


as green-guts monster movies go , it 's a beaut .


elling , portrayed with quiet fastidiousness by per christian ellefsen , is a truly singular character , one whose frailties are only slightly magnified versions of the ones that vex nearly everyone .


the movie is full of fine performances , led by josef bierbichler as brecht and monica bleibtreu as helene weigel , his wife .


münch 's genuine insight makes the film 's occasional overindulgence forgivable .


the sum of all fears is almost impossible to follow -- and there 's something cringe-inducing about seeing an american football stadium nuked as pop entertainment .


all but the most persnickety preteens should enjoy this nonthreatening but thrilling adventure .


while obviously an extremely personal work , it remains inextricably stuck in an emotionally unavailable rut .


the problem , it is with most of these things , is the script .


beyond a handful of mildly amusing lines ... there just is n't much to laugh at .


this miserable excuse of a movie runs on empty , believing flatbush machismo will get it through .


for the first two-thirds of this sparklingly inventive and artful , always fast and furious tale , kids will go happily along for the ride .


ultimately , the message of trouble every day seems to be that all sexual desire disrupts life 's stasis .


no question .


neither funny nor suspenseful nor particularly well-drawn .


a compendium of solondz 's own worst instincts in under 90 minutes .


all i can say is fuhgeddaboutit .


biggie and tupac is so single-mindedly daring , it puts far more polished documentaries to shame .


anyone who can count to five -lrb- the film 's target market ? -rrb-


warmed-over tarantino by way of wannabe elmore leonard .


an endearingly offbeat romantic comedy with a great meet-cute gimmick .


emerges as something rare , an issue movie that 's so honest and keenly observed that it does n't feel like one .


cuts right through the b.s. giving a big middle-fingered `` shut up '' to those who talk up what is nothing more than two guys beating the hell outta one another .


sharp , lively , funny and ultimately sobering film .


shainberg weaves a carefully balanced scenario that is controlled by neither character , is weirdly sympathetic to both and manages to be tender and darkly comic .


thirty years ago , it would have been groundbreaking .


it is a comedy that 's not very funny and an action movie that is not very thrilling -lrb- and an uneasy alliance , at that -rrb- .


unfortunately , as a writer , mr. montias is n't nearly as good to his crew as he is as a director or actor .


a long-winded , predictable scenario .


invincible is a wonderful movie .


earns its laughs from stock redneck ` types ' and from the many , many moments when we recognize even without the elizabethan prose , the play behind the thing .


a smart , sweet and playful romantic comedy .


a moody horror\/thriller elevated by deft staging and the director 's well-known narrative gamesmanship .


a dreadful live-action movie .


s personal revelations regarding what the shop means in the big picture , iconic characters gambol fluidly through the story , with charming results .


for the most part , i spy was an amusing lark that will probably rank as one of murphy 's better performances in one of his lesser-praised movies .


though the controversial korean filmmaker 's latest effort is not for all tastes , it offers gorgeous imagery , effective performances , and an increasingly unsettling sense of foreboding .


well worth the time .


they felt like the same movie to me .


witty , touching and well paced .


i would have preferred a transfer down the hall to mr. holland 's class for the music , or to robin williams 's lecture so i could listen to a teacher with humor , passion , and verve .


this is the best american movie about troubled teens since 1998 's whatever .


absorbing and disturbing -- perhaps more disturbing than originally intended -- but a little clarity would have gone a long way .


good movie .


lilia 's transformation from strict mother to sensual siren is superficially preposterous , but abbas infuses the role with an unimpeachable core of emotional truth .


i whole-heartedly recommend that everyone see this movie -- for its historical significance alone .


it 's badly acted , blandly directed , and could have been scripted by someone who just graduated from elementary school .


but what spectacular sizzle it is !


enduring love but exhausting cinema .


stephen earnhart 's homespun documentary mule skinner blues has nothing but love for its posse of trailer park denizens .


it 's a sly wink to the others without becoming a postmodern joke , made creepy by its `` men in a sardine can '' warped logic .


a cop story that understands the medium amazingly well .


taken individually or collectively , the stories never add up to as much as they promise .


... understands that a generation defines its music as much as the music defines a generation .


when she speaks , her creepy egyptian demigod voice is as computer processed and overproduced as it was in her music .


so faithful to the doldrums of the not-quite-urban , not-quite-suburban milieu as to have viewers recoiling from the reality check .


one of the greatest romantic comedies of the past decade .


the plot grinds on with yawn-provoking dullness .


an amusing , breezily apolitical documentary about life on the campaign trail .


time changer may not be the most memorable cinema session but its profound self-evaluation message about our fragile existence and the absence of spiritual guidance should at least invade an abundance of mindsets


a very witty take on change , risk and romance , and the film uses humour to make its points about acceptance and growth .


... the last time i saw a theater full of people constantly checking their watches was during my sats .


these are lives worth watching , paths worth following .


static , repetitive , muddy and blurry , hey arnold !


this is a throwaway , junk-food movie whose rap soundtrack was better tended to than the film itself .


we may never think of band camp as a geeky or nerdy thing again .


the wwii drama is well plotted , visually striking and filled with enjoyably complex characters who are never what they first appear .


a film that is a portrait of grace in an imperfect world .


ultimately the project comes across as clinical , detached , uninvolving , possibly prompting audience members to wonder , ` what 's the point ? '


the best movie of its kind since ` brazil . '


as a director , mr. ratliff wisely rejects the temptation to make fun of his subjects .


the disarming cornball atmosphere has a way of infecting the entire crowd as the film rolls on .


davis has filled out his cast with appealing fresh faces .


it might be tempting to regard mr. andrew and his collaborators as oddballs , but mr. earnhart 's quizzical , charming movie allows us to see them , finally , as artists .


sadly , hewitt 's forte is leaning forward while wearing low-cut gowns , not making snappy comebacks .


this one does .


so what is the point ?


the issue of faith is not explored very deeply


everything that 's worthwhile about collision course can already be seen on television .


my oh my , is this an invigorating , electric movie .


director ferzan ozpetek creates an interesting dynamic with the members of this group , who live in the same apartment building .


i kept thinking over and over again , ' i should be enjoying this . '


it 's not thirsty , consuming passion which drives this movie .


do n't expect any surprises in this checklist of teamwork cliches ...


i saw knockaround guys yesterday , and already the details have faded like photographs from the spanish-american war ... it 's so unmemorable that it turned my ballpoint notes to invisible ink .


the stunning , dreamlike visuals will impress even those viewers who have little patience for euro-film pretension .


an eccentric little comic\/thriller deeply in love with its own quirky personality .


behan himself knew how to spin a tale and one ca n't help but think he 'd appreciate this attempt to turn his life into art .


my goodness , queen latifah has a lot to offer and she seemed to have no problem flaunting her natural gifts .


often moving and explores the discomfort inherent in the contacts between the american ` hosts ' and their ` guests . '


anthony hopkins ?


egoyan 's movie is too complicated to sustain involvement , and , if you 'll excuse a little critical heresy , too intellectually ambitious .


will grab your children by the imagination and amaze them and amuse them .


a chaotic panorama that 's too busy flying a lot of metaphoric flags .


the overall feel of the film is pretty cheesy , but there 's still a real sense that the star trek tradition has been honored as best it can , given the embarrassing script and weak direction .


this is one for the ages .


the animated subplot keenly depicts the inner struggles of our adolescent heroes - insecure , uncontrolled , and intense .


bennett 's dramatization of her personal descent into post-breakup perdition has a morbid appeal that 's tough to shake .


every so often a movie comes along that confirms one 's worse fears about civilization as we know it .


a compelling , moving film that respects its audience and its source material .


the talents of the actors helps `` moonlight mile '' rise above its heart-on-its-sleeve writing .


as elegantly crafted as it often is , anderson 's movie is essentially a one-trick pony that , hampered by an undeveloped script , ultimately pulls up lame .


ca n't kick about the assembled talent and the russos show genuine promise as comic filmmakers .


all the characters are stereotypes , and their interaction is numbingly predictable .


i wonder why .


day is not a great bond movie , but it is a good bond movie , which still makes it much better than your typical bond knock-offs .


the tug-of-war at the core of beijing bicycle becomes weighed down with agonizing contrivances , overheated pathos and long , wistful gazes .


quick : who wants to see a comedy about shoddy airport security ?


karmen moves like rhythm itself , her lips chanting to the beat , her long , braided hair doing little to wipe away the jeweled beads of sweat .


it is nature against progress .


by the end , i was looking for something hard with which to bludgeon myself unconscious .


the only element of suspense is whether the movie will change titles or distributors again before the closing credits roll .


this clever caper movie has twists worthy of david mamet and is enormous fun for thinking audiences .


most of crush is a clever and captivating romantic comedy with a welcome pinch of tartness .


makmalbaf follows a resolutely realistic path in this uncompromising insight into the harsh existence of the kurdish refugees of iran 's borderlands .


despite a blue-chip cast and a provocative title , writer-director peter mattei 's first feature microwaves dull leftover romantic motifs basted in faux-contemporary gravy .


well-written , nicely acted and beautifully shot and scored , the film works on several levels , openly questioning social mores while ensnaring the audience with its emotional pull .


this is n't a narrative film -- i do n't know if it 's possible to make a narrative film about september 11th , though i 'm sure some will try -- but it 's as close as anyone has dared to come .


christians sensitive to a reductionist view of their lord as a luv-spreading dr. feelgood or omnipotent slacker will feel vastly more affronted than secularists , who might even praise god for delivering such an instant camp classic .


heavy-handed exercise in time-vaulting literary pretension .


a clever blend of fact and fiction .


all ms. jovovich , as the sanctified heroine , has to do is look radiant , grimly purposeful and mildly alarmed while forcing open doors , wielding wrenches and fleeing monsters .


there 's plenty of style in guillermo del toro 's sequel to the 1998 hit but why do we need 117 minutes to tell a tale that simply ca n't sustain more than 90 minutes .


the writers , director wally wolodarsky , and all the actors should start their own coeducational fraternity : kappa rho alpha phi .


a sudsy cautionary tale .


the filmmakers skillfully evoke the sense of menace that nature holds for many urban dwellers .


it 's best to avoid imprisonment with the dull , nerdy folks that inhabit cherish .


based on a david leavitt story , the film shares that writer 's usual blend of observant cleverness , too-facile coincidence and slightly noxious preciousness .


pray 's film works well and will appeal even to those who are n't too familiar with turntablism .


those with an interest in new or singular sorts of film experiences will find what time is it there ?


it 's drained of life in an attempt to be sober and educational , and yet it 's so devoid of realism that its lack of whistles and bells just makes it obnoxious and stiff .


it 's a deeply serious movie that cares passionately about its subject , but too often becomes ponderous in its teaching of history , or lost in the intricate connections and multiple timelines of its story .


to the film 's credit , the acting is fresh and unselfconscious , and munch is a marvel of reality versus sappy sentiment .


why come up with something even quasi-original , when you can pillage from shirley jackson , richard matheson ... and puke up something like rose red ?


an absorbing trip into the minds and motivations of people under stress as well as a keen , unsentimental look at variations on the theme of motherhood .


though a bit of a patchwork in script and production , a glossy , rich green , environment almost makes the picture work .


well-shot but badly written tale set in a future ravaged by dragons .


outrageousness is all plympton seemed to be going for this time .


sheridan ... smoothes over sources of conflict that could have lent the film a bit more depth .


there 's a vastness implied in metropolis that is just breathtaking .


a feel-good picture in the best sense of the term .


this is a happy throwback to the time when cartoons were cinema 's most idiosyncratic form instead of one of its most predictable .


newton draws our attention like a magnet , and acts circles around her better known co-star , mark wahlberg .


vividly conveys both the pitfalls and the pleasures of over-the-top love .


formula 51 is so trite that even yu 's high-energy action stylings ca n't break through the stupor .


when your leading ladies are a couple of screen-eating dominatrixes like goldie hawn and susan sarandon at their raunchy best , even hokum goes down easily .


flaccid drama and exasperatingly slow journey .


too silly to be frightening , too stolid to be funny , it projects the same lazy affability as its nominal star , david arquette .


overall , the film misses the brilliance of jelinek 's novel by some way .


an incredibly low-rent danish film , it brings a group of people together in a sweet and charming way , if a little convenient


the film meant well in its horse tale about freedom , but was n't able to reach the heart because it was too overbearing .


occasionally funny , always very colorful and enjoyably overblown in the traditional almodóvar style .


high crimes miscasts nearly every leading character .


pretty darn good , despite its smarty-pants aura .


a mixed bag of a comedy that ca n't really be described as out of this world .


a movie that will touch the hearts of both children and adults , as well as bring audiences to the edge of their seats .


-lrb- an -rrb- hilarious romantic comedy .


both deeply weird and charmingly dear .


the ill-conceived modern-day ending falls flat where it should deliver a moral punch .


the movie has lots of dancing and fabulous music .


what you would end up with if you took orwell , bradbury , kafka , george lucas and the wachowski brothers and threw them into a blender .


a hip ride into hyper-time , clockstoppers is a lively and enjoyable adventure for all ages at any time .


it risks seeming slow and pretentious , because it thinks the gamble is worth the promise .


occasionally melodramatic , it 's also extremely effective .


a very stylish but ultimately extremely silly tale ... a slick piece of nonsense but nothing more .


it 's really yet another anemic and formulaic lethal weapon-derived buddy-cop movie , trying to pass off its lack of imagination as hip knowingness .


an enjoyably half-wit remake of the venerable italian comedy big deal on madonna street .


rainy days and movies about the disintegration of families always get me down .


the second chapter of the harry potter series is even more magical than the first and simply the best family film of the year .


it 's hard not to feel you 've just watched a feature-length video game with some really heavy back story .


it 's one of the most honest films ever made about hollywood .


where last time jokes flowed out of cho 's life story , which provided an engrossing dramatic through line , here the comedian hides behind obviously constructed routines .


-lrb- but it 's -rrb- worth recommending because of two marvelous performances by michael caine and brendan fraser .


the weakest of the four harry potter books has been transformed into the stronger of the two films by the thinnest of margins .


there is a kind of attentive concern that hoffman brings to his characters , as if he has been giving them private lessons , and now it is time for their first public recital .


though the plot is predictable , the movie never feels formulaic , because the attention is on the nuances of the emotional development of the delicate characters .


philip k. dick must be turning in his grave , along with my stomach .


its characters are thinner than cardboard -- or even comic-book paper .


fine acting but there is no sense of connecting the dots , just dots .


theology aside , why put someone who ultimately does n't learn at the center of a kids ' story ?


the movie 's quiet affirmation of neighborhood values gives it an honest , lived-in glow .


it might as well have been problem child iv .


feels like one of those contrived , only-in - hollywood productions where name actors deliver big performances created for the sole purpose of generating oscar talk .


good ol' urban legend stuff .


the film 's greatest asset is how much it 's not just another connect-the-dots , spy-on-the-run picture .


home alone goes hollywood , a funny premise until the kids start pulling off stunts not even steven spielberg would know how to do .


... a joke at once flaky and resonant , lightweight and bizarrely original .


if it 's possible for a sequel to outshine the original , then sl2 does just that .


one of those rare , exhilarating cinematic delights that gets even better in hindsight , as you mull over its every nuance in your mind .


sunshine state lacks the kind of dynamic that limbo offers , and in some ways is a rather indulgent piece .


painful to watch , but viewers willing to take a chance will be rewarded with two of the year 's most accomplished and riveting film performances .


do not , under any circumstances , consider taking a child younger than middle school age to this wallow in crude humor .


he simply presents his point of view that ayurveda works .


for all its surface frenzy , high crimes should be charged with loitering -- so much on view , so little to offer .


like a marathon runner trying to finish a race , you need a constant influx of liquid just to get through it .


kidman is really the only thing that 's worth watching in birthday girl , a film by the stage-trained jez butterworth -lrb- mojo -rrb- that serves as yet another example of the sad decline of british comedies in the post-full monty world .


it took 19 predecessors to get this ?


... perhaps the heaviest , most joyless movie ever made about giant dragons taking over the world .


while surprisingly sincere , this average little story is adorned with some awesome action photography and surfing .


an endlessly fascinating , landmark movie that is as bold as anything the cinema has seen in years .


begins as a promising meditation on one of america 's most durable obsessions but winds up as a slender cinematic stunt .


a yarn that respects the marvel version without becoming ensnared by it .


-lrb- howard -rrb- so good as leon barlow ... that he hardly seems to be acting .


the tug of war that ensues is as much a snapshot of modern china in microcosm as it is a crash course in movie mythology .


but in its child-centered , claustrophobic context , it can be just as frightening and disturbing -- even punishing .


the whole cast looks to be having so much fun with the slapstick antics and silly street patois , tossing around obscure expressions like bellini and mullinski , that the compact 86 minutes breezes by .


though ganesh is successful in a midlevel sort of way , there 's nothing so striking or fascinating or metaphorically significant about his career as to rate two hours of our attention .


the people in dogtown and z-boys are so funny , aggressive and alive , you have to watch them because you ca n't wait to see what they do next .


reggio 's trippy , ambitious downer can also sometimes come across like nothing more than a glorified nike ad .


you 've already seen heartbreak if you 've watched the far superior nurse betty or sunset boulevard .


-lrb- fessenden -rrb- is much more into ambiguity and creating mood than he is for on screen thrills


if you can get past the fantastical aspects and harsh realities of `` the isle '' you 'll get a sock-you-in-the-eye flick that is a visual tour-de-force and a story that is unlike any you will likely see anywhere else .


the plot is so amusingly contrived and outlandish in its coincidences that no one could ever mistake it for anything resembling reality


jacquot 's tosca is a treat .


you 're better off staying home and watching the x-files .


the drama is played out with such aching beauty and truth that it brings tears to your eyes .


the sequel has turned completely and irrevocably bizarre to the point of utter nonsense .


divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood may not be exactly divine , but it 's definitely -- defiantly -- ya ya , what with all of those terrific songs and spirited performances .


the movie sticks much closer to hornby 's drop-dead confessional tone than the film version of high fidelity did .


the subject of swinging still seems ripe for a documentary -- just not this one .


the principals in this cast are all fine , but bishop and stevenson are standouts .


but it offers plenty to ponder and chew on as its unusual relationship slowly unfolds .


the ending is a cop-out .


the makers of divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood should offer a free ticket -lrb- second prize , of course , two free tickets -rrb- to anyone who can locate a genuinely honest moment in their movie .


no , it 's not nearly as good as any of its influences .


but he loses his focus when he concentrates on any single person .


bullock 's complete lack of focus and ability quickly derails the film


say this for the soundtrack , it drowns out the lousy dialogue .


all ends well , sort of , but the frenzied comic moments never click .


you see robert de niro singing - and dancing to - west side story show tunes .


proves that a movie about goodness is not the same thing as a good movie .


workmanlike , maybe , but still a film with all the elements that made the other three great , scary times at the movies .


this formulaic chiller will do little to boost stallone 's career .


like the film 's almost anthropologically detailed realization of early - '80s suburbia , it 's significant without being overstated .


accuracy and realism are terrific , but if your film becomes boring , and your dialogue is n't smart , then you need to use more poetic license .


elling really is about a couple of crazy guys , and it 's therapeutic to laugh along with them .


... too gory to be a comedy and too silly to be an effective horror film .


a boring , formulaic mix of serial killers and stalk 'n' slash .


take away all the cliches and the carbon copy scenes from every drug movie we 've seen and all you have left are john leguizamo 's cool jackets .


a refreshing korean film about five female high school friends who face an uphill battle when they try to take their relationships into deeper waters .


hu and liu offer natural , matter-of-fact performances that glint with sorrow , longing and love .


insomnia is involving .


the kids often appear to be reading the lines and are incapable of conveying any emotion .


just one more collection of penis , breast and flatulence gags in search of a story .


not a bad journey at all .


has a shambling charm ... a cheerfully inconsequential diversion .


passably entertaining but also mechanical and joyless .


the film 's 45-minute running time stops shy of overkill , though viewers may be more exhausted than the athletes onscreen .


collateral damage is , despite its alleged provocation post-9 \/ 11 , an antique , in the end .


even those of a single digit age will be able to recognize that this story is too goofy ... even for disney .


bubba ho-tep is a wonderful film with a bravura lead performance by bruce campbell that does n't deserve to leave the building until everyone is aware of it .


although the editing might have been tighter , hush !


it 's an earnest debut full of heartfelt performances , but is ultimately let down by a story that is all too predictable .


the movie is as far as you can get from racy , to the point where it almost stops the blood flow to your brain ; it has a dull , costumey feel .


you could say that it 's slow at times , you could say that a few of the characters act in ways that real people would n't , but one thing you could n't say is that alias betty is predictable .


hilarious , touching and wonderfully dyspeptic .


it is a film that will have people walking out halfway through , will encourage others to stand up and applaud , and will , undoubtedly , leave both camps engaged in a ferocious debate for years to come .


a cumbersome and cliche-ridden movie greased with every emotional device known to man .


a comprehensive and provocative film -- one that pushes the boundaries of biography , and challenges its audience .


despite the authenticity of the trappings , the film is overblown in its plotting , hackneyed in its dialogue and anachronistic in its style .


the character is too forced and overwritten to be funny or believable much of the time , and clayburgh does n't always improve the over-the-top mix .


this version incarnates the prophetic book in a way even its exacting author might admire .


` charly ' will divide its audience in two separate groups , those reaching for more tissues and those begging for mercy ...


herzog is obviously looking for a moral to his fable , but the notion that a strong , unified showing among germany and eastern european jews might have changed 20th-century history is undermined by ahola 's inadequate performance .


the performances are so leaden , michael rymer 's direction is so bloodless and the dialogue is so corny that the audience laughs out loud .


a thoughtful , provocative , insistently humanizing film .


the movie bounces all over the map .


if there 's nothing fresh about wannabes , which was written by mr. demeo , who produced and directed the film with charles a. addessi , much of the time the movie feels authentic .


there 's no way to sort out the mess in our heads and deconstruct where it all went wrong .


a frustrating combination of strained humor and heavy-handed sentimentality .


it 's traditional moviemaking all the way , but it 's done with a lot of careful period attention as well as some very welcome wit .


it 's as close as we 'll ever come to looking through a photographer 's viewfinder as he works .


the film is all a little lit crit 101 , but it 's extremely well played and often very funny .


it 's a trifle .


de oliveira creates an emotionally rich , poetically plump and visually fulsome , but never showy , film whose bittersweet themes are reinforced and brilliantly personified by michel piccoli .


funny and , at times , poignant , the film from director george hickenlooper all takes place in pasadena , `` a city where people still read . ''


too loud , too long and too frantic by half , die another day suggests that the bond franchise has run into a creative wall that 007 can not fly over , tunnel under or barrel through .


the film is itself a sort of cinematic high crime , one that brings military courtroom dramas down very , very low .


fuller would surely have called this gutsy and at times exhilarating movie a great yarn .


a long slog for anyone but the most committed pokemon fan .


disney has always been hit-or-miss when bringing beloved kids ' books to the screen ... tuck everlasting is a little of both .


though avary has done his best to make something out of ellis ' nothing novel , in the end , his rules is barely worth following .


this idea has lost its originality ... and neither star appears very excited at rehashing what was basically a one-joke picture .


little more than a frothy vanity project .


a depressing confirmation of everything those of us who do n't object to the description `` unelected '' have suspected all along : george w. bush is an incurious , uncharismatic , overgrown frat boy with a mean streak a mile wide .


an enchanting film that presents an audacious tour of the past and takes within its warm embrace the bounties of cultural artifacts inside st. petersburg 's hermitage museum .


the new guy does have a heart .


screenwriters scott abbott and michael petroni have turned rice 's complex akasha into a cartoon monster .


nolan bravely treads where few american films dare to delve -- into the world of ambivalence and ambiguity ...


few films this year have been as resolute in their emotional nakedness .


i did n't laugh at the ongoing efforts of cube , and his skinny buddy mike epps , to make like laurel and hardy 'n the hood .


the streets , shot by cinematographer michael ballhaus , may be as authentic as they are mean , but it is nearly impossible to care about what happens on them .


if you 're looking for comedy to be served up , better look elsewhere .


the movie makes absolutely no sense .


it extends the writings of jean genet and john rechy , the films of fassbinder , perhaps even the nocturnal works of goya .


edited and shot with a syncopated style mimicking the work of his subjects , pray turns the idea of the documentary on its head , making it rousing , invigorating fun lacking any mtv puffery .


mocking kung fu pictures when they were a staple of exploitation theater programming was witty .


this ecologically minded , wildlife friendly film teaches good ethics while entertaining with its unconventionally wacky but loving family


almost everything else is wan .


as hugh grant says repeatedly throughout the movie , ` lovely !


it never fails to engage us .


it is now .


only an epic documentary could get it all down , and spike lee 's jim brown : all american at long last gives its subject a movie worthy of his talents .


or tom green as han solo ?


it might be the first sci-fi comedy that could benefit from a three 's company-style laugh track .


shadyac shoots his film like an m. night shyamalan movie , and he frequently maintains the same snail 's pace ; he just forgot to add any genuine tension .


waydowntown is by no means a perfect film , but its boasts a huge charm factor and smacks of originality .


i complain all the time about seeing the same ideas repeated in films over and over again , but the bourne identity proves that a fresh take is always possible .


the stupidest , most insulting movie of 2002 's first quarter .


no more .


-lrb- newton -rrb- wanders through charlie completely unaware she needs to show some presence and star quality .


i did n't believe for a moment in these villains or their plot .


purely propaganda , a work of unabashed hero worship , it is nonetheless -- and likely inadvertently -- a timely and invaluable implicit reminder of the role that u.s. foreign policy has played in the rise of castro .


a mild , reluctant , thumbs down .


a tale of horror and revenge that is nearly perfect in its relentless descent to the depths of one man 's tortured soul .


an original gem about an obsession with time .


she lists ingredients , but never mixes and stirs .


none of this violates the letter of behan 's book , but missing is its spirit , its ribald , full-throated humor .


tadpole is emblematic of the witless ageism afflicting films : young is cool , and too young is too cool .


a journey through memory , a celebration of living , and a sobering rumination on fatality , classism , and ignorance .


this is art paying homage to art .


happily for mr. chin -- though unhappily for his subjects -- the invisible hand of the marketplace wrote a script that no human screenwriter could have hoped to match .


makes s&m seem very romantic , and maggie gyllenhaal is a delight .


like most bond outings in recent years , some of the stunts are so outlandish that they border on being cartoonlike .


how anyone over the age of 2 can stomach the touchy-feely message this preachy produce promotes is beyond us .


despite its many infuriating flaws -- not the least of which is amy 's self-absorbed personality -- amy 's o 's honesty will win you over .


it has the courage to wonder about big questions with sincerity and devotion .


in the second half of the film , frei 's control loosens in direct proportion to the amount of screen time he gives nachtwey for self-analysis .


the year 's happiest surprise , a movie that deals with a real subject in an always surprising way .


andersson creates a world that 's at once surreal and disturbingly familiar ; absurd , yet tremendously sad .


an intelligent , moving and invigorating film .


daring , mesmerizing and exceedingly hard to forget .


... as the story congeals you feel the pieces of the star wars saga falling into place in a way that makes your spine tingle with revelation and excitement .


never -lrb- sinks -rrb- into exploitation .


leaves you with a knot in your stomach , its power is undercut by its own head-banging obviousness .


the cast is so low-wattage that none of the characters comes off as big ... and the setting remains indistinct .


a splendid entertainment , young in spirit but accomplished in all aspects with the fullness of spirit and sense of ease that comes only with experience .


it 's hard not to be seduced by -lrb- witherspoon 's -rrb- charisma , even in this run-of-the-mill vehicle , because this girl knows how to drive it to the max .


glib , satirical documentary that fudges facts , makes facile points and engages in the cinematic equivalent of tabloid journalism .


with the film 's striking ending , one realizes that we have a long way to go before we fully understand all the sexual permutations involved .


you 'll have more fun setting fire to yourself in the parking lot .


foster nails the role , giving a tight , focused performance illuminated by shards of feeling .


it dares to be a little different , and that shading is what makes it worthwhile .


fear dot com is so rambling and disconnected it never builds any suspense .


... has freaky scenes where the crew wonder if they 're ghosts imagining themselves as alive .


tuck everlasting achieves a delicate balance of romantic innocence and philosophical depth .


this is carion 's debut feature but his script and direction hums with a confidence that many spend entire careers trying to reach .


an elegant , exquisitely modulated psychological thriller .


stars matthew perry and elizabeth hurley illicit more than a chuckle , and more jokes land than crash , but ultimately serving sara does n't distinguish itself from the herd .


the ending does leave you unfulfilled , but these are performances to enjoy in a memorable ensemble piece .


hey , who else needs a shower ?


but even a hero can stumble sometimes .


the tone shifts abruptly from tense to celebratory to soppy .


moore 's performance impresses almost as much as her work with haynes in 1995 's safe .


not even the hanson brothers can save it


a picture that extols the virtues of comradeship and community in a spunky , spirited fashion .


too bad , but thanks to some lovely comedic moments and several fine performances , it 's not a total loss .


his characters are engaging , intimate and the dialogue is realistic and greatly moving .


now trimmed by about 20 minutes , this lavish three-year-old production has enough grandeur and scale to satisfy as grown-up escapism .


for the most part , the ingredients are there .


hardly makes the kind of points egoyan wanted to make , nor does it exist as the kind of monument he wanted to build , to victims whose voices have never gained the ears of the world .


an imaginative comedy\/thriller .


technically , the film is about as interesting as an insurance commercial .


the only thing in pauline and paulette that you have n't seen before is a scene featuring a football field-sized oriental rug crafted out of millions of vibrant flowers .


offers enough playful fun to entertain the preschool set while embracing a wholesome attitude .


there are times when a rumor of angels plays like an extended episode of touched by an angel -- a little too much dancing , a few too many weeping scenes -- but i liked its heart and its spirit .


for anyone who grew up on disney 's 1950 treasure island , or remembers the 1934 victor fleming classic , this one feels like an impostor .


... an inviting piece of film .


... a big , baggy , sprawling carnival of a movie , stretching out before us with little rhyme or reason .


flashy , pretentious and as impenetrable as morvern 's thick , working-class scottish accent .


maudlin and melodramatic we expected .


shocking only in that it reveals the filmmaker 's bottomless pit of self-absorption .


not a cheap slasher flick , as the subject matter would suggest , but is a little like a nature film , showing a patient predator and his foolish prey .


the visuals alone make metropolis worth seeing .


uncertain in tone ... a garbled exercise in sexual politics , a junior varsity short cuts by way of very bad things .


a waste of good performances .


one of those movies where you walk out of the theater not feeling cheated exactly , but feeling pandered to , which , in the end , might be all the more infuriating .


a bit of an unwieldy mess .


the picture , scored by a perversely cheerful marcus miller accordion\/harmonica\/banjo abomination , is a monument to bad in all its florid variety .


julia is played with exasperating blandness by laura regan .


a romantic comedy that operates by the rules of its own self-contained universe .


noyce films it more as a shocking history lesson than as drama .


liman , of swingers and go , makes his big-budget action film debut something of a clunker as he delivers a long , low-heat chase , interrupted by a middling car chase .


a triumph of art direction over narrative , but what art direction !


propelled not by characters but by caricatures .


never mind whether you buy the stuff about barris being a cia hit man .


here 's a self-congratulatory 3d imax rah-rah .


every bit as bogus as most disney live action family movies are -- no real plot , no real conflict , no real point .


one of the most haunting , viciously honest coming-of-age films in recent memory .


the film has just enough of everything -- re-enactments , archival footage , talking-head interviews -- and the music is simply sublime .


i like the new footage and still love the old stuff .


i weep for the future when a good portion of the respected critical community in this country consider blue crush to be an intelligent film about young women .


without september 11 , collateral damage would have been just another bad movie .


gollum 's ` performance ' is incredible !


superior genre storytelling , which gets under our skin simply by crossing the nuclear line .


there are films that try the patience of even the most cinema-besotted critic -- and this was one of them .


an unabashedly schmaltzy and thoroughly enjoyable true story .


if this dud had been made in the '70s , it would have been called the hills have antlers and played for about three weeks in drive-ins .


a deliciously mordant , bitter black comedy .


a sophomoric exploration of ` life problems ' most people solved long ago -- or at least got tired of hearing people kvetch about .


flavorful and romantic , you could call this how martha got her groove back -- assuming , that is , she ever had one to begin with .


director rob marshall went out gunning to make a great one .


it would have benefitted the dialogue .


lanie 's professional success means she must be a failure at life , because she 's driven by ambition and does n't know how to have fun .


this movie is about lying , cheating , but loving the friends you betray .


it almost plays like solaris , but with guns and jokes .


kwan makes the mix-and - match metaphors intriguing , while lulling us into torpor with his cultivated allergy to action .


you could nap for an hour and not miss a thing .


the tenderness of the piece is still intact .


these people would n't know subtle characterization if it put on a giant furry monster costume and then gave them a lapdance .


a graceless , witless attempt at mating some like it hot with the wwii espionage thriller .


the impact of the armenian genocide is diluted by too much stage business in the modern day .


while undercover brother is definitely one for the masses , it 's also full of sharp , smart satire .


two hours of melodramatic musical married to two hours of underdog sports intrigue , if the picture also shares the weaknesses of both genres , more 's the pity .


visits spy-movie territory like a novel you ca n't put down , examines a footnote to history seldom brought to light on the screen , and keeps you guessing from first frame to last .


just how extreme are these ops ?


too leisurely paced and visually drab for its own good , it succeeds in being only sporadically amusing .


it suggests the wide-ranging effects of media manipulation , from the kind of reporting that is done by the supposedly liberal media ... to the intimate and ultimately tragic heartache of maverick individuals like hatfield and hicks .


just one problem : fish out of water usually die .


some actors steal scenes .


this warm and gentle romantic comedy has enough interesting characters to fill several movies , and its ample charms should win over the most hard-hearted cynics .


half of it is composed of snappy patter and pseudo-sophisticated cultural observations , while the remainder ... would be more at home on a daytime television serial .


though howard demonstrates a great eye as a director , this southern gothic drama is sadly a tough sit , with an undeveloped narrative and enough flashbacks and heavy-handed metaphors to choke a horse -- or at least slow him down to a canter .


a tough go , but leigh 's depth and rigor , and his skill at inspiring accomplished portrayals that are all the more impressive for their lack of showiness , offsets to a notable degree the film 's often-mined and despairing milieu .


at first , the sight of a blind man directing a film is hilarious , but as the film goes on , the joke wears thin .


a charming romantic comedy that is by far the lightest dogme film and among the most enjoyable .


while the isle is both preposterous and thoroughly misogynistic , its vistas are incredibly beautiful to look at .


denis and co-writer michele petin 's impeccable screenplay penetrates with a rawness that that is both unflinching and tantalizing .


expect to be reminded of other , better films , especially seven , which director william malone slavishly copies .


lathan and diggs have considerable personal charm , and their screen rapport makes the old story seem new .


the reason this picture works better than its predecessors is that myers is no longer simply spoofing the mini-mod-madness of '60s spy movies .


he has not learnt that storytelling is what the movies are about .


an intelligent , earnest , intimate film that drops the ball only when it pauses for blunt exposition to make sure you 're getting its metaphysical point .


majidi 's poetic love story is a ravishing consciousness-raiser , if a bit draggy at times .


it 's a sometimes interesting remake that does n't compare to the brilliant original .


westfeldt and juergensen exude a chemistry and comfort level that 's both saucy and endearing .


quite funny for the type of movie it is ...


run , do n't walk , to see this barbed and bracing comedy on the big screen .


matthew mcconaughey tries , and fails , to control the screen with swaggering machismo and over-the-top lunacy .


a predictable and stereotypical little b-movie .


a morality tale whose thought-provoking potential is hampered by a made-for-tv look , rigid performances and an asinine ` twist ' that brazenly rips off the sixth sense .


i 'm not suggesting that you actually see it , unless you 're the kind of person who has seen every wim wenders film of the '70s .


dialogue-heavy and too cerebral for its own good -- or , at any rate , too cerebral for its racy subject matter .


when it 's all wet , blue crush is highly enjoyable .


a ponderous meditation on love that feels significantly longer than its relatively scant 97 minutes .


a somewhat crudely constructed but gripping , questing look at a person so racked with self-loathing , he becomes an enemy to his own race .


usually when i get this much syrup , i like pancakes to go with it .


mr. wedge and mr. saldanha handle the mix of verbal jokes and slapstick well .


longley has constructed a remarkably coherent , horrifically vivid snapshot of those turbulent days .


a slick , well-oiled machine , exquisitely polished and upholstered .


the result is mesmerizing -- filled with menace and squalor .


do n't plan on the perfect ending , but sweet home alabama hits the mark with critics who escaped from a small town life .


a stunning piece of visual poetry that will , hopefully , be remembered as one of the most important stories to be told in australia 's film history .


too timid to bring a sense of closure to an ugly chapter of the twentieth century .


plays less like a coming-of-age romance than an infomercial .


all that -lrb- powerpuff girls -rrb- charm is present in the movie , but it 's spread too thin .


jirí hubac 's script is a gem .


as -lrb- the characters -rrb- get more depressed , the story gets more tiresome , especially as it continues to mount a conspicuous effort to be profound .


even when foreign directors ... borrow stuff from hollywood , they invariably shake up the formula and make it more interesting .


in a word -- yes .


feels like six different movies fighting each other for attention .


no worse than a lot of the crap we 've been offered this summer , and slightly better than men in black 2 as far as slapdash extraterrestrial comedies go .


this bold and lyrical first feature from raja amari expands the pat notion that middle-aged women just wanna have fun into a rousing treatise of sensual empowerment .


admirable , certainly , but not much fun to watch .


`` the emperor 's new clothes '' begins with a simple plan ... well , at least that 's the plan .


often gruelling and heartbreaking to witness , but seldahl and wollter 's sterling performances raise this far above the level of the usual maudlin disease movie .


a mix of velocity and idiocy , this ruinous remake lacks the brawn -- and the brains -- of the 1970s original .


cantet perfectly captures the hotel lobbies , two-lane highways , and roadside cafes that permeate vincent 's days


friday after next has the same problem that next friday did -- it 's called where 's chris tucker when you need him ?


extremely confusing .


-lrb- hawn 's character -rrb- is so bluntly written , without a trace of sentimentality , and so blisteringly defined , that every other character seems overlooked and underwritten .


well-intentioned though it may be , its soap-opera morality tales have the antiseptic , preprogrammed feel of an after-school special .


but fans should have fun meeting a brand-new pokemon called celebi .


son of the bride may be a good half-hour too long but comes replete with a flattering sense of mystery and quietness .


it 's laughing at us .


haynes has so fanatically fetishized every bizarre old-movie idiosyncrasy with such monastic devotion you 're not sure if you should applaud or look into having him committed .


like most sequels , it takes what worked last time , repeats it and adds more characters , more stunts , more stuff in attempt to camouflage its sameness .


this film 's relationship to actual tension is the same as what christmas-tree flocking in a spray can is to actual snow : a poor -- if durable -- imitation .


helmer devito ... attempts to do too many things in this story about ethics , payola , vice , murder , kids ' tv and revenge .


the humor is hinged on the belief that knees in the crotch , elbows in the face and spit in the eye are inherently funny .


4 friends , 2 couples , 2000 miles , and all the pabst blue ribbon beer they can drink - it 's the ultimate redneck road-trip .


still , i 'm not quite sure what the point is ...


has it ever been possible to say that williams has truly inhabited a character ?


after that , it just gets stupid and maudlin .


unfortunately , heartbreak hospital wants to convey the same kind of haughtiness in its own sketchy material but this territory has already been explored previously with better aplomb and sardonic wit .


by the end of no such thing the audience , like beatrice , has a watchful affection for the monster .


a baffling misfire , and possibly the weakest movie -lrb- woody allen -rrb- has made in the last twenty years .


the production values are up there .


rates an ` e ' for effort -- and a ` b ' for boring .


it seems just a long , convoluted ploy to get men into drag -- period drag , no less .


the pianist is a fine valedictory work for polanski , made richer by his own experiences , making his other movies somehow richer in the bargain .


being author wells ' great-grandson , you 'd think filmmaker simon wells would have more reverence for the material .


a modest and messy metaphysical thriller offering more questions than answers .


it 's the best film of the year so far , the benchmark against which all other best picture contenders should be measured .


like a documentary version of fight club , shorn of social insight , intellectual pretension and cinematic interest .


whether kiss is a future cult classic or destined to be completely forgotten is open to question , but the risk-takers in the crowd should check it out and form their own opinion .


there are n't many laughs in this interesting study of the cultural mores of georgian jews in tel aviv .


smith 's approach is never to tease , except gently and in that way that makes us consider our own eccentricities and how they are expressed through our homes .


a shambles of a movie -- visually unattractive , unbearably loud and utterly silly ... its hilarity is completely unintentional .


its direction , its script , and weaver 's performance as a vaguely discontented woman of substance make for a mildly entertaining 77 minutes , if that 's what you 're in the mood for .


it is so refreshing to see robin williams turn 180 degrees from the string of insultingly innocuous and sappy fiascoes he 's been making for the last several years .


`` collateral damage '' goes by the numbers and reps decent action entertainment -- until the silly showdown ending that forces the viewer to totally suspend disbelief


still , this thing feels flimsy and ephemeral .


a blessed gift to film geeks and historians .


what jackson has accomplished here is amazing on a technical level .


it should be mentioned that the set design and interiors of the haunted vessel are more than effectively creepy and moodily lit .


yes , one enjoys seeing joan grow from awkward young woman to strong , determined monarch , but her love for the philandering philip only diminishes her stature .


there 's no denying the physically spectacular qualities of the film ... or the emotional integrity of the performances .


whether you 're moved and love it , or bored or frustrated by the film , you 'll still feel something .


a psychologically rich and suspenseful moral thriller with a stellar performance by al pacino .


an absorbing , slice-of-depression life that touches nerves and rings true .


moderately involving despite bargain-basement photography and hackneyed romance .


this is a film well worth seeing , talking and singing heads and all .


boisterous and daft documentary .


sometimes smart but more often sophomoric .


what was subtle and mystifying in the novella is now broad and farcical .


is it something any true film addict will want to check out ?


the movie is too cute to take itself too seriously , but it still feels like it was made by some very stoned college students .


the plot is so predictable and sentimental that viewers are likely to lose interest before sandrine and her goats walk off into the sunset .


roger michell , who did an appealing job directing persuasion and notting hill in england , gets too artsy in his american debut .


maybe it 's asking too much , but if a movie is truly going to inspire me , i want a little more than this .


... there are enough moments of heartbreaking honesty to keep one glued to the screen .


i loved it !


brilliant ! '


some studio pizazz might have helped .


it will come as no surprise that the movie is n't scary .


all the well-meaningness in the world ca n't erase the fact that the believer feels like a 12-step program for the jewish nazi .


a grim , flat and boring werewolf movie that refuses to develop an energy level .


a hideous , confusing spectacle , one that may well put the nail in the coffin of any future rice adaptations .


the film is directed by wally wolodarsky from a script by joe jarvis and greg coolidge .


director barry skolnick and his screenwriters glibly tick off every point of `` the longest yard '' playbook like a checklist .


i have n't seen one in so long , no wonder i did n't recognize it at first .


as tweedy talks about canning his stockbroker and repairing his pool , you yearn for a few airborne tv sets or nude groupies on the nod to liven things up .


cedar takes a very open-minded approach to this sensitive material , showing impressive control , both visually and in the writing .


you can practically smell the patchouli oil .


cute , funny , heartwarming digitally animated feature film with plenty of slapstick humor for the kids , lots of in-jokes for the adults and heart enough for everyone .


what full frontal lacks in thematic coherence it largely makes up for as loosey-goosey , experimental entertainment .


this 72-minute film does have some exciting scenes , but it 's a tad slow .


it will probably prove interesting to ram dass fans , but to others it may feel like a parody of the mellow , peace-and-love side of the '60s counterculture .


mark me down as a non-believer in werewolf films that are not serious and rely on stupidity as a substitute for humor .


maguire is a surprisingly effective peter\/spider-man .


windtalkers is shapelessly gratifying , the kind of movie that invites you to pick apart its faults even as you have to admit that somehow it hit you where you live .


for its seriousness , high literary aspirations and stunning acting , the film can only be applauded .


so clichéd that , at one point , they literally upset an apple cart .


a byzantine melodrama that stimulates the higher brain functions as well as the libido .


cho 's fearless in picking apart human foibles , not afraid to lay her life bare in front of an audience .


about nowhere kids who appropriated turfs as they found them and become self-made celebrity athletes -- a low-down version of the american dream .


... an unimaginative , nasty , glibly cynical piece of work .


... in this incarnation its fizz is infectious .


the gantzes ' interviews tend to let the guys off the hook .


it 's just incredibly dull .


genuinely touching because it 's realistic about all kinds of love .


nicolas philibert observes life inside a one-room schoolhouse in northern france in his documentary to be and to have , easily one of the best films of the year .


it 's rare to find a film that dazzles the eye , challenges the brain , and satisfies our lust for fast-paced action , but minority report delivers all that and a whole lot more .


a charming , quirky and leisurely paced scottish comedy -- except with an outrageous central gimmick that could have been a reject from monty python 's meaning of life .


a graceful , contemplative film that gradually and artfully draws us into a world where the personal and the political get fatally intertwined .


what will , most likely , turn out to be the most repellent movie of 2002 .


a little too pat for its own good .


the story is familiar from its many predecessors ; like them , it eventually culminates in the not-exactly - stunning insight that crime does n't pay .


even legends like alfred hitchcock and john huston occasionally directed trifles ... so it 's no surprise to see a world-class filmmaker like zhang yimou behind the camera for a yarn that 's ultimately rather inconsequential .


if nothing else , this movie introduces a promising , unusual kind of psychological horror .


a sermonizing and lifeless paean to teenage dullards .


for all its highfalutin title and corkscrew narrative , the movie turns out to be not much more than a shaggy human tale .


had anyone here done anything remotely intelligent , we all could have stopped watching long ago .


a teasing drama whose relentless good-deed\/bad-deed reversals are just interesting enough to make a sinner like me pray for an even more interesting , less symmetrical , less obviously cross-shaped creation .


there is not a character in the movie with a shred of plausibility , not an event that is believable , not a confrontation that is not staged , not a moment that is not false .


bad company leaves a bad taste , not only because of its bad-luck timing , but also the staleness of its script .


just like every other seagal movie , only louder and without that silly ponytail .


mckay deflates his piece of puffery with a sour cliche and heavy doses of mean-spiritedness


ethan hawke has always fancied himself the bastard child of the beatnik generation and it 's all over his chelsea walls .


the film might have been more satisfying if it had , in fact , been fleshed out a little more instead of going for easy smiles .


an unbelievably fun film just a leading man away from perfection .


extremely dumb .


in the end , ted bundy 's only justification is the director 's common but unexplored fascination with the frustrated maniac ; there 's no larger point , and little social context .


flotsam in the sea of moviemaking , not big enough for us to worry about it causing significant harm and not smelly enough to bother despising .


just what makes us happy , anyway ?


cliches are as thick as the cigarette smoke .


just like the deli sandwich : lots of ham , lots of cheese , with a sickly sweet coating to disguise its excrescence until just after -lrb- or during -rrb- consumption of its second half .


enjoy it for what it is ; you can hate yourself later .


leave these flowers unpicked -- they 're dead on the vine .


when the plot kicks in , the film loses credibility .


may be spoofing an easy target -- those old ' 50 's giant creature features -- but ... it acknowledges and celebrates their cheesiness as the reason why people get a kick out of watching them today .


morton is a great actress portraying a complex character , but morvern callar grows less compelling the farther it meanders from its shocking start .


all prints of this film should be sent to and buried on pluto .


the unceasing sadism is so graphically excessive , the director just ends up exposing his own obsession .


it 's a worse sign when you begin to envy her condition .


imagine the james woods character from videodrome making a home movie of audrey rose and showing it to the kid from the sixth sense and you 've imagined the ring .


this film was made to get laughs from the slowest person in the audience -- just pure slapstick with lots of inane , inoffensive screaming and exaggerated facial expressions .


it 's so underwritten that you ca n't figure out just where the other characters , including ana 's father and grandfather , come down on the issue of ana 's future .


think of it as a sort of comfort food for the mind .


hilarious , acidic brit comedy .


an incredibly clever and superbly paced caper filled with scams within scams within scams .


myers never knows when to let a gag die ; thus , we 're subjected to one mind-numbingly lengthy riff on poo and pee jokes after another .


but watching huppert , a great actress tearing into a landmark role , is riveting .


a marvellous journey from childhood idealism to adolescent self-absorption .


whether seen on a 10-inch television screen or at your local multiplex , the edge-of-your-seat , educational antics of steve irwin are priceless entertainment .


how did it ever get made ?


it is also , at times , curiously moving .


it is inspirational in characterizing how people from such diverse cultures share the same human and spiritual needs .


a candid and often fascinating documentary about a pentecostal church in dallas that assembles an elaborate haunted house each year to scare teenagers into attending services .


the film provides some great insight into the neurotic mindset of all comics -- even those who have reached the absolute top of the game .


the invincible werner herzog is alive and well and living in la


the additional storyline is interesting and entertaining , but it does n't have the same magical quality as the beginning of the story .


worth the effort to watch .


morrissette 's script and direction show a fair amount of intelligence and wit -- but it does n't signify a whole lot either .


everything that has to do with yvan and charlotte , and everything that has to do with yvan 's rambunctious , jewish sister and her non-jew husband , feels funny and true .


grant gets to display his cadness to perfection , but also to show acting range that may surprise some who thought light-hearted comedy was his forte .


just a bloody mess .


suffers from rambling , repetitive dialogue and the visual drabness endemic to digital video .


the film is often filled with a sense of pure wonderment and excitement not often seen in today 's cinema du sarcasm


i do n't think i 've been as entranced and appalled by an asian film since shinya tsukamoto 's iron man .


the powers team has fashioned a comedy with more laughs than many , no question .


anchored by a terrific performance by abbass , satin rouge shows that the idea of women 's self-actualization knows few continental divides .


kaufman creates an eerie sense of not only being there at the time of these events but the very night matthew was killed .


as an actor , the rock is aptly named .


thoughtful , provocative and entertaining .


scene-by-scene , things happen , but you 'd be hard-pressed to say what or why .


at nearly three hours , the whole of safe conduct is less than the sum of its parts .


dawdles and drags when it should pop ; it does n't even have the virtue of enough mindless violence to break up the tedium of all its generational bonding .


places a slightly believable love triangle in a difficult-to-swallow setting , and then disappointingly moves the story into the realm of an improbable thriller .


the recording session is the only part of the film that is enlightening -- and how appreciative you are of this depends on your level of fandom .


trivial where it should be profound , and hyper-cliched where it should be sincere .


there 's not much more to this adaptation of the nick hornby novel than charm -- effortless , pleasurable , featherweight charm .


good for a few unintentional laughs , `` extreme ops '' was obviously made for the `` xxx '' crowd , people who enjoy mindless action without the benefit of decent acting , writing , and direction .


tim story 's not there yet - but ` barbershop ' shows he 's on his way .


a sports movie with action that 's exciting on the field and a story you care about off it .


those outside show business will enjoy a close look at people they do n't really want to know .


the values that have held the enterprise crew together through previous adventures and perils do so again-courage , self-sacrifice and patience under pressure .


what happened with pluto nash ?


using his audience as a figurative port-of-call , dong pulls his even-handed ideological ship to their dock for unloading , before he continues his longer journey still ahead .


notorious c.h.o. has oodles of vulgar highlights .


before long , the film starts playing like general hospital crossed with a saturday night live spoof of dog day afternoon .


it 's just a silly black genre spoof .


as written by michael berg and michael j. wilson from a story by wilson , this relentless , all-wise-guys-all-the-time approach tries way too hard and gets tiring in no time at all .


in fessenden 's horror trilogy , this theme has proved important to him and is especially so in the finale .


splashes its drama all over the screen , subjecting its audience and characters to action that feels not only manufactured , but also so false you can see the filmmakers ' puppet strings .


offers that rare combination of entertainment and education .


romanek keeps the film constantly taut ... reflecting the character 's instability with a metaphorical visual style and an unnerving , heartbeat-like score .


despite the long running time , the pace never feels slack -- there 's no scene that screams `` bathroom break ! ''


greene delivers a typically solid performance in a role that is a bit of a departure from the noble characters he has played in the past , and he is matched by schweig , who carries the film on his broad , handsome shoulders .


the heightened symmetry of this new\/old cinema paradiso makes the film a fuller experience , like an old friend haunted by the exigencies of time .


moore 's complex and important film is also , believe it or not , immensely entertaining , a david and goliath story that 's still very much playing itself out .


there 's no denying the elaborateness of the artist 's conceptions , nor his ability to depict them with outrageous elan , but really the whole series is so much pretentious nonsense , lavishly praised by those who equate obscurity with profundity .


hip-hop has a history , and it 's a metaphor for this love story .


as a belated nod to some neglected all-stars , standing in the shadows of motown is cultural history of the best kind : informative , revealing and richly entertaining .


engagingly captures the maddening and magnetic ebb and flow of friendship .


eventually , it wins you over .


you 'll be left with the sensation of having just witnessed a great performance and , perhaps , give in to the urge to get on your feet and shake it .


effective but too-tepid biopic


if we do n't demand a standard of quality for the art that we choose , we deserve the trash that we get .


the acting alone is worth the price of admission .


i admired this work a lot .


might have been better off as a documentary , with less of mr. eyre 's uninspired dramatics and more of his sense of observation and outrage .


it tries too hard , and overreaches the logic of its own world .


the final result makes for adequate entertainment , i suppose , but anyone who has seen chicago on stage will leave the theater feeling they 've watched nothing but a pale imitation of the real deal .


highlights are the terrific performances by christopher plummer , as the prime villain , and nathan lane as vincent crummles , the eccentric theater company manager .


bullock does a good job here of working against her natural likability .


the 3d images only enhance the film 's otherworldly quality , giving it a strange combo of you-are-there closeness with the disorienting unreality of the seemingly broken-down fourth wall of the movie screen .


this version 's no classic like its predecessor , but its pleasures are still plentiful .


it 's neither as romantic nor as thrilling as it should be .


if this is the danish idea of a good time , prospective tourists might want to consider a different destination -- some jolly country embroiled in a bloody civil war , perhaps .


but some unexpected zigs and zags help .


we can see the wheels turning , and we might resent it sometimes , but this is still a nice little picture , made by bright and friendly souls with a lot of good cheer .


it is not a mass-market entertainment but an uncompromising attempt by one artist to think about another .


an irresistible combination of a rousing good story set on a truly grand scale .


de niro and mcdormand give solid performances , but their screen time is sabotaged by the story 's inability to create interest .


the master of disaster - it 's a piece of dreck disguised as comedy .


as weber and weissman demonstrate with such insight and celebratory verve , the cockettes were n't as much about gender , sexual preference or political agitprop as they were simply a triumph of the indomitable human will to rebel , connect and create .


the attempt is courageous , even if the result is wildly uneven .


a psychological thriller with a smart script and an obsessive-compulsive 's attention to detail .


interacting eyeball-to-eyeball and toe-to-toe , hopkins and norton are a winning combination -- but fiennes steals ` red dragon ' right from under their noses .


what could and should have been biting and droll is instead a tepid waste of time and talent .


if you think that jennifer lopez has shown poor judgment in planning to marry ben affleck , wait till you see maid in manhattan .


a map of the inner rhythms of love and jealousy and sacrifice drawn with a master 's steady stroke .


offers an unusual opportunity to observe the inequities in the death penalty , not just the inherent immorality but also the haphazard administration of it and public misperception of how the whole thing works .


there is n't a weak or careless performance amongst them .


the perfect film for those who like sick comedies that can be snide .


brimful .


it virtually defines a comedy that 's strongly mediocre , with funny bits surfacing every once in a while .


the film benefits greatly from a less manic tone than its predecessor , as cho appears to have settled comfortably into her skin .


fans of nijinsky will savor every minute of cox 's work .


viewed on its own terms , treasure planet is better-than-average family entertainment , but true fans of the stevenson 's novel will likely prefer disney 's more faithful 1950 live-action swashbuckling classic .


novak manages to capture a cruelly hilarious vein of black comedy in the situation with his cast of non-actors and a gritty , no-budget approach .


what really surprises about wisegirls is its low-key quality and genuine tenderness .


i enjoyed the ride -lrb- bumps and all -rrb- , creamy depth , and ultimate theme .


what you get with empire is a movie you 've seen many times before , repackaged as new material because there is a latino in the lead .


a very average science fiction film .


it 's a great deal of sizzle and very little steak .


the film is like a series of beginnings and middles that never take off .


verbinski substitutes atmosphere for action , tedium for thrills .


no reason for anyone to invest their hard-earned bucks into a movie which obviously did n't invest much into itself either .


the charms of willful eccentricity , at least as evidenced by this latest cinematic essay , are beginning to wear a bit thin .


though everything might be literate and smart , it never took off and always seemed static .


we miss the quirky amazement that used to come along for an integral part of the ride .


complex , affecting and uniquely almodóvar , the film evokes strong emotions and pushes viewers to question their deepest notions of moral right and wrong .


maybe it 's just because this past year has seen the release of some of the worst film comedies in decades ... but honestly , analyze that really is n't all that bad .


the reason i found myself finally unmoved by this film , which is immaculately produced and has serious things to say , is that it comes across rather too plainly as allegory .


a savvy exploration of paranoia and insecurity in america 's culture of fear .