quote.tok.gt9.5000

smart and alert , thirteen conversations about one thing is a small gem . 
color , musical bounce and warm seas lapping on island shores . and just enough science to send you home thinking . 
it is not a mass-market entertainment but an uncompromising attempt by one artist to think about another . 
a light-hearted french film about the spiritual quest of a fashion model seeking peace of mind while in a love affair with a veterinarian who is a non-practicing jew . 
my wife is an actress has its moments in looking at the comic effects of jealousy . in the end , though , it is only mildly amusing when it could have been so much more . 
works both as an engaging drama and an incisive look at the difficulties facing native americans . 
even a hardened voyeur would require the patience of job to get through this interminable , shapeless documentary about the swinging subculture . 
when perry fists a bull at the moore farm , it's only a matter of time before he gets the upper hand in matters of the heart . 
the characters . . . are paper-thin , and their personalities undergo radical changes when it suits the script . 
the script is a tired one , with few moments of joy rising above the stale material . 
the bland outweighs the nifty , and cletis tout never becomes the clever crime comedy it thinks it is . 
directed by david twohy with the same great eye for eerie understatement that he brought to pitch black . 
it's a very tasteful rock and roll movie . you could put it on a coffee table anywhere . 
provides the kind of 'laugh therapy' i need from movie comedies -- offbeat humor , amusing characters , and a happy ending . after seeing 'analyze that , ' i feel better already . 
worth a look by those on both sides of the issues , if only for the perspective it offers , one the public rarely sees . 
watching the film is like reading a times portrait of grief that keeps shifting focus to the journalist who wrote it . 
despite these annoyances , the capable clayburgh and tambor really do a great job of anchoring the characters in the emotional realities of middle age . 
it's a good thing that woolly mammoths are extinct , because this movie will have every kid in the schoolyard wishing for their very own . 
preposterous and tedious , sonny is spiked with unintentional laughter that , unfortunately , occurs too infrequently to make the film even a guilty pleasure . 
4ever has the same sledgehammer appeal as pokemon videos , but it breathes more on the big screen and induces headaches more slowly . 
si el siglo xxi necesita de héroes , el hombre araña parece haber llegado para quedarse . 
it's hard to tell with all the crashing and banging where the salesmanship ends and the movie begins . 
it desperately wants to be a wacky , screwball comedy , but the most screwy thing here is how so many talented people were convinced to waste their time . 
writer/director walter hill is in his hypermasculine element here , once again able to inject some real vitality and even art into a pulpy concept that , in many other hands would be completely forgettable . 
hill looks to be going through the motions , beginning with the pale script . 
extremely well cast , especially in the large number of supporting roles . 
a chilling tale of one of the great crimes of 20th century france : the murder of two rich women by their servants in 1933 . 
a dark , quirky road movie that constantly defies expectation . 
impostor doesn't do much with its template , despite a remarkably strong cast . 
though it lacks the utter authority of a genre gem , there's a certain robustness to this engaging mix of love and bloodletting . 
if you can keep your eyes open amid all the blood and gore , you'll see del toro has brought unexpected gravity to blade ii . 
there's undeniable enjoyment to be had from films crammed with movie references , but the fun wears thin -- then out -- when there's nothing else happening . 
a work that lacks both a purpose and a strong pulse . 
it helps that lil bow wow . . . tones down his pint-sized gangsta act to play someone who resembles a real kid . 
a mimetic approximation of better films like contempt and 8 1/2 . 
eastwood is an icon of moviemaking , one of the best actors , directors and producers around , responsible for some excellent work . but even a hero can stumble sometimes . 
nair doesn't use [monsoon wedding] to lament the loss of culture . instead , she sees it as a chance to revitalize what is and always has been remarkable about clung-to traditions . 
stuffed to the brim with ideas , american instigator michael moore's film is a rambling examination of american gun culture that uses his usual modus operandi of crucifixion through juxtaposition . 
 . . . a joke at once flaky and resonant , lightweight and bizarrely original . 
fontaine's direction , especially her agreeably startling use of close-ups and her grace with a moving camera , creates sheerly cinematic appeal . 
starts slowly , but adrien brody – in the title role – helps make the film's conclusion powerful and satisfying . 
a refreshing change from the usual whoopee-cushion effort aimed at the youth market . 
you really have to salute writer-director haneke ( he adapted elfriede jelinek's novel ) for making a film that isn't nearly as graphic but much more powerful , brutally shocking and difficult to watch . 
barry convinces us he's a dangerous , secretly unhinged guy who could easily have killed a president because it made him feel powerful . 
a distant , even sterile , yet compulsively watchable look at the sordid life of hogan's heroes star bob crane . 
there's no disguising this as one of the worst films of the summer . or for the year , for that matter . 
director dan verete uses his camera as the metaphoric needle , and his cast in each segment as his thread , to form a sweeping tapestry of mis-explanation and contention . 
waydowntown just like most large cities , isn't somewhere you'll want to spend the rest of your life , but it sure is a fun place to visit for a while . 
the acting in pauline and paulette is good all round , but what really sets the film apart is debrauwer's refusal to push the easy emotional buttons . 
the only young people who possibly will enjoy it are infants . . . who might be distracted by the movie's quick movements and sounds . 
there's lots of cool stuff packed into espn's ultimate x . 
it gets old quickly . watch barbershop again if you're in need of a cube fix--this isn't worth sitting through . 
harland williams is so funny in drag he should consider permanent sex-reassignment . 
the film's images give a backbone to the company and provide an emotional edge to its ultimate demise . 
it's the kind of film where the villain even gives an evil look for his passport photo . how can you resist that ? 
plotless collection of moronic stunts is by far the worst movie of the year . 
a broad , melodramatic estrogen opera that's pretty toxic in its own right . 
just a kiss wants desperately to come off as a fanciful film about the typical problems of average people . but it is set in a world that is very , very far from the one most of us inhabit . 
this is a movie where the most notable observation is how long you've been sitting still . 
with a romantic comedy plotline straight from the ages , this cinderella story doesn't have a single surprise up its sleeve . but it does somehow manage to get you under its spell . 
a charming trifle . . . a welcome return to jocular form . 
it's not difficult to spot the culprit early-on in this predictable thriller . 
without the dark spookiness of crystal lake camp , the horror concept completely loses its creepy menace . 
there's suspension of disbelief and then there's bad screenwriting . . . this film packs a wallop of the latter . 
little more than a stylish exercise in revisionism whose point . . . is no doubt true , but serves as a rather thin moral to such a knowing fable . 
anyone who can count to five ( the film's target market ? ) can see where this dumbed-down concoction is going . 
every defiantly over-the-top action scene -- from high-stakes car chases to fearsome drug busts -- seizes your adrenal gland and milks it like an epileptic farmer . 
kosminsky . . . puts enough salt into the wounds of the tortured and self-conscious material to make it sting . 
a sobering and powerful documentary about the most severe kind of personal loss : rejection by one's mother . 
if the story lacks bite , the performances are never less than affectionate . 
a deftly entertaining film , smartly played and smartly directed . 
ice age is the first computer-generated feature cartoon to feel like other movies , and that makes for some glacial pacing early on . 
i like my christmas movies with more elves and snow and less pimps and ho's . 
ferrara's strongest and most touching movie of recent years . 
skip work to see it at the first opportunity . 
both the film and nachtwey's photos hammer home the grim reality of the world's gutters and battlefields , and will make you question what 'news' really is . 
so relentlessly wholesome it made me want to swipe something . 
shyamalan offers copious hints along the way -- myriad signs , if you will -- that beneath the familiar , funny surface is a far bigger , far more meaningful story than one in which little green men come to earth for harvesting purposes . 
that 'alabama' manages to be pleasant in spite of its predictability and occasional slowness is due primarily to the perkiness of witherspoon ( who is always a joy to watch , even when her material is not first-rate ) . . . 
against all odds in heaven and hell , it creeped me out just fine . 
nicely combines the enigmatic features of 'memento' with the hallucinatory drug culture of 'requiem for a dream . '
it is a film that will have people walking out halfway through , will encourage others to stand up and applaud , and will , undoubtedly , leave both camps engaged in a ferocious debate for years to come . 
japan's premier stylist of sex and blood hits audiences with what may be his most demented film to date . 
the work of a filmmaker who has secrets buried at the heart of his story and knows how to take time revealing them . strange occurrences build in the mind of the viewer and take on extreme urgency . 
in the spirit of voltaire and molière , on guard volleys great wit and deadly gestures in a milieu of lush apparel , landscapes , captivating music and 18th-century lacy sleeves . 
while holm is terrific as both men and hjejle quite appealing , the film fails to make the most out of the intriguing premise . 
while hollywood ending has its share of belly laughs ( including a knockout of a closing line ) , the movie winds up feeling like a great missed opportunity . 
ultimately , in the history of the academy , people may be wondering what all that jazz was about " chicago " in 2002 . zellweger's whiny pouty-lipped poof faced and spindly attempt at playing an ingenue makes her nomination as best actress even more of a an a
es divertida , visualmente espectacular y muy entretenida . simple y sencillamente te sorprenderá . 
not since japanese filmmaker akira kurosawa's ran have the savagery of combat and the specter of death been visualized with such operatic grandeur . 
the video work is so grainy and rough , so dependent on being 'naturalistic' rather than carefully lit and set up , that it's exhausting to watch . 
the screenplay comes across , rather unintentionally , as hip-hop scooby-doo . 
the next big thing's not-so-big ( and not-so-hot ) directorial debut . 
the cumulative effect of the movie is repulsive and depressing . 
judging from the strength of this superbly enigmatic film , oliveira himself seems far from ready to go home . 
passionate , irrational , long-suffering but cruel as a tarantula , helga figures prominently in this movie , and helps keep the proceedings as funny for grown-ups as for rugrats . 
christians sensitive to a reductionist view of their lord as a luv-spreading dr . feelgood or omnipotent slacker will feel vastly more affronted than secularists , who might even praise god for delivering such an instant camp classic . 
aloof and lacks any real raw emotion , which is fatal for a film that relies on personal relationships . 
if festival in cannes nails hard- boiled hollywood argot with a bracingly nasty accuracy , much about the film , including some of its casting , is frustratingly unconvincing . 
the movie is pretty funny now and then without in any way demeaning its subjects . 
it's a frightful vanity film that , no doubt , pays off what debt miramax felt they owed to benigni . 
when your subject is illusion versus reality , shouldn't the reality seem at least passably real ? 
confusion is one of my least favourite emotions , especially when i have to put up with 146 minutes of it . 
sitting in the third row of the imax cinema at sydney's darling harbour , but i sometimes felt as though i was in the tiny two seater plane that carried the giant camera around australia , sweeping and gliding , banking and hovering over some of the most not
may be far from the best of the series , but it's assured , wonderfully respectful of its past and thrilling enough to make it abundantly clear that this movie phenomenon has once again reinvented itself for a new generation . 
the result reverberates on the screen with a deadly force and fury more intense than anything mr . scorsese has yet achieved on the meanest and most beloved streets he could imagine or recall . 
it has charm to spare , and unlike many romantic comedies , it does not alienate either gender in the audience . 
the leaping story line , shaped by director peter kosminsky into sharp slivers and cutting impressions , shows all the signs of rich detail condensed into a few evocative images and striking character traits . 
it's too interested in jerking off in all its byzantine incarnations to bother pleasuring its audience . 
for a rapsploitation film to target and frown upon the darker forces of its nature is certainly a good sign for the maturation of the genre . 
a movie that doesn't aim too high , but doesn't need to . 
the kind of movie that seduces you into becoming putty in its manipulative card-sharking hands and making you enjoy being taken in by its shameless contrivance . 
an erotic thriller that's neither too erotic nor very thrilling , either . 
the best part about " gangs " was daniel day-lewis . 
the work of an artist tormented by his heritage , using his storytelling ability to honor the many faceless victims . 
rarely has skin looked as beautiful , desirable , even delectable , as it does in trouble every day . 
the disjointed mess flows as naturally as jolie's hideous yellow 'do . 
the plan to make enough into ‘an inspiring tale of survival wrapped in the heart-pounding suspense of a stylish psychological thriller' has flopped as surely as a soufflé gone wrong . 
the movie is our story as much as it is schmidt's , no matter if it's viewed as a self-reflection or cautionary tale . 
raunchy though [cho's] material is , it embraces all comers , regardless of gender , sexuality , race or ethnicity . and it's never been sharper -- or funnier -- than it is here . 
fans of behan's work and of irish movies in general will be rewarded by borstal boy . 
miller is playing so free with emotions , and the fact that children are hostages to fortune , that he makes the audience hostage to his swaggering affectation of seriousness . 
this is an exercise not in biography but in hero worship . 
 . . . has its moments , but ultimately , its curmudgeon doesn't quite make the cut of being placed on any list of favorites . 
human nature talks the talk , but it fails to walk the silly walk that distinguishes the merely quirky from the surreal . 
anchored by friel and williams's exceptional performances , the film's power lies in its complexity . nothing is black and white . 
the writers , director wally wolodarsky , and all the actors should start their own coeducational fraternity : kappa rho alpha phi . 
like its title character , this nicholas nickleby finds itself in reduced circumstances -- and , also like its hero , it remains brightly optimistic , coming through in the end . 
it has more than a few moments that are insightful enough to be fondly remembered in the endlessly challenging maze of moviegoing . 
what one is left with , even after the most awful acts are committed , is an overwhelming sadness that feels as if it has made its way into your very bloodstream . 
a competent , unpretentious entertainment destined to fill the after-school slot at shopping mall theaters across the country . 
louiso lets the movie dawdle in classic disaffected-indie-film mode , and brother hoffman's script stumbles over a late-inning twist that just doesn't make sense . 
an unsatisfying hybrid of blair witch and typical stalk-and-slash fare , where the most conservative protagonist is always the last one living . 
we have poignancy jostling against farce , thoughtful dialogue elbowed aside by one-liners , and a visual style that incorporates rotoscope animation for no apparent reason except , maybe , that it looks neat . 
as it turns out , you can go home again . 
using his audience as a figurative port-of-call , dong pulls his even-handed ideological ship to their dock for unloading , before he continues his longer journey still ahead . 
in the era of the sopranos , it feels painfully redundant and inauthentic . 
instead of trying to bust some blondes , [diggs] should be probing why a guy with his talent ended up in a movie this bad . 
the movie fails to portray its literarily talented and notorious subject as anything much more than a dirty old man . 
even if the world doesn't see things the way [michael moore] does , his questions are worth asking . … and bowling for columbine benefits from his iconoclastic zeal . 
the only thing i laughed at were the people who paid to see it . 
scott delivers a terrific performance in this fascinating portrait of a modern lothario . 
about amy's cuteness , amy's career success ( she's a best-selling writer of self-help books who can't help herself ) , and amy's neuroses when it comes to men . 
automatically pegs itself for the straight-to-video sci-fi rental shelf . 
part of the film's cheeky charm comes from its vintage schmaltz . 
a very funny look at how another culture handles the process of courting and marriage . 
one of the best cat-and-mouse movies to come along in a while , leo has great fun in the role . 
kids who are into this thornberry stuff will probably be in wedgie heaven . anyone else who may , for whatever reason , be thinking about going to see this movie is hereby given fair warning . 
who is this movie for ? not kids , who don't need the lesson in repugnance . it's also not smart or barbed enough for older viewers -- not everyone thinks poo-poo jokes are 'edgy . '
open-ended and composed of layer upon layer , talk to her is a cinephile's feast , an invitation to countless interpretations . 
with spy kids 2 : the island of lost dreams , the spy kids franchise establishes itself as a durable part of the movie landscape : a james bond series for kids . 
oedekerk mugs mercilessly , and the genuinely funny jokes are few and far between . 
resurrection has the dubious distinction of being a really bad imitation of the really bad blair witch project . 
the acting is amateurish , the cinematography is atrocious , the direction is clumsy , the writing is insipid and the violence is at once luridly graphic and laughably unconvincing . 
a moving and weighty depiction of one family's attempts to heal after the death of a child . 
a science-fiction pastiche so lacking in originality that if you stripped away its inspirations there would be precious little left . 
depending upon your reaction to this movie , you may never again be able to look at a red felt sharpie pen without disgust , a thrill , or the giggles . 
la cinta comienza intentando ser un drama , rápidamente se transforma en una comedia y termina por ser una parodia absolutamente predecible
watching the chemistry between freeman and judd , however , almost makes this movie worth seeing . almost . 
a thoroughly unoriginal , but fast-paced and entertaining genre b-flick
a dumb movie with dumb characters doing dumb things and you have to be really dumb not to see where this is going . 
 . . . devastatingly direct to the heart of the matter , demonstrating that there is no easy walk toward peace in a region with such strong conflicting traditions
a modest and messy metaphysical thriller offering more questions than answers . 
a heartfelt , understated and occasionally heavy-handed slice of heartland . 
mostly , [goldbacher] just lets her complicated characters be unruly , confusing and , through it all , human . 
let's issue a moratorium , effective immediately , on treacly films about inspirational prep-school professors and the children they so heartwarmingly motivate . 
how do you make a movie with depth about a man who lacked any ? on the evidence before us , the answer is clear : not easily and , in the end , not well enough . 
treats a potentially explosive set-up with adult reflection and thoughtfulness . 
there's some good material in their story about a retail clerk wanting more out of life , but the movie too often spins its wheels with familiar situations and repetitive scenes . 
most of the storylines feel like time fillers between surf shots . the movie isn't horrible , but you can see mediocre cresting on the next wave . 
i can't say this enough : this movie is about an adult male dressed in pink jammies . 
[majidi] makes us think twice about immigrants we see around us every day . 
not the kind of film that will appeal to a mainstream american audience , but there is a certain charm about the film that makes it a suitable entry into the fest circuit . 
but this is lohman's film . her performance moves between heartbreak and rebellion as she continually tries to accommodate to fit in and gain the unconditional love she seeks . 
this tenth feature is a big deal , indeed -- at least the third-best , and maybe even a notch above the previous runner-up , nicholas meyer's star trek vi : the undiscovered country . 
the movie , while beautiful , feels labored , with a hint of the writing exercise about it . 
broomfield's style of journalism is hardly journalism at all , and even those with an avid interest in the subject will grow impatient . 
neither the funniest film that eddie murphy nor robert de niro has ever made , showtime is nevertheless efficiently amusing for a good while . before it collapses into exactly the kind of buddy cop comedy it set out to lampoon , anyway . 
it's always disappointing when a documentary fails to live up to -- or offer any new insight into -- its chosen topic . unfortunately , that's precisely what arthur dong's family fundamentals does . 
any chekhov is better than no chekhov , but it would be a shame if this was your introduction to one of the greatest plays of the last 100 years . 
at best , cletis tout might inspire a trip to the video store -- in search of a better movie experience . 
niccol the filmmaker merges his collaborators' symbolic images with his words , insinuating , for example , that in hollywood , only god speaks to the press
it treats us to beautiful insights and tragic struggles that swell the heart and make us feel genuine empathy for two people embracing the truth amidst a pack of lies . 
completely creatively stillborn and executed in a manner that i'm not sure could be a single iota worse . . . a soulless hunk of exploitative garbage . 
not a stereotype is omitted nor a cliché left unsaid . 
this 72-minute film does have some exciting scenes , but it's a tad slow . 
the overall result is an intelligent , realistic portrayal of testing boundaries . 
mr . jacobi's recitation is illustrated with a rush of sensuous nature imagery , beautifully photographed by mr . cox and hans sonneveld and underscored with a lush soundtrack by paul grabowsky . 
the acting is uniformly excellent , with kyra sedgwick and fairuza balk in particular deserving to be singled out for praise . 
who needs mind-bending drugs when they can see this , the final part of the 'qatsi' trilogy , directed by godfrey reggio , with music by philip glass ? 
'rare birds' tries to force its quirkiness upon the audience . 
a baffling misfire , and possibly the weakest movie [woody allen] has made in the last twenty years . 
it all drags on so interminably it's like watching a miserable relationship unfold in real time . 
reminiscent of david mamet's elaborate screen bluffs -- only livelier , more playful . 
the cast , collectively a successful example of the lovable-loser protagonist , shows deft comic timing . 
if you love motown music , you'll love this documentary . 
provides a very moving and revelatory footnote to the holocaust . 
stephen rea , aidan quinn , and alan bates play desmond's legal eagles , and when joined by brosnan , the sight of this grandiloquent quartet lolling in pretty irish settings is a pleasant enough thing , 'tis . 
the verdict : two bodies and hardly a laugh between them . 
minority report is exactly what the title indicates , a report . 
[reno] delivers a monologue that manages to incorporate both the horror and the absurdity of the situation in a well-balanced fashion . 
inside the film's conflict-powered plot there is a decent moral trying to get out , but it's not that , it's the tension that keeps you in your seat . affleck and jackson are good sparring partners . 
the movie is a desperate miscalculation . it gives poor dana carvey nothing to do that is really funny , and then expects us to laugh because he acts so goofy all the time . 
the most audacious , outrageous , sexually explicit , psychologically probing , pure libido film of the year has arrived from portugal . 
one hour photo offers a very interesting snapshot of some decidedly modern pathologies -- suburban alienation and the illusions generated by the advent of the photographic image . 
it showcases carvey's talent for voices , but not nearly enough and not without taxing every drop of one's patience to get to the good stuff . 
it is best appreciated as an immersion in a three-dimensional toyland outfitted with enough whimsical gadgetry to fill a thousand playrooms . 
children may not understand everything that happens -- i'm not sure even miyazaki himself does -- but they will almost certainly be fascinated , and undoubtedly delighted . 
the problem isn't that the movie hits so close to home so much as that it hits close to home while engaging in such silliness as that snake-down-the-throat business and the inevitable shot of schwarzenegger outrunning a fireball . 
nothing more than an amiable but unfocused bagatelle that plays like a loosely-connected string of acting-workshop exercises . 
the film's sense of imagery gives it a terrible strength , but it's propelled by the acting . 
focuses on joan's raging hormones and sledgehammers the audience with spanish inquisitions about her " madness " so much that i became mad that i wasted 123 minutes and $9 . 50 on this 21st century torture device . 
a chance to see three splendid actors turn a larky chase movie into an emotionally satisfying exploration of the very human need to be somebody , and to belong to somebody . 
the title helpfully offers the most succinct review of it you'll read anywhere . 
for all its technical virtuosity , the film is so mired in juvenile and near-xenophobic pedagogy that it's enough to make one pine for the day when godard can no longer handle the rigors of filmmaking . 
a bit of a downer and a little over-dramatic at times , but this is a beautiful film for people who like their romances to have that french realism . 
the waterlogged script plumbs uncharted depths of stupidity , incoherence and sub-sophomoric sexual banter . 
this slight slice of l . a . life is distinguished by two fine , subtle performances . 
for all the wit and hoopla , festival in cannes offers rare insight into the structure of relationships . 
'a fresh-faced , big-hearted and frequently funny thrill ride for the kiddies , with enough eye candy and cheeky wit to keep parents away from the concession stand . '
making such a tragedy the backdrop to a love story risks trivializing it , though chouraqui no doubt intended the film to affirm love's power to help people endure almost unimaginable horror . 
the film isn't especially dynamic , but it brims with insightful , poignant memories from survivors . 
there's no denying how nice it is to see veteran actors bob hoskins , michael caine and helen mirren interacting with each other on screen . 
vaguely interesting , but it's just too too much . 
between bedroom scenes , viewers may find themselves wishing they could roll over and take a nap . 
great fun both for sports aficionados and for ordinary louts whose idea of exercise is climbing the steps of a stadium-seat megaplex . 
a great script brought down by lousy direction . same guy with both hats . big mistake . 
this is , not to put too fine a point on it , a swashbuckler , a costume drama . if you love that old story form , you will be in old-fogy heaven , as it is nearly a perfect example of a genre that died out years ago . 
like to think of the film as local hero for kids , as the boy has to adapt from his urban kid lifestyle to the slow , simple ways of generations before . will he do it ? will it work out ? can love overcome ? 
bisset still commands the screen as the graceful and outspoken frances . 
for its seriousness , high literary aspirations and stunning acting , the film can only be applauded . 
tsai has a well-deserved reputation as one of the cinema world's great visual stylists , and in this film , every shot enhances the excellent performances . 
lazy , miserable and smug . this is one of the biggest disappointments of the year . 
the story that emerges has elements of romance , tragedy and even silent-movie comedy . 
as underwater ghost stories go , below casts its spooky net out into the atlantic ocean and spits it back , grizzled and charred , somewhere northwest of the bermuda triangle . 
i don't even care that there's no plot in this antonio banderas-lucy liu faceoff . it's still terrible ! 
in its understanding , often funny way , it tells a story whose restatement is validated by the changing composition of the nation . 
the film would work much better as a video installation in a museum , where viewers would be free to leave . immediately . 
city by the sea is a gritty police thriller with all the dysfunctional family dynamics one could wish for . but how it washed out despite all of that is the project's prime mystery . 
there is simply not enough of interest onscreen to sustain its seventy-minute running time . 
the major problem with windtalkers is that the bulk of the movie centers on the wrong character . 
apparently designed as a reverie about memory and regret , but the only thing you'll regret is remembering the experience of sitting through it . 
the level of maturity displayed by this 33-year-old first-time feature director is astonishing , considering her inexperience and her subject matter . 
stage director sam mendes showcases tom hanks as a depression era hit-man in this dark tale of revenge . 
the movie is a little tired ; maybe the original inspiration has run its course . 
though this film can be clumsy , its ambitions are equally -- and admirably -- uncommercial . 
being author wells' great-grandson , you'd think filmmaker simon wells would have more reverence for the material . but this costly dud is a far cry from either the book or the beloved film . 
[i]t's certainly laudable that the movie deals with hot-button issues in a comedic context , but barbershop isn't as funny as it should be . 
deliriously funny , fast and loose , accessible to the uninitiated , and full of surprises
unlike his directorial efforts , la femme nikita and the professional , the transporter lacks besson's perspective as a storyteller . 
it's hard to know whether or not to recommend this film because for every thing it does right there's at least one and occasionally two things it gets ever so wrong . 
the actors are all charged up by their roles , and it rubs off on us : you walk out with a caffeine- and-doughnut high . 
naipaul fans may be disappointed . those who are not acquainted with the author's work , on the other hand , may fall fast asleep . 
it may . . . work as a jaunt down memory lane for teens and young adults who grew up on televised scooby-doo shows or reruns . 
it's mildly amusing , but i certainly can't recommend it . 
the country bears has no scenes that will upset or frighten young viewers . unfortunately , there is almost nothing in this flat effort that will amuse or entertain them , either . 
much as we might be interested in gratuitous sexualization , haneke has a different objective in mind--namely the implications of our craving for fake stimulation . 
nothing in waking up in reno ever inspired me to think of its inhabitants as anything more than markers in a screenplay . 
juliette binoche's sand is vivacious , but it's hard to sense that powerhouse of 19th-century prose behind her childlike smile . 
the noble tradition of men in drag hits an all-time low in sorority boys , whose makers apparently believe that women's clothing can cover up any deficiency in acting , writing or direction . 
the film falls short on tension , eloquence , spiritual challenge -- things that have made the original new testament stories so compelling for 20 centuries . 
just like the deli sandwich : lots of ham , lots of cheese , with a sickly sweet coating to disguise its excrescence until just after ( or during ) consumption of its second half . 
while this one gets off with a good natured warning , future lizard endeavors will need to adhere more closely to the laws of laughter
seldom has a movie so closely matched the spirit of a man and his work . 
it's deep-sixed by a compulsion to catalog every bodily fluids gag in there's something about mary and devise a parallel clone-gag . 
aside from being the funniest movie of the year , simone , andrew niccol's brilliant anti-hollywood satire , has a wickedly eccentric enchantment to it . 
a morose little soap opera about three vapid , insensitive people who take turns hurting each other . it's a feature-length adaptation of one of those " can this marriage be saved ? " columns from ladies home journal . . . 
the spark of special anime magic here is unmistakable and hard to resist . 
a love for films shines through each frame and the era is recreated with obvious affection , scored to perfection with some tasty boogaloo beats . 
speaking in terms of spectacle , craft , romance and humor , it's the movie to beat this summer . 
imamura has said that warm water under a red bridge is a poem to the enduring strengths of women . it may also be the best sex comedy about environmental pollution ever made . 
huppert gives erika a persona that is so intriguing that you find yourself staring hypnotically at her , trying to understand her and wondering if she'll crack . 
too timid to bring a sense of closure to an ugly chapter of the twentieth century . 
there is no substitute for on-screen chemistry , and when friel pulls the strings that make williams sink into melancholia , the reaction in williams is as visceral as a gut punch . 
jonathan parker's bartleby should have been the be-all-end-all of the modern-office anomie films . 
light the candles , bring out the cake and don't fret about the calories because there's precious little substance in birthday girl -- it's simply , and surprisingly , a nice , light treat . 
it's like a " big chill " reunion of the baader-meinhof gang , only these guys are more harmless pranksters than political activists . 
it is too bad that this likable movie isn't more accomplished . the actors try hard but come off too amateurish and awkward . 
the fight scenes are fun , but it grows tedious . 
a cheerful enough but imminently forgettable rip-off of [besson's] earlier work . 
typifies the pros and cons of the films that india churns out . 
the film is ultimately about as inspiring as a hallmark card . 
pacino is brilliant as the sleep-deprived dormer , his increasing weariness as much existential as it is physical . 
attal's hang-ups surrounding infidelity are so old-fashioned and , dare i say , outdated , it's a wonder that he couldn't have brought something fresher to the proceedings simply by accident . 
those of you who are not an eighth grade girl will most likely doze off during this one . 
secretary " is owned by its costars , spader and gyllenhaal . maggie g . makes an amazing breakthrough in her first starring role and eats up the screen . 
the message becomes the savior for " the country bears , " an equal parts silly and sweet tale that wears its great big ol' heart on its grizzly-sized sleeve . 
an interesting psychological game of cat-and-mouse , three-dimensional characters and believable performances all add up to a satisfying crime drama . 
the merchant-ivory team continues to systematically destroy everything we hold dear about cinema , only now it's begun to split up so that it can do even more damage . 
impossible as it may sound , this film's heart is even more embracing than monty , if only because it accepts nasty behavior and severe flaws as part of the human condition . 
this is one of jaglom's most accessible and genuinely enjoyable films . 
the movie is essentially a series of fleetingly interesting actors' moments . 
a rock-solid gangster movie with a fair amount of suspense , intriguing characters and bizarre bank robberies , plus a heavy dose of father-and-son dynamics . 
why sit through a crummy , wannabe-hip crime comedy that refers incessantly to old movies , when you could just rent those movies instead , let alone seek out a respectable new one ? 
if much of me without you strikes a familiar chord , it also intelligently captures the difficulties that can disrupt even a close friendship . 
national lampoon's van wilder could be the worst thing to come out of national lampoon since class reunion
i'm not sure which half of dragonfly is worse : the part where nothing's happening , or the part where something's happening , but it's stupid . 
the huskies are beautiful , the border collie is funny and the overall feeling is genial and decent . 
as it stands , there's some fine sex onscreen , and some tense arguing , but not a whole lot more . 
a somewhat crudely constructed but gripping , questing look at a person so racked with self-loathing , he becomes an enemy to his own race . 
a cellophane-pop remake of the punk classic ladies and gentlemen , the fabulous stains . . . crossroads is never much worse than bland or better than inconsequential . 
the success of undercover brother is found in its ability to spoof both black and white stereotypes equally . 
there's enough melodrama in this magnolia primavera to make pta proud yet director muccino's characters are less worthy of puccini than they are of daytime television . 
the boys' sparring , like the succession of blows dumped on guei , wears down the story's more cerebral , and likable , plot elements . 
it's hard to say who might enjoy this , are there tolstoy groupies out there ? it's dark and tragic , and lets the business of the greedy talent agents get in the way of saying something meaningful about facing death
when the fire burns out , we've only come face-to-face with a couple dragons and that's where the film ultimately fails . 
few films capture so perfectly the hopes and dreams of little boys on baseball fields as well as the grown men who sit in the stands . 
blade ii is as estrogen-free as movies get , so you might want to leave your date behind for this one , or she's gonna make you feel like you owe her big-time . 
this film puts wang at the forefront of china's sixth generation of film makers . 
like coming into a long-running , well-written television series where you've missed the first half-dozen episodes and probably won't see the next six . 
there isn't one moment in the film that surprises or delights . 
no doubt the star and everyone else involved had their hearts in the right place . where their heads were is anyone's guess . 
it's not a great monster movie . but if you've paid a matinee price and bought a big tub of popcorn , there's guilty fun to be had here . chomp chomp ! 
an uncluttered , resonant gem that relays its universal points without lectures or confrontations . 
spider-man is about growing strange hairs , getting a more mature body , and finding it necessary to hide new secretions from the parental units . 
what lifts the film high above run-of-the-filth gangster flicks is its refusal to recognise any of the signposts , as if discovering a way through to the bitter end without a map . 
although barbershop boasts some of today's hottest and hippest acts from the world of television , music and stand-up comedy , this movie strangely enough has the outdated swagger of a shameless ‘70s blaxploitation shuck-and-jive sitcom . 
an average coming-of-age tale elevated by the wholesome twist of a pesky mother interfering during her son's discovery of his homosexuality . 
'enigma' is the kind of engaging historical drama that hollywood appears to have given up on in favor of sentimental war movies in the vein of 'we were soldiers . '
the film takes the materials of human tragedy and dresses them in lovely costumes , southern california locations and star power . 
it's an engrossing and thought-provoking examination of the overriding will to power and the morality of its application . 
a subtle , humorous , illuminating study of politics , power and social mobility . 
we can see the wheels turning , and we might resent it sometimes , but this is still a nice little picture , made by bright and friendly souls with a lot of good cheer . 
half of it is composed of snappy patter and pseudo-sophisticated cultural observations , while the remainder . . . would be more at home on a daytime television serial . 
narrative may be looser than baby teeth , but amy's orgasm is such a verbosely in-depth exploration of female sensuality and identity . 
fails in making this character understandable , in getting under her skin , in exploring motivation . . . well before the end , the film grows as dull as its characters , about whose fate it is hard to care . 
benefits from a strong performance from zhao , but it's dong jie's face you remember at the end . 
as elegantly crafted as it often is , anderson's movie is essentially a one-trick pony that , hampered by an undeveloped script , ultimately pulls up lame . 
the plot is paper-thin and the characters aren't interesting enough to watch them go about their daily activities for two whole hours . 
if you are into splatter movies , then you will probably have a reasonably good time with the salton sea . 
dreamworks is to be commended for attempting to develop a form that , with the inauguration of the oscar for best animated feature , can only benefit from such tinkering . 
the minor figures surrounding [bobby] . . . form a gritty urban mosaic . 
it's not like having a real film of nijinsky , but at least it's better than that eponymous 1980 biopic that used soap in the places where the mysteries lingered . 
if hill isn't quite his generation's don siegel ( or robert aldrich ) , it's because there's no discernible feeling beneath the chest hair ; it's all bluster and cliché . 
showtime's starry cast could be both an asset and a detriment . those who trek to the 'plex predisposed to like it probably will enjoy themselves . but ticket-buyers with great expectations will wind up as glum as mr . de niro . 
a droll , bitchy frolic which pokes fun at the price of popularity and small-town pretension in the lone star state . 
[the kid's] just too bratty for sympathy , and as the film grows to its finale , his little changes ring hollow . 
da primeira seqüência de luta à piada que encerra a história , o espectador jamais desgruda os olhos da tela , saindo do cinema com a sensação de que gastou bem seu dinheiro . 
[smith] simply celebrates the universal desire to fashion our homes for our needs and desires . 
the sum of all fears pretends to be a serious exploration of nuclear terrorism , but it's really nothing more than warmed-over cold war paranoia . 
there's a scientific law to be discerned here that producers would be well to heed : mediocre movies start to drag as soon as the action speeds up ; when the explosions start , they fall to pieces . 
a well paced and satisfying little drama that deserved better than a ‘direct-to-video' release . 
a lot like the imaginary sport it projects onto the screen -- loud , violent and mindless . 
largely , this is a movie that also does it by the numbers . 
as 'chick flicks' go , this one is pretty miserable , resorting to string-pulling rather than legitimate character development and intelligent plotting . 
the large-frame imax camera lends itself beautifully to filming the teeming life on the reefs , making this gorgeous film a must for everyone from junior scientists to grown-up fish lovers . 
performances are potent , and the women's stories are ably intercut and involving . 
peter jackson has done the nearly impossible . he has improved upon the first and taken it a step further , richer and deeper . what jackson has done is proven that no amount of imagination , no creature , no fantasy story and no incredibly outlandish scenery
twenty years later , e . t . is still a cinematic touchstone . 
it's simply delightful to watch an actor like michel serrault do his stuff . 
it's a humble effort , but spiced with wry humor and genuine pathos , especially between morgan and redgrave . 
for his first attempt at film noir , spielberg presents a fascinating but flawed look at the near future . 
the process of figuring out the moment the movie re-imagines the battle of the bulge with a bare-chested guardsman and a pike is more than worth the price of admission . 
it looks good , but it is essentially empty . 
this documentary by stacy peralta makes a convincing case on behalf of skateboarding , of all things , as a catalyst for this change , and for some delinquent youths in a derelict los angeles neighborhood as its agents . 
the movie starts with a legend and ends with a story that is so far-fetched it would be impossible to believe if it weren't true . this is the stuff that disney movies are made of . 
weirdly , broomfield has compelling new material but he doesn't unveil it until the end , after endless scenes of him wheedling reluctant witnesses and pointing his camera through the smeared windshield of his rental car . 
this is mild-mannered , been-there material given a pedestrian spin by a director who needed a touch of the flamboyant , the outrageous . 
by the time the surprise ending is revealed , interest cannot be revived . 
directed in a flashy , empty sub-music video style by a director so self-possessed he actually adds a period to his first name
becomes the last thing you would expect from a film with this title or indeed from any plympton film : boring . 
it's a movie -- and an album -- you won't want to miss . 
a work of the utmost subtlety and perception , it marks the outstanding feature debut of writer-director eric byler , who understands the power of the implicit and the virtues of simplicity and economy . 
in their love for each other and their ability to move on , the women are , in a way , lovely and amazing . 
not exaggerated enough to be a parody of gross-out flicks , college flicks , or even flicks in general . it merely indulges in the worst elements of all of them . 
directed without the expected flair or imagination by hong kong master john woo , windtalkers airs just about every cliche in the war movie compendium across its indulgent two-hour-and-fifteen-minute length . 
this is just lazy writing . even kids deserve better . 
delia , greta , and paula rank as three of the most multilayered and sympathetic female characters of the year . as each of them searches for their place in the world , miller digs into their very minds to find an unblinking , flawed humanity . 
what's at stake in this film is nothing more than an obsolete , if irritating , notion of class . 
diaz , applegate , blair and posey are suitably kooky which should appeal to women and they strip down often enough to keep men alert , if not amused . 
offers big , fat , dumb laughs that may make you hate yourself for giving in . ah , what the hell . 
the only way to tolerate this insipid , brutally clueless film might be with a large dose of painkillers . 
sitting through the last reel ( spoiler alert ! ) is significantly less charming than listening to a four-year-old with a taste for exaggeration recount his halloween trip to the haunted house . 
the story has its redundancies , and the young actors , not very experienced , are sometimes inexpressive . 
that rare film whose real-life basis is , in fact , so interesting that no embellishment is needed . 
it's funny and human and really pretty damned wonderful , all at once . 
like schindler's list , the grey zone attempts to be grandiloquent , but ends up merely pretentious -- in a grisly sort of way . 
this version does justice both to stevenson and to the sci-fi genre . 
australia : land beyond time is an enjoyable big movie primarily because australia is a weirdly beautiful place . 
tunney , brimming with coltish , neurotic energy , holds the screen like a true star . 
a nightmare date with a half-formed wit done a great disservice by a lack of critical distance and a sad trust in liberal arts college bumper sticker platitudes . 
insomnia is involving . still , i thought it could have been more . 
that dogged good will of the parents and 'vain' jia's defoliation of ego , make the film touching despite some doldrums . 
the film does a solid job of slowly , steadily building up to the climactic burst of violence . 
[n]o matter how much good will the actors generate , showtime eventually folds under its own thinness . 
never mind whether you buy the stuff about barris being a cia hit man . the kooky yet shadowy vision clooney sustains throughout is daring , inventive and impressive . 
 . . . you can be forgiven for realizing that you've spent the past 20 minutes looking at your watch and waiting for frida to just die already . 
the film is an earnest try at beachcombing verismo , but it would be even more indistinct than it is were it not for the striking , quietly vulnerable personality of ms . ambrose . 
 . . . surprisingly inert for a movie in which the main character travels back and forth between epochs . 
 . . . more evocative than many other anime features , with its echoes of classic science fiction and contemporary cyberpunk . 
there are some wonderfully fresh moments that smooth the moral stiffness with human kindness and hopefulness . 
bollywood/hollywood is a happy , carefree trifle of a movie that is easy to savour because it is so undemanding yet so rewarding . 
it's also curious to note that this film , like the similarly ill-timed antitrust , is easily as bad at a fraction the budget . 
even if you've seen " stomp " ( the stage show ) , you still have to see this ! 
casting its gaze on painting masterworks and thousands of jewel-encrusted , elaborately costumed extras , russian ark is like nothing you've ever seen . 
brutally honest and told with humor and poignancy , which makes its message resonate . 
time literally stops on a dime in the tries-so-hard-to-be-cool " clockstoppers , " but that doesn't mean it still won't feel like the longest 90 minutes of your movie-going life . 
no matter how firmly director john stainton has his tongue in his cheek , the fact remains that a wacky concept does not a movie make . 
warm in its loving yet unforgivingly inconsistent depiction of everyday people , relaxed in its perfect quiet pace and proud in its message . i loved this film . 
weaves a spell over you , with its disturbingly close-up look at damaged psyches and its subtle undercurrents of danger . but its awkward structure keeps breaking the spell . 
has all the right elements but completely fails to gel together . 
more entertaining than much of the big-studio schlock out there . 
by the end , you just don't care whether that cold-hearted snake petrovich ( that would be reno ) gets his comeuppance . just bring on the battle bots , please ! 
i cry for i spy -- or i would if this latest and laziest imaginable of all vintage-tv spinoffs were capable of engendering an emotional response of any kind . 
a soggy , shapeless mess . . . just a dumb excuse for a waterlogged equivalent of a haunted-house movie . 
kidd deals with lust and egoism the way a surgeon is interested in a tumor . he exposes ugly attitudes but maintains compassion for his mean-spirited subject . 
despite the long running time , the pace never feels slack -- there's no scene that screams " bathroom break ! " 
in an effort , i suspect , not to offend by appearing either too serious or too lighthearted , it offends by just being wishy-washy . 
 . . . pray doesn't have a passion for the material . he nonetheless appreciates the art and reveals a music scene that transcends culture and race . 
somehow ms . griffiths and mr . pryce bring off this wild welsh whimsy . 
it's everything you don't go to the movies for . 
first-time writer-director dylan kidd also has a good ear for dialogue , and the characters sound like real people . 
ultimately , the film amounts to being lectured to by tech-geeks , if you're up for that sort of thing . 
spider-man is in the same category as x-men - occasionally brilliant but mostly average , showing signs of potential for the sequels , but not giving us much this time around . 
unfortunately , neither sendak nor the directors are particularly engaging or articulate . 
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 . 
the first hour is tedious though ford and neeson capably hold our interest , but its just not a thrilling movie . 
[hell is] looking down at your watch and realizing serving sara isn't even halfway through . 
it has plenty of laughs . it just doesn't have much else . . . especially in a moral sense . 
full of unforgiving irony and quiet realism , a song for martin stands as a powerful and moving achievement . 
even with harris's strong effort , the script gives him little to effectively probe lear's soul-stripping breakdown . 
while cherish doesn't completely survive its tonal transformation from dark comedy to suspense thriller , it's got just enough charm and appealing character quirks to forgive that still serious problem . 
 " maid in manhattan " is a charmer , a pc " pretty woman " that ditches the odious prostitution theme for class commentary
mattei is tiresomely grave and long-winded , as if circularity itself indicated profundity . 
a generic international version of a typical american horror film . 
even if britney spears is really cute , her movie is really bad . 
every time you look , sweet home alabama is taking another bummer of a wrong turn . 
the film has an infectious enthusiasm and we're touched by the film's conviction that all life centered on that place , that time and that sport . 
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 . 
it's bright , pristine style and bold colors make it as much fun as reading an oversized picture book before bedtime . 
the longer one watches this determinedly ragged portrait of blue-collar teenage desperation . . . the more one gets absorbed in the utter unbridled nihilism of its 'characters . '
unfortunately this film will not satisfy if you are looking to discover the missing link , but if you are simply interested in humor and some 'interesting' footage , to say the least , you will not be disappointed . 
 . . . comes alive only when it switches gears to the sentimental . 
it's like rocky and bullwinkle on speed , but that's neither completely enlightening , nor does it catch the intensity of the movie's strangeness . 
the movie has lots of dancing and fabulous music . there are slow and repetitive parts , but it has just enough spice to keep it interesting . 
it's pithy without being saccharine ; it's funny without ever not taking itself seriously ; it's full of beautiful characters and great performances . 
unfortunately , as a writer , mr . montias isn't nearly as good to his crew as he is as a director or actor . 
plays less like a coming-of-age romance than an infomercial . 
 " punch-drunk love " is a little like a chocolate milk moustache . . . 
normally , rohmer's talky films fascinate me , but when he moves his setting to the past , and relies on a historical text , he loses the richness of characterization that makes his films so memorable . 
this dramatically shaky contest of wills only reiterates the old hollywood saw : evil is interesting and good is boring . 
morton is a great actress portraying a complex character , but morvern callar grows less compelling the farther it meanders from its shocking start . 
the year 2002 has conjured up more coming-of-age stories than seem possible , but take care of my cat emerges as the very best of them . 
the plot mechanics of read my lips eventually kind of spin into a fairly conventional thriller , but the wildly talented cassel and the unconventionally alluring devos give this movie a unique feel . 
pretty much sucks , but has a funny moment or two . 
like a documentary version of fight club , shorn of social insight , intellectual pretension and cinematic interest . 
what it lacks in originality it makes up for in intelligence and b-grade stylishness . 
the main characters are simply named the husband , the wife and the kidnapper , emphasizing the disappointingly generic nature of the entire effort . 
it's endearing to hear madame d . refer to her husband as 'jackie' -- and he does make for excellent company , not least as a self-conscious performer . 
bravely explores the psychic damage inflicted on jean-luc by a withholding , then absent parent . 
isn't it a bit early in his career for director barry sonnenfeld to do a homage to himself ? and it's a lousy one at that . 
like the tuck family themselves , this movie just goes on and on and on and on
it's one of the most honest films ever made about hollywood . 
the chaotic lead characters are not the sorts one will usually see in a disney film and that makes for a certain amount of unpredictability before it all returns to business as usual . 
the piquant story needs more dramatic meat on its bones . 
jackass : the movie is a disgusting , repulsive , grotesque spectacle , but it's also hilarious and provocative . god help me , thumbs up . 
a lyrical , bittersweet film about what could be termed a by-product of battle . 
combine the paranoid claustrophobia of a submarine movie with the unsettling spookiness of the supernatural -- why didn't hollywood think of this sooner ? 
stealing harvard doesn't care about cleverness , wit or any other kind of intelligent humor . 
you may think you have figured out the con and the players in this debut film by argentine director fabian bielinsky , but while you were thinking someone made off with your wallet . 
you watch for that sense of openness , the little surprises . 
an unorthodox little film noir organized crime story that includes one of the strangest love stories you will ever see . 
you'll be left with the sensation of having just witnessed a great performance and , perhaps , give in to the urge to get on your feet and shake it . 
stitch is a bad mannered , ugly and destructive little * * * * . no cute factor here… . not that i mind ugly ; the problem is he has no character , loveable or otherwise . 
a charming and funny story of clashing cultures and a clashing mother/daughter relationship . 
so saccharine , i'm not sure i'd be able to take it under normal conditions . 
worth catching for griffiths' warm and winning central performance . 
waiting for godard can be fruitful : 'in praise of love' is the director's epitaph for himself . 
with its dogged hollywood naturalism and the inexorable passage of its characters toward sainthood , windtalkers is nothing but a sticky-sweet soap . 
hashiguchi covers this territory with wit and originality , suggesting that with his fourth feature -- the first to be released in the u . s . -- a major director is emerging in world cinema . 
this action-thriller/dark comedy is one of the most repellent things to pop up in a cinematic year already littered with celluloid garbage . 
some elements of it really blow the big one , but other parts are decent . 
behan himself knew how to spin a tale and one can't help but think he'd appreciate this attempt to turn his life into art . 
the story is timeless , but when adapted to the modern age , it makes for a wrenching film -- never preachy or sentimental , and refreshingly non-judgmental about the fundamental and contradictory issues it raises . 
a stormy french adolescent drama about friendship , family , and sexual politics . 
satin rouge is not a new , or inventive , journey , but it's encouraging to see a three-dimensional , average , middle-aged woman's experience of self-discovery handled with such sensitivity . 
while the topic has grown heavier here , [moretti's] touch has not , and that disparity is precisely what gives the film its sustained poignancy . 
this mistaken-identity picture is so film-culture referential that the final product is a ghost . 
deliberately and devotedly constructed , far from heaven is too picture postcard perfect , too neat and new pin-like , too obviously a recreation to resonate . 
all of the filmmakers' calculations can't rescue brown sugar from the curse of blandness . 
the tuxedo miscalculates badly by forcing the star to play second fiddle to the dull effects that allow the suit to come to life . 
if the movie is finally stuck halfway been cinema and prose , miller proves that it's not an unfertile place to linger . 
what doesn't this film have that an impressionable kid couldn't stand to hear ? 
this is a monumental achievement in practically every facet of inept filmmaking : joyless , idiotic , annoying , heavy-handed , visually atrocious , and often downright creepy . 
really does feel like a short stretched out to feature length . 
the movie occasionally threatens to become didactic , but it's too grounded in the reality of its characters to go over the edge . a touch of humor or an unexpected plot twist always pulls it back . 
as janice , eileen walsh , an engaging , wide-eyed actress whose teeth are a little too big for her mouth , infuses the movie with much of its slender , glinting charm . 
 " 13 conversations about one thing " is an intelligent flick that examines many different ideas from happiness to guilt in an intriguing bit of storytelling . 
as gamely as the movie tries to make sense of its title character , there remains a huge gap between the film's creepy , clean-cut dahmer ( jeremy renner ) and fiendish acts that no amount of earnest textbook psychologizing can bridge . 
although the film boils down to a lightweight story about matchmaking , the characters make italian for beginners worth the journey
as violent , profane and exploitative as the most offensive action flick you've ever seen . 
aspires to the cracked lunacy of the adventures of buckaroo banzai , but thanks to an astonishingly witless script ends up more like the adventures of ford fairlane . 
doug liman , the director of bourne , directs the traffic well , gets a nice wintry look from his locations , absorbs us with the movie's spycraft and uses damon's ability to be focused and sincere . 
heaven is a haunting dramatization of a couple's moral ascension . 
tian emphasizes the isolation of these characters by confining color to liyan's backyard . 
even if you have no interest in the gang-infested , east-vs . -west coast rap wars , this modern mob music drama never fails to fascinate . 
the moviegoing equivalent of going to a dinner party and being forced to watch the host and hostess's home video of their baby's birth . 
food for love endeavors and largely succeeds in lending equal weight to the emotional turmoil of its older and younger characters . 
it's almost impossible not to be moved by the movie's depiction of sacrifice and its stirring epilogue in post-soviet russia . 
so beautifully acted and directed , it's clear that washington most certainly has a new career ahead of him if he so chooses . 
old people will love this movie , and i mean that in the nicest possible way : last orders will touch the heart of anyone old enough to have earned a 50-year friendship . 
one of the most plain , unimaginative romantic comedies i've ever seen . 
for a film about action , ultimate x is the gabbiest giant-screen movie ever , bogging down in a barrage of hype . 
a nicely constructed film with an unusual , though not unheard-of theme for chinese cinema . 
witty , charming , ultimately empathetic portrait of a once-upon-a-time industry titan . 
just a string of stale gags , with no good inside dope , and no particular bite . 
i'd be hard pressed to think of a film more cloyingly sappy than evelyn this year . 
there's an uneasy balance between the comedy and the drama that doesn't really fire on all levels , but it works on a few of them . 
methodical , measured , and gently tedious in its comedy , secret ballot is a purposefully reductive movie -- which may be why it's so successful at lodging itself in the brain . 
the film is small in scope , yet perfectly formed . 
lazy filmmaking , with the director taking a hands-off approach when he should have shaped the story to show us why it's compelling . 
the actors must indeed be good to recite some of this laughable dialogue with a straight face . 
one of the most important and exhilarating forms of animated filmmaking since old walt doodled steamboat willie . 
the man from elysian fields is a cold , bliss-less work that groans along thinking itself some important comment on how life throws us some beguiling curves . 
once again , director chris columbus takes a hat-in-hand approach to rowling that stifles creativity and allows the film to drag on for nearly three hours . 
it lacks the compassion , good-natured humor and the level of insight that made [eyre's] first film something of a sleeper success . 
a remarkable 179-minute meditation on the nature of revolution . 
a soap-opera quality twist in the last 20 minutes . . . almost puts the kibosh on what is otherwise a sumptuous work of b-movie imagination . 
the film lapses too often into sugary sentiment and withholds delivery on the pell-mell pyrotechnics its punchy style promises . 
the real charm of this trifle is the deadpan comic face of its star , jean reno , who resembles sly stallone in a hot sake half-sleep . 
the movie is for fans who can't stop loving anime , and the fanatical excess built into it . 
depressingly thin and exhaustingly contrived . only masochistic moviegoers need apply . 
 with one exception , every blighter in this particular south london housing project digs into dysfunction like it's a big , comforting jar of marmite , to be slathered on crackers and served as a feast of bleakness . 
you have no affinity for most of the characters . nothing about them is attractive . what they see in each other also is difficult to fathom . 
even if it pushes its agenda too forcefully , this remains a film about something , one that attempts and often achieves a level of connection and concern . 
the symbols float like butterflies and the spinning styx sting like bees . i wanted more . 
excellent performances from jacqueline bisset and martha plimpton grace this deeply touching melodrama . 
light , silly , photographed with colour and depth , and rather a good time . 
even with a green mohawk and a sheet of fire-red flame tattoos covering his shoulder , however , kilmer seems to be posing , rather than acting . and that leaves a hole in the center of the salton sea . 
isabelle huppert excels as the enigmatic mika and anna mouglalis is a stunning new young talent in one of chabrol's most intense psychological mysteries . 
it's a shame that pokemon 4ever's dialogue is so trite and flatly delivered because the tale itself presents serious ideas worthy of more poetic language . 
poignant and moving , a walk to remember is an inspirational love story , capturing the innocence and idealism of that first encounter . 
always destined to be measured against anthony asquith's acclaimed 1952 screen adaptation . 
 " on guard ! " won't be placed in the pantheon of the best of the swashbucklers but it is a whole lot of fun and you get to see the one of the world's best actors , daniel auteuil , have a whale of a good time . 
it further declares its director , zhang yang of shower , as a boldly experimental , contemporary stylist with a bright future . 
it doesn't quite work , but there's enough here to make us look forward to the russos' next offering . 
in its dry and forceful way , it delivers the same message as jiri menzel's closely watched trains and danis tanovic's no man's land . 
ice cube , as usual , is an appealing presence , but the rest of the cast shines as well . 
unlike trey parker , sandler doesn't understand that the idea of exploiting molestation for laughs is funny , not actually exploiting it yourself . 
it shows us a slice of life that's very different from our own and yet instantly recognizable . 
dazzling in its complexity , disturbing for its extraordinary themes , the piano teacher is a film that defies categorisation . it haunts , horrifies , startles and fascinates ; it is impossible to look away . ah yes , and then there's the music . . . 
the warnings to resist temptation in this film . . . are blunt and challenging and offer no easy rewards for staying clean . 
one of the greatest romantic comedies of the past decade . 
this isn't exactly profound cinema , but it's good-natured and sometimes quite funny . 
the ending doesn't work . . . but most of the movie works so well i'm almost recommending it , anyway -- maybe not to everybody , but certainly to people with a curiosity about how a movie can go very right , and then step wrong . 
what we have here isn't a disaster , exactly , but a very handsomely produced let-down . 
captures a more realistic depiction of the effects of death on a family . 
an energizing , intoxicating documentary charting the rise of hip-hop culture in general and the art of scratching ( or turntablism ) in particular . 
it's [ricci's] best work yet , this girl-woman who sincerely believes she can thwart the world's misery with blind good will . 
a stirring tribute to the bravery and dedication of the world's reporters who willingly walk into the nightmare of war not only to record the events for posterity , but to help us clearly see the world of our making . 
martin and barbara are complex characters -- sometimes tender , sometimes angry -- and the delicate performances by sven wollter and viveka seldahl make their hopes and frustrations vivid . 
holofcener sees all of her characters as loving and amazing and she spreads the love to each . 
cacoyannis' vision is far less mature , interpreting the play as a call for pity and sympathy for anachronistic phantasms haunting the imagined glory of their own pasts . 
reminds viewers of how beautiful and sexy a pregnant woman can be . 
the threat implied in the title pokémon 4ever is terrifying – like locusts in a horde these things will keep coming . 
it will probably prove interesting to ram dass fans , but to others it may feel like a parody of the mellow , peace-and-love side of the '60s counterculture . 
it's a loathsome movie , it really is and it makes absolutely no sense . 
there are a couple of things that elevate " glory " above most of its ilk , most notably the mere presence of duvall . 
it's clear why deuces wild , which was shot two years ago , has been gathering dust on mgm's shelf . 
this epic film , eschewing dialogue and conventional narrative logic , tells a gripping tale of biological drama through a highly improbable series of evocative images , superb acting and editing , and haunting music . 
a world in small , subtly acknowledging larger economic and cultural forces one moment , and in the next patiently observing the way a bowl of medicinal tea , seen turning in a microwave carousel , begins to describe its own slow epicycles . 
if you saw it on tv , you'd probably turn it off , convinced that you had already seen that movie . 
meticulously mounted , exasperatingly well-behaved film , which ticks off kahlo's lifetime milestones with the dutiful precision of a tax accountant . 
land , people and narrative flow together in a stark portrait of motherhood deferred and desire explored . 
an annoying orgy of excess and exploitation that has no point and goes nowhere . 
it's hard to care about a film that proposes as epic tragedy the plight of a callow rich boy who is forced to choose between his beautiful , self-satisfied 22-year-old girlfriend and an equally beautiful , self-satisfied 18-year-old mistress . 
it's a bad sign when you're rooting for the film to hurry up and get to its subjects' deaths just so the documentary will be over , but it's indicative of how uncompelling the movie is unless it happens to cover your particular area of interest . 
truth to tell , if you've seen more than half-a-dozen horror films , there's nothing here you haven't seen before . 
why would anyone cast the magnificent jackie chan in a movie full of stunt doubles and special effects ? 
the mushy finale turns john q into a movie-of-the-week tearjerker . 
the characters search for meaning in capricious , even dangerous sexual urges . the irony is that the only selfless expression of love may be the failure to consummate it . 
this is a heartfelt story . . . it just isn't a very involving one . 
by embracing the original series' tacky elements and inserting just enough self-mockery to avoid smugness , the movie manages to fulfill basic expectations . 
turturro is fabulously funny and over the top as a 'very sneaky' butler who excels in the art of impossible disappearing/reappearing acts
this is one of the outstanding thrillers of recent years . 
i found myself more appreciative of what the director was trying to do than of what he had actually done . 
a mix of gritty realism , crisp storytelling and radiant compassion that effortlessly draws you in . 
with virtually no interesting elements for an audience to focus on , chelsea walls is a triple-espresso endurance challenge . 
[allen] manages to breathe life into this somewhat tired premise . 
there's a great deal of corny dialogue and preposterous moments . and yet , it still works . 
in his determination to lighten the heavy subject matter , silberling also , to a certain extent , trivializes the movie with too many nervous gags and pratfalls . 
an intense and effective film about loneliness and the chilly anonymity of the environments where so many of us spend so much of our time . 
 . . . a cheap , ludicrous attempt at serious horror . 
it's no surprise that as a director washington demands and receives excellent performances , from himself and from newcomer derek luke . 
adroit but finally a trifle flat , mad love doesn't galvanize its outrage the way , say , jane campion might have done , but at least it possesses some . 
nine queens is exactly the sort of film hollywood is always re-making and utterly ruining in the process . see it in this incarnation . 
so young , so smart , such talent , such a wise * * * . 
the hours makes you examine your own life in much the same way its characters do , and the experience is profound . the hours is what movies are supposed to be . . . 
samira makhmalbaf's new film blackboards is much like the ethos of a stream of consciousness , although , it's unfortunate for the viewer that the thoughts and reflections coming through are torpid and banal
it has a caffeinated , sloppy brilliance , sparkling with ideas you wish had been developed with more care , but animated by an energy that puts the dutiful efforts of more disciplined grade-grubbers to shame . 
the 70-year-old godard has become , to judge from in praise of love , the sort of bitter old crank who sits behind his light meter and harangues the supposed injustices of the artistic world-at-large without doing all that much to correct them . 
audiences can be expected to suspend their disbelief only so far -- and that does not include the 5 o'clock shadow on the tall wooden kid as he skips off to school . 
one of the most depressing movie-going experiences i can think of is to sit through about 90 minutes of a so-called 'comedy' and not laugh once . 
take care of my cat offers a refreshingly different slice of asian cinema . 
 . . . manages to fall closer in quality to silence than to the abysmal hannibal . 
quirky and understated office comedy with crispin glover as the guy who would prefer not to work , but likes to hang around . 
such an incomprehensible mess that it feels less like bad cinema than like being stuck in a dark pit having a nightmare about bad cinema . 
a sensitive , modest comic tragedy that works as both character study and symbolic examination of the huge economic changes sweeping modern china . 
visually exciting sci-fi film which suffers from a lackluster screenplay . 
what you end up getting is the vertical limit of surfing movies - memorable stunts with lots of downtime in between . 
exposing the ways we fool ourselves is one hour photo's real strength . 
the story suffers a severe case of oversimplification , superficiality and silliness . 
an entertaining romp that stays true to the material's television roots , this film is a good starting point for viewers unfamiliar with the series . 
somewhat blurred , but kinnear's performance is razor sharp . 
by the standards of knucklehead swill , the hot chick is pretty damned funny . 
quick pace , no lulls , many silly bits and a soundtrack that knows how to back this kind of satirical comedy
'sophisticated' viewers who refuse to admit that they don't like it will likely call it 'challenging' to their fellow sophisticates . 
punch-drunk love mostly feints and jabs ; by anderson's standards it's strictly lightweight . but sandler delivers the kind of knockout performance that even his staunchest defenders probably didn't realize he had in him . 
were it not for a sentimental resolution that explains way more about cal than does the movie or the character any good , freundlich's world traveler might have been one of the more daring and surprising american movies of the year . 
one thing you have to give them credit for : the message of the movie is consistent with the messages espoused in the company's previous video work . 
bullock does a good job here of working against her natural likability . 
evelyn may be a weightless picture , but it's hardly torture to sit through . 
bernal . . . gives an ambiguous performance ; he's a lightweight actor , but that's a positive quality when portraying a man on whom nothing leaves a permanent mark . 
it's so devoid of joy and energy it makes even jason x . . . look positively shakesperean by comparison . 
testud is the burning center of a clinically dispassionate film . 
aside from minor tinkering , this is the same movie you probably loved in 1994 , except that it looks even better . 
a rambling ensemble piece with loosely connected characters and plots that never quite gel . 
frank capra played this story straight . but the 2002 film doesn't really believe in it , and breaks the mood with absurdly inappropriate 'comedy' scenes . 
got a david lynch jones ? then you'd do well to check this one out because it's straight up twin peaks action . . . 
it's something of the ultimate scorsese film , with all the stomach-turning violence , colorful new york gang lore and other hallmarks of his personal cinema painted on their largest-ever historical canvas . 
this is a film brimming with detail and nuance and one that speaks volumes about the ability of the human spirit to find solace in events that could easily crush it forever . 
an exceedingly clever piece of cinema . another great ‘what you don't see' is much more terrifying than what you do see thriller , coupled with some arresting effects , incandescent tones and stupendous performances
together , tok and o orchestrate a buoyant , darkly funny dance of death . in the process , they demonstrate that there's still a lot of life in hong kong cinema . 
a passable romantic comedy , in need of another couple of passes through the word processor . 
this orange has some juice , but it's far from fresh-squeezed . 
harris commands the screen , using his frailty to suggest the ravages of a life of corruption and ruthlessness . 
an intricate tale of guilt , grief and dark serendipity . . . so deft it's hard not to gasp with delight as the plot's pieces slide into place and its machinery begins humming . 
jaglom . . . put[s] the audience in the privileged position of eavesdropping on his characters
one of the film's most effective aspects is its tchaikovsky soundtrack of neurasthenic regret . 
there's nothing provocative about this film save for the ways in which it studiously avoids provoking thought . 
this is the kind of movie during which you want to bang your head on the seat in front of you , at its cluelessness , at its idiocy , at its utterly misplaced earnestness . 
bogdanich is unashamedly pro-serbian and makes little attempt to give voice to the other side . 
a macabre and very stylized swedish fillm about a modern city where all the religious and civic virtues that hold society in place are in tatters . 
by halfway through this picture i was beginning to hate it , and , of course , feeling guilty for it . . . . then , miracle of miracles , the movie does a flip-flop . 
as tweedy talks about canning his stockbroker and repairing his pool , you yearn for a few airborne tv sets or nude groupies on the nod to liven things up . 
renee zellweger is amazing and richard gere brings a life to the screen that he hasn't in several years . 
angela gheorghiu as famous prima donna floria tosca , roberto alagna as her lover mario cavaradossi , and ruggero as the villainous , lecherous police chief scarpia , all sing beautifully and act adequately . 
the primitive force of this film seems to bubble up from the vast collective memory of the combatants . it's like watching a nightmare made flesh . 
nothing but an episode of smackdown ! in period costume and with a bigger budget . 
playing a role of almost bergmanesque intensity . . . bisset is both convincing and radiant . 
'divertida , enternecedora , universal y profundamente sincera , es una de las mejores comedias románticas en mucho tiempo . una verdadera delicia . '
an extremely funny , ultimately heartbreaking look at life in contemporary china . 
it's a demented kitsch mess ( although the smeary digital video does match the muddled narrative ) , but it's savvy about celebrity and has more guts and energy than much of what will open this year . 
for all of the contemporary post-colonialist consciousness that kapur tries to bring to the four feathers , the oddest thing about the movie is how it winds up affirming the same damn moldy values the material has always held dear . 
what might've been an exhilarating exploration of an odd love triangle becomes a sprawl of uncoordinated vectors . 
witty and often surprising , a dark little morality tale disguised as a romantic comedy . 
avary's film never quite emerges from the shadow of ellis' book . 
even people clueless about skateboarding can enjoy dogtown and z-boys . 
the central character isn't complex enough to hold our interest . 
if this movie leaves you cool , it also leaves you intriguingly contemplative . 
this new movie version of the alexandre dumas classic is the stuff of high romance , brought off with considerable wit . 
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 . 
likeable thanks to its cast , its cuisine and its quirky tunes . 
the explosion essentially ruined -- or , rather , overpowered -- the fiction of the movie for me . 
essentially , noyce just wants to tell a good story , which he does . 
that a high-profile movie with big-name actors could inspire such philosophical reflection is impressive . 
not a bad choice here , assuming that . . . the air-conditioning in the theater is working properly . 
an indelible and ultimately moving vision of humanity buffeted by the elements and by international political tides . 
stay clear of reminding yourself that it's a " true story " and you're likely to have one helluva time at the movies . 
an ingenious and often harrowing look at damaged people and how families can offer either despair or consolation . 
it's impossible to duplicate the shock of the 11-year-old lambs , but the new film succeeds at creating nerve-tightening moments of suspense . 
collateral damage is , despite its alleged provocation post-9/11 , an antique , in the end . as are its star , its attitude and its obliviousness . 
there's really only one good idea in this movie , but the director runs with it and presents it with an unforgettable visual panache . 
the smug , oily demeanor that donovan adopts throughout the stupidly named pipe dream is just repulsive . 
if h . g . wells had a time machine and could take a look at his kin's reworked version , what would he say ? 'it looks good , sonny , but you missed the point . '
it's never a good sign when a film's star spends the entirety of the film in a coma . it's a worse sign when you begin to envy her condition . 
a much better documentary -- more revealing , more emotional and more surprising -- than its pedestrian english title would have you believe . 
there's no mistaking the fact that this hybrid misses the impact of the disney classic , and even that of the excellent 1934 mgm version . 
a pleasant and engaging enough sit , but in trying to have the best of both worlds it ends up falling short as a whole . 
with rare birds , as with the shipping news before it , an attempt is made to transplant a hollywood star into newfoundland's wild soil -- and the rock once again resists the intrusion . 
makes the same mistake as the music industry it criticizes , becoming so slick and watered-down it almost loses what made you love it in the first place . 
a whimsical if predictable time-travel fable marred by a willful single-mindedness . 
it's the cinematic equivalent of a good page-turner , and even if it's nonsense , its claws dig surprisingly deep . 
for those who are intrigued by politics of the '70s , the film is every bit as fascinating as it is flawed . 
though tom shadyac's film kicks off spookily enough , around the halfway mark it takes an abrupt turn into glucose sentimentality and laughable contrivance . 
chilling , well-acted , and finely directed : david jacobson's dahmer . 
sheridan is painfully bad , a fourth-rate jim carrey who doesn't understand the difference between dumb fun and just plain dumb . 
such a wildly uneven hit-and-miss enterprise , you can't help suspecting that it was improvised on a day-to-day basis during production . 
the filmmakers lack the nerve . . . to fully exploit the script's potential for sick humor . 
does not go far enough in its humor or stock ideas to stand out as particularly memorable or even all that funny . 
with " ichi the killer " , takashi miike , japan's wildest filmmaker gives us a crime fighter carrying more emotional baggage than batman . . . 
even with all those rough edges safely sanded down , the american insomnia is still pretty darned good . 
nelson's intentions are good , but the end result does no justice to the story itself . it's horribly depressing and not very well done . 
like the hugely successful first film , the sequel provides pleasant , engaging if largely disposable entertainment for the general audience . 
the moral is not too original , but the offbeat characters certainly are . 
van wilder doesn't bring anything new to the proverbial table , but it does possess a coherence absent in recent crass-a-thons like tomcats , freddy got fingered , and slackers . 
one of those based-on-truth stories that persuades you , with every scene , that it could never really have happened this way . 
a very good film sits in the place where a masterpiece should be . 
there is one surefire way to get a nomination for a best-foreign-film oscar : make a movie about whimsical folk who learn a nonchallenging , life-affirming lesson while walking around a foreign city with stunning architecture . 
never engaging , utterly predictable and completely void of anything remotely interesting or suspenseful . 
one thing is for sure : this movie does not tell you a whole lot about lily chou-chou . 
it's unfortunate that wallace , who wrote gibson's braveheart as well as the recent pearl harbor , has such an irrepressible passion for sappy situations and dialogue . 
but even with the two-wrongs-make-a-right chemistry between jolie and burns . . . this otherwise appealing picture loses its soul to screenwriting for dummies conformity . 
a directorial tour de force by bernard rose , ivans xtc . is one of this year's very best pictures . 
a disaster of a drama , saved only by its winged assailants . 
features nonsensical and laughable plotting , wooden performances , ineptly directed action sequences and some of the worst dialogue in recent memory . 
it recycles every cliché about gays in what is essentially an extended soap opera . 
though it pretends to expose the life of male hustlers , it's exploitive without being insightful . 
director hoffman , his writer and kline's agent should serve detention
it's frustrating to see these guys -- who are obviously pretty clever -- waste their talent on parodies of things they probably thought were funniest when they were high . 
it's the end of the world as metaphor for how we scuttle relationships , and it's a remarkably apt one . 
the charms of the lead performances allow us to forget most of the film's problems . 
84 minutes of rolling musical back beat and supercharged cartoon warfare . it's also , clearly , great fun . 
 . . . the one thing this wild film has that other imax films don't : chimps , lots of chimps , all blown up to the size of a house . that's fun for kids of any age . 
an unpleasant though sometimes effective psychological thriller that is noteworthy for being the film in which actress sandra bullock has gotten her act back together . 
this is a movie so insecure about its capacity to excite that it churns up not one but two flagrantly fake thunderstorms to underscore the action . 
overall , it's a very entertaining , thought-provoking film with a simple message : god is love . 
great trash , one of those mediocre movies that in its own crass way is more enjoyable than most things that get nominated for oscars . 
an off-beat and fanciful film about the human need for monsters to blame for all that is amiss in the world . 
limps along on a squirm-inducing fish-out-of-water formula that goes nowhere and goes there very , very slowly . 
two badly interlocked stories drowned by all too clever complexity . 
'dragonfly' dwells on crossing-over mumbo jumbo , manipulative sentimentality , and sappy dialogue . 
this dreadfully earnest inversion of the concubine love triangle eschews the previous film's historical panorama and roiling pathos for bug-eyed mugging and gay-niche condescension . 
if you liked the 1982 film then , you'll still like it now . 
martyr gets royally screwed and comes back for more . 
evokes a little of the fear that parents have for the possible futures of their children--and the sometimes bad choices mothers and fathers make in the interests of doing them good . 
it's a weepy , nail-biting story line that's all too familiar , although abbass portrays her character with strong conviction and carries the film gracefully . 
a respectable venture on its own terms , lacking the broader vision that has seen certain trek films . . . cross over to a more mainstream audience . 
carefully crafted , notably in its deft dramatic structuring , and has become timely in a way its maker could never have anticipated . 
human nature is a goofball movie , in the way that malkovich was , but it tries too hard . 
utilizing lots of complicated , well-choreographed steadicam shots , la salle directs with confidence -- this may yet be his true calling . 
its audacious ambitions sabotaged by pomposity , steven soderbergh's space opera emerges as a numbingly dull experience . 
once she lets her love depraved leads meet , [denis'] story becomes a hopeless , unsatisfying muddle
300 years of russian history and culture compressed into an evanescent , seamless and sumptuous stream of consciousness . 
the type of dumbed-down exercise in stereotypes that gives the [teen comedy] genre a bad name . 
solid . isn't as groundbreaking as shiri , but has its moments . 
 . . . just a big mess of a movie , full of images and events , but no tension or surprise . 
the movie is the strangest experience : a matter-of-fact thing that swallows you whole . 
they're just a couple of cops in copmovieland , these two , but in narc , they find new routes through a familiar neighborhood . 
the pacing is often way off and there are too many bona fide groaners among too few laughs . 
a long slog for anyone but the most committed pokemon fan . 
payne has created a beautiful canvas , and nicholson proves once again that he's the best brush in the business . 
the bourne identity shouldn't be half as entertaining as it is , but director doug liman and his colleagues have managed to pack it with enough action to satisfy the boom-bam crowd without a huge sacrifice of character and mood . 
a small fortune in salaries and stunt cars might have been saved if the director , tom dey , had spliced together bits and pieces of midnight run and 48 hours ( and , for that matter , shrek ) . 
leave it to the french to truly capture the terrifying angst of the modern working man without turning the film into a cheap thriller , a dumb comedy or a sappy melodrama . 
un thriller manqué qui tombe sur les nerfs presque dès la première image . 
national lampoon's van wilder was better than we expected ; a 'not a total waste of money' kind of dateflick for those just hitting pre-collegiate years . 
the importance of being earnest , so thick with wit it plays like a reading from bartlett's familiar quotations
for this sort of thing to work , we need agile performers , but the proficient , dull sorvino has no light touch , and rodan is out of his league . 
one of the best films of the year with its exquisite acting , inventive screenplay , mesmerizing music , and many inimitable scenes of tenderness , loss , discontent , and yearning . 
barney has created a tour de force that is weird , wacky and wonderful . 
the actors pull out all the stops in nearly every scene , but to diminishing effect . the characters never change . 
affectionately reminds us that , in any language , the huge stuff in life can usually be traced back to the little things . 
an uplifting drama . . . what antwone fisher isn't , however , is original . 
deeply-rendered , distinctly three-dimensional performances . . . make " altar boys " very engaging even though the story is never quite compelling enough to draw you in on its own . 
a well-made but emotionally scattered film whose hero gives his heart only to the dog . 
the performances are amiable and committed , and the comedy more often than not hits the bullseye . 
a ragbag of promising ideas and failed narrative , of good acting and plain old bad filmmaking . 
it is that rare combination of bad writing , bad direction and bad acting -- the trifecta of badness . 
ranks among the best films ever made about the acting profession . 
as a thoughtful and unflinching examination of an alternative lifestyle , sex with strangers is a success . 
mr . deeds is sure to give you a lot of laughs in this simple , sweet and romantic comedy . 
boasts enough funny dialogue and sharp characterizations to be mildly amusing . 
it is von sydow who gives intacto its gravity , resonance , soul . 
a compelling allegory about the last days of germany's democratic weimar republic . 
it almost feels as if the movie is more interested in entertaining itself than in amusing us . 
the problems and characters it reveals are universal and involving , and the film itself -- as well its delightful cast -- is so breezy , pretty and gifted , it really won my heart . 
the story drifts so inexorably into cliches about tortured ( and torturing ) artists and consuming but impossible love that you can't help but become more disappointed as each overwrought new sequence plods on . 
to the vast majority of more casual filmgoers , it will probably be a talky bore . 
if you grew up on scooby -- you'll love this movie . matthew lillard is born to play shaggy ! 
a movie so bad that it quickly enters the pantheon of wreckage that includes battlefield earth and showgirls . 
the two leads are almost good enough to camouflage the dopey plot , but so much naturalistic small talk , delivered in almost muffled exchanges , eventually has a lulling effect . 
 . . . expands the horizons of boredom to the point of collapse , turning into a black hole of dullness , from which no interesting concept can escape . 
comes . . . uncomfortably close to coasting in the treads of the bicycle thief . 
at times a bit melodramatic and even a little dated ( depending upon where you live ) , ignorant fairies is still quite good-natured and not a bad way to spend an hour or two . 
in addition to the overcooked , ham-fisted direction , which has all the actors reaching for the back row , the dialogue sounds like horrible poetry . 
a fantastically vital movie that manages to invest real humor , sensuality , and sympathy into a story about two adolescent boys . 
with a completely predictable plot , you'll swear that you've seen it all before , even if you've never come within a mile of the longest yard . 
there are problems with this film that even 3 oscar winners can't overcome , but it's a nice girl-buddy movie once it gets rock-n-rolling . 
a superbly acted and funny/gritty fable of the humanizing of one woman at the hands of the unseen forces of fate . 
desta vez , columbus capturou o pomo de ouro . 
if you're an extreme sports fan , this is probably a must own dvd . 
an odd , haphazard , and inconsequential romantic comedy . 
not really bad so much as distasteful : we need kidnapping suspense dramas right now like we need doomsday thrillers . 
 " an entire film about researchers quietly reading dusty old letters . " 
i certainly found its depiction of a family affected by grief far more believable and effective than the strident dish-breaking , breast-beating of in the bedroom . 
i'm not exactly sure what this movie thinks it is about . 
more intimate than spectacular , e . t . is carried less by wow factors than by its funny , moving yarn that holds up well after two decades . 
this is standard crime drama fare . . . instantly forgettable and thoroughly dull . 
too restrained to be a freak show , too mercenary and obvious to be cerebral , too dull and pretentious to be engaging . . . the isle defies an easy categorization . 
it is intensely personal and yet -- unlike quills -- deftly shows us the temper of the times . 
amold&oacute ; var is a master of emotional texture , peeling away layer upon layer of the feelings . . . until he reaches benigno's troubled psyche and marco's benevolent soul . 
so riddled with unanswered questions that it requires gargantuan leaps of faith just to watch it plod along . 
the script , the gags , the characters are all direct-to-video stuff , and that's where this film should have remained . 
reign of fire just might go down as one of the all-time great apocalypse movies . 
this is one of the most visually stunning and thematically moving epics in recent memory , and in spite of numerous minor flaws , scorsese's best in more than a decade . 
an intelligently made ( and beautifully edited ) picture that at the very least has a spark of life to it -- more than you can say for plenty of movies that flow through the hollywood pipeline without a hitch . 
if the last man were the last movie left on earth , there would be a toss-up between presiding over the end of cinema as we know it and another night of delightful hand shadows . 
the sad thing about knockaround guys is its lame aspiration for grasping the coolness vibes when in fact the film isn't as flippant or slick as it thinks it is . 
a compelling , gut-clutching piece of advocacy cinema that carries you along in a torrent of emotion as it explores the awful complications of one terrifying day . 
the latest vapid actor's exercise to appropriate the structure of arthur schnitzler's reigen . 
there's enough science to make it count as educational , and enough beauty to make it unforgettable . 
smart and fun , but far more witty than it is wise . 
going to the website may be just as fun ( and scary ) as going to the film . 
many of benjamins' elements feel like they've been patched in from an episode of miami vice . 
dawdles and drags when it should pop ; it doesn't even have the virtue of enough mindless violence to break up the tedium of all its generational bonding . 
it uses the pain and violence of war as background material for color . 
it may not be " last tango in paris " but . . . 
there's much tongue in cheek in the film and there's no doubt the filmmaker is having fun with it all . 
care deftly captures the wonder and menace of growing up , but he never really embraces the joy of fuhrman's destructive escapism or the grace-in-rebellion found by his characters . 
the limited sets and small confined and dark spaces also are homages to a classic low-budget film noir movie . 
a moving and stark reminder that the casualties of war reach much further than we imagine . 
a psychological thriller that doesn't really hold up if you think about it too much , but is nonetheless highly entertaining in a low-budget , david lynch-ian way . 
part of the long , noble tradition ( at least since the '90s ) of talky , ensemble-driven american indies . 
this odd , poetic road movie , spiked by jolts of pop music , pretty much takes place in morton's ever-watchful gaze -- and it's a tribute to the actress , and to her inventive director , that the journey is such a mesmerizing one . 
as directed by dani kouyate of burkina faso , sia lacks visual flair . but kouyate elicits strong performances from his cast , and he delivers a powerful commentary on how governments lie , no matter who runs them . 
although melodramatic and predictable , this romantic comedy explores the friendship between five filipino-americans and their frantic efforts to find love . 
for those with the stomach and stamina for its heartbeat-quickening intensity and body-slamming action , rollerball delivers exactly what it promises : a people's hero you can really get behind . 
if ayurveda can help us return to a sane regimen of eating , sleeping and stress-reducing contemplation , it is clearly a good thing . 
just about the best straight-up , old-school horror film of the last 15 years . 
in this vivid , emotionally complex ensemble piece , korean writer-director jeong jae-eun portrays this extraordinary turning point in every woman's life . 
dripping with cliche and bypassing no opportunity to trivialize the material . 
 . . . a ho-hum affair , always watchable yet hardly memorable . 
if you're like me , a sucker for a good old fashion romance and someone who shamelessly loves to eat , then mostly martha offers all the perfect ingredients to more than satisfy your appetite . 
slowly but surely devolves into a fascinating , cringe-inducing portrait of cultural solipsism , climaxing in an emotional meltdown that wouldn't look out of place in mid-period cassavetes . 
a feel-good picture in the best sense of the term . 
it's lazy for a movie to avoid solving one problem by trying to distract us with the solution to another . 
scorsese doesn't give us a character worth giving a damn about . 
it's hard not to like a film that has sky divers jumping out of helicopters to catch flying dragons in a big net . 
none of this is half as moving as the filmmakers seem to think . 
what was once original has been co-opted so frequently that it now seems pedestrian . 
this idea has lost its originality . . . and neither star appears very excited at rehashing what was basically a one-joke picture . 
to show these characters in the act and give them no feelings of remorse -- and to cut repeatedly to the flashback of the original rape -- is overkill to the highest degree . 
this is a terrific character study , a probe into the life of a complex man . 
plodding , poorly written , murky and weakly acted , the picture feels as if everyone making it lost their movie mojo . 
it's mildly sentimental , unabashedly consumerist . . . studiously inoffensive and completely disposable . 
a touching , small-scale story of family responsibility and care in the community . 
its juxtaposition of overwrought existentialism and stomach-churning gore will have you forever on the verge of either cracking up or throwing up . 
just as moving , uplifting and funny as ever . 
a little weak -- and it isn't that funny . 
as [the characters] get more depressed , the story gets more tiresome , especially as it continues to mount a conspicuous effort to be profound . 
if the count of monte cristo doesn't transform caviezel into a movie star , then the game is even more rigged than it was two centuries ago . 
so putrid it is not worth the price of the match that should be used to burn every print of the film . 
a muddle splashed with bloody beauty as vivid as any scorsese has ever given us . 
a romantic comedy that operates by the rules of its own self-contained universe . 
quiet , sexual , disturbing , often beautifully melancholic . 
the movie's progression into rambling incoherence gives new meaning to the phrase 'fatal script error . '
the movie's accumulated force still feels like an ugly knot tightening in your stomach . but is that knot from dramatic tension or a symptom of artistic malnutrition ? 
no way i can believe this load of junk . 
its weighty themes are too grave for youngsters , but the story is too steeped in fairy tales and other childish things to appeal much to teenagers . 
what the director can&#8217 ; t do is make either of val kilmer&#8217 ; s two personas interesting or worth caring about . 
[grant's] bumbling magic takes over the film , and it turns out to be another winning star vehicle . 
renner's performance as dahmer is unforgettable , deeply absorbing . 
all these developments and challenges facing santa weigh down the plot so heavily that they drain all the film of its energy and needlessly strain credibility . 
what might have been readily dismissed as the tiresome rant of an aging filmmaker still thumbing his nose at convention takes a surprising , subtle turn at the midway point . 
the film is a contrivance , as artificial as the video games japanese teens play in a nightclub sequence , but it's an enjoyable one . 
the movie weighs no more than a glass of flat champagne . 
prancing his way through the tailor-made part of a male hooker approaching the end of his vitality , jagger obviously relishes every self-mocking moment . 
carrying this wafer-thin movie on his nimble shoulders , chan wades through putrid writing , direction and timing with a smile that says , 'if i stay positive , maybe i can channel one of my greatest pictures , drunken master . '
this real-life hollywood fairy-tale is more engaging than the usual fantasies hollywood produces . 
 . . . there's a choppy , surface-effect feeling to the whole enterprise . 
riveting when it focuses on the challenges of crossing a generational divide . 
a fanciful drama about napoleon's last years and his surprising discovery of love and humility . 
for the future , one hopes mr . plympton will find room for one more member of his little band , a professional screenwriter . 
the problems of the people in love in the time of money are hardly specific to their era . they just have problems , which are neither original nor are presented in convincing way . 
with all the sympathy , empathy and pity fogging up the screen . . . his secret life enters the land of unintentional melodrama and tiresome love triangles . 
a film of empty , fetishistic violence in which murder is casual and fun . 
viewers will need all the luck they can muster just figuring out who's who in this pretentious mess . 
jeffs has created a breathtakingly assured and stylish work of spare dialogue and acute expressiveness . 
has a shambling charm . . . a cheerfully inconsequential diversion . 
a comedy-drama of nearly epic proportions rooted in a sincere performance by the title character undergoing midlife crisis . 
it's their familial ups and downs that shift this small , stubbornly poignant documentary . . . from the realm of special-interest audiences to the more universal theater of family psychodynamics . 
watching trouble every day , at least if you don't know what's coming , is like biting into what looks like a juicy , delicious plum on a hot summer day and coming away with your mouth full of rotten pulp and living worms . 
it's like going to a house party and watching the host defend himself against a frothing ex-girlfriend . you don't want to call the cops . you want to call domino's . 
it's an often-cute film but either needs more substance to fill the time or some judicious editing . 
holofcener rejects patent solutions to dramatize life's messiness from inside out , in all its strange quirks . 
genuine movie magic . . . it transports you to a place somewhere between eavesdropping voyeur and silent referee . 
a 94-minute travesty of unparalleled proportions , writer-director parker seems to go out of his way to turn the legendary wit's classic mistaken identity farce into brutally labored and unfunny hokum . 
it picked me up , swung me around , and dropped me back in my seat with more emotional force than any other recent film . 
despite the film's bizarre developments , hoffman keeps us riveted with every painful nuance , unexpected flashes of dark comedy and the character's gripping humanity . 
it has something of the aura of four weddings and a funeral about it , mixed in with a bit of bridget jones's diary , but the movie's just too different , too risky for huge popularity . 
 . . . the plot weaves us into a complex web . 
a reasonably efficient mechanism , but it offers few surprises and finds its stars slumming in territory they should have avoided . 
i enjoyed " formula 51 " in a guilty kind of way
even when crush departs from the 4w formula . . . it feels like a glossy rehash . 
the château would have been benefited from a sharper , cleaner script before it went in front of the camera . not to mention a sharper , cleaner camera lens . 
novak manages to capture a cruelly hilarious vein of black comedy in the situation with his cast of non-actors and a gritty , no-budget approach . 
the problem with this film is that it lacks focus . i sympathize with the plight of these families , but the movie doesn't do a very good job conveying the issue at hand . 
could use a little more humanity , but it never lacks in eye-popping visuals . 
a reminder that beyond all the hype and recent digital glitz , spielberg knows how to tell us about people . 
the film is hampered by its predictable plot and paper-thin supporting characters . 
if your senses haven't been dulled by slasher films and gorefests , if you're a connoisseur of psychological horror , this is your ticket . 
the off-center humor is a constant , and the ensemble gives it a buoyant delivery . 
as his circle of friends keeps getting smaller one of the characters in long time dead says 'i'm telling you , this is f * * * ed' . maybe he was reading the minds of the audience . 
it's hard not to feel you've just watched a feature-length video game with some really heavy back story . 
'you'll laugh for not quite and hour and a half , but come out feeling strangely unsatisfied . you'll feel like you ate a reeses without the peanut butter . . . '
best enjoyed as a work of fiction inspired by real-life events . those seeking a definitive account of eisenstein's life would do better elsewhere . 
with we were soldiers , hollywood makes a valiant attempt to tell a story about the vietnam war before the pathology set in . 
like a fish that's lived too long , austin powers in goldmember has some unnecessary parts and is kinda wrong in places . 
the sequel drops the adult aspects of the story in favor of talking reindeer and a life-size , plastic santa replacement ( also played by allen ) that is strongly reminiscent of that creepy family from the duracell commercials . 
an unremarkable , modern action/comedy buddy movie whose only nod to nostalgia is in the title . 
a romantic comedy enriched by a sharp eye for manners and mores . 
what emerges is not only an underdog v . simon bar sinister saga but a fascinating character study . 
mehta expertly fashions a fascinating hybrid that is sure to delight audiences with its good-natured and well-timed humor , and its unabashed refusal to take itself seriously . 
adaptation's success in engaging the audience in the travails of creating a screenplay is extraordinary . 
the best movie in many a moon about the passions that sometimes fuel our best achievements and other times leave us stranded with nothing more than our lesser appetites . 
add yet another hat to a talented head , clooney's a good director . 
the crime matters less than the characters , although the filmmakers supply enough complications , close calls and double-crosses to satisfy us . 
swimming isn't a major film . nor does it try to be . but what , in the end , is a major film ? if it's one that accomplishes what it sets out to do , then we ought to correct ourselves . 
obstacles are too easily overcome and there isn't much in the way of character development in the script . 
on the right track to something that's creepy and effective . . . it's just going to take more than a man in a bullwinkle costume to get there . 
embarrassed myself about laughing out loud multiple times , i found myself enjoying the movie much more than i ever enjoyed the tv show . . . and these pseudo-homo-erotic stunts . 
aimed squarely at the least demanding of demographic groups : very small children who will be delighted simply to spend more time with familiar cartoon characters . 
part of the draw of dance is the impossibility to define its particular joy . tavernier's film conveys a large element of its appeal -- and more . 
 . . . manages to deliver a fair bit of vampire fun . 
despite its faults , this is a fascinating look at a subculture . 
less worrying about covering all the drama in frida's life and more time spent exploring her process of turning pain into art would have made this a superior movie . 
ultimately , it ponders the reasons we need stories so much . 
the irony is that this film's cast is uniformly superb ; their performances could have -- should have -- been allowed to stand on their own . 
an inexperienced director , mehta has much to learn . 
sounding like arnold schwarzenegger , with a physique to match , [ahola] has a wooden delivery and encounters a substantial arc of change that doesn't produce any real transformation . 
mib ii is a movie that makes it possible for the viewer to doze off for a few minutes or make several runs to the concession stand and/or restroom and not feel as if he or she has missed anything . that's because relatively nothing happens . 
shadyac , who belongs with the damned for perpetrating patch adams , trots out every ghost trick from the sixth sense to the mothman prophecies . 
huppert's superbly controlled display of murderous vulnerability ensures that malice has a very human face . 
makes an aborbing if arguable case for the man's greatness . 
as an entertainment , the movie keeps you diverted and best of all , it lightens your wallet without leaving a sting . 
most of the information has already appeared in one forum or another and , no matter how broomfield dresses it up , it tends to speculation , conspiracy theories or , at best , circumstantial evidence . 
so muddled , repetitive and ragged that it says far less about the horrifying historical reality than about the filmmaker's characteristic style . 
any film that doesn't even in passing mention political prisoners , poverty and the boat loads of people who try to escape the country is less a documentary and more propaganda by way of a valentine sealed with a kiss . 
a tender , witty , captivating film about friendship , love , memory , trust and loyalty . 
professionally speaking , it's tempting to jump ship in january to avoid ridiculous schlock like this shoddy suspense thriller . 
a pointed , often tender , examination of the pros and cons of unconditional love and familial duties . 
ben affleck as jack ryan , tom clancy's intrepid hero ? ridiculous . what's next ? d . j . qualls as indiana jones ? or tom green as han solo ? 
i basically went in expecting garbage , but color me surprised when it actually turned out to be quite funny ! 
the film tunes into a grief that could lead a man across centuries . 
turning a great movie into a pretty good one is still a step in the wrong direction . . . and the ring will never be more than a pretty good movie . 
formula 51 is pretty much quentin tarantino meets guy ritchie , as directed by ronny yu . however , if you like that sort of thing , as i do , you just might have some fun with the chemical imbalance of formula 51 . 
at once emotional and richly analytical , the cosby-seinfeld encounter alone confirms the serious weight behind this superficially loose , larky documentary . 
the sweetest thing is expressly for idiots who don't care what kind of sewage they shovel into their mental gullets to simulate sustenance . 
i'm not sure which will take longer to heal : the welt on johnny knoxville's stomach from a riot-control projectile or my own tortured psyche . 
the advantage of a postapocalyptic setting is that it can be made on the cheap . any rock pile will do for a set . reign of fire has the disadvantage of also looking cheap . 
an engaging documentary about people who live in unusual homes . 
kung pow is oedekerk's realization of his childhood dream to be in a martial-arts flick , and proves that sometimes the dreams of youth should remain just that . 
a film without surprise geared toward maximum comfort and familiarity . 
sorvino makes the princess seem smug and cartoonish , and the film only really comes alive when poor hermocrates and leontine pathetically compare notes about their budding amours . 
secretary is not a movie about fetishism . it is a movie about passion . 
it proves quite compelling as an intense , brooding character study . 
outrageousness is all plympton seemed to be going for this time . we miss the quirky amazement that used to come along for an integral part of the ride . 
though an important political documentary , this does not really make the case the kissinger should be tried as a war criminal . 
everyone should be able to appreciate the wonderful cinematography and naturalistic acting . 
those with a modicum of patience will find in these characters' foibles a timeless and unique perspective . 
swims in mediocrity , sticking its head up for a breath of fresh air now and then . 
if you're part of her targeted audience , you'll cheer . otherwise , maybe . 
julia is played with exasperating blandness by laura regan . 
the problem with all of this : it's not really funny . 
not really a thriller so much as a movie for teens to laugh , groan and hiss at . 
viewing this underdramatized but overstated film is like watching a transcript of a therapy session brought to humdrum life by some freudian puppet . 
as an actor's showcase , hart's war has much to recommend it , even if the top-billed willis is not the most impressive player . as a story of dramatic enlightenment , the screenplay by billy ray and terry george leaves something to be desired . 
there's plenty to enjoy -- in no small part thanks to lau . 
charly comes off as emotionally manipulative and sadly imitative of innumerable past love story derisions . 
it's incredible the number of stories the holocaust has generated . just when you think that every possible angle has been exhausted by documentarians , another new film emerges with yet another remarkable yet shockingly little-known perspective . 
for all its impressive craftsmanship , and despite an overbearing series of third-act crescendos , lily chou-chou never really builds up a head of emotional steam . 
unlike most anime , whose most ardent fans outside japan seem to be introverted young men with fantasy fetishes , metropolis never seems hopelessly juvenile . 
this is cruel , misanthropic stuff with only weak claims to surrealism and black comedy . 
trailer park magnolia : too long , too cutesy , too sure of its own importance , and possessed of that peculiar tension of being too dense & about nothing at all . 
thoughtless , random , superficial humour and a lot of very bad scouse accents
de oliveira seems not only to have read john berger's famous essay on looking , but also to have taken it as his personal instruction manual for filmmaking . 
a great ensemble cast can't lift this heartfelt enterprise out of the familiar . 
what better message than 'love thyself' could young women of any size receive ? 
the exposition does pay off , if you can stay awake that long . there's little gripping in the film until the second hour . 
lan yu seems altogether too slight to be called any kind of masterpiece . it is , however , a completely honest , open-hearted film that should appeal to anyone willing to succumb to it . 
in his role of observer of the scene , lawrence sounds whiny and defensive , as if his life-altering experiences made him bitter and less mature . 
a psychologically rich and suspenseful moral thriller with a stellar performance by al pacino . 
philip k . dick must be turning in his grave , along with my stomach . 
sillier , cuter , and shorter than the first ( as best i remember ) , but still a very good time at the cinema . 
hoffman spends a good deal of screen time alone and without much dialogue , using only his considerable physical skill and screen presence to pull off the role . 
macbeth . mcdonald's . how far apart these poles of popular culture seemed until billy morrissette's sly mcshakespeare crime comedy . 
bielinsky's script is slick and fiendishly clever , with seemingly a twist a minute . 
sadly , 'garth' hasn't progressed as nicely as 'wayne . '
in the pianist , polanski is saying what he has long wanted to say , confronting the roots of his own preoccupations and obsessions , and he allows nothing to get in the way . 
romanek keeps adding flourishes -- artsy fantasy sequences -- that simply feel wrong . they cheapen the overall effect . 
comes off more like a misdemeanor , a flat , unconvincing drama that never catches fire . 
the april 2002 instalment of the american war for independence , complete with loads of cgi and bushels of violence , but not a drop of human blood . 
first , for a movie that tries to be smart , it's kinda dumb . and second , what's with all the shooting ? 
drumline is a movie that treats its characters and audience with respect ; it can't be accused of being a dumbed-down teen comedy . 
whenever it threatens to get bogged down in earnest dramaturgy , a stirring visual sequence like a surge through swirling rapids or a leap from pinnacle to pinnacle rouses us . if horses could fly , this is surely what they'd look like . 
if you're willing to have fun with it , you won't feel cheated by the high infidelity of unfaithful . 
not only a reminder of how they used to make movies , but also how they sometimes still can be made . 
the main story . . . is compelling enough , but it's difficult to shrug off the annoyance of that chatty fish . 
[a] wonderfully loopy tale of love , longing , and voting . 
cannon's confidence and laid-back good spirits are , with the drumming routines , among the film's saving graces . 
winds up being both revelatory and narcissistic , achieving some honest insight into relationships that most high-concept films candy-coat with pat storylines , precious circumstances and beautiful stars . 
culkin turns his character into what is basically an anti-harry potter -- right down to the gryffindor scarf . 
it's not a film to be taken literally on any level , but its focus always appears questionable . 
i suspect this is the kind of production that would have been funnier if the director had released the outtakes theatrically and used the film as a bonus feature on the dvd . 
to my taste , the film's comic characters come perilously close to being amoses and andys for a new generation . 
adam sandler is to gary cooper what a gnat is to a racehorse . 
transcends its agenda to deliver awe-inspiring , at times sublime , visuals and offer a fascinating glimpse into the subculture of extreme athletes whose derring-do puts the x into the games . 
unambitious writing emerges in the movie , using a plot that could have come from an animated-movie screenwriting textbook . 
beautifully shot against the frozen winter landscapes of grenoble and geneva , the film unfolds with all the mounting tension of an expert thriller , until the tragedy beneath it all gradually reveals itself . 
it just goes to show , an intelligent person isn't necessarily an admirable storyteller . 
it's more enjoyable than i expected , though , and that's because the laughs come from fairly basic comedic constructs . cinematic pratfalls given a working over . the cast is spot on and the mood is laid back . 
the character of zigzag is not sufficiently developed to support a film constructed around him . 
the movie is virtually without context -- journalistic or historical . what's worse is that pelosi knows it . 
there's no denying the physically spectacular qualities of the film . . . or the emotional integrity of the performances . 
with youthful high spirits , tautou remains captivating throughout michele's religious and romantic quests , and she is backed by a likable cast . 
despite the surface attractions -- conrad l . hall's cinematography will likely be nominated for an oscar next year -- there's something impressive and yet lacking about everything . 
it's a drawling , slobbering , lovable run-on sentence of a film , a southern gothic with the emotional arc of its raw blues soundtrack . 
alas , the black-and-white archival footage of their act showcases pretty mediocre shtick . 
a movie that hovers somewhere between an acute character study and a trite power struggle . 
gangs , despite the gravity of its subject matter , is often as fun to watch as a good spaghetti western . 
in other words , it's just another sports drama/character study . yet this one makes up for in heart what it lacks in outright newness . plus , like i already mentioned . . . it's robert duvall ! c'mon ! 
woo has as much right to make a huge action sequence as any director , but how long will filmmakers copy the " saving private ryan " battle scenes before realizing steven spielberg got it right the first time ? 
the script isn't very good ; not even someone as gifted as hoffman ( the actor ) can make it work . 
in scope , ambition and accomplishment , children of the century . . . takes kurys' career to a whole new level . 
 . . . too slow , too boring , and occasionally annoying . 
beautifully acted , smart and funny . it steers clear of being a maudlin soap opera normally found on lifetime . 
in comparison to his earlier films it seems a disappointingly thin slice of lower-class london life ; despite the title . . . amounts to surprisingly little . 
a bit of whimsically warped history elevated by the central performance of ian holm . 
it is so refreshing to see robin williams turn 180 degrees from the string of insultingly innocuous and sappy fiascoes he's been making for the last several years . 
a terrific insider look at the star-making machinery of tinseltown . 
it's a celebration of self-confidence and a slap in the face of a society that cherises impossibly unnatural physical perfection . 
the sweetest thing , a romantic comedy with outrageous tendencies , may be a mess in a lot of ways . but it does have one saving grace . a lot of its gags and observations reflect a woman's point-of-view . 
instead of a hyperbolic beat-charged urban western , it's an unpretentious , sociologically pointed slice of life . 
an absurdist comedy about alienation , separation and loss . 
a stunning and overwhelmingly cogent case for kissinger as a calculating war criminal . 
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 . 
a film that begins with the everyday lives of naval personnel in san diego and ends with scenes so true and heartbreaking that tears welled up in my eyes both times i saw the film . 
malone does have a gift for generating nightmarish images that will be hard to burn out of your brain . but the movie's narrative hook is way too muddled to be an effectively chilling guilty pleasure . 
one regards reign of fire with awe . what a vast enterprise has been marshaled in the service of such a minute idea . 
a profoundly moving document . . . the filmmakers' refusal to downplay the situation's intractability makes the glimmer of hope the film offers that much more powerful . 
the pace and the visuals are so hyped up that a curious sense of menace informs everything . 
a sparkling cosmopolitan comedy that plays fast and loose with sacred cows of family values . 
there are a few laughs and clever sight gags scattered about , but not enough to make this anything more than another big-budget bust . 
an energetic and engaging film that never pretends to be something it isn't . 
[city] reminds us how realistically nuanced a robert de niro performance can be when he is not more lucratively engaged in the shameless self-caricature of 'analyze this' ( 1999 ) and 'analyze that , ' promised ( or threatened ) for later this year . 
not quite as miraculous as its dreamworks makers would have you believe , but it more than adequately fills the eyes and stirs the emotions . 
if the film fails to fulfill its own ambitious goals , it nonetheless sustains interest during the long build-up of expository material . 
if high crimes were any more generic it would have a universal product code instead of a title . 
it is a testament of quiet endurance , of common concern , of reconciled survival . 
it's absolutely amazing how first-time director kevin donovan managed to find something new to add to the canon of chan . make chan's action sequences boring . 
it's a feel-good movie about which you can actually feel good . 
a tender and touching drama , based on the true story of a troubled african-american's quest to come to terms with his origins , reveals the yearning we all have in our hearts for acceptance within the family circle . 
i admired it , particularly that unexpected downer of an ending . 
definitely not the knee-slapper that i was told it would be , but enough hahas for me to grade as passable . 
oliveira seems to pursue silent film representation with every mournful composition . 
for the most part , director anne-sophie birot's first feature is a sensitive , extraordinarily well-acted drama . 
the longer the movie goes , the worse it gets , but it's actually pretty good in the first few minutes . 
it's fun , wispy , wise and surprisingly inoffensive for a film about a teen in love with his stepmom . 
 . . . a vast adventure that bristles with romance , action and heroism . 
it was only a matter of time before some savvy producer saw the potential success inherent in the mixture of bullock bubble and hugh goo . 
one of the year's most weirdly engaging and unpredictable character pieces . 
it's not a bad plot ; but , unfortunately , the movie is nowhere near as refined as all the classic dramas it borrows from . 
the trials of henry kissinger is a remarkable piece of filmmaking … because you get it . 
an afterschool special without the courage of its convictions . 
a merciless thriller , threateningly beautiful to look at and eerie to behold . 
certain to be distasteful to children and adults alike , eight crazy nights is a total misfire . 
this gorgeous epic is guaranteed to lift the spirits of the whole family . 
presents a most persuasive vision of hell on earth . 
no worse than a lot of the crap we've been offered this summer , and slightly better than men in black 2 as far as slapdash extraterrestrial comedies go . 
elmo touts his drug as being 51 times stronger than coke . if you're looking for a tale of brits behaving badly , watch snatch again . it's 51 times better than this . 
hoffman's performance is authentic to the core of his being . 
i wish windtalkers had had more faith in the dramatic potential of this true story . this would have been better than the fiction it has concocted , and there still could have been room for the war scenes . 
a quirky comedy set in newfoundland that cleverly captures the dry wit that's so prevalent on the rock . 
exploits [headbanger] stereotypes in good fun , while adding a bit of heart and unsettling subject matter . 
a dizzying digital video oddyssey through the snowy woods of upstate new york . 
more than the last time around , it has elements that might help divert those bigger people who find themselves unavoidably in attendance . 
the film's thoroughly recycled plot and tiresome jokes . . . drag the movie down . 
a biopic about crane's life in the classic tradition but evolves into what has become of us all in the era of video . 
like a comedian who starts off promisingly but then proceeds to flop , comedian runs out of steam after a half hour . 
 " the best disney movie since the lion king " 
the storytelling may be ordinary , but the cast is one of those all-star reunions that fans of gosford park have come to assume is just another day of brit cinema . 
uses sharp humor and insight into human nature to examine class conflict , adolescent yearning , the roots of friendship and sexual identity . 
a mess when it comes to the characters and writing . . . but works its way underneath the skin like few movies have in recent memory . 
i was perplexed to watch it unfold with an astonishing lack of passion or uniqueness . 
although mainstream american movies tend to exploit the familiar , every once in a while a film arrives from the margin that gives viewers a chance to learn , to grow , to travel . 
the quirky and recessive charms of co-stars martin donovan and mary-louise parker help overcome the problematic script . 
the lively appeal of the last kiss lies in the ease with which it integrates thoughtfulness and pasta-fagioli comedy . 
jason x has cheesy effects and a hoary plot , but its macabre , self-deprecating sense of humor makes up for a lot . 
mature , graceful documentary on conservative christian parents with homosexual children . 
while some will object to the idea of a vietnam picture with such a rah-rah , patriotic tone , soldiers ultimately achieves its main strategic objective : dramatizing the human cost of the conflict that came to define a generation . 
i can't remember the last time i saw a movie where i wanted so badly for the protagonist to fail . 
the script feels as if it started to explore the obvious voyeuristic potential of 'hypertime' but then backed off when the producers saw the grosses for spy kids . 
the journey to the secret's eventual discovery is a separate adventure , and thrill enough . 
the script covers huge , heavy topics in a bland , surfacey way that doesn't offer any insight into why , for instance , good things happen to bad people . 
mcgrath has deftly trimmed dickens' wonderfully sprawling soap opera , the better to focus on the hero's odyssey from cowering poverty to courage and happiness . 
it would be a mistake to write this movie off as yet another star is born-type biopic about the rise and fall of a latter&#8209 ; day celebrity . schrader is after something deeper here and even when he misses the mark , the film remains involving . 
one of those decades-spanning historical epics that strives to be intimate and socially encompassing but fails to do justice to either effort in three hours of screen time . 
jones has crafted a natty narrative that , enhanced by erin nordstrom's editing , is filled with payoffs . 
it's all gratuitous before long , as if schwentke were fulfilling a gross-out quota for an anticipated audience demographic instead of shaping the material to fit the story . 
there's not a comedic moment in this romantic comedy . 
smith's approach is never to tease , except gently and in that way that makes us consider our own eccentricities and how they are expressed through our homes . 
the animation merely serves up a predictable , maudlin story that swipes heavily from bambi and the lion king , yet lacks the emotional resonance of either of those movies . 
beresford nicely mixes in as much humor as pathos to take us on his sentimental journey of the heart . it really is a shame that more won't get an opportunity to embrace small , sweet 'evelyn . '
a deliberative account of a lifestyle characterized by its surface-obsession – one that typifies the delirium of post , pre , and extant stardom . 
tsai may be ploughing the same furrow once too often . 
russian ark moves beyond a simple technical exercise and into the realm of greatness . it's a masterpiece on every level . 
a coming-of-age film that avoids the cartoonish clichés and sneering humor of the genre as it provides a fresh view of an old type -- the uncertain girl on the brink of womanhood . 
this humbling little film , fueled by the light comedic work of zhao benshan and the delicate ways of dong jie , is just the sort for those moviegoers who complain that 'they don't make movies like they used to anymore . '
a documentary to make the stones weep -- as shameful as it is scary . 
savvy director robert j . siegel and his co-writers keep the story subtle and us in suspense . 
although olivier assayas' elegantly appointed period drama seems , at times , padded with incident in the way of a too-conscientious adaptation . . . its three-hour running time plays closer to two . 
whenever you think you've figured out late marriage , it throws you for a loop . 
 . . . perhaps the heaviest , most joyless movie ever made about giant dragons taking over the world . 
without blowing the jokes we can say that , if you have found that your sense of humor fit well with christopher guest's screen outings , you'll find yourself in the flow with shearer as well . 
if oscar had a category called best bad film you thought was going to be really awful but wasn't , guys would probably be duking it out with the queen of the damned for the honor . 
 . . . feels as if ( there's ) a choke leash around your neck so director nick cassavetes can give it a good , hard yank whenever he wants you to feel something . 
has an impact that transcends politics and some dramatic overreaching by writer-director randall wallace . 
we just don't really care too much about this love story . in that setting , their struggle is simply too ludicrous and borderline insulting . 
it is just too bad the film's story does not live up to its style . 
a colorful , joyous celebration of life ; a tapestry woven of romance , dancing , singing , and unforgettable characters . 
a soulless jumble of ineptly assembled cliches and pabulum that plays like a 95-minute commercial for nba properties . 
birot has succeeded in making a movie that has some laughs , low points and high ideals . 
writer-director stephen gaghan has made the near-fatal mistake of being what the english call 'too clever by half . '
the film fits into a genre that has been overexposed , redolent of a thousand cliches , and yet remains uniquely itself , vibrant with originality . 
 . . . [the film] works , due mostly to the tongue-in-cheek attitude of the screenplay . 
even by dumb action-movie standards , ballistic : ecks vs . sever is a dumb action movie . 
has something to say . . . but it is a statement and issue worthy of a much more thoughtfulness and insight than a melodramatic and wholly predictable thriller . 
nearly surreal , dabbling in french , this is no simple movie , and you'll be taking a risk if you choose to see it . i enjoyed the ride ( bumps and all ) , creamy depth , and ultimate theme . 
this isn't a terrible film by any means , but it's also far from being a realized work . 
seemingly a vehicle to showcase the canadian's inane ramblings , stealing harvard is a smorgasbord of soliloquies about nothing delivered by the former mr . drew barrymore . 
the most impressive quality of this charming movie is the way the characters , who are all recognizable 'types , ' refuse to behave the way we expect . 
even though it is infused with the sensibility of a video director , it doesn't make for completely empty entertainment
i know that i'll never listen to marvin gaye or the supremes the same way again
swiftly deteriorates into a terribly obvious melodrama and rough-hewn vanity project for lead actress andie macdowell . 
payami is to be applauded for taking biting potshots at such volatile issues as iran's outmoded electoral process and women's status as second-class citizens . 
hey arnold ! the movie is what happens when you blow up small potatoes to 10 times their natural size , and it ain't pretty . 
a cruelly funny twist on teen comedy packed with inventive cinematic tricks and an ironically killer soundtrack
often overwrought and at times positively irritating , the film turns into an engrossing thriller almost in spite of itself . 
sandler has played weirdos for zany comic effect , and it's interesting to finally see him play one in a relatively subdued romantic dramedy . 
a dopey movie clothed in excess layers of hipness . 
talky , artificial and opaque . . . an interesting technical exercise , but a tedious picture . 
suffers from the lack of a compelling or comprehensible narrative . still , as a visual treat , the film is almost unsurpassed . 
it is depressing , ruthlessly pained and depraved , the movie equivalent of staring into an open wound . 
a delectable and intriguing thriller filled with surprises , read my lips is an original . this is a story of two misfits who don't stand a chance alone , but together they are magnificent . 
the author's devotees will probably find it fascinating ; others may find it baffling . 
oliver parker brings the wit's [oscar wilde] work to the screen in a solidly rendered creation . 
it takes this never-ending confusion and hatred , puts a human face on it , evokes shame among all who are party to it and even promotes understanding . 
in the end , the film feels homogenized and a bit contrived , as if we're looking back at a tattered and ugly past with rose-tinted glasses . 
a fine documentary can be distinguished from a mediocre one by the better film's ability to make its subject interesting to those who aren't part of its supposed target audience . judging by those standards , 'scratch' is a pretty decent little documentary . 
the best didacticism is one carried by a strong sense of humanism , and bertrand tavernier's oft-brilliant safe conduct ( " laissez-passer " ) wears its heart on its sleeve . 
the most ill-conceived animated comedy since the 1991 dog rover dangerfield . 
it has the ability to offend and put off everyone , but it holds you with its outrageousness . 
director of photography benoit delhomme shot the movie in delicious colors , and the costumes and sets are grand . 
a zippy , enormously entertaining heist movie that , with a kind heart at its core , encompasses the styles of yesterday , today , and if we're lucky , maybe even tomorrow . 
muccino is honest in the emotional damage left by his immature men and passionate in his portraits of twentysomething commitment-phobes struggling against growing up . 
you've already seen city by the sea under a variety of titles , but it's worth yet another visit . 
with so many movies out there trying and failing to produce a single honest thrill , it's so nice to see one come along that's packed from start to finish with 'em . 
a powerful and telling story that examines forbidden love , racial tension , and other issues that are as valid today as they were in the 1950s . 
fisher has bared his soul and confronted his own shortcomings here in a way . . . that feels very human and very true to life . 
director jay russell weighs down his capricious fairy-tale with heavy sentiment and lightweight meaning . 
a continually fascinating exploration of the physical and psychological pain and pleasure of a bizarre relationship . 
intriguing and beautiful film , but those of you who read the book are likely to be disappointed . 
ritchie may not have a novel thought in his head , but he knows how to pose madonna . 
often demented in a good way , but it is an uneven film for the most part . 
bill morrison's decasia is uncompromising , difficult and unbearably beautiful . 
the picture seems uncertain whether it wants to be an acidic all-male all about eve or a lush , swooning melodrama in the intermezzo strain . 
may not be a breakthrough in filmmaking , but it is unwavering and arresting . 
charles' entertaining film chronicles seinfeld's return to stand-up comedy after the wrap of his legendary sitcom , alongside wannabe comic adams' attempts to get his shot at the big time . 
that storytelling has value cannot be denied . not even solondz's thirst for controversy , sketchy characters and immature provocations can fully succeed at cheapening it . 
a worthy addition to the cinematic canon , which , at last count , numbered 52 different versions . 
a movie just for friday fans , critics be damned . if you already like this sort of thing , this is that sort of thing all over again . 
it is a timely film and a transporting one . 
highly irritating at first , mr . koury's passive technique eventually begins to yield some interesting results . 
an overblown clunker full of bad jokes , howling cliches and by-the-numbers action sequences . 
death to smoochy is often very funny , but what's even more remarkable is the integrity of devito's misanthropic vision . 
for all its alleged youthful fire , xxx is no less subservient to bond's tired formula of guns , girls and gadgets while brandishing a new action hero . 
sluggishly directed by episodic tv veteran joe zwick , it's a sitcom without the snap-crackle . 
as comedic spotlights go , notorious c . h . o . hits all the verbal marks it should . 
tavernier shows us , in more ways than one , that le ciné ma de qualité lives on . 
it is a tough film to sit through , not out of any violence or perversion , but for its destitution . 
eventually moves and stirs you , even if it often resembles those steamy mexican tv dramas/soap operas called telenovelas . 
feardotcom's thrills are all cheap , but they mostly work . 
when a movie is as down-and-out funny as austin powers in goldmember , it's easy to overlook the missed opportunities and fizzled jokes littering the barrage of hilarity . 
the importance of being earnest resonates and inspires rapid-fire bouts of laughter , perhaps even a few giggles from the author himself , whom posterity has rewarded the last laugh . 
in theory , a middle-aged romance pairing clayburgh and tambor sounds promising , but in practice it's something else altogether -- clownish and offensive and nothing at all like real life . 
for decades we've marveled at disney's rendering of water , snow , flames and shadows in a hand-drawn animated world . prepare to marvel again . 
chicago offers much colorful eye candy , including the spectacle of gere in his dancing shoes , hoofing and crooning with the best of them . 
like its parade of predecessors , this halloween is a gory slash-fest . it can't escape its past , and it doesn't want to . 
city by the sea is the cinematic equivalent of defensive driving : it's careful , conscientious and makes no major mistakes . but what saves lives on the freeway does not necessarily make for persuasive viewing . 
despite the film's shortcomings , it's still a solid effort and a thought-provoking look at idealism gone wrong . 
a slick , well-oiled machine , exquisitely polished and upholstered . 
plays like a series of vignettes -- clips of a film that are still looking for a common through-line . 
funny , somber , absurd , and , finally , achingly sad , bartleby is a fine , understated piece of filmmaking . 
an impressively coordinated enterprise that lasts three hours , manages a large cast , and covers a period of 30-odd years while successfully unfolding as a series of scenes from the life of a single character . 
it's sweet . . . but just a little bit too precious at the start and a little too familiar at the end . 
obviously , a lot of people wasted a lot of their time ( including mine ) on something very inconsequential . 
the film might have been more satisfying if it had , in fact , been fleshed out a little more instead of going for easy smiles . 
it's such a mechanical endeavor [that] it never bothers to question why somebody might devote time to see it . 
all the well-meaningness in the world can't erase the fact that the believer feels like a 12-step program for the jewish nazi . 
the film has the courage of its convictions and excellent performances on its side . 
somewhere inside the mess that is world traveler , there is a mediocre movie trying to get out . 
romantic comedy and dogme 95 filmmaking may seem odd bedfellows , but they turn out to be delightfully compatible here . 
ice age won't drop your jaw , but it will warm your heart , and i'm giving it a strong thumbs up . 
forget other scary movies with freaky internet sites , dastardly murderers , ghosts on boats , spooky videotapes , they aren't half as scary as a gothic good old horror film about monsters that live under the bed
so earnest and well-meaning , and so stocked with talent , that you almost forget the sheer , ponderous awfulness of its script . 
amid the new populist comedies that underscore the importance of family tradition and familial community , one would be hard-pressed to find a movie with a bigger , fatter heart than barbershop . 
the art direction and costumes are gorgeous and finely detailed , and kurys' direction is clever and insightful . 
the problem with the mayhem in formula 51 is not that it's offensive , but that it's boring . 
a film with almost as many delights for adults as there are for children and dog lovers . 
not only is it hokey , manipulative and as bland as wonder bread dipped in milk , but it also does the absolute last thing we need hollywood doing to us : it preaches . 
notorious c . h . o . has oodles of vulgar highlights . 
with a story inspired by the tumultuous surroundings of los angeles , where feelings of marginalization loom for every dreamer with a burst bubble , the dogwalker has a few characters and ideas , but it never manages to put them on the same path . 
the cumulative effect of watching this 65-minute trifle is rather like being trapped while some weird relative trots out the video he took of the family vacation to stonehenge . before long , you're desperate for the evening to end . 
the three leads produce adequate performances , but what's missing from this material is any depth of feeling . 
not exactly worth a drum roll but a movie with enough collegiate ka-boom to earn its title , drumline is a percussion-driven musical variation on every sports pic you've seen about the talented hot dog who eventually learns to become a team player . 
though howard demonstrates a great eye as a director , this southern gothic drama is sadly a tough sit , with an undeveloped narrative and enough flashbacks and heavy-handed metaphors to choke a horse -- or at least slow him down to a canter . 
this is not a retread of " dead poets' society . " 
viewed on its own terms , treasure planet is better-than-average family entertainment , but true fans of the stevenson's novel will likely prefer disney's more faithful 1950 live-action swashbuckling classic . 
as expected , sayles' smart wordplay and clever plot contrivances are as sharp as ever , though they may be overshadowed by some strong performances . 
static , repetitive , muddy and blurry , hey arnold ! would seem to have a lock on the title of ugliest movie of the year . 
offers a fascinating look into the world of upper-echelon comics . 
would make an excellent companion piece to the similarly themed 'the french lieutenant's woman . '
this movie in a single breath goes to the very heart of the russian experience . 
one minute , you think you're watching a serious actioner ; the next , it's as though clips from the pink panther strikes again and/or sailor moon have been spliced in . 
it's the movie equivalent of a sweaty old guy in a rain coat shopping for cheap porn . 
few films seem so wise and knowing about the fact of age and the approach of the end . 
it's unnerving to see recoing's bizzarre reaction to his unemployment . good film , but very glum . 
[soderbergh] tends to place most of the psychological and philosophical material in italics rather than trust an audience's intelligence , and he creates an overall sense of brusqueness . 
vera's technical prowess ends up selling his film short ; he smoothes over hard truths even as he uncovers them . 
that the e-graveyard holds as many good ideas as bad is the cold comfort that chin's film serves up with style and empathy . 
offers 102 minutes of breezy , occasionally very funny entertainment . 
absurdities and clichés accumulate like lint in a fat man's navel . 
this is a very ambitious project for a fairly inexperienced filmmaker , but good actors , good poetry and good music help sustain it . 
a brain twister , less a movie-movie than a funny and weird meditation on hollywood , success , artistic integrity and intellectual bankruptcy . 
the film's trailer also looked like crap , so crap is what i was expecting . 
 . . . although this idea is " new " the results are tired . 
one of the most incoherent features in recent memory . 
[javier bardem is] one of the few reasons to watch the film , which director gerardo vera has drenched in swoony music and fever-pitched melodrama . 
a haunting film about one of the great escapes of all time . 
beautiful , angry and sad , with a curious sick poetry , as if the marquis de sade had gone in for pastel landscapes . 
it uses some of the figures from the real-life story to portray themselves in the film . the result is a powerful , naturally dramatic piece of low-budget filmmaking . 
asia authors herself as anna battista , an italian superstar and aspiring directress who just happens to be her own worst enemy . 
the film is way too full of itself ; it's stuffy and pretentious in a give-me-an-oscar kind of way . 
this remake gets all there is to get out of a peculiar premise with promise : al pacino loathing robin williams . 
can't kick about the assembled talent and the russos show genuine promise as comic filmmakers . still , this thing feels flimsy and ephemeral . 
proves mainly that south korean filmmakers can make undemanding action movies with all the alacrity of their hollywood counterparts . 
the film is so packed with subplots involving the various silbersteins that it feels more like the pilot episode of a tv series than a feature film . 
comes off like a rejected abc afterschool special , freshened up by the dunce of a screenwriting 101 class . . . . designed to provide a mix of smiles and tears , " crossroads " instead provokes a handful of unintentional howlers and numerous yawns . 
cedar takes a very open-minded approach to this sensitive material , showing impressive control , both visually and in the writing . 
i can easily imagine benigni's pinocchio becoming a christmas perennial . coal isn't as easy to come by as it used to be and this would be a worthy substitute for naughty children's stockings . 
although purportedly a study in modern alienation , it's really little more than a particularly slanted , gay s/m fantasy , enervating and deadeningly drawn-out . 
there's plenty of style in guillermo del toro's sequel to the 1998 hit but why do we need 117 minutes to tell a tale that simply can't sustain more than 90 minutes . 
tsai ming-liang's ghosts are painfully aware of their not-being . 
the film serves as a valuable time capsule to remind us of the devastating horror suffered by an entire people . 
several degrees shy of the gross-out contests one expects from current teen fare . 
an atonal estrogen opera that demonizes feminism while gifting the most sympathetic male of the piece with a nice vomit bath at his wedding . 
works as another uncompromisingly adult movie that assumes its audience is intelligent and doesn't have to cut narrative corners to make viewers feel safe . 
andersson creates a world that's at once surreal and disturbingly familiar ; absurd , yet tremendously sad . 
merchant effectively translates naipaul's lively mix of characters from the page to screen . 
much like robin williams , death to smoochy has already reached its expiration date . 
an enjoyably half-wit remake of the venerable italian comedy big deal on madonna street . 
the pianist is a fine valedictory work for polanski , made richer by his own experiences , making his other movies somehow richer in the bargain . 
the script by david koepp is perfectly serviceable and because he gives the story some soul . . . he elevates the experience to a more mythic level . 
it's like an all-star salute to disney's cheesy commercialism . 
the powerless wait a long time for justice , and sometimes their only justice is to finally tell their story . 
hoffman's unfettered performance beautifully captures wilson's sad , manic quality . 
the skills of a calculus major at m . i . t . are required to balance all the formulaic equations in the long-winded heist comedy who is cletis tout ? 
definitely funny stuff , but it's more of the 'laughing at' variety than the 'laughing with . '
imamura's delight in the infinite oddity of men and women is goofy ; it's also , at heart , reverent . 
one of [jaglom's] better efforts -- a wry and sometime bitter movie about love . 
combines improbable melodrama ( gored bullfighters , comatose ballerinas ) with subtly kinky bedside vigils and sensational denouements , and yet at the end , we are undeniably touched . 
it's a fun movie with lots of colorful characters , lots of bizarre plot meanderings and quite a few memorable lines and sequences . 
a sugar-coated rocky whose valuable messages are forgotten 10 minutes after the last trombone honks . 
it extends the writings of jean genet and john rechy , the films of fassbinder , perhaps even the nocturnal works of goya . 
mindless yet impressively lean spinoff of last summer's bloated effects fest the mummy returns . 
rock's got the kind of sly charm and non- self-conscious sincerity that could fit into any action hero archetype imaginable , even the old-school ones . 
like mike isn't interested in recycling old cliches . it wants to tweak them with a taste of tangy new humor . 
the real reason to see runteldat is to watch lawrence deploy his deep and wide powers of empathy to depict such diverse experiences as childbirth , breast-feeding and recovering from illness . 
significant for the chilling moments when the children echo the very sentiments that continue to fuel the middle east conflict . 
the entire movie is filled with deja vu moments . 
no number of fantastic sets , extras , costumes and spectacular locales can disguise the emptiness at the center of the story . 
claude chabrol has here a thriller without thrills , but that's okay . 
even bigger and more ambitious than the first installment , spy kids 2 looks as if it were made by a highly gifted 12-year-old instead of a grown man . 
terrific as nadia , a russian mail-order bride who comes to america speaking not a word of english , it's kidman who holds the film together with a supremely kittenish performance that gradually accumulates more layers . 
if reno is to the left of liberal on the political spectrum , her tough , funny , rather chaotic show isn't subversive so much as it is nit-picky about the hypocrisies of our time . 
despite juliet stevenon's attempt to bring cohesion to pamela's emotional roller coaster life , it is not enough to give the film the substance it so desperately needs . 
even the finest chef can't make a hotdog into anything more than a hotdog , and robert de niro can't make this movie anything more than a trashy cop buddy comedy . 
the cast has a high time , but de broca has little enthusiasm for such antique pulp . 
windtalkers celebrates the human spirit and packs an emotional wallop . 
those outside show business will enjoy a close look at people they don't really want to know . 
it's enough to watch huppert scheming , with her small , intelligent eyes as steady as any noir villain , and to enjoy the perfectly pitched web of tension that chabrol spins . 
provides an intriguing look at how the new economy has redrawn class lines in contemporary china . 
austin powers in goldmember is a cinematic car wreck , a catastrophic collision of tastelessness and gall that nevertheless will leave fans clamoring for another ride . 
what's the most positive thing that can be said about the new rob schneider vehicle ? well , it's not as pathetic as the animal . 
it's that rare family movie -- genuine and sweet without relying on animation or dumb humor . 
while not as aggressively impressive as its american counterpart , " in the bedroom , " moretti's film makes its own , quieter observations
kids surely will like it . and for adults , it's perfectly watchable in a rugrats-y sort of way . 
a canny franchise escapade ; it gets the job done . 
bogdanovich taps deep into the hearst mystique , entertainingly reenacting a historic scandal . 
the second coming of harry potter is a film far superior to its predecessor . a movie that successfully crushes a best selling novel into a timeframe that mandates that you avoid the godzilla sized soda . 
hardly a masterpiece , but it introduces viewers to a good charitable enterprise and some interesting real people . 
if there was any doubt that peter o'fallon didn't have an original bone in his body , a rumor of angels should dispel it . 
 . . . while each moment of this broken character study is rich in emotional texture , the journey doesn't really go anywhere . 
a hilarious film for anyone who remembers lying as a kid -- and anyone who wants to see a movie that's just plain fun . 
with its lackadaisical plotting and mindless action , all about the benjamins evokes the bottom tier of blaxploitation flicks from the 1970s . 
while van wilder may not be the worst national lampoon film , it's far from being this generation's animal house . 
such a good-looking picture deserved to have more depth and unpredictability in its story . but it does stand out as a personal and unique entry in a time-worn genre , and that may be good enough . 
not a cozy or ingratiating work , but it's challenging , sometimes clever , and always interesting , and those are reasons enough to see it . 
k-19 will not go down in the annals of cinema as one of the great submarine stories , but it is an engaging and exciting narrative of man confronting the demons of his own fear and paranoia . 
chilling in its objective portrait of dreary , lost twenty-first century america . 
a spiritual exploration of sorts , offering a message of hope that resonates . 
a good-natured ensemble comedy that tries hard to make the most of a bumper cast , but never quite gets off the ground . 
we started to wonder if … some unpaid intern had just typed 'chris rock , ' 'anthony hopkins' and 'terrorists' into some univac-like script machine . 
goldmember has none of the visual wit of the previous pictures , and it looks as though jay roach directed the film from the back of a taxicab . 
this is a film living far too much in its own head . 
while the now 72-year-old robert evans been slowed down by a stroke , he has at least one more story to tell : his own . 
it has that rare quality of being able to creep the living hell out of you . . . 
a well-made and often lovely depiction of the mysteries of friendship . 
[jaglom] creates an engaging insider's world of enthusiastically entertaining characters and absorbing situations . 
i don't think this movie loves women at all . 
short and sweet , but also more than anything else slight… tadpole pulls back from the consequences of its own actions and revelations . 
i can't remember the last time i saw worse stunt editing or cheaper action movie production values than in extreme ops . 
it should be interesting , it should be poignant , it turns out to be affected and boring . 
the twist that ends the movie is the one with the most emotional resonance , but twists are getting irritating , and this is the kind of material where the filmmakers should be very careful about raising eyebrows . 
the words , 'frankly , my dear , i don't give a damn , ' have never been more appropriate . 
considering the harsh locations and demanding stunts , this must have been a difficult shoot , but the movie proves rough going for the audience as well . 
well made but uninvolving , bloodwork isn't a terrible movie , just a stultifyingly obvious one -- an unrewarding collar for a murder mystery . 
feels aimless for much of its running time , until late in the film when a tidal wave of plot arrives , leaving questions in its wake . 
blessed with immense physical prowess he may well be , but ahola is simply not an actor . and in truth , cruel as it may sound , he makes arnold schwarzenegger look like spencer tracy . 
it all plays out . . . like a high-end john hughes comedy , a kind of elder bueller's time out . 
a determined , ennui-hobbled slog that really doesn't have much to say beyond the news flash that loneliness can make people act weird . 
for those in search of something different , wendigo is a genuinely bone-chilling tale . 
raimi crafted a complicated hero who is a welcome relief from the usual two-dimensional offerings . 
this is one of mr . chabrol's subtlest works , but also one of his most uncanny . 
because eight legged freaks is partly an homage to them , tarantula and other low- budget b-movie thrillers of the 1950s and '60s , the movie is a silly ( but not sophomoric ) romp through horror and hellish conditions . 
certainly beautiful to look at , but its not very informative about its titular character and no more challenging than your average television biopic . 
despite an impressive roster of stars and direction from kathryn bigelow , the weight of water is oppressively heavy . 
by turns touching , raucously amusing , uncomfortable , and , yes , even sexy , never again is a welcome and heartwarming addition to the romantic comedy genre . 
disney again ransacks its archives for a quick-buck sequel . 
it's a great american adventure and a wonderful film to bring to imax . 
 . . . a b-movie-and-proud-of-it thrill ride , probably the best of its kind since tremors . 
the dialogue is very choppy and monosyllabic despite the fact that it is being dubbed . 
bloody sunday has the grace to call for prevention rather than to place blame , making it one of the best war movies ever made . it's a movie that accomplishes so much that one viewing can't possibly be enough . 
son of the bride is slight fare , but it does have it poignancies , and it is well-acted and sweet without being cloying . 
the idea of 49-year-old roberto benigni playing the wooden boy pinocchio is scary enough . the reality of the new live-action pinocchio he directed , cowrote and starred in borders on the grotesque . 
a depressingly retrograde , 'post-feminist' romantic comedy that takes an astonishingly condescending attitude toward women . 
neighbor's dog operates at a consistent chuckle pitch that frequently gives way to guffaws . 
slow and ponderous , but rohmer's drama builds to an intense indoor drama about compassion , sacrifice , and christian love in the face of political corruption . 
those who want to be jolted out of their gourd should drop everything and run to ichi . 
 . . . only bond can save us from the latest eccentric , super-wealthy megalomaniac bent on world domination and destruction . 
a raw comedy that is intermittently hilarious as it attacks pretty much every taboo around . 
bursting through the constraints of its source , this is one adapted- from-television movie that actually looks as if it belongs on the big screen . 
scotland , pa . is a strangely drab romp . some studio pizazz might have helped . 
audiences are advised to sit near the back and squint to avoid noticing some truly egregious lip-non-synching , but otherwise the production is suitably elegant . 
according to wendigo , 'nature' loves the members of the upper class almost as much as they love themselves . 
the filmmaker ascends , literally , to the olympus of the art world , but he would have done well to end this flawed , dazzling series with the raising of something other than his own cremaster . 
a poignant and gently humorous parable that loves its characters and communicates something rather beautiful about human nature . 
it's pretty linear and only makeup-deep , but bogdanovich ties it together with efficiency and an affection for the period . 
despite impeccable acting . . . and a script that takes some rather unexpected ( even , at times , preposterous ) turns , love is just too , too precious in the end . 
haynes has so fanatically fetishized every bizarre old-movie idiosyncrasy with such monastic devotion you're not sure if you should applaud or look into having him committed . 
a delicate balance of nostalgia and contemporary themes win out over scripting pregnant with cinematic schmaltz . 
proof that a newcomer indie filmmaker can infuse some new life into the downtrodden loser character study . 
curling may be a unique sport but men with brooms is distinctly ordinary . 
even when he's not at his most critically insightful , godard can still be smarter than any 50 other filmmakers still at work . 
sacrifices the value of its wealth of archival foot-age with its less-than-objective stance . 
the appearance of treebeard and gollum's expanded role will either have you loving what you're seeing , or rolling your eyes . i loved it ! gollum's 'performance' is incredible ! 
soderbergh skims the fat from the 1972 film . what's left is a rich stew of longing . 
a hypnotic cyber hymn and a cruel story of youth culture . 
director oliver parker labors so hard to whip life into the importance of being earnest that he probably pulled a muscle or two . 
thirty years ago , it would have been groundbreaking . now it's just tired . 
gibney and jarecki just want to string the bastard up . 
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 . 
others , more attuned to the anarchist maxim that 'the urge to destroy is also a creative urge' , or more willing to see with their own eyes , will find morrison's iconoclastic uses of technology to be liberating . 
nemesis has a delightfully nasty villain and pumped-up action , albeit along familiar lines . 
a sweet , engaging family story about the nature of faith and the power of youthful innocence . 
it gets bogged down by hit-and-miss topical humour before getting to the truly good stuff . 
yes , it's as good as you remember . in fact , even better . 
take a friend ( invisible or real ) to see this one . . . it's laugh out loud funny
with each of her three protagonists , miller eloquently captures the moment when a woman's life , out of a deep-seated , emotional need , is about to turn onto a different path . 
fancy a real downer ? [leigh] lays it on so thick this time that it feels like a suicide race . 
a thoughtful , reverent portrait of what is essentially a subculture , with its own rules regarding love and family , governance and hierarchy . 
well-intentioned though it may be , its soap-opera morality tales have the antiseptic , preprogrammed feel of an after-school special . 
graced with the kind of social texture and realism that would be foreign in american teen comedies . 
to be influenced chiefly by humanity's greatest shame , reality shows -- reality shows for god's sake ! -- is a crime that should be punishable by chainsaw . 
it's not a classic spy-action or buddy movie , but it's entertaining enough and worth a look . 
for all its bile and incoherence , in praise of love is filled with haunting images and insights . godard may be a lion in winter , but the lion still roars . 
 . . . fifty minutes of tedious adolescent melodramatics followed by thirty-five minutes of inflated nonsense . 
[it's] a clever thriller with enough unexpected twists to keep our interest . 
lacking gravitas , macdowell is a placeholder for grief , and ergo this sloppy drama is an empty vessel . leave these flowers unpicked -- they're dead on the vine . 
i can't imagine adaptation having much mainstream appeal , but , for those who look for something genuinely off-the-wall in a motion picture , this will unquestionably strike a nerve . 
 . it's a testament to the film's considerable charm that it succeeds in entertaining , despite playing out like a feature-length sitcom replete with stereotypical familial quandaries . there's a sheer unbridled delight in the way the story unfurls . . . 
a great cast and a wonderful but sometimes confusing flashback movie about growing up in a dysfunctional family . 
thirteen conversations about one thing lays out a narrative puzzle that interweaves individual stories , and , like a mobius strip , elliptically loops back to where it began . 
instead of making his own style , director marcus adams just copies from various sources – good sources , bad mixture
although it tries to be much more , it's really just another major league . 
so mind-numbingly awful that you hope britney won't do it one more time , as far as movies are concerned . 
the director , mark pellington , does a terrific job conjuring up a sinister , menacing atmosphere though unfortunately all the story gives us is flashing red lights , a rattling noise , and a bump on the head . 
another big , dumb action movie in the vein of xxx , the transporter is riddled with plot holes big enough for its titular hero to drive his sleek black bmw through . 
contrived , maudlin and cliche-ridden . . . if this sappy script was the best the contest received , those rejected must have been astronomically bad . 
the film is almost eerily calm and refuses to take sides . but that lets its insights penetrate all the deeper . 
an endlessly fascinating , landmark movie that is as bold as anything the cinema has seen in years . 
this isn't a good movie ; this isn't a bad movie . this is a movie that dispenses with the whole good/bad paradigm and exists on its own plane of reality . 
everyone connected to this movie seems to be part of an insider clique , which tends to breed formulaic films rather than fresh ones . 
it's a smart , funny look at an arcane area of popular culture , and if it isn't entirely persuasive , it does give exposure to some talented performers . 
an interesting , if not entirely successful , biography of two extraordinary personalities . 
`martin lawrence live' is so self-pitying , i almost expected there to be a collection taken for the comedian at the end of the show . 
trapped presents a frightening and compelling 'what if ? ' scenario that will give most parents pause . . . . then , something terrible happens . 
the film is a verbal duel between two gifted performers . 
almost everything about the film is unsettling , from the preposterous hairpiece worn by lai's villainous father to the endless action sequences . 
vincent gallo is right at home in this french shocker playing his usual bad boy weirdo role . 
an overly melodramatic but somewhat insightful french coming-of-age film . . . 
about the only thing to give the movie points for is bravado -- to take an entirely stale concept and push it through the audience's meat grinder one more time . 
saddled with an unwieldy cast of characters and angles , but the payoff is powerful and revelatory . 
 . . . if you're just in the mood for a fun -- but bad -- movie , you might want to catch freaks as a matinee . 
this is as respectful a film as byatt fans could hope for , though lovers of the book may wonder why it's necessary . 
it's rare to find a film to which the adjective 'gentle' applies , but the word perfectly describes pauline & paulette . 
a domestic melodrama with weak dialogue and biopic cliches . 
shanghai ghetto may not be as dramatic as roman polanski's the pianist , but its compassionate spirit soars every bit as high . 
though it's become almost redundant to say so , major kudos go to leigh for actually casting people who look working-class . 
this thing works on no level whatsoever for me . 
a working class " us vs . them " opera that leaves no heartstring untugged and no liberal cause unplundered . 
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
pipe dream does have its charms . the leads are natural and lovely , the pace is serene , the humor wry and sprightly . 
a photographic marvel of sorts , and it's certainly an invaluable record of that special fishy community . 
after an uncertain start , murder hits and generally sustains a higher plateau with bullock's memorable first interrogation of gosling . 
the trick when watching godard is to catch the pitch of his poetics , savor the pleasure of his sounds and images , and ponder the historical , philosophical , and ethical issues that intersect with them . 
for a debut film , skin of man , heart of beast feels unusually assured . 
murder by numbers is like a couple of mediocre tv-movie -of-the-week films clumsily stuck together . 
together [time out and human resources] establish mr . cantet as france's foremost cinematic poet of the workplace . 
responsável direto pelo fracasso 'artístico' de doce lar , o roteirista c . jay cox não consegue sequer aproveitar os pouquíssimos momentos em que escapa da mediocridade . 
boy , has this franchise ever run out of gas . 
[reno] may have a few grating gaps in logic and feels as if a good chunk of its story ended up on the cutting room floor , but there is just enough charm and humor peppered throughout to make it feel as if it wasn't a complete waste of time to sit through . 
elegantly produced and expressively performed , the six musical numbers crystallize key plot moments into minutely detailed wonders of dreamlike ecstasy . 
little is done to support the premise other than fling gags at it to see which ones shtick . 
soderbergh seems capable only of delivering artfully lighted , earnest inquiries that lack the kind of genuine depth that would make them redeemable . 
this is historical filmmaking without the balm of right-thinking ideology , either liberal or conservative . mr . scorsese's bravery and integrity in advancing this vision can hardly be underestimated . 
absorbing and disturbing -- perhaps more disturbing than originally intended -- but a little clarity would have gone a long way . 
sunshine state is sayles at his most robert altman-ish , purposefully juggling about a dozen narrative balls in the air , and letting the mundanity and smallish drama of everyday life tell a larger story . 
this sort of cute and cloying material is far from zhang's forte and it shows . 
a superfluous sequel . . . plagued by that old familiar feeling of 'let's get this thing over with' : everyone has shown up at the appointed time and place , but visible enthusiasm is mighty hard to find . 
mostly honest , this somber picture reveals itself slowly , intelligently , artfully . 
a generation x artifact , capturing a brief era of insanity in the sports arena that surely cannot last . 
the best way to hope for any chance of enjoying this film is by lowering your expectations . then lower them a bit more . 
you're not merely watching history , you're engulfed by it . 
unspools like a highbrow , low-key , 102-minute infomercial , blending entrepreneurial zeal with the testimony of satisfied customers . 
it may sound like a mere disease-of- the-week tv movie , but a song for martin is made infinitely more wrenching by the performances of real-life spouses seldahl and wollter . 
a movie in which two not very absorbing characters are engaged in a romance you can't wait to see end . 
 . . . a poignant and powerful narrative that reveals that reading writing and arithmetic are not the only subjects to learn in life . 
the movie understands like few others how the depth and breadth of emotional intimacy give the physical act all of its meaning and most of its pleasure . 
the film is grossly contradictory in conveying its social message , if indeed there is one . 
a recent favourite at sundance , this white-trash satire will inspire the affection of even those unlucky people who never owned a cassette of def leppard's pyromania . 
both stars manage to be funny , but , like the recent i spy , the star chemistry begs the question of whether random gags add up to a movie . 
you have to pay attention to follow all the stories , but they're each interesting . the movie is well shot and very tragic , and one to ponder after the credits roll . 
ultimately , the message of trouble every day seems to be that all sexual desire disrupts life's stasis . 
the locale . . . remains far more interesting than the story at hand . 
pretension , in its own way , is a form of bravery . for this reason and this reason only -- the power of its own steadfast , hoity-toity convictions -- chelsea walls deserves a medal . 
brings a rare , clinically specific sense of moral complexity and humanistic sympathy to the usual regimen of finger-pointing and exposure . 
now as a former gong show addict , i'll admit it , my only complaint is that we didn't get more re-creations of all those famous moments from the show . 
your stomach for heaven depends largely on your appetite for canned corn . 
the talents of the actors helps " moonlight mile " rise above its heart-on-its-sleeve writing . 
some body often looks like an episode of the tv show blind date , only less technically proficient and without the pop-up comments . 
like shrek , spirit's visual imagination reminds you of why animation is such a perfect medium for children , because of the way it allows the mind to enter and accept another world . 
colorful and deceptively buoyant until it suddenly pulls the rug out from under you , burkinabe filmmaker dani kouyate's reworking of a folk story whose roots go back to 7th-century oral traditions is also a pointed political allegory . 
nobody seems to have cared much about any aspect of it , from its cheesy screenplay to the grayish quality of its lighting to its last-minute , haphazard theatrical release . 
just isn't as weird as it ought to be . 
by candidly detailing the politics involved in the creation of an extraordinary piece of music , [jones] calls our attention to the inherent conflict between commerce and creativity . 
this movie seems to have been written using mad-libs . there can be no other explanation . hilariously inept and ridiculous . 
it's fitting that a movie as artificial and soulless as the country bears owes its genesis to an animatronic display at disneyland . 
moretti . . . is the rare common-man artist who's wise enough to recognize that there are few things in this world more complex -- and , as it turns out , more fragile -- than happiness . 
this is snappy , frothy screwball comedy awash in french understatement . 
seeing as the film lacks momentum and its position remains mostly undeterminable , the director's experiment is a successful one . 
i'm sure if you're a hartley fan , you might enjoy yourself . . . me , i didn't care for it . 
beautifully written and directed and packed with excellent performances . 
whether seen on a 10-inch television screen or at your local multiplex , the edge-of-your-seat , educational antics of steve irwin are priceless entertainment . 
this may not be great moviemaking . . . but it's vastly enjoyable in a low-down , scandal-mongering way . 
this is almodovar's stab at serious drama , and the result is bizarre and affecting but also unsettling in ways that the filmmaker may not have intended . 
thekids will probably stay amused at the kaleidoscope of big , colorful characters . mom and dad can catch some quality naptime along the way . 
the storylines are woven together skilfully , the magnificent swooping aerial shots are breathtaking , and the overall experience is awesome . 
a thinly veiled excuse for wilson to play his self-deprecating act against murphy's well-honed prima donna shtick . 
director robert rodriguez has once again caught lightning in a bottle . 
try as you might to resist , if you've got a place in your heart for smokey robinson , this movie will worm its way there . 
there's something fishy about a seasonal holiday kids' movie . . . that derives its moment of most convincing emotional gravity from a scene where santa gives gifts to grownups . 
some remarkable achival film about how shanghai ( of all places ) served jews who escaped the holocaust . 
an entertaining but unspectacular film . pretty goofy at times - but the slick and gleefully self-indulgent violence will not disappoint the action fan . 
the film , while not exactly assured in its execution , is notable for its sheer audacity and openness . 
 . . . could easily be called the best korean film of 2002 . 
while the finished product is still fun , never dull and the athletes themselves remarkable , inspired and apt , the production could have been improved . 
there are a few chuckles , but not a single gag sequence that really scores , and the stars seem to be in two different movies . 
there's no real reason to see it , and no real reason not to . 
the film's final hour , where nearly all the previous unseen material resides , is unconvincing soap opera that tornatore was right to cut . 
at once subtle and visceral , the film never succumbs to the trap of the maudlin or tearful , offering instead with its unflinching gaze a measure of faith in the future . 
a baffling subplot involving smuggling drugs inside danish cows falls flat , and if you're going to alter the bard's ending , you'd better have a good alternative . 
broomfield reveals an ironic manifestation of institutionalized slavery that ties a black-owned record label with a white-empowered police force . 
on balance , i recommend the movie both for nicholson's performance and for the opportunity to spend some time with the kind of man that we often meet in real life , but rarely see on screen . 
if you keep a list of films you want to see one way or another , you would be doing yourself a service by keeping this film high up on that list . 
it doesn't do a lot of deep thinking , but unlike many futuristic combos of sf and f/x , it does make a statement : freedom of opinion is a threat to totalitarian systems . 
like edward norton in american history x , ryan gosling ( murder by numbers ) delivers a magnetic performance . 
nair's attention to detail creates an impeccable sense of place , while thurman and lewis give what can easily be considered career-best performances . 
the script was reportedly rewritten a dozen times -- either 11 times too many or else too few . 
pc stability notwithstanding , the film suffers from a simplistic narrative and a pat , fairy-tale conclusion . 
the talented and clever robert rodriguez perhaps put a little too much heart into his first film and didn't reserve enough for his second . 
tartakovsky's team has some freakish powers of visual charm , but the five writers slip into the modern rut of narrative banality . 
the film boasts dry humor and jarring shocks , plus moments of breathtaking mystery . 
you will emerge with a clearer view of how the gears of justice grind on and the death report comes to share airtime alongside the farm report . 
interesting both as a historical study and as a tragic love story . 
its salient points are simultaneously buried , drowned and smothered in the excesses of writer-director roger avary . 
the emotional overload of female angst irreparably drags the film down . 
a lot rides on coincidence . or fate . or the magic pull of the moon . it all makes sense in the end . 
i thought my own watch had stopped keeping time as i slogged my way through clockstoppers . 
it challenges , this nervy oddity , like modern art should . 
an amusing , breezily apolitical documentary about life on the campaign trail . 
there's not enough here to justify the almost two hours . 
reeks of rot and hack work from start to finish . 
lillard and cardellini earn their scooby snacks , but not anyone else . 
an inept , tedious spoof of '70s kung fu pictures , it contains almost enough chuckles for a three-minute sketch , and no more . 
you know you're in for a good ol' popcorn-munching time when the movie's tagline is a bad pun on the title of a piece of fine literature . 
an engaging and specific portrait of a culture in transition , even as it evokes humanity's most universal and timeless values . 
if this is the danish idea of a good time , prospective tourists might want to consider a different destination -- some jolly country embroiled in a bloody civil war , perhaps . 
i have a confession to make : i didn't particularly like e . t . the first time i saw it as a young boy . that is because - damn it ! - i also wanted a little alien as a friend ! 
the woods haven't been this creepy since the blair witch project . 
accuracy and realism are terrific , but if your film becomes boring , and your dialogue isn't smart , then you need to use more poetic license . 
the dramatic scenes are frequently unintentionally funny , and the action sequences -- clearly the main event -- are surprisingly uninvolving . 
film can't quite maintain its initial momentum , but remains sporadically funny throughout . 
the soundtrack alone -- the literal pulse of the thing -- will rock you in your seat . 
the production values are up there . the use of cgi and digital ink-and-paint make the thing look really slick . the voices are fine as well . the problem , it is with most of these things , is the script . 
while the film really doesn't have anything new to say , it's still thoughtful and well-crafted . 
moore's complex and important film is also , believe it or not , immensely entertaining , a david and goliath story that's still very much playing itself out . 
it's a shame that the storyline and its underlying themes . . . finally seem so impersonal or even shallow . 
one of the best films of the year with its exploration of the obstacles to happiness faced by five contemporary individuals . . . a psychological masterpiece . 
sensitive ensemble performances and good period reconstruction add up to a moving tragedy with some buoyant human moments . 
as a good old-fashioned adventure for kids , spirit : stallion of the cimarron is a winner . 
both grant and hoult carry the movie because they are believable as people -- flawed , assured of the wrong things , and scared to admit how much they may really need the company of others . 
less funny than it should be and less funny than it thinks it is . 
the problem , amazingly enough , is the screenplay . 
although commentary on nachtwey is provided . . . it's the image that really tells the tale . 
 " the quiet american " begins in saigon in 1952 . that's its first sign of trouble . 
it wants to be thought of as a subversive little indie film , but it has all the qualities of a modern situation comedy . 
this nickleby thing might have more homosexual undertones than an eddie murphy film . and just when you think it can't get any more gay , in pops nathan lane . 
surprisingly , considering that baird is a former film editor , the movie is rather choppy . 
fails to satisfactorily exploit its gender politics , genre thrills or inherent humor . 
for the first time in years , de niro digs deep emotionally , perhaps because he's been stirred by the powerful work of his co-stars . 
the touch is generally light enough and the performances , for the most part , credible . 
the connected stories of breitbart and hanussen are actually fascinating , but the filmmaking in invincible is such that the movie does not do them justice . 
all ends well , sort of , but the frenzied comic moments never click . 
an effective portrait of a life in stasis -- of the power of inertia to arrest development in a dead-end existence . 
rife with the rueful , wry humor springing out of yiddish culture and language . 
worth watching for dong jie's performance -- and for the way it documents a culture in the throes of rapid change . 
some body smacks of exhibitionism more than it does cathartic truth telling . 
it tries too hard , and overreaches the logic of its own world . 
a little objectivity could have gone a long way . 
we never truly come to care about the main characters and whether or not they'll wind up together , and michele's spiritual quest is neither amusing nor dramatic enough to sustain interest . 
the pace of the film is very slow ( for obvious reasons ) and that too becomes off-putting . 
speaks eloquently about the symbiotic relationship between art and life . 
the film tries too hard to be funny and tries too hard to be hip . the end result is a film that's neither . 
the obligatory break-ups and hook-ups don't seem to have much emotional impact on the characters . 
gangs of new york is an unapologetic mess , whose only saving grace is that it ends by blowing just about everything up . 
good , -- * interviews with dp neihouse and astronaut susan helms * 
evokes a palpable sense of disconnection , made all the more poignant by the incessant use of cell phones . 
the movie would seem less of a trifle if ms . sugarman followed through on her defiance of the saccharine . 
often self-consciously surreal , this award-winner scores high for originality . 
were dylan thomas alive to witness first-time director ethan hawke's strained chelsea walls , he might have been tempted to change his landmark poem to , 'do not go gentle into that good theatre . '
harmless entertainment for kids and just smart enough to appeal to parents . 
 . . . too sappy for its own good . 
no , the dangerous lives of altar boys does not exist in a state of perfect grace . however , its sins are forgivably venial , because its virtues are palpably human . 
the special effects and cgi , uneven in sorcerer's stone , are all spit-shine and shoe-polish in chamber of secrets . there isn't one hair out of place . 
my wife is an actress is an utterly charming french comedy that feels so american in sensibility and style it's virtually its own hollywood remake . 
chalk it up as the worst kind of hubristic folly . 
the movie wavers between hallmark card sentimentality and goofy , life-affirming moments straight out of a cellular phone commercial . 
all in all , it's a pretty good execution of a story that's a lot richer than the ones hollywood action screenwriters usually come up with on their own . 
consider the title's clunk-on-the-head that suggests the overtime someone put in to come up with an irritatingly unimaginative retread concept . 
it kinda works and qualifies as cool at times , but is just too lame to work or be cool at others . 
the two leads , nearly perfect in their roles , bring a heart and reality that buoy the film , and at times , elevate it to a superior crime movie . 
this is a labor of love , and while it may not be slick , it is an endearing look at one man's selflessness and one team's determination . 
she may not be real , but the laughs are . 
even if the ring has a familiar ring , it's still unusually crafty and intelligent for hollywood horror . 
like being trapped inside a huge video game , where exciting , inane images keep popping past your head and the same illogical things keep happening over and over again . 
i was amused and entertained by the unfolding of bielinsky's cleverly constructed scenario , and greatly impressed by the skill of the actors involved in the enterprise . 
cinematic pyrotechnics aside , the only thing avary seems to care about are mean giggles and pulchritude . it makes sense that he went back to school to check out the girls -- his film is a frat boy's idea of a good time . 
it's not too fast and not too slow . it's not too racy and it's not too offensive . it's not too much of anything . 
too bland and fustily tasteful to be truly prurient . 
the director's twitchy sketchbook style and adroit perspective shifts grow wearisome amid leaden pacing and indifferent craftsmanship ( most notably wretched sound design ) . 
for those who like quirky , slightly strange french films , this is a must ! 
when [reno] lets her radical flag fly , taking angry potshots at george w . bush , henry kissinger , larry king , et al . , reno devolves into a laugh-free lecture . 
 . . . works within its own pensive and penetrating element . caustic and jaunty , gangster no . 1 is a cynical sideshow that dismisses the notion that crime does not always pay . 
quite funny for the type of movie it is . . . 
painted with broad strokes but with a palette of rich , colorful details . 
a delectable little treat that's sunny , funny , and far more intelligent than you'd expect . 
transforms one of [shakespeare's] deepest tragedies into a smart new comedy . 
a straight-shooting family film which awards animals the respect they've rarely been given . 
with the prospect of films like kangaroo jack about to burst across america's winter movie screens it's a pleasure to have a film like the hours as an alternative . 
viewed as a travelogue of the little-known indian community that prospers on a little-known island , trinidad , the mystic masseur is successful . 
it's a lovely film with lovely performances by buy and accorsi . 
that death is merely a transition is a common tenet in the world's religions . this deeply spiritual film taps into the meaning and consolation in afterlife communications . 
highbrow self-appointed guardians of culture need not apply , but those who loved cool as ice have at last found a worthy follow-up . 
 . . . familiar and predictable , and 4/5ths of it might as well have come from a xerox machine rather than ( writer-director ) franc . reyes' word processor . 
like the chilled breath of oral storytelling frozen onto film . 
the master of disguise represents adam sandler's latest attempt to dumb down the universe . 
so we got ten little indians meets friday the 13th by way of clean and sober , filmed on the set of carpenter's the thing and loaded with actors you're most likely to find on the next inevitable incarnation of the love boat . 
this story of a determined woman's courage to find her husband in a war zone offers winning performances and some effecting moments . 
a pathetic exploitation film that tries to seem sincere , and just seems worse for the effort . 
on the whole , the movie lacks wit , feeling and believability to compensate for its incessant coarseness and banality . 
 . . . sheds light on the darkest corner of america's soul – and the man with the torch is the unlikely figure of a shuffling , bespectacled and overweight and underpaid filmmaker in baggy jeans . 
most new movies have a bright sheen . some , like ballistic , arrive stillborn . . . looking like the beaten , well-worn video box cover of seven years into the future . 
so original in its base concept that you cannot help but get caught up . 
a b-movie you can sit through , enjoy on a certain level and then forget . 
without [de niro] , city by the sea would slip under the waves . he drags it back , single-handed . 
 . . . the first 2/3 of the film are incredibly captivating and insanely funny , thanks in part to interesting cinematic devices ( cool visual backmasking ) , a solid cast , and some wickedly sick and twisted humor . . . 
solaris " is a shapeless inconsequential move relying on the viewer to do most of the work . 
the pitch must have read like a discarded house beautiful spread . 
the adventures of pluto nash is a whole lot of nada . 
i suspect that you'll be as bored watching morvern callar as the characters are in it . if you go , pack your knitting needles . 
belongs in the too-hot-for-tv direct-to-video/dvd category , and this is why i have given it a one-star rating . 
shattering , devastating documentary on two maladjusted teens in a downward narcotized spiral . extraordinary debut from josh koury . 
there has to be a few advantages to never growing old . like being able to hit on a 15-year old when you're over 100 . 
it can't be easy starting a movie in the middle , staying in the middle , and then ending it in the middle . . . 
if you sometimes like to go to the movies to have fun , wasabi is a good place to start . 
an uneven film dealing with too many problems to be taken seriously . 
ranging from funny to shattering and featuring some of the year's best acting , personal velocity gathers plenty of dramatic momentum . 
trying to make head or tail of the story in the hip-hop indie snipes is enough to give you brain strain -- and the pay-off is negligible . 
this insightful , oscar-nominated documentary , in which children on both sides of the ever-escalating conflict have their say away from watchful parental eyes , gives peace yet another chance . 
the venezuelans say things like " si , pretty much " and " por favor , go home " when talking to americans . that's muy loco , but no more ridiculous than most of the rest of " dragonfly . " 
rousing throwback and up-to-the-minute satire , chicago puts the " all " in all that jazz . 
a whale of a good time for both children and parents seeking christian-themed fun . 
it's slow -- very , very slow . it's not the ultimate depression-era gangster movie . that's pure pr hype . 
done in mostly by a weak script that can't support the epic treatment . 
this boisterous comedy serves up a cruel reminder of the fate of hundreds of thousands of chinese , one which can only qualify as a terrible tragedy . 
far from heaven is a dazzling conceptual feat , but more than that , it's a work of enthralling drama . 
not that any of us should be complaining when a film clocks in around 90 minutes these days , but the plotting here leaves a lot to be desired . 
less cinematically powerful than quietly and deeply moving , which is powerful in itself . 
the movie is undone by a filmmaking methodology that's just experimental enough to alienate the mainstream audience while ringing cliched to hardened indie-heads . 
even if it ultimately disappoints , the picture does have about a matinee admission's worth of funny to keep it afloat . 
the character is too forced and overwritten to be funny or believable much of the time , and clayburgh doesn't always improve the over-the-top mix . 
one of the most splendid entertainments to emerge from the french film industry in years . 
serry perfectly captures the peculiar climate , creating uncanny echoes with today's situation . 
unfortunately , the experience of actually watching the movie is less compelling than the circumstances of its making . 
 . . . unspeakably , unbearably dull , featuring reams of flatly delivered dialogue and a heroine who comes across as both shallow and dim-witted . 
it wraps up a classic mother/daughter struggle in recycled paper with a shiny new bow and while the audience can tell it's not all new , at least it looks pretty . 
the acting alone is worth the price of admission . 
none of the characters or plot-lines are fleshed-out enough to build any interest . 
the drama was so uninspiring that even a story immersed in love , lust , and sin couldn't keep my attention . 
rock solid family fun out of the gates , extremely imaginative through out , but wanes in the middle
the heedless impetuousness of youth is on full , irritating display in [this] meandering and pointless french coming-of-age import from writer-director anne-sophie birot . 
like all abstract art , the film does not make this statement in an easily accessible way , and -- unless prewarned -- it would be very possible for a reasonably intelligent person to sit through its tidal wave of imagery and not get this vision at all . 
there's none of the happily-ever -after spangle of monsoon wedding in late marriage -- and that's part of what makes dover kosashvili's outstanding feature debut so potent . 
ain't no mountain high enough to keep the funk brothers from getting to you . 
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 . 
quite simply , a joy to watch and--especially--to listen to . 
tambor and clayburgh make an appealing couple — he's understated and sardonic , she's appealingly manic and energetic . both deserve better . 
there's so much to look at in metropolis you hate to tear your eyes away from the images long enough to read the subtitles . 
this ecologically minded , wildlife friendly film teaches good ethics while entertaining with its unconventionally wacky but loving family
the last kiss , a crowd-pleaser in the deepest sense , mixes heartbreak and happiness together until you don't even want to see them apart . 
90 punitive minutes of eardrum-dicing gunplay , screeching-metal smashups , and flaccid odd-couple sniping . 
bartleby is a one-joke movie , and a bad joke at that . 
it provides the grand , intelligent entertainment of a superior cast playing smart people amid a compelling plot . 
i still can't relate to stuart : he's a mouse , for cryin' out loud , and all he does is milk it with despondent eyes and whine that nobody treats him human enough . 
miyazaki has provided another triumph , and , in the midst of the quality fall-off of disney's in-house animated projects , a reason for animation-lovers to rejoice . 
five screenwriters are credited with the cliché-laden screenplay ; it seems as if each watered down the version of the one before . 
feels a little too carefully crafted to be absolutely truthful , but nonetheless yields rich food for thought about the pains of the creative process and the insecurities of the artistic temperament . 
the comedy death to smoochy is a rancorous curiosity : a movie without an apparent audience . 
it certainly won't win any awards in the plot department but it sets out with no pretensions and delivers big time . 
has all the poignancy of a hallmark card and all the comedy of a gallagher stand-up act . 
 " juwanna mann ? " no thanks . wewannour money back , actually . 
the question hanging over the time machine is not , as the main character suggests , 'what if ? ' but rather , 'how can you charge money for this ? '
there is no solace here , no entertainment value , merely a fierce lesson in where filmmaking can take us . 
massoud's story is an epic , but also a tragedy , the record of a tenacious , humane fighter who was also the prisoner ( and ultimately the victim ) of history . 
not only are the film's sopranos gags incredibly dated and unfunny , they also demonstrate how desperate the makers of this 'we're -doing-it-for -the-cash' sequel were . 
you may feel compelled to watch the film twice or pick up a book on the subject . 
hatosy establishes himself here not only as the bona fide star of this little ensemble film , but also as a talent to be watched . 
caso você sinta necessidade de sair da sala antes do término da projeção , não se preocupe : ninguém lhe enviará penas simbolizando covardia . 
 " auto focus " works as an unusual biopic and document of male swingers in the playboy era
strong filmmaking requires a clear sense of purpose , and in that oh-so-important category , the four feathers comes up short . 
empire can't make up its mind whether it wants to be a gangster flick or an art film . it doesn't work as either . 
an incredibly irritating comedy about thoroughly vacuous people . . . manages to embody the worst excesses of nouvelle vague without any of its sense of fun or energy . 
in the not-too-distant future , movies like ghost ship will be used as analgesic balm for overstimulated minds . right now , they're merely signposts marking the slow , lingering death of imagination . 
guzman's powerful and sometimes triumphant documentary is not only an excellent overview of the affair , but serves as the perfect finale to the monumental trilogy about the coup and its aftermath . 
each story on its own could have been expanded and worked into a compelling single feature , but in its current incarnation , storytelling never quite gets over its rather lopsided conception . 
an affable but undernourished romantic comedy that fails to match the freshness of the actress-producer and writer's previous collaboration , miss congeniality . 
a splendid entertainment , young in spirit but accomplished in all aspects with the fullness of spirit and sense of ease that comes only with experience . 
works hard to establish rounded characters , but then has nothing fresh or particularly interesting to say about them . 
the film would have been more enjoyable had the balance shifted in favor of water-bound action over the land-based 'drama , ' but the emphasis on the latter leaves blue crush waterlogged . 
a magnificent throwback to an almost vanished era of epic filmmaking by great filmmakers in thrall to their own passions , rather than to the studio bookkeepers . 
the filmmakers wisely decided to let crocodile hunter steve irwin do what he does best , and fashion a story around him . 
[cuarón has] created a substantive movie out of several cliched movie structures : the road movie , the coming-of-age movie , and the teenage sex comedy . 
when mr . hundert tells us in his narration that 'this is a story without surprises , ' we nod in agreement . 
content merely to lionize its title character and exploit his anger - all for easy sanctimony , formulaic thrills and a ham-fisted sermon on the need for national health insurance . 
the script is a disaster , with cloying messages and irksome characters . 
even though the film runs a brief 71 minutes -- finishing off with footage of reno talking with new yorkers on the street in the aftermath of 9/11 -- reno shows enough gusto to make you a fan . 
[seagal's] strenuous attempt at a change in expression could very well clinch him this year's razzie . 
there is something in full frontal , i guess , about artifice and acting and how it distorts reality for people who make movies and watch them , but like most movie riddles , it works only if you have an interest in the characters you see . 
welles groupie/scholar peter bogdanovich took a long time to do it , but he's finally provided his own broadside at publishing giant william randolph hearst . 
seagal ran out of movies years ago , and this is just the proof . 
my 5-year-old niece emily was so thrilled by the first 20 minutes , she announced , " i'm gonna try to stay awake through the whole movie ! " , which she then proceeded to do . 
the weird thing about the santa clause 2 , purportedly a children's movie , is that there is nothing in it to engage children emotionally . 
gondry's direction is adequate . . . but what gives human nature its unique feel is kaufman's script . 
pete's screenplay manages to find that real natural , even-flowing tone that few movies are able to accomplish . 
 . . . think of it as american pie on valium . 
the emperor's club is one of those films that possesses all the good intentions in the world , but . . . 
when in doubt , the film ratchets up the stirring soundtrack , throws in a fish-out-of-water gag and lets the cliched dialogue rip . or else a doggie winks . 
though clearly well-intentioned , this cross-cultural soap opera is painfully formulaic and stilted . 
at 78 minutes it just zings along with vibrance and warmth . 
sparkles in its deft portrait of tinseltown's seasoned veterans of gossip , wealth , paranoia , and celebrityhood . 
the filmmakers try to balance pointed , often incisive satire and unabashed sweetness , with results that are sometimes bracing , sometimes baffling and quite often , and in unexpected ways , touching . 
shiner can certainly go the distance , but isn't world championship material
despite suffering a sense-of-humour failure , the man who wrote rocky does not deserve to go down with a ship as leaky as this . 
it all starts to smack of a hallmark hall of fame , with a few four letter words thrown in that are generally not heard on television . 
sometimes makes less sense than the bruckheimeresque american action flicks it emulates . 
ferrara directs the entire film with the kind of detachment that makes any given frame look like a family's custom-made christmas card . 
a flawed film but an admirable one that tries to immerse us in a world of artistic abandon and political madness and very nearly succeeds . 
with the exception of mccoist , the players don't have a clue on the park . the acting isn't much better . 
miyazaki's nonstop images are so stunning , and his imagination so vivid , that the only possible complaint you could have about spirited away is that there is no rest period , no timeout . 
solondz may well be the only one laughing at his own joke
the filmmakers needed more emphasis on the storytelling and less on the glamorous machine that thrusts the audience into a future they won't much care about . 
french director helene angel's dark but deftly handled fable about familial violence has a terrifying , fairy-tale atmosphere that's in perfect keeping with its unique point of view . 
[t]his beguiling belgian fable , very much its own droll and delicate little film , has some touching things to say about what is important in life and why . 
the cast is top-notch and i predict there will be plenty of female audience members drooling over michael idemoto as michael . 
 . . . with the candy-like taste of it fading faster than 25-cent bubble gum , i realized this is a throwaway movie that won't stand the test of time . it's a trifle . 
my big fat greek wedding is that rare animal known as 'a perfect family film , ' because it's about family . 
vega and ulloa give strong performances as the leading lovers and there are some strong supporting turns , particularly from najwa nimri . 
call it magic realism or surrealism , but miss wonton floats beyond reality with a certain degree of wit and dignity . 
apesar de não superar o original , o chamado é um suspense bem realizado que , à sua própria maneira , funciona de maneira exemplar . 
on its own , it's not very interesting . as a remake , it's a pale imitation . 
planet is as much sheer fun as its source material . 
blue crush is as predictable as the tides . . . . the movie feels stitched together from stock situations and characters from other movies . 
anything but a feel-good movie in its particulars , read my lips nonetheless communicates a liberating message as refreshing as it is peculiar . 
schütte's dramatic snapshot of the artist three days before his death offers an interesting bit of speculation as to the issues brecht faced as his life drew to a close . 
there's . . . tremendous energy from the cast , a sense of playfulness and excitement that seems appropriate . 
though everything might be literate and smart , it never took off and always seemed static . 
enough trivializes an important crisis , reduces it to an almost comic embarrassment . 
ms . rampling , still beautiful well into her 50s , has an earth-bound weariness and lively spirit that convey a life fully and tragically lived . 
a gem of a romantic crime comedy that turns out to be clever , amusing and unpredictable . 
how many more times will indie filmmakers subject us to boring , self-important stories of how horrible we are to ourselves and each other ? 
if the man from elysian fields is doomed by its smallness , it is also elevated by it--the kind of movie that you enjoy more because you're one of the lucky few who sought it out . 
 . . . nothing scary here except for some awful acting and lame special effects . 
it's a glorious spectacle like those d . w . griffith made in the early days of silent film . 
a tense , capably-made film that's exciting and realistic enough to satisfy filmgoers who've had their fill of hollywood's usual ultra-unrealistic blockbuster fare . 
holm . . . embodies the character with an effortlessly regal charisma . 
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 . 
by applying definition to both sides of the man , the picture realizes a fullness that does not negate the subject . 
an odd drama set in the world of lingerie models and bar dancers in the midwest that held my interest precisely because it didn't try to . 
this cheery , down-to-earth film is warm with the cozy feeling of relaxing around old friends . 
while peterson and her ageless alter ego keep an ironic detachment from the melodramatics , there's no irony in the end-title dedication to price -- it obviously comes straight from the heart . 
all right , so it's not a brilliant piece of filmmaking , but it is a funny ( sometimes hilarious ) comedy with a deft sense of humor about itself , a playful spirit and a game cast . 
a by-the-numbers patient/doctor pic that covers all the usual ground
i like all four of the lead actors a lot and they manage to squeeze a few laughs out of the material , but they're treading water at best in this forgettable effort . 
the attempt is courageous , even if the result is wildly uneven . 
the sequel is everything the original was not : contrived , overblown and tie-in ready . 
a cathartic work that honestly tries to make sense of the unimaginable . 
anchored by a terrific performance by abbass , satin rouge shows that the idea of women's self-actualization knows few continental divides . 
there's no denying that burns is a filmmaker with a bright future ahead of him . 
enigma is well-made , but it's just too dry and too placid . 
the kind of film that grows on you upon reflection
[hayek] doesn't just act frida , she inhabits her . 
downright transparent is the script's endless assault of embarrassingly ham-fisted sex jokes that reek of a script rewrite designed to garner the film a " cooler " pg-13 rating . 
lawrence should stick to his day job . he's a better actor than a standup comedian . 
not only better than its predecessor , it may rate as the most magical and most fun family fare of this or any recent holiday season . 
the movie straddles the fence between escapism and social commentary , and on both sides it falls short . 
this gently retro story of a young morman missionary in the pacific islands of tonga loses some wholesomeness points due to some smug insularity . 
this is a fragmented film , once a good idea that was followed by the bad idea to turn it into a movie . 
smart , sassy interpretation of the oscar wilde play . 
a positively thrilling combination of ethnography and all the intrigue , betrayal , deceit and murder of a shakespearean tragedy or a juicy soap opera . 
most folks with a real stake in the american sexual landscape will find it either moderately amusing or just plain irrelevant . 
an original little film about one young woman's education . 
though jones and snipes are enthralling , the movie bogs down in rhetoric and cliché . 
lindberg demonstrates a remarkable sense of place , a keen understanding that emotions are boiled into a concentrate , not diluted , in the rural setting . 
imperfect ? yes , but also intriguing and honorable , a worthwhile addition to a distinguished film legacy . 
has not so much been written as assembled , frankenstein-like , out of other , marginally better shoot-em-ups . 
the word that comes to mind , while watching eric rohmer's tribute to a courageous scottish lady , is painterly . 
the film actually gets to tackle some larger questions than one normally finds in the average fireball drama . 
the film starts out as competent but unremarkable . . . and gradually grows into something of considerable power . 
in adobo , ethnicity is not just the spice , but at the heart of more universal concerns . 
real women have curves doesn't offer any easy answers . 
the asylum material is gripping , as are the scenes of jia with his family . 
the way coppola professes his love for movies -- both colorful pop junk and the classics that unequivocally qualify as art -- is giddily entertaining . 
meyjes's movie , like max rothman's future , does not work . 
looking at the posters for blue crush , which show bosworth , rodriguez and lake posing with bikinis and surfboards , i expected another mindless surfing movie . blue crush is anything but . 
maudlin and melodramatic we expected . boring we didn't . 
there's no emotional pulse to solaris . with an emotional sterility to match its outer space setting , soderbergh's spectacular swing for the fence yields only a spectacular whiff . 
the film gets close to the chimps the same way goodall did , with a serious minded patience , respect and affection . 
coral reef adventure is a heavyweight film that fights a good fight on behalf of the world's endangered reefs -- and it lets the pictures do the punching . 
what puzzles me is the lack of emphasis on music in britney spears' first movie . 
its battle scenes are dynamic , its pageantry spectacular and its characters appealing . 
with little visible talent and no energy , colin hanks is in bad need of major acting lessons and maybe a little coffee . 
'christian bale's quinn [is] a leather clad grunge-pirate with a hairdo like gandalf in a wind-tunnel and a simply astounding cor-blimey-luv-a-duck cockney accent . '
impresses as a skillfully assembled , highly polished and professional adaptation . . . just about as chilling and unsettling as 'manhunter' was . 
straightforward and old-fashioned in the best possible senses of both those words , possession is a movie that puts itself squarely in the service of the lovers who inhabit it . 
the movie has no respect for laws , political correctness or common decency , but it displays something more important : respect for its flawed , crazy people . 
morrissette has performed a difficult task indeed - he's taken one of the world's most fascinating stories and made it dull , lifeless , and irritating . 
a movie version of a paint-by-numbers picture . we can tell what it is supposed to be , but can't really call it a work of art . 
overall tomfoolery like this is a matter of taste . 
until it goes off the rails in its final 10 or 15 minutes , wendigo , larry fessenden's spooky new thriller , is a refreshingly smart and newfangled variation on several themes derived from far less sophisticated and knowing horror films . 
payne constructs a hilarious ode to middle america and middle age with this unlikely odyssey , featuring a pathetic , endearing hero who is all too human . 
the latest installment in the pokemon canon , pokemon 4ever is surprising less moldy and trite than the last two , likely because much of the japanese anime is set in a scenic forest where pokemon graze in peace . 
a delightful surprise because despite all the backstage drama , this is a movie that tells stories that work -- is charming , is moving , is funny and looks professional . 
the film truly does rescue [the funk brothers] from motown's shadows . it's about time . 
what's most unusual about beijing bicycle in terms of recent chinese history is that any form of class conflict is depicted at all . 
the christ allegory doesn't work because there is no foundation for it
sits uneasily as a horror picture . . . but finds surprising depth in its look at the binds of a small family . 
i liked it because it was so endlessly , grotesquely , inventive . 
veteran actor serrault and rising newcomer seigner . . . pitch their performances perfectly , skilfully underplaying to match carion's understated direction . 
a near perfect fusion of computer and cel animation . 
a satisfying charmer that tells a compelling story , and then tops that by offering up a saucy sextet of britain's best veteran actors . 
exhibits the shallow sensationalism characteristic of soap opera . . . more salacious telenovela than serious drama . 
this breezy caper movie becomes a soulful , incisive meditation on the way we were , and the way we are . 
an unsophisticated sci-fi drama that takes itself all too seriously . 
rare is the 'urban comedy' that even attempts the insight and honesty of this disarming indie . 
like a can of 2-day old coke . you can taste it , but there's no fizz . 
the ingenuity that parker displays in freshening the play is almost in a class with that of wilde himself . 
its and pieces of the hot chick are so hilarious , and schneider's performance is so fine , it's a real shame that so much of the movie -- again , as in the animal -- is a slapdash mess . 
 . . . tara reid plays a college journalist , but she looks like the six-time winner of the miss hawaiian tropic pageant , so i don't know what she's doing in here . . . 
though a touch too arthouse 101 in its poetic symbolism , heaven proves to be a good match of the sensibilities of two directors . 
tends to pile too many " serious issues " on its plate at times , yet remains fairly light , always entertaining , and smartly written . 
everything about the quiet american is good , except its timing . 
de niro looks bored , murphy recycles murphy , and you mentally add showtime to the pile of hollywood dreck that represents nothing more than the art of the deal . 
i liked the movie , but i know i would have liked it more if it had just gone that one step further . i'm left slightly disappointed that it didn't . 
featuring a dangerously seductive performance from the great daniel auteuil , " sade " covers the same period as kaufmann's " quills " with more unsettlingly realistic results . 
sound the trumpets : for the first time since desperately seeking susan , madonna doesn't suck as an actress . 
its story is delicate and moving , and the film is a wholly commendable effort , if not quite as successful as majidi's previous works . 
it's a beautiful experience , nearly perfect with a fragile flowing fluid score . 
blue crush follows the formula , but throws in too many conflicts to keep the story compelling . 
self-congratulatory , misguided , and ill-informed , if nonetheless compulsively watchable . 
a surreal fairy tale that coils in on itself like a slow-motion whirlpool and achieves an atmosphere of sublime creepiness without ever precisely making sense . 
watching queen of the damned is like reading a research paper , with special effects tossed in . 
 . . . an hour-and-a-half of inoffensive , unmemorable filler . 
É uma pena que , mais tarde , o próprio filme abandone o tom de paródia e passe a utilizar os mesmos clichês que havia satirizado . 
the viewer takes great pleasure in watching the resourceful molly stay a step ahead of her pursuers . 
the values that have held the enterprise crew together through previous adventures and perils do so again-courage , self-sacrifice and patience under pressure . 
fine acting but there is no sense of connecting the dots , just dots . 
the new insomnia is a surprisingly faithful remake of its chilly predecessor , and when it does elect to head off in its own direction , it employs changes that fit it well rather than ones that were imposed for the sake of commercial sensibilities . 
the son of the bride's humour is born out of an engaging storyline , which also isn't embarrassed to make you reach for the tissues . this movie is to be cherished . 
far from a bad film , and at least two of its central trio of performances provide moments of disarming grace , but don't be surprised if a whiff of self-congratulation emanates from the screen . 
when you find yourself rooting for the monsters in a horror movie , you know the picture is in trouble . 
flawed but riveting , it won't be everyone's cocktail of choice , but if you can suspend disbelief long enough , you'll get a whopping good wallop without the hangover . 
béart and berling are both superb , while huppert . . . is magnificent . 
starts out with tremendous promise , introducing an intriguing and alluring premise , only to fall prey to a boatload of screenwriting cliches that sink it faster than a leaky freighter . 
ultimately . . . the movie is too heady for children , and too preachy for adults . 
yes , i suppose it's lovely that cal works out his issues with his dad and comes to terms with his picture-perfect life -- but world traveler gave me no reason to care , so i didn't . 
though ganesh is successful in a midlevel sort of way , there's nothing so striking or fascinating or metaphorically significant about his career as to rate two hours of our attention . 
this angst-ridden territory was covered earlier and much better in ordinary people . 
presents an astute appraisal of middle american musical torpor and the desperate struggle to escape it . 
when not obscured by the booming bass-heavy soundtrack , the conversation presents the kind of linguistic fumbling not heard since macy gray's game of chinese whispers with mr bean . 
there's a neat twist , subtly rendered , that could have wrapped things up at 80 minutes , but kang tacks on three or four more endings . 
not since ghostbusters has a film used manhattan's architecture in such a gloriously goofy way . 
a crisply made movie that is no more than mildly amusing . 
borrows a bit from the classics " wait until dark " and " extremities " . . . but in terms of its style , the movie is in a class by itself . 
the biggest problem i have ( other than the very sluggish pace ) is we never really see her esther blossom as an actress , even though her talent is supposed to be growing . 
should be seen and absorbed , if only to recall that hollywood horror does , occasionally , get it more or less right . 
for a film about two mismatched buddies , crystal and de niro share little screen time and even less chemistry . 
the whole thing feels like a ruse , a tactic to cover up the fact that the picture is constructed around a core of flimsy -- or , worse yet , nonexistent -- ideas . 
like the best 60 minutes exposé , the film ( at 80 minutes ) is actually quite entertaining . 
as predictable as the outcome of a globetrotters-generals game , juwanna mann is even more ludicrous than you'd expect from the guy-in-a-dress genre , and a personal low for everyone involved . 
aimed at a new age audience , but its subject's sincerity and gentle , self-deprecating nature translate well to a general audience . 
the best thing that can be said of the picture is that it does have a few cute moments . 
astonishing isn't the word -- neither is incompetent , incoherent or just plain crap . indeed , none of these words really gets at the very special type of badness that is deuces wild . 
with an unflappable air of decadent urbanity , everett remains a perfect wildean actor , and a relaxed firth displays impeccable comic skill . 
its story may be a thousand years old , but why did it have to seem like it took another thousand to tell it to us ? 
but tongue-in-cheek preposterousness has always been part of for the most part wilde's droll whimsy helps " being earnest " overcome its weaknesses and parker's creative interference . . . 
deep intelligence and a warm , enveloping affection breathe out of every frame . 
shankman . . . and screenwriter karen janszen bungle their way through the narrative as if it were a series of bible parables and not an actual story . 
unfolds in a series of achronological vignettes whose cumulative effect is chilling . 
there's something with potential here , but the movie decides , like lavinia , to go the conservative route . 
it will take a strong stomach for the ordinary viewer to maintain an appetite for pinochet apologetics after this litany of suffering . 
well-written , nicely acted and beautifully shot and scored , the film works on several levels , openly questioning social mores while ensnaring the audience with its emotional pull . 
scherfig , who has had a successful career in tv , tackles more than she can handle . 
a profoundly stupid affair , populating its hackneyed and meanspirited storyline with cardboard characters and performers who value cash above credibility . 
an intriguing , richly detailed look at the early days of hollywood power and glamour . 
a warm but realistic meditation on friendship , family and affection . 
the characters are never more than sketches . . . which leaves any true emotional connection or identification frustratingly out of reach . 
ozpetek succeeds in portraying small nuances that demonstrate the stages of love -- unrequited or blossoming -- and in showcasing the family structure created by a group of people who have been rejected for one reason or another . 
the problem is that the movie has no idea of it is serious or not . 
mocking kung fu pictures when they were a staple of exploitation theater programming was witty . mocking them now is an exercise in pointlessness . 
 " lovely and amazing is a story about real people . these people are insecure about their lives . they aren't convinced that there's some inner beauty about them . they see themselves as i suspect most people do , mostly for the flaws . however , these are still
armed with a rad '80s soundtrack and a winning cast ( including indie rocker liz phair ) , cherish is an ingenious low-budget thriller . 
just like every other seagal movie , only louder and without that silly ponytail . 
like life on the island , the movie grows boring despite the scenery . 
a film worthy of comparison to truffaut's best cinematic poems . 
missteps take what was otherwise a fascinating , riveting story and send it down the path of the mundane . 
a captivating and intimate study about dying and loving . . . 
if you enjoy being rewarded by a script that assumes you aren't very bright , then blood work is for you . 
what makes this latest version of the four feathers the best so far are the beautiful desert locations ( in morocco ) , and the superb action sequences . 
takes us on a journey toward self-awareness that is both deadpan hilarious and profoundly moving . 
this is darkest drama reminiscent of antonin artaud's literary experiments in psychoanalysis . 
a markedly inactive film , city is conversational bordering on confessional . 
 coarse , cliched and clunky , this trifling romantic comedy in which opposites attract for no better reason than that the screenplay demands it squanders the charms of stars hugh grant and sandra bullock . 
ki-duk kim has created a provocatively violent and sexual film with an oddly idyllic sensibility . it's a mysterious but ultimately rewarding experience . 
it's easy for a filmmaker to blow up the world -- but what shyamalan does is much riskier . he tries to blow our minds . 
one of the best examples of how to treat a subject , you're not fully aware is being examined , much like a photo of yourself you didn't know was being taken . 
there's a sweetness to it that's disarming and diverting -- mostly thanks to performances of slater , richard dreyfuss as his partner in crime , and portia di rossi as dreyfuss' daughter . 
guaranteed to move anyone who ever shook , rattled , or rolled . 
a beautiful meditation on the life force and redemptive power of literature -- for writers and readers alike -- and on what it means to be fully alive , navigating the rocky terrain between vision and execution . 
it is bad , but certainly not without merit as entertainment . 
nothing's at stake , just a twisty double-cross you can smell a mile away--still , the derivative nine queens is lots of fun . 
it almost plays like solaris , but with guns and jokes . 
the delicious trimmings…arrive early and stay late , filling nearly every minute…with a lighthearted glow , some impudent snickers , and a glorious dose of humankind's liberating ability to triumph over a scrooge or two . 
a poky and pseudo-serious exercise in sham actor workshops and an affected malaise . 
it could change america , not only because it is full of necessary discussion points , but because it is so accessible that it makes complex politics understandable to viewers looking for nothing but energetic entertainment . 
the exploitative , clumsily staged violence overshadows everything , including most of the actors . 
the corpse count ultimately overrides what little we learn along the way about vicarious redemption . 
it's a shame the marvelous first 101 minutes have to be combined with the misconceived final 5 . 
[diaz] can blunder into the crudest situations with such sweet innocence as to inspire giggles rather than groans . 
the film is enriched by an imaginatively mixed cast of antic spirits , headed by christopher plummer as the subtlest and most complexly evil uncle ralph i've ever seen in the many film and stage adaptations of the work . 
does a good job of establishing a time and place , and of telling a fascinating character's story . 
the story has some nice twists but the ending and some of the back-story is a little tired . the performances are all solid ; it merely lacks originality to make it a great movie . 
the movie just has too much on its plate to really stay afloat for its just under ninety minute running time . 
one of the best films that showcase a romance within the context of an artistic movement
stupid , infantile , redundant , sloppy , over-the-top , and amateurish . yep , it's " waking up in reno . " go back to sleep . 
the story may not be new , but australian director john polson , making his american feature debut , jazzes it up adroitly . 
anyone who welcomes a dash of the avant-garde fused with their humor should take pleasure in this crazed , joyous romp of a film . 
perhaps no greater example yet exists of the beauty achievable when one is a master of the digital aesthetic . 
a marvellous journey from childhood idealism to adolescent self-absorption . 
the film is about the relationships rather than about the outcome . and it sees those relationships , including that between the son and his wife , and the wife and the father , and between the two brothers , with incredible subtlety and acumen . 
the lightest , most breezy movie steven spielberg has made in more than a decade . and the positive change in tone here seems to have recharged him . 
a brutally honest documentary about a much anticipated family reunion that goes wrong thanks to culture shock and a refusal to empathize with others . 
to honestly address the flaws inherent in how medical aid is made available to american workers , a more balanced or fair portrayal of both sides will be needed . 
jonah is sunday school lite . but it's told with a comic edge usually associated with the devilish act of laughter . 
an entertaining , surprisingly well-written and often rowdily amusing picture . 
it makes you believe the cast and crew thoroughly enjoyed themselves and believed in their small-budget film . 
herzog , a man of detail became enraptured with his subject and was unable to use his editing shears . 
the volatile dynamics of female friendship is the subject of this unhurried , low-key film that is so off-hollywood that it seems positively french in its rhythms and resonance . 
this is a stunning film , a one-of-a-kind tour de force . 
this familiar rise-and-fall tale is long on glamour and short on larger moralistic consequences , though it's told with sharp ears and eyes for the tenor of the times . 
the laser-projected paintings provide a spell-casting beauty , while russell and dreyfus are a romantic pairing of hearts , preciously exposed as history corners them . 
this will go on so long as there are moviegoers anxious to see strange young guys doing strange guy things . 
two hours of sepia-tinted heavy metal images and surround sound effects of people moaning . 
well-acted , well-directed and , for all its moodiness , not too pretentious . 
rodriguez . . . was unable to reproduce the special spark between the characters that made the first film such a delight . 
it's refreshing that someone understands the need for the bad boy ; diesel , with his brawny frame and cool , composed delivery , fits the bill perfectly . 
 . . . liotta is put in an impossible spot because his character's deceptions ultimately undo him and the believability of the entire scenario . too bad . 
[t]he script isn't up to the level of the direction , nor are the uneven performances by the cast members , who seem bound and determined to duplicate bela lugosi's now-cliched vampire accent . 
 . . . a mostly boring affair with a confusing sudden finale that's likely to irk viewers . 
feeling like a dope has rarely been more fun than it is in nine queens . 
contains the humor , characterization , poignancy , and intelligence of a bad sitcom . 
fragmented , elliptical and overplotted to the point of being hard to track . still , it's worth hanging in for the finish . . . [when] soderbergh pulls off a delicious trick , a gesture of pure , tender , unabashed movie love that makes up for everything . 
there's not one decent performance from the cast and not one clever line of dialogue . 
this masterfully calibrated psychological thriller thrives on its taut performances and creepy atmosphere even if the screenplay falls somewhat short . 
this starts off with a 1950's doris day feel and it gets very ugly , very fast . the first five minutes will have you talking 'til the end of the year ! 
mcconaughey's fun to watch , the dragons are okay , not much fire in the script . 
wanders all over the map thematically and stylistically , and borrows heavily from lynch , jeunet , and von trier while failing to find a spark of its own . 
a committed , intelligent and fascinating piece of work with no irony about it . 
the obnoxious special effects , the obligatory outbursts of flatulence and the incessant , so-five-minutes-ago pop music on the soundtrack overwhelm what is left of the scruffy , dopey old hanna-barbera charm . 
like the original , this version is raised a few notches above kiddie fantasy pablum by allen's astringent wit . 
raimi and his team couldn't have done any better in bringing the story of spider-man to the big screen . 
rumor , a muddled drama about coming to terms with death , feels impersonal , almost generic . 
solondz is so intent on hammering home his message that he forgets to make it entertaining . 
captures all the longing , anguish and ache , the confusing sexual messages and the wish to be a part of that elusive adult world . 
[villeneuve] seems to realize intuitively that even morality is reduced to an option by the ultimate mysteries of life and death . 
fun , flip and terribly hip bit of cinematic entertainment . 
a sharp , amusing study of the cult of celebrity . 
schnitzler does a fine job contrasting the sleekness of the film's present with the playful paranoia of the film's past . 
 . . . a pretentious and ultimately empty examination of a sick and evil woman . 
an enchanting spectacular for potter fans anxious to ride the hogwarts express toward a new year of magic and mischief . 
it's incredibly enjoyable to watch derrida pick apart , and fight against , the very process and premise of making a film about someone , particularly him . 
the film is a travesty of the genre and even as spoof takes itself too seriously . 
thank goodness writer-director michael kalesniko found someone as verbally nimble as kenneth branagh to keep the whole enterprise afloat . he manages , but just barely . 
schnieder bounces around with limp wrists , wearing tight tummy tops and hip huggers , twirling his hair on his finger and assuming that's enough to sustain laughs . . . 
this lively klasky csupo production is a convincing amplification of the popular nickelodeon series . 
a compelling and thought-provoking drama on the armenian genocide after world war i and its toxic impact on the spirits and lives of some contemporary canadians . 
a well-rounded tribute to a man whose achievements -- and complexities -- reached far beyond the end zone . 
ramsay and morton fill this character study with poetic force and buoyant feeling . 
just one more collection of penis , breast and flatulence gags in search of a story . or a profit . or some damn thing . 
in trying to be daring and original , it comes off as only occasionally satirical and never fresh . 
as a kind of colorful , dramatized pbs program , frida gets the job done . but , for that , why not watch a documentary ? 
claude miller airs out a tight plot with an easy pace and a focus on character drama over crime-film complications . 
nearly 75 years after the fact , the matter still hasn't given up all its secrets , but denis' film comes close to a definitive , deeply disturbing account . 
it's supposed to be a humorous , all-too-human look at how hope can breed a certain kind of madness -- and strength -- but it never quite adds up . 
its inescapable absurdities are tantamount to insulting the intelligence of anyone who hasn't been living under a rock ( since sept . 11 ) . 
this is a beautifully sensitive portrait of a unique school and , a very special teacher . 
as david letterman and the onion have proven , the worst of tragedies can be fertile sources of humor , but lawrence has only a fleeting grasp of how to develop them . 
it's dumb fun slapped silly , a new franchise inspired by the bond films that's not far from the porn its title promises ; the film is a veritable orgy of outrageous stunts . 
a model of what films like this should be like . 
the movie is amateurish , but it's a minor treat . 
directing with a sure and measured hand , [haneke] steers clear of the sensational and offers instead an unflinching and objective look at a decidedly perverse pathology . 
as a revenge thriller , the movie is serviceable , but it doesn't really deliver the delicious guilty pleasure of the better film versions . 
skins has a desolate air , but eyre , a native american raised by white parents , manages to infuse the rocky path to sibling reconciliation with flashes of warmth and gentle humor . 
vera has created a provocative , absorbing drama that reveals the curse of a self-hatred instilled by rigid social mores . 
the acting by the over-25s lacks spark , with csokas particularly unconnected . 
carion relies on a gesture or passages of silence to get his point across ; it's a technique that packs a greater emotional punch than a tidy , hollywood-style monologue ever would . 
a keep-'em-guessing plot and an affectionate take on its screwed-up characters . 
an instance of an old dog not only learning but inventing a remarkable new trick . 
it's not so much a movie as a joint promotion for the national basketball association and teenaged rap and adolescent poster-boy lil' bow wow . 
a big meal of cliches that the talented cast generally chokes on . 
should appeal to more than just hardcore hip-hop fans . 
me no lika da accents so good , but i thoroughly enjoyed the love story . scott baio is turning in some delightful work on indie projects . 
a powerful , compelling and intelligent if imperfect work . . . a film of enormous ambition which realizes its aims more often than not . 
this is mostly well-constructed fluff , which is all it seems intended to be . 
extreme oops - oops , ops , no matter how you spell it , it's still a mistake to go see it . 
aside from the fact that the film idiotically uses the website feardotcom . com or the improperly hammy performance from poor stephen rea , the film gets added disdain for the fact that it is nearly impossible to look at or understand . 
this spawn of william shakespeare and ray kroc has more fun with [the] thin premise than you might expect , mostly because of maura tierney . 
human nature initially succeeds by allowing itself to go crazy , but ultimately fails by spinning out of control . 
i've had more interesting -- and , dare i say , thematically complex -- bowel movements than this long-on-the-shelf , point-and-shoot exercise in gimmicky crime drama . 
what we have here is an examination of fathers , sons and sibling rivalry - squared and sideways
this romantic thriller is steeped in the atmosphere of wartime england , and ably captures the speech patterns , moral codes and ideals of the 1940s . 
if you are curious to see the darker side of what's going on with young tv actors ( dawson leery did what ? ! ? ) , or see some interesting storytelling devices , you might want to check it out , but there's nothing very attractive about this movie . 
the movie's vision of a white american zealously spreading a puritanical brand of christianity to south seas islanders is one only a true believer could relish . 
interacting eyeball-to-eyeball and toe-to-toe , hopkins and norton are a winning combination -- but fiennes steals 'red dragon' right from under their noses . 
this is surely one of the most frantic , virulent and foul-natured christmas season pics ever delivered by a hollywood studio . 
it's somewhat clumsy and too lethargically paced -- but its story about a mysterious creature with psychic abilities offers a solid build-up , a terrific climax , and some nice chills along the way . 
an unintentionally surreal kid's picture . . . in which actors in bad bear suits enact a sort of inter-species parody of a vh1 behind the music episode . 
smith examines the intimate , unguarded moments of folks who live in unusual homes -- which pop up in nearly every corner of the country . 
no one , including the viewers , seems to know who can be trusted , and that's what makes this movie fun to watch . 
reinforces the often forgotten fact of the world's remarkably varying human population and mindset , and its capacity to heal using creative , natural and ancient antidotes . 
equilibrium the movie , as opposed to the manifesto , is really , really stupid . 
though it is by no means his best work , laissez-passer is a distinguished and distinctive effort by a bona-fide master , a fascinating film replete with rewards to be had by all willing to make the effort to reap them . 
brosnan's finest non-bondish performance yet fails to overcome the film's manipulative sentimentality and annoying stereotypes . 
when you resurrect a dead man , hard copy should come a-knocking , no ? 
while the ensemble player who gained notice in guy ritchie's lock , stock and two smoking barrels and snatch has the bod , he's unlikely to become a household name on the basis of his first starring vehicle . 
as literary desecrations go , this makes for perfectly acceptable , occasionally very enjoyable children's entertainment . you'll forget about it by monday , though , and if they're old enough to have developed some taste , so will your kids . 
there are just too many characters saying too many clever things and getting into too many pointless situations . where's the movie here ? 
just too silly and sophomoric to ensnare its target audience . 
 . . . the best movie featuring the next generation cast , and a movie that's ( almost ) every bit as great as [treks] ii and vi . 
the real draw , though , is the performance by dunst that is , alone , worth the price of admission . 
beautifully crafted and cooly unsettling . . . recreates the atmosphere of the crime expertly . 
this is a very good film , and it heralds an emerging directorial talent . 
williams hasn't been this creepy since his starring role in popeye . 
this fascinating look at israel in ferment feels as immediate as the latest news footage from gaza and , because of its heightened , well-shaped dramas , twice as powerful . 
another in-your-face wallow in the lower depths made by people who have never sung those blues . 
must-see viewing for anyone involved in the high-tech industry . others may find it migraine-inducing , despite moore's attempts at whimsy and spoon feeding . 
if . . . you're the adventurous sort , check it out . 
an honest , sensitive story from a vietnamese point of view . 
a diverse and astonishingly articulate cast of palestinian and israeli children . 
'in this poor remake of such a well loved classic , parker exposes the limitations of his skill and the basic flaws in his vision . '
in a time when , more often than not , sequels disappoint , it's refreshing to uncover something this high-profile that fulfils the promise of its name and adds another title to a storied legacy . 
the essential problem in orange county is that , having created an unusually vivid set of characters worthy of its strong cast , the film flounders when it comes to giving them something to do . 
too ordinary to restore [harmon] to prominence , despite some creepy scenes that evoke childish night terrors , and a praiseworthy attempt to generate suspense rather than gross out the audience . 
two tedious acts light on great scares and a good surprise ending . 
parker should be commended for taking a fresh approach to familiar material , but his determination to remain true to the original text leads him to adopt a somewhat mannered tone . . . that ultimately dulls the human tragedy at the story's core . 
a must see for all sides of the political spectrum
although estela bravo's documentary is cloyingly hagiographic in its portrait of cuban leader fidel castro , it's still a guilty pleasure to watch . 
in addition to hoffman's powerful acting clinic , this is that rare drama that offers a thoughtful and rewarding glimpse into the sort of heartache everyone has felt , or will feel someday . 
functions as both a revealing look at the collaborative process and a timely , tongue-in-cheek profile of the corporate circus that is the recording industry in the current climate of mergers and downsizing . 
may take its sweet time to get wherever it's going , but if you have the patience for it , you won't feel like it's wasted yours . 
it's like a vintage automobile that sometimes runs smoothly , and sometimes lurches and sputters . but it never quite stalls . 
although occasionally static to the point of resembling a stage play , the film delivers a solid mixture of sweetness and laughs . 
a supernatural mystery that doesn't know whether it wants to be a suspenseful horror movie or a weepy melodrama . it ends up being neither , and fails at both endeavors . 
its portrait of a very unsung sector of society is refreshingly honest and entertaining . 
nemesis suffers from a paunchy midsection , several plodding action sequences and a wickedly undramatic central theme . 
dignified ceo's meet at a rustic retreat and pee against a tree . can you bear the laughter ? 
a film that presents an interesting , even sexy premise then ruins itself with too many contrivances and goofy situations . 
as a technical exercise that redefines moviemaking , it is astonishing . 
during the tuxedo's 90 minutes of screen time , there isn't one true 'chan moment' . 
plot , characters , drama , emotions , ideas -- all are irrelevant to the experience of seeing the scorpion king . 
this is one of those rare docs that paints a grand picture of an era and makes the journey feel like a party . 
this rough but extraordinary film presents a haunting picture of life in kurdistan . 
a dashing and absorbing outing with one of france's most inventive directors . 
this daring film challenges most widely held notions about religious conviction while providing a complex portrait of an identity crisis that's run amok and a good mind that's jumped the tracks . 
 . . . a visually pleasing , imaginative entertainment for the family audience . 
 . . . the kind of entertainment that parents love to have their kids see . 
for the first two-thirds of this sparklingly inventive and artful , always fast and furious tale , kids will go happily along for the ride . 
if director michael dowse only superficially understands his characters , he doesn't hold them in contempt . 
the film jolts the laughs from the audience--as if by cattle prod . 
nothing short of wonderful with its ten-year-old female protagonist and its steadfast refusal to set up a dualistic battle between good and evil . 
i encourage young and old alike to go see this unique and entertaining twist on the classic whale's tale -- you won't be sorry ! 
an overstylized , puréed mélange of sex , psychology , drugs and philosophy . sometimes entertaining , sometimes indulgent -- but never less than pure wankery . 
there are touching moments in etoiles , but for the most part this is a dull , dour documentary on what ought to be a joyful or at least fascinating subject . 
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 . but it doesn't leave you with much . 
even these tales of just seven children seem at times too many , although in reality they are not enough . every child's story is what matters . this film can only point the way -- but thank goodness for this signpost . 
friday after next is a lot more bluster than bite . 
with an expressive face reminiscent of gong li and a vivid personality like zhang ziyi's , dong stakes out the emotional heart of happy . 
despite all the talking , by the time the bloody climax arrives we still don't feel enough of an attachment to these guys to care one way or another . 
a psychological thriller with a genuinely spooky premise and an above-average cast , actor bill paxton's directing debut is a creepy slice of gothic rural americana . 
part travelogue , part road picture , part meditation on class , mortality and intimacy , this extraordinary little movie might be the perfect harbinger of summer , as astute as it is steamy . 
it finds its moviegoing pleasures in the tiny events that could make a person who has lived her life half-asleep suddenly wake up and take notice . 
arliss howard's ambitious , moving , and adventurous directorial debut , big bad love , meets so many of the challenges it poses for itself that one can forgive the film its flaws . 
neither revelatory nor truly edgy--merely crassly flamboyant and comedically labored . 
birthday girl doesn't try to surprise us with plot twists , but rather seems to enjoy its own transparency . 
there are wonderful moments of humor , and demonstrations of humanity , strength , and the resilience of the human spirit . 
a lean , surprisingly artful programmer , closer in spirit to something like don siegel's riot in cell block 11 than to typical boxing fare . 
a heady , biting , be-bop ride through nighttime manhattan , a loquacious videologue of the modern male and the lengths to which he'll go to weave a protective cocoon around his own ego . 
those who don't entirely 'get' godard's distinctive discourse will still come away with a sense of his reserved but existential poignancy . 
hands down the year's most thought-provoking film . but it pays a price for its intricate intellectual gamesmanship . 
buries an interesting storyline about morality and the choices we make underneath such a mountain of clichés and borrowed images that it might more accurately be titled mr . chips off the old block . 
a knowing look at female friendship , spiked with raw urban humor . 
one of those movies that make us pause and think of what we have given up to acquire the fast-paced contemporary society . 
it would take a complete moron to foul up a screen adaptation of oscar wilde's classic satire . 
almost as offensive as " freddy got fingered . " 
an incredibly clever and superbly paced caper filled with scams within scams within scams . 
there's the plot , and a maddeningly insistent and repetitive piano score that made me want to scream . 
this is pretty dicey material . but some unexpected zigs and zags help . 
first good , then bothersome . excellent acting and direction . 
cinephiles will appreciate the fine camerawork and overall mise-en-scene , but people just heading out for a popcorn pleaser will likely be disappointed . 
for almost the first two-thirds of martin scorsese's 168-minute gangs of new york , i was entranced . 
think 'glengarry glen ross' without the mamet dialogue , and that's kinda what you'll get here . 
if you're a crocodile hunter fan , you'll enjoy at least the " real " portions of the film . if you're looking for a story , don't bother . 
me without you has a bracing truth that's refreshing after the phoniness of female-bonding pictures like divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood . 
what madonna does here can't properly be called acting -- more accurately , it's moving and it's talking and it's occasionally gesturing , sometimes all at once . 
[d]oesn't bother being as cloying or preachy as equivalent evangelical christian movies -- maybe the filmmakers know that the likely audience will already be among the faithful . 
all the amped-up tony hawk-style stunts and thrashing rap-metal can't disguise the fact that , really , we've been here , done that . 
green dragon falls prey to some threadbare hollywood conventions , but otherwise maintains a high level of maturity and emotion as it examines the lives of vietnamese refugees entering america in 1975 . 
[chaiken's] talent lies in an evocative , accurate observation of a distinctive milieu and in the lively , convincing dialogue she creates for her characters . 
it offers little beyond the momentary joys of pretty and weightless intellectual entertainment . 
it's supposed to be post-feminist breezy but ends up as tedious as the chatter of parrots raised on oprah . 
for all its plot twists , and some of them verge on the bizarre as the film winds down , blood work is a strong , character-oriented piece . 
seems content to dog-paddle in the mediocre end of the pool , and it's a sad , sick sight . 
the title's lameness should clue you in on how bad the movie is . 
ultimately feels empty and unsatisfying , like swallowing a communion wafer without the wine . 
tackles the difficult subject of grief and loss with such life-embracing spirit that the theme doesn't drag an audience down . 
a movie where story is almost an afterthought amidst a swirl of colors and inexplicable events . 
a poignant lyricism runs through balzac and the little chinese seamstress that transforms this story about love and culture into a cinematic poem . 
it seems like i have been waiting my whole life for this movie and now i can't wait for the sequel . 
fans of plympton's shorts may marginally enjoy the film , but it is doubtful this listless feature will win him any new viewers . 
it's too self-important and plodding to be funny , and too clipped and abbreviated to be an epic . 
fast-paced and wonderfully edited , the film is extremely thorough . 
as a study of how the current corporate idiocy impacts one man's art , it's priceless . 
it's a terrific american sports movie and dennis quaid is its athletic heart . 
a delightful entree in the tradition of food movies . 
few films this year have been as resolute in their emotional nakedness . 
it's as raw and action-packed an experience as a ringside seat at a tough-man contest . 
it's refreshing to see a movie that embraces its old-fashioned themes and in the process comes out looking like something wholly original . 
with wit and empathy to spare , waydowntown acknowledges the silent screams of workaday inertia but stops short of indulging its characters' striving solipsism . 
bears about as much resemblance to the experiences of most battered women as spider-man does to the experiences of most teenagers . 
although very much like the first movie based on j . k . rowling's phenomenal fantasy best sellers , this second go-round possesses a quite pleasing , headlong thrust and a likably delinquent attitude . 
it's hard to believe that something so short could be so flabby . 
some may quibble that the 144-minute length accommodates at least one too many endings . but such quibbling will diminish in view of the film's overall impact . 
not too fancy , not too filling , not too fluffy , but definitely tasty and sweet . 
if it were any more of a turkey , it would gobble in dolby digital stereo . if nothing else , " rollerball " 2002 may go down in cinema history as the only movie ever in which the rest of the cast was outshined by ll cool j . 
fans can rejoice that mr . deeds is a close third behind happy gilmore and the wedding singer on sandler's list of quality credits . 
in imax in short , it's just as wonderful on the big screen . 
a sly dissection of the inanities of the contemporary music business and a rather sad story of the difficulties of artistic collaboration . 
manages to please its intended audience -- children -- without placing their parents in a coma-like state . 
the entire movie is in need of a scented bath . 
 . . . an enjoyably frothy 'date movie' . . . 
so infectious , so colorful , so exhilarating , that you almost forget that at its core , it's merely a curry-inflected remake of father of the bride , with snippets of other films thrown in . 
perhaps it's cliche to call the film 'refreshing , ' but it is . 'drumline' shows a level of young , black manhood that is funny , touching , smart and complicated . 
as a director , mr . ratliff wisely rejects the temptation to make fun of his subjects . 
by the final whistle you're convinced that this mean machine was a decent tv outing that just doesn't have big screen magic . 
although some viewers will not be able to stomach so much tongue-in-cheek weirdness , those who do will have found a cult favorite to enjoy for a lifetime . 
an incredibly thoughtful , deeply meditative picture that neatly and effectively captures the debilitating grief felt in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks . 
the early and middle passages are surprising in how much they engage and even touch us . this is not a classical dramatic animated feature , nor a hip , contemporary , in-jokey one . it's sort of in-between , and it works . 
too infuriatingly quirky and taken with its own style . 
the film makes a tragic error by going on for too long , trying to mirror every subsequent event in chinese history : war , revolution , communism , etc . 
a somewhat soapish but nonetheless beautifully acted excoriation of religious piousness and blind allegiance to faith as a socially constructed institution . 
cold , pretentious , thoroughly dislikable study in sociopathy . 
you don't know whether to admire the film's stately nature and call it classicism or be exasperated by a noticeable lack of pace . or both . 
even the hastily and amateurishly drawn animation cannot engage . 
if you dig on david mamet's mind tricks . . . rent this movie and enjoy ! 
stuffy , full of itself , morally ambiguous and nothing to shout about . 
its story about a young chinese woman , ah na , who has come to new york city to replace past tragedy with the american dream is one that any art-house moviegoer is likely to find compelling . 
remember the kind of movie we were hoping " ecks vs . sever " or " xxx " was going to be ? this is it . 
the film is exhilarating to watch because sandler , liberated from the constraints of formula , reveals unexpected depths as an actor . 
k-19 : the widowmaker is derivative , overlong , and bombastic -- yet surprisingly entertaining . 
check your brain and your secret agent decoder ring at the door because you don't want to think too much about what's going on . the movie does has some entertainment value - how much depends on how well you like chris rock . 
from its nauseating spinning credits sequence to a very talented but underutilized supporting cast , bartleby squanders as much as it gives out . 
it uses an old-time formula , it's not terribly original and it's rather messy -- but you just have to love the big , dumb , happy movie my big fat greek wedding . 
turns out to be much more complex than the originally released gem . 
in capturing the understated comedic agony of an ever-ruminating , genteel yet decadent aristocracy that can no longer pay its bills , the film could just as well be addressing the turn of the 20th century into the 21st . 
despite its shortcomings , girls can't swim represents an engaging and intimate first feature by a talented director to watch , and it's a worthy entry in the french coming-of-age genre . 
bigelow handles the nuclear crisis sequences evenly but milks drama when she should be building suspense , and drags out too many scenes toward the end that should move quickly . 
a sexy , peculiar and always entertaining costume drama set in renaissance spain , and the fact that it's based on true events somehow makes it all the more compelling . 
sayles . . . once again strands his superb performers in the same old story . 
an amusing , even joyful second take on e . b . white's beloved children's book . 
a vivid reminder of the true nature of chemistry between lovers , and the rarity with which we see it on the screen . 
at the same time touching , funny and breathtaking . 
pumpkin takes an admirable look at the hypocrisy of political correctness , but it does so with such an uneven tone that you never know when humor ends and tragedy begins . 
a collage of clichés and a dim echo of allusions to other films . 
somewhere short of tremors on the modern b-scene : neither as funny nor as clever , though an agreeably unpretentious way to spend ninety minutes . 
this is a fudged opportunity of gigantic proportions -- a lunar mission with no signs of life . 
in old-fashioned screenwriting parlance , ms . shreve's novel proved too difficult a text to 'lick , ' despite the efforts of a first-rate cast . 
simone is not a bad film . it just doesn't have anything really interesting to say . 
only a supremely flexible talent like kinnear could whittle away at crane's nuances and come up with thespian gold . 
you have enough finely tuned acting to compensate for the movie's failings . 
elegant and eloquent [meditation] on death and that most elusive of passions , love . 
the film succeeds as an homage to human spirit in the most shattering of circumstances . 
a polished and vastly entertaining caper film that puts the sting back into the con . 
the cast fits very convincingly into the nightmarish landscape of a ravaged country . 
it is far from the worst , thanks to the topical issues it raises , the performances of stewart and hardy , and that essential feature -- a decent full-on space battle . 
the master of disguise falls under the category of 'should have been a sketch on saturday night live . '
as social exposé , skins has its heart in the right place , but that's not much to hang a soap opera on . 
this is a winning ensemble comedy that shows canadians can put gentle laughs and equally gentle sentiments on the button , just as easily as their counterparts anywhere else in the world . 
a sly female empowerment movie , although not in a way anyone would expect . 
wildly incompetent but brilliantly named half past dead -- or for seagal pessimists : totally past his prime . 
every single scene conveys a significant and concise narrative development , yet does so in an unassuming , patient fashion that emphasizes detail . 
frei assembles a fascinating profile of a deeply humanistic artist who , in spite of all that he's witnessed , remains surprisingly idealistic , and retains an extraordinary faith in the ability of images to communicate the truth of the world around him . 
cuts right through the b . s . giving a big middle-fingered " shut up " to those who talk up what is nothing more than two guys beating the hell outta one another . 
[cho's face is] an amazing slapstick instrument , creating a scrapbook of living mug shots . 
with the dog days of august upon us , think of this dog of a movie as the cinematic equivalent of high humidity . 
a dim-witted and lazy spin-off of the animal planet documentary series , crocodile hunter is entertainment opportunism at its most glaring . 
a comedy that swings and jostles to the rhythms of life . 
an immensely entertaining look at some of the unsung heroes of 20th century pop music . 
bold , imaginative , rational and persuasive an account of the lethally dangerous world we live in , the sum of all fears is an international spy drama with visceral impact . 
we do get the distinct impression that this franchise is drawing to a close . 
human resources was a good , straightforward tale , but time out is better . it's haunting . it's like a poem . 
in the end , the weight of water comes to resemble the kind of soft-core twaddle you'd expect to see on showtime's 'red shoe diaries . '
even if it is generally amusing from time to time , i spy has all the same problems the majority of action comedies have . 
melds derivative elements into something that is often quite rich and exciting , and always a beauty to behold . 
as shaky as the plot is , kaufman's script is still memorable for some great one-liners . 
the balkans provide the obstacle course for the love of a good woman . 
ensemble movies , like soap operas , depend on empathy . if there ain't none , you have a problem . 
dares to look conventional hollywood wisdom in the eye and refuses to blink
it made me want to wrench my eyes out of my head and toss them at the screen . 
originality ain't on the menu , but there's never a dull moment in the giant spider invasion comic chiller . 
laggard drama wending its way to an uninspired philosophical epiphany . 
my wife is an actress works as well as it does because [the leads] are such a companionable couple . 
a hip ride into hyper-time , clockstoppers is a lively and enjoyable adventure for all ages at any time . 
clever and unflinching in its comic barbs , slap her is a small but rewarding comedy that takes aim at contemporary southern adolescence and never lets up . 
a passionately inquisitive film determined to uncover the truth and hopefully inspire action . 
 " sorority boys " was funnier , and that movie was pretty bad . 
a different kind of love story - one that is dark , disturbing , painful to watch , yet compelling . 
what would have otherwise been a routine nostalgic coming-of-ager takes on a new , innovative form . 
labute masterfully balances both traditional or modern stories together in a manner that one never overwhelms the other . something for everyone . 
behind the snow games and lovable siberian huskies ( plus one sheep dog ) , the picture hosts a parka-wrapped dose of heart . 
this little film is so slovenly done , so primitive in technique , that it can't really be called animation . 
it's been 13 months and 295 preview screenings since i last walked out on a movie , but resident evil really earned my indignant , preemptive departure . 
never again doesn't quite rise above the conventions it attempts to deconstruct , but at its center are two gifted actors who are more than willing to take chances . 
it says a lot about a filmmaker when he can be wacky without clobbering the audience over the head and still maintain a sense of urgency and suspense . 
 " the time machine " is a movie that has no interest in itself . it doesn't believe in itself , it has no sense of humor…it's just plain bored . 
an endearingly offbeat romantic comedy with a great meet-cute gimmick . 
cube's charisma and chemistry compensate for corniness and cliche . 
technically , the film is about as interesting as an insurance commercial . 
this is lightweight filmmaking , to be sure , but it's pleasant enough -- and oozing with attractive men . 
 . . . unlikable , uninteresting , unfunny , and completely , utterly inept . 
except for paymer as the boss who ultimately expresses empathy for bartleby's pain , the performances are so stylized as to be drained of human emotion . 
it's tommy's job to clean the peep booths surrounding her , and after viewing this one , you'll feel like mopping up , too . 
sunk by way too much indulgence of scene-chewing , teeth-gnashing actorliness . 
it's a rosy coming-of-age romp that refuses to see the horror even in the severed heads from the guillotine . 
pacino is the best he's been in years and keener is marvelous . 
nearly manages to be what " blow " couldn't - a perpetual night party that generates a sick fascination to the bitter end . 
the result is solemn and horrifying , yet strangely detached . 
…an adorably whimsical comedy that deserves more than a passing twinkle . 
4 friends , 2 couples , 2000 miles , and all the pabst blue ribbon beer they can drink - it's the ultimate redneck road-trip . 
a selection of scenes in search of a movie . 
fontaine masterfully creates a portrait of two strong men in conflict , inextricably entwined through family history , each seeing himself in the other , neither liking what he sees . 
like leafing through an album of photos accompanied by the sketchiest of captions . 
frailty isn't as gory or explicit . but in its child-centered , claustrophobic context , it can be just as frightening and disturbing -- even punishing . 
i am more offended by his lack of faith in his audience than by anything on display here . 
girlfriends are bad , wives are worse and babies are the kiss of death in this bitter italian comedy . 
this 90-minute dud could pass for mike tyson's e ! true hollywood story . 
'lovely and amazing , ' unhappily , is neither . . . excessively strained and contrived . 
a stunning and informative nonfiction drama that looks at the arab-israel conflict from the mouths of babes . 
my little eye is the best little " horror " movie i've seen in years . 
when it comes to entertainment , children deserve better than pokemon 4ever . 
spy kids 2 also happens to be that rarity among sequels : it actually improves upon the original hit movie . 
snipes relies too much on a scorchingly plotted dramatic scenario for its own good . 
an artful yet depressing film that makes a melodramatic mountain out of the molehill of a missing bike . 
if you're not totally weirded- out by the notion of cinema as community-therapy spectacle , quitting hits home with disorienting force . 
laugh-out-loud lines , adorably ditsy but heartfelt performances , and sparkling , bittersweet dialogue that cuts to the chase of the modern girl's dilemma . 
it won't hold up over the long haul , but in the moment , finch's tale provides the forgettable pleasures of a saturday matinee . 
an essentially awkward version of the lightweight female empowerment picture we've been watching for decades
the new guy does have a heart . now , if it only had a brain . 
a breezy , diverting , conventional , well-acted tale of two men locked in an ongoing game of cat-and-cat . 
wedding feels a bit anachronistic . still , not every low-budget movie must be quirky or bleak , and a happy ending is no cinematic sin . 
audrey tatou has a knack for picking roles that magnify her outrageous charm , and in this literate french comedy , she's as morning-glory exuberant as she was in amélie . 
an affectionately goofy satire that's unafraid to throw elbows when necessary . . . 
visits spy-movie territory like a novel you can't put down , examines a footnote to history seldom brought to light on the screen , and keeps you guessing from first frame to last . 
the final result makes for adequate entertainment , i suppose , but anyone who has seen chicago on stage will leave the theater feeling they've watched nothing but a pale imitation of the real deal . 
so refreshingly incisive is grant that for the first time he'll probably appeal more to guys than to their girlfriends who drag them to this movie for the hugh factor . 
the last kiss will probably never achieve the popularity of my big fat greek wedding , but its provocative central wedding sequence has far more impact . 
the film contains no good jokes , no good scenes , barely a moment when carvey's saturday night live-honed mimicry rises above the level of embarrassment . 
an 83 minute document of a project which started in a muddle , seesawed back and forth between controlling interests multiple times , then found its sweet spot
basically a static series of semi-improvised ( and semi-coherent ) raps between the stars . 
forget the psychology 101 study of romantic obsession and just watch the procession of costumes in castles and this won't seem like such a bore . 
queen of the damned as you might have guessed , makes sorry use of aaliyah in her one and only starring role -- she does little here but point at things that explode into flame . 
without september 11 , collateral damage would have been just another bad movie . now it's a bad , embarrassing movie . 
as i settled into my world war ii memories , i found myself strangely moved by even the corniest and most hackneyed contrivances . 
there are moments of real pleasure to be found in sara sugarman's whimsical comedy very annie-mary but not enough to sustain the film . 
it wouldn't be my preferred way of spending 100 minutes or $7 . 00 . 
a sumptuous showcase for ian holm , who delivers not one but two great performances . 
despite its flaws , crazy as hell marks an encouraging new direction for la salle . 
here's yet another cool crime movie that actually manages to bring something new into the mix . 
while maintaining the appearance of clinical objectivity , this sad , occasionally horrifying but often inspiring film is among wiseman's warmest . 
the film has a few cute ideas and several modest chuckles but it isn't exactly kiddie-friendly… alas , santa is more ho-hum than ho-ho-ho and the snowman ( who never gets to play that flute ) has all the charm of a meltdown . 
davis . . . is so enamored of her own creation that she can't see how insufferable the character is . 
a muckraking job , the cinematic equivalent of a legal indictment , and a fairly effective one at that . 
 . . . [a] strained comedy that jettisons all opportunities for rock to make his mark by serving up the usual chaotic nonsense . 
kudos to this first-time feature director for braiding his insider experience into something quite singular . 
hawke draws out the best from his large cast in beautifully articulated portrayals that are subtle and so expressive they can sustain the poetic flights in burdette's dialogue . 
i'll go out on a limb . it isn't quite one of the worst movies of the year . it's just merely very bad . 
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 needn't waste their time on it . 
a film that will be best appreciated by those willing to endure its extremely languorous rhythms , waiting for happiness is ultimately thoughtful without having much dramatic impact . 
the journey is worth your time , especially if you have ellen pompeo sitting next to you for the ride . 
a lot more dimensional and complex than its sunny disposition would lead you to believe . 
jason patric and ray liotta make for one splendidly cast pair . 
on the bright side , it contains jesse ventura's best work since the xfl . 
wonder of wonders -- a teen movie with a humanistic message . 
alternately hilarious and sad , aggravating and soulful , scathing and joyous . it's a masterpeice . 
the movie itself is timeless and universal , at once artless and sophisticated in its ability to engross . 
captures that perverse element of the kafkaesque where identity , overnight , is robbed and replaced with a persecuted " other . " 
as with so many merchandised-to-the-max movies of this type , more time appears to have gone into recruiting the right bands for the playlist and the costuming of the stars than into the script , which has a handful of smart jokes and not much else . 
the film just might turn on many people to opera , in general , an art form at once visceral and spiritual , wonderfully vulgar and sublimely lofty -- and as emotionally grand as life . 
a film that's flawed and brilliant in equal measure . 
wins my vote for 'the 2002 enemy of cinema' award . 
so vivid a portrait of a woman consumed by lust and love and crushed by betrayal that it conjures up the intoxicating fumes and emotional ghosts of a freshly painted rembrandt . 
although dampened by intermittent preachiness and an unconvincingly pat and uplifting resolution . . . changing lanes nevertheless taps into emotions so convincing it elevates the movie above its own shortcomings . 
a film full of vivid characters , quiet beauty and gentle grace . 
everyone's insecure in lovely and amazing , a poignant and wryly amusing film about mothers , daughters and their relationships . 
a perfect example of rancid , well-intentioned , but shamelessly manipulative movie making . 
a dark , dull thriller with a parting shot that misfires . 
the film is darkly funny in its observation of just how much more grueling and time-consuming the illusion of work is than actual work . 
like the best of godard's movies . . . it is visually ravishing , penetrating , impenetrable . 
lanie's professional success means she must be a failure at life , because she's driven by ambition and doesn't know how to have fun . 
to the degree that ivans xtc . works , it's thanks to huston's revelatory performance . 
a story full of surprises , defined by the use of interesting camera utilization and visual motifs . 
i didn't believe for a moment in these villains or their plot . 
throwing caution to the wind with an invitation to the hedonist in us all , nair has constructed this motion picture in such a way that even the most cynical curmudgeon with find himself or herself smiling at one time or another . 
sandra bullock , despite downplaying her good looks , carries a little too much ain't- she-cute baggage into her lead role as a troubled and determined homicide cop to quite pull off the heavy stuff . 
the story . . . is inspiring , ironic , and revelatory of just how ridiculous and money-oriented the record industry really is . it is also a testament to the integrity and vision of the band . 
chalk it up to my adoration for both de niro and murphy , but i had a pretty good time with this movie - despite its myriad flaws . 
heartwarming and gently comic even as the film breaks your heart . 
a live-action cartoon , a fast-moving and cheerfully simplistic 88 minutes of exaggerated action put together with the preteen boy in mind . 
large budget notwithstanding , the movie is such a blip on the year's radar screen that it's tempting just to go with it for the ride . but this time , the old mib label stands for milder isn't better . 
it's exactly the kind of movie toback's detractors always accuse him of making . 
go for la salle's performance , and make do as best you can with a stuttering script . 
an exhaustive investigation into the roots and after-effects of the revolutions and counter-revolutions that rocked france , the u . s . , china , latin america and czechoslovakia in 1967 and 1968 . 
holland lets things peter out midway , but it's notably better acted -- and far less crass - than some other recent efforts in the burgeoning genre of films about black urban professionals . 
thankfully , the film , which skirts that rapidly deteriorating line between fantasy and reality . . . takes a tongue-in-cheek attitude even as it pushes the croc hunter agenda . 
the kind of movie that comes along only occasionally , one so unconventional , gutsy and perfectly executed it takes your breath away . 
the film provides some great insight into the neurotic mindset of all comics -- even those who have reached the absolute top of the game . 
sheridan had a wonderful account to work from , but , curiously , he waters it down , turning grit and vulnerability into light reading . 
the quality of schwentke's visuals . . . provides ample compensation . 
but buying into sham truths and routine " indie " filmmaking , freundlich has made just another safe movie . it's not horrible , just horribly mediocre . 
de niro may enjoy the same free ride from critics afforded to clint eastwood in the lazy bloodwork . but like bruce springsteen's gone-to-pot asbury park , new jersey , this sad-sack waste of a movie is a city of ruins . 
 . . . works on some levels and is certainly worth seeing at least once . 
scenes in which the band grooves with modern musicians montell jordan and joan osborne singing covers are spectacular . 
how inept is serving sara ? it makes even elizabeth hurley seem graceless and ugly . 
overcomes its visual hideousness with a sharp script and strong performances . 
the movie obviously seeks to re-create the excitement of such '50s flicks as jules verne's '20 , 000 leagues under the sea' and the george pal version of h . g . wells' 'the time machine . ' but its storytelling prowess and special effects are both listless . 
gooding is the energetic frontman , and it's hard to resist his enthusiasm , even if the filmmakers come up with nothing original in the way of slapstick sequences . 
nachtwey clears the cynicism right out of you . he makes you realize that deep inside righteousness can be found a tough beauty . 
ver wiel has concocted one of the most elaborately twisted , diverting caper films in years . 
the movie is dawn of the dead crossed with john carpenter's ghosts of mars , with zombies not as ghoulish as the first and trains not as big as the second . 
filmmaker tian zhuangzhuang triumphantly returns to narrative filmmaking with a visually masterful work of quiet power . 
the most brilliant work in this genre since the 1984 uncut version of sergio leone's flawed but staggering once upon a time in america . 
it works its magic with such exuberance and passion that the film's length becomes a part of its fun . 
labute's careful handling makes the material seem genuine rather than pandering . 
a full world has been presented onscreen , not some series of carefully structured plot points building to a pat resolution . 
this is cool , slick stuff , ready to quench the thirst of an audience that misses the summer blockbusters . 
a movie that will wear you out and make you misty even when you don't want to be . 
douglas mcgrath's nicholas nickleby does dickens as it should be done cinematically . 
 " argento splatters her colorful life on the screen like an adolescent's diary , trusting others to sort through the fascinating mess . " 
might be one of those vanity projects in which a renowned filmmaker attempts to show off his talent by surrounding himself with untalented people . 
may reawaken discussion of the kennedy assassination but this fictional film looks made for cable rather than for the big screen . 
family togetherness takes a back seat to inter-family rivalry and workplace ambition&#133 ; whole subplots have no explanation or even plot relevance . 
boll uses a lot of quick cutting and blurry step-printing to goose things up , but dopey dialogue and sometimes inadequate performances kill the effect . 
novak contemplates a heartland so overwhelmed by its lack of purpose that it seeks excitement in manufactured high drama . 
 . . . " bowling for columbine " remains a disquieting and thought-provoking film . . . 
even as i valiantly struggled to remain interested , or at least conscious , i could feel my eyelids . . . getting . . . very . . . heavy . . . 
if your taste runs to 'difficult' films you absolutely can't miss it . 
though it was made with careful attention to detail and is well-acted by james spader and maggie gyllenhaal , i felt disrespected . 
intriguing documentary which is emotionally diluted by focusing on the story's least interesting subject . 
the entire point of a shaggy dog story , of course , is that it goes nowhere , and this is classic nowheresville in every sense . 
it's a smart , solid , kinetically-charged spy flick worthy of a couple hours of summertime and a bucket of popcorn . nothing overly original , mind you , but solidly entertaining . 
crudup's screen presence is the one thing that holds interest in the midst of a mushy , existential exploration of why men leave their families . 
 . . . a good film that must have baffled the folks in the marketing department . 
a perfectly respectable , perfectly inoffensive , easily forgettable film . 
the film has a terrific look and salma hayek has a feel for the character at all stages of her life . 
hayek is stunning as frida and . . . a star-making project . 
femme fatale is not the director's best work ever , but it is as good as we've seen him be in much too long a time . 
it's crap on a leash--far too polite to scale the lunatic heights of joe dante's similarly styled gremlins . 
though frida is easier to swallow than julie taymor's preposterous titus , the eye candy here lacks considerable brio . 
the affectionate loopiness that once seemed congenital to demme's perspective has a tough time emerging from between the badly dated cutesy-pie mystery scenario and the newfangled hollywood post-production effects . 
in questioning the election process , payami graphically illustrates the problems of fledgling democracies , but also the strength and sense of freedom the iranian people already possess , with or without access to the ballot box . 
the wonderful combination of the sweetness and the extraordinary technical accomplishments of the first film are maintained , but its overall impact falls a little flat with a storyline that never quite delivers the original magic . 
unfortunately , a cast of competent performers from movies , television and the theater are cast adrift in various new york city locations with no unifying rhythm or visual style . 
leggy zeta-jones is so hot in the 'all that jazz' number , she's flammable . and zellweger defines delicious . 
oliveira trusts the intelligence of his audience . . . in the life of the city he suggests the ongoing life of humanity , the context in which individual mortality must be contemplated . 
we haven't seen such hilarity since say it isn't so ! 
lacks the inspiration of the original and has a bloated plot that stretches the running time about 10 minutes past a child's interest and an adult's patience . but it also has many of the things that made the first one charming . 
goes on and on to the point of nausea . 
if ocean's eleven was a high-priced banquet of popular guys toasting one another's hard-earned coolness in a pointless caper , full frontal is the after-party . 
rehearsals are frequently more fascinating than the results . last dance , whatever its flaws , fulfills one facet of its mission in making me want to find out whether , in this case , that's true . 
like vardalos and corbett , who play their roles with vibrant charm , the film , directed by joel zwick , is heartfelt and hilarious in ways you can't fake . 
a moving portrait of a man who has lost his place in the world . 
if a horror movie's primary goal is to frighten and disturb , then they works spectacularly well . . . a shiver-inducing , nerve-rattling ride . 
a gripping documentary about james nachtwey , a new yorker who's a longtime and much-honored chronicler of the world's misery . 
secret ballot is too contemplative to be really funny . 
' . . . young , savvy cinematic sensibility framed by the limitations of a conservative , unrelenting culture . '
this is a smart movie that knows its classical music , knows its freud and knows its sade . 
very well written and directed with brutal honesty and respect for its audience . 
it offers an important lesson about how a supposedly simple disagreement can get so far out of hand that lives are lost . 
a must for fans of british cinema , if only because so many titans of the industry are along for the ride . 
neil burger here succeeded in . . . making the mystery of four decades back the springboard for a more immediate mystery in the present . 
we get some truly unique character studies and a cross-section of americana that hollywood couldn't possibly fictionalize and be believed . 
likely to expertly drum up repressed teenage memories in any viewer . 
marker's incredible collection of newsreel footage -- tv footage from various countries , home movies and other celluloid wonders -- eventually shapes a scattered , pinwheel idea of the era's attitude . 
we've seen the hippie-turned-yuppie plot before , but there's an enthusiastic charm in <i ? fire that makes the formula fresh again . 
this is the kind of movie where the big scene is a man shot out of a cannon into a vat of ice cream . 
it tends to remind one of a really solid woody allen film , with its excellent use of new york locales and sharp writing
a gracefully acted , unsentimental , quite likable little coming-of-age movie . 
if you love reading and/or poetry , then by all means check it out . you'll probably love it . 
impostor has a handful of thrilling moments and a couple of good performances , but the movie doesn't quite fly . for starters , the story is just too slim . 
painful , horrifying and oppressively tragic , this film should not be missed . 
[o]ften a capable documentary on an interesting subject , even if it doesn't probe as deeply as it could . 
[w]hile long on amiable monkeys and worthy environmentalism , jane goodall's wild chimpanzees is short on the thrills the oversize medium demands . 
a fairly harmless but ultimately lifeless feature-length afterschool special . 
there are many things that solid acting can do for a movie , but crafting something promising from a mediocre screenplay is not one of them . 
a serious movie with serious ideas . but seriously , folks , it doesn't work . 
it's unnerving , stimulating , likely to provoke anger and sorrow on both political sides -- and , above all , it's extremely funny . 
the project honors [dickens'] passionate voice , and the strong ensemble cast sees us through a few tonal shifts . 
fessenden has nurtured his metaphors at the expense of his narrative , but he does display an original talent . 
it's still a comic book , but maguire makes it a comic book with soul . 
an inventive , absorbing movie that's as hard to classify as it is hard to resist . 
 . . . a fascinating curiosity piece -- fascinating , that is , for about ten minutes . after that it becomes long and tedious like a classroom play in a college history course . 
every moment crackles with tension , and by the end of the flick , you're on the edge of your seat . 
the parts are better than the whole ( bizarre , funny , tragic - like love in new york ) . 
by presenting an impossible romance in an impossible world , pumpkin dares us to say why either is impossible -- which forces us to confront what's possible and what we might do to make it so . 
even if you don't think [kissinger's] any more guilty of criminal activity than most contemporary statesmen , he'd sure make a courtroom trial great fun to watch . 
 . . . has a bit more going for it than just bikini babes and bitchin' waves . but the plot is ankle deep at best . 
unfortunately , it's also not very good . especially compared with the television series that inspired the movie . 
buy is an accomplished actress , and this is a big , juicy role . 
it's sweet , funny , charming , and completely delightful . 
the holes in this film remain agape -- holes punched through by an inconsistent , meandering , and sometimes dry plot . 
medem packs it with so much stunning , wildly colorful imagery -- and so much sex -- that it transfixes you even when you're not quite sure what's going on . 
highlighted by a gritty style and an excellent cast , it's better than one might expect when you look at the list of movies starring ice-t in a major role . 
despite the holes in the story and the somewhat predictable plot , moments of the movie caused me to jump in my chair . . . 
schefberg has the courage to make the story messily un-formulaic . 
the film's tone and pacing are off almost from the get-go . 
ofrece una buena oportunidad de cultura ( aunque sea condensada ) que bien vale la pena aprovechar . 
i felt sad for lise not so much because of what happens as because she was captured by this movie when she obviously belongs in something lighter and sunnier , by rohmer , for example . 
even before it builds up to its insanely staged ballroom scene , in which 3000 actors appear in full regalia , it's waltzed itself into the art film pantheon . 
wendigo wants to be a monster movie for the art-house crowd , but it falls into the trap of pretention almost every time . 
[næs] directed the stage version of elling , and gets fine performances from his two leads who originated the characters on stage . 
adaptation is intricately constructed and in a strange way nails all of orlean's themes without being a true adaptation of her book . 
what jackson has accomplished here is amazing on a technical level . 
a subtle , poignant picture of goodness that is flawed , compromised and sad . 
no amount of good acting is enough to save oleander's uninspired story . 
maybe it's the star power of the cast or the redundant messages , but something aboul " full frontal " seems , well , contrived . 
a different and emotionally reserved type of survival story -- a film less about refracting all of world war ii through the specific conditions of one man , and more about that man lost in its midst . 
this is human comedy at its most amusing , interesting and confirming . 
this slender plot feels especially thin stretched over the nearly 80-minute running time . 
if you saw benigni's pinocchio at a public park , you'd grab your kids and run and then probably call the police . 
a real step forward for the digital video revolution . 
more of the same from taiwanese auteur tsai ming-liang , which is good news to anyone who's fallen under the sweet , melancholy spell of this unique director's previous films . 
an extraordinary swedish film about the soul adventure of marriage -- the kind of intimate and character-driven film that bille august does best . 
just another combination of bad animation and mindless violence . . . lacking the slightest bit of wit or charm . 
kissing jessica stein is your standard romantic comedy , only better : twice the chicks and half the guys . 
the film is reasonably entertaining , though it begins to drag two-thirds through , when the melodramatic aspects start to overtake the comedy . 
the movie's major and most devastating flaw is its reliance on formula , though , and it's quite enough to lessen the overall impact the movie could have had . 
hard as this may be to believe , here on earth , a surprisingly similar teen drama , was a better film . 
this is as lax and limp a comedy as i've seen in a while , a meander through worn-out material . 
has enough gun battles and throwaway humor to cover up the yawning chasm where the plot should be . 
it's a subtle mood piece in which a man's collapse is examined so rigorously that one almost hopes for a murder to come along and break the tension . 
first-time writer-director serry shows a remarkable gift for storytelling with this moving , effective little film . 
the acting is just fine , but there's not enough substance here to sustain interest for the full 90 minutes , especially with the weak payoff . 
cassavetes thinks he's making dog day afternoon with a cause , but all he's done is to reduce everything he touches to a shrill , didactic cartoon . 
after all the big build-up , the payoff for the audience , as well as the characters , is messy , murky , unsatisfying . 
the sheer dumbness of the plot ( other than its one good idea ) and the movie's inescapable air of sleaziness get you down . 
the funny thing is , i didn't mind all this contrived nonsense a bit . 
[green is] the comedy equivalent of saddam hussein , and i'm just about ready to go to the u . n . and ask permission for a preemptive strike . 
it's hard to fairly judge a film like ringu when you've seen the remake first . many of the effective horror elements are dampened through familiarity , [yet] are worthwhile . 
despite cramming in numerous clichés , mehta still manages to put a fresh and funny spin on the proceedings . 
it's the kind of movie you can't quite recommend because it is all windup and not much of a pitch , yet you can't bring yourself to dislike it . 
skin of man gets a few cheap shocks from its kids-in-peril theatrics , but it also taps into the primal fears of young people trying to cope with the mysterious and brutal nature of adults . 
although the level of the comedy declines as the movie proceeds , there's no denying the fun of watching de niro and crystal having fun . 
an ambitious , serious film that manages to do virtually everything wrong ; sitting through it is something akin to an act of cinematic penance . 
this is an ungainly movie , ill-fitting , with its elbows sticking out where the knees should be . 
borrows from other movies like it in the most ordinary and obvious fashion . 
when the movie mixes the cornpone and the cosa nostra , it finds a nice rhythm . 
if you love the music , and i do , its hard to imagine having more fun watching a documentary . . . 
hollywood ending is not show-stoppingly hilarious , but scathingly witty nonetheless . 
no amount of nostalgia for carvey's glory days can disguise the fact that the new film is a lame kiddie flick and that carvey's considerable talents are wasted in it . 
none of these characters resembles anyone you've ever met in real life , unless you happen to know annoyingly self-involved people who speak in glib sentences that could have only come from the pen of a screenwriter . 
by turns whimsical and absurdist , babek payami's secret ballot is a slight but likable iranian film with the flavor of a shaggy-dog story conceived by samuel beckett and directed by jim jarmusch . 
if you're not the target demographic . . . this movie is one long chick-flick slog . 
vividly conveys the shadow side of the 30-year friendship between two english women . 
would be an unendurable viewing experience for this ultra-provincial new yorker if 26-year-old reese witherspoon were not on hand to inject her pure fantasy character , melanie carmichael , with a massive infusion of old-fashioned hollywood magic . 
although sensitive to a fault , it's often overwritten , with a surfeit of weighty revelations , flowery dialogue , and nostalgia for the past and roads not taken . 
a fascinating , unnerving examination of the delusions of one unstable man . 
it irritates and saddens me that martin lawrence's latest vehicle can explode obnoxiously into 2 , 500 screens while something of bubba ho-tep's clearly evident quality may end up languishing on a shelf somewhere . 
 . . . a trashy little bit of fluff stuffed with enjoyable performances and a bewildering sense of self-importance
 . . . best seen as speculative history , as much an exploration of the paranoid impulse as a creative sequel to the warren report . 
what's most refreshing about real women have curves is its unforced comedy-drama and its relaxed , natural-seeming actors . 
francophiles will snicker knowingly and you'll want to slap them . 
tony gayton's script doesn't give us anything we haven't seen before , but director d . j . caruso's grimy visual veneer and kilmer's absorbing performance increase the gravitational pull considerably . 
sandler , in trusting his director , gives a performance that declares the star a genuinely fine actor . 
they ought to be a whole lot scarier than they are in this tepid genre offering . 
they threw loads of money at an idea that should've been so much more even if it was only made for teenage boys and wrestling fans . 
kiarostami has crafted a deceptively casual ode to children and managed to convey a tiny sense of hope . 
as if trying to grab a lump of play-doh , the harder that liman tries to squeeze his story , the more details slip out between his fingers . 
having had the good sense to cast actors who are , generally speaking , adored by the movie-going public , khouri then gets terrific performances from them all . 
my oh my , is this an invigorating , electric movie . 
 . . . pays tribute to heroes the way julia roberts hands out awards--with phony humility barely camouflaging grotesque narcissism . 
fontaine indulges her signature style , creating a carefully measured film -- the kind whose impact slowly sneaks up on its audience and haunts them long after leaving the theatre . 
from spiritual rebirth to bruising defeat , vincent's odyssey resonates in a profound way , comparable to the classic films of jean renoir . 
it's a terrible movie in every regard , and utterly painful to watch . 
despite its dry wit and compassion , the film suffers from a philosophical emptiness and maddeningly sedate pacing . 
there are things to like about murder by numbers -- but , in the end , the disparate elements don't gel . 
 . . . a fairly disposable yet still entertaining b picture . 
one can't shake the feeling that crossroads is nothing more than an hour-and-a-half-long commercial for britney's latest album . 
it's not particularly subtle . . . however , it still manages to build to a terrifying , if obvious , conclusion . 
photographed with melancholy richness and eloquently performed yet also decidedly uncinematic . 
does anyone much think the central story of brendan behan is that he was a bisexual sweetheart before he took to drink ? 
here's my advice , kev . start reading your scripts before signing that dotted line . 
schaeffer has to find some hook on which to hang his persistently useless movies , and it might as well be the resuscitation of the middle-aged character . 
the backyard battles you staged with your green plastic army men were more exciting and almost certainly made more sense . 
watching e . t now , in an era dominated by cold , loud special-effects-laden extravaganzas , one is struck less by its lavish grandeur than by its intimacy and precision . 
borstal boy represents the worst kind of filmmaking , the kind that pretends to be passionate and truthful but is really frustratingly timid and soggy . 
lee's achievement extends to his supple understanding of the role that brown played in american culture as an athlete , a movie star , and an image of black indomitability . 
[aniston is] so good , she manages to overcome the occasional nuggets of preciousness and self-consciousness in the story . 
attal pushes too hard to make this a comedy or serious drama . he seems to want both , but succeeds in making neither . 
this is a rare twisted crowd-pleaser for longtime fans as well as novices -- or for those that don't know an arachnid from an insect . 
 in its own remarkable and unshowy way , this movie is truly about how sept . 11 seemed to equalize and unite new yorkers across imaginary barriers of class and lifestyle . 
a movie that can't get sufficient distance from leroy's delusions to escape their maudlin influence . 
the director seems to take an unseemly pleasure in [the characters'] misery and at the same time to congratulate himself for having the guts to confront it . 
the film thrusts the inchoate but already eldritch christian right propaganda machine into national media circles . 
an excellent date movie , because you and your date will likely be clinging on to each other within 10 minutes . 
a historical epic with the courage of its convictions about both scope and detail . 
miller comes at film with bracing intelligence and a vision both painterly and literary . 
not too far below the gloss you can still feel director denis villeneuve's beating heart and the fondness he has for his characters . 
oh come on . like you couldn't smell this turkey rotting from miles away . 
a perfectly acceptable , perfectly bland , competently acted but by no means scary horror movie . 
ice cube holds the film together with an engaging and warm performance . . . 
there are cheesy backdrops , ridiculous action sequences , and many tired jokes about men in heels . 
watching living actors interact against the lush , studied inertia of the backdrops gives us the impression of history come to life , or statues magically transformed into living creatures . 
it's as if a bored cage spent the duration of the film's shooting schedule waiting to scream : " got aids yet ? " 
never rising above routine episodic storytelling , white oleander nonetheless retains something of its source novel's ravaged emotional surface and cool , observant manner . 
has the rare capability to soothe and break your heart with a single stroke . 
although disney follows its standard formula in this animated adventure , it feels more forced than usual . 
ramsay is clearly extraordinarily talented , and based on three short films and two features , here's betting her third feature will be something to behold . 
 . . . a light , yet engrossing piece . lux , now in her eighties , does a great combination act as narrator , jewish grandmother and subject – taking us through a film that is part biography , part entertainment and part history . 
even through its flaws , revolution #9 proves to be a compelling , interestingly told film . 
handsome and sincere but slightly awkward in its combination of entertainment and evangelical boosterism . 
<em>the crocodile hunter : collision course</em> is one of the most unusual movies i've ever seen , but it remains faithful to irwin's appeal , and therefore it works . 
for a movie about the power of poetry and passion , there is precious little of either . 
the jokes are telegraphed so far in advance they must have been lost in the mail . 
if you value your time and money , find an escape clause and avoid seeing this trite , predictable rehash . 
for all its failed connections , divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood is nurturing , in a gauzy , dithering way . 
a shrewd and splendidly volatile b movie structured around a highly original gambit of suspense . 
the cynicism is colossal , the casting superb : norton may be the only actor alive who could pull off a character like sherman , without making him either an idiot or a parody . 
gambling and throwing a basketball game for money isn't a new plot -- in fact toback himself used it in black and white . but toback's deranged immediacy makes it seem fresh again . 
is truth stranger than fiction ? in [screenwriter] charlie kaufman's world , truth and fiction are equally strange , and his for the taking . 
belleza , magia , poder , amor , misterio , y gran gran música y visuales . . . ¿qué más se puede pedir ? . . . 
the trappings of i spy are so familiar you might as well be watching a rerun . 
essentially , the film is weak on detail and strong on personality
if the very concept makes you nervous . . . you'll have an idea of the film's creepy , scary effectiveness . 
the first half is a hilariously on-target send-up of " barbarella " -style flicks and the larger-than-life egos that propelled them , the second half is a ponderously self-absorbed meditation on the angst of a budding artiste . 
the longer version may be truer to tornatore's tripartite vision--and less simply cloying and calculated--but ultimately it's also less coherent and emotionally satisfying . 
'cq may one day be fondly remembered as roman coppola's brief pretentious period before going on to other films that actually tell a story worth caring about
the combination of lightness and strictness in this instance gives italian for beginners an amiable aimlessness that keeps it from seeming predictably formulaic . 
this loud and thoroughly obnoxious comedy about a pair of squabbling working-class spouses is a deeply unpleasant experience . 
as it abruptly crosscuts among the five friends , it fails to lend the characters' individual stories enough dramatic resonance to make us care about them . 
this is a startling film that gives you a fascinating , albeit depressing view of iranian rural life close to the iraqi border . 
as with too many studio pics , plot mechanics get in the way of what should be the lighter-than-air adventure . 
tim allen is great in his role but never hogs the scenes from his fellow cast , as there are plenty of laughs and good lines for everyone in this comedy . 
glib , satirical documentary that fudges facts , makes facile points and engages in the cinematic equivalent of tabloid journalism . 
chicago glorifies murder , glamorizes sex & death -- in other words it is just right for today's unsunny times . 
well cast and well directed - a powerful drama with enough sardonic wit to keep it from being maudlin . 
a classy item by a legend who may have nothing left to prove but still has the chops and drive to show how its done . 
it's one heck of a character study -- not of hearst or davies but of the unique relationship between them . 
every joke is repeated at least four times . every joke is repeated at least four times . every joke is repeated at least--annoying , isn't it ? 
an unpredictable blend of gal-pal smart talk , romantic comedy and dark tragedy that bites off considerably more than writer/director john mckay can swallow . 
bella is the picture of health with boundless energy until a few days before she dies . this is absolutely and completely ridiculous and an insult to every family whose mother has suffered through the horrible pains of a death by cancer . 
 . . . ambition is in short supply in the cinema , and egoyan tackles his themes and explores his characters' crises with seriousness and compassion . 
for the most part , the film does hold up pretty well . 
only the charm and attractiveness of the cast keeps this movie from the remainder bin . 
in a season of strenuously ambitious art , the laid-back modesty and accessible charm of evelyn is a welcome relief . 
it is life affirming and heartbreaking , sweet without the decay factor , funny and sad . 
it's like a rap rashomon . there's a million different stories here . 
perfectly enjoyable , instantly forgettable , nothing to write home about . 
a spiffy animated feature about an unruly adolescent boy who is yearning for adventure and a chance to prove his worth . 
move over bond ; this girl deserves a sequel . 
 " the dangerous lives of altar boys " has flaws , but it also has humor and heart and very talented young actors
late marriage is an in-your-face family drama and black comedy that is filled with raw emotions conveying despair and love . 
nair doesn't treat the issues lightly . she allows each character to confront their problems openly and honestly . 
a sexy , surprising romance . . . idemoto and kim make a gorgeous pair . . . their scenes brim with sexual possibility and emotional danger . 
an experience so engrossing it is like being buried in a new environment . 
the careful compositions in the taiwanese what time is it there ? give us plenty of time to search for meaning and to wonder what the movie is trying to say . 
in its ragged , cheap and unassuming way , the movie works . 
the respective charms of sandra bullock and hugh grant have worn threadbare . 
moody , heartbreaking , and filmed in a natural , unforced style that makes its characters seem entirely convincing even when its script is not . 
this overproduced and generally disappointing effort isn't likely to rouse the rush hour crowd . 
windtalkers blows this way and that , but there's no mistaking the filmmaker in the tall grass , true to himself . 
a solid piece of journalistic work that draws a picture of a man for whom political expedience became a deadly foreign policy . 
the rich performances by friel -- and especially williams , an american actress who becomes fully english -- round out the square edges . 
it's hard to quibble with a flick boasting this many genuine cackles , but notorious c . h . o . still feels like a promising work-in-progress . 
will grab your children by the imagination and amaze them and amuse them . 
the pleasures that it does afford may be enough to keep many moviegoers occupied amidst some of the more serious-minded concerns of other year-end movies . 
less an examination of neo-nazism than a probe into the nature of faith itself . 
the splendid ensemble cast inhabits these unglamorous roles with quiet gusto . 
i'd watch these two together again in a new york minute . 
trivial where it should be profound , and hyper-cliched where it should be sincere . 
hawn lets it all hang out in this film and i have to admire her guts . sarandon is equally bold and daring in her portrayal of a woman who has lost her way in a closet full of beige suits . 
an incoherent jumble of a film that's rarely as entertaining as it could have been . 
parker cannot sustain the buoyant energy level of the film's city beginnings into its country conclusion
offers a pleasant , challenging and quirky puzzle well worth working out . 
even on those rare occasions when the narrator stops yammering , miller's hand often feels unsure . 
 . . . there are enough moments of heartbreaking honesty to keep one glued to the screen . 
in a big corner office in hell , satan is throwing up his hands in surrender , is firing his r&d people , and has decided he will just screen the master of disguise 24/7 . 
as the empire strikes back was to star wars , so harry potter and the chamber of secrets is to last year's freshman introduction . in short , it's bigger and better . 
not for the prurient or squeamish , it's a daring if overlong examination of an idolized culture , self-loathing and sexual politics . 
a heartening tale of small victories and enduring hope . 
it's the type of film about growing up that we don't see often enough these days : realistic , urgent , and not sugarcoated in the least . 
[drumline] is entertaining for what it does , and admirable for what it doesn't do . 
the members manage to pronounce kok exactly as you think they might , thus giving the cast ample opportunity to use that term as often as possible . it's very beavis and butthead , yet always seems to elicit a chuckle . 
despite some gulps the film is a fuzzy huggy . 
j-lo strikes back in a tense and thrilling revenge flick with the best fight scene so far this year . but i couldn't help feeling guilty over my delight at the brutal way 'enough' ended . 
an entertaining , if somewhat standardized , action movie . 
remove spider-man the movie from its red herring surroundings and it's apparent that this is one summer film that satisfies . 
it's a much more emotional journey than what shyamalan has given us in his past two movies , and gibson , stepping in for bruce willis , is the perfect actor to take us on the trip . 
i don't know if frailty will turn bill paxton into an a-list director , but he can rest contentedly with the knowledge that he's made at least one damn fine horror movie . 
adam sandler's heart may be in the right place , but he needs to pull his head out of his butt
if ever a concept came handed down from the movie gods on a silver platter , this is it . if ever such a dependable concept was botched in execution , this is it . 
it's a great deal of sizzle and very little steak . but what spectacular sizzle it is ! . . . in this incarnation its fizz is infectious . 
in a movie full of surprises , the biggest is that secret ballot is a comedy , both gentle and biting . 
only an epic documentary could get it all down , and spike lee's jim brown : all american at long last gives its subject a movie worthy of his talents . 
set in a 1986 harlem that doesn't look much like anywhere in new york . 
the film runs on a little longer than it needs to -- muccino either doesn't notice when his story ends or just can't tear himself away from the characters -- but it's smooth and professional . 
a well-done film of a self-reflexive , philosophical nature . 
a composition of gestures stripped of romance and presented in their barest forms . 
best of all is garcia , who perfectly portrays the desperation of a very insecure man . 
his best film remains his shortest , the hole , which makes many of the points that this film does but feels less repetitive . 
[the film] tackles the topic of relationships in such a straightforward , emotionally honest manner that by the end , it's impossible to ascertain whether the film is , at its core , deeply pessimistic or quietly hopeful . 
a thoroughly awful movie--dumb , narratively chaotic , visually sloppy . . . a weird amalgam of 'the thing' and a geriatric 'scream . '
harry potter and the chamber of secrets is deja vu all over again , and while that is a cliche , nothing could be more appropriate . it's likely that whatever you thought of the first production -- pro or con -- you'll likely think of this one . 
it's a pleasure to see seinfeld griping about the biz with buddies chris rock , garry shandling and colin quinn . 
how often do you see a movie about a subject that truly frightens you ? 
following ram dass down from his pedestal gives mr . lemle a way into his subject that will compel the viewer . 
what's most memorable about circuit is that it's shot on digital video , whose tiny camera enables shafer to navigate spaces both large . . . and small . . . with considerable aplomb . 
the sound of ma's cello alone is reason not to miss naqoyqatsi . 
handled correctly , wilde's play is a masterpiece of elegant wit and artifice . here , alas , it collapses like an overcooked soufflé . 
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 . 
despite slick production values and director roger michell's tick-tock pacing , the final effect is like having two guys yelling in your face for two hours . 
this is the kind of subject matter that could so easily have been fumbled by a lesser filmmaker , but ayres makes the right choices at every turn . 
everything you loved about it in 1982 is still there , for everybody who wants to be a kid again , or show it to their own kids . 
a special kind of movie , this melancholic film noir reminded me a lot of memento . . . 
this is a heartfelt mea culpa -- which gives paid in full much of its unexpected emotional power . 
a fascinating documentary that provides a rounded and revealing overview of this ancient holistic healing system
 . . . once the true impact of the day unfolds , the power of this movie is undeniable . 
the good girl is a film in which the talent is undeniable but the results are underwhelming . 
although trying to balance self-referential humor and a normal ol' slasher plot seemed like a decent endeavor , the result doesn't fully satisfy either the die-hard jason fans or those who can take a good joke . 
the chateau belongs to rudd , whose portrait of a therapy-dependent flakeball spouting french malapropisms . . . is a nonstop hoot . 
a zombie movie in every sense of the word--mindless , lifeless , meandering , loud , painful , obnoxious . 
being a sayles film , this has a way of looking at things with more patience and maturity than a plot summary might lead us to expect . 
just entertaining enough not to hate , too mediocre to love . 
an entertaining documentary that freshly considers arguments the bard's immortal plays were written by somebody else . 
 . . . captures the pain and desperation of adolescent powerlessness and humiliation with powerful intimacy . . . 
this time , the hype is quieter , and while the movie is slightly less successful than the first , it's still a rollicking good time for the most part . 
miyazaki is one of world cinema's most wondrously gifted artists and storytellers . 
watching beanie and his gang put together his slasher video from spare parts and borrowed materials is as much fun as it must have been for them to make it . 
a static and sugary little half-hour , after-school special about interfaith understanding , stretched out to 90 minutes . 
talk to her is not the perfect movie many have made it out to be , but it's still quite worth seeing . 
this director's cut -- which adds 51 minutes -- takes a great film and turns it into a mundane soap opera . 
sinks so low in a poorly played game of absurd plot twists , idiotic court maneuvers and stupid characters that even freeman can't save it . 
though excessively tiresome , the uncertainty principle , as verbally pretentious as the title may be , has its handful of redeeming features , as long as you discount its ability to bore . 
read my lips is to be viewed and treasured for its extraordinary intelligence and originality as well as its lyrical variations on the game of love . 
wimps out by going for that pg-13 rating , so the more graphic violence is mostly off-screen and the sexuality is muted . 
it cuts to the core of what it actually means to face your fears , to be a girl in a world of boys , to be a boy truly in love with a girl , and to ride the big metaphorical wave that is life -- wherever it takes you . 
the reason this picture works better than its predecessors is that myers is no longer simply spoofing the mini-mod-madness of '60s spy movies . 
yes , mibii is rote work and predictable , but with a philosophical visual coming right at the end that extravagantly redeems it . 
there is a real subject here , and it is handled with intelligence and care . 
the action sequences are fun and reminiscent of combat scenes from the star wars series . 
 . . . begins on a high note and sustains it beautifully . 
viewers of barney's crushingly self-indulgent spectacle will see nothing in it to match the ordeal of sitting through it . 
the kind of history lesson that you wouldn't mind seeing again and again , no matter the format . 
to portray modern women the way director davis has done is just unthinkable . 
just as the recent argentine film son of the bride reminded us that a feel-good movie can still show real heart , time of favor presents us with an action movie that actually has a brain . 
the filmmakers skillfully evoke the sense of menace that nature holds for many urban dwellers . 
rarely does such high-profile talent serve such literate material . 
writhing under dialogue like 'you're from two different worlds' and 'tonight the maid is a lie and this , this is who you are , ' this schlock-filled fairy tale hits new depths of unoriginality and predictability . 
it questions whether we really live in a world that can be divided neatly into black hats and white hats . and anyway , it wonders , is the guy in the black hat always wrong ? 
it manages to squeeze by on angelina jolie's surprising flair for self-deprecating comedy . 
what the film lacks in general focus it makes up for in compassion , as corcuera manages to find the seeds of hope in the form of collective action . 
the film is like sitting in a downtown café , overhearing a bunch of typical late-twenty-somethings natter on about nothing , and desperately wishing you could change tables . 
this is an action movie with an action icon who's been all but decommissioned . 
this may be burns's strongest film since the brothers mcmullen . 
feels like a cold old man going through the motions . 
there's not a fresh idea at the core of this tale . 
turns out to be a nifty swashbuckler whose plot easily could have been lifted from a number of douglas fairbanks silent pictures . 
manages to accomplish what few sequels can -- it equals the original and in some ways even betters it . 
you can sip your vintage wines and watch your merchant ivory productions ; i'll settle for a nice cool glass of iced tea and a jerry bruckheimer flick any day of the week . 
watching this film , one is left with the inescapable conclusion that hitchens' obsession with kissinger is , at bottom , a sophisticated flower child's desire to purge the world of the tooth and claw of human power . 
the film presents a brief but intriguing biography of its subject . 
a puzzle whose pieces do not fit . some are fascinating and others are not , and in the end , it is almost a good movie . 
the most excruciating 86 minutes one might sit through this summer that do not involve a dentist drill . 
despite the opulent lushness of every scene , the characters never seem to match the power of their surroundings . 
a byzantine melodrama that stimulates the higher brain functions as well as the libido . 
payami tries to raise some serious issues about iran's electoral process , but the result is a film that's about as subtle as a party political broadcast . 
as exciting as all this exoticism might sound to the typical pax viewer , the rest of us will be lulled into a coma . 
the color sense of stuart little 2 is its most immediate and most obvious pleasure , but it would count for very little if the movie weren't as beautifully shaped and as delicately calibrated in tone as it is . 
bennett's dramatization of her personal descent into post-breakup perdition has a morbid appeal that's tough to shake . 
it's plotless , shapeless -- and yet , it must be admitted , not entirely humorless . indeed , the more outrageous bits achieve a shock-you-into-laughter intensity of almost dadaist proportions . 
the only question . . . is to determine how well the schmaltz is manufactured -- to assess the quality of the manipulative engineering . average , at best , i'm afraid . 
long before it's over , you'll be thinking of 51 ways to leave this loser . 
culkin , who's in virtually every scene , shines as a young man who uses sarcastic lies like a shield . 
crush could be the worst film a man has made about women since valley of the dolls . 
bernal's transformation from naive priest to tortured adulterer to hard-nosed careerist is riveting . 
enigma looks great , has solid acting and a neat premise . yet why it fails is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma . 
though there are many tense scenes in trapped , they prove more distressing than suspenseful . 
the scorpion king is more fun than conan the barbarian . 
more of an intriguing curiosity than a gripping thriller . 
it's burns' visuals , characters and his punchy dialogue , not his plot , that carry waydowntown . 
see clockstoppers if you have nothing better to do with 94 minutes . but be warned , you too may feel time has decided to stand still . or that the battery on your watch has died . 
shows that jackie chan is getting older , and that's something i would rather live in denial about
guy gets girl , guy loses girl , audience falls asleep . 
craig bartlett and director tuck tucker should be commended for illustrating the merits of fighting hard for something that really matters . 
stripped almost entirely of such tools as nudity , profanity and violence , labute does manage to make a few points about modern man and his problematic quest for human connection . 
 . . . very funny , very enjoyable . . . 
a pleasant ramble through the sort of idoosyncratic terrain that errol morris has often dealt with . . . it does possess a loose , lackadaisical charm . 
we become complicit in our own seduction : we willingly let bielinsky manipulate us . 
visually engrossing , seldom hammy , honorably mexican and burns its kahlories with conviction . 
the imax screen enhances the personal touch of manual animation . 
it's a glorious groove that leaves you wanting more . 
red dragon is less baroque and showy than hannibal , and less emotionally affecting than silence . but , like silence , it's a movie that gets under your skin . 
his comedy premises are often hackneyed or just plain crude , calculated to provoke shocked laughter , without following up on a deeper level . 
so unassuming and pure of heart , you can't help but warmly extend your arms and yell 'safe ! '
shot like a postcard and overacted with all the boozy self-indulgence that brings out the worst in otherwise talented actors . . . 
'ejemplo de una cinta en que no importa el talento de su reparto o lo interesante que pudo haber resultado su premisa , pues el resultado es francamente aburrido y , por momentos , deplorable . '
some motion pictures portray ultimate passion ; others create ultimate thrills . men in black ii achieves ultimate insignificance -- it's the sci-fi comedy spectacle as whiffle-ball epic . 
one of those rare films that seems as though it was written for no one , but somehow manages to convince almost everyone that it was put on the screen , just for them . 
a cautionary tale about the folly of superficiality that is itself endlessly superficial . 
if [jaglom's] latest effort is not the director at his most sparkling , some of its repartee is still worth hearing . 
not only is it a charming , funny and beautifully crafted import , it uses very little dialogue , making it relatively effortless to read and follow the action at the same time . 
terminally bland , painfully slow and needlessly confusing . . . the movie , shot on digital videotape rather than film , is frequently indecipherable . 
one of the pleasures in walter's documentary . . . is the parade of veteran painters , confounded dealers , and miscellaneous bohos who expound upon the subject's mysterious personality without ever explaining him . 
if you're over 25 , have an iq over 90 , and have a driver's license , you should be able to find better entertainment . 
a thriller with an edge -- which is to say that it doesn't follow the stale , standard , connect-the-dots storyline which has become commonplace in movies that explore the seamy underbelly of the criminal world . 
spousal abuse is a major problem in contemporary society , but the film reduces this domestic tragedy to florid melodrama . 
director yu seems far more interested in gross-out humor than in showing us well-thought stunts or a car chase that we haven't seen 10 , 000 times . 
a film that loses sight of its own story . 
astonishingly skillful and moving . . . it could become a historically significant work as well as a masterfully made one . 
leigh is one of the rare directors who feels acting is the heart and soul of cinema . he allows his cast members to make creative contributions to the story and dialogue . this method almost never fails him , and it works superbly here . 
its scenes and sensibility are all more than familiar , but it exudes a kind of nostalgic spy-movie charm and , at the same time , is so fresh and free of the usual thriller nonsense that it all seems to be happening for the first time . 
the movie's seams may show . . . but pellington gives " mothman " an irresistibly uncanny ambience that goes a long way toward keeping the picture compelling . 
the rare movie that's as crisp and to the point as the novel on which it's based . 
a highly spirited , imaginative kid's movie that broaches neo-augustinian theology : is god stuck in heaven because he's afraid of his best-known creation ? 
it's just hard to believe that a life like this can sound so dull . 
both lead performances are oscar-size . quaid is utterly fearless as the tortured husband living a painful lie , and moore wonderfully underplays the long-suffering heroine with an unflappable '50s dignity somewhere between jane wyman and june cleaver . 
the gags that fly at such a furiously funny pace that the only rip off that we were aware of was the one we felt when the movie ended so damned soon . 
a playful iranian parable about openness , particularly the need for people of diverse political perspectives to get along despite their ideological differences . 
muccino , who directed from his own screenplay , is a canny crowd pleaser , and the last kiss . . . provides more than enough sentimental catharsis for a satisfying evening at the multiplex . 
 . . . while dark water isn't a complete wash ( no pun intended ) , watched side-by-side with ringu , it ultimately comes off as a pale successor . 
unless you're a fanatic , the best advice is : 'scooby' don't . 
this film was made by and for those folks who collect the serial killer cards and are fascinated by the mere suggestion of serial killers . for the rest of us , sitting through dahmer's two hours amounts to little more than punishment . 
for the first time in several years , mr . allen has surpassed himself with the magic he's spun with the hollywood empress of ms . leoni's ellie . 
 " frida " is a good film that has some brilliant moments of artistry throughout . 
writer/director david caesar ladles on the local flavour with a hugely enjoyable film about changing times , clashing cultures and the pleasures of a well-made pizza . 
by the time its otherwise paint-by-numbers story reaches a finale , drumline has made band seem cool -- no small feat in the wake of american pie 2 . 
will anyone who isn't a fangoria subscriber be excited that it hasn't gone straight to video ? 
sean penn , you owe nicolas cage an apology . 
gorgeous to look at but insufferably tedious and turgid . . . a curiously constricted epic . 
 . . . its stupidities wind up sticking in one's mind a lot more than the cool bits . 
the movie suffers from two fatal ailments -- a dearth of vitality and a story that's shapeless and uninflected . 
it plods along methodically , somehow under the assumption that its " dead wife communicating from beyond the grave " framework is even remotely new or interesting . 
while tattoo borrows heavily from both seven and the silence of the lambs , it manages to maintain both a level of sophisticated intrigue and human-scale characters that suck the audience in . 
the first mistake , i suspect , is casting shatner as a legendary professor and kunis as a brilliant college student--where's pauly shore as the rocket scientist ? 
though frodo's quest remains unfulfilled , a hardy group of determined new zealanders has proved its creative mettle . 
a 93-minute condensation of a 26-episode tv series , with all of the pitfalls of such you'd expect . 
performances all around are tops , with the two leads delivering oscar-caliber performances . 
never does " lilo & stitch " reach the emotion or timelessness of disney's great past , or even that of more recent successes such as " mulan " or " tarzan . " 
this is dicaprio's best performance in anything ever , and easily the most watchable film of the year . 
like other almodóvar films , it delights in its scandals . but its sensitivities are extravagant , which means it's one of the most beautiful black comedies ever made . 
it's not going to be everyone's bag of popcorn , but it definitely gives you something to chew on . 
shot perhaps 'artistically' with handheld cameras and apparently no movie lights by joaquin baca-asay , the low-budget production swings annoyingly between vertigo and opacity . 
any intellectual arguments being made about the nature of god are framed in a drama so clumsy , there is a real danger less sophisticated audiences will mistake it for an endorsement of the very things that bean abhors . 
[dong] makes a valiant effort to understand everyone's point of view , and he does such a good job of it that family fundamentals gets you riled up . 
whether or not ram dass proves as clear and reliable an authority on that as he was about inner consciousness , fierce grace reassures us that he will once again be an honest and loving one . 
more concerned with overall feelings , broader ideas , and open-ended questions than concrete story and definitive answers , soderbergh's solaris is a gorgeous and deceptively minimalist cinematic tone poem . 
before it takes a sudden turn and devolves into a bizarre sort of romantic comedy , steven shainberg's adaptation of mary gaitskill's harrowing short story . . . is a brilliantly played , deeply unsettling experience . 
a bittersweet contemporary comedy about benevolent deception , which , while it may not rival the filmmaker's period pieces , is still very much worth seeing . 
 . . . a visually seductive , unrepentantly trashy take on rice's second installment of her vampire chronicles . 
about schmidt is undoubtedly one of the finest films of the year . if you're not deeply touched by this movie , check your pulse . 
perceptive in its vision of nascent industrialized world politics as a new art form , but far too clunky , didactic and saddled with scenes that seem simply an ill fit for this movie . 
who , exactly , is fighting whom here ? ah , yes , that would be me : fighting off the urge to doze . 
manages in two minutes what malcolm lee's cousin spike's bamboozled couldn't in over two hours . 
there's a fine chemistry of contrasts between lau's exuberance and the quiet , slow-burning intensity takashi sorimachi brings to his role . 
what might have been acceptable on the printed page of iles' book does not translate well to the screen . 
triple x is a double agent , and he's one bad dude . when you've got the wildly popular vin diesel in the equation , it adds up to big box office bucks all but guaranteed . 
[kline's] utterly convincing -- and deeply appealing -- as a noble teacher who embraces a strict moral code , and as a flawed human being who can't quite live up to it . 
once the downward spiral comes to pass , auto focus bears out as your typical junkie opera . . . 
this is a movie that made me smile for two hours straight . 
told in scattered fashion , the movie only intermittently lives up to the stories and faces and music of the men who are its subject . 
if you thought tom hanks was just an ordinary big-screen star , wait until you've seen him eight stories tall . 
what full frontal lacks in thematic coherence it largely makes up for as loosey-goosey , experimental entertainment . still , i'm not quite sure what the point is…
a picture that extols the virtues of comradeship and community in a spunky , spirited fashion . 
scooby doo is surely everything its fans are hoping it will be , and in that sense is a movie that deserves recommendation . 
the irwins emerge unscathed , but the fictional footage is unconvincing and criminally badly acted . 
we can't accuse kung pow for misfiring , since it is exactly what it wants to be : an atrociously , mind-numbingly , indescribably bad movie . unfortunately , we'd prefer a simple misfire . 
this time out , [sade] is an unsettlingly familiar figure -- in turns loyal and deceitful , responsible and reckless , idealistically selfless and coldly self-interested . 
nothing can detract from the affection of that moral favorite : friends will be friends through thick and thin . 
while [hill] has learned new tricks , the tricks alone are not enough to salvage this lifeless boxing film . 
too stagey , talky -- and long -- for its own good . 
armed with a game supporting cast , from the pitch-perfect forster to the always hilarious meara and levy , like mike shoots and scores , doing its namesake proud . 
the big-screen scooby makes the silly original cartoon seem smart and well-crafted in comparison . 
a gently funny , sweetly adventurous film that makes you feel genuinely good , that is to say , entirely unconned by false sentiment or sharp , overmanipulative hollywood practices . 
is office work really as alienating as 'bartleby' so effectively makes it ? 
a long-winded and stagy session of romantic contrivances that never really gels like the shrewd feminist fairy tale it could have been . 
the overall effect is awe and affection -- and a strange urge to get on a board and , uh , shred , dude . 
the movie is a lumbering load of hokum but . . . it's at least watchable . 
few films have captured the chaos of an urban conflagration with such fury , and audience members will leave feeling as shaken as nesbitt's cooper looks when the bullets stop flying . 
based on a david leavitt story , the film shares that writer's usual blend of observant cleverness , too-facile coincidence and slightly noxious preciousness . 
what a pity . . . that the material is so second-rate . 
the result is just enough pixie dust to get this franchise filler off the ground , provided viewers have enough faith and trust in one of the studio's most fondly remembered titles . 
what separates miyazaki's animation from everyone else's is the way he imagines his worlds . 
you can tell almost immediately that welcome to collinwood isn't going to jell . 
 . . . either you're willing to go with this claustrophobic concept or you're not . 
i won't argue with anyone who calls 'slackers' dumb , insulting , or childish . . . but i laughed so much that i didn't mind . 
director lee has a true cinematic knack , but it's also nice to see a movie with its heart so thoroughly , unabashedly on its sleeve . 
this riveting world war ii moral suspense story deals with the shadow side of american culture : racial prejudice in its ugly and diverse forms . 
confessions isn't always coherent , but it's sharply comic and surprisingly touching , so hold the gong . 
if you open yourself up to mr . reggio's theory of this imagery as the movie's set . . . it can impart an almost visceral sense of dislocation and change . 
gangster no . 1 is solid , satisfying fare for adults . 
personal velocity ought to be exploring these women's inner lives , but it never moves beyond their surfaces . 
 . . . turns so unforgivably trite in its last 10 minutes that anyone without a fortified sweet tooth will likely go into sugar shock . 
you needn't be steeped in '50s sociology , pop culture or movie lore to appreciate the emotional depth of haynes' work . though haynes' style apes films from the period . . . its message is not rooted in that decade . 
it may not be art , but it's vastly more entertaining than anything coppola senior has done in far too long . 
the film has the high-buffed gloss and high-octane jolts you expect of de palma , but what makes it transporting is that it's also one of the smartest , most pleasurable expressions of pure movie love to come from an american director in years . 
one senses in world traveler and in his earlier film that freundlich bears a grievous but obscure complaint against fathers , and circles it obsessively , without making contact . 
it's basically an overlong episode of tales from the crypt . 
there's not a single jump-in-your-seat moment and believe it or not , jason actually takes a backseat in his own film to special effects . 
proves that a movie about goodness is not the same thing as a good movie . 
by taking entertainment tonight subject matter and giving it humor and poignancy , auto focus becomes both gut-bustingly funny and crushingly depressing . 
this is more a case of 'sacre bleu ! ' than 'magnifique' . 
a charming , vibrant , if under-edited adaptation of v . s . naipaul's genially cynical novel . 
it stars schticky chris rock and stolid anthony hopkins , who seem barely in the same movie . their contrast is neither dramatic nor comic -- it's just a weird fizzle . 
a punch line without a premise , a joke built entirely from musty memories of half-dimensional characters . 
she's not yet an actress , not quite a singer . . . 
'[the cockettes] provides a window into a subculture hell-bent on expressing itself in every way imaginable . '
devoid of any of the qualities that made the first film so special . 
will amuse and provoke adventurous adults in specialty venues . 
dong doesn't demonize the conservative christians he talks to , but he doesn't have to . . . 
worth a salute just for trying to be more complex than your average film . 
a movie that amply delivers on the epic promise of its title , entertaining , enlightening , and emboldening viewers with its deceptively simple premise and execution . 
at times auto focus feels so distant you might as well be watching it through a telescope . yet in its own aloof , unreachable way it's so fascinating you won't be able to look away for a second . 
the colorful masseur wastes its time on mood rather than riding with the inherent absurdity of ganesh's rise up the social ladder . 
a dark comedy that goes for sick and demented humor simply to do so . the movie is without intent . 
it's hard to imagine that even very small children will be impressed by this tired retread . 
a beautiful , entertaining two hours . you get the idea , though , that kapur intended the film to be more than that . 
a beautifully tooled action thriller about love and terrorism in korea . 
i'm convinced i could keep a family of five blind , crippled , amish people alive in this situation better than these british soldiers do at keeping themselves kicking . 
a dream cast of solid female talent who build a seamless ensemble . there isn't a weak or careless performance amongst them . 
[shyamalan] turns the goose-pimple genre on its empty head and fills it with spirit , purpose and emotionally bruised characters who add up to more than body count . 
it might be 'easier' to watch on video at home , but that shouldn't stop die-hard french film connoisseurs from going out and enjoying the big-screen experience . 
often moving and explores the discomfort inherent in the contacts between the american 'hosts' and their 'guests . '
to imagine the life of harry potter as a martial arts adventure told by a lobotomized woody allen is to have some idea of the fate that lies in store for moviegoers lured to the mediocrity that is kung pow : enter the fist . 
it takes us finally to the comedy clubs that for so many years we saw only at the beginning and end of seinfeld . 
although tender and touching , the movie would have benefited from a little more dramatic tension and some more editing . 
the movie is obviously a labour of love so howard appears to have had free rein to be as pretentious as he wanted . 
even if the naipaul original remains the real masterpiece , the movie possesses its own languorous charm . 
flashy gadgets and whirling fight sequences may look cool , but they can't distract from the flawed support structure holding equilibrium up . 
the paradiso's rusted-out ruin and ultimate collapse during the film's final ( restored ) third…emotionally belittle a cinema classic . sometimes shorter is better . 
[raimi's] matured quite a bit with spider-man , even though it's one of the most plain white toast comic book films you'll ever see . 
for a movie audience , the hours doesn't connect in a neat way , but introduces characters who illuminate mysteries of sex , duty and love . 
it's very thoughtful and it's the kind of movie you have to discuss afterwards . 
has the kitsch appeal of a farm implement on a restaurant wall , or an andy warhol mao poster : interesting , but not for its original purpose . 
it is really quite ironic then that the one guy putting out consistently good comedy is hollywood's most serious actor . 
this is a poster movie , a mediocre tribute to films like them ! 
ong chooses to present ah na's life as a slight , weightless fairy tale , whose most unpleasant details seem to melt away in the face of the character's blank-faced optimism . 
jackson and co have brought back the value and respect for the term epic cinema . 
a bright , inventive , thoroughly winning flight of revisionist fancy . 
it may not be history – but then again , what if it is ? – but it makes for one of the most purely enjoyable and satisfying evenings at the movies i've had in a while . 
its maker , steven spielberg , hasn't had so much fun in two decades , since he was schlepping indiana jones around the globe in search of a giant misplaced ashtray . 
overly stylized with lots of flash black-&-white freeze frames reminiscent of a pseudo-hip luxury car commercial , ( it's ) at its worst when it's actually inside the ring . 
a film about a young man finding god that is accessible and touching to the marrow . 
dozens of moments catch you up and take your breath away . 
if you like your comedy dark and slightly freaky , then steve shainberg's film deserves your attention . 
the wonderfully lush morvern callar is pure punk existentialism , and ms . ramsay and her co-writer , liana dognini , have dramatized the alan warner novel , which itself felt like an answer to irvine welsh's book trainspotting . 
a stylish cast and some clever scripting solutions help chicago make the transition from stage to screen with considerable appeal intact . 
the film is old-fashioned , occasionally charming and as subtle as boldface . 
everything that was right about blade is wrong in its sequel . 
godard has pared down his extravagances into a densely concentrated , resonant simplicity . 
a cogent yet hilarious indictment of our soul-destroying urban existence . 
this movie . . . doesn't deserve the energy it takes to describe how bad it is . 
the only thing in pauline and paulette that you haven't seen before is a scene featuring a football field-sized oriental rug crafted out of millions of vibrant flowers . 
the problem with the bread , my sweet is that it's far too sentimental . 
it's push-the-limits teen comedy , the type written by people who can't come up with legitimate funny , and it's used so extensively that good bits are hopelessly overshadowed . 
enigma is anything but enigmatic about affairs of the heart , and is well worth seeing for its elective affinities alone . 
while sunshine state lacks the searing urgency of city of hope or the gentle dénouement of lone star , fans of the auteur should enjoy this classic john sayles feature . 
a perplexing example of promise unfulfilled , despite many charming moments . 
about a boy vividly recalls the cary grant of room for one more , houseboat and father goose in its affectionate depiction of the gentle war between a reluctant , irresponsible man and the kid who latches onto him . 
this movie is maddening . it conveys a simple message in a visual style that is willfully overwrought . 
the filmmaker's heart is in the right place . . . 
jaunty fun , with its celeb-strewn backdrop well used . 
initial strangeness inexorably gives way to rote sentimentality and mystical tenderness becomes narrative expedience . 
atanarjuat , unfolding on a cold-blasted primeval arctic plain , has the quality of totem . 
narc is a no-bull throwback to 1970s action films . it zips along with b-movie verve while adding the rich details and go-for-broke acting that heralds something special . 
the hard-to-predict and absolutely essential chemistry between the down-to-earth bullock and the nonchalant grant proves to be sensational , and everything meshes in this elegant entertainment . 
an enchanting film that presents an audacious tour of the past and takes within its warm embrace the bounties of cultural artifacts inside st . petersburg's hermitage museum . 
after several scenes of this tacky nonsense , you'll be wistful for the testosterone-charged wizardry of jerry bruckheimer productions , especially because half past dead is like the rock on a wal-mart budget . 
a kilted jackson is an unsettling sight , and indicative of his , if you will , out-of-kilter character , who rambles aimlessly through ill-conceived action pieces . 
the result puts a human face on derrida , and makes one of the great minds of our times interesting and accessible to people who normally couldn't care less . 
the film is probably worth seeing for the sheer spectacle of it all , for the sake of obtaining valuable information , and for finding more closure on a story that has always been missing several pieces . 
waydowntown is by no means a perfect film , but its boasts a huge charm factor and smacks of originality . 
feels like one of those contrived , only-in -hollywood productions where name actors deliver big performances created for the sole purpose of generating oscar talk . 
phillip noyce and all of his actors -- as well as his cinematographer , christopher doyle -- understand the delicate forcefulness of greene's prose , and it's there on the screen in their version of the quiet american . 
the romance between the leads isn't as compelling or as believable as it should be . 
the lion king was a roaring success when it was released eight years ago , but on imax it seems better , not just bigger . 
halloween : resurrection is surprisingly effective , especially the opening sequence featuring the showdown between laurie and michael . 
an unsentimental albeit heartfelt eulogy to the firefighters who paid the ultimate price while saving new yorkers . 
a tour de force drama about the astonishingly pivotal role of imagination in the soulful development of two rowdy teenagers . 
director kapur is a filmmaker with a real flair for epic landscapes and adventure , and this is a better film than his earlier english-language movie , the overpraised elizabeth . 
bad . very bad . stultifyingly , dumbfoundingly , mind-numbingly bad . 
doesn't deliver a great story , nor is the action as gripping as in past seagal films . 
screenwriter maureen tilyou , director martin duffy and an extremely competent cast handle the controversial aspects of the topic in an even-handed manner . 
what really makes it special is that it pulls us into its world , gives us a hero whose suffering and triumphs we can share , surrounds him with interesting characters and sends us out of the theater feeling we've shared a great adventure . 
as adapted by kevin molony from simon leys' novel " the death of napoleon " and directed by alan taylor , napoleon's journey is interesting but his parisian rebirth is stillborn
just about all of the film is confusing on one level or another , making ararat far more demanding than it needs to be . 
was i scared ? only at the prospect of beck's next project . let's see , a haunted house , a haunted ship , what's next . . . ghost blimp ? 
what's so striking about jolie's performance is that she never lets her character become a caricature -- not even with that radioactive hair . 
the lousy john q all but spits out denzel washington's fine performance in the title role . 
moves in such odd plot directions and descends into such message-mongering moralism that its good qualities are obscured . 
bears resemblance to , and shares the weaknesses of , too many recent action-fantasy extravaganzas in which special effects overpower cogent story-telling and visual clarity during the big action sequences . 
flaunts its quirky excesses like a new year's eve drunk sporting a paper party hat . 
director nalin pan doesn't do much to weigh any arguments one way or the other . he simply presents his point of view that ayurveda works . no question . 
a realistically terrifying movie that puts another notch in the belt of the long list of renegade-cop tales . 
the low-key direction is pleasingly emphatic in this properly intense , claustrophobic tale of obsessive love . 
a chaotic panorama that's too busy flying a lot of metaphoric flags . 
 . . . ( like ) channel surfing between the discovery channel and a late-night made-for-cable action movie . 
divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood may not be exactly divine , but it's definitely -- defiantly -- ya ya , what with all of those terrific songs and spirited performances . 
anyone who professes to love movies should see alexander sokurov's russian ark . 
tsai convincingly paints a specifically urban sense of disassociation here . 
zhang . . . has done an amazing job of getting realistic performances from his mainly nonprofessional cast . 
not even steven spielberg has dreamed up such blatant and sickening product placement in a movie . 
…a big , baggy , sprawling carnival of a movie , stretching out before us with little rhyme or reason . 
a sloppy , amusing comedy that proceeds from a stunningly unoriginal premise . 
director joe maggio's riveting film is blessed with a solid cast . 
mostly works because of the universal themes , earnest performances . . . and excellent use of music by india's popular gulzar and jagjit singh . 
while not all transitions to adulthood are so fraught , there's much truth and no small amount of poetry in girls can't swim . 
without shakespeare's eloquent language , the update is dreary and sluggish . 
uneven but ultimately appealing satire of the dreck we call white man's rap music . some good performances and an often goofy script make for a generally good time . 
despite its raucous intent , xxx is as conventional as a nike ad and as rebellious as spring break . 
the title trapped turns out to be a pretty fair description of how you feel while you're watching this ultra-manipulative thriller . 
cho , a clarion voice of reason in an unreasonable world , has a rare comic brilliance , incisiveness and relatability . 
tuck everlasting achieves a delicate balance of romantic innocence and philosophical depth . 
for a story set at sea , ghost ship is pretty landbound , with its leaden acting , dull exposition and telegraphed 'surprises . '
who knows what exactly godard is on about in this film , but his words and images don't have to add up to mesmerize you . 
it's the kind of pigeonhole-resisting romp that hollywood too rarely provides . 
as blunt as it is in depicting child abuse , el bola is a movie steeped in an ambiguity that lends its conflicts a symbolic resonance . 
it has the charm of the original american road movies , feasting on the gorgeous , ramshackle landscape of the filmmaker's motherland . 
este é apenas mais um ( longo ) episódio do programa da mtv . a única diferença é que , desta vez , a paramount teve o mau gosto de exibi-lo nos cinemas . 
may be the most undeserving victim of critical overkill since town and country . 
an unusual and compelling chinese film about the loving interventions of a father and mother whose oldest son is a drug addict . 
feels as if the inmates have actually taken over the asylum . 
even if the ride's a little bumpy , with a final lap that's all too suspiciously smooth , you gotta give director roger michell , best known for the superfluous notting hill , credit for trying . 
a dull , somnambulant exercise in pretension whose pervasive quiet is broken by frequent outbursts of violence and noise . 
too sincere to exploit its subjects and too honest to manipulate its audience . 
has all the complexity and realistic human behavior of an episode of general hospital . 
[moore's] better at fingering problems than finding solutions . but though he only scratches the surface , at least he provides a strong itch to explore more . 
it is most remarkable not because of its epic scope , but because of the startling intimacy it achieves despite that breadth . 
it's a compelling and horrifying story , and the laramie project is worthwhile for reminding us that this sort of thing does , in fact , still happen in america . 
plummer steals the show without resorting to camp as nicholas' wounded and wounding uncle ralph . it's a great performance and a reminder of dickens' grandeur . 
the story really has no place to go since simone is not real—she can't provide any conflict . 
the hypnotic imagery and fragmentary tale explore the connections between place and personal identity . 
the movie has generic virtues , and despite a lot of involved talent , seems done by the numbers . 
feels like the grittiest movie that was ever made for the lifetime cable television network . 
a bittersweet drama about the limbo of grief and how truth-telling can open the door to liberation . 
insomnia does not become one of those rare remakes to eclipse the original , but it doesn't disgrace it , either . 
by the time the plot grinds itself out in increasingly incoherent fashion , you might be wishing for a watch that makes time go faster rather than the other way around . 
what elevates the movie above the run-of-the-mill singles blender is its surreal sense of humor and technological finish . 
escapes the precious trappings of most romantic comedies , infusing into the story very real , complicated emotions . 
the whole movie is simply a lazy exercise in bad filmmaking that asks you to not only suspend your disbelief but your intelligence as well . 
the subtle strength of " elling " is that it never loses touch with the reality of the grim situation . 
jacquot's rendering of puccini's tale of devotion and double-cross is more than just a filmed opera . in his first stab at the form , jacquot takes a slightly anarchic approach that works only sporadically . 
the perfect vehicle for berling and bouquet , and both are superb . 
this may not have the dramatic gut-wrenching impact of other holocaust films , but it's a compelling story , mainly because of the way it's told by the people who were there . 
the vistas are sweeping and the acting is far from painful . 
the impact of the armenian genocide is diluted by too much stage business in the modern day . 
it's shocking , intense , and totally creepy , yet compelling and sad . jeremy renner gives a career-making performance . 
its heart is in the right place and the lack of cynicism comes as a pleasant surprise . 
an earnest , heartrending look at the divide between religious fundamentalists and their gay relatives . it's also heavy-handed and devotes too much time to bigoted views . 
it's a square , sentimental drama that satisfies , as comfort food often can . 
enjoy it for what it is ; you can hate yourself later . 
for all the dolorous trim , secretary is a genial romance that maintains a surprisingly buoyant tone throughout , notwithstanding some of the writers' sporadic dips into pop freudianism . 
a solid , psychological action film from hong kong . 
moore provides an invaluable service by sparking debate and encouraging thought . better still , he does all of this , and more , while remaining one of the most savagely hilarious social critics this side of jonathan swift . 
[denis] might be off her nut , but she can sure make an interesting film , a la davids lynch and cronenberg . 
hilarious musical comedy though stymied by accents thick as mud . 
the problematic characters and overly convenient plot twists foul up shum's good intentions . 
it shows that some studios firmly believe that people have lost the ability to think and will forgive any shoddy product as long as there's a little girl-on-girl action . 
that rara avis : the intelligent romantic comedy with actual ideas on its mind . 
aside from stumbling over some clunky visual metaphors guzmán does a decent job of telling a story many outside chile simply don't know . 
helmer devito . . . attempts to do too many things in this story about ethics , payola , vice , murder , kids' tv and revenge . 
broomfield reminds us that beneath the hype , the celebrity , the high life , the conspiracies and the mystery there were once a couple of bright young men -- promising , talented , charismatic and tragically doomed . 
i complain all the time about seeing the same ideas repeated in films over and over again , but the bourne identity proves that a fresh take is always possible . 
robert harmon's less-is-more approach delivers real bump-in -the-night chills -- his greatest triumph is keeping the creepy crawlies hidden in the film's thick shadows . 
there seems to be no clear path as to where the story's going , or how long it's going to take to get there . 
the film doesn't show enough of the creative process or even of what was created for the non-fan to figure out what makes wilco a big deal . 
it's not life-affirming — its vulgar and mean , but i liked it . 
a well-crafted film that is all the more remarkable because it achieves its emotional power and moments of revelation with restraint and a delicate ambiguity . 
this is a third-person story now , told by hollywood , and much more ordinary for it . 
one-sided documentary offers simplistic explanations to a very complex situation . . . . stylistically , the movie is a disaster . 
an awful lot like one of [spears'] music videos in content -- except that it goes on for at least 90 more minutes and , worse , that you have to pay if you want to see it . 
at times funny and at other times candidly revealing , it's an intriguing look at two performers who put themselves out there because they love what they do . 
eric byler's nuanced pic avoids easy sentiments and explanations . . . 
amazing ? not quite . but this film sure is lovely . 
williams creates a stunning , taxi driver-esque portrayal of a man teetering on the edge of sanity . 
it's also clear from the start that the transporter is running purely on adrenaline , and once the initial high wears off , the film's shortcomings start to shine through . 
uplifting as only a document of the worst possibilities of mankind can be , and among the best films of the year . 
white hasn't developed characters so much as caricatures , one-dimensional buffoons that get him a few laughs but nothing else . 
wes craven's presence is felt ; not the craven of 'a nightmare on elm street' or 'the hills have eyes , ' but the sad schlock merchant of 'deadly friend . '
dialogue-heavy and too cerebral for its own good -- or , at any rate , too cerebral for its racy subject matter . 
when the precise nature of matthew's predicament finally comes into sharp focus , the revelation fails to justify the build-up . 
ringu is a disaster of a story , full of holes and completely lacking in chills . ignore the reputation , and ignore the film . 
though talk in the film often turns to death , khatra's enthusiasm and love of life keep the movie surprisingly upbeat . 
serry does a fine job of capturing the climate of the times and , perhaps unwittingly , relating it to what is happening in america in 2002 . but hard-to-believe plot twists force the movie off track in its final half hour . 
 . . . plays like a badly edited , 91-minute trailer ( and ) the director can't seem to get a coherent rhythm going . in fact , it doesn't even seem like she tried . 
measured against practically any like-themed film other than its oscar-sweeping franchise predecessor the silence of the lambs , red dragon rates as an exceptional thriller . 
 " analyze that " is one of those crass , contrived sequels that not only fails on its own , but makes you second-guess your affection for the original . 
godard has never made a more sheerly beautiful film than this unexpectedly moving meditation on love , history , memory , resistance and artistic transcendence . 
little more than a super-sized infomercial for the cable-sports channel and its summer x games . 
this is the sort of burly action flick where one coincidence pummels another , narrative necessity is a drunken roundhouse , and whatever passes for logic is a factor of the last plot device left standing . 
a compelling , moving film that respects its audience and its source material . 
the story and characters are nowhere near gripping enough . 
overall , it's a wacky and inspired little film that works effortlessly at delivering genuine , acerbic laughs . 
you'll laugh at either the obviousness of it all or its stupidity or maybe even its inventiveness , but the point is , you'll laugh . 
though the characters are sometimes forced into madcap situations for the sake of adding yuks , the film works best when the protagonists are just being themselves
no movement , no yuks , not much of anything . 
a moving essay about the specter of death , especially suicide . 
cal is an unpleasantly shallow and immature character with whom to spend 110 claustrophobic minutes . 
a plethora of engaging diatribes on the meaning of 'home , ' delivered in grand passion by the members of the various households . 
so stupid , so ill-conceived , so badly drawn , it created whole new levels of ugly . 
a summer entertainment adults can see without feeling embarrassed , but it could have been more . 
no dia em que aceitou dirigir esta continuação , harold ramis deve ter saído da cama com o pé esquerdo . e aqueles que decidiram assistir a este filme também . 
a series of escapades demonstrating the adage that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander , some of which occasionally amuses but none of which amounts to much of a story . 
the material couldn't possibly be more engaging , the implications of a " by marlowe " verdict positively earth-shattering . 
from the opening scenes , it's clear that all about the benjamins is a totally formulaic movie . 
while it regards 1967 as the key turning point of the 20th century , and returns again and again to images of dissidents in the streets , it's alarmingly current . 
not for all tastes . but i , for one , was hooked by this fish's tale . 
weighted down with slow , uninvolving storytelling and flat acting . 
the movie doesn't think much of its characters , its protagonist , or of us . 
the stripped-down approach does give the film a certain timeless quality , but the measured pace and lack of dramatic inflection can also seem tedious . 
perhaps even the slc high command found writer-director mitch davis's wall of kitsch hard going . 
several of steven soderbergh's earlier films were hailed as the works of an artist . sadly , full frontal plays like the work of a dilettante . 
what a concept , what an idea , what a thrill ride . this is a more fascinating look at the future than " bladerunner " and one of the most high-concept sci fi adventures attempted for the screen . 
the movie's ultimate point -- that everyone should be themselves -- is trite , but the screenwriter and director michel gondry restate it to the point of ridiculousness . 
truth is stranger than fiction , so the old saying goes . in 'catch me if you can , ' it's also more entertaining . 
what might have emerged as hilarious lunacy in the hands of woody allen or mel brooks ( at least during their '70s heyday ) comes across as lame and sophomoric in this debut indie feature . 
in his latest effort , storytelling , solondz has finally made a movie that isn't just offensive -- it also happens to be good . 
very much a home video , and so devoid of artifice and purpose that it appears not to have been edited at all . 
at least it's a fairly impressive debut from the director , charles stone iii . 
light years/ several warp speeds/ levels and levels of dilithium crystals better than the pitiful insurrection . which isn't to say that it's the equal of some of its predecessors . 
not a bad way to spend a couple of hours . 
a disappointment for a movie that should have been the ultimate imax trip . 
a compassionate , moving portrait of an american ( and an america ) always reaching for something just outside his grasp . 
belongs to daniel day-lewis as much as it belongs to martin scorsese ; it's a memorable performance in a big , brassy , disturbing , unusual and highly successful film . 
 ( e . t . ) stands as a perfect movie-going experience that i don't believe will ever show signs of age . 
cockettes has the glorious , gaudy benefit of much stock footage of those days , featuring all manner of drag queen , bearded lady and lactating hippie . 
despite all evidence to the contrary , this clunker has somehow managed to pose as an actual feature movie , the kind that charges full admission and gets hyped on tv and purports to amuse small children and ostensible adults . 
sweet home alabama certainly won't be remembered as one of [witherspoon's] better films . 
dense and enigmatic . . . elusive . . . stagy and stilted
depressive , slow , darkly funny , unyielding in its formal rigor , and unsettlingly beautiful . 
[haynes'] homage to such films as " all that heaven allows " and " imitation of life " transcends them . simply put , " far from heaven " is a masterpiece . 
it's excessively quirky and a little underconfident in its delivery , but otherwise this is the best 'old neighborhood' project since christopher walken kinda romanced cyndi lauper in the opportunists . 
in the affable maid in manhattan , jennifer lopez's most aggressive and most sincere attempt to take movies by storm , the diva shrewdly surrounds herself with a company of strictly a-list players . 
i'm going to give it a marginal thumbs up . i liked it just enough . 
the kind of sweet-and-sour insider movie that film buffs will eat up like so much gelati . 
a stunning piece of visual poetry that will , hopefully , be remembered as one of the most important stories to be told in australia's film history . 
a coming-of-age tale from new zealand whose boozy , languid air is balanced by a rich visual clarity and deeply felt performances across the board . 
muccino seems to be exploring the idea of why human beings long for what they don't have , and how this gets us in trouble . but even while his characters are acting horribly , he is always sympathetic . 
worth seeing once , but its charm quickly fades . 
…it wasn't the subject matter that ultimately defeated the film…it was the unfulfilling , incongruous , " wait a second , did i miss something ? " ending . 
 " the emperor's new clothes " begins with a simple plan . . . . well , at least that's the plan . 
we never really feel involved with the story , as all of its ideas remain just that : abstract ideas . 
 . . . a somber film , almost completely unrelieved by any comedy beyond the wistful everyday ironies of the working poor . 
[kidd] can write dialogue , work skillfully with actors , and he has a pretty good handle on urban loneliness of the knowing , virulent new york city variety . 
charlotte sometimes is a brilliant movie . it is about irrational , unexplainable life and it seems so real because it does not attempt to filter out the complexity . 
it's hard to like a film about a guy who is utterly unlikeable , and shiner , starring michael caine as an aging british boxing promoter desperate for a taste of fame and fortune , is certainly that . 
it's a beautifully accomplished lyrical meditation on a bunch of despondent and vulnerable characters living in the renown chelsea hotel . . . 
as a film director , labute continues to improve . 
a gorgeous , high-spirited musical from india that exquisitely blends music , dance , song , and high drama . 
the humor isn't as sharp , the effects not as innovative , nor the story as imaginative as in the original . but it could have been worse . 
the feature-length stretch . . . strains the show's concept . 
angel presents events partly from the perspective of aurelie and christelle , and infuses the film with the sensibility of a particularly nightmarish fairytale . 
what's infuriating about full frontal is that it's too close to real life to make sense . what's invigorating about it is that it doesn't give a damn . 
it's one of those baseball pictures where the hero is stoic , the wife is patient , the kids are as cute as all get-out and the odds against success are long enough to intimidate , but short enough to make a dream seem possible . 
on a purely pictorial level , this is one of the best-looking imax movies ever . 
lejos del paraíso es al mismo tiempo una fiesta para los ojos y oídos y un movilizador cuadro de personajes enfrentados a sus propios deseos , miedos y prejuicios . 
gets under the skin of a man who has just lost his wife . 
the film's snags and stumblings are more than compensated for by its wryly subversive tone . 
hey , happy ! is great for stoners , queens , ravers and , yes , parties . 
the director and her capable cast appear to be caught in a heady whirl of new age-inspired good intentions , but the spell they cast isn't the least bit mesmerizing . 
an ideal love story for those intolerant of the more common saccharine genre . 
this follow-up boasts most of the felicities of the original . 
the actors improvise and scream their way around this movie directionless , lacking any of the rollicking dark humor so necessary to make this kind of idea work on screen . 
third time's the charm . . . yeah , baby ! 
an often watchable , though goofy and lurid , blast of a costume drama set in the late 15th century . 
 . . . the whole thing succeeded only in making me groggy . 
by the miserable standards to which the slasher genre has sunk , . . . actually pretty good . of course , by more objective measurements it's still quite bad . 
maybe it is formula filmmaking , but there's nothing wrong with that if the film is well-crafted and this one is . 
it never quite makes it to the boiling point , but manages to sustain a good simmer for most of its running time . 
you might say tykwer has done all that heaven allows , if you wanted to make as anti-kieslowski a pun as possible . suffice to say its total promise is left slightly unfulfilled . 
the film flat lines when it should peak and is more missed opportunity and trifle than dark , decadent truffle . 
adolescents will be adequately served by the movie's sophomoric blend of shenanigans and slapstick , although the more lascivious-minded might be disappointed in the relative modesty of a movie that sports a 'topless tutorial service . '
in gleefully , thumpingly hyperbolic terms , it covers just about every cliche in the compendium about crass , jaded movie types and the phony baloney movie biz . 
suffers from unlikable characters and a self-conscious sense of its own quirky hipness . 
on the surface a silly comedy , scotland , pa would be forgettable if it weren't such a clever adaptation of the bard's tragic play . 
comes off like a bad imitation of the bard . 
writer/director burr steers emphasizes the q in quirky , with mixed results . 
tom green and an ivy league college should never appear together on a marquee , especially when the payoff is an unschooled comedy like stealing harvard , which fails to keep 80 minutes from seeming like 800 . 
for all its brooding quality , ash wednesday is suspenseful and ultimately unpredictable , with a sterling ensemble cast . 
nicolas cage isn't the first actor to lead a group of talented friends astray , and this movie won't create a ruffle in what is already an erratic career . 
like most of godard's films , in praise of love makes you stay awake and lean forward . 
 " mr . deeds " is suitable summer entertainment that offers escapism without requiring a great deal of thought . 
it will come as no surprise that the movie isn't scary . but here's the real damn : it isn't funny , either . 
hard , endearing , caring , warm . bring tissues . 
writer/director burr steers knows how to show irony , the trouble with kids , and new yorkers taking casual sex for granted . 
it's the extra layer that makes this one , the movie's understanding of how disillusion and inner compromise can gradually separate a young artist from his divine spark . 
finds a way to tell a simple story , perhaps the simplest story of all , in a way that seems compelling and even original . 
you might not buy the ideas . but you'll definitely want the t-shirt . 
director chris eyre is going through the paces again with his usual high melodramatic style of filmmaking . 
the film is saved from aren't-kids-cute sentimentality by a warmth that isn't faked and a stately sense of composition . 
like mike is a winner for kids , and no doubt a winner for lil bow wow , who can now add movies to the list of things he does well . 
entirely suspenseful , extremely well-paced and ultimately . . . dare i say , entertaining ! 
provides a satisfactory overview of the bizarre world of extreme athletes as several daredevils express their own views . 
the events of the film are just so weird that i honestly never knew what the hell was coming next . 
the film sometimes flags . . . but there is enough secondary action to keep things moving along at a brisk , amusing pace . 
in a summer overrun with movies dominated by cgi aliens and super heroes , it revigorates the mind to see a feature that concentrates on people , a project in which the script and characters hold sway . 
evans is such a capable storyteller that you find yourself liking him even though he's not exactly likeable . 
for the most part , the ingredients are there . but an unwillingness to explore beyond the surfaces of her characters prevents nettelbeck's film from coming together . 
fred schepisi's film is paced at a speed that is slow to those of us in middle age and deathly slow to any teen . with a cast of a-list brit actors , it is worth searching out . 
the acting , costumes , music , cinematography and sound are all astounding given the production's austere locales . 
undercover brother doesn't go far enough . it's just a silly black genre spoof . 
i have to admit i walked out of runteldat . i did go back and check out the last 10 minutes , but these were more repulsive than the first 30 or 40 minutes . 
disappointing in comparison to other recent war movies…or any other john woo flick for that matter . 
ranks with such films as in the bedroom , ordinary people , and terms of endearment in the sensitivity with which it observes the effect a child's death on the remaining members of the family . 
time out plays out slowly , but vincent's disconnectedness creates odd suspense and black humor . 
i'm not sure all about lily chou-chou made sense in my head , but it made sense in my heart . 
needless to say , the dramatics that follow are utter hooey . 
a little more intensity and a little less charm would have saved this film a world of hurt . 
in auteil's less dramatic but equally incisive performance , he's a charismatic charmer likely to seduce and conquer . 
it's too harsh to work as a piece of storytelling , but as an intellectual exercise -- an unpleasant debate that's been given the drive of a narrative and that's been acted out -- the believer is nothing less than a provocative piece of work . 
stealing harvard is evidence that the farrelly bros . -- peter and bobby -- and their brand of screen comedy are wheezing to an end , along with green's half-hearted movie career . 
it's got the brawn , but not the brains . 
an entertaining and poignantly bittersweet take-down of a good man's midlife crisis . 
alex nohe's documentary plays like a travelogue for what mostly resembles a real-life , big-budget nc-17 version of tank girl . 
hawke's film , a boring , pretentious waste of nearly two hours , doesn't tell you anything except that the chelsea hotel today is populated by whiny , pathetic , starving and untalented artistes . 
there is a fine psychological thriller about divided loyalties and ambiguous identities buried with all the rubble and the maimed bodies , and mr . han and ms . kim play their slightly absurd roles with brisk sincerity
you really have to wonder how on earth anyone , anywhere could have thought they'd make audiences guffaw with a script as utterly diabolical as this . 
this film is not a love letter for the slain rappers , it's a taunt -a call for justice for two crimes from which many of us have not yet recovered . 
 . . . the movie just seemed to be trying too hard to be something different . . 
a kinetic drama that seems to wander aimlessly , beautifully until it crashes in an odd anti-climax befitting reality itself . 
a boring masquerade ball where normally good actors , even kingsley , are made to look bad . 
this is a shrewd and effective film from a director who understands how to create and sustain a mood . 
is there enough material to merit a documentary on the making of wilco's last album ? 
seeing it as a westerner is an enlightening , even liberating , experience . 
director roger kumble offers just enough sweet and traditional romantic comedy to counter the crudity . and there's the inimitable diaz , holding it all together . 
sheridan . . . smoothes over sources of conflict that could have lent the film a bit more depth . 
the solid filmmaking and convincing characters makes this a high water mark for this genre . 
there's a vastness implied in metropolis that is just breathtaking . 
williams has now proven that he can play creepy with the best of them . 
a " home alone " film that is staged like " rosemary's baby , " but is not as well-conceived as either of those films . 
even if you don't understand what on earth is going on , this is a movie that will stimulate hours of post viewing discussion , if only to be reminded of who did what to whom and why . 
the movie is so contrived , nonsensical and formulaic that , come to think of it , the day-old shelf would be a more appropriate location to store it . 
son of the bride manages to be affectionate without drawing too deeply from a well of sugar and schmaltz . 
the graphic carnage and re-creation of war-torn croatia is uncomfortably timely , relevant , and sickeningly real . 
proof that a thriller can be sleekly shot , expertly cast , paced with crisp professionalism . . . and still be a letdown if its twists and turns hold no more surprise than yesterday's weather report . 
well-shot but badly written tale set in a future ravaged by dragons . 
suggests puns about ingredients and soup and somebody being off their noodle , but let's just say the ingredients don't quite add up to a meal . 
bluer than the atlantic and more biologically detailed than an autopsy , the movie . . . is , also , frequently hilarious . 
as in his other searingly intelligent docs , dong presents the facts in an admirably clear-eyed way . 
beautifully filmed and well acted . . . but admittedly problematic in its narrative specifics . 
children of the century , though well dressed and well made , ultimately falls prey to the contradiction that afflicts so many movies about writers . 
ao sair do cinema , eu estava feliz e com saudades de um tempo em que , para mim , a existência de papai noel era um fato inquestionável . 
the script has less spice than a rat burger and the rock's fighting skills are more in line with steven seagal . 
a strong first quarter , slightly less so second quarter , and average second half . 
talk to her manages to be female-centric even as it explores the lives of men . 
if the plot seems a bit on the skinny side , that's because panic room is interested in nothing more than sucking you in…and making you sweat . 
lovingly photographed in the manner of a golden book sprung to life , stuart little 2 manages sweetness largely without stickiness . 
 " the ring " is pretty much an english-language copy of the film that inspired it , and it carries the same strengths and flaws . 
an old-fashioned but emotionally stirring adventure tale of the kind they rarely make anymore . 
mark pellington's latest pop thriller is as kooky and overeager as it is spooky and subtly in love with myth . 
looks more like a travel-agency video targeted at people who like to ride bikes topless and roll in the mud than a worthwhile glimpse of independent-community guiding lights . 
it's not as awful as some of the recent hollywood trip tripe . . . but it's far from a groundbreaking endeavor . 
mr . deeds is not really a film as much as it is a loose collection of not-so-funny gags , scattered moments of lazy humor . 
while the frequent allusions to gurus and doshas will strike some westerners as verging on mumbo-jumbo . . . broad streaks of common sense emerge with unimpeachable clarity . 
just an average comedic dateflick but not a waste of time . 
what emerges is not only a portrait of some of the more colorful denizens of mayport , florida , but also a moving examination of the power of art to transform lives . 
 . . . the picture's cleverness is ironically muted by the very people who are intended to make it shine . 
it's hard to pity the 'plain' girl who becomes a ravishing waif after applying a smear of lip-gloss . rather , pity anyone who sees this mishmash . 
one of the film's strongest achievements is the way it manages to get so much mileage out of such a simple concept as spirals . 
in a normal screen process , these bromides would be barely enough to sustain an interstitial program on the discovery channel . but in imax 3-d , the clichés disappear into the vertiginous perspectives opened up by the photography . 
broomfield seems to uncover a massive scoop here , revealing the multitude of people involved and the possible motivations behind the killings of his titular subjects . 
one just waits grimly for the next shock without developing much attachment to the characters . 
it gets onto the screen just about as much of the novella as one could reasonably expect , and is engrossing and moving in its own right . 
the actors don't inhabit their roles -- they're trapped by them , forced to change behavior in bizarre unjustified fashion and spout dialog that consists mostly of platitudes . 
the plot is very clever , but boyd weighs it down with too many characters and events , all intertwined and far too complicated to keep track of . 
cletis is playful but highly studied and dependent for its success on a patient viewer . 
we're not talking a disney treasure here , but if treasure planet falls short of gem status , it should provide youngsters with a reasonable amount of diversion . 
i liked the original short story but this movie , even at an hour and twenty-some minutes , it's too long and it goes nowhere . 
it suggests the wide-ranging effects of media manipulation , from the kind of reporting that is done by the supposedly liberal media . . . to the intimate and ultimately tragic heartache of maverick individuals like hatfield and hicks . 
the film is a confusing melange of tones and styles , one moment a romantic trifle and the next a turgid drama . 
[toback's] fondness for fancy split-screen , stuttering editing and pompous references to wittgenstein and kirkegaard . . . blends uneasily with the titillating material . 
reign of fire may well be the most grim dragon movie ever made -- and it's all the more effective for the filmmakers' decision to play it straight . 
while some of the subplots are very sketchy and the motivations of some of the characters are not clear , it is a journey worth taking because of the wondrous imagery . 
able to provide insight into a fascinating part of theater history . 
the film brilliantly shines on all the characters , as the direction is intelligently accomplished . 
there's a solid woman- finding-herself story somewhere in here , but you'd have to dig pretty deep to uncover it . 
the fetid underbelly of fame has never looked uglier . 
like a tarantino movie with heart , alias betty is richly detailed , deftly executed and utterly absorbing . 
not a film for the faint of heart or conservative of spirit , but for the rest of us -- especially san francisco lovers -- it's a spirited film and a must-see . 
occasionally funny , always very colorful and enjoyably overblown in the traditional almodóvar style . 
oscar wilde's masterpiece , the importance of being earnest , may be the best play of the 19th century . it's so good that its relentless , polished wit can withstand not only inept school productions , but even oliver parker's movie adaptation . 
bears is even worse than i imagined a movie ever could be . 
a grimly competent and stolid and earnest military courtroom drama . 
a film that takes you inside the rhythms of its subject : you experience it as you watch . 
it's a lovely , sad dance highlighted by kwan's unique directing style . 
liman , of swingers and go , makes his big-budget action film debut something of a clunker as he delivers a long , low-heat chase , interrupted by a middling car chase . 
a canny , derivative , wildly gruesome portrait of a london sociopath who's the scariest of sadists . 
woody allen's latest is an ambling , broad comedy about all there is to love -- and hate -- about the movie biz . 
the far future may be awesome to consider , but from period detail to matters of the heart , this film is most transporting when it stays put in the past . 
this is a harrowing movie about how parents know where all the buttons are , and how to push them . 
was it too much to ask to have one tank blow up one dragon ? what the hell ? ! 
it's sobering , particularly if anyone still thinks this conflict can be resolved easily , or soon . 
a movie that will surely be profane , politically charged music to the ears of cho's fans . 
credit director ramsay for taking the sometimes improbable story and making it feel realistic . 
the film is rich with colorful characters and enlivened by its strong , convincing picture of rural trinidad . 
both an admirable reconstruction of terrible events , and a fitting memorial to the dead of that day , and of the thousands thereafter . 
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 not that waiting for happiness is a bad film , because it isn't . it's just incredibly dull . 
i'm not a fan of the phrase 'life affirming' because it usually means 'schmaltzy , ' but real women have curves truly is life affirming . 
an instantly forgettable snow-and-stuntwork extravaganza that likely will be upstaged by an avalanche of more appealing holiday-season product . 
seagal , who looks more like danny aiello these days , mumbles his way through the movie . 
the strength of the film lies in its two central performances by sven wollter as the stricken composer and viveka seldahl as his desperate violinist wife . 
it's a fascinating look into what spielberg truly loves , but it's not so much a masterpiece as a nice milestone . 
sum " is jack ryan's " do-over . " give credit to everyone from robinson down to the key grip that this bold move works . especially give credit to affleck . 
the film delivers what it promises : a look at the " wild ride " that ensues when brash young men set out to conquer the online world with laptops , cell phones and sketchy business plans . 
leading a double life in an american film only comes to no good , but not here . matters play out realistically if not always fairly . 
colorful , energetic and sweetly whimsical . . . the rare sequel that's better than its predecessor . 
though it inspires some ( out-of-field ) creative thought , the film is -- to its own detriment -- much more a cinematic collage than a polemical tract . 
kids five and up will be delighted with the fast , funny , and even touching story . parents may even find that it goes by quickly , because it has some of the funniest jokes of any movie this year , including those intended for adults . 
a fascinating examination of the joyous , turbulent self-discovery made by a proper , middle-aged woman . 
sam mendes has become valedictorian at the school for soft landings and easy ways out . 
no earth-shattering accomplishment , but an unusually smart movie that the whole family can go to without a single person getting bored or talked down to . 
a haunting , rich film . . . [fraser] and caine blend beautifully with their sweet-and-sour mix of acting . 
the story is familiar from its many predecessors ; like them , it eventually culminates in the not-exactly -stunning insight that crime doesn't pay . 
the first fatal attraction was vile enough . do we really need the tiger beat version ? 
scotland looks wonderful , the fans are often funny fanatics , the showdown sure beats a bad day of golf . 
imax films can sometimes feel like a gimmick , but this is one subject that demands a scope as big as the imagination . 
the movie turns out to be [assayas'] homage to the gallic 'tradition of quality , ' in all its fusty squareness . 
e . t . works because its flabbergasting principals , 14-year-old robert macnaughton , 6-year-old drew barrymore and 10-year-old henry thomas , convince us of the existence of the wise , wizened visitor from a faraway planet . 
a depraved , incoherent , instantly disposable piece of hackery . 
if you want a movie time trip , the 1960 version is a far smoother ride . 
sort of an existential version of a seinfeld episode . 
opens as promising as any war/adventure film you'll ever see and dissolves into a routine courtroom drama , better suited for a movie titled " glory : a soldier's story . " 
as the national media become more sedate and incurious , this country desperately needs a gadfly like moore . indeed , we need more like him . 
the hot topics of the plot are relegated to the background -- a welcome step forward from the sally jesse raphael atmosphere of films like philadelphia and american beauty . 
the rookie feels like baseball itself : sort of boring , sort of stately , yet possessed of an ineffable poetry that speaks to the young heart of old men and their sons . 
death to smoochy tells a moldy-oldie , not-nearly -as-nasty -as-it- thinks-it-is joke . over and over again . 
there's a disreputable air about the whole thing , and that's what makes it irresistible . 
ultimately engages less for its story of actorly existential despair than for its boundary-hopping formal innovations and glimpse into another kind of chinese 'cultural revolution . '
harvard man is a semi-throwback , a reminiscence without nostalgia or sentimentality . 
most of the things that made the original men in black such a pleasure are still there . 
drumline is -- the mere suggestion , albeit a visually compelling one , of a fully realized story . 
a witty and suspenseful tone poem with a magnetic isabelle huppert as a perverse , central character . 
a movie that will touch the hearts of both children and adults , as well as bring audiences to the edge of their seats . 
a film for all who care about the world their children and grandchildren will inherit . 
the film favors the scientific over the spectacular ( visually speaking ) . 
the project's filmmakers forgot to include anything even halfway scary as they poorly rejigger fatal attraction into a high school setting . 
there's a heavy stench of 'been there , done that' hanging over the film . it's everything you'd expect -- but nothing more . 
daughter from danang sticks with its subjects a little longer and tells a deeper story
as surreal as a dream and as detailed as a photograph , as visually dexterous as it is at times imaginatively overwhelming . 
succumbs to the same kind of maudlin , sentimental mysticism that mars the touched by an angel school of non-god spiritual-uplift movies . 
life on the rez is no picnic : this picture shows you why . 
it will make you think twice about what might be going on inside each trailer park you drive past -- even if it chiefly inspires you to drive a little faster . 
solondz is without doubt an artist of uncompromising vision , but that vision is beginning to feel , if not morally bankrupt , at least terribly monotonous . 
a showcase for both the scenic splendor of the mountains and for legendary actor michel serrault , the film is less successful on other levels . 
this formulaic chiller will do little to boost stallone's career . 
a painting brought to life , the tracker is an enigmatic visual essay set on a vast australian landscape . 
though in some ways similar to catherine breillat's fat girl , rain is the far superior film . 
less a study in madness or love than a study in schoolgirl obsession . 
talk to her is so darned assured , we have absolutely no idea who the main characters are until the film is well under way -- and yet it's hard to stop watching . 
[nesbitt's is] one of those performances that simply 'is . '
scores by marshaling facts that speak for themselves . and they don't speak kindly . 
twohy is not only skilled at building and maintaining suspense , he's also aware that a cast chock full of experienced character actors is the right fit for a haunted sub flick . 
effectively feeds our senses with the chilling sights and sounds from within the camp to create a completely numbing experience . 
this rough trade punch-and-judy act didn't play well then and it plays worse now . 
as charming , humorous and heimisch as its nomadic subjects . 
something akin to a japanese alice through the looking glass , except that it seems to take itself far more seriously . 
this is so de palma . if you love him , you'll like it . if you don't . . . well , skip to another review . 
windtalkers is shapelessly gratifying , the kind of movie that invites you to pick apart its faults even as you have to admit that somehow it hit you where you live . 
it comes off as so silly that you wouldn't be surprised if ba , murdock and rest of the a-team were seen giving chase in a black and red van . 
it's not that kung pow isn't funny some of the time -- it just isn't any funnier than bad martial arts movies are all by themselves , without all oedekerk's impish augmentation . 
davis has filled out his cast with appealing fresh faces . 
the four feathers is definitely horse feathers , but if you go in knowing that , you might have fun in this cinematic sandbox . 
para analizar esta película , es preciso separar dos criterios , el religioso y el cinematográfico
viewers of " the ring " are more likely to remember the haunting images than the plot holes . 
frustratingly , dridi tells us nothing about el gallo other than what emerges through his music . 
boasts eye-catching art direction but has a forcefully quirky tone that quickly wears out its limited welcome . 
it's a more believable scenario for infidelity than most such movies , and aniston gives her all to the role . 
you can see the would-be surprises coming a mile away , and the execution of these twists is delivered with a hammer . thumbs down . 
reign of fire is hardly the most original fantasy film ever made -- beyond road warrior , it owes enormous debts to aliens and every previous dragon drama -- but that barely makes it any less entertaining . 
the problem is that for the most part , the film is deadly dull . 
its impressive images of crematorium chimney fires and stacks of dead bodies are undermined by the movie's presentation , which is way too stagy . 
toes the fine line between cheese and earnestness remarkably well ; everything is delivered with such conviction that it's hard not to be carried away . 
the movie is a meditation on the love and envy that russia has always felt toward europe , and i won't pretend i got more than 30 percent of what was going on . 
time stands still in more ways that one in clockstoppers , a sci-fi thriller as lazy as it is interminable . 
suffocated at conception by its munchausen-by-proxy mum . punish the vehicle to adore the star . 
poor ben bratt couldn't find stardom if mapquest emailed him point-to-point driving directions . 
the film is so bad it doesn't improve upon the experience of staring at a blank screen . 
all the performances are top notch and , once you get through the accents , all or nothing becomes an emotional , though still positive , wrench of a sit . 
what is unique about his secret life is that an assumption of intelligence , tolerance , and acceptance is already made , and thus the movie can focus on telling a compelling story . 
it is compelling to be exposed to a film as bluntly honest and yet as paradoxically ordinary as last orders . 
director roger michell does so many of the little things right that it's difficult not to cuss him out severely for bungling the big stuff . 
fans of the modern day hong kong action film finally have the worthy successor to a better tomorrow and the killer which they have been patiently waiting for . 
in this age of soulless , fx-driven action franchises raimi anachronistically emphasizes character development . 
if there was a flu shot for the blues , it might come in the form of this embraceable ode to loneliness and love regained . 
no , it's not as single-minded as john carpenter's original , but it's sure a lot smarter and more unnerving than the sequels . 
the movie is as far as you can get from racy , to the point where it almost stops the blood flow to your brain ; it has a dull , costumey feel . 
the experience of watching blobby old-school cgi animation in this superlarge format is just surreal enough to be diverting . 
the misery of these people becomes just another voyeuristic spectacle , to be consumed and forgotten . 
what bloody sunday lacks in clarity , it makes up for with a great , fiery passion . 
aaliyah rarely dampens her diva persona enough to spark genuine chemistry with townsend . when she speaks , her creepy egyptian demigod voice is as computer processed and overproduced as it was in her music . 
you've seen it before : the ex-con who stumbles while striving to assimilate back into society . but writer-director joe maggio and his able cast makes you care about this man's sorry journey in virgil bliss . 
apparently writer-director attal thought he need only cast himself and his movie-star wife sitting around in their drawers to justify a film . 
no aspirations to social import inform the movie version . this is a shameless sham , calculated to cash in on the popularity of its stars . 
marlon brando has the godfather , laurence olivier has hamlet , and now tim allen has . . . santa claus . 
red dragon makes one appreciate silence of the lambs . 
' . . . a great , participatory spectator sport . '
the story alone could force you to scratch a hole in your head . 
so fiendishly cunning that even the most jaded cinema audiences will leave the auditorium feeling dizzy , confused , and totally disorientated . not to mention absolutely refreshed . 
the unceasing sadism is so graphically excessive , the director just ends up exposing his own obsession . 
goyer's screenplay and direction are thankfully understated , and he has drawn excellent performances from his cast . 
with exquisite craftsmanship . . . olivier assayas has fashioned an absorbing look at provincial bourgeois french society . 
we've seen it all before in one form or another , but director hoffman , with great help from kevin kline , makes us care about this latest reincarnation of the world's greatest teacher . 
what is 100% missing here is a script of even the most elemental literacy , an inkling of genuine wit , and anything resembling acting . 
one of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature . 
star trek : nemesis meekly goes where nearly every star trek movie has gone before . wince-inducing dialogue , thrift-shop costumes , prosthetic makeup by silly putty and kmart blue-light-special effects all conspire to test trekkie loyalty . 
insomnia loses points when it surrenders to a formulaic bang-bang , shoot-em-up scene at the conclusion . but the performances of pacino , williams , and swank keep the viewer wide-awake all the way through . 
flounders due to the general sense that no two people working on the production had exactly the same thing in mind . 
birot creates a drama with such a well-defined sense of place and age -- as in , 15 years old -- that the torments and angst become almost as operatic to us as they are to her characters . 
destined to make allen's fans around the world giggle , guffaw and shiver with delight . 
follows the original film virtually scene for scene and yet manages to bleed it almost completely dry of humor , verve and fun . 
the pianist [is] a supremely hopeful cautionary tale of war's madness remembered that we , today , can prevent its tragic waste of life . here is a divine monument to a single man's struggle to regain his life , his dignity and his music . 
sparkling , often hilarious romantic jealousy comedy . . . attal looks so much like a young robert deniro that it seems the film should instead be called 'my husband is travis bickle' . 
its aims are modest -- to make kids laugh as cuba gooding falls down a lot and to show how thrilling sled dogs are -- and it achieves them . 
sayles has an eye for the ways people of different ethnicities talk to and about others outside the group . 
a boring , pretentious muddle that uses a sensational , real-life 19th-century crime as a metaphor for -- well , i'm not exactly sure what -- and has all the dramatic weight of a raindrop . 
the lady and the duke is eric rohmer's economical antidote to the bloated costume drama
the performances are strong , though the subject matter demands acting that borders on hammy at times . 
you'll have more fun setting fire to yourself in the parking lot . you'll be more entertained getting hit by a bus . 
a summary of the plot doesn't quite do justice to the awfulness of the movie , for that comes through all too painfully in the execution . 
brings awareness to an issue often overlooked -- women's depression . 
this movie is something of an impostor itself , stretching and padding its material in a blur of dead ends and distracting camera work . 
as the sulking , moody male hustler in the title role , [franco] has all of dean's mannerisms and self-indulgence , but none of his sweetness and vulnerability . 
 . . . while certainly clever in spots , this too-long , spoofy update of shakespeare's macbeth doesn't sustain a high enough level of invention . 
boasting the best sword-fighting sequences to hit the screen in many years , it is so enjoyably old-fashioned it even looks as if it were made in the '70s . 
sorvino is delightful in the central role . she nearly glows with enthusiasm , sensuality and a conniving wit . 
tadpole may be small , but it's something special -- a cheeky comedy knockout . 
more sophisticated and literate than such pictures usually are . . . an amusing little catch . 
the santa clause 2 proves itself a more streamlined and thought out encounter than the original could ever have hoped to be . 
has enough wit , energy and geniality to please not only the fanatical adherents on either side , but also people who know nothing about the subject and think they're not interested . 
almost nothing else -- raunchy and graphic as it may be in presentation -- is one-sided , outwardly sexist or mean-spirited . and in a sense , that's a liability . 
the you-are-there style ultimately enhances abc africa's ability to get inside the soul of uganda , and of the viewer . 
as is most commonly case with projects such noble and lofty ambitions , the film is less poetic than simply pretentious . 
a riveting profile of law enforcement , and a visceral , nasty journey into an urban hades . 
exactly what you'd expect from a guy named kaos . 
told just proficiently enough to trounce its overly comfortable trappings . 
nicks , seemingly uncertain what's going to make people laugh , runs the gamut from stale parody to raunchy sex gags to formula romantic comedy . 
in painting an unabashedly romantic picture of a nation whose songs spring directly from the lives of the people , the movie exalts the marxian dream of honest working folk , with little to show for their labor , living harmoniously , joined in song . 
ice age posits a heretofore unfathomable question : is it possible for computer-generated characters to go through the motions ? 
the movie eventually snaps under the strain of its plot contrivances and its need to reassure . 
filled with alexandre desplat's haunting and sublime music , the movie completely transfixes the audience . 
constantly touching , surprisingly funny , semi-surrealist exploration of the creative act . 
the ill-conceived modern-day ending falls flat where it should deliver a moral punch . 
the surprising skill and compassion that group's makers exhibit turns what could have been an uninvolving actor's exercise into a compelling and complicated emotional stew . 
a very familiar tale , one that's been told by countless filmmakers about italian- , chinese- , irish- , latin- , indian- , russian- and other hyphenate american young men struggling to balance conflicting cultural messages . 
[janey] forgets about her other obligations , leading to a tragedy which is somehow guessable from the first few minutes , maybe because it echoes the by now intolerable morbidity of so many recent movies . 
isn't as sharp as the original . . . despite some visual virtues , 'blade ii' just doesn't cut it . 
while it's genuinely cool to hear characters talk about early rap records ( sugar hill gang , etc . ) , the constant referencing of hip-hop arcana can alienate even the savviest audiences . 
a self-narrated , blatantly lop-sided , cocky , nonchalant , fascinating and juicily entertaining documentary . 
where tom green stages his gags as assaults on america's knee-jerk moral sanctimony , jackass lacks aspirations of social upheaval . 
chelsea walls is a case of too many chefs fussing over too weak a recipe . 
reggio falls victim to relying on the very digital technology that he fervently scorns , creating a meandering , inarticulate and ultimately disappointing film . 
bittersweet comedy/drama full of life , hand gestures , and some really adorable italian guys . 
there is a refreshing absence of cynicism in stuart little 2--quite a rarity , even in the family film market . eventually , it wins you over . 
often hilarious , well-shot and , importantly , entertaining , hell house is a fascinating document of an event that has to be seen to be believed . 
there is a difference between movies with the courage to go over the top and movies that don't care about being stupid
 " die another day " is a worthy entry in the pantheon of james bond movies . 
its plot and animation offer daytime tv serviceability , but little more . 
like mike is a harmlessly naïve slice of b-ball fantasy , fit for filling in during the real nba's off-season . 
a gorgeously strange movie , heaven is deeply concerned with morality , but it refuses to spell things out for viewers . 
sweet gentle jesus , did the screenwriters just do a cut-and-paste of every bad action-movie line in history ? 
outer-space buffs might love this film , but others will find its pleasures intermittent . 
it's filthy . it's sexist . and it's hilarious for adult audiences who appreciate lawrence's raunchy approach and perfect timing . 
the best of the pierce brosnan james bond films to date . 
as a singular character study , it's perfect . it's also the year's sweetest movie . 
while general audiences might not come away with a greater knowledge of the facts of cuban music , they'll be treated to an impressive and highly entertaining celebration of its sounds . 
miller tells this very compelling tale with little fuss or noise , expertly plucking tension from quiet . 
femme fatale offers nothing more than a bait-and-switch that is beyond playing fair with the audience . are we dealing with dreams , visions or being told what actually happened as if it were the third ending of clue ? 
mark me down as a non-believer in werewolf films that are not serious and rely on stupidity as a substitute for humor . 
there's enough here to keep the sequel rocking , providing you can leave the adult in you at the door . 
it briefly flirts with player masochism , but the point of real interest -– audience sadism -- is evaded completely . 
[denis'] bare-bones narrative more closely resembles an outline for a '70s exploitation picture than the finished product . 
 ( wendigo is ) why we go to the cinema : to be fed through the eye , the heart , the mind . 
a film at once depressing and uplifting--depressing in terms of the sad , often horrifying subjects of nachtwey's photographs but uplifting in terms of his commitment and integrity . 
possesses something rare : a degree of genuine reverence in its depiction of surfing as a sport and a subculture . 
what saves it . . . and makes it one of the better video-game-based flicks , is that the film acknowledges upfront that the plot makes no sense , such that the lack of linearity is the point of emotional and moral departure for protagonist alice . 
the trouble with making this queen a thoroughly modern maiden is that it also makes her appear foolish and shallow rather than , as was more likely , a victim of mental illness . 
it's up to [watts] to lend credibility to this strange scenario , and her presence succeeds in making us believe . 
if this movie belonged to a sorority , it would be called beta alpha delta . 
the urban landscapes are detailed down to the signs on the kiosks , and the color palette , with lots of somber blues and pinks , is dreamy and evocative . 
 " austin powers in goldmember " has the right stuff for silly summer entertainment and has enough laughs to sustain interest to the end . 
beautifully crafted and brutally honest , promises offers an unexpected window into the complexities of the middle east struggle and into the humanity of its people . 
while broomfield's film doesn't capture the effect of these tragic deaths on hip-hop culture , it succeeds as a powerful look at a failure of our justice system . 
about as enjoyable , i would imagine , as searching for a quarter in a giant pile of elephant feces . . . positively dreadful . 
this movie is more fun than many of those tall tales that hollywood calls feature films . 
if it seems like a minor miracle that its septuagenarian star is young enough to be the nonagenarian filmmaker's son , more incredible still are the clear-eyed boldness and quiet irony with which actor and director take on life's urgent questions . 
though mama takes a bit too long to find its rhythm and a third-act plot development is somewhat melodramatic , its ribald humor and touching nostalgia are sure to please anyone in search of a jules and jim for the new millennium . 
just like his characters , writer-director alfonso cuar&oacute ; n . . . takes the road less traveled . 
as a feature-length film , it wears out its welcome as tryingly as the title character . 
ninety minutes of viva castro ! can be as tiresome as 9 seconds of jesse helms' anti- castro rhetoric , which are included
bolstered by an astonishing voice cast ( excepting love hewitt ) , an interesting racial tension , and a storyline that i haven't encountered since at least pete's dragon . 
may lack the pungent bite of its title , but it's an enjoyable trifle nonetheless . 
r xmas offers a poetic and profane ambiguity that's vintage ferrara . 
a thoughtful look at a painful incident that made headlines in 1995 . 
it's the brilliant surfing photography bringing you right inside the massive waves that lifts blue crush into one of the summer's most pleasurable movies . 
weiss and speck capture the rich , turbulent tapestry of the manns' lives . 
a shambles of a movie--visually unattractive , unbearably loud and utterly silly . . . its hilarity is completely unintentional . 
a low-key labor of love that strikes a very resonant chord . 
 . . . delivers few moments of inspiration amid the bland animation and simplistic story . 
no such thing may be far from perfect , but those small , odd hartley touches help you warm to it . 
kiarostami profoundly displays uganda's life and culture through his touristy pictures , as deceptively simple as the alphabet
the farcical elements seemed too pat and familiar to hold my interest , yet its diverting grim message is a good one . 
horns and halos benefits from serendipity but also reminds us of our own responsibility to question what is told as the truth . 
it's as if de palma spent an hour setting a fancy table and then served up kraft macaroni and cheese . 
the title not only describes its main characters , but the lazy people behind the camera as well . 
 . . . a rousing fantasy of bloodless revolution against capricious colonial rulers . 
this story of unrequited love doesn't sustain interest beyond the first half-hour . 
the film is just a big , gorgeous , mind-blowing , breath-taking mess . 
the problem is the needlessly poor quality of its archival prints and film footage . the images lack contrast , are murky and are frequently too dark to be decipherable . 
a quirky noir film crammed full of wonderful characters made memorable by excellent acting . 
outside of burger's desire to make some kind of film , it's really unclear why this project was undertaken
the film is faithful to what one presumes are the book's twin premises -- that we become who we are on the backs of our parents , but we have no idea who they were at our age ; and that time is a fleeting and precious commodity no matter how old you are . 
the fascination comes in the power of the huston performance , which seems so larger than life and yet so fragile , and in the way the ivan character accepts the news of his illness so quickly but still finds himself unable to react . 
a pathetically inane and unimaginative cross between xxx and vertical limit . 
goes some way towards explaining how the tragedy occurred and its enduring legacy today . 
the best thing i can say about this film is that i can't wait to see what the director does next . 
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 budget affair that exposes the generally sad existence of the bedouins while providing a precious twinkle of insight into their lives . 
watching haneke's film is , aptly enough , a challenge and a punishment . but watching huppert , a great actress tearing into a landmark role , is riveting . 
will give many ministers and bible-study groups hours of material to discuss . but mainstream audiences will find little of interest in this film , which is often preachy and poorly acted . 
greg kinnear gives a mesmerizing performance as a full-fledged sex addict who is in complete denial about his obsessive behavior . 
you feel like you're the one moving at 80 mph , not the street lugers . 
though the controversial korean filmmaker's latest effort is not for all tastes , it offers gorgeous imagery , effective performances , and an increasingly unsettling sense of foreboding . 
a graceful , contemplative film that gradually and artfully draws us into a world where the personal and the political get fatally intertwined . 
the inhospitability of the land emphasizes the spare precision of the narratives and helps to give them an atavistic power , as if they were tales that had been handed down since the beginning of time . 
marries the amateurishness of the blair witch project with the illogic of series 7 : the contenders to create a completely crass and forgettable movie . 
 " the tuxedo " should have been the vehicle for chan that " the mask " was for jim carrey . alas , it's the man that makes the clothes . 
a decided lack of spontaneity in its execution and a dearth of real poignancy in its epiphanies . 
rhames is a tightly harnessed bundle of fury , snipes a restrained champion who seems to have made inner peace with the crime of passion that sent him away for life , and falk a riveting delight . 
perhaps a better celebration of these unfairly dismissed heroes would be a film that isn't this painfully forced , false and fabricated . 
merchant hasn't directed this movie so much as produced it -- like sausage . 
this may be dover kosashvili's feature directing debut , but it looks an awful lot like life -- gritty , awkward and ironic . 
this comic gem is as delightful as it is derivative . 
the x potion gives the quickly named blossom , bubbles and buttercup supernatural powers that include extraordinary strength and laser-beam eyes , which unfortunately don't enable them to discern flimsy screenplays . 
for all the realpolitik underpinnings , this is less john le carre than a tech noir " die hard " in downtown seoul . 
an unintentional parody of every teen movie made in the last five years . 
for anyone who cares about the future of america , it's required viewing . 
undisputed is undeniable fun , thanks to its rugged rock pile of attitude , bravado and fisticuffs . 
how good this film might be , depends if you believe that the shocking conclusion is too much of a plunge or not . 
a lyrical if sluggish excursion set in war-torn iranian kurdistan . 
the weakest of the four harry potter books has been transformed into the stronger of the two films by the thinnest of margins . 
all the more disquieting for its relatively gore-free allusions to the serial murders , but it falls down in its attempts to humanize its subject . 
it sounds like another clever if pointless excursion into the abyss , and that's more or less how it plays out . 
fans of the tv series will be disappointed , and everyone else will be slightly bored . 
the movie doesn't generate a lot of energy . it is dark , brooding and slow , and takes its central idea way too seriously . 
diane lane works nothing short of a minor miracle in unfaithful . 
mike leigh mainstay timothy spall deftly shades in the designated goner , fellow still crazy alum bill nighy is sweetly wispy as the capable fop , and anger-management counselor olivia williams trembles pleasantly as usual . 
davis' candid , archly funny and deeply authentic take on intimate relationships comes to fruition in her sophomore effort . 
the story is a rather simplistic one : grief drives her , love drives him , and a second chance to find love in the most unlikely place - it struck a chord in me . 
birot's directorial debut ( she co-wrote the script with christophe honoré ) isn't so much bad as it is bland . 
makes the sweet case that sincerity strikes the biggest romantic sparks . 
[gosling's] combination of explosive physical energy and convincing intelligence helps create a complex , unpredictable character . 
a movie that's just plain awful but still manages to entertain on a guilty-pleasure , so-bad-it's-funny level . 
well , jason's gone to manhattan and hell , i guess a space station in the year 2455 can be crossed off the list of ideas for the inevitable future sequels ( hey , don't shoot the messenger ) . 
director dirk shafer and co-writer greg hinton ride the dubious divide where gay porn reaches for serious drama . 
writer-director debrauwer does manage to wrap things up in an * * * -pleasing 78 minutes . it's isn't much , but it's a lot more than callous callie khouri did with that " ya-ya " mess . also , there are no irritating hats . 
it's a mystery how the movie could be released in this condition . 
the way home is an ode to unconditional love and compassion garnered from years of seeing it all , a condition only the old are privy to , and . . . often misconstrued as weakness . 
bears is bad . not 'terrible filmmaking' bad , but more like , 'i once had a nightmare like this , and it's now coming true' bad . 
a modest pleasure that accomplishes its goals with ease and confidence . 
if we don't demand a standard of quality for the art that we choose , we deserve the trash that we get . 
the jokes sometimes fall flat , but the weirdness and darkening of tone make for quirky fun . 
the animation is competent , and some of the gags are quite funny , but jonah . . . never shakes the oppressive , morally superior good-for-you quality that almost automatically accompanies didactic entertainment . 
watching " ending " is too often like looking over the outdated clothes and plastic knickknacks at your neighbor's garage sale . you can't believe anyone would really buy this stuff . 
full of profound , real-life moments that anyone can relate to , it deserves a wide audience . 
 . . . a boring parade of talking heads and technical gibberish that will do little to advance the linux cause . 
it's a bad action movie because there's no rooting interest and the spectacle is grotesque and boring . 
[a]n utterly charming and hilarious film that reminded me of the best of the disney comedies from the 60s . 
as broad and cartoonish as the screenplay is , there is an accuracy of observation in the work of the director , frank novak , that keeps the film grounded in an undeniable social realism . 
it's the unsettling images of a war-ravaged land that prove more potent and riveting than the unlikely story of sarah and harrison . 
what blood work lacks in speed and surprise it almost makes up for in doughty professionalism . 
kitchen scenes playing as obvious and light-hearted metaphors for states of mind and relationships , mostly martha leaves a few elements hanging that it probably should have tidied . 
if signs is a good film , and it is , the essence of a great one is in there somewhere . 
so exaggerated and broad that it comes off as annoying rather than charming . 
coppola's directorial debut is an incredibly layered and stylistic film that , despite a fairly slow paced , almost humdrum approach to character development , still manages at least a decent attempt at meaningful cinema . 
it winds up moving in many directions as it searches ( vainly , i think ) for something fresh to say . 
hawn and sarandon hit the ground running , and are so funny and goofy that they distract and delight us . 
recoing's fantastic performance doesn't exactly reveal what makes vincent tick , but perhaps any definitive explanation for it would have felt like a cheat . 
message movie or an action-packed submarine spectacular ? alas , it's neither . 
this is pure , exciting moviemaking . you won't exactly know what's happening but you'll be blissfully exhausted . 
there is a genius to ( this ) experimental and utterly surreal historical epic that has nothing to do with the fact that it was shot in one uninterrupted , mind-boggling take . . . 
a tough go , but leigh's depth and rigor , and his skill at inspiring accomplished portrayals that are all the more impressive for their lack of showiness , offsets to a notable degree the film's often-mined and despairing milieu . 
high drama , disney-style - a wing and a prayer and a hunky has-been pursuing his castle in the sky . 
 " nicholas nickleby " is a perfect family film to take everyone to since there's no new " a christmas carol " out in the theaters this year . charlie hunnam has the twinkling eyes , repressed smile and determined face needed to carry out a dickensian hero . 
the narrator and the other characters try to convince us that acting transfigures esther , but she's never seen speaking on stage ; one feels cheated , and esther seems to remain an unchanged dullard . 
a charming , quirky and leisurely paced scottish comedy -- except with an outrageous central gimmick that could have been a reject from monty python's meaning of life . 
has its moments -- and almost as many subplots . 
little incidents pile up , and eventually what was strange becomes terrifying . 
ken russell would love this . in one scene , we get a stab at soccer hooliganism , a double-barreled rip-off of quentin tarantino's climactic shootout — and meat loaf explodes . 
the chateau . . . is less concerned with cultural and political issues than doting on its eccentric characters . 
egoyan boldly inspires viewers to deal with issues of cultural memory and responsibility , especially in moments of confusion when family issues intersect with monumental historical facts . 
harrison's flowers puts its heart in the right place , but its brains are in no particular place at all . 
there's an energy to y tu mamá también . much of it comes from the brave , uninhibited performances by its lead actors . 
with very little to add beyond the dark visions already relayed by superb recent predecessors like swimming with sharks and the player , this latest skewering . . . may put off insiders and outsiders alike . 
[fiji diver rusi vulakoro and the married couple howard and michelle hall] show us the world they love and make us love it , too . 
this film is full of rabbits . brimful . but like most rabbits , it seems to lack substance . 
[breheny's] lensing of the new zealand and cook island locations captures both the beauty of the land and the people . 
the first shocking thing about sorority boys is that it's actually watchable . even more baffling is that it's funny . 
though a capable thriller , somewhere along the way k-19 jettisoned some crucial drama . 
there ought to be a directing license , so that ed burns can have his revoked . 
it treats ana's journey with honesty that is tragically rare in the depiction of young women in film . 
jirí hubac's script is a gem . his characters are engaging , intimate and the dialogue is realistic and greatly moving . the scope of the silberstein family is large and we grow attached to their lives , full of strength , warmth and vitality . . 
 . . . hopefully it'll be at the dollar theatres by the time christmas rolls around . wait to see it then . 
cho's fans are sure to be entertained ; it's only fair in the interest of full disclosure to say that -- on the basis of this film alone -- i'm not one of them . 
cho's latest comic set isn't as sharp or as fresh as i'm the one that i want . . . but it's still damn funny stuff . 
while insomnia is in many ways a conventional , even predictable remake , nolan's penetrating undercurrent of cerebral and cinemantic flair lends ( it ) stimulating depth . 
ram dass fierce grace moulds itself as an example to up-and-coming documentarians , of the overlooked pitfalls of such an endeavour . 
it has the air of a surprisingly juvenile lark , a pop-influenced prank whose charms are immediately apparent and wear thin with repetition . 
the plot is plastered with one hollywood cliche after another , most of which involve precocious kids getting the better of obnoxious adults . 
it's not an important picture , and probably not even a memorable one , but i had a good time . 
i stopped thinking about how good it all was , and started doing nothing but reacting to it - feeling a part of its grand locations , thinking urgently as the protagonists struggled , feeling at the mercy of its inventiveness , gasping at its visual delights . 
a naturally funny film , home movie makes you crave chris smith's next movie . 
it is as uncompromising as it is nonjudgmental , and makes clear that a prostitute can be as lonely and needy as any of the clients . 
in the end , we are left with something like two ships passing in the night rather than any insights into gay love , chinese society or the price one pays for being dishonest . 
this is unusual , food-for-thought cinema that's as entertaining as it is instructive . 
the best movie of its kind since 'brazil . ' lucas , take notes . this is how you use special effects . 
a fast-moving , fluidly told tale , eugene jarecki's documentary certainly will likely inflame kissinger's ardent cronies . and yet , as one-sided as its story is , the movie also manages a measured disposition . 
it's gruesome violence combined with tongue-in-cheek humor . . . fans of this genre will flock to fulltime killer , and they'll be blown away . 
tedious norwegian offering which somehow snagged an oscar nomination . 
sometimes charming , sometimes infuriating , this argentinean 'dramedy' succeeds mainly on the shoulders of its actors . 
a waste of fearless purity in the acting craft . 
any film featuring young children threatened by a terrorist bomb can no longer pass as mere entertainment . 
the work of an exhausted , desiccated talent who can't get out of his own way . 
branagh , in his most forceful non-shakespeare screen performance , grounds even the softest moments in the angry revolt of his wit . 
disney has always been hit-or-miss when bringing beloved kids' books to the screen . . . tuck everlasting is a little of both . 
as a movie , it never seems fresh and vital . it never plays as dramatic even when dramatic things happen to people . it labours as storytelling . 
'estupendamente actuada , sumamente emotiva y profundamente humana , es una experiencia fílmica imposible de olvidar'
wilco fans will have a great time , and the movie should win the band a few new converts , too . 
for each chuckle there are at least 10 complete misses , many coming from the amazingly lifelike tara reid , whose acting skills are comparable to a cardboard cutout . 
certainly no biopic , nijinsky is short on facts , but long on expression . 
 . . . little more than a well-acted television melodrama shot for the big screen . 
plays like a checklist of everything rob reiner and his cast were sending up . 
the film was immensely enjoyable thanks to great performances by both steve buscemi and rosario dawson . . . 
this is the first full scale wwii flick from hong kong's john woo . he's not good with people . 
the pain , loneliness and insecurity of the screenwriting process are vividly and painfully brought to slovenly life in this self-deprecating , biting and witty feature written by charlie kaufman and his twin brother , donald , and directed by spike jonze . 
despite its old-hat set-up and predictable plot , empire still has enough moments to keep it entertaining . 
the script , like the character danny , is complex and needs your attention . . . 
when so many hollywood films actively discourage higher brain functions , you have to give changing lanes credit for giving you food for thought . 
a smart , provocative drama that does the nearly impossible : it gets under the skin of a man we only know as an evil , monstrous lunatic . 
an engrossing iranian film about two itinerant teachers and some lost and desolate people they encounter in a place where war has savaged the lives and liberties of the poor and the dispossessed . 
opens at a funeral , ends on the protagonist's death bed and doesn't get much livelier in the three hours in between . 
' . . . the film's considered approach to its subject matter is too calm and thoughtful for agitprop , and the thinness of its characterizations makes it a failure as straight drama . '
while the subject's appeal is limited and the film's 106-minute running time excessive , viewers who do respond to the pic will find it raw , real and cathartic . 
admirers of director abel ferrara may be relieved that his latest feature , r xmas , marks a modest if encouraging return to form . 
there's a bit of thematic meat on the bones of queen of the damned , as its origins in an anne rice novel dictate , but generally , it's a movie that emphasizes style over character and substance . 
it's supposed to be a romantic comedy - it suffers from too much norma rae and not enough pretty woman . 
it doesn't seem like it's following a fixed path to the finish . unlike so many movies , it feels alive . 
while the new film is much more eye-catching than its blood-drenched stephen norrington-directed predecessor , the new script by the returning david s . goyer is much sillier . 
hypnotically dull , relentlessly downbeat , laughably predictable wail pitched to the cadence of a depressed fifteen-year-old's suicidal poetry . 
a thoroughly entertaining comedy that uses grant's own twist of acidity to prevent itself from succumbing to its own bathos . 
director barry sonnenfeld and company retain much of the rubbery alien slapstick humor . 
the film's strength isn't in its details , but in the larger picture it paints - of a culture in conflict with itself , with the thin veneer of nationalism that covers our deepest , media-soaked fears . 
steeped in lore and unabashedly surreal , the film is just charming enough for children and just bizarre enough for adults -- a perfect balance . 
does an impressive job of relating the complicated history of the war and of filling in the background . 
i have two words to say about reign of fire . great dragons ! 
'the war of the roses , ' trailer-trash style . entertaining but like shooting fish in a barrel . 
 . . . flat-out amusing , sometimes endearing and often fabulous , with a solid cast , noteworthy characters , delicious dialogue and a wide supply of effective sight gags . 
that rare movie that works on any number of levels -- as a film of magic and whimsy for children , a heartfelt romance for teenagers and a compelling argument about death , both pro and con , for adults . 
a horror movie with seriously dumb characters , which somewhat dilutes the pleasure of watching them stalked by creepy-crawly bug things that live only in the darkness . 
pascale bailly's rom-com provides amélie's audrey tautou with another fabuleux destin -- i . e . , a banal spiritual quest . 
the first half bursts with a goofy energy previous disney films only used for a few minutes here and there . 
the wild thornberrys movie has all the sibling rivalry and general family chaos to which anyone can relate . 
an interesting psychological thriller that , more often than not , actually works . 
in the name of an allegedly inspiring and easily marketable flick , the emperor's club turns a blind eye to the very history it pretends to teach . 
charged with as much psychological depth as gun-slinging violence , johnny to and wai ka fai's slick thriller brought a welcome jolt of adrenaline to the moribund hong kong action genre . 
how much you are moved by the emotional tumult of [françois and michèle's] relationship depends a lot on how interesting and likable you find them . 
there are moments it can be heart-rending in an honest and unaffected ( and gentle ) way . 
with lesser talents , high crimes would be entertaining , but forgettable . with freeman and judd , i'll at least remember their characters . 
when not wallowing in its characters' frustrations , the movie is busy contriving false , sitcom-worthy solutions to their problems . 
upper west sidey exercise in narcissism and self-congratulation disguised as a tribute . 
there are few things more frustrating to a film buff than seeing an otherwise good movie marred beyond redemption by a disastrous ending . 
 . . . quite good at providing some good old fashioned spooks . 
a movie more to be prescribed than recommended -- as visually bland as a dentist's waiting room , complete with soothing muzak and a cushion of predictable narrative rhythms . 
the movie is engaging and well acted , though , and the pink panther-style credits and background music are worth the price of admission . 
imagine a scenario where bergman approaches swedish fatalism using gary larson's far side humor
polanski has found the perfect material with which to address his own world war ii experience in his signature style . 
britney's performance cannot be faulted . lucy's a dull girl , that's all . 
its spirit of iconoclastic abandon -- however canned -- makes for unexpectedly giddy viewing . 
american and european cinema has amassed a vast holocaust literature , but it is impossible to think of any film more challenging or depressing than the grey zone . 
this is a visually stunning rumination on love , memory , history and the war between art and commerce . 
will probably stay in the shadow of its two older , more accessible qatsi siblings . 
drumline ably captures the complicated relationships in a marching band . 
brilliantly captures the brightness of the light , the intensity of the colors and the omnipresence of mexican motifs that informed kahlo's art . 
gives an intriguing twist to the french coming-of-age genre . 
at the right time of day , in the right frame of mind , baran can and should be appreciated as a work of delicate and unmistakable beauty . 
all the actors are good in pauline & paulette but van der groen , described as 'belgium's national treasure , ' is especially terrific as pauline . 
sure , there are flaws , but the moments that do things properly see the screen burst with confidence , rhythm , heat and pizzazz . 
as animation increasingly emphasizes the computer and the cool , this is a film that takes a stand in favor of tradition and warmth . 
it's gripping entertainment in a popular vein -- the police procedural -- that nevertheless follows no preconceived formulas . 
the most hopelessly monotonous film of the year , noteworthy only for the gimmick of being filmed as a single unbroken 87-minute take . 
to say analyze that is de niro's best film since meet the parents sums up the sad state of his recent career . 
talk to her is excellent movie-making and much of it is wondrous , but my conscience won't allow me to be devoted to unconditionally singing its praises . 
deserves high marks for political courage but barely gets by on its artistic merits . 
there are some fairly unsettling scenes , but they never succeed in really rattling the viewer . 
at once somber and mysterious , comical and sad . it shows just how lonely a crowded city can be . 
a simple , sometimes maddeningly slow film that has just enough charm and good acting to make it interesting , but is ultimately pulled under by the pacing and lack of creativity within . 
you get the feeling that the filmmakers did their homework and that they're here to represent a harsh reality . " 
one key problem with these ardently christian storylines is that there is never any question of how things will turn out . 
anthony hopkins ? big deal ! we've already seen the prequel to the silence of the lambs and hannibal -- and it was better the first time . 
nights feels more like a quickie tv special than a feature film . . . it's not even a tv special you'd bother watching past the second commercial break . 
leave it to rohmer , now 82 , to find a way to bend current technique to the service of a vision of the past that is faithful to both architectural glories and commanding open spaces of the city as it was more than two centuries ago . 
one of those movies that catches you up in something bigger than yourself , namely , an archetypal desire to enjoy good trash every now and then . 
a middlebrow hybrid that should satisfy most fans of spy movies without blowing them away . 
let's hope -- shall we ? -- that the 'true story' by which all the queen's men is allegedly " inspired " was a lot funnier and more deftly enacted than what's been cobbled together onscreen . 
the most memorable moment was when green threw medical equipment at a window ; not because it was particularly funny , but because i had a serious urge to grab the old lady at the end of my aisle's walker and toss it at the screen in frustration . 
that old adage about women being unknowable gets an exhilarating new interpretation in morvern callar . 
icon-bashing has never been as amusing as it is in michael rubbo's documentary much ado about something . 
with its young cast and an appealing balance of uplifting attitude and irreverent humor , drumline has the potential to be a sleeper hit . 
weird , vulgar comedy that's definitely an acquired taste . 
those who aren't put off by the film's austerity will find it more than capable of rewarding them . 
 . . . another example of how sandler is losing his touch . 
the cold and dreary weather is a perfect metaphor for the movie itself , which contains few laughs and not much drama . 
continually challenges perceptions of guilt and innocence , of good guys and bad , and asks us whether a noble end can justify evil means . 
rice is too pedestrian a filmmaker to bring any edge or personality to the rising place that would set it apart from other deep south stories . 
[davis] has a bright , chipper style that keeps things moving , while never quite managing to connect her wish-fulfilling characters to the human race . 
a time machine , a journey back to your childhood , when cares melted away in the dark theater , and films had the ability to mesmerize , astonish and entertain . 
one well-timed explosion in a movie can be a knockout , but a hundred of them can be numbing . proof of this is ballistic : ecks vs . sever . 
frankly , it's kind of insulting , both to men and women . and it's not that funny -- which is just generally insulting . 
'[sex and lucia]is so seductive and profound , it's as if we're witnessing a greek myth coil and flower . . . '
while the costumes hint at changes beneath the surface , it is abbass' performance , as she vacillates flawlessly between muted hausfrau and shining hoofer , that reveals the depths of her transformation . 
it's disappointing when filmmakers throw a few big-name actors and cameos at a hokey script . 
a thoughtful , moving piece that faces difficult issues with honesty and beauty . 
77 minutes of pokemon may not last 4ever , it just seems like it does . my only wish is that celebi could take me back to a time before i saw this movie and i could just skip it . 
the script falls back on too many tried-and-true shenanigans that hardly distinguish it from the next teen comedy . 
so purely enjoyable that you might not even notice it's a fairly straightforward remake of hollywood comedies such as father of the bride . 
no matter how you slice it , mark wahlberg and thandie newton are not hepburn and grant , two cinematic icons with chemistry galore . 
a wild comedy that could only spring from the demented mind of the writer of being john malkovich . 
witherspoon and her huge forehead really were pretty funny and this movie was much better than her last effort , " legally blonde . " 
the plot convolutions ultimately add up to nothing more than jerking the audience's chain . 
while the plot follows a predictable connect-the-dots course . . . director john schultz colors the picture in some evocative shades . 
each story is built on a potentially interesting idea , but the first two are ruined by amateurish writing and acting , while the third feels limited by its short running time . 
interview with the assassin is structured less as a documentary and more as a found relic , and as such the film has a difficult time shaking its blair witch project real-time roots . 
a modestly comic , modestly action-oriented world war ii adventure that , in terms of authenticity , is one of those films that requires the enemy to never shoot straight . 
i don't think i laughed out loud once . and when you're talking about a slapstick comedy , that's a pretty big problem . 
in its treatment of the dehumanizing and ego-destroying process of unemployment , time out offers an exploration that is more accurate than anything i have seen in an american film . 
by the time you reach the finale , you're likely wondering why you've been watching all this strutting and posturing . 
inherently caustic and oddly whimsical , the film chimes in on the grieving process and strangely draws the audience into the unexplainable pain and eccentricities that are attached to the concept of loss . 
despite the inexperience of the director and his cast , there's rarely a false moment . 
suffers from a flat script and a low budget . 
compassionately explores the seemingly irreconcilable situation between conservative christian parents and their estranged gay and lesbian children . 
slight , but colorful and forward-moving . . . wasabi has the cheeky verve and heart of a shaggy dog movie that is aiming to please its owner , nothing more , nothing less . 
it is psychedelic , hypnotic , exhilarating and horrifying , and sometimes all at once . 
you can fire a torpedo through some of clancy's holes , and the scripters don't deserve any oscars . but the nerve-raked acting , the crackle of lines , the impressive stagings of hardware , make for some robust and scary entertainment . 
bright seems alternately amused and disgusted with this material , and he can't help throwing in a few of his own touches . 
the subtitled costume drama is set in a remote african empire before cell phones , guns , and the internal combustion engine , but the politics that thump through it are as timely as tomorrow . 
this movie is about the worst thing chan has done in the united states . 
circuit queens won't learn a thing , they'll be too busy cursing the film's strategically placed white sheets . 
any one episode of the sopranos would send this ill-conceived folly to sleep with the fishes . 
it's a fine , focused piece of work that reopens an interesting controversy and never succumbs to sensationalism . 
as an actress , madonna is one helluva singer . as the mediterranean sparkles , 'swept away' sinks . 
humorless , self-conscious art drivel , made without a glimmer of intelligence or invention . 
this flick is about as cool and crowd-pleasing as a documentary can get . 
beneath the uncanny , inevitable and seemingly shrewd facade of movie-biz farce . . . lies a plot cobbled together from largely flat and uncreative moments . 
reign of fire looks as if it was made without much thought -- and is best watched that way . 
a wild ride of a movie that keeps throwing fastballs . 
it's all entertaining enough , but don't look for any hefty anti-establishment message in what is essentially a whip-crack of a buddy movie that ends with a whimper . 
let's face it , even vin's fake tats have more charisma than pierce brosnan . 
a distinctly mixed bag , the occasional bursts of sharp writing alternating with lots of sloppiness and the obligatory moments of sentimental ooze . 
superbly photographed and staged by mendes with a series of riveting set pieces the likes of which mainstream audiences have rarely seen . 
this is a finely written , superbly acted offbeat thriller . 
if you're able to go , relax and lower your expectations , you might be carried away by it . 
the film has too many spots where it's on slippery footing , but is acceptable entertainment for the entire family and one that's especially fit for the kiddies . 
characterisation has been sacrificed for the sake of spectacle . 
not a film to rival to live , but a fine little amuse-bouche to keep your appetite whetted . 
the warm presence of zhao benshan makes the preposterous lying hero into something more than he reasonably should be . 
one of those films that started with a great premise and then just fell apart . 
die another day is only intermittently entertaining but it's hard not to be a sucker for its charms , or perhaps it's just impossible not to feel nostalgia for movies you grew up with . 
in the end , all you can do is admire the ensemble players and wonder what the point of it is . 
the animation and game phenomenon that peaked about three years ago is actually dying a slow death , if the poor quality of pokemon 4 ever is any indication . 
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 marquis de sade couldn't have been as dull a person as this film makes him out to be . 
an invaluable historical document thanks to the filmmaker's extraordinary access to massoud , whose charm , cultivation and devotion to his people are readily apparent . 
the movie has an avalanche of eye-popping visual effects . 
oops , she's really done it this time . that chirpy songbird britney spears has popped up with more mindless drivel . 
the band's courage in the face of official repression is inspiring , especially for aging hippies ( this one included ) . 
you could easily mistake it for a sketchy work-in-progress that was inexplicably rushed to the megaplexes before its time . 
it may be an easy swipe to take , but this barbershop just doesn't make the cut . 
this is the kind of movie that used to be right at home at the saturday matinee , and it still is . 
more than simply a portrait of early extreme sports , this peek into the 1970s skateboard revolution is a skateboard film as social anthropology . . . 
the film belongs to the marvelous verdu , a sexy slip of an earth mother who mourns her tragedies in private and embraces life in public
a pretty funny movie , with most of the humor coming , as before , from the incongruous but chemically perfect teaming of crystal and de niro . 
the casting of von sydow . . . is itself intacto's luckiest stroke . 
does what a fine documentary does best : it extends a warm invitation into an unfamiliar world , then illuminates it fully and allows the larger implications of the journey to sink in unobtrusively . 
uneven performances and a spotty script add up to a biting satire that has no teeth . 
at its best , the good girl is a refreshingly adult take on adultery . . . 
it's a hoot watching the rock chomp on jumbo ants , pull an arrow out of his back , and leap unscathed through raging fire ! 
there's a disturbing 'great white hope' undertone to the other side of heaven that subtly undermines its message of christian love and compassion . 
ararat is among the director's best work , a rendering of the past that offers hope for the future . 
a wonderfully speculative character study that made up for its rather slow beginning by drawing me into the picture . 
a terrifically deft picture about the thick line that separates movie glamour from the real world , and the thin line between common sense and paranoia . 
a sluggish pace and lack of genuine narrative hem the movie in every bit as much as life hems in the spirits of these young women . 
doesn't come close to justifying the hype that surrounded its debut at the sundance film festival two years ago . 
while not quite " shrek " or monsters , inc . " , it's not too bad . it's worth taking the kids to . 
splendidly illustrates the ability of the human spirit to overcome adversity . 
too clumsy in key moments . . . to make a big splash . 
yakusho , as always , is wonderful as the long-faced sad sack . . . and his chemistry with shimizu is very believable . 
imagine the cleanflicks version of 'love story , ' with ali macgraw's profanities replaced by romance-novel platitudes . 
for devotees of french cinema , safe conduct is so rich with period minutiae it's like dying and going to celluloid heaven . 
nothing short of a masterpiece -- and a challenging one . 
the movie is too cute to take itself too seriously , but it still feels like it was made by some very stoned college students . 
it trusts the story it sets out to tell . 
funny and , at times , poignant , the film from director george hickenlooper all takes place in pasadena , " a city where people still read . " 
it is , by conventional standards , a fairly terrible movie . . . but it is also weirdly fascinating , a ready-made eurotrash cult object . it is also , at times , curiously moving . 
it collapses when mr . taylor tries to shift the tone to a thriller's rush . 
kids will love its fantasy and adventure , and grownups should appreciate its whimsical humor . 
only those most addicted to film violence in all its forms will find anything here to appreciate . 
it's fun , but the code-talk will fly right over everyone's head
director shekhar kapur and screenwriters michael schiffer and hossein amini have tried hard to modernize and reconceptualize things , but the barriers finally prove to be too great . 
once the viewer accepts the huge leaps of faith required in the film's premise , it's a lot of fun to strap oneself in and enjoy this goofy ride . 
this indie drama resonantly demonstrates how a person's worth is weighed in a town where you're only as good as your last game . 
texan director george ratliff had unlimited access to families and church meetings , and he delivers fascinating psychological fare . 
this is not an easy film . but it could be , by its art and heart , a necessary one . 
nothing short of a respectful testament to the ingenious creative drive of the outsider . 
the story , touching though it is , does not quite have enough emotional resonance or variety of incident to sustain a feature , and even at 85 minutes it feels a bit long . 
the santa clause 2 " goes down as easy as an eggnog on christmas eve . 
a mind-bender in the best sense of the word : the spell it casts follows you all the way home . 
the whole of sunshine state is less than the sum of its parts , but the parts are often lovely , and always true . 
the film hinges on its performances , and both leads are up to the task . 
graças às interações entre seus personagens , o filme torna-se não apenas uma história divertida sobre uma curiosa perseguição , mas também um belo estudo de personagens . 
a classic romance always involves a certain formula : boy meets girl , boy loses girl , boy gets girl . beijing bicycle is a romance , except the love interest is a bicycle and not a girl . 
waydowntown may not be an important movie , or even a good one , but it provides a nice change of mindless pace in collision with the hot oscar season currently underway . 
ana is a vivid , vibrant individual and the movie's focus upon her makes it successful and accessible . 
sex with strangers will shock many with its unblinking frankness . but what is missing from it all is a moral . what is the filmmakers' point ? why did they deem it necessary to document all this emotional misery ? 
henry bean's thoughtful screenplay provides no easy answers , but offers a compelling investigation of faith versus intellect
like its bizarre heroine , it irrigates our souls . 
in the spirit of the season , i assign one bright shining star to roberto benigni's pinocchio -- but i guarantee that no wise men will be following after it . 
a compelling motion picture that illustrates an american tragedy . 
yes , 4ever is harmless in the extreme and it'll mute your kids for nearly 80 minutes , but why not just treat the little yard apes to the real deal and take them to spirited away ? 
[t]his slop doesn't even have potential as a cult film , as it's too loud to shout insults at the screen . 
a fake street drama that keeps telling you things instead of showing them . 
a chick flick of the first order , disguised by just enough historical detail to elevate the proceedings somewhat . 
a film that perfectly distills the relationship between pop music and teens searching for identity . 
it understands , in a way that speaks forcefully enough about the mechanisms of poverty to transcend the rather simplistic filmmaking . 
a raunchy and frequently hilarious follow-up to the gifted korean american stand-up's i'm the one that i want . 
one of the best films i have ever seen , constantly pulling the rug from underneath us , seeing things from new sides , plunging deeper , getting more intense . 
as lo-fi as the special effects are , the folks who cobbled nemesis together indulge the force of humanity over hardware in a way that george lucas has long forgotten . 
a fine , rousing , g-rated family film , aimed mainly at little kids but with plenty of entertainment value to keep grown-ups from squirming in their seats . 
an enthralling , playful film that constantly frustrates our desire to know the 'truth' about this man , while deconstructing the very format of the biography in a manner that derrida would doubtless give his blessing to . 
manages to be wholesome and subversive at the same time . 
without resorting to camp or parody , haynes ( like sirk , but differently ) has transformed the rhetoric of hollywood melodrama into something provocative , rich , and strange . 
granted , much of the marlovian argument is patently ridiculous ( was ben johnson really part of a massive cover-up ? ) but it's good fun . 
whatever eyre's failings as a dramatist , he deserves credit for bringing audiences into this hard and bitter place . 
together writer-director danny verete's three tales comprise a powerful and reasonably fulfilling gestalt . 
there's not a spark of new inspiration in it , just more of the same , done with noticeably less energy and imagination . 
trademark american triteness and simplicity are tossed out the window with the intelligent french drama that deftly explores the difficult relationship between a father and son . 
like a veteran head cutter , barbershop is tuned in to its community . 
schaefer's . . . determination to inject farcical raunch . . . drowns out the promise of the romantic angle . 
taken outside the context of the current political climate ( see : terrorists are more evil than ever ! ) , the sum of all fears is simply a well-made and satisfying thriller . 
strong stuff , minus the upbeat sentimentality of last year's oscar-winner . in that respect , it may be an even more important film . 
this is a happy throwback to the time when cartoons were cinema's most idiosyncratic form instead of one of its most predictable . 
eul-boon kim's soulful portrayal of the illiterate , deaf-mute grandmother illuminates the dignity of her demeanor and the sad resignation in her eyes . 
some movies were made for the big screen , some for the small screen , and some , like ballistic : ecks vs . sever , were made for the palm screen . 
it's the chemistry between the women and the droll scene-stealing wit and wolfish pessimism of anna chancellor that makes this " two weddings and a funeral " fun . 
chabrol ratchets up such a level of suspense -- and huppert gives such a mesmerizingly deadpan performance -- that merci pour le chocolat turns out to be as irresistible as a piece of dark chocolate . 
don't let the subtitles fool you ; the movie only proves that hollywood no longer has a monopoly on mindless action . 
'the château is never quite able to overcome the cultural moat surrounding its ludicrous and contrived plot . '
no film could possibly be more contemptuous of the single female population . 
essentially " fatal attraction " remade for viewers who were in diapers when the original was released in 1987 . . . . this story gets sillier , not scarier , as it goes along . . . 
i was hoping that it would be sleazy and fun , but it was neither . 
clint eastwood's blood work is a lot like a well-made pb& j sandwich : familiar , fairly uneventful and boasting no real surprises – but still quite tasty and inviting all the same . 
the film's 45-minute running time stops shy of overkill , though viewers may be more exhausted than the athletes onscreen . 
 . . . one big laugh , three or four mild giggles , and a whole lot of not much else . 
i didn't laugh . i didn't smile . i survived . 
monte cristo smartly emphasizes the well-wrought story and omits needless chase scenes and swordfights as the revenge unfolds . 
[griffith] adds another intriguing character to her formidable body of work . 
the camera soars above the globe in dazzling panoramic shots that make the most of the large-screen format , before swooping down on a string of exotic locales , scooping the whole world up in a joyous communal festival of rhythm . 
you'd think by now america would have had enough of plucky british eccentrics with hearts of gold . yet the act is still charming here . 
evokes the frustration , the awkwardness and the euphoria of growing up , without relying on the usual tropes . 
[it] has the feel of a summer popcorn movie . nothing too deep or substantial . explosions , jokes , and sexual innuendoes abound . 
 " catch me " feels capable of charming the masses with star power , a pop-induced score and sentimental moments that have become a spielberg trademark . 
may not have generated many sparks , but with his affection for astoria and its people he has given his tale a warm glow . 
 . . . there's enough cool fun here to warm the hearts of animation enthusiasts of all ages . 
the french are rather good at this kind of thing , unlike the americans , who have a passion for musketeers , only to spoof them . 
in a strange way , egoyan has done too much . he's worked too hard on this movie . 
soulless and -- even more damning -- virtually joyless , xxx achieves near virtuosity in its crapulence . 
the entertaining new film version of robert ludlum's 1980 spy thriller , the bourne identity , adds a crisp , tangy autumnal feel to the hot dog days of summer moviegoing . 
the very definition of the 'small' movie , but it is a good stepping stone for director sprecher . 
this chicago has hugely imaginative and successful casting to its great credit , as well as one terrific score and attitude to spare . 
i love the opening scenes of a wintry new york city in 1899 . cinematic poetry showcases the city's old-world charm before machines change nearly everything . 
one of the most successful , provocative and intensely contemporary of israeli films , so much so that to watch it is to feel the country having a passionate argument with itself . 
it downplays the initial assault , referring to it only in fragmented flashbacks , while offering a cogent critique of ongoing attitudes about rape and its victims , particularly in japan . 
full of bland hotels , highways , parking lots , with some glimpses of nature and family warmth , time out is a discreet moan of despair about entrapment in the maze of modern life . 
in this film , aussie david caesar channels the not-quite-dead career of guy ritchie . 
it is fascinating to see how much work and preparation goes into stand-up comedy . 
you wouldn't call the good girl a date movie ( an anti-date movie is more like it ) , but when it's good , it's good and horrid . 
a uniquely sensual metaphorical dramatization of sexual obsession that spends a bit too much time on its fairly ludicrous plot . 
has just enough charm ( not to mention a sense of its own ridiculousness ) to stay afloat . 
all ms . jovovich , as the sanctified heroine , has to do is look radiant , grimly purposeful and mildly alarmed while forcing open doors , wielding wrenches and fleeing monsters . 
one of those exceedingly rare films in which the talk alone is enough to keep us involved . 
the story itself it mostly told through on-camera interviews with several survivors , whose riveting memories are rendered with such clarity that it's as if it all happened only yesterday . 
despite its flaws . . . belinsky is still able to create an engaging story that keeps you guessing at almost every turn . 
celebrates family in a way that's deeply felt by the director and screenwriter/subject and no doubt will be shared by viewers of any ethnicity . 
the determination of pinochet's victims to seek justice , and their often heartbreaking testimony , spoken directly into director patricio guzman's camera , pack a powerful emotional wallop . 
what should have been a cutting hollywood satire is instead about as fresh as last week's issue of variety . 
portentous and pretentious , the weight of water is appropriately titled , given the heavy-handedness of it drama . 
the draw [for " big bad love " ] is a solid performance by arliss howard . 
everything was as superficial as the forced new jersey lowbrow accent uma had . 
underachieves only in not taking the shakespeare parallels quite far enough . 
an undistinguished attempt to make a classic theater piece cinematic . 
unfortunately , heartbreak hospital wants to convey the same kind of haughtiness in its own sketchy material but this territory has already been explored previously with better aplomb and sardonic wit . 
an overemphatic , would-be wacky , ultimately tedious sex farce . 
the sentimental script has problems , but the actors pick up the slack . 
the trinity assembly approaches the endeavor with a shocking lack of irony , and george ratliff's documentary , hell house , reflects their earnestness — which makes for a terrifying film . 
a clash between the artificial structure of the story and the more contemporary , naturalistic tone of the film . . . 
a bonanza of wacky sight gags , outlandish color schemes , and corny visual puns that can be appreciated equally as an abstract frank tashlin comedy and as a playful recapitulation of the artist's career . 
throws in enough clever and unexpected twists to make the formula feel fresh . 
i like it . no , i hate it . no , i love it . . . hell , i dunno . 
the director sees the strengths of alagna and gheorghiu and plays them for every cinematic moment . 
in this refreshingly shameless celebration of money and expensive stuff , director kevin bray grabs every retro action-film cliché . 
still rapturous after all these years , cinema paradiso stands as one of the great films about movie love . 
has lost some of the dramatic conviction that underlies the best of comedies . . . 
highlights are the terrific performances by christopher plummer , as the prime villain , and nathan lane as vincent crummles , the eccentric theater company manager . 
a minor film with major pleasures from portuguese master manoel de oliviera . . . 
its message has merit and , in the hands of a brutally honest individual like prophet jack , might have made a point or two regarding life . 
that we are not the target and still got ninety percent of it is a compliment to director charles stone iii and screenwriters matthew cirulnick and thulani davis who whipped the original story into coherent shape . 
i wish i could say " thank god it's friday " , but the truth of the matter is i was glad when it was over . 
exudes the fizz of a busby berkeley musical and the visceral excitement of a sports extravaganza . 
a very bizarre blend of reservoir dogs , fight club , unbreakable and croupier . 
a smart , steamy mix of road movie , coming-of-age story and political satire . 
peralta's mythmaking could have used some informed , adult hindsight . 
this examination of aquatic life off the shores of the baja california peninsula of mexico offers an engrossing way to demonstrate the virtues of the imax format . 
it's not exactly worth the bucks to expend the full price for a date , but when it comes out on video , it's well worth a rental . 
every so often a movie comes along that confirms one's worse fears about civilization as we know it . the new guy is one of them . 
a sweet film about two gentle souls - there is a genuine caring between them that feels like watching old friends . 
definitely a crowd-pleaser , but then , so was the roman colosseum . 
this picture is murder by numbers , and as easy to be bored by as your abc's , despite a few whopping shootouts . 
while dutifully pulling on heartstrings , directors dean deblois and chris sanders valiantly keep punching up the mix . 
the milieu is wholly unconvincing . . . and the histrionics reach a truly annoying pitch . 
'all in all , reign of fire will be a good ( successful ) rental . '
every sequel you skip will be two hours gained . consider this review life-affirming . 
while certainly more naturalistic than its australian counterpart , amari's film falls short in building the drama of lilia's journey . 
a violent initiation rite for the audience , as much as it is for angelique , the [opening] dance guarantees karmen's enthronement among the cinema's memorable women . 
utterly lacking in charm , wit and invention , roberto benigni's pinocchio is an astonishingly bad film . 
wise , cruelly observant of human nature and hysterically funny . 
a broadly played , lowbrow comedy in which the cast delivers mildly amusing performances and no farm animals were injured by any of the gags . 
a savage john waters-like humor that dances on the edge of tastelessness without ever quite falling over . 
because the film deliberately lacks irony , it has a genuine dramatic impact ; it plays like a powerful 1957 drama we've somehow never seen before . 
if the first men in black was money , the second is small change . but it still jingles in the pocket . it's fun lite . 
a few nonbelievers may rethink their attitudes when they see the joy the characters take in this creed , but skeptics aren't likely to enter the theater . 
las horas es una de las obras que con mayor apasionamiento reflexiona acerca del hecho de vivir . . . 
a fascinating literary mystery story with multiple strands about the controversy of who really wrote shakespeare's plays . 
it does what good films do best ; that is to provoke us , push our buttons , make us think and maybe even entertain us in the process . 
inventive , fun , intoxicatingly sexy , violent , self-indulgent and maddening . 
[siegal] proves that you don't have to be a just out of film school gen-x'er to make a resonant and entertaining movie about young adults . 
the humor is forced and heavy-handed , and occasionally simply unpleasant . 
this is a movie filled with unlikable , spiteful idiots ; whether or not their friendship is salvaged makes no difference in the least . 
will only satisfy those who can't tell the difference between the good , the bad and the ugly . 
drags along in a dazed and enervated , drenched-in-the- past numbness . 
parker probably thinks he's shaking up a classic the way kenneth branagh and baz luhrmann have , but this half-hearted messing-about just makes us miss wilde's still-contemporary play . 
though shiri's eruptions of violence , mayhem and gunplay are every bit as kinetic and dazzling as anything generated in hong kong or hollywood , the film's primary focus is always on its characters . 
there's something about a marching band that gets me where i live . 
a bigger holiday downer than your end-of-year 401 ( k ) statement . 
filmmakers david weissman and bill weber benefit enormously from the cockettes' camera craziness -- not only did they film performances , but they did the same at home . 
a fast paced and suspenseful argentinian thriller about the shadow side of play . 
watching les destinées , whose pace may not be for everyone , is to be virtually part of the creative process . 
thoughtful , even stinging at times , and lots of fun . 
ya-yas everywhere will forgive the flaws and love the film . 
 . . . the movie is just a plain old monster . 
overall , the film misses the brilliance of jelinek's novel by some way . it settles for being merely grim . 
the uneven movie does have its charms and its funny moments but not quite enough of them . 
it takes a really long , slow and dreary time to dope out what tuck everlasting is about . so here it is : it's about a family of sour immortals . 
a touching drama about old age and grief with a tour de force performance by michel piccoli . 
staggers between flaccid satire and what is supposed to be madcap farce . 
one of the more irritating cartoons you will see this , or any , year . 
a sham construct based on theory , sleight-of-hand , and ill-wrought hypothesis . 
director roger michell mounts this thriller as an action-packed , sometimes tongue-in-cheek celebrity death match . 
about as satisfying and predictable as the fare at your local drive through . 
suffers from over-familiarity since hit-hungry british filmmakers have strip-mined the monty formula mercilessly since 1997 . 
the film's plot may be shallow , but you've never seen the deep like you see it in these harrowing surf shots . 
ultimately this is a frustrating patchwork : an uneasy marriage of louis begley's source novel ( about schmidt ) and an old payne screenplay . 
resident evil is what comes from taking john carpenter's ghosts of mars and eliminating the beheadings . in other words , about as bad a film you're likely to see all year . 
not for everyone , but for those with whom it will connect , it's a nice departure from standard moviegoing fare . 
the crassness of this reactionary thriller is matched only by the ridiculousness of its premise . 
the cast is so low-wattage that none of the characters comes off as big . . . and the setting remains indistinct . 
a subtle variation on i spit on your grave in which our purported heroine pathologically avenges a hatred for men . 
as tricky and satisfying as any of david mamet's airless cinematic shell games . 
ms . bennett is worth watching , and her story is weirdly detailed enough to prove once more that truth is too strange for good fiction . 
this charmless nonsense ensues amid clanging film references that make jay and silent bob's excellent adventure seem understated . 
the best way to describe it is as a cross between paul thomas anderson's magnolia and david lynch's mulholland dr . 
there are times when a rumor of angels plays like an extended episode of touched by an angel -- a little too much dancing , a few too many weeping scenes -- but i liked its heart and its spirit . 
steve irwin's method is ernest hemmingway at accelerated speed and volume . 
i walked away not really know who " they " were , what " they " looked like . why " they " were here and what " they " wanted and quite honestly , i didn't care . 
with a " spy kids " sequel opening next week , why bother with a contemptible imitator starring a " snl " has-been acting like an 8-year-old channeling roberto benigni ? 
turns a potentially interesting idea into an excruciating film school experience that plays better only for the film's publicists or for people who take as many drugs as the film's characters
god bless crudup and his aversion to taking the easy hollywood road and cashing in on his movie-star gorgeousness . 
as any creature-feature fan knows , when you cross toxic chemicals with a bunch of exotic creatures , you get a lot of running around , screaming and death . on that score , the film certainly doesn't disappoint . 
the sort of movie that gives tastelessness a bad rap . 
the only surprise is that heavyweights joel silver and robert zemeckis agreed to produce this ; i assume the director has pictures of them cavorting in ladies' underwear . 
not only does this musical documentary showcase a band that's at the top of its form . . . it also serves as indictment of the ridiculously shallow , pre-fab music industry in general . 
once again , the intelligence of gay audiences has been grossly underestimated , and a meaty plot and well-developed characters have been sacrificed for skin and flash that barely fizzle . 
gran historia sobre el amor , la familia , la lealtad y la traición que seguramente se convertirá en un nuevo clásico del género . 
the stars may be college kids , but the subject matter is as adult as you can get : the temptations of the flesh are unleashed by a slightly crazed , overtly determined young woman and a one-night swim turns into an ocean of trouble . 
a generic bloodbath that often becomes laughably unbearable when it isn't merely offensive . 
a memorable experience that , like many of his works , presents weighty issues colorfully wrapped up in his own idiosyncratic strain of kitschy goodwill . 
the film's sharp , often mischievous sense of humor will catch some off guard . . . 
harsh , effective documentary on life in the israeli-occupied palestinian territories . 
by turns gripping , amusing , tender and heart-wrenching , laissez-passer has all the earmarks of french cinema at its best . 
while it doesn't expose any new truths about the problems posed by reaching middle age , it reflects wisely on the truths that already exist . 
the movie's ripe , enrapturing beauty will tempt those willing to probe its inscrutable mysteries . 
the film creates an effective sense of time and place , though sheridan is not above hitting us over the head with obvious stylistic contrivances . 
a simple tale of an unlikely friendship , but thanks to the gorgeous locales and exceptional lead performances , it has considerable charm . 
nothing more than a widget cranked out on an assembly line to see if stupid americans will get a kick out of goofy brits with cute accents performing ages-old slapstick and unfunny tricks . 
nair and writer laura cahill dare to build a movie around some flawed but rather unexceptional women , emerging with a fine character study that's short on plot but rich in the tiny revelations of real life . 
[while the last metro] was more melodramatic , confined to a single theater company and its strategies and deceptions , while tavernier is more concerned with the entire period of history . 
a delightful fable about the enduring value of literature . 
it makes me feel weird / thinking about all the bad things in the world / like puppies with broken legs / and butterflies that die / and movies starring pop queens
'de niro . . . is a veritable source of sincere passion that this hollywood contrivance orbits around . '
how i killed my father is one of those art house films that makes you feel like you're watching an iceberg melt -- only it never melts . 
the movie is never less than watchable and consistently entertaining , but the need to push gags too far keeps tripping it up . 
bullock's complete lack of focus and ability quickly derails the film
the director knows how to apply textural gloss , but his portrait of sex-as-war is strictly sitcom . 
as self-aware movies go , who is cletis tout ? is clever enough , though thin writing proves its undoing . 
like the series , the movie is funny , smart , visually inventive , and most of all , alive . 
the movie's biggest offense is its complete and utter lack of tension . 
in any case , i would recommend big bad love only to winger fans who have missed her since 1995's forget paris . but even then , i'd recommend waiting for dvd and just skipping straight to her scenes . 
try as you might to scrutinize the ethics of kaufman's approach , somehow it all comes together to create a very compelling , sensitive , intelligent and almost cohesive piece of film entertainment . 
sometimes there are very , very good reasons for certain movies to be sealed in a jar and left on a remote shelf indefinitely . 
majidi's direction has never been smoother or more confident . 
the screenwriters dig themselves in deeper every time they toss logic and science into what is essentially a " dungeons and dragons " fantasy with modern military weaponry . . . 
gay or straight , kissing jessica stein is one of the greatest date movies in years . 
perhaps no picture ever made has more literally showed that the road to hell is paved with good intentions . 
for all its random chaos , divine secrets works because of the power of its convictions -- and its cast . 
the second chapter of the harry potter series is even more magical than the first and simply the best family film of the year . 
watching spirited away is like watching an eastern imagination explode . 
harper and serkis are terrific , while caine carries the film with the authority of a man who has been here before . 
as immaculate as stuart little 2 is , it could be a lot better if it were , well , more adventurous . 
director and co-writer hilary birmingham's maiden feature… is a strong , polished , professional indie effort that bodes well for bigger success . 
laced with liberal doses of dark humor , gorgeous exterior photography , and a stable-full of solid performances , no such thing is a fascinating little tale . 
 it feels like an after-school special gussied up with some fancy special effects , and watching its rote plot points connect is about as exciting as gazing at an egg timer for 93 minutes . 
a sentimental hybrid that could benefit from the spice of specificity . 
theirs is a simple and heart-warming story , full of mirth that should charm all but the most cynical . 
the directing and story are disjointed , flaws that have to be laid squarely on taylor's doorstep . but the actors make this worth a peek . 
ratliff deserves high marks for his restraint and willingness not to try and shape or mold our opinion regarding what is being shown . 
you'd be hard put to find a movie character more unattractive or odorous [than leon] . 
the story is so light and sugary that were it a macy's thanksgiving day parade balloon , extra heavy-duty ropes would be needed to keep it from floating away . 
it's kind of sad that so many people put so much time and energy into this turkey . 
kirshner and monroe seem to be in a contest to see who can out-bad-act the other . ( kirshner wins , but it's close . ) 
secretary manages a neat trick , bundling the flowers of perversity , comedy and romance into a strangely tempting bouquet of a movie . 
it's weird , wonderful , and not necessarily for kids . 
a low-budget affair , tadpole was shot on digital video , and the images often look smeary and blurry , to the point of distraction . then again , in a better movie , you might not have noticed . 
shainberg weaves a carefully balanced scenario that is controlled by neither character , is weirdly sympathetic to both and manages to be tender and darkly comic . 
 . . . routine , harmless diversion and little else . 
this in-depth study of important developments of the computer industry should make it required viewing in university computer science departments for years to come . 
desperately unfunny when it tries to makes us laugh and desperately unsuspenseful when it tries to make us jump out of our seats . 
plays like one long , meandering sketch inspired by the works of john waters and todd solondz , rather than a fully developed story . 
legendary irish writer brendan behan's memoir , borstal boy , has been given a loving screen transferral . 
the amazing film work is so convincing that by movies' end you'll swear you are wet in some places and feel sand creeping in others . 
' . . . both hokey and super-cool , and definitely not in a hurry , so sit back , relax and have a few laughs while the little ones get a fuzzy treat . '
there are some movies that hit you from the first scene and you know it's going to be a trip . igby goes down is one of those movies . 
it's almost as if it's an elaborate dare more than a full-blooded film . 
the drama is played out with such aching beauty and truth that it brings tears to your eyes . 
as a tearjerker this works pretty well , though long before it gets to work on your tear ducts , it starts to eat away at your nerves . 
rewarding for its brash originality and daring in etching a portrait of a man who refuses to take life's disappointments lying down . 
if the film had been in less-capable hands , the subject matter could have easily lent itself to eye-rolling ridicule , but huppert and haneke manage to keep the credibility intact , at least up to a point . 
the film is itself a sort of cinematic high crime , one that brings military courtroom dramas down very , very low . 
generic slasher-movie nonsense , but it's not without style . 
an overly familiar scenario is made fresh by an intelligent screenplay and gripping performances in this low-budget , video-shot , debut indie effort . 
no amount of good intentions is able to overcome the triviality of the story . 
as a hybrid teen thriller and murder mystery , murder by numbers fits the profile too closely . 
it's an exhilarating blast that makes good use of the large-format screen . 
even if you feel like you've seen this movie a thousand times before , it is kind of enjoyable thanks mainly to belushi's easy-going likableness . 
ever see one of those comedies that just seem like a bad idea from frame one ? 
compared to sorority boys . . . this is high comedic art . 
merely as a technical , logistical feat , russian ark marks a cinematic milestone . 
it somehow managed to make its way past my crappola radar and find a small place in my heart
a major achievement and something to get excited about . 
 " 13 conversations " holds its goodwill close , but is relatively slow to come to the point . 
it's rare to find a film that dazzles the eye , challenges the brain , and satisfies our lust for fast-paced action , but minority report delivers all that and a whole lot more . 
the film is complex , intricate , interesting and almost hypnotizing , till charlie gets stuck ( the screenplay he's writing is the one you're watching ) . glad he had the gonads to do what he did then , but it subtracts from the overall entertainment value . 
paid in full is remarkably engaging despite being noticeably derivative of goodfellas and at least a half dozen other trouble-in-the-ghetto flicks . 
a first-class , thoroughly involving b movie that effectively combines two surefire , beloved genres -- the prison flick and the fight film . 
b-type dialogue -- dirty jokes , overly emphatic declarations and other ripe lines -- make the movie camp fun . 
despite its lavish formalism and intellectual austerity , the film manages to keep you at the edge of your seat with its shape-shifting perils , political intrigue and brushes with calamity . 
it's often faintly amusing , but the problems of the characters never become important to us , and the story never takes hold . 
best to just pick up a blade of grass and chew on it while absorbing the scenic imagery and natural acting of a strong cast . 
 . . . a quietly introspective portrait of the self-esteem of employment and the shame of losing a job . . . 
run , don't walk , to see this barbed and bracing comedy on the big screen . 
s1m0ne's satire is not subtle , but it is effective . it's a quirky , off-beat project . . . . 
like brosnan's performance , evelyn comes from the heart . 
a brutal and funny work . nicole holofcenter , the insightful writer/director responsible for this illuminating comedy doesn't wrap the proceedings up neatly but the ideas tie together beautifully . 
while there are times when the film's reach exceeds its grasp , the production works more often than it doesn't . 
a woozy , roisterous , exhausting mess , and the off-beat casting of its two leads turns out to be as ill-starred as you might expect . 
even though many of these guys are less than adorable ( their lamentations are pretty much self-centered ) , there's something vital about the movie . 
this film is difficult to watch for the inhumanity it depicts , but important to see for its factual elements and the reminder of both the difficulty and importance of maintaining one's humanity . 
the mood , look and tone of the film fit the incredible storyline to a t . 
despite its title , punch-drunk love is never heavy-handed . the jabs it employs are short , carefully placed and dead-center . 
a potentially good comic premise and excellent cast are terribly wasted . 
the film is undone by anachronistic quick edits and occasional jarring glimpses of a modern theater audience watching the events unfold . 
the film is darkly atmospheric , with herrmann quietly suggesting the sadness and obsession beneath hearst's forced avuncular chortles . 
a different movie -- sometimes tedious -- by a director many viewers would like to skip but film buffs should get to know . 
it's a thin notion , repetitively stretched out to feature length , awash in self-consciously flashy camera effects , droning house music and flat , flat dialogue . 
walter hill's pulpy , stylized boxing melodrama undisputed nearly overcomes its questionable in-the-ring match-up with solid fight choreography and gritty prison authenticity . 
chilling but uncommercial look into the mind of jeffrey dahmer , serial killer . 
sincere energy gives this soul-searcher something magic to find - if even along the beaten path . 
the film is predictable in the reassuring manner of a beautifully sung holiday carol . 
purports to be a hollywood satire but winds up as the kind of film that should be the target of something deeper and more engaging . oh , and more entertaining , too . 
about nowhere kids who appropriated turfs as they found them and become self-made celebrity athletes -- a low-down version of the american dream . 
the fact that the rookie is a nearly impeccable cinematic experience -- and a wonderful all-ages triumph besides -- is a miracle akin to the story the film portrays . 
a smug and convoluted action-comedy that doesn't allow an earnest moment to pass without reminding audiences that it's only a movie . 
the only upside to all of this unpleasantness is , given its labor day weekend upload , feardotcom should log a minimal number of hits . 
a provocative movie about loss , anger , greed , jealousy , sickness and love . 
a visual spectacle full of stunning images and effects . 
on the heels of the ring comes a similarly morose and humorless horror movie that , although flawed , is to be commended for its straight-ahead approach to creepiness . 
none of this sounds promising and , indeed , the first half of sorority boys is as appalling as any 'comedy' to ever spill from a projector's lens . 
jackson tries to keep the plates spinning as best he can , but all the bouncing back and forth can't help but become a bit tedious -- even with the breathtaking landscapes and villainous varmints there to distract you from the ricocheting . 
one of the more intelligent children's movies to hit theaters this year . 
if this dud had been made in the '70s , it would have been called the hills have antlers and played for about three weeks in drive-ins . 
it's a setup so easy it borders on facile , but keeping the film from cheap-shot mediocrity is its crack cast . 
the movie barely makes sense , with its unbelievable naïveté and arbitrary flashbacks . 
written , flatly , by david kendall and directed , barely , by there's something about mary co-writer ed decter . 
the film's most improbable feat ? it didn't go straight to video . 
yes , ballistic is silly . unfortunately , it's not silly fun unless you enjoy really bad movies . 
jolie gives it that extra little something that makes it worth checking out at theaters , especially if you're in the mood for something more comfortable than challenging . 
it's halloween season , and while ghost ship can't hold a candle to the ring for true primal scares , it'll probably stay respectably afloat until at least most of the candy is gone . 
the film's saving grace is the brilliant execution of its march numbers . 
ultimately the project comes across as clinical , detached , uninvolving , possibly prompting audience members to wonder , 'what's the point ? '
less about shakespeare than the spawn of fools who saw quentin tarantino's handful of raucous gangster films and branched out into their own pseudo-witty copycat interpretations . 
the fact is that the screen is most alive when it seems most likely that broomfield's interviewees , or even himself , will not be for much longer . 
it's difficult to imagine that a more confused , less interesting and more sloppily made film could possibly come down the road in 2002 . 
if deuces wild had been tweaked up a notch it would have become a camp adventure , one of those movies that's so bad it starts to become good . but it wasn't . 
burns' fifth beer-soaked film feels in almost every possible way -- from the writing and direction to the soggy performances -- tossed off . 
pretend it's a werewolf itself by avoiding eye contact and walking slowly away . it's fun , but it's a real howler . 
uno de los policiales más interesantes de los últimos tiempos . 
 . . . is there a deeper , more direct connection between these women , one that spans time and reveals meaning ? you bet there is and it's what makes this rather convoluted journey worth taking . 
possibly not since grumpy old men have i heard a film so solidly connect with one demographic while striking out with another . 
hollywood has taken quite a nosedive from alfred hitchcock's imaginative flight to shyamalan's self-important summer fluff . 
if swimfan does catch on , it may be because teens are looking for something to make them laugh . 
an inelegant combination of two unrelated shorts that falls far short of the director's previous work in terms of both thematic content and narrative strength . 
like the best war movies -- and like martial literature going back to the iliad -- it balances the dreadful , unassuageable cruelty of warfare and the valor and decency of those who fight . 
in its chicken heart , crush goes to absurd lengths to duck the very issues it raises . 
that the chuck norris " grenade gag " occurs about 7 times during windtalkers is a good indication of how serious-minded the film is . 
a romantic comedy , yes , but one with characters who think and talk about their goals , and are working on hard decisions . 
it's anchored by splendid performances from an honored screen veteran and a sparkling newcomer who instantly transform themselves into a believable mother/daughter pair . 
between bursts of automatic gunfire , the story offers a trenchant critique of capitalism . 
friday after next has the same problem that next friday did -- it's called where's chris tucker when you need him ? 
 . . . an agreeable time-wasting device -- but george pal's low-tech 1960 version still rules the epochs . 
the story bogs down in a mess of purposeless violence . 
like the excruciating end of days , collateral damage presents schwarzenegger as a tragic figure , but sympathy really belongs with any viewer forced to watch him try out so many complicated facial expressions . 
haneke keeps us at arm's length . guided more by intellect than heart , his story flattens instead of sharpens . 
a dazzling thing to behold -- as long as you're wearing the somewhat cumbersome 3d goggles the theater provides . 
this harrowing journey into combat hell vividly captures the chaotic insanity and personal tragedies that are all too abundant when human hatred spews forth unchecked . 
the transfer to the imax screen diminishes none of the film's drama , which was always much more about human emotions than technology . 
majidi is an unconventional storyteller , capable of finding beauty in the most depressing places . 
the issues are presented in such a lousy way , complete with some of the year's ( unintentionally ) funniest moments , that it's impossible to care . 
very well made , but doesn't generate a lot of tension . 
i haven't seen such self-amused trash since freddy got fingered . 
 . . . this isn't even a movie we can enjoy as mild escapism ; it is one in which fear and frustration are provoked to intolerable levels . 
a mawkish , implausible platonic romance that makes chaplin's city lights seem dispassionate by comparison . 
the film proves unrelentingly grim -- and equally engrossing . 
the heart of the film is the drop dead sexy drea de matteo who , as the mother and real head of the family , commands every scene . 
the editing is chaotic , the photography grainy and badly focused , the writing unintentionally hilarious , the direction unfocused , the performances as wooden . 
starts as an intense political and psychological thriller but is sabotaged by ticking time bombs and other hollywood-action cliches . 
so unique and stubborn and charismatic that you want it to be better and more successful than it is . 
screenwriter dan schneider and director shawn levy substitute volume and primary colors for humor and bite . 
does paint some memorable images . . . , but makhmalbaf keeps her distance from the characters
tykwer's surface flash isn't just a poor fit with kieslowski's lyrical pessimism ; it completely contradicts everything kieslowski's work aspired to , including the condition of art . 
a bit too derivative to stand on its own as the psychological thriller it purports to be . 
a deft script by mike white . . . elevates the usual teen twaddle by grounding the laughs in feeling . 
cho , who's first concert film was more like a group therapy session than comedy , lightens up considerably for her second
yes , i have given this movie a rating of zero . but fans of the show should not consider this a diss . consider it 'perfection . '
without resorting to hyperbole , i can state that kissing jessica stein may be the best same-sex romance i have seen . 
for most of the distance the picture provides a satisfyingly unsettling ride into the dark places of our national psyche . 
a movie far more cynical and lazy than anything a fictitious charlie kaufman might object to . 
for all of its insights into the dream world of teen life , and its electronic expression through cyber culture , the film gives no quarter to anyone seeking to pull a cohesive story out of its 2 1/2-hour running time . 
more successful at relating history than in creating an emotionally complex , dramatically satisfying heroine
a penetrating , potent exploration of sanctimony , self-awareness , self-hatred and self-determination . 
the art direction is often exquisite , and the anthropomorphic animal characters are beautifully realized through clever makeup design , leaving one to hope that the eventual dvd release will offer subtitles and the original italian-language soundtrack . 
though the material sounds complex and potentially sleep-inducing , director robert j . siegel paints his portrait of boredom and discontent with deft strokes . 
[koshashvili] sometimes drags [the ideas] out ( the film needs tightening ) , but they're worth considering all the same . 
an improvement on the feeble examples of big-screen poke-mania that have preceded it . 
a non-britney person might survive a screening with little harm done , except maybe for the last 15 minutes , which are as maudlin as any after-school special you can imagine . 
i found the ring moderately absorbing , largely for its elegantly colorful look and sound . 
alarms for duvall's throbbing sincerity and his elderly propensity for patting people while he talks . 
happy times maintains an appealing veneer without becoming too cute about it . 
there's no doubting that this is a highly ambitious and personal project for egoyan , but it's also one that , next to his best work , feels clumsy and convoluted . 
it'll keep you wide awake and . . . very tense . 
lightly reflective and consistently entertaining , lucky break is an easy-to-take diversion . 
the faithful will enjoy this sometimes wry adaptation of v . s . naipaul's novel , but newcomers may find themselves stifling a yawn or two during the first hour . 
ourside the theatre roger might be intolerable company , but inside it he's well worth spending some time with . 
this is the film training day wanted to be . 
robinson's web of suspense matches the page-turning frenzy that clancy creates . 
 " the mothman prophecies " is a difficult film to shake from your conscience when night falls . 
everything is pegged into the groove of a new york dating comedy with 'issues' to simplify . 
all prints of this film should be sent to and buried on pluto . 
an eloquent , reflective and beautifully acted meditation on both the profoundly devastating events of one year ago and the slow , painful healing process that has followed in their wake . 
this latest installment of the horror film franchise that is apparently as invulnerable as its trademark villain has arrived for an incongruous summer playoff , demonstrating yet again that the era of the intelligent , well-made b movie is long gone . 
this is one case where you can actually believe the hype -- the lord of the rings : the two towers is indeed even better than its predecessor . 
just a collection of this and that -- whatever fills time -- with no unified whole . 
even when foreign directors . . . borrow stuff from hollywood , they invariably shake up the formula and make it more interesting . 
not only an exuberant portrayal of hip-hop's self-healing , it's a compelling meditation on the future of making music in america . 
a dull , inconsistent , dishonest female bonding picture . 
the acting is fine but the script is about as interesting as a recording of conversations at the wal-mart checkout line . 
there's nothing more satisfying during a summer of event movies than a spy thriller like the bourne identity that's packed with just as much intelligence as action . 
this amiable picture talks tough , but it's all bluster -- in the end it's as sweet as greenfingers . . . 
you emerge dazed , confused as to whether you've seen pornography or documentary . 
it doesn't make for great cinema , but it is interesting to see where one's imagination will lead when given the opportunity . 
strong setup and ambitious goals fade as the film descends into unsophisticated scare tactics and b-film thuggery . 
debrauwer handles the story with such feeling and understanding that you quickly come to , not just like , but love these characters . 
with a tone as variable as the cinematography , schaeffer's film never settles into the light-footed enchantment the material needs , and the characters' quirks and foibles never jell into charm . 
never again , while nothing special , is pleasant , diverting and modest -- definitely a step in the right direction . 
painfully bleak and disheartening . . . brilliantly made and uncompromising
scooby-doo doesn't know if it wants to be a retro-refitting exercise in campy recall for older fans or a silly , nickelodeon-esque kiddie flick . 
if divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood suffers from a ploddingly melodramatic structure , it comes to life in the performances . 
final report : good , yes ; great , no . 
russian ark is a new treasure of the hermitage . 
a sweet-tempered comedy that forgoes the knee-jerk misogyny that passes for humor in so many teenage comedies . 
there is no pleasure in watching a child suffer . just embarrassment and a vague sense of shame . 
like its two predecessors , 1983's koyaanisqatsi and 1988's powaqqatsi , the cinematic collage naqoyqatsi could be the most navel-gazing film ever . 
a magnificent conjuring act , an eerie historical mirage evoked in a single sweeping wave of the hand by alexander sokurov . 
pray's film works well and will appeal even to those who aren't too familiar with turntablism . 
unless you come in to the film with a skateboard under your arm , you're going to feel like you weren't invited to the party . 
this may be the first cartoon ever to look as if it were being shown on the projection television screen of a sports bar . 
involving at times , but lapses quite casually into the absurd . 
offers a persuasive look at a defeated but defiant nation in flux . 
with this masterful , flawless film , [wang] emerges in the front ranks of china's now numerous , world-renowned filmmakers . 
this charming , thought-provoking new york fest of life and love has its rewards . 
too bad kramer couldn't make a guest appearance to liven things up . 
many a parent and their teen ( or preteen ) kid could bond while watching a walk to remember . so could young romantics out on a date . 
good performances and a realistic , non-exploitive approach make paid in full worth seeing . 
holy mad maniac in a mask , splat-man ! good old-fashioned slash-and-hack is back ! 
a triumph , relentless and beautiful in its downbeat darkness . 
a rude black comedy about the catalytic effect a holy fool has upon those around him in the cutthroat world of children's television . 
greengrass has delivered an undoubted stylistic tour-de-force , and has managed elements such as sound and cinematography with skill
beautifully crafted and brutally honest , promises offers an unexpected window into the complexities of prejudice . 
defies logic , the laws of physics and almost anyone's willingness to believe in it . but darned if it doesn't also keep us riveted to our seats . 
worthless , from its pseudo-rock-video opening to the idiocy of its last frames . 
 . . . begins with promise , but runs aground after being snared in its own tangled plot . 
a by-the-numbers effort that won't do much to enhance the franchise . 
a strong enough effort to be worthy of faint praise . 
rarely has a film's title served such dire warning . 
 . . . too gory to be a comedy and too silly to be an effective horror film . 
so much about the film is loopy and ludicrous . . . that it could have been a hoot in a bad-movie way if the laborious pacing and endless exposition had been tightened . 
throughout all the tumult , a question comes to mind : so why is this so boring ? 
if i have to choose between gorgeous animation and a lame story ( like , say , treasure planet ) or so-so animation and an exciting , clever story with a batch of appealing characters , i'll take the latter every time . 
what could have been a neat little story about believing in yourself is swamped by heavy-handed melodrama . 
the mark of a respectable summer blockbuster is one of two things : unadulterated thrills or genuine laughs . 
if you can push on through the slow spots , you'll be rewarded with some fine acting . 
on this tricky topic , tadpole is very much a step in the right direction , with its blend of frankness , civility and compassion . 
a powerful , absorbing and thoroughly transporting film experience . 
an efficient , exceedingly likable family film about orphans and sports that comes with equal doses of sentimentality , corny jokes and life lessons . 
filmmakers who can deftly change moods are treasures and even marvels . so , too , is this comedy about mild culture clashing in today's new delhi . 
the entire movie is so formulaic and forgettable that it's hardly over before it begins to fade from memory . 
 . . . a thoughtful what-if for the heart as well as the mind . 
a succinct , intelligent and scintillating slice of cultural history . 
a very slow , uneventful ride around a pretty tattered old carousel . 
the direction occasionally rises to the level of marginal competence , but for most of the film it is hard to tell who is chasing who or why . 
too bad maggio couldn't come up with a better script . 
renée zellweger , catherine zeta-jones , richard gere , queen latifah and even sad-faced ol' john c . reilly will have you singin' and dancin' in the aisles . 
as an exercise in stripped-down filmmaking , interview is grimly effective . 
that such a horrible movie could have sprung from such a great one is one of the year's worst cinematic tragedies . 
a sub-formulaic slap in the face to seasonal cheer . 
montias . . . pumps a lot of energy into his nicely nuanced narrative and surrounds himself with a cast of quirky -- but not stereotyped -- street characters . 
the film's almost unbearable portrait of sadness and grief transcends its specific story to speak to the ways in which need , history and presumption tangle , and sometimes destroy , blood ties . 
none of his actors stand out , but that's less of a problem here than it would be in another film : characterization matters less than atmosphere . 
overall , this is a juicy movie but certainly not a trashy one . 
the principals in this cast are all fine , but bishop and stevenson are standouts . 
a sweet , tender sermon about a 12-year-old welsh boy more curious about god than girls , who learns that believing in something does matter . 
what really surprises about wisegirls is its low-key quality and genuine tenderness . 
the movie is like a year late for tapping into our reality tv obsession , and even tardier for exploiting the novelty of the " webcast . " 
just like hearst's enormous yacht , it's slow and unwieldy and takes a long time to reach its destination . 
the mothman prophecies , which is mostly a bore , seems to exist only for its climactic setpiece . 
to the film's credit , the acting is fresh and unselfconscious , and munch is a marvel of reality versus sappy sentiment . 
this has to be one of the most bizarre love stories ever to be filmed , not since nine ½ weeks has anybody done this much pampering for his 'girlfriend' . 
ordinary melodrama that is heavy on religious symbols but wafer-thin on dramatic substance
ritchie's film is easier to swallow than wertmuller's polemical allegory , but it's self-defeatingly decorous . 
it has become apparent that the franchise's best years are long past . 
the sequel plays out like a flimsy excuse to give blade fans another look at wesley snipes' iconic hero doing battle with dozens of bad guys -- at once . 
for the most part , i spy was an amusing lark that will probably rank as one of murphy's better performances in one of his lesser-praised movies . 
it's difficult to imagine the process that produced such a script , but here's guessing that spray cheese and underarm noises played a crucial role . 
mst3k gone kung fooey , kung pow ! makes you chuckle for a bit , but leaves you hungry an hour later . 
when you think you've figured out bielinsky's great game , that's when you're in the most trouble : he's the con , and you're just the mark . 
 a buoyant romantic comedy about friendship , love , and the truth that we're all in this together . 
a rather average action film that benefits from several funny moments supplied by epps . 
where this was lazy but enjoyable , a formula comedy redeemed by its stars , that is even lazier and far less enjoyable . 
don't wait to see this terrific film with your kids -- if you don't have kids borrow some . 
confessions is without a doubt a memorable directorial debut from king hunk . 
in the end , the film is less the cheap thriller you'd expect than it is a fairly revealing study of its two main characters — damaged-goods people whose orbits will inevitably and dangerously collide . 
if you've grown tired of going where no man has gone before , but several movies have - take heart . this is the best star trek movie in a long time . 
director andrew niccol . . . demonstrates a wry understanding of the quirks of fame . his healthy sense of satire is light and fun . . . . 
 . . . with the gifted pearce on hand to keep things on semi-stable ground dramatically , this retooled machine is ultimately effective enough at achieving the modest , crowd-pleasing goals it sets for itself . 
here , adrian lyne comes as close to profundity as he is likely to get . 
lan yu is at times too restrained , yet there are moments it captures the erotics of intimacy in a way that makes most american love stories look downright unfree . 
becomes a bit of a mishmash : a tearjerker that doesn't and a thriller that won't . 
it's all very cute , though not terribly funny if you're more than six years old . 
johnson has , in his first film , set himself a task he is not nearly up to . 
the screenplay is hugely overwritten , with tons and tons of dialogue -- most of it given to children . 
ramsay succeeds primarily with her typical blend of unsettling atmospherics , delivering a series of abrasive , stylized sequences that burn themselves upon the viewer's memory . 
probes in a light-hearted way the romantic problems of individuals for whom the yearning for passion spells discontent . 
scherfig , the writer-director , has made a film so unabashedly hopeful that it actually makes the heart soar . yes , soar . 
in the end there is one word that best describes this film : honest . 
it comes the closest to any movie experience i've had in re-creating the aftermath of unexplained suicide . 
i've heard that the fans of the first men in black have come away hating the second one . i wonder why . they felt like the same movie to me . 
feels slight , as if it were an extended short , albeit one made by the smartest kids in class . 
it is supremely unfunny and unentertaining to watch middle-age and older men drink to excess , piss on trees , b . s . one another and put on a show in drag . 
the plot has a number of holes , and at times it's simply baffling . 
10 minutes into the film you'll be white-knuckled and unable to look away . 
talkiness isn't necessarily bad , but the dialogue frequently misses the mark . 
hitch would enjoy the way chabrol plays with the audience ( including the expertly interwoven lizt requiem ) 
billy crystal and robert de niro sleepwalk through vulgarities in a sequel you can refuse . 
hey , at least the title of this film lets you know exactly where it's heading . 
a witty screen adaptation of this classic comedy of manners with its generous supply of snappy one-liners . 
 . . . the movie just might be worth a rental if only for the sight of watching christopher walken belt out a musical number using only his hand and his armpit . 
this insufferable movie is meant to make you think about existential suffering . instead , it'll only put you to sleep . 
one of the funniest motion pictures of the year , but . . . also one of the most curiously depressing . 
[russell] makes good b movies ( the mask , the blob ) , and the scorpion king more than ably meets those standards . 
the iditarod lasts for days - this just felt like it did . 
the movie is saved from unbearable lightness by the simplicity of the storytelling and the authenticity of the performances . 
it's an exhilarating place to visit , this laboratory of laughter . 
it's too long , too repetitive , and takes way too many years to resolve to be a total winner . 
there's a wickedly subversive bent to the best parts of birthday girl . 
its adult themes of familial separation and societal betrayal are head and shoulders above much of the director's previous popcorn work . 
enough is not a bad movie , just mediocre . the performances are so overstated , the effect comes off as self-parody . 
a movie that's full of deft , off-center observations about the world of filmmaking . 
the chateau cleverly probes the cross-cultural differences between gauls and yanks . 
it may be a prize winner , but teacher is a bomb . 
the cast is uniformly excellent . . . but the film itself is merely mildly charming . 
it's endlessly inventive , consistently intelligent and sickeningly savage . 
there are many definitions of 'time waster' but this movie must surely be one of them . 
none of this is meaningful or memorable , but frosting isn't , either , and you wouldn't turn down a big bowl of that , would you ? 
unlike the nauseating fictions peddled by such 'have-yourself-a-happy-little-holocaust' movies as life is beautiful and jakob the liar , the grey zone is honest enough to deny the possibility of hope in auschwitz . 
 . . . watching this film nearly provoked me to take my own life . and if the hours wins 'best picture' i just might . 
the following things are not at all entertaining : the bad sound , the lack of climax and , worst of all , watching seinfeld ( who is also one of the film's producers ) do everything he can to look like a good guy . 
the film is delicately narrated by martin landau and directed with sensitivity and skill by dana janklowicz-mann . 
far-fetched premise , convoluted plot , and thematic mumbo jumbo about destiny and redemptive love . 
 ( un cineasta ) para no entender del todo y para seguir esperando . 
there's more scatological action in 8 crazy nights than a proctologist is apt to encounter in an entire career . 
boasts a handful of virtuosic set pieces and offers a fair amount of trashy , kinky fun . 
the cast comes through even when the movie doesn't . 
this goofy gangster yarn never really elevates itself from being yet another earnestly generic crime-busting comic vehicle -- a well-intentioned remake that shows some spunk and promise but fails to register as anything distinctive or daring
eccentric enough to stave off doldrums , caruso's self-conscious debut is also eminently forgettable . 
purposefully shocking in its eroticized gore , if unintentionally dull in its lack of poetic frissons . 
heartwarming here relies less on forced air than on petter næss' delicate , clever direction . . . and a wonderful , imaginative script by axel hellstenius . 
takes one character we don't like and another we don't believe , and puts them into a battle of wills that is impossible to care about and isn't very funny . 
it takes a strange kind of laziness to waste the talents of robert forster , anne meara , eugene levy , and reginald veljohnson all in the same movie . 
the basic premise is intriguing but quickly becomes distasteful and downright creepy . 
in the second half of the film , frei's control loosens in direct proportion to the amount of screen time he gives nachtwey for self-analysis . 
trust and deceit , generosity and meanness are fleshed out by a deft cast . 
what's needed so badly but what is virtually absent here is either a saving dark humor or the feel of poetic tragedy . 
this version's no classic like its predecessor , but its pleasures are still plentiful . 
has little on its mind aside from scoring points with drag gags . 
the leads we are given here are simply too bland to be interesting . 
daughter from danang reveals that efforts toward closure only open new wounds . it doesn't flinch from its unsettling prognosis , namely , that the legacy of war is a kind of perpetual pain . 
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 . 
stuart's poor-me persona needs a whole bunch of snowball's cynicism to cut through the sugar coating . but once the falcon arrives in the skies above manhattan , the adventure is on red alert . 
at times the guys taps into some powerful emotions , but this kind of material is more effective on stage . it's not a motion picture ; it's an utterly static picture . 
'like a child with an important message to tell . . . [skins'] faults are easy to forgive because the intentions are lofty . '
despite the predictable parent vs . child coming-of-age theme , first-class , natural acting and a look at " the real americans " make this a charmer . 
it throws quirky characters , odd situations , and off-kilter dialogue at us , all as if to say , " look at this ! this is an interesting movie ! " but the film itself is ultimately quite unengaging . 
by the time it ends in a rush of sequins , flashbulbs , blaring brass and back-stabbing babes , it has said plenty about how show business has infiltrated every corner of society -- and not always for the better . 
looking aristocratic , luminous yet careworn in jane hamilton's exemplary costumes , rampling gives a performance that could not be improved upon . 
is this love or is it masochism ? binoche makes it interesting trying to find out . 
a small independent film suffering from a severe case of hollywood-itis . 
gooding and coburn are both oscar winners , a fact which , as you watch them clumsily mugging their way through snow dogs , seems inconceivable . 
reign of fire may be little more than another platter of reheated aliens , but it's still pretty tasty . 
is it possible for a documentary to be utterly entranced by its subject and still show virtually no understanding of it ? 
travels a fascinating arc from hope and euphoria to reality and disillusionment . 
a beyond-lame satire , teddy bears' picnic ranks among the most pitiful directing debuts by an esteemed writer-actor . 
as it stands it's an opera movie for the buffs . 
although it's a bit smug and repetitive , this documentary engages your brain in a way few current films do . 
the problem with movies about angels is they have a tendency to slip into hokum . a rumor of angels doesn't just slip -- it avalanches into forced fuzziness . 
it's a mindless action flick with a twist -- far better suited to video-viewing than the multiplex . 
watching possession is a movie experience not much deeper than you'd get on your couch watching masterpiece theater or mystery ! -- pleasant enough , but oh so soft . 
a twisted collision of " barney " " the fisher king " and " serpico . " 
whether you're moved and love it , or bored or frustrated by the film , you'll still feel something . 
nolan bravely treads where few american films dare to delve -- into the world of ambivalence and ambiguity . . . 
brosnan gives a portrayal as solid and as perfect as his outstanding performance as bond in die another day . 
the angst-ridden , affluent slacker characters are more grating than engaging . 
a winning crowd-pleaser with more than enough juice to crossover with fans of all stripes , regardless of whether they even know anything about soccer or not . 
it has a dashing and resourceful hero ; a lisping , reptilian villain ; big fights ; big hair ; lavish period scenery ; and a story just complicated enough to let you bask in your own cleverness as you figure it out . 
smith profiles five extraordinary american homes , and because the owners seem fully aware of the uses and abuses of fame , it's a pleasure to enjoy their eccentricities . 
you would be better off investing in the worthy emi recording that serves as the soundtrack , or the home video of the 1992 malfitano-domingo production . 
the techno tux is good for a few laughs , as are chan and hewitt , but when such a good design turns out to be a cheap knockoff , we can't recommend anything but a rental for the tuxedo . 
produced by 20th century fox , ice age falls short of classic status . but it's one of the best such features not to wear the disney or dreamworks banner . 
you don't have to be an especially tough grader to give a charitable b-minus to the emperor's club . 
both flawed and delayed , martin scorcese's gangs of new york still emerges as his most vital work since goodfellas . 
despite the authenticity of the trappings , the film is overblown in its plotting , hackneyed in its dialogue and anachronistic in its style . 
the first hour alone is worth the admission price . 
not one moment in the enterprise didn't make me want to lie down in a dark room with something cool to my brow . 
because the intelligence level of the characters must be low , very low , very very low , for the masquerade to work , the movie contains no wit , only labored gags . 
if you really want to understand what this story is really all about , you're far better served by the source material . 
no better or worse than 'truth or consequences , n . m . ' or any other interchangeable actioner with imbecilic mafia toolbags botching a routine assignment in a western backwater . 
the end result is like cold porridge with only the odd enjoyably chewy lump . 
the characters , cast in impossibly contrived situations , are totally estranged from reality . 
the result is good gossip , entertainingly delivered , yet with a distinctly musty odour , its expiry date long gone . 
benigni's pinocchio is extremely straight and mind-numbingly stilted , its episodic pacing keeping the film from developing any storytelling flow . 
grief is awkward and funny and strange sometimes . so is moonlight mile . 
its compelling mix of trial movie , escape movie and unexpected fable ensures the film never feels draggy . 
a carefully structured scream of consciousness that is tortured and unsettling--but unquestionably alive . 
can be classified as one of those 'alternate reality' movies . . . except that it would have worked so much better dealing in only one reality . 
new best friend shouldn't have gone straight to video ; it should have gone straight to a mystery science theater 3000 video . 
a full experience , a love story and a murder mystery that expands into a meditation on the deep deceptions of innocence . 
uzumaki's interesting social parallel and defiant aesthetic seems a prostituted muse . . . 
some actors have so much charisma that you'd be happy to listen to them reading the phone book . hugh grant and sandra bullock are two such likeable actors . 
those who savor well-drawn characters and exotic locales will find the touch of the mystic masseur to be most pleasurable indeed . 
a mix of velocity and idiocy , this ruinous remake lacks the brawn -- and the brains -- of the 1970s original . 
not everything in the film works , including its somewhat convenient ending . 
an entertaining mix of period drama and flat-out farce that should please history fans . 
the piece plays as well as it does thanks in large measure to anspaugh's three lead actresses . 
certainly not a good movie , but it wasn't horrible either . 
the film has a childlike quality about it . but the feelings evoked in the film are lukewarm and quick to pass . 
kudos to director doug liman for injecting textbook spy fare with slick intelligence and a truckload of tension . 
taken seriously , it's not much to think about , but taken as a dirtier version of other girlie films . . . it's at least entertaining and sexy fun . 
though lan yu lacks a sense of dramatic urgency , the film makes up for it with a pleasing verisimilitude . 
the only entertainment you'll derive from this choppy and sloppy affair will be from unintentional giggles – several of them . 
the grey zone gives voice to a story that needs to be heard in the sea of holocaust movies . . . but the film suffers from its own difficulties . 
all the movie's narrative gymnastics can't disguise the fact that it's inauthentic at its core and that its story just isn't worth telling . 
it's thoroughly entertaining and nonpatronizing , and occasionally even insightful . 
never quite transcends jokester status . . . and the punchline doesn't live up to barry's dead-eyed , perfectly chilled delivery . 
 . . . skirts the edges of snide condescension only to then abruptly catch the viewer off-guard with lightning strikes of genuine emotion . 
while " real women have curves " suffers from an obvious and simplistic screenplay , it's a bright looking , well-acted charmer . 
big fat liar is little more than home alone raised to a new , self-deprecating level . 
represents a worthy departure from the culture clash comedies that have marked an emerging indian american cinema . 
a hypnotic portrait of this sad , compulsive life . 
it's a pleasurable revelation to see foster feel out a role , both emotively and physically , with the well-marshaled gusto that she does here . 
both overstuffed and undernourished . . . the film can't be called a solid success , although there's plenty of evidence here to indicate clooney might have better luck next time . 
works better in the conception than it does in the execution . . . winds up seeming just a little too clever . 
despite what anyone believes about the goal of its makers , the show . . . represents a spectacular piece of theater , and there's no denying the talent of the creative forces behind it . 
pratfalls aside , barbershop gets its greatest play from the timeless spectacle of people really talking to each other . 
it's a decent glimpse into a time period , and an outcast , that is no longer accessible , but it doesn't necessarily shed more light on its subject than the popular predecessor . 
once he starts learning to compromise with reality enough to become comparatively sane and healthy , the film becomes predictably conventional . 
 . . . with " the bourne identity " we return to the more traditional action genre . 
an uncomfortable movie , suffocating and sometimes almost senseless , the grey zone does have a center , though a morbid one . 
been there , done that , liked it much better the first time around - when it was called the professional . 
it follows the basic plot trajectory of nearly every schwarzenegger film : someone crosses arnie . arnie blows things up . 
a little judicious editing would have helped a lot , but the talented cast matches the film's ambitions and compensates for its modest budget . 
in all , this is a watchable movie that's not quite the memorable experience it might have been . 
theology aside , why put someone who ultimately doesn't learn at the center of a kids' story ? 
a great looking , trippy adventure . i can't wait for the next one . 
 . . . a hollow joke told by a cinematic gymnast having too much fun embellishing the misanthropic tale to actually engage it . 
 . . . if it had been only half-an-hour long or a tv special , the humor would have been fast and furious-- at ninety minutes , it drags . 
a strong and confident work which works so well for the first 89 minutes , but ends so horrendously confusing in the final two
one of the finest , most humane and important holocaust movies ever made . 
if you like quirky , odd movies and/or the ironic , here's a fun one . 
anyone not into high-tech splatterfests is advised to take the warning literally , and log on to something more user-friendly . 
it sounds sick and twisted , but the miracle of shainberg's film is that it truly is romance
all in all , the animation is what cracked my urge to despise this squeaky cartoon . 
it's difficult to conceive of anyone who has reached puberty actually finding the characters in slackers or their antics amusing , let alone funny . 
harks back to a time when movies had more to do with imagination than market research . 
a funny and touching film that is gorgeously acted by a british cast to rival gosford park's . 
this big screen caper has a good bark , far from being a bow-wow . 
if you're looking for a smart , nuanced look at de sade and what might have happened at picpus , sade is your film . 
blisteringly rude , scarily funny , sorrowfully sympathetic to the damage it surveys , the film has in kieran culkin a pitch-perfect holden . 
confuses its message with an ultimate desire to please , and contorting itself into an idea of expectation is the last thing any of these three actresses , nor their characters , deserve . 
has no reason to exist , other than to employ hollywood kids and people who owe favors to their famous parents . 
a witty coming-of-middle-age comedy with hilarious performances by first-time director tony shalhoub and wife brooke adams . 
its valuable message makes it a must-see for children and teenagers , and even more so for those callous adults who have become casually corrupt in their efforts to simply get through life . 
the embodiment of the very message it so modestly conveys -- it's the accomplished little guy we fervently root for . 
derailed by bad writing and possibly also by some of that extensive post-production reworking to aim the film at young males in the throes of their first full flush of testosterone . 
american chai encourages rueful laughter at stereotypes only an indian-american would recognize . and the lesson , in the end , is nothing new . 
 . . . digs beyond the usual portrayals of good kids and bad seeds to reveal a more ambivalent set of characters and motivations . 
be forewarned , if you're depressed about anything before watching this film , you may just end up trying to drown yourself in a lake afterwards . 
the tone shifts abruptly from tense to celebratory to soppy . 
easily stands alongside such throat-clutching classics of cinematic political action as z and the battle of algiers . 
skillfully weaves both the elements of the plot and a powerfully evocative mood combining heated sexuality with a haunting sense of malaise . 
at times , the suspense is palpable , but by the end there's a sense that the crux of the mystery hinges on a technicality that strains credulity and leaves the viewer haunted by the waste of potential . 
a gratingly unfunny groaner littered with zero-dimensional , unlikable characters and hackneyed , threadbare comic setups . 
allen's underestimated charm delivers more goodies than lumps of coal . 
soul is what's lacking in every character in this movie and , subsequently , the movie itself . 
the lack of opposing viewpoints soon grows tiresome -- the film feels more like a series of toasts at a testimonial dinner than a documentary . 
despite its floating narrative , this is a remarkably accessible and haunting film . 
it's like every bad idea that's ever gone into an after-school special compiled in one place , minus those daytime programs' slickness and sophistication ( and who knew they even had any ? ) . 
a high-spirited buddy movie about the reunion of berlin anarchists who face arrest 15 years after their crime . 
the problem is that rather than dramatizing this premise , mr . desplechin is content to state it . 
manages to be diverting while never falling into a morass of battlefield clichés . 
the adventure doesn't contain half the excitement of balto , or quarter the fun of toy story 2 . 
in the end , ted bundy's only justification is the director's common but unexplored fascination with the frustrated maniac ; there's no larger point , and little social context . 
a guilty pleasure at best , and not worth seeing unless you want to laugh at it . 
a sad , superior human comedy played out on the back roads of life . 
despite a quieter middle section , involving aragorn's dreams of arwen , this is even better than the fellowship . there are scenes of cinematic perfection that steal your heart away . 
pryor lite , with half the demons , half the daring , much less talent , many fewer laughs . 
a rollicking ride , with jaw-dropping action sequences , striking villains , a gorgeous color palette , astounding technology , stirring music and a boffo last hour that leads up to a strangely sinister happy ending . 
steven soderbergh's digital video experiment is a clever and cutting , quick and dirty look at modern living and movie life . 
no wonder they're talking about " talk to her . " it's astonishing . 
when a movie asks you to feel sorry for mick jagger's sex life , it already has one strike against it . 
just as the lousy tarantino imitations have subsided , here comes the first lousy guy ritchie imitation . 
the movie is one of the best examples of artful large format filmmaking you are likely to see anytime soon . 
it might be the first sci-fi comedy that could benefit from a three's company-style laugh track . 
lauren ambrose comes alive under the attention from two strangers in town - with honest performances and realistic interaction between the characters , this is a coming-of-age story with a twist . 
mostly , shafer and co-writer gregory hinton lack a strong-minded viewpoint , or a sense of humor . 
i loved looking at this movie . i just didn't care as much for the story . 
meticulously uncovers a trail of outrageous force and craven concealment . 
filmmakers have to dig deep to sink this low . fortunately for all involved , this movie is likely to disappear as quickly as an ice cube thrown into a pot of boiling water . 
stevens' vibrant creative instincts are the difference between this and countless other flicks about guys and dolls . 
there's an excellent 90-minute film here ; unfortunately , it runs for 170 . 
the animated subplot keenly depicts the inner struggles of our adolescent heroes - insecure , uncontrolled , and intense . 
director nolan shows here he can handle clever material with a flair . 
jolie's performance vanishes somewhere between her hair and her lips . 
you'll just have your head in your hands wondering why lee's character didn't just go to a bank manager and save everyone the misery . 
there's only one way to kill michael myers for good : stop buying tickets to these movies . 
the subject of swinging still seems ripe for a documentary -- just not this one . 
improves when it takes a more serious tone and zaza and judith develop into deeper characterizations . 
a morality tale whose thought-provoking potential is hampered by a made-for-tv look , rigid performances and an asinine 'twist' that brazenly rips off the sixth sense . 
captivates and shows how a skillful filmmaker can impart a message without bludgeoning the audience over the head . 
it's both a necessary political work and a fascinating documentary . . . 
murderous maids pulls no punches in its depiction of the lives of the papin sister and the events that led to their notorious rise to infamy . . . 
with dickens' words and writer-director douglas mcgrath's even-toned direction , a ripping good yarn is told . 
sharp , lively , funny and ultimately sobering film . 
claire is a terrific role for someone like judd , who really ought to be playing villains . 
meyjes' provocative film might be called an example of the haphazardness of evil . 
the performers are so spot on , it is hard to conceive anyone else in their roles . 
feels like six different movies fighting each other for attention . 
the script is smart and dark - hallelujah for small favors . 
a genuinely funny ensemble comedy that also asks its audience -- in a heartwarming , nonjudgmental kind of way -- to consider what we value in our daily lives . 
the period -- swinging london in the time of the mods and the rockers -- gets the once-over once again in gangster no . 1 , but falls apart long before the end . 
whether you like rap music or loathe it , you can't deny either the tragic loss of two young men in the prime of their talent or the power of this movie . 
it reminds us that nathan lane is the best show stealer in show business . 
at its heart and most importantly , spirited away concerns a little girl learning to honour her friends and her family by valuing herself . 
time changer may not be the most memorable cinema session but its profound self-evaluation message about our fragile existence and the absence of spiritual guidance should at least invade an abundance of mindsets
[demme] creates a film that is both traditional , in keeping with its source material , and new millennium hip . 
hardly a nuanced portrait of a young woman's breakdown , the film nevertheless works up a few scares . 
a very long movie , dull in stretches , with entirely too much focus on meal preparation and igloo construction . 
canada's arctic light shines bright on this frozen tundra soap opera that breathes extraordinary life into the private existence of the inuit people . 
although shot with little style , skins is heartfelt and achingly real . 
every once in a while , a movie will come along that turns me into that annoying specimen of humanity that i usually dread encountering the most - the fanboy
a densely constructed , highly referential film , and an audacious return to form that can comfortably sit among jean-luc godard's finest work . 
berling and béart . . . continue to impress , and isabelle huppert . . . again shows uncanny skill in getting under the skin of her characters . 
the film is surprisingly well-directed by brett ratner , who keeps things moving well -- at least until the problematic third act . 
a resonant tale of racism , revenge and retribution . 
visually fascinating . . . an often intense character study about fathers and sons , loyalty and duty . 
the movie , despite its rough edges and a tendency to sag in certain places , is wry and engrossing . 
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 . 
it's the most nimble epic you're likely to see . 
the action switches between past and present , but the material link is too tenuous to anchor the emotional connections that purport to span a 125-year divide . 
it may not be the most immediate or attention-grabbing work , but there's certainly something satisfying in its thoughtfulness . 
those 24-and-unders looking for their own caddyshack to adopt as a generational signpost may have to keep on looking . 
its cast full of caffeinated comedy performances more than make up for its logical loopholes , which fly by so fast there's no time to think about them anyway . 
in visual fertility treasure planet rivals the top japanese animations of recent vintage . 
the sinister inspiration that fuelled devito's early work is confused in death to smoochy into something both ugly and mindless . 
whenever you think you've seen the end of the movie , we cut to a new scene , which also appears to be the end . but , no , we get another scene , and then another . you begin to long for the end credits as the desert does for rain . 
too loud , too long and too frantic by half , die another day suggests that the bond franchise has run into a creative wall that 007 cannot fly over , tunnel under or barrel through . 
what could have been a pointed little chiller about the frightening seductiveness of new technology loses faith in its own viability and succumbs to joyless special-effects excess . 
the additional storyline is interesting and entertaining , but it doesn't have the same magical quality as the beginning of the story . i like the new footage and still love the old stuff . 
this crafty little mystery/thriller deserves a wider audience -- if for no other reason than its attention to period detail , its subtlety and its emphasis on mood . 
in the end , egoyan's enormous talent and mychael danna's intense score keep ararat interesting and emotional . 
neither as scary-funny as tremors nor demented-funny as starship troopers , the movie isn't tough to take as long as you've paid a matinee price . 
where as many films of this nature linger on the hard , the ugly , the blood , or just the stylistic ; empire focuses on the thinking , the love , and even the light-heartedness , as well as the violence . 
it's the best film of the year so far , the benchmark against which all other best picture contenders should be measured . 
the name says it all . jackass is a vulgar and cheap-looking version of candid camera staged for the marquis de sade set . 
chao was chen kaige's assistant for years in china . he has not learnt that storytelling is what the movies are about . 
solid , lump-in-the-throat family entertainment that derives its power by sticking to the facts . 
i can't say that i liked homeboy ; it'd be more accurate to say that i found it intriguing , bizarre , dogma-like in spots - and quite truthful , in its way . 
bow's best moments are when he's getting busy on the basketball court because that's when he really scores . 
the lack of naturalness makes everything seem self-consciously poetic and forced . . . it's a pity that [nelson's] achievement doesn't match his ambition . 
'blue crush' swims away with the sleeper movie of the summer award . 
unspeakable , of course , barely begins to describe the plot and its complications . vulgar is too optimistic a title . 
'butterfingered' is the word for the big-fisted direction of jez butterworth , who manages to blast even the smallest sensitivities from the romance with his clamorous approach . 
a heroic tale of persistence that is sure to win viewers' hearts . 
trapped won't score points for political correctness , but it may cause parents a few sleepless hours -- a sign of its effectiveness . 
[screenwriter] pimental took the farrelly brothers comedy and feminized it , but it is a rather poor imitation . 
critics need a good laugh , too , and this too-extreme-for-tv rendition of the notorious mtv show delivers the outrageous , sickening , sidesplitting goods in steaming , visceral heaps . 
parts of the film feel a bit too much like an infomercial for ram dass's latest book aimed at the boomer demographic . but mostly it's a work that , with humor , warmth , and intelligence , captures a life interestingly lived . 
maybe the title should have been confusions of a dangerous mind , though the confusion , in this case , can be pretty sublime . 
the campy results make mel brooks' borscht belt schtick look sophisticated . 
this is the sort of low-grade dreck that usually goes straight to video --with a lousy script , inept direction , pathetic acting , poorly dubbed dialogue and murky cinematography , complete with visible boom mikes . 
slackers' jokey approach to college education is disappointingly simplistic -- the film's biggest problem -- and there are no unforgettably stupid stunts or uproariously rude lines of dialogue to remember it by . 
the ring is worth a look , if you don't demand much more than a few cheap thrills from your halloween entertainment . 
much like its easily dismissive take on the upscale lifestyle , there isn't much there here . 
a real audience-pleaser that will strike a chord with anyone who's ever waited in a doctor's office , emergency room , hospital bed or insurance company office . 
it is the sheer , selfish , wound-licking , bar-scrapping doggedness of leon's struggle to face and transmute his demons that makes the movie a spirited and touching occasion , despite its patchy construction . 
a beguiling splash of pastel colors and prankish comedy from disney . 
the film is an enjoyable family film -- pretty much aimed at any youngster who loves horses . 
a few zingers aside , the writing is indifferent , and jordan brady's direction is prosaic . 
hardly an objective documentary , but it's great cinematic polemic . . . love moore or loathe him , you've got to admire . . . the intensity with which he's willing to express his convictions . 
zhuangzhuang creates delicate balance of style , text , and subtext that's so simple and precise that anything discordant would topple the balance , but against all odds , nothing does . 
the 50-something lovebirds are too immature and unappealing to care about . 
now i can see why people thought i was too hard on " the mothman prophecies " . 
cold and scattered , minority report commands interest almost solely as an exercise in gorgeous visuals . that's not vintage spielberg and that , finally , is minimally satisfying . 
the dirty jokes provide the funniest moments in this oddly sweet comedy about jokester highway patrolmen . 
a plodding look at the french revolution through the eyes of aristocrats . 
a culture clash comedy only half as clever as it thinks it is . 
first and foremost . . . the reason to go see " blue crush " is the phenomenal , water-born cinematography by david hennings . 
not all of the stories work and the ones that do are thin and scattered , but the film works well enough to make it worth watching . 
this isn't an original film , but it is an effective one . 
if borstal boy isn't especially realistic , it is an engaging nostalgia piece . 
the new version isn't just endless . it heightens the deeply conservative spirit of giuseppe tornatore's fable in a surprising new way . 
the footage of the rappers at play and the prison interview with suge knight are just two of the elements that will grab you . 
dreary , highly annoying . . . 'some body' will appeal to no one . 
the charm of the first movie is still there , and the story feels like the logical , unforced continuation of the careers of a pair of spy kids . 
even tere's final schizoid moment can't dilute the hopefulness of guillen's bittersweet saga . 
beanie's a big believer in appreciating the art in your own neighborhood even if it isn't backed by a multimillion-dollar budget — and so am i . 
the slam-bang superheroics are kinetic enough to engross even the most antsy youngsters . 
this bold and cathartic drama deserves to be experienced by those who cherish intimate dramas about individuals struggling against all odds to practice love , compassion , and forgiveness . 
harmon opts to show less and suggest more , and the script's gloomy downer of an ending is audacious . 
returning aggressively to his formula of dimwitted comedy and even dimmer characters , sandler , who also executive produces , has made a film that makes previous vehicles look smart and sassy . 
jacobi , the most fluent of actors , is given relatively dry material from nijinsky's writings to perform , and the visuals , even erotically frank ones , become dullingly repetitive . 
life or something like it has its share of high points , but it misses too many opportunities . 
john leguizamo may be a dramatic actor -- just not in this movie . 
an utterly compelling 'who wrote it' in which the reputation of the most famous author who ever lived comes into question . 
ultimately , jane learns her place as a girl , softens up and loses some of the intensity that made her an interesting character to begin with . 
the documentary makes no waves and tries to be as upbeat as the musicians it tells about . 
an ironic speculation on democracy in a culture unaccustomed to it . 
a limp eddie murphy vehicle that even he seems embarrassed to be part of . 
the movie is well crafted , and well executed . if you're paying attention , the " big twists " are pretty easy to guess - but that doesn't make the movie any less entertaining . 
it all comes down to whether you can tolerate leon barlow . i can't . 
a beguiling , slow-moving parable about the collision of past and present on a remote seacoast in iran . 
though the film is well-intentioned , one could rent the original and get the same love story and parable . 
you may be captivated , as i was , by its moods , and by its subtly transformed star , and still wonder why paul thomas anderson ever had the inclination to make the most sincere and artful movie in which adam sandler will probably ever appear . 
the first tunisian film i have ever seen , and it's also probably the most good-hearted yet sensual entertainment i'm likely to see all year . 
parker updates the setting in an attempt to make the film relevant today , without fully understanding what it was that made the story relevant in the first place . 
i'd be lying if i said my ribcage didn't ache by the end of kung pow . 
the movie should jolt you out of your seat a couple of times , give you a few laughs , and leave you feeling like it was worth your seven bucks , even though it does turn out to be a bit of a cheat in the end . 
não encanta como 'o rei leão' nem diverte como 'a nova onda do imperador' , mas ao menos não cansa como 'atlantis : o reino perdido' . 
an occasionally funny , but overall limp , fish-out-of-water story . 
it's not hateful . it's simply stupid , irrelevant and deeply , truly , bottomlessly cynical . 
for those willing to risk being made very uncomfortable , this instant cult classic announces the arrival of a distinctive new talent behind the camera . 
an entertaining quasi-critique of modern manners whose comedy arises out of its gravity -- and a winning performance by ricardo darin . 
alternative medicine obviously has its merits . . . but ayurveda does the field no favors . 
the first question to ask about bad company is why anthony hopkins is in it . we assume he had a bad run in the market or a costly divorce , because there is no earthly reason other than money why this distinguished actor would stoop so low . 
where janice beard falters in its recycled aspects , implausibility , and sags in pace , it rises in its courageousness , and comedic employment . 
insomnia is one of the year's best films and pacino gives one of his most daring , and complicated , performances . 
although no pastry is violated , this nasty comedy pokes fun at the same easy targets as other rowdy raunch-fests -- farts , boobs , unmentionables -- without much success . 
[a] superbly controlled , passionate adaptation of graham greene's 1955 novel . 
gives you the steady pulse of life in a beautiful city viewed through the eyes of a character who , in spite of tragic loss and increasing decrepitude , knows in his bones that he is one of the luckiest men alive . 
a film that clearly means to preach exclusively to the converted . 
a diverting detour into the gonzo outlook of a humorist who actually has something on his mind . 
usually when i get this much syrup , i like pancakes to go with it . 
all in all , the count of monte cristo is okay , but it is surely no classic , like the novel upon which it is based . 
chris columbus , the director , does a real wonderful job of being faithful to the story but also taking it into a cinematic era . 
scherfig's light-hearted profile of emotional desperation is achingly honest and delightfully cheeky . 
the kind of movie that leaves vague impressions and a nasty aftertaste but little clear memory of its operational mechanics . 
the people may be drawn comically , but the animals are rendered with skill and grace and the action scenes achieve true excitement . 
steers turns in a snappy screenplay that curls at the edges ; it's so clever you want to hate it . but he somehow pulls it off . 
a hushed contemplation of the kind of senseless , all-too-frequent tragedy that leaves the survivors reeling and speechless . 
vile and tacky are the two best adjectives to describe ghost ship . 
an impossible romance , but we root for the patronized iranian lad . 
proof once again that if the filmmakers just follow the books , they can't go wrong . better effects , better acting and a hilarious kenneth branagh . an excellent sequel . 
griffin & co . manage to be spectacularly outrageous . 
off the hook is overlong and not well-acted , but credit writer-producer-director adam watstein with finishing it at all . 
provide[s] nail-biting suspense and credible characters without relying on technology-of-the-moment technique or pretentious dialogue . 
twists are so bizarre , and the story so worth documenting , that it's easy to forget this film's shortcomings . 
the actors are forced to grapple with hazy motivations that never come into focus . 
an impressive work in many regards -- the acting , the photography , the pace -- but it would've been even more so had egoyan gone with his gut and been less indulgent of his brain . 
like being invited to a classy dinner soiree and not knowing anyone . you leave the same way you came -- a few tasty morsels under your belt , but no new friends . 
the stunt work is top-notch ; the dialogue and drama often food-spittingly funny . 
a simmering psychological drama in which the bursts of sudden violence are all the more startling for the slow buildup that has preceded them . 
only two words will tell you what you know when deciding to see it : anthony . hopkins . 
passion , melodrama , sorrow , laugther , and tears cascade over the screen effortlessly . . . 
the best drug addition movies are usually depressing but rewarding . quitting , however , manages just to be depressing , as the lead actor phones in his autobiographical performance . 
nair does capture the complexity of a big family and its trials and tribulations . . . 
a film centering on a traditional indian wedding in contemporary new delhi may not sound like specialized fare , but mira nair's film is an absolute delight for all audiences . 
when your leading ladies are a couple of screen-eating dominatrixes like goldie hawn and susan sarandon at their raunchy best , even hokum goes down easily . 
the film is a hoot , and is just as good , if not better than much of what's on saturday morning tv especially the pseudo-educational stuff we all can't stand . 
a good film with a solid pedigree both in front of and , more specifically , behind the camera . 
a garden-fresh morality tale for the kids , with monty python-inspired humor . 
sensitive , insightful and beautifully rendered film . one of the best of the year . 
high crimes works to keep us involved and make us care . 
it's young guns meets goodfellas in this easily skippable hayseeds-vs . -greaseballs mob action-comedy . 
this bold and lyrical first feature from raja amari expands the pat notion that middle-aged women just wanna have fun into a rousing treatise of sensual empowerment . 
the jokes are sophomoric , stereotypes are sprinkled everywhere and the acting ranges from bad to bodacious . 
don't expect any surprises in this checklist of teamwork cliches . . . 
it puts washington , as honest working man john q . archibald , on a pedestal , then keeps lifting the pedestal higher . 
this is a story that zings all the way through with originality , humour and pathos . 
feels less like a cousin to blade runner than like a bottom-feeder sequel in the escape from new york series . 
a gripping little b-movie of more mood than substance , below nonetheless delivers on its modest promises . 
adaptation is probably the ultimate writers' film , but it's also a brash , daring , and dynamic film -- as delicate as an orchid but as durable and malleable as the species . 
there's plenty of footage here of some of the world's best djs at work , and it's impressive , even for someone uninterested in the genre . 
this mild-mannered farce , directed by one of its writers , john c . walsh , is corny in a way that bespeaks an expiration date passed a long time ago . 
this is a film well worth seeing , talking and singing heads and all . 
the movie is beautiful to behold and engages one in a sense of epic struggle -- inner and outer -- that's all too rare in hollywood's hastier productions . 
from the trembling fury of gheorgiu's tosca to the penetrating stare of raimondi's scarpia , this tosca blazes with passion . at its best , it's sublime . 
will certainly appeal to asian cult cinema fans and asiaphiles interested to see what all the fuss is about . 
a crackerjack genre piece ; what panic room aims for it accomplishes with deadly precision and edge-of-your-seat mastery . 
it's sweet and romantic without being cloying or melodramatic . 
on the surface , the film is played straight , with sustained tension and effective frights . but the director has done his research , and fills every scene with a subversive humor that's 100% pure imitation hitchcock . 
a literary detective story is still a detective story and aficionados of the whodunit won't be disappointed . 
the saturation bombing of reggio's images and glass' evocative music . . . ultimately leaves viewers with the task of divining meaning . 
the characters seem one-dimensional , and the film is superficial and will probably be of interest primarily to its target audience . 
spirited away has the quality of a dream : it takes you places so foreign and fantastic you have no option but to yield completely to it and be spirited along . 
though not as tightly focused or as well-performed as malkovich , human nature has its own absurdist flair . 
a skillfully made example of your typical schwarzenegger action film . 
a universally accessible family fantasy with a stronger sense of its time and place than most live-action films can claim . 
at some point , all this visual trickery stops being clever and devolves into flashy , vaguely silly overkill . 
the only fun part of the movie is playing the obvious game . you try to guess the order in which the kids in the house will be gored . 
the imax version of disney's the lion king looks pretty good and sounds even better . 
davis has energy , but she doesn't bother to make her heroine's book sound convincing , the gender-war ideas original , or the comic scenes fly . 
far from perfect , but its heart is in the right place . . . innocent and well-meaning . 
reggio and glass so rhapsodize cynicism , with repetition and languorous slo-mo sequences , that glass's dirgelike score becomes a fang-baring lullaby . 
the cumulative effect of the relentless horror on parade numbs the movie's power as a work of drama . 
 " red dragon " is entertaining . an obvious copy of one of the best films ever made , how could it not be ? but it is entertaining on an inferior level . it is a popcorn film , not a must-own , or even a must-see . 
despite his self-consciously obscure plot mechanics , medem keeps you off-balance and intrigued . 
the story the movie tells is of brian de palma's addiction to the junk-calorie suspense tropes that have all but ruined his career . 
chaotic , self-indulgent and remarkably ugly to look at , it's . . . like a series of pretentiously awful student films strung together into one feature-length horror . 
several uninteresting , unlikeable people do bad things to and with each other in " unfaithful . " why anyone who is not a character in this movie should care is beyond me . 
 . . . a fluffy , flaky croissant of a culture clash comedy , barely substantial enough for a feature but just light and tasty enough to satisfy . 
 in the end , white oleander isn't an adaptation of a novel . it's a flashy , star-splashed reduction . 
wiseman is patient and uncompromising , letting his camera observe and record the lives of women torn apart by a legacy of abuse . 
iwai creates yuichi's world as much through disembodied moments of sight and sound as through action , building to a surprising stab of melancholy . 
a lean , deftly shot , well-acted , weirdly retro thriller that recalls a raft of '60s and '70s european-set spy pictures . 
there are plot holes big enough for shamu the killer whale to swim through . 
collapses after 30 minutes into a slap-happy series of adolescent violence . 
lots of effort and intelligence are on display but in execution it is all awkward , static , and lifeless rumblings . 
purely propaganda , a work of unabashed hero worship , it is nonetheless -- and likely inadvertently -- a timely and invaluable implicit reminder of the role that u . s . foreign policy has played in the rise of castro . 
the notion that bombing buildings is the funniest thing in the world goes entirely unexamined in this startlingly unfunny comedy . 
without getting grand or preachy , the sprechers use an unconventional approach to coax us into asking ourselves fundamental questions . 
nakata's technique is to imply terror by suggestion , rather than the overuse of special effects . 
more concerned with sade's ideas than with his actions . the movie achieves as great an impact by keeping these thoughts hidden as . . . [quills] did by showing them . 
earnest , unsubtle and hollywood-predictable , green dragon is still a deeply moving effort to put a human face on the travail of thousands of vietnamese . 
though perry and hurley make inspiring efforts to breathe life into the disjointed , haphazard script by jay scherick and david ronn , neither the actors nor director reginald hudlin can make it more than fitfully entertaining . 
rarely , a movie is more than a movie . go . 
 " one look at a girl in tight pants and big tits and you turn stupid ? " um… . . isn't that the basis for the entire plot ? 
a literate presentation that wonderfully weaves a murderous event in 1873 with murderous rage in 2002 . 
it goes on for too long and bogs down in a surfeit of characters and unnecessary subplots . 
there's a delightfully quirky movie to be made from curling , but brooms isn't it . 
the talk-heavy film plays like one of robert altman's lesser works . 
all analyze that proves is that there is really only one movie's worth of decent gags to be gleaned from the premise . 
shaky close-ups of turkey-on-rolls , stubbly chins , liver spots , red noses and the filmmakers new bobbed do draw easy chuckles but lead nowhere . 
resident evil may be brain dead but it's great popcorn entertainment nonetheless . 
mr . soderbergh's direction and visual style struck me as unusually and unimpressively fussy and pretentious . 
lasker's canny , meditative script distances sex and love , as byron and luther . . . realize they can't get no satisfaction without the latter . 
about as big a crowdpleaser as they possibly come . 
the movie overcomes its lack or originality in the setup by making good use of its central idea , that a pair of sneakers could make a kid into an nba star . 
the film engages with the divergent paths taken , linked by childhood friendship and a mewling kitten , but a third act event is presented so abruptly it confuses the viewer until it rebounds somewhat with a satisfying closure . 
…passable enough for a shoot-out in the o . k . court house of life type of flick . strictly middle of the road . 
never really funny and falling just short of exciting , bad company is just ok for an action flick . 
the film sounds like the stuff of lurid melodrama , but what makes it interesting as a character study is the fact that the story is told from paul's perspective . 
shouldn't have been allowed to use the word " new " in its title , because there's not an original character , siuation or joke in the entire movie . 
[shyamalan] continues to cut a swathe through mainstream hollywood , while retaining an integrity and refusing to compromise his vision . 
panic room fits nicely within the trajectory of the elegant career arc fincher has already plotted . 
this extremely unfunny film clocks in at 80 minutes , but feels twice as long . 
there's no getting around the fact that this is revenge of the nerds revisited -- again . 
 . . . plays like somebody spliced random moments of a chris rock routine into what is otherwise a cliche-riddled but self-serious spy thriller . 
ripped of her humanity , testud's christine becomes a working stiff of greek proportions . 
arteta directs one of the best ensemble casts of the year
the result is mesmerizing -- filled with menace and squalor . 
what we have is a character faced with the possibility that her life is meaningless , vapid and devoid of substance , in a movie that is definitely meaningless , vapid and devoid of substance . 
here the love scenes all end in someone screaming . maybe there's a metaphor here , but figuring it out wouldn't make trouble every day any better . 
everything that's worthwhile about collision course can already be seen on television . 
it's exactly what you'd expect : no more and no less . 
quietly pulls you into its sun drenched style of american gothic in the heartland
it's so badly made on every level that i'm actually having a hard time believing people were paid to make it . 
what begins as a seemingly brainless , bubbly romantic comedy becomes a cliche-drenched melodrama by mid-film and , by film's end , a feminist action fantasy . 
the vitality of the actors keeps the intensity of the film high , even as the strafings blend together . 
imagine a film that begins as a seven rip-off , only to switch to a mix of the shining , the thing , and any naked teenagers horror flick from the 1980s . 
a belgian gem on the twilight existence of four sisters of a certain age drawn together reluctantly by the need to care for one of their number . 
despite its good nature and some genuinely funny moments , super troopers suffers from a bad case of arrested development . 
a close-to-solid espionage thriller with the misfortune of being released a few decades too late . 
the plot plummets into a comedy graveyard before janice comes racing to the rescue in the final reel . 
the film's apocalyptic urban setting and unrelentingly icy zeitgeist is message enough without a triumphant parting shot
piccoli gives a superb performance full of deep feeling . 
glizty but formulaic and silly . . . cagney's 'top of the world' has been replaced by the bottom of the barrel . 
this isn't just the cliffsnotes version of nicholas nickleby , it's the cliffsnotes with pages missing . 
 . it's a brilliant revision of the book and it offers a motivation for the invention that's lacking in the first film version . 
plays like a toddler running along a lumpy field , stumbling every few feet but always getting back up and eventually reaching his destination , unharmed and happy . 
a spellbinding african film about the modern condition of rootlessness , a state experienced by millions around the globe . 
despite hoffman's best efforts , wilson remains a silent , lumpish cipher ; his encounters reveal nothing about who he is or who he was before . 
hope keeps arising that the movie will live up to the apparent skills of its makers and the talents of its actors , but it doesn't . 
a hard look at one man's occupational angst and its subsequent reinvention , a terrifying study of bourgeois desperation worthy of claude chabrol . 
egoyan's work often elegantly considers various levels of reality and uses shifting points of view , but here he has constructed a film so labyrinthine that it defeats his larger purpose . 
from the choppy editing to the annoying score to 'special effects' by way of replacing objects in a character's hands below the camera line , " besotted " is misbegotten
a winning piece of work filled with love for the movies of the 1960s . 
this stuck pig of a movie flails limply between bizarre comedy and pallid horror . 
for all the charm of kevin kline and a story that puts old-fashioned values under the microscope , there's something creepy about this movie . 
[a] smarter and much funnier version of the old police academy flicks . 
both a successful adaptation and an enjoyable film in its own right . 
…the story is far-flung , illogical , and plain stupid . 
full frontal had no effect and elicited no sympathies for any of the characters . by that measure , it is a failure . 
the nicest thing that can be said about stealing harvard ( which might have been called freddy gets molested by a dog ) is that it's not as obnoxious as tom green's freddie got fingered . 
the tone errs on the shrill side , tempered by a soft southern gentility that speaks of beauty , grace and a closet full of skeletons . 
the only excitement comes when the credits finally roll and you get to leave the theater . 
[the digital effects] reminded me of terry gilliam's rudimentary old monty python cartoons , in which he would cut out figures from drawings and photographs and paste them together . 
if an oscar category existed for ensemble acting , the hours would unquestionably earn it . watching a trio of actors at the top of their game is a delight . 
reeboir varies between a sweet smile and an angry bark , while said attempts to wear down possible pupils through repetition . it has no affect on the kurds , but it wore me down . 
britney spears' phoniness is nothing compared to the movie's contrived , lame screenplay and listless direction . 
like any warhol/morrissey relic , arnon goldfinger's the komediant rediscovers chapters in new york's cultural past . 
what makes how i killed my father compelling , besides its terrific performances , is fontaine's willingness to wander into the dark areas of parent-child relationships without flinching . 
de niro cries . you'll cry for your money back . 
 " brown sugar " admirably aspires to be more than another " best man " clone by weaving a theme throughout this funny film . 
the plot grows thin soon , and you find yourself praying for a quick resolution . 
a rigorously structured and exquisitely filmed drama about a father and son connection that is a brief shooting star of love . 
 . . . one of the most ingenious and entertaining thrillers i've seen in quite a long time . 
a strong first act and absolutely , inescapably gorgeous , skyscraper-trapeze motion of the amazing spider-man . 
the movie , so briskly alert in details , is generic in its guiding ideas . 
a good music documentary , probably one of the best since the last waltz . 
the film makes strong arguments regarding the social status of america's indigenous people , but really only exists to try to eke out an emotional tug of the heart , one which it fails to get . 
takes a look at an old world , passionless arrangement in a way that is at once so biting and so brutally honest that you chuckle first , then shudder . 
you can see where big bad love is trying to go , but it never quite gets there . 
too many improbabilities and rose-colored situations temper what could've been an impacting film . 
more impressionistic than analytical , a grin without a cat is a grand immersion . 
most fish stories are a little peculiar , but this is one that should be thrown back in the river . 
contains the same kind of intelligent class observation that was featured in gosford park . 
movie fans , get ready to take off . . . the other direction . 
what soured me on the santa clause 2 was that santa bumps up against 21st century reality so hard , it's icky . 
although based on a real-life person , john , in the movie , is a rather dull person to be stuck with for two hours . 
the film . . . presents classic moral-condundrum drama : what would you have done to survive ? the problem with the film is whether these ambitions , laudable in themselves , justify a theatrical simulation of the death camp of auschwitz ii-birkenau . 
i walked away from this new version of e . t . just as i hoped i would -- with moist eyes . 
though intrepid in exploring an attraction that crosses sexual identity , ozpetek falls short in showing us antonia's true emotions . . . but at the very least , his secret life will leave you thinking . 
a creepy , intermittently powerful study of a self-destructive man . . . about as unsettling to watch as an exploratory medical procedure or an autopsy . 
rises and falls on the strength of its individual episodes . mostly , it rises , though its extreme length ill suits its anecdotal structure ( or perhaps vice versa ) . 
[allen's] best works understand why snobbery is a better satiric target than middle-america diversions could ever be . 
while the ideas about techno-saturation are far from novel , they're presented with a wry dark humor . 
nice balance between real emotions and cute movie moments with a hilarious love scene . 
lucky break is perfectly inoffensive and harmless , but it's also drab and inert . 
while soderbergh succeeds in recapturing the themes and mood of tarkovsky's version , he also brings with them a cold , emotionless sheen , a detached air that defeats his efforts to truly engage us . 
[f]rom the performances and the cinematography to the outstanding soundtrack and unconventional narrative , the film is blazingly alive and admirable on many levels . 
stanley kwan has directed not only one of the best gay love stories ever made , but one of the best love stories of any stripe . 
one thing has been made very clear -- being john malkovich wasn't a fluke . 
often shocking but ultimately worthwhile exploration of motherhood and desperate mothers . 
cuba gooding jr . valiantly mugs his way through snow dogs , but even his boisterous energy fails to spark this leaden comedy . 
it's dark but has wonderfully funny moments ; you care about the characters ; and the action and special effects are first-rate . 
a small gem of a movie that defies classification and is as thought-provoking as it is funny , scary and sad . 
the underworld urban angst is derivative of martin scorsese's taxi driver and goodfellas , but this film speaks for itself . 
imaginative and engaging follow-up , which revolves around a decidedly fresh story line that presents its stars with new challenges , obstacles and emotional opportunities . 
an intelligent and sobering look at a person's self worth , and the measures he or she will take to restore it . 
unlike most teen flicks , swimming takes its time to tell its story , casts mostly little-known performers in key roles , and introduces some intriguing ambiguity . 
a superb southern gothic slice of horror that is easily the sickest movie to arrive in theaters in a very long time . and i mean that in the nicest way possible . 
not only does the movie fail to make us part of its reality , it fails the most basic relevancy test as well . 
funny in a sick , twisted sort of way . 
skins has a right to yawp , and we have a right to our grains of salt . 
for all its brilliant touches , dragon loses its fire midway , nearly flickering out by its perfunctory conclusion . 
yeah , these flicks are just that damn good . isn't it great ? 
this is riveting stuff , especially in its account of how refugee culture and community spring up almost overnight . 
matches neorealism's impact by showing the humanity of a war-torn land filled with people who just want to live their lives . 
it's a talking head documentary , but a great one . 
a gob of drivel so sickly sweet , even the eager consumers of moore's pasteurized ditties will retch it up like rancid crème brûlée . 
the ingenious construction ( adapted by david hare from michael cunningham's novel ) constantly flows forwards and back , weaving themes among three strands which allow us to view events as if through a prism
would you laugh if a tuba-playing dwarf rolled down a hill in a trash can ? do you chuckle at the thought of an ancient librarian whacking a certain part of a man's body ? if you answered yes , by all means enjoy the new guy . 
[t]he film is never sure to make a clear point – even if it seeks to rely on an ambiguous presentation . 
chabrol has taken promising material for a black comedy and turned it instead into a somber chamber drama . 
o ótimo esforço do diretor acaba sendo frustrado pelo roteiro , que , depois de levar um bom tempo para colocar a trama em andamento , perde-se de vez a partir do instante em que os estranhos acontecimentos são explicados . 
a fascinating , dark thriller that keeps you hooked on the delicious pulpiness of its lurid fiction . 
the movie is loaded with good intentions , but in his zeal to squeeze the action and our emotions into the all-too-familiar dramatic arc of the holocaust escape story , minac drains his movie of all individuality . 
it's lost the politics and the social observation and become just another situation romance about a couple of saps stuck in an inarticulate screenplay . 
 . . . in the pile of useless actioners from mtv schmucks who don't know how to tell a story for more than four minutes . 
shanghai ghetto , much stranger than any fiction , brings this unknown slice of history affectingly to life . 
if myers decides to make another austin powers movie , maybe he should just stick with austin and dr evil . 
many went to see the attraction for the sole reason that it was hot outside and there was air conditioning inside , and i don't think that a . c . will help this movie one bit . 
instead of using george and lucy's most obvious differences to ignite sparks , lawrence desperately looks elsewhere , seizing on george's haplessness and lucy's personality tics . 
it's another stale , kill-by-numbers flick , complete with blade-thin characters and terrible , pun-laden dialogue . 
makes one thing abundantly clear . american musical comedy as we know it wouldn't exist without the precedent of yiddish theater , whose jolly , fun-for-fun's-sake communal spirit goes to the essence of broadway . 
remember when bond had more glamour than clamor ? no more . 
horrendously amateurish filmmaking that is plainly dull and visually ugly when it isn't incomprehensible . 
a lousy movie that's not merely unwatchable , but also unlistenable . 
green might want to hang onto that ski mask , as robbery may be the only way to pay for his next project . 
anderson has created the kind of unconventional 'romantic comedy' we might expect from him . 
this is scorsese's finest work , and one of the best films of 2002 . 
rarely has so much money delivered so little entertainment . 
stone seems to have a knack for wrapping the theater in a cold blanket of urban desperation . 
a tired , unnecessary retread . . . a stale copy of a picture that wasn't all that great to begin with . 
bogs down badly as we absorb jia's moody , bad-boy behavior which he portrays himself in a one-note performance . 
after collateral damage , you might imagine that most every aggrieved father cliché has been unturned . but no . 
unsung heroes of some of pop music's finest moments get to stand up and be counted in this documentary/concert/tribute . 
the story of trouble every day . . . is so sketchy it amounts to little more than preliminary notes for a science-fiction horror film , and the movie's fragmentary narrative style makes piecing the story together frustrating difficult . 
the weight of water uses water as a metaphor for subconscious desire , but this leaky script barely stays afloat . 
some body is a shaky , uncertain film that nevertheless touches a few raw nerves . 
real women may have many agendas , but it also will win you over , in a big way . 
harris is supposed to be the star of the story , but comes across as pretty dull and wooden . 
much of the lady and the duke is about quiet , decisive moments between members of the cultural elite as they determine how to proceed as the world implodes . 
i was sent a copyof this film to review on dvd . for free . i still want my money back . 
 " i blame all men for war , " [the warden's daughter] tells her father . the movie is about as deep as that sentiment . 
can't get enough of libidinous young city dwellers ? try this obscenely bad dark comedy , so crass that it makes edward burns' sidewalks of new york look like oscar wilde . 
a vile , incoherent mess . . . a scummy ripoff of david cronenberg's brilliant 'videodrome . '
moore's performance impresses almost as much as her work with haynes in 1995's safe . 
 a thought-provoking look at how western foreign policy - however well intentioned - can wreak havoc in other cultures . 
morvern callar confirms lynne ramsay as an important , original talent in international cinema . 
traffics in the kind of prechewed racial clichés that have already been through the corporate stand-up-comedy mill . 
hoffman is understandably concerned about typecasting , but he is indeed the man for the job , recalling the intensity that nicholas cage brought to an oscar-winning performance in leaving las vegas . 
the secrets of time travel will have been discovered , indulged in and rejected as boring before i see this piece of crap again . 
queen of the damned is too long with too little going on . 
julie davis is the kathie lee gifford of film directors , sadly proving once again ego doesn't always go hand in hand with talent . 
if it takes too many familiar steps , it is still never less than compelling as it walks the well-trod line . 
for all its violence , the movie is remarkably dull with only caine making much of an impression . 
cage makes an unusual but pleasantly haunting debut behind the camera . 
the moral shrapnel and mental shellshock will linger long after this film has ended . 
newcomer helmer kevin donovan is hamstrung by a badly handled screenplay of what is really an amusing concept – a high-tech tux that transforms its wearer into a superman . 
 sandra bullock and hugh grant make a great team , but this predictable romantic comedy should get a pink slip . 
the film is directed by wally wolodarsky from a script by joe jarvis and greg coolidge . these are names to remember , in order to avoid them in the future . 
a forceful drama of an alienated executive who re-invents himself . 
a biopic of an artist that actually looks artistic . 
director charles stone iii applies more detail to the film's music than to the story line ; what's best about drumline is its energy . 
about a boy will warm your heart without making you feel guilty about it . 
about schmidt is a curious slice of americana . . . the characters are so clearly drawn and the dialogue so rich , you are immediately hooked . 
the mystery of enigma is how a rich historical subject , combined with so much first-rate talent . . . could have yielded such a flat , plodding picture . 
the writer-director bestows honor -- generously , apolitically -- not only on the dead and still living american veterans who fought in ia drang , but also on their families , on their vietnamese adversaries , and on the families of their adversaries too . 
perhaps the most remarkable aspect of murderous maids is how restrained and sensitive french director jean-pierre denis keeps his film . 
the result , however well-intentioned , is ironically just the sort of disposable , kitchen-sink homage that illustrates why the whole is so often less than the sum of its parts in today's hollywood . 
the movie's quiet affirmation of neighborhood values gives it an honest , lived-in glow . 
movies like this are selling the old european candor , the old wink of 'bold' revelation . but in 2002 , such revelations wilt . 
what starts off as a potentially incredibly twisting mystery becomes simply a monster chase film . 
evokes the 19th century with a subtlety that is an object lesson in period filmmaking . 
the tonal shifts are jolting , and though wen's messages are profound and thoughtfully delivered , more thorough transitions would have made the film more cohesive . 
the whole mess boils down to a transparently hypocritical work that feels as though it's trying to set the women's liberation movement back 20 years . 
it has the requisite faux-urban vibe and hotter-two-years-ago rap and r&b names and references . 
kapur's contradictory feelings about his material result in a movie that works against itself . 
a movie that tries to fuse the two 'woods' but winds up a bolly-holly masala mess . 
if you haven't seen the film lately , you may be surprised at the variety of tones in spielberg's work . much of it is funny , but there are also some startling , surrealistic moments . . . 
beers , who , when she's given the right lines , can charm the paint off the wall . . . [but] the script goes wrong at several key junctures . 
poignant if familiar story of a young person suspended between two cultures . 
often messy and frustrating , but very pleasing at its best moments , it's very much like life itself . 
a great ending doesn't make up for a weak movie , and crazy as hell doesn't even have a great ending . 
a captivatingly quirky hybrid of character portrait , romantic comedy and beat-the-clock thriller . 
like any good romance , son of the bride , proves it's never too late to learn . 
for those of an indulgent , slightly sunbaked and summery mind , sex and lucia may well prove diverting enough . 
the movie slides downhill as soon as macho action conventions assert themselves . 
expect the same-old , lame-old slasher nonsense , just with different scenery . 
a suspense thriller with a brain and a heart . 
despite the 2-d animation , the wild thornberrys movie makes for a surprisingly cinematic experience . 
one of the very best movies ever made about the life of moviemaking . 
the story itself is uninteresting , and the songs are painfully undistinguished : they might be giants' so to be one of us may be the most tuneless tune ever composed . 
epic battles , spectacular effects and multiple story lines make the two towers a most excellent middle chapter in the lord of the rings film trilogy . 
rarely do films come along that are as intelligent , exuberant , and moving as monsoon wedding . 
the characters are so generic and the plot so bland that even as rogue cia assassins working for chris cooper's agency boss close in on the resourceful amnesiac , we don't feel much for damon/bourne or his predicament . 
a sweet-natured reconsideration of one of san francisco's most vital , if least widely recognized , creative fountainheads . 
based on a devilishly witty script by heather mcgowan and niels mueller , the film gets great laughs , but never at the expense of its characters
every individual will see the movie through the prism of his or her own beliefs and prejudices , but the one thing most will take away is the sense that peace is possible . that , in itself , is extraordinary . 
it looks closely , insightfully at fragile , complex relationships . 
abandon spends 90 minutes trying figure out whether or not some cocky pseudo-intellectual kid has intentionally left college or was killed . the only problem is that , by the end , no one in the audience or the film seems to really care . 
even in the summertime , the most restless young audience deserves the dignity of an action hero motivated by something more than franchise possibilities . 
de oliveira creates an emotionally rich , poetically plump and visually fulsome , but never showy , film whose bittersweet themes are reinforced and brilliantly personified by michel piccoli . 
the film is beautifully mounted , but , more to the point , the issues are subtly presented , managing to walk a fine line with regard to the question of joan's madness . 
occasionally funny and consistently odd , and it works reasonably well as a star vehicle for zhao . 
in the end , the movie bogs down in insignificance , saying nothing about kennedy's assassination and revealing nothing about the pathology it pretends to investigate . 
the actors are simply too good , and the story too intriguing , for technical flaws to get in the way . 
some people march to the beat of a different drum , and if you ever wondered what kind of houses those people live in , this documentary takes a look at 5 alternative housing options . 
together , miller , kuras and the actresses make personal velocity into an intricate , intimate and intelligent journey . 
will you go ape over this movie ? well , it probably won't have you swinging from the trees hooting it's praises , but it's definitely worth taking a look . 
there's no conversion effort , much of the writing is genuinely witty and both stars are appealing enough to probably have a good shot at a hollywood career , if they want one . 
look , this is a terrific flick replete with dazzling camera-work , dancing and music . 
piccoli's performance is amazing , yes , but the symbols of loss and denial and life-at-arm's-length in the film seem irritatingly transparent . 
if somebody was bored and . . . decided to make a dull , pretentious version of jesus' son , they'd come up with something like bart freundlich's world traveler . 
it's mired in a shabby script that piles layer upon layer of action man cliché atop wooden dialogue and a shifting tone that falls far short of the peculiarly moral amorality of [woo's] best work . 
it's a pedestrian , flat drama that screams out 'amateur' in almost every frame . 
even if you're an elvis person , you won't find anything to get excited about on this dvd . 
a living testament to the power of the eccentric and the strange . the fact that it isn't very good is almost beside the point . 
it's at once laughable and compulsively watchable , in its committed dumbness . 
noyce films it more as a shocking history lesson than as drama . 
it ain't art , by a long shot , but unlike last year's lame musketeer , this dumas adaptation entertains . 
despite a blue-chip cast and a provocative title , writer-director peter mattei's first feature microwaves dull leftover romantic motifs basted in faux-contemporary gravy . 
i'm sure the filmmaker would disagree , but , honestly , i don't see the point . it's a visual rorschach test and i must have failed . 
the performances are so leaden , michael rymer's direction is so bloodless and the dialogue is so corny that the audience laughs out loud . 
not just unlikable . disturbing . disgusting . without any redeeming value whatsoever . 
a wonderful , low-key coming-of-age saga with none of that after-school special hysteria . 
sunshine state is a fine example of a carefully written film . but you shouldn't be too aware that a movie is well-written . 
offers a quieter version of the midlife-crisis roller coaster . 
good for a few unintentional laughs , " extreme ops " was obviously made for the " xxx " crowd , people who enjoy mindless action without the benefit of decent acting , writing , and direction . 
the soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission . 
overall very good for what it's trying to do . 
mazel tov to a film about a family's joyous life acting on the yiddish stage . 
this is christmas future for a lot of baby boomers . 
koepp's screenplay isn't nearly surprising or clever enough to sustain a reasonable degree of suspense on its own . 
an absorbing trip into the minds and motivations of people under stress as well as a keen , unsentimental look at variations on the theme of motherhood . 
if routine action and jokes like this are your cup of tea , then pay your $8 and get ready for the big shear . this is one baaaaaaaaad movie . 
it's about as convincing as any other arnie musclefest , but has a little too much resonance with real world events and ultimately comes off as insultingly simplistic . 
an exciting debut from promising , and fairly disturbed , young director/screenwriter dylan kidd . 
this re-do is so dumb and so exploitative in its violence that , ironically , it becomes everything that the rather clumsy original was railing against . 
the director has injected self-consciousness into the proceedings at every turn . the results are far more alienating than involving . 
if you think it's a riot to see rob schneider in a young woman's clothes , then you'll enjoy the hot chick . 
as commander-in-chief of this film , bigelow demonstrates a breadth of vision and an attention to detail that propels her into the upper echelons of the directing world . 
thanks to scott's charismatic roger and eisenberg's sweet nephew , roger dodger is one of the most compelling variations on in the company of men . 
the movie does its best to work us over , with second helpings of love , romance , tragedy , false dawns , real dawns , comic relief , two separate crises during marriage ceremonies , and the lush scenery of the cotswolds . 
if kaufman kept cameron diaz a prisoner in a cage with her ape , in his latest , he'd have them mate . 
for a film that's being advertised as a comedy , sweet home alabama isn't as funny as you'd hoped . for a film that's being advertised as a comedy , sweet home alabama isn't as funny as you'd hoped . 
it's pretentious in a way that verges on the amateurish . 
an earnest , roughshod document , it serves as a workable primer for the region's recent history , and would make a terrific 10th-grade learning tool . 
the only thing scary about feardotcom is that the filmmakers and studio are brazen enough to attempt to pass this stinker off as a scary movie . 
an empty exercise , a florid but ultimately vapid crime melodrama with lots of surface flash but little emotional resonance . 
wanker goths are on the loose ! run for your lives ! 
what makes blade 2 marginally better than blade , especially if you thought the first was a hollow spectacle ? it has a plot . 
having never been a huge fan of dickens' 800-page novel , it surprised me how much pleasure i had watching mcgrath's version . 
behind the glitz , hollywood is sordid and disgusting . quelle surprise ! 
a triumph , a film that hews out a world and carries us effortlessly from darkness to light . 
more dutiful than enchanting . . . terribly episodic and lacking the spark of imagination that might have made it an exhilarating treat . 
at its best early on as it plays the culture clashes between the brothers . 
that haynes can both maintain and dismantle the facades that his genre and his character construct is a wonderous accomplishment of veracity and narrative grace . 
like lisa gossels' children of chabannes ( 2000 ) , which tells another little-known story about french villagers who saved 400 jewish children , shanghai ghetto is a celebration of humanity . 
the funk brothers seem to have hardly missed a beat . 
grant is certainly amusing , but the very hollowness of the character he plays keeps him at arms length
what lee does so marvelously compelling is present brown as a catalyst for the struggle of black manhood in restrictive and chaotic america . . . sketchy but nevertheless gripping portrait of jim brown , a celebrated wonder in the spotlight
the country bears wastes an exceptionally good idea . but the movie that doesn't really deliver for country music fans or for family audiences
as they used to say in the 1950s sci-fi movies , signs is a tribute to shyamalan's gifts , which are such that we'll keep watching the skies for his next project . 
the behind the scenes series is more interesting than the resulting movie , but it's still worth taking a look . 
woody allen can write and deliver a one liner as well as anybody . but i had a lot of problems with this movie . 
all very stylish and beautifully photographed , but far more trouble than it's worth , with fantasy mixing with reality and actors playing more than one role just to add to the confusion . 
succeeds very well in its primary aim of making us gasp . 
director rob marshall went out gunning to make a great one . 
an unflinching , complex portrait of a modern israel that is rarely seen on-screen . 
a vivid , spicy footnote to history , and a movie that grips and holds you in rapt attention from start to finish . 
a stupid , derivative horror film that substitutes extreme gore for suspense . 
how this one escaped the lifetime network i'll never know . 
pan nalin's exposition is beautiful and mysterious , and the interviews that follow , with the practitioners of this ancient indian practice , are as subtle and as enigmatic . 
by turns pretentious , fascinating , ludicrous , provocative and vainglorious . 
is anyone else out there getting tired of the whole slo-mo , double-pistoled , ballistic-pyrotechnic hong kong action aesthetic ? 
gosling creates a staggeringly compelling character , a young man whose sharp intellect is at the very root of his contradictory , self-hating , self-destructive ways . 
you know that ten bucks you'd spend on a ticket ? just send it to cranky . we don't get paid enough to sit through crap like this . 
for every inspired bit of absurdity , there's a lame piece of improvisational noodling . 
the director , steven shainberg , has succeeded by focusing intently on his characters , making them quirky individuals rather than figures of fun . 
in its combination of religion , love story and exotic locales , " heaven " is a bit reminiscent of james michener's " hawaii , " although this is a somewhat simpler , more personal tale . 
[reynolds] takes a classic story , casts attractive and talented actors and uses a magnificent landscape to create a feature film that is wickedly fun to watch . 
strangely comes off as a kingdom more mild than wild . 
at no point during k-19 : the widowmaker did this viewer feel enveloped in a story that , though meant to be universal in its themes of loyalty , courage and dedication to a common goal , never seems to leave the lot . 
exciting and direct , with ghost imagery that shows just enough to keep us on our toes . 
an excellent chance to learn more about one of rock and roll's most significant bands and the struggle for freedom in the communist world . 
nicholson's understated performance is wonderful . as warren he stumbles in search of all the emotions and life experiences he's neglected over the years . 
exquisitely nuanced in mood tics and dialogue , this chamber drama is superbly acted by the deeply appealing veteran bouquet and the chilling but quite human berling . 
if no one singles out any of these performances as award-worthy , it's only because we would expect nothing less from this bunch . 
the truth is that the truth about charlie gets increasingly tiresome . 
an operatic , sprawling picture that's entertainingly acted , magnificently shot and gripping enough to sustain most of its 170-minute length . 
the chateau has one very funny joke and a few other decent ones , but all it amounts to is a mildly funny , sometimes tedious , ultimately insignificant film . 
essentially , this is abel fererra's it's a wonderful life . 
a period story about a catholic boy who tries to help a jewish friend get into heaven by sending the audience straight to hell . 
the heightened symmetry of this new/old cinema paradiso makes the film a fuller experience , like an old friend haunted by the exigencies of time . 
the movie provides an intimate glimpse of how sensibilities as compatible as oil and water forced themselves to blend and create a successful work despite their aesthetic differences . 
why spend $9 on the same stuff you can get for a buck or so in that greasy little vidgame pit in the theater lobby ? 
a standard police-oriented drama that , were it not for de niro's participation , would have likely wound up a tnt original . 
if you like blood , guts and crazy beasts stalking men with guns though . . . you will likely enjoy this monster . 
 . . . has freaky scenes where the crew wonder if they're ghosts imagining themselves as alive . it's a sly wink to the others without becoming a postmodern joke , made creepy by its " men in a sardine can " warped logic . 
fresh and raw like a blown-out vein , narc takes a walking-dead , cop-flick subgenre and beats new life into it . 
director kevin bray excels in breaking glass and marking off the " miami vice " checklist of power boats , latin music and dog tracks . he doesn't , however , deliver nearly enough of the show's trademark style and flash . 
a clichéd and shallow cautionary tale about the hard-partying lives of gay men . 
despite the fact that this film wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be , it's still not a good movie
the story and the friendship proceeds in such a way that you're watching a soap opera rather than a chronicle of the ups and downs that accompany lifelong friendships . 
this sade is hardly a perverse , dangerous libertine and agitator -- which would have made for better drama . he's just a sad aristocrat in tattered finery , and the film seems as deflated as he does . 
the aaa of action , xxx is a blast of adrenalin , rated eee for excitement . and vin diesel is the man . 
all of the elements are in place for a great film noir , but director george hickenlooper's approach to the material is too upbeat . 
this cinema verite speculation on the assassination of john f . kennedy may have been inspired by blair witch , but it takes its techniques into such fresh territory that the film never feels derivative . 
it's mildly entertaining , especially if you find comfort in familiarity . but it's hardly a necessary enterprise . 
a hallmark film in an increasingly important film industry and worth the look . 
too artsy by half , heaven nonetheless casts a spell that doesn't break until you leave the theater . 
while the script starts promisingly , it loses steam towards the middle and never really develops beyond attacking obvious target . 
woo's fights have a distinct flair . his warriors collide in balletic explosion that implies an underlying order throughout the chaos . 
the tuxedo wasn't just bad ; it was , as my friend david cross would call it , 'hungry-man portions of bad' . 
a surprisingly good-natured throwback to the '80s heyday of the body-switching genre . 
acting , particularly by tambor , almost makes " never again " worthwhile , but [writer/director] schaeffer should follow his titular advice
the movie stays afloat thanks to its hallucinatory production design . 
on top of a foundering performance , [madonna's] denied her own athleticism by lighting that emphasizes every line and sag . 
martha is rich in contradictions , her tightly wound personality running counter to the sensual pleasure she offers others through her art . 
the whole thing plays like a tired tyco ad . 
elaborate special effects take centre screen , so that the human story is pushed to one side . 
a moving story of determination and the human spirit . 
a film that deserves to be seen regardless of the misgivings . 
takes a clunky tv-movie approach to detailing a chapter in the life of the celebrated irish playwright , poet and drinker . 
even accepting this in the right frame of mind can only provide it with so much leniency . 
a penetrating glimpse into the tissue-thin ego of the stand-up comic . 
this is a children's film in the truest sense . it's packed with adventure and a worthwhile environmental message , so it's great for the kids . parents , on the other hand , will be ahead of the plot at all times , and there isn't enough clever innuendo to fil
as simple and innocent a movie as you can imagine . this is a movie you can trust . 
whaley's performance is earnest and often riveting , but he should have taken a few lessons from his peers at amateur night . 
like rudy yellow lodge , eyre needs to take a good sweat to clarify his cinematic vision before his next creation and remember the lessons of the trickster spider . 
resident evil isn't a product of its cinematic predecessors so much as an mtv , sugar hysteria , and playstation cocktail . 
if you ever wondered what it would be like to be smack in the middle of a war zone armed with nothing but a camera , this oscar-nominated documentary takes you there . 
the ring just left me cold and wet like i was out in the seattle drizzle without rainwear . 
this movie has a strong message about never giving up on a loved one , but it's not an easy movie to watch and will probably disturb many who see it . 
very annie-mary is familiar but winningly funny and good-hearted . 
provides a porthole into that noble , trembling incoherence that defines us all . 
despite bearing the paramount imprint , it's a bargain-basement european pickup . what's hard to understand is why anybody picked it up . wiser souls would have tactfully pretended not to see it and left it lying there
post 9/11 the philosophical message of " personal freedom first " might not be as palatable as intended . 
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 . 
offers a gentle summer fantasy for both grown-ups and little ones . 
an ambitious , guilt-suffused melodrama crippled by poor casting . 
while its careful pace and seemingly opaque story may not satisfy every moviegoer's appetite , the film's final scene is soaringly , transparently moving . 
what could and should have been biting and droll is instead a tepid waste of time and talent . 
the trouble is , its filmmakers run out of clever ideas and visual gags about halfway through . 
it's a lovely , eerie film that casts an odd , rapt spell . 
perry's good and his is an interesting character , but " serving sara " hasn't much more to serve than silly fluff . nor is it a romantic comedy . 
the film has a laundry list of minor shortcomings , but the numerous scenes of gory mayhem are worth the price of admission . . . if " gory mayhem " is your idea of a good time . 
it's predictable , but it jumps through the expected hoops with style and even some depth . 
there are moments in this account of the life of artist frida kahlo that are among cinema's finest this year . unfortunately , they're sandwiched in between the most impossibly dry account of kahlo's life imaginable . 
ratliff speaks the truth about these pentecostal extremists with fairness and compassion , while the well-intentioned churchgoers shout only semi-truths in a frightfully un-christlike fashion . 
anyone who suffers through this film deserves , at the very least , a big box of consolation candy . 
you wouldn't want to live waydowntown , but it is a hilarious place to visit . 
although the editing might have been tighter , hush ! sympathetically captures the often futile lifestyle of young people in modern japan . 
breen's script has deadpan wit , though it becomes a little labored as it goes along . 
lovers of the original the silence of the lambs will be ecstatic to see that cinematic lightning can strike twice . 
it's not just the vampires that are damned in queen of the damned -- the viewers will feel they suffer the same fate . 
it's all a rather shapeless good time . . . 
it is most of the things costner movies are known for ; it's sanctimonious , self-righteous and so eager to earn our love that you want to slap it . 
what can one say about a balding 50-year-old actor playing an innocent boy carved from a log ? 
the plot's clearly mythic structure may owe more to disney's strong sense of formula than to the original story . but while the highly predictable narrative falls short , treasure planet is truly gorgeous to behold . 
a film that will probably please people already fascinated by behan but leave everyone else yawning with admiration . 
the only element of suspense is whether the movie will change titles or distributors again before the closing credits roll . 
all three actresses are simply dazzling , particularly balk , who's finally been given a part worthy of her considerable talents . 
despite a well-placed sense of historical outrage , fence isn't one-sided . 
some of the most inventive silliness you are likely to witness in a movie theatre for some time . 
just when the movie seems confident enough to handle subtlety , it dives into soapy bathos . 
an entertaining , grimy view of the traps of machismo tucked inside a cop thriller . 
those who managed to avoid the deconstructionist theorizing of french philosopher jacques derrida in college can now take an 85-minute brush-up course with the documentary derrida . or , you can do something fun tonight . 
i didn't find much fascination in the swinging . what they're doing is a matter of plumbing arrangements and mind games , of no erotic or sensuous charge . but that they are doing it is thought-provoking . 
the pianist is the film roman polanski may have been born to make . 
 . . . plenty of warmth to go around , with music and laughter and the love of family . 
[hayek] throws herself into this dream hispanic role with a teeth-clenching gusto , she strikes a potent chemistry with molina and she gradually makes us believe she is kahlo . 
the unexplored story opportunities of " punch-drunk love " may have worked against the maker's minimalist intent but it is an interesting exercise by talented writer/director anderson . 
daringly perceptive , taut , piercing and feisty , biggie and tupac is undeniably subversive and involving in its bold presentation . 
like " this is spinal tap " , only with more pathetic protagonists- and funnier ! 
the movie addresses a hungry need for pg-rated , nonthreatening family movies , but it doesn't go too much further . 
while 'manhunter' takes the prize for stylishness , 'dragon' is much scarier and more emotionally involving . 
it seems lawrence has reflected deeply upon his down periods . they've left him wiser without dulling the sharp edges of his humor . 
rock's stand-up magic wanes . hopkins , squarely fills the screen . action - mechanical . 
upsetting and thought-provoking , the film has an odd purity that doesn't bring you into the characters so much as it has you study them . 
what should have been an entertaining cinematic souvenir solely for wilco fans ended up becoming a smart , involving , and occasionally infuriating film
a picture as charmingly insubstantial as the world it invokes . 
a modest and acerbically clever escapade that relies more on wit than excitement . 
birthday girl is an amusing joy ride , with some surprisingly violent moments . 
a gracious , eloquent film that by its end offers a ray of hope to the refugees able to look ahead and resist living in a past forever lost . 
at the end of the movie , my 6-year-old nephew said , " i guess i come from a broken family , and my uncles are all aliens , too . " congrats disney on a job well done , i enjoyed it just as much ! 
jarecki and gibney do find enough material to bring kissinger's record into question and explain how the diplomat's tweaked version of statecraft may have cost thousands and possibly millions of lives . 
peralta captures , in luminous interviews and amazingly evocative film from three decades ago , the essence of the dogtown experience . 
this sensitive , smart , savvy , compelling coming-of-age drama delves into the passive-aggressive psychology of co-dependence and the struggle for self-esteem . 
smart science fiction for grown-ups , with only a few false steps along the way . 
an exceptionally dreary and overwrought bit of work , every bit as imperious as katzenberg's the prince of egypt from 1998 . 
salma goes native and she's never been better in this colorful bio-pic of a mexican icon . 
a film that is a portrait of grace in an imperfect world . 
what the movie lacks in action it more than makes up for in drama , suspense , revenge , and romance . 
relieved of the action-stalling expository responsibility that dogs so many movies based on superhero comics , blade 2 goes straight for the jugular . 
watching it is rather like viewing a long soap opera in which only the first episode was any good . 
there's something to be said for a studio-produced film that never bothers to hand viewers a suitcase full of easy answers . 
hardly makes the kind of points egoyan wanted to make , nor does it exist as the kind of monument he wanted to build , to victims whose voices have never gained the ears of the world . 
another useless recycling of a brutal mid-'70s american sports movie . 
august -- a pupil of ingmar bergman's -- manages to tell a tragic tale while avoiding the heavy-laden angst of a bergman film . 
the movie has very little to offer besides unintentional laughs . 
rife with nutty cliches and far too much dialogue . 
the movie sticks much closer to hornby's drop-dead confessional tone than the film version of high fidelity did . 
director ferzan ozpetek creates an interesting dynamic with the members of this group , who live in the same apartment building . but he loses his focus when he concentrates on any single person . 
the people in dogtown and z-boys are so funny , aggressive and alive , you have to watch them because you can't wait to see what they do next . 
takes a simple premise and carries it to unexpected heights . 
what's next ? the porky's revenge : ultimate edition ? 
there ain't a lot more painful than an unfunny movie that thinks it's hilarious . 
 . . . there is enough originality in 'life' to distance it from the pack of paint-by-number romantic comedies that so often end up on cinema screens . 
the stripped-down dramatic constructs , austere imagery and abstract characters are equal parts poetry and politics , obvious at times but evocative and heartfelt . 
fessenden continues to do interesting work , and it would be nice to see what he could make with a decent budget . but the problem with wendigo , for all its effective moments , isn't really one of resources . 
a haunted , bountiful film that demands patience -- and rewards it . 
the movie's gloomy atmosphere is fascinating , though , even if the movie itself doesn't stand a ghost of a chance . 
it aimlessly and unsuccessfully attempts to fuse at least three dull plots into one good one . 
an authentically vague , but ultimately purposeless , study in total pandemonium . 
visually imaginative , thematically instructive and thoroughly delightful , it takes us on a roller-coaster ride from innocence to experience without even a hint of that typical kiddie-flick sentimentality .