dataSet.txt

The Rock is destined to be the 21st Century 's new `` Conan '' and that he 's going to make a splash even greater than Arnold Schwarzenegger , Jean-Claud Van Damme or Steven Segal . 1
The gorgeously elaborate continuation of `` The Lord of the Rings '' trilogy is so huge that a column of words can not adequately describe co-writer\/director Peter Jackson 's expanded vision of J.R.R. Tolkien 's Middle-earth . 2
Singer\/composer Bryan Adams contributes a slew of songs -- a few potential hits , a few more simply intrusive to the story -- but the whole package certainly captures the intended , er , spirit of the piece . 61
You 'd think by now America would have had enough of plucky British eccentrics with hearts of gold . 62
Yet the act is still charming here . 63
Whether or not you 're enlightened by any of Derrida 's lectures on `` the other '' and `` the self , '' Derrida is an undeniably fascinating and playful fellow . 64
Just the labour involved in creating the layered richness of the imagery in this chiaroscuro of madness and light is astonishing . 68
Part of the charm of Satin Rouge is that it avoids the obvious with humour and lightness . 72
a screenplay more ingeniously constructed than `` Memento '' 82
`` Extreme Ops '' exceeds expectations . 131
Good fun , good action , good acting , good dialogue , good pace , good cinematography . 132
You Should Pay Nine Bucks for This : Because you can hear about suffering Afghan refugees on the news and still be unaffected . 133
Dramas like this make it human . 134
A thunderous ride at first , quiet cadences of pure finesse are few and far between ; their shortage dilutes the potency of otherwise respectable action . 135
Still , this flick is fun , and host to some truly excellent sequences . 136
Australian actor\/director John Polson and award-winning English cinematographer Giles Nuttgens make a terrific effort at disguising the obvious with energy and innovation . 214
You walk out of The Good Girl with mixed emotions -- disapproval of Justine combined with a tinge of understanding for her actions . 228
Post 9\/11 the philosophical message of `` Personal Freedom First '' might not be as palatable as intended . 340
Absorbing character study by André Turpin . 383
If you love reading and\/or poetry , then by all means check it out . 387
You 'll probably love it . 388
`` Frailty '' has been written so well , that even a simple `` Goddammit ! '' 428
near the end takes on a whole other meaning . 429
Grenier is terrific , bringing an unforced , rapid-fire delivery to Toback 's Heidegger - and Nietzsche-referencing dialogue . 446
The Sundance Film Festival has become so buzz-obsessed that fans and producers descend upon Utah each January to ferret out The Next Great Thing . 467
` Tadpole ' was one of the films so declared this year , but it 's really more of The Next Pretty Good Thing . 468
The actors are fantastic . 473
They are what makes it worth the trip to the theatre . 474
-LRB- Taymor -RRB- utilizes the idea of making Kahlo 's art a living , breathing part of the movie , often catapulting the artist into her own work . 486
This is n't a new idea . 487
It 's been done before but never so vividly or with so much passion . 488
-LRB- `` Take Care of My Cat '' -RRB- is an honestly nice little film that takes us on an examination of young adult life in urban South Korea through the hearts and minds of the five principals . 514
It 's not life-affirming -- its vulgar and mean , but I liked it . 584
What `` Empire '' lacks in depth it makes up for with its heart . 670
Light , silly , photographed with colour and depth , and rather a good time . 692
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 ... 702
Much of the movie 's charm lies in the utter cuteness of Stuart and Margolo . 703
Their computer-animated faces are very expressive . 704
The path Ice Age follows most closely , though , is the one established by Warner Bros. giant Chuck Jones , who died a matter of weeks before the movie 's release . 705
... spiced with humor -LRB- ' I speak fluent flatula , ' advises Denlopp after a rather , er , bubbly exchange with an alien deckhand -RRB- and witty updatings -LRB- Silver 's parrot has been replaced with Morph , a cute alien creature who mimics everyone and everything around -RRB- 742
There 's an energy to Y Tu Mamá También . 748
Much of it comes from the brave , uninhibited performances by its lead actors . 749
`` 13 Conversations '' holds its goodwill close , but is relatively slow to come to the point . 840
`` Auto Focus '' works as an unusual biopic and document of male swingers in the Playboy era 893
If Mr. Zhang 's subject matter is , to some degree at least , quintessentially American , his approach to storytelling might be called Iranian . 894
... a sour little movie at its core ; an exploration of the emptiness that underlay the relentless gaiety of the 1920 's ... The film 's ending has a `` What was it all for ? '' 896
feeling to it , but like the 1920 's , the trip there is a great deal of fun . 897
`` Cremaster 3 '' should come with the warning `` For serious film buffs only ! '' 1112
Made me unintentionally famous -- as the queasy-stomached critic who staggered from the theater and blacked out in the lobby . 1153
But believe it or not , it 's one of the most beautiful , evocative works I 've seen . 1154
García Bernal and Talancón are an immensely appealing couple , and even though their story is predictable , you 'll want things to work out . 1215
... a spoof comedy that carries its share of laughs -- sometimes a chuckle , sometimes a guffaw and , to my great pleasure , the occasional belly laugh . 1241
-LRB- City -RRB- 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 ' -LRB- 1999 -RRB- and ` Analyze That , ' promised -LRB- or threatened -RRB- for later this year . 1256
The wanton slipperiness of \* Corpus and its amiable jerking and reshaping of physical time and space would make it a great piece to watch with kids and use to introduce video as art . 1274
`` Frailty '' starts out like a typical Bible killer story , but it turns out to be significantly different -LRB- and better -RRB- than most films with this theme . 1482
For those who pride themselves on sophisticated , discerning taste , this might not seem like the proper cup of tea , however it is almost guaranteed that even the stuffiest cinema goers will laugh their \*\*\* off for an hour-and-a-half . 1489
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 . 1588
A welcome relief from baseball movies that try too hard to be mythic , this one is a sweet and modest and ultimately winning story . 1671
A crisp psychological drama -LRB- and -RRB- a fascinating little thriller that would have been perfect for an old `` Twilight Zone '' episode . 1672
It has more than a few moments that are insightful enough to be fondly remembered in the endlessly challenging maze of moviegoing . 1673
Opening with some contrived banter , cliches and some loose ends , the screenplay only comes into its own in the second half . 1674
An uncluttered , resonant gem that relays its universal points without lectures or confrontations . ' 1675
-LRB- The Cockettes -RRB- provides a window into a subculture hell-bent on expressing itself in every way imaginable . ' 1676
A smart , steamy mix of road movie , coming-of-age story and political satire . 1677
The modern-day royals have nothing on these guys when it comes to scandals . 1678
It 's only in fairy tales that princesses that are married for political reason live happily ever after . 1679
A terrific B movie -- in fact , the best in recent memory . 1680
`` Birthday Girl '' is an actor 's movie first and foremost . 1681
I walked away from this new version of E.T. just as I hoped I would -- with moist eyes . 1682
For devotees of French cinema , Safe Conduct is so rich with period minutiae it 's like dying and going to celluloid heaven . 1683
What 's really so appealing about the characters is their resemblance to everyday children . 1684
Shamelessly resorting to pee-related sight gags that might even cause Tom Green a grimace ; still , Myer 's energy and the silliness of it all eventually prevail 1685
An absurdist spider web . 1686
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 . 1687
This version moves beyond the original 's nostalgia for the communal film experiences of yesteryear to a deeper realization of cinema 's inability to stand in for true , lived experience . 1688
Some movies blend together as they become distant memories . 1689
Mention `` Solaris '' five years from now and I 'm sure those who saw it will have an opinion to share . 1690
Allen 's funniest and most likeable movie in years . 1691
It 's a glorious spectacle like those D.W. Griffith made in the early days of silent film . 1692
This comic gem is as delightful as it is derivative . 1693
More timely than its director could ever have dreamed , this quietly lyrical tale probes the ambiguous welcome extended by Iran to the Afghani refugees who streamed across its borders , desperate for work and food . 1694
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 . 1695
With three excellent principal singers , a youthful and good-looking diva and tenor and richly handsome locations , it 's enough to make you wish Jacquot had left well enough alone and just filmed the opera without all these distortions of perspective . 1696
The production has been made with an enormous amount of affection , so we believe these characters love each other . 1697
Certainly the performances are worthwhile . 1698
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 . 1699
Watching these eccentrics is both inspiring and pure joy . 1700
Steven Spielberg brings us another masterpiece 1701
Finally , the French-produced `` Read My Lips '' is a movie that understands characters must come first . 1702
Ms. Seigner and Mr. Serrault bring fresh , unforced naturalism to their characters . 1703
Allen shows he can outgag any of those young whippersnappers making moving pictures today . 1704
A good film with a solid pedigree both in front of and , more specifically , behind the camera . 1705
By no means a slam-dunk and sure to ultimately disappoint the action fans who will be moved to the edge of their seats by the dynamic first act , it still comes off as a touching , transcendent love story . 1706
I encourage young and old alike to go see this unique and entertaining twist on the classic whale 's tale -- you wo n't be sorry ! 1707
A literary detective story is still a detective story and aficionados of the whodunit wo n't be disappointed . 1708
High Crimes steals so freely from other movies and combines enough disparate types of films that it ca n't help but engage an audience . 1709
If you 're a fan of the series you 'll love it and probably want to see it twice . 1710
I will be . 1711
It celebrates the group 's playful spark of nonconformity , glancing vividly back at what Hibiscus grandly called his ` angels of light . ' 1712
The story ... is inspiring , ironic , and revelatory of just how ridiculous and money-oriented the record industry really is . 1713
It is also a testament to the integrity and vision of the band . 1714
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 . 1715
Huppert 's show to steal and she makes a meal of it , channeling Kathy Baker 's creepy turn as the repressed mother on Boston Public just as much as 8 Women 's Augustine . 1716
Nair does n't treat the issues lightly . 1717
She allows each character to confront their problems openly and honestly . 1718
One of the best silly horror movies of recent memory , with some real shocks in store for unwary viewers . 1719
The work of a filmmaker who has secrets buried at the heart of his story and knows how to take time revealing them . 1720
Strange occurrences build in the mind of the viewer and take on extreme urgency . 1721
Has a certain ghoulish fascination , and generates a fair amount of B-movie excitement . 1722
Familiar but utterly delightful . 1723
A fascinating , dark thriller that keeps you hooked on the delicious pulpiness of its lurid fiction . 1724
The film aims to be funny , uplifting and moving , sometimes all at once . 1725
The extent to which it succeeds is impressive . 1726
The film brilliantly shines on all the characters , as the direction is intelligently accomplished . 1727
While not for every taste , this often very funny collegiate gross-out comedy goes a long way toward restoring the luster of the National Lampoon film franchise , too long reduced to direct-to-video irrelevancy . 1728
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 . 1729
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 . 1730
Jeffrey Tambor 's performance as the intelligent jazz-playing exterminator is Oscar-worthy . 1731
From the opening strains of the Average White Band 's `` Pick up the Pieces '' , you can feel the love . 1732
Stevens ' vibrant creative instincts are the difference between this and countless other flicks about guys and dolls . 1733
that it 'll probably be the best and most mature comedy of the 2002 summer season speaks more of the season than the picture 1734
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 . 1735
Meyjes ' provocative film might be called an example of the haphazardness of evil . 1736
Tian emphasizes the isolation of these characters by confining color to Liyan 's backyard . 1737
The movie is pretty funny now and then without in any way demeaning its subjects . 1738
imagine a scenario where Bergman approaches Swedish fatalism using Gary Larson 's Far Side humor 1739
Too damn weird to pass up , and for the blacklight crowd , way cheaper -LRB- and better -RRB- than Pink Floyd tickets . 1740
It is most remarkable not because of its epic scope , but because of the startling intimacy it achieves despite that breadth . 1741
It 's not a great monster movie . 1742
But if you 've paid a matinee price and bought a big tub of popcorn , there 's guilty fun to be had here . 1743
Chomp chomp ! 1744
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 . 1745
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 . 1746
Miller tells this very compelling tale with little fuss or noise , expertly plucking tension from quiet . 1747
Time Out is existential drama without any of the pretension associated with the term . 1748
It 's a sweet , laugh-a-minute crowd pleaser that lifts your spirits as well as the corners of your mouth . 1749
Writer\/director Alexander Payne -LRB- Election -RRB- and his co-writer Jim Taylor brilliantly employ their quirky and fearless ability to look American angst in the eye and end up laughing . 1750
A movie that at its best does n't just make the most out of its characters ' flaws but insists on the virtue of imperfection . 1751
It 's tough to watch , but it 's a fantastic movie . 1752
The best animated feature to hit theaters since Beauty and the Beast 11 years ago . 1753
What saves this deeply affecting film from being merely a collection of wrenching cases is Corcuera 's attention to detail . 1754
Pacino is the best he 's been in years and Keener is marvelous . 1755
A solid , spooky entertainment worthy of the price of a ticket . 1756
By turns fanciful , grisly and engagingly quixotic . 1757
... very funny , very enjoyable ... 1758
Adaptation is intricately constructed and in a strange way nails all of Orlean 's themes without being a true adaptation of her book . 1759
So purely enjoyable that you might not even notice it 's a fairly straightforward remake of Hollywood comedies such as Father of the Bride . 1760
Moonlight Mile gives itself the freedom to feel contradictory things . 1761
It is sentimental but feels free to offend , is analytical and then surrenders to the illogic of its characters , is about grief and yet permits laughter . 1762
The real triumphs in Igby come from Philippe , who makes Oliver far more interesting than the character 's lines would suggest , and Sarandon , who could n't be better as a cruel but weirdly likable WASP matron . 1763
Robin Williams has thankfully ditched the saccharine sentimentality of Bicentennial Man in favour of an altogether darker side . 1764
If you 're willing to have fun with it , you wo n't feel cheated by the high infidelity of Unfaithful . 1765
Australia : Land Beyond Time is an enjoyable Big Movie primarily because Australia is a weirdly beautiful place . 1766
Hoffman 's performance is authentic to the core of his being . 1767
Told just proficiently enough to trounce its overly comfortable trappings . 1768
An enthralling aesthetic experience , one that 's steeped in mystery and a ravishing , baroque beauty . 1769
The quirky drama touches the heart and the funnybone thanks to the energetic and always surprising performance by Rachel Griffiths . 1770
A captivating coming-of-age story that may also be the first narrative film to be truly informed by the wireless age . 1771
What could have been a daytime soap opera is actually a compelling look at a young woman 's tragic odyssey . 1772
Duvall is strong as always . 1773
A no-holds-barred cinematic treat . 1774
You 'd have to be a most hard-hearted person not to be moved by this drama . 1775
Allen 's underestimated charm delivers more goodies than lumps of coal . 1776
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 . 1777
An exhilarating serving of movie fluff . 1778
Maelstrom is strange and compelling , engrossing and different , a moral tale with a twisted sense of humor . 1779
It makes you believe the cast and crew thoroughly enjoyed themselves and believed in their small-budget film . 1780
Dark and disturbing , yet compelling to watch . 1781
Too often , Son of the Bride becomes an exercise in trying to predict when a preordained `` big moment '' will occur and not `` if . '' 1782
The picture uses humor and a heartfelt conviction to tell a story about discovering your destination in life , but also acknowledging the places , and the people , from whence you came . 1783
A solid piece of journalistic work that draws a picture of a man for whom political expedience became a deadly foreign policy . 1784
A terrific insider look at the star-making machinery of tinseltown . 1785
It 's a diverting enough hour-and-a-half for the family audience . 1786
A party-hearty teen flick that scalds like acid . 1787
As giddy and whimsical and relevant today as it was 270 years ago . 1788
The film offers an intriguing what-if premise . 1789
The Pianist is the film Roman Polanski may have been born to make . 1790
This version does justice both to Stevenson and to the sci-fi genre . 1791
Poignant and delicately complex . 1792
Enough may pander to our basest desires for payback , but unlike many revenge fantasies , it ultimately delivers . 1793
Cho 's latest comic set is n't as sharp or as fresh as I 'm the One That I Want ... but it 's still damn funny stuff . 1794
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 . 1795
Despite the film 's shortcomings , the stories are quietly moving . 1796
Those who love Cinema Paradiso will find the new scenes interesting , but few will find the movie improved . 1797
If you come from a family that eats , meddles , argues , laughs , kibbitzes and fights together , then go see this delightful comedy . 1798
This bracingly truthful antidote to Hollywood teenage movies that slather Clearasil over the blemishes of youth captures the combustible mixture of a chafing inner loneliness and desperate grandiosity that tend to characterize puberty . 1799
The reason to see `` Sade '' lay with the chemistry and complex relationship between the marquis -LRB- Auteil -RRB- and Emilie -LRB- Le Besco -RRB- . 1800
It 's the filmmakers ' post-camp comprehension of what made old-time B movies good-bad that makes Eight Legged Freaks a perfectly entertaining summer diversion . 1801
The film 's strength is n'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 . 1802
... best seen as speculative history , as much an exploration of the paranoid impulse as a creative sequel to the Warren Report . 1803
It has its faults , but it is a kind , unapologetic , sweetheart of a movie , and Mandy Moore leaves a positive impression . 1804
The Saigon of 1952 is an uneasy mix of sensual delights and simmering violence , and The Quiet American brings us right into the center of that world . 1805
Despite its shortcomings , Girls Ca n'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 . 1806
Flawed , but worth seeing for Ambrose 's performance . 1807
With Dirty Deeds , David Caesar has stepped into the mainstream of filmmaking with an assurance worthy of international acclaim and with every cinematic tool well under his control -- driven by a natural sense for what works on screen . 1808
The humor and humanity of Monsoon Wedding are in perfect balance . 1809
Lookin ' for sin , American-style ? 1810
Try Hell House , which documents the cautionary Christian spook-a-rama of the same name . 1811
A compelling motion picture that illustrates an American tragedy . 1812
As comedic spotlights go , Notorious C.H.O. hits all the verbal marks it should . 1813
It 's a day at the beach -- with air conditioning and popcorn . 1814
Frida is n't that much different from many a Hollywood romance . 1815
What sets it apart is the vision that Taymor , the avant garde director of Broadway 's The Lion King and the film Titus , brings . 1816
Stevens has a flair for dialogue comedy , the film operates nicely off the element of surprise , and the large cast is solid . 1817
Extremely well acted by the four primary actors , this is a seriously intended movie that is not easily forgotten . 1818
The film exudes the urbane sweetness that Woody Allen seems to have bitterly forsaken . 1819
K-19 : The Widowmaker is derivative , overlong , and bombastic -- yet surprisingly entertaining . 1820
It 's good , hard-edged stuff , violent and a bit exploitative but also nicely done , morally alert and street-smart . 1821
Cineasts will revel in those visual in-jokes , as in the film 's verbal pokes at everything from the likes of Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein 's bluff personal style to the stylistic rigors of Denmark 's Dogma movement . 1822
It 's a rare window on an artistic collaboration . 1823
... begins with promise , but runs aground after being snared in its own tangled plot . 1824
Perhaps the best sports movie I 've ever seen . 1825
Cho 's timing is priceless . 1826
... creates a visceral sense of its characters ' lives and conflicted emotions that carries it far above ... what could have been a melodramatic , Lifetime Channel-style anthology . 1827
A sensitive , moving , brilliantly constructed work . 1828
An edgy thriller that delivers a surprising punch . 1829
A reasonably entertaining sequel to 1994 's surprise family hit that may strain adult credibility . 1830
-LRB- Reno -RRB- delivers a monologue that manages to incorporate both the horror and the absurdity of the situation in a well-balanced fashion . 1831
there is truth here 1832
a confident , richly acted , emotionally devastating piece of work and 2002 's first great film 1833
A touching , small-scale story of family responsibility and care in the community . 1834
Arteta directs one of the best ensemble casts of the year 1835
The casting of von Sydow ... is itself Intacto 's luckiest stroke . 1836
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 . 1837
A gem of a romantic crime comedy that turns out to be clever , amusing and unpredictable . 1838
Stands as one of the year 's most intriguing movie experiences , letting its imagery speak for it while it forces you to ponder anew what a movie can be . 1839
... the first 2\/3 of the film are incredibly captivating and insanely funny , thanks in part to interesting cinematic devices -LRB- cool visual backmasking -RRB- , a solid cast , and some wickedly sick and twisted humor ... 1840
This movie got me grinning . 1841
There 's a part of us that can not help be entertained by the sight of someone getting away with something . 1842
An old-fashioned drama of substance about a teacher 's slide down the slippery slope of dishonesty after an encounter with the rich and the powerful who have nothing but disdain for virtue . 1843
What 's not to like about a movie with a ` children 's ' song that includes the line ` My stepdad 's not mean , he 's just adjusting ' ? 1844
This English-language version ... does full honor to Miyazaki 's teeming and often unsettling landscape , and to the conflicted complexity of his characters . 1845
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 . 1846
Not everyone will welcome or accept The Trials of Henry Kissinger as faithful portraiture , but few can argue that the debate it joins is a necessary and timely one . 1847
There are no special effects , and no Hollywood endings . 1848
Like the original , this version is raised a few notches above kiddie fantasy pablum by Allen 's astringent wit . 1849
Despite its Hawaiian setting , the science-fiction trimmings and some moments of rowdy slapstick , the basic plot of `` Lilo '' could have been pulled from a tear-stained vintage Shirley Temple script . 1850
A brutally honest documentary about a much anticipated family reunion that goes wrong thanks to culture shock and a refusal to empathize with others . 1851
Filled with honest performances and exceptional detail , Baran is a gentle film with dramatic punch , a haunting ode to humanity . 1852
Sparkles in its deft portrait of Tinseltown 's seasoned veterans of gossip , wealth , paranoia , and celebrityhood . 1853
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 . 1854
... a triumph of emotionally and narratively complex filmmaking . 1855
-LRB- Haynes ' -RRB- homage to such films as `` All That Heaven Allows '' and `` Imitation of Life '' transcends them . 1856
Simply put , `` Far From Heaven '' is a masterpiece . 1857
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 . 1858
Although fairly involving as far as it goes , the film does n't end up having much that is fresh to say about growing up Catholic or , really , anything . 1859
Proves mainly that South Korean filmmakers can make undemanding action movies with all the alacrity of their Hollywood counterparts . 1860
A very funny romantic comedy about two skittish New York middle-agers who stumble into a relationship and then struggle furiously with their fears and foibles . 1861
Top-notch action powers this romantic drama . 1862
Beresford nicely mixes in as much humor as pathos to take us on his sentimental journey of the heart . 1863
It really is a shame that more wo n't get an opportunity to embrace small , sweet ` Evelyn . ' 1864
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 . 1865
Probably the best case for Christianity since Chesterton and Lewis . 1866
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 . 1867
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 . 1868
Visually fascinating ... an often intense character study about fathers and sons , loyalty and duty . 1869
A lyrical metaphor for cultural and personal self-discovery and a picaresque view of a little-remembered world . 1870
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 . 1871
A slick , engrossing melodrama . 1872
S1M0NE 's satire is not subtle , but it is effective . 1873
It 's a quirky , off-beat project . 1874
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 . 1875
Even if you do n't know the band or the album 's songs by heart , you will enjoy seeing how both evolve , and you will also learn a good deal about the state of the music business in the 21st Century . 1876
The solid filmmaking and convincing characters makes this a high water mark for this genre . 1877
Films about loss , grief and recovery are pretty valuable these days . 1878
Seen in that light , Moonlight Mile should strike a nerve in many . 1879
It 's endlessly inventive , consistently intelligent and sickeningly savage . 1880
It is definitely worth seeing . 1881
An impeccable study in perversity . 1882
Far From Heaven is a dazzling conceptual feat , but more than that , it 's a work of enthralling drama . 1883
A movie that both thrills the eye and , in its over-the-top way , touches the heart . 1884
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 . 1885
Affectionately reminds us that , in any language , the huge stuff in life can usually be traced back to the little things . 1886
A drama of great power , yet some members of the audience will leave the theater believing they have seen a comedy . 1887
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 . 1888
The result is more depressing than liberating , but it 's never boring . 1889
A story about intelligent high school students that deals with first love sweetly but also seriously . 1890
It is also beautifully acted . 1891
It is n't that the picture is unfamiliar , but that it manages to find new avenues of discourse on old problems . 1892
Same song , second verse , coulda been better , but it coulda been worse . 1893
It 's a technically superb film , shining with all the usual Spielberg flair , expertly utilizing the talents of his top-notch creative team . 1894
Wilco fans will have a great time , and the movie should win the band a few new converts , too . 1895
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 . 1896
The date movie that Franz Kafka would have made . 1897
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 . 1898
Leguizamo and Jones are both excellent and the rest of the cast is uniformly superb . 1899
I liked this film a lot ... 1900
... 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 . 1901
A solid and refined piece of moviemaking imbued with passion and attitude . 1902
Nettelbeck has crafted an engaging fantasy of flavours and emotions , one part romance novel , one part recipe book . 1903
With or without the sex , a wonderful tale of love and destiny , told well by a master storyteller 1904
On the surface a silly comedy , Scotland , PA would be forgettable if it were n't such a clever adaptation of the bard 's tragic play . 1905
A weird , arresting little ride . 1906
A fine film , but it would be a lot better if it stuck to Betty Fisher and left out the other stories . 1907
A first-class road movie that proves you can run away from home , but your ego and all your problems go with you . 1908
You might want to take a reality check before you pay the full ticket price to see `` Simone , '' and consider a DVD rental instead . 1909
Well cast and well directed - a powerful drama with enough sardonic wit to keep it from being maudlin . 1910
A backstage must-see for true fans of comedy . 1911
There 's back-stabbing , inter-racial desire and , most importantly , singing and dancing . 1912
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 . 1913
Jones ... makes a great impression as the writer-director of this little $ 1.8 million charmer , which may not be cutting-edge indie filmmaking but has a huge heart . 1914
In the disturbingly involving family dysfunctional drama How I Killed My Father , French director Anne Fontaine delivers an inspired portrait of male-ridden angst and the emotional blockage that accompanies this human condition 1915
Below may not mark Mr. Twohy 's emergence into the mainstream , but his promise remains undiminished . 1916
There 's no reason to miss Interview with the Assassin 1917
Happily stays close to the ground in a spare and simple manner and does n't pummel us with phony imagery or music . 1918
Its sheer dynamism is infectious . 1919
For his first attempt at film noir , Spielberg presents a fascinating but flawed look at the near future . 1920
it somehow managed to make its way past my crappola radar and find a small place in my heart 1921
Perhaps it 's cliche to call the film ` refreshing , ' but it is . 1922
` Drumline ' shows a level of young , Black manhood that is funny , touching , smart and complicated . 1923
It does give a taste of the Burning Man ethos , an appealing blend of counter-cultural idealism and hedonistic creativity . 1924
The limited sets and small confined and dark spaces also are homages to a classic low-budget film noir movie . 1925
The movie is well done , but slow . 1926
-LRB- A -RRB- wonderfully loopy tale of love , longing , and voting . 1927
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 . 1928
The last scenes of the film are anguished , bitter and truthful . 1929
Mr. Koshashvili is a director to watch . 1930
Predictable storyline and by-the-book scripting is all but washed away by sumptuous ocean visuals and the cinematic stylings of director John Stockwell . 1931
Antwone Fisher certainly does the trick of making us care about its protagonist and celebrate his victories but , with few exceptions , it rarely stoops to cheap manipulation or corny conventions to do it . 1932
One feels the dimming of a certain ambition , but in its place a sweetness , clarity and emotional openness that recalls the classics of early Italian neorealism . 1933
It challenges , this nervy oddity , like modern art should . 1934
Whenever you think you 've figured out Late Marriage , it throws you for a loop . 1935
The Pianist is Polanski 's best film . 1936
It is a testament of quiet endurance , of common concern , of reconciled survival . 1937
This Orange has some juice , but it 's far from fresh-squeezed . 1938
A sensitive , modest comic tragedy that works as both character study and symbolic examination of the huge economic changes sweeping modern China . 1939
High Crimes knows the mistakes that bad movies make and is determined not to make them , and maybe that is nobility of a sort . 1940
Cusack 's just brilliant in this . 1941
Knows how to make our imagination wonder . 1942
Jae-eun Jeong 's Take Care of My Cat brings a beguiling freshness to a coming-of-age story with such a buoyant , expressive flow of images that it emerges as another key contribution to the flowering of the South Korean cinema . 1943
The overall fabric is hypnotic , and Mr. Mattei fosters moments of spontaneous intimacy . 1944
Evokes a palpable sense of disconnection , made all the more poignant by the incessant use of cell phones . 1945
Malcolm McDowell is cool . 1946
Paul Bettany is cool . 1947
Paul Bettany playing Malcolm McDowell ? 1948
Cool . 1949
A touching , sophisticated film that almost seems like a documentary in the way it captures an Italian immigrant family on the brink of major changes . 1950
... a trashy little bit of fluff stuffed with enjoyable performances and a bewildering sense of self-importance 1951
An inventive , absorbing movie that 's as hard to classify as it is hard to resist . 1952
It made me want to get made-up and go see this movie with my sisters . 1953
I thought the relationships were wonderful , the comedy was funny , and the love ` real ' . 1954
-LRB- Caine -RRB- proves once again he has n't lost his touch , bringing off a superb performance in an admittedly middling film . 1955
Bogdanovich puts history in perspective and , via Kirsten Dunst 's remarkable performance , he showcases Davies as a young woman of great charm , generosity and diplomacy . 1956
This breezy caper movie becomes a soulful , incisive meditation on the way we were , and the way we are . 1957
A captivating new film . 1958
Those who are n't put off by the film 's austerity will find it more than capable of rewarding them . 1959
It 's a clear-eyed portrait of an intensely lived time , filled with nervous energy , moral ambiguity and great uncertainties . 1960
Reveals how important our special talents can be when put in service of of others . 1961
It also shows how deeply felt emotions can draw people together across the walls that might otherwise separate them . 1962
With the same sort of good-natured fun found in films like Tremors , Eight Legged Freaks is prime escapist fare . 1963
A sharp , amusing study of the cult of celebrity . 1964
The sentimental cliches mar an otherwise excellent film . 1965
A powerful performance from Mel Gibson and a brutal 90-minute battle sequence that does everything but issue you a dog-tag and an M-16 . 1966
A graceful , moving tribute to the courage of New York 's finest and a nicely understated expression of the grief shared by the nation at their sacrifice . 1967
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 . 1968
Made to be Jaglomized is the Cannes Film Festival , the annual Riviera spree of flesh , buzz , blab and money . 1969
The charming result is Festival in Cannes . 1970
If you 're looking for something new and hoping for something entertaining , you 're in luck . 1971
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 . 1972
A rip-roaring comedy action fest that 'll put hairs on your chest . 1973
If there 's no art here , it 's still a good yarn -- which is nothing to sneeze at these days . 1974
Simultaneously heart-breaking and very funny , The Last Kiss is really all about performances . 1975
There is a subversive element to this Disney cartoon , providing unexpected fizzability . 1976
An unforgettable look at morality , family , and social expectation through the prism of that omnibus tradition called marriage . 1977
An enjoyable , if occasionally flawed , experiment . 1978
Miyazaki is one of world cinema 's most wondrously gifted artists and storytellers . 1979
If Ayurveda can help us return to a sane regimen of eating , sleeping and stress-reducing contemplation , it is clearly a good thing . 1980
Meeting , even exceeding expectations , it 's the best sequel since The Empire Strikes Back ... a majestic achievement , an epic of astonishing grandeur and surprising emotional depth . 1981
Leigh is one of the rare directors who feels acting is the heart and soul of cinema . 1982
He allows his cast members to make creative contributions to the story and dialogue . 1983
This method almost never fails him , and it works superbly here . 1984
Poetry in motion captured on film . 1985
While it can be a bit repetitive , overall it 's an entertaining and informative documentary . 1986
Directing with a sure and measured hand , -LRB- Haneke -RRB- steers clear of the sensational and offers instead an unflinching and objective look at a decidedly perverse pathology . 1987
The entire movie establishes a wonderfully creepy mood . 1988
I found The Ring moderately absorbing , largely for its elegantly colorful look and sound . 1989
The filmmakers want nothing else than to show us a good time , and in their cheap , B movie way , they succeed . 1990
Amari has dressed up this little parable in a fairly irresistible package full of privileged moments and memorable performances . 1991
Rabbit-Proof Fence will probably make you angry . 1992
But it will just as likely make you weep , and it will do so in a way that does n't make you feel like a sucker . 1993
Both heartbreaking and heartwarming ... just a simple fable done in an artless sytle , but it 's tremendously moving . 1994
This masterfully calibrated psychological thriller thrives on its taut performances and creepy atmosphere even if the screenplay falls somewhat short . 1995
The film 's sense of imagery gives it a terrible strength , but it 's propelled by the acting . 1996
The Pianist -LRB- is -RRB- a supremely hopeful cautionary tale of war 's madness remembered that we , today , can prevent its tragic waste of life . 1997
Here is a divine monument to a single man 's struggle to regain his life , his dignity and his music . 1998
Strange it is , but delightfully so . 1999
Elegant , mannered and teasing . 2000
An average coming-of-age tale elevated by the wholesome twist of a pesky mother interfering during her son 's discovery of his homosexuality . 2001
The ingenuity that Parker displays in freshening the play is almost in a class with that of Wilde himself . 2002
Decasia is what has happened already to so many silent movies , newsreels and the like . 2003
The unexpected thing is that its dying , in this shower of black-and-white psychedelia , is quite beautiful . 2004
A droll , bitchy frolic which pokes fun at the price of popularity and small-town pretension in the Lone Star State . 2005
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 . 2006
Ryan Gosling ... is at 22 a powerful young actor . 2007
A minor work yet there 's no denying the potency of Miller 's strange , fleeting brew of hopeful perseverance and hopeless closure . 2008
As an introduction to the man 's theories and influence , Derrida is all but useless ; as a portrait of the artist as an endlessly inquisitive old man , however , it 's invaluable . 2009
The film is a verbal duel between two gifted performers . 2010
Imperfect ? 2011
Yes , but also intriguing and honorable , a worthwhile addition to a distinguished film legacy . 2012
You 'll get the enjoyable basic minimum . 2013
But not a whit more . 2014
What a great way to spend 4 units of your day . 2015
The movie is hardly a masterpiece , but it does mark Ms. Bullock 's best work in some time . 2016
As simple and innocent a movie as you can imagine . 2017
This is a movie you can trust . 2018
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 . 2019
`` It 's all about the image . '' 2020
Vividly conveys the passion , creativity , and fearlessness of one of Mexico 's most colorful and controversial artists -- a captivating drama that will speak to the nonconformist in us all . 2021
Hollywood Ending is not show-stoppingly hilarious , but scathingly witty nonetheless . 2022
Maybe Thomas Wolfe was right : You ca n't go home again . 2023
A compelling yarn , but not quite a ripping one . 2024
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 . 2025
The film has several strong performances . 2026
I 've never bought from telemarketers , but I bought this movie . 2027
Perfectly pitched between comedy and tragedy , hope and despair , About Schmidt instead comes far closer than many movies to expressing the way many of us live -- someplace between consuming self-absorption and insistently demanding otherness . 2028
The funny thing is , I did n't mind all this contrived nonsense a bit . 2029
-LRB- Shyamalan -RRB- 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 . 2030
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 . 2031
An entertaining documentary that freshly considers arguments the Bard 's immortal plays were written by somebody else . 2032
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 ? 2033
Call it magic realism or surrealism , but Miss Wonton floats beyond reality with a certain degree of wit and dignity . 2034
Raimi and his team could n't have done any better in bringing the story of Spider-Man to the big screen . 2035
The director explores all three sides of his story with a sensitivity and an inquisitiveness reminiscent of Truffaut . 2036
Well-acted , well-directed and , for all its moodiness , not too pretentious . 2037
It 's a satisfying summer blockbuster and worth a look . 2038
Boomers and their kids will have a Barrie good time . 2039
Real Women Have Curves wears its empowerment on its sleeve but even its worst harangues are easy to swallow thanks to remarkable performances by Ferrera and Ontiveros . 2040
Ultimately , `` MIB II '' succeeds due to its rapid-fire delivery and enough inspired levity that it ca n't be dismissed as mindless . 2041
Stage director Sam Mendes showcases Tom Hanks as a depression era hit-man in this dark tale of revenge . 2042
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 2043
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 . 2044
What 's so fun about this silly , outrageous , ingenious thriller is the director 's talent . 2045
Watching a Brian DePalma movie is like watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie after drinking twelve beers . 2046
Strip it of all its excess debris , and you 'd have a 90-minute , four-star movie . 2047
As it is , it 's too long and unfocused . 2048
An immensely entertaining look at some of the unsung heroes of 20th century pop music . 2049
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 . 2050
This beautifully animated epic is never dull . 2051
Brian Tufano 's handsome widescreen photography and Paul Grabowsky 's excellent music turn this fairly parochial melodrama into something really rather special . 2052
It makes compelling , provocative and prescient viewing . 2053
A thoroughly entertaining comedy that uses Grant 's own twist of acidity to prevent itself from succumbing to its own bathos . 2054
Using a stock plot , About a Boy injects just enough freshness into the proceedings to provide an enjoyable 100 minutes in a movie theater . 2055
What Eric Schaeffer has accomplished with Never Again may not , strictly speaking , qualify as revolutionary . 2056
But it 's defiantly and delightfully against the grain . 2057
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 . 2058
A positively thrilling combination of ethnography and all the intrigue , betrayal , deceit and murder of a Shakespearean tragedy or a juicy soap opera . 2059
Mr. Clooney , Mr. Kaufman and all their collaborators are entitled to take a deep bow for fashioning an engrossing entertainment out of an almost sure-fire prescription for a critical and commercial disaster . 2060
Definitely funny stuff , but it 's more of the ` laughing at ' variety than the ` laughing with . ' 2061
Easily the most thoughtful fictional examination of the root causes of anti-Semitism ever seen on screen . 2062
A real winner -- smart , funny , subtle , and resonant . 2063
Family portrait of need , neurosis and nervy negativity is a rare treat that shows the promise of digital filmmaking . 2064
The pitch must have read like a discarded House Beautiful spread . 2065
Uplifting as only a document of the worst possibilities of mankind can be , and among the best films of the year . 2066
Director David Jacobson gives Dahmer a consideration that the murderer never game his victims . 2067
The film has a terrific look and Salma Hayek has a feel for the character at all stages of her life . 2068
A decided lack of spontaneity in its execution and a dearth of real poignancy in its epiphanies . 2069
The performances are remarkable . 2070
It 's Burns ' visuals , characters and his punchy dialogue , not his plot , that carry waydowntown . 2071
As literary desecrations go , this makes for perfectly acceptable , occasionally very enjoyable children 's entertainment . 2072
You 'll forget about it by Monday , though , and if they 're old enough to have developed some taste , so will your kids . 2073
While I ca n't say it 's on par with the first one , Stuart Little 2 is a light , fun cheese puff of a movie . 2074
Strange , funny , twisted , brilliant and macabre . 2075
A genuinely moving and wisely unsentimental drama . 2076
Heaven is a haunting dramatization of a couple 's moral ascension . 2077
The Mothman Prophecies is best when illustrating the demons bedevilling the modern masculine journey . 2078
Plays out with a dogged and eventually winning squareness that would make it the darling of many a kids-and-family-oriented cable channel . 2079
An entertaining British hybrid of comedy , caper thrills and quirky romance . 2080
Alain Choquart 's camera barely stops moving , portraying both the turmoil of the time and giving Conduct a perpetual sense of urgency , which , for a film that takes nearly three hours to unspool , is both funny and irritating . 2081
Mostly Martha could have used a little trimming -- 10 or 15 minutes could be cut and no one would notice -- but it 's a pleasurable trifle . 2082
The only pain you 'll feel as the credits roll is your stomach grumbling for some tasty grub . 2083
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 . 2084
The mark of a respectable summer blockbuster is one of two things : unadulterated thrills or genuine laughs . 2085
The film is visually dazzling , the depicted events dramatic , funny and poignant . 2086
A directorial tour de force by Bernard Rose , ivans xtc . 2087
is one of this year 's very best pictures . 2088
What makes the movie work -- to an admittedly limited extent -- is the commitment of two genuinely engaging performers . 2089
Weaver and LaPaglia are both excellent , in the kind of low-key way that allows us to forget that they are actually movie folk . 2090
Even the digressions are funny . 2091
Mr. Spielberg and his company just want you to enjoy yourselves without feeling conned . 2092
And they succeed merrily at their noble endeavor . 2093
Melodrama with a message . 2094
A perfectly pleasant if slightly pokey comedy . 2095
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 . 2096
At the end , when the now computerized Yoda finally reveals his martial artistry , the film ascends to a kinetic life so teeming that even cranky adults may rediscover the quivering kid inside . 2097
Wang Xiaoshuai directs this intricately structured and well-realized drama that presents a fascinating glimpse of urban life and the class warfare that embroils two young men . 2098
It 's hard to imagine anybody ever being `` in the mood '' to view a movie as harrowing and painful as The Grey Zone , but it 's equally hard to imagine anybody being able to tear their eyes away from the screen once it 's started . 2099
Bogdanovich taps deep into the Hearst mystique , entertainingly reenacting a historic scandal . 2100
A moving tale of love and destruction in unexpected places , unexamined lives . 2101
Clooney directs this film always keeping the balance between the fantastic and the believable ... 2102
Even if you do n'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 . 2103
... a lesson in prehistoric hilarity . 2104
A fantastically vital movie that manages to invest real humor , sensuality , and sympathy into a story about two adolescent boys . 2105
Lawrence plumbs personal tragedy and also the human comedy . 2106
Though a capable thriller , somewhere along the way K-19 jettisoned some crucial drama . 2107
Just about the surest bet for an all-around good time at the movies this summer . 2108
It would be disingenuous to call Reno a great film , but you can say that about most of the flicks moving in and out of the multiplex . 2109
This is a movie that is what it is : a pleasant distraction , a Friday night diversion , an excuse to eat popcorn . 2110
There is a certain sense of experimentation and improvisation to this film that may not always work , but it is nevertheless compelling . 2111
The Four Feathers has rewards , from the exoticism of its seas of sand to the fierce grandeur of its sweeping battle scenes . 2112
A delicious , quirky movie with a terrific screenplay and fanciful direction by Michael Gondry . 2113
This story still seems timely and important . 2114
And there 's an element of heartbreak to watching it now , with older and wiser eyes , because we know what will happen after Greene 's story ends . 2115
The bodily function jokes are about what you 'd expect , but there are rich veins of funny stuff in this movie . 2116
The performances are amiable and committed , and the comedy more often than not hits the bullseye . 2117
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 . 2118
There 's plenty to enjoy -- in no small part thanks to Lau . 2119
With a romantic comedy plotline straight from the ages , this Cinderella story does n't have a single surprise up its sleeve . 2120
But it does somehow manage to get you under its spell . 2121
Though few will argue that it ranks with the best of Herzog 's works , Invincible shows he 's back in form , with an astoundingly rich film . 2122
`` Catch Me '' feels capable of charming the masses with star power , a pop-induced score and sentimental moments that have become a Spielberg trademark . 2123
By no means a great movie , but it is a refreshingly forthright one . 2124
The casting of Raymond J. Barry as the ` assassin ' greatly enhances the quality of Neil Burger 's impressive fake documentary . 2125
Despite Besson 's high-profile name being Wasabi 's big selling point , there is no doubt that Krawczyk deserves a huge amount of the credit for the film 's thoroughly winning tone . 2126
This documentary is a dazzling , remarkably unpretentious reminder of what -LRB- Evans -RRB- had , lost , and got back . 2127
A thoughtful movie , a movie that is concerned with souls and risk and schemes and the consequences of one 's actions . 2128
As satisfyingly odd and intriguing a tale as it was a century and a half ago ... has a delightfully dour , deadpan tone and stylistic consistency . 2129
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 . 2130
A witty , trenchant , wildly unsentimental but flawed look at the ins and outs of modern moviemaking . 2131
For most of the distance the picture provides a satisfyingly unsettling ride into the dark places of our national psyche . 2132
By the standards of knucklehead swill , The Hot Chick is pretty damned funny . 2133
One of the most gloriously unsubtle and adrenalized extreme shockers since The Evil Dead . 2134
-LRB- Reaches -RRB- wholly believable and heart-wrenching depths of despair . 2135
An absorbing and unsettling psychological drama . 2136
This movie may not have the highest production values you 've ever seen , but it 's the work of an artist , one whose view of America , history and the awkwardness of human life is generous and deep . 2137
Though it 's not very well shot or composed or edited , the score is too insistent and the dialogue is frequently overwrought and crudely literal , the film shatters you in waves . 2138
The entire cast is extraordinarily good . 2139
Yakusho , as always , is wonderful as the long-faced sad sack ... and his chemistry with Shimizu is very believable . 2140
Young Hanks and Fisk , who vaguely resemble their celebrity parents , bring fresh good looks and an ease in front of the camera to the work . 2141
A captivatingly quirky hybrid of character portrait , romantic comedy and beat-the-clock thriller . 2142
The film sparkles with the the wisdom and humor of its subjects . 2143
If -LRB- Jaglom 's -RRB- latest effort is not the director at his most sparkling , some of its repartee is still worth hearing . 2144
Like The English Patient and The Unbearable Lightness of Being , The Hours is one of those reputedly `` unfilmable '' novels that has bucked the odds to emerge as an exquisite motion picture in its own right . 2145
Just about the best straight-up , old-school horror film of the last 15 years . 2146
A chilling tale of one of the great crimes of 20th Century France : the murder of two rich women by their servants in 1933 . 2147
An oddity , to be sure , but one that you might wind up remembering with a degree of affection rather than revulsion . 2148
While the film is not entirely successful , it still manages to string together enough charming moments to work . 2149
A winning piece of work filled with love for the movies of the 1960s . 2150
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 . 2151
Helps to remind the First World that HIV\/AIDS is far from being yesterday 's news . 2152
A heartening tale of small victories and enduring hope . 2153
The vistas are sweeping and the acting is far from painful . 2154
Jackson and co have brought back the value and respect for the term epic cinema . 2155
It may be a somewhat backhanded compliment to say that the film makes the viewer feel like the movie 's various victimized audience members after a while , but it also happens to be the movie 's most admirable quality 2156
Charlotte Sometimes is a brilliant movie . 2157
It is about irrational , unexplainable life and it seems so real because it does not attempt to filter out the complexity . 2158
A delightful stimulus for the optic nerves , so much that it 's forgivable that the plot feels like every other tale of a totalitarian tomorrow . 2159
Defies logic , the laws of physics and almost anyone 's willingness to believe in it . 2160
But darned if it does n't also keep us riveted to our seats . 2161
A complex psychological drama about a father who returns to his son 's home after decades away . 2162
Writer and director Otar Iosseliani 's pleasant tale about a factory worker who escapes for a holiday in Venice reveals how we all need a playful respite from the grind to refresh our souls . 2163
This is NOT a retread of `` Dead Poets ' Society . '' 2164
Sweet and memorable film . 2165
A smart , arch and rather cold-blooded comedy . 2166
Keenly observed and refreshingly natural , Swimming gets the details right , from its promenade of barely clad bodies in Myrtle Beach , S.C. , to the adrenaline jolt of a sudden lunch rush at the diner . 2167
... begins on a high note and sustains it beautifully . 2168
Davis ... gets vivid performances from her cast and pulls off some deft Ally McBeal-style fantasy sequences . 2169
` it 's better to go in knowing full well what 's going to happen , but willing to let the earnestness of its execution and skill of its cast take you down a familiar road with a few twists . 2170
Cynics need not apply . ' 2171
Funny , somber , absurd , and , finally , achingly sad , Bartleby is a fine , understated piece of filmmaking . 2172
`` Red Dragon '' is entertaining . 2173
An obvious copy of one of the best films ever made , how could it not be ? 2174
But it is entertaining on an inferior level . 2175
It is a popcorn film , not a must-own , or even a must-see . 2176
Succeeds only because Bullock and Grant were made to share the silver screen . 2177
Both flawed and delayed , Martin Scorcese 's Gangs of New York still emerges as his most vital work since GoodFellas . 2178
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 . 2179
On that score , the film certainly does n't disappoint . 2180
As the movie traces Mr. Brown 's athletic exploits , it is impossible not to be awed by the power and grace of one of the greatest natural sportsmen of modern times . 2181
A moving and solidly entertaining comedy\/drama that should bolster director and co-writer Juan José Campanella 's reputation in the United States . 2182
Thanks to confident filmmaking and a pair of fascinating performances , the way to that destination is a really special walk in the woods . 2183
Beautifully shot , delicately scored and powered by a set of heartfelt performances , it 's a lyrical endeavour . 2184
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 . 2185
A stylistic romp that 's always fun to watch . 2186
Informative , intriguing , observant , often touching ... gives a human face to what 's often discussed in purely abstract terms . 2187
... once the true impact of the day unfolds , the power of this movie is undeniable . 2188
An honest , sensitive story from a Vietnamese point of view . 2189
A buoyant romantic comedy about friendship , love , and the truth that we 're all in this together . 2190
The film 's intimate camera work and searing performances pull us deep into the girls ' confusion and pain as they struggle tragically to comprehend the chasm of knowledge that 's opened between them . 2191
It 's the perfect star vehicle for Grant , allowing him to finally move away from his usual bumbling , tongue-tied screen persona . 2192
Gaunt , silver-haired and leonine , -LRB- Harris -RRB- brings a tragic dimension and savage full-bodied wit and cunning to the aging Sandeman . 2193
A disturbing examination of what appears to be the definition of a ` bad ' police shooting . 2194
It 's been made with an innocent yet fervid conviction that our Hollywood has all but lost . 2195
Not only a reminder of how they used to make movies , but also how they sometimes still can be made . 2196
A three-hour cinema master class . 2197
Eyre is on his way to becoming the American Indian Spike Lee . 2198
A witty , whimsical feature debut . 2199
Warm in its loving yet unforgivingly inconsistent depiction of everyday people , relaxed in its perfect quiet pace and proud in its message . 2200
I loved this film . 2201
It provides a grim , upsetting glimpse at the lives of some of the 1.2 million Palestinians who live in the crowded cities and refugee camps of Gaza . 2202
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 . 2203
A movie that will surely be profane , politically charged music to the ears of Cho 's fans . 2204
Much of this slick and sprightly CGI feature is sufficiently funny to amuse even the most resolutely unreligious parents who escort their little ones to megaplex screenings . 2205
Rarely , a movie is more than a movie . 2206
Go . 2207
Jacquot 's strategy allows his cast the benefit of being able to give full performances ... while demonstrating vividly that the beauty and power of the opera reside primarily in the music itself . 2208
Quitting delivers a sucker-punch , and its impact is all the greater beause director Zhang 's last film , the cuddly Shower , was a non-threatening multi-character piece centered around a public bath house . 2209
By not averting his eyes , Solondz forces us to consider the unthinkable , the unacceptable , the unmentionable . 2210
One Hour Photo may seem disappointing in its generalities , but it 's the little nuances that perhaps had to escape from director Mark Romanek 's self-conscious scrutiny to happen , that finally get under your skin . 2211
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 . 2212
A fascinating documentary that provides a rounded and revealing overview of this ancient holistic healing system 2213
Birthday Girl lucks out with Chaplin and Kidman , who are capable of anteing up some movie star charisma when they need it to sell us on this twisted love story , but who can also negotiate the movie 's darker turns . 2214
An interesting look behind the scenes of Chicago-based rock group Wilco ... 2215
Sharp edges and a deep vein of sadness run through its otherwise comic narrative . 2216
There 's lots of cool stuff packed into ESPN 's Ultimate X. 2217
Rock solid family fun out of the gates , extremely imaginative through out , but wanes in the middle 2218
The Ya-Ya 's have many secrets and one is - the books are better . 2219
Translating complex characters from novels to the big screen is an impossible task but they are true to the essence of what it is to be Ya-Ya . 2220
The touch is generally light enough and the performances , for the most part , credible . 2221
I liked About Schmidt a lot , but I have a feeling that I would have liked it much more if Harry & Tonto never existed . 2222
Steers has an unexpectedly adamant streak of warm-blooded empathy for all his disparate Manhattan denizens -- especially the a \*\* holes . 2223
That Storytelling has value can not be denied . 2224
Not even Solondz 's thirst for controversy , sketchy characters and immature provocations can fully succeed at cheapening it . 2225
Once the downward spiral comes to pass , Auto Focus bears out as your typical junkie opera ... 2226
A knowing sense of humor and a lot of warmth ignite Son of the Bride . 2227
A rich tale of our times , very well told with an appropriate minimum of means . 2228
The characters are complex and quirky , but entirely believable as the remarkable ensemble cast brings them to life . 2229
In all fairness , I must report that the children of varying ages in my audience never coughed , fidgeted or romped up and down the aisles for bathroom breaks . 2230
As gory as the scenes of torture and self-mutilation may be , they are pitted against shimmering cinematography that lends the setting the ethereal beauty of an Asian landscape painting . 2231
Efficient , suitably anonymous chiller . 2232
Gorgeous scenes , masterful performances , but the sickly sweet gender normative narrative left an acrid test in this gourmet 's mouth . 2233
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 . 2234
It 's usually a bad sign when directors abandon their scripts and go where the moment takes them , but Olympia , Wash. , based filmmakers Anne de Marcken and Marilyn Freeman did just that and it 's what makes their project so interesting . 2235
A memorable experience that , like many of his works , presents weighty issues colorfully wrapped up in his own idiosyncratic strain of kitschy goodwill . 2236
Executed with such gentle but insistent sincerity , with such good humor and appreciation of the daily grind that only the most hardhearted Scrooge could fail to respond . 2237
The gentle comic treatment of adolescent sturm und drang should please fans of Chris Fuhrman 's posthumously published cult novel . 2238
Director Claude Chabrol has become the master of innuendo . 2239
It is not what you see , it is what you think you see . 2240
A deftly entertaining film , smartly played and smartly directed . 2241
A documentary to make the stones weep -- as shameful as it is scary . 2242
I hope the movie is widely seen and debated with appropriate ferocity and thoughtfulness . 2243
A thought-provoking look at how Western foreign policy - however well intentioned - can wreak havoc in other cultures . 2244
Asks what truth can be discerned from non-firsthand experience , and specifically questions cinema 's capability for recording truth . 2245
The journey to the secret 's eventual discovery is a separate adventure , and thrill enough . 2246
A quiet , disquieting triumph . 2247
Darkly funny and frequently insightful . 2248
... the tale of her passionate , tumultuous affair with Musset unfolds as Sand 's masculine persona , with its love of life and beauty , takes form . 2249
If you want to see a train wreck that you ca n't look away from , then look no further , because here it is . 2250
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 . 2251
The search for redemption makes for a touching love story , mainly because Blanchett and Ribisi compellingly tap into a spiritual aspect of their characters ' suffering . 2252
A film of ideas and wry comic mayhem . 2253
At its worst the screenplay is callow , but at its best it is a young artist 's thoughtful consideration of fatherhood . 2254
A worthwhile documentary , whether you 're into rap or not , even if it may still leave you wanting more answers as the credits roll . 2255
Fessenden 's narrative is just as much about the ownership and redefinition of myth as it is about a domestic unit finding their way to joy . 2256
That the film opens with maggots crawling on a dead dog is not an out of place metaphor . 2257
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 . 2258
The concert footage is stirring , the recording sessions are intriguing , and -- on the way to striking a blow for artistic integrity -- this quality band may pick up new admirers . 2259
Norton holds the film together . 2260
-LRB- There 's -RRB- quite a bit of heart , as you would expect from the directors of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin . 2261
You wo n't have any trouble getting kids to eat up these Veggies . 2262
A creaky staircase gothic . 2263
Enjoyably dumb , sweet , and intermittently hilarious -- if you 've a taste for the quirky , steal a glimpse . 2264
A movie that sends you out of the theater feeling like you 've actually spent time living in another community . 2265
Light-years ahead of paint-by-number American blockbusters like Pearl Harbor , at least artistically . 2266
A fascinating documentary about the long and eventful spiritual journey of the guru who helped launch the New Age . 2267
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 . 2268
Perhaps not since Nelson Eddy crooned his Indian Love Call to Jeanette MacDonald has there been a movie so unabashedly Canadian , not afraid to risk American scorn or disinterest . 2269
Wedding feels a bit anachronistic . 2270
Still , not every low-budget movie must be quirky or bleak , and a happy ending is no cinematic sin . 2271
It 's still a comic book , but Maguire makes it a comic book with soul . 2272
Brings to a spectacular completion one of the most complex , generous and subversive artworks of the last decade . 2273
An amusing and unexpectedly insightful examination of sexual jealousy , resentment and the fine line between passion and pretence . 2274
A fascinating , bombshell documentary that should shame Americans , regardless of whether or not ultimate blame finally lies with Kissinger . 2275
Should be required viewing for civics classes and would-be public servants alike . 2276
Adaptation 's success in engaging the audience in the travails of creating a screenplay is extraordinary . 2277
A polished and vastly entertaining caper film that puts the sting back into the con . 2278
It 's no surprise that as a director Washington demands and receives excellent performances , from himself and from newcomer Derek Luke . 2279
... while each moment of this broken character study is rich in emotional texture , the journey does n't really go anywhere . 2280
The film gets close to the chimps the same way Goodall did , with a serious minded patience , respect and affection . 2281
It 's an often-cute film but either needs more substance to fill the time or some judicious editing . 2282
This may be Burns 's strongest film since The Brothers McMullen . 2283
What makes this film special is Serry 's ability to take what is essentially a contained family conflict and put it into a much larger historical context . 2284
It 's Quaid who anchors the film with his effortless performance and that trademark grin of his -- so perfect for a ballplayer . 2285
It is OK for a movie to be something of a sitcom apparatus , if the lines work , the humor has point and the actors are humanly engaged . 2286
Though not for everyone , The Guys is a somber trip worth taking . 2287
A sly female empowerment movie , although not in a way anyone would expect . 2288
You really have to salute writer-director Haneke -LRB- he adapted Elfriede Jelinek 's novel -RRB- for making a film that is n't nearly as graphic but much more powerful , brutally shocking and difficult to watch . 2289
It 's a wonderful , sobering , heart-felt drama . 2290
Runs on the pure adrenalin of Pacino 's performance . 2291
The Paradiso 's rusted-out ruin and ultimate collapse during the film 's final -LRB- restored -RRB- third ... emotionally belittle a cinema classic . 2292
Sometimes shorter is better . 2293
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 . 2294
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 . 2295
As a vehicle to savour Binoche 's skill , the film is well worthwhile . 2296
The huskies are beautiful , the border collie is funny and the overall feeling is genial and decent . 2297
Whatever complaints I might have , I 'd take -LRB- its -RRB- earnest errors and hard-won rewards over the bombastic self-glorification of other feel-good fiascos like Antwone Fisher or The Emperor 's Club any time . 2298
Mastering its formidable arithmetic of cameras and souls , Group articulates a flood of emotion . 2299
A pretty decent kid-pleasing , tolerable-to-adults lark of a movie . 2300
Even during the climactic hourlong cricket match , boredom never takes hold . 2301
Combine the paranoid claustrophobia of a submarine movie with the unsettling spookiness of the supernatural -- why did n't Hollywood think of this sooner ? 2302
Like Kubrick , Soderbergh is n't afraid to try any genre and to do it his own way . 2303
Nothing can detract from the affection of that moral favorite : friends will be friends through thick and thin . 2304
If the film has a problem , its shortness disappoints : You want the story to go on and on . 2305
Unlike most anime , whose most ardent fans outside Japan seem to be introverted young men with fantasy fetishes , Metropolis never seems hopelessly juvenile . 2306
The plot twists give I Am Trying to Break Your Heart an attraction it desperately needed . 2307
The most brilliant and brutal UK crime film since Jack Carter went back to Newcastle , the first half of Gangster No. 1 drips with style and , at times , blood . 2308
Like its New England characters , most of whom wander about in thick clouds of denial , the movie eventually gets around to its real emotional business , striking deep chords of sadness . 2309
The Bai brothers have taken an small slice of history and opened it up for all of us to understand , and they 've told a nice little story in the process . 2310
Flamboyant in some movies and artfully restrained in others , 65-year-old Jack Nicholson could be looking at his 12th Oscar nomination by proving that he 's now , more than ever , choosing his roles with the precision of the insurance actuary . 2311
... is there a deeper , more direct connection between these women , one that spans time and reveals meaning ? 2312
You bet there is and it 's what makes this rather convoluted journey worth taking . 2313
The most amazing super-sized dosage of goofball stunts any `` Jackass '' fan could want . 2314
Real Women may have many agendas , but it also will win you over , in a big way . 2315
Young Everlyn Sampi , as the courageous Molly Craig , simply radiates star-power potential in this remarkable and memorable film . 2316
Surprisingly powerful and universal . 2317
Apart from its own considerable achievement , Metropolis confirms Tezuka 's status as both the primary visual influence on the animé tradition and its defining philosophical conscience . 2318
I 'll put it this way : If you 're in the mood for a melodrama narrated by talking fish , this is the movie for you . 2319
Morvern Callar confirms Lynne Ramsay as an important , original talent in international cinema . 2320
Well-done supernatural thriller with keen insights into parapsychological phenomena and the soulful nuances of the grieving process . 2321
A plethora of engaging diatribes on the meaning of ` home , ' delivered in grand passion by the members of the various households . 2322
It 's technically sumptuous but also almost wildly alive . 2323
This film puts Wang at the forefront of China 's Sixth Generation of film makers . 2324
it 's refreshing to see a movie that embraces its old-fashioned themes and in the process comes out looking like something wholly original . 2325
Wiseman is patient and uncompromising , letting his camera observe and record the lives of women torn apart by a legacy of abuse . 2326
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 . 2327
An ingenious and often harrowing look at damaged people and how families can offer either despair or consolation . 2328
Arguably the best script that Besson has written in years . 2329
It 's no lie -- Big Fat Liar is a real charmer . 2330
Invigorating , surreal , and resonant with a rainbow of emotion . 2331
Director Alfonso Cuaron gets vivid , convincing performances from a fine cast , and generally keeps things going at a rapid pace , occasionally using an omniscient voice-over narrator in the manner of French New Wave films . 2332
Pray has really done his subject justice . 2333
An unexpectedly sweet story of sisterhood . 2334
Maintains your sympathy for this otherwise challenging soul by letting you share her one-room world for a while . 2335
A subtle , humorous , illuminating study of politics , power and social mobility . 2336
Even if you have no interest in the gang-infested , East-vs . 2337
- West Coast rap wars , this modern mob music drama never fails to fascinate . 2338
Nair 's attention to detail creates an impeccable sense of place , while Thurman and Lewis give what can easily be considered career-best performances . 2339
Berry 's saucy , full-bodied performance gives this aging series a much needed kick , making `` Die Another Day '' one of the most entertaining Bonds in years 2340
Red Dragon is less baroque and showy than Hannibal , and less emotionally affecting than Silence . 2341
But , like Silence , it 's a movie that gets under your skin . 2342
Caviezel embodies the transformation of his character completely . 2343
A creepy , intermittently powerful study of a self-destructive man ... about as unsettling to watch as an exploratory medical procedure or an autopsy . 2344
Pacino and Williams seem to keep upping the ante on each other , just as their characters do in the film . 2345
What results is the best performance from either in years . 2346
The cast is top-notch and I predict there will be plenty of female audience members drooling over Michael Idemoto as Michael . 2347
Béart and Berling are both superb , while Huppert ... is magnificent . 2348
All the actors are good in Pauline & Paulette but van der Groen , described as ` Belgium 's national treasure , ' is especially terrific as Pauline . 2349
Miyazaki has created such a vibrant , colorful world , it 's almost impossible not to be swept away by the sheer beauty of his images . 2350
Muccino seems to be exploring the idea of why human beings long for what they do n't have , and how this gets us in trouble . 2351
But even while his characters are acting horribly , he is always sympathetic . 2352
Whether or not you buy Mr. Broomfield 's findings , the film acquires an undeniable entertainment value as the slight , pale Mr. Broomfield continues to force himself on people and into situations that would make lesser men run for cover . 2353
Ozpetek joins the ranks of those gay filmmakers who have used the emigre experience to explore same-sex culture in ways that elude the more nationally settled . 2354
... an eerily suspenseful , deeply absorbing piece that works as a treatise on spirituality as well as a solid sci-fi thriller . 2355
I 've never seen or heard anything quite like this film , and I recommend it for its originality alone . 2356
Nicole Kidman makes it a party worth attending . 2357
The direction has a fluid , no-nonsense authority , and the performances by Harris , Phifer and Cam ` ron seal the deal . 2358
The Komediant is a tale worth catching . 2359
The writing is clever and the cast is appealing . 2360
The simplicity of The Way Home has few equals this side of Aesop 2361
Life on the rez is no picnic : this picture shows you why . 2362
Spielberg has managed to marry science fiction with film noir and action flicks with philosophical inquiry . 2363
It 's the type of film about growing up that we do n't see often enough these days : realistic , urgent , and not sugarcoated in the least . 2364
A taut , sobering film . 2365
Exudes the fizz of a Busby Berkeley musical and the visceral excitement of a sports extravaganza . 2366
It 's full of cheesy dialogue , but great trashy fun that finally returns De Palma to his pulpy thrillers of the early '80s . 2367
The results , if not memorable , are at least interesting . 2368
A quietly moving look back at what it was to be Iranian-American in 1979 . 2369
Like a veteran head cutter , Barbershop is tuned in to its community . 2370
I 'm sure mainstream audiences will be baffled , but , for those with at least a minimal appreciation of Woolf and Clarissa Dalloway , The Hours represents two of those well spent . 2371
You live the mood rather than savour the story . 2372
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 . 2373
While there are times when the film 's reach exceeds its grasp , the production works more often than it does n't . 2374
While Scorsese 's bold images and generally smart casting ensure that `` Gangs '' is never lethargic , the movie is hindered by a central plot that 's peppered with false starts and populated by characters who are nearly impossible to care about . 2375
Watching this gentle , mesmerizing portrait of a man coming to terms with time , you barely realize your mind is being blown . 2376
The beautifully choreographed kitchen ballet is simple but absorbing . 2377
There 's ... an underlying Old World sexism to Monday Morning that undercuts its charm . 2378
`` The best Disney movie since the Lion King '' 2379
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 . 2380
Think of it as Gidget , only with muscles and a lot more smarts , but just as endearing and easy to watch . 2381
There is no solace here , no entertainment value , merely a fierce lesson in where filmmaking can take us . 2382
Giggling at the absurdities and inconsistencies is part of the fun . 2383
But the talented cast alone will keep you watching , as will the fight scenes . 2384
Arteta paints a picture of lives lived in a state of quiet desperation . 2385
Drug abuse , infidelity and death are n't usually comedy fare , but Turpin 's film allows us to chuckle through the angst . 2386
While Insomnia is in many ways a conventional , even predictable remake , Nolan 's penetrating undercurrent of cerebral and cinemantic flair lends -LRB- it -RRB- stimulating depth . 2387
Efteriades gives the neighborhood -- scenery , vibe and all -- the cinematic equivalent of a big , tender hug . 2388
This is a nicely handled affair , a film about human darkness but etched with a light -LRB- yet unsentimental -RRB- touch . 2389
Amazing ! 2390
A college story that works even without vulgarity , sex scenes , and cussing ! 2391
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 . 2392
A raunchy and frequently hilarious follow-up to the gifted Korean American stand-up 's I 'm the One That I Want . 2393
If you ever wanted to be an astronaut , this is the ultimate movie experience - it 's informative and breathtakingly spectacular . 2394
While Parker and co-writer Catherine di Napoli are faithful to Melville 's plotline , they and a fully engaged supporting cast ... have made the old boy 's characters more quick-witted than any English Lit major would have thought possible . 2395
A smart , sassy and exceptionally charming romantic comedy . 2396
There are flaws , but also stretches of impact and moments of awe ; we 're wrapped up in the characters , how they make their choices , and why . 2397
A gift to anyone who loves both dance and cinema 2398
It seems Grant does n't need the floppy hair and the self-deprecating stammers after all . 2399
A reminder that beyond all the hype and recent digital glitz , Spielberg knows how to tell us about people . 2400
One of the finest , most humane and important Holocaust movies ever made . 2401
An engrossing and infectiously enthusiastic documentary . 2402
A beautiful , timeless and universal tale of heated passions -- jealousy , betrayal , forgiveness and murder . 2403
A culture-clash comedy that , in addition to being very funny , captures some of the discomfort and embarrassment of being a bumbling American in Europe . 2404
Shattering , devastating documentary on two maladjusted teens in a downward narcotized spiral . 2405
Extraordinary debut from Josh Koury . 2406
The most compelling performance of the year adds substantial depth to this shocking testament to anti-Semitism and neo-fascism . 2407
For those who are intrigued by politics of the '70s , the film is every bit as fascinating as it is flawed . 2408
All right , so it 's not a brilliant piece of filmmaking , but it is a funny -LRB- sometimes hilarious -RRB- comedy with a deft sense of humor about itself , a playful spirit and a game cast . 2409
Douglas McGrath 's Nicholas Nickleby does Dickens as it should be done cinematically . 2410
It 's a lovely , eerie film that casts an odd , rapt spell . 2411
The quirky and recessive charms of co-stars Martin Donovan and Mary-Louise Parker help overcome the problematic script . 2412
It 's good to see Michael Caine whipping out the dirty words and punching people in the stomach again . 2413
You just know something terrible is going to happen . 2414
But when it does , you 're entirely unprepared . 2415
It 's fun , wispy , wise and surprisingly inoffensive for a film about a teen in love with his stepmom . 2416
Able to provide insight into a fascinating part of theater history . 2417
An unflinching , complex portrait of a modern Israel that is rarely seen on-screen . 2418
A Jewish WW II doc that is n't trying simply to out-shock , out-outrage or out-depress its potential audience ! 2419
Who knew ... 2420
It 's a familiar story , but one that is presented with great sympathy and intelligence . 2421
Gently humorous and touching . 2422
It wo n't hold up over the long haul , but in the moment , Finch 's tale provides the forgettable pleasures of a Saturday matinee . 2423
Kinnear 's performance is a career-defining revelation . 2424
The film is predictable in the reassuring manner of a beautifully sung holiday carol . 2425
... hits every cliche we 've come to expect , including the assumption that `` crazy '' people are innocent , childlike and inherently funny . 2426
The strong subject matter continues to shock throughout the film . 2427
Not everyone will play the dark , challenging tune taught by The Piano Teacher . 2428
A certain sexiness underlines even the dullest tangents . 2429
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 . 2430
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 . 2431
That old adage about women being unknowable gets an exhilarating new interpretation in Morvern Callar . 2432
A mix of gritty realism , crisp storytelling and radiant compassion that effortlessly draws you in . 2433
After watching it , you can only love the players it brings to the fore for the gifted but no-nonsense human beings they are and for the still-inestimable contribution they have made to our shared history . 2434
In his U.S. debut , Mr. Schnitzler proves himself a deft pace master and stylist . 2435
Ultimate X is a ride , basically the kind of greatest-hits reel that might come with a subscription to ESPN the Magazine . 2436
Rich in shadowy metaphor and as sharp as a samurai sword , Jiang Wen 's Devils on the Doorstep is a wartime farce in the alternately comic and gut-wrenching style of Joseph Heller or Kurt Vonnegut . 2437
Offers a clear-eyed chronicle of a female friendship that is more complex and honest than anything represented in a Hollywood film . 2438
A winning comedy with its wry observations about long-lived friendships and the ways in which we all lose track of ourselves by trying to please others . 2439
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 . 2440
Lohman adapts to the changes required of her , but the actress and director Peter Kosminsky never get the audience to break through the wall her character erects 2441
Although it includes a fair share of dumb drug jokes and predictable slapstick , `` Orange County '' is far funnier than it would seem to have any right to be . 2442
For a movie audience , The Hours does n't connect in a neat way , but introduces characters who illuminate mysteries of sex , duty and love . 2443
A bright , inventive , thoroughly winning flight of revisionist fancy . 2444
Ozpetek 's effort has the scope and shape of an especially well-executed television movie . 2445
Affirms the gifts of all involved , starting with Spielberg and going right through the ranks of the players -- on-camera and off -- that he brings together . 2446
A delightful little film that revels in its own simplicity , Mostly Martha will leave you with a smile on your face and a grumble in your stomach . 2447
Makes one thing abundantly clear . 2448
American musical comedy as we know it would n't exist without the precedent of Yiddish theater , whose jolly , fun-for-fun 's - sake communal spirit goes to the essence of Broadway . 2449
Deepa Mehta provides an accessible introduction as well as some intelligent observations on the success of Bollywood in the Western world . 2450
If anything , the film is doing something of a public service -- shedding light on a group of extremely talented musicians who might otherwise go unnoticed and underappreciated by music fans . 2451
In addition to gluing you to the edge of your seat , Changing Lanes is also a film of freshness , imagination and insight . 2452
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 . 2453
The mood , look and tone of the film fit the incredible storyline to a T. 2454
It 's crafty , energetic and smart -- the kid is sort of like a fourteen-year old Ferris Bueller . 2455
A work of extraordinary journalism , but it is also a work of deft and subtle poetry . 2456
It 's funny and human and really pretty damned wonderful , all at once . 2457
At 78 minutes it just zings along with vibrance and warmth . 2458
A strangely stirring experience that finds warmth in the coldest environment and makes each crumb of emotional comfort feel like a 10-course banquet . 2459
Sometimes this ` Blood ' seems as tired as its protagonist ... Still , the pulse never disappears entirely , and the picture crosses the finish line winded but still game . 2460
The stripped-down dramatic constructs , austere imagery and abstract characters are equal parts poetry and politics , obvious at times but evocative and heartfelt . 2461
Dogtown and Z-Boys more than exposes the roots of the skateboarding boom that would become `` the punk kids ' revolution . '' 2462
... plenty of warmth to go around , with music and laughter and the love of family . 2463
It 'll keep you wide awake and ... very tense . 2464
Could use a little more humanity , but it never lacks in eye-popping visuals . 2465
-LRB- Danny Huston gives -RRB- an astounding performance that deftly , gradually reveals a real human soul buried beneath a spellbinding serpent 's smirk . 2466
These three films form a remarkably cohesive whole , both visually and thematically , through their consistently sensitive and often exciting treatment of an ignored people . 2467
A funny and well-contructed black comedy where the old adage `` be careful what you wish for '' is given a full workout . 2468
It reaffirms life as it looks in the face of death . 2469
The film is reasonably entertaining , though it begins to drag two-thirds through , when the melodramatic aspects start to overtake the comedy . 2470
This is more fascinating -- being real -- than anything seen on Jerry Springer . 2471
A different movie -- sometimes tedious -- by a director many viewers would like to skip but film buffs should get to know . 2472
Williams plays Sy , another of his open-faced , smiling madmen , like the killer in Insomnia . 2473
He does this so well you do n't have the slightest difficulty accepting him in the role . 2474
Twist open the Ouzo ! 2475
It 's time to let your hair down -- Greek style . 2476
A vibrant whirlwind of love , family and all that goes with it , My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a non-stop funny feast of warmth , colour and cringe . 2477
Thought-provoking and stylish , if also somewhat hermetic . 2478
Broomfield is energized by Volletta Wallace 's maternal fury , her fearlessness , and because of that , his film crackles . 2479
While it has definite weaknesses -- like a rather unbelievable love interest and a meandering ending -- this '60s caper film is a riveting , brisk delight . 2480
Funny in a sick , twisted sort of way . 2481
If cinema had been around to capture the chaos of France in the 1790 's , one imagines the result would look like something like this . 2482
It 's a talking head documentary , but a great one . 2483
The Fast Runner ' transports the viewer into an unusual space 2484
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 . ' 2485
... a solid , well-formed satire . 2486
As part of Mr. Dong 's continuing exploration of homosexuality in America , Family Fundamentals is an earnest study in despair . 2487
Most consumers of lo mein and General Tso 's chicken barely give a thought to the folks who prepare and deliver it , so , hopefully , this film will attach a human face to all those little steaming cartons . 2488
Hatosy ... portrays young Brendan with his usual intelligence and subtlety , not to mention a convincing brogue . 2489
The filmmakers ' eye for detail and the high standards of performance convey a strong sense of the girls ' environment . 2490
Uneven , self-conscious but often hilarious spoof . 2491
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 . 2492
Thanks to The Château 's balance of whimsicality , narrative discipline and serious improvisation , almost every relationship and personality in the film yields surprises . 2493
Alan and his fellow survivors are idiosyncratic enough to lift the movie above its playwriting 101 premise . 2494
Fresh and raw like a blown-out vein , Narc takes a walking-dead , cop-flick subgenre and beats new life into it . 2495
The premise of Jason X is silly but strangely believable . 2496
It 's a wise and powerful tale of race and culture forcefully told , with superb performances throughout . 2497
An awfully good , achingly human picture . 2498
The cast comes through even when the movie does n't . 2499
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 . 2500
Definitely worth 95 minutes of your time . 2501
The film jolts the laughs from the audience -- as if by cattle prod . 2502
A sexy , surprising romance ... Idemoto and Kim make a gorgeous pair ... their scenes brim with sexual possibility and emotional danger . 2503
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 . 2504
Whereas Oliver Stone 's conspiracy thriller JFK was long , intricate , star-studded and visually flashy , Interview with the Assassin draws its considerable power from simplicity . 2505
Funny , sexy , devastating and incurably romantic . 2506
Triple X is a double agent , and he 's one bad dude . 2507
When you 've got the wildly popular Vin Diesel in the equation , it adds up to big box office bucks all but guaranteed . 2508
Very well-written and very well-acted . 2509
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 . 2510
You emerge dazed , confused as to whether you 've seen pornography or documentary . 2511
It ai n't art , by a long shot , but unlike last year 's lame Musketeer , this Dumas adaptation entertains . 2512
likeable thanks to its cast , its cuisine and its quirky tunes . 2513
Chilling in its objective portrait of dreary , lost twenty-first century America . 2514
Highly recommended as an engrossing story about a horrifying historical event and the elements which contributed to it . 2515
... there 's enough cool fun here to warm the hearts of animation enthusiasts of all ages . 2516
It manages to squeeze by on Angelina Jolie 's surprising flair for self-deprecating comedy . 2517
Secretary manages a neat trick , bundling the flowers of perversity , comedy and romance into a strangely tempting bouquet of a movie . 2518
Judith and Zaza 's extended bedroom sequence ... is so intimate and sensual and funny and psychologically self-revealing that it makes most of what passes for sex in the movies look like cheap hysterics . 2519
Photographed with melancholy richness and eloquently performed yet also decidedly uncinematic . 2520
A knowing look at female friendship , spiked with raw urban humor . 2521
As I settled into my World War II memories , I found myself strangely moved by even the corniest and most hackneyed contrivances . 2522
The overall effect is awe and affection -- and a strange urge to get on a board and , uh , shred , dude . 2523
It 's that rare family movie -- genuine and sweet without relying on animation or dumb humor . 2524
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 . 2525
Confessions may not be a straightforward bio , nor does it offer much in the way of Barris ' motivations , but the film is an oddly fascinating depiction of an architect of pop culture . 2526
A special kind of movie , this melancholic film noir reminded me a lot of Memento ... 2527
Simple , poignant and leavened with humor , it 's a film that affirms the nourishing aspects of love and companionship . 2528
Together , Miller , Kuras and the actresses make Personal Velocity into an intricate , intimate and intelligent journey . 2529
The wonder of Mostly Martha is the performance of Gedeck , who makes Martha enormously endearing . 2530
With Notorious C.H.O. Cho proves she has the stuff to stand tall with Pryor , Carlin and Murphy . 2531
Less front-loaded and more shapely than the two-hour version released here in 1990 . 2532
Watching War Photographer , you come to believe that Nachtwey hates the wars he shows and empathizes with the victims he reveals . 2533
-LRB- A -RRB- real pleasure in its laid-back way . 2534
Some may choose to interpret the film 's end as hopeful or optimistic but I think Payne is after something darker . 2535
Though it runs 163 minutes , Safe Conduct is anything but languorous . 2536
It 's packed to bursting with incident , and with scores of characters , some fictional , some from history . 2537
A much better documentary -- more revealing , more emotional and more surprising -- than its pedestrian English title would have you believe . 2538
Notwithstanding my problem with the movie 's final half hour , I 'm going to recommend SECRETARY , based on the wonderful acting clinic put on by Spader and Gyllenhaal , and also the unique way Shainberg goes about telling what at heart is a sweet little girl - 2539
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 . 2540
The film has the uncanny ability to right itself precisely when you think it 's in danger of going wrong . 2541
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is that rare animal known as ' a perfect family film , ' because it 's about family . 2542
would make an excellent companion piece to the similarly themed ` The French Lieutenant 's Woman . ' 2543
... 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 . 2544
A movie that 's just plain awful but still manages to entertain on a guilty-pleasure , so-bad-it 's - funny level . 2545
A disoriented but occasionally disarming saga packed with moments out of an Alice in Wonderland adventure , a stalker thriller , and a condensed season of TV 's Big Brother . 2546
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 . 2547
With a confrontational stance , Todd Solondz takes aim on political correctness and suburban families . 2548
A mess , but it 's a sincere mess . 2549
This odd , distant Portuguese import more or less borrows from Bad Lieutenant and Les Vampires , and comes up with a kind of art-house gay porn film . 2550
For a debut film , Skin of Man , Heart of Beast feels unusually assured . 2551
A photographic marvel of sorts , and it 's certainly an invaluable record of that special fishy community . 2552
It 's soulful and unslick , and that 's apparently just what -LRB- Aniston -RRB- has always needed to grow into a movie career . 2553
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 . 2554
A jaw-droppingly beautiful work that upends nearly every cliché of Japanese animation while delivering a more than satisfactory amount of carnage . 2555
Terry is a sort of geriatric Dirty Harry , which will please Eastwood 's loyal fans -- and suits the story , wherein our hero must ride roughshod over incompetent cops to get his man . 2556
Parts seem like they were lifted from Terry Gilliam 's subconscious , pressed through Kafka 's meat grinder and into Buñuel 's casings 2557
` Like a child with an important message to tell ... -LRB- Skins ' -RRB- faults are easy to forgive because the intentions are lofty . ' 2558
A delightful entree in the tradition of food movies . 2559
An escapist confection that 's pure entertainment . 2560
The Ring is worth a look , if you do n't demand much more than a few cheap thrills from your Halloween entertainment . 2561
The movie ultimately relies a bit too heavily on grandstanding , emotional , Rocky-like moments ... but it 's such a warm and charming package that you 'll feel too happy to argue much . 2562
Throwing it all away for the fleeting joys of love 's brief moment . 2563
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 . 2564
A decent-enough nail-biter that stands a good chance of being the big hit Franklin needs to stay afloat in Hollywood . 2565
Begins like a docu-drama but builds its multi-character story with a flourish . 2566
One of the most genuinely sweet films to come along in quite some time . 2567
After an uncertain start , Murder hits and generally sustains a higher plateau with Bullock 's memorable first interrogation of Gosling . 2568
The story ultimately takes hold and grips hard . 2569
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 . 2570
An emotionally strong and politically potent piece of cinema . 2571
Enticing and often funny documentary . 2572
Going to this movie is a little like chewing whale blubber - it 's an acquired taste that takes time to enjoy , but it 's worth it , even if it does take 3 hours to get through . 2573
A portrait of hell so shattering it 's impossible to shake . 2574
Almodovar is an imaginative teacher of emotional intelligence in this engaging film about two men who discover what William James once called ` the gift of tears . ' 2575
Better than the tepid Star Trek : Insurrection ; falls short of First Contact because the villain could n't pick the lint off Borg Queen Alice Krige 's cape ; and finishes half a parsec -LRB- a nose -RRB- ahead of Generations . 2576
At times a bit melodramatic and even a little dated -LRB- depending upon where you live -RRB- , Ignorant Fairies is still quite good-natured and not a bad way to spend an hour or two . 2577
Tense , terrific , sweaty-palmed fun . 2578
Majidi 's direction has never been smoother or more confident . 2579
What a bewilderingly brilliant and entertaining movie this is . 2580
Hard , endearing , caring , warm . 2581
Bring tissues . 2582
A thriller with an edge -- which is to say that it does n't follow the stale , standard , connect-the-dots storyline which has become commonplace in movies that explore the seamy underbelly of the criminal world . 2583
`` Me Without You '' is a probing examination of a female friendship set against a few dynamic decades . 2584
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 . 2585
Though Frodo 's quest remains unfulfilled , a hardy group of determined New Zealanders has proved its creative mettle . 2586
It 's a square , sentimental drama that satisfies , as comfort food often can . 2587
Pure cinematic intoxication , a wildly inventive mixture of comedy and melodrama , tastelessness and swooning elegance . 2588
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 . 2589
I was impressed by how many tit-for-tat retaliatory responses the filmmakers allow before pulling the plug on the conspirators and averting an American-Russian Armageddon . 2590
A classy , sprightly spin on film . 2591
fast , frantic and fun , but also soon forgotten 2592
A spiffy animated feature about an unruly adolescent boy who is yearning for adventure and a chance to prove his worth . 2593
Devos and Cassel have tremendous chemistry -- their sexual and romantic tension , while never really vocalized , is palpable . 2594
Fulfills the minimum requirement of Disney animation . 2595
A moving , if uneven , success . 2596
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 . 2597
Wickedly funny , visually engrossing , never boring , this movie challenges us to think about the ways we consume pop culture . 2598
There 's plenty to impress about E.T. 2599
A chronicle not only of one man 's quest to be president , but of how that man single-handedly turned a plane full of hard-bitten , cynical journalists into what was essentially , by campaign 's end , an extended publicity department . 2600
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 . 2601
-LRB- Woo 's -RRB- most resonant film since The Killer . 2602
Collateral Damage is trash , but it earns extra points by acting as if it were n't . 2603
A whole lot of fun and funny in the middle , though somewhat less hard-hitting at the start and finish . 2604
Maybe it is formula filmmaking , but there 's nothing wrong with that if the film is well-crafted and this one is . 2605
-LRB- Fincher 's -RRB- camera sense and assured pacing make it an above-average thriller . 2606
The film is insightful about Kissinger 's background and history . 2607
An engrossing portrait of a man whose engaging manner and flamboyant style made him a truly larger-than-life character . 2608
A lot of the credit for the film 's winning tone must go to Grant , who has n't lost a bit of the dry humor that first made audiences on both sides of the Atlantic love him . 2609
Exploits -LRB- headbanger -RRB- stereotypes in good fun , while adding a bit of heart and unsettling subject matter . 2610
A journey that is as difficult for the audience to take as it is for the protagonist -- yet it 's potentially just as rewarding . 2611
Ratliff 's two previous titles , Plutonium Circus and Purgatory County show his penchant for wry , contentious configurations , and this film is part of that delicate canon . 2612
From its invitingly upbeat overture to its pathos-filled but ultimately life-affirming finale , Martin is a masterfully conducted work . 2613
Passions , obsessions , and loneliest dark spots are pushed to their most virtuous limits , lending the narrative an unusually surreal tone . 2614
A comedy that swings and jostles to the rhythms of life . 2615
At times Auto Focus feels so distant you might as well be watching it through a telescope . 2616
Yet in its own aloof , unreachable way it 's so fascinating you wo n't be able to look away for a second . 2617
If you 're part of her targeted audience , you 'll cheer . 2618
Otherwise , maybe . 2619
As animation increasingly emphasizes the computer and the cool , this is a film that takes a stand in favor of tradition and warmth . 2620
Blade II merges bits and pieces from fighting games , wire fu , horror movies , mystery , James Bond , wrestling , sci-fi and anime into one big bloody stew . 2621
Instead of hitting the audience over the head with a moral , Schrader relies on subtle ironies and visual devices to convey point of view . 2622
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 . 2623
Contrived as this may sound , Mr. Rose 's updating works surprisingly well . 2624
A glib but bouncy bit of sixties-style slickness in which the hero might wind up caught but the audience gets pure escapism . 2625
You do n't need to be a hip-hop fan to appreciate Scratch , and that 's the mark of a documentary that works . 2626
Between bursts of automatic gunfire , the story offers a trenchant critique of capitalism . 2627
Combines improbable melodrama -LRB- gored bullfighters , comatose ballerinas -RRB- with subtly kinky bedside vigils and sensational denouements , and yet at the end , we are undeniably touched . 2628
While the story 's undeniably hard to follow , Iwai 's gorgeous visuals seduce . 2629
If you can get past the taboo subject matter , it will be well worth your time . 2630
A lovely film ... elegant , witty and beneath a prim exterior unabashedly romantic ... hugely enjoyable in its own right though not really faithful to its source 's complexity . 2631
Scooby Doo is surely everything its fans are hoping it will be , and in that sense is a movie that deserves recommendation . 2632
-LRB- A -RRB- devastatingly powerful and astonishingly vivid Holocaust drama . 2633
A solid cast , assured direction and complete lack of modern day irony . 2634
These characters are so well established that the gang feels comfortable with taking insane liberties and doing the goofiest stuff out of left field , and I 'm all for that . 2635
A sun-drenched masterpiece , part parlor game , part psychological case study , part droll social satire . 2636
Worth a look as a curiosity . 2637
You watch for that sense of openness , the little surprises . 2638
Director Peter Kosminsky gives these women a forum to demonstrate their acting ` chops ' and they take full advantage . 2639
Auto Focus is not your standard Hollywood bio-pic . 2640
Schrader aims to present an unflinching look at one man 's downfall , brought about by his lack of self-awareness . 2641
The Bourne Identity should n'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 . 2642
For VeggieTales fans , this is more appetizing than a side dish of asparagus . 2643
If you 're not a fan , it might be like trying to eat Brussels sprouts . 2644
Remove Spider-Man the movie from its red herring surroundings and it 's apparent that this is one summer film that satisfies . 2645
The whole mildly pleasant outing -- the R rating is for brief nudity and a grisly corpse -- remains aloft not on its own self-referential hot air , but on the inspired performance of Tim Allen . 2646
A gorgeously strange movie , Heaven is deeply concerned with morality , but it refuses to spell things out for viewers . 2647
The Emperor 's Club , ruthless in its own placid way , finds one of our most conservative and hidebound movie-making traditions and gives it new texture , new relevance , new reality . 2648
It 's truly awful and heartbreaking subject matter , but one whose lessons are well worth revisiting as many times as possible . 2649
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 . 2650
There is little question that this is a serious work by an important director who has something new to say about how , in the flip-flop of courtship , we often reel in when we should be playing out . 2651
The message of such reflections -- intentional or not -- is that while no art grows from a vacuum , many artists exist in one . 2652
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 . 2653
The otherwise good-naturedness of Mr. Deeds , with its embrace of sheer goofiness and cameos of less - than-likely New York celebrities ... certainly raises the film above anything Sandler 's been attached to before . 2654
The movie is brilliant , really . 2655
It is philosophy , illustrated through everyday events . 2656
It 's stylishly directed with verve ... 2657
Gives an intriguing twist to the French coming-of-age genre . 2658
Offers an interesting look at the rapidly changing face of Beijing . 2659
A solid , psychological action film from Hong Kong . 2660
See it now , before the inevitable Hollywood remake flattens out all its odd , intriguing wrinkles . 2661
Holm does his sly , intricate magic , and Iben Hjelje is entirely appealing as Pumpkin . 2662
An enjoyable feel-good family comedy regardless of race . 2663
Features what is surely the funniest and most accurate depiction of writer 's block ever . 2664
It would take a complete moron to foul up a screen adaptation of Oscar Wilde 's classic satire . 2665
It 's bright , pristine style and bold colors make it as much fun as reading an oversized picture book before bedtime . 2666
In the long , dishonorable history of quickie teen-pop exploitation , Like Mike stands out for its only partly synthetic decency . 2667
Bravo for history rewritten , and for the uncompromising knowledge that the highest power of all is the power of love . 2668
Lead actress Gaï , she of the impossibly long limbs and sweetly conspiratorial smile , is a towering siren . 2669
Even if you 've seen `` Stomp '' -LRB- the stage show -RRB- , you still have to see this ! 2670
... a light , yet engrossing piece . 2671
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 . 2672
It 's a setup so easy it borders on facile , but keeping the film from cheap-shot mediocrity is its crack cast . 2673
Rife with the rueful , wry humor springing out of Yiddish culture and language . 2674
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 . 2675
Rubbo 's humorously tendentious intervention into the who-wrote-Shakespeare controversy . 2676
Cantet beautifully illuminates what it means sometimes to be inside looking out , and at other times outside looking in . 2677
K-19 : The Widowmaker is a great yarn . 2678
It 's as raw and action-packed an experience as a ringside seat at a tough-man contest . 2679
Evokes the frustration , the awkwardness and the euphoria of growing up , without relying on the usual tropes . 2680
A brilliant gag at the expense of those who paid for it and those who pay to see it . 2681
Visually striking and viscerally repellent . 2682
Overcomes its visual hideousness with a sharp script and strong performances . 2683
Astonishingly skillful and moving ... it could become a historically significant work as well as a masterfully made one . 2684
Beautifully crafted and cooly unsettling ... recreates the atmosphere of the crime expertly . 2685
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 . 2686
Although it does n't always hang together -- violence and whimsy do n't combine easily -- `` Cherish '' certainly is n't dull . 2687
The sight of the spaceship on the launching pad is duly impressive in IMAX dimensions , as are shots of the astronauts floating in their cabins . 2688
Time is a beautiful film to watch , an interesting and at times captivating take on loss and loneliness . 2689
An intriguing look at the French film industry during the German occupation ; its most delightful moments come when various characters express their quirky inner selves . 2690
A fine documentary can be distinguished from a mediocre one by the better film 's ability to make its subject interesting to those who are n't part of its supposed target audience . 2691
Judging by those standards , ` Scratch ' is a pretty decent little documentary . 2692
Fubar is very funny , but not always in a laugh-out-loud way . 2693
A diverse and astonishingly articulate cast of Palestinian and Israeli children . 2694
Slight but enjoyable documentary . 2695
` The film is stark , straightforward and deadly ... an unnatural calm that 's occasionally shaken by ... blasts of rage , and later , violent jealousy . ' 2696
Call this The Full Monty on ice , the underdog sports team formula redux . 2697
Unfolds in a low-key , organic way that encourages you to accept it as life and go with its flow . 2698
A beguiling evocation of the quality that keeps Dickens evergreen : the exuberant openness with which he expresses our most basic emotions . 2699
The heat of the moment prevails . 2700
It cooks Conduct in a low , smoky and inviting sizzle . 2701
A riveting story well told . 2702
Denis forges out of the theories of class - based rage and sisterly obsession a razor-sided tuning fork that rings with cultural , sexual and social discord . 2703
A compelling pre-WWII drama with vivid characters and a warm , moving message . 2704
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 . 2705
Pretty good little movie . 2706
By turns touching , raucously amusing , uncomfortable , and , yes , even sexy , Never Again is a welcome and heartwarming addition to the romantic comedy genre . 2707
If you have n't seen the film lately , you may be surprised at the variety of tones in Spielberg 's work . 2708
Much of it is funny , but there are also some startling , surrealistic moments ... 2709
-LRB- The digital effects -RRB- 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 . 2710
An entertaining mix of period drama and flat-out farce that should please history fans . 2711
Canada 's arctic light shines bright on this frozen tundra soap opera that breathes extraordinary life into the private existence of the Inuit people . 2712
The fluid motion is astounding on any number of levels -- including the physical demands made on Büttner -- and it implies in its wake the intractable , irreversible flow of history . 2713
Alternately hilarious and sad , aggravating and soulful , scathing and joyous . 2714
It 's a masterpeice . 2715
The film 's messages of tolerance and diversity are n't particularly original , but one ca n't help but be drawn in by the sympathetic characters . 2716
Though it lacks the utter authority of a genre gem , there 's a certain robustness to this engaging mix of love and bloodletting . 2717
A conventional , but well-crafted film about a historic legal battle in Ireland over a man 's right to raise his own children . 2718
Yes , it 's as good as you remember . 2719
In fact , even better . 2720
Hartley adds enough quirky and satirical touches in the screenplay to keep the film entertaining . 2721
An uncomfortable movie , suffocating and sometimes almost senseless , The Grey Zone does have a center , though a morbid one . 2722
This is a harrowing movie about how parents know where all the buttons are , and how to push them . 2723
A stirring road movie . 2724
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 . 2725
Insanely hilarious ! 2726
I have n't laughed that hard in years ! 2727
Anyone who 's ever suffered under a martinet music instructor has no doubt fantasized about what an unhappy , repressed and twisted personal life their tormentor deserved . 2728
These people are really going to love The Piano Teacher . 2729
It 's a tour de force , written and directed so quietly that it 's implosion rather than explosion you fear . 2730
It may not be history -- but then again , what if it is ? 2731
-- but it makes for one of the most purely enjoyable and satisfying evenings at the movies I 've had in a while . 2732
If `` Lilo & Stitch '' is n't the most edgy piece of Disney animation to hit the silver screen , then this first film to use a watercolor background since `` Dumbo '' certainly ranks as the most original in years . 2733
This may be Dover Kosashvili 's feature directing debut , but it looks an awful lot like life -- gritty , awkward and ironic . 2734
This ready-made midnight movie probably wo n't stand the cold light of day , but under the right conditions , it 's goofy -LRB- if not entirely wholesome -RRB- fun . 2735
See Scratch for the history , see Scratch for the music , see Scratch for a lesson in scratching , but , most of all , see it for the passion . 2736
... `` Bowling for Columbine '' remains a disquieting and thought-provoking film ... 2737
Even though it is infused with the sensibility of a video director , it does n't make for completely empty entertainment 2738
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 . 2739
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 . 2740
Star\/producer Salma Hayek and director Julie Taymor have infused Frida with a visual style unique and inherent to the titular character 's paintings and in the process created a masterful work of art of their own . 2741
A truly wonderful tale combined with stunning animation . 2742
A low-key labor of love that strikes a very resonant chord . 2743
An average kid-empowerment fantasy with slightly above-average brains . 2744
Confessions is n't always coherent , but it 's sharply comic and surprisingly touching , so hold the gong . 2745
While Guzmán frustratingly refuses to give Pinochet 's crimes a political context , his distance from the material is mostly admirable . 2746
... a story , an old and scary one , about the monsters we make , and the vengeance they take . 2747
A sentimental but entirely irresistible portrait of three aging sisters . 2748
White Oleander may leave you rolling your eyes in the dark , but that does n't mean you wo n't like looking at it . 2749
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 . 2750
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 . 2751
It looks closely , insightfully at fragile , complex relationships . 2752
Not a bad choice here , assuming that ... the air-conditioning in the theater is working properly . 2753
A fine effort , an interesting topic , some intriguing characters and a sad ending . 2754
Certainly the big finish was n't something Galinsky and Hawley could have planned for ... but part of being a good documentarian is being there when the rope snaps . 2755
It must be the end of the world : the best film so far this year is a franchise sequel starring Wesley Snipes . 2756
There are moments of hilarity to be had . 2757
A hypnotic portrait of this sad , compulsive life . 2758
-LRB- While The Last Metro -RRB- 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 . 2759
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 . 2760
Return to Never Land is reliable , standard Disney animated fare , with enough creative energy and wit to entertain all ages . 2761
Michael Moore 's latest documentary about America 's thirst for violence is his best film yet ... 2762
Suffice to say that after seeing this movie in IMAX form , you 'll be more acquainted with the tiniest details of Tom Hanks ' face than his wife is . 2763
Like a Tarantino movie with heart , Alias Betty is richly detailed , deftly executed and utterly absorbing . 2764
Marvelously entertaining and deliriously joyous documentary . 2765
A brisk , reverent , and subtly different sequel . 2766
A movie I loved on first sight and , even more important , love in remembrance . 2767
Deserves a place of honor next to Nanook as a landmark in film history . 2768
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 ... 2769
This is an undeniably intriguing film from an adventurous young talent who finds his inspiration on the fringes of the American underground . 2770
The Sweetest Thing , a romantic comedy with outrageous tendencies , may be a mess in a lot of ways . 2771
But it does have one saving grace . 2772
A lot of its gags and observations reflect a woman 's point-of-view . 2773
This is lightweight filmmaking , to be sure , but it 's pleasant enough -- and oozing with attractive men . 2774
At its most basic , this cartoon adventure is that wind-in-the-hair exhilarating . 2775
Fans of critics ' darling band Wilco will marvel at the sometimes murky , always brooding look of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart . 2776
The film presents visceral and dangerously honest revelations about the men and machines behind the curtains of our planet . 2777
-LRB- Gosling 's -RRB- combination of explosive physical energy and convincing intelligence helps create a complex , unpredictable character . 2778
Confounding because it solemnly advances a daringly preposterous thesis . 2779
Acting can not be acted . 2780
Fulford-Wierzbicki ... deftly captures the wise-beyond-her-years teen . 2781
A wild ride juiced with enough energy and excitement for at least three films . 2782
It 's a cool event for the whole family . 2783
Maybe not a classic , but a movie the kids will want to see over and over again . 2784
The movie is not as terrible as the synergistic impulse that created it . 2785
A typically observant , carefully nuanced and intimate French coming-of-age film that is an encouraging debut feature but has a needlessly downbeat ending that is too heavy for all that has preceded it . 2786
Less an examination of neo-Nazism than a probe into the nature of faith itself . 2787
A moving and weighty depiction of one family 's attempts to heal after the death of a child . 2788
I do n't think most of the people who loved the 1989 Paradiso will prefer this new version . 2789
But I do . 2790
A zinger-filled crowd-pleaser that open-minded Elvis fans -LRB- but by no means all -RRB- will have fun with . 2791
Diggs and Lathan are among the chief reasons Brown Sugar is such a sweet and sexy film . 2792
Entirely suspenseful , extremely well-paced and ultimately ... dare I say , entertaining ! 2793
The riveting performances by the incredibly flexible cast make Love a joy to behold . 2794
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 . 2795
With an unflappable air of decadent urbanity , Everett remains a perfect Wildean actor , and a relaxed Firth displays impeccable comic skill . 2796
The re-release of Ron Howard 's Apollo 13 in the IMAX format proves absolutely that really , really , really good things can come in enormous packages . 2797
Very well written and directed with brutal honesty and respect for its audience . 2798
Wonderful fencing scenes and an exciting plot make this an eminently engrossing film . 2799
It 's pretty linear and only makeup-deep , but Bogdanovich ties it together with efficiency and an affection for the period . 2800
A surprisingly charming and even witty match for the best of Hollywood 's comic-book adaptations . 2801
This is a superior horror flick . 2802
Adaptation is simply brilliant . 2803
Smart and alert , Thirteen Conversations About One Thing is a small gem . 2804
The pleasure of Read My Lips is like seeing a series of perfect black pearls clicking together to form a string . 2805
We 're drawn in by the dark luster . 2806
A haunting tale of murder and mayhem . 2807
I love the opening scenes of a wintry New York City in 1899 . 2808
Cinematic poetry showcases the city 's old-world charm before machines change nearly everything . 2809
It 's hard to imagine anyone managing to steal a movie not only from charismatic rising star Jake Gyllenhaal but also from accomplished Oscar winners Susan Sarandon , Dustin Hoffman and Holly Hunter , yet newcomer Ellen Pompeo pulls off the feat with aplomb . 2810
One of the best rock documentaries ever . 2811
Wilco is a phenomenal band with such an engrossing story that will capture the minds and hearts of many . 2812
Ian Holm conquers France as an earthy Napoleon 2813
Offers big , fat , dumb laughs that may make you hate yourself for giving in . 2814
Ah , what the hell . 2815
-LRB- Sports -RRB- admirable energy , full-bodied characterizations and narrative urgency . 2816
A portrait of an artist . 2817
Directors Brett Morgen and Nanette Burstein have put together a bold biographical fantasia . 2818
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 . 2819
A tremendous piece of work . 2820
A delightful , if minor , pastry of a movie . 2821
While obviously aimed at kids , The Country Bears ... should keep parents amused with its low groan-to-guffaw ratio . 2822
LaBute masterfully balances both Traditional or Modern stories together in a manner that one never overwhelms the other . 2823
Something for everyone . 2824
Irwin is so earnest that it 's hard to resist his pleas to spare wildlife and respect their environs . 2825
There are far worse messages to teach a young audience , which will probably be perfectly happy with the sloppy slapstick comedy . 2826
Leigh succeeds in delivering a dramatic slap in the face that 's simultaneously painful and refreshing . 2827
Not about scares but a mood in which an ominous , pervasive , and unknown threat lurks just below the proceedings and adds an almost constant mindset of suspense . 2828
` Film aficionados can not help but love Cinema Paradiso , whether the original version or new Director 's Cut . ' 2829
A fascinating glimpse into an insular world that gives the lie to many clichés and showcases a group of dedicated artists . 2830
It 's one thing to read about or rail against the ongoing - and unprecedented - construction project going on over our heads . 2831
It 's quite another to feel physically caught up in the process . 2832
Contradicts everything we 've come to expect from movies nowadays . 2833
Instead of simply handling conventional material in a conventional way , Secretary takes the most unexpected material and handles it in the most unexpected way . 2834
Could I have been more geeked when I heard that Apollo 13 was going to be released in IMAX format ? 2835
In a word : No. . 2836
Murderous Maids has a lot going for it , not least the brilliant performances by Testud ... and Parmentier . 2837
Filmmaker Stacy Peralta has a flashy editing style that does n't always jell with Sean Penn 's monotone narration , but he respects the material without sentimentalizing it . 2838
There are a couple of things that elevate `` Glory '' above most of its ilk , most notably the mere presence of Duvall . 2839
It 's light on the chills and heavy on the atmospheric weirdness , and there are moments of jaw-droppingly odd behavior -- yet I found it weirdly appealing . 2840
-LRB- Rises -RRB- above its oh-so-Hollywood rejiggering and its conventional direction to give the film a soul and an unabashed sense of good old-fashioned escapism . 2841
A breezy blend of art , history , esoteric musings and philosophy . 2842
Kids will love its fantasy and adventure , and grownups should appreciate its whimsical humor . 2843
Tsai Ming-liang 's ghosts are painfully aware of their not-being . 2844
Leaping from one arresting image to another , Songs from the Second Floor has all the enjoyable randomness of a very lively dream and so manages to be compelling , amusing and unsettling at the same time . 2845
Sean Penn , you owe Nicolas Cage an apology . 2846
The performances are uniformly good . 2847
She 's all-powerful , a voice for a pop-cyber culture that feeds on her Bjorkness . 2848
It 's a perfect show of respect to just one of those underrated professionals who deserve but rarely receive it . 2849
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 . 2850
The story line may be 127 years old , but El Crimen del Padre Amaro ... could n't be more timely in its despairing vision of corruption within the Catholic establishment . 2851
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 . 2852
It shows us a slice of life that 's very different from our own and yet instantly recognizable . 2853
A wonderfully speculative character study that made up for its rather slow beginning by drawing me into the picture . 2854
Has its share of arresting images . 2855
Leave it to John Sayles to take on developers , the Chamber of Commerce , tourism , historical pageants , and commercialism all in the same movie ... without neglecting character development for even one minute . 2856
Reign of Fire just might go down as one of the all-time great apocalypse movies . 2857
A smart little indie . 2858
Payne has created a beautiful canvas , and Nicholson proves once again that he 's the best brush in the business . 2859
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 . 2860
A riveting profile of law enforcement , and a visceral , nasty journey into an urban Hades . 2861
Director Douglas McGrath takes on Nickleby with all the halfhearted zeal of an 8th grade boy delving into required reading . 2862
Stands as a document of what it felt like to be a New Yorker -- or , really , to be a human being -- in the weeks after 9\/11 . 2863
I am not generally a huge fan of cartoons derived from TV shows , but Hey Arnold ! 2864
The Movie is clever , offbeat and even gritty enough to overcome my resistance . 2865
With not a lot of help from the screenplay -LRB- proficient , but singularly cursory -RRB- , -LRB- Testud -RRB- acts with the feral intensity of the young Bette Davis . 2866
It 's a film that 's destined to win a wide summer audience through word-of-mouth reviews and , not far down the line , to find a place among the studio 's animated classics . 2867
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 . 2868
If you 're not totally weirded - out by the notion of cinema as community-therapy spectacle , Quitting hits home with disorienting force . 2869
Austin Powers for the most part is extremely funny , the first part making up for any flaws that come later . 2870
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 . 2871
Cho continues her exploration of the outer limits of raunch with considerable brio . 2872
Elvira fans could hardly ask for more . 2873
A canny , derivative , wildly gruesome portrait of a London sociopath who 's the scariest of sadists . 2874
The movie should be credited with remembering his victims . 2875
Fast-paced and wonderfully edited , the film is extremely thorough . 2876
A bracing , unblinking work that serves as a painful elegy and sobering cautionary tale . 2877
Hashiguchi uses the situation to evoke a Japan bustling atop an undercurrent of loneliness and isolation . 2878
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 . 2879
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is not only the best date movie of the year , it 's also a -- dare I say it twice -- delightfully charming -- and totally American , I might add -- slice of comedic bliss . 2880
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 . 2881
Another love story in 2002 's remarkable procession of sweeping pictures that have reinvigorated the romance genre . 2882
It 's another retelling of Alexandre Dumas ' classic . 2883
Why ? 2884
Who knows , but it works under the direction of Kevin Reynolds . 2885
-LRB- F -RRB- rom the performances and the cinematography to the outstanding soundtrack and unconventional narrative , the film is blazingly alive and admirable on many levels . 2886
Shiri is an action film that delivers on the promise of excitement , but it also has a strong dramatic and emotional pull that gradually sneaks up on the audience . 2887
Provides the kind of ` laugh therapy ' I need from movie comedies -- offbeat humor , amusing characters , and a happy ending . 2888
After seeing ` Analyze That , ' I feel better already . 2889
A penetrating , potent exploration of sanctimony , self-awareness , self-hatred and self-determination . 2890
This is n't a retooled genre piece , the tale of a guy and his gun , but an amiably idiosyncratic work . 2891
Overall , it 's a very entertaining , thought-provoking film with a simple message : God is love . 2892
It may not be a great piece of filmmaking , but its power comes from its soul 's - eye view of how well-meaning patronizing masked a social injustice , at least as represented by this case . 2893
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 . 2894
Jeong-Hyang Lee 's film is deceptively simple , deeply satisfying . 2895
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 ca n't stand . 2896
George Clooney , in his first directorial effort , presents this utterly ridiculous shaggy dog story as one of the most creative , energetic and original comedies to hit the screen in years . 2897
Even when it drags , we are forced to reflect that its visual imagination is breathtaking 2898
Although commentary on Nachtwey is provided ... it 's the image that really tells the tale . 2899
A life-size reenactment of those Jack Chick cartoon tracts that always ended with some hippie getting tossed into the lake of fire . 2900
Grainy photography mars an otherwise delightful comedy of errors . 2901
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 . 2902
The film is impressive for the sights and sounds of the wondrous beats the world has to offer . 2903
Daily struggles and simple pleasures usurp the preaching message so that , by the time the credits roll across the pat ending , a warm , fuzzy feeling prevails . 2904
... in no way original , or even all that memorable , but as downtown Saturday matinee brain candy , it does n't disappoint . 2905
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 . 2906
Cremaster 3 is at once a tough pill to swallow and a minor miracle of self-expression . 2907
Sex is one of those films that aims to confuse . 2908
Compared to his series of spectacular belly flops both on and off the screen , RunTelDat is something of a triumph . 2909
-LRB- Moore 's -RRB- better at fingering problems than finding solutions . 2910
But though he only scratches the surface , at least he provides a strong itch to explore more . 2911
The powerful success of Read My Lips with such provocative material shows why , after only three films , director\/co-writer Jacques Audiard , though little known in this country , belongs in the very top rank of French filmmakers . 2912
In his debut as a director , Washington has a sure hand . 2913
His work with actors is particularly impressive . 2914
A generous , inspiring film that unfolds with grace and humor and gradually becomes a testament to faith . 2915
Delivers the sexy razzle-dazzle that everyone , especially movie musical fans , has been hoping for . 2916
Vincent Gallo is right at home in this French shocker playing his usual bad boy weirdo role . 2917
Fierce , glaring and unforgettable . 2918
Cletis is playful but highly studied and dependent for its success on a patient viewer . 2919
Like its predecessor , it 's no classic , but it provides a reasonably attractive holiday contraption , one that families looking for a clean , kid-friendly outing should investigate . 2920
Campanella gets the tone just right -- funny in the middle of sad in the middle of hopeful . 2921
Either a fascinating study of the relationship between mothers and their children or a disturbing story about sociopaths and their marks . 2922
... gripping and handsome execution , -LRB- but -RRB- there is n't much about K-19 that 's unique or memorable . 2923
Effective in all its aspects , Margarita Happy Hour represents an auspicious feature debut for Chaiken . 2924
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 . 2925
Standing by Yourself is haunting ... -LRB- It 's -RRB- what punk rock music used to be , and what the video medium could use more of : spirit , perception , conviction . 2926
Not the best Herzog perhaps , but unmistakably Herzog . 2927
Enjoyably fast-moving , hard-hitting documentary . 2928
Rehearsals are frequently more fascinating than the results . 2929
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 . 2930
The film 's constant mood of melancholy and its unhurried narrative are masterfully controlled . 2931
But ... in trying to capture the novel 's deeper intimate resonances , the film has -- ironically - distanced us from the characters . 2932
This is a stunning film , a one-of-a-kind tour de force . 2933
-LRB- Cho 's face is -RRB- an amazing slapstick instrument , creating a scrapbook of living mug shots . 2934
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 . 2935
While not quite a comedy , the film tackles its relatively serious subject with an open mind and considerable good cheer , and is never less than engaging . 2936
An extremely funny , ultimately heartbreaking look at life in contemporary China . 2937
Your response to its new sequel , Analyze That , may hinge on what you thought of the first film . 2938
Davis is funny , charming and quirky in her feature film acting debut as Amy . 2939
Bloody Sunday has the grace to call for prevention rather than to place blame , making it one of the best war movies ever made . 2940
It 's a movie that accomplishes so much that one viewing ca n't possibly be enough . 2941
A lively and engaging examination of how similar obsessions can dominate a family . 2942
In the new release of Cinema Paradiso , the tale has turned from sweet to bittersweet , and when the tears come during that final , beautiful scene , they finally feel absolutely earned . 2943
Faithful without being forceful , sad without being shrill , `` A Walk to Remember '' succeeds through sincerity . 2944
The film is a masterpiece of nuance and characterization , marred only by an inexplicable , utterly distracting blunder at the very end . 2945
The film is full of charm . 2946
The movie is well crafted , and well executed . 2947
If you 're paying attention , the `` big twists '' are pretty easy to guess - but that does n't make the movie any less entertaining . 2948
One of those unassuming films that sneaks up on you and stays with you long after you have left the theatre . 2949
... Pray does n't have a passion for the material . 2950
He nonetheless appreciates the art and reveals a music scene that transcends culture and race . 2951
The one-liners are snappy , the situations volatile and the comic opportunities richly rewarded . 2952
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 . 2953
Fathers and sons , and the uneasy bonds between them , rarely have received such a sophisticated and unsentimental treatment on the big screen as they do in this marvelous film . 2954
This sci-fi techno-sex thriller starts out bizarre and just keeps getting weirder . 2955
Last Orders nurtures the multi-layers of its characters , allowing us to remember that life 's ultimately a gamble and last orders are to be embraced . 2956
It 's affecting , amusing , sad and reflective . 2957
A slight but sweet film . 2958
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 . 2959
It is a happy , heady jumble of thought and storytelling , an insane comic undertaking that ultimately coheres into a sane and breathtakingly creative film . 2960
This new Time Machine is hardly perfect ... yet it proves surprisingly serviceable . 2961
Even at its worst , it 's not half-bad . 2962
Almost everyone growing up believes their family must look like `` The Addams Family '' to everyone looking in ... `` My Big Fat Greek Wedding '' comes from the heart ... 2963
Once folks started hanging out at the barbershop , they never wanted to leave . 2964
Chances are you wo n't , either . 2965
George Lucas returns as a visionary with a tale full of nuance and character dimension . 2966
Can be viewed as pure composition and form -- film as music 2967
An extraordinary dramatic experience . 2968
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 . 2969
That , in itself , is extraordinary . 2970
If you can tolerate the redneck-versus-blueblood cliches that the film trades in , Sweet Home Alabama is diverting in the manner of Jeff Foxworthy 's stand-up act . 2971
It 's a treat watching Shaw , a British stage icon , melting under the heat of Phocion 's attentions . 2972
All in all , an interesting look at the life of the campaign-trail press , especially ones that do n't really care for the candidate they 're forced to follow . 2973
Narc is a no-bull throwback to 1970s action films . 2974
It zips along with B-movie verve while adding the rich details and go-for-broke acting that heralds something special . 2975
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 . 2976
It 's a strange film , one that was hard for me to warm up to . 2977
Goes a long way on hedonistic gusto . 2978
The result puts a human face on Derrida , and makes one of the great minds of our times interesting and accessible to people who normally could n't care less . 2979
The Scorpion King is more fun than Conan the Barbarian . 2980
If there 's one big point to Promises , it 's that nothing can change while physical and psychological barriers keep the sides from speaking even one word to each other . 2981
Unexpected moments of authentically impulsive humor are the hallmark of this bittersweet , uncommonly sincere movie that portrays the frank humanity of ... emotional recovery . 2982
Jacquot has filmed the opera exactly as the libretto directs , ideally capturing the opera 's drama and lyricism . 2983
This is a sincerely crafted picture that deserves to emerge from the traffic jam of holiday movies . 2984
I liked it because it was so endlessly , grotesquely , inventive . 2985
Audiard successfully maintains suspense on different levels throughout a film that is both gripping and compelling . 2986
Credit director Ramsay for taking the sometimes improbable story and making it feel realistic . 2987
This is DiCaprio 's best performance in anything ever , and easily the most watchable film of the year . 2988
Witherspoon puts to rest her valley-girl image , but it 's Dench who really steals the show . 2989
Even when there are lulls , the emotions seem authentic , and the picture is so lovely toward the end ... you almost do n't notice the 129-minute running time . 2990
While dutifully pulling on heartstrings , directors Dean Deblois and Chris Sanders valiantly keep punching up the mix . 2991
Ambitious , unsettling psychodrama that takes full , chilling advantage of its rough-around-the-edges , low-budget constraints . 2992
Eric Byler 's nuanced pic avoids easy sentiments and explanations ... 2993
Manages to be wholesome and subversive at the same time . 2994
When it 's not wallowing in hormonal melodrama , `` Real Women Have Curves '' is a sweet , honest , and enjoyable comedy-drama about a young woman who wants many things in life , but fears she 'll become her mother before she gets to fulfill her dreams . 2995
The film runs on a little longer than it needs to -- Muccino either does n't notice when his story ends or just ca n't tear himself away from the characters -- but it 's smooth and professional . 2996
Blithely anachronistic and slyly achronological . 2997
This starts off with a 1950 's Doris Day feel and it gets very ugly , very fast . 2998
The first five minutes will have you talking 'til the end of the year ! 2999
Triumph of Love is a very silly movie , but the silliness has a pedigree . 3000
Discursive but oddly riveting documentary . 3001
The movie has no respect for laws , political correctness or common decency , but it displays something more important : respect for its flawed , crazy people . 3002
On its own , Big Trouble could be considered a funny little film . 3003
An undeniably gorgeous , terminally smitten document of a troubadour , his acolytes , and the triumph of his band . 3004
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 . 3005
A beautifully observed character piece . 3006
A coming-of-age movie that Hollywood would n't have the guts to make . 3007
It is quite a vision . 3008
There are laughs aplenty , and , as a bonus , viewers do n't have to worry about being subjected to farts , urine , feces , semen , or any of the other foul substances that have overrun modern-day comedies . 3009
A bittersweet drama about the limbo of grief and how truth-telling can open the door to liberation . 3010
A strong and confident work which works so well for the first 89 minutes , but ends so horrendously confusing in the final two 3011
Salma goes native and she 's never been better in this colorful bio-pic of a Mexican icon . 3012
Filled with Alexandre Desplat 's haunting and sublime music , the movie completely transfixes the audience . 3013
As chilling and fascinating as Philippe Mora 's modern Hitler-study , Snide and Prejudice . 3014
An hour and a half of joyful solo performance . 3015
Strange and beautiful film . 3016
No worse a film than Breaking Out , and Breaking Out was utterly charming . 3017
Parker can not sustain the buoyant energy level of the film 's city beginnings into its country conclusion ' 3018
... Despite lagging near the finish line , the movie runs a good race , one that will have you at the edge of your seat for long stretches . ' 3019
... a guiltless film for nice evening out . 3020
Deflated ending aside , there 's much to recommend the film . 3021
It 's a treat -- a delightful , witty , improbable romantic comedy with a zippy jazzy score ... Grant and Bullock make it look as though they are having so much fun . 3022
Performances all around are tops , with the two leads delivering Oscar-caliber performances . 3023
Everything about The Quiet American is good , except its timing . 3024
A savage John Waters-like humor that dances on the edge of tastelessness without ever quite falling over . 3025
At once a testament to the divine calling of education and a demonstration of the painstaking process of imparting knowledge . 3026
May seriously impair your ability to ever again maintain a straight face while speaking to a highway patrolman . 3027
It 's an interesting effort -LRB- particularly for JFK conspiracy nuts -RRB- , and Barry 's cold-fish act makes the experience worthwhile . 3028
They 're just a couple of cops in Copmovieland , these two , but in Narc , they find new routes through a familiar neighborhood . 3029
Brings awareness to an issue often overlooked -- women 's depression . 3030
It 's a shame the marvelous first 101 minutes have to be combined with the misconceived final 5 . 3031
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 . 3032
You can almost see Mendes and company getting together before a single frame had been shot and collectively vowing , ` This is going to be something really good . ' 3033
And it is . 3034
Foster and Whitaker are especially fine . 3035
She is a lioness , protecting her cub , and he a reluctant villain , incapable of controlling his crew . 3036
Undoubtedly the scariest movie ever made about tattoos . 3037
A movie that will wear you out and make you misty even when you do n't want to be . 3038
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 . 3039
Though the story ... is hackneyed , the characters have a freshness and modesty that transcends their predicament . 3040
Although Frailty fits into a classic genre , in its script and execution it is a remarkably original work . 3041
If this movie leaves you cool , it also leaves you intriguingly contemplative . 3042
The climactic events are so well realized that you may forget all about the original conflict , just like the movie does 3043
A rude black comedy about the catalytic effect a holy fool has upon those around him in the cutthroat world of children 's television . 3044
All comedy is subversive , but this unrelenting bleak insistence on opting out of any opportunity for finding meaning in relationships or work just becomes sad . 3045
If a horror movie 's primary goal is to frighten and disturb , then They works spectacularly well ... A shiver-inducing , nerve-rattling ride . 3046
A playful Iranian parable about openness , particularly the need for people of diverse political perspectives to get along despite their ideological differences . 3047
Brilliantly written and well-acted , Yellow Asphalt is an uncompromising film . 3048
That ` Alabama ' manages to be pleasant in spite of its predictability and occasional slowness is due primarily to the perkiness of Witherspoon -LRB- who is always a joy to watch , even when her material is not first-rate -RRB- ... 3049
Personal Velocity has a no-frills docu-Dogma plainness , yet Miller lingers on invisible , nearly psychic nuances , leaping into digressions of memory and desire . 3050
She boxes these women 's souls right open for us . 3051
A fascinating literary mystery story with multiple strands about the controversy of who really wrote Shakespeare 's plays . 3052
Throughout , Mr. Audiard 's direction is fluid and quick . 3053
A dashing and absorbing outing with one of France 's most inventive directors . 3054
It 's a fine , old-fashioned-movie movie , which is to say it 's unburdened by pretensions to great artistic significance . 3055
... flat-out amusing , sometimes endearing and often fabulous , with a solid cast , noteworthy characters , delicious dialogue and a wide supply of effective sight gags . 3056
The Trials of Henry Kissinger is a remarkable piece of filmmaking ... because you get it . 3057
Nachtwey clears the cynicism right out of you . 3058
He makes you realize that deep inside righteousness can be found a tough beauty . 3059
What it lacks in substance it makes up for in heart . 3060
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 . 3061
With its hint of an awkward Hitchcockian theme in tact , Harmon 's daunting narrative promotes a reasonable landscape of conflict and pathos to support the scattershot terrorizing tone 3062
In Auteil 's less dramatic but equally incisive performance , he 's a charismatic charmer likely to seduce and conquer . 3063
The heart of the film is a touching reflection on aging , suffering and the prospect of death . 3064
Will you go ape over this movie ? 3065
Well , it probably wo n't have you swinging from the trees hooting it 's praises , but it 's definitely worth taking a look . 3066
Its director 's most substantial feature for some time . 3067
Fontaine 's direction , especially her agreeably startling use of close-ups and her grace with a moving camera , creates sheerly cinematic appeal . 3068
The Son Of The Bride 's humour is born out of an engaging storyline , which also is n't embarrassed to make you reach for the tissues . 3069
This movie is to be cherished . 3070
... a visually seductive , unrepentantly trashy take on Rice 's second installment of her Vampire Chronicles . 3071
The story 's scope and pageantry are mesmerizing , and Mr. Day-Lewis roars with leonine power . 3072
P.T. Anderson understands the grandness of romance and how love is the great equalizer that can calm us of our daily ills and bring out joys in our lives that we never knew were possible . 3073
Twenty years later , E.T. is still a cinematic touchstone . 3074
This fascinating experiment plays as more of a poetic than a strict reality , creating an intriguing species of artifice that gives The Lady and the Duke something of a theatrical air . 3075
It 's virtually impossible to like any of these despicable characters . 3076
This is mostly well-constructed fluff , which is all it seems intended to be . 3077
Even through its flaws , Revolution # 9 proves to be a compelling , interestingly told film . 3078
The best way to describe it is as a cross between Paul Thomas Anderson 's Magnolia and David Lynch 's Mulholland Dr. 3079
Schepisi , aided by a cast that seems to include every top-notch British actor who did not appear in Gosford Park -LRB- as well as one , Ms. Mirren , who did -RRB- , has succeeded beyond all expectation . 3080
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 . 3081
There is no denying the power of Polanski 's film ... 3082
The movie is amateurish , but it 's a minor treat . 3083
This charming but slight tale has warmth , wit and interesting characters compassionately portrayed . 3084
Offers a persuasive look at a defeated but defiant nation in flux . 3085
A return to pure Disney magic and is enjoyable family fare . 3086
Takes a fresh and absorbing look at a figure whose legacy had begun to bronze . 3087
A triumph of pure craft and passionate heart . 3088
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 . 3089
Witty and often surprising , a dark little morality tale disguised as a romantic comedy . 3090
Even as it pays earnest homage to turntablists and beat jugglers , old schoolers and current innovators , Scratch is great fun , full of the kind of energy it 's documenting . 3091
Got a David Lynch jones ? 3092
Then you 'd do well to check this one out because it 's straight up Twin Peaks action ... 3093
Astonishing ... -LRB- frames -RRB- profound ethical and philosophical questions in the form of dazzling pop entertainment . 3094
Take Care is nicely performed by a quintet of actresses , but nonetheless it drags during its 112-minute length . 3095
It 's hard to fairly judge a film like RINGU when you 've seen the remake first . 3096
Many of the effective horror elements are dampened through familiarity , -LRB- yet -RRB- are worthwhile . 3097
One of the very best movies ever made about the life of moviemaking . 3098
Rarely does such high-profile talent serve such literate material . 3099
An elegant and sly deadpan comedy . 3100
The way the roundelay of partners functions , and the interplay within partnerships and among partnerships and the general air of Gator-bashing are consistently delightful . 3101
Land , people and narrative flow together in a stark portrait of motherhood deferred and desire explored . 3102
` Blue Crush ' swims away with the Sleeper Movie of the Summer award . 3103
You 're not merely watching history , you 're engulfed by it . 3104
A chick flick for guys . 3105
It 's mildly entertaining , especially if you find comfort in familiarity . 3106
But it 's hardly a necessary enterprise . 3107
The Quiet American is n't a bad film , it 's just one that could easily wait for your pay per view dollar . 3108
As home movie gone haywire , it 's pretty enjoyable , but as sexual manifesto , I 'd rather listen to old Tori Amos records . 3109
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 . 3110
Like an episode of MTV 's Undressed , with 20 times the creativity but without any more substance ... indulgently entertaining but could have and should have been deeper . 3111
A sensitive , cultivated treatment of Greene 's work as well as a remarkably faithful one . 3112
It 's not just a feel-good movie , it 's a feel movie . 3113
You feel good , you feel sad , you feel pissed off , but in the end , you feel alive - which is what they did . 3114
It 's a piece of handiwork that shows its indie tatters and self-conscious seams in places , but has some quietly moving moments and an intelligent subtlety . 3115
What makes Barbershop so likable , with all its flaws , is that it has none of the pushiness and decibel volume of most contemporary comedies . 3116
Watching these two actors play against each other so intensely , but with restraint , is a treat . 3117
An example of quiet , confident craftsmanship that tells a sweet , charming tale of intergalactic friendship . 3118
A meditation on faith and madness , Frailty is blood-curdling stuff . 3119
The production design , score and choreography are simply intoxicating . 3120
A comedy that is warm , inviting , and surprising . 3121
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 . 3122
Suspend your disbelief here and now , or you 'll be shaking your head all the way to the credits . 3123
Trades run-of-the-mill revulsion for extreme unease . 3124
... one of the more influential works of the ` Korean New Wave ' . 3125
Implicitly acknowledges and celebrates the glorious chicanery and self-delusion of this most American of businesses , and for that reason it may be the most oddly honest Hollywood document of all . 3126
A beautifully tooled action thriller about love and terrorism in Korea . 3127
Director-writer Bille August ... depicts this relationship with economical grace , letting his superb actors convey Martin 's deterioration and Barbara 's sadness -- and , occasionally , anger . 3128
Victor Rosa is Leguizamo 's best movie work so far , a subtle and richly internalized performance . 3129
Birthday Girl does n't try to surprise us with plot twists , but rather seems to enjoy its own transparency . 3130
smart , funny and just honest enough to provide the pleasures of a slightly naughty , just-above-average off - Broadway play . 3131
Topics that could make a sailor blush - but lots of laughs . 3132
Michael Moore has perfected the art of highly entertaining , self-aggrandizing , politically motivated documentary-making , and he 's got as potent a topic as ever here . 3133
A fine production with splendid singing by Angela Gheorghiu , Ruggero Raimondi , and Roberto Alagna . 3134
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 . 3135
None of this is meaningful or memorable , but frosting is n't , either , and you would n't turn down a big bowl of that , would you ? 3136
The film is a fierce dance of destruction . 3137
Its flame-like , roiling black-and-white inspires trembling and gratitude . 3138
May lack the pungent bite of its title , but it 's an enjoyable trifle nonetheless . 3139
... manages to fall closer in quality to Silence than to the abysmal Hannibal . 3140
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 . 3141
Diane Lane works nothing short of a minor miracle in Unfaithful . 3142
Takashi Miike keeps pushing the envelope : Ichi the Killer 3143
A fantastic premise anchors this movie , but what it needs is either a more rigid , Blair Witch-style commitment to its mockumentary format , or a more straightforward , dramatic treatment , with all the grandiosity that that implies . 3144
Exhilarating but blatantly biased . 3145
Much of what we see is horrible but it 's also undeniably exceedingly clever . 3146
It understands , in a way that speaks forcefully enough about the mechanisms of poverty to transcend the rather simplistic filmmaking . 3147
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 . 3148
... a thoughtful what-if for the heart as well as the mind . 3149
Like its bizarre heroine , it irrigates our souls . 3150
Hawn and Sarandon form an acting bond that makes The Banger Sisters a fascinating character study with laughs to spare . 3151
It 's a fun adventure movie for kids -LRB- of all ages -RRB- that like adventure . 3152
A very capable nailbiter . 3153
Because the genre is well established , what makes the movie fresh is smart writing , skewed characters , and the title performance by Kieran Culkin . 3154
`` White Oleander , '' the movie , is akin to a Reader 's Digest condensed version of the source material . 3155
It 's like going to a house party and watching the host defend himself against a frothing ex-girlfriend . 3156
You do n't want to call the cops . 3157
You want to call Domino 's . 3158
What 's most refreshing about Real Women Have Curves is its unforced comedy-drama and its relaxed , natural-seeming actors . 3159
The low-key direction is pleasingly emphatic in this properly intense , claustrophobic tale of obsessive love . 3160
Secretary is just too original to be ignored . 3161
That rare film whose real-life basis is , in fact , so interesting that no embellishment is needed . 3162
Smart and fun , but far more witty than it is wise . 3163
This is n't a stand up and cheer flick ; it 's a sit down and ponder affair . 3164
And thanks to Kline 's superbly nuanced performance , that pondering is highly pleasurable . 3165
Originality ai n't on the menu , but there 's never a dull moment in the giant spider invasion comic chiller . 3166
Walter Hill 's Undisputed is like a 1940s Warner Bros. . 3167
B picture , and I mean that as a compliment . 3168
This one is not nearly as dreadful as expected . 3169
In fact , it 's quite fun in places . 3170
With elements cribbed from Lang 's Metropolis , Welles ' Kane , and Eisenstein 's Potemkin , the true wonder of Rintarô 's Metropolis is the number of lasting images all its own . 3171
A biopic about Crane 's life in the classic tradition but evolves into what has become of us all in the era of video . 3172
The best of the Pierce Brosnan James Bond films to date . 3173
Thanks to a small star with big heart , this family film sequel is plenty of fun for all . 3174
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 . 3175
It 's about individual moments of mood , and an aimlessness that 's actually sort of amazing . 3176
The people in Jessica are so recognizable and true that , as in real life , we 're never sure how things will work out . 3177
A tone poem of transgression . 3178
Creeps you out in high style , even if Nakata did it better . 3179
Rubbo runs through a remarkable amount of material in the film 's short 90 minutes . 3180
Visually engrossing , seldom hammy , honorably Mexican and burns its Kahlories with conviction . 3181
This is Christmas Future for a lot of baby boomers . 3182
Despite a quieter middle section , involving Aragorn 's dreams of Arwen , this is even better than The Fellowship . 3183
There are scenes of cinematic perfection that steal your heart away . 3184
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 . 3185
The obnoxious title character provides the drama that gives added clout to this doc . 3186
Anyone who welcomes a dash of the avant-garde fused with their humor should take pleasure in this crazed , joyous romp of a film . 3187
The fun of the movie is the chance it affords to watch Jackson , who also served as executive producer , take his smooth , shrewd , powerful act abroad . 3188
Saddled with an unwieldy cast of characters and angles , but the payoff is powerful and revelatory . 3189
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 . 3190
Mr. Caine and Mr. Fraser are the whole show here , with their memorable and resourceful performances . 3191
A frustrating yet deeply watchable melodrama that makes you think it 's a tougher picture than it is . 3192
A giddy and provocative sexual romp that has something to say . 3193
-LRB- Russell -RRB- makes good B movies -LRB- The Mask , The Blob -RRB- , and The Scorpion King more than ably meets those standards . 3194
Otto-Sallies has a real filmmaker 's eye . 3195
This is a smart movie that knows its classical music , knows its Freud and knows its Sade . 3196
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 . 3197
Beautifully reclaiming the story of Carmen and recreating it an in an African idiom . 3198
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 . 3199
A flawed but engrossing thriller . 3200
Demonstrates the unusual power of thoughtful , subjective filmmaking . 3201
Expect no major discoveries , nor any stylish sizzle , but the film sits with square conviction and touching good sense on the experience of its women . 3202
The success of Undercover Brother is found in its ability to spoof both black and white stereotypes equally . 3203
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 . 3204
Cox creates a fluid and mesmerizing sequence of images to match the words of Nijinsky 's diaries . 3205
What Bloody Sunday lacks in clarity , it makes up for with a great , fiery passion . 3206
Its adult themes of familial separation and societal betrayal are head and shoulders above much of the director 's previous popcorn work . 3207
Director Nancy Savoca 's no-frills record of a show forged in still-raw emotions captures the unsettled tenor of that post 9-11 period far better than a more measured or polished production ever could . 3208
The film grows on you . 3209
And how . 3210
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 . 3211
Halloween : Resurrection is n't exactly quality cinema , but it is n't nearly as terrible as it cold have been . 3212
As banal as the telling may be -- and at times , All My Loved Ones more than flirts with kitsch -- the tale commands attention . 3213
Romantic comedy and Dogme 95 filmmaking may seem odd bedfellows , but they turn out to be delightfully compatible here . 3214
The most wondrous love story in years , it is a great film . 3215
Some movies suck you in despite their flaws , and Heaven is one such beast . 3216
My Wife Is an Actress works as well as it does because -LRB- the leads -RRB- are such a companionable couple . 3217
With Spy Kids 2 : The Island of Lost Dreams , however , Robert Rodriguez adorns his family-film plot with an elegance and maturity that even most contemporary adult movies are lacking . 3218
Based on Dave Barry 's popular book of the same name , the movie benefits from having a real writer plot out all of the characters ' moves and overlapping story . 3219
Bouquet gives a performance that is masterly . 3220
A poignant comedy that offers food for thought . 3221
... a series of tales told with the intricate preciseness of the best short story writing . 3222
If you 're content with a clever pseudo-bio that manages to have a good time as it doles out pieces of the famous director 's life , Eisenstein delivers . 3223
This filmed Tosca -- not the first , by the way -- is a pretty good job , if it 's filmed Tosca that you want . 3224
I 'll stay with the stage versions , however , which bite cleaner , and deeper . 3225
While the path may be familiar , first-time director Denzel Washington and a top-notch cast manage to keep things interesting . 3226
An engaging criminal romp that will have viewers guessing just who 's being conned right up to the finale . 3227
The picture runs a mere 84 minutes , but it 's no glance . 3228
It 's a head-turner -- thoughtfully written , beautifully read and , finally , deeply humanizing . 3229
It asks nothing of the audience other than to sit back and enjoy a couple of great actors hamming it up . 3230
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 . 3231
`` Barbershop '' is a good-hearted ensemble comedy with a variety of quirky characters and an engaging story . 3232
Tully is in many ways the perfect festival film : a calm , self-assured portrait of small town regret , love , duty and friendship that appeals to the storytelling instincts of a slightly more literate filmgoing audience . 3233
I like this movie a lot . 3234
I like that Smith , he 's not making fun of these people , he 's not laughing at them . 3235
... the implication is Kissinger may have decided that -- when it comes to truncheoning -- it 's better to give than to receive . 3236
` What 's the Russian word for Wow !? ' 3237
Kiarostami has crafted a deceptively casual ode to children and managed to convey a tiny sense of hope . 3238
I had more fun watching Spy than I had with most of the big summer movies . 3239
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 3240
Murder by Numbers ' is n't a great movie , but it 's a perfectly acceptable widget . 3241
For those of an indulgent , slightly sunbaked and summery mind , Sex and Lucia may well prove diverting enough . 3242
What -LRB- Denis -RRB- accomplishes in his chilling , unnerving film is a double portrait of two young women whose lives were as claustrophic , suffocating and chilly as the attics to which they were inevitably consigned . 3243
A well-done film of a self-reflexive , philosophical nature . 3244
Texan director George Ratliff had unlimited access to families and church meetings , and he delivers fascinating psychological fare . 3245
The rich performances by Friel -- and especially Williams , an American actress who becomes fully English -- round out the square edges . 3246
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 . 3247
A film in a class with Spike Lee 's masterful Do The Right Thing . 3248
Jagger , Stoppard and director Michael Apted ... deliver a riveting and surprisingly romantic ride . 3249
Greengrass -LRB- working from Don Mullan 's script -RRB- forgoes the larger socio-political picture of the situation in Northern Ireland in favour of an approach that throws one in the pulsating thick of a truly frightening situation . 3250
A thought-provoking and often-funny drama about isolation . 3251
Whatever one makes of its political edge , this is beautiful filmmaking from one of French cinema 's master craftsmen . 3252
Mama Africa pretty much delivers on that promise . 3253
It does give you a peek . 3254
The main problem being that it 's only a peek . 3255
Roman Polanski 's autobiographical gesture at redemption is better than ` Shindler 's List ' - it is more than merely a Holocaust movie . 3256
A perfectly respectable , perfectly inoffensive , easily forgettable film . 3257
Romanek 's themes are every bit as distinctive as his visuals . 3258
Beyond the cleverness , the weirdness and the pristine camerawork , One Hour Photo is a sobering meditation on why we take pictures . 3259
Seeing Seinfeld at home as he watches his own appearance on Letterman with a clinical eye reminds you that the key to stand-up is to always make it look easy , even though the reality is anything but . 3260
Speaks eloquently about the symbiotic relationship between art and life . 3261
The work of an artist tormented by his heritage , using his storytelling ability to honor the many faceless victims . 3262
The audacity to view one of Shakespeare 's better known tragedies as a dark comedy is , by itself , deserving of discussion . 3263
This is an exercise in chilling style , and Twohy films the sub , inside and out , with an eye on preserving a sense of mystery . 3264
An uncomfortable experience , but one as brave and challenging as you could possibly expect these days from American cinema . 3265
Hailed as a clever exercise in neo-Hitchcockianism , this clever and very satisfying picture is more accurately Chabrolian . 3266
Funny and also heartwarming without stooping to gooeyness . 3267
At the film 's centre is a precisely layered performance by an actor in his mid-seventies , Michel Piccoli . 3268
The viewer takes great pleasure in watching the resourceful Molly stay a step ahead of her pursuers . 3269
With amazing finesse , the film shadows Heidi 's trip back to Vietnam and the city where her mother , Mai Thi Kim , still lives . 3270
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 . 3271
A heroic tale of persistence that is sure to win viewers ' hearts . 3272
It 's all a rather shapeless good time ... 3273
has far more energy , wit and warmth than should be expected from any movie with a `` 2 '' at the end of its title . 3274
A little better than Sorcerer 's Stone . 3275
A chilling movie without oppressive gore . 3276
A uniquely sensual metaphorical dramatization of sexual obsession that spends a bit too much time on its fairly ludicrous plot . 3277
If you like peace , you 'll like Promises . 3278
Be prepared to cling to the edge of your seat , tense with suspense . 3279
The Ring never lets you off the hook . 3280
Thumbs up to Paxton for not falling into the Hollywood trap and making a vanity project with nothing new to offer . 3281
At once disarmingly straightforward and strikingly devious . 3282
If you like quirky , odd movies and\/or the ironic , here 's a fun one . 3283
Sensitive ensemble performances and good period reconstruction add up to a moving tragedy with some buoyant human moments . 3284
It 's not the least of Afghan tragedies that this noble warlord would be consigned to the dustbin of history . 3285
It 's a lovely , sad dance highlighted by Kwan 's unique directing style . 3286
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 . 3287
This is a visually stunning rumination on love , memory , history and the war between art and commerce . 3288
Short-story quaint , touchingly mending a child 's pain for his dead mother via communication with an old woman straight out of Eudora Welty . 3289
It 's always fascinating to watch Marker the essayist at work . 3290
A quiet family drama with a little bit of romance and a dose of darkness . 3291
The tasteful little revision works wonders , enhancing the cultural and economic subtext , bringing richer meaning to the story 's morals . 3292
Kosminsky ... puts enough salt into the wounds of the tortured and self-conscious material to make it sting . 3293
One of the greatest films I 've ever seen . 3294
Its gentle , touching story creeps into your heart . 3295
About as big a crowdpleaser as they possibly come . 3296
Bound to appeal to women looking for a howlingly trashy time . 3297
Even these tales of just seven children seem at times too many , although in reality they are not enough . 3298
Every child 's story is what matters . 3299
This film can only point the way -- but thank goodness for this signpost . 3300
A poignant and gently humorous parable that loves its characters and communicates something rather beautiful about human nature . 3301
Real Women Have Curves does n't offer any easy answers . 3302
Vampire epic succeeds as spooky action-packed trash of the highest order . 3303
One of the funniest motion pictures of the year , but ... also one of the most curiously depressing . 3304
While somewhat less than it might have been , the film is a good one , and you 've got to hand it to director George Clooney for biting off such a big job the first time out . 3305
Like the chilled breath of oral storytelling frozen onto film . 3306
A charmer from Belgium . 3307
A wild , endearing , masterful documentary . 3308
Jackie Chan movies are a guilty pleasure - he 's easy to like and always leaves us laughing . 3309
Brown Sugar signals director Rick Famuyiwa 's emergence as an articulate , grown-up voice in African-American cinema . 3310
With exquisite craftsmanship ... Olivier Assayas has fashioned an absorbing look at provincial bourgeois French society . 3311
It 's rare for any movie to be as subtle and touching as The Son 's Room . 3312
It has a way of seeping into your consciousness , with lingering questions about what the film is really getting at . 3313
Maelstrom is a deliberately unsteady mixture of stylistic elements . 3314
-LRB- Leigh -RRB- has a true talent for drawing wrenching performances from his actors -LRB- improvised over many months -RRB- and for conveying the way tiny acts of kindness make ordinary life survivable . 3315
-LRB- D -RRB- espite its familiar subject matter , Ice Age is consistently amusing and engrossing ... 3316
The ingenious construction -LRB- adapted by David Hare from Michael Cunningham 's novel -RRB- constantly flows forwards and back , weaving themes among three strands which allow us to view events as if through a prism 3317
Assured , glossy and shot through with brittle desperation . 3318
The bottom line is the piece works brilliantly . 3319
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 . 3320
It is Scott 's convincing portrayal of Roger the sad cad that really gives the film its oomph . 3321
While this movie , by necessity , lacks Fellowship 's heart , Two Towers outdoes its spectacle . 3322
Meyjes ... has done his homework and soaked up some jazzy new revisionist theories about the origins of Nazi politics and aesthetics . 3323
Aside from Rohmer 's bold choices regarding point of view , The Lady and the Duke represents the filmmaker 's lifelong concern with formalist experimentation in cinematic art . 3324
What ` Dumb and Dumber ' would have been without the vulgarity and with an intelligent , life-affirming script . 3325
... a vivid , thoughtful , unapologetically raw coming-of-age tale full of sex , drugs and rock 'n' roll . 3326
You would n't want to live waydowntown , but it is a hilarious place to visit . 3327
Films are made of little moments . 3328
Changing Lanes tries for more . 3329
It does n't reach them , but the effort is gratefully received . 3330
When the movie mixes the cornpone and the Cosa Nostra , it finds a nice rhythm . 3331
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 . 3332
Terrific casting and solid execution give all three stories life . 3333
A hard look at one man 's occupational angst and its subsequent reinvention , a terrifying study of bourgeois desperation worthy of Claude Chabrol . 3334
-LRB- Ramsay -RRB- visually transforms the dreary expanse of dead-end distaste the characters inhabit into a poem of art , music and metaphor . 3335
Frequent flurries of creative belly laughs and genuinely enthusiastic performances ... keep the movie slaloming through its hackneyed elements with enjoyable ease . 3336
At its best , this is grand-scale moviemaking for a larger-than-life figure , an artist who has been awarded mythic status in contemporary culture . 3337
The plot of the comeback curlers is n't very interesting actually , but what I like about Men With Brooms and what is kind of special is how the film knows what 's unique and quirky about Canadians . 3338
10 minutes into the film you 'll be white-knuckled and unable to look away . 3339
It 's a beautiful film , full of elaborate and twisted characters - and it 's also pretty funny . 3340
Could this be the first major studio production shot on video tape instead of film ? 3341
Not since Ghostbusters has a film used Manhattan 's architecture in such a gloriously goofy way . 3342
As tricky and satisfying as any of David Mamet 's airless cinematic shell games . 3343
The universal theme of becoming a better person through love has never been filmed more irresistibly than in ` Baran . ' 3344
Cube 's charisma and chemistry compensate for corniness and cliche . 3345
With lesser talents , High Crimes would be entertaining , but forgettable . 3346
With Freeman and Judd , I 'll at least remember their characters . 3347
As a director , Paxton is surprisingly brilliant , deftly sewing together what could have been a confusing and horrifying vision into an intense and engrossing head-trip . 3348
The film is filled with humorous observations about the general absurdity of modern life as seen through the eyes outsiders , but deftly manages to avoid many of the condescending stereotypes that so often plague films dealing with the mentally ill . 3349
Daughter From Danang sticks with its subjects a little longer and tells a deeper story 3350
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 . 3351
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 . 3352
A distinguished and thoughtful film , marked by acute writing and a host of splendid performances . 3353
Barry convinces us he 's a dangerous , secretly unhinged guy who could easily have killed a president because it made him feel powerful . 3354
Takes you by the face , strokes your cheeks and coos beseechingly at you : slow down , shake off your tensions and take this picture at its own breezy , distracted rhythms . 3355
I do n't feel the least bit ashamed in admitting that my enjoyment came at the expense of seeing justice served , even if it 's a dish that 's best served cold . 3356
It 's a smart , solid , kinetically-charged spy flick worthy of a couple hours of summertime and a bucket of popcorn . 3357
Nothing overly original , mind you , but solidly entertaining . 3358
Changing Lanes is an anomaly for a Hollywood movie ; it 's a well-written and occasionally challenging social drama that actually has something interesting to say . 3359
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 . 3360
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 -LRB- but not sophomoric -RRB- romp through horror and hellish conditions . 3361
Puts a refreshing and comical spin on the all-too-familiar saga of the contemporary single woman . 3362
If you grew up on Scooby -- you 'll love this movie . 3363
Matthew Lillard is born to play Shaggy ! 3364
Though filmed partly in Canada , Paid in Full has clever ways of capturing inner-city life during the Reagan years . 3365
`` Spider-man is better than any summer blockbuster we had to endure last summer , and hopefully , sets the tone for a summer of good stuff . 3366
If you 're a comic fan , you ca n't miss it . 3367
If you 're not , you 'll still have a good time . '' 3368
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 . 3369
The movie is a trove of delights . 3370
Excellent performances from Jacqueline Bisset and Martha Plimpton grace this deeply touching melodrama . 3371
In a summer of clones , Harvard Man is something rare and riveting : a wild ride that relies on more than special effects . 3372
While the humor is recognizably Plympton , he has actually bothered to construct a real story this time . 3373
Jolting into Charleston rhythms , the story has the sizzle of old news that has finally found the right vent -LRB- accurate ? 3374
Who cares ? -RRB- . 3375
An overly melodramatic but somewhat insightful French coming-of-age film ... 3376
Most thrillers send audiences out talking about specific scary scenes or startling moments ; `` Frailty '' leaves us with the terrifying message that the real horror may be waiting for us at home . 3377
Close enough in spirit to its freewheeling trash-cinema roots to be a breath of fresh air . 3378
Skillfully weaves both the elements of the plot and a powerfully evocative mood combining heated sexuality with a haunting sense of malaise . 3379
Damon brings the proper conviction to his role as -LRB- Jason Bourne -RRB- . 3380
For the most part , it works beautifully as a movie without sacrificing the integrity of the opera . 3381
As played by Ryan Gosling , Danny is a frighteningly fascinating contradiction . 3382
This is not Chabrol 's best , but even his lesser works outshine the best some directors can offer . 3383
Despite its flaws , Crazy as Hell marks an encouraging new direction for La Salle . 3384
You 'll end up moved . 3385
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 . 3386
The Woodman seems to have directly influenced this girl-meets-girl love story , but even more reassuring is how its makers actually seem to understand what made Allen 's romantic comedies so pertinent and enduring . 3387
I loved the look of this film . 3388
Those with a modicum of patience will find in these characters ' foibles a timeless and unique perspective . 3389
Beautiful to watch and holds a certain charm . 3390
13 Conversations may be a bit too enigmatic and overly ambitious to be fully successful , but Sprecher and her screenwriting partner and sister , Karen Sprecher , do n't seem ever to run out of ideas . 3391
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 . 3392
Foster breathes life into a roll that could have otherwise been bland and run of the mill . 3393
Quitting offers piercing domestic drama with spikes of sly humor . 3394
Some people want the ol' ball-and-chain and then there are those who just want the Ball and Chain . 3395
-LRB- Barry -RRB- gives Assassin a disquieting authority . 3396
It 's refreshing to see a romance this smart . 3397
At its best -LRB- and it does have some very funny sequences -RRB- Looking for Leonard reminds you just how comically subversive silence can be . 3398
As improbable as this premise may seem , Abbass 's understated , shining performance offers us the sense that on some elemental level , Lilia deeply wants to break free of her old life . 3399
Anyone who ever fantasized about space travel but ca n't afford the $ 20 million ticket to ride a Russian rocket should catch this IMAX offering . 3400
`` The turntable is now outselling the electric guitar ... '' 3401
Transforms one of -LRB- Shakespeare 's -RRB- deepest tragedies into a smart new comedy . 3402
An intelligent and deeply felt work about impossible , irrevocable choices and the price of making them . 3403
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 . 3404
Sayles is making a statement about the inability of dreams and aspirations to carry forward into the next generation . 3405
As Antonia is assimilated into this newfangled community , the film settles in and becomes compulsively watchable in a guilty-pleasure , daytime-drama sort of fashion . 3406
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 3407
On its own staggeringly unoriginal terms , this gender-bending comedy is generally quite funny . 3408
It 's never dull and always looks good . 3409
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 . 3410
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 . 3411
With wit and empathy to spare , waydowntown acknowledges the silent screams of workaday inertia but stops short of indulging its characters ' striving solipsism . 3412
All of it works smoothly under the direction of Spielberg , who does a convincing impersonation here of a director enjoying himself immensely . 3413
The kind of sweet-and-sour insider movie that film buffs will eat up like so much gelati . 3414
With ` Bowling for Columbine , ' Michael Moore gives us the perfect starting point for a national conversation about guns , violence , and fear . 3415
One of the year 's most weirdly engaging and unpredictable character pieces . 3416
One of the best inside-show-biz yarns ever . 3417
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 . 3418
A terrifically entertaining specimen of Spielbergian sci-fi . 3419
A rare and lightly entertaining look behind the curtain that separates comics from the people laughing in the crowd . 3420
Solondz is so intent on hammering home his message that he forgets to make it entertaining . 3421
Whatever heartwarming scene the impressively discreet filmmakers may have expected to record with their mini DV , they show a remarkable ability to document both sides of this emotional car-wreck . 3422
It establishes its ominous mood and tension swiftly , and if the suspense never rises to a higher level , it is nevertheless maintained throughout . 3423
Although What Time offers Tsai 's usual style and themes , it has a more colorful , more playful tone than his other films . 3424
A moving and stark reminder that the casualties of war reach much further than we imagine . 3425
A thoroughly engaging , surprisingly touching British comedy . 3426
A sloppy , amusing comedy that proceeds from a stunningly unoriginal premise . 3427
... a rich and intelligent film that uses its pulpy core conceit to probe questions of attraction and interdependence and how the heart accomodates practical needs . 3428
It is an unstinting look at a collaboration between damaged people that may or may not qual 3429
captures that perverse element of the Kafkaesque where identity , overnight , is robbed and replaced with a persecuted `` other . '' 3430
The actors are simply too good , and the story too intriguing , for technical flaws to get in the way . 3431
An estrogen opera so intensely feminine that it serves as the antidote -LRB- and cannier doppelganger -RRB- to Diesel 's XXX flex-a-thon . 3432
Imamura has said that Warm Water Under a Red Bridge is a poem to the enduring strengths of women . 3433
It may also be the best sex comedy about environmental pollution ever made . 3434
It 's a ripper of a yarn and I for one enjoyed the thrill of the chill . 3435
Naomi Watts is terrific as Rachel ; her petite frame and vulnerable persona emphasising her plight and isolation . 3436
A family film that contains some hefty thematic material on time , death , eternity , and what is needed to live a rich and full life . 3437
With Dickens ' words and writer-director Douglas McGrath 's even-toned direction , a ripping good yarn is told . 3438
Exactly what its title implies : lusty , boisterous and utterly charming . 3439
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 . 3440
A smart , compelling drama . 3441
A must-see for fans of thoughtful war films and those interested in the sights and sounds of battle . 3442
I found myself liking the film , though in this case one man 's treasure could prove to be another man 's garbage . 3443
... Rogers 's mouth never stops shut about the war between the sexes and how to win the battle . 3444
Deliberately and skillfully uses ambiguity to suggest possibilities which imbue the theme with added depth and resonance . 3445
It 's all entertaining enough , but do n't look for any hefty anti-establishment message in what is essentially a whip-crack of a buddy movie that ends with a whimper . 3446
Nicholson 's understated performance is wonderful . 3447
As Warren he stumbles in search of all the emotions and life experiences he 's neglected over the years . 3448
Despite its old-hat set-up and predictable plot , Empire still has enough moments to keep it entertaining . 3449
Another entertaining romp from Robert Rodriguez . 3450
It 's not a classic spy-action or buddy movie , but it 's entertaining enough and worth a look . 3451
I am more offended by his lack of faith in his audience than by anything on display here . 3452
A sharp satire of desperation and cinematic deception . 3453
Tsai convincingly paints a specifically urban sense of disassociation here . 3454
If you can swallow its absurdities and crudities Lagaan really is enormously good fun . 3455
An unorthodox little film noir organized crime story that includes one of the strangest love stories you will ever see . 3456
A pleasing , often-funny comedy . 3457
-LRB- A -RRB- rare movie that makes us re-assess the basis for our lives and evaluate what is truly ours in a world of meaningless activity . 3458
All three actresses are simply dazzling , particularly Balk , who 's finally been given a part worthy of her considerable talents . 3459
An Asian neo-realist treasure . 3460
Plummer steals the show without resorting to camp as Nicholas ' wounded and wounding Uncle Ralph . 3461
It 's a great performance and a reminder of Dickens ' grandeur . 3462
... less a story than an inexplicable nightmare , right down to the population 's shrugging acceptance to each new horror . 3463
I am highly amused by the idea that we have come to a point in society where it has been deemed important enough to make a film in which someone has to be hired to portray Richard Dawson . 3464
A compassionate , moving portrait of an American -LRB- and an America -RRB- always reaching for something just outside his grasp . 3465
An original little film about one young woman 's education . 3466
The film is about the relationships rather than about the outcome . 3467
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 . 3468
One of those terrific documentaries that collect a bunch of people who are enthusiastic about something and then figures out how to make us share their enthusiasm . 3469
An instance of an old dog not only learning but inventing a remarkable new trick . 3470
Rodriguez has the chops of a smart-aleck film school brat and the imagination of a big kid ... 3471
Amy and Matthew have a bit of a phony relationship , but the film works in spite of it . 3472
Garcia and the other actors help make the wobbly premise work . 3473
It 's surprisingly decent , particularly for a tenth installment in a series . 3474
A fascinating , unnerving examination of the delusions of one unstable man . 3475
It 's no accident that The Accidental Spy is a solid action pic that returns the martial arts master to top form . 3476
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 . 3477
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 . 3478
Heartwarming here relies less on forced air than on Petter Næss ' delicate , clever direction ... and a wonderful , imaginative script by Axel Hellstenius . 3479
Makes the case for a strong education and good teachers being more valuable in the way they help increase an average student 's self-esteem , and not strictly in the knowledge imparted . 3480
Steers refreshingly clear of the usual cliches . 3481
`` Home Movie '' is a sweet treasure and something well worth your time . 3482
Highly recommended viewing for its courage , ideas , technical proficiency and great acting . 3483
The movie 's thesis -- elegant technology for the masses -- is surprisingly refreshing . 3484
Scott delivers a terrific performance in this fascinating portrait of a modern Lothario . 3485
... Wallace is smart to vary the pitch of his movie , balancing deafening battle scenes with quieter domestic scenes of women back home receiving War Department telegrams . 3486
Combines sharp comedy , old-fashioned monster movie atmospherics , and genuine heart to create a film that 's not merely about kicking undead \*\*\* , but also about dealing with regret and , ultimately , finding redemption . 3487
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 . 3488
Marshall puts a suspenseful spin on standard horror flick formula . 3489
As lively an account as Seinfeld is deadpan . 3490
Though Lan Yu lacks a sense of dramatic urgency , the film makes up for it with a pleasing verisimilitude . 3491
You may leave the theater with more questions than answers , but darned if your toes wo n't still be tapping . 3492
Take any 12-year-old boy to see this picture , and he 'll be your slave for a year . 3493
But this is not a movie about an inhuman monster ; it 's about a very human one . 3494
At times THE GUYS taps into some powerful emotions , but this kind of material is more effective on stage . 3495
It 's not a motion picture ; it 's an utterly static picture . 3496
What makes it worth watching is Quaid 's performance . 3497
Soderbergh skims the fat from the 1972 film . 3498
What 's left is a rich stew of longing . 3499
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 . 3500
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 . 3501
Hatfield and Hicks make the oddest of couples , and in this sense the movie becomes a study of the gambles of the publishing world , offering a case study that exists apart from all the movie 's political ramifications . 3502
Best of all is Garcia , who perfectly portrays the desperation of a very insecure man . 3503
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 . 3504
A sobering and powerful documentary about the most severe kind of personal loss : rejection by one 's mother . 3505
Often overwrought and at times positively irritating , the film turns into an engrossing thriller almost in spite of itself . 3506
Humorous and heartfelt , Douglas McGrath 's version of ` Nicholas Nickleby ' left me feeling refreshed and hopeful . 3507
Not many movies have that kind of impact on me these days . 3508
A poignant lyricism runs through Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress that transforms this story about love and culture into a cinematic poem . 3509
This is SO De Palma . 3510
If you love him , you 'll like it . 3511
If you do n't ... well , skip to another review . 3512
Rouge is less about a superficial midlife crisis than it is about the need to stay in touch with your own skin , at 18 or 80 . 3513
The moral shrapnel and mental shellshock will linger long after this film has ended . 3514
Unfolds in a series of achronological vignettes whose cumulative effect is chilling . 3515
The movie enters a realm where few non-porn films venture , and comes across as darkly funny , energetic , and surprisingly gentle . 3516
Although the subject matter may still be too close to recent national events , the film works - mostly due to its superior cast of characters . 3517
It 's not going to be everyone 's bag of popcorn , but it definitely gives you something to chew on . 3518
Huppert and Girardot give performances of exceptional honesty . 3519
It has that rare quality of being able to creep the living hell out of you ... 3520
A cautionary tale about the grandiosity of a college student who sees himself as impervious to a fall . 3521
An infinitely wittier version of the Home Alone formula . 3522
Feardotcom 's thrills are all cheap , but they mostly work . 3523
-LRB- Hayek -RRB- throws herself into this dream Hispanic role with a teeth-clenching gusto , she strikes a potent chemistry with Molina and she gradually makes us believe she is Kahlo . 3524
Mr. Deeds is , as comedy goes , very silly -- and in the best way . 3525
You could love Safe Conduct -LRB- Laissez Passer -RRB- for being a subtitled French movie that is 170 minutes long . 3526
You could hate it for the same reason . 3527
With We Were Soldiers , Hollywood makes a valiant attempt to tell a story about the Vietnam War before the pathology set in . 3528
` Moore is like a progressive bull in a china shop , a provocateur crashing into ideas and special-interest groups as he slaps together his own brand of liberalism . ' 3529
Broomfield reveals an ironic manifestation of institutionalized slavery that ties a black-owned record label with a white-empowered police force . 3530
At just over an hour , Home Movie will leave you wanting more , not to mention leaving you with some laughs and a smile on your face . 3531
Stuart 's poor-me persona needs a whole bunch of Snowball 's cynicism to cut through the sugar coating . 3532
But once the falcon arrives in the skies above Manhattan , the adventure is on red alert . 3533
There is greatness here . 3534
Boasts enough funny dialogue and sharp characterizations to be mildly amusing . 3535
Director Juan Jose Campanella could have turned this into an Argentine retread of `` Iris '' or `` American Beauty , '' but instead pulls a little from each film and creates something more beautiful than either of those films . 3536
If you love the music , and I do , its hard to imagine having more fun watching a documentary ... 3537
Nakata 's technique is to imply terror by suggestion , rather than the overuse of special effects . 3538
`` 13 Conversations About One Thing '' is an intelligent flick that examines many different ideas from happiness to guilt in an intriguing bit of storytelling . 3539
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 . 3540
Though an important political documentary , this does not really make the case the Kissinger should be tried as a war criminal . 3541
Cannon 's confidence and laid-back good spirits are , with the drumming routines , among the film 's saving graces . 3542
In its understanding , often funny way , it tells a story whose restatement is validated by the changing composition of the nation . 3543
She may not be real , but the laughs are . 3544
A fiercely clever and subtle film , capturing the precarious balance between the extravagant confidence of the exiled aristocracy and the cruel earnestness of the victorious revolutionaries . 3545
OK arthouse . 3546
The power of this script , and the performances that come with it , is that the whole damned thing did n't get our moral hackles up . 3547
The movie itself is far from disappointing , offering an original take on courtroom movies , a few nifty twists that are so crucial to the genre and another first-rate performance by top-billed star Bruce Willis . 3548
About Schmidt is undoubtedly one of the finest films of the year . 3549
If you 're not deeply touched by this movie , check your pulse . 3550
The charm of Revolution OS is rather the way it introduces you to new , fervently held ideas and fanciful thinkers . 3551
Until its final minutes this is a perceptive study of two families in crisis -- and of two girls whose friendship is severely tested by bad luck and their own immaturity . 3552
Offers the flash of rock videos fused with solid performances and eerie atmosphere . 3553
Filmmakers Dana Janklowicz-Mann and Amir Mann area headed east , Far East , in retelling a historically significant , and personal , episode detailing how one international city welcomed tens of thousands of German Jewish refugees while the world 's democracie 3554
For all its problems ... The Lady and the Duke surprisingly manages never to grow boring ... which proves that Rohmer still has a sense of his audience . 3555
An edifying glimpse into the wit and revolutionary spirit of these performers and their era . 3556
Craig Bartlett and director Tuck Tucker should be commended for illustrating the merits of fighting hard for something that really matters . 3557
The film is saved from are n't - kids-cute sentimentality by a warmth that is n't faked and a stately sense of composition . 3558
This is one of the year 's best films . 3559
A fleet-footed and pleasingly upbeat family diversion . 3560
Sorvino is delightful in the central role . 3561
She nearly glows with enthusiasm , sensuality and a conniving wit . 3562
It 's immensely ambitious , different than anything that 's been done before and amazingly successful in terms of what it 's trying to do . 3563
The story , once it gets rolling , is nothing short of a great one . 3564
Great performances , stylish cinematography and a gritty feel help make Gangster No. 1 a worthwhile moviegoing experience . 3565
`` Mr. Deeds '' is suitable summer entertainment that offers escapism without requiring a great deal of thought . 3566
It 's an ambitious film , and as with all ambitious films , it has some problems . 3567
But on the whole , you 're gonna like this movie . 3568
Chaiken ably balances real-time rhythms with propulsive incident . 3569
This is an extraordinary film , not least because it is Japanese and yet feels universal . 3570
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 . 3571
There 's just something about watching a squad of psychopathic underdogs whale the tar out of unsuspecting lawmen that reaches across time and distance . 3572
A funny and touching film that is gorgeously acted by a British cast to rival Gosford Park 's . 3573
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 . 3574
I 'm not generally a fan of vegetables but this batch is pretty cute . 3575
Qutting may be a flawed film , but it is nothing if not sincere . 3576
Beautifully crafted , engaging filmmaking that should attract upscale audiences hungry for quality and a nostalgic , twisty yarn that will keep them guessing . 3577
A thoughtful and surprisingly affecting portrait of a screwed-up man who dared to mess with some powerful people , seen through the eyes of the idealistic kid who chooses to champion his ultimately losing cause . 3578
A cultural wildcard experience : wacky , different , unusual , even nutty . 3579
Daughter From Danang reveals that efforts toward closure only open new wounds . 3580
It does n't flinch from its unsettling prognosis , namely , that the legacy of war is a kind of perpetual pain . 3581
For most of its footage , the new thriller proves that director M. Night Shyamalan can weave an eerie spell and that Mel Gibson can gasp , shudder and even tremble without losing his machismo . 3582
This is not an easy film . 3583
But it could be , by its art and heart , a necessary one . 3584
A very good film sits in the place where a masterpiece should be . 3585
... spellbinding fun and deliciously exploitative . 3586
It 's Jagger 's bone-dry , mournfully brittle delivery that gives the film its bittersweet bite . 3587
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 . 3588
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 . 3589
One of the smarter offerings the horror genre has produced in recent memory , even if it 's far tamer than advertised . 3590
One of recent memory 's most thoughtful films about art , ethics , and the cost of moral compromise . 3591
the film does n't sustain its initial promise with a jarring , new-agey tone creeping into the second half 3592
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 . 3593
The message is that even the most unlikely can link together to conquer all kinds of obstacles , whether they be of nature , of man or of one another . 3594
Many a parent and their teen -LRB- or preteen -RRB- kid could bond while watching A Walk To Remember . 3595
So could young romantics out on a date . 3596
All leather pants & augmented boobs , Hawn is hilarious as she tries to resuscitate the fun-loving libertine lost somewhere inside the conservative , handbag-clutching Sarandon . 3597
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 . 3598
It 's very Beavis and Butthead , yet always seems to elicit a chuckle . 3599
While this gentle and affecting melodrama will have luvvies in raptures , it 's far too slight and introspective to appeal to anything wider than a niche audience . 3600
Chicago offers much colorful eye candy , including the spectacle of Gere in his dancing shoes , hoofing and crooning with the best of them . 3601
A difficult but worthy film that bites off more than it can chew by linking the massacre of Armenians in 1915 with some difficult relationships in the present . 3602
By and large this is Mr. Kilmer 's movie , and it 's his strongest performance since The Doors . 3603
Some of the most ravaging , gut-wrenching , frightening war scenes since `` Saving Private Ryan '' have been recreated by John Woo in this little-known story of Native Americans and their role in the second great war . 3604
A charming but slight comedy . 3605
Henry Bean 's thoughtful screenplay provides no easy answers , but offers a compelling investigation of faith versus intellect 3606
A great cast and a wonderful but sometimes confusing flashback movie about growing up in a dysfunctional family . 3607
Playing a role of almost Bergmanesque intensity ... Bisset is both convincing and radiant . 3608
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 . 3609
An alternately fascinating and frustrating documentary . 3610
Griffin & Co. manage to be spectacularly outrageous . 3611
Nair 's cast is so large it 's Altman-esque , but she deftly spins the multiple stories in a vibrant and intoxicating fashion . 3612
The movie plays up the cartoon 's more obvious strength of snazziness while neglecting its less conspicuous writing strength . 3613
Poignant Japanese epic about adolescent anomie and heartbreak . 3614
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 . 3615
Secretary is not a movie about fetishism . 3616
It is a movie about passion . 3617
Even though it 's common knowledge that Park and his founding partner , Yong Kang , lost Kozmo in the end , you ca n't help but get caught up in the thrill of the company 's astonishing growth . 3618
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 . 3619
What could have easily become a cold , calculated exercise in postmodern pastiche winds up a powerful and deeply moving example of melodramatic moviemaking . 3620
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 . 3621
The IMAX screen enhances the personal touch of manual animation . 3622
Does an impressive job of relating the complicated history of the war and of filling in the background . 3623
It 's all about Anakin ... and the lustrous polished visuals rich in color and creativity and , of course , special effect . 3624
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 . 3625
But it also has many of the things that made the first one charming . 3626
It 's funny , touching , dramatically forceful , and beautifully shot . 3627
Its rawness and vitality give it considerable punch . 3628
A live-wire film that never loses its ability to shock and amaze . 3629
The year 's greatest adventure , and Jackson 's limited but enthusiastic adaptation has made literature literal without killing its soul -- a feat any thinking person is bound to appreciate . 3630
It 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark . 3631
Brims with passion : for words , for its eccentric , accident-prone characters , and for the crazy things that keep people going in this crazy life . 3632
It 's secondary to American Psycho but still has claws enough to get inside you and stay there for a couple of hours . 3633
The Hours , a delicately crafted film , is an impressive achievement in spite of a river of sadness that pours into every frame . 3634
Fudges fact and fancy with such confidence that we feel as if we 're seeing something purer than the real thing . 3635
This is unusual , food-for-thought cinema that 's as entertaining as it is instructive . 3636
With an expressive face reminiscent of Gong Li and a vivid personality like Zhang Ziyi 's , Dong stakes out the emotional heart of Happy . 3637
Nohe 's documentary about the event is sympathetic without being gullible : He is n't blind to the silliness , but also captures moments of spontaneous creativity and authentic co-operative interaction . 3638
It may not be as cutting , as witty or as true as back in the glory days of Weekend and Two or Three Things I Know About Her , but who else engaged in filmmaking today is so cognizant of the cultural and moral issues involved in the process ? 3639
Secret Ballot is a funny , puzzling movie ambiguous enough to be engaging and oddly moving . 3640
Although devoid of objectivity and full of nostalgic comments from the now middle-aged participants , Dogtown and Z-Boys has a compelling story to tell . 3641
It 's got some pretentious eye-rolling moments and it did n't entirely grab me , but there 's stuff here to like . 3642
Birthday Girl walks a tricky tightrope between being wickedly funny and just plain wicked . 3643
The enjoyable Undercover Brother , a zany mix of Saturday Night Live-style parody , '70s Blaxploitation films and goofball action comedy gone wild , dishes out a ton of laughs that everyone can enjoy . 3644
Brings an irresistible blend of warmth and humor and a consistent embracing humanity in the face of life 's harshness . 3645
Jackson is always watchable . 3646
To the degree that ivans xtc . 3647
works , it 's thanks to Huston 's revelatory performance . 3648
A wild ride of a movie that keeps throwing fastballs . 3649
Confessions is without a doubt a memorable directorial debut from King Hunk . 3650
Weird , vulgar comedy that 's definitely an acquired taste . 3651
A. . . 3652
cynical and serious look at teenage boys doing what they do best - being teenagers . 3653
The film is a very good viewing alternative for young women . 3654
Australian filmmaker David Flatman uses the huge-screen format to make an old-fashioned nature film that educates viewers with words and pictures while entertaining them . 3655
A dazzling dream of a documentary . 3656
A keep - 'em - guessing plot and an affectionate take on its screwed-up characters . 3657
Brave and sweetly rendered love story . 3658
The film proves unrelentingly grim -- and equally engrossing . 3659
A hallmark film in an increasingly important film industry and worth the look . 3660
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 . 3661
If you like blood , guts and crazy beasts stalking men with guns though ... you will likely enjoy this monster . 3662
The difference between Cho and most comics is that her confidence in her material is merited . 3663
Sad to say -- it accurately reflects the rage and alienation that fuels the self-destructiveness of many young people . 3664
There is a strong directorial stamp on every frame of this stylish film that is able to visualize schizophrenia but is still confident enough to step back and look at the sick character with a sane eye . 3665
` Anyone with a passion for cinema , and indeed sex , should see it as soon as possible . ' 3666
Seeks to transcend its genre with a curiously stylized , quasi-Shakespearean portrait of pure misogynist evil . 3667
Mordantly funny and intimately knowing ... 3668
What makes the movie special is its utter sincerity . 3669
Fast and funny , an action cartoon that 's suspenseful enough for older kids but not too scary for the school-age crowd . 3670
One of those rare films that come by once in a while with flawless amounts of acting , direction , story and pace . 3671
The AAA of action , XXX is a blast of adrenalin , rated EEE for excitement . 3672
And Vin Diesel is the man . 3673
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 . 3674
An ambitious movie that , like Shiner 's organizing of the big fight , pulls off enough of its effects to make up for the ones that do n't come off . 3675
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 . 3676
The film 's unhurried pace is actually one of its strengths . 3677
Entirely appropriately , the tale unfolds like a lazy summer afternoon and concludes with the crisp clarity of a fall dawn . 3678
Despite its floating narrative , this is a remarkably accessible and haunting film . 3679
Vibrantly colored and beautifully designed , Metropolis is a feast for the eyes . 3680
Sweetly sexy , funny and touching . 3681
... while Dark Water is n't a complete wash -LRB- no pun intended -RRB- , watched side-by-side with Ringu , it ultimately comes off as a pale successor . 3682
Is truth stranger than fiction ? 3683
In -LRB- screenwriter -RRB- Charlie Kaufman 's world , truth and fiction are equally strange , and his for the taking . 3684
For decades we 've marveled at Disney 's rendering of water , snow , flames and shadows in a hand-drawn animated world . 3685
Prepare to marvel again . 3686
A witty , low-key romantic comedy . 3687
More good than great but Freeman and Judd make it work . 3688
If you 're looking for a smart , nuanced look at de Sade and what might have happened at Picpus , Sade is your film . 3689
Could have been crisper and punchier , but it 's likely to please audiences who like movies that demand four hankies . 3690
Together writer-director Danny Verete 's three tales comprise a powerful and reasonably fulfilling gestalt . 3691
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 . 3692
Its almost too-spectacular coastal setting distracts slightly from an eccentric and good-naturedly aimless story . 3693
In other words , it 's just another sports drama\/character study . 3694
Yet this one makes up for in heart what it lacks in outright newness . 3695
Plus , like I already mentioned ... it 's Robert Duvall ! 3696
C'mon ! 3697
This story of a determined woman 's courage to find her husband in a war zone offers winning performances and some effecting moments . 3698
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 . 3699
A modestly made but profoundly moving documentary . 3700
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 . 3701
Not everything in this ambitious comic escapade works , but Coppola , along with his sister , Sofia , is a real filmmaker . 3702
It must be in the genes . 3703
The performers are so spot on , it is hard to conceive anyone else in their roles . 3704
This slight premise ... works because of the ideal casting of the masterful British actor Ian Holm as the aged Napoleon . 3705
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 . 3706
Although the film boils down to a lightweight story about matchmaking , the characters make Italian for Beginners worth the journey 3707
The dragons are the real stars of Reign of Fire and you wo n't be disappointed . 3708
Kudos to the most enchanting film of the year . 3709
It works well enough , since the thrills pop up frequently , and the dispatching of the cast is as often imaginative as it is gory . 3710
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 . 3711
It 's a powerful though flawed movie , guaranteed to put a lump in your throat while reaffirming Washington as possibly the best actor working in movies today . 3712
Director Paul Cox 's unorthodox , abstract approach to visualizing Nijinsky 's diaries is both stimulating and demanding . 3713
For 95 often hilarious minutes , -LRB- Cho -RRB- riffs on the diciness of colonics , on straight versus gay personal ads , on how men would act if they had periods , and on the perils of a certain outré sexual practice . 3714
Most of the things that made the original Men in Black such a pleasure are still there . 3715
Mostly honest , this somber picture reveals itself slowly , intelligently , artfully . 3716
Best enjoyed as a work of fiction inspired by real-life events . 3717
Those seeking a definitive account of Eisenstein 's life would do better elsewhere . 3718
-LRB- Westbrook -RRB- makes a wonderful subject for the camera . 3719
A film that 's flawed and brilliant in equal measure . 3720
Even if Invincible is not quite the career peak that The Pianist is for Roman Polanski , it demonstrates that Werner Herzog can still leave us with a sense of wonder at the diverse , marvelously twisted shapes history has taken . 3721
Ultimately too repellent to fully endear itself to American art house audiences , but it is notable for its stylistic austerity and forcefulness . 3722
Hardly a film that comes along every day . 3723
A wild ride with eight boarders from Venice Beach that was a deserved co-winner of the Audience Award for documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival . 3724
The film 's only missteps come from the script 's insistence on providing deep emotional motivation for each and every one of Abagnale 's antics . 3725
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 . 3726
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 3727
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 . 3728
For once , a movie does not proclaim the truth about two love-struck somebodies , but permits them time and space to convince us of that all on their own . 3729
If you 're burnt out on It 's a Wonderful Life marathons and bored with A Christmas Carol , it might just be the movie you 're looking for . 3730
It depends on how well flatulence gags fit into your holiday concept . 3731
Moonlight Mile does n't quite go the distance but the cast is impressive and they all give life to these broken characters who are trying to make their way through this tragedy . 3732
It is an indelible epic American story about two families , one black and one white , facing change in both their inner and outer lives . 3733
Not as well-written as Sexy Beast , not as gloriously flippant as Lock , Stock and Two Smoking Barrels , but stylish and moody and exceptionally well-acted . 3734
Quite simply , a joy to watch and -- especially -- to listen to . 3735
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 . 3736
The filmmakers wisely decided to let Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin do what he does best , and fashion a story around him . 3737
A winning and wildly fascinating work . 3738
We do get the distinct impression that this franchise is drawing to a close . 3739
Worth catching for Griffiths ' warm and winning central performance . 3740
The tone errs on the shrill side , tempered by a soft southern gentility that speaks of beauty , grace and a closet full of skeletons . 3741
An interesting psychological game of cat-and-mouse , three-dimensional characters and believable performances all add up to a satisfying crime drama . 3742
A meatier deeper beginning and\/or ending would have easily tipped this film into the `` A '' range , as is , it 's a very very strong `` B + . '' 3743
I love the robust middle of this picture . 3744
The power of Shanghai Ghetto , a documentary by Dana Janklowicz-Mann and Amir Mann , rests in the voices of men and women , now in their 70s , who lived there in the 1940s . 3745
Maintains your interest until the end and even leaves you with a few lingering animated thoughts . 3746
There is a beautiful , aching sadness to it all . 3747
Paul Cox needed to show it . 3748
It is up to you to decide if you need to see it . 3749
If Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood suffers from a ploddingly melodramatic structure , it comes to life in the performances . 3750
If you ignore the cliches and concentrate on City by the Sea 's interpersonal drama , it ai n't half-bad . 3751
There are n't too many films that can be as simultaneously funny , offbeat and heartwarming -LRB- without a thick shmear of the goo , at least -RRB- , but `` Elling '' manages to do all three quite well , making it one of the year 's most enjoyable releases . 3752
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 . 3753
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 . 3754
Samuel Beckett applied to the Iranian voting process . 3755
The Bard as black comedy -- Willie would have loved it . 3756
Another trumpet blast that there may be a New Mexican Cinema a-bornin ' . ' 3757
... 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 . ' 3758
Tadpole may be one of the most appealing movies ever made about an otherwise appalling , and downright creepy , subject -- a teenage boy in love with his stepmother . 3759
This is a story that zings all the way through with originality , humour and pathos . 3760
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 . 3761
It is a challenging film , if not always a narratively cohesive one . 3762
Trapped wo n't score points for political correctness , but it may cause parents a few sleepless hours -- a sign of its effectiveness . 3763
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 . 3764
It 's incredible the number of stories the Holocaust has generated . 3765
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 . 3766
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 . 3767
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 . 3768
Like a skillful fisher , the director uses the last act to reel in the audience since its poignancy hooks us completely . 3769
A film with contemporary political resonance illustrated by a winning family story . 3770
Kids five and up will be delighted with the fast , funny , and even touching story . 3771
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 . 3772
An unsettling , memorable cinematic experience that does its predecessors proud . 3773
Maid in Manhattan might not look so appealing on third or fourth viewing down the road ... But as a high concept vehicle for two bright stars of the moment who can rise to fans ' lofty expectations , the movie passes inspection . 3774
Much of All About Lily Chou-Chou is mesmerizing : some of its plaintiveness could make you weep . 3775
Ferrara 's strongest and most touching movie of recent years . 3776
Spielberg 's first real masterpiece , it deserved all the hearts it won -- and wins still , 20 years later . 3777
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 ... 3778
More than simply a portrait of early extreme sports , this peek into the 1970s skateboard revolution is a skateboard film as social anthropology ... 3779
What I saw , I enjoyed . 3780
The level of acting elevates the material above pat inspirational status and gives it a sturdiness and solidity that we 've long associated with Washington the actor . 3781
A deft , delightful mix of sulky teen drama and overcoming-obstacles sports-movie triumph . 3782
Daringly perceptive , taut , piercing and feisty , Biggie and Tupac is undeniably subversive and involving in its bold presentation . 3783
Delivers more than its fair share of saucy hilarity . 3784
A fairly enjoyable mixture of Longest Yard ... and the 1999 Guy Ritchie caper Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels . 3785
Happily , some things are immune to the folly of changing taste and attitude . 3786
For proof of that on the cinematic front , look no further than this 20th anniversary edition of the film that Spielberg calls , retrospectively , his most personal work yet . 3787
Hugely entertaining from start to finish , featuring a fall from grace that still leaves shockwaves , it will gratify anyone who has ever suspected Hollywood of being overrun by corrupt and hedonistic weasels . 3788
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 . 3789
It 's probably worth catching solely on its visual merits . 3790
If only it had the story to match . 3791
Like other great documentaries ... this goes after one truth -LRB- the Ford administration 's complicity in tearing ` orphans ' from their mothers -RRB- and stumbles upon others even more compelling . 3792
... only Bond can save us from the latest eccentric , super-wealthy megalomaniac bent on world domination and destruction . 3793
The first half bursts with a goofy energy previous Disney films only used for a few minutes here and there . 3794
It 's quite diverting nonsense . 3795
An old-fashioned scary movie , one that relies on lingering terror punctuated by sudden shocks and not constant bloodshed punctuated by flying guts . 3796
For all the wit and hoopla , Festival In Cannes offers rare insight into the structure of relationships . 3797
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 . 3798
Renner ? 3799
s face is chillingly unemotive , yet he communicates a great deal in his performance . 3800
See it for his performance if nothing else . 3801
... the kind of entertainment that parents love to have their kids see . 3802
It 's a fine , focused piece of work that reopens an interesting controversy and never succumbs to sensationalism . 3803
Its engaging simplicity is driven by appealing leads . 3804
Swimming is above all about a young woman 's face , and by casting an actress whose face projects that woman 's doubts and yearnings , it succeeds . 3805
A respectable venture on its own terms , lacking the broader vision that has seen certain Trek films ... cross over to a more mainstream audience . 3806
It 's weird , wonderful , and not necessarily for kids . 3807
An elegant film with often surprising twists and an intermingling of naiveté and sophistication . 3808
Blessed with two fine , nuanced lead performances . 3809
While this has the making of melodrama , the filmmaker cuts against this natural grain , producing a work that 's more interested in asking questions than in answering them . 3810
As a girl-meets-girl romantic comedy , Kissing Jessica Steinis quirky , charming and often hilarious . 3811
Yet it 's not quite the genre-busting film it 's been hyped to be because it plays everything too safe . 3812
You do n't need to know your Ice-T 's from your Cool-J 's to realize that as far as these shootings are concerned , something is rotten in the state of California . 3813
Turturro is fabulously funny and over the top as a ` very sneaky ' butler who excels in the art of impossible disappearing\/reappearing acts 3814
Meant for Star Wars fans . 3815
It is there to give them a good time . 3816
From a deceptively simple premise , this deeply moving French drama develops a startling story that works both as a detailed personal portrait and as a rather frightening examination of modern times . 3817
Simply and eloquently articulates the tangled feelings of particular New Yorkers deeply touched by an unprecedented tragedy . 3818
Provides a very moving and revelatory footnote to the Holocaust . 3819
Terrific performances , great to look at , and funny . 3820
A little uneven to be the cat 's meow , but it 's good enough to be the purr . 3821
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 . 3822
I like it . 3823
There is a freedom to watching stunts that are this crude , this fast-paced and this insane . 3824
That rare documentary that incorporates so much of human experience -- drama , conflict , tears and surprise -- that it transcends the normal divisions between fiction and nonfiction film . 3825
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 . 3826
It 's both degrading and strangely liberating to see people working so hard at leading lives of sexy intrigue , only to be revealed by the dispassionate Gantz brothers as ordinary , pasty lumpen . 3827
A sharp and quick documentary that is funny and pithy , while illuminating an era of theatrical comedy that , while past , really is n't . 3828
The film does a solid job of slowly , steadily building up to the climactic burst of violence . 3829
Fred Schepisi 's tale of four Englishmen facing the prospect of their own mortality views youthful affluence not as a lost ideal but a starting point . 3830
The directive to protect the code at all costs also begins to blur as the importance of the man and the code merge 3831
Overall , Cletis Tout is a winning comedy that excites the imagination and tickles the funny bone . 3832
Easily one of the best and most exciting movies of the year . 3833
The script manages the rare trick of seeming at once both refreshingly different and reassuringly familiar . 3834
An engaging , formulaic sports drama that carries a charge of genuine excitement . 3835
Insomnia is one of the year 's best films and Pacino gives one of his most daring , and complicated , performances . 3836
Like Vardalos and Corbett , who play their roles with vibrant charm , the film , directed by Joel Zwick , is heartfelt and hilarious in ways you ca n't fake . 3837
I do n'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 . 3838
Despite its flaws ... Belinsky is still able to create an engaging story that keeps you guessing at almost every turn . 3839
Each punch seen through prison bars , the fights become not so much a struggle of man vs. man as Brother-Man vs. The Man . 3840
The evocative imagery and gentle , lapping rhythms of this film are infectious -- it gets under our skin and draws us in long before the plot kicks into gear . 3841
Like the best of Godard 's movies ... it is visually ravishing , penetrating , impenetrable . 3842
Horns and Halos benefits from serendipity but also reminds us of our own responsibility to question what is told as the truth . 3843
-LRB- Has -RRB- an immediacy and an intimacy that sucks you in and dares you not to believe it 's all true . 3844
It treats Ana 's journey with honesty that is tragically rare in the depiction of young women in film . 3845
Captivates as it shows excess in business and pleasure , allowing us to find the small , human moments , and leaving off with a grand whimper . 3846
A refreshingly realistic , affectation-free coming-of-age tale . 3847
How good this film might be , depends if you believe that the shocking conclusion is too much of a plunge or not . 3848
Great fun both for sports aficionados and for ordinary louts whose idea of exercise is climbing the steps of a stadium-seat megaplex . 3849
Features one of the most affecting depictions of a love affair ever committed to film . 3850
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 . 3851
One of the best movies of the year . 3852
The usual movie rah-rah , pleasantly and predictably delivered in low-key style by director Michael Apted and writer Tom Stoppard . 3853
A superlative B movie -- funny , sexy , and rousing . 3854
Those prone to indignation need not apply ; those susceptible to blue hilarity , step right up . 3855
Like Mike is n't going to make box office money that makes Michael Jordan jealous , but it has some cute moments , funny scenes , and hits the target audience -LRB- young Bow Wow fans -RRB- - with nothing but net . 3856
-LRB- Dong -RRB- 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 . 3857
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 . 3858
At its best , which occurs often , Michael Moore 's Bowling for Columbine rekindles the muckraking , soul-searching spirit of the ` Are we a sick society ? ' 3859
journalism of the 1960s . 3860
A modestly surprising movie . 3861
A headline-fresh thriller set among orthodox Jews on the West Bank , Joseph Cedar 's Time Of Favor manages not only to find a compelling dramatic means of addressing a complex situation , it does so without compromising that complexity . 3862
There 's a spontaneity to The Chateau , a sense of light-heartedness , that makes it attractive throughout . 3863
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 . 3864
Like any good romance , Son of the Bride , proves it 's never too late to learn . 3865
-LRB- Kline 's -RRB- utterly convincing -- and deeply appealing -- as a noble teacher who embraces a strict moral code , and as a flawed human being who ca n't quite live up to it . 3866
The film , while not exactly assured in its execution , is notable for its sheer audacity and openness . 3867
A thoroughly enjoyable , heartfelt coming-of-age comedy . 3868
Feeling like a dope has rarely been more fun than it is in Nine Queens . 3869
Leigh makes these lives count . 3870
And he allows a gawky actor like Spall -- who could too easily become comic relief in any other film -- to reveal his impressively delicate range . 3871
A lot of fun , with an undeniable energy sparked by two actresses in their 50s working at the peak of their powers . 3872
Promises is one film that 's truly deserving of its Oscar nomination . 3873
What bubbles up out of John C. Walsh 's Pipe Dream is the distinct and very welcome sense of watching intelligent people making a movie they might actually want to watch . 3874
If Reno is to the left of liberal on the political spectrum , her tough , funny , rather chaotic show is n't subversive so much as it is nit-picky about the hypocrisies of our time . 3875
Beautiful , angry and sad , with a curious sick poetry , as if the Marquis de Sade had gone in for pastel landscapes . 3876
Ms. Hutchins is talented enough and charismatic enough to make us care about Zelda 's ultimate fate . 3877
Monte Cristo smartly emphasizes the well-wrought story and omits needless chase scenes and swordfights as the revenge unfolds . 3878
A mesmerizing cinematic poem from the first frame to the last . 3879
-LRB- It 's -RRB- a clever thriller with enough unexpected twists to keep our interest . 3880
An undeniably moving film to experience , and ultimately that 's what makes it worth a recommendation . 3881
Nicole Kidman evolved from star to superstar some time over the past year , which means that Birthday Girl is the kind of quirkily appealing minor movie she might not make for a while . 3882
Vividly conveys the shadow side of the 30-year friendship between two English women . 3883
The story has some nice twists but the ending and some of the back-story is a little tired . 3884
The performances are all solid ; it merely lacks originality to make it a great movie . 3885
Manages to please its intended audience -- children -- without placing their parents in a coma-like state . 3886
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 . 3887
A strong first act and absolutely , inescapably gorgeous , skyscraper-trapeze motion of the amazing Spider-Man . 3888
Driven by a fantastic dual performance from Ian Holm ... the film is funny , insightfully human and a delightful lark for history buffs . 3889
A well-put-together piece of urban satire . 3890
It 's the sweet Cinderella story that `` Pretty Woman '' wanted to be . 3891
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 . 3892
What does n't this film have that an impressionable kid could n't stand to hear ? 3893
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 . 3894
A deeply felt and vividly detailed story about newcomers in a strange new world . 3895
It 's a visual delight and a decent popcorn adventure , as long as you do n't try to look too deep into the story 3896
It 's a feel-good movie about which you can actually feel good . 3897
A full experience , a love story and a murder mystery that expands into a meditation on the deep deceptions of innocence . 3898
The Powerpuff Girls arrive on the big screen with their super-powers , their super-simple animation and their super-dooper-adorability intact . 3899
-LRB- Raimi 's -RRB- 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 . 3900
A new film from Bill Plympton , the animation master , is always welcome . 3901
A devastating indictment of unbridled greed and materalism . 3902
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 . 3903
The film has a kind of hard , cold effect . 3904
The gags are often a stitch . 3905
The asylum material is gripping , as are the scenes of Jia with his family . 3906
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 . 3907
One ca n't deny its seriousness and quality . 3908
Good performances and a realistic , non-exploitive approach make Paid in Full worth seeing . 3909
This engrossing , characteristically complex Tom Clancy thriller is shifty in the manner in which it addresses current terrorism anxieties and sidesteps them at the same time . 3910
Ryan Gosling is , in a word , brilliant as the conflicted Daniel . 3911
... somehow manages to escape the shackles of its own clichés to be the best espionage picture to come out in weeks . 3912
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 . 3913
Takes a simple premise and carries it to unexpected heights . 3914
With few respites , Marshall keeps the energy humming , and his edits , unlike those in Moulin Rouge , are crisp and purposeful without overdoing it . 3915
Its metaphors are opaque enough to avoid didacticism , and the film succeeds as an emotionally accessible , almost mystical work . 3916
Provides a satisfactory overview of the bizarre world of extreme athletes as several daredevils express their own views . 3917
Inventive , fun , intoxicatingly sexy , violent , self-indulgent and maddening . 3918
Comedian , like its subjects , delivers the goods and audiences will have a fun , no-frills ride . 3919
A naturally funny film , Home Movie makes you crave Chris Smith 's next movie . 3920
Pipe Dream does have its charms . 3921
The leads are natural and lovely , the pace is serene , the humor wry and sprightly . 3922
Those who want to be jolted out of their gourd should drop everything and run to Ichi . 3923
... enthusiastically invokes the percussion rhythm , the brass soul and the sense of fierce competition that helps make great marching bands half the fun of college football games . 3924
Sheds light on a subject few are familiar with , and makes you care about music you may not have heard before . 3925
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 . 3926
To get at the root psychology of this film would require many sessions on the couch of Dr. Freud . 3927
Great over-the-top moviemaking if you 're in a slap-happy mood . 3928
Viveka Seldahl and Sven Wollter will touch you to the core in a film you will never forget -- that you should never forget . 3929
The magic -LRB- and original running time -RRB- of ace Japanimator Hayao Miyazaki 's Spirited Away survives intact in BV 's re-voiced version . 3930
From the dull , surreal ache of mortal awareness emerges a radiant character portrait . 3931
Captures the raw comic energy of one of our most flamboyant female comics . 3932
It 's not particularly subtle ... However , it still manages to build to a terrifying , if obvious , conclusion . 3933
The auteur 's ear for the way fears and slights are telegraphed in the most blithe exchanges gives the film its lingering tug . 3934
Bolstered by exceptional performances and a clear-eyed take on the economics of dealing and the pathology of ghetto fabulousness . 3935
This enthralling documentary ... is at once playful and haunting , an in-depth portrait of an iconoclastic artist who was fundamentally unknowable even to his closest friends . 3936
Some remarkable achival film about how Shanghai -LRB- of all places -RRB- served Jews who escaped the Holocaust . 3937
In a movie full of surprises , the biggest is that Secret Ballot is a comedy , both gentle and biting . 3938
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 . 3939
A manically generous Christmas vaudeville . 3940
Tony Gayton 's script does n't give us anything we have n't seen before , but director D.J. Caruso 's grimy visual veneer and Kilmer 's absorbing performance increase the gravitational pull considerably . 3941
A psychic journey deep into the very fabric of Iranian ... life . 3942
It 's a smartly directed , grown-up film of ideas . 3943
While puerile men dominate the story , the women shine . 3944
Unlike lots of Hollywood fluff , this has layered , well-developed characters and some surprises . 3945
For a film that 's being advertised as a comedy , Sweet Home Alabama is n't as funny as you 'd hoped . 3946
For a film that 's being advertised as a comedy , Sweet Home Alabama is n't as funny as you 'd hoped . 3947
Vera has created a provocative , absorbing drama that reveals the curse of a self-hatred instilled by rigid social mores . 3948
A French film with a more down-home flavor . 3949
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 . 3950
While Bollywood\/Hollywood will undoubtedly provide its keenest pleasures to those familiar with Bombay musicals , it also has plenty for those -LRB- like me -RRB- who are n't . 3951
There are times when you wish that the movie had worked a little harder to conceal its contrivances , but Brown Sugar turns out to be a sweet and enjoyable fantasy . 3952
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 . 3953
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 . 3954
Sure , it 's contrived and predictable , but its performances are so well tuned that the film comes off winningly , even though it 's never as solid as you want it to be . 3955
Dong shows how intolerance has the power to deform families , then tear them apart . 3956
The Chateau belongs to Rudd , whose portrait of a therapy-dependent flakeball spouting French malapropisms ... is a nonstop hoot . 3957
The cast , collectively a successful example of the lovable-loser protagonist , shows deft comic timing . 3958
It trusts the story it sets out to tell . 3959
I could n't recommend this film more . 3960
As a good old-fashioned adventure for kids , Spirit : Stallion of the Cimarron is a winner . 3961
An effective portrait of a life in stasis -- of the power of inertia to arrest development in a dead-end existence . 3962
Succeeds as a well-made evocation of a subculture . 3963
... an interesting slice of history . 3964
Me no lika da accents so good , but I thoroughly enjoyed the love story . 3965
Scott Baio is turning in some delightful work on indie projects . 3966
It 's an experience in understanding a unique culture that is presented with universal appeal . 3967
What 's surprising is how well it holds up in an era in which computer-generated images are the norm . 3968
Brings together some of the biggest names in Japanese anime , with impressive results . 3969
Wonder , hope and magic can never escape the heart of the boy when the right movie comes along , especially if it begins with the name of Star Wars 3970
A flick about our infantilized culture that is n't entirely infantile . 3971
An exceptionally acted , quietly affecting cop drama . 3972
Sensual , funny and , in the end , very touching . 3973
Angel presents events partly from the perspective of Aurelie and Christelle , and infuses the film with the sensibility of a particularly nightmarish fairytale . 3974
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 ? 3975
-LRB- A -RRB- smarter and much funnier version of the old Police Academy flicks . 3976
Proof once again that if the filmmakers just follow the books , they ca n't go wrong . 3977
Better effects , better acting and a hilarious Kenneth Branagh . 3978
An excellent sequel . 3979
Both a grand tour through 300 hundred years of Russian cultural identity and a stunning technical achievement . 3980
Just how these families interact may surprise you . 3981
Proves that some movie formulas do n't need messing with -- like the big-bug movie . 3982
A surprisingly funny movie . 3983
This new movie version of the Alexandre Dumas classic is the stuff of high romance , brought off with considerable wit . 3984
Like all of Egoyan 's work , Ararat is fiercely intelligent and uncommonly ambitious . 3985
If a big musical number like ` Praise the Lord , He 's the God of Second Chances ' does n't put you off , this will be an enjoyable choice for younger kids . 3986
... fuses the events of her life with the imagery in her paintings so vividly that the artist 's work may take on a striking new significance for anyone who sees the film . 3987
-LRB- Clooney 's -RRB- debut can be accused of being a bit undisciplined , but it has a tremendous , offbeat sense of style and humor that suggests he was influenced by some of the filmmakers who have directed him , especially the Coen brothers and Steven Soderbergh . 3988
Although made on a shoestring and unevenly acted , conjures a Lynch-like vision of the rotting underbelly of Middle America . 3989
A piquant meditation on the things that prevent people from reaching happiness . 3990
A timely look back at civil disobedience , anti-war movements and the power of strong voices . 3991
Rifkin 's references are ... impeccable throughout . 3992
I 'd be lying if I said my ribcage did n't ache by the end of Kung Pow . 3993
More than their unique residences , Home Movie is about the people who live in them , who have carved their own comfortable niche in the world and have been kind enough to share it . 3994
The movie is ingenious fun . 3995
See it . 3996
The combination of lightness and strictness in this instance gives Italian for Beginners an amiable aimlessness that keeps it from seeming predictably formulaic . 3997
The script is smart and dark - hallelujah for small favors . 3998
An intelligent , multi-layered and profoundly humanist -LRB- not to mention gently political -RRB- meditation on the values of knowledge , education , and the affects of cultural and geographical displacement . 3999
Mr. Polanski is in his element here : alone , abandoned , but still consoled by his art , which is more than he has ever revealed before about the source of his spiritual survival . 4000
Spectacular in every sense of the word , even if you don ' t know an Orc from a Uruk-Hai . 4001
This is n't exactly profound cinema , but it 's good-natured and sometimes quite funny . 4002
This is a finely written , superbly acted offbeat thriller . 4003
Tres Greek writer and star Nia Vardalos has crafted here a worldly-wise and very funny script . 4004
A tasty appetizer that leaves you wanting more . 4005
It gives devastating testimony to both people 's capacity for evil and their heroic capacity for good . 4006
The film reminds me of a vastly improved Germanic version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding -- with better characters , some genuine quirkiness and at least a measure of style . 4007
The difference is that I truly enjoyed most of Mostly Martha while I ne 4008
Morton deserves an Oscar nomination . 4009
A colorful , vibrant introduction to a universal human impulse , lushly photographed and beautifully recorded . 4010
The screenplay never lets us forget that Bourne was once an amoral assassin just like the ones who are pursuing him ... There is never really a true `` us '' versus `` them '' . 4011
The history is fascinating ; the action is dazzling . 4012
They just do n't work in concert . 4013
For those in search of something different , Wendigo is a genuinely bone-chilling tale . 4014
A lovely film for the holiday season . 4015
It remains to be seen whether Statham can move beyond the crime-land action genre , but then again , who says he has to ? 4016
A hypnotic cyber hymn and a cruel story of youth culture . 4017
It 's a fairy tale that comes from a renowned Indian film culture that allows Americans to finally revel in its splendor . 4018
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 . 4019
The performances of the children , untrained in acting , have an honesty and dignity that breaks your heart . 4020
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 . 4021
This rush to profits has created a predictably efficient piece of business notable largely for its overwhelming creepiness , for an eagerness to create images you wish you had n't seen , which , in this day and age , is of course the point . 4022
Adams , with four scriptwriters , takes care with the characters , who are so believable that you feel what they feel . 4023
A completely spooky piece of business that gets under your skin and , some plot blips aside , stays there for the duration . 4024
Superbly photographed and staged by Mendes with a series of riveting set pieces the likes of which mainstream audiences have rarely seen . 4025
The ensemble cast turns in a collectively stellar performance , and the writing is tight and truthful , full of funny situations and honest observations . 4026
Not quite as miraculous as its DreamWorks makers would have you believe , but it more than adequately fills the eyes and stirs the emotions . 4027
A properly spooky film about the power of spirits to influence us whether we believe in them or not . 4028
The lightest , most breezy movie Steven Spielberg has made in more than a decade . 4029
And the positive change in tone here seems to have recharged him . 4030
Like Edward Norton in American History X , Ryan Gosling -LRB- Murder By Numbers -RRB- delivers a magnetic performance . 4031
This is a very funny , heartwarming film . 4032
It has fun with the quirks of family life , but it also treats the subject with fondness and respect . 4033
Rarely , indeed almost never , is such high-wattage brainpower coupled with pitch-perfect acting and an exquisite , unfakable sense of cinema . 4034
The leanest and meanest of Solondz 's misanthropic comedies . 4035
A dark , quirky road movie that constantly defies expectation . 4036
There are some movies that hit you from the first scene and you know it 's going to be a trip . 4037
Igby Goes Down is one of those movies . 4038
Often messy and frustrating , but very pleasing at its best moments , it 's very much like life itself . 4039
A burst of color , music , and dance that only the most practiced curmudgeon could fail to crack a smile at . 4040
An energetic , violent movie with a momentum that never lets up . 4041
Lasker 's canny , meditative script distances sex and love , as Byron and Luther ... realize they ca n't get no satisfaction without the latter . 4042
It turns out to be smarter and more diabolical than you could have guessed at the beginning . 4043
Cage makes an unusual but pleasantly haunting debut behind the camera . 4044
Noyce has worked wonders with the material . 4045
It 's mostly a pleasure to watch . 4046
And the reason for that is a self-aware , often self-mocking , intelligence . 4047
The Chateau is a risky venture that never quite goes where you expect and often surprises you with unexpected comedy . 4048
A very well-meaning movie , and it will stand in future years as an eloquent memorial to the World Trade Center tragedy . 4049
There are n't many conclusive answers in the film , but there is an interesting story of pointed personalities , courage , tragedy and the little guys vs. the big guys . 4050
Vividly demonstrates that the director of such Hollywood blockbusters as Patriot Games can still turn out a small , personal film with an emotional wallop . 4051
A four star performance from Kevin Kline who unfortunately works with a two star script . 4052
Dogtown & Z-Boys evokes the blithe rebel fantasy with the kind of insouciance embedded in the sexy demise of James Dean . 4053
If you do n't flee , you might be seduced . 4054
If you do n't laugh , flee . 4055
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 . 4056
Koury frighteningly and honestly exposes one teenager 's uncomfortable class resentment and , in turn , his self-inflicted retaliation . 4057
The Santa Clause 2 proves itself a more streamlined and thought out encounter than the original could ever have hoped to be . 4058
Now as a former Gong Show addict , I 'll admit it , my only complaint is that we did n't get more re-creations of all those famous moments from the show . 4059
Succeeds where its recent predecessor miserably fails because it demands that you suffer the dreadfulness of war from both sides . 4060
The first Bond movie in ages that is n't fake fun . 4061
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 . 4062
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 . 4063
A weird and wonderful comedy . 4064
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 . 4065
Has the capability of effecting change and inspiring hope . 4066
A first-class , thoroughly involving B movie that effectively combines two surefire , beloved genres -- the prison flick and the fight film . 4067
LaBute 's careful handling makes the material seem genuine rather than pandering . 4068
In between all the emotional seesawing , it 's hard to figure the depth of these two literary figures , and even the times in which they lived . 4069
But they fascinate in their recklessness . 4070
Death to Smoochy is often very funny , but what 's even more remarkable is the integrity of DeVito 's misanthropic vision . 4071
A beautiful , entertaining two hours . 4072
You get the idea , though , that Kapur intended the film to be more than that . 4073
A wonderful , ghastly film . 4074
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 . 4075
Parris ' performance is credible and remarkably mature . 4076
` 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 . ' 4077
Munch 's screenplay is tenderly observant of his characters . 4078
He watches them as they float within the seas of their personalities . 4079
His scenes are short and often unexpected . 4080
It grabs you in the dark and shakes you vigorously for its duration . 4081
Leigh 's daring here is that without once denying the hardscrabble lives of people on the economic fringes of Margaret Thatcher 's ruinous legacy , he insists on the importance of those moments when people can connect and express their love for each other . 4082
Hashiguchi vividly captures the way young Japanese live now , chafing against their culture 's manic mix of millennial brusqueness and undying , traditional politesse . 4083
Uneven but a lot of fun . 4084
I know that I 'll never listen to Marvin Gaye or the Supremes the same way again 4085
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 . 4086
Not as good as The Full Monty , but a really strong second effort . 4087
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 . 4088
If horses could fly , this is surely what they 'd look like . 4089
Unfolds as one of the most politically audacious films of recent decades from any country , but especially from France . 4090
This real-life Hollywood fairy-tale is more engaging than the usual fantasies Hollywood produces . 4091
The graphic carnage and re-creation of war-torn Croatia is uncomfortably timely , relevant , and sickeningly real . 4092
Left me with the visceral sensation of longing , lasting traces of Charlotte 's web of desire and desperation . 4093
The characters are more deeply thought through than in most ` right-thinking ' films . 4094
Crammed with incident , and bristles with passion and energy . 4095
It 's fun , splashy and entertainingly nasty . 4096
A simple tale of an unlikely friendship , but thanks to the gorgeous locales and exceptional lead performances , it has considerable charm . 4097
It might be ` easier ' to watch on video at home , but that should n't stop die-hard French film connoisseurs from going out and enjoying the big-screen experience . 4098
There 's very little sense to what 's going on here , but the makers serve up the cliches with considerable dash . 4099
Witty , contemplative , and sublimely beautiful . 4100
A surprisingly ` solid ' achievement by director Malcolm D. Lee and writer John Ridley . 4101
Woven together handsomely , recalling sixties ' rockumentary milestones from Lonely Boy to Do n't Look Back . 4102
This is pure , exciting moviemaking . 4103
You wo n't exactly know what 's happening but you 'll be blissfully exhausted . 4104
The 1960s rebellion was misdirected : you ca n't fight your culture . 4105
Works because Reno does n't become smug or sanctimonious towards the audience . 4106
Nettelbeck ... has a pleasing way with a metaphor . 4107
A pure participatory event that malnourished intellectuals will gulp down in a frenzy . 4108
The cast delivers without sham the raw-nerved story . 4109
Steven Soderbergh 's digital video experiment is a clever and cutting , quick and dirty look at modern living and movie life . 4110
The film 's highlight is definitely its screenplay , both for the rhapsodic dialogue that jumps off the page , and for the memorable character creations . 4111
It lets you brush up against the humanity of a psycho , without making him any less psycho . 4112
Sillier , cuter , and shorter than the first -LRB- as best I remember -RRB- , but still a very good time at the cinema . 4113
The film is bright and flashy in all the right ways . 4114
Elegant and eloquent -LRB- meditation -RRB- on death and that most elusive of passions , love . 4115
Cut through the layers of soap-opera emotion and you find a scathing portrayal of a powerful entity strangling the life out of the people who want to believe in it the most . 4116
Filmmaker Tian Zhuangzhuang triumphantly returns to narrative filmmaking with a visually masterful work of quiet power . 4117
It excels because , unlike so many other Hollywood movies of its ilk , it offers hope . 4118
Shot in rich , shadowy black-and-white , Devils chronicles , with increasingly amused irony , the relationship between reluctant captors and befuddled captives . 4119
There 's no clear picture of who killed Bob Crane . 4120
But here 's a glimpse at his life . 4121
Spectacularly beautiful , not to mention mysterious , sensual , emotionally intense , and replete with virtuoso throat-singing . 4122
A summer entertainment adults can see without feeling embarrassed , but it could have been more . 4123
Sparse but oddly compelling . 4124
A stirring , funny and finally transporting re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast and 1930s horror films 4125
The Pinochet Case is a searing album of remembrance from those who , having survived , suffered most . 4126
A sweet-tempered comedy that forgoes the knee-jerk misogyny that passes for humor in so many teenage comedies . 4127
Argento , at only 26 , brings a youthful , out-to-change-the-world aggressiveness to the project , as if she 's cut open a vein and bled the raw film stock . 4128
With so many bad romances out there , this is the kind of movie that deserves a chance to shine . 4129
Brash , intelligent and erotically perplexing , Haneke 's portrait of an upper class Austrian society and the suppression of its tucked away demons is uniquely felt with a sardonic jolt . 4130
Though Jackson does n't always succeed in integrating the characters in the foreground into the extraordinarily rich landscape , it must be said that he is an imaginative filmmaker who can see the forest for the trees . 4131
`` The Quiet American '' begins in Saigon in 1952 . 4132
That 's its first sign of trouble . 4133
A dazzling thing to behold -- as long as you 're wearing the somewhat cumbersome 3D goggles the theater provides . 4134
Be patient with the lovely Hush ! 4135
and your reward will be a thoughtful , emotional movie experience . 4136
The large-format film is well suited to capture these musicians in full regalia and the incredible IMAX sound system lets you feel the beat down to your toes . 4137
Godard has never made a more sheerly beautiful film than this unexpectedly moving meditation on love , history , memory , resistance and artistic transcendence . 4138
The kind of movie that comes along only occasionally , one so unconventional , gutsy and perfectly executed it takes your breath away . 4139
Unlike most surf movies , Blue Crush thrillingly uses modern technology to take the viewer inside the wave . 4140
By the end you ca n't help but feel ` stoked . ' 4141
The off-center humor is a constant , and the ensemble gives it a buoyant delivery . 4142
A tasty slice of droll whimsy . 4143
Mike Leigh populates his movie with a wonderful ensemble cast of characters that bring the routine day to day struggles of the working class to life 4144
Awesome work : ineffable , elusive , yet inexplicably powerful 4145
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 ' . 4146
Even if you 're an agnostic carnivore , you can enjoy much of Jonah simply , and gratefully , as laugh-out-loud lunacy with a pronounced Monty Pythonesque flavor . 4147
Where Bowling for Columbine is at its most valuable is in its examination of America 's culture of fear as a root cause of gun violence . 4148
The result is somewhat satisfying -- it still comes from Spielberg , who has never made anything that was n't at least watchable . 4149
But it 's also disappointing to a certain degree . 4150
The all-French cast is marveilleux . 4151
There 's a lot to recommend Read My Lips . 4152
A minor film with major pleasures from Portuguese master Manoel de Oliviera ... 4153
Brosnan gives a portrayal as solid and as perfect as his outstanding performance as Bond in Die Another Day . 4154
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 . 4155
The movie is ... very funny as you peek at it through the fingers in front of your eyes . 4156
Nicks sustains the level of exaggerated , stylized humor throughout by taking your expectations and twisting them just a bit . 4157
A refreshing change from the usual whoopee-cushion effort aimed at the youth market . 4158
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 . 4159
... an enjoyably frothy ` date movie ' ... 4160
The genius of the work speaks volumes , offering up a hallucinatory dreamscape that frustrates and captivates . 4161
Two Weeks Notice has appeal beyond being a Sandra Bullock vehicle or a standard romantic comedy . 4162
The movie 's seams may show ... but Pellington gives `` Mothman '' an irresistibly uncanny ambience that goes a long way toward keeping the picture compelling . 4163
If Mostly Martha is mostly unsurprising , it 's still a sweet , even delectable diversion . 4164
A wild comedy that could only spring from the demented mind of the writer of Being John Malkovich . 4165
Schnitzler does a fine job contrasting the sleekness of the film 's present with the playful paranoia of the film 's past . ' 4166
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 . ' 4167
Mana gives us compelling , damaged characters who we want to help -- or hurt . 4168
The sentimental script has problems , but the actors pick up the slack . 4169
A good documentary can make interesting a subject you thought would leave you cold . 4170
A case in point : Doug Pray 's Scratch . 4171
Abderrahmane Sissako 's Heremakono -LRB- Waiting for Happiness -RRB- is an elegiac portrait of a transit city on the West African coast struggling against foreign influences . 4172
In XXX , Diesel is that rare creature -- an action hero with table manners , and one who proves that elegance is more than tattoo deep . 4173
An engrossing and grim portrait of hookers : what they think of themselves and their clients . 4174
It all plays out ... like a high-end John Hughes comedy , a kind of Elder Bueller 's Time Out . 4175
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 . 4176
This is one of the rarest kinds of films : a family-oriented non-Disney film that is actually funny without hitting below the belt . 4177
It is refreshingly undogmatic about its characters . 4178
A moving and important film . 4179
Deep intelligence and a warm , enveloping affection breathe out of every frame . 4180
Famuyiwa 's feature deals with its subject matter in a tasteful , intelligent manner , rather than forcing us to endure every plot contrivance that the cliché-riddled genre can offer . 4181
Showtime is a fine-looking film with a bouncy score and a clutch of lively songs for deft punctuation . 4182
Sweet Home Alabama is n't going to win any Academy Awards , but this date-night diversion will definitely win some hearts . 4183
a cruelly funny twist on teen comedy packed with inventive cinematic tricks and an ironically killer soundtrack 4184
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 . 4185
Even though many of these guys are less than adorable -LRB- their lamentations are pretty much self-centered -RRB- , there 's something vital about the movie . 4186
A tour de force drama about the astonishingly pivotal role of imagination in the soulful development of two rowdy teenagers . 4187
It is a strength of a documentary to disregard available bias , especially as temptingly easy as it would have been with this premise . 4188
When twentysomething hotsies make movies about their lives , hard-driving narcissism is a given , but what a world we 'd live in if Argento 's Hollywood counterparts ... had this much imagination and nerve . 4189
Maryam is more timely now than ever . 4190
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 . 4191
Piccoli gives a superb performance full of deep feeling . 4192
What a concept , what an idea , what a thrill ride . 4193
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 . 4194
The rare movie that 's as crisp and to the point as the novel on which it 's based . 4195
A film of epic scale with an intimate feeling , a saga of the ups and downs of friendships . 4196
Sayles has an eye for the ways people of different ethnicities talk to and about others outside the group . 4197
`` 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 . 4198
Charlie Hunnam has the twinkling eyes , repressed smile and determined face needed to carry out a Dickensian hero . 4199
Niccol the filmmaker merges his collaborators ' symbolic images with his words , insinuating , for example , that in Hollywood , only God speaks to the press 4200
Khouri manages , with terrific flair , to keep the extremes of screwball farce and blood-curdling family intensity on one continuum . 4201
Impresses as a skillfully assembled , highly polished and professional adaptation ... just about as chilling and unsettling as ` Manhunter ' was . 4202
It 's a solid movie about people whose lives are anything but . 4203
Though a touch too Arthouse 101 in its poetic symbolism , Heaven proves to be a good match of the sensibilities of two directors . 4204
I simply ca n't recommend it enough . 4205
Wiseman reveals the victims of domestic abuse in all of their pity and terror . 4206
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 . 4207
We want the funk - and this movie 's got it . 4208
Wow , so who knew Charles Dickens could be so light-hearted ? 4209
Many went to see the attraction for the sole reason that it was hot outside and there was air conditioning inside , and I do n't think that A.C. will help this movie one bit . 4210
The storylines are woven together skilfully , the magnificent swooping aerial shots are breathtaking , and the overall experience is awesome . 4211
A miraculous movie , I 'm Going Home is so slight , yet overflows with wisdom and emotion . 4212
Baran is shockingly devoid of your typical Majid Majidi shoe-loving , crippled children . 4213
Every moment crackles with tension , and by the end of the flick , you 're on the edge of your seat . 4214
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 . 4215
The series ' message about making the right choice in the face of tempting alternatives remains prominent , as do the girls ' amusing personalities . 4216
Richly entertaining and suggestive of any number of metaphorical readings . 4217
A compelling allegory about the last days of Germany 's democratic Weimar Republic . 4218
Offers a guilt-free trip into feel-good territory . 4219
A B-movie you can sit through , enjoy on a certain level and then forget . 4220
Devos delivers a perfect performance that captures the innocence and budding demons within a wallflower . 4221
Disappointingly , the characters are too strange and dysfunctional , Tom included , to ever get under the skin , but this is compensated in large part by the off-the-wall dialogue , visual playfulness and the outlandishness of the idea itself . 4222
Director Todd Solondz has made a movie about critical reaction to his two previous movies , and about his responsibility to the characters that he creates . 4223
The word that comes to mind , while watching Eric Rohmer 's tribute to a courageous Scottish lady , is painterly . 4224
A fascinating case study of flower-power liberation -- and the price that was paid for it . 4225
Bluer than the Atlantic and more biologically detailed than an autopsy , the movie ... is , also , frequently hilarious . 4226
Really is a pan-American movie , with moments of genuine insight into the urban heart . 4227
An overly familiar scenario is made fresh by an intelligent screenplay and gripping performances in this low-budget , video-shot , debut indie effort . 4228
Peppering this urban study with references to Norwegian folktales , Villeneuve creates in Maelstrom a world where the bizarre is credible and the real turns magical . 4229
Ong 's promising debut is a warm and well-told tale of one recent Chinese immigrant 's experiences in New York City . 4230
That the real Antwone Fisher was able to overcome his personal obstacles and become a good man is a wonderful thing ; that he has been able to share his story so compellingly with us is a minor miracle . 4231
There 's not much to Fatale , outside of its stylish surprises ... but that 's OK . 4232
What redeems the film is the cast , particularly the Ya-Yas themselves . 4233
Beautiful , cold , oddly colorful and just plain otherworldly , a freaky bit of art that 's there to scare while we delight in the images . 4234
It 's up to -LRB- Watts -RRB- to lend credibility to this strange scenario , and her presence succeeds in making us believe . 4235
The film is darkly atmospheric , with Herrmann quietly suggesting the sadness and obsession beneath Hearst 's forced avuncular chortles . 4236
Shyamalan takes a potentially trite and overused concept -LRB- aliens come to Earth -RRB- and infuses it into a rustic , realistic , and altogether creepy tale of hidden invasion . 4237
... the story , like Ravel 's Bolero , builds to a crescendo that encompasses many more paths than we started with . 4238
It 's plotless , shapeless -- and yet , it must be admitted , not entirely humorless . 4239
Indeed , the more outrageous bits achieve a shock-you-into-laughter intensity of almost Dadaist proportions . 4240
Gondry 's direction is adequate ... but what gives Human Nature its unique feel is Kaufman 's script . 4241
The film 's plot may be shallow , but you 've never seen the deep like you see it in these harrowing surf shots . 4242
With a large cast representing a broad cross-section , Tavernier 's film bounds along with the rat-a-tat energy of `` His Girl Friday , '' maintaining a light touch while tackling serious themes . 4243
The observations of this social\/economic\/urban environment are canny and spiced with irony . 4244
Renner carries much of the film with a creepy and dead-on performance . 4245
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 . 4246
The spaniel-eyed Jean Reno infuses Hubert with a mixture of deadpan cool , wry humor and just the measure of tenderness required to give this comic slugfest some heart . 4247
Aniston has at last decisively broken with her Friends image in an independent film of satiric fire and emotional turmoil . 4248
A mildly enjoyable if toothless adaptation of a much better book . 4249
Unexpected , and often contradictory , truths emerge . 4250
300 years of Russian history and culture compressed into an evanescent , seamless and sumptuous stream of consciousness . 4251
Intelligent , caustic take on a great writer and dubious human being . 4252
May take its sweet time to get wherever it 's going , but if you have the patience for it , you wo n't feel like it 's wasted yours . 4253
Less the sensational true-crime hell-jaunt purists might like and more experimental in its storytelling -LRB- though no less horrifying for it -RRB- . 4254
The film is one of the year 's best . 4255
Eerily accurate depiction of depression . 4256
... a delicious crime drama on par with the slickest of Mamet . 4257
Charming and witty , it 's also somewhat clumsy . 4258
Directed with purpose and finesse by England 's Roger Mitchell , who handily makes the move from pleasing , relatively lightweight commercial fare such as Notting Hill to commercial fare with real thematic heft . 4259
Escapes the precious trappings of most romantic comedies , infusing into the story very real , complicated emotions . 4260
This big screen caper has a good bark , far from being a bow-wow . 4261
-LRB- Allen -RRB- manages to breathe life into this somewhat tired premise . 4262
I have two words to say about Reign of Fire . 4263
Great dragons ! 4264
By surrounding us with hyper-artificiality , Haynes makes us see familiar issues , like racism and homophobia , in a fresh way . 4265
A deliberative account of a lifestyle characterized by its surface-obsession -- one that typifies the delirium of post , pre , and extant stardom . 4266
Superb production values & Christian Bale 's charisma make up for a derivative plot . 4267
The film has the courage of its convictions and excellent performances on its side . 4268
I know I should n't have laughed , but hey , those farts got to my inner nine-year-old . 4269
A movie that will thrill you , touch you and make you laugh as well . 4270
It 's a smart , funny look at an arcane area of popular culture , and if it is n't entirely persuasive , it does give exposure to some talented performers . 4271
More vaudeville show than well-constructed narrative , but on those terms it 's inoffensive and actually rather sweet . 4272
The case is a convincing one , and should give anyone with a conscience reason to pause . 4273
The actresses find their own rhythm and protect each other from the script 's bad ideas and awkwardness . 4274
Diverting French comedy in which a husband has to cope with the pesky moods of jealousy . 4275
Captivates and shows how a skillful filmmaker can impart a message without bludgeoning the audience over the head . 4276
There is a welcome lack of pretension about the film , which very simply sets out to entertain and ends up delivering in good measure . 4277
Coy but exhilarating , with really solid performances by Ving Rhames and Wesley Snipes . 4278
It is a likable story , told with competence . 4279
Not only does Spider-Man deliver , but I suspect it might deliver again and again . 4280
Tackles the difficult subject of grief and loss with such life-embracing spirit that the theme does n't drag an audience down . 4281
A small movie with a big impact . 4282
The movie , despite its rough edges and a tendency to sag in certain places , is wry and engrossing . 4283
I admire the closing scenes of the film , which seem to ask whether our civilization offers a cure for Vincent 's complaint . 4284
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 . 4285
a delightful romantic comedy with plenty of bite . 4286
It 's far from a frothy piece , and the characters are complex , laden with plenty of baggage and tinged with tragic undertones . 4287
Using an endearing cast , writer\/director Dover Kosashvili takes a slightly dark look at relationships , both sexual and kindred . 4288
When a movie has stuck around for this long , you know there 's something there . 4289
It 's that good . 4290
Smart , sassy interpretation of the Oscar Wilde play . 4291
Forget about one Oscar nomination for Julianne Moore this year - she should get all five . 4292
Japanese director Shohei Imamura 's latest film is an odd but ultimately satisfying blend of the sophomoric and the sublime . 4293
Kwan is a master of shadow , quietude , and room noise , and Lan Yu is a disarmingly lived-in movie . 4294
While the plot follows a predictable connect-the-dots course ... director John Schultz colors the picture in some evocative shades . 4295
Katz 's documentary does n't have much panache , but with material this rich it does n't need it . 4296
We get an image of Big Papa spanning history , rather than suspending it . 4297
Evelyn 's strong cast and surehanded direction make for a winning , heartwarming yarn . 4298
A conventional but heartwarming tale . 4299
This is one of the outstanding thrillers of recent years . 4300
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 . 4301
A film of quiet power . 4302
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 . 4303
An intelligent romantic thriller of a very old-school kind of quality . 4304
The sword fighting is well done and Auteuil is a goofy pleasure . 4305
Yes , MIBII is rote work and predictable , but with a philosophical visual coming right at the end that extravagantly redeems it . 4306
Film ca n't quite maintain its initial momentum , but remains sporadically funny throughout . 4307
O Fantasma is boldly , confidently orchestrated , aesthetically and sexually , and its impact is deeply and rightly disturbing . 4308
It 's still Adam Sandler , and it 's not Little Nicky . 4309
And for many of us , that 's good enough . 4310
Here 's yet another cool crime movie that actually manages to bring something new into the mix . 4311
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 . 4312
Kaufman and Jonze take huge risks to ponder the whole notion of passion -- our desire as human beings for passion in our lives and the emptiness one feels when it is missing . 4313
It tends to remind one of a really solid Woody Allen film , with its excellent use of New York locales and sharp writing 4314
While centered on the life experiences of a particular theatrical family , this marvelous documentary touches -- ever so gracefully -- on the entire history of the Yiddish theater , both in America and Israel . 4315
The film , despite the gratuitous cinematic distractions impressed upon it , is still good fun . 4316
The immersive powers of the giant screen and its hyper-realistic images are put to perfect use in the breathtakingly beautiful outer-space documentary Space Station 3D . 4317
Has an unmistakable , easy joie de vivre . 4318
More than anything else , Kissing Jessica Stein injects freshness and spirit into the romantic comedy genre , which has been held hostage by generic scripts that seek to remake Sleepless in Seattle again and again . 4319
This movie has the usual impossible stunts ... But it has just as many scenes that are lean and tough enough to fit in any modern action movie . 4320
Mostly works because of the universal themes , earnest performances ... and excellent use of music by India 's popular Gulzar and Jagjit Singh . 4321
... the one thing this Wild film has that other Imax films do n't : chimps , lots of chimps , all blown up to the size of a house . 4322
That 's fun for kids of any age . 4323
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 . 4324
Rarely have I seen a film so willing to champion the fallibility of the human heart . 4325
Holofcener rejects patent solutions to dramatize life 's messiness from inside out , in all its strange quirks . 4326
Like The Full Monty , this is sure to raise audience 's spirits and leave them singing long after the credits roll . 4327
... a gleefully grungy , hilariously wicked black comedy ... 4328
Kinnear and Dafoe give what may be the performances of their careers . 4329
All in all , a great party . 4330
A moving story of determination and the human spirit . 4331
`` Brown Sugar '' admirably aspires to be more than another `` Best Man '' clone by weaving a theme throughout this funny film . 4332
-LRB- Gulpilil -RRB- is a commanding screen presence , and his character 's abundant humanism makes him the film 's moral compass . 4333
An effortlessly accomplished and richly resonant work . 4334
In some ways , Lagaan is quintessential Bollywood . 4335
Except it 's much , much better . 4336
Though it never rises to its full potential as a film , still offers a great deal of insight into the female condition and the timeless danger of emotions repressed . 4337
Scotland looks wonderful , the fans are often funny fanatics , the showdown sure beats a bad day of golf . 4338
What enlivens this film , beyond the astute direction of Cardoso and beautifully detailed performances by all of the actors , is a note of defiance over social dictates . 4339
The emotion is impressively true for being so hot-blooded , and both leads are up to the task . 4340
Although it lacks the detail of the book , the film does pack some serious suspense . 4341
I 'd watch these two together again in a New York minute . 4342
There 's nothing like love to give a movie a B-12 shot , and CQ shimmers with it . 4343
A moving essay about the specter of death , especially suicide . 4344
This film is so different from The Apple and so striking that it can only encourage us to see Samira Makhmalbaf as a very distinctive sensibility , working to develop her own film language with conspicuous success . 4345
Like a less dizzily gorgeous companion to Mr. Wong 's In the Mood for Love -- very much a Hong Kong movie despite its mainland setting . 4346
... a somber film , almost completely unrelieved by any comedy beyond the wistful everyday ironies of the working poor . 4347
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 . 4348
The overall result is an intelligent , realistic portrayal of testing boundaries . 4349
Poignant and moving , A Walk to Remember is an inspirational love story , capturing the innocence and idealism of that first encounter . 4350
Worth a salute just for trying to be more complex than your average film . 4351
Handsome and sophisticated approach to the workplace romantic comedy . 4352
A shimmeringly lovely coming-of-age portrait , shot in artful , watery tones of blue , green and brown . 4353
While Cherish does n'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 . 4354
In many ways , reminiscent of 1992 's Unforgiven which also utilized the scintillating force of its actors to draw out the menace of its sparse dialogue . 4355
We admire this film for its harsh objectivity and refusal to seek our tears , our sympathies . 4356
An often watchable , though goofy and lurid , blast of a costume drama set in the late 15th century . 4357
The entire cast is first-rate , especially Sorvino . 4358
The Cat 's Meow marks a return to form for director Peter Bogdanovich ... 4359
This one is strictly a lightweight escapist film . 4360
This sensitive , smart , savvy , compelling coming-of-age drama delves into the passive-aggressive psychology of co-dependence and the struggle for self-esteem . 4361
The culmination of everyone 's efforts is given life when A Selection appears in its final form -LRB- in `` Last Dance '' -RRB- . 4362
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 . 4363
A very charming and funny movie . 4364
This is a film that manages to find greatness in the hue of its drastic iconography . 4365
Streamlined to a tight , brisk 85-minute screwball thriller , `` Big Trouble '' is funny , harmless and as substantial as a tub of popcorn with extra butter . 4366
Consummate actor Barry has done excellent work here . 4367
The biggest problem with this movie is that it 's not nearly long enough . 4368
While not all that bad of a movie , it 's nowhere near as good as the original . 4369
Ali 's graduation from little screen to big is far less painful than his opening scene encounter with an over-amorous terrier . 4370
I have always appreciated a smartly written motion picture , and , whatever flaws Igby Goes Down may possess , it is undeniably that . 4371
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 . 4372
May be the most undeserving victim of critical overkill since Town and Country . 4373
A chilly , brooding but quietly resonant psychological study of domestic tension and unhappiness . 4374
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 . 4375
Cold , nervy and memorable . 4376
Becomes a fascinating study of isolation and frustration that successfully recreates both the physical setting and emotional tensions of the Papin sisters . 4377
Spend your Benjamins on a matinee . 4378
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 . 4379
Worth seeing just for Weaver and LaPaglia . 4380
A pleasant piece of escapist entertainment . 4381
Among the many pleasures are the lively intelligence of the artists and their perceptiveness about their own situations . 4382
It 's consistently funny , in an irresistible junior-high way , and consistently free of any gag that would force you to give it a millisecond of thought . 4383
It 's the cute frissons of discovery and humor between Chaplin and Kidman that keep this nicely wound clock not just ticking , but humming . 4384
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 . 4385
There 's something about a marching band that gets me where I live . 4386
Cuaron repeatedly , perversely undercuts the joie de vivre even as he creates it , giving the movie a mournful undercurrent that places the good-time shenanigans in welcome perspective . 4387
It 's definitely an improvement on the first Blade , since it does n't take itself so deadly seriously . 4388
A slam-bang extravaganza that is all about a wild-and-woolly , wall-to-wall good time . 4389
What 's infuriating about Full Frontal is that it 's too close to real life to make sense . 4390
What 's invigorating about it is that it does n't give a damn . 4391
Is Red Dragon worthy of a place alongside the other Hannibal movies ? 4392
As Hannibal would say , yes , ` It 's like having an old friend for dinner ' . 4393
Writer-director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo makes a feature debut that is fully formed and remarkably assured . 4394
insightfully written , delicately performed 4395
Perhaps the grossest movie ever made . 4396
Funny , though . 4397
This 90-minute postmodern voyage was more diverting and thought-provoking than I 'd expected it to be . 4398
One of those exceedingly rare films in which the talk alone is enough to keep us involved . 4399
A heartbreakingly thoughtful minor classic , the work of a genuine and singular artist . 4400
An affectionately goofy satire that 's unafraid to throw elbows when necessary ... 4401
Between them , De Niro and Murphy make Showtime the most savory and hilarious guilty pleasure of many a recent movie season . 4402
Jackson tries to keep the plates spinning as best he can , but all the bouncing back and forth ca n't help but become a bit tedious -- even with the breathtaking landscapes and villainous varmints there to distract you from the ricocheting . 4403
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 . 4404
Interesting both as a historical study and as a tragic love story . 4405
A stylish but steady , and ultimately very satisfying , piece of character-driven storytelling . 4406
It picked me up , swung me around , and dropped me back in my seat with more emotional force than any other recent film . 4407
Graham Greene 's novel of colonialism and empire is elevated by Michael Caine 's performance as a weary journalist in a changing world . 4408
Though it 's equally solipsistic in tone , the movie has enough vitality to justify the notion of creating a screen adaptation of Evans ' saga of Hollywood excess . 4409
Compulsively watchable , no matter how degraded things get . 4410
Delivers roughly equal amounts of beautiful movement and inside information . 4411
Bon appétit ! 4412
Just like a splendid meal , Red Dragon satisfies -- from its ripe recipe , inspiring ingredients , certified cuisine and palatable presentation . 4413
The structure is simple , but in its own way , Rabbit-Proof Fence is a quest story as grand as The Lord of the Rings . 4414
This charming , thought-provoking New York fest of life and love has its rewards . 4415
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 . 4416
Playfully profound ... and crazier than Michael Jackson on the top floor of a skyscraper nursery surrounded by open windows . 4417
A film that will enthrall the whole family . 4418
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 . 4419
K 19 stays afloat as decent drama\/action flick 4420
It sends you away a believer again and quite cheered at just that . 4421
Like the best 60 Minutes exposé , the film -LRB- at 80 minutes -RRB- is actually quite entertaining . 4422
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 4423
An emotionally and spiritually compelling journey seen through the right eyes , with the right actors and with the kind of visual flair that shows what great cinema can really do . 4424
Nair does n't use -LRB- Monsoon Wedding -RRB- to lament the loss of culture . 4425
Instead , she sees it as a chance to revitalize what is and always has been remarkable about clung-to traditions . 4426
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 . 4427
Leading a double life in an American film only comes to no good , but not here . 4428
Matters play out realistically if not always fairly . 4429
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 . 4430
Like Mike is a harmlessly naïve slice of b-ball fantasy , fit for filling in during the real NBA 's off-season . 4431
Though writer\/director Bart Freundlich 's film ultimately becomes a simplistic story about a dysfunctional parent-child relationship , it has some special qualities and the soulful gravity of Crudup 's anchoring performance . 4432
What the movie lacks in action it more than makes up for in drama , suspense , revenge , and romance . 4433
Just offbeat enough to keep you interested without coming close to bowling you over . 4434
Probes in a light-hearted way the romantic problems of individuals for whom the yearning for passion spells discontent . 4435
What elevates the movie above the run-of-the-mill singles blender is its surreal sense of humor and technological finish . 4436
A film about female friendship that men can embrace and women will talk about for hours . 4437
The directing and story are disjointed , flaws that have to be laid squarely on Taylor 's doorstep . 4438
But the actors make this worth a peek . 4439
Light the candles , bring out the cake and do n't fret about the calories because there 's precious little substance in Birthday Girl -- it 's simply , and surprisingly , a nice , light treat . 4440
It may be about drug dealers , kidnapping , and unsavory folks , but the tone and pacing are shockingly intimate . 4441
Massoud 's story is an epic , but also a tragedy , the record of a tenacious , humane fighter who was also the prisoner -LRB- and ultimately the victim -RRB- of history . 4442
If villainous vampires are your cup of blood , Blade 2 is definitely a cut above the rest . 4443
Drumline ably captures the complicated relationships in a marching band . 4444
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 . 4445
Does point the way for adventurous Indian filmmakers toward a crossover into nonethnic markets . 4446
Seems based on ugly ideas instead of ugly behavior , as Happiness was ... Hence , Storytelling is far more appealing . 4447
`` Sum '' is Jack Ryan 's `` do-over . '' 4448
Give credit to everyone from Robinson down to the key grip that this bold move works . 4449
Especially give credit to Affleck . 4450
An intelligently made -LRB- and beautifully edited -RRB- 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 . 4451
A terrific date movie , whatever your orientation . 4452
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 . 4453
What it lacks in originality it makes up for in effective if cheap moments of fright and dread . 4454
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 . 4455
A gem of a movie . 4456
Witty , vibrant , and intelligent . 4457
It 's all stitched together with energy , intelligence and verve , enhanced by a surplus of vintage archive footage . 4458
Miller comes at film with bracing intelligence and a vision both painterly and literary . 4459
The film is moody , oozing , chilling and heart-warming all at once ... a twisting , unpredictable , cat-and-mouse thriller . 4460
Eight Legged Freaks is clever and funny , is amused by its special effects , and leaves you feeling like you 've seen a movie instead of an endless trailer . 4461
This is historical filmmaking without the balm of right-thinking ideology , either liberal or conservative . 4462
Mr. Scorsese 's bravery and integrity in advancing this vision can hardly be underestimated . 4463
A thriller whose style , structure and rhythms are so integrated with the story , you can not separate them . 4464
It 's a hoot watching The Rock chomp on jumbo ants , pull an arrow out of his back , and leap unscathed through raging fire ! 4465
Returning director Rob Minkoff ... and screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin ... have done a fine job of updating White 's dry wit to a new age . 4466
Unfolds with such a wallop of you-are-there immediacy that when the bullets start to fly , your first instinct is to duck . 4467
A strong script , powerful direction and splendid production design allows us to be transported into the life of Wladyslaw Szpilman , who is not only a pianist , but a good human being . 4468
An unflinching look at the world 's dispossessed . 4469
If the film fails to fulfill its own ambitious goals , it nonetheless sustains interest during the long build-up of expository material . 4470
Polanski has found the perfect material with which to address his own World War II experience in his signature style . 4471
It is life affirming and heartbreaking , sweet without the decay factor , funny and sad . 4472
An off-beat and fanciful film about the human need for monsters to blame for all that is amiss in the world . 4473
A colorful , joyous celebration of life ; a tapestry woven of romance , dancing , singing , and unforgettable characters . 4474
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 . 4475
Nicely combines the enigmatic features of ` Memento ' with the hallucinatory drug culture of ` Requiem for a Dream . ' 4476
A well paced and satisfying little drama that deserved better than a ` direct-to-video ' release . 4477
The best part about `` Gangs '' was Daniel Day-Lewis . 4478
A treat for its depiction on not giving up on dreams when you 're a struggling nobody . 4479
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 . 4480
A gripping documentary that reveals how deep the antagonism lies in war-torn Jerusalem . 4481
Director Chris Wedge and screenwriters Michael Berg , Michael J. Wilson and Peter Ackerman create some episodes that rival vintage Looney Tunes for the most creative mayhem in a brief amount of time . 4482
One of the film 's most effective aspects is its Tchaikovsky soundtrack of neurasthenic regret . 4483
Solondz creates some effective moments of discomfort for character and viewer alike . 4484
The film 's appeal has a lot to do with the casting of Juliette Binoche as Sand , who brings to the role her pale , dark beauty and characteristic warmth . 4485
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 . 4486
Somehow Ms. Griffiths and Mr. Pryce bring off this wild Welsh whimsy . 4487
More mature than Fatal Attraction , more complete than Indecent Proposal and more relevant than 9 1\/2 Weeks , Unfaithful is at once intimate and universal cinema . 4488
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 . 4489
A fanciful drama about Napoleon 's last years and his surprising discovery of love and humility . 4490
A highly personal look at the effects of living a dysfunctionally privileged lifestyle , and by the end , we only wish we could have spent more time in its world . 4491
Eric Schweig and Graham Greene both exude an air of dignity that 's perfect for the proud warrior that still lingers in the souls of these characters . 4492
Lovely and Amazing is Holofcener 's deep , uncompromising curtsy to women she knows , and very likely is . 4493
When all is said and done , she loves them to pieces -- and so , I trust , will you . 4494
Campbell Scott finds the ideal outlet for his flick-knife diction in the role of Roger Swanson . 4495
-LRB- Fiji diver Rusi Vulakoro and the married couple Howard and Michelle Hall -RRB- show us the world they love and make us love it , too . 4496
Russian Ark is a new treasure of the Hermitage . 4497
The animated sequences are well done and perfectly constructed to convey a sense of childhood imagination and creating adventure out of angst . 4498
It 's definitely a step in the right direction . 4499
As the princess , Sorvino glides gracefully from male persona to female without missing a beat . 4500
Ben Kingsley is truly funny , playing a kind of Ghandi gone bad . 4501
Ourside the theatre Roger might be intolerable company , but inside it he 's well worth spending some time with . 4502
A gem , captured in the unhurried , low-key style favored by many directors of the Iranian new wave . 4503
In an era where big stars and high production values are standard procedure , Narc strikes a defiantly retro chord , and outpaces its contemporaries with daring and verve . 4504
Ranges from laugh-out-loud hilarious to wonder-what - time-it-is tedious . 4505
The film 's gamble to occasionally break up the live-action scenes with animated sequences pays off , as does its sensitive handling of some delicate subject matter . 4506
Talk To Her is not the perfect movie many have made it out to be , but it 's still quite worth seeing . 4507
Beating the Austin Powers films at their own game , this blaxploitation spoof downplays the raunch in favor of gags that rely on the strength of their own cleverness as opposed to the extent of their outrageousness . 4508
This is a dark , gritty , sometimes funny little gem . 4509
For all its visual panache and compelling supporting characters , the heart of the film rests in the relationship between Sullivan and his son . 4510
What makes Salton Sea surprisingly engrossing is that Caruso takes an atypically hypnotic approach to a world that 's often handled in fast-edit , hopped-up fashion . 4511
A hidden-agenda drama that shouts classic French nuance . 4512
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 . 4513
An invaluable historical document thanks to the filmmaker 's extraordinary access to Massoud , whose charm , cultivation and devotion to his people are readily apparent . 4514
The performances of the four main actresses bring their characters to life . 4515
A little melodramatic , but with enough hope to keep you engaged . 4516
Lan Yu seems altogether too slight to be called any kind of masterpiece . 4517
It is , however , a completely honest , open-hearted film that should appeal to anyone willing to succumb to it . 4518
Everyone should be able to appreciate the wonderful cinematography and naturalistic acting . 4519
This often-hilarious farce manages to generate the belly laughs of lowbrow comedy without sacrificing its high-minded appeal . 4520
Expands the limits of what a film can be , taking us into the lives of women to whom we might not give a second look if we passed them on the street . 4521
The farcical elements seemed too pat and familiar to hold my interest , yet its diverting grim message is a good one . 4522
Shanghai Ghetto may not be as dramatic as Roman Polanski 's The Pianist , but its compassionate spirit soars every bit as high . 4523
Despite these annoyances , the capable Clayburgh and Tambor really do a great job of anchoring the characters in the emotional realities of middle age . 4524
The underworld urban angst is derivative of Martin Scorsese 's Taxi Driver and Goodfellas , but this film speaks for itself . 4525
The film 's heady yet far from impenetrable theory suggests that Russians take comfort in their closed-off nationalist reality . 4526
Despite modest aspirations its occasional charms are not to be dismissed . 4527
Constantly touching , surprisingly funny , semi-surrealist exploration of the creative act . 4528
The journey is worth your time , especially if you have Ellen Pompeo sitting next to you for the ride . 4529
Merci pour le movie . 4530
For every cheesy scene , though , there is a really cool bit -- the movie 's conception of a future-world holographic librarian -LRB- Orlando Jones -RRB- who knows everything and answers all questions , is visually smart , cleverly written , and nicely realized . 4531
What sets Ms. Birot 's film apart from others in the genre is a greater attention to the parents -- and particularly the fateful fathers -- in the emotional evolution of the two bewitched adolescents . 4532
All three women deliver remarkable performances . 4533
Claire is a terrific role for someone like Judd , who really ought to be playing villains . 4534
It 's clear that Mehta simply wanted to update her beloved genre for the thousands of Indians who fancy themselves too sophisticated for the cheese-laced spectacles that pack 'em in on the subcontinent . 4535
Compassionately explores the seemingly irreconcilable situation between conservative Christian parents and their estranged gay and lesbian children . 4536
The soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission . 4537
Rodriguez does a splendid job of racial profiling Hollywood style -- casting excellent Latin actors of all ages -- a trend long overdue . 4538
Beneath the film 's obvious determination to shock at any cost lies considerable skill and determination , backed by sheer nerve . 4539
Bielinsky is a filmmaker of impressive talent . 4540
So beautifully acted and directed , it 's clear that Washington most certainly has a new career ahead of him if he so chooses . 4541
A visual spectacle full of stunning images and effects . 4542
A gentle and engrossing character study . 4543
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 . 4544
An engrossing portrait of uncompromising artists trying to create something original against the backdrop of a corporate music industry that only seems to care about the bottom line . 4545
A mischievous visual style and oodles of charm make ` Cherish ' a very good -LRB- but not great -RRB- movie . 4546
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 . 4547
-LRB- A -RRB- strong piece of work . 4548
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 . 4549
The Importance of Being Earnest , so thick with wit it plays like a reading from Bartlett 's Familiar Quotations 4550
Daring and beautifully made . 4551
Made for teens and reviewed as such , this is recommended only for those under 20 years of age ... and then only as a very mild rental . 4552
Imagine O. Henry 's The Gift of the Magi relocated to the scuzzy underbelly of NYC 's drug scene . 4553
Merry friggin ' Christmas ! 4554
The film does give a pretty good overall picture of the situation in Laramie following the murder of Matthew Shepard . 4555
Both lead performances are Oscar-size . 4556
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 . 4557
Ferrara 's best film in years . 4558
A remarkably insightful look at the backstage angst of the stand-up comic . 4559
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 . 4560
Davis ' candid , archly funny and deeply authentic take on intimate relationships comes to fruition in her sophomore effort . 4561
It 's more enjoyable than I expected , though , and that 's because the laughs come from fairly basic comedic constructs . 4562
Cinematic pratfalls given a working over . 4563
The cast is spot on and the mood is laid back . 4564
Matches neorealism 's impact by showing the humanity of a war-torn land filled with people who just want to live their lives . 4565
Those moviegoers who would automatically bypass a hip-hop documentary should give `` Scratch '' a second look . 4566
Baby-faced Renner is eerily convincing as this bland blank of a man with unimaginable demons within . 4567
Romantic , riveting and handsomely animated . 4568
A competent , unpretentious entertainment destined to fill the after-school slot at shopping mall theaters across the country . 4569
Shot largely in small rooms , the film has a gentle , unforced intimacy that never becomes claustrophobic . 4570
Where Janice Beard falters in its recycled aspects , implausibility , and sags in pace , it rises in its courageousness , and comedic employment . 4571
Byler is too savvy a filmmaker to let this morph into a typical romantic triangle . 4572
Instead , he focuses on the anguish that can develop when one mulls leaving the familiar to traverse uncharted ground . 4573
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 . 4574
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 . 4575
Metaphors abound , but it is easy to take this film at face value and enjoy its slightly humorous and tender story . 4576
As directed by Dani Kouyate of Burkina Faso , Sia lacks visual flair . 4577
But Kouyate elicits strong performances from his cast , and he delivers a powerful commentary on how governments lie , no matter who runs them . 4578
The best comedy concert movie I 've seen since Cho 's previous concert comedy film , I 'm the One That I Want , in 2000 . 4579
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 . 4580
Offers laughs and insight into one of the toughest ages a kid can go through . 4581
A perceptive , good-natured movie . 4582
An amused indictment of Jaglom 's own profession . 4583
A small movie with a big heart . 4584
Hugely accomplished slice of Hitchcockian suspense . 4585
The formula is familiar but enjoyable . 4586
Tells a fascinating , compelling story . 4587
A triumph , a film that hews out a world and carries us effortlessly from darkness to light . 4588
What begins as a conventional thriller evolves into a gorgeously atmospheric meditation on life-changing chance encounters . 4589
The Lady and the Duke is a smart , romantic drama that dares to depict the French Revolution from the aristocrats ' perspective . 4590
Most haunting about `` Fence '' is its conclusion , when we hear the ultimate fate of these girls and realize , much to our dismay , that this really did happen . 4591
Noyce 's greatest mistake is thinking that we needed sweeping , dramatic , Hollywood moments to keep us 4592
World Traveler might not go anywhere new , or arrive anyplace special , but it 's certainly an honest attempt to get at something . 4593
There 's much tongue in cheek in the film and there 's no doubt the filmmaker is having fun with it all . 4594
There 's absolutely no reason why Blue Crush , a late-summer surfer girl entry , should be as entertaining as it is 4595
An action\/thriller of the finest kind , evoking memories of Day of the Jackal , The French Connection , and Heat . 4596
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 . 4597
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 . 4598
Insomnia does not become one of those rare remakes to eclipse the original , but it does n't disgrace it , either . 4599
classic cinema served up with heart and humor 4600
-LRB- Stephen -RRB- Earnhart 's film is more about the optimism of a group of people who are struggling to give themselves a better lot in life than the ones they currently have . 4601
The events of the film are just so WEIRD that I honestly never knew what the hell was coming next . 4602
Nicole Holofcener 's Lovely and Amazing , from her own screenplay , jumps to the head of the class of women 's films that manage to avoid the ghetto of sentimental chick-flicks by treating female follies with a satirical style . 4603
That Jack Nicholson makes this man so watchable is a tribute not only to his craft , but to his legend . 4604
Has a solid emotional impact . 4605
Successfully blended satire , high camp and yet another sexual taboo into a really funny movie . 4606
Mark Pellington 's latest pop thriller is as kooky and overeager as it is spooky and subtly in love with myth . 4607
While maintaining the appearance of clinical objectivity , this sad , occasionally horrifying but often inspiring film is among Wiseman 's warmest . 4608
Raimi crafted a complicated hero who is a welcome relief from the usual two-dimensional offerings . 4609
An enjoyable above average summer diversion . 4610
There is simply no doubt that this film asks the right questions at the right time in the history of our country . 4611
If you 've the patience , there are great rewards here . 4612
As a science fiction movie , `` Minority Report '' astounds . 4613
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 . 4614
Visually breathtaking , viscerally exciting , and dramatically moving , it 's the very definition of epic adventure . 4615
Chris Columbus ' sequel is faster , livelier and a good deal funnier than his original . 4616
Watching this film , what we feel is n't mainly suspense or excitement . 4617
The dominant feeling is something like nostalgia . ' 4618
... a great , participatory spectator sport . ' 4619
A rather brilliant little cult item : a pastiche of children 's entertainment , superhero comics , and Japanese animation . 4620
Believes so fervently in humanity that it feels almost anachronistic , and it is too cute by half . 4621
But arriving at a particularly dark moment in history , it offers flickering reminders of the ties that bind us . 4622
Adam SANDLER ! 4623
In an ART FILM ! 4624
As averse as I usually am to feel-good , follow-your-dream Hollywood fantasies , this one got to me . 4625
Stone seems to have a knack for wrapping the theater in a cold blanket of urban desperation . 4626
... a funny yet dark and seedy clash of cultures and generations . 4627
The hook is the drama within the drama , as an unsolved murder and an unresolved moral conflict jockey for the spotlight . 4628
Over the years , Hollywood has crafted a solid formula for successful animated movies , and Ice Age only improves on it , with terrific computer graphics , inventive action sequences and a droll sense of humor . 4629
Like Smoke Signals , the film is also imbued with strong themes of familial ties and spirituality that are powerful and moving without stooping to base melodrama 4630
One of those movies that make us pause and think of what we have given up to acquire the fast-paced contemporary society . 4631
One of the most original American productions this year , you 'll find yourself remembering this refreshing visit to a Sunshine State . 4632
Melds derivative elements into something that is often quite rich and exciting , and always a beauty to behold . 4633
Gives everyone something to shout about . 4634
The entire movie has a truncated feeling , but what 's available is lovely and lovable . 4635
-LRB- A -RRB- thoughtful , visually graceful work . 4636
Admirers of director Abel Ferrara may be relieved that his latest feature , R Xmas , marks a modest if encouraging return to form . 4637
The slam-bang superheroics are kinetic enough to engross even the most antsy youngsters . 4638
A worthy addition to the cinematic canon , which , at last count , numbered 52 different versions . 4639
Deliciously mean-spirited and wryly observant . 4640
The kind of primal storytelling that George Lucas can only dream of . 4641
Even if The Ring has a familiar ring , it 's still unusually crafty and intelligent for Hollywood horror . 4642
The sheer joy and pride they took in their work -- and in each other -- shines through every frame . 4643
A solidly constructed , entertaining thriller that stops short of true inspiration . 4644
The cast ... keeps this pretty watchable , and casting Mick Jagger as director of the escort service was inspired . 4645
An entertaining , if somewhat standardized , action movie . 4646
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 . 4647
An enjoyable comedy of lingual and cultural differences ... The Château is a film -- full of life and small delights -- that has all the wiggling energy of young kitten . 4648
Intriguing and downright intoxicating . 4649
An incredibly thoughtful , deeply meditative picture that neatly and effectively captures the debilitating grief felt in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks . 4650
With an obvious rapport with her actors and a striking style behind the camera , Hélène Angel is definitely a director to watch . 4651
... could easily be called the best Korean film of 2002 . 4652
Full of detail about the man and his country , and is well worth seeing . 4653
The banter between Calvin and his fellow barbers feels like a streetwise McLaughlin Group ... and never fails to entertain . 4654
Thoroughly engrossing and ultimately tragic . 4655
Peter Jackson and company once again dazzle and delight us , fulfilling practically every expectation either a longtime Tolkien fan or a movie-going neophyte could want . 4656
Bill Morrison 's Decasia is uncompromising , difficult and unbearably beautiful . 4657
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 . 4658
Even with all its botches , Enigma offers all the pleasure of a handsome and well-made entertainment . 4659
His work transcends the boy-meets-girl posturing of typical love stories . 4660
If the real-life story is genuinely inspirational , the movie stirs us as well . 4661
An ebullient Tunisian film about the startling transformation of a tradition-bound widow who is drawn into the exotic world of belly dancing . 4662
The dramatic crisis does n't always succeed in its quest to be taken seriously , but Huppert 's volatile performance makes for a riveting movie experience . 4663
Highly irritating at first , Mr. Koury 's passive technique eventually begins to yield some interesting results . 4664
About Schmidt belongs to Nicholson . 4665
Gone are the flamboyant mannerisms that are the trademark of several of his performances . 4666
As Schmidt , Nicholson walks with a slow , deliberate gait , chooses his words carefully and subdues his natural exuberance . 4667
The powder blues and sun-splashed whites of Tunis make an alluring backdrop for this sensuous and spirited tale of a prim widow who finds an unlikely release in belly-dancing clubs . 4668
It does n't make for great cinema , but it is interesting to see where one 's imagination will lead when given the opportunity . 4669
It 's sobering , particularly if anyone still thinks this conflict can be resolved easily , or soon . 4670
If it 's not entirely memorable , the movie is certainly easy to watch . 4671
... by the time it 's done with us , Mira Nair 's new movie has its audience giddy with the delight of discovery , of having been immersed in a foreign culture only to find that human nature is pretty much the same all over . 4672
Best indie of the year , so far . 4673
-LRB- Ferrera -RRB- has the charisma of a young woman who knows how to hold the screen . 4674
... the plot weaves us into a complex web . 4675
Do n't judge this one too soon - it 's a dark , gritty story but it takes off in totally unexpected directions and keeps on going . 4676
In Death to Smoochy , we do n't get Williams ' usual tear and a smile , just sneers and bile , and the spectacle is nothing short of refreshing . 4677
A serviceable Euro-trash action extravaganza , with a decent sense of humor and plenty of things that go boom -- handguns , BMWs and seaside chateaus . 4678
Fortunately , Elling never gets too cloying thanks to the actors ' perfect comic timing and sweet , genuine chemistry . 4679
If you 've grown tired of going where no man has gone before , but several movies have - take heart . 4680
This is the best Star Trek movie in a long time . 4681
Greg Kinnear gives a mesmerizing performance as a full-fledged sex addict who is in complete denial about his obsessive behavior . 4682
Not only a coming-of-age story and cautionary parable , but also a perfectly rendered period piece . 4683
ou 've got to love a Disney pic with as little cleavage as this one has , and a heroine as feisty and principled as Jane . 4684
A funny , triumphant , and moving documentary . 4685
Lathan and Diggs carry the film with their charisma , and both exhibit sharp comic timing that makes the more hackneyed elements of the film easier to digest . 4686
About Schmidt is Nicholson 's goofy , heartfelt , mesmerizing King Lear . 4687
A confluence of kiddie entertainment , sophisticated wit and symbolic graphic design . 4688
Gay or straight , Kissing Jessica Stein is one of the greatest date movies in years . 4689
This is a movie full of grace and , ultimately , hope . 4690
Even better than the first one ! 4691
Its compelling mix of trial movie , escape movie and unexpected fable ensures the film never feels draggy . 4692
A must see for all sides of the political spectrum 4693
-LRB- Reynolds -RRB- 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 . 4694
There are problems with this film that even 3 Oscar winners ca n't overcome , but it 's a nice girl-buddy movie once it gets rock-n-rolling . 4695
Rich in atmosphere of the post-war art world , it manages to instruct without reeking of research library dust . 4696
Has the rare capability to soothe and break your heart with a single stroke . 4697
It rapidly develops into a gut-wrenching examination of the way cultural differences and emotional expectations collide . 4698
Though it flirts with bathos and pathos and the further Oprahfication of the world as we know it , it still cuts all the way down to broken bone . 4699
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 do n't make movies like they used to anymore . ' 4700
It will break your heart many times over . 4701
A straight-shooting family film which awards animals the respect they 've rarely been given . 4702
Overall , interesting as a documentary -- but not very Imaxy . 4703
This is one of those war movies that focuses on human interaction rather than battle and action sequences ... and it 's all the stronger because of it . 4704
`` Secretary '' is owned by its costars , Spader and Gyllenhaal . 4705
Maggie G. makes an amazing breakthrough in her first starring role and eats up the screen . 4706
The film fits into a genre that has been overexposed , redolent of a thousand cliches , and yet remains uniquely itself , vibrant with originality . 4707
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 . 4708
The kind of sense of humor that derives from a workman 's grasp of pun and entendre and its attendant need to constantly draw attention to itself . 4709
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 . 4710
The story is virtually impossible to follow here , but there 's a certain style and wit to the dialogue . 4711
The music makes a nice album , the food is enticing and Italy beckons us all . 4712
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 . 4713
The film is small in scope , yet perfectly formed . 4714
Jones has delivered a solidly entertaining and moving family drama . 4715
Happy Times maintains an appealing veneer without becoming too cute about it . 4716
Oliveira seems to pursue silent film representation with every mournful composition . 4717
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 . 4718
Captures all the longing , anguish and ache , the confusing sexual messages and the wish to be a part of that elusive adult world . 4719
He 's the scariest guy you 'll see all summer . 4720
`` Frailty '' offers chills much like those that you get when sitting around a campfire around midnight , telling creepy stories to give each other the willies . 4721
And , there 's no way you wo n't be talking about the film once you exit the theater . 4722
If I have to choose between gorgeous animation and a lame story -LRB- like , say , Treasure Planet -RRB- or so-so animation and an exciting , clever story with a batch of appealing characters , I 'll take the latter every time . 4723
Quiet , adult and just about more stately than any contemporary movie this year ... a true study , a film with a questioning heart and mind that is n't afraid to admit it does n't have all the answers . 4724
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 . 4725
Some of the visual flourishes are a little too obvious , but restrained and subtle storytelling , and fine performances make this delicate coming-of-age tale a treat . 4726
It is hard not to be especially grateful for freedom after a film like this . 4727
The dirty jokes provide the funniest moments in this oddly sweet comedy about jokester highway patrolmen . 4728
Y Tu Mamá También is hilariously , gloriously alive , and quite often hotter than Georgia asphalt . 4729
... works on some levels and is certainly worth seeing at least once . 4730
You come away from his film overwhelmed , hopeful and , perhaps paradoxically , illuminated . 4731
If the material is slight and admittedly manipulative , Jacquot preserves Tosca 's intoxicating ardor through his use of the camera . 4732
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 . 4733
Overall , it 's a wacky and inspired little film that works effortlessly at delivering genuine , acerbic laughs . 4734
A must for fans of British cinema , if only because so many titans of the industry are along for the ride . 4735
Tsai has managed to create an underplayed melodrama about family dynamics and dysfunction that harks back to the spare , unchecked heartache of Yasujiro Ozu . 4736
Until -LRB- the -RRB- superfluous ... epilogue that leaks suspension of disbelief like a sieve , Die Another Day is as stimulating & heart-rate-raising as any James Bond thriller . 4737
It 's a good film , but it falls short of its aspiration to be a true ` epic ' . 4738
All the pieces fall together without much surprise , but little moments give it a boost . 4739
The beauty of Alexander Payne 's ode to the Everyman is in the details . 4740
A touching drama about old age and grief with a tour de force performance by Michel Piccoli . 4741
The ending feels at odds with the rest of the film . 4742
A tone of rueful compassion ... reverberates throughout this film , whose meaning and impact is sadly heightened by current world events . 4743
A beautiful paean to a time long past . 4744
Dense and thoughtful and brimming with ideas that are too complex to be rapidly absorbed . 4745
If you thought Tom Hanks was just an ordinary big-screen star , wait until you 've seen him eight stories tall . 4746
With this masterful , flawless film , -LRB- Wang -RRB- emerges in the front ranks of China 's now numerous , world-renowned filmmakers . 4747
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 . 4748
This film is an act of spiritual faith -- an eloquent , deeply felt meditation on the nature of compassion . 4749
A different kind of love story - one that is dark , disturbing , painful to watch , yet compelling . 4750
Splendidly illustrates the ability of the human spirit to overcome adversity . 4751
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 . 4752
She 's as rude and profane as ever , always hilarious and , most of the time , absolutely right in her stinging social observations . 4753
To those who have not read the book , the film is a much better mother-daughter tale than last summer 's ` Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood , ' but that 's not saying much . 4754
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 . 4755
A thoughtful , reverent portrait of what is essentially a subculture , with its own rules regarding love and family , governance and hierarchy . 4756
It seems impossible that an epic four-hour Indian musical about a cricket game could be this good , but it is . 4757
Will certainly appeal to Asian cult cinema fans and Asiaphiles interested to see what all the fuss is about . 4758
Touches smartly and wistfully on a number of themes , not least the notion that the marginal members of society ... might benefit from a helping hand and a friendly kick in the pants . 4759
A wildly entertaining scan of Evans ' career . 4760
A mature , deeply felt fantasy of a director 's travel through 300 years of Russian history . 4761
Boldly engineering a collision between tawdry B-movie flamboyance and grandiose spiritual anomie , Rose 's film , true to its source material , provides a tenacious demonstration of death as the great equalizer . 4762
A finely tuned mood piece , a model of menacing atmosphere . 4763
The Salton Sea has moments of inspired humour , though every scrap is of the darkest variety . 4764
Both a beautifully made nature film and a tribute to a woman whose passion for this region and its inhabitants still shines in her quiet blue eyes . 4765
Although shot with little style , Skins is heartfelt and achingly real . 4766
Harks back to a time when movies had more to do with imagination than market research . 4767
Upsetting and thought-provoking , the film has an odd purity that does n't bring you into the characters so much as it has you study them . 4768
A very pretty after-school special . 4769
It 's an effort to watch this movie , but it eventually pays off and is effective if you stick with it . 4770
A harrowing account of a psychological breakdown . 4771
Continually challenges perceptions of guilt and innocence , of good guys and bad , and asks us whether a noble end can justify evil means . 4772
It certainly wo n't win any awards in the plot department but it sets out with no pretensions and delivers big time . 4773
Dog Soldiers does n't transcend genre -- it embraces it , energizes it and takes big bloody chomps out of it . 4774
At once emotional and richly analytical , the Cosby-Seinfeld encounter alone confirms the serious weight behind this superficially loose , larky documentary . 4775
It may scream low budget , but this charmer has a spirit that can not be denied . 4776
` Alice 's adventure through the looking glass and into zombie-land ' is filled with strange and wonderful creatures . 4777
Without -LRB- De Niro -RRB- , City By The Sea would slip under the waves . 4778
He drags it back , single-handed . 4779
A good music documentary , probably one of the best since The Last Waltz . 4780
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 . 4781
... -LRB- the film -RRB- works , due mostly to the tongue-in-cheek attitude of the screenplay . 4782
The film becomes an overwhelming pleasure , and you find yourself rooting for Gai 's character to avoid the fate that has befallen every other Carmen before her . 4783
Broomfield has a rather unique approach to documentary . 4784
He thinks the film is just as much a document about him as it is about the subject . 4785
At its best when the guarded , resentful Betty and the manipulative yet needy Margot are front and center . 4786
Gloriously straight from the vagina . 4787
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 . 4788
The film oozes craft . 4789
Robinson 's web of suspense matches the page-turning frenzy that Clancy creates . 4790
Manages to be both hugely entertaining and uplifting . 4791
A classic fairy tale that perfectly captures the wonders and worries of childhood in a way that few movies have ever approached . 4792
It 's the unsettling images of a war-ravaged land that prove more potent and riveting than the unlikely story of Sarah and Harrison . 4793
a wonderfully warm human drama that remains vividly in memory long after viewing 4794
Jaunty fun , with its celeb-strewn backdrop well used . 4795
Recoing 's fantastic performance does n't exactly reveal what makes Vincent tick , but perhaps any definitive explanation for it would have felt like a cheat . 4796
Washington overcomes the script 's flaws and envelops the audience in his character 's anguish , anger and frustration . 4797
The film fearlessly gets under the skin of the people involved ... This makes it not only a detailed historical document , but an engaging and moving portrait of a subculture . 4798
A searing , epic treatment of a nationwide blight that seems to be , horrifyingly , ever on the rise . 4799
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 . 4800
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 . 4801
The color sense of Stuart Little 2 is its most immediate and most obvious pleasure , but it would count for very little if the movie were n't as beautifully shaped and as delicately calibrated in tone as it is . 4802
while -LRB- Roman Coppola -RRB- scores points for style , he staggers in terms of story . 4803
Any movie that makes hard work seem heroic deserves a look . 4804
It may not be a huge cut of above the rest , but I enjoyed Barbershop . 4805
It 's a funny little movie with clever dialogue and likeable characters . 4806
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 . 4807
It 's sweet , funny , charming , and completely delightful . 4808
A perfectly competent and often imaginative film that lacks what little Lilo & Stitch had in spades -- charisma . 4809
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 . 4810
Medem may have disrobed most of the cast , leaving their bodies exposed , but the plot remains as guarded as a virgin with a chastity belt . 4811
That 's why Sex and Lucia is so alluring . 4812
An elegant work , Food of Love is as consistently engaging as it is revealing . 4813
Although largely a heavy-handed indictment of parental failings and the indifference of Spanish social workers and legal system towards child abuse , the film retains ambiguities that make it well worth watching . 4814
A behind the scenes look at the training and dedication that goes into becoming a world-class fencer and the champion that 's made a difference to NYC inner-city youth . 4815
A brain twister , less a movie-movie than a funny and weird meditation on Hollywood , success , artistic integrity and intellectual bankruptcy . 4816
A powerful , inflammatory film about religion that dares to question an ancient faith , and about hatred that offers no easy , comfortable resolution . 4817
In its own floundering way , it gets to you . 4818
Just like Igby . 4819
Return to Never Land may be another shameless attempt by Disney to rake in dough from baby boomer families , but it 's not half-bad . 4820
Wise and deadpan humorous . 4821
God bless Crudup and his aversion to taking the easy Hollywood road and cashing in on his movie-star gorgeousness . 4822
If Signs is a good film , and it is , the essence of a great one is in there somewhere . 4823
Veterans of the dating wars will smirk uneasily at the film 's nightmare versions of everyday sex-in-the-city misadventures . 4824
Schrader examines Crane 's decline with unblinking candor . 4825
You can watch , giggle and get an adrenaline boost without feeling like you 've completely lowered your entertainment standards . 4826
It thankfully goes easy on the reel\/real world dichotomy that -LRB- Jaglom -RRB- pursued with such enervating determination in Venice\/Venice . 4827
This rich , bittersweet Israeli documentary , about the life of song-and-dance-man Pasach ` ke Burstein and his family , transcends ethnic lines . 4828
Sensitively examines general issues of race and justice among the poor , and specifically raises serious questions about the death penalty and asks what good the execution of a mentally challenged woman could possibly do . 4829
Cool gadgets and creatures keep this fresh . 4830
Not as good as the original , but what is ... 4831
Presents a side of contemporary Chinese life that many outsiders will be surprised to know exists , and does so with an artistry that also smacks of revelation . 4832
-LRB- Jeff 's -RRB- gorgeous , fluid compositions , underlined by Neil Finn and Edmund McWilliams 's melancholy music , are charged with metaphor , but rarely easy , obvious or self-indulgent . 4833
Engages us in constant fits of laughter , until we find ourselves surprised at how much we care about the story , and end up walking out not only satisfied but also somewhat touched . 4834
a bilingual charmer , just like the woman who inspired it 4835
Blisteringly rude , scarily funny , sorrowfully sympathetic to the damage it surveys , the film has in Kieran Culkin a pitch-perfect Holden . 4836
The fourth `` Pokemon '' is a diverting -- if predictable -- adventure suitable for a matinee , with a message that cautions children about disturbing the world 's delicate ecological balance . 4837
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 . 4838
-LRB- It -RRB- has the feel of a summer popcorn movie . 4839
Nothing too deep or substantial . 4840
Explosions , jokes , and sexual innuendoes abound . 4841
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 . 4842
... a delightfully unpredictable , hilarious comedy with wonderful performances that tug at your heart in ways that utterly transcend gender labels . 4843
Assured , vital and well wrought , the film is , arguably , the most accomplished work to date from Hong Kong 's versatile Stanley Kwan . 4844
Delia , Greta , and Paula rank as three of the most multilayered and sympathetic female characters of the year . 4845
As each of them searches for their place in the world , Miller digs into their very minds to find an unblinking , flawed humanity . 4846
A surprisingly sweet and gentle comedy . 4847
Shanghai Ghetto , much stranger than any fiction , brings this unknown slice of history affectingly to life . 4848
It 's not particularly well made , but since I found myself howling more than cringing , I 'd say the film works . 4849
But this is Lohman 's film . 4850
Her performance moves between heartbreak and rebellion as she continually tries to accommodate to fit in and gain the unconditional love she seeks . 4851
Though its story is only surface deep , the visuals and enveloping sounds of Blue Crush make this surprisingly decent flick worth a summertime look-see . 4852
Ryosuke has created a wry , winning , if languidly paced , meditation on the meaning and value of family . 4853
Sometimes charming , sometimes infuriating , this Argentinean ` dramedy ' succeeds mainly on the shoulders of its actors . 4854
You may feel compelled to watch the film twice or pick up a book on the subject . 4855
Often shocking but ultimately worthwhile exploration of motherhood and desperate mothers . 4856
A venturesome , beautifully realized psychological mood piece that reveals its first-time feature director 's understanding of the expressive power of the camera . 4857
Like The Rugrats movies , The Wild Thornberrys Movie does n't offer much more than the series , but its emphasis on caring for animals and respecting other cultures is particularly welcome . 4858
Taken outside the context of the current political climate -LRB- see : terrorists are more evil than ever ! -RRB- 4859
, The Sum of All Fears is simply a well-made and satisfying thriller . 4860
The setting is so cool that it chills the characters , reducing our emotional stake in the outcome of `` Intacto 's '' dangerous and seductively stylish game . 4861
A lovely and beautifully photographed romance . 4862
One of the most splendid entertainments to emerge from the French film industry in years . 4863
Its vision of that awkward age when sex threatens to overwhelm everything else is acute enough to make everyone who has been there squirm with recognition . 4864
For almost the first two-thirds of Martin Scorsese 's 168-minute Gangs of New York , I was entranced . 4865
Open-ended and composed of layer upon layer , Talk to Her is a cinephile 's feast , an invitation to countless interpretations . 4866
One of the most slyly exquisite anti-adult movies ever made . 4867
What makes Esther Kahn so demanding is that it progresses in such a low-key manner that it risks monotony . 4868
But it 's worth the concentration . 4869
Neither the funniest film that Eddie Murphy nor Robert De Niro has ever made , Showtime is nevertheless efficiently amusing for a good while . 4870
Before it collapses into exactly the kind of buddy cop comedy it set out to lampoon , anyway . 4871
A clever script and skilled actors bring new energy to the familiar topic of office politics . 4872
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 . 4873
Disney aficionados will notice distinct parallels between this story and the 1971 musical `` Bedknobs and Broomsticks , '' which also dealt with British children rediscovering the power of fantasy during wartime . 4874
It 's ... worth the extra effort to see an artist , still committed to growth in his ninth decade , change while remaining true to his principles with a film whose very subject is , quite pointedly , about the peril of such efforts . 4875
Dark and unrepentant , this excursion into the epicenter of percolating mental instability is not easily dismissed or forgotten . 4876
It 's a rollicking adventure for you and all your mateys , regardless of their ages . 4877
Boasts a handful of virtuosic set pieces and offers a fair amount of trashy , kinky fun . 4878
... Myers has turned his franchise into the movie version of an adolescent dirty-joke book done up in post-Tarantino pop-culture riffs ... 4879
If you 're down for a silly hack-and-slash flick , you can do no wrong with Jason X. 4880
This is a very ambitious project for a fairly inexperienced filmmaker , but good actors , good poetry and good music help sustain it . 4881
The modern master of the chase sequence returns with a chase to end all chases 4882
The messy emotions raging throughout this three-hour effort are instantly recognizable , allowing the film to paradoxically feel familiar and foreign at the same time . 4883
... either you 're willing to go with this claustrophobic concept or you 're not . 4884
Just watch Bettany strut his stuff . 4885
You 'll know a star when you see one . 4886
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 . 4887
You can fire a torpedo through some of Clancy 's holes , and the scripters do n't deserve any Oscars . 4888
But the nerve-raked acting , the crackle of lines , the impressive stagings of hardware , make for some robust and scary entertainment . 4889
contrasting the original Ringu with the current Americanized adaptation is akin to comparing The Evil Dead with Evil Dead II 4890
A small gem of a movie that defies classification and is as thought-provoking as it is funny , scary and sad . 4891
For a long time the film succeeds with its dark , delicate treatment of these characters and its unerring respect for them . 4892
It 's the kind of effectively creepy-scary thriller that has you fixating on a far corner of the screen at times because your nerves just ca n't take it any more . 4893
Late Marriage is an in-your-face family drama and black comedy that is filled with raw emotions conveying despair and love . 4894
An ambitious and moving but bleak film . 4895
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 . 4896
It 's sweet . 4897
It 's funny . 4898
It wears its heart on the sleeve of its gaudy Hawaiian shirt . 4899
And , thanks to the presence of ` the King , ' it also rocks . 4900
It 's never laugh-out-loud funny , but it is frequently amusing . 4901
A bittersweet film , simple in form but rich with human events . 4902
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 . 4903
`` Punch-Drunk Love '' is a little like a chocolate milk moustache ... 4904
... digs beyond the usual portrayals of good kids and bad seeds to reveal a more ambivalent set of characters and motivations . 4905
The beauty of the piece is that it counts heart as important as humor . 4906
Piercingly affecting ... while clearly a manipulative film , emerges as powerful rather than cloying . 4907
Very amusing , not the usual route in a thriller , and the performances are odd and pixilated and sometimes both . 4908
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 . 4909
The cast is phenomenal , especially the women . 4910
A marvel of production design . 4911
The byplay and bickering between the now spy-savvy siblings , Carmen -LRB- Vega -RRB- and Juni -LRB- Sabara -RRB- Cortez , anchor the film in a very real and amusing give-and-take . 4912
Good actors have a radar for juicy roles -- there 's a plethora of characters in this picture , and not one of them is flat . 4913
Though in some ways similar to Catherine Breillat 's Fat Girl , Rain is the far superior film . 4914
Is not so much a work of entertainment as it is a unique , well-crafted psychological study of grief . 4915
Remarkable for its excellent storytelling , its economical , compressed characterisations and for its profound humanity , it 's an adventure story and history lesson all in one . 4916
Colorful , energetic and sweetly whimsical ... the rare sequel that 's better than its predecessor . 4917
Reno himself can take credit for most of the movie 's success . 4918
He 's one of the few ` cool ' actors who never seems aware of his own coolness . 4919
Significantly better than its 2002 children 's - movie competition . 4920
UB equally spoofs and celebrates the more outre aspects of ` black culture ' and the dorkier aspects of ` white culture , ' even as it points out how inseparable the two are . 4921
A lot smarter than your average Bond . 4922
... bright , intelligent , and humanly funny film . 4923
Painful , horrifying and oppressively tragic , this film should not be missed . 4924
Part of the film 's cheeky charm comes from its vintage schmaltz . 4925
So unique and stubborn and charismatic that you want it to be better and more successful than it is . 4926
I wo n't argue with anyone who calls ` Slackers ' dumb , insulting , or childish ... but I laughed so much that I did n't mind . 4927
It arrives with an impeccable pedigree , mongrel pep , and almost indecipherable plot complications . 4928
So fiendishly cunning that even the most jaded cinema audiences will leave the auditorium feeling dizzy , confused , and totally disorientated . 4929
Not to mention absolutely refreshed . 4930
A vibrant , colorful , semimusical rendition . 4931
The film sometimes flags ... but there is enough secondary action to keep things moving along at a brisk , amusing pace . 4932
It 's a drawling , slobbering , lovable run-on sentence of a film , a Southern Gothic with the emotional arc of its raw blues soundtrack . 4933
Nolan proves that he can cross swords with the best of them and helm a more traditionally plotted popcorn thriller while surrendering little of his intellectual rigor or creative composure . 4934
It is different from others in its genre in that it is does not rely on dumb gags , anatomical humor , or character cliches ; it primarily relies on character to tell its story . 4935
Both a successful adaptation and an enjoyable film in its own right . 4936
All the filmmakers are asking of us , is to believe in something that is improbable . 4937
If the very concept makes you nervous ... you 'll have an idea of the film 's creepy , scary effectiveness . 4938
Worth a look by those on both sides of the issues , if only for the perspective it offers , one the public rarely sees . 4939
A mostly believable , refreshingly low-key and quietly inspirational little sports drama . 4940
May be more genial than ingenious , but it gets the job done . 4941
A stylish cast and some clever scripting solutions help Chicago make the transition from stage to screen with considerable appeal intact . 4942
Exhilarating , funny and fun . 4943
While not quite `` Shrek '' or `` Monsters , Inc. '' , it 's not too bad . 4944
It 's worth taking the kids to . 4945
In the end there is one word that best describes this film : honest . 4946
Writer-director David Jacobson and his star , Jeremy Renner , have made a remarkable film that explores the monster 's psychology not in order to excuse him but rather to demonstrate that his pathology evolved from human impulses that grew hideously twisted . 4947
The action sequences are fun and reminiscent of combat scenes from the Star Wars series . 4948
Norton is magnetic as Graham . 4949
Savvy director Robert J. Siegel and his co-writers keep the story subtle and us in suspense . 4950
It pulls the rug out from under you , just when you 're ready to hate one character , or really sympathize with another character , something happens to send you off in different direction . 4951
Twenty years after its first release , E.T. remains the most wondrous of all Hollywood fantasies -- and the apex of Steven Spielberg 's misunderstood career . 4952
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 . 4953
Gives us a lot to chew on , but not all of it has been properly digested . 4954
It 's an exhilarating place to visit , this laboratory of laughter . 4955
`` Simone '' is a fun and funky look into an artificial creation in a world that thrives on artificiality . 4956
A great companion piece to other Napoleon films . 4957
To some eyes this will seem like a recycling of clichés , an assassin 's greatest hits . 4958
To others , it will remind them that Hong Kong action cinema is still alive and kicking . 4959
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 . '' 4960
Congrats Disney on a job well done , I enjoyed it just as much ! 4961
A remarkably alluring film set in the constrictive Eisenhower era about one suburban woman 's yearning in the face of a loss that shatters her cheery and tranquil suburban life . 4962
Berling and Béart ... continue to impress , and Isabelle Huppert ... again shows uncanny skill in getting under the skin of her characters . 4963
Uplifting , funny and wise . 4964
Remarkable for its intelligence and intensity . 4965
The hypnotic imagery and fragmentary tale explore the connections between place and personal identity . 4966
Brosnan is more feral in this film than I 've seen him before and Halle Berry does her best to keep up with him . 4967
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 . 4968
`` On Guard ! '' 4969
wo n'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 . 4970
The movie starts with a legend and ends with a story that is so far-fetched it would be impossible to believe if it were n't true . 4971
This is the stuff that Disney movies are made of . 4972
Like all great films about a life you never knew existed , it offers much to absorb and even more to think about after the final frame . 4973
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 . 4974
While we no longer possess the lack-of-attention span that we did at seventeen , we had no trouble sitting for Blade II . 4975
like a poor man 's You Can Count On Me 4976
... a solid , unassuming drama . 4977
A seriocomic debut of extravagant promise by Georgian-Israeli director Dover Kosashvili . 4978
Thanks to Ice Cube , Benjamins feels an awful lot like Friday in Miami . 4979
The real star of this movie is the score , as in the songs translate well to film , and it 's really well directed . 4980
It 's rare to find a film to which the adjective ` gentle ' applies , but the word perfectly describes Pauline & Paulette . 4981
My Wife is an Actress has its moments in looking at the comic effects of jealousy . 4982
In the end , though , it is only mildly amusing when it could have been so much more . 4983
Both Garcia and Jagger turn in perfectly executed and wonderfully sympathetic characters , who are alternately touching and funny . 4984
Humorous , artsy , and even cute , in an off-kilter , dark , vaguely disturbing way . 4985
The more you think about the movie , the more you will probably like it . 4986
... a powerful sequel and one of the best films of the year . 4987
For the most part , the film does hold up pretty well . 4988
Together -LRB- Time Out and Human Resources -RRB- establish Mr. Cantet as France 's foremost cinematic poet of the workplace . 4989
You can take the grandkids or the grandparents and never worry about anyone being bored ... audience is a sea of constant smiles and frequent laughter . 4990
Like these Russo guys lookin ' for their Mamet instead found their Sturges . 4991
There has been a string of ensemble cast romances recently ... but Peter Mattei 's Love in the Time of Money sets itself apart by forming a chain of relationships that come full circle to end on a positive -LRB- if tragic -RRB- note . 4992
By applying definition to both sides of the man , the picture realizes a fullness that does not negate the subject . 4993
Who is the audience for Cletis Tout ? 4994
Anybody who enjoys quirky , fun , popcorn movies with a touch of silliness and a little bloodshed . 4995
-LRB- Cuarón has -RRB- created a substantive movie out of several cliched movie structures : the road movie , the coming-of-age movie , and the teenage sex comedy . 4996
Puts to rest any thought that the German film industry can not make a delightful comedy centering on food . 4997
Witty dialog between realistic characters showing honest emotions . 4998
It 's touching and tender and proves that even in sorrow you can find humor . 4999
Like blended shades of lipstick , these components combine into one terrific story with lots of laughs . 5000
Ash Wednesday is not Edward Burns ' best film , but it is a good and ambitious film . 5001
And it marks him as one of the most interesting writer\/directors working today . 5002
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 . 5003
The footage of the rappers at play and the prison interview with Suge Knight are just two of the elements that will grab you . 5004
... it 's as comprehensible as any Dummies guide , something even non-techies can enjoy . 5005
Do n't wait to see this terrific film with your kids -- if you do n't have kids borrow some . 5006
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 . 5007
The movie 's captivating details are all in the performances , from Foreman 's barking-mad Taylor to Thewlis 's smoothly sinister Freddie and Bettany\/McDowell 's hard-eyed gangster . 5008
Features Fincher 's characteristically startling visual style and an almost palpable sense of intensity . 5009
Precocious smarter-than-thou wayward teen struggles to rebel against his oppressive , right-wing , propriety-obsessed family . 5010
Anyone else seen this before ? 5011
Moore provides an invaluable service by sparking debate and encouraging thought . 5012
Better still , he does all of this , and more , while remaining one of the most savagely hilarious social critics this side of Jonathan Swift . 5013
Alternating between facetious comic parody and pulp melodrama , this smart-aleck movie ... tosses around some intriguing questions about the difference between human and android life . 5014
A cutesy romantic tale with a twist . 5015
This is a gorgeous film - vivid with color , music and life . 5016
Delight your senses and crash this wedding ! 5017
A brutally dry satire of Middle American numbness . 5018
More sophisticated and literate than such pictures usually are ... an amusing little catch . 5019
Smith examines the intimate , unguarded moments of folks who live in unusual homes -- which pop up in nearly every corner of the country . 5020
With an admirably dark first script by Brent Hanley , Paxton , making his directorial feature debut , does strong , measured work . 5021
A compelling French psychological drama examining the encounter of an aloof father and his chilly son after 20 years apart . 5022
... even if you 've never heard of Chaplin , you 'll still be glued to the screen . 5023
You have enough finely tuned acting to compensate for the movie 's failings . 5024
As the dominant Christine , Sylvie Testud is icily brilliant . 5025
Although tender and touching , the movie would have benefited from a little more dramatic tension and some more editing . 5026
The story that emerges has elements of romance , tragedy and even silent-movie comedy . 5027
-LRB- `` Safe Conduct '' -RRB- is a long movie at 163 minutes but it fills the time with drama , romance , tragedy , bravery , political intrigue , partisans and sabotage . 5028
Viva le Resistance ! 5029
It offers a glimpse of the Solomonic decision facing Jewish parents in those turbulent times : to save their children and yet to lose them . 5030
The film is delicately narrated by Martin Landau and directed with sensitivity and skill by Dana Janklowicz-Mann . 5031
Martyr gets royally screwed and comes back for more . 5032
A virtual roller-coaster ride of glamour and sleaze . 5033
an admirable , sometimes exceptional film 5034
If you like an extreme action-packed film with a hint of humor , then Triple X marks the spot . 5035
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 5036
May not be a breakthrough in filmmaking , but it is unwavering and arresting . 5037
The film 's images give a backbone to the company and provide an emotional edge to its ultimate demise . 5038
A bodice-ripper for intellectuals . 5039
The locations go from stark desert to gorgeous beaches . 5040
The story plays out slowly , but the characters are intriguing and realistic . 5041
Count on his movie to work at the back of your neck long after you leave the theater . 5042
Neil Burger here succeeded in ... making the mystery of four decades back the springboard for a more immediate mystery in the present . 5043
The complex , politically charged tapestry of contemporary Chinese life this exciting new filmmaker has brought to the screen is like nothing we Westerners have seen before . 5044
A thriller made from a completist 's checklist rather than with a cultist 's passion . 5045
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 . 5046
As quiet , patient and tenacious as Mr. Lopez himself , who approaches his difficult , endless work with remarkable serenity and discipline . 5047
Though the film never veers from its comic course , its unintentional parallels might inadvertently evoke memories and emotions which are anything but humorous . 5048
Evokes the style and flash of the double-cross that made Mamet 's `` House of Games '' and last fall 's `` Heist '' so much fun . 5049
So original in its base concept that you can not help but get caught up . 5050
It may be a no-brainer , but at least it 's a funny no-brainer . 5051
A lot more dimensional and complex than its sunny disposition would lead you to believe . 5052
Jeffs has created a breathtakingly assured and stylish work of spare dialogue and acute expressiveness . 5053
Underachieves only in not taking the Shakespeare parallels quite far enough . 5054
The most audacious , outrageous , sexually explicit , psychologically probing , pure libido film of the year has arrived from Portugal . 5055
The creative animation work may not look as fully ` rendered ' as Pixar 's industry standard , but it uses lighting effects and innovative backgrounds to an equally impressive degree . 5056
Art-house to the core , Read My Lips is a genre-curling crime story that revives the free-wheeling noir spirit of old French cinema . 5057
Grant is certainly amusing , but the very hollowness of the character he plays keeps him at arms length 5058
Conceptually brilliant ... Plays like a living-room War Of The Worlds , gaining most of its unsettling force from the suggested and the unknown . 5059
... manages to deliver a fair bit of vampire fun . 5060
Drama of temptation , salvation and good intentions is a thoughtful examination of faith , love and power . 5061
The strength of the film comes not from any cinematic razzle-dazzle but from its recovery of an historical episode that , in the simple telling , proves simultaneously harrowing and uplifting . 5062
The performances are strong , though the subject matter demands acting that borders on hammy at times . 5063
A damn fine and a truly distinctive and a deeply pertinent film . 5064
Still rapturous after all these years , Cinema Paradiso stands as one of the great films about movie love . 5065
Reggio and Glass put on an intoxicating show . 5066
MacDowell ... gives give a solid , anguished performance that eclipses nearly everything else she 's ever done . 5067
The thing about guys like Evans is this : You 're never quite sure where self-promotion ends and the truth begins . 5068
But as you watch the movie , you 're too interested to care . 5069
I liked a lot of the smaller scenes . 5070
The film will appeal to Discovery Channel fans and will surely widen the perspective of those of us who see the continent through rose-colored glasses . 5071
An eye-boggling blend of psychedelic devices , special effects and backgrounds , ` Spy Kids 2 ' is a visual treat for all audiences . 5072
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 . 5073
It may ... work as a jaunt down memory lane for teens and young adults who grew up on televised Scooby-Doo shows or reruns . 5074
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 . 5075
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 . 5076
Far more successful , if considerably less ambitious , than last year 's Kubrick-meets-Spielberg exercise . 5077
Elling builds gradually until you feel fully embraced by this gentle comedy . 5078
A fascinating examination of the joyous , turbulent self-discovery made by a proper , middle-aged woman . 5079
Here is a VH1 Behind the Music special that has something a little more special behind it : music that did n't sell many records but helped change a nation . 5080
Buy popcorn . 5081
Take nothing seriously and enjoy the ride . 5082
Carrying off a spot-on Scottish burr , Duvall -LRB- also a producer -RRB- peels layers from this character that may well not have existed on paper . 5083
The acting , for the most part , is terrific , although the actors must struggle with the fact that they 're playing characters who sometimes feel more like literary conceits than flesh-and-blood humans . 5084
Some Body will take you places you have n't been , and also places you have . 5085
Vereté has a whip-smart sense of narrative bluffs . 5086
Parts of the film feel a bit too much like an infomercial for Ram Dass 's latest book aimed at the boomer demographic . 5087
But mostly it 's a work that , with humor , warmth , and intelligence , captures a life interestingly lived . 5088
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 . 5089
`` Home Movie '' is the film equivalent of a lovingly rendered coffee table book . 5090
Graphic sex may be what 's attracting audiences to Unfaithful , but gripping performances by Lane and Gere are what will keep them awake . 5091
When compared to the usual , more somber festival entries , Davis ' highly personal brand of romantic comedy is a tart , smart breath of fresh air that stands out from the pack even if the picture itself is somewhat problematic . 5092
Both damning and damned compelling . 5093
Much has been written about those years when the psychedelic '60s grooved over into the gay '70s , but words do n't really do the era justice . 5094
You have to see it . 5095
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 . 5096
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 . 5097
Both an admirable reconstruction of terrible events , and a fitting memorial to the dead of that day , and of the thousands thereafter . 5098
A sly dissection of the inanities of the contemporary music business and a rather sad story of the difficulties of artistic collaboration . 5099
The unique niche of self-critical , behind-the-scenes navel-gazing Kaufman has carved from Orleans ' story and his own infinite insecurity is a work of outstanding originality . 5100
Lovingly photographed in the manner of a Golden Book sprung to life , Stuart Little 2 manages sweetness largely without stickiness . 5101
Consistently clever and suspenseful . 5102
It 's like a `` Big Chill '' reunion of the Baader-Meinhof Gang , only these guys are more harmless pranksters than political activists . 5103
The story gives ample opportunity for large-scale action and suspense , which director Shekhar Kapur supplies with tremendous skill . 5104
Fresnadillo has something serious to say about the ways in which extravagant chance can distort our perspective and throw us off the path of good sense . 5105
Throws in enough clever and unexpected twists to make the formula feel fresh . 5106
Weighty and ponderous but every bit as filling as the treat of the title . 5107
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 . 5108
Generates an enormous feeling of empathy for its characters . 5109
Exposing the ways we fool ourselves is One Hour Photo 's real strength . 5110
It 's up to you to decide whether to admire these people 's dedication to their cause or be repelled by their dogmatism , manipulativeness and narrow , fearful view of American life . 5111
Mostly , -LRB- Goldbacher -RRB- just lets her complicated characters be unruly , confusing and , through it all , human . 5112
... quite good at providing some good old fashioned spooks . 5113
At its worst , the movie is pretty diverting ; the pity is that it rarely achieves its best . 5114
Scherfig 's light-hearted profile of emotional desperation is achingly honest and delightfully cheeky . 5115
A journey spanning nearly three decades of bittersweet camaraderie and history , in which we feel that we truly know what makes Holly and Marina tick , and our hearts go out to them as both continue to negotiate their imperfect , love-hate relationship . 5116
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 . 5117
As it turns out , you can go home again . 5118
You 've already seen City by the Sea under a variety of titles , but it 's worth yet another visit . 5119
This kind of hands-on storytelling is ultimately what makes Shanghai Ghetto move beyond a good , dry , reliable textbook and what allows it to rank with its worthy predecessors . 5120
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 . 5121
Grown-up quibbles are beside the point here . 5122
The little girls understand , and McCracken knows that 's all that matters . 5123
A powerful , chilling , and affecting study of one man 's dying fall . 5124
This is a fascinating film because there is no clear-cut hero and no all-out villain . 5125
A dreadful day in Irish history is given passionate , if somewhat flawed , treatment . 5126
... a good film that must have baffled the folks in the marketing department . 5127
... is funny in the way that makes you ache with sadness -LRB- the way Chekhov is funny -RRB- , profound without ever being self-important , warm without ever succumbing to sentimentality . 5128
Devotees of Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan will feel a nagging sense of deja vu , and the grandeur of the best Next Generation episodes is lacking . 5129
A soul-stirring documentary about the Israeli\/Palestinian conflict as revealed through the eyes of some children who remain curious about each other against all odds . 5130
What 's so striking about Jolie 's performance is that she never lets her character become a caricature -- not even with that radioactive hair . 5131
The main story ... is compelling enough , but it 's difficult to shrug off the annoyance of that chatty fish . 5132
The performances are immaculate , with Roussillon providing comic relief . 5133
Kinnear ... gives his best screen performance with an oddly winning portrayal of one of life 's ultimate losers . 5134
Hugh Grant , who has a good line in charm , has never been more charming than in About a Boy . 5135
There 's a lot of tooth in Roger Dodger . 5136
But what 's nice is that there 's a casual intelligence that permeates the script . 5137
Reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock 's thrillers , most of the scary parts in ` Signs ' occur while waiting for things to happen . 5138
One of the best looking and stylish animated movies in quite a while ... 5139
Its use of the thriller form to examine the labyrinthine ways in which people 's lives cross and change , buffeted by events seemingly out of their control , is intriguing , provocative stuff . 5140
Denver should not get the first and last look at one of the most triumphant performances of Vanessa Redgrave 's career . 5141
It deserves to be seen everywhere . 5142
You need n't be steeped in '50s sociology , pop culture or movie lore to appreciate the emotional depth of Haynes ' work . 5143
Though Haynes ' style apes films from the period ... its message is not rooted in that decade . 5144
Waiting for Godard can be fruitful : ` In Praise of Love ' is the director 's epitaph for himself . 5145
A gangster movie with the capacity to surprise . 5146
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 . 5147
If not a home run , then at least a solid base hit . 5148
Goldmember is funny enough to justify the embarrassment of bringing a barf bag to the moviehouse . 5149
... a fairly disposable yet still entertaining B picture . 5150
It may not be particularly innovative , but the film 's crisp , unaffected style and air of gentle longing make it unexpectedly rewarding . 5151
The film truly does rescue -LRB- the Funk Brothers -RRB- from Motown 's shadows . 5152
It 's about time . 5153
Drawing on an irresistible , languid romanticism , Byler reveals the ways in which a sultry evening or a beer-fueled afternoon in the sun can inspire even the most retiring heart to venture forth . 5154
Works because we 're never sure if Ohlinger 's on the level or merely a dying , delusional man trying to get into the history books before he croaks . 5155
-LRB- Scherfig -RRB- has made a movie that will leave you wondering about the characters ' lives after the clever credits roll . 5156
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 . 5157
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 . 5158
The Piano Teacher is not an easy film . 5159
It forces you to watch people doing unpleasant things to each other and themselves , and it maintains a cool distance from its material that is deliberately unsettling . 5160
As refreshing as a drink from a woodland stream . 5161
Williams absolutely nails Sy 's queasy infatuation and overall strangeness . 5162
Can I admit XXX is as deep as a Petri dish and as well-characterized as a telephone book but still say it was a guilty pleasure ? 5163
While it 's nothing we have n't seen before from Murphy , I Spy is still fun and enjoyable and so aggressively silly that it 's more than a worthwhile effort . 5164
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 . 5165
An intimate contemplation of two marvelously messy lives . 5166
Rarely has skin looked as beautiful , desirable , even delectable , as it does in Trouble Every Day . 5167
This is one of those rare docs that paints a grand picture of an era and makes the journey feel like a party . 5168
Poignant if familiar story of a young person suspended between two cultures . 5169
A metaphor for a modern-day urban China searching for its identity . 5170
For all its brooding quality , Ash Wednesday is suspenseful and ultimately unpredictable , with a sterling ensemble cast . 5171
An odd drama set in the world of lingerie models and bar dancers in the Midwest that held my interest precisely because it did n't try to . 5172
The film feels uncomfortably real , its language and locations bearing the unmistakable stamp of authority . 5173
Despite its faults , Gangs excels in spectacle and pacing . 5174
Entertaining despite its one-joke premise with the thesis that women from Venus and men from Mars can indeed get together . 5175
A tightly directed , highly professional film that 's old-fashioned in all the best possible ways . 5176
It 's dark but has wonderfully funny moments ; you care about the characters ; and the action and special effects are first-rate . 5177
In visual fertility Treasure Planet rivals the top Japanese animations of recent vintage . 5178
Enormously enjoyable , high-adrenaline documentary . 5179
Buy is an accomplished actress , and this is a big , juicy role . 5180
It works its magic with such exuberance and passion that the film 's length becomes a part of its fun . 5181
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 . 5182
An old-fashioned but emotionally stirring adventure tale of the kind they rarely make anymore . 5183
Charlotte Sometimes is a gem . 5184
It 's always enthralling . 5185
In my opinion , Analyze That is not as funny or entertaining as Analyze This , but it is a respectable sequel . 5186
A remarkable film by Bernard Rose . 5187
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 . 5188
A much more successful translation than its most famous previous film adaptation , writer-director Anthony Friedman 's similarly updated 1970 British production . 5189
an original and highly cerebral examination of the psychopathic mind 5190
Michel Piccoli 's moving performance is this films reason for being . 5191
A captivating and intimate study about dying and loving ... 5192
This is an elegantly balanced movie -- every member of the ensemble has something fascinating to do -- that does n't reveal even a hint of artifice . 5193
-LRB- Grant -RRB- goes beyond his usual fluttering and stammering and captures the soul of a man in pain who gradually comes to recognize it and deal with it . 5194
A high-spirited buddy movie about the reunion of Berlin anarchists who face arrest 15 years after their crime . 5195
About the best thing you could say about Narc is that it 's a rock-solid little genre picture . 5196
Whether you like it or not is basically a matter of taste . 5197
An involving , inspirational drama that sometimes falls prey to its sob-story trappings . 5198
Some of the most inventive silliness you are likely to witness in a movie theatre for some time . 5199
Canadian filmmaker Gary Burns ' inventive and mordantly humorous take on the soullessness of work in the city . 5200
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 . 5201
Everyone 's insecure in Lovely and Amazing , a poignant and wryly amusing film about mothers , daughters and their relationships . 5202
The closest thing to the experience of space travel 5203
Connoisseurs of Chinese film will be pleased to discover that Tian 's meticulous talent has not withered during his enforced hiatus . 5204
If you can push on through the slow spots , you 'll be rewarded with some fine acting . 5205
An unusually dry-eyed , even analytical approach to material that is generally played for maximum moisture . 5206
Symbolically , Warm Water Under a Red Bridge is a celebration of feminine energy , a tribute to the power of women to heal . 5207
Spy Kids 2 also happens to be that rarity among sequels : It actually improves upon the original hit movie . 5208
Exceptionally well acted by Diane Lane and Richard Gere . 5209
Like a precious and finely cut diamond , magnificent to behold in its sparkling beauty yet in reality it 's one tough rock . 5210
In addition to scoring high for originality of plot -- putting together familiar themes of family , forgiveness and love in a new way -- Lilo & Stitch has a number of other assets to commend it to movie audiences both innocent and jaded . 5211
Miller has crafted an intriguing story of maternal instincts and misguided acts of affection . 5212
One of the most exciting action films to come out of China in recent years . 5213
This is a nervy , risky film , and Villeneuve has inspired Croze to give herself over completely to the tormented persona of Bibi . 5214
MY LITTLE EYE is the best little `` horror '' movie I 've seen in years . 5215
Tunney , brimming with coltish , neurotic energy , holds the screen like a true star . 5216
Even if the Naipaul original remains the real masterpiece , the movie possesses its own languorous charm . 5217
-LRB- The film -RRB- tackles the topic of relationships in such a straightforward , emotionally honest manner that by the end , it 's impossible to ascertain whether the film is , at its core , deeply pessimistic or quietly hopeful . 5218
Sometimes we feel as if the film careens from one colorful event to another without respite , but sometimes it must have seemed to Frida Kahlo as if her life did , too . 5219
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 . 5220
Like the series , the movie is funny , smart , visually inventive , and most of all , alive . 5221
It was filled with shootings , beatings , and more cussing than you could shake a stick at . 5222
You do n't know whether to admire the film 's stately nature and call it classicism or be exasperated by a noticeable lack of pace . 5223
Or both . 5224
Sure , I hated myself in the morning . 5225
But then again , I hate myself most mornings . 5226
I still like Moonlight Mile , better judgment be damned . 5227
Time Out is as serious as a pink slip . 5228
And more than that , it 's an observant , unfussily poetic meditation about identity and alienation . 5229
Will assuredly rank as one of the cleverest , most deceptively amusing comedies of the year . 5230
Maryam is a small film , but it offers large rewards . 5231
A highly watchable , giggly little story with a sweet edge to it . 5232
The most consistently funny of the Austin Powers films . 5233
Ana 's journey is not a stereotypical one of self-discovery , as she 's already comfortable enough in her own skin to be proud of her Rubenesque physique ... 5234
Cockettes has the glorious , gaudy benefit of much stock footage of Those Days , featuring all manner of drag queen , bearded lady and lactating hippie . 5235
There 's something poignant about an artist of 90-plus years taking the effort to share his impressions of life and loss and time and art with us . 5236
The comedy makes social commentary more palatable . 5237
An ideal love story for those intolerant of the more common saccharine genre . 5238
One funny popcorn flick . 5239
This New Zealand coming-of-age movie is n't really about anything . 5240
When it 's this rich and luscious , who cares ? 5241
Tully is worth a look for its true-to-life characters , its sensitive acting , its unadorned view of rural life and the subtle direction of first-timer Hilary Birmingham . 5242
This gorgeous epic is guaranteed to lift the spirits of the whole family . 5243
The Wild Thornberrys Movie is pleasant enough and the message of our close ties with animals can certainly not be emphasized enough . 5244
Williams creates a stunning , Taxi Driver-esque portrayal of a man teetering on the edge of sanity . 5245
If you 're in the right B-movie frame of mind , it may just scare the pants off you . 5246
A movie of riveting power and sadness . 5247
Both a detective story and a romance spiced with the intrigue of academic skullduggery and politics . 5248
Ludicrous , but director Carl Franklin adds enough flourishes and freak-outs to make it entertaining . 5249
Director Roger Kumble offers just enough sweet and traditional romantic comedy to counter the crudity . 5250
And there 's the inimitable Diaz , holding it all together . 5251
Spielberg 's picture is smarter and subtler than -LRB- Total Recall and Blade Runner -RRB- , although its plot may prove too convoluted for fun-seeking summer audiences . 5252
It 's got all the familiar Bruckheimer elements , and Schumacher does probably as good a job as anyone at bringing off the Hopkins\/Rock collision of acting styles and onscreen personas . 5253
A grittily beautiful film that looks , sounds , and feels more like an extended , open-ended poem than a traditionally structured story . 5254
The production values are of the highest and the performances attractive without being memorable . 5255
A well-rounded tribute to a man whose achievements -- and complexities -- reached far beyond the end zone . 5256
finely crafted , finely written , exquisitely performed 5257
Ramsay and Morton fill this character study with poetic force and buoyant feeling . 5258
This submarine drama earns the right to be favorably compared to Das Boot . 5259
Claude Chabrol 's camera has a way of gently swaying back and forth as it cradles its characters , veiling tension beneath otherwise tender movements . 5260
There 's a great deal of corny dialogue and preposterous moments . 5261
And yet , it still works . 5262
The film was immensely enjoyable thanks to great performances by both Steve Buscemi and Rosario Dawson ... 5263
Like many Western action films , this thriller is too loud and thoroughly overbearing , but its heartfelt concern about North Korea 's recent past and South Korea 's future adds a much needed moral weight . 5264
Special P.O.V. camera mounts on bikes , skateboards , and motorcycles provide an intense experience when splashed across the immense IMAX screen . 5265
Mike White 's deft combination of serious subject matter and dark , funny humor make `` The Good Girl '' a film worth watching . 5266
This is a shrewd and effective film from a director who understands how to create and sustain a mood . 5267
Meant to reduce Blake 's philosophy into a tragic coming-of-age saga punctuated by bursts of animator Todd McFarlane 's superhero dystopia . 5268
Assayas ' ambitious , sometimes beautiful adaptation of Jacques Chardonne 's novel . 5269
As ex-Marine Walter , who may or may not have shot Kennedy , actor Raymond J. Barry is perfectly creepy and believable . 5270
Those who do n't entirely ` get ' Godard 's distinctive discourse will still come away with a sense of his reserved but existential poignancy . 5271
Pete 's screenplay manages to find that real natural , even-flowing tone that few movies are able to accomplish . 5272
Like Brosnan 's performance , Evelyn comes from the heart . 5273
It uses some of the figures from the real-life story to portray themselves in the film . 5274
The result is a powerful , naturally dramatic piece of low-budget filmmaking . 5275
Its spirit of iconoclastic abandon -- however canned -- makes for unexpectedly giddy viewing . 5276
The early and middle passages are surprising in how much they engage and even touch us . 5277
This is not a classical dramatic animated feature , nor a hip , contemporary , in-jokey one . 5278
It 's sort of in-between , and it works . 5279
This quiet , introspective and entertaining independent is worth seeking . 5280
Whether our action-and-popcorn obsessed culture will embrace this engaging and literate psychodrama is n't much of a mystery , unfortunately . 5281
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 . 5282
Sly , sophisticated and surprising . 5283
Spare but quietly effective retelling . 5284
Demonstrates a vivid imagination and an impressive style that result in some terrific setpieces . 5285
By its modest , straight-ahead standards , Undisputed scores a direct hit . 5286
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 . 5287
For those who like quirky , slightly strange French films , this is a must ! 5288
There are so few films about the plight of American Indians in modern America that Skins comes as a welcome , if downbeat , missive from a forgotten front . 5289
-LRB- Shyamalan -RRB- continues to cut a swathe through mainstream Hollywood , while retaining an integrity and refusing to compromise his vision . 5290
A whale of a good time for both children and parents seeking Christian-themed fun . 5291
What begins as a film in the tradition of The Graduate quickly switches into something more recyclable than significant . 5292
Much smarter and more attentive than it first sets out to be . 5293
The story is smart and entirely charming in intent and execution . 5294
A movie of technical skill and rare depth of intellect and feeling . 5295
Represents a worthy departure from the culture clash comedies that have marked an emerging Indian American cinema . 5296
Does n't do more than expand a TV show to movie length . 5297
However , it 's pleasant enough and its ecological , pro-wildlife sentiments are certainly welcome . 5298
If you 're looking for an intelligent movie in which you can release your pent up anger , ENOUGH is just the ticket you need . 5299
A pointed , often tender , examination of the pros and cons of unconditional love and familial duties . 5300
As well-acted and well-intentioned as All or Nothing is , however , the film comes perilously close to being too bleak , too pessimistic and too unflinching for its own good . 5301
A comedy-drama of nearly epic proportions rooted in a sincere performance by the title character undergoing midlife crisis . 5302
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 . 5303
Elegantly produced and expressively performed , the six musical numbers crystallize key plot moments into minutely detailed wonders of dreamlike ecstasy . 5304
Enriched by a strong and unforced supporting cast . 5305
Writer \/ director M. Night Shyamalan 's ability to pull together easily accessible stories that resonate with profundity is undeniable . 5306
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 . 5307
Not a strike against Yang 's similarly themed Yi Yi , but I found What Time ? 5308
to be more engaging on an emotional level , funnier , and on the whole less detached . 5309
A breathtaking adventure for all ages , Spirit tells its poignant and uplifting story in a stunning fusion of music and images . 5310
A charming and funny story of clashing cultures and a clashing mother\/daughter relationship . 5311
Never lets go your emotions , taking them to surprising highs , sorrowful lows and hidden impulsive niches ... gorgeous , passionate , and at times uncommonly moving . 5312
`` ... something appears to have been lost in the translation this time . 5313
The Importance of Being Earnest movie seems to be missing a great deal of the acerbic repartee of the play . '' 5314
-LRB- Washington 's -RRB- strong hand , keen eye , sweet spirit and good taste are reflected in almost every scene . 5315
Shiner can certainly go the distance , but is n't world championship material 5316
The film 's desire to be liked sometimes undermines the possibility for an exploration of the thornier aspects of the nature\/nurture argument in regards to homosexuality . 5317
... a quietly introspective portrait of the self-esteem of employment and the shame of losing a job ... 5318
Affable if not timeless , Like Mike raises some worthwhile themes while delivering a wholesome fantasy for kids . 5319
A film of delicate interpersonal dances . 5320
Caine makes us watch as his character awakens to the notion that to be human is eventually to have to choose . 5321
It 's a sight to behold . 5322
It 's an unusual , thoughtful bio-drama with a rich subject and some fantastic moments and scenes . 5323
Saved from being merely way-cool by a basic , credible compassion . 5324
The increasingly diverse French director has created a film that one can honestly describe as looking , sounding and simply feeling like no other film in recent history . 5325
Gangs , despite the gravity of its subject matter , is often as fun to watch as a good spaghetti western . 5326
Peter Jackson has done the nearly impossible . 5327
He has improved upon the first and taken it a step further , richer and deeper . 5328
What Jackson has done is proven that no amount of imagination , no creature , no fantasy story and no incredibly outlandish scenery 5329
There has to be a few advantages to never growing old . 5330
Like being able to hit on a 15-year old when you 're over 100 . 5331
Ice Age wo n't drop your jaw , but it will warm your heart , and I 'm giving it a strong thumbs up . 5332
Like Kissing Jessica Stein , Amy 's Orgasm has a key strength in its willingness to explore its principal characters with honesty , insight and humor . 5333
The Lady and the Duke is Eric Rohmer 's economical antidote to the bloated costume drama 5334
One of the year 's best films , featuring an Oscar-worthy performance by Julianne Moore . 5335
A small gem from Belgium . 5336
Combines a comically dismal social realism with a farcically bawdy fantasy of redemption and regeneration . 5337
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 . 5338
The most ingenious film comedy since Being John Malkovich . 5339
There 's something to be said for a studio-produced film that never bothers to hand viewers a suitcase full of easy answers . 5340
A movie where story is almost an afterthought amidst a swirl of colors and inexplicable events . 5341
Manages to accomplish what few sequels can -- it equals the original and in some ways even betters it . 5342
To call this one an eventual cult classic would be an understatement , and woe is the horror fan who opts to overlook this goofily endearing and well-lensed gorefest . 5343
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 . 5344
Although melodramatic and predictable , this romantic comedy explores the friendship between five Filipino-Americans and their frantic efforts to find love . 5345
I have a new favorite musical -- and I 'm not even a fan of the genre 5346
It 's unlikely we 'll see a better thriller this year . 5347
There is a real subject here , and it is handled with intelligence and care . 5348
Jason Patric and Ray Liotta make for one splendidly cast pair . 5349
Noyce creates a film of near-hypnotic physical beauty even as he tells a story as horrifying as any in the heart-breakingly extensive annals of white-on-black racism . 5350
Starts slowly , but Adrien Brody -- in the title role -- helps make the film 's conclusion powerful and satisfying . 5351
Very predictable but still entertaining 5352
Nothing short of a masterpiece -- and a challenging one . 5353
Pratfalls aside , Barbershop gets its greatest play from the timeless spectacle of people really talking to each other . 5354
This amiable picture talks tough , but it 's all bluster -- in the end it 's as sweet as Greenfingers ... 5355
This is one of Mr. Chabrol 's subtlest works , but also one of his most uncanny . 5356
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 . 5357
Even though we know the outcome , the seesawing of the general 's fate in the arguments of competing lawyers has the stomach-knotting suspense of a legal thriller , while the testimony of witnesses lends the film a resonant undertone of tragedy . 5358
Watching Spirited Away is like watching an Eastern imagination explode . 5359
As relationships shift , director Robert J. Siegel allows the characters to inhabit their world without cleaving to a narrative arc . 5360
Twohy knows how to inflate the mundane into the scarifying , and gets full mileage out of the rolling of a stray barrel or the unexpected blast of a phonograph record . 5361
While the story does seem pretty unbelievable at times , it 's awfully entertaining to watch . 5362
A smart and funny , albeit sometimes superficial , cautionary tale of a technology in search of an artist . 5363
Examines its explosive subject matter as nonjudgmentally as Wiseman 's previous studies of inner-city high schools , hospitals , courts and welfare centers . 5364
I prefer Soderbergh 's concentration on his two lovers over Tarkovsky 's mostly male , mostly patriarchal debating societies . 5365
` If you are in the mood for an intelligent weepy , it can easily worm its way into your heart . ' 5366
In IMAX in short , it 's just as wonderful on the big screen . 5367
Does a good job of establishing a time and place , and of telling a fascinating character 's story . 5368
I 'm going to give it a marginal thumbs up . 5369
I liked it just enough . 5370
Those of you who do n't believe in Santa Claus probably also think that sequels can never capture the magic of the original . 5371
Well , this movie proves you wrong on both counts . 5372
A deliciously nonsensical comedy about a city coming apart at its seams . 5373
The rare Imax movie that you 'll wish was longer than an hour . 5374
My Wife 's plotting is nothing special ; it 's the delivery that matters here . 5375
I 've yet to find an actual Vietnam War combat movie actually produced by either the North or South Vietnamese , but at least now we 've got something pretty damn close . 5376
A moving and not infrequently breathtaking film . 5377
It 's a sharp movie about otherwise dull subjects . 5378
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 . 5379
As action-adventure , this space-based homage to Robert Louis Stevenson 's Treasure Island fires on all plasma conduits . 5380
A melancholy , emotional film . 5381
While the filmmaking may be a bit disjointed , the subject matter is so fascinating that you wo n't care . 5382
Intensely romantic , thought-provoking and even an engaging mystery . 5383
Goofy , nutty , consistently funny . 5384
And educational ! 5385
Another in a long line of ultra-violent war movies , this one is not quite what it could have been as a film , but the story and theme make up for it . 5386
It leaves little doubt that Kidman has become one of our best actors . 5387
The film boasts dry humor and jarring shocks , plus moments of breathtaking mystery . 5388
Beautifully directed and convincingly acted . 5389
Gambling and throwing a basketball game for money is n't a new plot -- in fact Toback himself used it in Black and White . 5390
But Toback 's deranged immediacy makes it seem fresh again . 5391
In the director 's cut , the film is not only a love song to the movies but it also is more fully an example of the kind of lush , all-enveloping movie experience it rhapsodizes . 5392
Bring on the sequel . 5393
Graced with the kind of social texture and realism that would be foreign in American teen comedies . 5394
If we sometimes need comforting fantasies about mental illness , we also need movies like Tim McCann 's Revolution No. 9 . 5395
The film occasionally tries the viewer 's patience with slow pacing and a main character who sometimes defies sympathy , but it ultimately satisfies with its moving story . 5396
A big-budget\/all-star movie as unblinkingly pure as The Hours is a distinct rarity , and an event . 5397
... certainly an entertaining ride , despite many talky , slow scenes . 5398
But something seems to be missing . 5399
A sense of real magic , perhaps . 5400
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 . 5401
The movie worked for me right up to the final scene , and then it caved in . 5402
... one of the most entertaining monster movies in ages ... 5403
Plunges you into a reality that is , more often then not , difficult and sad , and then , without sentimentalizing it or denying its brutality , transforms that reality into a lyrical and celebratory vision . 5404
Would you laugh if a tuba-playing dwarf rolled down a hill in a trash can ? 5405
Do you chuckle at the thought of an ancient librarian whacking a certain part of a man 's body ? 5406
If you answered yes , by all means enjoy The New Guy . 5407
The film is ... determined to treat its characters , weak and strong , as fallible human beings , not caricatures , and to carefully delineate the cost of the inevitable conflicts between human urges and an institution concerned with self-preservation . 5408
Missteps take what was otherwise a fascinating , riveting story and send it down the path of the mundane . 5409
An indispensable peek at the art and the agony of making people laugh . 5410
Steadfastly uncinematic but powerfully dramatic . 5411
The engagingly primitive animated special effects contribute to a mood that 's sustained through the surprisingly somber conclusion . 5412
Made-Up lampoons the moviemaking process itself , while shining a not particularly flattering spotlight on America 's skin-deep notions of pulchritude . 5413
Evokes the 19th century with a subtlety that is an object lesson in period filmmaking . 5414
Ya-Yas everywhere will forgive the flaws and love the film . 5415
The film 's best trick is the way that it treats conspiracy as a kind of political Blair Witch , a monstrous murk that haunts us precisely because it can never be seen . 5416
The artwork is spectacular and unlike most animaton from Japan , the characters move with grace and panache . 5417
The picture 's fascinating byways are littered with trenchant satirical jabs at the peculiar egocentricities of the acting breed . 5418
The modern remake of Dumas 's story is long on narrative and -LRB- too -RRB- short on action . 5419
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 . 5420
With a cast of A-list Brit actors , it is worth searching out . 5421
Suffers from its timid parsing of the barn-side target of sons trying to breach gaps in their relationships with their fathers . 5422
Nonchalantly freaky and uncommonly pleasurable , Warm Water may well be the year 's best and most unpredictable comedy . 5423
It 's like an old Warner Bros. costumer jived with sex -- this could be the movie Errol Flynn always wanted to make , though Bette Davis , cast as Joan , would have killed him . 5424
It 's a great American adventure and a wonderful film to bring to IMAX . 5425
Satisfyingly scarifying , fresh and old-fashioned at the same time . 5426
Oh , James ! 5427
Your 20th outing shows off a lot of stamina and vitality , and get this , Madonna 's cameo does n't suck ! 5428
That death is merely a transition is a common tenet in the world 's religions . 5429
This deeply spiritual film taps into the meaning and consolation in afterlife communications . 5430
There is something that is so meditative and lyrical about Babak Payami 's boldly quirky Iranian drama Secret Ballot ... a charming and evoking little ditty that manages to show the gentle and humane side of Middle Eastern world politics 5431
A huge box-office hit in Korea , Shiri is a must for genre fans . 5432
I 'm not a fan of the phrase ` life affirming ' because it usually means ` schmaltzy , ' but Real Women Have Curves truly is life affirming . 5433
The symbols float like butterflies and the spinning styx sting like bees . 5434
I wanted more . 5435
If it 's unnerving suspense you 're after -- you 'll find it with Ring , an indisputably spooky film ; with a screenplay to die for . 5436
The art direction and costumes are gorgeous and finely detailed , and Kurys ' direction is clever and insightful . 5437
Red Dragon makes one appreciate Silence of the Lambs . 5438
Proves a servicable World War II drama that ca n't totally hide its contrivances , but it at least calls attention to a problem Hollywood too long has ignored . 5439
Leigh is n't breaking new ground , but he knows how a daily grind can kill love . 5440
While Broomfield 's film does n'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 . 5441
... strips Bible stores of the potential for sanctimoniousness , making them meaningful for both kids and church-wary adults . 5442
Laugh-out-loud lines , adorably ditsy but heartfelt performances , and sparkling , bittersweet dialogue that cuts to the chase of the modern girl 's dilemma . 5443
Tends to pile too many `` serious issues '' on its plate at times , yet remains fairly light , always entertaining , and smartly written . 5444
A solidly entertaining little film . 5445
It 's an entertaining movie , and the effects , boosted to the size of a downtown hotel , will all but take you to outer space . 5446
Sayles has a knack for casting , often resurrecting performers who rarely work in movies now ... and drawing flavorful performances from bland actors . 5447
Despite an overwrought ending , the film works as well as it does because of the performances . 5448
A passionately inquisitive film determined to uncover the truth and hopefully inspire action . 5449
Though Nijinsky 's words grow increasingly disturbed , the film maintains a beguiling serenity and poise that make it accessible for a non-narrative feature . 5450
A muddle splashed with bloody beauty as vivid as any Scorsese has ever given us . 5451
From both a great and a terrible story , Mr. Nelson has made a film that is an undeniably worthy and devastating experience . 5452
Spider-Man is about growing strange hairs , getting a more mature body , and finding it necessary to hide new secretions from the parental units . 5453
The first shocking thing about Sorority Boys is that it 's actually watchable . 5454
Even more baffling is that it 's funny . 5455
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 . 5456
Neither quite a comedy nor a romance , more of an impish divertissement of themes that interest Attal and Gainsbourg -- they live together -- the film has a lot of charm . 5457
First and foremost ... the reason to go see `` Blue Crush '' is the phenomenal , water-born cinematography by David Hennings . 5458
A visionary marvel , but it 's lacking a depth in storytelling usually found in anime like this . 5459
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 . 5460
In his latest effort , Storytelling , Solondz has finally made a movie that is n't just offensive -- it also happens to be good . 5461
How I Killed My Father would be a rarity in Hollywood . 5462
It 's an actor 's showcase that accomplishes its primary goal without the use of special effects , but rather by emphasizing the characters -- including the supporting ones . 5463
I just saw this movie ... well , it 's probably not accurate to call it a movie . 5464
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 . 5465
Scherfig , the writer-director , has made a film so unabashedly hopeful that it actually makes the heart soar . 5466
Yes , soar . 5467
A delicious and delicately funny look at the residents of a Copenhagen neighborhood coping with the befuddling complications life tosses at them . 5468
`` What really happened ? '' 5469
is a question for philosophers , not filmmakers ; all the filmmakers need to do is engage an audience . 5470
Soderbergh , like Kubrick before him , may not touch the planet 's skin , but understands the workings of its spirit . 5471
Much credit must be given to the water-camera operating team of Don King , Sonny Miller , and Michael Stewart . 5472
Their work is fantastic . 5473
Crush is so warm and fuzzy you might be able to forgive its mean-spirited second half . 5474
Franco is an excellent choice for the walled-off but combustible hustler , but he does not give the transcendent performance SONNY needs to overcome gaps in character development and story logic . 5475
Tsai Ming-liang 's witty , wistful new film , What Time Is It There ? 5476
, is a temporal inquiry that shoulders its philosophical burden lightly . 5477
The Pianist lacks the quick emotional connections of Steven Spielberg 's Schindler 's List . 5478
But Mr. Polanski creates images even more haunting than those in Mr. Spielberg 's 1993 classic . 5479
Steers , in his feature film debut , has created a brilliant motion picture . 5480
A brilliant , absurd collection of vignettes that , in their own idiosyncratic way , sum up the strange horror of life in the new millennium . 5481
As warm as it is wise , deftly setting off uproarious humor with an underlying seriousness that sneaks up on the viewer , providing an experience that is richer than anticipated . 5482
The film may not hit as hard as some of the better drug-related pictures , but it still manages to get a few punches in . 5483
Old-fashioned but thoroughly satisfying entertainment . 5484
An energizing , intoxicating documentary charting the rise of hip-hop culture in general and the art of scratching -LRB- or turntablism -RRB- in particular . 5485
A fun family movie that 's suitable for all ages -- a movie that will make you laugh , cry and realize , ` It 's never too late to believe in your dreams . ' 5486
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 . 5487
I had a dream that a smart comedy would come along to rescue me from a summer of teen-driven , toilet-humor codswallop , and its name was Earnest . 5488
Even though the film does n't manage to hit all of its marks , it 's still entertaining to watch the target practice . 5489
Where This was lazy but enjoyable , a formula comedy redeemed by its stars , That is even lazier and far less enjoyable . 5490
The 3-D vistas from orbit , with the space station suspended like a huge set of wind chimes over the great blue globe , are stanzas of breathtaking , awe-inspiring visual poetry . 5491
The attraction between these two marginal characters is complex from the start -- and , refreshingly , stays that way . 5492
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 . 5493
Even when he 's not at his most critically insightful , Godard can still be smarter than any 50 other filmmakers still at work . 5494
What sets this romantic comedy apart from most Hollywood romantic comedies is its low-key way of tackling what seems like done-to-death material . 5495
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 . 5496
This seductive tease of a thriller gets the job done . 5497
It 's a scorcher . 5498
Bittersweet comedy\/drama full of life , hand gestures , and some really adorable Italian guys . 5499
Works as pretty contagious fun . 5500
The best didacticism is one carried by a strong sense of humanism , and Bertrand Tavernier 's oft-brilliant Safe Conduct -LRB- `` Laissez-passer '' -RRB- wears its heart on its sleeve . 5501
A realistically terrifying movie that puts another notch in the belt of the long list of renegade-cop tales . 5502
A charming , banter-filled comedy ... one of those airy cinematic bon bons whose aims -- and by extension , accomplishments -- seem deceptively slight on the surface . 5503
A film with almost as many delights for adults as there are for children and dog lovers . 5504
Serious movie-goers embarking upon this journey will find that The Road to Perdition leads to a satisfying destination . 5505
Heartwarming and gently comic even as the film breaks your heart . 5506
Caruso sometimes descends into sub-Tarantino cuteness ... but for the most part he makes sure The Salton Sea works the way a good noir should , keeping it tight and nasty . 5507
A `` black Austin Powers ? '' 5508
I prefer to think of it as `` Pootie Tang with a budget . '' 5509
Sa da TAY ! 5510
Oddly , the film is n't nearly as downbeat as it sounds , but strikes a tone that 's alternately melancholic , hopeful and strangely funny . 5511
I would be shocked if there was actually one correct interpretation , but that should n't make the movie or the discussion any less enjoyable . 5512
Chouraqui brings documentary-like credibility to the horrors of the killing field and the barbarism of ` ethnic cleansing . ' 5513
The best thing I can say about this film is that I ca n't wait to see what the director does next . 5514
Smarter than its commercials make it seem . 5515
One of the funnier movies in town . 5516
Campanella 's competent direction and his excellent cast overcome the obstacles of a predictable outcome and a screenplay that glosses over Rafael 's evolution . 5517
By turns very dark and very funny . 5518
Steven Soderbergh does n't remake Andrei Tarkovsky 's Solaris so much as distill it . 5519
For more than two decades Mr. Nachtwey has traveled to places in the world devastated by war , famine and poverty and documented the cruelty and suffering he has found with an devastating , eloquent clarity . 5520
Simultaneously heartbreakingly beautiful and exquisitely sad . 5521
Though overall an overwhelmingly positive portrayal , the film does n't ignore the more problematic aspects of Brown 's life . 5522
The philosophical musings of the dialogue jar against the tawdry soap opera antics of the film 's action in a way that is surprisingly enjoyable . 5523
Not too fancy , not too filling , not too fluffy , but definitely tasty and sweet . 5524
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 . 5525
As Allen 's execution date closes in , the documentary gives an especially poignant portrait of her friendship with the never flagging legal investigator David Presson . 5526
Jones has tackled a meaty subject and drawn engaging characters while peppering the pages with memorable zingers . 5527
A vivid , spicy footnote to history , and a movie that grips and holds you in rapt attention from start to finish . 5528
If S&M seems like a strange route to true love , maybe it is , but it 's to this film 's -LRB- and its makers ' -RRB- credit that we believe that that 's exactly what these two people need to find each other -- and themselves . 5529
If the film 's vision of sport as a secular religion is a bit cloying , its through-line of family and community is heartening in the same way that each season marks a new start . 5530
One of the best of a growing strain of daring films ... that argue that any sexual relationship that does n't hurt anyone and works for its participants is a relationship that is worthy of our respect . 5531
... an adorably whimsical comedy that deserves more than a passing twinkle . 5532
An engrossing story that combines psychological drama , sociological reflection , and high-octane thriller . 5533
It 's easy to be cynical about documentaries in which underdogs beat the odds and the human spirit triumphs , but Westbrook 's foundation and Dalrymple 's film earn their uplift . 5534
Mel Gibson fights the good fight in Vietnam in director Randall Wallace 's flag-waving war flick with a core of decency . 5535
There 's real visual charge to the filmmaking , and a strong erotic spark to the most crucial lip-reading sequence . 5536
A brutal and funny work . 5537
Nicole Holofcenter , the insightful writer\/director responsible for this illuminating comedy does n't wrap the proceedings up neatly but the ideas tie together beautifully . 5538
The film is a blunt indictment , part of a perhaps surreal campaign to bring Kissinger to trial for crimes against humanity . 5539
One of the most important and exhilarating forms of animated filmmaking since old Walt doodled Steamboat Willie . 5540
Move over Bond ; this girl deserves a sequel . 5541
The kind of trifle that date nights were invented for . . 5542
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 . 5543
There 's a sheer unbridled delight in the way the story unfurls ... 5544
Tells -LRB- the story -RRB- with such atmospheric ballast that shrugging off the plot 's persnickety problems is simply a matter of -LRB- being -RRB- in a shrugging mood . 5545
The film is hard to dismiss -- moody , thoughtful , and lit by flashes of mordant humor . 5546
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 . 5547
What emerges is an unsettling picture of childhood innocence combined with indoctrinated prejudice . 5548
Promises is a compelling piece that demonstrates just how well children can be trained to live out and carry on their parents ' anguish . 5549
Meticulously uncovers a trail of outrageous force and craven concealment . 5550
Hey , Happy ! 5551
is many things -- stoner midnight flick , sci-fi deconstruction , gay fantasia -- but above all it 's a love story as sanguine as its title . 5552
You wo n't look at religious fanatics -- or backyard sheds -- the same way again . 5553
At its best ... Festival in Cannes bubbles with the excitement of the festival in Cannes . 5554
There is a general air of exuberance in All About The Benjamins that 's hard to resist . 5555
A lovably old-school Hollywood confection . 5556
I 'm happy to have seen it -- not as an alternate version , but as the ultimate exercise in viewing deleted scenes . 5557
By turns gripping , amusing , tender and heart-wrenching , Laissez-passer has all the earmarks of French cinema at its best . 5558
The warnings to resist temptation in this film ... are blunt and challenging and offer no easy rewards for staying clean . 5559
Wonder of wonders -- a teen movie with a humanistic message . 5560
A quirky comedy set in Newfoundland that cleverly captures the dry wit that 's so prevalent on The Rock . 5561
Peppered with witty dialogue and inventive moments . 5562
I 'd rather watch a rerun of The Powerpuff Girls 5563
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 . 5564
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 . 5565
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 . 5566
As a thoughtful and unflinching examination of an alternative lifestyle , Sex with Strangers is a success . 5567
unpretentious , charming , quirky , original 5568
Spinning a web of dazzling entertainment may be overstating it , but `` Spider-Man '' certainly delivers the goods . 5569
Other than the slightly flawed -LRB- and fairly unbelievable -RRB- finale , everything else is top shelf . 5570
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 . 5571
Manages to delight without much of a story . 5572
There 's no denying that Burns is a filmmaker with a bright future ahead of him . 5573
I have a confession to make : I did n't particularly like E.T. the first time I saw it as a young boy . 5574
That is because - damn it ! 5575
- I also wanted a little alien as a friend ! 5576
Fairy-tale formula , serves as a paper skeleton for some very good acting , dialogue , comedy , direction and especially charm . 5577
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 . 5578
Though the aboriginal aspect lends the ending an extraordinary poignancy , and the story itself could be played out in any working class community in the nation . 5579
An energetic and engaging film that never pretends to be something it is n't . 5580
A violent initiation rite for the audience , as much as it is for Angelique , the -LRB- opening -RRB- dance guarantees Karmen 's enthronement among the cinema 's memorable women . 5581
An animation landmark as monumental as Disney 's 1937 breakthrough Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs . 5582
An entertaining , if ultimately minor , thriller . 5583
Sex With Strangers is fascinating ... 5584
A subtle , poignant picture of goodness that is flawed , compromised and sad . 5585
A wry , affectionate delight . 5586
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 . 5587
One of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature . 5588
A penetrating glimpse into the tissue-thin ego of the stand-up comic . 5589
Kids should have a stirring time at this beautifully drawn movie . 5590
And adults will at least have a dream image of the West to savor whenever the film 's lamer instincts are in the saddle . 5591
Paid in Full is remarkably engaging despite being noticeably derivative of Goodfellas and at least a half dozen other trouble-in-the-ghetto flicks . 5592
Less cinematically powerful than quietly and deeply moving , which is powerful in itself . 5593
waydowntown manages to nail the spirit-crushing ennui of denuded urban living without giving in to it . 5594
Each of these stories has the potential for Touched by an Angel simplicity and sappiness , but Thirteen Conversations About One Thing , for all its generosity and optimism , never resorts to easy feel-good sentiments . 5595
If Borstal Boy is n't especially realistic , it is an engaging nostalgia piece . 5596
Often demented in a good way , but it is an uneven film for the most part . 5597
The script 's snazzy dialogue establishes a realistic atmosphere that involves us in the unfolding crisis , but the lazy plotting ensures that little of our emotional investment pays off . 5598
Maggie Smith as the Ya-Ya member with the O2-tank will absolutely crack you up with her crass , then gasp for gas , verbal deportment . 5599
This is a movie that refreshes the mind and spirit along with the body , so original is its content , look , and style . 5600
Although I did n't hate this one , it 's not very good either . 5601
It can be safely recommended as a video\/DVD babysitter . 5602
Another Best of the Year selection . 5603
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 . 5604
It 's a very valuable film ... 5605
Max pokes , provokes , takes expressionistic license and hits a nerve ... as far as art is concerned , it 's mission accomplished . 5606
Literary purists may not be pleased , but as far as mainstream matinee-style entertainment goes , it does a bang-up job of pleasing the crowds . 5607
Here Polanski looks back on those places he saw at childhood , and captures them by freeing them from artefact , and by showing them heartbreakingly drably . 5608
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 . 5609
A compelling story of musical passion against governmental odds . 5610
With `` Ichi the Killer '' , Takashi Miike , Japan 's wildest filmmaker gives us a crime fighter carrying more emotional baggage than Batman ... 5611
You never know where Changing Lanes is going to take you but it 's a heck of a ride . 5612
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the best actors there is . 5613
-LRB- Breheny 's -RRB- lensing of the New Zealand and Cook Island locations captures both the beauty of the land and the people . 5614
An almost unbearably morbid love story . 5615
The Wild Thornberrys Movie has all the sibling rivalry and general family chaos to which anyone can relate . 5616
A forceful drama of an alienated executive who re-invents himself . 5617
Spielberg 's realization of a near-future America is masterful . 5618
This makes Minority Report necessary viewing for sci-fi fans , as the film has some of the best special effects ever . 5619
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 . 5620
The best film of the year 2002 . 5621
An enthralling , entertaining feature . 5622
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 . 5623
A remarkable movie with an unsatisfying ending , which is just the point . 5624
All in all , Brown Sugar is a satisfying well-made romantic comedy that 's both charming and well acted . 5625
It will guarantee to have you leaving the theater with a smile on your face . 5626
Smith finds amusing juxtapositions that justify his exercise . 5627
Working from a surprisingly sensitive script co-written by Gianni Romoli ... Ozpetek avoids most of the pitfalls you 'd expect in such a potentially sudsy set-up . 5628
An older cad instructs a younger lad in Zen and the art of getting laid in this prickly indie comedy of manners and misanthropy . 5629
`` Austin Powers in Goldmember '' has the right stuff for silly summer entertainment and has enough laughs to sustain interest to the end . 5630
One of -LRB- Jaglom 's -RRB- better efforts -- a wry and sometime bitter movie about love . 5631
Schaeffer is n't in this film , which may be why it works as well as it does . 5632
A fresh , entertaining comedy that looks at relationships minus traditional gender roles . 5633
Although Estela Bravo 's documentary is cloyingly hagiographic in its portrait of Cuban leader Fidel Castro , it 's still a guilty pleasure to watch . 5634
Surprisingly , the film is a hilarious adventure and I shamelessly enjoyed it . 5635
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 . 5636
Brutally honest and told with humor and poignancy , which makes its message resonate . 5637
If you can read the subtitles -LRB- the opera is sung in Italian -RRB- and you like ` Masterpiece Theatre ' type costumes , you 'll enjoy this movie . 5638
A pretty funny movie , with most of the humor coming , as before , from the incongruous but chemically perfect teaming of Crystal and De Niro . 5639
Gangster No. 1 is solid , satisfying fare for adults . 5640
This Chicago has hugely imaginative and successful casting to its great credit , as well as one terrific score and attitude to spare . 5641
Has enough gun battles and throwaway humor to cover up the yawning chasm where the plot should be . 5642
With its jerky hand-held camera and documentary feel , Bloody Sunday is a sobering recount of a very bleak day in Derry . 5643
You will likely prefer to keep on watching . 5644
Insomnia loses points when it surrenders to a formulaic bang-bang , shoot-em-up scene at the conclusion . 5645
But the performances of Pacino , Williams , and Swank keep the viewer wide-awake all the way through . 5646
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 . 5647
At a time when commercialism has squeezed the life out of whatever idealism American moviemaking ever had , Godfrey Reggio 's career shines like a lonely beacon . 5648
An Inuit masterpiece that will give you goosebumps as its uncanny tale of love , communal discord , and justice unfolds . 5649
This is popcorn movie fun with equal doses of action , cheese , ham and cheek -LRB- as well as a serious debt to The Road Warrior -RRB- , but it feels like unrealized potential 5650
It 's a testament to De Niro and director Michael Caton-Jones that by movie 's end , we accept the characters and the film , flaws and all . 5651
Performances are potent , and the women 's stories are ably intercut and involving . 5652
An enormously entertaining movie , like nothing we 've ever seen before , and yet completely familiar . 5653
Lan Yu is a genuine love story , full of traditional layers of awakening and ripening and separation and recovery . 5654
Your children will be occupied for 72 minutes . 5655
Pull -LRB- s -RRB- off the rare trick of recreating not only the look of a certain era , but also the feel . 5656
Twohy 's a good yarn-spinner , and ultimately the story compels . 5657
` Tobey Maguire is a poster boy for the geek generation . ' 5658
... a sweetly affecting story about four sisters who are coping , in one way or another , with life 's endgame . 5659
Passion , melodrama , sorrow , laugther , and tears cascade over the screen effortlessly ... 5660
Road to Perdition does display greatness , and it 's worth seeing . 5661
But it also comes with the laziness and arrogance of a thing that already knows it 's won . 5662
A marvelous performance by Allison Lohman as an identity-seeking foster child . 5663
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 . 5664
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 . 5665
What a dumb , fun , curiously adolescent movie this is . 5666
The charms of the lead performances allow us to forget most of the film 's problems . 5667
A vivid , sometimes surreal , glimpse into the mysteries of human behavior . 5668
A tour de force of modern cinema . 5669
Peralta captures , in luminous interviews and amazingly evocative film from three decades ago , the essence of the Dogtown experience . 5670
The lively appeal of The Last Kiss lies in the ease with which it integrates thoughtfulness and pasta-fagioli comedy . 5671
Without resorting to camp or parody , Haynes -LRB- like Sirk , but differently -RRB- has transformed the rhetoric of Hollywood melodrama into something provocative , rich , and strange . 5672
The performances are an absolute joy . 5673
A quasi-documentary by French filmmaker Karim Dridi that celebrates the hardy spirit of Cuban music . 5674
Grant carries the day with impeccable comic timing , raffish charm and piercing intellect . 5675
A sensitive and astute first feature by Anne-Sophie Birot . 5676
Both exuberantly romantic and serenely melancholy , What Time Is It There ? 5677
may prove to be -LRB- Tsai 's -RRB- masterpiece . 5678
Mazel tov to a film about a family 's joyous life acting on the Yiddish stage . 5679
Standing in the Shadows of Motown is the best kind of documentary , one that makes a depleted yesterday feel very much like a brand-new tomorrow . 5680
It 's nice to see Piscopo again after all these years , and Chaykin and Headly are priceless . 5681
Provides a porthole into that noble , trembling incoherence that defines us all . 5682
Simplistic , silly and tedious . 5683
It 's so laddish and juvenile , only teenage boys could possibly find it funny . 5684
Exploitative and largely devoid of the depth or sophistication that would make watching such a graphic treatment of the crimes bearable . 5685
-LRB- Garbus -RRB- discards the potential for pathological study , exhuming instead , the skewed melodrama of the circumstantial situation . 5686
A visually flashy but narratively opaque and emotionally vapid exercise in style and mystification . 5687
The story is also as unoriginal as they come , already having been recycled more times than I 'd care to count . 5688
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 . 5689
Not so much farcical as sour . 5690
Unfortunately the story and the actors are served with a hack script . 5691
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 . 5692
A sentimental mess that never rings true . 5693
While the performances are often engaging , this loose collection of largely improvised numbers would probably have worked better as a one-hour TV documentary . 5694
Interesting , but not compelling . 5695
On a cutting room floor somewhere lies ... footage that might have made No Such Thing a trenchant , ironic cultural satire instead of a frustrating misfire . 5696
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 . 5697
There is a difference between movies with the courage to go over the top and movies that do n't care about being stupid 5698
Nothing here seems as funny as it did in Analyze This , not even Joe Viterelli as De Niro 's right-hand goombah . 5699
Such master screenwriting comes courtesy of John Pogue , the Yale grad who previously gave us `` The Skulls '' and last year 's `` Rollerball . '' 5700
Enough said , except : Film overboard ! 5701
Here , common sense flies out the window , along with the hail of bullets , none of which ever seem to hit Sascha . 5702
This 100-minute movie only has about 25 minutes of decent material . 5703
The execution is so pedestrian that the most positive comment we can make is that Rob Schneider actually turns in a pretty convincing performance as a prissy teenage girl . 5704
On its own , it 's not very interesting . 5705
As a remake , it 's a pale imitation . 5706
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 . 5707
A farce of a parody of a comedy of a premise , it is n't a comparison to reality so much as it is a commentary about our knowledge of films . 5708
As exciting as all this exoticism might sound to the typical Pax viewer , the rest of us will be lulled into a coma . 5709
The party scenes deliver some tawdry kicks . 5710
The rest of the film ... is dudsville . 5711
Our culture is headed down the toilet with the ferocity of a frozen burrito after an all-night tequila bender -- and I know this because I 've seen ` jackass : the movie . ' 5712
The criticism never rises above easy , cynical potshots at morally bankrupt characters ... 5713
The movie 's something-borrowed construction feels less the product of loving , well integrated homage and more like a mere excuse for the wan , thinly sketched story . 5714
Killing time , that 's all that 's going on here . 5715
Somewhere in the middle , the film compels , as Demme experiments he harvests a few movie moment gems , but the field of roughage dominates . 5716
The action clichés just pile up . 5717
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 . 5718
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 . 5719
Another useless recycling of a brutal mid - '70s American sports movie . 5720
Please , someone , stop Eric Schaeffer before he makes another film . 5721
Most of the problems with the film do n't derive from the screenplay , but rather the mediocre performances by most of the actors involved 5722
... if you 're just in the mood for a fun -- but bad -- movie , you might want to catch Freaks as a matinee . 5723
Curling may be a unique sport but Men with Brooms is distinctly ordinary . 5724
Though the opera itself takes place mostly indoors , Jacquot seems unsure of how to evoke any sort of naturalism on the set . 5725
There 's no getting around the fact that this is Revenge Of The Nerds Revisited -- again . 5726
The effort is sincere and the results are honest , but the film is so bleak that it 's hardly watchable . 5727
Analyze That regurgitates and waters down many of the previous film 's successes , with a few new swings thrown in . 5728
With flashbulb editing as cover for the absence of narrative continuity , Undisputed is nearly incoherent , an excuse to get to the closing bout ... by which time it 's impossible to care who wins . 5729
Stinks from start to finish , like a wet burlap sack of gloom . 5730
To the civilized mind , a movie like Ballistic : Ecks Vs. Sever is more of an ordeal than an amusement . 5731
Equlibrium could pass for a thirteen-year-old 's book report on the totalitarian themes of 1984 and Farenheit 451 . 5732
The lack of naturalness makes everything seem self-consciously poetic and forced ... It 's a pity that -LRB- Nelson 's -RRB- achievement does n't match his ambition . 5733
When Seagal appeared in an orange prison jumpsuit , I wanted to stand up in the theater and shout , ` Hey , Kool-Aid ! ' 5734
An easy watch , except for the annoying demeanour of its lead character . 5735
Imagine the CleanFlicks version of ` Love Story , ' with Ali MacGraw 's profanities replaced by romance-novel platitudes . 5736
PC stability notwithstanding , the film suffers from a simplistic narrative and a pat , fairy-tale conclusion . 5737
Forget the misleading title , what 's with the unexplained baboon cameo ? 5738
An odd , haphazard , and inconsequential romantic comedy . 5739
Though her fans will assuredly have their funny bones tickled , others will find their humor-seeking dollars best spent elsewhere . 5740
Pascale Bailly 's rom-com provides Amélie 's Audrey Tautou with another fabuleux destin -- i.e. , a banal spiritual quest . 5741
A static and sugary little half-hour , after-school special about interfaith understanding , stretched out to 90 minutes . 5742
Watching the chemistry between Freeman and Judd , however , almost makes this movie worth seeing . 5743
Almost . 5744
... a pretentious and ultimately empty examination of a sick and evil woman . 5745
The Country Bears has no scenes that will upset or frighten young viewers . 5746
Unfortunately , there is almost nothing in this flat effort that will amuse or entertain them , either . 5747
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 . 5748
Before long , you 're desperate for the evening to end . 5749
The characters are never more than sketches ... which leaves any true emotional connection or identification frustratingly out of reach . 5750
Mattei 's underdeveloped effort here is nothing but a convenient conveyor belt of brooding personalities that parade about as if they were coming back from Stock Character camp -- a drowsy drama infatuated by its own pretentious self-examination . 5751
Only in its final surprising shots does Rabbit-Proof Fence find the authority it 's looking for . 5752
Is n't as sharp as the original ... Despite some visual virtues , ` Blade II ' just does n't cut it . 5753
... plays like a badly edited , 91-minute trailer -LRB- and -RRB- the director ca n't seem to get a coherent rhythm going . 5754
In fact , it does n't even seem like she tried . 5755
Maybe LeBlanc thought , `` Hey , the movie about the baseball-playing monkey was worse . '' 5756
What you expect is just what you get ... assuming the bar of expectations has n't been raised above sixth-grade height . 5757
Barry Sonnenfeld owes Frank the Pug big time 5758
The biggest problem with Roger Avary 's uproar against the MPAA is that , even in all its director 's cut glory , he 's made a film that 's barely shocking , barely interesting and most of all , barely anything . 5759
So riddled with unanswered questions that it requires gargantuan leaps of faith just to watch it plod along . 5760
I approached the usher and said that if she had to sit through it again , she should ask for a raise . 5761
If Sinise 's character had a brain his ordeal would be over in five minutes but instead the plot goes out of its way to introduce obstacles for him to stumble over . 5762
Too slow for a younger crowd , too shallow for an older one . 5763
There 's a reason the studio did n't offer an advance screening . 5764
`` The Adventures of Pluto Nash '' is a big time stinker . 5765
A punch line without a premise , a joke built entirely from musty memories of half-dimensional characters . 5766
Takes one character we do n't like and another we do n't believe , and puts them into a battle of wills that is impossible to care about and is n't very funny . 5767
The things this movie tries to get the audience to buy just wo n't fly with most intelligent viewers . 5768
Even if the enticing prospect of a lot of nubile young actors in a film about campus depravity did n't fade amid the deliberate , tiresome ugliness , it would be rendered tedious by Avary 's failure to construct a story with even a trace of dramatic interest . 5769
Sitting through the last reel -LRB- spoiler alert ! -RRB- 5770
is significantly less charming than listening to a four-year-old with a taste for exaggeration recount his Halloween trip to the Haunted House . 5771
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 . 5772
Deadly dull , pointless meditation on losers in a gone-to-seed hotel . 5773
With this new Rollerball , sense and sensibility have been overrun by what can only be characterized as robotic sentiment . 5774
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 5775
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 . 5776
Sex ironically has little to do with the story , which becomes something about how lame it is to try and evade your responsibilities and that you should never , ever , leave a large dog alone with a toddler . 5777
But never mind all that ; the boobs are fantasti 5778
The script covers huge , heavy topics in a bland , surfacey way that does n't offer any insight into why , for instance , good things happen to bad people . 5779
A portrait of alienation so perfect , it will certainly succeed in alienating most viewers . 5780
The code talkers deserved better than a hollow tribute . 5781
Skip the film and buy the Philip Glass soundtrack CD . 5782
Feels like a cold old man going through the motions . 5783
Dignified CEO 's meet at a rustic retreat and pee against a tree . 5784
Can you bear the laughter ? 5785
Dull and mechanical , kinda like a very goofy museum exhibit 5786
There 's no point of view , no contemporary interpretation of Joan 's prefeminist plight , so we 're left thinking the only reason to make the movie is because present standards allow for plenty of nudity . 5787
Beware the quirky Brit-com . 5788
They can and will turn on a dime from oddly humorous to tediously sentimental . 5789
Has its moments -- and almost as many subplots . 5790
The gags , and the script , are a mixed bag . 5791
Completely awful Iranian drama ... as much fun as a grouchy ayatollah in a cold mosque . 5792
Narratively , Trouble Every Day is a plodding mess . 5793
There 's no point in extracting the bare bones of Byatt 's plot for purposes of bland Hollywood romance . 5794
Directors John Musker and Ron Clements , the team behind The Little Mermaid , have produced sparkling retina candy , but they are n't able to muster a lot of emotional resonance in the cold vacuum of space . 5795
Adam Sandler 's heart may be in the right place , but he needs to pull his head out of his butt 5796
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 . 5797
Despite engaging offbeat touches , Knockaround Guys rarely seems interested in kicking around a raison d'etre that 's as fresh-faced as its young-guns cast . 5798
It 's all pretty tame . 5799
The most offensive thing about the movie is that Hollywood expects people to pay to see it . 5800
The movie is a mess from start to finish . 5801
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 . 5802
I 'm not saying that Ice Age does n't have some fairly pretty pictures , but there 's not enough substance in the story to actually give them life . 5803
In the telling of a story largely untold , Bui chooses to produce something that is ultimately suspiciously familiar . 5804
The plot is nothing but boilerplate clichés from start to finish , and the script assumes that not only would subtlety be lost on the target audience , but that it 's also too stupid to realize that they 've already seen this exact same movie a hundred times 5805
Terminally brain dead production . 5806
Some episodes work , some do n't . 5807
Beautifully filmed and well acted ... but admittedly problematic in its narrative specifics . 5808
J. Lo will earn her share of the holiday box office pie , although this movie makes one thing perfectly clear : She 's a pretty woman , but she 's no working girl . 5809
Rymer does n't trust laughs -- and does n't conjure proper respect for followers of the whole dead-undead genre , who deserve more from a vampire pic than a few shrieky special effects . 5810
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 . 5811
Wow . 5812
I have not been this disappointed by a movie in a long time . 5813
Off the Hook is overlong and not well-acted , but credit writer-producer-director Adam Watstein with finishing it at all . 5814
It 's a drag how Nettelbeck sees working women -- or at least this working woman -- for whom she shows little understanding . 5815
Watching Harris ham it up while physically and emotionally disintegrating over the course of the movie has a certain poignancy in light of his recent death , but Boyd 's film offers little else of consequence . 5816
It 's also curious to note that this film , like the similarly ill-timed Antitrust , is easily as bad at a fraction the budget . 5817
Will probably be one of those movies barely registering a blip on the radar screen of 2002 . 5818
The problem is not that it 's all derivative , because plenty of funny movies recycle old tropes . 5819
The problem is that Van Wilder does little that is actually funny with the material . 5820
There 's nothing interesting in Unfaithful whatsoever . 5821
None of this is half as moving as the filmmakers seem to think . 5822
A processed comedy chop suey . 5823
As spent screen series go , Star Trek : Nemesis is even more suggestive of a 65th class reunion mixer where only eight surviving members show up -- and there 's nothing to drink . 5824
Fails as a dystopian movie , as a retooling of Fahrenheit 451 , and even as a rip-off of The Matrix . 5825
Full of the kind of obnoxious chitchat that only self-aware neurotics engage in . 5826
An erotic thriller that 's neither too erotic nor very thrilling , either . 5827
The movie , like Bartleby , is something of a stiff -- an extra-dry office comedy that seems twice as long as its 83 minutes . 5828
With its parade of almost perpetually wasted characters ... Margarita feels like a hazy high that takes too long to shake . 5829
If you value your time and money , find an escape clause and avoid seeing this trite , predictable rehash . 5830
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 is n't the least bit mesmerizing . 5831
Everything is pegged into the groove of a New York dating comedy with ` issues ' to simplify . 5832
A dramatic comedy as pleasantly dishonest and pat as any Hollywood fluff . 5833
The cameo-packed , M : I-2-spoofing title sequence is the funniest 5 minutes to date in this spy comedy franchise ... Then Mike Myers shows up and ruins everything . 5834
It comes off as so silly that you would n't be surprised if BA , Murdock and rest of the A-Team were seen giving chase in a black and red van . 5835
The 50-something lovebirds are too immature and unappealing to care about . 5836
So genial is the conceit , this is one of those rare pictures that you root for throughout , dearly hoping that the rich promise of the script will be realized on the screen . 5837
It never is , not fully . 5838
Even in the summertime , the most restless young audience deserves the dignity of an action hero motivated by something more than franchise possibilities . 5839
What with all the blanket statements and dime-store ruminations on vanity , the worries of the rich and sudden wisdom , the film becomes a sermon for most of its running time . 5840
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 -LRB- Jeremy Renner -RRB- and fiendish acts that no amount of earnest textbook psychologizing can bridge . 5841
Plodding , peevish and gimmicky . 5842
The Four Feathers is definitely horse feathers , but if you go in knowing that , you might have fun in this cinematic sandbox . 5843
Oozes condescension from every pore . 5844
`` Solaris '' is a shapeless inconsequential move relying on the viewer to do most of the work . 5845
The direction , by George Hickenlooper , has no snap to it , no wiseacre crackle or hard-bitten cynicism . 5846
Though this saga would be terrific to read about , it is dicey screen material that only a genius should touch . 5847
It has plenty of laughs . 5848
It just does n't have much else ... especially in a moral sense . 5849
An awful lot like one of -LRB- Spears ' -RRB- 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 . 5850
Confusion is one of my least favourite emotions , especially when I have to put up with 146 minutes of it . 5851
-LRB- H -RRB- ad I suffered and bled on the hard ground of Ia Drang , I 'd want something a bit more complex than We Were Soldiers to be remembered by . 5852
Occasionally loud and offensive , but more often , it simply lulls you into a gentle waking coma . 5853
it may play well as a double feature with mainstream foreign mush like My Big Fat Greek Wedding 5854
By the time you reach the finale , you 're likely wondering why you 've been watching all this strutting and posturing . 5855
Journalistically dubious , inept and often lethally dull . 5856
Putting the primitive murderer inside a high-tech space station unleashes a Pandora 's Box of special effects that run the gamut from cheesy to cheesier to cheesiest . 5857
At its best , it 's Black Hawk Down with more heart . 5858
At its worst , it 's Rambo - meets-John Ford . 5859
Exactly what you 'd expect from a guy named Kaos . 5860
This movie ... does n't deserve the energy it takes to describe how bad it is . 5861
With or without ballast tanks , K-19 sinks to a Harrison Ford low . 5862
Director Oliver Parker labors so hard to whip life into The Importance of Being Earnest that he probably pulled a muscle or two . 5863
You might be shocked to discover that Seinfeld 's real life is boring . 5864
It 's not nearly as fresh or enjoyable as its predecessor , but there are enough high points to keep this from being a complete waste of time . 5865
Walsh ca n't quite negotiate the many inconsistencies in Janice 's behavior or compensate for them by sheer force of charm . 5866
This 10th film in the series looks and feels tired . 5867
It leers , offering next to little insight into its intriguing subject . 5868
I found myself growing more and more frustrated and detached as Vincent became more and more abhorrent . 5869
One of the oddest and most inexplicable sequels in movie history . 5870
There 's nothing to gain from watching They . 5871
It is n't scary . 5872
It hates its characters . 5873
It finds no way to entertain or inspire its viewers . 5874
Fear permeates the whole of Stortelling , Todd Solondz ' oftentimes funny , yet ultimately cowardly autocritique . 5875
The skirmishes for power waged among victims and predators settle into an undistinguished rhythm of artificial suspense . 5876
... Ice Age treads predictably along familiar territory , making it a passable family film that wo n't win many fans over the age of 12 . 5877
Though the film is well-intentioned , one could rent the original and get the same love story and parable . 5878
Just too silly and sophomoric to ensnare its target audience . 5879
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 . 5880
A cleverly crafted but ultimately hollow mockumentary . 5881
It gets bogged down by hit-and-miss topical humour before getting to the truly good stuff . 5882
An achingly enthralling premise , the film is hindered by uneven dialogue and plot lapses . 5883
It 's Tommy 's job to clean the peep booths surrounding her , and after viewing this one , you 'll feel like mopping up , too . 5884
Rifkin no doubt fancies himself something of a Hubert Selby Jr. , but there is n't an ounce of honest poetry in his entire script ; it 's simply crude and unrelentingly exploitative . 5885
Such a bad movie that its luckiest viewers will be seated next to one of those ignorant pinheads who talk throughout the show . 5886
If you go into the theater expecting a scary , action-packed chiller , you might soon be looking for a sign . 5887
An EXIT sign , that is . 5888
Holds limited appeal to those who like explosions , sadism and seeing people beat each other to a pulp . 5889
The dialogue is very choppy and monosyllabic despite the fact that it is being dubbed . 5890
A feature-length , R-rated , road-trip version of Mama 's Family . 5891
What you end up getting is the Vertical Limit of surfing movies - memorable stunts with lots of downtime in between . 5892
Stealing Harvard does n't care about cleverness , wit or any other kind of intelligent humor . 5893
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 . 5894
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 . 5895
Imagine Kevin Smith , the blasphemous bad boy of suburban Jersey , if he were stripped of most of his budget and all of his sense of humor . 5896
The result might look like Vulgar . 5897
Suffers from a lack of clarity and audacity that a subject as monstrous and pathetic as Dahmer demands . 5898
What soured me on The Santa Clause 2 was that Santa bumps up against 21st century reality so hard , it 's icky . 5899
It 's an 88-minute highlight reel that 's 86 minutes too long . 5900
The film favors the scientific over the spectacular -LRB- visually speaking -RRB- . 5901
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 . 5902
With the exception of McCoist , the players do n't have a clue on the park . 5903
The acting is n't much better . 5904
The whole affair is as predictable as can be . 5905
A not-so-Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood with a hefty helping of Re-Fried Green Tomatoes . 5906
This cloying , voices-from-the-other-side story is hell . 5907
A suffocating rape-payback horror show that hinges on the subgenre 's most enabling victim ... and an ebullient affection for industrial-model meat freezers . 5908
Star Trek was kind of terrific once , but now it is a copy of a copy of a copy . 5909
-LRB- N -RRB- o matter how much good will the actors generate , Showtime eventually folds under its own thinness . 5910
Every potential twist is telegraphed well in advance , every performance respectably muted ; the movie itself seems to have been made under the influence of Rohypnol . 5911
Puts on airs of a Hal Hartley wannabe film -- without the vital comic ingredient of the hilarious writer-director himself . 5912
Ver Wiel 's desperate attempt at wit is lost , leaving the character of Critical Jim two-dimensional and pointless . 5913
Despite a performance of sustained intelligence from Stanford and another of subtle humour from Bebe Neuwirth , as an older woman who seduces Oscar , the film founders on its lack of empathy for the social milieu - rich New York intelligentsia - and its off 5914
Although Disney follows its standard formula in this animated adventure , it feels more forced than usual . 5915
Gaghan ... has thrown every suspenseful cliché in the book at this nonsensical story . 5916
A sham construct based on theory , sleight-of-hand , and ill-wrought hypothesis . 5917
-LRB- P -RRB- artnering Murphy with Robert De Niro for the TV-cops comedy Showtime would seem to be surefire casting . 5918
The catch is that they 're stuck with a script that prevents them from firing on all cylinders . 5919
` You 'll laugh for not quite and hour and a half , but come out feeling strangely unsatisfied . 5920
You 'll feel like you ate a Reeses without the peanut butter ... ' 5921
Gooding offers a desperately ingratiating performance . 5922
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 . 5923
The director has injected self-consciousness into the proceedings at every turn . 5924
The results are far more alienating than involving . 5925
Bogdanich is unashamedly pro-Serbian and makes little attempt to give voice to the other side . 5926
A lack of thesis makes Maryam , in the end , play out with the intellectual and emotional impact of an after-school special . 5927
Without Shakespeare 's eloquent language , the update is dreary and sluggish . 5928
If H.G. Wells had a time machine and could take a look at his kin 's reworked version , what would he say ? 5929
` It looks good , Sonny , but you missed the point . ' 5930
During The Tuxedo 's 90 minutes of screen time , there is n't one true ` Chan moment ' . 5931
Bisset delivers a game performance , but she is unable to save the movie . 5932
Watching Austin Powers in Goldmember is like binging on cotton candy . 5933
It 's sweet and fluffy at the time , but it may leave you feeling a little sticky and unsatisfied . 5934
The most anti-human big studio picture since 3000 Miles to Graceland . 5935
The film can depress you about life itself . 5936
I 'm sure the filmmakers found this a remarkable and novel concept , but anybody who has ever seen an independent film can report that it is instead a cheap cliché . 5937
The acting is fine but the script is about as interesting as a recording of conversations at the Wal-Mart checkout line . 5938
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 . 5939
The plot plummets into a comedy graveyard before Janice comes racing to the rescue in the final reel . 5940
Sometimes there are very , very good reasons for certain movies to be sealed in a jar and left on a remote shelf indefinitely . 5941
At 90 minutes this movie is short , but it feels much longer . 5942
Here 's my advice , Kev . 5943
Start reading your scripts before signing that dotted line . 5944
An alternately raucous and sappy ethnic sitcom ... you 'd be wise to send your regrets . 5945
An ugly-duckling tale so hideously and clumsily told it feels accidental . 5946
Unfortunately , it 's also not very good . 5947
Especially compared with the television series that inspired the movie . 5948
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 . 5949
Glazed with a tawdry B-movie scum . 5950
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 . 5951
It winds up moving in many directions as it searches -LRB- vainly , I think -RRB- for something fresh to say . 5952
All in all , Road to Perdition is more in love with strangeness than excellence . 5953
A big fat pain . 5954
A mimetic approximation of better films like Contempt and 8 1\/2 . 5955
Unintelligible , poorly acted , brain-slappingly bad , Harvard Man is ludicrous enough that it could become a cult classic . 5956
Watching The Powerpuff Girls Movie , my mind kept returning to one anecdote for comparison : the cartoon in Japan that gave people seizures . 5957
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 . 5958
To build a feel-good fantasy around a vain dictator-madman is off-putting , to say the least , not to mention inappropriate and wildly undeserved . 5959
With the cheesiest monsters this side of a horror spoof , which They is n't , it is more likely to induce sleep than fright . 5960
Mild , meandering teen flick . 5961
Though its atmosphere is intriguing ... the drama is finally too predictable to leave much of an impression . 5962
Though this rude and crude film does deliver a few gut-busting laughs , its digs at modern society are all things we 've seen before . 5963
Although it tries to be much more , it 's really just another Major League . 5964
Astonishing is n't the word -- neither is incompetent , incoherent or just plain crap . 5965
Indeed , none of these words really gets at the very special type of badness that is Deuces Wild . 5966
One thing is for sure : This movie does not tell you a whole lot about Lily Chou-Chou . 5967
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 . 5968
To better understand why this did n't connect with me would require another viewing , and I wo n't be sitting through this one again ... that in itself is commentary enough . 5969
Cuba Gooding Jr. valiantly mugs his way through Snow Dogs , but even his boisterous energy fails to spark this leaden comedy . 5970
Diane Lane 's sophisticated performance ca n't rescue Adrian Lyne 's Unfaithful from its sleazy moralizing . 5971
Not at all clear what it 's trying to say and even if it were -- I doubt it would be all that interesting . 5972
-LRB- Swimfan -RRB- falls victim to sloppy plotting , an insultingly unbelievable final act and a villainess who is too crazy to be interesting . 5973
This remake of Lina Wertmuller 's 1975 eroti-comedy might just be the biggest husband-and-wife disaster since John and Bo Derek made the ridiculous Bolero . 5974
Silly , loud and goofy . 5975
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 ? 5976
The French director has turned out nearly 21\/2 hours of unfocused , excruciatingly tedious cinema that , half an hour in , starts making water torture seem appealing . 5977
The basic premise is intriguing but quickly becomes distasteful and downright creepy . 5978
The Pool drowned me in boredom . 5979
It 's like an all-star salute to Disney 's cheesy commercialism . 5980
It 's hard to imagine any recent film , independent or otherwise , that makes as much of a mess as this one . 5981
Some of the computer animation is handsome , and various amusing sidekicks add much-needed levity to the otherwise bleak tale , but overall the film never rises above mediocrity . 5982
There 's an excellent 90-minute film here ; unfortunately , it runs for 170 . 5983
As saccharine movies go , this is likely to cause massive cardiac arrest if taken in large doses . 5984
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 . 5985
As is often the case with ambitious , eager first-time filmmakers , Mr. Murray , a prolific director of music videos , stuffs his debut with more plot than it can comfortably hold . 5986
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 . 5987
It throws quirky characters , odd situations , and off-kilter dialogue at us , all as if to say , `` Look at this ! 5988
This is an interesting movie ! '' 5989
But the film itself is ultimately quite unengaging . 5990
The inherent limitations of using a video game as the source material movie are once again made all too clear in this schlocky horror\/action hybrid . 5991
It 's not only dull because we 've seen -LRB- Eddie -RRB- Murphy do the genial-rogue shtick to death , but because the plot is equally hackneyed . 5992
Avary 's film never quite emerges from the shadow of Ellis ' book . 5993
A poorly scripted , preachy fable that forgets about unfolding a coherent , believable story in its zeal to spread propaganda . 5994
While it is interesting to witness the conflict from the Palestinian side , Longley 's film lacks balance ... and fails to put the struggle into meaningful historical context . 5995
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 ? 5996
It 's sincere to a fault , but , unfortunately , not very compelling or much fun . 5997
... Jones , despite a definitely distinctive screen presence , just is n't able to muster for a movie that , its title notwithstanding , should have been a lot nastier if it wanted to fully capitalize on its lead 's specific gifts . 5998
This follow-up seems so similar to the 1953 Disney classic that it makes one long for a geriatric Peter . 5999
Why , you may ask , why should you buy the movie milk when the TV cow is free ? 6000
There 's no good answer to that one . 6001
This slow-moving Swedish film offers not even a hint of joy , preferring to focus on the humiliation of Martin as he defecates in bed and urinates on the plants at his own birthday party . 6002
A muddled limp biscuit of a movie , a vampire soap opera that does n't make much sense even on its own terms . 6003
There 's the plot , and a maddeningly insistent and repetitive piano score that made me want to scream . 6004
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 . 6005
This is amusing for about three minutes . 6006
Klein , charming in comedies like American Pie and dead-on in Election , delivers one of the saddest action hero performances ever witnessed . 6007
It 's rare to see a movie that takes such a speedy swan dive from `` promising '' to `` interesting '' to `` familiar '' before landing squarely on `` stupid '' . 6008
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 . 6009
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 . 6010
There are few things more frustrating to a film buff than seeing an otherwise good movie marred beyond redemption by a disastrous ending . 6011
It wo n't harm anyone , but neither can I think of a very good reason to rush right out and see it . 6012
After all , it 'll probably be in video stores by Christmas , and it might just be better suited to a night in the living room than a night at the movies . 6013
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 . 6014
Given too much time to consider the looseness of the piece , the picture begins to resemble the shapeless , grasping actors ' workshop that it is . 6015
They kept much of the plot but jettisoned the stuff that would make this a moving experience for people who have n't read the book . 6016
Just because A Walk to Remember is shrewd enough to activate girlish tear ducts does n't mean it 's good enough for our girls . 6017
-LRB- Carvey 's -RRB- characters are both overplayed and exaggerated , but then again , subtlety has never been his trademark . 6018
It 's mildly interesting to ponder the peculiar American style of justice that plays out here , but it 's so muddled and derivative that few will bother thinking it all through . 6019
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 . 6020
Brown 's saga , like many before his , makes for snappy prose but a stumblebum of a movie . 6021
The boys ' sparring , like the succession of blows dumped on Guei , wears down the story 's more cerebral , and likable , plot elements . 6022
The script by Vincent R. Nebrida ... tries to cram too many ingredients into one small pot . 6023
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 . 6024
Oedekerk mugs mercilessly , and the genuinely funny jokes are few and far between . 6025
Since Dahmer resorts to standard slasher flick thrills when it should be most in the mind of the killer , it misses a major opportunity to be truly revelatory about his psyche . 6026
Only those most addicted to film violence in all its forms will find anything here to appreciate . 6027
Cold and scattered , Minority Report commands interest almost solely as an exercise in gorgeous visuals . 6028
That 's not vintage Spielberg and that , finally , is minimally satisfying . 6029
Every now and again , a movie comes along to remind us of how very bad a motion picture can truly be . 6030
Frank McKlusky C.I. is that movie ! 6031
It 's not difficult to spot the culprit early-on in this predictable thriller . 6032
... a mostly boring affair with a confusing sudden finale that 's likely to irk viewers . 6033
The trappings of I Spy are so familiar you might as well be watching a rerun . 6034
What starts off as a potentially incredibly twisting mystery becomes simply a monster chase film . 6035
In the wake of Saving Private Ryan , Black Hawk Down and We Were Soldiers , you are likely to be as heartily sick of mayhem as Cage 's war-weary marine . 6036
It is messy , uncouth , incomprehensible , vicious and absurd . 6037
Really does feel like a short stretched out to feature length . 6038
Hampered -- no , paralyzed -- by a self-indulgent script ... that aims for poetry and ends up sounding like satire . 6039
Cheap , vulgar dialogue and a plot that crawls along at a snail 's pace . 6040
And if you appreciate the one-sided theme to Lawrence 's over-indulgent tirade , then knock yourself out and enjoy the big screen postcard that is a self-glorified Martin Lawrence lovefest . 6041
If you are willing to do this , then you so crazy ! 6042
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 . 6043
It 's a very tasteful rock and roll movie . 6044
You could put it on a coffee table anywhere . 6045
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 . 6046
An infuriating film . 6047
Just when you think you are making sense of it , something happens that tells you there is no sense . 6048
The entire movie is so formulaic and forgettable that it 's hardly over before it begins to fade from memory . 6049
The setting turns out to be more interesting than any of the character dramas , which never reach satisfying conclusions . 6050
As an entertainment destination for the general public , Kung Pow sets a new benchmark for lameness . 6051
This misty-eyed Southern nostalgia piece , in treading the line between sappy and sanguine , winds up mired in tear-drenched quicksand . 6052
As pure over-the-top trash , any John Waters movie has it beat by a country mile . 6053
Wendigo wants to be a monster movie for the art-house crowd , but it falls into the trap of pretention almost every time . 6054
Bigelow offers some flashy twists and turns that occasionally fortify this turgid fable . 6055
But for the most part , The Weight of Water comes off as a two-way time-switching myopic mystery that stalls in its lackluster gear of emotional blandness . 6056
This film biggest problem ? 6057
No laughs . 6058
Less-than-compelling documentary of a Yiddish theater clan . 6059
That the Chuck Norris `` grenade gag '' occurs about 7 times during Windtalkers is a good indication of how serious-minded the film is . 6060
Viewers are asked so often to suspend belief that were it not for Holm 's performance , the film would be a total washout . 6061
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 . 6062
I ca n't begin to tell you how tedious , how resolutely unamusing , how thoroughly unrewarding all of this is , and what a reckless squandering of four fine acting talents ... 6063
Everybody loves a David and Goliath story , and this one is told almost entirely from David 's point of view . 6064
Throw Smoochy from the train ! 6065
Eventually , they will have a showdown , but , by then , your senses are as mushy as peas and you do n't care who fires the winning shot . 6066
Irwin and his director never come up with an adequate reason why we should pay money for what we can get on television for free . 6067
A light , engaging comedy that fumbles away almost all of its accumulated enjoyment with a crucial third act miscalculation . 6068
Cedar somewhat defuses this provocative theme by submerging it in a hoary love triangle . 6069
To paraphrase a line from another Dickens ' novel , Nicholas Nickleby is too much like a fragment of an underdone potato . 6070
The actresses may have worked up a back story for the women they portray so convincingly , but viewers do n't get enough of that background for the characters to be involving as individuals rather than types . 6071
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 . 6072
An extremely unpleasant film . 6073
A movie just for Friday fans , critics be damned . 6074
If you already like this sort of thing , this is that sort of thing all over again . 6075
A sincere but dramatically conflicted gay coming-of-age tale . 6076
Wait for it to hit cable . 6077
Ultimately feels like just one more in the long line of films this year about the business of making movies . 6078
Nothing but one relentlessly depressing situation after another for its entire running time , something that you could easily be dealing with right now in your lives . 6079
77 minutes of Pokemon may not last 4ever , it just seems like it does . 6080
My only wish is that Celebi could take me back to a time before I saw this movie and I could just skip it . 6081
The one not-so-small problem with Expecting is that the entire exercise has no real point . 6082
A movie you observe , rather than one you enter into . 6083
-LRB- At least -RRB- Moore is a real charmer . 6084
John Carlen 's script is full of unhappy , two-dimensional characters who are anything but compelling . 6085
LaBute ca n't avoid a fatal mistake in the modern era : He 's changed the male academic from a lower-class Brit to an American , a choice that upsets the novel 's exquisite balance and shreds the fabric of the film . 6086
The notion of deleting emotion from people , even in an advanced Prozac Nation , is so insanely dysfunctional that the rampantly designed Equilibrium becomes a concept doofus . 6087
Stale first act , Scrooge story , blatant product placement , some very good comedic songs , strong finish , dumb fart jokes . 6088
Unsurprisingly , the way this all works out makes the women look more like stereotypical caretakers and moral teachers , instead of serious athletes . 6089
A film that loses sight of its own story . 6090
Adam Sandler 's Eight Crazy Nights grows on you -- like a rash . 6091
The big-screen Scooby makes the silly original cartoon seem smart and well-crafted in comparison . 6092
Few of the increasingly far-fetched events that first-time writer-director Neil Burger follows up with are terribly convincing , which is a pity , considering Barry 's terrific performance . 6093
Gets better after Foster leaves that little room . 6094
The movie is as padded as Allen 's jelly belly . 6095
Resident Evil is n't a product of its cinematic predecessors so much as an MTV , sugar hysteria , and PlayStation cocktail . 6096
A rather average action film that benefits from several funny moments supplied by Epps . 6097
... unspeakably , unbearably dull , featuring reams of flatly delivered dialogue and a heroine who comes across as both shallow and dim-witted . 6098
Resembles a soft porn Brian De Palma pastiche . 6099
Bluto Blutarsky , we miss you . 6100
Innocuous enough to make even Jean-Claude Van Damme look good . 6101
It 's a glorified sitcom , and a long , unfunny one at that . 6102
Woody Allen can write and deliver a one liner as well as anybody . 6103
But I had a lot of problems with this movie . 6104
Devoid of any of the qualities that made the first film so special . 6105
All movie long , City by the Sea swings from one approach to the other , but in the end , it stays in formula -- which is a waste of De Niro , McDormand and the other good actors in the cast . 6106
Plotless collection of moronic stunts is by far the worst movie of the year . 6107
However sincere it may be , The Rising Place never quite justifies its own existence . 6108
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 . 6109
It 's sort of a 21st century morality play with a Latino hip hop beat . 6110
But the second half of the movie really goes downhill . 6111
Paxton 's uneven directorial debut fails to unlock the full potential of what is in many ways a fresh and dramatically substantial spin on the genre . 6112
The script becomes lifeless and falls apart like a cheap lawn chair . 6113
The script falls back on too many tried-and-true shenanigans that hardly distinguish it from the next teen comedy . 6114
The film starts promisingly , but the ending is all too predictable and far too cliched to really work . 6115
Let 's issue a moratorium , effective immediately , on treacly films about inspirational prep-school professors and the children they so heartwarmingly motivate . 6116
It 's the element of condescension , as the filmmakers look down on their working-class subjects from their lofty perch , that finally makes Sex With Strangers , which opens today in the New York metropolitan area , so distasteful . 6117
Alternately frustrating and rewarding . 6118
It 's impossible to even categorize this as a smutty guilty pleasure . 6119
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 . 6120
Swinging , the film makes it seem , is not a hobby that attracts the young and fit . 6121
Or intelligent . 6122
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 . 6123
See Clockstoppers if you have nothing better to do with 94 minutes . 6124
But be warned , you too may feel time has decided to stand still . 6125
Or that the battery on your watch has died . 6126
Suffers from over-familiarity since hit-hungry British filmmakers have strip-mined the Monty formula mercilessly since 1997 . 6127
There are enough throwaway references to faith and rainbows to plant smile-button faces on that segment of the populace that made A Walk to Remember a niche hit . 6128
Yes , I have given this movie a rating of zero . 6129
But fans of the show should not consider this a diss . 6130
Consider it ` perfection . ' 6131
The cumulative effect of the movie is repulsive and depressing . 6132
Children and adults enamored of all things Pokemon wo n't be disappointed . 6133
I do n't even care that there 's no plot in this Antonio Banderas-Lucy Liu faceoff . 6134
It 's still terrible ! 6135
Children of the Century , though well dressed and well made , ultimately falls prey to the contradiction that afflicts so many movies about writers . 6136
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 . 6137
Peralta 's mythmaking could have used some informed , adult hindsight . 6138
A close-to-solid espionage thriller with the misfortune of being released a few decades too late . 6139
Cloaks a familiar anti-feminist equation -LRB- career - kids = misery -RRB- in tiresome romantic-comedy duds . 6140
The Good Girl is a film in which the talent is undeniable but the results are underwhelming . 6141
Just a collection of this and that -- whatever fills time -- with no unified whole . 6142
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 . 6143
Only about as sexy and dangerous as an actress in a role that reminds at every turn of Elizabeth Berkley 's flopping dolphin-gasm . 6144
Kids who are into this Thornberry stuff will probably be in wedgie heaven . 6145
Anyone else who may , for whatever reason , be thinking about going to see this movie is hereby given fair warning . 6146
Mr. Soderbergh 's direction and visual style struck me as unusually and unimpressively fussy and pretentious . 6147
Do you say `` hi '' to your lover when you wake up in the morning ? 6148
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 6149
Director Tom Dey demonstrated a knack for mixing action and idiosyncratic humor in his charming 2000 debut Shanghai Noon , but Showtime 's uninspired send-up of TV cop show cliches mostly leaves him shooting blanks . 6150
` Yes , that 's right : it 's Forrest Gump , Angel Of Death . ' 6151
A wildly erratic drama with sequences that make you wince in embarrassment and others , thanks to the actors , that are quite touching . 6152
While easier to sit through than most of Jaglom 's self-conscious and gratingly irritating films , it 's still tainted by cliches , painful improbability and murky points . 6153
About as enjoyable , I would imagine , as searching for a quarter in a giant pile of elephant feces ... positively dreadful . 6154
A generic international version of a typical American horror film . 6155
... while certainly clever in spots , this too-long , spoofy update of Shakespeare 's Macbeth does n't sustain a high enough level of invention . 6156
Lucas has in fact come closer than anyone could desire to the cheap , graceless , hackneyed sci-fi serials of the '30s and '40s . 6157
There 's a lot of good material here , but there 's also a lot of redundancy and unsuccessful crudeness accompanying it . 6158
Absurdities and clichés accumulate like lint in a fat man 's navel . 6159
If you think it 's a riot to see Rob Schneider in a young woman 's clothes , then you 'll enjoy The Hot Chick . 6160
The sheer dumbness of the plot -LRB- other than its one good idea -RRB- and the movie 's inescapable air of sleaziness get you down . 6161
Strangely comes off as a kingdom more mild than wild . 6162
The next big thing 's not-so-big -LRB- and not-so-hot -RRB- directorial debut . 6163
Yet another iteration of what 's become one of the movies ' creepiest conventions , in which the developmentally disabled are portrayed with almost supernatural powers to humble , teach and ultimately redeem their mentally `` superior '' friends , family ... 6164
Bond-inspired ? 6165
Certainly . 6166
Likely to have decades of life as a classic movie franchise ? 6167
Let 's hope not . 6168
This flat run at a hip-hop Tootsie is so poorly paced you could fit all of Pootie Tang in between its punchlines . 6169
Davis has energy , but she does n't bother to make her heroine 's book sound convincing , the gender-war ideas original , or the comic scenes fly . 6170
Surprisingly , considering that Baird is a former film editor , the movie is rather choppy . 6171
None of this is very original , and it is n't particularly funny . 6172
... a bland murder-on-campus yawner . 6173
A humorless journey into a philosophical void . 6174
These two are generating about as much chemistry as an Iraqi factory poised to receive a UN inspector . 6175
Just as the lousy Tarantino imitations have subsided , here comes the first lousy Guy Ritchie imitation . 6176
A passable romantic comedy , in need of another couple of passes through the word processor . 6177
The movie attempts to mine laughs from a genre -- the gangster\/crime comedy -- that wore out its welcome with audiences several years ago , and its cutesy reliance on movie-specific cliches is n't exactly endearing . 6178
shows Holmes has the screen presence to become a major-league leading lady , -LRB- but -RRB- the movie itself is an underachiever , a psychological mystery that takes its sweet time building to a climax that 's scarcely a surprise by the time it arrives . 6179
Ultimately ... the movie is too heady for children , and too preachy for adults . 6180
It 's just a little too self-satisfied . 6181
Clever but not especially compelling . 6182
McKay seems embarrassed by his own invention and tries to rush through the intermediary passages , apparently hoping that the audience will not notice the glaring triteness of the plot device he has put in service . 6183
A piece of mildly entertaining , inoffensive fluff that drifts aimlessly for 90 minutes before lodging in the cracks of that ever-growing category : unembarrassing but unmemorable . 6184
LaBute was more fun when his characters were torturing each other psychologically and talking about their genitals in public . 6185
The movie weighs no more than a glass of flat champagne . 6186
The problem with ANTWONE FISHER is that it has a screenplay written by Antwone Fisher based on the book by Antwone Fisher . 6187
Alarms for Duvall 's throbbing sincerity and his elderly propensity for patting people while he talks . 6188
What little grace -LRB- Rifkin 's -RRB- tale of precarious skid-row dignity achieves is pushed into the margins by predictable plotting and tiresome histrionics . 6189
Tries to work in the same vein as the brilliance of Animal House but instead comes closer to the failure of the third Revenge of the Nerds sequel . 6190
Unfortunately , Kapur modernizes A.E.W. Mason 's story to suit the sensibilities of a young American , a decision that plucks `` The Four Feathers '' bare . 6191
... what a banal bore the preachy Circuit turns out to be 6192
Falsehoods pile up , undermining the movie 's reality and stifling its creator 's comic voice . 6193
A mechanical action-comedy whose seeming purpose is to market the charismatic Jackie Chan to even younger audiences . 6194
One of the most incoherent features in recent memory . 6195
Low rent from frame one . 6196
Eight Legged Freaks ? 6197
No big hairy deal . 6198
The issues are presented in such a lousy way , complete with some of the year 's -LRB- unintentionally -RRB- funniest moments , that it 's impossible to care . 6199
Laggard drama wending its way to an uninspired philosophical epiphany . 6200
The respective charms of Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant have worn threadbare . 6201
` This movie sucks . ' 6202
None of this so-called satire has any sting to it , as if Woody is afraid of biting the hand that has finally , to some extent , warmed up to him . 6203
A few nonbelievers may rethink their attitudes when they see the joy the characters take in this creed , but skeptics are n't likely to enter the theater . 6204
Bad in such a bizarre way that it 's almost worth seeing , if only to witness the crazy confluence of purpose and taste . 6205
There 's more repetition than creativity throughout the movie . 6206
Hugh Grant 's act is so consuming that sometimes it 's difficult to tell who the other actors in the movie are . 6207
Although the sequel has all the outward elements of the original , the first film 's lovely flakiness is gone , replaced by the forced funniness found in the dullest kiddie flicks . 6208
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 . 6209
What we get ... is Caddyshack crossed with the Loyal Order of Raccoons . 6210
The jokes are flat , and the action looks fake . 6211
When a movie asks you to feel sorry for Mick Jagger 's sex life , it already has one strike against it . 6212
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 . 6213
... hokey art house pretension . 6214
... a weak and ineffective ghost story without a conclusion or pay off . 6215
Gussied up with so many distracting special effects and visual party tricks that it 's not clear whether we 're supposed to shriek or laugh . 6216
Plodding , poorly written , murky and weakly acted , the picture feels as if everyone making it lost their movie mojo . 6217
This is a fudged opportunity of gigantic proportions -- a lunar mission with no signs of life . 6218
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 . 6219
Soderbergh seems capable only of delivering artfully lighted , earnest inquiries that lack the kind of genuine depth that would make them redeemable . 6220
The only thing that distinguishes a Randall Wallace film from any other is the fact that there is nothing distinguishing in a Randall Wallace film . 6221
Silly stuff , all mixed up together like a term paper from a kid who ca n't quite distinguish one sci-fi work from another . 6222
There is so much plodding sensitivity . 6223
The town has kind of an authentic feel , but each one of these people stand out and everybody else is in the background and it just seems manufactured to me and artificial . 6224
... too sappy for its own good . 6225
Circuit queens wo n't learn a thing , they 'll be too busy cursing the film 's strategically placed white sheets . 6226
As an actress , Madonna is one helluva singer . 6227
As the Mediterranean sparkles , ` Swept Away ' sinks . 6228
Every so often a film comes along that is so insanely stupid , so awful in so many ways that watching it leaves you giddy . 6229
Half Past Dead is just such an achievement . 6230
Expanded to 65 minutes for theatrical release , it still feels somewhat unfinished . 6231
It all looks and plays like a $ 40 million version of a game you 're more likely to enjoy on a computer . 6232
-LRB- Javier Bardem is -RRB- one of the few reasons to watch the film , which director Gerardo Vera has drenched in swoony music and fever-pitched melodrama . 6233
Feels shrill , simple and soapy . 6234
Adults , other than the parents ... will be hard pressed to succumb to the call of the wild . 6235
Brady achieves the remarkable feat of squandering a topnotch foursome of actors ... by shoving them into every clichéd white-trash situation imaginable . 6236
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 . 6237
No amount of blood and disintegrating vampire cadavers can obscure this movie 's lack of ideas . 6238
A direct-to-void release , heading nowhere . 6239
Typical animé , with cheapo animation -LRB- like Saturday morning TV in the '60s -RRB- , a complex sword-and-sorcery plot and characters who all have big round eyes and Japanese names . 6240
Below is well below expectations . 6241
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 . 6242
... standard guns versus martial arts cliche with little new added . 6243
Empire ca n't make up its mind whether it wants to be a gangster flick or an art film . 6244
It does n't work as either . 6245
Given the fact that virtually no one is bound to show up at theatres for it , the project should have been made for the tube . 6246
Possession is in the end an honorable , interesting failure . 6247
It falls far short of poetry , but it 's not bad prose . 6248
Jonathan Parker 's Bartleby should have been the be-all-end-all of the modern-office anomie films . 6249
There may have been a good film in `` Trouble Every Day , '' but it is not what is on the screen . 6250
Unfortunately , Carvey 's rubber-face routine is no match for the insipid script he has crafted with Harris Goldberg . 6251
Viewed as a comedy , a romance , a fairy tale , or a drama , there 's nothing remotely triumphant about this motion picture . 6252
There 's something unintentionally comic in the film 's drumbeat about authenticity , given the stale plot and pornographic way the film revels in swank apartments , clothes and parties . 6253
The Master of Disguise is funny -- not `` ha ha '' funny , `` dead circus performer '' funny . 6254
And for all the wrong reasons besides . 6255
A zippy 96 minutes of mediocre special effects , hoary dialogue , fluxing accents , and -- worst of all -- silly-looking Morlocks . 6256
A 75-minute sample of puerile rubbish that is listless , witless , and devoid of anything resembling humor . 6257
You leave feeling like you 've endured a long workout without your pulse ever racing . 6258
The waterlogged script plumbs uncharted depths of stupidity , incoherence and sub-sophomoric sexual banter . 6259
With McConaughey in an entirely irony-free zone and Bale reduced mainly to batting his sensitive eyelids , there 's not enough intelligence , wit or innovation on the screen to attract and sustain an older crowd . 6260
It 's the type of stunt the Academy loves : a powerful political message stuffed into an otherwise mediocre film . 6261
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 . 6262
So mind-numbingly awful that you hope Britney wo n't do it one more time , as far as movies are concerned . 6263
The images are usually abbreviated in favor of mushy obviousness and telegraphed pathos , particularly where Whitaker 's misfit artist is concerned . 6264
If Welles was unhappy at the prospect of the human race splitting in two , he probably would n't be too crazy with his great-grandson 's movie splitting up in pretty much the same way . 6265
Sets animation back 30 years , musicals back 40 years and Judaism back at least 50 . 6266
Weirdly , Broomfield has compelling new material but he does n't unveil it until the end , after endless scenes of him wheedling reluctant witnesses and pointing his camera through the smeared windshield of his rental car . 6267
Might best be enjoyed as a daytime soaper . 6268
eventually arrives at its heart , as simple self-reflection meditation . 6269
A showcase for both the scenic splendor of the mountains and for legendary actor Michel Serrault , the film is less successful on other levels . 6270
Boy oh boy , it 's a howler . 6271
A few pieces of the film buzz and whir ; very little of it actually clicks . 6272
The thing just never gets off the ground . 6273
... contains very few laughs and even less surprises . 6274
The actors must indeed be good to recite some of this laughable dialogue with a straight face . 6275
Most of the storylines feel like time fillers between surf shots . 6276
The movie is n't horrible , but you can see mediocre cresting on the next wave . 6277
However stale the material , Lawrence 's delivery remains perfect ; his great gift is that he can actually trick you into thinking some of this worn-out , pandering palaver is actually funny . 6278
There 's nothing remotely topical or sexy here . 6279
The Tuxedo was n't just bad ; it was , as my friend David Cross would call it , ` Hungry-Man portions of bad ' . 6280
Blue Crush is so prolonged and boring it is n't even close to being the barn-burningly bad movie it promised it would be . 6281
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 . 6282
While Van Wilder may not be the worst National Lampoon film , it 's far from being this generation 's Animal House . 6283
So devoid of pleasure or sensuality that it can not even be dubbed hedonistic . 6284
Reeks of rot and hack work from start to finish . 6285
An exhausting family drama about a porcelain empire and just as hard a flick as its subject matter . 6286
Woody Allen has really found his groove these days . 6287
The problem is that it is one that allows him to churn out one mediocre movie after another . 6288
The bland outweighs the nifty , and Cletis Tout never becomes the clever crime comedy it thinks it is . 6289
It 's such a mechanical endeavor -LRB- that -RRB- it never bothers to question why somebody might devote time to see it . 6290
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 . 6291
If the predictability of bland comfort food appeals to you , then the film is a pleasant enough dish . 6292
Ultimately , in the history of the Academy , people may be wondering what all that jazz was about `` Chicago '' in 2002 . 6293
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 6294
A seriously bad film with seriously warped logic by writer-director Kurt Wimmer at the screenplay level . 6295
A pleasant and engaging enough sit , but in trying to have the best of both worlds it ends up falling short as a whole . 6296
Its plot and animation offer daytime TV serviceability , but little more . 6297
A tired , unimaginative and derivative variation of that already-shallow genre . 6298
Human Nature , in short , is n't nearly as funny as it thinks it is ; neither is it as smart . 6299
A film with a great premise but only a great premise . 6300
Instead of building to a laugh riot we are left with a handful of disparate funny moments of no real consequence . 6301
Kirshner and Monroe seem to be in a contest to see who can out-bad-act the other . 6302
-LRB- Kirshner wins , but it 's close . -RRB- 6303
A lame romantic comedy about an unsympathetic character and someone who would not likely be so stupid as to get involved with her . 6304
What started out as a taut contest of wills between Bacon and Theron , deteriorates into a protracted and borderline silly chase sequence . 6305
-LRB- Sam 's -RRB- self-flagellation is more depressing than entertaining . 6306
An ugly , pointless , stupid movie . 6307
Simply put , there should have been a more compelling excuse to pair Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn . 6308
The Master of Disguise represents Adam Sandler 's latest attempt to dumb down the universe . 6309
This is an ungainly movie , ill-fitting , with its elbows sticking out where the knees should be . 6310
Too silly to take seriously . 6311
The inevitable double - and triple-crosses arise , but the only drama is in waiting to hear how John Malkovich 's reedy consigliere will pronounce his next line . 6312
Everything 's serious , poetic , earnest and -- sadly -- dull . 6313
I like it . 6314
No , I hate it . 6315
No , I love it ... hell , I dunno . 6316
This mess of a movie is nothing short of a travesty of a transvestite comedy . 6317
It 's clotted with heavy-handed symbolism , dime-store psychology and endless scenic shots that make 105 minutes seem twice as long . 6318
A fifty car pileup of cliches . 6319
It 's a stale , overused cocktail using the same olives since 1962 as garnish . 6320
Not only is entry number twenty the worst of the Brosnan bunch , it 's one of the worst of the entire franchise . 6321
What ultimately makes Windtalkers a disappointment is the superficial way it deals with its story . 6322
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 . 6323
As a story of dramatic enlightenment , the screenplay by Billy Ray and Terry George leaves something to be desired . 6324
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 . 6325
It 's not hateful . 6326
It 's simply stupid , irrelevant and deeply , truly , bottomlessly cynical . 6327
Possibly not since Grumpy Old Men have I heard a film so solidly connect with one demographic while striking out with another . 6328
The drama was so uninspiring that even a story immersed in love , lust , and sin could n't keep my attention . 6329
A rather tired exercise in nostalgia . 6330
The misery of these people becomes just another voyeuristic spectacle , to be consumed and forgotten . 6331
Some Body often looks like an episode of the TV show Blind Date , only less technically proficient and without the pop-up comments . 6332
Bad Company has one of the most moronic screenplays of the year , full of holes that will be obvious even to those who are n't looking for them . 6333
Predecessors The Mummy and The Mummy Returns stand as intellectual masterpieces next to The Scorpion King . 6334
A markedly inactive film , City is conversational bordering on confessional . 6335
While kids will probably eat the whole thing up , most adults will be way ahead of the plot . 6336
Despite an impressive roster of stars and direction from Kathryn Bigelow , The Weight of Water is oppressively heavy . 6337
We 've liked Klein 's other work but Rollerball left us cold . 6338
They were afraid to show this movie to reviewers before its opening , afraid of the bad reviews they thought they 'd earn . 6339
They were right . 6340
It would be churlish to begrudge anyone for receiving whatever consolation that can be found in Dragonfly , yet it is impossible to find the film anything but appalling , shamelessly manipulative and contrived , and totally lacking in conviction . 6341
Offers no new insight on the matter , nor do its characters exactly spring to life . 6342
Nohe has made a decent ` intro ' documentary , but he feels like a spectator and not a participant . 6343
Apparently designed as a reverie about memory and regret , but the only thing you 'll regret is remembering the experience of sitting through it . 6344
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 . 6345
Guy gets girl , guy loses girl , audience falls asleep . 6346
Too ordinary to restore -LRB- Harmon -RRB- to prominence , despite some creepy scenes that evoke childish night terrors , and a praiseworthy attempt to generate suspense rather than gross out the audience . 6347
Stirs potentially enticing ingredients into an uneasy blend of Ghost and Close Encounters of the Third Kind . 6348
The weird thing about The Santa Clause 2 , purportedly a children 's movie , is that there is nothing in it to engage children emotionally . 6349
It 's pretentious in a way that verges on the amateurish . 6350
Contains the humor , characterization , poignancy , and intelligence of a bad sitcom . 6351
It does n't matter that the film is less than 90 minutes . 6352
It still feels like a prison stretch . 6353
Partly a schmaltzy , by-the-numbers romantic comedy , partly a shallow rumination on the emptiness of success -- and entirely soulless . 6354
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 . 6355
The overall feel is not unlike watching a glorified episode of `` 7th Heaven . '' 6356
Just a Kiss is a just a waste . 6357
... this is n't even a movie we can enjoy as mild escapism ; it is one in which fear and frustration are provoked to intolerable levels . 6358
Frankly , it 's kind of insulting , both to men and women . 6359
And it 's not that funny -- which is just generally insulting . 6360
As if Drop Dead Gorgeous was n't enough , this equally derisive clunker is fixated on the spectacle of small-town competition . 6361
A wretched movie that reduces the Second World War to one man 's quest to find an old flame . 6362
This is a remake by the numbers , linking a halfwit plot to a series of standup routines in which Wilson and Murphy show how funny they could have been in a more ambitious movie . 6363
It 's better than mid-range Steven Seagal , but not as sharp as Jet Li on rollerblades . 6364
There 's a reason why halftime is only fifteen minutes long . 6365
The talk-heavy film plays like one of Robert Altman 's lesser works . 6366
As happily glib and vicious as its characters . 6367
One of those films that started with a great premise and then just fell apart . 6368
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 . 6369
-LRB- MacDowell -RRB- ventures beyond her abilities several times here and reveals how bad an actress she is . 6370
I can imagine this movie as a b & w British comedy , circa 1960 , with Peter Sellers , Kenneth Williams , et al. , but at this time , with this cast , this movie is hopeless . 6371
Talky , artificial and opaque ... an interesting technical exercise , but a tedious picture . 6372
Kurys never shows why , of all the period 's volatile romantic lives , Sand and Musset are worth particular attention . 6373
Almost nothing else -- raunchy and graphic as it may be in presentation -- is one-sided , outwardly sexist or mean-spirited . 6374
And in a sense , that 's a liability . 6375
It 's easy to love Robin Tunney -- she 's pretty and she can act -- but it gets harder and harder to understand her choices . 6376
If you 've got a house full of tots -- do n't worry , this will be on video long before they grow up and you can wait till then . 6377
The new film of Anton Chekhov 's The Cherry Orchard puts the ` ick ' in ` classic . ' 6378
Has an uppity musical beat that you can dance to , but its energy ca n't compare to the wit , humor and snappy dialogue of the original . 6379
If I want music , I 'll buy the soundtrack . 6380
If I want a real movie , I 'll buy the Criterion DVD . 6381
An unremarkable , modern action\/comedy buddy movie whose only nod to nostalgia is in the title . 6382
Has all the right elements but completely fails to gel together . 6383
Writer-director Stephen Gaghan has made the near-fatal mistake of being what the English call ` too clever by half . ' 6384
Seagal ran out of movies years ago , and this is just the proof . 6385
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 . 6386
An awkwardly garish showcase that diverges from anything remotely probing or penetrating . 6387
The name says it all . 6388
Jackass is a vulgar and cheap-looking version of Candid Camera staged for the Marquis de Sade set . 6389
Children , Christian or otherwise , deserve to hear the full story of Jonah 's despair -- in all its agonizing , Catch-22 glory -- even if they spend years trying to comprehend it . 6390
Pleasant but not more than recycled jock piffle . 6391
... the kind of movie you see because the theater has air conditioning . 6392
With Zoe Clarke-Williams 's lackluster thriller `` New Best Friend '' , who needs enemies ? 6393
Just another generic drama that has nothing going for it other than its exploitive array of obligatory cheap thrills . 6394
Hip-hop prison thriller of stupefying absurdity . 6395
An uneven mix of dark satire and childhood awakening . 6396
aside from showing us in explicit detail how difficult it is to win over the two-drink-minimum crowd , there 's little to be learned from watching ` Comedian ' 6397
A perfectly acceptable , perfectly bland , competently acted but by no means scary horror movie . 6398
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 . 6399
The problem is the needlessly poor quality of its archival prints and film footage . 6400
The images lack contrast , are murky and are frequently too dark to be decipherable . 6401
Like a soft drink that 's been sitting open too long : it 's too much syrup and not enough fizz . 6402
As the movie dragged on , I thought I heard a mysterious voice , and felt myself powerfully drawn toward the light -- the light of the exit sign . 6403
I have returned from the beyond to warn you : this movie is 90 minutes long , and life is too short . 6404
There are some fairly unsettling scenes , but they never succeed in really rattling the viewer . 6405
The Emperor 's Club is one of those films that possesses all the good intentions in the world , but ... 6406
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 . ' 6407
A straight-ahead thriller that never rises above superficiality . 6408
Glizty but formulaic and silly ... Cagney 's ` top of the world ' has been replaced by the bottom of the barrel . 6409
The re - enactments , however fascinating they may be as history , are too crude to serve the work especially well . 6410
Is anyone else out there getting tired of the whole slo-mo , double-pistoled , ballistic-pyrotechnic Hong Kong action aesthetic ? 6411
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 . 6412
Serving Sara is little more than a mall movie designed to kill time . 6413
Too smart to ignore but a little too smugly superior to like , this could be a movie that ends up slapping its target audience in the face by shooting itself in the foot . 6414
A well-made but emotionally scattered film whose hero gives his heart only to the dog . 6415
The most repugnant adaptation of a classic text since Roland Joffé and Demi Moore 's The Scarlet Letter . 6416
The isolated moments of creative insanity finally are lost in the thin soup of canned humor . 6417
As a movie , it never seems fresh and vital . 6418
It never plays as dramatic even when dramatic things happen to people . 6419
It labours as storytelling . 6420
The Adventures of Pluto Nash is a whole lot of nada . 6421
A really good premise is frittered away in middle-of-the-road blandness . 6422
Lawrence should stick to his day job . 6423
He 's a better actor than a standup comedian . 6424
Despite the fact that this film was n't as bad as I thought it was going to be , it 's still not a good movie 6425
A well made indieflick in need of some trims and a more chemistry between its stars . 6426
I never thought I 'd say this , but I 'd much rather watch teens poking their genitals into fruit pies ! 6427
A film neither bitter nor sweet , neither romantic nor comedic , neither warm nor fuzzy . 6428
Tiresomely derivative and hammily acted . 6429
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 . 6430
The plot grows thin soon , and you find yourself praying for a quick resolution . 6431
Too bad Maggio could n't come up with a better script . 6432
Much of the cast is stiff or just plain bad . 6433
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 . 6434
At best , Cletis Tout might inspire a trip to the video store -- in search of a better movie experience . 6435
Witless , pointless , tasteless and idiotic . 6436
Not really a thriller so much as a movie for teens to laugh , groan and hiss at . 6437
As plain and pedestrian as catsup -- 6438
An improvement on the feeble examples of big-screen Poke-mania that have preceded it . 6439
I know we 're not supposed to take it seriously , but I ca n't shake the thought that Undercover Brother missed an opportunity to strongly present some profound social commentary . 6440
Your stomach for Heaven depends largely on your appetite for canned corn . 6441
A picture as erratic as its central character . 6442
Whatever satire Lucky Break was aiming for , it certainly got lost in the `` soon-to-be-forgettable '' section of the quirky rip-off prison romp pile . 6443
It 's petty thievery like this that puts flimsy flicks like this behind bars 6444
The package in which this fascinating -- and timely -- content comes wrapped is disappointingly generic . 6445
Guys say mean things and shoot a lot of bullets . 6446
Some of the characters die and others do n't , and the film pretends that those living have learned some sort of lesson , and , really , nobody in the viewing audience cares . 6447
Wildly incompetent but brilliantly named Half Past Dead -- or for Seagal pessimists : Totally Past His Prime . 6448
Just another combination of bad animation and mindless violence ... lacking the slightest bit of wit or charm . 6449
All the movie 's narrative gymnastics ca n't disguise the fact that it 's inauthentic at its core and that its story just is n't worth telling . 6450
Much like its easily dismissive take on the upscale lifestyle , there is n't much there here . 6451
The film ultimately offers nothing more than people in an urban jungle needing other people to survive ... 6452
For all its shoot-outs , fistfights , and car chases , this movie is a phlegmatic bore , so tedious it makes the silly spy vs. spy film The Sum of All Fears , starring Ben Affleck , seem downright Hitchcockian . 6453
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 . 6454
A bit too eager to please . 6455
You 'd be hard put to find a movie character more unattractive or odorous -LRB- than Leon -RRB- . 6456
Kapur 's contradictory feelings about his material result in a movie that works against itself . 6457
`` the road paved with good intentions leads to the video store '' 6458
Animated drivel meant to enhance the self-image of drooling idiots . 6459
One scene after another in this supposedly funny movie falls to the floor with a sickening thud . 6460
` The Château is never quite able to overcome the cultural moat surrounding its ludicrous and contrived plot . ' 6461
Meyjes focuses too much on Max when he should be filling the screen with this tortured , dull artist and monster-in-the - making . 6462
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 . 6463
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 . 6464
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 . 6465
Despite terrific special effects and funnier gags , Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets finds a way to make J.K. Rowling 's marvelous series into a deadly bore . 6466
An incredibly narrow in-joke targeted to the tiniest segment of an already obscure demographic . 6467
The only thing I laughed at were the people who paid to see it . 6468
All of the elements are in place for a great film noir , but director George Hickenlooper 's approach to the material is too upbeat . 6469
The hackneyed story about an affluent damsel in distress who decides to fight her bully of a husband is simply too overdone . 6470
the phone rings and a voice tells you you 've got seven days left to live . 6471
Then you get another phone call warning you that if the video is n't back at Blockbuster before midnight , you 're going to face frightening late fees . 6472
O.K. , not really . 6473
Possibly the most irresponsible picture ever released by a major film studio . 6474
The film 's overall mood and focus is interesting but constantly unfulfilling . 6475
... a cheap , ludicrous attempt at serious horror . 6476
Those of you who are not an eighth grade girl will most likely doze off during this one . 6477
Befuddled in its characterizations as it begins to seem as long as the two year affair which is its subject 6478
From beginning to end , this overheated melodrama plays like a student film . 6479
The movie would seem less of a trifle if Ms. Sugarman followed through on her defiance of the saccharine . 6480
It 's just not very smart . 6481
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 . 6482
Imagine -LRB- if possible -RRB- a Pasolini film without passion or politics , or an Almodovar movie without beauty or humor , and you have some idea of the glum , numb experience of watching O Fantasma . 6483
In trying to be daring and original , it comes off as only occasionally satirical and never fresh . 6484
90 punitive minutes of eardrum-dicing gunplay , screeching-metal smashups , and flaccid odd-couple sniping . 6485
Sadly , though many of the actors throw off a spark or two when they first appear , they ca n't generate enough heat in this cold vacuum of a comedy to start a reaction . 6486
Never capitalizes on this concept and opts for the breezy and amateurish feel of an after school special on the subject of tolerance . 6487
After a while , Hoffman 's quirks and mannerisms , particularly his penchant for tearing up on cue -- things that seem so real in small doses -- become annoying and artificial . 6488
This wretchedly unfunny wannabe comedy is inane and awful - no doubt , it 's the worst movie I 've seen this summer . 6489
It 's drab . 6490
It 's uninteresting . 6491
It squanders Chan 's uniqueness ; it could even be said to squander Jennifer Love Hewitt ! 6492
The movie keeps coming back to the achingly unfunny Phonce and his several silly subplots . 6493
This tale has been told and retold ; the races and rackets change , but the song remains the same . 6494
A surprisingly flat retread , hobbled by half-baked setups and sluggish pacing . 6495
Forget the Psychology 101 study of romantic obsession and just watch the procession of costumes in castles and this wo n't seem like such a bore . 6496
A film that should be relegated to a dark video store corner is somehow making its way instead to theaters . 6497
It 's hard to imagine acting that could be any flatter . 6498
New ways of describing badness need to be invented to describe exactly how bad it is . 6499
Lots of effort and intelligence are on display but in execution it is all awkward , static , and lifeless rumblings . 6500
When cowering and begging at the feet a scruffy Giannini , Madonna gives her best performance since Abel Ferrara had her beaten to a pulp in his Dangerous Game . 6501
I suspect that there are more interesting ways of dealing with the subject . 6502
The film itself is about something very interesting and odd that would probably work better as a real documentary without the insinuation of mediocre acting or a fairly trite narrative . 6503
An unintentional parody of every teen movie made in the last five years . 6504
Only for young children , if them . 6505
Their parents would do well to cram earplugs in their ears and put pillowcases over their heads for 87 minutes . 6506
For all its violence , the movie is remarkably dull with only Caine making much of an impression . 6507
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 . 6508
A sub-formulaic slap in the face to seasonal cheer . 6509
The action is reasonably well-done ... yet story , character and comedy bits are too ragged to ever fit smoothly together . 6510
Several uninteresting , unlikeable people do bad things to and with each other in `` Unfaithful . '' 6511
Why anyone who is not a character in this movie should care is beyond me . 6512
Hill looks to be going through the motions , beginning with the pale script . 6513
Howard conjures the past via surrealist flourishes so overwrought you 'd swear he just stepped out of a Buñuel retrospective . 6514
The best thing that can be said of the picture is that it does have a few cute moments . 6515
It 's not a bad premise , just a bad movie . 6516
An already thin story boils down to surviving invaders seeking an existent anti-virus . 6517
If only there were one for this kind of movie . 6518
By the time the surprise ending is revealed , interest can not be revived . 6519
The heedless impetuousness of youth is on full , irritating display in -LRB- this -RRB- meandering and pointless French coming-of-age import from writer-director Anne-Sophie Birot . 6520
A peculiar misfire that even Tunney ca n't save . 6521
Watching Queen of the Damned is like reading a research paper , with special effects tossed in . 6522
I ca n't remember the last time I saw worse stunt editing or cheaper action movie production values than in Extreme Ops . 6523
Too much of Nemesis has a tired , talky feel . 6524
I felt trapped and with no obvious escape for the entire 100 minutes . 6525
When Mr. Hundert tells us in his narration that ` this is a story without surprises , ' we nod in agreement . 6526
Leaves us wondering less about its ideas and more about its characterization of Hitler and the contrived nature of its provocative conclusion . 6527
It is that rare combination of bad writing , bad direction and bad acting -- the trifecta of badness . 6528
Each scene wreaks of routine ; the film never manages to generate a single threat of suspense . 6529
A soulless jumble of ineptly assembled cliches and pabulum that plays like a 95-minute commercial for NBA properties . 6530
Borstal Boy represents the worst kind of filmmaking , the kind that pretends to be passionate and truthful but is really frustratingly timid and soggy . 6531
The film 's lack of personality permeates all its aspects -- from the TV movie-esque , affected child acting to the dullest Irish pub scenes ever filmed . 6532
works on the whodunit level as its larger themes get lost in the murk of its own making 6533
Crush could be the worst film a man has made about women since Valley of the Dolls . 6534
4Ever has the same sledgehammer appeal as Pokemon videos , but it breathes more on the big screen and induces headaches more slowly . 6535
Feels like the work of someone who may indeed have finally aged past his prime ... and , perhaps more than he realizes , just wants to be liked by the people who can still give him work . 6536
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 . 6537
Viewers of Barney 's crushingly self-indulgent spectacle will see nothing in it to match the ordeal of sitting through it . 6538
... its stupidities wind up sticking in one 's mind a lot more than the cool bits . 6539
Sayles ... once again strands his superb performers in the same old story . 6540
The Piano Teacher , like its title character , is repellantly out of control . 6541
I have to admit I walked out of Runteldat . 6542
I did go back and check out the last 10 minutes , but these were more repulsive than the first 30 or 40 minutes . 6543
The filmmakers lack the nerve ... to fully exploit the script 's potential for sick humor . 6544
The film was n't preachy , but it was feminism by the book . 6545
... the same tired old gags , modernized for the extreme sports generation . 6546
There 's already been too many of these films ... 6547
Several of Steven Soderbergh 's earlier films were hailed as the works of an artist . 6548
Sadly , Full Frontal plays like the work of a dilettante . 6549
Clockstoppers is one of those crazy , mixed-up films that does n't know what it wants to be when it grows up . 6550
Although bright , well-acted and thought-provoking , Tuck Everlasting suffers from a laconic pace and a lack of traditional action . 6551
` The War of the Roses , ' trailer-trash style . 6552
Entertaining but like shooting fish in a barrel . 6553
Supposedly , Pokemon ca n't be killed , but Pokemon 4Ever practically assures that the pocket monster movie franchise is nearly ready to keel over . 6554
White has n't developed characters so much as caricatures , one-dimensional buffoons that get him a few laughs but nothing else . 6555
When you resurrect a dead man , Hard Copy should come a-knocking , no ? 6556
Cattaneo should have followed the runaway success of his first film , The Full Monty , with something different . 6557
The film feels formulaic , its plot and pacing typical Hollywood war-movie stuff , while the performances elicit more of a sense of deja vu than awe . 6558
This overproduced piece of dreck is shockingly bad and absolutely unnecessary . 6559
Hmmm ... might I suggest that the wayward wooden one end it all by stuffing himself into an electric pencil sharpener ? 6560
The makers of Mothman Prophecies succeed in producing that most frightening of all movies -- a mediocre horror film too bad to be good and too good to be bad . 6561
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 . 6562
How this one escaped the Lifetime network I 'll never know . 6563
Could n't someone take Rob Schneider and have him switch bodies with a funny person ? 6564
One of these days Hollywood will come up with an original idea for a teen movie , but until then there 's always these rehashes to feed to the younger generations . 6565
For all its brilliant touches , Dragon loses its fire midway , nearly flickering out by its perfunctory conclusion . 6566
I have to admit that I am baffled by Jason X. 6567
A mean-spirited film made by someone who surely read The Catcher in the Rye but clearly suffers from dyslexia 6568
Instead of a witty expose on the banality and hypocrisy of too much kid-vid , we get an ugly , mean-spirited lashing out by an adult who 's apparently been forced by his kids to watch too many Barney videos . 6569
This is a film living far too much in its own head . 6570
The umpteenth summer skinny dip in Jerry Bruckheimer 's putrid pond of retread action twaddle . 6571
National Lampoon 's Van Wilder may aim to be the next Animal House , but it more closely resembles this year 's version of Tomcats . 6572
The film thrusts the inchoate but already eldritch Christian Right propaganda machine into national media circles . 6573
Dogtown is hollow , self-indulgent , and - worst of all - boring . 6574
A movie so bad that it quickly enters the pantheon of wreckage that includes Battlefield Earth and Showgirls . 6575
More of a career curio than a major work . 6576
It 's just too bad the screenwriters eventually shoot themselves in the feet with cop flick cliches like an oily arms dealer , squad car pile-ups and the requisite screaming captain . 6577
Cox is far more concerned with aggrandizing madness , not the man , and the results might drive you crazy . 6578
To be influenced chiefly by humanity 's greatest shame , reality shows -- reality shows for God 's sake ! 6579
-- is a crime that should be punishable by chainsaw . 6580
As we have come to learn -- as many times as we have fingers to count on -- Jason is a killer who does n't know the meaning of the word ` quit . ' 6581
The filmmakers might want to look it up . 6582
A frustrating ` tweener ' -- too slick , contrived and exploitative for the art houses and too cynical , small and decadent for the malls . 6583
What 's surprising about this traditional thriller , moderately successful but not completely satisfying , is exactly how genteel and unsurprising the execution turns out to be . 6584
Drowning 's too good for this sucker . 6585
An instantly forgettable snow-and-stuntwork extravaganza that likely will be upstaged by an avalanche of more appealing holiday-season product . 6586
Frankly , it 's pretty stupid . 6587
I had more fun with Ben Stiller 's Zoolander , which I thought was rather clever . 6588
But there 's plenty to offend everyone ... 6589
Love Liza is a festival film that would have been better off staying on the festival circuit . 6590
There are things to like about Murder By Numbers -- but , in the end , the disparate elements do n't gel . 6591
... tackling a low-budget movie in which inexperienced children play the two main characters might not be the best way to cut your teeth in the film industry . 6592
Quite frankly , I ca n't see why any actor of talent would ever work in a McCulloch production again if they looked at how this movie turned out . 6593
My precious new Star Wars movie is a lumbering , wheezy drag ... 6594
The innocence of holiday cheer ai n't what it used to be . 6595
Too campy to work as straight drama and too violent and sordid to function as comedy , Vulgar is , truly and thankfully , a one-of-a-kind work . 6596
Horrid little propaganda film with fascinating connections not only to the Serbs themselves but also to a network of American right-wing extremists . 6597
Should have gone straight to video . 6598
It looks like an action movie , but it 's so poorly made , on all levels , that it does n't even qualify as a spoof of such . 6599
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 . 6600
Consider the film a celluloid litmus test for the intellectual and emotional pedigree of your date and a giant step backward for a director I admire . 6601
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 . 6602
Sheridan had a wonderful account to work from , but , curiously , he waters it down , turning grit and vulnerability into light reading . 6603
Heavy with flabby rolls of typical Toback machinations . 6604
It is very difficult to care about the character , and that is the central flaw of the film . 6605
Snow Dogs finds its humour in a black man getting humiliated by a pack of dogs who are smarter than him 6606
Whole stretches of the film may be incomprehensible to moviegoers not already clad in basic black . 6607
Reggio and Glass so rhapsodize cynicism , with repetition and languorous slo-mo sequences , that Glass 's dirgelike score becomes a fang-baring lullaby . 6608
Ends up offering nothing more than the latest Schwarzenegger or Stallone flick would . 6609
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 . 6610
Charlize CHASES Kevin with a GUN . 6611
Courtney CHASES Stuart with a CELL PHONE . 6612
The sound of GUNFIRE and cell phones RINGING . 6613
If The Tuxedo actually were a suit , it would fit Chan like a $ 99 bargain-basement special . 6614
Parents beware ; this is downright movie penance . 6615
... a complete shambles of a movie so sloppy , so uneven , so damn unpleasant that I ca n't believe any viewer , young or old , would have a good time here . 6616
Has nothing good to speak about other than the fact that it is relatively short , tries its best to hide the fact that Seagal 's overweight and out of shape . 6617
A pathetically inane and unimaginative cross between XXX and Vertical Limit . 6618
Impeccably filmed , sexually charged , but ultimately lacking in substance , not to mention dragged down by a leaden closing act . 6619
Feels at times like a giant commercial for Universal Studios , where much of the action takes place . 6620
While the mystery unravels , the characters respond by hitting on each other . 6621
Britney Spears ' phoniness is nothing compared to the movie 's contrived , lame screenplay and listless direction . 6622
Every sequel you skip will be two hours gained . 6623
Consider this review life-affirming . 6624
If the movie were all comedy , it might work better . 6625
But it has an ambition to say something about its subjects , but not a willingness . 6626
The movie , while beautiful , feels labored , with a hint of the writing exercise about it . 6627
Twenty-three movies into a mostly magnificent directorial career , Clint Eastwood 's efficiently minimalist style finally has failed him . 6628
Big time . 6629
This heist flick about young Brooklyn hoods is off the shelf after two years to capitalize on the popularity of Vin Diesel , Seth Green and Barry Pepper . 6630
It should have stayed there . 6631
The film has a childlike quality about it . 6632
But the feelings evoked in the film are lukewarm and quick to pass . 6633
The most opaque , self-indulgent and just plain goofy an excuse for a movie as you can imagine . 6634
It 's not a film to be taken literally on any level , but its focus always appears questionable . 6635
Big Fat Liar is little more than Home Alone raised to a new , self-deprecating level . 6636
The movie is gorgeously made , but it is also somewhat shallow and art-conscious . 6637
The only time 8 Crazy Nights comes close to hitting a comedic or satirical target is during the offbeat musical numbers . 6638
Loses its sense of humor in a vat of failed jokes , twitchy acting , and general boorishness . 6639
There 's a delightfully quirky movie to be made from curling , but Brooms is n't it . 6640
The story suffers a severe case of oversimplification , superficiality and silliness . 6641
Chamber of Secrets will find millions of eager fans . 6642
But if the essence of magic is its make-believe promise of life that soars above the material realm , this is the opposite of a truly magical movie . 6643
Too clever by about nine-tenths . 6644
Has all the hallmarks of a movie designed strictly for children 's home video , a market so insatiable it absorbs all manner of lame entertainment , as long as 3-year-olds find it diverting . 6645
Bears about as much resemblance to the experiences of most battered women as Spider-Man does to the experiences of most teenagers . 6646
Toward the end Sum of All Fears morphs into a mundane '70s disaster flick . 6647
Director Carl Franklin , so crisp and economical in One False Move , bogs down in genre cliches here . 6648
Mendes still does n't quite know how to fill a frame . 6649
Like the Hanks character , he 's a slow study : The action is stilted and the tabloid energy embalmed . 6650
This thing is just garbage . 6651
As crimes go , writer-director Michael Kalesniko 's How to Kill Your Neighbor 's Dog is slight but unendurable . 6652
There must be an audience that enjoys the Friday series , but I would n't be interested in knowing any of them personally . 6653
A bold -LRB- and lovely -RRB- experiment that will almost certainly bore most audiences into their own brightly colored dreams . 6654
An uplifting , largely bogus story . 6655
An empty exercise , a florid but ultimately vapid crime melodrama with lots of surface flash but little emotional resonance . 6656
If you are curious to see the darker side of what 's going on with young TV actors -LRB- Dawson Leery did what ?!? -RRB- , or see some interesting storytelling devices , you might want to check it out , but there 's nothing very attractive about this movie . 6657
My own minority report is that it stinks . 6658
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 . 6659
The script is high on squaddie banter , low on shocks . 6660
... if you , like me , think an action film disguised as a war tribute is disgusting to begin with , then you 're in for a painful ride . 6661
While Solondz tries and tries hard , Storytelling fails to provide much more insight than the inside column of a torn book jacket . 6662
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 . 6663
-LRB- Davis -RRB- wants to cause his audience an epiphany , yet he refuses to give us real situations and characters . 6664
Without a fresh infusion of creativity , 4Ever is neither a promise nor a threat so much as wishful thinking . 6665
... unlike -LRB- Scorsese 's Mean Streets -RRB- , Ash Wednesday is essentially devoid of interesting characters or even a halfway intriguing plot . 6666
Being unique does n't necessarily equate to being good , no matter how admirably the filmmakers have gone for broke . 6667
A few hours after you 've seen it , you forget you 've been to the movies . 6668
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 . 6669
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 did n't . 6670
Shadyac , who belongs with the damned for perpetrating Patch Adams , trots out every ghost trick from The Sixth Sense to The Mothman Prophecies . 6671
The photographer 's show-don ` t-tell stance is admirable , but it can make him a problematic documentary subject . 6672
It is not the first time that director Sara Sugarman stoops to having characters drop their pants for laughs and not the last time she fails to provoke them . 6673
I 'd be hard pressed to think of a film more cloyingly sappy than Evelyn this year . 6674
Nothing more than an amiable but unfocused bagatelle that plays like a loosely-connected string of acting-workshop exercises . 6675
meanders between its powerful moments . 6676
What remains is a variant of the nincompoop Benigni persona , here a more annoying , though less angry version of the irresponsible Sandlerian manchild , undercut by the voice of the star of Road Trip . 6677
A backhanded ode to female camaraderie penned by a man who has little clue about either the nature of women or of friendship . 6678
Pure of intention and passably diverting , His Secret Life is light , innocuous and unremarkable . 6679
... delivers few moments of inspiration amid the bland animation and simplistic story . 6680
Take away the controversy , and it 's not much more watchable than a Mexican soap opera . 6681
It 's got the brawn , but not the brains . 6682
Mindless and boring martial arts and gunplay with too little excitement and zero compelling storyline . 6683
A lot of talent is wasted in this crass , low-wattage endeavor . 6684
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 . 6685
-LRB- T -RRB- oo many of these gross out scenes ... 6686
About one in three gags in White 's intermittently wise script hits its mark ; the rest are padding unashamedly appropriated from the teen-exploitation playbook . 6687
Little is done to support the premise other than fling gags at it to see which ones shtick . 6688
Reno does what he can in a thankless situation , the film ricochets from humor to violence and back again , and Ryoko Hirosue makes us wonder if she is always like that . 6689
If Jews were Catholics , this would be Catechism 6690
One of those films that seems tailor made to air on pay cable to offer some modest amusements when one has nothing else to watch . 6691
The big ending surprise almost saves the movie . 6692
It 's too bad that the rest is n't more compelling . 6693
Charming , if overly complicated ... 6694
Schneider 's mugging is relentless and his constant need to suddenly transpose himself into another character undermines the story 's continuity and progression . 6695
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 . 6696
It 's probably not easy to make such a worthless film ... 6697
Hope keeps arising that the movie will live up to the apparent skills of its makers and the talents of its actors , but it does n't . 6698
Has no reason to exist , other than to employ Hollywood kids and people who owe favors to their famous parents . 6699
For a guy who has waited three years with breathless anticipation for a new Hal Hartley movie to pore over , No Such Thing is a big letdown . 6700
Constantly slips from the grasp of its maker . 6701
Smothered by its own solemnity . 6702
` Christian Bale 's Quinn -LRB- is -RRB- 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 . ' 6703
Might be one of those vanity projects in which a renowned filmmaker attempts to show off his talent by surrounding himself with untalented people . 6704
After you laugh once -LRB- maybe twice -RRB- , you will have completely forgotten the movie by the time you get back to your car in the parking lot . 6705
Not one moment in the enterprise did n't make me want to lie down in a dark room with something cool to my brow . 6706
In the era of The Sopranos , it feels painfully redundant and inauthentic . 6707
The overall vibe is druggy and self-indulgent , like a spring-break orgy for pretentious arts majors . 6708
Breen 's script is sketchy with actorish notations on the margin of acting . 6709
There 's no question that Epps scores once or twice , but it 's telling that his funniest moment comes when he falls about ten feet onto his head . 6710
If only Merchant paid more attention the story . 6711
At the one-hour mark , Herzog simply runs out of ideas and the pace turns positively leaden as the movie sputters to its inevitable tragic conclusion . 6712
... too contrived to be as naturally charming as it needs to be . 6713
A simpler , leaner treatment would have been preferable ; after all , being about nothing is sometimes funnier than being about something . 6714
The characters are based on stock clichés , and the attempt to complicate the story only defies credibility . 6715
Everything about it from the bland songs to the colorful but flat drawings is completely serviceable and quickly forgettable . 6716
Not the Great American Comedy , but if you liked the previous movies in the series , you 'll have a good time with this one too . 6717
A domestic melodrama with weak dialogue and biopic cliches . 6718
Mr. Goyer 's loose , unaccountable direction is technically sophisticated in the worst way . 6719
The movie is so thoughtlessly assembled . 6720
Benigni presents himself as the boy puppet Pinocchio , complete with receding hairline , weathered countenance and American Breckin Meyer 's ridiculously inappropriate Valley Boy voice . 6721
plays like some corny television production from a bygone era 6722
The end result is like cold porridge with only the odd enjoyably chewy lump . 6723
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 . 6724
I was feeling this movie until it veered off too far into the Exxon zone , and left me behind at the station looking for a return ticket to realism . 6725
Producer John Penotti surveyed high school students ... and came back with the astonishing revelation that `` they wanted to see something that did n't talk down to them . '' 6726
Ignoring that , he made Swimfan anyway 6727
Naipaul fans may be disappointed . 6728
Those who are not acquainted with the author 's work , on the other hand , may fall fast asleep . 6729
Hoffman waits too long to turn his movie in an unexpected direction , and even then his tone retains a genteel , prep-school quality that feels dusty and leatherbound . 6730
If you 're a Crocodile Hunter fan , you 'll enjoy at least the `` real '' portions of the film . 6731
If you 're looking for a story , do n't bother . 6732
Full Frontal had no effect and elicited no sympathies for any of the characters . 6733
By that measure , it is a failure . 6734
A baffling mixed platter of gritty realism and magic realism with a hard-to-swallow premise . 6735
An affable but undernourished romantic comedy that fails to match the freshness of the actress-producer and writer 's previous collaboration , Miss Congeniality . 6736
Sometimes this modest little number clicks , and sometimes it does n't . 6737
Like a pack of dynamite sticks , built for controversy . 6738
The film is explosive , but a few of those sticks are wet . 6739
Has its charming quirks and its dull spots . 6740
An admitted egomaniac , Evans is no Hollywood villain , and yet this grating showcase almost makes you wish he 'd gone the way of Don Simpson . 6741
The audience when I saw this one was chuckling at all the wrong times , and that 's a bad sign when they 're supposed to be having a collective heart attack . 6742
Everyone 's to blame here . 6743
You get the impression that writer and director Burr Steers knows the territory ... but his sense of humor has yet to lose the smug self-satisfaction usually associated with the better private schools . 6744
Less a study in madness or love than a study in schoolgirl obsession . 6745
Rice never clearly defines his characters or gives us a reason to care about them . 6746
It 's a bizarre curiosity memorable mainly for the way it fritters away its potentially interesting subject matter via a banal script , unimpressive acting and indifferent direction . 6747
A slight and obvious effort , even for one whose target demographic is likely still in the single digits , age-wise . 6748
Sex With Strangers will shock many with its unblinking frankness . 6749
But what is missing from it all is a moral . 6750
What is the filmmakers ' point ? 6751
Why did they deem it necessary to document all this emotional misery ? 6752
You see Robin Williams and psycho killer , and you think , hmmmmm . 6753
You see the movie and you think , zzzzzzzzz . 6754
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 . 6755
The movie slides downhill as soon as macho action conventions assert themselves . 6756
Formulaic to the 51st power , more like . 6757
Draggin ' about dragons 6758
Howard and his co-stars all give committed performances , but they 're often undone by Howard 's self-conscious attempts to find a ` literary ' filmmaking style to match his subject . 6759
A respectable but uninspired thriller that 's intelligent and considered in its details , but ultimately weak in its impact . 6760
Jones helps breathe some life into the insubstantial plot , but even he is overwhelmed by predictability . 6761
The movie just has too much on its plate to really stay afloat for its just under ninety minute running time . 6762
Comes off more like a misdemeanor , a flat , unconvincing drama that never catches fire . 6763
Offers absolutely nothing I had n't already seen . 6764
`` 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 . 6765
You might say Tykwer has done all that Heaven allows , if you wanted to make as anti-Kieslowski a pun as possible . 6766
Suffice to say its total promise is left slightly unfulfilled . 6767
Complex , sinuously plotted and , somehow , off-puttingly cold . 6768
First-time writer-director Dylan Kidd also has a good ear for dialogue , and the characters sound like real people . 6769
... an airless , prepackaged Julia Roberts wannabe that stinks so badly of hard-sell image-mongering you 'll wonder if Lopez 's publicist should share screenwriting credit . 6770
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 . 6771
Could as easily have been called ` Under Siege 3 : In Alcatraz ' ... a cinematic corpse that never springs to life . 6772
In comparison to his earlier films it seems a disappointingly thin slice of lower-class London life ; despite the title ... amounts to surprisingly little . 6773
Lame Sweet Home leaves no Southern stereotype unturned . 6774
Slow , dry , poorly cast , but beautifully shot . 6775
The jokes are sophomoric , stereotypes are sprinkled everywhere and the acting ranges from bad to bodacious . 6776
Will give many ministers and Bible-study groups hours of material to discuss . 6777
But mainstream audiences will find little of interest in this film , which is often preachy and poorly acted . 6778
In its chicken heart , Crush goes to absurd lengths to duck the very issues it raises . 6779
This long and relentlessly saccharine film is a clear case of preaching to the converted . 6780
The film is flat . 6781
The movie is a lumbering load of hokum but ... it 's at least watchable . 6782
It 's a boom-box of a movie that might have been titled ` The Loud and the Ludicrous ' ... the pandering to a moviegoing audience dominated by young males is all too calculated . 6783
An unbelievably stupid film , though occasionally fun enough to make you forget its absurdity . 6784
The first Fatal Attraction was vile enough . 6785
Do we really need the Tiger Beat version ? 6786
This Bond film goes off the beaten path , not necessarily for the better . 6787
The problem is that the movie has no idea of it is serious or not . 6788
When the fire burns out , we 've only come face-to-face with a couple dragons and that 's where the film ultimately fails . 6789
It would work much better as a one-hour TV documentary . 6790
The elements were all there but lack of a pyschological center knocks it flat . 6791
Anemic chronicle of money grubbing New Yorkers and their serial loveless hook ups . 6792
Simply does n't have sufficient heft to justify its two-hour running time . 6793
An unsuccessful attempt at a movie of ideas . 6794
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 . 6795
This toothless Dog , already on cable , loses all bite on the big screen . 6796
It made me feel unclean , and I 'm the guy who liked There 's Something About Mary and both American Pie movies . 6797
Oh , and Booty Call . 6798
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 . 6799
It 's so crammed with scenes and vistas and pretty moments that it 's left a few crucial things out , like character development and coherence . 6800
Serving Sara should be served an eviction notice at every theater stuck with it . 6801
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 . 6802
A loud , low-budget and tired formula film that arrives cloaked in the euphemism ` urban drama . ' 6803
The movie has a script -LRB- by Paul Pender -RRB- made of wood , and it 's relentlessly folksy , a procession of stagy set pieces stacked with binary oppositions . 6804
A pathetic exploitation film that tries to seem sincere , and just seems worse for the effort . 6805
At some point , all this visual trickery stops being clever and devolves into flashy , vaguely silly overkill . 6806
Despite some charm and heart , this quirky soccer import is forgettable 6807
Meyjes 's movie , like Max Rothman 's future , does not work . 6808
What 's needed so badly but what is virtually absent here is either a saving dark humor or the feel of poetic tragedy . 6809
Schneidermeister ... Makin ' a fool of himself ... Losin ' his fan base ... 6810
An ambitious , serious film that manages to do virtually everything wrong ; sitting through it is something akin to an act of cinematic penance . 6811
Not once does it come close to being exciting . 6812
A Frankenstein mishmash that careens from dark satire to cartoonish slapstick , Bartleby performs neither one very well . 6813
It plays like a big-budget , after-school special with a generous cast , who at times lift the material from its well-meaning clunkiness . 6814
There 's something not entirely convincing about The Quiet American . 6815
And that holds true for both the movie and the title character played by Brendan Fraser . 6816
One of those strained caper movies that 's hardly any fun to watch and begins to vaporize from your memory minutes after it ends . 6817
Needed a little less bling-bling and a lot more romance . 6818
The ending does n'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 . 6819
It 's hard to believe these jokers are supposed to have pulled off four similar kidnappings before . 6820
I 'm not exactly sure what this movie thinks it is about . 6821
Cal is an unpleasantly shallow and immature character with whom to spend 110 claustrophobic minutes . 6822
So brisk is Wang 's pacing that none of the excellent cast are given air to breathe . 6823
The bottom line , at least in my opinion , is Imposter makes a better short story than it does a film . 6824
Some elements of it really blow the big one , but other parts are decent . 6825
It is just too bad the film 's story does not live up to its style . 6826
Unless you 're a fanatic , the best advice is : ` Scooby ' do n't . 6827
A cautionary tale about the folly of superficiality that is itself endlessly superficial . 6828
For single digits kidlets Stuart Little 2 is still a no brainer . 6829
If you 're looking to rekindle the magic of the first film , you 'll need a stronger stomach than us . 6830
Shreve 's graceful dual narrative gets clunky on the screen , and we keep getting torn away from the compelling historical tale to a less-compelling soap opera . 6831
Contains a few big laughs but many more that graze the funny bone or miss it altogether , in part because the consciously dumbed-down approach wears thin . 6832
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 . 6833
This is a film tailor-made for those who when they were in high school would choose the Cliff-Notes over reading a full-length classic . 6834
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 . 6835
A jumbled fantasy comedy that did not figure out a coherent game plan at scripting , shooting or post-production stages . 6836
A sad and rote exercise in milking a played-out idea -- a straight guy has to dress up in drag -- that shockingly manages to be even worse than its title would imply . 6837
Personal Velocity ought to be exploring these women 's inner lives , but it never moves beyond their surfaces . 6838
We hate -LRB- Madonna -RRB- within the film 's first five minutes , and she lacks the skill or presence to regain any ground . 6839
Sounding like Arnold Schwarzenegger , with a physique to match , -LRB- Ahola -RRB- has a wooden delivery and encounters a substantial arc of change that does n't produce any real transformation . 6840
Two big things are missing -- anything approaching a visceral kick , and anything approaching even a vague reason to sit through it all . 6841
A fascinating but choppy documentary . 6842
Scarcely worth a mention apart from reporting on the number of tumbleweeds blowing through the empty theatres graced with its company . 6843
The doofus-on - the-loose banter of Welcome to Collinwood has a cocky , after-hours loopiness to it . 6844
And as with most late-night bull sessions , eventually the content is n't nearly as captivating as the rowdy participants think it is . 6845
Too stagey , talky -- and long -- for its own good . 6846
Apparently reassembled from the cutting-room floor of any given daytime soap . 6847
The sinister inspiration that fuelled DeVito 's early work is confused in Death to Smoochy into something both ugly and mindless . 6848
Despite Auteuil 's performance , it 's a rather listless amble down the middle of the road , where the thematic ironies are too obvious and the sexual politics too smug . 6849
Director Boris von Sychowski instead opts for a routine slasher film that was probably more fun to make than it is to sit through . 6850
... little more than a well-acted television melodrama shot for the big screen . 6851
Never comes together as a coherent whole . 6852
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 . 6853
First , for a movie that tries to be smart , it 's kinda dumb . 6854
And second , what 's with all the shooting ? 6855
Do n't even bother to rent this on video . 6856
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 . 6857
This is the kind of movie that gets a quick release before real contenders arrive in September . 6858
Not counting a few gross-out comedies I 've been trying to forget , this is the first film in a long time that made me want to bolt the theater in the first 10 minutes . 6859
Plays like one long , meandering sketch inspired by the works of John Waters and Todd Solondz , rather than a fully developed story . 6860
The film does n't have enough innovation or pizazz to attract teenagers , and it lacks the novel charm that made Spy Kids a surprising winner with both adults and younger audiences . 6861
A mawkish self-parody that plays like some weird Masterpiece Theater sketch with neither a point of view nor a compelling reason for being . 6862
An average B-movie with no aspirations to be anything more . 6863
Bartlett 's hero remains a reactive cipher , when opening the man 's head and heart is the only imaginable reason for the film to be made . 6864
Gibney and Jarecki just want to string the bastard up . 6865
The plot is plastered with one Hollywood cliche after another , most of which involve precocious kids getting the better of obnoxious adults . 6866
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 . 6867
A film that suffers because of its many excesses . 6868
Too bland and fustily tasteful to be truly prurient . 6869
In any case , I would recommend Big Bad Love only to Winger fans who have missed her since 1995 's Forget Paris . 6870
But even then , I 'd recommend waiting for DVD and just skipping straight to her scenes . 6871
Depicts the sorriest and most sordid of human behavior on the screen , then laughs at how clever it 's being . 6872
Nijinsky says , ' I know how to suffer ' and if you see this film you 'll know too . 6873
` 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 6874
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 . 6875
... the story simply putters along looking for astute observations and coming up blank . 6876
Instead of contriving a climactic hero 's death for the beloved-major - character-who-shall - remain-nameless , why not invite some genuine spontaneity into the film by having the evil aliens ' laser guns actually hit something for once ? 6877
It just did n't mean much to me and played too skewed to ever get a hold on -LRB- or be entertained by -RRB- . 6878
This action-thriller\/dark comedy is one of the most repellent things to pop up in a cinematic year already littered with celluloid garbage . 6879
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 . 6880
That 's because relatively nothing happens . 6881
No amount of arty theorizing -- the special effects are ` German-Expressionist , ' according to the press notes -- can render it anything but laughable . 6882
Blue Crush follows the formula , but throws in too many conflicts to keep the story compelling . 6883
Boyd 's screenplay -LRB- co-written with Guardian hack Nick Davies -RRB- has a florid turn of phrase that owes more to Guy Ritchie than the Bard of Avon . 6884
There 's not a spark of new inspiration in it , just more of the same , done with noticeably less energy and imagination . 6885
Jackson shamefully strolls through this mess with a smug grin , inexplicably wearing a kilt and carrying a bag of golf clubs over one shoulder . 6886
A moving picture that does not move . 6887
Ruh-roh ! 6888
Romething 's really wrong with this ricture ! 6889
Its salient points are simultaneously buried , drowned and smothered in the excesses of writer-director Roger Avary . 6890
I 'm not sure these words have ever been together in the same sentence : This erotic cannibal movie is boring . 6891
` God help us , but Capra and Cooper are rolling over in their graves . ' 6892
... an hour-and-a-half of inoffensive , unmemorable filler . 6893
Is it a comedy ? 6894
A drama ? 6895
A romance ? 6896
A cartoon ? 6897
Ze movie starts out so funny , then she is nothing . 6898
Did the film inform and educate me ? 6899
Yes . 6900
Did it move me to care about what happened in 1915 Armenia ? 6901
No. . 6902
And that is where Ararat went astray . 6903
It 's a bad sign in a thriller when you instantly know whodunit . 6904
Has a customarily jovial air but a deficit of flim-flam inventiveness . 6905
Eight Legged Freaks wo n't join the pantheon of great monster\/science fiction flicks that we have come to love ... 6906
It gets the details of its time frame right but it completely misses its emotions . 6907
Who , exactly , is fighting whom here ? 6908
Ah , yes , that would be me : fighting off the urge to doze . 6909
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 . 6910
Contrived , awkward and filled with unintended laughs , the film shows signs that someone other than the director got into the editing room and tried to improve things by making the movie go faster . 6911
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 . 6912
The film lapses too often into sugary sentiment and withholds delivery on the pell-mell pyrotechnics its punchy style promises . 6913
The only question ... is to determine how well the schmaltz is manufactured -- to assess the quality of the manipulative engineering . 6914
Average , at best , I 'm afraid . 6915
This movie is so bad , that it 's almost worth seeing because it 's so bad . 6916
A crisply made movie that is no more than mildly amusing . 6917
This movie feel more like a non-stop cry for attention , than an attempt at any kind of satisfying entertainment . 6918
Overall , it 's a pretty mediocre family film . 6919
Love may have been in the air onscreen , but I certainly was n't feeling any of it . 6920
In addition to the overcooked , ham-fisted direction , which has all the actors reaching for the back row , the dialogue sounds like horrible poetry . 6921
The very definition of what critics have come to term an `` ambitious failure . '' 6922
It 's as if De Palma spent an hour setting a fancy table and then served up Kraft Macaroni and Cheese . 6923
The movie ends with outtakes in which most of the characters forget their lines and just utter ` uhhh , ' which is better than most of the writing in the movie . 6924
Worthy of the gong . 6925
While certainly more naturalistic than its Australian counterpart , Amari 's film falls short in building the drama of Lilia 's journey . 6926
I found the movie as divided against itself as the dysfunctional family it portrays . 6927
The soul-searching deliberateness of the film , although leavened nicely with dry absurdist wit , eventually becomes too heavy for the plot . 6928
The movie does n't add anything fresh to the myth . 6929
As inept as big-screen remakes of The Avengers and The Wild Wild West . 6930
Comes across as a relic from a bygone era , and its convolutions ... feel silly rather than plausible . 6931
Moves in such odd plot directions and descends into such message-mongering moralism that its good qualities are obscured . 6932
It 's a very sincere work , but it would be better as a diary or documentary . 6933
Once one experiences Mr. Haneke 's own sadistic tendencies toward his audience , one is left with a sour taste in one 's mouth , and little else . 6934
Oops , she 's really done it this time . 6935
That chirpy songbird Britney Spears has popped up with more mindless drivel . 6936
It 's a loathsome movie , it really is and it makes absolutely no sense . 6937
A chiller resolutely without chills . 6938
For those of us who respond more strongly to storytelling than computer-generated effects , the new Star Wars installment has n't escaped the rut dug by the last one . 6939
The director mostly plays it straight , turning Leys ' fable into a listless climb down the social ladder . 6940
`` Bad '' is the operative word for `` Bad Company , '' and I do n't mean that in a good way . 6941
Though Frida is easier to swallow than Julie Taymor 's preposterous Titus , the eye candy here lacks considerable brio . 6942
Drumline is -- the mere suggestion , albeit a visually compelling one , of a fully realized story . 6943
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 . 6944
The film affords us intriguing glimpses of the insights gleaned from a lifetime of spiritual inquiry , but Ram Dass : Fierce Grace does n't organize it with any particular insight . 6945
Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro sleepwalk through vulgarities in a sequel you can refuse . 6946
It 's loud and boring ; watching it is like being trapped at a bad rock concert . 6947
Merely -LRB- and literally -RRB- tosses around sex toys and offers half-hearted paeans to empowerment that are repeatedly undercut by the brutality of the jokes , most at women 's expense . 6948
If you want a movie time trip , the 1960 version is a far smoother ride . 6949
Traffics in the kind of prechewed racial clichés that have already been through the corporate stand-up-comedy mill . 6950
The story is -- forgive me -- a little thin , and the filmmaking clumsy and rushed . 6951
... grows decidedly flimsier with its many out-sized , out of character and logically porous action set pieces . 6952
I wish Windtalkers had had more faith in the dramatic potential of this true story . 6953
This would have been better than the fiction it has concocted , and there still could have been room for the war scenes . 6954
Aggressive self-glorification and a manipulative whitewash . 6955
Stay for the credits and see a devastating comic impersonation by Dustin Hoffman that is revelatory . 6956
None of the characters or plot-lines are fleshed-out enough to build any interest . 6957
As social exposé , Skins has its heart in the right place , but that 's not much to hang a soap opera on . 6958
The whole film has this sneaky feel to it -- as if the director is trying to dupe the viewer into taking it all as Very Important simply because the movie is ugly to look at and not a Hollywood product . 6959
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 . 6960
The only way to tolerate this insipid , brutally clueless film might be with a large dose of painkillers . 6961
This one is certainly well-meaning , but it 's also simple-minded and contrived . 6962
Coppola has made a film of intoxicating atmosphere and little else . 6963
Bad and baffling from the get-go . 6964
A series of immaculately composed shots of Patch Adams quietly freaking out does not make for much of a movie . 6965
At a time when we 've learned the hard way just how complex international terrorism is , Collateral Damage paints an absurdly simplistic picture . 6966
The impulses that produced this project ... are commendable , but the results are uneven . 6967
A well-acted movie that simply does n't gel . 6968
Like a can of 2-day old Coke . 6969
You can taste it , but there 's no fizz . 6970
There 's no excuse for following up a delightful , well-crafted family film with a computer-generated cold fish . 6971
Both the crime story and the love story are unusual . 6972
But they do n't fit well together and neither is well told . 6973
It 's both sitcomishly predictable and cloying in its attempts to be poignant . 6974
Other than a mildly engaging central romance , Hospital is sickly entertainment at best and mind-destroying cinematic pollution at worst . 6975
Jaglom offers the none-too-original premise that everyone involved with moviemaking is a con artist and a liar . 6976
Outside of Burger 's desire to make some kind of film , it 's really unclear why this project was undertaken 6977
Was I scared ? 6978
Only at the prospect of Beck 's next project . 6979
Let 's see , a haunted house , a haunted ship , what 's next ... Ghost Blimp ? 6980
A fragile framework upon which to hang broad , mildly fleshed-out characters that seem to have been conjured up only 10 minutes prior to filming . 6981
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 . 6982
Since Lee is a sentimentalist , the film is more worshipful than your random E ! 6983
True Hollywood Story . 6984
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 . ' 6985
Sunshine State surveys the landscape and assesses the issues with a clear passion for sociology . 6986
But the cinematography is cloudy , the picture making becalmed . 6987
It 's one long bore . 6988
It gets old quickly . 6989
Watch Barbershop again if you 're in need of a Cube fix -- this is n't worth sitting through . 6990
It 's leaden and predictable , and laughs are lacking . 6991
... a cinematic disaster so inadvertently sidesplitting it 's worth the price of admission for the ridicule factor alone . 6992
Skip this dreck , rent Animal House and go back to the source . 6993
The movie is a desperate miscalculation . 6994
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 . 6995
We just do n't really care too much about this love story . 6996
In that setting , their struggle is simply too ludicrous and borderline insulting . 6997
The Transporter bombards the viewer with so many explosions and side snap kicks that it ends up being surprisingly dull . 6998
Uzumaki 's interesting social parallel and defiant aesthetic seems a prostituted muse ... 6999
` Men in Black II creates a new threat for the MIB , but recycles the same premise . 7000
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 . 7001
But this time , the old MIB label stands for Milder Is n't Better . 7002
Feels familiar and tired . 7003
A retread of material already thoroughly plumbed by Martin Scorsese . 7004
Instead of making his own style , director Marcus Adams just copies from various sources -- good sources , bad mixture 7005
Criminal conspiracies and true romances move so easily across racial and cultural lines in the film that it makes My Big Fat Greek Wedding look like an apartheid drama . 7006
A bore that tends to hammer home every one of its points . 7007
A story which fails to rise above its disgusting source material . 7008
It 's fitting that a movie as artificial and soulless as The Country Bears owes its genesis to an animatronic display at Disneyland . 7009
Starts as an intense political and psychological thriller but is sabotaged by ticking time bombs and other Hollywood-action cliches . 7010
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 . 7011
An uneven look into a grim future that does n't come close to the level of intelligence and visual splendour that can be seen in other films based on Philip K. Dick stories . 7012
Horrible . 7013
The disjointed mess flows as naturally as Jolie 's hideous yellow ` do . 7014
Bolstered by an astonishing voice cast -LRB- excepting Love Hewitt -RRB- , an interesting racial tension , and a storyline that I have n't encountered since at least Pete 's Dragon . 7015
An authentically vague , but ultimately purposeless , study in total pandemonium . 7016
Makes a joke out of car chases for an hour and then gives us half an hour of car chases . 7017
As the sulking , moody male hustler in the title role , -LRB- Franco -RRB- has all of Dean 's mannerisms and self-indulgence , but none of his sweetness and vulnerability . 7018
The only thing to fear about `` Fear Dot Com '' is hitting your head on the theater seat in front of you when you doze off thirty minutes into the film . 7019
It 's too interested in jerking off in all its Byzantine incarnations to bother pleasuring its audience . 7020
` Synthetic ' is the best description of this well-meaning , beautifully produced film that sacrifices its promise for a high-powered star pedigree . 7021
It concentrates far too much on the awkward interplay and utter lack of chemistry between Chan and Hewitt . 7022
Impostor ca n't think of a thing to do with these characters except have them run through dark tunnels , fight off various anonymous attackers , and evade elaborate surveillance technologies . 7023
Judd 's characters ought to pick up the durable best seller Smart Women , Foolish Choices for advice . 7024
The script has less spice than a rat burger and The Rock 's fighting skills are more in line with Steven Seagal . 7025
This ill-conceived and expensive project winds up looking like a bunch of talented thesps slumming it . 7026
... there 's a choppy , surface-effect feeling to the whole enterprise . 7027
Does n't get the job done , running off the limited chemistry created by Ralph Fiennes and Jennifer Lopez . 7028
A particularly joyless , and exceedingly dull , period coming-of-age tale . 7029
It 's impossible to indulge the fanciful daydreams of Janice Beard -LRB- Eileen Walsh -RRB- when her real-life persona is so charmless and vacant . 7030
... it was n't the subject matter that ultimately defeated the film ... It was the unfulfilling , incongruous , `` wait a second , did I miss something ? '' 7031
ending . 7032
This is a movie where the most notable observation is how long you 've been sitting still . 7033
Poor editing , bad bluescreen , and ultra-cheesy dialogue highlight the radical action . 7034
It 's super - violent , super-serious and super-stupid . 7035
So earnest and well-meaning , and so stocked with talent , that you almost forget the sheer , ponderous awfulness of its script . 7036
Just a string of stale gags , with no good inside dope , and no particular bite . 7037
It 's Splash without the jokes . 7038
The Château would have been benefited from a sharper , cleaner script before it went in front of the camera . 7039
Not to mention a sharper , cleaner camera lens . 7040
Shallow , noisy and pretentious . 7041
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 . 7042
Granddad of Le Nouvelle Vague , Jean-Luc Godard continues to baffle the faithful with his games of hide-and-seek . 7043
This loud and thoroughly obnoxious comedy about a pair of squabbling working-class spouses is a deeply unpleasant experience . 7044
It 's better than The Phantom Menace . 7045
But unless you 're an absolute raving Star Wars junkie , it is n't much fun . 7046
Philosophically , intellectually and logistically a mess . 7047
A standard police-oriented drama that , were it not for De Niro 's participation , would have likely wound up a TNT Original . 7048
Coupling disgracefully written dialogue with flailing bodily movements that substitute for acting , Circuit is the awkwardly paced soap opera-ish story . 7049
Hollywood Ending just is n't very funny . 7050
Though clearly well-intentioned , this cross-cultural soap opera is painfully formulaic and stilted . 7051
A technical triumph and an extraordinary bore . 7052
I can easily imagine Benigni 's Pinocchio becoming a Christmas perennial . 7053
Coal is n't as easy to come by as it used to be and this would be a worthy substitute for naughty children 's stockings . 7054
Two hours of junk . 7055
Ends up being mostly about ravishing costumes , eye-filling , wide-screen production design and Joan 's wacky decision to stand by her man , no matter how many times he demonstrates that he 's a disloyal satyr . 7056
Self-congratulatory , misguided , and ill-informed , if nonetheless compulsively watchable . 7057
A clumsily manufactured exploitation flick , a style-free exercise in manipulation and mayhem . 7058
The whole affair , true story or not , feels incredibly hokey ... -LRB- it -RRB- comes off like a Hallmark commercial . 7059
What 's missing is what we call the ` wow ' factor . 7060
The nicest thing that can be said about Stealing Harvard -LRB- which might have been called Freddy Gets Molested by a Dog -RRB- is that it 's not as obnoxious as Tom Green 's Freddie Got Fingered . 7061
... Tara Reid plays a college journalist , but she looks like the six-time winner of the Miss Hawaiian Tropic Pageant , so I do n't know what she 's doing in here ... 7062
The young stars are too cute ; the story and ensuing complications are too manipulative ; the message is too blatant ; the resolutions are too convenient . 7063
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 . 7064
I highly recommend Irwin , but not in the way this film showcases him . 7065
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 . 7066
This picture is mostly a lump of run-of-the-mill profanity sprinkled with a few remarks so geared toward engendering audience sympathy that you might think he was running for office -- or trying to win over a probation officer . 7067
Malone does have a gift for generating nightmarish images that will be hard to burn out of your brain . 7068
But the movie 's narrative hook is way too muddled to be an effectively chilling guilty pleasure . 7069
Though it goes further than both , anyone who has seen The Hunger or Cat People will find little new here , but a tasty performance from Vincent Gallo lifts this tale of cannibal lust above the ordinary . 7070
A Blair Witch - style adventure that plays like a bad soap opera , with passable performances from everyone in the cast . 7071
Diaz wears out her welcome in her most charmless performance 7072
It is too bad that this likable movie is n't more accomplished . 7073
The actors try hard but come off too amateurish and awkward . 7074
The plot has a number of holes , and at times it 's simply baffling . 7075
An ill-conceived jumble that 's not scary , not smart and not engaging . 7076
Brainless , but enjoyably over-the-top , the retro gang melodrama , Deuces Wild represents fifties teen-gang machismo in a way that borders on rough-trade homo-eroticism . 7077
Gets bogged down by an overly sillified plot and stop-and-start pacing . 7078
`` What John does is heroic , but we do n't condone it , '' one of the film 's stars recently said , a tortuous comment that perfectly illustrates the picture 's moral schizophrenia . 7079
Like coming into a long-running , well-written television series where you 've missed the first half-dozen episodes and probably wo n't see the next six . 7080
Its generic villains lack any intrigue -LRB- other than their funny accents -RRB- and the action scenes are poorly delivered . 7081
Dripping with cliche and bypassing no opportunity to trivialize the material . 7082
Hard-core slasher aficionados will find things to like ... but overall the Halloween series has lost its edge . 7083
Stiff and schmaltzy and clumsily directed . 7084
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 . 7085
Too many improbabilities and rose-colored situations temper what could 've been an impacting film . 7086
Generic slasher-movie nonsense , but it 's not without style . 7087
With tiny little jokes and nary an original idea , this sappy ethnic sleeper proves that not only blockbusters pollute the summer movie pool . 7088
It sticks rigidly to the paradigm , rarely permitting its characters more than two obvious dimensions and repeatedly placing them in contrived , well-worn situations . 7089
Ever see one of those comedies that just seem like a bad idea from frame one ? 7090
Once Ice-T sticks his mug in the window of the couple 's BMW and begins haranguing the wife in bad stage dialogue , all credibility flies out the window . 7091
The best drug addition movies are usually depressing but rewarding . 7092
Quitting , however , manages just to be depressing , as the lead actor phones in his autobiographical performance . 7093
It would be great to see this turd squashed under a truck , preferably a semi . 7094
In the end , all you can do is admire the ensemble players and wonder what the point of it is . 7095
For most movies , 84 minutes is short , but this one feels like a life sentence . 7096
While Glover , the irrepressible eccentric of River 's Edge , Dead Man and Back to the Future , is perfect casting for the role , he represents Bartleby 's main overall flaw . 7097
Shatner is probably the funniest person in the film , which gives you an idea just how bad it was . 7098
Tries so hard to be quirky and funny that the strain is all too evident . 7099
As immaculate as Stuart Little 2 is , it could be a lot better if it were , well , more adventurous . 7100
Simply a re-hash of the other seven films . 7101
With jump cuts , fast editing and lots of pyrotechnics , Yu clearly hopes to camouflage how bad his movie is . 7102
He fails . 7103
I found myself more appreciative of what the director was trying to do than of what he had actually done . 7104
A very depressing movie of many missed opportunities . 7105
Goes on and on to the point of nausea . 7106
By turns numbingly dull-witted and disquietingly creepy . 7107
Boy , has this franchise ever run out of gas . 7108
One problem with the movie , directed by Joel Schumacher , is that it jams too many prefabricated story elements into the running time . 7109
The comedy is nonexistent . 7110
... a bland , pretentious mess . 7111
It 's a pedestrian , flat drama that screams out ` amateur ' in almost every frame . 7112
A bland animated sequel that hardly seems worth the effort . 7113
It 's not just the vampires that are damned in Queen of the Damned -- the viewers will feel they suffer the same fate . 7114
If religious films are n't your bailiwick , stay away . 7115
Otherwise , this could be a passable date film . 7116
This is the case of a pregnant premise being wasted by a script that takes few chances and manages to insult the intelligence of everyone in the audience . 7117
The pace and the visuals are so hyped up that a curious sense of menace informs everything . 7118
Stuffy , full of itself , morally ambiguous and nothing to shout about . 7119
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 . 7120
Do n't let the subtitles fool you ; the movie only proves that Hollywood no longer has a monopoly on mindless action . 7121
Chai 's structure and pacing are disconcertingly slack . 7122
To be oblivious to the existence of this film would be very sweet indeed . 7123
The director , with his fake backdrops and stately pacing , never settles on a consistent tone . 7124
One just waits grimly for the next shock without developing much attachment to the characters . 7125
Instead of panoramic sweep , Kapur gives us episodic choppiness , undermining the story 's emotional thrust . 7126
The director seems to take an unseemly pleasure in -LRB- the characters ' -RRB- misery and at the same time to congratulate himself for having the guts to confront it . 7127
This dubious product of a college-spawned -LRB- Colgate U. -RRB- comedy ensemble known as Broken Lizard plays like a mix of Cheech and Chong and CHiPs . 7128
The movie does n't think much of its characters , its protagonist , or of us . 7129
Super Troopers is an odd amalgam of comedy genres , existing somewhere between the often literal riffs of early Zucker Brothers\/Abrahams films , and the decidedly foul stylings of their post-modern contemporaries , The Farrelly Brothers . 7130
... will always be remembered for the 9-11 terrorist attacks . 7131
After seeing the film , I can tell you that there 's no other reason why anyone should bother remembering it . 7132
Made me feel uneasy , even queasy , because -LRB- Solondz 's -RRB- cool compassion is on the border of bemused contempt . 7133
As a kind of colorful , dramatized PBS program , Frida gets the job done . 7134
But , for that , why not watch a documentary ? 7135
With minimal imagination , you could restage the whole thing in your bathtub . 7136
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 . 7137
Although ... visually striking and slickly staged , it 's also cold , grey , antiseptic and emotionally desiccated . 7138
You can see where Big Bad Love is trying to go , but it never quite gets there . 7139
Friday After Next is the kind of film that could only be made by African-Americans because of its broad racial insensitivity towards African-Americans . 7140
It 's not as awful as some of the recent Hollywood trip tripe ... but it 's far from a groundbreaking endeavor . 7141
The only thing `` swept away '' is the one hour and thirty-three minutes spent watching this waste of time . 7142
One-sided documentary offers simplistic explanations to a very complex situation . 7143
... Stylistically , the movie is a disaster . 7144
The corpse count ultimately overrides what little we learn along the way about vicarious redemption . 7145
As violent , profane and exploitative as the most offensive action flick you 've ever seen . 7146
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 . 7147
Life or Something Like It has its share of high points , but it misses too many opportunities . 7148
This is a truly , truly bad movie . 7149
Despite bearing the Paramount imprint , it 's a bargain-basement European pickup . 7150
What 's hard to understand is why anybody picked it up . 7151
Wiser souls would have tactfully pretended not to see it and left it lying there 7152
Believability was n't one of the film 's virtues . 7153
Sewer rats could watch this movie and be so skeeved out that they 'd need a shower . 7154
The Santa Clause 2 's plot may sound like it was co-written by Mattel executives and lobbyists for the tinsel industry . 7155
His best film remains his shortest , The Hole , which makes many of the points that this film does but feels less repetitive . 7156
Just another disjointed , fairly predictable psychological thriller . 7157
... stumbles over every cheap trick in the book trying to make the outrage come even easier . 7158
Even the hastily and amateurishly drawn animation can not engage . 7159
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 . 7160
Busy urban comedy is clearly not Zhang 's forte , his directorial touch is neither light nor magical enough to bring off this kind of whimsy . 7161
Not completely loveable -- but what underdog movie since The Bad News Bears has been ? 7162
-- but certainly hard to hate . 7163
A movie that ca n't get sufficient distance from Leroy 's delusions to escape their maudlin influence . 7164
It 's Young Guns meets Goodfellas in this easily skippable hayseeds-vs . 7165
- greaseballs mob action-comedy . 7166
Louiso lets the movie dawdle in classic disaffected-indie-film mode , and brother Hoffman 's script stumbles over a late-inning twist that just does n't make sense . 7167
The movie straddles the fence between escapism and social commentary , and on both sides it falls short . 7168
The film is old-fashioned , occasionally charming and as subtle as boldface . 7169
Ca n't get enough of libidinous young city dwellers ? 7170
Try this obscenely bad dark comedy , so crass that it makes Edward Burns ' Sidewalks of New York look like Oscar Wilde . 7171
In The New Guy , even the bull gets recycled . 7172
Largely , this is a movie that also does it by the numbers . 7173
On top of a foundering performance , -LRB- Madonna 's -RRB- denied her own athleticism by lighting that emphasizes every line and sag . 7174
This is the first full scale WWII flick from Hong Kong 's John Woo . 7175
He 's not good with people . 7176
Patchy combination of soap opera , low-tech magic realism and , at times , ploddingly sociological commentary . 7177
-LRB- Stevens is -RRB- so stoked to make an important film about human infidelity and happenstance that he tosses a kitchen sink onto a story already overladen with plot conceits . 7178
So boring that even its target audience talked all the way through it . 7179
One of the more glaring signs of this movie 's servitude to its superstar is the way it skirts around any scenes that might have required genuine acting from Ms. Spears . 7180
Hollywood Ending is the most disappointing Woody Allen movie ever . 7181
He has a great cast and a great idea . 7182
But the execution is a flop with the exception of about six gags that really work . 7183
... generically , forgettably pleasant from start to finish . 7184
It 's just hard to believe that a life like this can sound so dull . 7185
When not wallowing in its characters ' frustrations , the movie is busy contriving false , sitcom-worthy solutions to their problems . 7186
An overstylized , puréed mélange of sex , psychology , drugs and philosophy . 7187
Sometimes entertaining , sometimes indulgent -- but never less than pure wankery . 7188
` Lovely and Amazing , ' unhappily , is neither ... excessively strained and contrived . 7189
Ringu is a disaster of a story , full of holes and completely lacking in chills . 7190
Ignore the reputation , and ignore the film . 7191
This one is a few bits funnier than Malle 's dud , if only because the cast is so engagingly messing around like Slob City reductions of Damon Runyon crooks . 7192
` It 's painful to watch Witherspoon 's talents wasting away inside unnecessary films like Legally Blonde and Sweet Home Abomination , I mean , Alabama . ' 7193
A plodding teen remake that 's so mechanical you can smell the grease on the plot twists . 7194
Trying to figure out the rules of the Country Bear universe -- when are bears bears and when are they like humans , only hairier -- would tax Einstein 's brain . 7195
Even in terms of the low-grade cheese standards on which it operates , it never quite makes the grade as tawdry trash . 7196
Amidst the action , the script carries Arnold -LRB- and the viewers -RRB- into the forbidden zone of sympathizing with terrorist motivations by presenting the `` other side of the story . '' 7197
Rife with nutty cliches and far too much dialogue . 7198
It 's a 100-year old mystery that is constantly being interrupted by Elizabeth Hurley in a bathing suit . 7199
... one big laugh , three or four mild giggles , and a whole lot of not much else . 7200
Too intensely focused on the travails of being Hal Hartley to function as pastiche , No Such Thing is Hartley 's least accessible screed yet . 7201
Kenneth Branagh 's energetic sweet-and-sour performance as a curmudgeonly British playwright grounds this overstuffed , erratic dramedy in which he and his improbably forbearing wife contend with craziness and child-rearing in Los Angeles . 7202
Director Uwe Boll and writer Robert Dean Klein fail to generate any interest in an unsympathetic hero caught up in an intricate plot that while cleverly worked out , can not overcome blah characters . 7203
Ms. Phoenix is completely lacking in charm and charisma , and is unable to project either Esther 's initial anomie or her eventual awakening . 7204
The movie fails to portray its literarily talented and notorious subject as anything much more than a dirty old man . 7205
A clichéd and shallow cautionary tale about the hard-partying lives of gay men . 7206
The fetid underbelly of fame has never looked uglier . 7207
A little weak -- and it is n't that funny . 7208
While it is welcome to see a Chinese film depict a homosexual relationship in a mature and frank fashion , Lan Yu never catches dramatic fire . 7209
The script boasts some tart TV-insider humor , but the film has not a trace of humanity or empathy . 7210
Despite the pyrotechnics , Narc is strictly by the book . 7211
In both the writing and cutting , it does not achieve the kind of dramatic unity that transports you . 7212
You end up simply admiring this bit or that , this performance or that . 7213
Cacoyannis is perhaps too effective in creating an atmosphere of dust-caked stagnation and labored gentility . 7214
Worth seeing once , but its charm quickly fades . 7215
The original was n't a good movie but this remake makes it look like a masterpiece ! 7216
One suspects that Craven endorses They simply because this movie makes his own look much better by comparison . 7217
Gere gives a good performance in a film that does n't merit it . 7218
Your appreciation of it will depend on what experiences you bring to it and what associations you choose to make . 7219
Includes too much obvious padding . 7220
There 's no palpable chemistry between Lopez and male lead Ralph Fiennes , plus the script by Working Girl scribe Kevin Wade is workmanlike in the extreme . 7221
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 . 7222
Do n't expect any subtlety from this latest entry in the increasingly threadbare gross-out comedy cycle . 7223
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 . 7224
Shot like a postcard and overacted with all the boozy self-indulgence that brings out the worst in otherwise talented actors ... 7225
Spain 's greatest star wattage does n't overcome the tumult of maudlin tragedy . 7226
Conforms itself with creating a game of ` who 's who ' ... where the characters ' moves are often more predictable than their consequences . 7227
Looks and feels like a low-budget hybrid of Scarface or Carlito 's Way . 7228
The script is a tired one , with few moments of joy rising above the stale material . 7229
Suffers from all the excesses of the genre . 7230
The verdict : Two bodies and hardly a laugh between them . 7231
The latest Adam Sandler assault and possibly the worst film of the year . 7232
Downbeat , period-perfect biopic hammers home a heavy-handed moralistic message . 7233
While the film is competent , it 's also uninspired , lacking the real talent and wit to elevate it beyond its formula to the level of classic romantic comedy to which it aspires . 7234
They ought to be a whole lot scarier than they are in this tepid genre offering . 7235
It 's harmless , diverting fluff . 7236
But it 's hard to imagine a more generic effort in the genre . 7237
It 's just plain lurid when it is n't downright silly . 7238
Comedy troupe Broken Lizard 's first movie is very funny but too concerned with giving us a plot . 7239
Pap invested in undergraduate doubling subtexts and ridiculous stabs at existentialism reminding of the discovery of the wizard of God in the fifth Trek flick . 7240
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 . 7241
It 's a film with an idea buried somewhere inside its fabric , but never clearly seen or felt . 7242
` All in all , Reign of Fire will be a good -LRB- successful -RRB- rental . ' 7243
Occasionally funny , sometimes inspiring , often boring . 7244
A movie in which two not very absorbing characters are engaged in a romance you ca n't wait to see end . 7245
The predominantly amateur cast is painful to watch , so stilted and unconvincing are the performances . 7246
Who are ` they ' ? 7247
Well , they 're ` they ' . 7248
They 're the unnamed , easily substitutable forces that serve as whatever terror the heroes of horror movies try to avoid . 7249
They exist for hushed lines like `` They 're back ! '' 7250
, `` They 're out there ! '' 7251
and `` They 're coming ! '' 7252
Elegantly crafted but emotionally cold , a puzzle whose intricate construction one can admire but is difficult to connect with on any deeper level . 7253
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 . ' 7254
The story has its redundancies , and the young actors , not very experienced , are sometimes inexpressive . 7255
I 'm sure the filmmaker would disagree , but , honestly , I do n't see the point . 7256
It 's a visual Rorschach test and I must have failed . 7257
The film is really closer to porn than a serious critique of what 's wrong with this increasingly pervasive aspect of gay culture . 7258
Murder by Numbers just does n't add up . 7259
Clare Peploe 's airless movie adaptation could use a little American Pie-like irreverence . 7260
Video games are more involving than this mess . 7261
Clayburgh and Tambor are charming performers ; neither of them deserves Eric Schaeffer . 7262
A pale Xerox of other , better crime movies . 7263
... a hokey piece of nonsense that tries too hard to be emotional . 7264
Illiterate , often inert sci-fi action thriller . 7265
A perfect example of rancid , well-intentioned , but shamelessly manipulative movie making . 7266
The adventure does n't contain half the excitement of Balto , or quarter the fun of Toy Story 2 . 7267
Essentially a collection of bits -- and they 're all naughty . 7268
A mess . 7269
The screenplay does too much meandering , Norton has to recite bland police procedural details , Fiennes wanders around in an attempt to seem weird and distanced , Hopkins looks like a drag queen . 7270
The screenplay by James Eric , James Horton and director Peter O'Fallon ... is so pat it makes your teeth hurt . 7271
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 . 7272
Solaris is rigid and evasive in ways that Soderbergh 's best films , `` Erin Brockovich , '' `` Out of Sight '' and `` Ocean 's Eleven , '' never were . 7273
Seems like something American and European gay movies were doing 20 years ago . 7274
In the process of trimming the movie to an expeditious 84 minutes , director Roger Kumble seems to have dumped a whole lot of plot in favor of ... outrageous gags . 7275
You can see the would-be surprises coming a mile away , and the execution of these twists is delivered with a hammer . 7276
Thumbs down . 7277
The characters are paper thin and the plot is so cliched and contrived that it makes your least favorite James Bond movie seem as cleverly plotted as The Usual Suspects . 7278
... del Toro maintains a dark mood that makes the film seem like something to endure instead of enjoy . 7279
The movie eventually snaps under the strain of its plot contrivances and its need to reassure . 7280
The real question this movie poses is not ` Who ? ' 7281
but ` Why ? ' 7282
Now here 's a sadistic bike flick that would have made Vittorio De Sica proud . 7283
A movie that 's about as overbearing and over-the-top as the family it depicts . 7284
A movie in which laughter and self-exploitation merge into jolly soft-porn 'em powerment . ' 7285
Occasionally interesting but essentially unpersuasive , a footnote to a still evolving story . 7286
If we 're to slap protagonist Genevieve LePlouff because she 's French , do we have that same option to slap her creators because they 're clueless and inept ? 7287
Moretti plays Giovanni , a psychiatrist who predictably finds it difficult to sustain interest in his profession after the family tragedy . 7288
Too predictably , in fact . 7289
Alternative medicine obviously has its merits ... but Ayurveda does the field no favors . 7290
This thing works on no level whatsoever for me . 7291
It follows the basic plot trajectory of nearly every Schwarzenegger film : Someone crosses Arnie . 7292
Arnie blows things up . 7293
Ice Age posits a heretofore unfathomable question : Is it possible for computer-generated characters to go through the motions ? 7294
An incoherent jumble of a film that 's rarely as entertaining as it could have been . 7295
... they missed the boat . 7296
More dutiful than enchanting ... terribly episodic and lacking the spark of imagination that might have made it an exhilarating treat . 7297
Laconic and very stilted in its dialogue , this indie flick never found its audience , probably because it 's extremely hard to relate to any of the characters . 7298
The comedy Death to Smoochy is a rancorous curiosity : a movie without an apparent audience . 7299
Barney 's ideas about creation and identity do n't really seem all that profound , at least by way of what can be gleaned from this three-hour endurance test built around an hour 's worth of actual material . 7300
Affleck merely creates an outline for a role he still needs to grow into , a role that Ford effortlessly filled with authority . 7301
Cinematic pyrotechnics aside , the only thing Avary seems to care about are mean giggles and pulchritude . 7302
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 . 7303
The narrative is so consistently unimaginative that probably the only way to have saved the film is with the aid of those wisecracking Mystery Science Theater 3000 guys . 7304
Nothing more or less than an outright bodice-ripper -- it should have ditched the artsy pretensions and revelled in the entertaining shallows . 7305
A living testament to the power of the eccentric and the strange . 7306
The fact that it is n't very good is almost beside the point . 7307
Feels less like a cousin to Blade Runner than like a bottom-feeder sequel in the Escape From New York series . 7308
What might have been acceptable on the printed page of Iles ' book does not translate well to the screen . 7309
If Oscar had a category called Best Bad Film You Thought Was Going To Be Really Awful But Was n't , Guys would probably be duking it out with The Queen of the Damned for the honor . 7310
A poky and pseudo-serious exercise in sham actor workshops and an affected malaise . 7311
Mediocre fable from Burkina Faso . 7312
Fessenden has nurtured his metaphors at the expense of his narrative , but he does display an original talent . 7313
Since the movie is based on a Nicholas Sparks best seller , you know death is lurking around the corner , just waiting to spoil things . 7314
Bottom-rung New Jack City wannabe . 7315
Fincher takes no apparent joy in making movies , and he gives none to the audience . 7316
It 's mildly amusing , but I certainly ca n't recommend it . 7317
Nicholas Nickleby celebrates the human spirit with such unrelenting Dickensian decency that it turned me -LRB- horrors ! -RRB- 7318
into Scrooge . 7319
Fear Dot Com is more frustrating than a modem that disconnects every 10 seconds . 7320
Full of flatulence jokes and mild sexual references , Kung Pow ! 7321
is the kind of movie that 's critic-proof , simply because it aims so low . 7322
May cause you to bite your tongue to keep from laughing at the ridiculous dialog or the oh-so convenient plot twists . 7323
There are just too many characters saying too many clever things and getting into too many pointless situations . 7324
Where 's the movie here ? 7325
A dark , dull thriller with a parting shot that misfires . 7326
Lacking substance and soul , Crossroads comes up shorter than Britney 's cutoffs . 7327
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 . 7328
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 . 7329
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 . 7330
It 's so badly made on every level that I 'm actually having a hard time believing people were paid to make it . 7331
In the real world , an actor this uncharismatically beautiful would have a résumé loaded with credits like `` Girl in Bar # 3 . '' 7445
... although this idea is `` new '' the results are tired . 7593
I 'm guessing the director is a magician . 7594
After all , he took three minutes of dialogue , 30 seconds of plot and turned them into a 90-minute movie that feels five hours long . 7595
An unencouraging threefold expansion on the former MTV series , accompanying the stunt-hungry dimwits in a random series of collected gags , pranks , pratfalls , dares , injuries , etc. . 7596
In its own way , Joshua is as blasphemous and nonsensical as a Luis Buñuel film without the latter 's attendant intelligence , poetry , passion , and genius . 7652
an appalling ` Ace Ventura ' rip-off that somehow manages to bring together Kevin Pollak , former wrestler Chyna and Dolly Parton . 7668
If any of them list this ` credit ' on their resumes in the future , that 'll be much funnier than anything in the film ... 7669
The only entertainment you 'll derive from this choppy and sloppy affair will be from unintentional giggles -- several of them . 7699
Puportedly `` Based on True Events , '' a convolution of language that suggests it 's impossible to claim that it is `` Based on a True Story '' with a straight face . 7708
... a plotline that 's as lumpy as two-day old porridge ... the filmmakers ' paws , sad to say , were all over this `` un-bear-able '' project ! 7709
Tambor and Clayburgh make an appealing couple -- he 's understated and sardonic , she 's appealingly manic and energetic . 7725
Both deserve better . 7726
-- 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 . 7778
Is there a group of more self-absorbed women than the mother and daughters featured in this film ? 7779
I do n't think so . 7780
Nothing wrong with performances here , but the whiney characters bugged me . 7781
Not a stereotype is omitted nor a cliché left unsaid . 7865
Another week , another gross-out college comedy -- ugh . 7942
A battle between bug-eye theatre and dead-eye matinee . 8031
The movie is virtually without context -- journalistic or historical . 8032
What 's worse is that Pelosi knows it . 8033
... instead go rent `` Shakes The Clown '' , a much funnier film with a similar theme and an equally great Robin Williams performance . 8034
If the title is a Jeopardy question , then the answer might be `` How does Steven Seagal come across these days ? '' 8091
or maybe `` How will you feel after an 88-minute rip-off of The Rock with action confined to slo-mo gun firing and random glass-shattering ? '' 8092
The appeal of the vulgar , sexist , racist humour went over my head or -- considering just how low brow it is -- perhaps it snuck under my feet . 8107
The story really has no place to go since Simone is not real -- she ca n't provide any conflict . 8108
First-time director João Pedro Rodrigues ' unwillingness to define his hero 's background or motivations becomes more and more frustrating as the film goes on . 8128
`` Interview '' loses its overall sense of mystery and becomes a TV episode rather than a documentary that you actually buy into . 8200
` Unfaithful ' cheats on itself and retreats to comfortable territory . 8201
Too bad . 8202
Thoughtless , random , superficial humour and a lot of very bad Scouse accents 8228
Plays like one of those conversations that Comic Book Guy on `` The Simpsons '' has . 8334
`` Juwanna Mann ? '' 8340
No thanks . 8341
Wewannour money back , actually . 8342
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 . 8514
Should n'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 . 8515
Often silly -- and gross -- but it 's rarely as moronic as some campus gross-out films . 8516
The advantage of a postapocalyptic setting is that it can be made on the cheap . 8517
Any rock pile will do for a set . 8518
Reign of Fire has the disadvantage of also looking cheap . 8519
Britney 's performance can not be faulted . 8601
Lucy 's a dull girl , that 's all . 8602
I admire it and yet can not recommend it , because it overstays its natural running time . 8639
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 . 8668
Stephen Earnhart 's documentary is a decomposition of healthy eccentric inspiration and ambition -- wearing a cloak of unsentimental , straightforward text -- when it 's really an exercise in gross romanticization of the delusional personality type . 8716
A semi-autobiographical film that 's so sloppily written and cast that you can not believe anyone more central to the creation of Bugsy than the caterer had anything to do with it . 8810
The movie barely makes sense , with its unbelievable naïveté and arbitrary flashbacks . 9013
Pumpkin struts about with `` courage '' pinned to its huckster lapel while a yellow streak a mile wide decorates its back . 9024
Build some robots , haul 'em to the theatre with you for the late show , and put on your own Mystery Science Theatre 3000 tribute to what is almost certainly going to go down as the worst -- and only -- killer website movie of this or any other year . 9061
... has about 3\/4th the fun of its spry 2001 predecessor -- but it 's a rushed , slapdash , sequel-for-the-sake - of-a-sequel with less than half the plot and ingenuity . 9063
It 's tough to tell which is in more abundant supply in this woefully hackneyed movie , directed by Scott Kalvert , about street gangs and turf wars in 1958 Brooklyn -- stale cliches , gratuitous violence , or empty machismo . 9077
Gooding and Coburn are both Oscar winners , a fact which , as you watch them clumsily mugging their way through Snow Dogs , seems inconceivable . 9078
At every opportunity to do something clever , the film goes right over the edge and kills every sense of believability ... all you have left is a no-surprise series of explosions and violence while Banderas looks like he 's not trying to laugh at how bad it 9079
... pitiful , slapdash disaster . 9080
A DOA dud from frame one . 9081
Jaw-droppingly superficial , straining to get by on humor that is not even as daring as John Ritter 's glory days on Three 's Company . 9082
There are plenty of scenes in Frida that do work , but rarely do they involve the title character herself . 9083
Although God Is Great addresses interesting matters of identity and heritage , it 's hard to shake the feeling that it was intended to be a different kind of film . 9084
The dark and bittersweet twist feels strange as things turn nasty and tragic during the final third of the film . 9085
First-timer John McKay is never able to pull it back on course . 9086
Distances you by throwing out so many red herrings , so many false scares , that the genuine ones barely register . 9087
Godard uses his characters -- if that 's not too glorified a term -- as art things , mouthpieces , visual motifs , blanks . 9088
The movie generates plot points with a degree of randomness usually achieved only by lottery drawing . 9089
A predictable , manipulative stinker . 9090
The story passes time until it 's time for an absurd finale of twisted metal , fireballs and revenge . 9091
Eastwood winces , clutches his chest and gasps for breath . 9092
It 's a spectacular performance - ahem , we hope it 's only acting . 9093
The movie suffers from two fatal ailments -- a dearth of vitality and a story that 's shapeless and uninflected . 9094
It 's just weirdness for the sake of weirdness , and where Human Nature should be ingratiating , it 's just grating . 9095
An ambitiously naturalistic , albeit half-baked , drama about an abused , inner-city autistic teen . 9096
once she lets her love depraved leads meet , -LRB- Denis ' -RRB- story becomes a hopeless , unsatisfying muddle 9097
The dose is strong and funny , for the first 15 minutes anyway ; after that , the potency wanes dramatically . 9098
The people in ABC Africa are treated as docile , mostly wordless ethnographic extras . 9099
What 's really sad is to see two Academy Award winning actresses -LRB- and one Academy Award winning actor -RRB- succumb to appearing in this junk that 's TV sitcom material at best . 9100
No doubt the star and everyone else involved had their hearts in the right place . 9101
Where their heads were is anyone 's guess . 9102
Call me a cynic , but there 's something awfully deadly about any movie with a life-affirming message . 9103
A gratingly unfunny groaner littered with zero-dimensional , unlikable characters and hackneyed , threadbare comic setups . 9104
Got some good , organic character work , lots of obvious political insights and little room for engaging , imaginative filmmaking in its nearly 2 1\/2 - hour , dissipated length . 9105
A painfully slow cliche-ridden film filled with more holes than Clyde Barrow 's car . 9106
Like leafing through an album of photos accompanied by the sketchiest of captions . 9107
I guess it just goes to show that if you give a filmmaker an unlimited amount of phony blood , nothing good can happen . 9108
Gaghan captures the half-lit , sometimes creepy intimacy of college dorm rooms , a subtlety that makes the silly , over-the-top coda especially disappointing . 9109
Feels less like a change in -LRB- Herzog 's -RRB- personal policy than a half-hearted fluke . 9110
One of the most unpleasant things the studio has ever produced . 9111
Will anyone who is n't a Fangoria subscriber be excited that it has n't gone straight to video ? 9112
A selection of scenes in search of a movie . 9113
-LRB- Janey -RRB- 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 . 9114
Will undoubtedly play well in European markets , where Mr. Besson is a brand name , and in Asia , where Ms. Shu is an institution , but American audiences will probably find it familiar and insufficiently cathartic . 9115
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 . 9116
-LRB- Evans is -RRB- a fascinating character , and deserves a better vehicle than this facetious smirk of a movie . 9117
The script 's judgment and sense of weight is way , way off . 9118
You come away wishing , though , that the movie spent a lot less time trying to make a credible case for reports from the afterlife and a lot more time on the romantic urgency that 's at the center of the story . 9119
Evelyn may be based on a true and historically significant story , but the filmmakers have made every effort to disguise it as an unimaginative screenwriter 's invention . 9120
A derivative collection of horror and sci-fi cliches . 9121
Loosely speaking , we 're in All of Me territory again , and , strictly speaking , Schneider is no Steve Martin . 9122
As aimless as an old pickup skidding completely out of control on a long patch of black ice , the movie makes two hours feel like four . 9123
Limps along on a squirm-inducing fish-out-of-water formula that goes nowhere and goes there very , very slowly . 9124
Just the sort of lazy tearjerker that gives movies about ordinary folk a bad name . 9125
The redeeming feature of Chan 's films has always been the action , but the stunts in The Tuxedo seem tired and , what 's worse , routine . 9126
While The Importance of Being Earnest offers opportunities for occasional smiles and chuckles , it does n't give us a reason to be in the theater beyond Wilde 's wit and the actors ' performances . 9127
Has all the scenic appeal of a cesspool . 9128
A rambling ensemble piece with loosely connected characters and plots that never quite gel . 9129
A Lifetime movie about men . 9130
The Balkans provide the obstacle course for the love of a good woman . 9131
It 's hard to say who might enjoy this , are there Tolstoy groupies out there ? 9132
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 9133
This is a movie that starts out like Heathers , then becomes Bring it On , then becomes unwatchable . 9134
The screenplay flounders under the weight of too many story lines . 9135
I think it was Plato who said , ' I think , therefore I know better than to rush to the theatre for this one . ' 9136
If Damon and Affleck attempt another Project Greenlight , next time out they might try paying less attention to the miniseries and more attention to the film it is about . 9137
This is rote drivel aimed at Mom and Dad 's wallet . 9138
Contrived , maudlin and cliche-ridden ... if this sappy script was the best the contest received , those rejected must have been astronomically bad . 9139
I hate the feeling of having been slimed in the name of High Art . 9140
This is more a case of ` Sacre bleu ! ' 9141
than ` Magnifique ' . 9142
The kids in the audience at the preview screening seemed bored , cheering the pratfalls but little else ; their parents , wise folks that they are , read books . 9143
Whether Jason X is this bad on purpose is never clear . 9144
But one thing 's for sure : It never comes close to being either funny or scary . 9145
Yet another weepy Southern bore-athon . 9146
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 . 9147
Perhaps the most annoying thing about Who Is Cletis Tout ? 9148
is that it 's a crime movie made by someone who obviously knows nothing about crime . 9149
Except as an acting exercise or an exceptionally dark joke , you wonder what anyone saw in this film that allowed it to get made . 9150
This insufferable movie is meant to make you think about existential suffering . 9151
Instead , it 'll only put you to sleep . 9152
Who is this movie for ? 9153
Not kids , who do n't need the lesson in repugnance . 9154
It 's also not smart or barbed enough for older viewers -- not everyone thinks poo-poo jokes are ` edgy . ' 9155
A sleep-inducingly slow-paced crime drama with clumsy dialogue , heavy-handed phoney-feeling sentiment , and an overly-familiar set of plot devices . 9156
It 's so tedious that it makes you forgive every fake , dishonest , entertaining and , ultimately , more perceptive moment in Bridget Jones 's Diary . 9157
Almost as offensive as `` Freddy Got Fingered . '' 9158
The gifted Crudup has the perfect face to play a handsome blank yearning to find himself , and his cipherlike personality and bad behavior would play fine if the movie knew what to do with him . 9159
It is depressing , ruthlessly pained and depraved , the movie equivalent of staring into an open wound . 9160
Ponderous , plodding soap opera disguised as a feature film . 9161
Cold , pretentious , thoroughly dislikable study in sociopathy . 9162
For the future , one hopes Mr. Plympton will find room for one more member of his little band , a professional screenwriter . 9163
A cheap scam put together by some cynical creeps at Revolution Studios and Imagine Entertainment to make the suckers out there surrender $ 9 and 93 minutes of unrecoverable life . 9164
Reign of Fire never comes close to recovering from its demented premise , but it does sustain an enjoyable level of ridiculousness . 9165
Human Nature is a goofball movie , in the way that Malkovich was , but it tries too hard . 9166
Originality is sorely lacking . 9167
The plot 's clearly mythic structure may owe more to Disney 's strong sense of formula than to the original story . 9168
But while the highly predictable narrative falls short , Treasure Planet is truly gorgeous to behold . 9169
Though there are entertaining and audacious moments , the movie 's wildly careening tone and an extremely flat lead performance do little to salvage this filmmaker 's flailing reputation . 9170
Ram Dass Fierce Grace moulds itself as an example to up-and-coming documentarians , of the overlooked pitfalls of such an endeavour . 9171
Lucky Break is perfectly inoffensive and harmless , but it 's also drab and inert . 9172
For a story set at sea , Ghost Ship is pretty landbound , with its leaden acting , dull exposition and telegraphed ` surprises . ' 9173
There might be some sort of credible gender-provoking philosophy submerged here , but who the hell cares ? 9174
Nothing more than a stifling morality tale dressed up in peekaboo clothing . 9175
I like my Christmas movies with more elves and snow and less pimps and ho 's . 9176
It all seemed wasted like DeNiro 's once promising career and the once grand Long Beach boardwalk . 9177
-LRB- I -RRB- t 's certainly laudable that the movie deals with hot-button issues in a comedic context , but Barbershop is n't as funny as it should be . 9178
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 . 9179
Just entertaining enough not to hate , too mediocre to love . 9180
` Sophisticated ' viewers who refuse to admit that they do n't like it will likely call it ` challenging ' to their fellow sophisticates . 9181
Equilibrium the movie , as opposed to the manifesto , is really , really stupid . 9182
Excruciatingly unfunny and pitifully unromantic . 9183
The film 's thoroughly recycled plot and tiresome jokes ... drag the movie down . 9184
It does n't offer audiences any way of gripping what its point is , or even its attitude toward its subject . 9185
This kiddie-oriented stinker is so bad that I even caught the gum stuck under my seat trying to sneak out of the theater 9186
Though Impostor deviously adopts the guise of a modern motion picture , it too is a bomb . 9187
Cox offers plenty of glimpses at existing photos , but there are no movies of Nijinsky , so instead the director treats us to an aimless hodgepodge . 9188
Every note rings false . 9189
When the screenwriter responsible for one of the worst movies of one year directs an equally miserable film the following year , you 'd have a hard time believing it was just coincidence . 9190
It never rises to its clever what-if concept . 9191
Admirably ambitious but self-indulgent . 9192
This story of unrequited love does n't sustain interest beyond the first half-hour . 9193
This angst-ridden territory was covered earlier and much better in Ordinary People . 9194
The entire film is one big excuse to play one lewd scene after another . 9195
About half of them are funny , a few are sexy and none are useful in telling the story , which is paper-thin and decidedly unoriginal . 9196
A big , loud , bang-the-drum bore . 9197
-LRB- Less a movie than -RRB- an appalling , odoriferous thing ... so rotten in almost every single facet of production that you 'll want to crawl up your own \*\*\* in embarrassment . 9198
The concept behind Kung Pow : Enter the Fist is hilarious . 9199
It 's too bad nothing else is . 9200
Hardman is a grating , mannered onscreen presence , which is especially unfortunate in light of the fine work done by most of the rest of her cast . 9201
El Crimen Del Padre Amaro would likely be most effective if used as a tool to rally anti-Catholic protestors . 9202
Interesting and thoroughly unfaithful version of Carmen 9203
A serious movie with serious ideas . 9204
But seriously , folks , it does n't work . 9205
There 's nothing exactly wrong here , but there 's not nearly enough that 's right . 9206
The action here is unusually tame , the characters are too simplistic to maintain interest , and the plot offers few surprises . 9207
I could n't help but feel the wasted potential of this slapstick comedy . 9208
What Madonna does here ca n't properly be called acting -- more accurately , it 's moving and it 's talking and it 's occasionally gesturing , sometimes all at once . 9209
-LRB- A -RRB- painfully flat gross-out comedy ... 9210
Even if you 're an Elvis person , you wo n't find anything to get excited about on this DVD . 9211
The movie certainly has its share of clever moments and biting dialogue , but there 's just not much lurking below its abstract surface . 9212
It 's bedeviled by labored writing and slack direction . 9213
I 'm sure there 's a teenage boy out there somewhere who 's dying for this kind of entertainment . 9214
The Tuxedo miscalculates badly by forcing the star to play second fiddle to the dull effects that allow the suit to come to life . 9215
The film is a confusing melange of tones and styles , one moment a romantic trifle and the next a turgid drama . 9216
Obviously , a lot of people wasted a lot of their time -LRB- including mine -RRB- on something very inconsequential . 9217
There 's a little violence and lots of sex in a bid to hold our attention , but it grows monotonous after a while , as do Joan and Philip 's repetitive arguments , schemes and treachery . 9218
It drowns in sap . 9219
Deliberately and devotedly constructed , Far from Heaven is too picture postcard perfect , too neat and new pin-like , too obviously a recreation to resonate . 9220
It 's rare that a movie can be as intelligent as this one is in every regard except its storyline ; everything that 's good is ultimately scuttled by a plot that 's just too boring and obvious . 9221
I 'm giving it thumbs down due to the endlessly repetitive scenes of embarrassment . 9222
There 's got to be a more graceful way of portraying the devastation of this disease . 9223
The good thing -- the only good thing -- about Extreme Ops is that it 's so inane that it gave me plenty of time to ponder my Thanksgiving to-do list . 9224
The modern-day characters are nowhere near as vivid as the 19th-century ones . 9225
Blessed with a searing lead performance by Ryan Gosling -LRB- Murder by Numbers -RRB- , the movie is powerful and provocative . 9226
It 's also built on a faulty premise , one it follows into melodrama and silliness . 9227
Uneven performances and a spotty script add up to a biting satire that has no teeth . 9228
Director Jay Russell stomps in hobnail boots over Natalie Babbitt 's gentle , endearing 1975 children 's novel . 9229
Benigni 's Pinocchio is extremely straight and mind-numbingly stilted , its episodic pacing keeping the film from developing any storytelling flow . 9230
The troubling thing about Clockstoppers is that it does n't make any sense . 9231
With its paint fights , motorized scooter chases and dewy-eyed sentiment , it 's a pretty listless collection of kid-movie clichés . 9232
Mostly the film is just hectic and homiletic : two parts exhausting Men in Black mayhem to one part family values . 9233
Kicks off with an inauspicious premise , mopes through a dreary tract of virtually plotless meanderings and then ends with a whimper . 9234
A rote exercise in both animation and storytelling . 9235
The material and the production itself are little more than routine . 9236
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 . 9237
Not even Steven Spielberg has dreamed up such blatant and sickening product placement in a movie . 9238
It 's all surface psychodramatics . 9239
The Mothman Prophecies , which is mostly a bore , seems to exist only for its climactic setpiece . 9240
That frenetic spectacle -LRB- on the TV show -RRB- has usually been leavened by a charm that 's conspicuously missing from the Girls ' big-screen blowout . 9241
Kitschy , flashy , overlong soap opera . 9242
For all the time we spend with these people , we never really get inside of them . 9243
Yet another Arnold vehicle that fails to make adequate use of his particular talents . 9244
Sandra Bullock , despite downplaying her good looks , carries a little too much ai n't - she-cute baggage into her lead role as a troubled and determined homicide cop to quite pull off the heavy stuff . 9245
An undistinguished attempt to make a classic theater piece cinematic . 9246
too many scenarios in which the hero might have an opportunity to triumphantly sermonize , and too few that allow us to wonder for ourselves if things will turn out okay . 9247
There is simply not enough of interest onscreen to sustain its seventy-minute running time . 9248
A wordy wisp of a comedy . 9249
Broomfield 's style of journalism is hardly journalism at all , and even those with an avid interest in the subject will grow impatient . 9250
-LRB- Seagal 's -RRB- strenuous attempt at a change in expression could very well clinch him this year 's Razzie . 9251
Has the disjointed feel of a bunch of strung-together TV episodes . 9252
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 . 9253
Ozpetek offers an AIDS subtext , skims over the realities of gay sex , and presents yet another tired old vision of the gay community as an all-inclusive world where uptight , middle class bores like Antonia can feel good about themselves . 9254
A dopey movie clothed in excess layers of hipness . 9255
The Sweetest Thing is expressly for idiots who do n't care what kind of sewage they shovel into their mental gullets to simulate sustenance . 9256
Sinks so low in a poorly played game of absurd plot twists , idiotic court maneuvers and stupid characters that even Freeman ca n't save it . 9257
I realized that no matter how fantastic Reign of Fire looked , its story was making no sense at all . 9258
It made me realize that we really have n't had a good cheesy B-movie playing in theaters since ... well ... since last week 's Reign of Fire . 9259
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 . 9260
SC2 is an autopilot Hollywood concoction lacking in imagination and authentic Christmas spirit , yet it 's geared toward an audience full of masters of both . 9261
After all the big build-up , the payoff for the audience , as well as the characters , is messy , murky , unsatisfying . 9262
Seems content to dog-paddle in the mediocre end of the pool , and it 's a sad , sick sight . 9263
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 . 9264
If all of Eight Legged Freaks was as entertaining as the final hour , I would have no problem giving it an unqualified recommendation . 9265
Suffers from a flat script and a low budget . 9266
There are deeply religious and spiritual people in this world who would argue that entering a church , synagogue or temple does n't mean you have to check your brain at the door . 9267
The same should go for movie theaters . 9268
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 . 9269
The film tries to touch on spousal abuse but veers off course and becomes just another revenge film . 9270
As it stands it 's an opera movie for the buffs . 9271
This franchise has not spawned a single good film . 9272
The crap continues . 9273
Its inescapable absurdities are tantamount to insulting the intelligence of anyone who has n't been living under a rock -LRB- since Sept. 11 -RRB- . 9274
High drama , Disney-style - a wing and a prayer and a hunky has-been pursuing his castle in the sky . 9275
Like its script , which nurses plot holes gaping enough to pilot an entire Olympic swim team through , the characters in Swimfan seem motivated by nothing short of dull , brain-deadening hangover . 9276
One big blustery movie where nothing really happens . 9277
When it comes out on video , then it 's the perfect cure for insomnia . 9278
Like a comedian who starts off promisingly but then proceeds to flop , Comedian runs out of steam after a half hour . 9279
The pairing does sound promising in theory ... but their lack of chemistry makes Eddie Murphy and Robert DeNiro in Showtime look like old , familiar vaudeville partners . 9280
Director Chris Eyre is going through the paces again with his usual high melodramatic style of filmmaking . 9281
As it stands , there 's some fine sex onscreen , and some tense arguing , but not a whole lot more . 9282
I could just feel the screenwriter at every moment ` Tap , tap , tap , tap , tapping away ' on this screenplay . 9283
The picture does n't know it 's a comedy . 9284
A stupid , derivative horror film that substitutes extreme gore for suspense . 9285
The rollerball sequences feel sanitised and stagey . 9286
Roman Polanski directs The Pianist like a surgeon mends a broken heart ; very meticulously but without any passion . 9287
Nothing more than a run-of-the-mill action flick . 9288
Lan Yu is certainly a serviceable melodrama , but it does n't even try for the greatness that Happy Together shoots for -LRB- and misses -RRB- . 9289
This is an action movie with an action icon who 's been all but decommissioned . 9290
Even if it is generally amusing from time to time , I Spy has all the same problems the majority of action comedies have . 9291
Much like Robin Williams , Death to Smoochy has already reached its expiration date . 9292
An annoying orgy of excess and exploitation that has no point and goes nowhere . 9293
A tired , unnecessary retread ... a stale copy of a picture that was n't all that great to begin with . 9294
An often unfunny romp . 9295
A worthy idea , but the uninspired scripts , acting and direction never rise above the level of an after-school TV special . 9296
Twenty years later , Reggio still knows how to make a point with poetic imagery , but his ability to startle has been stifled by the very prevalence of the fast-forward technology that he so stringently takes to task . 9297
Ear-splitting exercise in formula crash-and-bash action . 9298
We have an actor who is great fun to watch performing in a film that is only mildly diverting . 9299
Despite Hoffman 's best efforts , Wilson remains a silent , lumpish cipher ; his encounters reveal nothing about who he is or who he was before . 9300
There 's a thin line between likably old-fashioned and fuddy-duddy , and The Count of Monte Cristo ... never quite settles on either side . 9301
The emotional overload of female angst irreparably drags the film down . 9302
Schaefer 's ... determination to inject farcical raunch ... drowns out the promise of the romantic angle . 9303
Like Showgirls and Glitter , the most entertaining moments here are unintentional . 9304
While some of the camera work is interesting , the film 's mid-to-low budget is betrayed by the surprisingly shoddy makeup work . 9305
The origin story is well told , and the characters will not disappoint anyone who values the original comic books . 9306
It 's in the action scenes that things fall apart . 9307
Impostor is a step down for director Gary Fleder . 9308
Seagal , who looks more like Danny Aiello these days , mumbles his way through the movie . 9309
The movie is a negligible work of manipulation , an exploitation piece doing its usual worst to guilt-trip parents . 9310
Lacks dramatic punch and depth . 9311
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 . 9312
I can analyze this movie in three words : Thumbs Friggin ' Down . 9313
Sadly , ` Garth ' has n't progressed as nicely as ` Wayne . ' 9314
Make like the title and dodge this one . 9315
This is not one of the movies you 'd want to watch if you only had a week to live . 9316
The first hour is tedious though Ford and Neeson capably hold our interest , but its just not a thrilling movie . 9317
Here 's a case of two actors who do everything humanly possible to create characters who are sweet and believable , and are defeated by a screenplay that forces them into bizarre , implausible behavior . 9318
It 's obvious -LRB- Je-Gyu is -RRB- trying for poetry ; what he gets instead has all the lyricism of a limerick scrawled in a public restroom . 9319
Sweet Home Alabama is one dumb movie , but its stupidity is so relentlessly harmless that it almost wins you over in the end . 9320
-LRB- Green is -RRB- 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 . 9321
No amount of good acting is enough to save Oleander 's uninspired story . 9322
A vile , incoherent mess ... a scummy ripoff of David Cronenberg 's brilliant ` Videodrome . ' 9323
Murphy and Wilson actually make a pretty good team ... but the project surrounding them is distressingly rote . 9324
Despite its raucous intent , XXX is as conventional as a Nike ad and as rebellious as spring break . 9325
Think The Lion King redone for horses , with fewer deliberate laughs , more inadvertent ones and stunningly trite songs by Bryan Adams , the world 's most generic rock star . 9326
It is one more celluloid testimonial to the cruelties experienced by Southern blacks as distilled through a Caucasian perspective . 9327
It 's tough being a black man in America , especially when the Man has taken away your car , your work-hours and denied you health insurance . 9328
A small fortune in salaries and stunt cars might have been saved if the director , Tom Dey , had spliced together bits and pieces of Midnight Run and 48 Hours -LRB- and , for that matter , Shrek -RRB- . 9329
An amateurish , quasi-improvised acting exercise shot on ugly digital video . 9330
The holes in this film remain agape -- holes punched through by an inconsistent , meandering , and sometimes dry plot . 9331
Would Benigni 's Italian Pinocchio have been any easier to sit through than this hastily dubbed disaster ? 9332
Unofficially , National Lampoon 's Van Wilder is Son of Animal House . 9333
Officially , it is twice as bestial but half as funny . 9334
This is a fragmented film , once a good idea that was followed by the bad idea to turn it into a movie . 9335
Mindless yet impressively lean spinoff of last summer 's bloated effects fest The Mummy Returns . 9336
Halfway through the movie , the humor dwindles . 9337
It 's replaced by some dramatic scenes that are jarring and deeply out of place in what could have -LRB- and probably should have -RRB- been a lighthearted comedy . 9338
will be far more interesting to the Soderbergh faithful than it will be to the casual moviegoer who might be lured in by Julia Roberts ... 9339
Authentic , and at times endearing , humorous , spooky , educational , but at other times as bland as a block of snow . 9340
Control-Alt-Delete Simone as quickly as possible 9341
Follows the original film virtually scene for scene and yet manages to bleed it almost completely dry of humor , verve and fun . 9342
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 . 9343
The screenplay comes across , rather unintentionally , as Hip-Hop Scooby-Doo . 9344
Has lost some of the dramatic conviction that underlies the best of comedies ... 9345
Vaguely interesting , but it 's just too too much . 9346
... no charm , no laughs , no fun , no reason to watch . 9347
A generic family comedy unlikely to be appreciated by anyone outside the under-10 set . 9348
Kung Pow seems like some futile concoction that was developed hastily after Oedekerk and his fellow moviemakers got through crashing a college keg party . 9349
Kurys seems intimidated by both her subject matter and the period trappings of this debut venture into the heritage business . 9350
The film virtually chokes on its own self-consciousness . 9351
A manipulative feminist empowerment tale thinly posing as a serious drama about spousal abuse . 9352
Everything in Maid in Manhattan is exceedingly pleasant , designed not to offend . 9353
It goes down easy , leaving virtually no aftertaste . 9354
A profoundly stupid affair , populating its hackneyed and meanspirited storyline with cardboard characters and performers who value cash above credibility . 9355
... pays tribute to heroes the way Julia Roberts hands out awards -- with phony humility barely camouflaging grotesque narcissism . 9356
Time stands still in more ways that one in Clockstoppers , a sci-fi thriller as lazy as it is interminable . 9357
As a director , Eastwood is off his game -- there 's no real sense of suspense , and none of the plot ` surprises ' are really surprising . 9358
Eccentric enough to stave off doldrums , Caruso 's self-conscious debut is also eminently forgettable . 9359
To work , love stories require the full emotional involvement and support of a viewer . 9360
That is made almost impossible by events that set the plot in motion . 9361
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 . 9362
A puzzle whose pieces do not fit . 9363
Some are fascinating and others are not , and in the end , it is almost a good movie . 9364
Would that Greengrass had gone a tad less for grit and a lot more for intelligibility . 9365
The good is very , very good ... The rest runs from mildly unimpressive to despairingly awful . 9366
` 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 . 9367
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 . 9368
a terrible adaptation of a play that only ever walked the delicate tightrope between farcical and loathsome . 9369
In the wrong hands , i.e. Peploe 's , it 's simply unbearable 9370
An inexperienced director , Mehta has much to learn . 9371
A limp Eddie Murphy vehicle that even he seems embarrassed to be part of . 9372
So muddled , repetitive and ragged that it says far less about the horrifying historical reality than about the filmmaker 's characteristic style . 9373
A gushy episode of `` M \* A \* S \* H '' only this time from an Asian perspective . 9374
`` Looking For Leonard '' just seems to kinda sit in neutral , hoping for a stiff wind to blow it uphill or something . 9375
Nothing more than four or five mild chuckles surrounded by 86 minutes of overly-familiar and poorly-constructed comedy . 9376
Definitely in the guilty pleasure B-movie category , Reign of Fire is so incredibly inane that it is laughingly enjoyable . 9377
Good-looking but relentlessly lowbrow outing plays like Clueless Does South Fork . 9378
entertaining enough , but nothing new 9379
... one resurrection too many . 9380
This is a film about the irksome , tiresome nature of complacency that remains utterly satisfied to remain the same throughout . 9381
Even as the hero of the story rediscovers his passion in life , the mood remains oddly detached . 9382
DeMeo is not without talent ; he just needs better material . 9383
In spite of featuring a script credited to no fewer than five writers , apparently nobody here bothered to check it twice . 9384
No one involved , save Dash , shows the slightest aptitude for acting , and the script , credited to director Abdul Malik Abbott and Ernest ` Tron ' Anderson , seems entirely improvised . 9385
Initially gripping , eventually cloying POW drama . 9386
A timid , soggy near miss . 9387
Works better in the conception than it does in the execution ... winds up seeming just a little too clever . 9388
To the vast majority of more casual filmgoers , it will probably be a talky bore . 9389
Observant intelligence constantly vies with pretension -- and sometimes plain wacky implausibility -- throughout Maelstrom . 9390
This version of H.G. Wells ' Time Machine was directed by H.G. Wells ' great-grandson . 9391
They should have found Orson Welles ' great-grandson . 9392
Shunji Iwai 's All About Lily Chou Chou is a beautifully shot , but ultimately flawed film about growing up in Japan . 9393
With more character development this might have been an eerie thriller ; with better payoffs , it could have been a thinking man 's monster movie . 9394
Thriller directorial debut for Traffic scribe Gaghan has all the right parts , but the pieces do n't quite fit together . 9395
... would be a total loss if not for two supporting performances taking place at the movie 's edges . 9396
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 . 9397
Goldbacher draws on an elegant visual sense and a talent for easy , seductive pacing ... but she and writing partner Laurence Coriat do n't manage an equally assured narrative coinage . 9398
Though Harris is affecting at times , he can not overcome the sense that Pumpkin is a mere plot pawn for two directors with far less endearing disabilities . 9399
The documentary is much too conventional -- lots of boring talking heads , etc. -- to do the subject matter justice . 9400
The movie itself appears to be running on hypertime in reverse as the truly funny bits get further and further apart . 9401
This is not a Jackie Chan movie . 9402
It 's just a movie that happens to have Jackie Chan in it . 9403
And that makes all the difference . 9404
Far too clever by half , Howard 's film is really a series of strung-together moments , with all the spaces in between filled with fantasies , daydreams , memories and one fantastic visual trope after another . 9405
The problem with movies about angels is they have a tendency to slip into hokum . 9406
A Rumor of Angels does n't just slip -- it avalanches into forced fuzziness . 9407
No big whoop , nothing new to see , zero thrills , too many flashbacks and a choppy ending make for a bad film . 9408
I do n't think this movie loves women at all . 9409
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 . 9410
A negligible British comedy . 9411
Fails to convince the audience that these brats will ever be anything more than losers . 9412
Slack and uninspired , and peopled mainly by characters so unsympathetic that you 're left with a sour taste in your mouth . 9413
Skip this turd and pick your nose instead because you 're sure to get more out of the latter experience . 9414
What can one say about a balding 50-year-old actor playing an innocent boy carved from a log ? 9415
Trailer trash cinema so uncool the only thing missing is the `` Gadzooks ! '' 9416
Her film is like a beautiful food entrée that is n't heated properly , so that it ends up a bit cold and relatively flavorless . 9417
Like the world of his film , Hartley created a monster but did n't know how to handle it . 9418
No new plot conceptions or environmental changes , just different bodies for sharp objects to rip through . 9419
Needs more impressionistic cinematography and exhilarating point-of-view shots and fewer slow-motion ` grandeur ' shots and quick-cut edits that often detract from the athleticism . 9420
In the end , there is n't much to it . 9421
A waste of fearless purity in the acting craft . 9422
The film is ultimately about as inspiring as a Hallmark card . 9423
Anyone not into high-tech splatterfests is advised to take the warning literally , and log on to something more user-friendly . 9424
Disreputable doings and exquisite trappings are dampened by a lackluster script and substandard performances . 9425
You could easily mistake it for a sketchy work-in-progress that was inexplicably rushed to the megaplexes before its time . 9426
Directors Harry Gantz and Joe Gantz have chosen a fascinating subject matter , but the couples exposing themselves are n't all that interesting . 9427
Yet another entry in the sentimental oh-those-wacky-Brits genre that was ushered in by The Full Monty and is still straining to produce another smash hit . 9428
for those for whom the name Woody Allen was once a guarantee of something fresh , sometimes funny , and usually genuinely worthwhile , Hollywood Ending is a depressing experience 9429
Femme Fatale offers nothing more than a bait-and-switch that is beyond playing fair with the audience . 9430
Are we dealing with dreams , visions or being told what actually happened as if it were the third ending of Clue ? 9431
It could have been something special , but two things drag it down to mediocrity -- director Clare Peploe 's misunderstanding of Marivaux 's rhythms , and Mira Sorvino 's limitations as a classical actress . 9432
Fluffy neo-noir hiding behind cutesy film references . 9433
Imagine Susan Sontag falling in love with Howard Stern . 9434
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 . 9435
Should have been worth cheering as a breakthrough but is devoid of wit and humor . 9436
The best thing about the movie is its personable , amusing cast . 9437
These guys seem great to knock back a beer with but they 're simply not funny performers . 9438
Everything was as superficial as the forced New Jersey lowbrow accent Uma had . 9439
Director David Fincher and writer David Koepp ca n't sustain it . 9440
Finally coming down off of Miramax 's deep shelves after a couple of aborted attempts , Waking Up in Reno makes a strong case for letting sleeping dogs lie . 9441
A movie that feels like the pilot episode of a new teen-targeted action TV series . 9442
One of the most highly-praised disappointments I 've had the misfortune to watch in quite some time . 9443
The animation and backdrops are lush and inventive , yet Return to Neverland never manages to take us to that elusive , lovely place where we suspend our disbelief . 9444
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 . 9445
Strong filmmaking requires a clear sense of purpose , and in that oh-so-important category , The Four Feathers comes up short . 9446
The thought of watching this film with an audience full of teenagers fixating on its body humour and reinforcement of stereotypes -LRB- of which they 'll get plenty -RRB- fills me with revulsion . 9447
Devolves into the derivative , leaning on badly-rendered CGI effects . 9448
Anyone who gets chills from movies with giant plot holes will find plenty to shake and shiver about in ` The Ring . ' 9449
A grand fart coming from a director beginning to resemble someone 's crazy French grandfather . 9450
The script is a disaster , with cloying messages and irksome characters . 9451
both overstuffed and undernourished ... The film ca n't be called a solid success , although there 's plenty of evidence here to indicate Clooney might have better luck next time . 9452
Plods along , minus the twisted humor and eye-popping visuals that have made Miike ... a cult hero . 9453
Hollywood has taken quite a nosedive from Alfred Hitchcock 's imaginative flight to Shyamalan 's self-important summer fluff . 9454
The film 's maudlin focus on the young woman 's infirmity and her naive dreams play like the worst kind of Hollywood heart-string plucking . 9455
I firmly believe that a good video game movie is going to show up soon . 9456
I also believe that Resident Evil is not it . 9457
It has the air of a surprisingly juvenile lark , a pop-influenced prank whose charms are immediately apparent and wear thin with repetition . 9458
The plot meanders from gripping to plodding and back . 9459
This is cruel , misanthropic stuff with only weak claims to surrealism and black comedy . 9460
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 . 9461
Best described as I Know What You Did Last Winter . 9462
-LRB- Taylor -RRB- takes us on a ride that 's consistently surprising , easy to watch -- but , oh , so dumb . 9463
It 's difficult for a longtime admirer of his work to not be swept up in Invincible and overlook its drawbacks . 9464
Lazily directed by Charles Stone III ... from a leaden script by Matthew Cirulnick and novelist Thulani Davis . 9465
Though Jones and Snipes are enthralling , the movie bogs down in rhetoric and cliché . 9466
The most remarkable -LRB- and frustrating -RRB- thing about World Traveler , which opens today in Manhattan , is that its protagonist , after being an object of intense scrutiny for 104 minutes , remains a complete blank . 9467
An artsploitation movie with too much exploitation and too little art . 9468
The pacing is often way off and there are too many bona fide groaners among too few laughs . 9469
With lines that feel like long soliloquies -- even as they are being framed in conversation -- Max is static , stilted . 9470
Barely manages for but a few seconds over its seemingly eternal running time to pique your interest , your imagination , your empathy or anything , really , save your disgust and your indifference . 9471
Writer\/director Burr Steers emphasizes the Q in Quirky , with mixed results . 9472
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 . 9473
In between the icy stunts , the actors spout hilarious dialogue about following your dream and ` just letting the mountain tell you what to do . ' 9474
The obligatory break-ups and hook-ups do n't seem to have much emotional impact on the characters . 9475
Make no mistake , ivans xtc . 9476
is a mess . 9477
Hypnotically dull , relentlessly downbeat , laughably predictable wail pitched to the cadence of a depressed fifteen-year-old 's suicidal poetry . 9478
The concept is a hoot . 9479
The trailer is a riot . 9480
The movie is a dud . 9481
It 's a boring movie about a boring man , made watchable by a bravura performance from a consummate actor incapable of being boring . 9482
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 . 9483
It 's hard to imagine another director ever making his wife look so bad in a major movie . 9484
Some stunning visuals -- and some staggeringly boring cinema . 9485
These characters become wearisome . 9486
A hit - and-miss affair , consistently amusing but not as outrageous or funny as Cho may have intended or as imaginative as one might have hoped . 9487
This may be the first cartoon ever to look as if it were being shown on the projection television screen of a sports bar . 9488
Kim Ki-Deok seems to have in mind an -LRB- emotionally at least -RRB- adolescent audience demanding regular shocks and bouts of barely defensible sexual violence to keep it interested . 9489
A sterling film - a cross between Boys Do n't Cry , Deliverance , and Ode to Billy Joe - lies somewhere in the story of Matthew Shepard , but that film is yet to be made . 9490
After sitting through this sloppy , made-for-movie comedy special , it makes me wonder if Lawrence hates criticism so much that he refuses to evaluate his own work . 9491
Contrived pastiche of caper clichés . 9492
Many shallower movies these days seem too long , but this one is egregiously short . 9493
Just a Kiss wants desperately to come off as a fanciful film about the typical problems of average people . 9494
But it is set in a world that is very , very far from the one most of us inhabit . 9495
The most ill-conceived animated comedy since the 1991 dog Rover Dangerfield . 9496
Like shave ice without the topping , this cinematic snow cone is as innocuous as it is flavorless . 9497
Despite its sincere acting , Signs is just another unoriginal run of the mill sci-fi film with a flimsy ending and lots of hype . 9498
Yet another movie which presumes that high school social groups are at war , let alone conscious of each other 's existence . 9499
Loud , chaotic and largely unfunny . 9500
I ca n't remember the last time I saw an audience laugh so much during a movie , but there 's only one problem ... it 's supposed to be a drama . 9501
Qualities that were once amusing are becoming irritating . 9502
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 -LRB- hey , do n't shoot the messenger -RRB- . 9503
Donovan ... squanders his main asset , Jackie Chan , and fumbles the vital action sequences . 9504
There is no psychology here , and no real narrative logic -- just a series of carefully choreographed atrocities , which become strangely impersonal and abstract . 9505
Bread , My Sweet has so many flaws it would be easy for critics to shred it . 9506
It may even fall into the category of Films You Love to Hate . 9507
I admit it , I hate to like it . 9508
Frida is certainly no disaster , but neither is it the Kahlo movie Frida fans have been looking for . 9509
Leaks treacle from every pore . 9510
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 do n't feel much for Damon\/Bourne or his predicament . 9511
Kapur weighs down the tale with bogus profundities . 9512
While we want MacDowell 's character to retrieve her husband , we have to ask whether her personal odyssey trumps the carnage that claims so many lives around her . 9513
Blue Crush is as predictable as the tides . 9514
... The movie feels stitched together from stock situations and characters from other movies . 9515
If you enjoy being rewarded by a script that assumes you are n't very bright , then Blood Work is for you . 9516
Trouble Every Day is a success in some sense , but it 's hard to like a film so cold and dead . 9517
The film 's stagecrafts are intimate and therefore bolder than the otherwise calculated artifice that defines and overwhelms the film 's production design . 9518
A well-intentioned effort that 's still too burdened by the actor 's offbeat sensibilities for the earnest emotional core to emerge with any degree of accessibility . 9519
A family-friendly fantasy that ends up doing very little with its imaginative premise . 9520
A plodding look at the French Revolution through the eyes of aristocrats . 9521
Tom Shadyac has learned a bit more craft since directing Adams , but he still lingers over every point until the slowest viewer grasps it . 9522
Unspools like a highbrow , low-key , 102-minute infomercial , blending entrepreneurial zeal with the testimony of satisfied customers . 9523
A fast-paced , glitzy but extremely silly piece . 9524
Any reasonably creative eighth-grader could have written a more credible script , though with the same number of continuity errors . 9525
... while the humor aspects of ` Jason X ' were far more entertaining than I had expected , everything else about the film tanks . 9526
Your taste for Jonah - A Veggie Tales Movie may well depend on your threshold for pop manifestations of the Holy Spirit . 9527
Like an Afterschool Special with costumes by Gianni Versace , Mad Love looks better than it feels . 9528
While certain cues , like the happy music , suggest that this movie is supposed to warm our hearts , Jeong-Hyang Lee 's film is just as likely to blacken that organ with cold vengefulness . 9529
The script , the gags , the characters are all direct-to-video stuff , and that 's where this film should have remained . 9530
A thriller without thrills and a mystery devoid of urgent questions . 9531
A collage of clichés and a dim echo of allusions to other films . 9532
The film is hampered by its predictable plot and paper-thin supporting characters . 9533
Jonah is only so-so ... the addition of a biblical message will either improve the film for you , or it will lessen it . 9534
An excruciating demonstration of the unsalvageability of a movie saddled with an amateurish screenplay . 9535
How many more times will indie filmmakers subject us to boring , self-important stories of how horrible we are to ourselves and each other ? 9536
There are some laughs in this movie , but Williams ' anarchy gets tiresome , the satire is weak . 9537
As steamy as last week 's pork dumplings . 9538
The somber pacing and lack of dramatic fireworks make Green Dragon seem more like medicine than entertainment . 9539
The filmmakers needed more emphasis on the storytelling and less on the glamorous machine that thrusts the audience into a future they wo n't much care about . 9540
Another wholly unnecessary addition to the growing , moldering pile of , well , extreme stunt pictures . 9541
This strenuously unfunny Showtime deserves the hook . 9542
The whole thing 's fairly lame , making it par for the course for Disney sequels . 9543
... its solemn pretension prevents us from sharing the awe in which it holds itself . 9544
... the good and different idea -LRB- of middle-aged romance -RRB- is not handled well and , except for the fine star performances , there is little else to recommend `` Never Again . '' 9545
If Disney 's Cinderella proved that ' a dream is a wish your heart makes , ' then Cinderella II proves that a nightmare is a wish a studio 's wallet makes . 9546
Features nonsensical and laughable plotting , wooden performances , ineptly directed action sequences and some of the worst dialogue in recent memory . 9547
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 . 9548
Nothing about this movie works . 9549
If the idea of the white man arriving on foreign shores to show wary natives the true light is abhorrent to you , the simplistic Heaven will quite likely be more like hell . 9550
A spooky yarn of demonic doings on the high seas that works better the less the brain is engaged . 9551
None of Birthday Girl 's calculated events take us by surprise ... 9552
Are monsters born , or made ? 9553
Lisa Rinzler 's cinematography may be lovely , but Love Liza 's tale itself virtually collapses into an inhalant blackout , maintaining consciousness just long enough to achieve callow pretension . 9554
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 . 9555
It 's exactly the kind of movie Toback 's detractors always accuse him of making . 9556
With the dog days of August upon us , think of this dog of a movie as the cinematic equivalent of high humidity . 9557
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 . 9558
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 . 9559
This rather unfocused , all-over-the-map movie would be a lot better if it pared down its plots and characters to a few rather than dozens ... or if it were subtler ... or if it had a sense of humor . 9560
Takes a clunky TV-movie approach to detailing a chapter in the life of the celebrated Irish playwright , poet and drinker . 9561
Not only does the thoroughly formulaic film represent totally exemplify middle-of-the-road mainstream , it also represents glossy Hollywood at its laziest . 9562
A shame that Stealing Harvard is too busy getting in its own way to be anything but frustrating , boring , and forgettable . 9563
Nearly every attempt at humor here is DOA . 9564
Collapses under its own meager weight . 9565
This is mild-mannered , been-there material given a pedestrian spin by a director who needed a touch of the flamboyant , the outrageous . 9566
If you adored The Full Monty so resoundingly that you 're dying to see the same old thing in a tired old setting , then this should keep you reasonably entertained . 9567
Technically and artistically inept . 9568
Those who are only mildly curious , I fear , will be put to sleep or bewildered by the artsy and often pointless visuals . 9569
Though Tom Shadyac 's film kicks off spookily enough , around the halfway mark it takes an abrupt turn into glucose sentimentality and laughable contrivance . 9570
A long , dull procession of despair , set to cello music culled from a minimalist funeral . 9571
Call me a cold-hearted curmudgeon for not being able to enjoy a mindless action movie , but I believe a movie can be mindless without being the peak of all things insipid . 9572
Death might be a release . 9573
`` -LRB- Hopkins -RRB- does n't so much phone in his performance as fax it . 9574
No , even that 's too committed . 9575
He gets his secretary to fax it . '' 9576
Sodden and glum , even in those moments where it 's supposed to feel funny and light . 9577
Priggish , lethargically paced parable of renewal . 9578
A beautifully shot but dull and ankle-deep ` epic . ' 9579
Even with its $ 50-million US budget , Pinocchio never quite achieves the feel of a fanciful motion picture . 9580
This is a third-person story now , told by Hollywood , and much more ordinary for it . 9581
The filmmakers know how to please the eye , but it is not always the prettiest pictures that tell the best story . 9582
Written , flatly , by David Kendall and directed , barely , by There 's Something About Mary co-writer Ed Decter . 9583
The characters are interesting and the relationship between Yosuke and Saeko is worth watching as it develops , but there 's not enough to the story to fill two hours . 9584
Very well made , but does n't generate a lot of tension . 9585
Like being invited to a classy dinner soiree and not knowing anyone . 9586
You leave the same way you came -- a few tasty morsels under your belt , but no new friends . 9587
It 's depressing to see how far Herzog has fallen . 9588
The question hanging over The Time Machine is not , as the main character suggests , ` what if ? ' 9589
but rather , ` How can you charge money for this ? ' 9590
Millions of dollars heaped upon a project of such vast proportions need to reap more rewards than spiffy bluescreen technique and stylish weaponry . 9591
`` Freaky Friday , '' it 's not . 9592
Perhaps a better celebration of these unfairly dismissed heroes would be a film that is n't this painfully forced , false and fabricated . 9593
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 . 9594
In this film , Aussie David Caesar channels the not-quite-dead career of Guy Ritchie . 9595
Maybe you 'll be lucky , and there 'll be a power outage during your screening so you can get your money back . 9596
The characterizations and dialogue lack depth or complexity , with the ironic exception of Scooter . 9597
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 . 9598
For the rest of us , sitting through Dahmer 's two hours amounts to little more than punishment . 9599
Narc can only remind us of brilliant crime dramas without becoming one itself . 9600
Somewhere inside the mess that is World Traveler , there is a mediocre movie trying to get out . 9601
A tedious parable about honesty and good sportsmanship . 9602
Its strengths and weaknesses play off each other virtually to a stand-off , with the unfortunate trump card being the dreary mid-section of the film . 9603
An artful yet depressing film that makes a melodramatic mountain out of the molehill of a missing bike . 9604
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 . 9605
A glossy knock-off of a B-movie revenge flick . 9606
... expands the horizons of boredom to the point of collapse , turning into a black hole of dullness , from which no interesting concept can escape . 9607
It 's just plain boring . 9608
Sad nonsense , this . 9609
But not without cheesy fun factor . 9610
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 . 9611
Really dumb but occasionally really funny . 9612
The movie wavers between Hallmark card sentimentality and goofy , life-affirming moments straight out of a cellular phone commercial . 9613
The director 's many dodges and turns add up to little more than a screenful of gamesmanship that 's low on both suspense and payoff . 9614
While the transgressive trappings -LRB- especially the frank sex scenes -RRB- ensure that the film is never dull , Rodrigues 's beast-within metaphor is ultimately rather silly and overwrought , making the ambiguous ending seem goofy rather than provocative . 9615
The satire is unfocused , while the story goes nowhere . 9616
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 . 9617
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 -LRB- Woo 's -RRB- best work . 9618
Reyes ' directorial debut has good things to offer , but ultimately it 's undone by a sloppy script 9619
If you 're over 25 , have an IQ over 90 , and have a driver 's license , you should be able to find better entertainment . 9620
The darker elements of misogyny and unprovoked violence suffocate the illumination created by the two daughters and the sparse instances of humor meant to shine through the gloomy film noir veil . 9621
... the picture 's cleverness is ironically muted by the very people who are intended to make it shine . 9622
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 . '' 9623
One of those so-so films that could have been much better . 9624
Crossroads feels like a teenybopper Ed Wood film , replete with the pubescent scandalous innuendo and the high-strung but flaccid drama . 9625
Fails to satisfactorily exploit its gender politics , genre thrills or inherent humor . 9626
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 . 9627
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 . 9628
It has more in common with a fireworks display than a movie , which normally is expected to have characters and a storyline . 9629
It appears to have been made by people to whom the idea of narrative logic or cohesion is an entirely foreign concept . 9630
Less a heartfelt appeal for the handicapped than a nice Belgian waffle . 9631
It 's not helpful to listen to extremist name-calling , regardless of whether you think Kissinger was a calculating fiend or just a slippery self-promoter . 9632
Abandon spends 90 minutes trying figure out whether or not some cocky pseudo-intellectual kid has intentionally left college or was killed . 9633
The only problem is that , by the end , no one in the audience or the film seems to really care . 9634
No Such Thing is sort of a minimalist Beauty and the Beast , but in this case the Beast should definitely get top billing . 9635
Robert John Burke as The Monster horns in and steals the show . 9636
Due to stodgy , soap opera-ish dialogue , the rest of the cast comes across as stick figures reading lines from a TelePrompTer . 9637
-LRB- T -RRB- he film is never sure to make a clear point -- even if it seeks to rely on an ambiguous presentation . 9638
While it may not add up to the sum of its parts , Holofcener 's film offers just enough insight to keep it from being simpleminded , and the ensemble cast is engaging enough to keep you from shifting in your chair too often . 9639
An overwrought Taiwanese soaper about three people and their mixed-up relationship . 9640
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 . 9641
A thoroughly awful movie -- dumb , narratively chaotic , visually sloppy ... a weird amalgam of ` The Thing ' and a geriatric ` Scream . ' 9642
... another example of how Sandler is losing his touch . 9643
Nothing sticks , really , except a lingering creepiness one feels from being dragged through a sad , sordid universe of guns , drugs , avarice and damaged dreams . 9644
What goes on for the 110 minutes of `` Panic Room '' is a battle of witlessness between a not-so-bright mother and daughter and an even less capable trio of criminals . 9645
The plot 's contrivances are uncomfortably strained . 9646
Guilty of the worst sin of attributable to a movie like this : it 's not scary in the slightest . 9647
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 ... 9648
Its simplicity puts an exclamation point on the fact that this is n't something to be taken seriously , but it also wrecks any chance of the movie rising above similar fare . 9649
By the final whistle you 're convinced that this Mean Machine was a decent TV outing that just does n't have big screen magic . 9650
To say that this vapid vehicle is downright doltish and uneventful is just as obvious as telling a country skunk that he has severe body odor . 9651
A film of empty , fetishistic violence in which murder is casual and fun . 9652
Pretend it 's a werewolf itself by avoiding eye contact and walking slowly away . 9653
It 's fun , but it 's a real howler . 9654
Some fine acting , but ultimately a movie with no reason for being . 9655
It 's difficult to feel anything much while watching this movie , beyond mild disturbance or detached pleasure at the acting . 9656
A waterlogged version of ` Fatal Attraction ' for the teeny-bopper set ... a sad , soggy potboiler that wastes the talents of its attractive young leads . 9657
It tells its story in a flat manner and leaves you with the impression that you should have gotten more out of it than you did . 9658
Sweet gentle Jesus , did the screenwriters just do a cut-and-paste of every bad action-movie line in history ? 9659
It 's not the worst comedy of the year , but it certainly wo n't win any honors . 9660
This is for the most part a useless movie , even with a great director at the helm . 9661
A loud , witless mess that has none of the charm and little of the intrigue from the TV series . 9662
Even on its own ludicrous terms , The Sum of All Fears generates little narrative momentum , and invites unflattering comparisons to other installments in the Ryan series . 9663
Though it inspires some -LRB- out-of-field -RRB- creative thought , the film is -- to its own detriment -- much more a cinematic collage than a polemical tract . 9664
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 . 9665
Sinks into the usual cafeteria goulash of fart jokes , masturbation jokes , and racist Japanese jokes . 9666
Where Tom Green stages his gags as assaults on America 's knee-jerk moral sanctimony , Jackass lacks aspirations of social upheaval . 9667
More of an intriguing curiosity than a gripping thriller . 9668
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 . 9669
Contains all the substance of a Twinkie -- easy to swallow , but scarcely nourishing . 9670
Return to Neverland manages to straddle the line between another classic for the company and just another run-of-the-mill Disney sequel intended for the home video market . 9671
Rarely does a film so graceless and devoid of merit as this one come along . 9672
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 . 9673
On a certain base level , Blue Crush delivers what it promises , just not well enough to recommend it . 9674
The colorful Masseur wastes its time on mood rather than riding with the inherent absurdity of Ganesh 's rise up the social ladder . 9675
... an incredibly heavy-handed , manipulative dud that feels all too familiar . 9676
Wimps out by going for that PG-13 rating , so the more graphic violence is mostly off-screen and the sexuality is muted . 9677
Trapped presents a frightening and compelling ` What if ? ' 9678
scenario that will give most parents pause ... Then , something terrible happens . 9679
Madonna has made herself over so often now , there 's apparently nothing left to work with , sort of like Michael Jackson 's nose . 9680
Never having seen the first two films in the series , I ca n't compare Friday After Next to them , but nothing would change the fact that what we have here is a load of clams left in the broiling sun for a good three days . 9681
The story is lacking any real emotional impact , and the plot is both contrived and cliched . 9682
A depraved , incoherent , instantly disposable piece of hackery . 9683
It 's a bad action movie because there 's no rooting interest and the spectacle is grotesque and boring . 9684
-LRB- Soderbergh -RRB- 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 . 9685
Handsome and sincere but slightly awkward in its combination of entertainment and evangelical boosterism . 9686
So aggressively cheery that Pollyana would reach for a barf bag . 9687
Scooby-Doo does n't know if it wants to be a retro-refitting exercise in campy recall for older fans or a silly , Nickelodeon-esque kiddie flick . 9688
Russell lacks the visual panache , the comic touch , and perhaps the budget of Sommers 's title-bout features . 9689
Highly uneven and inconsistent ... Margarita Happy Hour kinda resembles the el cheapo margaritas served within . 9690
Very stupid and annoying . 9691
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 . 9692
A listless and desultory affair . 9693
Represents the depths to which the girls-behaving-badly film has fallen . 9694
How inept is Serving Sara ? 9695
It makes even Elizabeth Hurley seem graceless and ugly . 9696
Jam-packed with literally bruising jokes . 9697
Every five minutes or so , someone gets clocked . 9698
Wins my vote for ` The 2002 Enemy of Cinema ' Award . 9699
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 . 9700
Helmer Hudlin tries to make a hip comedy , but his dependence on slapstick defeats the possibility of creating a more darkly edged tome . 9701
Lazy , miserable and smug . 9702
This is one of the biggest disappointments of the year . 9703
Formula 51 has dulled your senses faster and deeper than any recreational drug on the market . 9704
Every visual joke is milked , every set-up obvious and lengthy , every punchline predictable . 9705
There 's no energy . 9706
Apparently writer-director Attal thought he need only cast himself and his movie-star wife sitting around in their drawers to justify a film . 9707
After the setup , the air leaks out of the movie , flattening its momentum with about an hour to go . 9708
This is a poster movie , a mediocre tribute to films like Them ! 9709
At three hours and with very little story or character development , there is plenty of room for editing , and a much shorter cut surely would have resulted in a smoother , more focused narrative without sacrificing any of the cultural intrigue . 9710
A bit too derivative to stand on its own as the psychological thriller it purports to be . 9711
A crude teen-oriented variation on a theme that the playwright Craig Lucas explored with infinitely more grace and eloquence in his Prelude to a Kiss . 9712
The film 's darker moments become smoothed over by an overwhelming need to tender inspirational tidings , especially in the last few cloying moments . 9713
If you recognize Zeus -LRB- the dog from Snatch -RRB- it will make you wish you were at home watching that movie instead of in the theater watching this one . 9714
This is the kind of movie that you only need to watch for about thirty seconds before you say to yourself , ` Ah , yes , here we have a bad , bad , bad movie . ' 9715
Shanghai Ghetto should be applauded for finding a new angle on a tireless story , but you might want to think twice before booking passage . 9716
Plays like a checklist of everything Rob Reiner and his cast were sending up . 9717
There 's too much forced drama in this wildly uneven movie , about a young man 's battle with his inescapable past and uncertain future in a very shapable but largely unfulfilling present . 9718
It 's at once laughable and compulsively watchable , in its committed dumbness . 9719
All the sensuality , all the eroticism of a good vampire tale has been , pardon the pun , sucked out and replaced by goth goofiness . 9720
A cross between Blow and Boyz N The Hood , this movie strives to be more , but does n't quite get there . 9721
Good performances keep it from being a total rehash . 9722
The screenplay is hugely overwritten , with tons and tons of dialogue -- most of it given to children . 9723
Troll the cult section of your local video store for the real deal . 9724
At times , the movie looks genuinely pretty . 9725
Your nightmares , on the other hand , will be anything but . 9726
Not even Felinni would know what to make of this Italian freakshow . 9727
Elmo touts his drug as being 51 times stronger than coke . 9728
If you 're looking for a tale of Brits behaving badly , watch Snatch again . 9729
It 's 51 times better than this . 9730
It 's difficult to conceive of anyone who has reached puberty actually finding the characters in Slackers or their antics amusing , let alone funny . 9731
Despite its promising cast of characters , Big Trouble remains a loosely tied series of vignettes which only prove that ` zany ' does n't necessarily mean ` funny . ' 9732
Both shrill and soporific , and because everything is repeated five or six times , it can seem tiresomely simpleminded . 9733
Does not go far enough in its humor or stock ideas to stand out as particularly memorable or even all that funny . 9734
Neither revelatory nor truly edgy -- merely crassly flamboyant and comedically labored . 9735
Just about everyone involved here seems to be coasting . 9736
There are a few modest laughs , but certainly no thrills . 9737
Fails so fundamentally on every conventional level that it achieves some kind of goofy grandeur . 9738
There 's a persistent theatrical sentiment and a woozy quality to the manner of the storytelling , which undercuts the devastatingly telling impact of utter loss personified in the film 's simple title . 9739
While Howard 's appreciation of Brown and his writing is clearly well-meaning and sincere , the movie would be impossible to sit through were it not for the supporting cast . 9740
A preposterous , prurient whodunit . 9741
Go , girls , right down the reality drain . 9742
Boasting some of the most poorly staged and lit action in memory , Impostor is as close as you can get to an imitation movie . 9743
Can be classified as one of those ` alternate reality ' movies ... except that it would have worked so much better dealing in only one reality . 9744
Predictable and cloying , though Brown Sugar is so earnest in its yearning for the days before rap went nihilistic that it summons more spirit and bite than your average formulaic romantic quadrangle . 9745
... unlikable , uninteresting , unfunny , and completely , utterly inept . 9746
The film is so busy making reference to other films and trying to be other films that it fails to have a heart , mind or humor of its own . 9747
An imponderably stilted and self-consciously arty movie . 9748
Muddled , melodramatic paranormal romance is an all-time low for Kevin Costner . 9749
Too clumsy in key moments ... to make a big splash . 9750
Just a bunch of good actors flailing around in a caper that 's neither original nor terribly funny . 9751
` Matrix ' - style massacres erupt throughout ... but the movie has a tougher time balancing its violence with Kafka-inspired philosophy . 9752
At least it 's a fairly impressive debut from the director , Charles Stone III . 9753
It all unfolds predictably , and the adventures that happen along the way seem repetitive and designed to fill time , providing no real sense of suspense . 9754
Wanker Goths are on the loose ! 9755
Run for your lives ! 9756
Why would anyone cast the magnificent Jackie Chan in a movie full of stunt doubles and special effects ? 9757
A grating , emaciated flick . 9758
Unambitious writing emerges in the movie , using a plot that could have come from an animated-movie screenwriting textbook . 9759
Presents a good case while failing to provide a reason for us to care beyond the very basic dictums of human decency . 9760
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 . 9761
According to the script , Grant and Bullock 's characters are made for each other . 9762
But you 'd never guess that from the performances . 9763
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 . 9764
Ararat feels like a book report 9765
Steve Oedekerk is , alas , no Woody Allen . 9766
A lot like the imaginary sport it projects onto the screen -- loud , violent and mindless . 9767
An amalgam of The Fugitive , Blade Runner , and Total Recall , only without much energy or tension . 9768
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 . 9769
Shows that Jackie Chan is getting older , and that 's something I would rather live in denial about 9770
With miscast leads , banal dialogue and an absurdly overblown climax , Killing Me Softly belongs firmly in the so-bad-it 's - good camp . 9771
Alas , the black-and-white archival footage of their act showcases pretty mediocre shtick . 9772
The slapstick is labored , and the bigger setpieces flat . 9773
This is the kind of movie where people who have never picked a lock do so easily after a few tries and become expert fighters after a few weeks . 9774
The problem with the mayhem in Formula 51 is not that it 's offensive , but that it 's boring . 9775
Much of the digitally altered footage appears jagged , as if filmed directly from a television monitor , while the extensive use of stock footage quickly becomes a tiresome cliché . 9776
the film never rises above a conventional , two dimension tale 9777
Mark Wahlberg ... may look classy in a '60s - homage pokepie hat , but as a character he 's dry , dry , dry . 9778
Told in scattered fashion , the movie only intermittently lives up to the stories and faces and music of the men who are its subject . 9779
The irony is that this film 's cast is uniformly superb ; their performances could have -- should have -- been allowed to stand on their own . 9780
Now I can see why people thought I was too hard on `` The Mothman Prophecies '' . 9781
If ever a concept came handed down from the movie gods on a silver platter , this is it . 9782
If ever such a dependable concept was botched in execution , this is it . 9783
With an unusual protagonist -LRB- a kilt-wearing Jackson -RRB- and subject matter , the improbable `` Formula 51 '' is somewhat entertaining , but it could have been much stronger . 9784
Sandra Bullock 's best dramatic performance to date -LRB- is -RRB- almost enough to lift -LRB- this -RRB- thrill-kill cat-and-mouser ... above its paint-by-numbers plot . 9785
A feel-good movie that does n't give you enough to feel good about . 9786
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 . ' 9787
This mistaken-identity picture is so film-culture referential that the final product is a ghost . 9788
The picture emerges as a surprisingly anemic disappointment . 9789
De Niro cries . 9790
You 'll cry for your money back . 9791
Slap me , I saw this movie . 9792
-LRB- The kid 's -RRB- just too bratty for sympathy , and as the film grows to its finale , his little changes ring hollow . 9793
Behind the glitz , Hollywood is sordid and disgusting . 9794
Quelle surprise ! 9795
Scherfig , who has had a successful career in TV , tackles more than she can handle . 9796
Just consider what New Best Friend does not have , beginning with the minor omission of a screenplay . 9797
Oscar caliber cast does n't live up to material 9798
The problems of the people in Love in the Time of Money are hardly specific to their era . 9799
They just have problems , which are neither original nor are presented in convincing way . 9800
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 . ' 9801
So putrid it is not worth the price of the match that should be used to burn every print of the film . 9802
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 . 9803
Starts out ballsy and stylish but fails to keep it up and settles into clichés . 9804
Sometimes makes less sense than the Bruckheimeresque American action flicks it emulates . 9805
One of those films where the characters inhabit that special annex of hell where adults behave like kids , children behave like adults and everyone screams at the top of their lungs no matter what the situation . 9806
There 's only one way to kill Michael Myers for good : stop buying tickets to these movies . 9807
` Rare Birds ' tries to force its quirkiness upon the audience . 9808
The movie is about as humorous as watching your favorite pet get buried alive . 9809
Resident Evil is what comes from taking John Carpenter 's Ghosts of Mars and eliminating the beheadings . 9810
In other words , about as bad a film you 're likely to see all year . 9811
Five screenwriters are credited with the cliché-laden screenplay ; it seems as if each watered down the version of the one before . 9812
The whole thing comes off like a particularly amateurish episode of Bewitched that takes place during Spring Break . 9813
Well made but uninvolving , Bloodwork is n't a terrible movie , just a stultifyingly obvious one -- an unrewarding collar for a murder mystery . 9814
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 . 9815
The movie 's blatant derivativeness is one reason it 's so lackluster . 9816
Kids do n't mind crappy movies as much as adults , provided there 's lots of cute animals and clumsy people . 9817
` Snow Dogs ' has both . 9818
It 's almost as if it 's an elaborate dare more than a full-blooded film . 9819
Wobbly Senegalese updating of `` Carmen '' which is best for the stunning star turn by Djeinaba Diop Gai 9820
It 's the humanizing stuff that will probably sink the film for anyone who does n't think about percentages all day long . 9821
Ken Russell would love this . 9822
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 . 9823
Bella is the picture of health with boundless energy until a few days before she dies . 9824
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 . 9825
The premise of `` Abandon '' holds promise , ... but its delivery is a complete mess . 9826
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 . 9827
A little too ponderous to work as shallow entertainment , not remotely incisive enough to qualify as drama , Monsoon Wedding serves mostly to whet one 's appetite for the Bollywood films . 9828
Unless Bob Crane is someone of particular interest to you , this film 's impressive performances and adept direction are n't likely to leave a lasting impression . 9829
The Rock has a great presence but one battle after another is not the same as one battle followed by killer CGI effects . 9830
The bottom line with Nemesis is the same as it has been with all the films in the series : Fans will undoubtedly enjoy it , and the uncommitted need n't waste their time on it . 9831
The lousy John Q all but spits out Denzel Washington 's fine performance in the title role . 9832
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 . 9833
What a stiflingly unfunny and unoriginal mess this is ! 9834
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 . 9835
Opera on film is never satisfactory . 9836
The art demands live viewing . 9837
The innate theatrics that provide its thrills and extreme emotions lose their luster when flattened onscreen . 9838
Despite all the closed-door hanky-panky , the film is essentially juiceless . 9839
It is parochial , accessible to a chosen few , standoffish to everyone else , and smugly suggests a superior moral tone is more important than filmmaking skill 9840
The Sweetest Thing leaves an awful sour taste . 9841
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 . 9842
Terminally bland , painfully slow and needlessly confusing ... The movie , shot on digital videotape rather than film , is frequently indecipherable . 9843
As dumb and cheesy as they may be , the cartoons look almost Shakespearean -- both in depth and breadth -- after watching this digital-effects-heavy , supposed family-friendly comedy . 9844
Aloof and lacks any real raw emotion , which is fatal for a film that relies on personal relationships . 9845
A low-rent retread of the Alien pictures . 9846
Serviceable at best , slightly less than serviceable at worst . 9847
Its initial excitement settles into a warmed over pastiche . 9848
A big meal of cliches that the talented cast generally chokes on . 9849
The story has little wit and no surprises . 9850
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 . 9851
What should have been a cutting Hollywood satire is instead about as fresh as last week 's issue of Variety . 9852
Hey everybody , wanna watch a movie in which a guy dressed as a children 's party clown gets violently gang-raped ? 9853
I did n't think so . 9854
A little more intensity and a little less charm would have saved this film a world of hurt . 9855
-LRB- T -RRB- his slop does n't even have potential as a cult film , as it 's too loud to shout insults at the screen . 9856
The movie 's plot is almost entirely witless and inane , carrying every gag two or three times beyond its limit to sustain a laugh . 9857
... may work as an addictive guilty pleasure but the material never overcomes its questionable satirical ambivalence . 9858
This Scarlet 's letter is A. . . 9859
as in aimless , arduous , and arbitrary . 9860
Plays like a glossy melodrama that occasionally verges on camp . 9861
The central character is n't complex enough to hold our interest . 9862
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 . 9863
A puppy dog so desperate for attention it nearly breaks its little neck trying to perform entertaining tricks . 9864
Just about all of the film is confusing on one level or another , making Ararat far more demanding than it needs to be . 9865
A little less extreme than in the past , with longer exposition sequences between them , and with fewer gags to break the tedium . 9866
There 's a heavy stench of ` been there , done that ' hanging over the film . 9867
It 's everything you 'd expect -- but nothing more . 9868
The biggest problem with Satin Rouge is Lilia herself . 9869
She 's a cipher , played by an actress who smiles and frowns but does n't reveal an inner life . 9870
A quaint , romanticized rendering . 9871
What with the incessant lounge music playing in the film 's background , you may mistake Love Liza for an Adam Sandler Chanukah song . 9872
The movie 's heavy-handed screenplay navigates a fast fade into pomposity and pretentiousness . 9873
A potentially good comic premise and excellent cast are terribly wasted . 9874
Woody Allen used to ridicule movies like Hollywood Ending . 9875
Now he makes them . 9876
She 's not yet an actress , not quite a singer ... 9877
Not a bad premise , but the execution is lackluster at best . 9878
Been there done that . 9879
There is only so much baked cardboard I need to chew . 9880
A movie like The Guys is why film criticism can be considered work . 9881
Schnitzler 's film has a great hook , some clever bits and well-drawn , if standard issue , characters , but is still only partly satisfying . 9882
Even if it made its original release date last fall , it would 've reeked of a been-there , done-that sameness . 9883
Only two-fifths of a satisfying movie experience . 9884
A loud , ugly , irritating movie without any of its satirical salvos hitting a discernible target . 9885
A movie version of a paint-by-numbers picture . 9886
We can tell what it is supposed to be , but ca n't really call it a work of art . 9887
It 's a brilliant , honest performance by Nicholson , but the film is an agonizing bore except when the fantastic Kathy Bates turns up . 9888
Bravado Kathy ! 9889
... Liotta is put in an impossible spot because his character 's deceptions ultimately undo him and the believability of the entire scenario . 9890
Too bad . 9891
You can thank me for this . 9892
I saw Juwanna Mann so you do n't have to . 9893
Unfunny and lacking any sense of commitment to or affection for its characters , the Reginald Hudlin comedy relies on toilet humor , ethnic slurs . 9894
Basically , it 's pretty but dumb . 9895
This romantic\/comedy asks the question how much souvlaki can you take before indigestion sets in . 9896
Squandering his opportunity to make absurdist observations , Burns gets caught up in the rush of slapstick thoroughfare . 9897
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 . 9898
Reeboir varies between a sweet smile and an angry bark , while Said attempts to wear down possible pupils through repetition . 9899
It has no affect on the Kurds , but it wore me down . 9900
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 . 9901
Co-writer\/director Jonathan Parker 's attempts to fashion a Brazil-like , hyper-real satire fall dreadfully short . 9902
If this silly little cartoon can inspire a few kids not to grow up to be greedy bastards , more power to it . 9903
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 . 9904
If there 's a heaven for bad movies , Deuces Wild is on its way . 9905
Comes off like a bad imitation of the Bard . 9906
What 's missing in Murder by Numbers is any real psychological grounding for the teens ' deviant behaviour . 9907
Being latently gay and liking to read are hardly enough . 9908
An uninspired preachy and clichéd war film . 9909
Horrendously amateurish filmmaking that is plainly dull and visually ugly when it is n't incomprehensible . 9910
A movie that harps on media-constructed ` issues ' like whether compromise is the death of self ... this Orgasm -LRB- wo n't be an -RRB- exceedingly memorable one for most people . 9911
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 . 9912
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 . 9913
The movie is too impressed with its own solemn insights to work up much entertainment value . 9914
I have n't seen such self-amused trash since Freddy Got Fingered . 9915
Little more than a well-mounted history lesson . 9916
Rob Schneider 's infantile cross-dressing routines fill The Hot Chick , the latest gimmick from this unimaginative comedian . 9917
A horrible , 99-minute stink bomb . 9918
The film is weighed down by supporting characters who are either too goodly , wise and knowing or downright comically evil . 9919
The film is so bad it does n't improve upon the experience of staring at a blank screen . 9920
Sheridan 's take on the author 's schoolboy memoir ... is a rather toothless take on a hard young life . 9921
It jumps around with little logic or continuity , presenting backstage bytes of information that never amount to a satisfying complete picture of this particular , anciently demanding métier . 9922
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 . 9923
When it comes to the battle of Hollywood vs. Woo , it looks like Woo 's a P.O.W. 9924
There are a few chuckles , but not a single gag sequence that really scores , and the stars seem to be in two different movies . 9925
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 . 9926
It 's dull , spiritless , silly and monotonous : an ultra-loud blast of pointless mayhem , going nowhere fast . 9927
The mushy finale turns John Q into a movie-of-the-week tearjerker . 9928
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 . 9929
The movie turns out to be -LRB- Assayas ' -RRB- homage to the Gallic ` tradition of quality , ' in all its fusty squareness . 9930
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 . 9931
-LRB- Seems -RRB- even more uselessly redundant and shamelessly money-grubbing than most third-rate horror sequels . 9932
It 's hard to imagine that even very small children will be impressed by this tired retread . 9933
Neither as scary-funny as Tremors nor demented-funny as Starship Troopers , the movie is n't tough to take as long as you 've paid a matinee price . 9934
If swimfan does catch on , it may be because teens are looking for something to make them laugh . 9935
What might 've been an exhilarating exploration of an odd love triangle becomes a sprawl of uncoordinated vectors . 9936
The Master of Disguise may have made a great Saturday Night Live sketch , but a great movie it is not . 9937
It 's quite an achievement to set and shoot a movie at the Cannes Film Festival and yet fail to capture its visual appeal or its atmosphere . 9938
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 . 9939
It 's always disappointing when a documentary fails to live up to -- or offer any new insight into -- its chosen topic . 9940
Unfortunately , that 's precisely what Arthur Dong 's Family Fundamentals does . 9941
Has the marks of a septuagenarian ; it 's a crusty treatment of a clever gimmick . 9942
Like a medium-grade network sitcom -- mostly inoffensive , fitfully amusing , but ultimately so weightless that a decent draft in the auditorium might blow it off the screen . 9943
Something must have been lost in the translation . 9944
Becomes the last thing you would expect from a film with this title or indeed from any Plympton film : boring . 9945
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 . 9946
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 . 9947
Rock 's stand-up magic wanes . 9948
Hopkins , squarely fills the screen . 9949
Action - mechanical . 9950
`` The Tuxedo '' should have been the vehicle for Chan that `` The Mask '' was for Jim Carrey . 9951
Alas , it 's the man that makes the clothes . 9952
For casual moviegoers who stumble into Rules expecting a slice of American Pie hijinks starring the kid from Dawson 's Creek , they 'll probably run out screaming . 9953
The biggest problem I have -LRB- other than the very sluggish pace -RRB- is we never really see her Esther blossom as an actress , even though her talent is supposed to be growing . 9954
What puzzles me is the lack of emphasis on music in Britney Spears ' first movie . 9955
Plot , characters , drama , emotions , ideas -- all are irrelevant to the experience of seeing The Scorpion King . 9956
City by the Sea is a gritty police thriller with all the dysfunctional family dynamics one could wish for . 9957
But how it washed out despite all of that is the project 's prime mystery . 9958
Whatever the movie 's sentimental , hypocritical lessons about sexism , its true colors come out in various wet T-shirt and shower scenes . 9959
As a hybrid teen thriller and murder mystery , Murder by Numbers fits the profile too closely . 9960
There ai n't a lot more painful than an unfunny movie that thinks it 's hilarious . 9961
I enjoyed the movie in a superficial way , while never sure what its purpose was . 9962
What a pity ... that the material is so second-rate . 9963
Does n't deliver a great story , nor is the action as gripping as in past Seagal films . 9964
The kind of film that leaves you scratching your head in amazement over the fact that so many talented people could participate in such an ill-advised and poorly executed idea . 9965
Nicks refuses to let Slackers be seen as just another teen movie , which means he can be forgiven for frequently pandering to fans of the gross-out comedy . 9966
Nothing about the film -- with the possible exception of Elizabeth Hurley 's breasts -- is authentic . 9967
Amid the cliché and foreshadowing , Cage manages a degree of casual realism ... that is routinely dynamited by Blethyn . 9968
Mostly , Shafer and co-writer Gregory Hinton lack a strong-minded viewpoint , or a sense of humor . 9969
No cliche escapes the perfervid treatment of gang warfare called ces Wild . 9970
Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson have a cute partnership in I Spy , but the movie around them is so often nearly nothing that their charm does n't do a load of good . 9971
Strictly a ` guy 's film ' in the worst sense of the expression . 9972
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 . 9973
It 's a lot to ask people to sit still for two hours and change watching such a character , especially when rendered in as flat and impassive a manner as Phoenix 's . 9974
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 . 9975
We 're left with a story that tries to grab us , only to keep letting go at all the wrong moments . 9976
Like many such biographical melodramas , it suffers from the awkwardness that results from adhering to the messiness of true stories . 9977
There is nothing redeeming about this movie . 9978
The film has -LRB- its -RRB- moments , but they are few and far between . 9979
I was trying to decide what annoyed me most about God is Great ... I 'm Not , and then I realized that I just did n't care . 9980
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 . 9981
Deserves high marks for political courage but barely gets by on its artistic merits . 9982
... comes alive only when it switches gears to the sentimental . 9983
Brosnan 's finest non-Bondish performance yet fails to overcome the film 's manipulative sentimentality and annoying stereotypes . 9984
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 . 9985
To me , it sounds like a cruel deception carried out by men of marginal intelligence , with reactionary ideas about women and a total lack of empathy . 9986
Tsai may be ploughing the same furrow once too often . 9987
Flashy gadgets and whirling fight sequences may look cool , but they ca n't distract from the flawed support structure holding Equilibrium up . 9988
ZigZag might have been richer and more observant if it were less densely plotted . 9989
How can such a cold movie claim to express warmth and longing ? 9990
In truth , it has all the heart of a porno flick -LRB- but none of the sheer lust -RRB- . 9991
Nicks and Steinberg match their own creations for pure venality -- that 's giving it the old college try . 9992
Episode II -- Attack of the Clones is a technological exercise that lacks juice and delight . 9993
The problem with all of this : It 's not really funny . 9994
-LRB- Denis ' -RRB- bare-bones narrative more closely resembles an outline for a '70s exploitation picture than the finished product . 9995
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 . 9996
Viewing this underdramatized but overstated film is like watching a transcript of a therapy session brought to humdrum life by some Freudian puppet . 9997
Overall tomfoolery like this is a matter of taste . 9998
The mantra behind the project seems to have been ` it 's just a kids ' flick . ' 9999
Translation : ` We do n't need to try very hard . ' 10000
In all the annals of the movies , few films have been this odd , inexplicable and unpleasant . 10001
It takes a really long , slow and dreary time to dope out what TUCK EVERLASTING is about . 10002
So here it is : It 's about a family of sour immortals . 10003
an essentially awkward version of the lightweight female empowerment picture we 've been watching for decades 10004
The author 's devotees will probably find it fascinating ; others may find it baffling . 10005
Writer-director Walter Hill and co-writer David Giler try to create characters out of the obvious cliches , but wind up using them as punching bags . 10006
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 . 10007
A cockeyed shot all the way . 10008
Lush and beautifully photographed -LRB- somebody suggested the stills might make a nice coffee table book -RRB- , but ultimately you 'll leave the theater wondering why these people mattered . 10009
Unfortunately , One Hour Photo lives down to its title . 10010
Thanks largely to Williams , all the interesting developments are processed in 60 minutes -- the rest is just an overexposed waste of film . 10011
Cold , Sterile And Lacking Any Color Or Warmth . 10012
The film is undone by anachronistic quick edits and occasional jarring glimpses of a modern theater audience watching the events unfold . 10013
Seems like someone going through the motions . 10014
For a film about explosions and death and spies , `` Ballistic : Ecks vs. Sever '' seems as safe as a children 's film . 10015
Well , in some of those , the mother deer even dies . 10016
Wallace gets a bit heavy handed with his message at times , and has a visual flair that waxes poetic far too much for our taste . 10017
Impostor does n't do much with its template , despite a remarkably strong cast . 10018
Wraps itself in the guise of a dark and quirky comedy , but it is n't as quirky as it thinks it is and its comedy is generally mean-spirited . 10019
Choppy , overlong documentary about ` The Lifestyle . ' 10020
One sloughs one 's way through the mire of this alleged psychological thriller in search of purpose or even a plot . 10021
A film which presses familiar Herzog tropes into the service of a limpid and conventional historical fiction , when really what we demand of the director is to be mesmerised . 10022
It 's a fanboy ` what if ? ' 10023
brought to life on the big screen . 10024
The story itself is actually quite vapid . 10025
It 's a hellish , numbing experience to watch , and it does n't offer any insights that have n't been thoroughly debated in the media already , back in the Dahmer heyday of the mid - '90s . 10026
Wait for pay per view or rental but do n't dismiss BarberShop out of hand . 10027
A few zingers aside , the writing is indifferent , and Jordan Brady 's direction is prosaic . 10028
Each scene drags , underscoring the obvious , and sentiment is slathered on top . 10029
Would 've been nice if the screenwriters had trusted audiences to understand a complex story , and left off the film 's predictable denouement . 10030
Then Nadia 's birthday might not have been such a bad day after all . 10031
One of those staggeringly well-produced , joylessly extravagant pictures that keep whooshing you from one visual marvel to the next , hastily , emptily . 10032
Nair just does n't have the necessary self-control to guide a loose , poorly structured film through the pitfalls of incoherence and redundancy . 10033
Enthusiastically taking up the current teen movie concern with bodily functions , Walt Becker 's film pushes all the demographically appropriate comic buttons . 10034
It 's the funniest American comedy since Graffiti Bridge . 10035
That neither protagonist has a distinguishable condition hardly matters because both are just actory concoctions , defined by childlike dimness and a handful of quirks . 10036
What starts off as a possible Argentine American Beauty reeks like a room stacked with pungent flowers . 10037
The project 's filmmakers forgot to include anything even halfway scary as they poorly rejigger Fatal Attraction into a high school setting . 10038
In old-fashioned screenwriting parlance , Ms. Shreve 's novel proved too difficult a text to ` lick , ' despite the efforts of a first-rate cast . 10039
Solondz may well be the only one laughing at his own joke 10040
Stitch is a bad mannered , ugly and destructive little \*\*\*\* . 10041
No cute factor here ... Not that I mind ugly ; the problem is he has no character , loveable or otherwise . 10042
Deep down , I realized the harsh reality of my situation : I would leave the theater with a lower I.Q. than when I had entered . 10043
A really funny fifteen-minute short stretched beyond its limits to fill an almost feature-length film . 10044
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 . 10045
It is bad , but certainly not without merit as entertainment . 10046
For its 100 minutes running time , you 'll wait in vain for a movie to happen . 10047
A work that lacks both a purpose and a strong pulse . 10048
A faster paced family flick . 10049
Upper Teens may get cynical . 10050
Smaller numbered kidlets will enjoy . 10051
While this film has an ` A ' list cast and some strong supporting players , the tale -- like its central figure , Vivi -- is just a little bit hard to love . 10052
It 's a road-trip drama with too many wrong turns . 10053
Most fish stories are a little peculiar , but this is one that should be thrown back in the river . 10054
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 . 10055
`` I blame all men for war , '' -LRB- the warden 's daughter -RRB- tells her father . 10056
The movie is about as deep as that sentiment . 10057
It 's fitfully funny but never really takes off . 10058
I 've seen some bad singer-turned actors , but Lil Bow Wow takes the cake . 10059
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 . 10060
For all the complications , it 's all surprisingly predictable . 10061
It 's been 20 years since 48 Hrs . 10062
made Eddie Murphy a movie star and the man has n't aged a day . 10063
But his showboating wise-cracker stock persona sure is getting old . 10064
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 . 10065
But it was n't . 10066
For a film about action , Ultimate X is the gabbiest giant-screen movie ever , bogging down in a barrage of hype . 10067
... a low rate Annie featuring some kid who ca n't act , only echoes of Jordan , and weirdo actor Crispin Glover screwing things up old school . 10068
It might not be 1970s animation , but everything else about it is straight from the Saturday morning cartoons -- a retread story , bad writing , and the same old silliness . 10069
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 . 10070
A nearly 21\/2 hours , the film is way too indulgent . 10071
Gorgeous to look at but insufferably tedious and turgid ... a curiously constricted epic . 10072
It looks much more like a cartoon in the end than The Simpsons ever has . 10073
With a tighter editorial process and firmer direction this material could work , especially since the actresses in the lead roles are all more than competent , but as is , Personal Velocity seems to be idling in neutral . 10074
Does n't really add up to much . 10075
It 's better suited for the history or biography channel , but there 's no arguing the tone of the movie - it leaves a bad taste in your mouth and questions on your mind . 10076
An entertainment so in love with its overinflated mythology that it no longer recognizes the needs of moviegoers for real characters and compelling plots . 10077
A prolonged extrusion of psychopathic pulp . 10078
Borrows from other movies like it in the most ordinary and obvious fashion . 10079
It 's surprisingly bland despite the heavy doses of weird performances and direction . 10080
A chilly , remote , emotionally distant piece ... so dull that its tagline should be : ` In space , no one can hear you snore . ' 10081
The characters seem one-dimensional , and the film is superficial and will probably be of interest primarily to its target audience . 10082
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 . 10083
It 's like a drive-by . 10084
You can drive right by it without noticing anything special , save for a few comic turns , intended and otherwise . 10085
Everything -- even life on an aircraft carrier -- is sentimentalized . 10086
This would-be ` James Bond for the Extreme Generation ' pic is one big , dumb action movie . 10087
Stress ` dumb . ' 10088
The movie has generic virtues , and despite a lot of involved talent , seems done by the numbers . 10089
When your subject is illusion versus reality , should n't the reality seem at least passably real ? 10090
It 's a terrible movie in every regard , and utterly painful to watch . 10091
This is rote spookiness , with nary an original idea -LRB- or role , or edit , or score , or anything , really -RRB- in sight , and the whole of the proceedings beg the question ` Why ? ' 10092
A fan film that for the uninitiated plays better on video with the sound turned down . 10093
Too infuriatingly quirky and taken with its own style . 10094
There 's a whole heap of nothing at the core of this slight coming-of-age\/coming-out tale . 10095
As much as I laughed throughout the movie , I can not mount a cogent defense of the film as entertainment , or even performance art , although the movie does leave you marveling at these guys ' superhuman capacity to withstand pain . 10096
The type of dumbed-down exercise in stereotypes that gives the -LRB- teen comedy -RRB- genre a bad name . 10097
Distinctly sub-par ... more likely to drown a viewer in boredom than to send any shivers down his spine . 10098
Plays like a bad blend of an overripe episode of TV 's Dawson 's Creek and a recycled and dumbed-down version of Love Story . 10099
Unless you come in to the film with a skateboard under your arm , you 're going to feel like you were n't invited to the party . 10100
When the casting call for this movie went out , it must have read ` seeking anyone with acting ambition but no sense of pride or shame . ' 10101
Just is n't as weird as it ought to be . 10102
A `` Home Alone '' film that is staged like `` Rosemary 's Baby , '' but is not as well-conceived as either of those films . 10103
-LRB- Siegel -RRB- and co-writers Lisa Bazadona and Grace Woodard have relied too much on convention in creating the characters who surround Frankie . 10104
No film could possibly be more contemptuous of the single female population . 10105
` Hey Arnold ! ' 10106
has some visual wit ... but little imagination elsewhere . 10107
They 're going through the motions , but the zip is gone . 10108
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 . 10109
A low-budget affair , Tadpole was shot on digital video , and the images often look smeary and blurry , to the point of distraction . 10110
Then again , in a better movie , you might not have noticed . 10111
It 's mindless junk like this that makes you appreciate original romantic comedies like Punch-Drunk Love . 10112
The movie is like a year late for tapping into our reality tv obsession , and even tardier for exploiting the novelty of the `` webcast . '' 10113
tale will be all too familiar for anyone who 's seen George Roy Hill 's 1973 film , `` The Sting . '' 10114
Gets the look and the period trappings right , but it otherwise drowns in a sea of visual and verbal clichés . 10115
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 . 10116
Anyone who wants to start writing screenplays can just follow the same blueprint from hundreds of other films , sell it to the highest bidder and walk away without anyone truly knowing your identity . 10117
The problem with The Bread , My Sweet is that it 's far too sentimental . 10118
A late-night cable sexploitation romp masquerading as a thriller about the ruthless social order that governs college cliques . 10119
Falls short in explaining the music and its roots . 10120
Never inspires more than an interested detachment . 10121
What might have emerged as hilarious lunacy in the hands of Woody Allen or Mel Brooks -LRB- at least during their '70s heyday -RRB- comes across as lame and sophomoric in this debut indie feature . 10122
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 . 10123
Pretty much sucks , but has a funny moment or two . 10124
They do a good job of painting this family dynamic for the audience but they tried to squeeze too many elements into the film . 10125
A supernatural mystery that does n't know whether it wants to be a suspenseful horror movie or a weepy melodrama . 10126
It ends up being neither , and fails at both endeavors . 10127
Two badly interlocked stories drowned by all too clever complexity . 10128
It is so earnest , so overwrought and so wildly implausible that it begs to be parodied . 10129
These are textbook lives of quiet desperation . 10130
Swimfan , like Fatal Attraction , eventually goes overboard with a loony melodramatic denouement in which a high school swimming pool substitutes for a bathtub . 10131
Claims to sort the bad guys from the good , which is its essential problem . 10132
Purposefully shocking in its eroticized gore , if unintentionally dull in its lack of poetic frissons . 10133
Feels like pieces a bunch of other , better movies slapped together . 10134
Almost everything about the film is unsettling , from the preposterous hairpiece worn by Lai 's villainous father to the endless action sequences . 10135
Writer-director Randall Wallace has bitten off more than he or anyone else could chew , and his movie veers like a drunken driver through heavy traffic . 10136
It follows the Blair Witch formula for an hour , in which we 're told something creepy and vague is in the works , and then it goes awry in the final 30 minutes . 10137
One ca n't shake the feeling that Crossroads is nothing more than an hour-and-a-half-long commercial for Britney 's latest album . 10138
Phoned-in business as usual . 10139
There 's an epic here , but you have to put it together yourself . 10140
What little atmosphere is generated by the shadowy lighting , macabre sets , and endless rain is offset by the sheer ugliness of everything else . 10141
Director-chef Gabriele Muccino keeps it fast -- zippy , comin ' at ya -- as if fearing that his film is molto superficiale . 10142
Tartakovsky 's team has some freakish powers of visual charm , but the five writers slip into the modern rut of narrative banality . 10143
The most horrific movie experience I 've had since `` Ca n't Stop The Music . '' 10144
It may as well be called `` Jar-Jar Binks : The Movie . '' 10145
It 's that painful . 10146
God is great , the movie 's not . 10147
Like a three-ring circus , there are side stories aplenty -- none of them memorable . 10148
When in doubt , the film ratchets up the stirring soundtrack , throws in a fish-out-of-water gag and lets the cliched dialogue rip . 10149
Or else a doggie winks . 10150
A ` Girls Gone Wild ' video for the boho art-house crowd , The Burning Sensation is n't a definitive counter-cultural document -- its makers are n't removed and inquisitive enough for that . 10151
As original and insightful as last week 's episode of Behind the Music . 10152
Plays like John Le Carré with a couple of burnt-out cylinders . 10153
You may be galled that you 've wasted nearly two hours of your own precious life with this silly little puddle of a movie . 10154
It 's neither as sappy as Big Daddy nor as anarchic as Happy Gilmore or The Waterboy , but it has its moments . 10155
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 . 10156
A smug and convoluted action-comedy that does n't allow an earnest moment to pass without reminding audiences that it 's only a movie . 10157
-LRB- Crystal and De Niro -RRB- manage to squeeze out some good laughs but not enough to make this silly con job sing . 10158
Worthless , from its pseudo-rock-video opening to the idiocy of its last frames . 10159
The Christ allegory does n't work because there is no foundation for it 10160
Go for La Salle 's performance , and make do as best you can with a stuttering script . 10161
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 . 10162
Tries too hard to be funny in a way that 's too loud , too goofy and too short of an attention span . 10163
I did n't find much fascination in the swinging . 10164
What they 're doing is a matter of plumbing arrangements and mind games , of no erotic or sensuous charge . 10165
But that they are doing it is thought-provoking . 10166
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 . 10167
After Collateral Damage , you might imagine that most every aggrieved father cliché has been unturned . 10168
But no. . 10169
Ultimately the , yes , snail-like pacing and lack of thematic resonance make the film more silly than scary , like some sort of Martha Stewart decorating program run amok . 10170
Releasing a film with the word ` dog ' in its title in January lends itself to easy jokes and insults , and Snow Dogs deserves every single one of them . 10171
Tedious Norwegian offering which somehow snagged an Oscar nomination . 10172
It was a dark and stormy night ... 10173
A dark-as-pitch comedy that frequently veers into corny sentimentality , probably would not improve much after a therapeutic zap of shock treatment . 10174
This sort of cute and cloying material is far from Zhang 's forte and it shows . 10175
Bray is completely at sea ; with nothing but a Savage Garden music video on his resume , he has no clue about making a movie . 10176
Freundlich 's made -LRB- Crudup -RRB- a suburban architect , and a cipher . 10177
a huge disappointment coming , as it does , from filmmakers and performers of this calibre 10178
Though it pretends to expose the life of male hustlers , it 's exploitive without being insightful . 10179
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 . 10180
What starts off as a satisfying kids flck becomes increasingly implausible as it races through contrived plot points . 10181
Exhibits the shallow sensationalism characteristic of soap opera ... more salacious telenovela than serious drama . 10182
Seagal is painfully foolish in trying to hold onto what 's left of his passe ' chopsocky glory . 10183
Even with Harris 's strong effort , the script gives him little to effectively probe Lear 's soul-stripping breakdown . 10184
The story is bogus and its characters tissue-thin . 10185
Whereas the extremely competent hitman films such as Pulp Fiction and Get Shorty resonate a sardonic verve to their caustic purpose for existing , Who Is Cletis Tout ? 10186
is an inexpressible and drab wannabe looking for that exact niche . 10187
While American Adobo has its heart -LRB- and its palate -RRB- in the right place , its brain is a little scattered -- ditsy , even . 10188
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 . 10189
Most of the dialogue made me want to pack raw dough in my ears . 10190
Costner 's warm-milk persona is just as ill-fitting as Shadyac 's perfunctory directing chops , and some of the more overtly silly dialogue would sink Laurence Olivier . 10191
It 's coherent , well shot , and tartly acted , but it wears you down like a dinner guest showing off his doctorate . 10192
Directed by Kevin Bray , whose crisp framing , edgy camera work , and wholesale ineptitude with acting , tone and pace very obviously mark him as a video helmer making his feature debut . 10193
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 10194
Robin Williams departs from his fun friendly demeanor in exchange for a darker unnerving role . 10195
High Crimes is a cinematic misdemeanor , a routine crime thriller remarkable only for its lack of logic and misuse of two fine actors , Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd . 10196
Set in a 1986 Harlem that does n't look much like anywhere in New York . 10197
The chocolate factory without Charlie . 10198
Long on twinkly-eyed close-ups and short on shame . 10199
Hip-hop rarely comes alive as its own fire-breathing entity in this picture . 10200
A dull , somnambulant exercise in pretension whose pervasive quiet is broken by frequent outbursts of violence and noise . 10201
Deserving of its critical backlash and more . 10202
Neither a rousing success nor a blinding embarrassment . 10203
Still , it just sits there like a side dish no one ordered . 10204
The Sum of All Fears is remarkably fuddled about motives and context , which drains it of the dramatic substance that would shake us in our boots -LRB- or cinema seats -RRB- . 10205
The movie spends more time with Schneider than with newcomer McAdams , even though her performance is more interesting -LRB- and funnier -RRB- than his . 10206
This low-rent -- and even lower-wit -- rip-off of the Farrelly brothers ' oeuvre gets way too mushy -- and in a relatively short amount of time . 10207
It recycles every cliché about gays in what is essentially an extended soap opera . 10208
I 'm all for the mentally challenged getting their fair shot in the movie business , but surely it does n't have to be as a collection of keening and self-mutilating sideshow geeks . 10209
May offend viewers not amused by the sick sense of humor . 10210
Many of Benjamins ' elements feel like they 've been patched in from an episode of Miami Vice . 10211
It aimlessly and unsuccessfully attempts to fuse at least three dull plots into one good one . 10212
Most folks with a real stake in the American sexual landscape will find it either moderately amusing or just plain irrelevant . 10213
If you 're not fans of the adventues of Steve and Terri , you should avoid this like the dreaded King Brown snake . 10214
Personally , I 'd rather watch them on the Animal Planet . 10215
Cherish is a dud -- a romantic comedy that 's not the least bit romantic and only mildly funny . 10216
Feels as if the inmates have actually taken over the asylum . 10217
All of the filmmakers ' calculations ca n't rescue Brown Sugar from the curse of blandness . 10218
The movie 's gloomy atmosphere is fascinating , though , even if the movie itself does n't stand a ghost of a chance . 10219
... post-September 11 , `` The Sum Of All Fears '' seems more tacky and reprehensible , manipulating our collective fear without bestowing the subject with the intelligence or sincerity it unequivocally deserves . 10220
The exclamation point seems to be the only bit of glee you 'll find in this dreary mess . 10221
No matter how you slice it , Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton are not Hepburn and Grant , two cinematic icons with chemistry galore . 10222
Godard 's ode to tackling life 's wonderment is a rambling and incoherent manifesto about the vagueness of topical excess ... In Praise of Love remains a ponderous and pretentious endeavor that 's unfocused and tediously exasperating . 10223
Humorless , self-conscious art drivel , made without a glimmer of intelligence or invention . 10224
The movie 's progression into rambling incoherence gives new meaning to the phrase ` fatal script error . ' 10225
Solondz may be convinced that he has something significant to say , but he is n't talking a talk that appeals to me . 10226
More tiring than anything . 10227
Nelson 's intentions are good , but the end result does no justice to the story itself . 10228
It 's horribly depressing and not very well done . 10229
... the efforts of its star , Kline , to lend some dignity to a dumb story are for naught . 10230
A good-natured ensemble comedy that tries hard to make the most of a bumper cast , but never quite gets off the ground . 10231
Is n't it a bit early in his career for director Barry Sonnenfeld to do a homage to himself ? 10232
And it 's a lousy one at that . 10233
Overly long and worshipful bio-doc . 10234
I 'll go out on a limb . 10235
It is n't quite one of the worst movies of the year . 10236
It 's just merely very bad . 10237
Writer-director Ritchie reduces Wertmuller 's social mores and politics to tiresome jargon . 10238
About Amy 's cuteness , Amy 's career success -LRB- she 's a best-selling writer of self-help books who ca n't help herself -RRB- , and Amy 's neuroses when it comes to men . 10239
Everything about Girls Ca n't Swim , even its passages of sensitive observation , feels secondhand , familiar -- and not in a good way . 10240
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 . 10241
In my own very humble opinion , In Praise of Love lacks even the most fragmented charms I have found in almost all of his previous works . 10242
The script is too mainstream and the psychology too textbook to intrigue . 10243
Muddled , simplistic and more than a little pretentious . 10244
Meandering and glacially paced , and often just plain dull . 10245
A disaster of a drama , saved only by its winged assailants . 10246
A road trip that will get you thinking , ` Are we there yet ? ' 10247
Director Elie Chouraqui , who co-wrote the script , catches the chaotic horror of war , but why bother if you 're going to subjugate truth to the tear-jerking demands of soap opera ? 10248
Dong never pushes for insights beyond the superficial tensions of the dynamic he 's dissecting , and the film settles too easily along the contours of expectation . 10249
If there was any doubt that Peter O'Fallon did n't have an original bone in his body , A Rumor of Angels should dispel it . 10250
An occasionally interesting but mostly repetitive look at a slice of counterculture that might be best forgotten . 10251
What could have been right at home as a nifty plot line in Steven Soderbergh 's Traffic fails to arrive at any satisfying destination . 10252
The movie is like Scorsese 's Mean Streets redone by someone who ignored it in favor of old ` juvenile delinquent ' paperbacks with titles like Leather Warriors and Switchblade Sexpot . 10253
This pathetic junk is barely an hour long . 10254
Nevertheless , it still seems endless . 10255
It is n't that Stealing Harvard is a horrible movie -- if only it were that grand a failure ! 10256
It 's just that it 's so not-at-all-good . 10257
And I expect much more from a talent as outstanding as director Bruce McCulloch . 10258
Dolman confines himself to shtick and sentimentality -- the one bald and the other sloppy . 10259
Is it possible for a documentary to be utterly entranced by its subject and still show virtually no understanding of it ? 10260
It 's supposed to be a romantic comedy - it suffers from too much Norma Rae and not enough Pretty Woman . 10261
The leads are so unmemorable , despite several attempts at lengthy dialogue scenes , that one eventually resents having to inhale this gutter romancer 's secondhand material . 10262
Staggers between flaccid satire and what is supposed to be madcap farce . 10263
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 . 10264
Brainy , artistic and muted , almost to the point of suffocation . 10265
Plays like the old disease-of-the-week small-screen melodramas . 10266
Like life on the island , the movie grows boring despite the scenery . 10267
The truth about Charlie is that it 's a brazenly misguided project . 10268
displays the potential for a better movie than what Bailly manages to deliver 10269
So exaggerated and broad that it comes off as annoying rather than charming . 10270
An awkward hybrid of genres that just does n't work . 10271
The latest vapid actor 's exercise to appropriate the structure of Arthur Schnitzler 's Reigen . 10272
Snipes is both a snore and utter tripe . 10273
Ritchie 's film is easier to swallow than Wertmuller 's polemical allegory , but it 's self-defeatingly decorous . 10274
Chalk it up as the worst kind of hubristic folly . 10275
It 's the kind of under-inspired , overblown enterprise that gives Hollywood sequels a bad name . 10276
Rosenthal -LRB- Halloween II -RRB- seems to have forgotten everything he ever knew about generating suspense . 10277
Even Murphy 's expert comic timing and famed charisma ca n't rescue this effort . 10278
Rodriguez ... was unable to reproduce the special spark between the characters that made the first film such a delight . 10279
A sleek advert for youthful anomie that never quite equals the sum of its pretensions . 10280
Some Body smacks of exhibitionism more than it does cathartic truth telling . 10281
This is n't a terrible film by any means , but it 's also far from being a realized work . 10282
Apparently , romantic comedy with a fresh point of view just does n't figure in the present Hollywood program . 10283
Depressingly thin and exhaustingly contrived . 10284
Only masochistic moviegoers need apply . 10285
A movie that 's held captive by mediocrity . 10286
Not bad , but not all that good . 10287
Bacon keeps things interesting , but do n't go out of your way to pay full price . 10288
What 's next ? 10289
Rob Schneider , Dana Carvey and Sarah Michelle Gellar in The Philadelphia Story ? 10290
David Spade as Citizen Kane ? 10291
Ca n't seem to get anywhere near the story 's center . 10292
The problem , amazingly enough , is the screenplay . 10293
It 's a Frankenstein-monster of a film that does n't know what it wants to be . 10294
Upper West Sidey exercise in narcissism and self-congratulation disguised as a tribute . 10295
On its icy face , the new film is a subzero version of Monsters , Inc. , without the latter 's imagination , visual charm or texture . 10296
I ca n't say this enough : This movie is about an adult male dressed in pink jammies . 10297
It 's a mindless action flick with a twist -- far better suited to video-viewing than the multiplex . 10298
After a while , the only way for a reasonably intelligent person to get through The Country Bears is to ponder how a whole segment of pop-music history has been allowed to get wet , fuzzy and sticky . 10299
We get light showers of emotion a couple of times , but then -- strangely -- these wane to an inconsistent and ultimately unsatisfying drizzle . 10300
Summer 's far too fleeting to squander on offal like this . 10301
The film is grossly contradictory in conveying its social message , if indeed there is one . 10302
Often lingers just as long on the irrelevant as on the engaging , which gradually turns What Time Is It There ? 10303
into How Long Is This Movie ? 10304
Too bad Kramer could n't make a guest appearance to liven things up . 10305
Deuces Wild is an encyclopedia of cliches that shoplifts shamelessly from farewell-to-innocence movies like The Wanderers and A Bronx Tale without cribbing any of their intelligence . 10306
It 's a barely tolerable slog over well-trod ground . 10307
Epps has neither the charisma nor the natural affability that has made Tucker a star . 10308
It 's sweet ... but just a little bit too precious at the start and a little too familiar at the end . 10309
A dull , dumb and derivative horror film . 10310
An awkwardly contrived exercise in magic realism . 10311
Demme gets a lot of flavor and spice into his Charade remake , but he ca n't disguise that he 's spiffing up leftovers that are n't so substantial or fresh . 10312
This is a heartfelt story ... it just is n't a very involving one . 10313
These self-styled athletes have banged their brains into the ground so frequently and furiously , their capacity to explain themselves has gone the same way as their natural instinct for self-preservation . 10314
The fact that the ` best part ' of the movie comes from a 60-second homage to one of Demme 's good films does n't bode well for the rest of it . 10315
Richard Pryor mined his personal horrors and came up with a treasure chest of material , but Lawrence gives us mostly fool 's gold . 10316
The band performances featured in Drumline are red hot ... -LRB- but -RRB- from a mere story point of view , the film 's ice cold . 10317
... built on the premise that middle-class Arkansas consists of monster truck-loving good ol' boys and peroxide blond honeys whose worldly knowledge comes from TV reruns and supermarket tabloids . 10318
A laughable -- or rather , unlaughable -- excuse for a film . 10319
The sequel is everything the original was not : contrived , overblown and tie-in ready . 10320
Like a grinning Jack O ' Lantern , its apparent glee is derived from a lobotomy , having had all its vital essence scooped out and discarded . 10321
A sentimental hybrid that could benefit from the spice of specificity . 10322
... familiar and predictable , and 4\/5ths of it might as well have come from a Xerox machine rather than -LRB- writer-director -RRB- Franc . 10323
Reyes ' word processor . 10324
Give Shapiro , Goldman , and Bolado credit for good intentions , but there 's nothing here that they could n't have done in half an hour . 10325
It 's so devoid of joy and energy it makes even Jason X ... look positively Shakesperean by comparison . 10326
A little objectivity could have gone a long way . 10327
One of the worst films of 2002 . 10328
I believe Silberling had the best intentions here , but he just does n't have the restraint to fully realize them . 10329
plays like an unbalanced mixture of graphic combat footage and almost saccharine domestic interludes that are pure Hollywood . 10330
McTiernan 's remake may be lighter on its feet -- the sober-minded original was as graceful as a tap-dancing rhino -- but it is just as boring and as obvious . 10331
High Crimes carries almost no organic intrigue as a government \/ Marine\/legal mystery , and that 's because the movie serves up all of that stuff , nearly subliminally , as the old-hat province of male intrigue . 10332
This movie is about the worst thing Chan has done in the United States . 10333
The explosion essentially ruined -- or , rather , overpowered -- the fiction of the movie for me . 10334
This ludicrous film is predictable at every turn . 10335
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 . 10336
The film desperately sinks further and further into comedy futility . 10337
Instead of a balanced film that explains the zeitgeist that is the X Games , we get a cinematic postcard that 's superficial and unrealized . 10338
The crassness of this reactionary thriller is matched only by the ridiculousness of its premise . 10339
I wish it would have just gone more over-the-top instead of trying to have it both ways . 10340
The superior plotline is n't quite enough to drag along the dead -LRB- water -RRB- weight of the other . 10341
The film does n't really care about the thousands of Americans who die hideously , it cares about how Ryan meets his future wife and makes his start at the CIA . 10342
Adrift , Bentley and Hudson stare and sniffle , respectively , as Ledger attempts , in vain , to prove that movie-star intensity can overcome bad hair design . 10343
After an hour and a half of wondering -- sometimes amusedly , sometimes impatiently -- just what this strenuously unconventional movie is supposed to be , you discover that the answer is as conventional as can be . 10344
` Linklater fans , or pretentious types who want to appear avant-garde will suck up to this project ... ' 10345
A woefully dull , redundant concept that bears more than a whiff of exploitation , despite Iwai 's vaunted empathy . 10346
Screenwriter Chris ver Weil 's directing debut is good-natured and never dull , but its virtues are small and easily overshadowed by its predictability . 10347
If you really want to understand what this story is really all about , you 're far better served by the source material . 10348
It 's mildly sentimental , unabashedly consumerist ... studiously inoffensive and completely disposable . 10349
Like its title character , Esther Kahn is unusual but unfortunately also irritating . 10350
The star who helped give a spark to `` Chasing Amy '' and `` Changing Lanes '' falls flat as thinking man CIA agent Jack Ryan in this summer 's new action film , `` The Sum of All Fears . '' 10351
A summary of the plot does n't quite do justice to the awfulness of the movie , for that comes through all too painfully in the execution . 10352
Every conceivable mistake a director could make in filming opera has been perpetrated here . 10353
Snoots will no doubt rally to its cause , trotting out threadbare standbys like ` masterpiece ' and ` triumph ' and all that malarkey , but rarely does an established filmmaker so ardently waste viewers ' time with a gobbler like this . 10354
-LRB- The film 's -RRB- taste for `` shock humor '' will wear thin on all but those weaned on the comedy of Tom Green and the Farrelly Brothers . 10355
Any enjoyment will be hinge from a personal threshold of watching sad but endearing characters do extremely unconventional things . 10356
If legendary shlockmeister Ed Wood had ever made a movie about a vampire , it probably would look a lot like this alarming production , adapted from Anne Rice 's novel The Vampire Chronicles . 10357
Hardly a nuanced portrait of a young woman 's breakdown , the film nevertheless works up a few scares . 10358
Interminably bleak , to say nothing of boring . 10359
Things really get weird , though not particularly scary : the movie is all portent and no content . 10360
It 's difficult to discern if this is a crazy work of disturbed genius or merely 90 minutes of post-adolescent Electra rebellion . 10361
Bogs down badly as we absorb Jia 's moody , bad-boy behavior which he portrays himself in a one-note performance . 10362
The camera whirls ! 10363
The camera twirls ! 10364
Oh , look at that clever angle ! 10365
Wow , a jump cut ! 10366
Demme finally succeeds in diminishing his stature from Oscar-winning master to lowly studio hack . 10367
The action scenes have all the suspense of a 20-car pileup , while the plot holes are big enough for a train car to drive through -- if Kaos had n't blown them all up . 10368
It almost feels as if the movie is more interested in entertaining itself than in amusing us . 10369
It puts Washington , as honest working man John Q. Archibald , on a pedestal , then keeps lifting the pedestal higher . 10370
Ultimately , the film amounts to being lectured to by tech-geeks , if you 're up for that sort of thing . 10371
Far more enjoyable than its predecessor . 10372
-LRB- Gayton 's script -RRB- telegraphs every discovery and layers on the gloss of convenience . 10373
Full Frontal , which opens today nationwide , could almost be classified as a movie-industry satire , but it lacks the generous inclusiveness that is the genre 's definitive , if disingenuous , feature . 10374
A ragbag of cliches . 10375
This rough trade Punch-and-Judy act did n't play well then and it plays worse now . 10376
The three leads produce adequate performances , but what 's missing from this material is any depth of feeling . 10377
It 's possible that something hip and transgressive was being attempted here that stubbornly refused to gel , but the result is more puzzling than unsettling . 10378
This painfully unfunny farce traffics in tired stereotypes and encumbers itself with complications ... that have no bearing on the story . 10379
Short and sweet , but also more than anything else slight ... Tadpole pulls back from the consequences of its own actions and revelations . 10380
Has its moments , but it 's pretty far from a treasure . 10381
What more can be expected from a college comedy that 's target audience has n't graduated from junior high school ? 10382
Collateral Damage offers formula payback and the Big Payoff , but the explosions tend to simply hit their marks , pyro-correctly . 10383
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 . 10384
Instead of letting the laughs come as they may , Lawrence unleashes his trademark misogyny -- er , comedy -- like a human volcano or an overflowing septic tank , take your pick . 10385
You know that ten bucks you 'd spend on a ticket ? 10386
Just send it to Cranky . 10387
We do n't get paid enough to sit through crap like this . 10388
An even more predictable , cliche-ridden endeavor than its predecessor . 10389
The whole thing plays like a tired Tyco ad . 10390
The film does n'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 . 10391
The soupy end result has the odd distinction of being playful without being fun , too . 10392
No , I do n't know why Steven Seagal is considered a star , nor why he keeps being cast in action films when none of them are ever any good or make any money . 10393
Even by the intentionally low standards of frat-boy humor , Sorority Boys is a bowser . 10394
One well-timed explosion in a movie can be a knockout , but a hundred of them can be numbing . 10395
Proof of this is Ballistic : Ecks vs. Sever . 10396
Halfway through , however , having sucked dry the undead action flick formula , Blade II mutates into a gross-out monster movie with effects that are more silly than scary . 10397
Weighted down with slow , uninvolving storytelling and flat acting . 10398
We ca n't accuse Kung Pow for misfiring , since it is exactly what it wants to be : an atrociously , mind-numbingly , indescribably bad movie . 10399
Unfortunately , we 'd prefer a simple misfire . 10400
There is n't one moment in the film that surprises or delights . 10401
` Would n't it be nice if all guys got a taste of what it 's like on the other side of the bra ? ' 10402
The movie is essentially a series of fleetingly interesting actors ' moments . 10403
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 . 10404
This movie , a certain scene in particular , brought me uncomfortably close to losing my lunch . 10405
The secrets of time travel will have been discovered , indulged in and rejected as boring before I see this piece of crap again . 10406
Smug , artificial , ill-constructed and fatally overlong ... it never finds a consistent tone and lacks bite , degenerating into a pious , preachy soap opera . 10407
Chelsea Walls is a case of too many chefs fussing over too weak a recipe . 10408
Every joke is repeated at least four times . 10409
Every joke is repeated at least four times . 10410
Every joke is repeated at least -- annoying , is n't it ? 10411
Comes across as a fairly weak retooling . 10412
The lousy lead performances ... keep the movie from ever reaching the comic heights it obviously desired . 10413
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 . 10414
-LRB- Creates -RRB- the worst kind of mythologizing , the kind that sacrifices real heroism and abject suffering for melodrama . 10415
The movie resolutely avoids all the comic possibilities of its situation , and becomes one more dumb high school comedy about sex gags and prom dates . 10416
Earnest and heartfelt but undernourished and plodding . 10417
A sugar-coated Rocky whose valuable messages are forgotten 10 minutes after the last trombone honks . 10418
Romanek keeps adding flourishes -- artsy fantasy sequences -- that simply feel wrong . 10419
They cheapen the overall effect . 10420
Has all the complexity and realistic human behavior of an episode of General Hospital . 10421
An acceptable way to pass a little over an hour with moviegoers ages 8-10 , but it 's unlikely to inspire anything more than a visit to McDonald 's , let alone some savvy street activism . 10422
-LRB- Allen 's -RRB- been making piffle for a long while , and Hollywood Ending may be his way of saying that piffle is all that the airhead movie business deserves from him right now . 10423
An exercise in cynicism every bit as ugly as the shabby digital photography and muddy sound . 10424
Not good enough to pass for a litmus test of the generation gap and not bad enough to repulse any generation of its fans . 10425
The movie is silly beyond comprehension , and even if it were n't silly , it would still be beyond comprehension . 10426
Watchable up until the point where the situations and the dialogue spin hopelessly out of control -- that is to say , when Carol Kane appears on the screen . 10427
The scriptwriters are no less a menace to society than the film 's characters . 10428
Merchant has n't directed this movie so much as produced it -- like sausage . 10429
The film has a nearly terminal case of the cutes , and it 's neither as funny nor as charming as it thinks it is . 10430
More a gunfest than a Rock concert . 10431
It 's a frightful vanity film that , no doubt , pays off what debt Miramax felt they owed to Benigni . 10432
A muddy psychological thriller rife with miscalculations . 10433
It makes me say the obvious : Abandon all hope of a good movie ye who enter here . 10434
It 's not original enough . 10435
A listless sci-fi comedy in which Eddie Murphy deploys two guises and elaborate futuristic sets to no particularly memorable effect . 10436
Little more than a super-sized infomercial for the cable-sports channel and its Summer X Games . 10437
A generic bloodbath that often becomes laughably unbearable when it is n't merely offensive . 10438
Julie Davis is the Kathie Lee Gifford of film directors , sadly proving once again ego does n't always go hand in hand with talent . 10439
An unholy mess , driven by the pathetic idea that if you shoot something on crummy-looking videotape , it must be labelled ` hip ' , ` innovative ' and ` realistic ' . 10440
The story 's pathetic and the gags are puerile . . 10441
Curiously , Super Troopers suffers because it does n't have enough vices to merit its 103-minute length . 10442
So bland and utterly forgettable that it might as well have been titled Generic Jennifer Lopez Romantic Comedy . 10443
I was sent a copyof this film to review on DVD . 10444
For free . 10445
I still want my money back . 10446
It plods along methodically , somehow under the assumption that its `` dead wife communicating from beyond the grave '' framework is even remotely new or interesting . 10447
It 's hard to believe that a relationship like Holly and Marina 's could survive the hothouse emotions of teendom , and its longevity gets more inexplicable as the characterizations turn more crassly reductive . 10448
All too familiar ... basically the sort of cautionary tale that was old when ` Angels With Dirty Faces ' appeared in 1938 . 10449
... passable enough for a shoot-out in the o.k. court house of life type of flick . 10450
Strictly middle of the road . 10451
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 . 10452
After the first 10 minutes , which is worth seeing , the movie sinks into an abyss of clichés , depression and bad alternative music . 10453
No one can doubt the filmmakers ' motives , but The Guys still feels counterproductive . 10454
A very slow , uneventful ride around a pretty tattered old carousel . 10455
With little visible talent and no energy , Colin Hanks is in bad need of major acting lessons and maybe a little coffee . 10456
`` Feardotcom '' has the makings of an interesting meditation on the ethereal nature of the internet and the otherworldly energies it could channel , but it simply becomes a routine shocker . 10457
A Meatballs for the bare-midriff generation . 10458
Well-meaning to a fault , Antwone Fisher manages the dubious feat of turning one man 's triumph of will into everyman 's romance comedy . 10459
Seemingly disgusted with the lazy material and the finished product 's unshapely look , director Fisher Stevens inexplicably dips key moments from the film in Waking Life water colors . 10460
Formula 51 promises a new kind of high but delivers the same old bad trip . 10461
Everything that was right about Blade is wrong in its sequel . 10462
A few energetic stunt sequences briefly enliven the film , but the wheezing terrorist subplot has n't the stamina for the 100-minute running time , and the protagonists ' bohemian boorishness mars the spirit of good clean fun . 10463
The film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Joel Schumacher , and reflects the worst of their shallow styles : wildly overproduced , inadequately motivated every step of the way and demographically targeted to please every one -LRB- and no one -RRB- . 10464
Disney again ransacks its archives for a quick-buck sequel . 10465
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 . 10466
Anyone who suffers through this film deserves , at the very least , a big box of consolation candy . 10467
How much you are moved by the emotional tumult of -LRB- François and Michèle 's -RRB- relationship depends a lot on how interesting and likable you find them . 10468
They presume their audience wo n't sit still for a sociology lesson , however entertainingly presented , so they trot out the conventional science-fiction elements of bug-eyed monsters and futuristic women in skimpy clothes . 10469
Collapses after 30 minutes into a slap-happy series of adolescent violence . 10470
The following things are not at all entertaining : The bad sound , the lack of climax and , worst of all , watching Seinfeld -LRB- who is also one of the film 's producers -RRB- do everything he can to look like a good guy . 10471
Attal 's hang-ups surrounding infidelity are so old-fashioned and , dare I say , outdated , it 's a wonder that he could n't have brought something fresher to the proceedings simply by accident . 10472
Obvious , obnoxious and didactic burlesque . 10473
The most surprising thing about this film is that they are actually releasing it into theaters . 10474
Michele is a such a brainless flibbertigibbet that it 's hard to take her spiritual quest at all seriously . 10475
Ultimately , clarity matters , both in breaking codes and making movies . 10476
Enigma lacks it . 10477
Potty-mouthed enough for PG-13 , yet not as hilariously raunchy as South Park , this strangely schizo cartoon seems suited neither to kids or adults . 10478
... has its moments , but ultimately , its curmudgeon does n't quite make the cut of being placed on any list of favorites . 10479
A distinctly minor effort that will be seen to better advantage on cable , especially considering its barely feature-length running time of one hour . 10480
Most of the movie is so deadly dull that watching the proverbial paint dry would be a welcome improvement . 10481
In the end , Tuck Everlasting falls victim to that everlasting conundrum experienced by every human who ever lived : too much to do , too little time to do it in . 10482
Rather less than the sum of its underventilated père-fils confrontations . 10483
McKay shows crushingly little curiosity about , or is ill-equipped to examine , the interior lives of the characters in his film , much less incorporate them into his narrative . 10484
Plays like a series of vignettes -- clips of a film that are still looking for a common through-line . 10485
New Yorkers always seem to find the oddest places to dwell ... 10486
Amid the shock and curiosity factors , the film is just a corny examination of a young actress trying to find her way . 10487
Yes , Spirited Away is a triumph of imagination , but it 's also a failure of storytelling . 10488
A characteristically engorged and sloppy coming-of-age movie . 10489
A somewhat disappointing and meandering saga . 10490
Whenever you think you 've seen the end of the movie , we cut to a new scene , which also appears to be the end . 10491
But , no , we get another scene , and then another . 10492
You begin to long for the end credits as the desert does for rain . 10493
An empty , ugly exercise in druggy trance-noir and trumped-up street credibility . 10494
The screenplay , co-written by director Imogen Kimmel , lacks the wit necessary to fully exploit the comic elements of the premise , making the proceedings more bizarre than actually amusing . 10495
The milieu is wholly unconvincing ... and the histrionics reach a truly annoying pitch . 10496
Unfunny comedy with a lot of static set ups , not much camera movement , and most of the scenes take place indoors in formal settings with motionless characters . 10497
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 . 10498
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 . 10499
Will no doubt delight Plympton 's legion of fans ; others may find 80 minutes of these shenanigans exhausting . 10500
The laughs are as rare as snake foo yung . 10501
For a film that celebrates radical , nonconformist values , What to Do in Case of Fire ? 10502
lazily and glumly settles into a most traditional , reserved kind of filmmaking . 10503
Knockaround Guys plays like a student film by two guys who desperately want to be Quentin Tarantino when they grow up . 10504
But they lack their idol 's energy and passion for detail . 10505
Mattei so completely loses himself to the film 's circular structure to ever offer any insightful discourse on , well , Love in the Time of Money . 10506
It briefly flirts with player masochism , but the point of real interest - -- audience sadism -- is evaded completely . 10507
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 . 10508
For every articulate player , such as skateboarder Tony Hawk or BMX rider Mat Hoffman , are about a half dozen young Turks angling to see how many times they can work the words `` radical '' or `` suck '' into a sentence . 10509
There 's not a fresh idea at the core of this tale . 10510
An impenetrable and insufferable ball of pseudo-philosophic twaddle . 10511
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 . 10512
I liked the movie , but I know I would have liked it more if it had just gone that one step further . 10513
I 'm left slightly disappointed that it did n't . 10514
Dreary tale of middle-class angst 10515
For a movie about the power of poetry and passion , there is precious little of either . 10516
-LRB- Jackson and Bledel -RRB- seem to have been picked not for their acting chops , but for their looks and appeal to the pre-teen crowd . 10517
Lillard and Cardellini earn their Scooby Snacks , but not anyone else . 10518
Like Schindler 's List , The Grey Zone attempts to be grandiloquent , but ends up merely pretentious -- in a grisly sort of way . 10519
An unremittingly ugly movie to look at , listen to , and think about , it is quite possibly the sturdiest example yet of why the DV revolution has cheapened the artistry of making a film . 10520
-LRB- Screenwriter -RRB- Pimental took the Farrelly Brothers comedy and feminized it , but it is a rather poor imitation . 10521
It 's kind of sad that so many people put so much time and energy into this turkey . 10522
Friday After Next is a lot more bluster than bite . 10523
Its juxtaposition of overwrought existentialism and stomach-churning gore will have you forever on the verge of either cracking up or throwing up . 10524
A decidedly mixed bag . 10525
There are cheesy backdrops , ridiculous action sequences , and many tired jokes about men in heels . 10526
Ice Cube is n't quite out of ripe screwball ideas , but Friday After Next spreads them pretty thin . 10527
Not everything in the film works , including its somewhat convenient ending . 10528
The characters , cast in impossibly contrived situations , are totally estranged from reality . 10529
Everything else about High Crimes is , like the military system of justice it portrays , tiresomely regimented . 10530
Just dreadful . 10531
I do n't blame Eddie Murphy but should n't Owen Wilson know a movie must have a story and a script ? 10532
Sweet Home Alabama certainly wo n't be remembered as one of -LRB- Witherspoon 's -RRB- better films . 10533
hard as this may be to believe , Here on Earth , a surprisingly similar teen drama , was a better film . 10534
This is just lazy writing . 10535
Even kids deserve better . 10536
The pretensions -- and disposable story -- sink the movie . 10537
And Diesel is n't the actor to save it . 10538
Bravo reveals the true intent of her film by carefully selecting interview subjects who will construct a portrait of Castro so predominantly charitable it can only be seen as propaganda . 10539
... a preachy parable stylized with a touch of John Woo bullet ballet . 10540
Frank Capra played this story straight . 10541
But the 2002 film does n't really believe in it , and breaks the mood with absurdly inappropriate ` comedy ' scenes . 10542
How about starting with a more original story instead of just slapping extreme humor and gross-out gags on top of the same old crap ? 10543
The problem is that for the most part , the film is deadly dull . 10544
Handled correctly , Wilde 's play is a masterpiece of elegant wit and artifice . 10545
Here , alas , it collapses like an overcooked soufflé . 10546
`` Sorority Boys '' was funnier , and that movie was pretty bad . 10547
A bizarre piece of work , with premise and dialogue at the level of kids ' television and plot threads as morose as teen pregnancy , rape and suspected murder 10548
Paul Bettany is good at being the ultra-violent gangster wannabe , but the movie is certainly not number 1 . 10549
It 's a gag that 's worn a bit thin over the years , though Do n't Ask still finds a few chuckles . 10550
An uplifting drama ... What Antwone Fisher is n't , however , is original . 10551
Often likable , but just as often it 's meandering , low on energy , and too eager to be quirky at moments when a little old-fashioned storytelling would come in handy . 10552
Certain to be distasteful to children and adults alike , Eight Crazy Nights is a total misfire . 10553
Elaborate special effects take centre screen , so that the human story is pushed to one side . 10554
Showtime is n't particularly assaultive , but it can still make you feel that you never want to see another car chase , explosion or gunfight again . 10555
All the characters are clinically depressed and have abandoned their slim hopes and dreams . 10556
This Tuxedo ... should have been sent back to the tailor for some major alterations . 10557
I have no problem with `` difficult '' movies , or movies that ask the audience to meet them halfway and connect the dots instead of having things all spelled out . 10558
But first , you have to give the audience a reason to want to put for that effort 10559
Been there , done that ... a thousand times already , and better . 10560
What 's most offensive is n't the waste of a good cast , but the film 's denial of sincere grief and mourning in favor of bogus spiritualism . 10561
Sunk by way too much indulgence of scene-chewing , teeth-gnashing actorliness . 10562
Fans of Plympton 's shorts may marginally enjoy the film , but it is doubtful this listless feature will win him any new viewers . 10563
Barrels along at the start before becoming mired in sentimentality . 10564
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 . 10565
The kind of movie that leaves vague impressions and a nasty aftertaste but little clear memory of its operational mechanics . 10566
` Punch-Drunk Love is so convinced of its own brilliance that , if it were a person , you 'd want to smash its face in . ' 10567
At once overly old-fashioned in its sudsy plotting and heavy-handed in its effort to modernize it with encomia to diversity and tolerance . 10568
The trashy teen-sleaze equivalent of Showgirls . 10569
While the production details are lavish , film has little insight into the historical period and its artists , particularly in how Sand developed a notorious reputation . 10570
A crass and insulting homage to great films like Some Like It Hot and the John Wayne classics . 10571
What 's the most positive thing that can be said about the new Rob Schneider vehicle ? 10572
Well , it 's not as pathetic as The Animal . 10573
With all the sympathy , empathy and pity fogging up the screen ... His Secret Life enters the land of unintentional melodrama and tiresome love triangles . 10574
The problematic characters and overly convenient plot twists foul up Shum 's good intentions . 10575
What ` Blade Runner ' would 've looked like as a low-budget series on a UHF channel . 10576
Has all the values of a straight-to-video movie , but because it has a bigger-name cast , it gets a full theatrical release . 10577
With its lackadaisical plotting and mindless action , All About the Benjamins evokes the bottom tier of blaxploitation flicks from the 1970s . 10578
It never quite makes it to the boiling point , but manages to sustain a good simmer for most of its running time . 10579
Loud , silly , stupid and pointless . 10580
Mandel Holland 's direction is uninspired , and his scripting unsurprising , but the performances by Phifer and Black are ultimately winning . 10581
You 'll find yourself wishing that you and they were in another movie . 10582
A yawn-provoking little farm melodrama . 10583
Did no one on the set have a sense of humor , or did they not have the nerve to speak up ? 10584
Seriously , rent the Disney version . 10585
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 . 10586
Like its parade of predecessors , this Halloween is a gory slash-fest . 10587
It ca n't escape its past , and it does n't want to . 10588
`` Abandon '' will leave you wanting to abandon the theater . 10589
Problem is , we have no idea what in creation is going on . 10590
A live-action cartoon , a fast-moving and cheerfully simplistic 88 minutes of exaggerated action put together with the preteen boy in mind . 10591
A loquacious and dreary piece of business . 10592
What the audience feels is exhaustion , from watching a movie that is dark -LRB- dark green , to be exact -RRB- , sour , bloody and mean . 10593
director Hoffman , his writer and Kline 's agent should serve detention 10594
Dodgy mixture of cutesy romance , dark satire and murder mystery . 10595
Meticulously mounted , exasperatingly well-behaved film , which ticks off Kahlo 's lifetime milestones with the dutiful precision of a tax accountant . 10596
Time of Favor could have given audiences the time of day by concentrating on the elements of a revealing alienation among a culture of people who sadly are at hostile odds with one another through recklessness and retaliation . 10597
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 . 10598
While Serving Sara does have a long way to go before it reaches the level of crudity in the latest Austin Powers extravaganza , there 's nothing here to match that movie 's intermittent moments of inspiration . 10599
I 'm not sure which is worse : the poor acting by the ensemble cast , the flat dialogue by Vincent R. Nebrida or the gutless direction by Laurice Guillen . 10600
The only reason you should see this movie is if you have a case of masochism and an hour and a half to blow . 10601
Whatever about warning kids about the dangers of ouija boards , someone should dispense the same advice to film directors . 10602
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 . 10603
The Irwins ' scenes are fascinating ; the movie as a whole is cheap junk and an insult to their death-defying efforts . 10604
If routine action and jokes like this are your cup of tea , then pay your $ 8 and get ready for the big shear . 10605
This is one baaaaaaaaad movie . 10606
A man leaving the screening said the film was better than Saving Private Ryan . 10607
He may have meant the Internet short Saving Ryan 's Privates . 10608
But Windtalkers does n't beat that one , either . 10609
May puzzle his most ardent fans . 10610
Starts as a tart little lemon drop of a movie and ends up as a bitter pill . 10611
We never feel anything for these characters , and as a result the film is basically just a curiosity . 10612
Those unfamiliar with Mormon traditions may find The Singles Ward occasionally bewildering . 10613
Ritchie may not have a novel thought in his head , but he knows how to pose Madonna . 10614
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 . 10615
Feels like the work of an artist who is simply tired -- of fighting the same fights , of putting the weight of the world on his shoulders , of playing with narrative form . 10616
While you have to admit it 's semi-amusing to watch Robert DeNiro belt out `` When you 're a Jet , you 're a Jet all the way , '' it 's equally distasteful to watch him sing the lyrics to `` Tonight . '' 10617
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 . ' 10618
... the cast portrays their cartoon counterparts well ... but quite frankly , Scoob and Shag do n't eat enough during the film . ' 10619
More of the same old garbage Hollywood has been trying to pass off as acceptable teen entertainment for some time now . 10620
TV skit-com material fervently deposited on the big screen . 10621
-LRB- Johnnie To and Wai Ka Fai are -RRB- sure to find an enthusiastic audience among American action-adventure buffs , but the film 's interests may be too narrow to attract crossover viewers . 10622
If there was ever a movie where the upbeat ending feels like a copout , this is the one . 10623
It 's as sorry a mess as its director 's diabolical debut , Mad Cows . 10624
Any attempts at nuance given by the capable cast is drowned out by director Jon Purdy 's sledgehammer sap . 10625
Its audacious ambitions sabotaged by pomposity , Steven Soderbergh 's space opera emerges as a numbingly dull experience . 10626
Despite some strong performances , never rises above the level of a telanovela . 10627
This is a picture that Maik , the firebrand turned savvy ad man , would be envious of : it hijacks the heat of revolution and turns it into a sales tool . 10628
Feels slight , as if it were an extended short , albeit one made by the smartest kids in class . 10629
Unspeakable , of course , barely begins to describe the plot and its complications . 10630
Vulgar is too optimistic a title . 10631
The actors pull out all the stops in nearly every scene , but to diminishing effect . 10632
The characters never change . 10633
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 . 10634
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 . 10635
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 . 10636
Even as I valiantly struggled to remain interested , or at least conscious , I could feel my eyelids ... getting ... very ... heavy ... 10637
A bad movie that happened to good actors . 10638
Boasts eye-catching art direction but has a forcefully quirky tone that quickly wears out its limited welcome . 10639
Screenwriter Dan Schneider and director Shawn Levy substitute volume and primary colors for humor and bite . 10640
Oversexed , at times overwrought comedy\/drama that offers little insight into the experience of being forty , female and single . 10641
That such a horrible movie could have sprung from such a great one is one of the year 's worst cinematic tragedies . 10642
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 . 10643
Rarely has a film 's title served such dire warning . 10644
If you saw Benigni 's Pinocchio at a public park , you 'd grab your kids and run and then probably call the police . 10645
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 . 10646
The pace of the film is very slow -LRB- for obvious reasons -RRB- and that too becomes off-putting . 10647
Mr. Wollter and Ms. Seldhal give strong and convincing performances , but neither reaches into the deepest recesses of the character to unearth the quaking essence of passion , grief and fear . 10648
Shafer 's feature does n't offer much in terms of plot or acting . 10649
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 . 10650
-LRB- T -RRB- he ideas of Revolution # 9 are more compelling than the execution 10651
The film did n't convince me that Calvin Jr. 's Barbershop represents some sort of beacon of hope in the middle of Chicago 's South Side . 10652
What happens when something goes bump in the night and nobody cares ? 10653
Despite some comic sparks , Welcome to Collinwood never catches fire . 10654
Director George Hickenlooper has had some success with documentaries , but here his sense of story and his juvenile camera movements smack of a film school undergrad , and his maudlin ending might not have gotten him into film school in the first place . 10655
Shows moments of promise but ultimately succumbs to cliches and pat storytelling . 10656
Even accepting this in the right frame of mind can only provide it with so much leniency . 10657
Some Body is a shaky , uncertain film that nevertheless touches a few raw nerves . 10658
All the small moments and flashbacks do n't add up to much more than trite observations on the human condition . 10659
-LRB- A -RRB- stale retread of the '53 original . 10660
One thing 's for sure -- if George Romero had directed this movie , it would n't have taken the protagonists a full hour to determine that in order to kill a zombie you must shoot it in the head . 10661
For dance completists only . 10662
Spreads itself too thin , leaving these actors , as well as the members of the commune , short of profound characterizations 10663
It would n't matter so much that this arrogant Richard Pryor wannabe 's routine is offensive , puerile and unimaginatively foul-mouthed if it was at least funny . 10664
The locale ... remains far more interesting than the story at hand . 10665
Yo , it 's The Days Of Our Lives meets Electric Boogaloo . 10666
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 . 10667
This little film is so slovenly done , so primitive in technique , that it ca n't really be called animation . 10668
Makes 98 minutes feel like three hours . 10669
Hawke 's film , a boring , pretentious waste of nearly two hours , does n't tell you anything except that the Chelsea Hotel today is populated by whiny , pathetic , starving and untalented artistes . 10670
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 . 10671
Real-life strongman Ahola lacks the charisma and ability to carry the film on his admittedly broad shoulders . 10672
The title , alone , should scare any sane person away . 10673
Low comedy does n't come much lower . 10674
Appropriately cynical social commentary aside , # 9 never quite ignites . 10675
It 's crap on a leash -- far too polite to scale the lunatic heights of Joe Dante 's similarly styled Gremlins . 10676
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 . 10677
This is the kind of movie where the big scene is a man shot out of a cannon into a vat of ice cream . 10678
Let 's face it -- there are n't many reasons anyone would want to see Crossroads if they 're not big fans of teen pop kitten Britney Spears . 10679
A loud , brash and mainly unfunny high school comedy . 10680
An exceptionally dreary and overwrought bit of work , every bit as imperious as Katzenberg 's The Prince of Egypt from 1998 . 10681
The movie is so resolutely cobbled together out of older movies that it even uses a totally unnecessary prologue , just because it seems obligatory . 10682
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 . 10683
Maid in Manhattan proves that it 's easier to change the sheets than to change hackneyed concepts when it comes to dreaming up romantic comedies . 10684
A fairly harmless but ultimately lifeless feature-length afterschool special . 10685
I ca n't remember the last time I saw a movie where I wanted so badly for the protagonist to fail . 10686
... the whole thing succeeded only in making me groggy . 10687
Like most of Jaglom 's films , some of it is honestly affecting , but more of it seems contrived and secondhand . 10688
One long , numbing action sequence made up mostly of routine stuff Yuen has given us before . 10689
Forgettable , if good-hearted , movie . 10690
The film 's most improbable feat ? 10691
It did n't go straight to video . 10692
... about as exciting to watch as two last-place basketball teams playing one another on the final day of the season . 10693
The Chateau ... is less concerned with cultural and political issues than doting on its eccentric characters . 10694
Cruel and inhuman cinematic punishment ... simultaneously degrades its characters , its stars and its audience . 10695
It 's not too fast and not too slow . 10696
It 's not too racy and it 's not too offensive . 10697
It 's not too much of anything . 10698
The great pity is that those responsible did n't cut their losses -- and ours -- and retitle it The Adventures of Direct-to-Video Nash , and send it to its proper home . 10699
About as original as a gangster sweating bullets while worrying about a contract on his life . 10700
An empty shell of an epic rather than the real deal . 10701
We could have expected a little more human being , and a little less product . 10702
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 . 10703
Whether Quitting will prove absorbing to American audiences is debatable . 10704
Becomes a bit of a mishmash : a tearjerker that does n't and a thriller that wo n't . 10705
Family togetherness takes a back seat to inter-family rivalry and workplace ambition ... whole subplots have no explanation or even plot relevance . 10706
Grant is n't Cary and Bullock is n't Katherine . 10707
Like a fish that 's lived too long , Austin Powers in Goldmember has some unnecessary parts and is kinda wrong in places . 10708
Two tedious acts light on great scares and a good surprise ending . 10709
Shyamalan should stop trying to please his mom . 10710
The entire movie is in need of a scented bath . 10711
I 'm sorry to say that this should seal the deal - Arnold is not , nor will he be , back . 10712
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 . 10713
A Movie to Forget 10714
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 . 10715
Enough is not a bad movie , just mediocre . 10716
The performances are so overstated , the effect comes off as self-parody . 10717
It looks good , but it is essentially empty . 10718
The film never finds its tone and several scenes run too long . 10719
The idea is more interesting than the screenplay , which lags badly in the middle and lurches between not-very-funny comedy , unconvincing dramatics and some last-minute action strongly reminiscent of Run Lola Run . 10720
Van Wilder has a built-in audience , but only among those who are drying out from spring break and are still unconcerned about what they ingest . 10721
It 's hard to believe that something so short could be so flabby . 10722
Do we really need another film that praises female self-sacrifice ? 10723
The major problem with Windtalkers is that the bulk of the movie centers on the wrong character . 10724
Tennessee Williams by way of Oprah 's Book Club . 10725
So verbally flatfooted and so emotionally predictable or bland that it plays like the standard made-for-TV movie . 10726
The entire point of a shaggy dog story , of course , is that it goes nowhere , and this is classic nowheresville in every sense . 10727
Stale and clichéd to a fault . 10728
This film is too busy hitting all of its assigned marks to take on any life of its own . 10729
Watching junk like this induces a kind of abstract guilt , as if you were paying dues for good books unread , fine music never heard . 10730
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 . 10731
Starts off witty and sophisticated and you want to love it -- but filmmaker Yvan Attal quickly writes himself into a corner . 10732
Some Like It Hot on the Hardwood proves once again that a man in drag is not in and of himself funny . 10733
Unfortunately , contrived plotting , stereotyped characters and Woo 's over-the-top instincts as a director undermine the moral dilemma at the movie 's heart . 10734
Witless and utterly pointless . 10735
When ` science fiction ' takes advantage of the fact that its intended audience has n't yet had much science , it does a disservice to the audience and to the genre . 10736
Show me the mugging . 10737
Represents something very close to the nadir of the thriller\/horror genre . 10738
Visually sumptuous but intellectually stultifying . 10739
As a feature-length film , it wears out its welcome as tryingly as the title character . 10740
A guilty pleasure at best , and not worth seeing unless you want to laugh at it . 10741
A sleep-inducing thriller with a single twist that everyone except the characters in it can see coming a mile away . 10742
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 ? 10743
It 's just rather leaden and dull . 10744
Lacks the visual flair and bouncing bravado that characterizes better hip-hop clips and is content to recycle images and characters that were already tired 10 years ago . 10745
Statham employs an accent that I think is supposed to be an attempt at hardass American but sometimes just lapses into unhidden British . 10746
Instead of trying to bust some blondes , -LRB- Diggs -RRB- should be probing why a guy with his talent ended up in a movie this bad . 10747
Initial strangeness inexorably gives way to rote sentimentality and mystical tenderness becomes narrative expedience . 10748
De Ayala is required to supply too much of the energy in a film that is , overall , far too staid for its subject matter . 10749
Dismally dull sci-fi comedy . 10750
There 's surely something wrong with a comedy where the only belly laughs come from the selection of outtakes tacked onto the end credits . 10751
When one hears Harry Shearer is going to make his debut as a film director , one would hope for the best 10752
The leads we are given here are simply too bland to be interesting . 10753
-LRB- Toback 's -RRB- fondness for fancy split-screen , stuttering editing and pompous references to Wittgenstein and Kirkegaard ... blends uneasily with the titillating material . 10754
Adam Sandler 's 8 Crazy Nights is 75 wasted minutes of Sandler as the voice-over hero in Columbia Pictures ' perverse idea of an animated holiday movie . 10755
essentially `` Fatal Attraction '' remade for viewers who were in diapers when the original was released in 1987 . 10756
... this story gets sillier , not scarier , as it goes along ... 10757
Even a hardened voyeur would require the patience of Job to get through this interminable , shapeless documentary about the swinging subculture . 10758
The film 's hero is a bore and his innocence soon becomes a questionable kind of inexcusable dumb innocence . 10759
A singularly off-putting romantic comedy . 10760
This is an exercise not in biography but in hero worship . 10761
It all comes down to whether you can tolerate Leon Barlow . 10762
I ca n't . 10763
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 . 10764
Check your brain and your secret agent decoder ring at the door because you do n't want to think too much about what 's going on . 10765
The movie does has some entertainment value - how much depends on how well you like Chris Rock . 10766
A movie that seems motivated more by a desire to match mortarboards with Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting than by its own story . 10767
A culture clash comedy only half as clever as it thinks it is . 10768
The logic of it all will be Greek to anyone not predisposed to the movie 's rude and crude humor . 10769
As self-aware movies go , Who is Cletis Tout ? 10770
is clever enough , though thin writing proves its undoing . 10771
Starts out strongly before quickly losing its focus , point and purpose in a mess of mixed messages , over-blown drama and Bruce Willis with a scar . 10772
... a fascinating curiosity piece -- fascinating , that is , for about ten minutes . 10773
After that it becomes long and tedious like a classroom play in a college history course . 10774
Director Jay Russell weighs down his capricious fairy-tale with heavy sentiment and lightweight meaning . 10775
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 . 10776
Its screenplay serves as auto-critique , and its clumsiness as its own most damning censure . 10777
At times , it actually hurts to watch . 10778
Nemesis suffers from a paunchy midsection , several plodding action sequences and a wickedly undramatic central theme . 10779
The jokes are telegraphed so far in advance they must have been lost in the mail . 10780
-LRB- Tries -RRB- to parody a genre that 's already a joke in the United States . 10781
The movie is the equivalent of French hip-hop , which also seems to play on a 10-year delay . 10782
A beyond-lame satire , Teddy Bears ' Picnic ranks among the most pitiful directing debuts by an esteemed writer-actor . 10783
I 've never seen -LRB- a remake -RRB- do anything as stomach-turning as the way Adam Sandler 's new movie rapes , pillages and incinerates Frank Capra 's classic ... 10784
Hollywood 's answer to an air ball . 10785
And people make fun of me for liking Showgirls . 10786
Such a wildly uneven hit-and-miss enterprise , you ca n't help suspecting that it was improvised on a day-to-day basis during production . 10787
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 . 10788
But it does n't leave you with much . 10789
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 . 10790
Like Mike is a slight and uninventive movie : Like the exalted Michael Jordan referred to in the title , many can aspire but none can equal . 10791
There is nothing funny in this every-joke-has - been-told-a - thousand-times - before movie . 10792
Always destined to be measured against Anthony Asquith 's acclaimed 1952 screen adaptation . 10793
This is standard crime drama fare ... instantly forgettable and thoroughly dull . 10794
There 's some outrageously creative action in The Transporter ... -LRB- b -RRB- ut by the time Frank parachutes down onto a moving truck , it 's just another cartoon with an unstoppable superman . 10795
One of those based-on-truth stories that persuades you , with every scene , that it could never really have happened this way . 10796
From its nauseating spinning credits sequence to a very talented but underutilized supporting cast , Bartleby squanders as much as it gives out . 10797
Yet another genre exercise , Gangster No. 1 is as generic as its title . 10798
Despite the holes in the story and the somewhat predictable plot , moments of the movie caused me to jump in my chair ... 10799
There 's an admirable rigor to Jimmy 's relentless anger , and to the script 's refusal of a happy ending , but as those monologues stretch on and on , you realize there 's no place for this story to go but down . 10800
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 . 10801
A lightweight , uneven action comedy that freely mingles French , Japanese and Hollywood cultures . 10802
Such a fine idea for a film , and such a stultifying , lifeless execution . 10803
-LRB- Allen 's -RRB- best works understand why snobbery is a better satiric target than middle-America diversions could ever be . 10804
This overlong infomercial , due out on video before month 's end , is tepid and tedious . 10805
An ambitious , guilt-suffused melodrama crippled by poor casting . 10806
Rarely has sex on screen been so aggressively anti-erotic . 10807
A dull , inconsistent , dishonest female bonding picture . 10808
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 . 10809
A disappointment for a movie that should have been the ultimate IMAX trip . 10810
Does little to elaborate the conceit of setting this blood-soaked tragedy of murderous ambition in the era of Richard Nixon . 10811
This Sade is hardly a perverse , dangerous libertine and agitator -- which would have made for better drama . 10812
He 's just a sad aristocrat in tattered finery , and the film seems as deflated as he does . 10813
The film 's needlessly opaque intro takes its doe-eyed Crudup out of pre-9 \/ 11 New York and onto a cross-country road trip of the Homeric kind . 10814
It 's as if a bored Cage spent the duration of the film 's shooting schedule waiting to scream : `` Got AIDS yet ? '' 10815
In a strange way , Egoyan has done too much . 10816
He 's worked too hard on this movie . 10817
The film has the thrown-together feel of a summer-camp talent show : hastily written , underrehearsed , arbitrarily plotted and filled with crude humor and vulgar innuendo . 10818
The last three narcissists left on earth compete for each others ' affections . 10819
A clash between the artificial structure of the story and the more contemporary , naturalistic tone of the film ... 10820
The movie 's messages are quite admirable , but the story is just too clichéd and too often strains credulity . 10821
What we have here is n't a disaster , exactly , but a very handsomely produced let-down . 10822
The script was reportedly rewritten a dozen times -- either 11 times too many or else too few . 10823
A shoddy male hip hop fantasy filled with guns , expensive cars , lots of naked women and Rocawear clothing . 10824
To the filmmakers , Ivan is a prince of a fellow , but he comes across as shallow and glib though not mean-spirited , and there 's no indication that he 's been responsible for putting together any movies of particular value or merit . 10825
This is a movie filled with unlikable , spiteful idiots ; whether or not their friendship is salvaged makes no difference in the least . 10826
It 's as if Allen , at 66 , has stopped challenging himself . 10827
Scotland , PA is entirely too straight-faced to transcend its clever concept . 10828
A movie that the less charitable might describe as a castrated cross between Highlander and Lolita . 10829
Not only does LeBlanc make one spectacularly ugly-looking broad , but he appears miserable throughout as he swaggers through his scenes . 10830
There 's little to recommend Snow Dogs , unless one considers cliched dialogue and perverse escapism a source of high hilarity . 10831
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 . 10832
The film rehashes several old themes and is capped with pointless extremes -- it 's insanely violent and very graphic . 10833
Sorority Boys , which is as bad at it is cruel , takes every potential laugh and stiletto-stomps the life out of it . 10834
Here the love scenes all end in someone screaming . 10835
Maybe there 's a metaphor here , but figuring it out would n't make Trouble Every Day any better . 10836
This is the first film I 've ever seen that had no obvious directing involved . 10837
Fans of so-bad-they 're - good cinema may find some fun in this jumbled mess . 10838
Weiss and Speck never make a convincing case for the relevance of these two 20th-century footnotes . 10839
Sheridan is painfully bad , a fourth-rate Jim Carrey who does n't understand the difference between dumb fun and just plain dumb . 10840
Presents nothing special and , until the final act , nothing overtly disagreeable . 10841
The most excruciating 86 minutes one might sit through this summer that do not involve a dentist drill . 10842
Was that movie nothing more than a tepid exercise in trotting out a formula that worked five years ago but has since lost its fizz ? 10843
It goes on for too long and bogs down in a surfeit of characters and unnecessary subplots . 10844
It 's absolutely amazing how first-time director Kevin Donovan managed to find something new to add to the canon of Chan . 10845
Make Chan 's action sequences boring . 10846
You ... get a sense of good intentions derailed by a failure to seek and strike just the right tone . 10847
` In this poor remake of such a well loved classic , Parker exposes the limitations of his skill and the basic flaws in his vision . ' 10848
It 's the movie equivalent of a sweaty old guy in a rain coat shopping for cheap porn . 10849
The film 's final hour , where nearly all the previous unseen material resides , is unconvincing soap opera that Tornatore was right to cut . 10850
The movie does such an excellent job of critiquing itself at every faltering half-step of its development that criticizing feels more like commiserating . 10851
I found it slow , predictable and not very amusing . 10852
Director Yu seems far more interested in gross-out humor than in showing us well-thought stunts or a car chase that we have n't seen 10,000 times . 10853
Viewers will need all the luck they can muster just figuring out who 's who in this pretentious mess . 10854
A pint-sized ` Goodfellas ' designed to appeal to the younger set , it 's not a very good movie in any objective sense , but it does mostly hold one 's interest . 10855
Get out your pooper-scoopers . 10856
While the material is slight , the movie is better than you might think . 10857
It 's definitely not made for kids or their parents , for that matter , and I think even fans of Sandler 's comic taste may find it uninteresting . 10858
Sheridan seems terrified of the book 's irreverent energy , and scotches most of its élan , humor , bile , and irony . 10859
More busy than exciting , more frantic than involving , more chaotic than entertaining . 10860
There are more shots of children smiling for the camera than typical documentary footage which hurts the overall impact of the film . 10861
It 's makes a better travelogue than movie . 10862
It 's as if Solondz had two ideas for two movies , could n't really figure out how to flesh either out , so he just slopped ` em together here . 10863
The fourth in a series that I 'll bet most parents had thought -- hoped ! 10864
-- was a fad that had long since vanished . 10865
It 's a long way from Orwell 's dark , intelligent warning cry -LRB- 1984 -RRB- to the empty stud knockabout of Equilibrium , and what once was conviction is now affectation . 10866
Its premise is smart , but the execution is pretty weary . 10867
The holiday message of the 37-minute Santa vs. the Snowman leaves a lot to be desired . 10868
more precious than perspicacious 10869
If you saw it on TV , you 'd probably turn it off , convinced that you had already seen that movie . 10870
-LRB- T -RRB- he script is n'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 . 10871
If this is cinema , I pledge allegiance to Cagney and Lacey . 10872
Enigma looks great , has solid acting and a neat premise . 10873
Yet why it fails is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma . 10874
Most of the characters come off as pantomimesque sterotypes . 10875
Starts promisingly but disintegrates into a dreary , humorless soap opera . 10876
While there 's likely very little crossover appeal to those without much interest in the Elizabethans -LRB- as well as rank frustration from those in the know about Rubbo 's dumbed-down tactics -RRB- , Much Ado About Something is an amicable endeavor . 10877
It 's actually too sincere -- the crime movie equivalent of a chick flick . 10878
Most of the film feels conceived and shot on the fly -- like between lunch breaks for Shearer 's radio show and his Simpson voice-overs . 10879
Perry 's good and his is an interesting character , but `` Serving Sara '' has n't much more to serve than silly fluff . 10880
Nor is it a romantic comedy . 10881
Culkin turns his character into what is basically an anti-Harry Potter -- right down to the Gryffindor scarf . 10882
Memorable for a peculiar malaise that renders its tension flaccid and , by extension , its surprises limp and its resolutions ritual . 10883
It 's a documentary that says that the alternate sexuality meant to set you free may require so much relationship maintenance that celibacy can start looking good . 10884
In the not-too-distant future , movies like Ghost Ship will be used as analgesic balm for overstimulated minds . 10885
Right now , they 're merely signposts marking the slow , lingering death of imagination . 10886
The movie 's biggest shocks come from seeing former nymphette Juliette Lewis playing a salt-of-the-earth mommy named Minnie and watching Slim travel incognito in a ridiculous wig no respectable Halloween costume shop would ever try to sell . 10887
Like most movies about the pitfalls of bad behavior ... Circuit gets drawn into the party . 10888
It appears as if even the filmmakers did n't know what kind of movie they were making . 10889
Beneath the uncanny , inevitable and seemingly shrewd facade of movie-biz farce ... lies a plot cobbled together from largely flat and uncreative moments . 10890
Snipes relies too much on a scorchingly plotted dramatic scenario for its own good . 10891
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 . 10892
Starts out mediocre , spirals downward , and thuds to the bottom of the pool with an utterly incompetent conclusion . 10893
Nicolas Cage is n't the first actor to lead a group of talented friends astray , and this movie wo n't create a ruffle in what is already an erratic career . 10894
It lacks the compassion , good-natured humor and the level of insight that made -LRB- Eyre 's -RRB- first film something of a sleeper success . 10895
The result is good gossip , entertainingly delivered , yet with a distinctly musty odour , its expiry date long gone . 10896
A sustained fest of self-congratulation between actor and director that leaves scant place for the viewer . 10897
All Analyze That proves is that there is really only one movie 's worth of decent gags to be gleaned from the premise . 10898
Green ruins every single scene he 's in , and the film , while it 's not completely wreaked , is seriously compromised by that . 10899
There 's not a comedic moment in this romantic comedy . 10900
The story is predictable , the jokes are typical Sandler fare , and the romance with Ryder is puzzling . 10901
Wallace directs with such patronising reverence , it turns the stomach . 10902
Resurrection has the dubious distinction of being a really bad imitation of the really bad Blair Witch Project . 10903
Poor Ben Bratt could n't find stardom if MapQuest emailed him point-to-point driving directions . 10904
Pretend like your SAT scores are below 120 and you might not notice the flaws . 10905
Unlike Trey Parker , Sandler does n't understand that the idea of exploiting molestation for laughs is funny , not actually exploiting it yourself . 10906
A fake street drama that keeps telling you things instead of showing them . 10907
An empty , purposeless exercise . 10908
Earnest and tentative even when it aims to shock . 10909
Haneke 's script -LRB- from Elfriede Jelinek 's novel -RRB- is contrived , unmotivated , and psychologically unpersuasive , with an inconclusive ending . 10910
A sometimes incisive and sensitive portrait that is undercut by its awkward structure and a final veering toward melodrama . 10911
Those 24-and-unders looking for their own Caddyshack to adopt as a generational signpost may have to keep on looking . 10912
A distinctly mixed bag , the occasional bursts of sharp writing alternating with lots of sloppiness and the obligatory moments of sentimental ooze . 10913
What begins brightly gets bogged down over 140 minutes . 10914
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 . 10915
Ah-nuld 's action hero days might be over . 10916
It 's clear why Deuces Wild , which was shot two years ago , has been gathering dust on MGM 's shelf . 10917
Feels like nothing quite so much as a middle-aged moviemaker 's attempt to surround himself with beautiful , half-naked women . 10918
When the precise nature of Matthew 's predicament finally comes into sharp focus , the revelation fails to justify the build-up . 10919
This picture is murder by numbers , and as easy to be bored by as your ABC 's , despite a few whopping shootouts . 10920
Hilarious musical comedy though stymied by accents thick as mud . 10921
If you are into splatter movies , then you will probably have a reasonably good time with The Salton Sea . 10922
A dull , simple-minded and stereotypical tale of drugs , death and mind-numbing indifference on the inner-city streets . 10923
The feature-length stretch ... strains the show 's concept . 10924
This slender plot feels especially thin stretched over the nearly 80-minute running time . 10925
A film that will probably please people already fascinated by Behan but leave everyone else yawning with admiration . 10926
Davis the performer is plenty fetching enough , but she needs to shake up the mix , and work in something that does n't feel like a half-baked stand-up routine . 10927
The densest distillation of Roberts ' movies ever made . 10928
Ultimately , the film never recovers from the clumsy cliché of the ugly American abroad , and the too-frosty exterior Ms. Paltrow employs to authenticate her British persona is another liability . 10929
A handsome but unfulfilling suspense drama more suited to a quiet evening on PBS than a night out at an AMC . 10930
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 . 10931
-LRB- It -RRB- highlights not so much the crime lord 's messianic bent , but Spacey 's . 10932
Master of Disguise runs for only 71 minutes and feels like three hours . 10933
A reworking of Die Hard and Cliffhanger but it 's nowhere near as exciting as either . 10934
Suffers from unlikable characters and a self-conscious sense of its own quirky hipness . 10935
A film without surprise geared toward maximum comfort and familiarity . 10936
Fessenden continues to do interesting work , and it would be nice to see what he could make with a decent budget . 10937
But the problem with Wendigo , for all its effective moments , is n't really one of resources . 10938
Spirit is a visual treat , and it takes chances that are bold by studio standards , but it lacks a strong narrative . 10939
It stars schticky Chris Rock and stolid Anthony Hopkins , who seem barely in the same movie . 10940
Their contrast is neither dramatic nor comic -- it 's just a weird fizzle . 10941
This is a children 's film in the truest sense . 10942
It 's packed with adventure and a worthwhile environmental message , so it 's great for the kids . 10943
Parents , on the other hand , will be ahead of the plot at all times , and there is n't enough clever innuendo to fil 10944
The niftiest trick perpetrated by The Importance of Being Earnest is the alchemical transmogrification of Wilde into Austen -- and a Hollywood-ized Austen at that . 10945
Tykwer 's surface flash is n't just a poor fit with Kieslowski 's lyrical pessimism ; it completely contradicts everything Kieslowski 's work aspired to , including the condition of art . 10946
Ice Age is the first computer-generated feature cartoon to feel like other movies , and that makes for some glacial pacing early on . 10947
Too slick and manufactured to claim street credibility . 10948
Cherry Orchard is badly edited , often awkwardly directed and suffers from the addition of a wholly unnecessary pre-credit sequence designed to give some of the characters a ` back story . ' 10949
What ensues are much blood-splattering , mass drug-induced bowel evacuations , and none-too-funny commentary on the cultural distinctions between Americans and Brits . 10950
A dark comedy that goes for sick and demented humor simply to do so . 10951
The movie is without intent . 10952
Visually exciting sci-fi film which suffers from a lackluster screenplay . 10953
While Hollywood Ending has its share of belly laughs -LRB- including a knockout of a closing line -RRB- , the movie winds up feeling like a great missed opportunity . 10954
If The Full Monty was a freshman fluke , Lucky Break is -LRB- Cattaneo -RRB- sophomore slump . 10955
Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant make a great team , but this predictable romantic comedy should get a pink slip . 10956
Allegiance to Chekhov , which director Michael Cacoyannis displays with somber earnestness in the new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard , is a particularly vexing handicap . 10957
You expect more from director Michael Apted -LRB- Enigma -RRB- and screenwriter Nicholas Kazan -LRB- Reversal of Fortune -RRB- than this cliche pileup . 10958
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 ? 10959
The dramatic scenes are frequently unintentionally funny , and the action sequences -- clearly the main event -- are surprisingly uninvolving . 10960
Replacing John Carpenter 's stylish tracking shots is degraded , handheld Blair Witch video-cam footage . 10961
Of all the Halloween 's , this is the most visually unappealing . 10962
It has the requisite faux-urban vibe and hotter-two-years-ago rap and R&B names and references . 10963
Despite its dry wit and compassion , the film suffers from a philosophical emptiness and maddeningly sedate pacing . 10964
... feels as if -LRB- there 's -RRB- a choke leash around your neck so director Nick Cassavetes can give it a good , hard yank whenever he wants you to feel something . 10965
Attal pushes too hard to make this a comedy or serious drama . 10966
He seems to want both , but succeeds in making neither . 10967
I could have used my two hours better watching Being John Malkovich again . 10968
It 's not a bad plot ; but , unfortunately , the movie is nowhere near as refined as all the classic dramas it borrows from . 10969
Girlfriends are bad , wives are worse and babies are the kiss of death in this bitter Italian comedy . 10970
The only young people who possibly will enjoy it are infants ... who might be distracted by the movie 's quick movements and sounds . 10971
The film boasts at least a few good ideas and features some decent performances , but the result is disappointing . 10972
No Such Thing breaks no new ground and treads old turf like a hippopotamus ballerina . 10973
Unfortunately , neither Sendak nor the directors are particularly engaging or articulate . 10974
A wishy-washy melodramatic movie that shows us plenty of sturm und drung , but explains its characters ' decisions only unsatisfactorily . 10975
Bang ! 10976
Zoom ! 10977
It 's actually pretty funny , but in all the wrong places . 10978
Lurid and less than lucid work . 10979
A wannabe comedy of manners about a brainy prep-school kid with a Mrs. Robinson complex founders on its own preciousness -- and squanders its beautiful women . 10980
At a brief 42 minutes , we need more X and less blab . 10981
If anything , see it for Karen Black , who camps up a storm as a fringe feminist conspiracy theorist named Dirty Dick . 10982
This 90-minute dud could pass for Mike Tyson 's E ! 10983
True Hollywood Story . 10984
This is surely one of the most frantic , virulent and foul-natured Christmas season pics ever delivered by a Hollywood studio . 10985
Once the expectation of laughter has been quashed by whatever obscenity is at hand , even the funniest idea is n't funny . 10986
A porn film without the sex scenes . 10987
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 . 10988
A depressingly retrograde , ` post-feminist ' romantic comedy that takes an astonishingly condescending attitude toward women . 10989
Return to Never Land is much more P.C. than the original version -LRB- no more racist portraits of Indians , for instance -RRB- , but the excitement is missing . 10990
By the end , you just do n't care whether that cold-hearted snake Petrovich -LRB- that would be Reno -RRB- gets his comeuppance . 10991
Just bring on the Battle Bots , please ! 10992
While it 's all quite tasteful to look at , the attention process tends to do a little fleeing of its own . 10993
Broder 's screenplay is shallow , offensive and redundant , with pitifully few real laughs . 10994
Yes they can swim , the title is merely Anne-Sophie Birot 's off-handed way of saying girls find adolescence difficult to wade through . 10995
Don Michael Paul uses quick-cuts , -LRB- very -RRB- large shadows and wide-angle shots taken from a distance to hide the liberal use of a body double -LRB- for Seagal -RRB- . 10996
Slow , silly and unintentionally hilarious . 10997
The Sweetest Thing leaves a bitter taste . 10998
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 . 10999
For something as splendid-looking as this particular film , the viewer expects something special but instead gets -LRB- sci-fi -RRB- rehash . 11000
A thriller without a lot of thrills . 11001
This stuck pig of a movie flails limply between bizarre comedy and pallid horror . 11002
Ah , the travails of metropolitan life ! 11003
Alas , another breathless movie about same ! 11004
In Moonlight Mile , no one gets shut out of the hug cycle . 11005
Though uniformly well acted , especially by young Ballesta and Galan -LRB- a first-time actor -RRB- , writer\/director Achero Manas 's film is schematic and obvious . 11006
Done in mostly by a weak script that ca n't support the epic treatment . 11007
Despite its visual virtuosity , ` Naqoyqatsi ' is banal in its message and the choice of material to convey it . 11008
Slap her - she 's not funny ! 11009
No French people were harmed during the making of this movie , but they were insulted and the audience was put through torture for an hour and a half . 11010
Though its rather routine script is loaded with familiar situations , the movie has a cinematic fluidity and sense of intelligence that makes it work more than it probably should . 11011
`` One look at a girl in tight pants and big tits and you turn stupid ? '' 11012
Um ... is n't that the basis for the entire plot ? 11013
`` Not really as bad as you might think ! '' 11014
Strident and inelegant in its ` message-movie ' posturing . 11015
One regards Reign of Fire with awe . 11016
What a vast enterprise has been marshaled in the service of such a minute idea . 11017
It has the right approach and the right opening premise , but it lacks the zest and it goes for a plot twist instead of trusting the material . 11018
Its impressive images of crematorium chimney fires and stacks of dead bodies are undermined by the movie 's presentation , which is way too stagy . 11019
Seeing as the film lacks momentum and its position remains mostly undeterminable , the director 's experiment is a successful one . 11020
The plot is romantic comedy boilerplate from start to finish . 11021
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 . 11022
An unfortunate title for a film that has nothing endearing about it . 11023
Ninety minutes of Viva Castro ! 11024
can be as tiresome as 9 seconds of Jesse Helms ' anti- Castro rhetoric , which are included 11025
Comes off as a long , laborious whine , the bellyaching of a paranoid and unlikable man . 11026
It just goes to show , an intelligent person is n't necessarily an admirable storyteller . 11027
In a 102-minute film , Aaliyah gets at most 20 minutes of screen time . 11028
... most viewers will wish there had been more of the `` Queen '' and less of the `` Damned . '' 11029
Hopelessly inane , humorless and under-inspired . 11030
Kapur fails to give his audience a single character worth rooting for -LRB- or worth rooting against , for that matter -RRB- . 11031
It reduces the complexities to bromides and slogans and it gets so preachy-keen and so tub-thumpingly loud it makes you feel like a chump just for sitting through it . 11032
None of this has the suavity or classical familiarity of Bond , but much of it is good for a laugh . 11033
The problem with `` XXX '' is that its own action is n't very effective . 11034
A great script brought down by lousy direction . 11035
Same guy with both hats . 11036
Big mistake . 11037
A mediocre exercise in target demographics , unaware that it 's the butt of its own joke . 11038
Director Kevin Bray excels in breaking glass and marking off the `` Miami Vice '' checklist of power boats , Latin music and dog tracks . 11039
He does n't , however , deliver nearly enough of the show 's trademark style and flash . 11040
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 . 11041
The Spalding Gray equivalent of a teen gross-out comedy . 11042
Perhaps even the SLC high command found writer-director Mitch Davis 's wall of kitsch hard going . 11043
According to Wendigo , ` nature ' loves the members of the upper class almost as much as they love themselves . 11044
An encouraging effort from McCrudden 11045
The romance between the leads is n't as compelling or as believable as it should be . 11046
If I could have looked into my future and saw how bad this movie was , I would go back and choose to skip it . 11047
Fortunately , you still have that option . 11048
Supposedly authentic account of a historical event that 's far too tragic to merit such superficial treatment . 11049
Adroit but finally a trifle flat , Mad Love does n't galvanize its outrage the way , say , Jane Campion might have done , but at least it possesses some . 11050
To Blandly Go Where We Went 8 Movies Ago ... 11051
A slow-moving police-procedural thriller that takes its title all too literally . 11052
This u-boat does n't have a captain . 11053
With nary a glimmer of self-knowledge , -LRB- Crane -RRB- becomes more specimen than character -- and Auto Focus remains a chilly , clinical lab report . 11054
This one aims for the toilet and scores a direct hit . 11055
Dull , a road-trip movie that 's surprisingly short of both adventure and song . 11056
I walked away not really know who `` they '' were , what `` they '' looked like . 11057
Why `` they '' were here and what `` they '' wanted and quite honestly , I did n't care . 11058
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 . 11059
A relatively effective little potboiler until its absurd , contrived , overblown , and entirely implausible finale . 11060
The Country Bears wastes an exceptionally good idea . 11061
But the movie that does n't really deliver for country music fans or for family audiences 11062
Adults will certainly want to spend their time in the theater thinking up grocery lists and ways to tell their kids how not to act like Pinocchio . 11063
As for children , they wo n't enjoy the movie at all . 11064
... 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 . 11065
Too bad writer-director Adam Rifkin situates it all in a plot as musty as one of the Golden Eagle 's carpets . 11066
It 's lazy for a movie to avoid solving one problem by trying to distract us with the solution to another . 11067
The movie is genial but never inspired , and little about it will stay with you . 11068
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 . ' 11069
But its storytelling prowess and special effects are both listless . 11070
Despite the opulent lushness of every scene , the characters never seem to match the power of their surroundings . 11071
even after 90 minutes of playing opposite each other Bullock and Grant still look ill at ease sharing the same scene . 11072
What should have been a painless time-killer becomes instead a grating endurance test . 11073
A bland , obnoxious 88-minute infomercial for Universal Studios and its ancillary products . . . 11074
little action , almost no suspense or believable tension , one-dimensional characters up the wazoo and sets that can only be described as sci-fi generic . 11075
The movie strains to stay on the light , comic side of the issue , despite the difficulty of doing so when dealing with the destruction of property and , potentially , of life itself . 11076
The Master of Disguise is awful . 11077
It 's Pauly Shore awful . 11078
Do n't say you were n't warned . 11079
Disappointing in comparison to other recent war movies ... or any other John Woo flick for that matter . 11080
The entire movie is filled with deja vu moments . 11081
` Opening up ' the play more has partly closed it down . 11082
What -LRB- Frei -RRB- gives us ... is a man who uses the damage of war -- far more often than the warfare itself -- to create the kind of art shots that fill gallery shows . 11083
An ugly , revolting movie . 11084
The film is way too full of itself ; it 's stuffy and pretentious in a give-me-an-Oscar kind of way . 11085
The movie is concocted and carried out by folks worthy of scorn , and the nicest thing I can say is that I ca n't remember a single name responsible for it . 11086
Watching `` Ending '' is too often like looking over the outdated clothes and plastic knickknacks at your neighbor 's garage sale . 11087
You ca n't believe anyone would really buy this stuff . 11088
Certainly beautiful to look at , but its not very informative about its titular character and no more challenging than your average television biopic . 11089
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 . 11090
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 ? 11091
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 11092
My advice is to skip the film and pick up the soundtrack . 11093
A film that presents an interesting , even sexy premise then ruins itself with too many contrivances and goofy situations . 11094
Filled with low-brow humor , gratuitous violence and a disturbing disregard for life . 11095
directed in a flashy , empty sub-music video style by a director so self-possessed he actually adds a period to his first name 11096
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 . 11097
An unsophisticated sci-fi drama that takes itself all too seriously . 11098
Solondz is without doubt an artist of uncompromising vision , but that vision is beginning to feel , if not morally bankrupt , at least terribly monotonous . 11099
Harvard Man is a semi-throwback , a reminiscence without nostalgia or sentimentality . 11100
Supposedly based upon real , or at least soberly reported incidents , the film ends with a large human tragedy . 11101
Alas , getting there is not even half the interest . 11102
While Hoffman 's performance is great , the subject matter goes nowhere . 11103
The smash 'em - up , crash 'em - up , shoot 'em - up ending comes out of nowhere substituting mayhem for suspense . 11104
Deuces Wild treads heavily into Romeo and Juliet\/West Side Story territory , where it plainly has no business going . 11105
Hart 's War seems to want to be a character study , but apparently ca n't quite decide which character . 11106
Theological matters aside , the movie is so clumsily sentimental and ineptly directed it may leave you speaking in tongues . 11107
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 . 11108
Novak contemplates a heartland so overwhelmed by its lack of purpose that it seeks excitement in manufactured high drama . 11109
Been there , done that , liked it much better the first time around - when it was called The Professional . 11110
The film is all over the place , really . 11111
It dabbles all around , never gaining much momentum . 11112
The beautiful , unusual music is this film 's chief draw , but its dreaminess may lull you to sleep . 11113
The action quickly sinks into by-the-numbers territory . 11114
Forages for audience sympathy like a temperamental child begging for attention , giving audiences no reason to truly care for its decrepit freaks beyond the promise of a reprieve from their incessant whining . 11115
When -LRB- Reno -RRB- 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 . 11116
Such a premise is ripe for all manner of lunacy , but Kaufman and Gondry rarely seem sure of where it should go . 11117
Burns ' fifth beer-soaked film feels in almost every possible way -- from the writing and direction to the soggy performances -- tossed off . 11118
While this one gets off with a good natured warning , future Lizard endeavors will need to adhere more closely to the laws of laughter 11119
Another boorish movie from the I-heard-a-joke - at-a-frat-party school of screenwriting . 11120
Too much of the movie feels contrived , as if the filmmakers were worried the story would n't work without all those gimmicks . 11121
It 's hard to understand why anyone in his right mind would even think to make the attraction a movie . 11122
And it 's harder still to believe that anyone in his right mind would want to see the it . 11123
The ethos of the Chelsea Hotel may shape Hawke 's artistic aspirations , but he has n't yet coordinated his own DV poetry with the Beat he hears in his soul . 11124
The sight of the name Bruce Willis brings to mind images of a violent battlefield action picture , but the film has a lot more on its mind -- maybe too much . 11125
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 ? 11126
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 . 11127
Exploring value choices is a worthwhile topic for a film -- but here the choices are as contrived and artificial as Kerrigan 's platinum-blonde hair . 11128
The movie 's downfall is to substitute plot for personality . 11129
It does n't really know or care about the characters , and uses them as markers for a series of preordained events . 11130
All mood and no movie . 11131
Press the delete key . 11132
Simone is not a bad film . 11133
It just does n't have anything really interesting to say . 11134
Once he starts learning to compromise with reality enough to become comparatively sane and healthy , the film becomes predictably conventional . 11135
... hopefully it 'll be at the dollar theatres by the time Christmas rolls around . 11136
Wait to see it then . 11137
There 's no disguising this as one of the worst films of the summer . 11138
Or for the year , for that matter . 11139
Lacks the spirit of the previous two , and makes all those jokes about hos and even more unmentionable subjects seem like mere splashing around in the muck . 11140
This hastily mounted production exists only to capitalize on Hopkins ' inclination to play Hannibal Lecter again , even though Harris has no immediate inclination to provide a fourth book . 11141
Death to Smoochy tells a moldy-oldie , not-nearly - as-nasty - as-it - thinks-it-is joke . 11142
Over and over again . 11143
The threat implied in the title Pokémon 4ever is terrifying -- like locusts in a horde these things will keep coming . 11144
The film never gets over its own investment in conventional arrangements , in terms of love , age , gender , race , and class . 11145
To call this film a lump of coal would only be to flatter it . 11146
Entertainment more disposable than Hanna-Barbera 's half-hour cartoons ever were . 11147
The film falls short on tension , eloquence , spiritual challenge -- things that have made the original New Testament stories so compelling for 20 centuries . 11148
By the end of it all I sort of loved the people onscreen , even though I could not stand them . 11149
Perhaps the film should be seen as a conversation starter . 11150
It 's not an easy one to review . 11151
At best this is a film for the under-7 crowd . 11152
But it would be better to wait for the video . 11153
And a very rainy day . 11154
The whole talking-animal thing is grisly . 11155
Never Again , while nothing special , is pleasant , diverting and modest -- definitely a step in the right direction . 11156
Would n't it be funny if a bunch of Allied soldiers went undercover as women in a German factory during World War II ? 11157
Um , no. . 11158
But here 's a movie about it anyway . 11159
Has not so much been written as assembled , Frankenstein-like , out of other , marginally better shoot-em-ups . 11160
The punch lines that miss , unfortunately , outnumber the hits by three-to-one . 11161
But Death to Smoochy keeps firing until the bitter end . 11162
Mushes the college-friends genre -LRB- The Big Chill -RRB- together with the contrivances and overwrought emotion of soap operas . 11163
Showtime 's starry cast could be both an asset and a detriment . 11164
Those who trek to the ` plex predisposed to like it probably will enjoy themselves . 11165
But ticket-buyers with great expectations will wind up as glum as Mr. De Niro . 11166
A determined , ennui-hobbled slog that really does n't have much to say beyond the news flash that loneliness can make people act weird . 11167
Too daft by half ... but supremely good natured . 11168
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 . 11169
It 's a shame that the storyline and its underlying themes ... finally seem so impersonal or even shallow . 11170
Woody , what happened ? 11171
Juliette Binoche 's Sand is vivacious , but it 's hard to sense that powerhouse of 19th-century prose behind her childlike smile . 11172
It 's supposed to be post-feminist breezy but ends up as tedious as the chatter of parrots raised on Oprah . 11173
You can tell almost immediately that Welcome to Collinwood is n't going to jell . 11174
Throughout all the tumult , a question comes to mind : So why is this so boring ? 11175
Cattaneo reworks the formula that made The Full Monty a smashing success ... but neglects to add the magic that made it all work . 11176
Routine and rather silly . 11177
A rip-off twice removed , modeled after -LRB- Seagal 's -RRB- earlier copycat Under Siege , sometimes referred to as Die Hard on a boat . 11178
Totally overwrought , deeply biased , and wholly designed to make you feel guilty about ignoring what the filmmakers clearly believe are The Greatest Musicians of All Time . 11179
You can practically hear George Orwell turning over . 11180
Behan 's memoir is great material for a film -- rowdy , brawny and lyrical in the best Irish sense -- but Sheridan has settled for a lugubrious romance . 11181
While Holm is terrific as both men and Hjejle quite appealing , the film fails to make the most out of the intriguing premise . 11182
Lazy filmmaking , with the director taking a hands-off approach when he should have shaped the story to show us why it 's compelling . 11183
If it were any more of a turkey , it would gobble in Dolby Digital stereo . 11184
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. 11185
A movie that falls victim to frazzled wackiness and frayed satire . 11186
How do you make a movie with depth about a man who lacked any ? 11187
On the evidence before us , the answer is clear : Not easily and , in the end , not well enough . 11188
The film 's trailer also looked like crap , so crap is what I was expecting . 11189
More trifle than triumph . 11190
The movie is almost completely lacking in suspense , surprise and consistent emotional conviction . 11191
Festers in just such a dungpile that you 'd swear you were watching monkeys flinging their feces at you . 11192
Lyne 's latest , the erotic thriller Unfaithful , further demonstrates just how far his storytelling skills have eroded . 11193
It sounds like another clever if pointless excursion into the abyss , and that 's more or less how it plays out . 11194
Rumor , a muddled drama about coming to terms with death , feels impersonal , almost generic . 11195
Report card : Does n't live up to the exalted tagline - there 's definite room for improvement . 11196
Does n't deserve a passing grade -LRB- even on a curve -RRB- . 11197
The pacing is deadly , the narration helps little and Naipaul , a juicy writer , is negated . 11198
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 ' . 11199
Maybe he was reading the minds of the audience . 11200
... 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 . 11201
Bean drops the ball too many times ... hoping the nifty premise will create enough interest to make up for an unfocused screenplay . 11202
A well-acted , but one-note film . 11203
Blood Work is laughable in the solemnity with which it tries to pump life into overworked elements from Eastwood 's Dirty Harry period . 11204
The movie is too amateurishly square to make the most of its own ironic implications . 11205
-LRB- Lee -RRB- treats his audience the same way that Jim Brown treats his women -- as dumb , credulous , unassuming , subordinate subjects . 11206
And Lee seems just as expectant of an adoring , wide-smiling reception . 11207
There 's not one decent performance from the cast and not one clever line of dialogue . 11208
No amount of burning , blasting , stabbing , and shooting can hide a weak script . 11209
It 's an odd show , pregnant with moods , stillborn except as a harsh conceptual exercise . 11210
Nearly all the fundamentals you take for granted in most films are mishandled here . 11211
The Armenian genocide deserves a more engaged and honest treatment . 11212
Earnest yet curiously tepid and choppy recycling in which predictability is the only winner . 11213
Ultimately this is a frustrating patchwork : an uneasy marriage of Louis Begley 's source novel -LRB- About Schmidt -RRB- and an old Payne screenplay . 11214
The exploitative , clumsily staged violence overshadows everything , including most of the actors . 11215
We started to wonder if ... some unpaid intern had just typed ` Chris Rock , ' ` Anthony Hopkins ' and ` terrorists ' into some Univac-like script machine . 11216
Even when Crush departs from the 4W formula ... it feels like a glossy rehash . 11217
More likely to have you scratching your head than hiding under your seat . 11218
Bears is even worse than I imagined a movie ever could be . 11219
When you find yourself rooting for the monsters in a horror movie , you know the picture is in trouble . 11220
This is very much of a mixed bag , with enough negatives to outweigh the positives . 11221
Marinated in clichés and mawkish dialogue . 11222
Whether it 's the worst movie of 2002 , I ca n't say for sure : Memories of Rollerball have faded , and I skipped Country Bears . 11223
But this new jangle of noise , mayhem and stupidity must be a serious contender for the title . 11224
-LRB- A -RRB- boldly stroked , luridly coloured , uni-dimensional nonsense machine that strokes the eyeballs while it evaporates like so much crypt mist in the brain . 11225
Not once in the rush to save the day did I become very involved in the proceedings ; to me , it was just a matter of ` eh . ' 11226
Rollerball IS as bad as you think , and worse than you can imagine . 11227
The first question to ask about Bad Company is why Anthony Hopkins is in it . 11228
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 . 11229
Not exaggerated enough to be a parody of gross-out flicks , college flicks , or even flicks in general . 11230
It merely indulges in the worst elements of all of them . 11231
Shame on writer\/director Vicente Aranda for making a florid biopic about mad queens , obsessive relationships , and rampant adultery so dull . 11232
Suffers from a decided lack of creative storytelling . 11233
Violent , vulgar and forgettably entertaining . 11234
Nothing happens , and it happens to flat characters . 11235
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 . 11236
Remember back when thrillers actually thrilled ? 11237
When the twist endings were actually surprising ? 11238
When the violence actually shocked ? 11239
When the heroes were actually under 40 ? 11240
Sadly , as Blood Work proves , that was a long , long time ago . 11241
Blue Crush has all the trappings of an energetic , extreme-sports adventure , but ends up more of a creaky `` Pretty Woman '' retread , with the emphasis on self-empowering schmaltz and big-wave surfing that gives pic its title an afterthought . 11242
This movie plays like an extended dialogue exercise in Retard 101 . 11243
What we get in FearDotCom is more like something from a bad Clive Barker movie . 11244
In other words , it 's badder than bad . 11245
If they broke out into elaborate choreography , singing and finger snapping it might have held my attention , but as it stands I kept looking for the last exit from Brooklyn . 11246
A sloppy slapstick throwback to long gone bottom-of-the-bill fare like The Ghost and Mr. Chicken . 11247
A small independent film suffering from a severe case of Hollywood-itis . 11248
Where the film falters is in its tone . 11249
The story alone could force you to scratch a hole in your head . 11250
Ultimately , Sarah 's dedication to finding her husband seems more psychotic than romantic , and nothing in the movie makes a convincing case that one woman 's broken heart outweighs all the loss we witness . 11251
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 . 11252
Feels more like a rejected X-Files episode than a credible account of a puzzling real-life happening . 11253
Some motion pictures portray ultimate passion ; others create ultimate thrills . 11254
Men in Black II achieves ultimate insignificance -- it 's the sci-fi comedy spectacle as Whiffle-Ball epic . 11255
An enigmatic film that 's too clever for its own good , it 's a conundrum not worth solving . 11256
A zombie movie in every sense of the word -- mindless , lifeless , meandering , loud , painful , obnoxious . 11257
A film that clearly means to preach exclusively to the converted . 11258
It does n't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is a Mormon family movie , and a sappy , preachy one at that . 11259
Definitely a crowd-pleaser , but then , so was the Roman Colosseum . 11260
Certainly not a good movie , but it was n't horrible either . 11261
Although it starts off so bad that you feel like running out screaming , it eventually works its way up to merely bad rather than painfully awful . 11262
The result is so tame that even slightly wised-up kids would quickly change the channel . 11263
It appears to have been modeled on the worst revenge-of-the-nerds clichés the filmmakers could dredge up . 11264
Nothing but an episode of Smackdown ! 11265
in period costume and with a bigger budget . 11266
It takes you somewhere you 're not likely to have seen before , but beneath the exotic surface -LRB- and exotic dancing -RRB- it 's surprisingly old-fashioned . 11267
While the story is better-focused than the incomprehensible Anne Rice novel it 's based upon , Queen Of The Damned is a pointless , meandering celebration of the goth-vampire , tortured woe-is-me lifestyle . 11268
It should be interesting , it should be poignant , it turns out to be affected and boring . 11269
A good-looking but ultimately pointless political thriller with plenty of action and almost no substance . 11270
A tired , predictable , bordering on offensive , waste of time , money and celluloid . 11271
If Hill is n't quite his generation 's Don Siegel -LRB- or Robert Aldrich -RRB- , it 's because there 's no discernible feeling beneath the chest hair ; it 's all bluster and cliché . 11272
Stealing Harvard will dip into your wallet , swipe 90 minutes of your time , and offer you precisely this in recompense : A few early laughs scattered around a plot as thin as it is repetitious . 11273
This is an insultingly inept and artificial examination of grief and its impacts upon the relationships of the survivors . 11274
Does anyone much think the central story of Brendan Behan is that he was a bisexual sweetheart before he took to drink ? 11275
` 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 . 11276
The dialogue is cumbersome , the simpering soundtrack and editing more so . 11277
Never decides whether it wants to be a black comedy , drama , melodrama or some combination of the three . 11278
It has become apparent that the franchise 's best years are long past . 11279
Does what should seem impossible : it makes serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer boring . 11280
Do n't hate El Crimen del Padre Amaro because it 's anti-Catholic . 11281
Hate it because it 's lousy . 11282
... better described as a ghost story gone badly awry . 11283
Like a bad improvisation exercise , the superficially written characters ramble on tediously about their lives , loves and the art they 're struggling to create . 11284
The filmmakers are playing to the Big Boys in New York and L.A. To that end , they mock the kind of folks they do n't understand , ones they figure the power-lunchers do n't care to understand , either . 11285
Competently directed but terminally cute drama . 11286
The big finish is a bit like getting all excited about a chocolate eclair and then biting into it and finding the filling missing . 11287
Not just unlikable . 11288
Disturbing . 11289
Disgusting . 11290
Without any redeeming value whatsoever . 11291
This thing is virtually unwatchable . 11292
Those eternally devoted to the insanity of Black will have an intermittently good time . 11293
Feel free to go get popcorn whenever he 's not onscreen . 11294
The self-serious Equilibrium makes its point too well ; a movie , like life , is n't much fun without the highs and lows . 11295
The work of an exhausted , desiccated talent who ca n't get out of his own way . 11296
The main characters are simply named The Husband , The Wife and The Kidnapper , emphasizing the disappointingly generic nature of the entire effort . 11297
In terms of execution this movie is careless and unfocused . 11298
Swims in mediocrity , sticking its head up for a breath of fresh air now and then . 11299
The only type of lives this glossy comedy-drama resembles are ones in formulaic mainstream movies . 11300
The characters ... are paper-thin , and their personalities undergo radical changes when it suits the script . 11301
A Sha-Na-Na sketch punctuated with graphic violence . 11302
The trouble is , its filmmakers run out of clever ideas and visual gags about halfway through . 11303
Spy-vs . 11304
- spy action flick with Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu never comes together . 11305
A so-so , made-for-TV something posing as a real movie . 11306
The only upside to all of this unpleasantness is , given its Labor Day weekend upload , FearDotCom should log a minimal number of hits . 11307
Whether this is art imitating life or life imitating art , it 's an unhappy situation all around . 11308
An uneasy mix of run-of-the-mill raunchy humor and seemingly sincere personal reflection . 11309
A formula family tearjerker told with a heavy Irish brogue ... accentuating , rather than muting , the plot 's saccharine thrust . 11310
This is Sandler running on empty , repeating what he 's already done way too often . 11311
This is as lax and limp a comedy as I 've seen in a while , a meander through worn-out material . 11312
Time literally stops on a dime in the tries-so-hard-to-be-cool `` Clockstoppers , '' but that does n't mean it still wo n't feel like the longest 90 minutes of your movie-going life . 11313
The sort of picture in which , whenever one of the characters has some serious soul searching to do , they go to a picture-perfect beach during sunset . 11314
Aptly named , this shimmering , beautifully costumed and filmed production does n't work for me . 11315
A preposterously melodramatic paean to gang-member teens in Brooklyn circa 1958 . 11316
Has none of the crackle of `` Fatal Attraction '' , `` 9 1\/2 Weeks '' , or even `` Indecent Proposal '' , and feels more like Lyne 's stolid remake of `` Lolita '' . 11317
Everything its title implies , a standard-issue crime drama spat out from the Tinseltown assembly line . 11318
An extraordinarily silly thriller . 11319
A rehash of every gangster movie from the past decade . 11320
Gaping plot holes sink this ` sub ' - standard thriller and drag audience enthusiasm to crush depth . 11321
Talkiness is n't necessarily bad , but the dialogue frequently misses the mark . 11322
The beautiful images and solemn words can not disguise the slack complacency of -LRB- Godard 's -RRB- vision , any more than the gorgeous piano and strings on the soundtrack can drown out the tinny self-righteousness of his voice . 11323
The stunt work is top-notch ; the dialogue and drama often food-spittingly funny . 11324
The movie is n't painfully bad , something to be ` fully experienced ' ; it 's just tediously bad , something to be fully forgotten . 11325
Charly comes off as emotionally manipulative and sadly imitative of innumerable past Love Story derisions . 11326
What a great shame that such a talented director as Chen Kaige has chosen to make his English-language debut with a film so poorly plotted and scripted . 11327
No amount of good intentions is able to overcome the triviality of the story . 11328
The film ... presents classic moral-condundrum drama : What would you have done to survive ? 11329
The problem with the film is whether these ambitions , laudable in themselves , justify a theatrical simulation of the death camp of Auschwitz II-Birkenau . 11330
... for all its social and political potential , State Property does n't end up being very inspiring or insightful . 11331
A film really has to be exceptional to justify a three hour running time , and this is n't . 11332
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 . 11333
The nonstop artifice ultimately proves tiresome , with the surface histrionics failing to compensate for the paper-thin characterizations and facile situations . 11334
This is a monumental achievement in practically every facet of inept filmmaking : joyless , idiotic , annoying , heavy-handed , visually atrocious , and often downright creepy . 11335
This off-putting French romantic comedy is sure to test severely the indulgence of fans of Amélie . 11336
overburdened with complicated plotting and banal dialogue 11337
Ensemble movies , like soap operas , depend on empathy . 11338
If there ai n't none , you have a problem . 11339
The Master of Disguise falls under the category of ` should have been a sketch on Saturday Night Live . ' 11340
Yet another self-consciously overwritten story about a rag-tag bunch of would-be characters that team up for a ca n't - miss heist -- only to have it all go wrong . 11341
Koepp 's screenplay is n't nearly surprising or clever enough to sustain a reasonable degree of suspense on its own . 11342
Is it really an advantage to invest such subtlety and warmth in an animatronic bear when the humans are acting like puppets ? 11343
More successful at relating history than in creating an emotionally complex , dramatically satisfying heroine 11344
Clumsy , obvious , preposterous , the movie will likely set the cause of woman warriors back decades . 11345
It 's hard to pity the ` plain ' girl who becomes a ravishing waif after applying a smear of lip-gloss . 11346
Rather , pity anyone who sees this mishmash . 11347
A banal , virulently unpleasant excuse for a romantic comedy . 11348
The drama discloses almost nothing . 11349
A minor-league soccer remake of The Longest Yard . 11350
Belongs in the too-hot-for-TV direct-to-video\/DVD category , and this is why I have given it a one-star rating . 11351
As earnest as a community-college advertisement , American Chai is enough to make you put away the guitar , sell the amp , and apply to medical school . 11352
A dim-witted and lazy spin-off of the Animal Planet documentary series , Crocodile Hunter is entertainment opportunism at its most glaring . 11353
There is more than one joke about putting the toilet seat down . 11354
And that should tell you everything you need to know about All the Queen 's Men . 11355
Even fans of Ismail Merchant 's work , I suspect , would have a hard time sitting through this one . 11356
It 's really just another silly Hollywood action film , one among a multitude of simple-minded , yahoo-ing death shows . 11357
It 's not a particularly good film , but neither is it a monsterous one . 11358
The world needs more filmmakers with passionate enthusiasms like Martin Scorsese . 11359
But it does n't need Gangs of New York . 11360
Enchanted with low-life tragedy and liberally seasoned with emotional outbursts ... What is sorely missing , however , is the edge of wild , lunatic invention that we associate with Cage 's best acting . 11361
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is deja vu all over again , and while that is a cliche , nothing could be more appropriate . 11362
It 's likely that whatever you thought of the first production -- pro or con -- you 'll likely think of this one . 11363
Sade achieves the near-impossible : It turns the Marquis de Sade into a dullard . 11364
-LRB- Lin Chung 's -RRB- voice is rather unexceptional , even irritating -LRB- at least to this Western ear -RRB- , making it awfully hard to buy the impetus for the complicated love triangle that develops between the three central characters . 11365
One of the most plain , unimaginative romantic comedies I 've ever seen . 11366
Though there 's a clarity of purpose and even-handedness to the film 's direction , the drama feels rigged and sluggish . 11367
Unfortunately , the experience of actually watching the movie is less compelling than the circumstances of its making . 11368
Unless there are zoning ordinances to protect your community from the dullest science fiction , Impostor is opening today at a theater near you . 11369
It should be doing a lot of things , but does n't . 11370
Chen films the resolutely downbeat Smokers Only with every indulgent , indie trick in the book . 11371
... a rather bland affair . 11372
Far-fetched premise , convoluted plot , and thematic mumbo jumbo about destiny and redemptive love . 11373
The movie tries to be ethereal , but ends up seeming goofy . 11374
I was hoping that it would be sleazy and fun , but it was neither . 11375
Harris is supposed to be the star of the story , but comes across as pretty dull and wooden . 11376
Soulless and -- even more damning -- virtually joyless , XXX achieves near virtuosity in its crapulence . 11377
A boring masquerade ball where normally good actors , even Kingsley , are made to look bad . 11378
All the Queen 's Men is a throwback war movie that fails on so many levels , it should pay reparations to viewers . 11379
The filmmakers keep pushing the jokes at the expense of character until things fall apart . 11380
Rather than real figures , Elling and Kjell Bjarne become symbolic characters whose actions are supposed to relate something about the naïf 's encounter with the world . 11381
Mariah Carey gives us another peek at some of the magic we saw in Glitter here in Wisegirls . 11382
It 's all arty and jazzy and people sit and stare and turn away from one another instead of talking and it 's all about the silences and if you 're into that , have at it . 11383
I suspect that you 'll be as bored watching Morvern Callar as the characters are in it . 11384
If you go , pack your knitting needles . 11385
The lead actors share no chemistry or engaging charisma . 11386
We do n't even like their characters . 11387
Some writer dude , I think his name was , uh , Michael Zaidan , was supposed to have like written the screenplay or something , but , dude , the only thing that I ever saw that was written down were the zeroes on my paycheck . 11388
The movie does n't generate a lot of energy . 11389
It is dark , brooding and slow , and takes its central idea way too seriously . 11390
This feature is about as necessary as a hole in the head 11391
Spectators will indeed sit open-mouthed before the screen , not screaming but yawning . 11392
It feels like very light Errol Morris , focusing on eccentricity but failing , ultimately , to make something bigger out of its scrapbook of oddballs . 11393
A period story about a Catholic boy who tries to help a Jewish friend get into heaven by sending the audience straight to hell . 11394
The premise itself is just SOOOOO tired . 11395
Pair that with really poor comedic writing ... and you 've got a huge mess . 11396
Proves a lovely trifle that , unfortunately , is a little too in love with its own cuteness . 11397
Did we really need a remake of `` Charade ? '' 11398
Some movies can get by without being funny simply by structuring the scenes as if they were jokes : a setup , delivery and payoff . 11399
Stealing Harvard ca n't even do that much . 11400
Each scene immediately succumbs to gravity and plummets to earth . 11401
The only fun part of the movie is playing the obvious game . 11402
You try to guess the order in which the kids in the house will be gored . 11403
I spied with my little eye ... a mediocre collection of cookie-cutter action scenes and occasionally inspired dialogue bits 11404
Entertains not so much because of its music or comic antics , but through the perverse pleasure of watching Disney scrape the bottom of its own cracker barrel . 11405
The satire is just too easy to be genuinely satisfying . 11406
Less funny than it should be and less funny than it thinks it is . 11407
an `` O Bruin , Where Art Thou ? '' 11408
- style cross-country adventure ... it has sporadic bursts of liveliness , some so-so slapstick and a few ear-pleasing songs on its soundtrack . 11409
A feeble Tootsie knockoff . 11410
An awful movie that will only satisfy the most emotionally malleable of filmgoers . 11411
... the story is far-flung , illogical , and plain stupid . 11412
The very simple story seems too simple and the working out of the plot almost arbitrary . 11413
An allegory concerning the chronically mixed signals African American professionals get about overachieving could be intriguing , but the supernatural trappings only obscure the message . 11414
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 . 11415
One key problem with these ardently Christian storylines is that there is never any question of how things will turn out . 11416
Essentially , the film is weak on detail and strong on personality 11417
A relentless , bombastic and ultimately empty World War II action flick . 11418
-LRB- Hell is -RRB- looking down at your watch and realizing Serving Sara is n't even halfway through . 11419
Too long , and larded with exposition , this somber cop drama ultimately feels as flat as the scruffy sands of its titular community . 11420
Leaves viewers out in the cold and undermines some phenomenal performances . 11421
... a ho-hum affair , always watchable yet hardly memorable . 11422
Swiftly deteriorates into a terribly obvious melodrama and rough-hewn vanity project for lead actress Andie MacDowell . 11423
The histrionic muse still eludes Madonna and , playing a charmless witch , she is merely a charmless witch . 11424
You have no affinity for most of the characters . 11425
Nothing about them is attractive . 11426
What they see in each other also is difficult to fathom . 11427
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 . 11428
A technically well-made suspenser ... but its abrupt drop in IQ points as it races to the finish line proves simply too discouraging to let slide . 11429
An inept , tedious spoof of '70s kung fu pictures , it contains almost enough chuckles for a three-minute sketch , and no more . 11430
It 's a mystery how the movie could be released in this condition . 11431
Absolutely -LRB- and unintentionally -RRB- terrifying . 11432
Eckstraordinarily lame and Severely boring . 11433
Eight Legged Freaks falls flat as a spoof . 11434
No matter how much he runs around and acts like a doofus , accepting a 50-year-old in the role is creepy in a Michael Jackson sort of way . 11435
You 'll just have your head in your hands wondering why Lee 's character did n't just go to a bank manager and save everyone the misery . 11436
` Dragonfly ' dwells on crossing-over mumbo jumbo , manipulative sentimentality , and sappy dialogue . 11437
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 . 11438
Blade II has a brilliant director and charismatic star , but it suffers from rampant vampire devaluation . 11439
Veers uncomfortably close to pro-Serb propaganda . 11440
Movies like High Crimes flog the dead horse of surprise as if it were an obligation . 11441
How about surprising us by trying something new ? 11442
Final verdict : You 've seen it all before . 11443
Throwing in everything except someone pulling the pin from a grenade with his teeth , Windtalkers seems to have ransacked every old World War II movie for overly familiar material . 11444
If A Few Good Men told us that we `` ca n't handle the truth '' than High Crimes poetically states at one point in this movie that we `` do n't care about the truth . '' 11445
Further sad evidence that Tom Tykwer , director of the resonant and sense-spinning Run Lola Run , has turned out to be a one-trick pony -- a maker of softheaded metaphysical claptrap . 11446
You 'll trudge out of the theater feeling as though you rode the Zipper after eating a corn dog and an extra-large cotton candy . 11447
The movie is a little tired ; maybe the original inspiration has run its course . 11448
This will go on so long as there are moviegoers anxious to see strange young guys doing strange guy things . 11449
A full-frontal attack on audience patience . 11450
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 . 11451
It 's a big idea , but the film itself is small and shriveled . 11452
Debut effort by `` Project Greenlight '' winner is sappy and amateurish . 11453
One gets the impression the creators of Do n't Ask Do n't Tell laughed a hell of a lot at their own jokes . 11454
Too bad none of it is funny . 11455
The cast has a high time , but de Broca has little enthusiasm for such antique pulp . 11456
The film , like Jimmy 's routines , could use a few good laughs . 11457
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 . 11458
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 . 11459
Oh , and more entertaining , too . 11460
... in the pile of useless actioners from MTV schmucks who do n't know how to tell a story for more than four minutes . 11461
Though it was made with careful attention to detail and is well-acted by James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal , I felt disrespected . 11462
Humor in I Spy is so anemic . 11463
The film is strictly routine . 11464
Skillful as he is , Mr. Shyamalan is undone by his pretensions . 11465
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 . 11466
In addition to sporting one of the worst titles in recent cinematic history , Ballistic : Ecks Vs. Sever also features terrible , banal dialogue ; convenient , hole-ridden plotting ; superficial characters and a rather dull , unimaginative car chase . 11467
It shares the first two films ' loose-jointed structure , but laugh-out-loud bits are few and far between . 11468
The Santa Clause 2 is a barely adequate babysitter for older kids , but I 've got to give it thumbs down . 11469
You can not guess why the cast and crew did n't sign a pact to burn the negative and the script and pretend the whole thing never existed . 11470
Barney throws away the goodwill the first half of his movie generates by orchestrating a finale that is impenetrable and dull . 11471
If you 're really renting this you 're not interested in discretion in your entertainment choices , you 're interested in Anne Geddes , John Grisham , and Thomas Kincaid . 11472
We get the comedy we settle for . 11473
The uneven movie does have its charms and its funny moments but not quite enough of them . 11474
Two hours of sepia-tinted heavy metal images and surround sound effects of people moaning . 11475
A word of advice to the makers of The Singles Ward : Celebrity cameos do not automatically equal laughs . 11476
And neither do cliches , no matter how ` inside ' they are . 11477
The campy results make Mel Brooks ' Borscht Belt schtick look sophisticated . 11478
Its appeal will probably limited to LDS Church members and undemanding armchair tourists . 11479
The Hanukkah spirit seems fried in pork . 11480
Cherish would 've worked a lot better had it been a short film . 11481
Manipulative claptrap , a period-piece movie-of-the-week , plain old blarney ... take your pick . 11482
All three descriptions suit Evelyn , a besotted and obvious drama that tells us nothing new . 11483
Hey Arnold ! 11484
is now stretched to barely feature length , with a little more attention paid to the animation . 11485
Still , the updated Dickensian sensibility of writer Craig Bartlett 's story is appealing . 11486
True to its title , it traps audiences in a series of relentlessly nasty situations that we would pay a considerable ransom not to be looking at . 11487
Does n't come close to justifying the hype that surrounded its debut at the Sundance Film Festival two years ago . 11488
The plot is paper-thin and the characters are n't interesting enough to watch them go about their daily activities for two whole hours . 11489
Kaufman 's script is never especially clever and often is rather pretentious . 11490
The film did n't move me one way or the other , but it was an honest effort and if you want to see a flick about telemarketers this one will due . 11491
Queen of the Damned is too long with too little going on . 11492
It collapses when Mr. Taylor tries to shift the tone to a thriller 's rush . 11493
Any film that does n'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 . 11494
... Blade II is still top-heavy with blazing guns , cheatfully filmed martial arts , disintegrating bloodsucker computer effects and jagged camera moves that serve no other purpose than to call attention to themselves . 11495
The Rules of Attraction gets us too drunk on the party favors to sober us up with the transparent attempts at moralizing . 11496
Though there are many tense scenes in Trapped , they prove more distressing than suspenseful . 11497
In this film we at least see a study in contrasts ; the wide range of one actor , and the limited range of a comedian . 11498
Feels strangely hollow at its emotional core . 11499
You have once again entered the bizarre realm where director Adrian Lyne holds sway , where all relationships are simultaneously broadly metaphorical , oddly abstract , and excruciatingly literal . 11500
The high-concept scenario soon proves preposterous , the acting is robotically italicized , and truth-in-advertising hounds take note : There 's very little hustling on view . 11501
This director 's cut -- which adds 51 minutes -- takes a great film and turns it into a mundane soap opera . 11502
Characterisation has been sacrificed for the sake of spectacle . 11503
the Venezuelans say things like `` si , pretty much '' and `` por favor , go home '' when talking to Americans . 11504
That 's muy loco , but no more ridiculous than most of the rest of `` Dragonfly . '' 11505
It 's a movie that ends with Truckzilla , for cryin ' out loud . 11506
If that does n't clue you in that something 's horribly wrong , nothing will . 11507
Director Tom Shadyac and star Kevin Costner glumly mishandle the story 's promising premise of a physician who needs to heal himself . 11508
It 's difficult to imagine that a more confused , less interesting and more sloppily made film could possibly come down the road in 2002 . 11509
Like the Tuck family themselves , this movie just goes on and on and on and on 11510
As pedestrian as they come . 11511
A film that plays things so nice 'n safe as to often play like a milquetoast movie of the week blown up for the big screen . 11512
It 's a feel-bad ending for a depressing story that throws a bunch of hot-button items in the viewer 's face and asks to be seen as hip , winking social commentary . 11513
Put it somewhere between Sling Blade and South of Heaven , West of Hell in the pantheon of Billy Bob 's body of work . 11514
More intellectually scary than dramatically involving . 11515
An inconsequential , barely there bit of piffle . 11516
The abiding impression , despite the mild hallucinogenic buzz , is of overwhelming waste -- the acres of haute couture ca n't quite conceal that there 's nothing resembling a spine here . 11517
As saccharine as it is disposable . 11518
You come away thinking not only that Kate is n't very bright , but that she has n't been worth caring about and that maybe she , Janine and Molly -- an all-woman dysfunctional family -- deserve one another . 11519
The metaphors are provocative , but too often , the viewer is left puzzled by the mechanics of the delivery . 11520
Very much a home video , and so devoid of artifice and purpose that it appears not to have been edited at all . 11521
Too much power , not enough puff . 11522
The attempt to build up a pressure cooker of horrified awe emerges from the simple fact that the movie has virtually nothing to show . 11523
It 's provocative stuff , but the speculative effort is hampered by Taylor 's cartoonish performance and the film 's ill-considered notion that Hitler 's destiny was shaped by the most random of chances . 11524
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 . 11525
Muddled , trashy and incompetent 11526
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 . 11527
Narc is all menace and atmosphere . 11528
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 . 11529
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 . 11530
It 's tough to be startled when you 're almost dozing . 11531
his -LRB- Nelson 's -RRB- screenplay needs some serious re-working to show more of the dilemma , rather than have his characters stage shouting matches about it . 11532
It 's so downbeat and nearly humorless that it becomes a chore to sit through -- despite some first-rate performances by its lead . 11533
A terrible movie that some people will nevertheless find moving . 11534
There are many definitions of ` time waster ' but this movie must surely be one of them . 11535
As it stands , Crocodile Hunter has the hurried , badly cobbled look of the 1959 Godzilla , which combined scenes of a Japanese monster flick with canned shots of Raymond Burr commenting on the monster 's path of destruction . 11536
The thing looks like a made-for-home-video quickie . 11537
Enigma is well-made , but it 's just too dry and too placid . 11538
`` Sweet Home Alabama '' is what it is -- a nice , harmless date film ... 11539
One of the best , most understated performances of -LRB- Jack Nicholson 's -RRB- career . 11540
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys ' take on adolescence feels painfully true . 11541
It 's a masterpiece . 11542
It may not be `` Last Tango in Paris '' but ... 11543
They crush each other under cars , throw each other out windows , electrocute and dismember their victims in full consciousness . 11544
And we do n't avert our eyes for a moment . 11545
Charming and funny -LRB- but ultimately silly -RRB- movie . 11546
Third time 's the charm ... yeah , baby ! 11547
A pleasant , if forgettable , romp of a film . 11548
By the end of the movie , you 're definitely convinced that these women are spectacular . 11549
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 . 11550
` Stock up on silver bullets for director Neil Marshall 's intense freight train of a film . ' 11551
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 . 11552
As a film director , LaBute continues to improve . 11553
Will warm your heart without making you feel guilty about it . 11554
Catch it ... if you can ! 11555
Worse than ` Silence of the Lambs ' better than ` Hannibal ' 11556
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 . 11557
` Possession , ' based on the book by A.S. Byatt , demands that LaBute deal with the subject of love head-on ; trading in his cynicism for reverence and a little wit 11558
It 's the kind of movie that , aside from Robert Altman , Spike Lee , the Coen Brothers and a few others , our moviemakers do n't make often enough . 11559
Alternates between deadpan comedy and heartbreaking loneliness and is n't afraid to provoke introspection in both its characters and its audience . 11560
The script is smart , not cloying . 11561
Visually , ` Santa Clause 2 ' is wondrously creative . 11562
A bittersweet contemporary comedy about benevolent deception , which , while it may not rival the filmmaker 's period pieces , is still very much worth seeing . 11563
One fantastic -LRB- and educational -RRB- documentary . 11564
An ambitious ` what if ? ' 11565
that works . 11566
`` The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys '' has flaws , but it also has humor and heart and very talented young actors 11567
Nice piece of work . 11568
` Stock up on silver bullets for director Neil Marshall 's intense freight train of a film . ' 11569
It 's funny , as the old saying goes , because it 's true . 11570
Though the film is static , its writer-director 's heart is in the right place , his plea for democracy and civic action laudable . 11571
The filmmaker 's heart is in the right place ... 11572
From blushing to gushing -- Imamura squirts the screen in ` Warm Water Under a Red Bridge ' 11573
Apart from anything else , this is one of the best-sustained ideas I have ever seen on the screen . 11574
Not a schlocky creature feature but something far more stylish and cerebral -- and , hence , more chillingly effective . 11575
Stupid , infantile , redundant , sloppy , over-the-top , and amateurish . 11576
Yep , it 's `` Waking up in Reno . '' 11577
Go back to sleep . 11578
I did n't laugh . 11579
I did n't smile . 11580
I survived . 11581
The worst film of the year . 11582
In the book-on-tape market , the film of `` The Kid Stays in the Picture '' would be an abridged edition 11583
A sour attempt at making a Farrelly Brothers-style , down-and-dirty laugher for the female set . 11584
Eisenstein lacks considerable brio for a film about one of cinema 's directorial giants . 11585
Taken as a whole , The Tuxedo does n't add up to a whole lot . 11586
This is no `` Waterboy ! '' 11587
Something has been lost in the translation ... another routine Hollywood frightfest in which the slack execution italicizes the absurdity of the premise . 11588
The result is an ` action film ' mired in stasis . 11589
... a movie that , quite simply , should n't have been made . 11590
By turns pretentious , fascinating , ludicrous , provocative and vainglorious . 11591
I ca n't recommend it . 11592
But it 's surprisingly harmless . 11593
What 's next ? 11594
The Porky 's Revenge : Ultimate Edition ? 11595
The script is a dim-witted pairing of teen-speak and animal gibberish . 11596
There 's no real reason to see it , and no real reason not to . 11597
Is `` Ballistic '' worth the price of admission ? 11598
Absolutely not . 11599
It sucked . 11600
Would I see it again ? 11601
Please see previous answer . 11602
It 's exactly what you 'd expect . 11603
`` The Kid Stays in the Picture '' is a great story , terrifically told by the man who wrote it but this Cliff Notes edition is a cheat . 11604
A prison comedy that never really busts out of its comfy little cell . 11605
The movie is obviously a labour of love so Howard appears to have had free rein to be as pretentious as he wanted . 11606
This is n't a movie ; it 's a symptom . 11607
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 . 11608
If only it were , well , funnier . 11609
The script ? 11610
Please . 11611
Does n't add up to much . 11612
One of the worst movies of the year . 11613
A complete waste of time . 11614
Long before it 's over , you 'll be thinking of 51 ways to leave this loser . 11615
One of the worst movies of the year . 11616
... Watching it was painful . 11617
The cinematic equivalent of patronizing a bar favored by pretentious , untalented artistes who enjoy moaning about their cruel fate . 11618
Spiderman ROCKS 11619
A compelling coming-of-age drama about the arduous journey of a sensitive young girl through a series of foster homes and a fierce struggle to pull free from her dangerous and domineering mother 's hold over her . 11620
Thoroughly enjoyable . 11622
Family fare . 11624
Boisterous , heartfelt comedy . 11625
An exhilarating experience . 11627
Compellingly watchable . 11629
Troubling and powerful . 11630
Often hilarious . 11631
A modest masterpiece . 11632
Never once predictable . 11633
An uplifting , near-masterpiece . 11634
Warm and exotic . 11635
... a true delight . 11636
A true pleasure . 11637
Polished , well-structured film . 11638
Sexy and romantic . 11639
Psychologically savvy . 11640
delightfully rendered 11641
Fun and nimble . 11642
Funny and touching . 11643
Serious and thoughtful . 11644
It strikes hardest ... when it reminds you how pertinent its dynamics remain . 11645
Fifty years after the fact , the world 's political situation seems little different , and -LRB- director Phillip -RRB- Noyce brings out the allegory with remarkable skill . 11646
One-of-a-kind near-masterpiece . 11647
Lightweight but appealing . 11648
Highly engaging . 11649
Feral and uncomfortable . 11650
A gripping drama . 11651
Beautifully produced . 11652
Smart and taut . 11653
Highly watchable stuff . 11654
Psychologically revealing . 11655
A fast paced and suspenseful Argentinian thriller about the shadow side of play . 11656
... wise and elegiac ... 11657
Spare yet audacious ... 11658
Surprisingly insightful 11659
An intoxicating experience . 11660
Reassuring , retro uplifter . 11661
Visually captivating . 11662
Lavishly , exhilaratingly tasteless . 11663
Touché ! 11664
An impressive hybrid . 11665
A tasty masala . 11666
Refreshing . 11667
Featherweight romantic comedy has a few nice twists in a standard plot and the charisma of Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock . 11668
Poignant and funny . 11669
See it . 11670
Debate it . 11671
Remember it . 11672
Morvern rocks . 11673
Intelligent and moving . 11674
Genuinely unnerving . 11675
A compelling film . 11676
Deliciously slow . 11677
A riveting documentary . 11678
An enjoyable experience . 11679
A good thriller . 11680
A glorious mess . 11681
Neatly constructed thriller . 11682
Intimate and panoramic . 11683
Exciting documentary . 11684
Good , solid storytelling . 11685
Infidelity drama is nicely shot , well-edited and features a standout performance by Diane Lane . 11686
Audacious-impossible yet compelling ... 11687
A muted freak-out 11688
Moving and vibrant . 11689
... quite endearing . 11690
Harmless fun . 11691
Good-naturedly cornball sequel . 11692
Oddly compelling . 11693
Witless but watchable . 11694
Mr. Deeds is sure to give you a lot of laughs in this simple , sweet and romantic comedy . 11695
Hard to resist . 11696
A true-blue delight . 11697
A fun ride . 11698
Weird . 11699
Rewarding . 11700
Sleek and arty . 11701
Fantastic ! 11702
A thought-provoking picture . 11703
A stylish thriller . 11704
Almost peerlessly unsettling . 11705
Delirious fun . 11706
Exciting and well-paced . 11707
Really quite funny . 11708
A well-executed spy-thriller . 11709
Idiotic and ugly . 11710
A funny film . 11711
-LRB- A -RRB- satisfying niblet . 11712
Poetic , heartbreaking . 11713
Formuliac , but fun . 11714
Feels untidily honest . 11715
`` Red Dragon '' never cuts corners . 11716
Full of surprises . 11717
Quietly engaging . 11718
Dense , exhilarating documentary . 11719
a joyous occasion 11720
-LRB- An -RRB- absorbing documentary . 11721
A genuine mind-bender . 11722
Great character interaction . 11723
Intriguing and stylish . 11724
Many insightful moments . 11725
Everything is off . 11726
Earnest but heavy-handed . 11727
One lousy movie . 11728
... hypnotically dull . 11729
Calculated swill . 11730
Thoroughly awful . 11731
Truly terrible . 11732
Fluffy and disposible . 11733
By-the-numbers yarn . 11734
Aan opportunity wasted . 11735
Storytelling feels slight . 11736
Bad company . 11737
Bad movie . 11738
Just plain bad . 11739
-LRB- A -RRB- soulless , stupid sequel ... 11740
A high-minded snoozer . 11741
Execrable . 11742
Amazingly dopey . 11743
Banal and predictable . 11744
Crikey indeed . 11745
Brisk hack job . 11746
... the maudlin way its story unfolds suggests a director fighting against the urge to sensationalize his material . 11747
... bibbidy-bobbidi-bland . 11748
Obvious . 11749
Its one-sidedness ... flirts with propaganda . 11750
... a pretentious mess ... 11751
-LRB- A -RRB- rather thinly-conceived movie . 11752
So-so entertainment . 11753
Punitively affirmational parable . 11754
Decent but dull . 11755
Thin period piece . 11756
-LRB- A -RRB- stuporously solemn film . 11757
Well-meant but unoriginal . 11758
Odd and weird . 11759
Cinematic poo . 11760
... stale and uninspired . 11761
A dreary movie . 11762
Pompous and garbled . 11763
Utter mush ... conceited pap . 11764
Well-meaning but inert . 11765
... overly melodramatic ... 11766
Extremely bad . 11767
Shrewd but pointless . 11768
Sluggish , tonally uneven . 11769
Generic thriller junk . 11770
Teens only . 11771
A non-mystery mystery . 11772
What an embarrassment . 11773
A noble failure . 11774
Woefully pretentious . 11775
... irritating soul-searching garbage . 11776
A relative letdown . 11777
Warmed-over hash . 11778
A puzzling experience . 11779
Stale , futile scenario . 11780
Aggravating and tedious . 11781
Lacks depth . 11782
under-rehearsed and lifeless 11783
Laughably , irredeemably awful . 11784
Unwieldy contraption . 11785
Overwrought , melodramatic bodice-ripper . 11786
An awful snooze . 11787
Just plain silly . 11788
Feeble comedy . 11789
... salaciously simplistic . 11790
Shallow . 11791
A less-than-thrilling thriller . 11792
Disjointed parody . 11793
... silly humbuggery ... 11794
Eh . 11795
Black-and-white and unrealistic . 11796
Two-bit potboiler . 11797
Painfully padded . 11799
Anemic , pretentious . 11800
Grating and tedious . 11801
It bites hard . 11802
-LRB- A -RRB- mess . 11803
Dramatically lackluster . 11804
Stay away . 11805
Far away . 11806
... a pretentious mess ... 11807
Predictably soulless techno-tripe . 11808
Arty gay film . 11809
Incoherence reigns . 11810
A half-assed film . 11811
Abysmally pathetic 11812
... unbearably lame . 11813
Bland but harmless . 11814
Dense and enigmatic ... elusive ... stagy and stilted 11815
-LRB- L -RRB- ame and unnecessary . 11816
A dreary indulgence . 11817
-LRB- A -RRB- crushing disappointment . 11818
Tends to plod . 11819
A major waste ... generic . 11820
... a confusing drudgery . 11821
A well-crafted letdown . 11822
Boring and meandering . 11823
Less than fresh . 11824
A lame comedy . 11825
A reality-snubbing hodgepodge . 11826
Mildly amusing . 11827
Fairly run-of-the-mill . 11828
Mildly entertaining . 11829
Terrible . 11830
Degenerates into hogwash . 11831
Meandering and confusing . 11832
Crummy . 11833
An opportunity missed . 11834
Wishy-washy . 11835
Inconsequential road-and-buddy pic . 11836
Insufferably naive . 11837
Ill-considered , unholy hokum . 11838
Amazingly lame . 11839
-LRB- A -RRB- slummer . 11840
-LRB- A -RRB- poorly executed comedy . 11841
... really horrible drek . 11842
An intriguing near-miss . 11843
Flat , misguided comedy . 11844
Predictably melodramatic . 11845
Rashomon-for-dipsticks tale . 11846
Bearable . 11847
Barely . 11848
Staggeringly dreadful romance . 11849
Well-made but mush-hearted . 11850
A real snooze . 11851
No surprises . 11852
We 've seen the hippie-turned-yuppie plot before , but there 's an enthusiastic charm in Fire that makes the formula fresh again . 11853
Her fans walked out muttering words like `` horrible '' and `` terrible , '' but had so much fun dissing the film that they did n't mind the ticket cost . 11854
In this case zero . 11855