true to its animatronic roots : ... as stiff , ponderous and charmless as a mechanical apparatus ... ` the country bears ' should never have been brought out of hibernation .

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


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


the banter between calvin and his fellow barbers feels like a streetwise mclaughlin group ... and never fails to entertain .


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


-lrb- a -rrb- rather thinly-conceived movie .

an overstylized , puréed mélange of sex , psychology , drugs and philosophy .


your children will be occupied for 72 minutes .


it is scott 's convincing portrayal of roger the sad cad that really gives the film its oomph .

a moving tale of love and destruction in unexpected places , unexamined lives .


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


these people are really going to love the piano teacher .

a lot more dimensional and complex than its sunny disposition would lead you to believe .


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


cinematic pyrotechnics aside , the only thing avary seems to care about are mean giggles and pulchritude .

the script was reportedly rewritten a dozen times -- either 11 times too many or else too few .


it 's difficult to conceive of anyone who has reached puberty actually finding the characters in slackers or their antics amusing , let alone funny .


it 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .


a baffling mixed platter of gritty realism and magic realism with a hard-to-swallow premise .


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

the story is bogus and its characters tissue-thin .


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

a rambling ensemble piece with loosely connected characters and plots that never quite gel .


it is scott 's convincing portrayal of roger the sad cad that really gives the film its oomph .


a buoyant romantic comedy about friendship , love , and the truth that we 're all in this together .

after one gets the feeling that the typical hollywood disregard for historical truth and realism is at work here , it 's a matter of finding entertainment in the experiences of zishe and the fiery presence of hanussen .


the characters are based on stock clichés , and the attempt to complicate the story only defies credibility .


after one gets the feeling that the typical hollywood disregard for historical truth and realism is at work here , it 's a matter of finding entertainment in the experiences of zishe and the fiery presence of hanussen .


make like the title and dodge this one .


a seriously bad film with seriously warped logic by writer-director kurt wimmer at the screenplay level .

the whole film has this sneaky feel to it -- as if the director is trying to dupe the viewer into taking it all as very important simply because the movie is ugly to look at and not a hollywood product .


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

the film never finds its tone and several scenes run too long .


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


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


this comic gem is as delightful as it is derivative .


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

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


waiting for godard can be fruitful : ` in praise of love ' is the director 's epitaph for himself .


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


hollywood ending is the most disappointing woody allen movie ever .


one can only assume that the jury who bestowed star hoffman 's brother gordy with the waldo salt screenwriting award at 2002 's sundance festival were honoring an attempt to do something different over actually pulling it off


a pretty decent kid-pleasing , tolerable-to-adults lark of a movie .


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

below may not mark mr. twohy 's emergence into the mainstream , but his promise remains undiminished .


the film never finds its tone and several scenes run too long .

adam sandler 's heart may be in the right place , but he needs to pull his head out of his butt


a beguiling evocation of the quality that keeps dickens evergreen : the exuberant openness with which he expresses our most basic emotions .


spider-man is about growing strange hairs , getting a more mature body , and finding it necessary to hide new secretions from the parental units .


even with all its botches , enigma offers all the pleasure of a handsome and well-made entertainment .


i suspect that you 'll be as bored watching morvern callar as the characters are in it .


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


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


this is a fragmented film , once a good idea that was followed by the bad idea to turn it into a movie .


while most films these days are about nothing , this film seems to be about everything that 's plaguing the human spirit in a relentlessly globalizing world .


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

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


offers a clear-eyed chronicle of a female friendship that is more complex and honest than anything represented in a hollywood film .


a weird little movie that 's amusing enough while you watch it , offering fine acting moments and pungent insights into modern l.a. 's show-biz and media subcultures .

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


there 's a whole heap of nothing at the core of this slight coming-of-age\/coming-out tale .


it 's far from a frothy piece , and the characters are complex , laden with plenty of baggage and tinged with tragic undertones .

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


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


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


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


the country bears wastes an exceptionally good idea .

eddie murphy and owen wilson have a cute partnership in i spy , but the movie around them is so often nearly nothing that their charm does n't do a load of good .


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


yet another iteration of what 's become one of the movies ' creepiest conventions , in which the developmentally disabled are portrayed with almost supernatural powers to humble , teach and ultimately redeem their mentally `` superior '' friends , family ...

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


the wild thornberrys movie is pleasant enough and the message of our close ties with animals can certainly not be emphasized enough .


the whole film has this sneaky feel to it -- as if the director is trying to dupe the viewer into taking it all as very important simply because the movie is ugly to look at and not a hollywood product .


the script has less spice than a rat burger and the rock 's fighting skills are more in line with steven seagal .

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


a pretty decent kid-pleasing , tolerable-to-adults lark of a movie .


` film aficionados can not help but love cinema paradiso , whether the original version or new director 's cut . '

wonder of wonders -- a teen movie with a humanistic message .


what they 're doing is a matter of plumbing arrangements and mind games , of no erotic or sensuous charge .


this low-rent -- and even lower-wit -- rip-off of the farrelly brothers ' oeuvre gets way too mushy -- and in a relatively short amount of time .

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


it 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .


never inspires more than an interested detachment .

an inexperienced director , mehta has much to learn .


i 'd be hard pressed to think of a film more cloyingly sappy than evelyn this year .


it 's about issues most adults have to face in marriage and i think that 's what i liked about it -- the real issues tucked between the silly and crude storyline .


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


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

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


angel presents events partly from the perspective of aurelie and christelle , and infuses the film with the sensibility of a particularly nightmarish fairytale .


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

adrift , bentley and hudson stare and sniffle , respectively , as ledger attempts , in vain , to prove that movie-star intensity can overcome bad hair design .


stevens ' vibrant creative instincts are the difference between this and countless other flicks about guys and dolls .


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

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


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


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


the story is bogus and its characters tissue-thin .

eddie murphy and owen wilson have a cute partnership in i spy , but the movie around them is so often nearly nothing that their charm does n't do a load of good .


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


the wonder of mostly martha is the performance of gedeck , who makes martha enormously endearing .

it must be the end of the world : the best film so far this year is a franchise sequel starring wesley snipes .


depicts the sorriest and most sordid of human behavior on the screen , then laughs at how clever it 's being .


but unless you 're an absolute raving star wars junkie , it is n't much fun .


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


when your subject is illusion versus reality , should n't the reality seem at least passably real ?


and , there 's no way you wo n't be talking about the film once you exit the theater .


gets the look and the period trappings right , but it otherwise drowns in a sea of visual and verbal clichés .


and we do n't avert our eyes for a moment .

woven together handsomely , recalling sixties ' rockumentary milestones from lonely boy to do n't look back .


what starts off as a potentially incredibly twisting mystery becomes simply a monster chase film .


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

the characters are based on stock clichés , and the attempt to complicate the story only defies credibility .


anyone who suffers through this film deserves , at the very least , a big box of consolation candy .

for all its shoot-outs , fistfights , and car chases , this movie is a phlegmatic bore , so tedious it makes the silly spy vs. spy film the sum of all fears , starring ben affleck , seem downright hitchcockian .


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


adrift , bentley and hudson stare and sniffle , respectively , as ledger attempts , in vain , to prove that movie-star intensity can overcome bad hair design .

a fake street drama that keeps telling you things instead of showing them .


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


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


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


wonder of wonders -- a teen movie with a humanistic message .

it is scott 's convincing portrayal of roger the sad cad that really gives the film its oomph .


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


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

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


it must be the end of the world : the best film so far this year is a franchise sequel starring wesley snipes .


nohe 's documentary about the event is sympathetic without being gullible : he is n't blind to the silliness , but also captures moments of spontaneous creativity and authentic co-operative interaction .

it ai n't art , by a long shot , but unlike last year 's lame musketeer , this dumas adaptation entertains .


the film is so busy making reference to other films and trying to be other films that it fails to have a heart , mind or humor of its own .


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


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


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

it 's a wonderful , sobering , heart-felt drama .


although god is great addresses interesting matters of identity and heritage , it 's hard to shake the feeling that it was intended to be a different kind of film .

never inspires more than an interested detachment .


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


boasts a handful of virtuosic set pieces and offers a fair amount of trashy , kinky fun .


a loud , brash and mainly unfunny high school comedy .


it 's never dull and always looks good .


although god is great addresses interesting matters of identity and heritage , it 's hard to shake the feeling that it was intended to be a different kind of film .


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


nicks and steinberg match their own creations for pure venality -- that 's giving it the old college try .


gets the look and the period trappings right , but it otherwise drowns in a sea of visual and verbal clichés .


blessed with a searing lead performance by ryan gosling -lrb- murder by numbers -rrb- , the movie is powerful and provocative .


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

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


a sloppy slapstick throwback to long gone bottom-of-the-bill fare like the ghost and mr. chicken .


at times , the movie looks genuinely pretty .


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


these people are really going to love the piano teacher .


with an admirably dark first script by brent hanley , paxton , making his directorial feature debut , does strong , measured work .

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


a sham construct based on theory , sleight-of-hand , and ill-wrought hypothesis .


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

with so many bad romances out there , this is the kind of movie that deserves a chance to shine .


an uncluttered , resonant gem that relays its universal points without lectures or confrontations . '

offers a clear-eyed chronicle of a female friendship that is more complex and honest than anything represented in a hollywood film .


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


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

the film starts promisingly , but the ending is all too predictable and far too cliched to really work .


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


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


imagine susan sontag falling in love with howard stern .


the events of the film are just so weird that i honestly never knew what the hell was coming next .

it collapses when mr. taylor tries to shift the tone to a thriller 's rush .


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


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

an uncluttered , resonant gem that relays its universal points without lectures or confrontations . '


although god is great addresses interesting matters of identity and heritage , it 's hard to shake the feeling that it was intended to be a different kind of film .


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


` if you are in the mood for an intelligent weepy , it can easily worm its way into your heart . '

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


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


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


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

it 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .


its initial excitement settles into a warmed over pastiche .


a lot more dimensional and complex than its sunny disposition would lead you to believe .


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


angel presents events partly from the perspective of aurelie and christelle , and infuses the film with the sensibility of a particularly nightmarish fairytale .


true to its animatronic roots : ... as stiff , ponderous and charmless as a mechanical apparatus ... ` the country bears ' should never have been brought out of hibernation .


with an unusual protagonist -lrb- a kilt-wearing jackson -rrb- and subject matter , the improbable `` formula 51 '' is somewhat entertaining , but it could have been much stronger .


the script was reportedly rewritten a dozen times -- either 11 times too many or else too few .


the acting , for the most part , is terrific , although the actors must struggle with the fact that they 're playing characters who sometimes feel more like literary conceits than flesh-and-blood humans .

undoubtedly the scariest movie ever made about tattoos .


a moving tale of love and destruction in unexpected places , unexamined lives .

a compelling yarn , but not quite a ripping one .


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


nicks and steinberg match their own creations for pure venality -- that 's giving it the old college try .

a loud , brash and mainly unfunny high school comedy .


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


the beautiful images and solemn words can not disguise the slack complacency of -lrb- godard 's -rrb- vision , any more than the gorgeous piano and strings on the soundtrack can drown out the tinny self-righteousness of his voice .


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


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


the cinematic equivalent of patronizing a bar favored by pretentious , untalented artistes who enjoy moaning about their cruel fate .


a weird little movie that 's amusing enough while you watch it , offering fine acting moments and pungent insights into modern l.a. 's show-biz and media subcultures .


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

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


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


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

but it also has many of the things that made the first one charming .


an overstylized , puréed mélange of sex , psychology , drugs and philosophy .


a rambling ensemble piece with loosely connected characters and plots that never quite gel .


the film is so busy making reference to other films and trying to be other films that it fails to have a heart , mind or humor of its own .

cinematic pyrotechnics aside , the only thing avary seems to care about are mean giggles and pulchritude .


woody allen has really found his groove these days .


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

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


nothing happens , and it happens to flat characters .


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

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


it 's just that it 's so not-at-all-good .


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

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


impostor is a step down for director gary fleder .

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


undoubtedly the scariest movie ever made about tattoos .


a beguiling evocation of the quality that keeps dickens evergreen : the exuberant openness with which he expresses our most basic emotions .


first , for a movie that tries to be smart , it 's kinda dumb .


likely to have decades of life as a classic movie franchise ?

the banter between calvin and his fellow barbers feels like a streetwise mclaughlin group ... and never fails to entertain .


the only camouflage carvey should now be considering is a paper bag to wear over his head when he goes out into public , to avoid being recognized as the man who bilked unsuspecting moviegoers .


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

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


boasts a handful of virtuosic set pieces and offers a fair amount of trashy , kinky fun .


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


blessed with a searing lead performance by ryan gosling -lrb- murder by numbers -rrb- , the movie is powerful and provocative .


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

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


dogtown & z-boys evokes the blithe rebel fantasy with the kind of insouciance embedded in the sexy demise of james dean .


with so many bad romances out there , this is the kind of movie that deserves a chance to shine .


-lrb- a -rrb- rather thinly-conceived movie .


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


an enjoyable comedy of lingual and cultural differences ... the château is a film -- full of life and small delights -- that has all the wiggling energy of young kitten .


blessed with a searing lead performance by ryan gosling -lrb- murder by numbers -rrb- , the movie is powerful and provocative .

a weird little movie that 's amusing enough while you watch it , offering fine acting moments and pungent insights into modern l.a. 's show-biz and media subcultures .


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


it 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .


although shot with little style , skins is heartfelt and achingly real .

a compelling yarn , but not quite a ripping one .


jackson shamefully strolls through this mess with a smug grin , inexplicably wearing a kilt and carrying a bag of golf clubs over one shoulder .


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


it 's a wonderful , sobering , heart-felt drama .


your children will be occupied for 72 minutes .

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


the whole film has this sneaky feel to it -- as if the director is trying to dupe the viewer into taking it all as very important simply because the movie is ugly to look at and not a hollywood product .


the only camouflage carvey should now be considering is a paper bag to wear over his head when he goes out into public , to avoid being recognized as the man who bilked unsuspecting moviegoers .

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


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


what makes the film special is the refreshingly unhibited enthusiasm that the people , in spite of clearly evident poverty and hardship , bring to their music .


eddie murphy and owen wilson have a cute partnership in i spy , but the movie around them is so often nearly nothing that their charm does n't do a load of good .

the only camouflage carvey should now be considering is a paper bag to wear over his head when he goes out into public , to avoid being recognized as the man who bilked unsuspecting moviegoers .


it 's a day at the beach -- with air conditioning and popcorn .

your children will be occupied for 72 minutes .


nothing happens , and it happens to flat characters .


a harrowing account of a psychological breakdown .

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


there are now two signs that m. night shyamalan 's debut feature sucked up all he has to give to the mystic genres of cinema : unbreakable and signs .

an overstylized , puréed mélange of sex , psychology , drugs and philosophy .


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


dark and unrepentant , this excursion into the epicenter of percolating mental instability is not easily dismissed or forgotten .

it 's a funny little movie with clever dialogue and likeable characters .


anyone who suffers through this film deserves , at the very least , a big box of consolation candy .


the film does n't sustain its initial promise with a jarring , new-agey tone creeping into the second half


an energizing , intoxicating documentary charting the rise of hip-hop culture in general and the art of scratching -lrb- or turntablism -rrb- in particular .


if there was ever a movie where the upbeat ending feels like a copout , this is the one .

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


the wild thornberrys movie is pleasant enough and the message of our close ties with animals can certainly not be emphasized enough .


dull , a road-trip movie that 's surprisingly short of both adventure and song .

there 's nothing to gain from watching they .


the characters are more deeply thought through than in most ` right-thinking ' films .


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

dull , a road-trip movie that 's surprisingly short of both adventure and song .


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


a sloppy slapstick throwback to long gone bottom-of-the-bill fare like the ghost and mr. chicken .

what 's really sad is to see two academy award winning actresses -lrb- and one academy award winning actor -rrb- succumb to appearing in this junk that 's tv sitcom material at best .


the film , despite the gratuitous cinematic distractions impressed upon it , is still good fun .


what makes the film special is the refreshingly unhibited enthusiasm that the people , in spite of clearly evident poverty and hardship , bring to their music .

almodovar is an imaginative teacher of emotional intelligence in this engaging film about two men who discover what william james once called ` the gift of tears . '


the film is so busy making reference to other films and trying to be other films that it fails to have a heart , mind or humor of its own .


hawn and sarandon form an acting bond that makes the banger sisters a fascinating character study with laughs to spare .

with an admirably dark first script by brent hanley , paxton , making his directorial feature debut , does strong , measured work .


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

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


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

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


the script has less spice than a rat burger and the rock 's fighting skills are more in line with steven seagal .


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

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


cinematic pyrotechnics aside , the only thing avary seems to care about are mean giggles and pulchritude .


first , for a movie that tries to be smart , it 's kinda dumb .

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


while most films these days are about nothing , this film seems to be about everything that 's plaguing the human spirit in a relentlessly globalizing world .


even with all its botches , enigma offers all the pleasure of a handsome and well-made entertainment .

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


the beautiful images and solemn words can not disguise the slack complacency of -lrb- godard 's -rrb- vision , any more than the gorgeous piano and strings on the soundtrack can drown out the tinny self-righteousness of his voice .


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

it 's never dull and always looks good .


snoots will no doubt rally to its cause , trotting out threadbare standbys like ` masterpiece ' and ` triumph ' and all that malarkey , but rarely does an established filmmaker so ardently waste viewers ' time with a gobbler like this .

a loud , brash and mainly unfunny high school comedy .


i love the opening scenes of a wintry new york city in 1899 .


the film starts promisingly , but the ending is all too predictable and far too cliched to really work .

yet another iteration of what 's become one of the movies ' creepiest conventions , in which the developmentally disabled are portrayed with almost supernatural powers to humble , teach and ultimately redeem their mentally `` superior '' friends , family ...


full frontal , which opens today nationwide , could almost be classified as a movie-industry satire , but it lacks the generous inclusiveness that is the genre 's definitive , if disingenuous , feature .

the whole film has this sneaky feel to it -- as if the director is trying to dupe the viewer into taking it all as very important simply because the movie is ugly to look at and not a hollywood product .


there 's a whole heap of nothing at the core of this slight coming-of-age\/coming-out tale .

it collapses when mr. taylor tries to shift the tone to a thriller 's rush .


a weird little movie that 's amusing enough while you watch it , offering fine acting moments and pungent insights into modern l.a. 's show-biz and media subcultures .


the characters are based on stock clichés , and the attempt to complicate the story only defies credibility .


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


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

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


it must be the end of the world : the best film so far this year is a franchise sequel starring wesley snipes .


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


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


it ai n't art , by a long shot , but unlike last year 's lame musketeer , this dumas adaptation entertains .

it 's a wonderful , sobering , heart-felt drama .


nicks and steinberg match their own creations for pure venality -- that 's giving it the old college try .


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


a soul-stirring documentary about the israeli\/palestinian conflict as revealed through the eyes of some children who remain curious about each other against all odds .

tully is in many ways the perfect festival film : a calm , self-assured portrait of small town regret , love , duty and friendship that appeals to the storytelling instincts of a slightly more literate filmgoing audience .


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


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

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


full frontal , which opens today nationwide , could almost be classified as a movie-industry satire , but it lacks the generous inclusiveness that is the genre 's definitive , if disingenuous , feature .


hollywood ending is the most disappointing woody allen movie ever .

a sloppy slapstick throwback to long gone bottom-of-the-bill fare like the ghost and mr. chicken .


and , there 's no way you wo n't be talking about the film once you exit the theater .


i 'd be hard pressed to think of a film more cloyingly sappy than evelyn this year .


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

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


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


and they succeed merrily at their noble endeavor .


if divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood suffers from a ploddingly melodramatic structure , it comes to life in the performances .


make like the title and dodge this one .


waiting for godard can be fruitful : ` in praise of love ' is the director 's epitaph for himself .

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


while some of the camera work is interesting , the film 's mid-to-low budget is betrayed by the surprisingly shoddy makeup work .


a dark comedy that goes for sick and demented humor simply to do so .

jackson shamefully strolls through this mess with a smug grin , inexplicably wearing a kilt and carrying a bag of golf clubs over one shoulder .


a harrowing account of a psychological breakdown .


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

the beautiful images and solemn words can not disguise the slack complacency of -lrb- godard 's -rrb- vision , any more than the gorgeous piano and strings on the soundtrack can drown out the tinny self-righteousness of his voice .


below may not mark mr. twohy 's emergence into the mainstream , but his promise remains undiminished .


everything about girls ca n't swim , even its passages of sensitive observation , feels secondhand , familiar -- and not in a good way .

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


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


what 's really sad is to see two academy award winning actresses -lrb- and one academy award winning actor -rrb- succumb to appearing in this junk that 's tv sitcom material at best .


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

the film is so busy making reference to other films and trying to be other films that it fails to have a heart , mind or humor of its own .


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


what 's really sad is to see two academy award winning actresses -lrb- and one academy award winning actor -rrb- succumb to appearing in this junk that 's tv sitcom material at best .

a waterlogged version of ` fatal attraction ' for the teeny-bopper set ... a sad , soggy potboiler that wastes the talents of its attractive young leads .


the wild thornberrys movie is pleasant enough and the message of our close ties with animals can certainly not be emphasized enough .


ourside the theatre roger might be intolerable company , but inside it he 's well worth spending some time with .

undoubtedly the scariest movie ever made about tattoos .


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


a baffling mixed platter of gritty realism and magic realism with a hard-to-swallow premise .

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


it establishes its ominous mood and tension swiftly , and if the suspense never rises to a higher level , it is nevertheless maintained throughout .


though in some ways similar to catherine breillat 's fat girl , rain is the far superior film .


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


adam sandler 's heart may be in the right place , but he needs to pull his head out of his butt

this low-rent -- and even lower-wit -- rip-off of the farrelly brothers ' oeuvre gets way too mushy -- and in a relatively short amount of time .


` film aficionados can not help but love cinema paradiso , whether the original version or new director 's cut . '


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

there 's a whole heap of nothing at the core of this slight coming-of-age\/coming-out tale .


the re-release of ron howard 's apollo 13 in the imax format proves absolutely that really , really , really good things can come in enormous packages .


woody allen has really found his groove these days .

with an unusual protagonist -lrb- a kilt-wearing jackson -rrb- and subject matter , the improbable `` formula 51 '' is somewhat entertaining , but it could have been much stronger .


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


contrived , maudlin and cliche-ridden ... if this sappy script was the best the contest received , those rejected must have been astronomically bad .


a harrowing account of a psychological breakdown .


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

the whole film has this sneaky feel to it -- as if the director is trying to dupe the viewer into taking it all as very important simply because the movie is ugly to look at and not a hollywood product .


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


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

the script has less spice than a rat burger and the rock 's fighting skills are more in line with steven seagal .


as a film director , labute continues to improve .


nothing happens , and it happens to flat characters .

although god is great addresses interesting matters of identity and heritage , it 's hard to shake the feeling that it was intended to be a different kind of film .


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


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

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


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


while easier to sit through than most of jaglom 's self-conscious and gratingly irritating films , it 's still tainted by cliches , painful improbability and murky points .

but the movie 's narrative hook is way too muddled to be an effectively chilling guilty pleasure .


wonder of wonders -- a teen movie with a humanistic message .


a film of delicate interpersonal dances .

if you 're as happy listening to movies as you are watching them , and the slow parade of human frailty fascinates you , then you 're at the right film .


gets the look and the period trappings right , but it otherwise drowns in a sea of visual and verbal clichés .


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


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


with this masterful , flawless film , -lrb- wang -rrb- emerges in the front ranks of china 's now numerous , world-renowned filmmakers .

the movie 's thesis -- elegant technology for the masses -- is surprisingly refreshing .


this low-rent -- and even lower-wit -- rip-off of the farrelly brothers ' oeuvre gets way too mushy -- and in a relatively short amount of time .


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


an essentially awkward version of the lightweight female empowerment picture we 've been watching for decades

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


angel presents events partly from the perspective of aurelie and christelle , and infuses the film with the sensibility of a particularly nightmarish fairytale .


but unless you 're an absolute raving star wars junkie , it is n't much fun .


blessed with a searing lead performance by ryan gosling -lrb- murder by numbers -rrb- , the movie is powerful and provocative .


if you 're as happy listening to movies as you are watching them , and the slow parade of human frailty fascinates you , then you 're at the right film .

woven together handsomely , recalling sixties ' rockumentary milestones from lonely boy to do n't look back .


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


the movie is so resolutely cobbled together out of older movies that it even uses a totally unnecessary prologue , just because it seems obligatory .

richard pryor mined his personal horrors and came up with a treasure chest of material , but lawrence gives us mostly fool 's gold .


` film aficionados can not help but love cinema paradiso , whether the original version or new director 's cut . '


tully is in many ways the perfect festival film : a calm , self-assured portrait of small town regret , love , duty and friendship that appeals to the storytelling instincts of a slightly more literate filmgoing audience .


its initial excitement settles into a warmed over pastiche .


the script was reportedly rewritten a dozen times -- either 11 times too many or else too few .

it 's just that it 's so not-at-all-good .


a soul-stirring documentary about the israeli\/palestinian conflict as revealed through the eyes of some children who remain curious about each other against all odds .


sensual , funny and , in the end , very touching .


the characters are based on stock clichés , and the attempt to complicate the story only defies credibility .


the country bears wastes an exceptionally good idea .


offers a clear-eyed chronicle of a female friendship that is more complex and honest than anything represented in a hollywood film .


a compelling yarn , but not quite a ripping one .

it ai n't art , by a long shot , but unlike last year 's lame musketeer , this dumas adaptation entertains .


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


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

the film , despite the gratuitous cinematic distractions impressed upon it , is still good fun .


and , there 's no way you wo n't be talking about the film once you exit the theater .

a moving tale of love and destruction in unexpected places , unexamined lives .


a sham construct based on theory , sleight-of-hand , and ill-wrought hypothesis .


there 's nothing to gain from watching they .

there are now two signs that m. night shyamalan 's debut feature sucked up all he has to give to the mystic genres of cinema : unbreakable and signs .


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


imagine susan sontag falling in love with howard stern .

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


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


the story is bogus and its characters tissue-thin .


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

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


an uncluttered , resonant gem that relays its universal points without lectures or confrontations . '


happily stays close to the ground in a spare and simple manner and does n't pummel us with phony imagery or music .


richard pryor mined his personal horrors and came up with a treasure chest of material , but lawrence gives us mostly fool 's gold .

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


a lot more dimensional and complex than its sunny disposition would lead you to believe .


a sham construct based on theory , sleight-of-hand , and ill-wrought hypothesis .

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


with this masterful , flawless film , -lrb- wang -rrb- emerges in the front ranks of china 's now numerous , world-renowned filmmakers .


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

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


with an unusual protagonist -lrb- a kilt-wearing jackson -rrb- and subject matter , the improbable `` formula 51 '' is somewhat entertaining , but it could have been much stronger .


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

after one gets the feeling that the typical hollywood disregard for historical truth and realism is at work here , it 's a matter of finding entertainment in the experiences of zishe and the fiery presence of hanussen .


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


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


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

a compelling yarn , but not quite a ripping one .


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


this gorgeous epic is guaranteed to lift the spirits of the whole family .

a timely look back at civil disobedience , anti-war movements and the power of strong voices .


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


like life on the island , the movie grows boring despite the scenery .

this is a fragmented film , once a good idea that was followed by the bad idea to turn it into a movie .


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


i 'd be hard pressed to think of a film more cloyingly sappy than evelyn this year .

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


the performers are so spot on , it is hard to conceive anyone else in their roles .


the script has less spice than a rat burger and the rock 's fighting skills are more in line with steven seagal .


an enjoyable comedy of lingual and cultural differences ... the château is a film -- full of life and small delights -- that has all the wiggling energy of young kitten .


an edifying glimpse into the wit and revolutionary spirit of these performers and their era .

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


i 'd be hard pressed to think of a film more cloyingly sappy than evelyn this year .


depicts the sorriest and most sordid of human behavior on the screen , then laughs at how clever it 's being .

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


a timely look back at civil disobedience , anti-war movements and the power of strong voices .

it 's a day at the beach -- with air conditioning and popcorn .


the characters are based on stock clichés , and the attempt to complicate the story only defies credibility .


the film , despite the gratuitous cinematic distractions impressed upon it , is still good fun .


happily stays close to the ground in a spare and simple manner and does n't pummel us with phony imagery or music .


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


gets the look and the period trappings right , but it otherwise drowns in a sea of visual and verbal clichés .


the characters are more deeply thought through than in most ` right-thinking ' films .

it 's about issues most adults have to face in marriage and i think that 's what i liked about it -- the real issues tucked between the silly and crude storyline .


if divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood suffers from a ploddingly melodramatic structure , it comes to life in the performances .


i love the opening scenes of a wintry new york city in 1899 .

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


an essentially awkward version of the lightweight female empowerment picture we 've been watching for decades


while most films these days are about nothing , this film seems to be about everything that 's plaguing the human spirit in a relentlessly globalizing world .

these people are really going to love the piano teacher .


but unless you 're an absolute raving star wars junkie , it is n't much fun .


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

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


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


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

spider-man is about growing strange hairs , getting a more mature body , and finding it necessary to hide new secretions from the parental units .


the wild thornberrys movie is pleasant enough and the message of our close ties with animals can certainly not be emphasized enough .


offers a clear-eyed chronicle of a female friendship that is more complex and honest than anything represented in a hollywood film .

as a film director , labute continues to improve .


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


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

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


an overstylized , puréed mélange of sex , psychology , drugs and philosophy .

this low-rent -- and even lower-wit -- rip-off of the farrelly brothers ' oeuvre gets way too mushy -- and in a relatively short amount of time .


it is scott 's convincing portrayal of roger the sad cad that really gives the film its oomph .


but it also has many of the things that made the first one charming .

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


contrived , maudlin and cliche-ridden ... if this sappy script was the best the contest received , those rejected must have been astronomically bad .


a loud , brash and mainly unfunny high school comedy .

snoots will no doubt rally to its cause , trotting out threadbare standbys like ` masterpiece ' and ` triumph ' and all that malarkey , but rarely does an established filmmaker so ardently waste viewers ' time with a gobbler like this .


one of those rare films that come by once in a while with flawless amounts of acting , direction , story and pace .


dogtown & z-boys evokes the blithe rebel fantasy with the kind of insouciance embedded in the sexy demise of james dean .


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


if you 're down for a silly hack-and-slash flick , you can do no wrong with jason x.

waiting for godard can be fruitful : ` in praise of love ' is the director 's epitaph for himself .


make like the title and dodge this one .


woven together handsomely , recalling sixties ' rockumentary milestones from lonely boy to do n't look back .


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


below may not mark mr. twohy 's emergence into the mainstream , but his promise remains undiminished .

with an admirably dark first script by brent hanley , paxton , making his directorial feature debut , does strong , measured work .


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


full frontal , which opens today nationwide , could almost be classified as a movie-industry satire , but it lacks the generous inclusiveness that is the genre 's definitive , if disingenuous , feature .


though it pretends to expose the life of male hustlers , it 's exploitive without being insightful .

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


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


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

while easier to sit through than most of jaglom 's self-conscious and gratingly irritating films , it 's still tainted by cliches , painful improbability and murky points .


your children will be occupied for 72 minutes .


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

woven together handsomely , recalling sixties ' rockumentary milestones from lonely boy to do n't look back .


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


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


if there was ever a movie where the upbeat ending feels like a copout , this is the one .


an inexperienced director , mehta has much to learn .

contrived , maudlin and cliche-ridden ... if this sappy script was the best the contest received , those rejected must have been astronomically bad .


offers a clear-eyed chronicle of a female friendship that is more complex and honest than anything represented in a hollywood film .


the adventures of pluto nash is a whole lot of nada .

... unlike -lrb- scorsese 's mean streets -rrb- , ash wednesday is essentially devoid of interesting characters or even a halfway intriguing plot .


below may not mark mr. twohy 's emergence into the mainstream , but his promise remains undiminished .


the beautiful images and solemn words can not disguise the slack complacency of -lrb- godard 's -rrb- vision , any more than the gorgeous piano and strings on the soundtrack can drown out the tinny self-righteousness of his voice .

the script was reportedly rewritten a dozen times -- either 11 times too many or else too few .


it 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .


at times , the movie looks genuinely pretty .

with an unusual protagonist -lrb- a kilt-wearing jackson -rrb- and subject matter , the improbable `` formula 51 '' is somewhat entertaining , but it could have been much stronger .


there are now two signs that m. night shyamalan 's debut feature sucked up all he has to give to the mystic genres of cinema : unbreakable and signs .


enough is not a bad movie , just mediocre .

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


the re-release of ron howard 's apollo 13 in the imax format proves absolutely that really , really , really good things can come in enormous packages .


almodovar is an imaginative teacher of emotional intelligence in this engaging film about two men who discover what william james once called ` the gift of tears . '

it establishes its ominous mood and tension swiftly , and if the suspense never rises to a higher level , it is nevertheless maintained throughout .


cinematic pyrotechnics aside , the only thing avary seems to care about are mean giggles and pulchritude .


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

dark and unrepentant , this excursion into the epicenter of percolating mental instability is not easily dismissed or forgotten .


i 'd be hard pressed to think of a film more cloyingly sappy than evelyn this year .


an enjoyable comedy of lingual and cultural differences ... the château is a film -- full of life and small delights -- that has all the wiggling energy of young kitten .


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


the performers are so spot on , it is hard to conceive anyone else in their roles .

it 's never dull and always looks good .


like life on the island , the movie grows boring despite the scenery .


sensual , funny and , in the end , very touching .

the film , despite the gratuitous cinematic distractions impressed upon it , is still good fun .


spider-man is about growing strange hairs , getting a more mature body , and finding it necessary to hide new secretions from the parental units .


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


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

true to its animatronic roots : ... as stiff , ponderous and charmless as a mechanical apparatus ... ` the country bears ' should never have been brought out of hibernation .


while most films these days are about nothing , this film seems to be about everything that 's plaguing the human spirit in a relentlessly globalizing world .


a beguiling evocation of the quality that keeps dickens evergreen : the exuberant openness with which he expresses our most basic emotions .


the whole film has this sneaky feel to it -- as if the director is trying to dupe the viewer into taking it all as very important simply because the movie is ugly to look at and not a hollywood product .


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

the only camouflage carvey should now be considering is a paper bag to wear over his head when he goes out into public , to avoid being recognized as the man who bilked unsuspecting moviegoers .


it 's a day at the beach -- with air conditioning and popcorn .


it must be the end of the world : the best film so far this year is a franchise sequel starring wesley snipes .

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


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


it 's about issues most adults have to face in marriage and i think that 's what i liked about it -- the real issues tucked between the silly and crude storyline .

ourside the theatre roger might be intolerable company , but inside it he 's well worth spending some time with .


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


it 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .

it is scott 's convincing portrayal of roger the sad cad that really gives the film its oomph .


but the movie 's narrative hook is way too muddled to be an effectively chilling guilty pleasure .

the script was reportedly rewritten a dozen times -- either 11 times too many or else too few .


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


` film aficionados can not help but love cinema paradiso , whether the original version or new director 's cut . '


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

an uncluttered , resonant gem that relays its universal points without lectures or confrontations . '


the adventures of pluto nash is a whole lot of nada .


a fake street drama that keeps telling you things instead of showing them .

the story is bogus and its characters tissue-thin .


i love the opening scenes of a wintry new york city in 1899 .


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

with so many bad romances out there , this is the kind of movie that deserves a chance to shine .


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


a bittersweet contemporary comedy about benevolent deception , which , while it may not rival the filmmaker 's period pieces , is still very much worth seeing .

what makes the film special is the refreshingly unhibited enthusiasm that the people , in spite of clearly evident poverty and hardship , bring to their music .


first , for a movie that tries to be smart , it 's kinda dumb .


stevens ' vibrant creative instincts are the difference between this and countless other flicks about guys and dolls .

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


true to its animatronic roots : ... as stiff , ponderous and charmless as a mechanical apparatus ... ` the country bears ' should never have been brought out of hibernation .


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

at times , the movie looks genuinely pretty .


there 's nothing to gain from watching they .


if there was ever a movie where the upbeat ending feels like a copout , this is the one .


happily stays close to the ground in a spare and simple manner and does n't pummel us with phony imagery or music .


a compelling yarn , but not quite a ripping one .


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

a dark comedy that goes for sick and demented humor simply to do so .


wonder of wonders -- a teen movie with a humanistic message .


what starts off as a potentially incredibly twisting mystery becomes simply a monster chase film .

when your subject is illusion versus reality , should n't the reality seem at least passably real ?


nohe 's documentary about the event is sympathetic without being gullible : he is n't blind to the silliness , but also captures moments of spontaneous creativity and authentic co-operative interaction .


snoots will no doubt rally to its cause , trotting out threadbare standbys like ` masterpiece ' and ` triumph ' and all that malarkey , but rarely does an established filmmaker so ardently waste viewers ' time with a gobbler like this .


angel presents events partly from the perspective of aurelie and christelle , and infuses the film with the sensibility of a particularly nightmarish fairytale .


little more than a well-mounted history lesson .


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


what they 're doing is a matter of plumbing arrangements and mind games , of no erotic or sensuous charge .

a rambling ensemble piece with loosely connected characters and plots that never quite gel .


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


a moving tale of love and destruction in unexpected places , unexamined lives .


but unless you 're an absolute raving star wars junkie , it is n't much fun .


a rambling ensemble piece with loosely connected characters and plots that never quite gel .


these people are really going to love the piano teacher .


dogtown & z-boys evokes the blithe rebel fantasy with the kind of insouciance embedded in the sexy demise of james dean .

almodovar is an imaginative teacher of emotional intelligence in this engaging film about two men who discover what william james once called ` the gift of tears . '


the movie is so resolutely cobbled together out of older movies that it even uses a totally unnecessary prologue , just because it seems obligatory .


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

it 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .


adrift , bentley and hudson stare and sniffle , respectively , as ledger attempts , in vain , to prove that movie-star intensity can overcome bad hair design .


it collapses when mr. taylor tries to shift the tone to a thriller 's rush .

the cinematic equivalent of patronizing a bar favored by pretentious , untalented artistes who enjoy moaning about their cruel fate .


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


the cinematic equivalent of patronizing a bar favored by pretentious , untalented artistes who enjoy moaning about their cruel fate .

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


one of those rare films that come by once in a while with flawless amounts of acting , direction , story and pace .


a sham construct based on theory , sleight-of-hand , and ill-wrought hypothesis .


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

the country bears wastes an exceptionally good idea .


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


spider-man is about growing strange hairs , getting a more mature body , and finding it necessary to hide new secretions from the parental units .

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


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


as a film director , labute continues to improve .

it 's a day at the beach -- with air conditioning and popcorn .


hollywood ending is the most disappointing woody allen movie ever .


its initial excitement settles into a warmed over pastiche .

this low-rent -- and even lower-wit -- rip-off of the farrelly brothers ' oeuvre gets way too mushy -- and in a relatively short amount of time .


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


with so many bad romances out there , this is the kind of movie that deserves a chance to shine .


the wild thornberrys movie is pleasant enough and the message of our close ties with animals can certainly not be emphasized enough .

and they succeed merrily at their noble endeavor .


a waterlogged version of ` fatal attraction ' for the teeny-bopper set ... a sad , soggy potboiler that wastes the talents of its attractive young leads .


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


when your subject is illusion versus reality , should n't the reality seem at least passably real ?

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


a pretty decent kid-pleasing , tolerable-to-adults lark of a movie .


though in some ways similar to catherine breillat 's fat girl , rain is the far superior film .

woven together handsomely , recalling sixties ' rockumentary milestones from lonely boy to do n't look back .


an inexperienced director , mehta has much to learn .


it 's just that it 's so not-at-all-good .

nothing happens , and it happens to flat characters .


after you laugh once -lrb- maybe twice -rrb- , you will have completely forgotten the movie by the time you get back to your car in the parking lot .

enough is not a bad movie , just mediocre .


it must be the end of the world : the best film so far this year is a franchise sequel starring wesley snipes .


it establishes its ominous mood and tension swiftly , and if the suspense never rises to a higher level , it is nevertheless maintained throughout .


make like the title and dodge this one .


whether or not you 're enlightened by any of derrida 's lectures on `` the other '' and `` the self , '' derrida is an undeniably fascinating and playful fellow .


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


it 's a funny little movie with clever dialogue and likeable characters .


the re-release of ron howard 's apollo 13 in the imax format proves absolutely that really , really , really good things can come in enormous packages .

a buoyant romantic comedy about friendship , love , and the truth that we 're all in this together .


... unlike -lrb- scorsese 's mean streets -rrb- , ash wednesday is essentially devoid of interesting characters or even a halfway intriguing plot .

gets the look and the period trappings right , but it otherwise drowns in a sea of visual and verbal clichés .


an uncluttered , resonant gem that relays its universal points without lectures or confrontations . '


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

your children will be occupied for 72 minutes .


this is a fragmented film , once a good idea that was followed by the bad idea to turn it into a movie .


this comic gem is as delightful as it is derivative .

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


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

i suspect that you 'll be as bored watching morvern callar as the characters are in it .


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


undoubtedly the scariest movie ever made about tattoos .

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


it 's difficult to conceive of anyone who has reached puberty actually finding the characters in slackers or their antics amusing , let alone funny .


a pretty decent kid-pleasing , tolerable-to-adults lark of a movie .

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


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


a waterlogged version of ` fatal attraction ' for the teeny-bopper set ... a sad , soggy potboiler that wastes the talents of its attractive young leads .

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


the movie 's thesis -- elegant technology for the masses -- is surprisingly refreshing .

what makes the film special is the refreshingly unhibited enthusiasm that the people , in spite of clearly evident poverty and hardship , bring to their music .


the only camouflage carvey should now be considering is a paper bag to wear over his head when he goes out into public , to avoid being recognized as the man who bilked unsuspecting moviegoers .


the film was produced by jerry bruckheimer and directed by joel schumacher , and reflects the worst of their shallow styles : wildly overproduced , inadequately motivated every step of the way and demographically targeted to please every one -lrb- and no one -rrb- .

a fake street drama that keeps telling you things instead of showing them .


the film , despite the gratuitous cinematic distractions impressed upon it , is still good fun .


the whole film has this sneaky feel to it -- as if the director is trying to dupe the viewer into taking it all as very important simply because the movie is ugly to look at and not a hollywood product .


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


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

it is scott 's convincing portrayal of roger the sad cad that really gives the film its oomph .


the film is so busy making reference to other films and trying to be other films that it fails to have a heart , mind or humor of its own .


for all its shoot-outs , fistfights , and car chases , this movie is a phlegmatic bore , so tedious it makes the silly spy vs. spy film the sum of all fears , starring ben affleck , seem downright hitchcockian .

imagine susan sontag falling in love with howard stern .


the re-release of ron howard 's apollo 13 in the imax format proves absolutely that really , really , really good things can come in enormous packages .


comes off as a long , laborious whine , the bellyaching of a paranoid and unlikable man .

a sham construct based on theory , sleight-of-hand , and ill-wrought hypothesis .


a lot more dimensional and complex than its sunny disposition would lead you to believe .


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

a compelling yarn , but not quite a ripping one .


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


but there 's plenty to offend everyone ...

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


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


whether or not you 're enlightened by any of derrida 's lectures on `` the other '' and `` the self , '' derrida is an undeniably fascinating and playful fellow .

angel presents events partly from the perspective of aurelie and christelle , and infuses the film with the sensibility of a particularly nightmarish fairytale .


everything about girls ca n't swim , even its passages of sensitive observation , feels secondhand , familiar -- and not in a good way .


happily stays close to the ground in a spare and simple manner and does n't pummel us with phony imagery or music .


while some of the camera work is interesting , the film 's mid-to-low budget is betrayed by the surprisingly shoddy makeup work .


while most films these days are about nothing , this film seems to be about everything that 's plaguing the human spirit in a relentlessly globalizing world .


if divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood suffers from a ploddingly melodramatic structure , it comes to life in the performances .

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


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

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


the country bears wastes an exceptionally good idea .


this comic gem is as delightful as it is derivative .


for all its shoot-outs , fistfights , and car chases , this movie is a phlegmatic bore , so tedious it makes the silly spy vs. spy film the sum of all fears , starring ben affleck , seem downright hitchcockian .


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

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


hawn and sarandon form an acting bond that makes the banger sisters a fascinating character study with laughs to spare .


the banter between calvin and his fellow barbers feels like a streetwise mclaughlin group ... and never fails to entertain .

a film of delicate interpersonal dances .


spider-man is about growing strange hairs , getting a more mature body , and finding it necessary to hide new secretions from the parental units .


true to its animatronic roots : ... as stiff , ponderous and charmless as a mechanical apparatus ... ` the country bears ' should never have been brought out of hibernation .


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


the characters are based on stock clichés , and the attempt to complicate the story only defies credibility .


-lrb- a -rrb- rather thinly-conceived movie .

never inspires more than an interested detachment .


it is scott 's convincing portrayal of roger the sad cad that really gives the film its oomph .

below may not mark mr. twohy 's emergence into the mainstream , but his promise remains undiminished .


a loud , brash and mainly unfunny high school comedy .


these people are really going to love the piano teacher .


imagine susan sontag falling in love with howard stern .


cinematic pyrotechnics aside , the only thing avary seems to care about are mean giggles and pulchritude .

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


it is scott 's convincing portrayal of roger the sad cad that really gives the film its oomph .


it 's difficult to conceive of anyone who has reached puberty actually finding the characters in slackers or their antics amusing , let alone funny .

full frontal , which opens today nationwide , could almost be classified as a movie-industry satire , but it lacks the generous inclusiveness that is the genre 's definitive , if disingenuous , feature .


nohe 's documentary about the event is sympathetic without being gullible : he is n't blind to the silliness , but also captures moments of spontaneous creativity and authentic co-operative interaction .


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


nothing happens , and it happens to flat characters .


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


the re-release of ron howard 's apollo 13 in the imax format proves absolutely that really , really , really good things can come in enormous packages .


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

for all its shoot-outs , fistfights , and car chases , this movie is a phlegmatic bore , so tedious it makes the silly spy vs. spy film the sum of all fears , starring ben affleck , seem downright hitchcockian .


tully is in many ways the perfect festival film : a calm , self-assured portrait of small town regret , love , duty and friendship that appeals to the storytelling instincts of a slightly more literate filmgoing audience .


a buoyant romantic comedy about friendship , love , and the truth that we 're all in this together .

the banter between calvin and his fellow barbers feels like a streetwise mclaughlin group ... and never fails to entertain .


like life on the island , the movie grows boring despite the scenery .


after one gets the feeling that the typical hollywood disregard for historical truth and realism is at work here , it 's a matter of finding entertainment in the experiences of zishe and the fiery presence of hanussen .

an energizing , intoxicating documentary charting the rise of hip-hop culture in general and the art of scratching -lrb- or turntablism -rrb- in particular .


hollywood ending is the most disappointing woody allen movie ever .


a seriously bad film with seriously warped logic by writer-director kurt wimmer at the screenplay level .

after you laugh once -lrb- maybe twice -rrb- , you will have completely forgotten the movie by the time you get back to your car in the parking lot .


with an admirably dark first script by brent hanley , paxton , making his directorial feature debut , does strong , measured work .


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


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

spider-man is about growing strange hairs , getting a more mature body , and finding it necessary to hide new secretions from the parental units .


the wild thornberrys movie is pleasant enough and the message of our close ties with animals can certainly not be emphasized enough .


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

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


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


jackson shamefully strolls through this mess with a smug grin , inexplicably wearing a kilt and carrying a bag of golf clubs over one shoulder .


one can only assume that the jury who bestowed star hoffman 's brother gordy with the waldo salt screenwriting award at 2002 's sundance festival were honoring an attempt to do something different over actually pulling it off

first , for a movie that tries to be smart , it 's kinda dumb .


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


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

the characters are more deeply thought through than in most ` right-thinking ' films .


an essentially awkward version of the lightweight female empowerment picture we 've been watching for decades


the film never finds its tone and several scenes run too long .

there 's a whole heap of nothing at the core of this slight coming-of-age\/coming-out tale .


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


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


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


i suspect that you 'll be as bored watching morvern callar as the characters are in it .

dull , a road-trip movie that 's surprisingly short of both adventure and song .


with an unusual protagonist -lrb- a kilt-wearing jackson -rrb- and subject matter , the improbable `` formula 51 '' is somewhat entertaining , but it could have been much stronger .


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

what they 're doing is a matter of plumbing arrangements and mind games , of no erotic or sensuous charge .


the re-release of ron howard 's apollo 13 in the imax format proves absolutely that really , really , really good things can come in enormous packages .


this is a fragmented film , once a good idea that was followed by the bad idea to turn it into a movie .

for all its shoot-outs , fistfights , and car chases , this movie is a phlegmatic bore , so tedious it makes the silly spy vs. spy film the sum of all fears , starring ben affleck , seem downright hitchcockian .


this gorgeous epic is guaranteed to lift the spirits of the whole family .


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

true to its animatronic roots : ... as stiff , ponderous and charmless as a mechanical apparatus ... ` the country bears ' should never have been brought out of hibernation .


it 's a funny little movie with clever dialogue and likeable characters .


a weird little movie that 's amusing enough while you watch it , offering fine acting moments and pungent insights into modern l.a. 's show-biz and media subcultures .

below may not mark mr. twohy 's emergence into the mainstream , but his promise remains undiminished .


what starts off as a potentially incredibly twisting mystery becomes simply a monster chase film .


it 's far from a frothy piece , and the characters are complex , laden with plenty of baggage and tinged with tragic undertones .


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


it ai n't art , by a long shot , but unlike last year 's lame musketeer , this dumas adaptation entertains .


the country bears wastes an exceptionally good idea .

although god is great addresses interesting matters of identity and heritage , it 's hard to shake the feeling that it was intended to be a different kind of film .


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


yet another iteration of what 's become one of the movies ' creepiest conventions , in which the developmentally disabled are portrayed with almost supernatural powers to humble , teach and ultimately redeem their mentally `` superior '' friends , family ...

one can only assume that the jury who bestowed star hoffman 's brother gordy with the waldo salt screenwriting award at 2002 's sundance festival were honoring an attempt to do something different over actually pulling it off


almodovar is an imaginative teacher of emotional intelligence in this engaging film about two men who discover what william james once called ` the gift of tears . '


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


the wild thornberrys movie is pleasant enough and the message of our close ties with animals can certainly not be emphasized enough .


the script has less spice than a rat burger and the rock 's fighting skills are more in line with steven seagal .

the events of the film are just so weird that i honestly never knew what the hell was coming next .


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


` film aficionados can not help but love cinema paradiso , whether the original version or new director 's cut . '

and we do n't avert our eyes for a moment .


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


this low-rent -- and even lower-wit -- rip-off of the farrelly brothers ' oeuvre gets way too mushy -- and in a relatively short amount of time .

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


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


never inspires more than an interested detachment .

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


woody allen has really found his groove these days .


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


what 's really sad is to see two academy award winning actresses -lrb- and one academy award winning actor -rrb- succumb to appearing in this junk that 's tv sitcom material at best .


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


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

its initial excitement settles into a warmed over pastiche .


whether or not you 're enlightened by any of derrida 's lectures on `` the other '' and `` the self , '' derrida is an undeniably fascinating and playful fellow .


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

an inexperienced director , mehta has much to learn .


a timely look back at civil disobedience , anti-war movements and the power of strong voices .


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


there 's nothing to gain from watching they .


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


a soul-stirring documentary about the israeli\/palestinian conflict as revealed through the eyes of some children who remain curious about each other against all odds .


the story is bogus and its characters tissue-thin .

contrived , maudlin and cliche-ridden ... if this sappy script was the best the contest received , those rejected must have been astronomically bad .


the movie 's thesis -- elegant technology for the masses -- is surprisingly refreshing .


the wonder of mostly martha is the performance of gedeck , who makes martha enormously endearing .

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


a rambling ensemble piece with loosely connected characters and plots that never quite gel .


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

a moving tale of love and destruction in unexpected places , unexamined lives .


hollywood ending is the most disappointing woody allen movie ever .


and we do n't avert our eyes for a moment .

the wonder of mostly martha is the performance of gedeck , who makes martha enormously endearing .


if divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood suffers from a ploddingly melodramatic structure , it comes to life in the performances .


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

like life on the island , the movie grows boring despite the scenery .


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


anyone who suffers through this film deserves , at the very least , a big box of consolation candy .

but there 's plenty to offend everyone ...


blessed with a searing lead performance by ryan gosling -lrb- murder by numbers -rrb- , the movie is powerful and provocative .


adrift , bentley and hudson stare and sniffle , respectively , as ledger attempts , in vain , to prove that movie-star intensity can overcome bad hair design .


likely to have decades of life as a classic movie franchise ?


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

woven together handsomely , recalling sixties ' rockumentary milestones from lonely boy to do n't look back .


full frontal , which opens today nationwide , could almost be classified as a movie-industry satire , but it lacks the generous inclusiveness that is the genre 's definitive , if disingenuous , feature .


wonder of wonders -- a teen movie with a humanistic message .

your children will be occupied for 72 minutes .


imagine susan sontag falling in love with howard stern .


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

spider-man is about growing strange hairs , getting a more mature body , and finding it necessary to hide new secretions from the parental units .


an enjoyable comedy of lingual and cultural differences ... the château is a film -- full of life and small delights -- that has all the wiggling energy of young kitten .


nohe 's documentary about the event is sympathetic without being gullible : he is n't blind to the silliness , but also captures moments of spontaneous creativity and authentic co-operative interaction .

happily stays close to the ground in a spare and simple manner and does n't pummel us with phony imagery or music .


a compelling yarn , but not quite a ripping one .


-lrb- a -rrb- rather thinly-conceived movie .


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

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


the beautiful images and solemn words can not disguise the slack complacency of -lrb- godard 's -rrb- vision , any more than the gorgeous piano and strings on the soundtrack can drown out the tinny self-righteousness of his voice .


although god is great addresses interesting matters of identity and heritage , it 's hard to shake the feeling that it was intended to be a different kind of film .


undoubtedly the scariest movie ever made about tattoos .


boasts a handful of virtuosic set pieces and offers a fair amount of trashy , kinky fun .

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


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


it 's never dull and always looks good .

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


a baffling mixed platter of gritty realism and magic realism with a hard-to-swallow premise .


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

the movie 's thesis -- elegant technology for the masses -- is surprisingly refreshing .


gets the look and the period trappings right , but it otherwise drowns in a sea of visual and verbal clichés .

an essentially awkward version of the lightweight female empowerment picture we 've been watching for decades


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