Answer To: import re import sys import nltk import numpy from sklearn.linear_model import LogisticRegression...
Karthi answered on Sep 26 2021
74_py_network_92044/hw2-ou2kho40.py
import re
import sys
import numpy as np
import nltk
import numpy
from sklearn.linear_model import LogisticRegression
negation_words = set(['not', 'no', 'never', 'nor', 'cannot'])
negation_enders = set(['but', 'however', 'nevertheless', 'nonetheless'])
sentence_enders = set(['.', '?', '!', ';'])
# Loads a training or test corpus
# corpus_path is a string
# Returns a list of (string, int) tuples
def load_corpus(corpus_path):
file = open(corpus_path)
text = file.read()
paragraph = text.split("\n")
result = []
for para in paragraph:
if len(para) != 0:
temp = para.split("\t")
snippet = temp[0].split(" ")
label = int(temp[1])
sentiment = (snippet,label)
result.append(sentiment)
return result
# Checks whether or not a word is a negation word
# word is a string
# Returns a boolean
def is_negation(word):
if word in negation_words:
return True
if word.endswith("n't"):
return True
return False
# Modifies a snippet to add negation tagging
# snippet is a list of strings
# Returns a list of strings
def tag_negation(snippet):
TaggedWords = nltk.pos_tag(snippet)
result = []
negation_meta_tag = "NOT_"
negationFlag = 0
for i, words in enumerate(TaggedWords):
if words[0] in negation_enders or words[0] in sentence_enders or words[1] == "JJR" or words[1] == "RBR":
negationFlag = 0
if negationFlag == 0:
result.append(words[0])
else:
result.append(negation_meta_tag+words[0])
if is_negation(words[0]):
if words[0] == "not" and i+1 <= len(TaggedWords)-1 and TaggedWords[i+1][0] == "only":
pass
else:
negationFlag = 1
return result
# Assigns to each unigram an index in the feature vector
# corpus is a list of tuples (snippet, label)
# Returns a dictionary {word: index}
def get_feature_dictionary(corpus):
result = dict()
counter = 0
for i,ele in enumerate(corpus):
for word in ele[0]:
if word not in result.keys():
result[word] = counter
counter += 1
return result
# Converts a snippet into a feature vector
# snippet is a list of strings
# feature_dict is a dictionary {word: index}
# Returns a Numpy array
def vectorize_snippet(snippet, feature_dict):
vector = np.zeros(len(feature_dict))
for words in snippet:
if words in feature_dict.keys():
index = feature_dict[words]
vector[index] += 1
return vector
# Trains a classification model (in-place)
# corpus is a list of tuples (snippet, label)
# feature_dict is a dictionary {word: label}
# Returns a tuple (X, Y) where X and Y are Numpy arrays
def vectorize_corpus(corpus, feature_dict):
d = len(feature_dict.keys())
n = len(corpus)
X = np.zeros(shape=(n, d))
y = np.zeros(n)
for i, elements in enumerate(corpus):
snippets = elements[0]
label = elements[1]
X[i] = vectorize_snippet(snippets, feature_dict)
y[i] = label
return (X, y)
# Performs min-max normalization (in-place)
# X is a Numpy array
# No return value
def normalize(X):
newX = np.zeros(shape=(len(X), len(X[0])))
for i, features in enumerate(X):
maximum = np.amax(features)
minimum = np.amin(features)
#print("Maximum:{}".format(maximum))
#print("Minimum:{}".format(minimum))
if maximum == minimum:
continue
else:
for j, ele in enumerate(features):
newX[i][j] = abs((X[i][j] - minimum))/abs((maximum-minimum))
#print(newX[i][j])
#print(X[i][j])
return newX
# Trains a model on a training corpus
# corpus_path is a string
# Returns a LogisticRegression
def train(corpus_path):
corpus = load_corpus(corpus_path)
negCorpus = []
for value in corpus:
snippet = value[0]
label = value[1]
negationSnippet = tag_negation(snippet)
negCorpus.append((negationSnippet,label))
feature_dictionary = get_feature_dictionary(negCorpus)
feature_vector = vectorize_corpus(negCorpus,feature_dictionary)
normaliseFeature = normalize(feature_vector[0])
normalize_featureVector = (normaliseFeature,feature_vector[1])
model = LogisticRegression()
model.fit(normalize_featureVector[0],normalize_featureVector[1])
return (model,feature_dictionary)
# Calculate precision, recall, and F-measure
# Y_pred is a Numpy array
# Y_test is a Numpy array
# Returns a tuple of floats
def evaluate_predictions(Y_pred, Y_test):
tp = 0
fp = 0
fn = 0
for i in range(len(Y_test)):
if Y_pred[i] == 1 and Y_test[i] == 1:
tp += 1
elif Y_test[i] == 0 and Y_pred[i] == 1:
fp += 1
elif Y_test[i] == 1 and Y_pred[i] == 0:
fn += 1
else:
pass
precision = tp/(tp+fp)
recall = tp/(tp+fn)
fmeasure = 2 * ((precision*recall)/(precision+recall))
return (precision, recall, fmeasure)
# Evaluates a model on a test corpus and prints the results
# model is a LogisticRegression
# corpus_path is a string
# Returns a tuple of floats
def test(model, feature_dict, corpus_path):
corpus = load_corpus(corpus_path)
negation_tagged_corpus = []
for ele in corpus:
negation_snippet = tag_negation(ele[0])
temp = (negation_snippet,ele[1])
negation_tagged_corpus.append(temp)
vectorized_corpus = vectorize_corpus(negation_tagged_corpus,feature_dict)
X = normalize(vectorized_corpus[0])
Y_test = vectorized_corpus[1]
Y_pred = model.predict(X)
result = evaluate_predictions(Y_pred, Y_test)
return result
# Selects the top k highest-weight features of a logistic regression model
# logreg_model is a trained LogisticRegression
# feature_dict is a dictionary {word: index}
# k is an int
def get_top_features(logreg_model, feature_dict, k=1):
pass
def main(args):
model, feature_dict = train('train.txt')
print(test(model, feature_dict, 'test.txt'))
weights = get_top_features(model, feature_dict)
for weight in weights:
print(weight)
if __name__ == '__main__':
sys.exit(main(sys.argv[1:]))
74_py_network_92044/hw2-programming-cyftady4.pdf
CS 6320.002: Natural Language Processing
Fall 2021
Homework 2 Programming Component – 55 points
Issued 15 Sept. 2021
Due 11:59pm CDT 29 Sept. 2021
Deliverables: Your completed hw2.py file, uploaded to Gradescope.
0 Getting Started
Make sure you have downloaded the data for this assignment:
• train.txt, a training set of movie reviews
• test.txt, a testing set of movie reviews
Make sure you have installed the following libraries:
• NLTK, https://www.nltk.org/
• Numpy, https://numpy.org/
• Scikit-Learn, https://scikit-learn.org/stable/
1 Data and Preprocessing – 15 points
In this assignment, we will train a unigram logistic regression classifier for predicting
the sentiment (positive or negative) of a movie review. Open the provided skeleton code
hw2.py in your favorite text editor.
First we need to load the training data. The provided corpus files train.txt and
test.txt have the following format: each line consists of a “snippet” (generally a single
sentence, but sometimes more) and a label (0 for negative, 1 for positive), separated by
a tab. Tokenization and some preprocessing have already been done: most punctuation
has been split off as separate tokens, and the words have all been converted to lower case.
Fill in the function load corpus(corpus path). The argument corpus path is a
string. The function should do the following:
• Open the file at corpus path and load the data.
• Return a list of tuples (snippet, label), where snippet is a list of strings (words),
and label is an int, eg. [(["I", "love", "computer", "science", "."], 1),
(["Homework", "sucks", "!"], 0)].
There is one preprocessing step we need to do: negation tagging. We want our model to
treat the “good” in “not good” differently from the “good” in “very good.” To do this,
we will tag words following a negation word with a meta tag ‘NOT ’. There are several
things to think about.
Besides “not”, what are some other words that should trigger negation tagging? “No”,
“never”, “nor,” and “cannot” are all negation words; for convenience, these words are
collected in the global variable negation words. Words that end with the “-n’t” clitic
are also negation words.
Fill in the function is negation(word). The argument word is a string. The function
should do the following:
• Return True if word is one of the words in negation words.
• Otherwise, check if word ends in “-n’t”; return True if so and False if not.
When should we stop doing negation tagging? If we encounter the word “but”, or a
similar word, like “however” or “nevertheless”. For example, we don’t want to do negation
tagging on the word “good” in the sentence “I didn’t like the salad, but the soup was
good.” If we reach the end of a sentence, ie. encounter “.”, “?”, or “!”, we also want
to stop doing negation tagging. For convenience, negation-ending words are collected in
the global variable negation enders, and sentence-ending punctuation is collected in the
global variable sentence enders.
There is another class of words that should end negation tagging: comparative adjectives
and adverbs. For example, “It could not be clearer that blah blah blah.” We don’t want
to tag “that blah blah blah” as negated, so we want comparatives like “clearer”, “better”,
etc. to also be negation-ending words. How do we identify such words? The only thing
their strings have in common is that they end in “er”. But of course, there are other
types of words that end in “er”, like “cinematographer” or “scriptwriter”, so how do we
know which it is? Part-of-speech tagging to the rescue! We will cover POS tagging later;
for now, we will just use the NLTK function nltk.pos tag().
Now let’s write the negation tagger.
Fill in the function tag negation(snippet). The argument snippet is a list of strings
(words). The function should do the following:
• Perform part-of-speech tagging on snippet by first converting snippet, which is a
list of words, into a single string, and then calling nltk.pos tag() on it.
• Iterate through the list of words, calling is negation() on each word until you
encounter a negation word.
• Do a quick corner case check. If the negation word is “not” and the next word is
“only”, ie. “not only”, we don’t want to do negation tagging.
• Otherwise, replace the words following the negation word with their negation-tagged
versions (ie. ‘good’ becomes ‘NOT good’). Always use the same meta-tag ‘NOT ’,
regardless of the negation word that triggered the tagging.
• Stop tagging when you find either sentence-ending punctuation, a negation-ending
word, or a comparative. You can check for sentence-ending punctuation and negation-
ending words using the global variables sentence enders and negation enders,
respectively; you can check for for comparatives by looking at the POS tag cor-
responding to each word: the tags for comparatives are ‘JJR’ for adjectives and
‘RBR’ for adverbs.
• Return the negation-tagged list of words, eg. ["I", "do", "n’t", "NOT like",
"NOT this", "NOT movie", "."].
2 A Basic Unigram Classifier – 25 points
Now let’s put together a simple sentiment classifier with unigram features. The first
thing we need to do is set up the feature dictionary. Since the features are unigrams, ie.
words, we want to get the vocabulary, ie. the set of unique words, in the training set.
Each unique word is then assigned a position (ie. an index) in the feature vector. The
goal of the feature dictionary is that, for a given word, we want to be able to look up its
associated position/index in the feature vector.
Fill in the function get feature dictionary(corpus). The argument corpus is a
list of tuples (snippet, label). The function should do the following:
• Initialize a position/index counter to 0.
• Iterate through each snippet in corpus and each word in each snippet. If the
word has not previously been seen, assign it the current position/index and then
increment the position/index counter.
• Return a dictionary where the keys are the unique words in corpus (strings), and the
values are the positions/indices assigned to those words (ints), eg. { "apple":0,
"banana":1, "carrot":2 }.
Using this feature dictionary, we can convert snippets into feature vectors.
Fill in the function vectorize snippet(snippet, feature dict). The argument
snippet is a list of strings, and the argument feature dict is a dictionary {word:index}.
The function should do the following:
• Use the Numpy function numpy.zeros() to initialize a Numpy array of length equal
to the size of feature dictionary, which contains all zeros.
• Iterate through the words in snippet, looking up the index of each word using
feature dictionary, and incrementing the value of the array at that index. This
creates a vector of word occurrence counts.
• Return the completed array, eg. numpy.array([0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 1, 3, 1, 0]).
Fill in the function vectorize corpus(corpus, feature dict). The argument corpus
is a list of tuples (snippet, label), and the argument feature dict is a dictionary
{word:index}. The function should do the following:
• Create two Numpy arrays X and Y to hold the training feature vectors and the train-
ing labels, respectively. Use numpy.empty() to initialize X of size n× d, where n is
the number of snippets in corpus and d is the number of features in feature dict,
and Y of length n.
• Iterate through corpus, using vectorize snippet() to get each snippet’s feature
vector and copying it into the appropriate row of X (you can use Python’s array
slicing syntax to do this); similarly, copy each snippet’s label into the appropriate
position in Y.
• Return a tuple (X, Y), eg. (numpy.array([[4, 0, 0, 0, 2, 1, 3, 1, 0], [0,
4, 5, 3, 0, 0, 3, 1, 2], [0, 3, 4, 5, 0, 0, 0, 3, 1]]), numpy.array([0,
1, 1])).
There’s actually one last thing we need to do with the features: normalization. Nor-
malizing features is important because, depending on your feature design, some features
may have much larger or smaller values than others. This isn’t so much the case with
unigram features, but imagine if we were using a mix between counts and binary (0-1)
features – the counts would be much larger than the binary features. But the classifier
doesn’t know that the two types of features are different; it just thinks that the binary
features are less expressive for some reason. What we want is to normalize the features so
that every feature has the same maximum and minimum values, and we don’t get some
features with a much larger range of values than other features.
We will normalize the feature values in X to be in the range [0, 1] using min-max normal-
ization. Recall that each row in X corresponds to a training snippet, and each column
corresponds to a feature.
Fill in the function normalize(X). The argument X is a Numpy array. The function
should do the following:
• Iterate through the columns (features) of X.
• Find the minimum and maximum values in a column.
• For each value f in the column, replace it with
f −min
max−min
.
• Make sure the function doesn’t fail for any min/max values!
Now everything is ready to train a sentiment classifier!
Fill in the function train(corpus path). The argument corpus path is a string. The
function should do the following:
• Load the training corpus at corpus path and perform negation tagging on each
snippet.
• Construct the feature dictionary.
• Vectorize the corpus and normalize the feature values.
• Instantiate a Scikit-Learn LogisticRegression model and use its fit() method
to train it on the vectorized corpus.
• Return a tuple (model, feature dict), where model is the trained LogisticRegression
and feature dict is the feature dictionary constructed earlier (we will need it for
testing).
You can check your work using the first line of the main() function, which will use the
functions you have filled in so far to train a sentiment classifier.
3 Evaluating a Classifier – 15 points
How do we evaluate our sentiment classifier? The standard metrics for any classification
problem are precision, recall, and f-measure.
Fill in the function evaluate predictions(Y pred, Y test). The arguments Y pred
and Y test are Numpy arrays, where Y pred holds the labels predicted by our model, and
Y test holds the true labels from the test dataset. The function should do the following:
• Use three counter variables to count the number of
– True positives (tp), true label is 1 and predicted label is 1
– False positives (fp), true label is 0 and predicted label is 1
– False negatives (fn), true label is 1 and predicted label is 0
• Calculate precision, recall, and f-measure:
– Precision (p) =
tp
tp + fp
– Recall (r) =
tp
tp + fn
– F-measure = 2
p · r
p + r
• Return a tuple of floats (precision, recall, fmeasure).
Now let’s test the trained model.
Fill in the function test(model, feature dict, corpus path). The argument model
is a trained LogisticRegression, the argument feature dict is a dictionary, and the
argument corpus path is a string. The function should do the following:
• Load the test corpus at corpus path and perform negation tagging on each snippet.
• Vectorize the test corpus and normalize the feature values. (Note that it is possible
for words to appear in the test corpus that are not in the training corpus! Make
sure vectorize corpus() and vectorize snippet() do not fail on such inputs.)
• Use the classifier’s predict() method to obtain its predictions on the test inputs.
• Evaluate the predictions and return a tuple of floats (precision, recall, fmeasure).
You can use the second line of main() to check your work so far.
Finally, let’s look at which unigrams are the most important for this sentiment classifi-
cation task. Recall that a logistic regression model has a weight vector w that is used
to scale up or scale down different features. This weight vector is stored as an internal
variable coef in the LogisticRegression class.
Fill in the function get top features(logreg model, feature dict, k=1). The ar-
gument logreg model is a trained LogisticRegression model, the argument feature dict
is a dictionary, and the argument k is an int indicating how many features to return. The
function should do the following:
• Access logreg model.coef , which is a Numpy array of size 1× d.
• Convert this array into a list of tuples (index, weight) and sort in descending
order by the absolute value of weight.
• Use feature dict to replace each index with the corresponding unigram that it is
associated with.
• Return a list of the top k words and weights, eg. [("apple", 6.36), ("banana",
-5.46), ("carrot", 2.69)].
All done! You can use the last line of main() to check your work.
74_py_network_92044/hw2-written-zysttnui.pdf
CS 6320.002: Natural Language Processing
Fall 2021
Homework 2 Written Component — 45 points
Issued 15 Sept. 2021
Due 11:59pm CDT 29 Sept. 2021
Deliverables: Answers can be typed directly into Gradescope. See the assignment guide
for more details.
What does it mean to “show your work?” Write out the math step-by-step; we
should be able to clearly follow your reasoning from one step to another. (You can
combine “obvious” steps like simplifying fractions or doing basic arithmetic.) The point
of showing your work is twofold: to get partial credit if your answer is incorrect, and to
show us that you worked the problem yourself and understand it. We will deduct points
if steps are missing.
1 Sentiment Analysis & Classification
The problems in this section are based on the material covered in Week 3.
1.1 Naive Bayes — 10 points
We have a training corpus consisting of three sentences and their labels:
• The cat sat in the hat, 1
• The dog sat on the log, 1
• The fish sat in the dish, 0
A. Suppose we train a Naive Bayes classifier on this corpus, using maximum likelihood
estimation and unigram count features without any smoothing. What are the values of
the parameters p(c) and p(f |c) for all classes c and features f? You can simply list the
parameters and their values; no need to show the arithmetic. You can skip parameters
with value 0, and you can leave your answers as fractions.
B. What class would our Naive Bayes classifier predict for the test sentence “The cat
sat”? Show your work, ie. show the calculations for the predicted probabilities of both
classes.
1.2 Logistic Regression — 5 points
The last step of the programming component asks you to get the top k most important
features for your sentiment classifier. When doing this, why do we sort by absolute value?
Explain why we do this rather than sorting by the raw weight values (1-2 sentences).
1.3 Gradient Descent — 5 points
Suppose you are training a model using stochastic gradient descent, and you have a held-
out validation set to check the performance of your model. Your loss function gives the
following values on the training and validation sets as you train:
Training Steps Training Loss Validation Loss
100 0.9494 0.9952
200 0.8652 0.8921
300 0.7345 0.7671
400 0.6253 0.6937
500 0.5145 0.5877
600 0.4112 0.4514
700 0.3434 0.4528
800 0.2346 0.4698
900 0.1384 0.4745
1000 0.1261 0.4778
You have saved a copy of your model every 100 training steps. Which of the 10 saved
models should you use for testing? Explain your answer (1-2 sentences).
2 Part-of-Speech Tagging
The problems in this section are based on the material covered in Week 5.
2.1 HMMs and the Viterbi Algorithm — 10 points
Suppose we have a training corpus consisting of two tagged sentences:
• The can is in the drawer
DT NN VB PP DT NN
• The cat can see the fish
DT NN VB VB DT NN
A. Suppose we train a simple HMM part-of-speech tagger on this corpus, using maximum
likelihood estimation, bigram tag transition probabilities, and a single meta-tag (the
start tag). What are the values of the parameters p(ti|ti−1) and p(wi|ti) for all tags t
and words w? You can simply list the parameters and their values; no need to show the
arithmetic. You can skip parameters with value 0, and you can leave your answers as
fractions.
B. What parts of speech would the trained HMM tagger in the previous problem predict
for the test sentence “The fish can see the can,” using Viterbi decoding? Show your work,
ie. the dynamic programming table V . You can leave your answers as fractions.
2.2 The Viterbi Algorithm — 5 points
Suppose we have an HMM tagger that uses 4-gram tag transition probabilities, ie. the
parameters are p(ti|ti−1, ti−2, ti−3) and p(wi|ti). Let T be the number of tags in the tagset,
and let n be the length of the input sequence to be tagged. What is the runtime, in big-O,
of the vanilla Viterbi algorithm for this HMM? What is the runtime if we use beam search
Viterbi with beam size k? Briefly explain your answers (a single sentence is fine).
2.3 Tagsets — 5 points
The Penn Treebank tagset is not the only one out there; there is also the Universal
Dependencies tagset, which has less than half as many tags. For example, instead of a
different tag for each tense of verb, Universal Dependencies has a single tag for all verbs,
regardless of their tense. What are some advantages and disadvantages of using a smaller
tagset, as opposed to a larger one? Give at least one advantage and one disadvantage
and briefly explain (a single sentence each is fine).
2.4 MEMMs and Feature Engineering — 5 points
Another powerful feature type for part-of-speech tagging MEMMs, in addition to word
and tag n-grams, are word and tag skip-grams. For example, from the sequence “The
sleepy dog”, we can get two bigrams, (the, sleepy) and (sleepy, dog); one trigram,
(the, sleepy, dog); and one skip-gram, (the, dog). Why do we use skip-grams when
we already have bigrams and trigrams? What advantages do skip-gram features offer?
Give at least one advantage and briefly explain (a single sentence is fine).
74_py_network_92044/test.txt
any film that doesn't even in passing mention political prisoners , poverty and the boat loads of people who try to escape the country is less a documentary and more propaganda by way of a valentine sealed with a kiss . 0
the best didacticism is one carried by a strong sense of humanism , and bertrand tavernier's oft-brilliant safe conduct ( " laissez-passer " ) wears its heart on its sleeve . 1
a rehash of every gangster movie from the past decade . 0
it's an entertaining movie , and the effects , boosted to the size of a downtown hotel , will all but take you to outer space . 1
yet another self-consciously overwritten story about a rag-tag bunch of would-be characters that team up for a can't-miss heist -- only to have it all go wrong . 0
grant carries the day with impeccable comic timing , raffish charm and piercing intellect . 1
certainly not a good movie , but it wasn't horrible either . 0
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 . 0
though there's a clarity of purpose and even-handedness to the film's direction , the drama feels rigged and sluggish . 0
while the story does seem pretty unbelievable at times , it's awfully entertaining to watch . 1
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 . 0
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 . 1
oddly , the film isn't nearly as downbeat as it sounds , but strikes a tone that's alternately melancholic , hopeful and strangely funny . 1
more likely to have you scratching your head than hiding under your seat . 0
the only upside to all of this unpleasantness is , given its labor day weekend upload , feardotcom should log a minimal number of hits . 0
where this was lazy but enjoyable , a formula comedy redeemed by its stars , that is even lazier and far less enjoyable . 1
even though the film doesn't manage to hit all of its marks , it's still entertaining to watch the target practice . 1
the big finish is a bit like getting all excited about a chocolate eclair and then biting into it and finding the filling missing . 0
both exuberantly romantic and serenely melancholy , what time is it there ? may prove to be [tsai's] masterpiece . 1
nothing but an episode of smackdown ! in period costume and with a bigger budget . 0
performances are potent , and the women's stories are ably intercut and involving . 1
wonder of wonders -- a teen movie with a humanistic message . 1
chouraqui brings documentary-like credibility to the horrors of the killing field and the barbarism of 'ethnic cleansing . ' 1
nearly all the fundamentals you take for granted in most films are mishandled here . 0
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 . 0
a era do gelo diverte , mas no convence . um passatempo descompromissado n e su . 0
. . . 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 . 0
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 . 0
tends to pile too many " serious issues " on its plate at times , yet remains fairly light , always entertaining , and smartly written . 1
it's a great american adventure and a wonderful film to bring to imax . 1
the movie is almost completely lacking in suspense , surprise and consistent emotional conviction . 0
this movie plays like an extended dialogue exercise in retard 101 . 0
essentially , the film is weak on detail and strong on personality 0
not just unlikable . disturbing . disgusting . without any redeeming value whatsoever . 0
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 . 1
[hell is] looking down at your watch and realizing serving sara isn't even halfway through . 0
more successful at relating history than in creating an emotionally complex , dramatically satisfying heroine 0
while broomfield's film doesn't capture the effect of these tragic deaths on hip-hop culture , it succeeds as a powerful look at a failure of our justice system . 1
queen of the damned is too long with too little going on . 0
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 . 0
it sounds like another clever if pointless excursion into the abyss , and that's more or less how it plays out . 0
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 . 0
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 . 0
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 . 0
one of the most plain , unimaginative romantic comedies i've ever seen . 0
passion , melodrama , sorrow , laugther , and tears cascade over the screen effortlessly . . . 1
koepp's screenplay isn't nearly surprising or clever enough to sustain a reasonable degree of suspense on its own . 0
bean drops the ball too many times . . . hoping the nifty premise will create enough interest to make up for an unfocused screenplay . 0
it should be doing a lot of things , but doesn't . 0
brutally honest and told with humor and poignancy , which makes its message resonate . 1
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 . 0
one of the year's best films , featuring an oscar-worthy performance by julianne moore . 1
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 . 0
the movie is too amateurishly square to make the most of its own ironic implications . 0
the film is strictly routine . 0
a subtle , poignant picture of goodness that is flawed , compromised and sad . 1
too much power , not enough puff . 0
red dragon makes one appreciate silence of the lambs . 1
there's no denying that burns is a filmmaker with a bright future ahead of him . 1
beautifully directed and convincingly acted . 1
less funny than it should be and less funny than it thinks it is . 0
a visionary marvel , but it's lacking a depth in storytelling usually found in anime like this . 1
staggeringly dreadful romance . 0
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 . 1
a charming , banter-filled comedy . . . one of those airy cinematic bon bons whose aims -- and by extension , accomplishments -- seem deceptively slight on the surface . 1
does what should seem impossible : it makes serial killer jeffrey dahmer boring . 0
the rare imax movie that you'll wish was longer than an hour . 1
" what really happened ? " is a question for philosophers , not filmmakers ; all the filmmakers need to do is engage an audience . 1
meticulously uncovers a trail of outrageous force and craven concealment . 1
if s&m seems like a strange route to true love , maybe it is , but it's to this film's ( and its makers' ) credit that we believe that that's exactly what these two people need to find each other -- and themselves . 1
twohy's a good yarn-spinner , and ultimately the story compels . 1
very much a home video , and so devoid of artifice and purpose that it appears not to have been edited at all . 0
more intellectually scary than dramatically involving . 0
a so-so , made-for-tv something posing as a real movie . 0
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 . 1
i have a new favorite musical -- and i'm not even a fan of the genre 1
i spied with my little eye . . . a mediocre collection of cookie-cutter action scenes and occasionally inspired dialogue bits 0
absolutely ( and unintentionally ) terrifying . 0
muddled , trashy and incompetent 0
in his latest effort , storytelling , solondz has finally made a movie that isn't just offensive -- it also happens to be good . 1
an awful movie that will only satisfy the most emotionally malleable of filmgoers . 0
chen films the resolutely downbeat smokers only with every indulgent , indie trick in the book . 0
like a bad improvisation exercise , the superficially written characters ramble on tediously about their lives , loves and the art they're struggling to create . 0
gaping plot holes sink this 'sub'-standard thriller and drag audience enthusiasm to crush depth . 0
what emerges is an unsettling picture of childhood innocence combined with indoctrinated prejudice . promises is a compelling piece that demonstrates just how well children can be trained to live out and carry on their parents' anguish . 1
a big-budget/all-star movie as unblinkingly pure as the hours is a distinct rarity , and an event . 1
this director's cut -- which adds 51 minutes -- takes a great film and turns it into a mundane soap opera . 0
a quasi-documentary by french filmmaker karim dridi that celebrates the hardy spirit of cuban music . 1
an extraordinarily silly thriller . 0
this is very much of a mixed bag , with enough negatives to outweigh the positives . 0
overburdened with complicated plotting and banal dialogue 0
never decides whether it wants to be a black comedy , drama , melodrama or some combination of the three . 0
spielberg's realization of a near-future america is masterful . this makes minority report necessary viewing for sci-fi fans , as the film has some of the best special effects ever . 1
a solidly entertaining little film . 1
woody , what happened ? 0
lyne's latest , the erotic thriller unfaithful , further demonstrates just how far his storytelling skills have eroded . 0
the only fun part of the movie is playing the obvious game . you try to guess the order in which the kids in the house will be gored . 0
the film didn'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 . 0
this is popcorn movie fun with equal doses of action , cheese , ham and cheek ( as well as a serious debt to the road warrior ) , but it feels like unrealized potential 1
some movies can get by without being funny simply by structuring the scenes as if they were jokes : a setup , delivery and payoff . stealing harvard can't even do that much . each scene immediately succumbs to gravity and plummets to earth . 0
harris is supposed to be the star of the story , but comes across as pretty dull and wooden . 0
i suspect that you'll be as bored watching morvern callar as the characters are in it . if you go , pack your knitting needles . 0
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 . 1
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 . 0
. . . 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 . 0
move over bond ; this girl deserves a sequel . 1
affable if not timeless , like mike raises some worthwhile themes while delivering a wholesome fantasy for kids . 1
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 . 1
bearable . barely . 0
a formula family tearjerker told with a heavy irish brogue . . . accentuating , rather than muting , the plot's saccharine thrust . 0
the movie doesn't generate a lot of energy . it is dark , brooding and slow , and takes its central idea way too seriously . 0
you never know where changing lanes is going to take you but it's a heck of a ride . samuel l . jackson is one of the best actors there is . 1
like the tuck family themselves , this movie just goes on and on and on and on 0
the best thing i can say about this film is that i can't wait to see what the director does next . 1
many insightful moments . 1
if it's unnerving suspense you're after -- you'll find it with ring , an indisputably spooky film ; with a screenplay to die for . 1
the film is hard to dismiss -- moody , thoughtful , and lit by flashes of mordant humor . 1
enigma is well-made , but it's just too dry and too placid . 0
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 . 0
'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 . 0
it leaves little doubt that kidman has become one of our best actors . 1
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 . 1
this seductive tease of a thriller gets the job done . it's a scorcher . 1
this will go on so long as there are moviegoers anxious to see strange young guys doing strange guy things . 0
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 . 1
a lovably old-school hollywood confection . 1
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 . 1
the campy results make mel brooks' borscht belt schtick look sophisticated . 0
those of you who don't believe in santa claus probably also think that sequels can never capture the magic of the original . well , this movie proves you wrong on both counts . 1
a vivid , spicy footnote to history , and a movie that grips and holds you in rapt attention from start to finish . 1
even fans of ismail merchant's work , i suspect , would have a hard time sitting through this one . 0
hey arnold ! is now stretched to barely feature length , with a little more attention paid to the animation . still , the updated dickensian sensibility of writer craig bartlett's story is appealing . 0
. . . a sweetly affecting story about four sisters who are coping , in one way or another , with life's endgame . 1
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 . 1
skillful as he is , mr . shyamalan is undone by his pretensions . 0
cherish would've worked a lot better had it been a short film . 0
remember back when thrillers actually thrilled ? when the twist endings were actually surprising ? when the violence actually shocked ? when the heroes were actually under 40 ? sadly , as blood work proves , that was a long , long time ago . 0
as pedestrian as they come . 0
an animation landmark as monumental as disney's 1937 breakthrough snow white and the seven dwarfs . 1
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 . 0
it has become apparent that the franchise's best years are long past . 0
if you can read the subtitles ( the opera is sung in italian ) and you like 'masterpiece theatre' type costumes , you'll enjoy this movie . 1
how i killed my father would be a rarity in hollywood . 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 . 1
if borstal boy isn't especially realistic , it is an engaging nostalgia piece . 1
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 . 0
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 . 1
it feels like very light errol morris , focusing on eccentricity but failing , ultimately , to make something bigger out of its scrapbook of oddballs . 0
it should be interesting , it should be poignant , it turns out to be affected and boring . 0
fairy-tale formula , serves as a paper skeleton for some very good acting , dialogue , comedy , direction and especially charm . 1
at its best . . . festival in cannes bubbles with the excitement of the festival in cannes . 1
. . . one of the most entertaining monster movies in ages . . . 1
one of the most important and exhilarating forms of animated filmmaking since old walt doodled steamboat willie . 1
oh , james ! your 20th outing shows off a lot of stamina and vitality , and get this , madonna's cameo doesn't suck ! 1
charly comes off as emotionally manipulative and sadly imitative of innumerable past love story derisions . 0
bittersweet comedy/drama full of life , hand gestures , and some really adorable italian guys . 1
it's a movie that ends with truckzilla , for cryin' out loud . if that doesn't clue you in that something's horribly wrong , nothing will . 0
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 . 0
clumsy , obvious , preposterous , the movie will likely set the cause of woman warriors back decades . 0
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 . 1
it's so downbeat and nearly humorless that it becomes a chore to sit through -- despite some first-rate performances by its lead . 0
schaeffer isn't in this film , which may be why it works as well as it does . 1
the armenian genocide deserves a more engaged and honest treatment . 0
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 . 1
earnest yet curiously tepid and choppy recycling in which predictability is the only winner . 0
a violent initiation rite for the audience , as much as it is for angelique , the [opening] dance guarantees karmen's enthronement among the cinema's memorable women . 1
steers , in his feature film debut , has created a brilliant motion picture . 1
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 . 1
the movie tries to be ethereal , but ends up seeming goofy . 0
this off-putting french romantic comedy is sure to test severely the indulgence of fans of amelie . 0
a full-frontal attack on audience patience . 0
a sha-na-na sketch punctuated with graphic violence . 0
there's something to be said for a studio-produced film that never bothers to hand viewers a suitcase full of easy answers . 1
a tired , predictable , bordering on offensive , waste of time , money and celluloid . 0
it appears to have been modeled on the worst revenge-of-the-nerds cliches the filmmakers could dredge up . 0
smarter than its commercials make it seem . 1
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 . 1
. . . better described as a ghost story gone badly awry . 0
by turns gripping , amusing , tender and heart-wrenching , laissez-passer has all the earmarks of french cinema at its best . 1
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 . 0
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 . 0
scherfig , the writer-director , has made a film so unabashedly hopeful that it actually makes the heart soar . yes , soar . 1
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 . 1
the hanukkah spirit seems fried in pork . 0
no amount of burning , blasting , stabbing , and shooting can hide a weak script . 0
[lin chung's] voice is rather unexceptional , even irritating ( at least to this western ear ) , making it awfully hard to buy the impetus for the complicated love triangle that develops between the three central characters . 0
the first shocking thing about sorority boys is that it's actually watchable . even more baffling is that it's funny . 1
movies like high crimes flog the dead horse of surprise as if it were an obligation . how about surprising us by trying something new ? 0
where the film falters is in its tone . 0
waydowntown manages to nail the spirit-crushing ennui of denuded urban living without giving in to it . 1
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 . 1
there are many definitions of 'time waster' but this movie must surely be one of them . 0
a film of delicate interpersonal dances . caine makes us watch as his character awakens to the notion that to be human is eventually to have to choose . it's a sight to behold . 1
despite an overwrought ending , the film works as well as it does because of the performances . 1
all the queen's men is a throwback war movie that fails on so many levels , it should pay reparations to viewers . 0
one key problem with these ardently christian storylines is that there is never any question of how things will turn out . 0
the stunt work is top-notch ; the dialogue and drama often food-spittingly funny . 0
characterisation has been sacrificed for the sake of spectacle . 0
routine and rather silly . 0
two hours of sepia-tinted heavy metal images and surround sound effects of people moaning . 0
it's supposed to be post-feminist breezy but ends up as tedious as the chatter of parrots raised on oprah . 0
[a] boldly stroked , luridly coloured , uni-dimensional nonsense machine that strokes the eyeballs while it evaporates like so much crypt mist in the brain . 0
a vivid , sometimes surreal , glimpse into the mysteries of human behavior . 1
gangs , despite the gravity of its subject matter , is often as fun to watch as a good spaghetti western . 1
rollerball is as bad as you think , and worse than you can imagine . 0
leaves viewers out in the cold and undermines some phenomenal performances . 0
. . . a ho-hum affair , always watchable yet hardly memorable . 0
that death is merely a transition is a common tenet in the world's religions . this deeply spiritual film taps into the meaning and consolation in afterlife communications . 1
swiftly deteriorates into a terribly obvious melodrama and rough-hewn vanity project for lead actress andie macdowell . 0
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 . 0
the venezuelans say things like " si , pretty much " and " por favor , go home " when talking to americans . that's muy loco , but no more ridiculous than most of the rest of " dragonfly . " 0
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 . 1
harry potter and the chamber of secrets is deja vu all over again , and while that is a cliche , nothing could be more appropriate . it's likely that whatever you thought of the first production -- pro or con -- you'll likely think of this one . 0
a zombie movie in every sense of the word--mindless , lifeless , meandering , loud , painful , obnoxious . 0
the master of disguise falls under the category of 'should have been a sketch on saturday night live . ' 0
one of the worst movies of the year . . . . watching it was painful . 0
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 . 1
the symbols float like butterflies and the spinning styx sting like bees . i wanted more . 1
feels strangely hollow at its emotional core . 0
how do you make a movie with depth about a man who lacked any ? on the evidence before us , the answer is clear : not easily and , in the end , not well enough . 0
an enthralling , entertaining feature . 1
a moving and not infrequently breathtaking film . 1
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 . 1
the metaphors are provocative , but too often , the viewer is left puzzled by the mechanics of the delivery . 0
goofy , nutty , consistently funny . and educational ! 1
insomnia loses points when it surrenders to a formulaic bang-bang , shoot-em-up scene at the conclusion . but the performances of pacino , williams , and swank keep the viewer wide-awake all the way through . 1
although melodramatic and predictable , this romantic comedy explores the friendship between five filipino-americans and their frantic efforts to find love . 1
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 . 0
does anyone much think the central story of brendan behan is that he was a bisexual sweetheart before he took to drink ? 0
there's not one decent performance from the cast and not one clever line of dialogue . 0
pull[s] off the rare trick of recreating not only the look of a certain era , but also the feel . 1
" austin powers in goldmember " has the right stuff for silly summer entertainment and has enough laughs to sustain interest to the end . 1
my wife's plotting is nothing special ; it's the delivery that matters here . 1
no surprises . 0
if a few good men told us that we " can't handle the truth " than high crimes poetically states at one point in this movie that we " don't care about the truth . " 0
the film is a blunt indictment , part of a perhaps surreal campaign to bring kissinger to trial for crimes against humanity . 1
competently directed but terminally cute drama . 0
a well-acted , but one-note film . 0
even when crush departs from the 4w formula . . . it feels like a glossy rehash . 0
i just saw this movie . . . well , it's probably not accurate to call it a movie . 1
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 . 0
an allegory concerning the chronically mixed signals african american professionals get about overachieving could be intriguing , but the supernatural trappings only obscure the message . 0
jason patric and ray liotta make for one splendidly cast pair . 1
the kind of trifle that date nights were invented for . 1
the nonstop artifice ultimately proves tiresome , with the surface histrionics failing to compensate for the paper-thin characterizations and facile situations . 0
steven soderbergh doesn't remake andrei tarkovsky's solaris so much as distill it . 1
though nijinsky's words grow increasingly disturbed , the film maintains a beguiling serenity and poise that make it accessible for a non-narrative feature . 1
saved from being merely way-cool by a basic , credible compassion . 1
a brutal and funny work . nicole holofcenter , the insightful writer/director responsible for this illuminating comedy doesn't wrap the proceedings up neatly but the ideas tie together beautifully . 1
. . . in the pile of useless actioners from mtv schmucks who don't know how to tell a story for more than four minutes . 0
the pacing is deadly , the narration helps little and naipaul , a juicy writer , is negated . 0
'if you are in the mood for an intelligent weepy , it can easily worm its way into your heart . ' 1
director tom shadyac and star kevin costner glumly mishandle the story's promising premise of a physician who needs to heal himself . 0
has enough gun battles and throwaway humor to cover up the yawning chasm where the plot should be . 1
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 . 1
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 . 1
satisfyingly scarifying , fresh and old-fashioned at the same time . 1
ultimately this is a frustrating patchwork : an uneasy marriage of louis begley's source novel ( about schmidt ) and an old payne screenplay . 0
blade ii has a brilliant director and charismatic star , but it suffers from rampant vampire devaluation . 0
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 . 1
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 . 0
provides a porthole into that noble , trembling incoherence that defines us all . 1
the premise itself is just sooooo tired . pair that with really poor comedic writing . . . and you've got a huge mess . 0
final verdict : you've seen it all before . 0
the trouble is , its filmmakers run out of clever ideas and visual gags about halfway through . 0
ya-yas everywhere will forgive the flaws and love the film . 1
a realistically terrifying movie that puts another notch in the belt of the long list of renegade-cop tales . 1
graced with the kind of social texture and realism that would be foreign in american teen comedies . 1
max pokes , provokes , takes expressionistic license and hits a nerve . . . as far as art is concerned , it's mission accomplished . 1
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 . 0
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 . 1
this amiable picture talks tough , but it's all bluster -- in the end it's as sweet as greenfingers . . . 1
the film's trailer also looked like crap , so crap is what i was expecting . 0
it's really just another silly hollywood action film , one among a multitude of simple-minded , yahoo-ing death shows . 0
a terrible movie that some people will nevertheless find moving . 0
the lead actors share no chemistry or engaging charisma . we don't even like their characters . 0
everything its title implies , a standard-issue crime drama spat out from the tinseltown assembly line . 0
one of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature . 1
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 . 1
this is a movie that refreshes the mind and spirit along with the body , so original is its content , look , and style . 1
unpretentious , charming , quirky , original 1
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 . 1
a movie where story is almost an afterthought amidst a swirl of colors and inexplicable events . 1
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 . 0
a sensitive and astute first feature by anne-sophie birot . 1
the filmmakers are playing to the big boys in new york and l . a . to that end , they mock the kind of folks they don't understand , ones they figure the power-lunchers don't care to understand , either . 0
gambling and throwing a basketball game for money isn't a new plot -- in fact toback himself used it in black and white . but toback's deranged immediacy makes it seem fresh again . 1
if we sometimes need comforting fantasies about mental illness , we also need movies like tim mccann's revolution no . 9 . 1
Ãâan adorably whimsical comedy that deserves more than a passing twinkle . 1
cattaneo reworks the formula that made the full monty a smashing success . . . but neglects to add the magic that made it all work . 0
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 . 0
unless there are zoning ordinances to protect your community from the dullest science fiction , impostor is opening today at a theater near you . 0
combines a comically dismal social realism with a farcically bawdy fantasy of redemption and regeneration . 1
if hill isn't quite his generation's don siegel ( or robert aldrich ) , it's because there's no discernible feeling beneath the chest hair ; it's all bluster and cliche . 0
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 . 0
juliette binoche's sand is vivacious , but it's hard to sense that powerhouse of 19th-century prose behind her childlike smile . 0
the movie is a little tired ; maybe the original inspiration has run its course . 0
[lee] treats his audience the same way that jim brown treats his women -- as dumb , credulous , unassuming , subordinate subjects . and lee seems just as expectant of an adoring , wide-smiling reception . 0
the abiding impression , despite the mild hallucinogenic buzz , is of overwhelming waste -- the acres of haute couture can't quite conceal that there's nothing resembling a spine here . 0
while holm is terrific as both men and hjejle quite appealing , the film fails to make the most out of the intriguing premise . 0
a banal , virulently unpleasant excuse for a romantic comedy . 0
soulless and -- even more damning -- virtually joyless , xxx achieves near virtuosity in its crapulence . 0
it's a big idea , but the film itself is small and shriveled . 0
the santa clause 2 is a barely adequate babysitter for older kids , but i've got to give it thumbs down . 0
an uneasy mix of run-of-the-mill raunchy humor and seemingly sincere personal reflection . 0
laugh-out-loud lines , adorably ditsy but heartfelt performances , and sparkling , bittersweet dialogue that cuts to the chase of the modern girl's dilemma . 1
the movie isn't painfully bad , something to be 'fully experienced' ; it's just tediously bad , something to be fully forgotten . 0
is it really an advantage to invest such subtlety and warmth in an animatronic bear when the humans are acting like puppets ? 0
by turns very dark and very funny . 1
don't hate el crimen del padre amaro because it's anti-catholic . hate it because it's lousy . 0
with its jerky hand-held camera and documentary feel , bloody sunday is a sobering recount of a very bleak day in derry . 1
though overall an overwhelmingly positive portrayal , the film doesn't ignore the more problematic aspects of brown's life . 1
this chicago has hugely imaginative and successful casting to its great credit , as well as one terrific score and attitude to spare . 1
quando tiros em columbine acerta o alvo ( com o perdo do trocadilho ) , no como negar o brilhantismo da argumentacao de seu diretor . 1
it takes you somewhere you're not likely to have seen before , but beneath the exotic surface ( and exotic dancing ) it's surprisingly old-fashioned . 0
manipulative claptrap , a period-piece movie-of-the-week , plain old blarney . . . take your pick . all three descriptions suit evelyn , a besotted and obvious drama that tells us nothing new . 0
this feature is about as necessary as a hole in the head 0
the film , like jimmy's routines , could use a few good laughs . 0
time literally stops on a dime in the tries-so-hard-to-be-cool " clockstoppers , " but that doesn't mean it still won't feel like the longest 90 minutes of your movie-going life . 0
the attempt to build up a pressure cooker of horrified awe emerges from the simple fact that the movie has virtually nothing to show . 0
steadfastly uncinematic but powerfully dramatic . 1
pratfalls aside , barbershop gets its greatest play from the timeless spectacle of people really talking to each other . 1
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 . 0
an inuit masterpiece that will give you goosebumps as its uncanny tale of love , communal discord , and justice unfolds . 1
it's a mystery how the movie could be released in this condition . 0
leigh isn't breaking new ground , but he knows how a daily grind can kill love . 1
barney throws away the goodwill the first half of his movie generates by orchestrating a finale that is impenetrable and dull . 0
it's tough to be startled when you're almost dozing . 0
nonchalantly freaky and uncommonly pleasurable , warm water may well be the year's best and most unpredictable comedy . 1
sayles has a knack for casting , often resurrecting performers who rarely work in movies now . . . and drawing flavorful performances from bland actors . 1
i have a confession to make : i didn't particularly like e . t . the first time i saw it as a young boy . that is because - damn it ! - i also wanted a little alien as a friend ! 1
while the filmmaking may be a bit disjointed , the subject matter is so fascinating that you won't care . 1
peppered with witty dialogue and inventive moments . 1
the lively appeal of the last kiss lies in the ease with which it integrates thoughtfulness and pasta-fagioli comedy . 1
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 . 1
road to perdition does display greatness , and it's worth seeing . but it also comes with the laziness and arrogance of a thing that already knows it's won . 1
jones has tackled a meaty subject and drawn engaging characters while peppering the pages with memorable zingers . 1
hey , happy ! is many things -- stoner midnight flick , sci-fi deconstruction , gay fantasia -- but above all it's a love story as sanguine as its title . 1
. . . for all its social and political potential , state property doesn't end up being very inspiring or insightful . 0
although i didn't hate this one , it's not very good either . it can be safely recommended as a video/dvd babysitter . 1
the modern remake of dumas's story is long on narrative and ( too ) short on action . 1
it shares the first two films' loose-jointed structure , but laugh-out-loud bits are few and far between . 0
the charms of the lead performances allow us to forget most of the film's problems . 1
there is a real subject here , and it is handled with intelligence and care . 1
did we really need a remake of " charade ? " 0
mariah carey gives us another peek at some of the magic we saw in glitter here in wisegirls . 0
tells ( the story ) with such atmospheric ballast that shrugging off the plot's persnickety problems is simply a matter of ( being ) in a shrugging mood . 1
as his circle of friends keeps getting smaller one of the characters in long time dead says 'i'm telling you , this is f * * * ed' . maybe he was reading the minds of the audience . 0
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 . 0
rashomon-for-dipsticks tale . 0
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 . 0
talkiness isn't necessarily bad , but the dialogue frequently misses the mark . 0
an enigmatic film that's too clever for its own good , it's a conundrum not worth solving . 0
you'll just have your head in your hands wondering why lee's character didn't just go to a bank manager and save everyone the misery . 0
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 . 0
soderbergh , like kubrick before him , may not touch the planet's skin , but understands the workings of its spirit . 1
does a good job of establishing a time and place , and of telling a fascinating character's story . 1
another best of the year selection . 1
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 . 1
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 . 1
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 . 1
evokes the 19th century with a subtlety that is an object lesson in period filmmaking . 1
the performances are an absolute joy . 1
the cinematic equivalent of patronizing a bar favored by pretentious , untalented artistes who enjoy moaning about their cruel fate . 0
its appeal will probably limited to lds church members and undemanding armchair tourists . 0
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 . 1
i'd rather watch a rerun of the powerpuff girls 1
feels more like a rejected x-files episode than a credible account of a puzzling real-life happening . 0
a dim-witted and lazy spin-off of the animal planet documentary series , crocodile hunter is entertainment opportunism at its most glaring . 0
. it's a testament to the film's considerable charm that it succeeds in entertaining , despite playing out like a feature-length sitcom replete with stereotypical familial quandaries . there's a sheer unbridled delight in the way the story unfurls . . . 1
the best film of the year 2002 . 1
all in all , brown sugar is a satisfying well-made romantic comedy that's both charming and well acted . it will guarantee to have you leaving the theater with a smile on your face . 1
the histrionic muse still eludes madonna and , playing a charmless witch , she is merely a charmless witch . 0
a muddle splashed with bloody beauty as vivid as any scorsese has ever given us . 1
i'm happy to have seen it -- not as an alternate version , but as the ultimate exercise in viewing deleted scenes . 1
humor in i spy is so anemic . 0
kids should have a stirring time at this beautifully drawn movie . and adults will at least have a dream image of the west to savor whenever the film's lamer instincts are in the saddle . 1
the work of an exhausted , desiccated talent who can't get out of his own way . 0
we get the comedy we settle for . 0
as a thoughtful and unflinching examination of an alternative lifestyle , sex with strangers is a success . 1
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 . 1
mazel tov to a film about a family's joyous life acting on the yiddish stage . 1
the beautiful images and solemn words cannot disguise the slack complacency of [godard's] vision , any more than the gorgeous piano and strings on the soundtrack can drown out the tinny self-righteousness of his voice . 0
what a dumb , fun , curiously adolescent movie this is . 1
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 . 1
doesn't come close to justifying the hype that surrounded its debut at the sundance film festival two years ago . 0
nothing short of a masterpiece -- and a challenging one . 1
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 . 0
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 . 1
the cast has a high time , but de broca has little enthusiasm for such antique pulp . 0
you cannot guess why the cast and crew didn't sign a pact to burn the negative and the script and pretend the whole thing never existed . 0
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 . 1
a good-looking but ultimately pointless political thriller with plenty of action and almost no substance . 0
even when he's not at his most critically insightful , godard can still be smarter than any 50 other filmmakers still at work . 1
a film that clearly means to preach exclusively to the converted . 0
an inept , tedious spoof of '70s kung fu pictures , it contains almost enough chuckles for a three-minute sketch , and no more . 0
an older cad instructs a younger lad in zen and the art of getting laid in this prickly indie comedy of manners and misanthropy . 1
it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is a mormon family movie , and a sappy , preachy one at that . 0
eckstraordinarily lame and severely boring . 0
the most ingenious film comedy since being john malkovich . 1
the drama discloses almost nothing . 0
the plot is paper-thin and the characters aren't interesting enough to watch them go about their daily activities for two whole hours . 0
it's a very valuable film . . . 1
less cinematically powerful than quietly and deeply moving , which is powerful in itself . 1
. . . certainly an entertaining ride , despite many talky , slow scenes . but something seems to be missing . a sense of real magic , perhaps . 1
ensemble movies , like soap operas , depend on empathy . if there ain't none , you have a problem . 0
there is a general air of exuberance in all about the benjamins that's hard to resist . 1
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 . 0
narc is all menace and atmosphere . 0
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 . 1
crush is so warm and fuzzy you might be able to forgive its mean-spirited second half . 1
a minor-league soccer remake of the longest yard . 0
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 . 0
. . . strips bible stores of the potential for sanctimoniousness , making them meaningful for both kids and church-wary adults . 1
starts slowly , but adrien brody ñ in the title role ñ helps make the film's conclusion powerful and satisfying . 1
made-up lampoons the moviemaking process itself , while shining a not particularly flattering spotlight on america's skin-deep notions of pulchritude . 1
there's real visual charge to the filmmaking , and a strong erotic spark to the most crucial lip-reading sequence . 1
an inconsequential , barely there bit of piffle . 0
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 . 0
bears is even worse than i imagined a movie ever could be . 0
an almost unbearably morbid love story . 1
manages to delight without much of a story . 1
whether it's the worst movie of 2002 , i can't say for sure : memories of rollerball have faded , and i skipped country bears . but this new jangle of noise , mayhem and stupidity must be a serious contender for the title . 0
peralta captures , in luminous interviews and amazingly evocative film from three decades ago , the essence of the dogtown experience . 1
it's a sharp movie about otherwise dull subjects . 1
an " o bruin , where art thou ? " -style cross-country adventure . . . it has sporadic bursts of liveliness , some so-so slapstick and a few ear-pleasing songs on its soundtrack . 0
not a schlocky creature feature but something far more stylish and cerebral--and , hence , more chillingly effective . 1
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 . 1
lan yu is a genuine love story , full of traditional layers of awakening and ripening and separation and recovery . 1
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 . 1
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 . 1
much credit must be given to the water-camera operating team of don king , sonny miller , and michael stewart . their work is fantastic . 1
the world needs more filmmakers with passionate enthusiasms like martin scorsese . but it doesn't need gangs of new york . 0
a word of advice to the makers of the singles ward : celebrity cameos do not automatically equal laughs . and neither do cliches , no matter how 'inside' they are . 0
intensely romantic , thought-provoking and even an engaging mystery . 1
if it were any more of a turkey , it would gobble in dolby digital stereo . if nothing else , " rollerball " 2002 may go down in cinema history as the only movie ever in which the rest of the cast was outshined by ll cool j . 0
first and foremost . . . the reason to go see " blue crush " is the phenomenal , water-born cinematography by david hennings . 1
the result is so tame that even slightly wised-up kids would quickly change the channel . 0
a marvelous performance by allison lohman as an identity-seeking foster child . 1
works as pretty contagious fun . 1
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 . 1
the only type of lives this glossy comedy-drama resembles are ones in formulaic mainstream movies . 0
a film really has to be exceptional to justify a three hour running time , and this isn't . 0
rumor , a muddled drama about coming to terms with death , feels impersonal , almost generic . 0
one of the best of a growing strain of daring films . . . that argue that any sexual relationship that doesn't hurt anyone and works for its participants is a relationship that is worthy of our respect . 1
a small independent film suffering from a severe case of hollywood-itis . 0
more trifle than triumph . 0
those eternally devoted to the insanity of black will have an intermittently good time . feel free to go get popcorn whenever he's not onscreen . 0
your children will be occupied for 72 minutes . 1
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 . 1
a rip-off twice removed , modeled after [seagal's] earlier copycat under siege , sometimes referred to as die hard on a boat . 0
aptly named , this shimmering , beautifully costumed and filmed production doesn't work for me . 0
it's an unusual , thoughtful bio-drama with a rich subject and some fantastic moments and scenes . 1
as relationships shift , director robert j . siegel allows the characters to inhabit their world without cleaving to a narrative arc . 1
'tobey maguire is a poster boy for the geek generation . ' 1
an engrossing story that combines psychological drama , sociological reflection , and high-octane thriller . 1
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 . 1
sade achieves the near-impossible : it turns the marquis de sade into a dullard . 0
an energizing , intoxicating documentary charting the rise of hip-hop culture in general and the art of scratching ( or turntablism ) in particular . 1
i'm going to give it a marginal thumbs up . i liked it just enough . 1
purports to be a hollywood satire but winds up as the kind of film that should be the target of something deeper and more engaging . oh , and more entertaining , too . 0
watching spirited away is like watching an eastern imagination explode . 1
the story alone could force you to scratch a hole in your head . 0
the thing looks like a made-for-home-video quickie . 0
great character interaction . 1
you won't look at religious fanatics -- or backyard sheds -- the same way again . 1
paid in full is remarkably engaging despite being noticeably derivative of goodfellas and at least a half dozen other trouble-in-the-ghetto flicks . 1
unfortunately , the experience of actually watching the movie is less compelling than the circumstances of its making . 0
not exaggerated enough to be a parody of gross-out flicks , college flicks , or even flicks in general . it merely indulges in the worst elements of all of them . 0
a huge box-office hit in korea , shiri is a must for genre fans . 1
throughout all the tumult , a question comes to mind : so why is this so boring ? 0
the picture's fascinating byways are littered with trenchant satirical jabs at the peculiar egocentricities of the acting breed . 1
proves a servicable world war ii drama that can't totally hide its contrivances , but it at least calls attention to a problem hollywood too long has ignored . 1
suffers from a decided lack of creative storytelling . 0
spectators will indeed sit open-mouthed before the screen , not screaming but yawning . 0
this is sandler running on empty , repeating what he's already done way too often . 0
the film . . . presents classic moral-condundrum drama : what would you have done to survive ? the problem with the film is whether these ambitions , laudable in themselves , justify a theatrical simulation of the death camp of auschwitz ii-birkenau . 0
the filmmakers keep pushing the jokes at the expense of character until things fall apart . 0
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 . ' 1
a compelling story of musical passion against governmental odds . 1
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 . 1
i would be shocked if there was actually one correct interpretation , but that shouldn't make the movie or the discussion any less enjoyable . 1
a pretty funny movie , with most of the humor coming , as before , from the incongruous but chemically perfect teaming of crystal and de niro . 1
the warnings to resist temptation in this film . . . are blunt and challenging and offer no easy rewards for staying clean . 1
would you laugh if a tuba-playing dwarf rolled down a hill in a trash can ? do you chuckle at the thought of an ancient librarian whacking a certain part of a man's body ? if you answered yes , by all means enjoy the new guy . 1
[an] absorbing documentary . 1
surprisingly , the film is a hilarious adventure and i shamelessly enjoyed it . 1
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 . 0
simultaneously heartbreakingly beautiful and exquisitely sad . 1
kaufman's script is never especially clever and often is rather pretentious . 0
the artwork is spectacular and unlike most animaton from japan , the characters move with grace and panache . 1
no amount of good intentions is able to overcome the triviality of the story . 0
. . . a rather bland affair . 0
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 . 0
marinated in cliches and mawkish dialogue . 0
the exploitative , clumsily staged violence overshadows everything , including most of the actors . 0
in this film we at least see a study in contrasts ; the wide range of one actor , and the limited range of a comedian . 0
a passionately inquisitive film determined to uncover the truth and hopefully inspire action . 1
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 . 1
report card : doesn't live up to the exalted tagline - there's definite room for improvement . doesn't deserve a passing grade ( even on a curve ) . 0
this is an insultingly inept and artificial examination of grief and its impacts upon the relationships of the survivors . 0
the uneven movie does have its charms and its funny moments but not quite enough of them . 0
debut effort by " project greenlight " winner is sappy and amateurish . 0
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 . 1
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 . 1
the film boasts dry humor and jarring shocks , plus moments of breathtaking mystery . 1
i prefer soderbergh's concentration on his two lovers over tarkovsky's mostly male , mostly patriarchal debating societies . 1
an energetic and engaging film that never pretends to be something it isn't . 1
mel gibson fights the good fight in vietnam in director randall wallace's flag-waving war flick with a core of decency . 1
smith finds amusing juxtapositions that justify his exercise . 1
the main characters are simply named the husband , the wife and the kidnapper , emphasizing the disappointingly generic nature of the entire effort . 0
definitely a crowd-pleaser , but then , so was the roman colosseum . 0
the pianist lacks the quick emotional connections of steven spielberg's schindler's list . but mr . polanski creates images even more haunting than those in mr . spielberg's 1993 classic . 1
festers in just such a dungpile that you'd swear you were watching monkeys flinging their feces at you . 0
as saccharine as it is disposable . 0
as action-adventure , this space-based homage to robert louis stevenson's treasure island fires on all plasma conduits . 1
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 . 0
the wild thornberrys movie has all the sibling rivalry and general family chaos to which anyone can relate . 1
missteps take what was otherwise a fascinating , riveting story and send it down the path of the mundane . 1
a small gem from belgium . 1
proves a lovely trifle that , unfortunately , is a little too in love with its own cuteness . 0
it's nice to see piscopo again after all these years , and chaykin and headly are priceless . 1
a delicious and delicately funny look at the residents of a copenhagen neighborhood coping with the befuddling complications life tosses at them . 1
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 . 0
a sloppy slapstick throwback to long gone bottom-of-the-bill fare like the ghost and mr . chicken . 0
examines its explosive subject matter as nonjudgmentally as wiseman's previous studies of inner-city high schools , hospitals , courts and welfare centers . 1
a film with almost as many delights for adults as there are for children and dog lovers . 1
spy-vs . -spy action flick with antonio banderas and lucy liu never comes together . 0
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 . 1
a tour de force of modern cinema . 1
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 . 1
violent , vulgar and forgettably entertaining . 0
you can practically hear george orwell turning over . 0
the art direction and costumes are gorgeous and finely detailed , and kurys' direction is clever and insightful . 1
whether this is art imitating life or life imitating art , it's an unhappy situation all around . 0
a forceful drama of an alienated executive who re-invents himself . 1
this is one of mr . chabrol's subtlest works , but also one of his most uncanny . 1
. . . planos fijos , tomas largas , un ritmo pausado y una sutil observaciÃâºn de sus personajes , sin estridencias ni grandes revelaciones . 1
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 . 1
you come away thinking not only that kate isn't very bright , but that she hasn't been worth caring about and that maybe she , janine and molly -- an all-woman dysfunctional family -- deserve one another . 0
this is as lax and limp a comedy as i've seen in a while , a meander through worn-out material . 0
though it was made with careful attention to detail and is well-acted by james spader and maggie gyllenhaal , i felt disrespected . 0
a quirky comedy set in newfoundland that cleverly captures the dry wit that's so prevalent on the rock . 1
too long , and larded with exposition , this somber cop drama ultimately feels as flat as the scruffy sands of its titular community . 0
the first question to ask about bad company is why anthony hopkins is in it . we assume he had a bad run in the market or a costly divorce , because there is no earthly reason other than money why this distinguished actor would stoop so low . 0
his [nelson's] screenplay needs some serious re-working to show more of the dilemma , rather than have his characters stage shouting matches about it . 0
it's an odd show , pregnant with moods , stillborn except as a harsh conceptual exercise . 0
a period story about a catholic boy who tries to help a jewish friend get into heaven by sending the audience straight to hell . 0
sex with strangers is fascinating . . . 1
an indispensable peek at the art and the agony of making people laugh . 1
a " black austin powers ? " i prefer to think of it as " pootie tang with a budget . " sa da tay ! 1
this thing is virtually unwatchable . 0
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 . 0
a feeble tootsie knockoff . 0
manages to accomplish what few sequels can -- it equals the original and in some ways even betters it . 1
it's not a particularly good film , but neither is it a monsterous one . 0
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 . 0
the satire is just too easy to be genuinely satisfying . 0
the very simple story seems too simple and the working out of the plot almost arbitrary . 0
belongs in the too-hot-for-tv direct-to-video/dvd category , and this is why i have given it a one-star rating . 0
a fresh , entertaining comedy that looks at relationships minus traditional gender roles . 1
a deliciously nonsensical comedy about a city coming apart at its seams . 1
like kissing jessica stein , amy's orgasm has a key strength in its willingness to explore its principal characters with honesty , insight and humor . 1
rather than real figures , elling and kjell bjarne become symbolic characters whose actions are supposed to relate something about the naÃâf's encounter with the world . 0
suffers from its timid parsing of the barn-side target of sons trying to breach gaps in their relationships with their fathers . 1
not too fancy , not too filling , not too fluffy , but definitely tasty and sweet . 1
the dialogue is cumbersome , the simpering soundtrack and editing more so . 0
a preposterously melodramatic paean to gang-member teens in brooklyn circa 1958 . 0
the movie worked for me right up to the final scene , and then it caved in . 1
what we get in feardotcom is more like something from a bad clive barker movie . in other words , it's badder than bad . 0
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 . 1
we started to wonder if some unpaid intern had just typed 'chris rock , ' 'anthony hopkins' and 'terrorists' into some univac-like script machine . 0
from both a great and a terrible story , mr . nelson has made a film that is an undeniably worthy and devastating experience . 1
spinning a web of dazzling entertainment may be overstating it , but " spider-man " certainly delivers the goods . 1
this is a monumental achievement in practically every facet of inept filmmaking : joyless , idiotic , annoying , heavy-handed , visually atrocious , and often downright creepy . 0
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 . 1
it's unlikely we'll see a better thriller this year . 1
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 . 1
in imax in short , it's just as wonderful on the big screen . 1
[breheny's] lensing of the new zealand and cook island locations captures both the beauty of the land and the people . 1
the self-serious equilibrium makes its point too well ; a movie , like life , isn't much fun without the highs and lows . 0
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 1
spider-man is about growing strange hairs , getting a more mature body , and finding it necessary to hide new secretions from the parental units . 1
fred schepisi's film is paced at a speed that is slow to those of us in middle age and deathly slow to any teen . with a cast of a-list brit actors , it is worth searching out . 1
well-made but mush-hearted . 0
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 . 0
blood work is laughable in the solemnity with which it tries to pump life into overworked elements from eastwood's dirty harry period . 0
an enormously entertaining movie , like nothing we've ever seen before , and yet completely familiar . 1
though there are many tense scenes in trapped , they prove more distressing than suspenseful . 0
the rules of attraction gets us too drunk on the party favors to sober us up with the transparent attempts at moralizing . 0
lazy filmmaking , with the director taking a hands-off approach when he should have shaped the story to show us why it's compelling . 0
a real snooze . 0
one of the funnier movies in town . 1
heartwarming and gently comic even as the film breaks your heart . 1
it collapses when mr . taylor tries to shift the tone to a thriller's rush . 0
'dragonfly' dwells on crossing-over mumbo jumbo , manipulative sentimentality , and sappy dialogue . 0
there has to be a few advantages to never growing old . like being able to hit on a 15-year old when you're over 100 . 1
a wry , affectionate delight . 1
you can tell almost immediately that welcome to collinwood isn't going to jell . 0
in terms of execution this movie is careless and unfocused . 0
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 . 1
often demented in a good way , but it is an uneven film for the most part . 1
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 . 0
i was hoping that it would be sleazy and fun , but it was neither . 0
shame on writer/director vicente aranda for making a florid biopic about mad queens , obsessive relationships , and rampant adultery so dull . 0
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 . 1
a brilliant , absurd collection of vignettes that , in their own idiosyncratic way , sum up the strange horror of life in the new millennium . 1
peter jackson has done the nearly impossible . he has improved upon the first and taken it a step further , richer and deeper . what jackson has done is proven that no amount of imagination , no creature , no fantasy story and no incredibly outlandish scenery 1
i'm not a fan of the phrase 'life affirming' because it usually means 'schmaltzy , ' but real women have curves truly is life affirming . 1
some motion pictures portray ultimate passion ; others create ultimate thrills . men in black ii achieves ultimate insignificance -- it's the sci-fi comedy spectacle as whiffle-ball epic . 0
bring on the sequel . 1
a relentless , bombastic and ultimately empty world war ii action flick . 0
the lady and the duke is eric rohmer's economical antidote to the bloated costume drama 1
very predictable but still entertaining 1
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 . 1
a melancholy , emotional film . 1
when you find yourself rooting for the monsters in a horror movie , you know the picture is in trouble . 0
put it somewhere between sling blade and south of heaven , west of hell in the pantheon of billy bob's body of work . 0
Ãâthe story is far-flung , illogical , and plain stupid . 0
you will likely prefer to keep on watching . 1
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 . 1
swims in mediocrity , sticking its head up for a breath of fresh air now and then . 0
veers uncomfortably close to pro-serb propaganda . 0
other than the slightly flawed ( and fairly unbelievable ) finale , everything else is top shelf . 1
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 . 1
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 . 0
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 . 1
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 . 1
one of [jaglom's] better efforts -- a wry and sometime bitter movie about love . 1
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 . 1
serious movie-goers embarking upon this journey will find that the road to perdition leads to a satisfying destination . 1
a movie that falls victim to frazzled wackiness and frayed satire . 0
there is more than one joke about putting the toilet seat down . and that should tell you everything you need to know about all the queen's men . 0
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 . 1
eight legged freaks falls flat as a spoof . 0
a remarkable movie with an unsatisfying ending , which is just the point . 1
it's hard to pity the 'plain' girl who becomes a ravishing waif after applying a smear of lip-gloss . rather , pity anyone who sees this mishmash . 0
has none of the crackle of " fatal attraction " , " 9 weeks " , or even " indecent proposal " , and feels more like lyne's stolid remake of " lolita " . 0
the engagingly primitive animated special effects contribute to a mood that's sustained through the surprisingly somber conclusion . 1
one gets the impression the creators of don't ask don't tell laughed a hell of a lot at their own jokes . too bad none of it is funny . 0
the characters . . . are paper-thin , and their personalities undergo radical changes when it suits the script . 0
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 . ' 0
gangster no . 1 is solid , satisfying fare for adults . 1
ice age won't drop your jaw , but it will warm your heart , and i'm giving it a strong thumbs up . 1
a boring masquerade ball where normally good actors , even kingsley , are made to look bad . 0
an entertaining , if ultimately minor , thriller . 1
old-fashioned but thoroughly satisfying entertainment . 1
intriguing and stylish . 1
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 . 1
although estela bravo's documentary is cloyingly hagiographic in its portrait of cuban leader fidel castro , it's still a guilty pleasure to watch . 1
the attraction between these two marginal characters is complex from the start -- and , refreshingly , stays that way . 1
with " ichi the killer " , takashi miike , japan's wildest filmmaker gives us a crime fighter carrying more emotional baggage than batman . . . 1
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 . 1
nothing happens , and it happens to flat characters . 0
you have no affinity for most of the characters . nothing about them is attractive . what they see in each other also is difficult to fathom . 0
without resorting to camp or parody , haynes ( like sirk , but differently ) has transformed the rhetoric of hollywood melodrama into something provocative , rich , and strange . 1
it's difficult to imagine that a more confused , less interesting and more sloppily made film could possibly come down the road in 2002 . 0
a genuine mind-bender . 1
a penetrating glimpse into the tissue-thin ego of the stand-up comic . 1
a smart and funny , albeit sometimes superficial , cautionary tale of a technology in search of an artist . 1
far-fetched premise , convoluted plot , and thematic mumbo jumbo about destiny and redemptive love . 0
tsai ming-liang's witty , wistful new film , what time is it there ? , is a temporal inquiry that shoulders its philosophical burden lightly . 1
campanella's competent direction and his excellent cast overcome the obstacles of a predictable outcome and a screenplay that glosses over rafael's evolution . 1
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the script has less spice than a rat burger and the rock's fighting skills are more in line with steven seagal . 0
illuminating if overly talky documentary . 1
a byzantine melodrama that stimulates the higher brain functions as well as the libido . 1
the twist that ends the movie is the one with the most emotional resonance , but twists are getting irritating , and this is the kind of material where the filmmakers should be very careful about raising eyebrows . 0
features what is surely the funniest and most accurate depiction of writer's block ever . 1
i hated every minute of it . 0
once you get into its rhythm . . . the movie becomes a heady experience . 1
lapaglia's ability to convey grief and hope works with weaver's sensitive reactions to make this a two-actor master class . 1
it's a clear-eyed portrait of an intensely lived time , filled with nervous energy , moral ambiguity and great uncertainties . 1
in the book-on-tape market , the film of " the kid stays in the picture " would be an abridged edition 0
ihops don't pile on this much syrup . 0
director uwe boll and the actors provide scant reason to care in this crude '70s throwback . 0
a densely constructed , highly referential film , and an audacious return to form that can comfortably sit among jean-luc godard's finest work . 1
is there enough material to merit a documentary on the making of wilco's last album ? 0
rabbit-proof fence will probably make you angry . but it will just as likely make you weep , and it will do so in a way that doesn't make you feel like a sucker . 1
takes one character we don't like and another we don't believe , and puts them into a battle of wills that is impossible to care about and isn't very funny . 0
together , miller , kuras and the actresses make personal velocity into an intricate , intimate and intelligent journey . 1
using a stock plot , about a boy injects just enough freshness into the proceedings to provide an enjoyable 100 minutes in a movie theater . 1
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 . 0
this flat run at a hip-hop tootsie is so poorly paced you could fit all of pootie tang in between its punchlines . 0
the movie has an avalanche of eye-popping visual effects . 1
a sports movie with action that's exciting on the field and a story you care about off it . 1
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 . 1
instead of panoramic sweep , kapur gives us episodic choppiness , undermining the story's emotional thrust . 0
you'd think by now america would have had enough of plucky british eccentrics with hearts of gold . yet the act is still charming here . 1
the touch is generally light enough and the performances , for the most part , credible . 1
the minor figures surrounding [bobby] . . . form a gritty urban mosaic . 1
ultimately , the message of trouble every day seems to be that all sexual desire disrupts life's stasis . 1
the tone shifts abruptly from tense to celebratory to soppy . 0
a deftly entertaining film , smartly played and smartly directed . 1
literally nothing in the pool is new , but if you grew up on the stalker flicks of the 1980's this one should appease you for 90 minutes . 0
a solid and refined piece of moviemaking imbued with passion and attitude . 1
an infuriating film . just when you think you are making sense of it , something happens that tells you there is no sense . 0
sadly , though many of the actors throw off a spark or two when they first appear , they can't generate enough heat in this cold vacuum of a comedy to start a reaction . 0
a distant , even sterile , yet compulsively watchable look at the sordid life of hogan's heroes star bob crane . 1
enormously likable , partly because it is aware of its own grasp of the absurd . 1
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 . 'tadpole' was one of the films so declared this year , but it's really more of the next pretty good thing . 1
there's plenty of style in guillermo del toro's sequel to the 1998 hit but why do we need 117 minutes to tell a tale that simply can't sustain more than 90 minutes . 0
there's a delightfully quirky movie to be made from curling , but brooms isn't it . 0
an impressive if flawed effort that indicates real talent . 1
the movie , directed by mick jackson , leaves no cliche unturned , from the predictable plot to the characters straight out of central casting . 0
anyway , for one reason or another , crush turns into a dire drama partway through . after that , it just gets stupid and maudlin . too bad , but thanks to some lovely comedic moments and several fine performances , it's not a total loss . 0
the movie is pretty funny now and then without in any way demeaning its subjects . 1
it could change america , not only because it is full of necessary discussion points , but because it is so accessible that it makes complex politics understandable to viewers looking for nothing but energetic entertainment . 1
this dramatically shaky contest of wills only reiterates the old hollywood saw : evil is interesting and good is boring . 0
caviezel embodies the transformation of his character completely . 1
. . . while certainly clever in spots , this too-long , spoofy update of shakespeare's macbeth doesn't sustain a high enough level of invention . 0
it's fairly self-aware in its dumbness . 1
provides an intriguing window into the imagination and hermetic analysis of todd solondz . 1
an average b-movie with no aspirations to be anything more . 0
like a pack of dynamite sticks , built for controversy . the film is explosive , but a few of those sticks are wet . 0
hoffman's performance is authentic to the core of his being . 1
falls neatly into the category of good stupid fun . 1
one-sided documentary offers simplistic explanations to a very complex situation . . . . stylistically , the movie is a disaster . 0
fans of the animated wildlife adventure show will be in warthog heaven ; others need not necessarily apply . 1
the tug-of-war at the core of beijing bicycle becomes weighed down with agonizing contrivances , overheated pathos and long , wistful gazes . 0
it feels like an after-school special gussied up with some fancy special effects , and watching its rote plot points connect is about as exciting as gazing at an egg timer for 93 minutes . 0
the problem with this film is that it lacks focus . i sympathize with the plight of these families , but the movie doesn't do a very good job conveying the issue at hand . 0
an absurdist comedy about alienation , separation and loss . 1
no amount of arty theorizing -- the special effects are 'german-expressionist , ' according to the press notes -- can render it anything but laughable . 0
chilling but uncommercial look into the mind of jeffrey dahmer , serial killer . 1
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 . 0
this bold and lyrical first feature from raja amari expands the pat notion that middle-aged women just wanna have fun into a rousing treatise of sensual empowerment . 1
cinematic pyrotechnics aside , the only thing avary seems to care about are mean giggles and pulchritude . it makes sense that he went back to school to check out the girls -- his film is a frat boy's idea of a good time . 0
this tale has been told and retold ; the races and rackets change , but the song remains the same . 0
trivial where it should be profound , and hyper-cliched where it should be sincere . 0
this is not a retread of " dead poets' society . " 1
these two are generating about as much chemistry as an iraqi factory poised to receive a un inspector . 0
this is more fascinating -- being real -- than anything seen on jerry springer . 1
in its best moments , resembles a bad high school production of grease , without benefit of song . 0
we've liked klein's other work but rollerball left us cold . 0
" birthday girl " is an actor's movie first and foremost . 1
if you're part of her targeted audience , you'll cheer . otherwise , maybe . 1
in scope , ambition and accomplishment , children of the century . . . takes kurys' career to a whole new level . 1
the final result makes for adequate entertainment , i suppose , but anyone who has seen chicago on stage will leave the theater feeling they've watched nothing but a pale imitation of the real deal . 0
a decided lack of spontaneity in its execution and a dearth of real poignancy in its epiphanies . 1
to better understand why this didn't connect with me would require another viewing , and i won't be sitting through this one again . . . that in itself is commentary enough . 0
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 . 0
malcolm mcdowell is cool . paul bettany is cool . paul bettany playing malcolm mcdowell ? cool . 1
the pianist is the film roman polanski may have been born to make . 1
there's something auspicious , and daring , too , about the artistic instinct that pushes a majority-oriented director like steven spielberg to follow a . i . with this challenging report so liable to unnerve the majority . 1
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 . 0
one just waits grimly for the next shock without developing much attachment to the characters . 0
my big fat greek wedding is that rare animal known as 'a perfect family film , ' because it's about family . 1
" 13 conversations " holds its goodwill close , but is relatively slow to come to the point . 1
watching this gentle , mesmerizing portrait of a man coming to terms with time , you barely realize your mind is being blown . 1
i never thought i'd say this , but i'd much rather watch teens poking their genitals into fruit pies ! 0
an ultra-low-budget indie debut that smacks more of good intentions than talent . 0
the documentary does little , apart from raising the topic , to further stoke the conversation . 0
possession is elizabeth barrett browning meets nancy drew , and it's directed by . . . neil labute . hmm . 1
it has a subtle way of getting under your skin and sticking with you long after it's over . 1
informative , intriguing , observant , often touching . . . gives a human face to what's often discussed in purely abstract terms . 1
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 . 0
as we have come to learn -- as many times as we have fingers to count on -- jason is a killer who doesn't know the meaning of the word 'quit . ' the filmmakers might want to look it up . 0
overall very good for what it's trying to do . 1
. . . a joke at once flaky and resonant , lightweight and bizarrely original . 1
only in its final surprising shots does rabbit-proof fence find the authority it's looking for . 0
it would work much better as a one-hour tv documentary . 0
the master of disguise represents adam sandler's latest attempt to dumb down the universe . 0
what soured me on the santa clause 2 was that santa bumps up against 21st century reality so hard , it's icky . 0
should have been someone else- 0
it's a technically superb film , shining with all the usual spielberg flair , expertly utilizing the talents of his top-notch creative team . 1
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 . 0
the movie's eventual success should be credited to dennis quaid , in fighting trim shape as an athlete as well as an actor 1
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 . 0
a deliciously mordant , bitter black comedy . 1
gorgeous scenes , masterful performances , but the sickly sweet gender normative narrative left an acrid test in this gourmet's mouth . 1
so relentlessly wholesome it made me want to swipe something . 0
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 . 1
when the film ended , i felt tired and drained and wanted to lie on my own deathbed for a while . 0
call me a wimp , but i cried , not once , but three times in this animated sweet film . 1
reign of fire may be little more than another platter of reheated aliens , but it's still pretty tasty . 1
an inspiring and heart-affecting film about the desperate attempts of vietnamese refugees living in u . s . relocation camps to keep their hopes alive in 1975 . 1
one of the more intelligent children's movies to hit theaters this year . 1
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 . 1
if director michael dowse only superficially understands his characters , he doesn't hold them in contempt . 1
although the editing might have been tighter , hush ! sympathetically captures the often futile lifestyle of young people in modern japan . 1
both awful and appealing . 0
the film brilliantly shines on all the characters , as the direction is intelligently accomplished . 1
the drama is played out with such aching beauty and truth that it brings tears to your eyes . 1
the movie occasionally threatens to become didactic , but it's too grounded in the reality of its characters to go over the edge . a touch of humor or an unexpected plot twist always pulls it back . 1
audiences will find no mention of political prisoners or persecutions that might paint the castro regime in less than saintly tones . 0
'carente de imaginación , mal dirigida , peor actuada y sin un ápice de romance , es una verdadera pérdida de tiempo y dinero' 0
the bodily function jokes are about what you'd expect , but there are rich veins of funny stuff in this movie . 1
the wwii drama is well plotted , visually striking and filled with enjoyably complex characters who are never what they first appear . 1
you can see the would-be surprises coming a mile away , and the execution of these twists is delivered with a hammer . thumbs down . 0
earnest but heavy-handed . 0
there are some fairly unsettling scenes , but they never succeed in really rattling the viewer . 0
anchored by friel and williams's exceptional performances , the film's power lies in its complexity . nothing is black and white . 1
the story , like life , refuses to be simple , and the result is a compelling slice of awkward emotions . 1
none of this is half as moving as the filmmakers seem to think . 0
what saves this deeply affecting film from being merely a collection of wrenching cases is corcuera's attention to detail . 1
one suspects that craven endorses they simply because this movie makes his own look much better by comparison . 0
while the isle is both preposterous and thoroughly misogynistic , its vistas are incredibly beautiful to look at . 1
i'm guessing the director is a magician . 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 . 0
one of the best silly horror movies of recent memory , with some real shocks in store for unwary viewers . 1
it's amazingly perceptive in its subtle , supportive but unsentimental look at the marks family . 1
hatosy . . . portrays young brendan with his usual intelligence and subtlety , not to mention a convincing brogue . 1
beresford nicely mixes in as much humor as pathos to take us on his sentimental journey of the heart . it really is a shame that more won't get an opportunity to embrace small , sweet 'evelyn . ' 1
it is not a mass-market entertainment but an uncompromising attempt by one artist to think about another . 1
a great idea becomes a not-great movie . 0
it's a sweet , laugh-a-minute crowd pleaser that lifts your spirits as well as the corners of your mouth . 1
the far future may be awesome to consider , but from period detail to matters of the heart , this film is most transporting when it stays put in the past . 1
the spark of special anime magic here is unmistakable and hard to resist . 1
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 . 0
" my god , i'm behaving like an idiot ! " yes , you are , ben kingsley . 0
secretary manages a neat trick , bundling the flowers of perversity , comedy and romance into a strangely tempting bouquet of a movie . 1
it doesn't help that the director and cinematographer stephen kazmierski shoot on grungy video , giving the whole thing a dirty , tasteless feel . 0
one hour photo is an intriguing snapshot of one man and his delusions ; it's just too bad it doesn't have more flashes of insight . 1
one long string of cliches . 0
a jumbled fantasy comedy that did not figure out a coherent game plan at scripting , shooting or post-production stages . 0
the story wraps back around on itself in the kind of elegant symmetry that's rare in film today , but be warned : it's a slow slog to get there . 1
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 . 0
arguably the year's silliest and most incoherent movie . 0
for anyone unfamiliar with pentacostal practices in general and theatrical phenomenon of hell houses in particular , it's an eye-opener . 1
full of profound , real-life moments that anyone can relate to , it deserves a wide audience . 1
the whole damn thing is ripe for the jerry springer crowd . it's all pretty cynical and condescending , too . 0
an important movie , a reminder of the power of film to move us and to make us examine our values . 1
biggie and tupac is so single-mindedly daring , it puts far more polished documentaries to shame . 1
this is a particularly toxic little bonbon , palatable to only a chosen and very jaundiced few . 0
one of those energetic surprises , an original that pleases almost everyone who sees it . 1
succeeds only because bullock and grant were made to share the silver screen . 1
the smartest bonehead comedy of the summer . 1
a slick , engrossing melodrama . 1
alternately frustrating and rewarding . 0
a thoughtful , moving piece that faces difficult issues with honesty and beauty . 1
clever , brutal and strangely soulful movie . 1
. . . takes the beauty of baseball and melds it with a story that could touch anyone regardless of their familiarity with the sport 1
if you're looking for something new and hoping for something entertaining , you're in luck . 1
human nature initially succeeds by allowing itself to go crazy , but ultimately fails by spinning out of control . 0
spiderman rocks 1
it's super- violent , super-serious and super-stupid . 0
the elements were all there but lack of a pyschological center knocks it flat . 0
it's burns' visuals , characters and his punchy dialogue , not his plot , that carry waydowntown . 1
. . . fifty minutes of tedious adolescent melodramatics followed by thirty-five minutes of inflated nonsense . 0
the weakest of the four harry potter books has been transformed into the stronger of the two films by the thinnest of margins . 1
to paraphrase a line from another dickens' novel , nicholas nickleby is too much like a fragment of an underdone potato . 0
the film wasn't preachy , but it was feminism by the book . 0
brilliantly explores the conflict between following one's heart and following the demands of tradition . 1
there's plenty to impress about e . t . 1
there's no point in extracting the bare bones of byatt's plot for purposes of bland hollywood romance . 0
it's also curious to note that this film , like the similarly ill-timed antitrust , is easily as bad at a fraction the budget . 0
it's predictable , but it jumps through the expected hoops with style and even some depth . 1
yes , one enjoys seeing joan grow from awkward young woman to strong , determined monarch , but her love for the philandering philip only diminishes her stature . 0
to say analyze that is de niro's best film since meet the parents sums up the sad state of his recent career . 0
there's no real reason to see it , and no real reason not to . 0
all in all , road to perdition is more in love with strangeness than excellence . 0
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 . 0
a wonderful character-based comedy . 1
if this is an example of the type of project that robert redford's lab is willing to lend its imprimatur to , then perhaps it's time to rethink independent films . 0
this flick is about as cool and crowd-pleasing as a documentary can get . 1
perhaps no picture ever made has more literally showed that the road to hell is paved with good intentions . 1
the cartoon is about as true to the spirit of the festival of lights as mr . deeds was to that of frank capra . 0
a journey that is as difficult for the audience to take as it is for the protagonist -- yet it's potentially just as rewarding . 1
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 . 0
by presenting an impossible romance in an impossible world , pumpkin dares us to say why either is impossible -- which forces us to confront what's possible and what we might do to make it so . 1
sade is an engaging look at the controversial eponymous and fiercely atheistic hero . 1
it deserves to be seen by anyone with even a passing interest in the events shaping the world beyond their own horizons . 1
if the movie succeeds in instilling a wary sense of 'there but for the grace of god , ' it is far too self-conscious to draw you deeply into its world . 0
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 . 1
the messages of compassion and mercy are clearly , squarely and specifically expounded via computer animated old testament tale of jonah and the whale . determined to be fun , and bouncy , with energetic musicals , the humor didn't quite engage this adult . 0
sounding like arnold schwarzenegger , with a physique to match , [ahola] has a wooden delivery and encounters a substantial arc of change that doesn't produce any real transformation . 0
a quiet , disquieting triumph . 1
a touching , small-scale story of family responsibility and care in the community . 1
family portrait of need , neurosis and nervy negativity is a rare treat that shows the promise of digital filmmaking . 1
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 . 1
much of the cast is stiff or just plain bad . 0
mastering its formidable arithmetic of cameras and souls , group articulates a flood of emotion . 1
a spiffy animated feature about an unruly adolescent boy who is yearning for adventure and a chance to prove his worth . 1
even with all those rough edges safely sanded down , the american insomnia is still pretty darned good . 1
uplifting as only a document of the worst possibilities of mankind can be , and among the best films of the year . 1
lathan and diggs have considerable personal charm , and their screen rapport makes the old story seem new . 1
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 . 1
it's so laddish and juvenile , only teenage boys could possibly find it funny . 0
like kubrick , soderbergh isn't afraid to try any genre and to do it his own way . 1
it further declares its director , zhang yang of shower , as a boldly experimental , contemporary stylist with a bright future . 1
a photographic marvel of sorts , and it's certainly an invaluable record of that special fishy community . 1
sandra nettelbeck beautifully orchestrates the transformation of the chilly , neurotic , and self-absorbed martha as her heart begins to open . 1
a thoughtful movie , a movie that is concerned with souls and risk and schemes and the consequences of one's actions . 1
a film that takes you inside the rhythms of its subject : you experience it as you watch . 1
the piece plays as well as it does thanks in large measure to anspaugh's three lead actresses . 1
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 . 0
morton is a great actress portraying a complex character , but morvern callar grows less compelling the farther it meanders from its shocking start . 1
[a] rather thinly-conceived movie . 0
if nothing else , this movie introduces a promising , unusual kind of psychological horror . 1
psychologically revealing . 1
the santa clause 2's plot may sound like it was co-written by mattel executives and lobbyists for the tinsel industry . 0
an achingly enthralling premise , the film is hindered by uneven dialogue and plot lapses . 0
storytelling feels slight . 0
ranging from funny to shattering and featuring some of the year's best acting , personal velocity gathers plenty of dramatic momentum . 1
it's not without its pleasures , but i'll stick with the tune . 0
the film is insightful about kissinger's background and history . 1
proves that a movie about goodness is not the same thing as a good movie . 0
. . . a boring parade of talking heads and technical gibberish that will do little to advance the linux cause . 0
there's the plot , and a maddeningly insistent and repetitive piano score that made me want to scream . 0
can't kick about the assembled talent and the russos show genuine promise as comic filmmakers . still , this thing feels flimsy and ephemeral . 0
a clutchy , indulgent and pretentious travelogue and diatribe against . . . well , just stuff . watching scarlet diva , one is poised for titillation , raw insight or both . instead , we just get messy anger , a movie as personal therapy . 0
there's no getting around the fact that this is revenge of the nerds revisited -- again . 0
a chiller resolutely without chills . 0
red dragon is less baroque and showy than hannibal , and less emotionally affecting than silence . but , like silence , it's a movie that gets under your skin . 1
when you resurrect a dead man , hard copy should come a-knocking , no ? 0
a creepy , intermittently powerful study of a self-destructive man . . . about as unsettling to watch as an exploratory medical procedure or an autopsy . 1
cool ? this movie is a snow emergency . 1
the drama was so uninspiring that even a story immersed in love , lust , and sin couldn't keep my attention . 0
while i can't say it's on par with the first one , stuart little 2 is a light , fun cheese puff of a movie . 1
van wilder doesn't bring anything new to the proverbial table , but it does possess a coherence absent in recent crass-a-thons like tomcats , freddy got fingered , and slackers . 0
it inspires a continuing and deeply satisfying awareness of the best movies as monumental 'picture shows . ' 1
an engaging overview of johnson's eccentric career . 1
it's this memory-as-identity obviation that gives secret life its intermittent unease , reaffirming that long-held illusions are indeed reality , and that erasing them recasts the self . 1
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 . but never mind all that ; the boobs are fantasti 0
apesar de seus graves problemas , o filme consegue entreter . 1
from the opening scenes , it's clear that all about the benjamins is a totally formulaic movie . 0
it follows the basic plot trajectory of nearly every schwarzenegger film : someone crosses arnie . arnie blows things up . 0
the movie stays afloat thanks to its hallucinatory production design . 1
apart from dazzling cinematography , we've seen just about everything in blue crush in one form or the other . 0
is " ballistic " worth the price of admission ? absolutely not . it sucked . would i see it again ? please see previous answer . 0
simple , poignant and leavened with humor , it's a film that affirms the nourishing aspects of love and companionship . 1
the movie straddles the fence between escapism and social commentary , and on both sides it falls short . 0
what a bewilderingly brilliant and entertaining movie this is . 1
it's a bad thing when a movie has about as much substance as its end credits blooper reel . 0
if there's a way to effectively teach kids about the dangers of drugs , i think it's in projects like the ( unfortunately r-rated ) paid . 1
i admired it , particularly that unexpected downer of an ending . 1
even those who would like to dismiss the film outright should find much to mull and debate . 1
while it regards 1967 as the key turning point of the 20th century , and returns again and again to images of dissidents in the streets , it's alarmingly current . 1
. . . an inviting piece of film . 1
children of the century , though well dressed and well made , ultimately falls prey to the contradiction that afflicts so many movies about writers . 0
even during the climactic hourlong cricket match , boredom never takes hold . 1
as bundy , michael reilly burke ( octopus 2 : river of fear ) has just the right amount of charisma and menace . 1
nothing more substantial than a fitfully clever doodle . 0
obvious 0
offers a breath of the fresh air of true sophistication . 1
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 . 0
light , silly , photographed with colour and depth , and rather a good time . 1
imagine the cleanflicks version of 'love story , ' with ali macgraw's profanities replaced by romance-novel platitudes . 0
the film has several strong performances . 1
the good girl is a film in which the talent is undeniable but the results are underwhelming . 0
the boys' sparring , like the succession of blows dumped on guei , wears down the story's more cerebral , and likable , plot elements . 0
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 . 0
all the amped-up tony hawk-style stunts and thrashing rap-metal can't disguise the fact that , really , we've been here , done that . 0
remember the kind of movie we were hoping " ecks vs . sever " or " xxx " was going to be ? this is it . 1
i felt trapped and with no obvious escape for the entire 100 minutes . 0
big fat liar is little more than home alone raised to a new , self-deprecating level . 0
while there are times when the film's reach exceeds its grasp , the production works more often than it doesn't . 1
benigni presents himself as the boy puppet pinocchio , complete with receding hairline , weathered countenance and american breckin meyer's ridiculously inappropriate valley boy voice . 0
hip-hop prison thriller of stupefying absurdity . 0
" mostly martha " is a bright , light modern day family parable that wears its heart on its sleeve for all to see . 1
decent but dull . 0
[reaches] wholly believable and heart-wrenching depths of despair . 1
the casting of raymond j . barry as the 'assassin' greatly enhances the quality of neil burger's impressive fake documentary . 1
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 . 1
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 " . 0
fails as a dystopian movie , as a retooling of fahrenheit 451 , and even as a rip-off of the matrix . 0
this boisterous comedy serves up a cruel reminder of the fate of hundreds of thousands of chinese , one which can only qualify as a terrible tragedy . 1
the film delivers not just the full assault of reno's immense wit and insight , but a time travel back to what it felt like during those unforgettably uncertain days . 1
it's a film with an idea buried somewhere inside its fabric , but never clearly seen or felt . 0
i'm not exactly sure what this movie thinks it is about . 0
too much of nemesis has a tired , talky feel . 0
director david jacobson gives dahmer a consideration that the murderer never game his victims . 1
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 ? 0
parker holds true to wilde's own vision of a pure comedy with absolutely no meaning , and no desire to be anything but a polished , sophisticated entertainment that is in love with its own cleverness . 1
. . . a cinematic disaster so inadvertently sidesplitting it's worth the price of admission for the ridicule factor alone . 0
i approached the usher and said that if she had to sit through it again , she should ask for a raise . 0
a bold and subversive film that cuts across the grain of what is popular and powerful in this high-tech age , speaking its truths with spellbinding imagery and the entrancing music of philip glass . 1
karmen moves like rhythm itself , her lips chanting to the beat , her long , braided hair doing little to wipe away the jeweled beads of sweat . 1
a light , engaging comedy that fumbles away almost all of its accumulated enjoyment with a crucial third act miscalculation . 0
williams plays sy , another of his open-faced , smiling madmen , like the killer in insomnia . he does this so well you don't have the slightest difficulty accepting him in the role . 1
the images are usually abbreviated in favor of mushy obviousness and telegraphed pathos , particularly where whitaker's misfit artist is concerned . 0
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 . 1
rice never clearly defines his characters or gives us a reason to care about them . 0
though everything might be literate and smart , it never took off and always seemed static . 1
this isn't a narrative film -- i don't know if it's possible to make a narrative film about september 11th , though i'm sure some will try -- but it's as close as anyone has dared to come . 1
whether seen on a 10-inch television screen or at your local multiplex , the edge-of-your-seat , educational antics of steve irwin are priceless entertainment . 1
a punch line without a premise , a joke built entirely from musty memories of half-dimensional characters . 0
the nicest thing that can be said about stealing harvard ( which might have been called freddy gets molested by a dog ) is that it's not as obnoxious as tom green's freddie got fingered . 0
tadpole is a sophisticated , funny and good-natured treat , slight but a pleasure . 1
all's well that ends well , and rest assured , the consciousness-raising lessons are cloaked in gross-out gags . 0
too often , the viewer isn't reacting to humor so much as they are wincing back in repugnance . 0
it's fun , wispy , wise and surprisingly inoffensive for a film about a teen in love with his stepmom . 1
if it's another regurgitated action movie you're after , there's no better film than half past dead . 0
cuba gooding jr . valiantly mugs his way through snow dogs , but even his boisterous energy fails to spark this leaden comedy . 0
bubba ho-tep is a wonderful film with a bravura lead performance by bruce campbell that doesn't deserve to leave the building until everyone is aware of it . 1
the notion that bombing buildings is the funniest thing in the world goes entirely unexamined in this startlingly unfunny comedy . 0
'all in all , reign of fire will be a good ( successful ) rental . ' 0
offers much to enjoy . . . and a lot to mull over in terms of love , loyalty and the nature of staying friends . 1
it's inoffensive , cheerful , built to inspire the young people , set to an unending soundtrack of beach party pop numbers and aside from its remarkable camerawork and awesome scenery , it's about as exciting as a sunburn . 0
on top of a foundering performance , [madonna's] denied her own athleticism by lighting that emphasizes every line and sag . 0
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 . ' 1
expect to be reminded of other , better films , especially seven , which director william malone slavishly copies . 0
it would be hard to think of a recent movie that has worked this hard to achieve this little fun . 0
when the fire burns out , we've only come face-to-face with a couple dragons and that's where the film ultimately fails . 0
nicholas nickleby celebrates the human spirit with such unrelenting dickensian decency that it turned me ( horrors ! ) into scrooge . 0
we can see the wheels turning , and we might resent it sometimes , but this is still a nice little picture , made by bright and friendly souls with a lot of good cheer . 1
a soulless jumble of ineptly assembled cliches and pabulum that plays like a 95-minute commercial for nba properties . 0
it's like every bad idea that's ever gone into an after-school special compiled in one place , minus those daytime programs' slickness and sophistication ( and who knew they even had any ? ) . 0
" the mothman prophecies " is a difficult film to shake from your conscience when night falls . 1
if you collected all the moments of coherent dialogue , they still wouldn't add up to the time required to boil a four- minute egg . 0
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 . 0
a fast , funny , highly enjoyable movie . 1
the story and the friendship proceeds in such a way that you're watching a soap opera rather than a chronicle of the ups and downs that accompany lifelong friendships . 0
seldom has a movie so closely matched the spirit of a man and his work . 1
this is a train wreck of an action film -- a stupefying attempt by the filmmakers to force-feed james bond into the mindless xxx mold and throw 40 years of cinematic history down the toilet in favor of bright flashes and loud bangs . 0
it's a 100-year old mystery that is constantly being interrupted by elizabeth hurley in a bathing suit . 0
dignified ceo's meet at a rustic retreat and pee against a tree . can you bear the laughter ? 0
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 . 1
this is art paying homage to art . 1
how this one escaped the lifetime network i'll never know . 0
with zoe clarke-williams's lackluster thriller " new best friend " , who needs enemies ? just another generic drama that has nothing going for it other than its exploitive array of obligatory cheap thrills . 0
howard conjures the past via surrealist flourishes so overwrought you'd swear he just stepped out of a buñuel retrospective . 0
it would be great to see this turd squashed under a truck , preferably a semi . 0
poignant and delicately complex . 1
dilbert without the right-on satiric humor . 0
'ejemplo de una cinta en que no importa el talento de su reparto o lo interesante que pudo haber resultado su premisa , pues el resultado es francamente aburrido y , por momentos , deplorable . ' 0
the ya-ya's have many secrets and one is - the books are better . 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 . 1
there's nothing to gain from watching they . it isn't scary . it hates its characters . it finds no way to entertain or inspire its viewers . 0
a reasonably entertaining sequel to 1994's surprise family hit that may strain adult credibility . 1
at a time when we've learned the hard way just how complex international terrorism is , collateral damage paints an absurdly simplistic picture . 0
on the surface a silly comedy , scotland , pa would be forgettable if it weren't such a clever adaptation of the bard's tragic play . 1
ice cube holds the film together with an engaging and warm performance . . . 1
a gem of a romantic crime comedy that turns out to be clever , amusing and unpredictable . 1
in any case , i would recommend big bad love only to winger fans who have missed her since 1995's forget paris . but even then , i'd recommend waiting for dvd and just skipping straight to her scenes . 0
for a movie audience , the hours doesn't connect in a neat way , but introduces characters who illuminate mysteries of sex , duty and love . 1
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 . 0
they were afraid to show this movie to reviewers before its opening , afraid of the bad reviews they thought they'd earn . they were right . 0
preaches to two completely different choirs at the same time , which is a pretty amazing accomplishment . 1
this is not the undisputed worst boxing movie ever , but it's certainly not a champion - the big loser is the audience . 0
a documentary to make the stones weep -- as shameful as it is scary . 1
blue crush follows the formula , but throws in too many conflicts to keep the story compelling . 0
[city] reminds us how realistically nuanced a robert de niro performance can be when he is not more lucratively engaged in the shameless self-caricature of 'analyze this' ( 1999 ) and 'analyze that , ' promised ( or threatened ) for later this year . 1
one of those films that started with a great premise and then just fell apart . 0
the beautifully choreographed kitchen ballet is simple but absorbing . 1
skip this dreck , rent animal house and go back to the source . 0
must be seen to be believed . 1
it's a film that hinges on its casting , and glover really doesn't fit the part . 0
the draw [for " big bad love " ] is a solid performance by arliss howard . 1
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 . 0
as inept as big-screen remakes of the avengers and the wild wild west . 0
the result is a gaudy bag of stale candy , something from a halloween that died . 0
not always too whimsical for its own good ( but enough to do harm ) , this strange hybrid of crime thriller , quirky character study , third-rate romance and female empowerment fantasy never really finds the tonal or thematic glue it needs . 0
it's drab . it's uninteresting . it squanders chan's uniqueness ; it could even be said to squander jennifer love hewitt ! 0
. . . bibbidy-bobbidi-bland . 0
it appears that something has been lost in the translation to the screen . 0
a literary detective story is still a detective story and aficionados of the whodunit won't be disappointed . 1
the filmmakers juggle and juxtapose three story lines but fail to come up with one cogent point , unless it's that life stinks , especially for sensitive married women who really love other women . 0
in the end , punch-drunk love is one of those films that i wanted to like much more than i actually did . sometimes , that's enough . 1
scores no points for originality , wit , or intelligence . it's a cookie-cutter movie , a cut-and-paste job . 0
combines improbable melodrama ( gored bullfighters , comatose ballerinas ) with subtly kinky bedside vigils and sensational denouements , and yet at the end , we are undeniably touched . 1
while the glass slipper doesn't quite fit , pumpkin is definitely a unique modern fairytale . 1
shallow , noisy and pretentious . 0
i wish windtalkers had had more faith in the dramatic potential of this true story . this would have been better than the fiction it has concocted , and there still could have been room for the war scenes . 0
a loud , low-budget and tired formula film that arrives cloaked in the euphemism 'urban drama . ' 0
meandering , sub-aquatic mess : it's so bad it's good , but only if you slide in on a freebie . 0
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 . 0
unlike most anime , whose most ardent fans outside japan seem to be introverted young men with fantasy fetishes , metropolis never seems hopelessly juvenile . 1
it's mighty tedious for the viewer who has to contend with unpleasant characters , hit-and-miss performances and awkwardly staged scenes . 0
the pianist is polanski's best film . 1
ruh-roh ! romething's really wrong with this ricture ! 0
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 . 1
the movie sticks much closer to hornby's drop-dead confessional tone than the film version of high fidelity did . 1
arteta directs one of the best ensemble casts of the year 1
the ending doesn't work . . . but most of the movie works so well i'm almost recommending it , anyway -- maybe not to everybody , but certainly to people with a curiosity about how a movie can go very right , and then step wrong . 0
the actresses may have worked up a back story for the women they portray so convincingly , but viewers don't get enough of that background for the characters to be involving as individuals rather than types . 0
care deftly captures the wonder and menace of growing up , but he never really embraces the joy of fuhrman's destructive escapism or the grace-in-rebellion found by his characters . 0
the film is predictable in the reassuring manner of a beautifully sung holiday carol . 1
i encourage young and old alike to go see this unique and entertaining twist on the classic whale's tale -- you won't be sorry ! 1
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 . 0
only an epic documentary could get it all down , and spike lee's jim brown : all american at long last gives its subject a movie worthy of his talents . 1
there's no excuse for following up a delightful , well-crafted family film with a computer-generated cold fish . 0
while it's genuinely cool to hear characters talk about early rap records ( sugar hill gang , etc . ) , the constant referencing of hip-hop arcana can alienate even the savviest audiences . 0
hollywood ending is not show-stoppingly hilarious , but scathingly witty nonetheless . 1
it sounds sick and twisted , but the miracle of shainberg's film is that it truly is romance 1
clayburgh and tambor are charming performers ; neither of them deserves eric schaeffer . 0
even if you don't think [kissinger's] any more guilty of criminal activity than most contemporary statesmen , he'd sure make a courtroom trial great fun to watch . 1
if you can get past the taboo subject matter , it will be well worth your time . 1
an intriguing and entertaining introduction to johnson . 1
another one of those estrogen overdose movies like " divine secrets of the ya ya sisterhood , " except that the writing , acting and character development are a lot better . 1
newton draws our attention like a magnet , and acts circles around her better known co-star , mark wahlberg . 1
given how heavy-handed and portent-heavy it is , this could be the worst thing soderbergh has ever done . 0
i have to admit that i am baffled by jason x . 0
parts seem like they were lifted from terry gilliam's subconscious , pressed through kafka's meat grinder and into buñuel's casings 1
thankfully , the film , which skirts that rapidly deteriorating line between fantasy and reality . . . takes a tongue-in-cheek attitude even as it pushes the croc hunter agenda . 1
unlike his directorial efforts , la femme nikita and the professional , the transporter lacks besson's perspective as a storyteller . 0
demme's loose approach kills the suspense . 0
miyazaki has created such a vibrant , colorful world , it's almost impossible not to be swept away by the sheer beauty of his images . 1
the latest adam sandler assault and possibly the worst film of the year . 0
an involving true story of a chinese actor who takes up drugs and winds up in an institution--acted mostly by the actual people involved . 1
it's a much more emotional journey than what shyamalan has given us in his past two movies , and gibson , stepping in for bruce willis , is the perfect actor to take us on the trip . 1
the reason this picture works better than its predecessors is that myers is no longer simply spoofing the mini-mod-madness of '60s spy movies . 1
a high-minded snoozer . 0
oh come on . like you couldn't smell this turkey rotting from miles away . 0
it's a drag how nettelbeck sees working women -- or at least this working woman -- for whom she shows little understanding . 0
a pretty decent kid-pleasing , tolerable-to-adults lark of a movie . 1
it's a loathsome movie , it really is and it makes absolutely no sense . 0
equal parts bodice-ripper and plodding costume drama . 0
louiso lets the movie dawdle in classic disaffected-indie-film mode , and brother hoffman's script stumbles over a late-inning twist that just doesn't make sense . 0
ethan hawke has always fancied himself the bastard child of the beatnik generation and it's all over his chelsea walls . 0
this is one of polanski's best films . 1
mocking kung fu pictures when they were a staple of exploitation theater programming was witty . mocking them now is an exercise in pointlessness . 0
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 . if you are willing to do this , then you so crazy ! 0
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 . 0
the film is all a little lit crit 101 , but it's extremely well played and often very funny . 1
a movie that hovers somewhere between an acute character study and a trite power struggle . 0
it all drags on so interminably it's like watching a miserable relationship unfold in real time . 0
this bond film goes off the beaten path , not necessarily for the better . 0
illiterate , often inert sci-fi action thriller . 0
a tender , heartfelt family drama . 1
time out is existential drama without any of the pretension associated with the term . 1
a simple , sometimes maddeningly slow film that has just enough charm and good acting to make it interesting , but is ultimately pulled under by the pacing and lack of creativity within . 0
an engrossing and infectiously enthusiastic documentary . 1
twenty-three movies into a mostly magnificent directorial career , clint eastwood's efficiently minimalist style finally has failed him . big time . 0
a muddled limp biscuit of a movie , a vampire soap opera that doesn't make much sense even on its own terms . 0
maybe it's just because this past year has seen the release of some of the worst film comedies in decades . . . but honestly , analyze that really isn't all that bad . 1
k-19 : the widowmaker is derivative , overlong , and bombastic -- yet surprisingly entertaining . 1
imagine a scenario where bergman approaches swedish fatalism using gary larson's far side humor 1
while van wilder may not be the worst national lampoon film , it's far from being this generation's animal house . 0
it's a stale , overused cocktail using the same olives since 1962 as garnish . not only is entry number twenty the worst of the brosnan bunch , it's one of the worst of the entire franchise . 0
at times a bit melodramatic and even a little dated ( depending upon where you live ) , ignorant fairies is still quite good-natured and not a bad way to spend an hour or two . 1
so devoid of pleasure or sensuality that it cannot even be dubbed hedonistic . 0
its sheer dynamism is infectious . 1
this orange has some juice , but it's far from fresh-squeezed . 1
too bland and fustily tasteful to be truly prurient . 0
. . . best seen as speculative history , as much an exploration of the paranoid impulse as a creative sequel to the warren report . 1
a sequel that's much too big for its britches . 0
a movie that both thrills the eye and , in its over-the-top way , touches the heart . 1
it just didn't mean much to me and played too skewed to ever get a hold on ( or be entertained by ) . 0
imagine kevin smith , the blasphemous bad boy of suburban jersey , if he were stripped of most of his budget and all of his sense of humor . the result might look like vulgar . 0
'they' begins and ends with scenes so terrifying i'm still stunned . and i've decided to leave a light on every night from now on . 1
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 . 1
it never fails to engage us . 1
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 . 0
the movie is for fans who can't stop loving anime , and the fanatical excess built into it . 1
though only 60 minutes long , the film is packed with information and impressions . 1
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 . 1
its generic villains lack any intrigue ( other than their funny accents ) and the action scenes are poorly delivered . 0
cute , funny , heartwarming digitally animated feature film with plenty of slapstick humor for the kids , lots of in-jokes for the adults and heart enough for everyone . 1
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 . 0
maybe leblanc thought , " hey , the movie about the baseball-playing monkey was worse . " 0
directed in a paint-by-numbers manner . 0
that dogged good will of the parents and 'vain' jia's defoliation of ego , make the film touching despite some doldrums . 1
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 . 1
i don't think i've been as entranced and appalled by an asian film since shinya tsukamoto's iron man . 1
the problem is that the movie has no idea of it is serious or not . 0
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 . 1
for those who are intrigued by politics of the '70s , the film is every bit as fascinating as it is flawed . 1
the pleasures of super troopers may be fleeting , but they'll register strongly with anybody who still retains a soft spot for precollegiate humor . 1
the filmmakers' eye for detail and the high standards of performance convey a strong sense of the girls' environment . 1
a gripping movie , played with performances that are all understated and touching . 1
lawrence plumbs personal tragedy and also the human comedy . 1
offers a clear-eyed chronicle of a female friendship that is more complex and honest than anything represented in a hollywood film . 1
bleakly funny , its characters all the more touching for refusing to pity or memorialize themselves . 1
one groan-inducing familiarity begets another . 0
you see robert de niro singing - and dancing to - west side story show tunes . choose your reaction : a . ) that sure is funny ! b . ) that sure is pathetic ! 0
such a bad movie that its luckiest viewers will be seated next to one of those ignorant pinheads who talk throughout the show . 0
fluffy and disposible . 0
able to provide insight into a fascinating part of theater history . 1
when the plot kicks in , the film loses credibility . 0
unwieldy contraption . 0
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 . 0
director oliver parker labors so hard to whip life into the importance of being earnest that he probably pulled a muscle or two . 0
duvall is strong as always . 1
. . . too sappy for its own good . 0
shaky close-ups of turkey-on-rolls , stubbly chins , liver spots , red noses and the filmmakers new bobbed do draw easy chuckles but lead nowhere . 0
this documentary is a dazzling , remarkably unpretentious reminder of what [evans] had , lost , and got back . 1
a beguiling , slow-moving parable about the collision of past and present on a remote seacoast in iran . 1
watching austin powers in goldmember is like binging on cotton candy . it's sweet and fluffy at the time , but it may leave you feeling a little sticky and unsatisfied . 0
walsh can't quite negotiate the many inconsistencies in janice's behavior or compensate for them by sheer force of charm . 0
a portrait of alienation so perfect , it will certainly succeed in alienating most viewers . 0
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 . 0
viewed as a comedy , a romance , a fairy tale , or a drama , there's nothing remotely triumphant about this motion picture . 0
stuffy , full of itself , morally ambiguous and nothing to shout about . 0
verbinski substitutes atmosphere for action , tedium for thrills . 0
well-acted , well-directed and , for all its moodiness , not too pretentious . 1
when [de palma's] bad , he's really bad , and femme fatale ranks with the worst he has done . 0
the film aims to be funny , uplifting and moving , sometimes all at once . the extent to which it succeeds is impressive . 1
it's basically an overlong episode of tales from the crypt . 0
in the end , the movie collapses on its shaky foundation despite the best efforts of director joe carnahan . 0
elegantly crafted but emotionally cold , a puzzle whose intricate construction one can admire but is difficult to connect with on any deeper level . 0
an elegant , exquisitely modulated psychological thriller . 1
crush could be the worst film a man has made about women since valley of the dolls . 0
that rara avis : the intelligent romantic comedy with actual ideas on its mind . 1
an uneven but intriguing drama that is part homage and part remake of the italian masterpiece . 1
the entire cast is extraordinarily good . 1
i walked away from this new version of e . t . just as i hoped i would -- with moist eyes . 1
so earnest and well-meaning , and so stocked with talent , that you almost forget the sheer , ponderous awfulness of its script . 0
a story which fails to rise above its disgusting source material . 0
it's better than mid-range steven seagal , but not as sharp as jet li on rollerblades . 0
occasionally amateurishly made but a winsome cast and nice dialogue keeps it going . 1
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 . 0
a refreshing korean film about five female high school friends who face an uphill battle when they try to take their relationships into deeper waters . 1
a romantic comedy enriched by a sharp eye for manners and mores . 1
there is a kind of attentive concern that hoffman brings to his characters , as if he has been giving them private lessons , and now it is time for their first public recital . 1
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 . 0
strip it of all its excess debris , and you'd have a 90-minute , four-star movie . as it is , it's too long and unfocused . 1
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 . 0
director carl franklin , so crisp and economical in one false move , bogs down in genre cliches here . 0
a lot of the credit for the film's winning tone must go to grant , who hasn't lost a bit of the dry humor that first made audiences on both sides of the atlantic love him . 1
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 . 0
[stevens is] 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 . 0
an infectious cultural fable with a tasty balance of family drama and frenetic comedy . 1
cal is an unpleasantly shallow and immature character with whom to spend 110 claustrophobic minutes . 0
this romantic thriller is steeped in the atmosphere of wartime england , and ably captures the speech patterns , moral codes and ideals of the 1940s . 1
this version does justice both to stevenson and to the sci-fi genre . 1
minority report is exactly what the title indicates , a report . 0
stealing harvard is evidence that the farrelly bros . -- peter and bobby -- and their brand of screen comedy are wheezing to an end , along with green's half-hearted movie career . 0
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 . 0
uses high comedy to evoke surprising poignance . 1
to my taste , the film's comic characters come perilously close to being amoses and andys for a new generation . 0
while the ideas about techno-saturation are far from novel , they're presented with a wry dark humor . 1
this is a raw and disturbing tale that took five years to make , and the trio's absorbing narrative is a heart-wrenching showcase indeed . 1
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 . 0
a by-the-numbers patient/doctor pic that covers all the usual ground 0
the quirky drama touches the heart and the funnybone thanks to the energetic and always surprising performance by rachel griffiths . 1
a compelling journey . . . and " his best friend remembers " is up there with the finest of specials . 1
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 . 0
wasabi is slight fare indeed , with the entire project having the feel of something tossed off quickly ( like one of hubert's punches ) , but it should go down smoothly enough with popcorn . 0
it is a kickass , dense sci-fi action thriller hybrid that delivers and then some . i haven't seen one in so long , no wonder i didn't recognize it at first . 1
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 . 1
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 . 0
not too far below the gloss you can still feel director denis villeneuve's beating heart and the fondness he has for his characters . 1
my precious new star wars movie is a lumbering , wheezy drag . . . 0
absorbing and disturbing -- perhaps more disturbing than originally intended -- but a little clarity would have gone a long way . 1
troubling and powerful . 1
imagine ( if possible ) 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 . 0
a wildly inconsistent emotional experience . 0
an intoxicating experience . 1
so purely enjoyable that you might not even notice it's a fairly straightforward remake of hollywood comedies such as father of the bride . 1
grant gets to display his cadness to perfection , but also to show acting range that may surprise some who thought light-hearted comedy was his forte . 1
the film serves as a valuable time capsule to remind us of the devastating horror suffered by an entire people . 1
some movies blend together as they become distant memories . mention " solaris " five years from now and i'm sure those who saw it will have an opinion to share . 1
faultlessly professional but finally slight . 0
when perry fists a bull at the moore farm , it's only a matter of time before he gets the upper hand in matters of the heart . 0
a stylistic romp that's always fun to watch . 1
hit and miss as far as the comedy goes and a big ole' miss in the way of story . 0
steers has an unexpectedly adamant streak of warm-blooded empathy for all his disparate manhattan denizens--especially the a * * holes . 1
for its seriousness , high literary aspirations and stunning acting , the film can only be applauded . 1
. . . a hokey piece of nonsense that tries too hard to be emotional . 0
together , tok and o orchestrate a buoyant , darkly funny dance of death . in the process , they demonstrate that there's still a lot of life in hong kong cinema . 1
a moody horror/thriller elevated by deft staging and the director's well-known narrative gamesmanship . 1
when a set of pre-shooting guidelines a director came up with for his actors turns out to be cleverer , better written and of considerable more interest than the finished film , that's a bad sign . a very bad sign . 0
plotless collection of moronic stunts is by far the worst movie of the year . 0
there are as many misses as hits , but ultimately , it finds humor in the foibles of human behavior , and it's a welcome return to the roots of a genre that should depend on surprises . 1
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 . ' 1
the stripped-down approach does give the film a certain timeless quality , but the measured pace and lack of dramatic inflection can also seem tedious . 0
those of you who are not an eighth grade girl will most likely doze off during this one . 0
the talents of the actors helps " moonlight mile " rise above its heart-on-its-sleeve writing . 1
the characters are complex and quirky , but entirely believable as the remarkable ensemble cast brings them to life . 1
a working class " us vs . them " opera that leaves no heartstring untugged and no liberal cause unplundered . 0
never comes together as a coherent whole . 0
still pretentious and filled with subtext , but entertaining enough at 'face value' to recommend to anyone looking for something different . 1
a sharp , amusing study of the cult of celebrity . 1
no way i can believe this load of junk . 0
in the second half of the film , frei's control loosens in direct proportion to the amount of screen time he gives nachtwey for self-analysis . 0
while the story's undeniably hard to follow , iwai's gorgeous visuals seduce . 1
a smart , sassy and exceptionally charming romantic comedy . 1
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 . 0
holy mad maniac in a mask , splat-man ! good old-fashioned slash-and-hack is back ! 1
just as the lousy tarantino imitations have subsided , here comes the first lousy guy ritchie imitation . 0
. . . very funny , very enjoyable . . . 1
as the sulking , moody male hustler in the title role , [franco] has all of dean's mannerisms and self-indulgence , but none of his sweetness and vulnerability . 0
majidi's direction has never been smoother or more confident . 1
reeks of rot and hack work from start to finish . 0
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 . 1
like dickens with his passages , mcgrath crafts quite moving scenes throughout his resolutely dramatic variation on the novel . 1
a refreshingly honest and ultimately touching tale of the sort of people usually ignored in contemporary american film . search it out . 1
the essential problem in orange county is that , having created an unusually vivid set of characters worthy of its strong cast , the film flounders when it comes to giving them something to do . 0
resembles a soft porn brian de palma pastiche . 0
without resorting to hyperbole , i can state that kissing jessica stein may be the best same-sex romance i have seen . 1
the actors are appealing , but elysian fields is idiotic and absurdly sentimental . 0
an entertaining british hybrid of comedy , caper thrills and quirky romance . 1
highly watchable stuff . 1
funny , sexy , devastating and incurably romantic . 1
though clearly well-intentioned , this cross-cultural soap opera is painfully formulaic and stilted . 0
a cautionary tale about the folly of superficiality that is itself endlessly superficial . 0
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 . 0
too bad maggio couldn't come up with a better script . 0
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 . 1
a boring , wincingly cute and nauseatingly politically correct cartoon guaranteed to drive anyone much over age 4 screaming from the theater . 0
a sour , nasty offering . 0
uncommonly stylish but equally silly . . . the picture fails to generate much suspense , nor does it ask searching enough questions to justify its pretensions . 0
the plot grows thin soon , and you find yourself praying for a quick resolution . 0
there is an almost poignant dimension to the way that every major stunt seagal's character . . . performs is shot from behind , as if it could fool us into thinking that we're not watching a double . 0
will give many ministers and bible-study groups hours of material to discuss . but mainstream audiences will find little of interest in this film , which is often preachy and poorly acted . 0
almost gags on its own gore . 0
they should have called it gutterball . 0
basically a static series of semi-improvised ( and semi-coherent ) raps between the stars . 0
a delirious celebration of the female orgasm . 1
the only way to tolerate this insipid , brutally clueless film might be with a large dose of painkillers . 0
it may be a prize winner , but teacher is a bomb . 0
without shakespeare's eloquent language , the update is dreary and sluggish . 0
if there's no art here , it's still a good yarn -- which is nothing to sneeze at these days . 1
meyjes' provocative film might be called an example of the haphazardness of evil . 1
holm . . . embodies the character with an effortlessly regal charisma . 1
a bore that tends to hammer home every one of its points . 0
cacoyannis is perhaps too effective in creating an atmosphere of dust-caked stagnation and labored gentility . 0
generally , clockstoppers will fulfill your wildest fantasies about being a different kind of time traveler , while happily killing 94 minutes . 1
we may never think of band camp as a geeky or nerdy thing again . 0
. . . an hour-and-a-half of inoffensive , unmemorable filler . 0
a stunning and overwhelmingly cogent case for kissinger as a calculating war criminal . 1
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 . 0
[t]oo many of these gross out scenes . . . 0
it's mildly amusing , but i certainly can't recommend it . 0
taken individually or collectively , the stories never add up to as much as they promise . 0
it's just hard to believe that a life like this can sound so dull . 0
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 . 0
a cleverly crafted but ultimately hollow mockumentary . 0
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 . 0
between bedroom scenes , viewers may find themselves wishing they could roll over and take a nap . 0
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 . 1
maneuvers skillfully through the plot's hot brine -- until it's undone by the sogginess of its contemporary characters , and actors . 1
even in the summertime , the most restless young audience deserves the dignity of an action hero motivated by something more than franchise possibilities . 0
it is a film that will have people walking out halfway through , will encourage others to stand up and applaud , and will , undoubtedly , leave both camps engaged in a ferocious debate for years to come . 1
offers enough playful fun to entertain the preschool set while embracing a wholesome attitude . 1
it's both a necessary political work and a fascinating documentary . . . 1
makes a joke out of car chases for an hour and then gives us half an hour of car chases . 0
a humorless journey into a philosophical void . 0
lauren ambrose comes alive under the attention from two strangers in town - with honest performances and realistic interaction between the characters , this is a coming-of-age story with a twist . 1
it is far from the worst , thanks to the topical issues it raises , the performances of stewart and hardy , and that essential feature -- a decent full-on space battle . 1
some decent actors inflict big damage upon their reputations . 0
the acting , costumes , music , cinematography and sound are all astounding given the production's austere locales . 1
amidst the action , the script carries arnold ( and the viewers ) into the forbidden zone of sympathizing with terrorist motivations by presenting the " other side of the story . " 0
a bland animated sequel that hardly seems worth the effort . 0
those who would follow haneke on his creepy explorations . . . are rewarded by brutal , committed performances from huppert and magimel . 1
full of flatulence jokes and mild sexual references , kung pow ! is the kind of movie that's critic-proof , simply because it aims so low . 0
new ways of describing badness need to be invented to describe exactly how bad it is . 0
finally , the french-produced " read my lips " is a movie that understands characters must come first . 1
warm and exotic . 1
as adapted by kevin molony from simon leys' novel " the death of napoleon " and directed by alan taylor , napoleon's journey is interesting but his parisian rebirth is stillborn 1
a 93-minute condensation of a 26-episode tv series , with all of the pitfalls of such you'd expect . 0
don't plan on the perfect ending , but sweet home alabama hits the mark with critics who escaped from a small town life . 1
you have to pay attention to follow all the stories , but they're each interesting . the movie is well shot and very tragic , and one to ponder after the credits roll . 1
elling , portrayed with quiet fastidiousness by per christian ellefsen , is a truly singular character , one whose frailties are only slightly magnified versions of the ones that vex nearly everyone . 1
while it would be easy to give crush the new title of two weddings and a funeral , it's a far more thoughtful film than any slice of hugh grant whimsy . 1
it is just too bad the film's story does not live up to its style . 0
as the story moves inexorably through its seven day timeframe , the picture becomes increasingly mesmerizing . 1
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 . 0
. . . a spoof comedy that carries its share of laughs – sometimes a chuckle , sometimes a guffaw and , to my great pleasure , the occasional belly laugh . 1
is office work really as alienating as 'bartleby' so effectively makes it ? 1
though the plot is predictable , the movie never feels formulaic , because the attention is on the nuances of the emotional development of the delicate characters . 1
this breezy caper movie becomes a soulful , incisive meditation on the way we were , and the way we are . 1
the filmmakers skillfully evoke the sense of menace that nature holds for many urban dwellers . 1
for all its serious sense of purpose . . . [it] finds a way to lay bare the tragedies of its setting with a good deal of warmth and humor . 1
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 . 0
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 . 0
this action-thriller/dark comedy is one of the most repellent things to pop up in a cinematic year already littered with celluloid garbage . 0
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 . 1
too many improbabilities and rose-colored situations temper what could've been an impacting film . 0
it dares to be a little different , and that shading is what makes it worthwhile . 1
fulfills the minimum requirement of disney animation . 1
a fascinating , dark thriller that keeps you hooked on the delicious pulpiness of its lurid fiction . 1
shot perhaps 'artistically' with handheld cameras and apparently no movie lights by joaquin baca-asay , the low-budget production swings annoyingly between vertigo and opacity . 0
renner's performance as dahmer is unforgettable , deeply absorbing . 1
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 . 0
acting , particularly by tambor , almost makes " never again " worthwhile , but [writer/director] schaeffer should follow his titular advice 0
there are touching moments in etoiles , but for the most part this is a dull , dour documentary on what ought to be a joyful or at least fascinating subject . 0
the only thing " swept away " is the one hour and thirty-three minutes spent watching this waste of time . 0
soderbergh seems capable only of delivering artfully lighted , earnest inquiries that lack the kind of genuine depth that would make them redeemable . 0
the production values are up there . the use of cgi and digital ink-and-paint make the thing look really slick . the voices are fine as well . the problem , it is with most of these things , is the script . 0
the film's sense of imagery gives it a terrible strength , but it's propelled by the acting . 1
a gimmick in search of a movie : how to get carvey into as many silly costumes and deliver as many silly voices as possible , plot mechanics be damned . 0
an oddity , to be sure , but one that you might wind up remembering with a degree of affection rather than revulsion . 1
just too silly and sophomoric to ensnare its target audience . 0
too silly to take seriously . 0
daring , mesmerizing and exceedingly hard to forget . 1
one scene after another in this supposedly funny movie falls to the floor with a sickening thud . 0
one thing is for sure : this movie does not tell you a whole lot about lily chou-chou . 0
some of seagal's action pictures are guilty pleasures , but this one is so formulaic that it seems to be on auto-pilot . 0
despite the premise of a good story . . . it wastes all its star power on cliched or meaningless roles . 0
[at least] moore is a real charmer . 0
fuller would surely have called this gutsy and at times exhilarating movie a great yarn . 1
if you're hard up for raunchy college humor , this is your ticket right here . 1
a surprisingly flat retread , hobbled by half-baked setups and sluggish pacing . 0
weaves a spell over you , with its disturbingly close-up look at damaged psyches and its subtle undercurrents of danger . but its awkward structure keeps breaking the spell . 0
the direction has a fluid , no-nonsense authority , and the performances by harris , phifer and cam'ron seal the deal . 1
creepy , authentic and dark . this disturbing bio-pic is hard to forget . 1
new best friend's playboy-mansion presentation of college life is laugh-out-loud ludicrous . 0
you really have to salute writer-director haneke ( he adapted elfriede jelinek's novel ) for making a film that isn't nearly as graphic but much more powerful , brutally shocking and difficult to watch . 1
an edgy thriller that delivers a surprising punch . 1
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 . 1
nervy and sensitive , it taps into genuine artistic befuddlement , and at the same time presents a scathing indictment of what drives hollywood . 1
. . . a weak and ineffective ghost story without a conclusion or pay off . 0
not one moment in the enterprise didn't make me want to lie down in a dark room with something cool to my brow . 0
the story . . . is inspiring , ironic , and revelatory of just how ridiculous and money-oriented the record industry really is . it is also a testament to the integrity and vision of the band . 1
can't get enough of libidinous young city dwellers ? try this obscenely bad dark comedy , so crass that it makes edward burns' sidewalks of new york look like oscar wilde . 0
writhing under dialogue like 'you're from two different worlds' and 'tonight the maid is a lie and this , this is who you are , ' this schlock-filled fairy tale hits new depths of unoriginality and predictability . 0
if your senses haven't been dulled by slasher films and gorefests , if you're a connoisseur of psychological horror , this is your ticket . 1
the cold turkey would've been a far better title . 0
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 . 0
the second coming of harry potter is a film far superior to its predecessor . a movie that successfully crushes a best selling novel into a timeframe that mandates that you avoid the godzilla sized soda . 1
a moody , multi-dimensional love story and sci-fi mystery , solaris is a thought-provoking , haunting film that allows the seeds of the imagination to germinate . 1
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 . 0
for veggietales fans , this is more appetizing than a side dish of asparagus . if you're not a fan , it might be like trying to eat brussels sprouts . 1
barney's ideas about creation and identity don'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 . 0
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 . 1
blanchett's performance confirms her power once again . 1
. . . 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 . 1
light years/ several warp speeds/ levels and levels of dilithium crystals better than the pitiful insurrection . which isn't to say that it's the equal of some of its predecessors . 1
a startling and fresh examination of how the bike still remains an ambiguous icon in chinese society . 1
a fantastically vital movie that manages to invest real humor , sensuality , and sympathy into a story about two adolescent boys . 1
ends up offering nothing more than the latest schwarzenegger or stallone flick would . 0
this idea has lost its originality . . . and neither star appears very excited at rehashing what was basically a one-joke picture . 0
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 ? 0
in both the writing and cutting , it does not achieve the kind of dramatic unity that transports you . you end up simply admiring this bit or that , this performance or that . 0
a mawkish , implausible platonic romance that makes chaplin's city lights seem dispassionate by comparison . 0
hill looks to be going through the motions , beginning with the pale script . 0
borstal boy represents the worst kind of filmmaking , the kind that pretends to be passionate and truthful but is really frustratingly timid and soggy . 0
a dreary movie . 0
imperfect ? yes , but also intriguing and honorable , a worthwhile addition to a distinguished film legacy . 1
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 . 1
. . . 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 ? " feeling to it , but like the 1920's , the trip there is a great deal of fun . 1
a film neither bitter nor sweet , neither romantic nor comedic , neither warm nor fuzzy . 0
what " empire " lacks in depth it makes up for with its heart . 1
i don't even care that there's no plot in this antonio banderas-lucy liu faceoff . it's still terrible ! 0
the actors are so terrific at conveying their young angst , we do indeed feel for them . 1
some may choose to interpret the film's end as hopeful or optimistic but i think payne is after something darker . 1
for all its failed connections , divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood is nurturing , in a gauzy , dithering way . 1
little more than a frothy vanity project . 0
there's an energy to y tu mamá también . much of it comes from the brave , uninhibited performances by its lead actors . 1
a ragbag of promising ideas and failed narrative , of good acting and plain old bad filmmaking . 0
the message of such reflections--intentional or not--is that while no art grows from a vacuum , many artists exist in one . 1
one of the greatest family-oriented , fantasy-adventure movies ever . 1
triple x is a double agent , and he's one bad dude . when you've got the wildly popular vin diesel in the equation , it adds up to big box office bucks all but guaranteed . 1
while the mystery unravels , the characters respond by hitting on each other . 0
an impossible romance , but we root for the patronized iranian lad . 1
great story , bad idea for a movie . 0
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 . 1
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 . 0
despite all the talking , by the time the bloody climax arrives we still don't feel enough of an attachment to these guys to care one way or another . 0
prancing his way through the tailor-made part of a male hooker approaching the end of his vitality , jagger obviously relishes every self-mocking moment . 1
the code talkers deserved better than a hollow tribute . 0
elling really is about a couple of crazy guys , and it's therapeutic to laugh along with them . 1
an unabashedly schmaltzy and thoroughly enjoyable true story . 1
the things this movie tries to get the audience to buy just won't fly with most intelligent viewers . 0
just the labour involved in creating the layered richness of the imagery in this chiaroscuro of madness and light is astonishing . 1
[n]o matter how much good will the actors generate , showtime eventually folds under its own thinness . 0
yakusho , as always , is wonderful as the long-faced sad sack . . . and his chemistry with shimizu is very believable . 1
there may have been a good film in " trouble every day , " but it is not what is on the screen . 0
with notorious c . h . o . cho proves she has the stuff to stand tall with pryor , carlin and murphy . 1
a morose little soap opera about three vapid , insensitive people who take turns hurting each other . it's a feature-length adaptation of one of those " can this marriage be saved ? " columns from ladies home journal . . . 0
under 15 ? a giggle a minute . over age 15 ? big fat waste of time . 0
an utterly compelling 'who wrote it' in which the reputation of the most famous author who ever lived comes into question . 1
it's not that kung pow isn't funny some of the time -- it just isn't any funnier than bad martial arts movies are all by themselves , without all oedekerk's impish augmentation . 0
a very funny movie . 1
a close-to-solid espionage thriller with the misfortune of being released a few decades too late . 0
no telegraphing is too obvious or simplistic for this movie . 0
the lack of opposing viewpoints soon grows tiresome -- the film feels more like a series of toasts at a testimonial dinner than a documentary . 0
this is so bad . 0
on the heels of the ring comes a similarly morose and humorless horror movie that , although flawed , is to be commended for its straight-ahead approach to creepiness . 1
despite impeccable acting . . . and a script that takes some rather unexpected ( even , at times , preposterous ) turns , love is just too , too precious in the end . 0
it's refreshing to see a movie that embraces its old-fashioned themes and in the process comes out looking like something wholly original . 1
i'd be hard pressed to think of a film more cloyingly sappy than evelyn this year . 0
the original wasn't a good movie but this remake makes it look like a masterpiece ! 0
pumpkin takes an admirable look at the hypocrisy of political correctness , but it does so with such an uneven tone that you never know when humor ends and tragedy begins . 1
a rigorously structured and exquisitely filmed drama about a father and son connection that is a brief shooting star of love . 1
woo's fights have a distinct flair . his warriors collide in balletic explosion that implies an underlying order throughout the chaos . 1
this film was made to get laughs from the slowest person in the audience -- just pure slapstick with lots of inane , inoffensive screaming and exaggerated facial expressions . 0
truly terrible . 0
this ill-conceived and expensive project winds up looking like a bunch of talented thesps slumming it . 0
by getting myself wrapped up in the visuals and eccentricities of many of the characters , i found myself confused when it came time to get to the heart of the movie . 0
although jackson is doubtless reserving the darkest hours for the return of the king , we long for a greater sense of urgency in the here and now of the two towers . 1
the adventure doesn't contain half the excitement of balto , or quarter the fun of toy story 2 . 0
a clichéd and shallow cautionary tale about the hard-partying lives of gay men . 0
by the end of no such thing the audience , like beatrice , has a watchful affection for the monster . 1
ahhhh . . . revenge is sweet ! 1
it's a very tasteful rock and roll movie . you could put it on a coffee table anywhere . 0
it's a talking head documentary , but a great one . 1
white hasn't developed characters so much as caricatures , one-dimensional buffoons that get him a few laughs but nothing else . 0
by the standards of knucklehead swill , the hot chick is pretty damned funny . 1
vera's technical prowess ends up selling his film short ; he smoothes over hard truths even as he uncovers them . 0
as an entertainment , the movie keeps you diverted and best of all , it lightens your wallet without leaving a sting . 1
a beguiling splash of pastel colors and prankish comedy from disney . 1
hard-core slasher aficionados will find things to like . . . but overall the halloween series has lost its edge . 0
it leers , offering next to little insight into its intriguing subject . 0
[a] wonderfully loopy tale of love , longing , and voting . 1
a warm , funny , engaging film . 1
stale , futile scenario . 0
few films this year have been as resolute in their emotional nakedness . 1
the invincible werner herzog is alive and well and living in la 1
a miniscule little bleep on the film radar , but one that many more people should check out 1
although fairly involving as far as it goes , the film doesn't end up having much that is fresh to say about growing up catholic or , really , anything . 1
none of this is very original , and it isn't particularly funny . 0
it's leaden and predictable , and laughs are lacking . 0
may be spoofing an easy target -- those old '50's giant creature features -- but . . . it acknowledges and celebrates their cheesiness as the reason why people get a kick out of watching them today . 1
analyze that regurgitates and waters down many of the previous film's successes , with a few new swings thrown in . 0
tian emphasizes the isolation of these characters by confining color to liyan's backyard . 1
watching the powerpuff girls movie , my mind kept returning to one anecdote for comparison : the cartoon in japan that gave people seizures . 0
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 . 1
a jaw-droppingly beautiful work that upends nearly every cliché of japanese animation while delivering a more than satisfactory amount of carnage . 1
parents beware ; this is downright movie penance . 0
sam jones became a very lucky filmmaker the day wilco got dropped from their record label , proving that one man's ruin may be another's fortune . 1
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 . the only pain you'll feel as the credits roll is your stomach grumbling for some tasty grub . 1
you really have to wonder how on earth anyone , anywhere could have thought they'd make audiences guffaw with a script as utterly diabolical as this . 0
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 . 0
challenging , intermittently engrossing and unflaggingly creative . but it's too long and too convoluted and it ends in a muddle . 1
toward the end sum of all fears morphs into a mundane '70s disaster flick . 0
" the emperor's new clothes " begins with a simple plan . . . . well , at least that's the plan . 1
it will not appeal to the impatient , but those who like long books and movies will admire the way it accumulates power and depth . 1
might best be enjoyed as a daytime soaper . 0
a crisp psychological drama [and] a fascinating little thriller that would have been perfect for an old " twilight zone " episode . 1
much like its easily dismissive take on the upscale lifestyle , there isn't much there here . 0
. . . a complete shambles of a movie so sloppy , so uneven , so damn unpleasant that i can't believe any viewer , young or old , would have a good time here . 0
the passions aroused by the discord between old and new cultures are set against the strange , stark beauty of the mideast desert , so lovingly and perceptively filmed that you can almost taste the desiccated air . 1
whatever eyre's failings as a dramatist , he deserves credit for bringing audiences into this hard and bitter place . 0
it's not only dull because we've seen [eddie] murphy do the genial-rogue shtick to death , but because the plot is equally hackneyed . 0
the subject of swinging still seems ripe for a documentary -- just not this one . 0
eventually , they will have a showdown , but , by then , your senses are as mushy as peas and you don't care who fires the winning shot . 0
it's not exactly a gourmet meal but the fare is fair , even coming from the drive-thru . 1
a knowing look at female friendship , spiked with raw urban humor . 1
it's got the brawn , but not the brains . 0
this miserable excuse of a movie runs on empty , believing flatbush machismo will get it through . 0
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 . 0
a winning piece of work filled with love for the movies of the 1960s . 1
gives an intriguing twist to the french coming-of-age genre . 1
it's traditional moviemaking all the way , but it's done with a lot of careful period attention as well as some very welcome wit . 1
the whole affair , true story or not , feels incredibly hokey . . . [it] comes off like a hallmark commercial . 0
the bourne identity is what summer screen escapism used to be in the decades when it was geared more to grownups . 1
a technical triumph and an extraordinary bore . 0
i can't recommend it . but it's surprisingly harmless . 0
andersson creates a world that's at once surreal and disturbingly familiar ; absurd , yet tremendously sad . 1
just plain silly . 0
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 . 0
it's solid and affecting and exactly as thought-provoking as it should be . 1
with a story as bizarre and mysterious as this , you don't want to be worrying about whether the ineffectual broomfield is going to have the courage to knock on that door . 0
on the whole , the movie lacks wit , feeling and believability to compensate for its incessant coarseness and banality . 0
it's worth seeing just on the basis of the wisdom , and at times , the startling optimism , of the children . 1
it's not so much enjoyable to watch as it is enlightening to listen to new sides of a previous reality , and to visit with some of the people who were able to make an impact in the theater world . 1
the impulses that produced this project . . . are commendable , but the results are uneven . 0
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 . 0
the film takes the materials of human tragedy and dresses them in lovely costumes , southern california locations and star power . 0
the strong subject matter continues to shock throughout the film . not everyone will play the dark , challenging tune taught by the piano teacher . 1
comes off like a rejected abc afterschool special , freshened up by the dunce of a screenwriting 101 class . . . . designed to provide a mix of smiles and tears , " crossroads " instead provokes a handful of unintentional howlers and numerous yawns . 0
bourne , jason bourne . he can scale a building like a super hero , he can out-stealth any agent , he'll get the girl . he's super spy ! 1
i'd have to say the star and director are the big problems here . 0
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 . 0
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 . 0
serious and thoughtful . 1
collateral damage is trash , but it earns extra points by acting as if it weren't . 1
with virtually no interesting elements for an audience to focus on , chelsea walls is a triple-espresso endurance challenge . 0
meanders between its powerful moments . 0
despite the long running time , the pace never feels slack -- there's no scene that screams " bathroom break ! " 1
by the miserable standards to which the slasher genre has sunk , . . . actually pretty good . of course , by more objective measurements it's still quite bad . 0
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 . 0
alex nohe's documentary plays like a travelogue for what mostly resembles a real-life , big-budget nc-17 version of tank girl . 0
good movie . good actress . but if you expect light romantic comedy , good gosh , will you be shocked . 1
boisterous , heartfelt comedy . 1
'the war of the roses , ' trailer-trash style . entertaining but like shooting fish in a barrel . 0
watching beanie and his gang put together his slasher video from spare parts and borrowed materials is as much fun as it must have been for them to make it . 1
aside from minor tinkering , this is the same movie you probably loved in 1994 , except that it looks even better . 1
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 . 1
harland williams is so funny in drag he should consider permanent sex-reassignment . 0
somewhat blurred , but kinnear's performance is razor sharp . 1
kids who are into this thornberry stuff will probably be in wedgie heaven . anyone else who may , for whatever reason , be thinking about going to see this movie is hereby given fair warning . 0
eight legged freaks ? no big hairy deal . 0
taken as a whole , the tuxedo doesn't add up to a whole lot . 0
the country bears has no scenes that will upset or frighten young viewers . unfortunately , there is almost nothing in this flat effort that will amuse or entertain them , either . 0
a movie you observe , rather than one you enter into . 0
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 . 0
it's splash without the jokes . 0
frida isn't that much different from many a hollywood romance . what sets it apart is the vision that taymor , the avant garde director of broadway's the lion king and the film titus , brings . 1
the comedy is nonexistent . 0
call it magic realism or surrealism , but miss wonton floats beyond reality with a certain degree of wit and dignity . 1
thanks to confident filmmaking and a pair of fascinating performances , the way to that destination is a really special walk in the woods . 1
hawke draws out the best from his large cast in beautifully articulated portrayals that are subtle and so expressive they can sustain the poetic flights in burdette's dialogue . 1
the film jolts the laughs from the audience--as if by cattle prod . 1
'de niro . . . is a veritable source of sincere passion that this hollywood contrivance orbits around . ' 1
here , adrian lyne comes as close to profundity as he is likely to get . 1
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 . 1
[e]ventually , every idea in this film is flushed down the latrine of heroism . 0
the emotions are raw and will strike a nerve with anyone who's ever had family trauma . 1
. . . a mostly boring affair with a confusing sudden finale that's likely to irk viewers . 0
you might not want to hang out with samantha , but you'll probably see a bit of yourself in her unfinished story . 1
a candid and often fascinating documentary about a pentecostal church in dallas that assembles an elaborate haunted house each year to scare teenagers into attending services . 1
every so often a film comes along that is so insanely stupid , so awful in so many ways that watching it leaves you giddy . half past dead is just such an achievement . 0
it offers little beyond the momentary joys of pretty and weightless intellectual entertainment . 0
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 . 0
too much of the humor falls flat . 0
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 . 0
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 . 1
thin period piece . 0
'charly' will divide its audience in two separate groups , those reaching for more tissues and those begging for mercy . . . 1
one of the best examples of how to treat a subject , you're not fully aware is being examined , much like a photo of yourself you didn't know was being taken . 1
an absorbing and unsettling psychological drama . 1
wiseman is patient and uncompromising , letting his camera observe and record the lives of women torn apart by a legacy of abuse . 1
the most amazing super-sized dosage of goofball stunts any " jackass " fan could want . 1
the film would work much better as a video installation in a museum ,...