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| "chicago is , in many ways , an admirable achievement .",1 | |
| """ birthday girl "" is an actor's movie first and foremost .",0 | |
| the sheer joy and pride they took in their work -- and in each other -- shines through every frame .,1 | |
| "but tongue-in-cheek preposterousness has always been part of for the most part wilde's droll whimsy helps "" being earnest "" overcome its weaknesses and parker's creative interference . . .",0 | |
| "an elegant work , food of love is as consistently engaging as it is revealing .",0 | |
| "as satisfyingly odd and intriguing a tale as it was a century and a half ago . . . has a delightfully dour , deadpan tone and stylistic consistency .",0 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| a worthwhile way to spend two hours .,1 | |
| "even if you can't pronounce "" gyro "" correctly , you'll appreciate much of vardalos' humor , which transcends ethnic boundaries .",1 | |
| one of the smartest takes on singles culture i've seen in a long time .,0 | |
| "henry bean's thoughtful screenplay provides no easy answers , but offers a compelling investigation of faith versus intellect",1 | |
| works because reno doesn't become smug or sanctimonious towards the audience .,1 | |
| "brims with passion : for words , for its eccentric , accident-prone characters , and for the crazy things that keep people going in this crazy life .",0 | |
| "still pretentious and filled with subtext , but entertaining enough at 'face value' to recommend to anyone looking for something different .",1 | |
| "tsai has managed to create an underplayed melodrama about family dynamics and dysfunction that harks back to the spare , unchecked heartache of yasujiro ozu .",0 | |
| cho's latest comic set isn't as sharp or as fresh as i'm the one that i want . . . but it's still damn funny stuff .,1 | |
| everyone should be able to appreciate the wonderful cinematography and naturalistic acting .,1 | |
| you can take the grandkids or the grandparents and never worry about anyone being bored . . . audience is a sea of constant smiles and frequent laughter .,0 | |
| "with the same sort of good-natured fun found in films like tremors , eight legged freaks is prime escapist fare .",1 | |
| "[hayek] throws herself into this dream hispanic role with a teeth-clenching gusto , she strikes a potent chemistry with molina and she gradually makes us believe she is kahlo .",1 | |
| it offers a glimpse of the solomonic decision facing jewish parents in those turbulent times : to save their children and yet to lose them .,1 | |
| "this version's no classic like its predecessor , but its pleasures are still plentiful .",0 | |
| munch's screenplay is tenderly observant of his characters . he watches them as they float within the seas of their personalities . his scenes are short and often unexpected .,1 | |
| "the movie is for fans who can't stop loving anime , and the fanatical excess built into it .",1 | |
| a gentle and engrossing character study .,0 | |
| a movie with a real anarchic flair .,0 | |
| genuinely unnerving .,1 | |
| the santa clause 2 proves itself a more streamlined and thought out encounter than the original could ever have hoped to be .,1 | |
| the cat's meow marks a return to form for director peter bogdanovich . . .,0 | |
| "the best comedy concert movie i've seen since cho's previous concert comedy film , i'm the one that i want , in 2000 .",1 | |
| "bittersweet comedy/drama full of life , hand gestures , and some really adorable italian guys .",0 | |
| it's definitely a step in the right direction .,1 | |
| "nine queens is not only than a frighteningly capable debut and genre piece , but also a snapshot of a dangerous political situation on the verge of coming to a head .",0 | |
| offers enough playful fun to entertain the preschool set while embracing a wholesome attitude .,1 | |
| "mostly , [goldbacher] just lets her complicated characters be unruly , confusing and , through it all , human .",1 | |
| "the result is more depressing than liberating , but it's never boring .",0 | |
| 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 | |
| a tasty slice of droll whimsy .,1 | |
| "insightfully written , delicately performed",0 | |
| "not the kind of film that will appeal to a mainstream american audience , but there is a certain charm about the film that makes it a suitable entry into the fest circuit .",1 | |
| "a huge box-office hit in korea , shiri is a must for genre fans .",1 | |
| "hugely entertaining from start to finish , featuring a fall from grace that still leaves shockwaves , it will gratify anyone who has ever suspected hollywood of being overrun by corrupt and hedonistic weasels .",0 | |
| what's surprising is how well it holds up in an era in which computer-generated images are the norm .,0 | |
| an intimate contemplation of two marvelously messy lives .,0 | |
| "director kapur is a filmmaker with a real flair for epic landscapes and adventure , and this is a better film than his earlier english-language movie , the overpraised elizabeth .",0 | |
| "a sexy , surprising romance . . . idemoto and kim make a gorgeous pair . . . their scenes brim with sexual possibility and emotional danger .",1 | |
| it's a perfect show of respect to just one of those underrated professionals who deserve but rarely receive it .,1 | |
| deserves a place of honor next to nanook as a landmark in film history .,1 | |
| "slow and ponderous , but rohmer's drama builds to an intense indoor drama about compassion , sacrifice , and christian love in the face of political corruption .",1 | |
| as giddy and whimsical and relevant today as it was 270 years ago .,1 | |
| director nalin pan doesn't do much to weigh any arguments one way or the other . he simply presents his point of view that ayurveda works . no question .,0 | |
| trademark american triteness and simplicity are tossed out the window with the intelligent french drama that deftly explores the difficult relationship between a father and son .,1 | |
| "a generous , inspiring film that unfolds with grace and humor and gradually becomes a testament to faith .",1 | |
| the movie's relatively simple plot and uncomplicated morality play well with the affable cast .,0 | |
| "a gentle , compassionate drama about grief and healing .",0 | |
| viveka seldahl and sven wollter will touch you to the core in a film you will never forget -- that you should never forget .,0 | |
| a very charming and funny movie .,0 | |
| lightweight but appealing .,1 | |
| "the hours , a delicately crafted film , is an impressive achievement in spite of a river of sadness that pours into every frame .",1 | |
| a heartening tale of small victories and enduring hope .,1 | |
| "i don't know precisely what to make of steven soderbergh's full frontal , though that didn't stop me from enjoying much of it .",1 | |
| "[hayek] throws herself into this dream hispanic role with a teeth-clenching gusto , she strikes a potent chemistry with molina and she gradually makes us believe she is kahlo .",0 | |
| "suspend your disbelief here and now , or you'll be shaking your head all the way to the credits .",0 | |
| "terry is a sort of geriatric dirty harry , which will please eastwood's loyal fans -- and suits the story , wherein our hero must ride roughshod over incompetent cops to get his man .",1 | |
| "chicago offers much colorful eye candy , including the spectacle of gere in his dancing shoes , hoofing and crooning with the best of them .",0 | |
| "the sentimental script has problems , but the actors pick up the slack .",1 | |
| there is truth here,1 | |
| the powder blues and sun-splashed whites of tunis make an alluring backdrop for this sensuous and spirited tale of a prim widow who finds an unlikely release in belly-dancing clubs .,1 | |
| "the enjoyable undercover brother , a zany mix of saturday night live-style parody , '70s blaxploitation films and goofball action comedy gone wild , dishes out a ton of laughs that everyone can enjoy .",1 | |
| "in his latest effort , storytelling , solondz has finally made a movie that isn't just offensive -- it also happens to be good .",1 | |
| reggio and glass put on an intoxicating show .,1 | |
| "the story line may be 127 years old , but el crimen del padre amaro . . . couldn't be more timely in its despairing vision of corruption within the catholic establishment .",1 | |
| an engrossing and infectiously enthusiastic documentary .,1 | |
| "although it lacks the detail of the book , the film does pack some serious suspense .",1 | |
| "legendary irish writer brendan behan's memoir , borstal boy , has been given a loving screen transferral .",0 | |
| an unabashedly schmaltzy and thoroughly enjoyable true story .,1 | |
| "as literary desecrations go , this makes for perfectly acceptable , occasionally very enjoyable children's entertainment . you'll forget about it by monday , though , and if they're old enough to have developed some taste , so will your kids .",1 | |
| a great comedy filmmaker knows great comedy needn't always make us laugh . tim story's not there yet - but 'barbershop' shows he's on his way .,0 | |
| "a thoughtful and surprisingly affecting portrait of a screwed-up man who dared to mess with some powerful people , seen through the eyes of the idealistic kid who chooses to champion his ultimately losing cause .",0 | |
| "dazzles with its fully-written characters , its determined stylishness ( which always relates to characters and story ) and johnny dankworth's best soundtrack in years .",0 | |
| "all in all , a great party .",1 | |
| "tadpole is a sophisticated , funny and good-natured treat , slight but a pleasure .",1 | |
| "at its best , this is grand-scale moviemaking for a larger-than-life figure , an artist who has been awarded mythic status in contemporary culture .",1 | |
| "the whole cast looks to be having so much fun with the slapstick antics and silly street patois , tossing around obscure expressions like bellini and mullinski , that the compact 86 minutes breezes by .",1 | |
| ". . . a delightfully unpredictable , hilarious comedy with wonderful performances that tug at your heart in ways that utterly transcend gender labels .",0 | |
| "the film's constant mood of melancholy and its unhurried narrative are masterfully controlled . but in trying to capture the novel's deeper intimate resonances , the film has ironically - distanced us from the characters .",0 | |
| "more than simply a portrait of early extreme sports , this peek into the 1970s skateboard revolution is a skateboard film as social anthropology . . .",0 | |
| "lan yu is at times too restrained , yet there are moments it captures the erotics of intimacy in a way that makes most american love stories look downright unfree .",1 | |
| you can sip your vintage wines and watch your merchant ivory productions ; i'll settle for a nice cool glass of iced tea and a jerry bruckheimer flick any day of the week .,0 | |
| the actresses find their own rhythm and protect each other from the script's bad ideas and awkwardness .,0 | |
| 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 | |
| it's a fun adventure movie for kids ( of all ages ) that like adventure .,0 | |
| "there is a fabric of complex ideas here , and feelings that profoundly deepen them .",1 | |
| "half submarine flick , half ghost story , all in one criminally neglected film",1 | |
| "a heady , biting , be-bop ride through nighttime manhattan , a loquacious videologue of the modern male and the lengths to which he'll go to weave a protective cocoon around his own ego .",1 | |
| i liked a lot of the smaller scenes .,0 | |
| "as directed by dani kouyate of burkina faso , sia lacks visual flair . but kouyate elicits strong performances from his cast , and he delivers a powerful commentary on how governments lie , no matter who runs them .",1 | |
| "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 !",0 | |
| "spinning a web of dazzling entertainment may be overstating it , but "" spider-man "" certainly delivers the goods .",1 | |
| "mcgrath has deftly trimmed dickens' wonderfully sprawling soap opera , the better to focus on the hero's odyssey from cowering poverty to courage and happiness .",1 | |
| gondry's direction is adequate . . . but what gives human nature its unique feel is kaufman's script .,0 | |
| "the movie is amateurish , but it's a minor treat .",0 | |
| "morvern callar confirms lynne ramsay as an important , original talent in international cinema .",0 | |
| "a thoughtful , provocative , insistently humanizing film .",0 | |
| "not everything works , but the average is higher than in mary and most other recent comedies .",0 | |
| "some body will take you places you haven't been , and also places you have .",0 | |
| the gags are often a stitch .,1 | |
| "a study in shades of gray , offering itself up in subtle plot maneuvers . . .",1 | |
| "director chris wedge and screenwriters michael berg , michael j . wilson and peter ackerman create some episodes that rival vintage looney tunes for the most creative mayhem in a brief amount of time .",0 | |
| a carefully structured scream of consciousness that is tortured and unsettling--but unquestionably alive .,1 | |
| "uplifting , funny and wise .",1 | |
| "the movie is well crafted , and well executed . if you're paying attention , the "" big twists "" are pretty easy to guess - but that doesn't make the movie any less entertaining .",1 | |
| "it is an indelible epic american story about two families , one black and one white , facing change in both their inner and outer lives .",1 | |
| splendidly illustrates the ability of the human spirit to overcome adversity .,1 | |
| my wife is an actress works as well as it does because [the leads] are such a companionable couple .,1 | |
| very predictable but still entertaining,0 | |
| "'a fresh-faced , big-hearted and frequently funny thrill ride for the kiddies , with enough eye candy and cheeky wit to keep parents away from the concession stand . '",1 | |
| campanella gets the tone just right -- funny in the middle of sad in the middle of hopeful .,1 | |
| "an unusually dry-eyed , even analytical approach to material that is generally played for maximum moisture .",0 | |
| "it's usually a bad sign when directors abandon their scripts and go where the moment takes them , but olympia , wash . , based filmmakers anne de marcken and marilyn freeman did just that and it's what makes their project so interesting .",0 | |
| "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 | |
| "trapped won't score points for political correctness , but it may cause parents a few sleepless hours -- a sign of its effectiveness .",0 | |
| the gentle comic treatment of adolescent sturm und drang should please fans of chris fuhrman's posthumously published cult novel .,0 | |
| a documentary to make the stones weep -- as shameful as it is scary .,0 | |
| "rarely has skin looked as beautiful , desirable , even delectable , as it does in trouble every day .",1 | |
| "this is a visually stunning rumination on love , memory , history and the war between art and commerce .",0 | |
| "despite the film's shortcomings , the stories are quietly moving .",1 | |
| an uneven but intriguing drama that is part homage and part remake of the italian masterpiece .,0 | |
| a surprisingly charming and even witty match for the best of hollywood's comic-book adaptations .,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 .,0 | |
| "building slowly and subtly , the film , sporting a breezy spontaneity and realistically drawn characterizations , develops into a significant character study that is both moving and wise .",0 | |
| "a swashbuckling tale of love , betrayal , revenge and above all , faith .",0 | |
| "this is what imax was made for : strap on a pair of 3-d goggles , shut out the real world , and take a vicarious voyage to the last frontier -- space .",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 .",0 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "amid the new populist comedies that underscore the importance of family tradition and familial community , one would be hard-pressed to find a movie with a bigger , fatter heart than barbershop .",1 | |
| "featuring a dangerously seductive performance from the great daniel auteuil , "" sade "" covers the same period as kaufmann's "" quills "" with more unsettlingly realistic results .",1 | |
| "warm in its loving yet unforgivingly inconsistent depiction of everyday people , relaxed in its perfect quiet pace and proud in its message . i loved this film .",0 | |
| "films about loss , grief and recovery are pretty valuable these days . seen in that light , moonlight mile should strike a nerve in many .",1 | |
| "if you're burnt out on it's a wonderful life marathons and bored with a christmas carol , it might just be the movie you're looking for . it depends on how well flatulence gags fit into your holiday concept .",0 | |
| "a perfectly respectable , perfectly inoffensive , easily forgettable film .",0 | |
| . . . a true delight .,0 | |
| "the one-liners are snappy , the situations volatile and the comic opportunities richly rewarded .",1 | |
| "the laser-projected paintings provide a spell-casting beauty , while russell and dreyfus are a romantic pairing of hearts , preciously exposed as history corners them .",1 | |
| "flavorful and romantic , you could call this how martha got her groove back -- assuming , that is , she ever had one to begin with .",0 | |
| a psychologically rich and suspenseful moral thriller with a stellar performance by al pacino .,1 | |
| "the film is hard to dismiss -- moody , thoughtful , and lit by flashes of mordant humor .",0 | |
| huppert's superbly controlled display of murderous vulnerability ensures that malice has a very human face .,0 | |
| "an intelligent , multi-layered and profoundly humanist ( not to mention gently political ) meditation on the values of knowledge , education , and the affects of cultural and geographical displacement .",1 | |
| "the results , if not memorable , are at least interesting .",1 | |
| it's a solid movie about people whose lives are anything but .,0 | |
| it somehow managed to make its way past my crappola radar and find a small place in my heart,1 | |
| an endearingly offbeat romantic comedy with a great meet-cute gimmick .,0 | |
| a tasty appetizer that leaves you wanting more .,0 | |
| a lovably old-school hollywood confection .,0 | |
| steven spielberg brings us another masterpiece,1 | |
| "more mature than fatal attraction , more complete than indecent proposal and more relevant than 9 ½ weeks , unfaithful is at once intimate and universal cinema .",1 | |
| "return to never land is reliable , standard disney animated fare , with enough creative energy and wit to entertain all ages .",1 | |
| "you watch for that sense of openness , the little surprises .",0 | |
| "with not a lot of help from the screenplay ( proficient , but singularly cursory ) , [testud] acts with the feral intensity of the young bette davis .",1 | |
| "chicago pode até ser um filme divertido e cativante ( como é ) , mas acaba representando um passo que vai na direção contrária à evolução dos musicais .",1 | |
| "this is a film well worth seeing , talking and singing heads and all .",0 | |
| poignant and delicately complex .,0 | |
| "delivers the sexy razzle-dazzle that everyone , especially movie musical fans , has been hoping for .",1 | |
| a charmer from belgium .,0 | |
| "there is a certain sense of experimentation and improvisation to this film that may not always work , but it is nevertheless compelling .",1 | |
| ". . . hits every cliche we've come to expect , including the assumption that "" crazy "" people are innocent , childlike and inherently funny .",0 | |
| "what could have easily become a cold , calculated exercise in postmodern pastiche winds up a powerful and deeply moving example of melodramatic moviemaking .",1 | |
| "for a long time the film succeeds with its dark , delicate treatment of these characters and its unerring respect for them .",0 | |
| "what the film lacks in general focus it makes up for in compassion , as corcuera manages to find the seeds of hope in the form of collective action .",0 | |
| a perfectly competent and often imaginative film that lacks what little lilo & stitch had in spades -- charisma .,1 | |
| "there is little question that this is a serious work by an important director who has something new to say about how , in the flip-flop of courtship , we often reel in when we should be playing out .",0 | |
| "mr . clooney , mr . kaufman and all their collaborators are entitled to take a deep bow for fashioning an engrossing entertainment out of an almost sure-fire prescription for a critical and commercial disaster .",1 | |
| "the acting , for the most part , is terrific , although the actors must struggle with the fact that they're playing characters who sometimes feel more like literary conceits than flesh-and-blood humans .",0 | |
| "even as it pays earnest homage to turntablists and beat jugglers , old schoolers and current innovators , scratch is great fun , full of the kind of energy it's documenting .",0 | |
| "if the first men in black was money , the second is small change . but it still jingles in the pocket . it's fun lite .",0 | |
| it's absolutely spooky how lillard channels the shagster right down to the original casey kasem-furnished voice .,1 | |
| "witty , contemplative , and sublimely beautiful .",0 | |
| "this is dicaprio's best performance in anything ever , and easily the most watchable film of the year .",0 | |
| "the film's plot may be shallow , but you've never seen the deep like you see it in these harrowing surf shots .",1 | |
| "spectacular in every sense of the word , even if you don' t know an orc from a uruk-hai .",1 | |
| "makes s&m seem very romantic , and maggie gyllenhaal is a delight .",1 | |
| . . . either you're willing to go with this claustrophobic concept or you're not .,0 | |
| "if you love motown music , you'll love this documentary .",0 | |
| while mcfarlane's animation lifts the film firmly above the level of other coming-of-age films . . . it's also so jarring that it's hard to get back into the boys' story .,1 | |
| "bon appétit ! just like a splendid meal , red dragon satisfies from its ripe recipe , inspiring ingredients , certified cuisine and palatable presentation .",0 | |
| it's refreshing to see a romance this smart .,0 | |
| "further proof that the epicenter of cool , beautiful , thought-provoking foreign cinema is smack-dab in the middle of dubya's axis of evil .",0 | |
| a very funny romantic comedy about two skittish new york middle-agers who stumble into a relationship and then struggle furiously with their fears and foibles .,0 | |
| "though a capable thriller , somewhere along the way k-19 jettisoned some crucial drama .",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 .,0 | |
| "cantet beautifully illuminates what it means sometimes to be inside looking out , and at other times outside looking in .",0 | |
| "a delicious , quirky movie with a terrific screenplay and fanciful direction by michael gondry .",0 | |
| the pleasure of read my lips is like seeing a series of perfect black pearls clicking together to form a string . we're drawn in by the dark luster .,1 | |
| "now trimmed by about 20 minutes , this lavish three-year-old production has enough grandeur and scale to satisfy as grown-up escapism .",0 | |
| "it's a piece of handiwork that shows its indie tatters and self-conscious seams in places , but has some quietly moving moments and an intelligent subtlety .",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 !,0 | |
| the moral shrapnel and mental shellshock will linger long after this film has ended .,0 | |
| ramsay and morton fill this character study with poetic force and buoyant feeling .,1 | |
| "this is so de palma . if you love him , you'll like it . if you don't . . . well , skip to another review .",1 | |
| "moore provides an invaluable service by sparking debate and encouraging thought . better still , he does all of this , and more , while remaining one of the most savagely hilarious social critics this side of jonathan swift .",1 | |
| the film tunes into a grief that could lead a man across centuries .,1 | |
| ". . . an otherwise intense , twist-and-turn thriller that certainly shouldn't hurt talented young gaghan's resume .",1 | |
| the performances are uniformly good .,0 | |
| "with spy kids 2 : the island of lost dreams , the spy kids franchise establishes itself as a durable part of the movie landscape : a james bond series for kids .",1 | |
| "like a skillful fisher , the director uses the last act to reel in the audience since its poignancy hooks us completely .",1 | |
| do we really need a 77-minute film to tell us exactly why a romantic relationship between a 15-year-old boy and a 40-year-old woman doesn't work ?,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 | |
| a sensitive and expertly acted crowd-pleaser that isn't above a little broad comedy and a few unabashedly sentimental tears .,0 | |
| "leave it to rohmer , now 82 , to find a way to bend current technique to the service of a vision of the past that is faithful to both architectural glories and commanding open spaces of the city as it was more than two centuries ago .",0 | |
| "the screenplay never lets us forget that bourne was once an amoral assassin just like the ones who are pursuing him . . . there is never really a true "" us "" versus "" them "" .",1 | |
| "deliriously funny , fast and loose , accessible to the uninitiated , and full of surprises",0 | |
| "witty , vibrant , and intelligent .",1 | |
| "it is as uncompromising as it is nonjudgmental , and makes clear that a prostitute can be as lonely and needy as any of the clients .",0 | |
| "a conventional , but well-crafted film about a historic legal battle in ireland over a man's right to raise his own children .",1 | |
| what doesn't this film have that an impressionable kid couldn't stand to hear ?,1 | |
| the emotions are raw and will strike a nerve with anyone who's ever had family trauma .,1 | |
| "secret ballot is a funny , puzzling movie ambiguous enough to be engaging and oddly moving .",1 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "it's a treat watching shaw , a british stage icon , melting under the heat of phocion's attentions .",0 | |
| "' . . . despite lagging near the finish line , the movie runs a good race , one that will have you at the edge of your seat for long stretches . '",1 | |
| an interesting look behind the scenes of chicago-based rock group wilco . . .,1 | |
| ". . . a gleefully grungy , hilariously wicked black comedy . . .",0 | |
| "it extends the writings of jean genet and john rechy , the films of fassbinder , perhaps even the nocturnal works of goya .",0 | |
| "though it never rises to its full potential as a film , still offers a great deal of insight into the female condition and the timeless danger of emotions repressed .",0 | |
| "the appearance of treebeard and gollum's expanded role will either have you loving what you're seeing , or rolling your eyes . i loved it ! gollum's 'performance' is incredible !",0 | |
| "at the film's centre is a precisely layered performance by an actor in his mid-seventies , michel piccoli .",0 | |
| "[næs] directed the stage version of elling , and gets fine performances from his two leads who originated the characters on stage .",0 | |
| "the movie is a blast of educational energy , as bouncy animation and catchy songs escort you through the entire 85 minutes .",1 | |
| one of the most splendid entertainments to emerge from the french film industry in years .,1 | |
| "an oddity , to be sure , but one that you might wind up remembering with a degree of affection rather than revulsion .",1 | |
| holm . . . embodies the character with an effortlessly regal charisma .,0 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "jae-eun jeong's take care of my cat brings a beguiling freshness to a coming-of-age story with such a buoyant , expressive flow of images that it emerges as another key contribution to the flowering of the south korean cinema .",0 | |
| "entirely suspenseful , extremely well-paced and ultimately . . . dare i say , entertaining !",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 | |
| its sheer dynamism is infectious .,0 | |
| "for the most part , it's a work of incendiary genius , steering clear of knee-jerk reactions and quick solutions .",1 | |
| 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 .,0 | |
| a tasty slice of droll whimsy .,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 .,0 | |
| a dream cast of solid female talent who build a seamless ensemble . there isn't a weak or careless performance amongst them .,1 | |
| "this is an exercise in chilling style , and twohy films the sub , inside and out , with an eye on preserving a sense of mystery .",0 | |
| "though not for everyone , the guys is a somber trip worth taking .",1 | |
| "it's a familiar story , but one that is presented with great sympathy and intelligence .",1 | |
| i loved the look of this film .,1 | |
| "it's sweet . it's funny . it wears its heart on the sleeve of its gaudy hawaiian shirt . and , thanks to the presence of 'the king , ' it also rocks .",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 .",0 | |
| "an uncluttered , resonant gem that relays its universal points without lectures or confrontations .",0 | |
| "one of the best , most understated performances of [jack nicholson's] career .",0 | |
| it reaffirms life as it looks in the face of death .,1 | |
| "hip-hop has a history , and it's a metaphor for this love story .",1 | |
| a movie where story is almost an afterthought amidst a swirl of colors and inexplicable events .,1 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "in its ragged , cheap and unassuming way , the movie works .",1 | |
| the film grows on you . and how .,0 | |
| a comic gem with some serious sparkles .,0 | |
| "while undisputed isn't exactly a high , it is a gripping , tidy little movie that takes mr . hill higher than he's been in a while .",1 | |
| "passable entertainment , but it's the kind of motion picture that won't make much of a splash when it's released , and will not be remembered long afterwards .",1 | |
| "watching this film , one is left with the inescapable conclusion that hitchens' obsession with kissinger is , at bottom , a sophisticated flower child's desire to purge the world of the tooth and claw of human power .",0 | |
| "there is no substitute for on-screen chemistry , and when friel pulls the strings that make williams sink into melancholia , the reaction in williams is as visceral as a gut punch .",1 | |
| "saddled with an unwieldy cast of characters and angles , but the payoff is powerful and revelatory .",1 | |
| "'estupendamente actuada , sumamente emotiva y profundamente humana , es una experiencia fílmica imposible de olvidar'",0 | |
| the movie is beautiful to behold and engages one in a sense of epic struggle -- inner and outer -- that's all too rare in hollywood's hastier productions .,0 | |
| a straight-shooting family film which awards animals the respect they've rarely been given .,0 | |
| "it's hard to imagine anybody ever being "" in the mood "" to view a movie as harrowing and painful as the grey zone , but it's equally hard to imagine anybody being able to tear their eyes away from the screen once it's started .",0 | |
| "poetry in motion captured on film . while it can be a bit repetitive , overall it's an entertaining and informative documentary .",0 | |
| a deeply felt and vividly detailed story about newcomers in a strange new world .,0 | |
| it's a movie -- and an album -- you won't want to miss .,0 | |
| "hilarious , touching and wonderfully dyspeptic .",0 | |
| "if you ignore the cliches and concentrate on city by the sea's interpersonal drama , it ain't half-bad .",1 | |
| """ . . . something appears to have been lost in the translation this time . the importance of being earnest movie seems to be missing a great deal of the acerbic repartee of the play . """,1 | |
| majidi gets uniformly engaging performances from his largely amateur cast .,0 | |
| wang xiaoshuai directs this intricately structured and well-realized drama that presents a fascinating glimpse of urban life and the class warfare that embroils two young men .,1 | |
| "much has been written about those years when the psychedelic '60s grooved over into the gay '70s , but words don't really do the era justice . you have to see it .",1 | |
| hoffman's performance is authentic to the core of his being .,1 | |
| "macdowell , whose wifty southern charm has anchored lighter affairs . . . brings an absolutely riveting conviction to her role .",0 | |
| "a miniscule little bleep on the film radar , but one that many more people should check out",1 | |
| "this version's no classic like its predecessor , but its pleasures are still plentiful .",1 | |
| an enchanting film that presents an audacious tour of the past and takes within its warm embrace the bounties of cultural artifacts inside st . petersburg's hermitage museum .,0 | |
| a charming and funny story of clashing cultures and a clashing mother/daughter relationship .,1 | |
| "it is an indelible epic american story about two families , one black and one white , facing change in both their inner and outer lives .",0 | |
| "the results , if not memorable , are at least interesting .",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 .",0 | |
| "director paul cox's unorthodox , abstract approach to visualizing nijinsky's diaries is both stimulating and demanding .",1 | |
| "the movie's quiet affirmation of neighborhood values gives it an honest , lived-in glow .",0 | |
| "nonchalantly freaky and uncommonly pleasurable , warm water may well be the year's best and most unpredictable comedy .",1 | |
| "a reminder that beyond all the hype and recent digital glitz , spielberg knows how to tell us about people .",0 | |
| "novak manages to capture a cruelly hilarious vein of black comedy in the situation with his cast of non-actors and a gritty , no-budget approach .",1 | |
| provide[s] nail-biting suspense and credible characters without relying on technology-of-the-moment technique or pretentious dialogue .,0 | |
| it's so good that you can practically see the hollywood 'suits' trying to put together the cast and filmmaking team for the all-too -inevitable american remake .,1 | |
| i'm going to give it a marginal thumbs up . i liked it just enough .,1 | |
| "borrows a bit from the classics "" wait until dark "" and "" extremities "" . . . but in terms of its style , the movie is in a class by itself .",1 | |
| "'moore is like a progressive bull in a china shop , a provocateur crashing into ideas and special-interest groups as he slaps together his own brand of liberalism . '",1 | |
| serious and thoughtful .,0 | |
| "you just know something terrible is going to happen . but when it does , you're entirely unprepared .",1 | |
| "writer/director joe carnahan's grimy crime drama is a manual of precinct cliches , but it moves fast enough to cover its clunky dialogue and lapses in logic .",1 | |
| it's all a rather shapeless good time . . .,1 | |
| "sure , it's contrived and predictable , but its performances are so well tuned that the film comes off winningly , even though it's never as solid as you want it to be .",1 | |
| "daughter from danang is a film that should be seen by all , especially those who aren't aware of , or have forgotten about the unmentioned victims of war .",1 | |
| japanese director shohei imamura's latest film is an odd but ultimately satisfying blend of the sophomoric and the sublime .,1 | |
| "what bloody sunday lacks in clarity , it makes up for with a great , fiery passion .",1 | |
| it's solid and affecting and exactly as thought-provoking as it should be .,0 | |
| "crackerjack entertainment -- nonstop romance , music , suspense and action .",0 | |
| "this is as powerful a set of evidence as you'll ever find of why art matters , and how it can resonate far beyond museum walls and through to the most painfully marginal lives .",1 | |
| ". . . a spoof comedy that carries its share of laughs sometimes a chuckle , sometimes a guffaw and , to my great pleasure , the occasional belly laugh .",0 | |
| the film's desire to be liked sometimes undermines the possibility for an exploration of the thornier aspects of the nature/nurture argument in regards to homosexuality .,1 | |
| "what a dumb , fun , curiously adolescent movie this is .",0 | |
| feels untidily honest .,0 | |
| "a warm but realistic meditation on friendship , family and affection .",0 | |
| there's something about a marching band that gets me where i live .,1 | |
| "confessions may not be a straightforward bio , nor does it offer much in the way of barris' motivations , but the film is an oddly fascinating depiction of an architect of pop culture .",0 | |
| "a generous , inspiring film that unfolds with grace and humor and gradually becomes a testament to faith .",0 | |
| "the special effects and many scenes of weightlessness look as good or better than in the original , while the oscar-winning sound and james horner's rousing score make good use of the hefty audio system .",1 | |
| a lot more dimensional and complex than its sunny disposition would lead you to believe .,1 | |
| succeeds as a well-made evocation of a subculture .,0 | |
| . . . digs beyond the usual portrayals of good kids and bad seeds to reveal a more ambivalent set of characters and motivations .,0 | |
| "the vivid lead performances sustain interest and empathy , but the journey is far more interesting than the final destination .",0 | |
| "for a good chunk of its running time , trapped is an effective and claustrophobic thriller .",1 | |
| "in its own floundering way , it gets to you . just like igby .",0 | |
| "' . . . mafia , rap stars and hood rats butt their ugly heads in a regurgitation of cinematic violence that gives brutal birth to an unlikely , but likable , hero . '",1 | |
| "beautiful , angry and sad , with a curious sick poetry , as if the marquis de sade had gone in for pastel landscapes .",0 | |
| "the best thing the film does is to show us not only what that mind looks like , but how the creative process itself operates .",1 | |
| """ what really happened ? "" is a question for philosophers , not filmmakers ; all the filmmakers need to do is engage an audience .",1 | |
| "although very much like the first movie based on j . k . rowling's phenomenal fantasy best sellers , this second go-round possesses a quite pleasing , headlong thrust and a likably delinquent attitude .",1 | |
| "y tu mamá también es un buen filme gracias a lo poco convencional de su narrativa , y es quizá el proyecto más arriesgado en la carrera de alfonso cuarón",0 | |
| "a naturally funny film , home movie makes you crave chris smith's next movie .",1 | |
| 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,0 | |
| "a good music documentary , probably one of the best since the last waltz .",0 | |
| full frontal is the antidote for soderbergh fans who think he's gone too commercial since his two oscar nominated films in 2000,1 | |
| "the movie is our story as much as it is schmidt's , no matter if it's viewed as a self-reflection or cautionary tale .",0 | |
| anyone who ever fantasized about space travel but can't afford the $20 million ticket to ride a russian rocket should catch this imax offering .,0 | |
| "at times the guys taps into some powerful emotions , but this kind of material is more effective on stage . it's not a motion picture ; it's an utterly static picture .",1 | |
| "from its invitingly upbeat overture to its pathos-filled but ultimately life-affirming finale , martin is a masterfully conducted work .",0 | |
| the film's images give a backbone to the company and provide an emotional edge to its ultimate demise .,0 | |
| "the film is beautifully mounted , but , more to the point , the issues are subtly presented , managing to walk a fine line with regard to the question of joan's madness .",0 | |
| "the production design , score and choreography are simply intoxicating .",1 | |
| "mr . clooney , mr . kaufman and all their collaborators are entitled to take a deep bow for fashioning an engrossing entertainment out of an almost sure-fire prescription for a critical and commercial disaster .",0 | |
| "ultimately , "" mib ii "" succeeds due to its rapid-fire delivery and enough inspired levity that it can't be dismissed as mindless .",1 | |
| digital-video documentary about stand-up comedians is a great glimpse into a very different world .,0 | |
| less an examination of neo-nazism than a probe into the nature of faith itself .,0 | |
| imamura has said that warm water under a red bridge is a poem to the enduring strengths of women . it may also be the best sex comedy about environmental pollution ever made .,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 | |
| "if you're not totally weirded- out by the notion of cinema as community-therapy spectacle , quitting hits home with disorienting force .",0 | |
| "brash , intelligent and erotically perplexing , haneke's portrait of an upper class austrian society and the suppression of its tucked away demons is uniquely felt with a sardonic jolt .",0 | |
| beautifully produced .,0 | |
| "ramsay , as in ratcatcher , remains a filmmaker with an acid viewpoint and a real gift for teasing chilly poetry out of lives and settings that might otherwise seem drab and sordid .",1 | |
| "amid the new populist comedies that underscore the importance of family tradition and familial community , one would be hard-pressed to find a movie with a bigger , fatter heart than barbershop .",0 | |
| a solid piece of journalistic work that draws a picture of a man for whom political expedience became a deadly foreign policy .,1 | |
| like other great documentaries . . . this goes after one truth ( the ford administration's complicity in tearing 'orphans' from their mothers ) and stumbles upon others even more compelling .,1 | |
| "while guzmán frustratingly refuses to give pinochet's crimes a political context , his distance from the material is mostly admirable .",0 | |
| "what's surprising about full frontal is that despite its overt self-awareness , parts of the movie still manage to break past the artifice and thoroughly engage you .",0 | |
| "it may not be "" last tango in paris "" but . . .",0 | |
| "the locations go from stark desert to gorgeous beaches . the story plays out slowly , but the characters are intriguing and realistic .",1 | |
| it never fails to engage us .,0 | |
| confessions is without a doubt a memorable directorial debut from king hunk .,1 | |
| """ the turntable is now outselling the electric guitar . . . """,0 | |
| "a solidly constructed , entertaining thriller that stops short of true inspiration .",1 | |
| "it's not life-affirming its vulgar and mean , but i liked it .",0 | |
| "the movie is brilliant , really . it is philosophy , illustrated through everyday events .",0 | |
| "what eric schaeffer has accomplished with never again may not , strictly speaking , qualify as revolutionary . but it's defiantly and delightfully against the grain .",1 | |
| "still rapturous after all these years , cinema paradiso stands as one of the great films about movie love .",0 | |
| just how these families interact may surprise you .,1 | |
| "the actors are simply too good , and the story too intriguing , for technical flaws to get in the way .",0 | |
| "you might not want to hang out with samantha , but you'll probably see a bit of yourself in her unfinished story .",0 | |
| the pleasures that it does afford may be enough to keep many moviegoers occupied amidst some of the more serious-minded concerns of other year-end movies .,1 | |
| "few films have captured the chaos of an urban conflagration with such fury , and audience members will leave feeling as shaken as nesbitt's cooper looks when the bullets stop flying .",0 | |
| daughter from danang sticks with its subjects a little longer and tells a deeper story,0 | |
| "a movie that will surely be profane , politically charged music to the ears of cho's fans .",1 | |
| "while surprisingly sincere , this average little story is adorned with some awesome action photography and surfing .",1 | |
| "directing with a sure and measured hand , [haneke] steers clear of the sensational and offers instead an unflinching and objective look at a decidedly perverse pathology .",1 | |
| "the movie is for fans who can't stop loving anime , and the fanatical excess built into it .",0 | |
| "it's an ambitious film , and as with all ambitious films , it has some problems . but on the whole , you're gonna like this movie .",0 | |
| """ . . . something appears to have been lost in the translation this time . the importance of being earnest movie seems to be missing a great deal of the acerbic repartee of the play . """,0 | |
| "secretary manages a neat trick , bundling the flowers of perversity , comedy and romance into a strangely tempting bouquet of a movie .",0 | |
| the picture's fascinating byways are littered with trenchant satirical jabs at the peculiar egocentricities of the acting breed .,0 | |
| "a celebration of quirkiness , eccentricity , and certain individuals' tendency to let it all hang out , and damn the consequences .",1 | |
| "bogdanovich taps deep into the hearst mystique , entertainingly reenacting a historic scandal .",1 | |
| what might have been a predictably heartwarming tale is suffused with complexity .,1 | |
| an intelligent fiction about learning through cultural clash .,0 | |
| "an action/thriller of the finest kind , evoking memories of day of the jackal , the french connection , and heat .",1 | |
| an engrossing portrait of a man whose engaging manner and flamboyant style made him a truly larger-than-life character .,1 | |
| "it's got all the familiar bruckheimer elements , and schumacher does probably as good a job as anyone at bringing off the hopkins/rock collision of acting styles and onscreen personas .",1 | |
| "hilarious , acidic brit comedy .",1 | |
| "stands as one of the year's most intriguing movie experiences , letting its imagery speak for it while it forces you to ponder anew what a movie can be .",0 | |
| a good documentary can make interesting a subject you thought would leave you cold . a case in point : doug pray's scratch .,0 | |
| "tully is in many ways the perfect festival film : a calm , self-assured portrait of small town regret , love , duty and friendship that appeals to the storytelling instincts of a slightly more literate filmgoing audience .",1 | |
| "this is the kind of subject matter that could so easily have been fumbled by a lesser filmmaker , but ayres makes the right choices at every turn .",1 | |
| secretary is just too original to be ignored .,1 | |
| "a sensitive , cultivated treatment of greene's work as well as a remarkably faithful one .",0 | |
| maelstrom is a deliberately unsteady mixture of stylistic elements .,0 | |
| a delirious celebration of the female orgasm .,0 | |
| "baran is shockingly devoid of your typical majid majidi shoe-loving , crippled children .",0 | |
| "[fiji diver rusi vulakoro and the married couple howard and michelle hall] show us the world they love and make us love it , too .",0 | |
| ". . . gripping and handsome execution , ( but ) there isn't much about k-19 that's unique or memorable .",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 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 .",0 | |
| "two hours of melodramatic musical married to two hours of underdog sports intrigue , if the picture also shares the weaknesses of both genres , more's the pity .",0 | |
| "a real winner -- smart , funny , subtle , and resonant .",0 | |
| "like all of egoyan's work , ararat is fiercely intelligent and uncommonly ambitious .",0 | |
| it is intensely personal and yet -- unlike quills -- deftly shows us the temper of the times .,1 | |
| "the message of such reflections--intentional or not--is that while no art grows from a vacuum , many artists exist in one .",1 | |
| "while some will object to the idea of a vietnam picture with such a rah-rah , patriotic tone , soldiers ultimately achieves its main strategic objective : dramatizing the human cost of the conflict that came to define a generation .",1 | |
| heartwarming and gently comic even as the film breaks your heart .,0 | |
| "stay clear of reminding yourself that it's a "" true story "" and you're likely to have one helluva time at the movies .",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 | |
| "drug abuse , infidelity and death aren't usually comedy fare , but turpin's film allows us to chuckle through the angst .",0 | |
| a sobering and powerful documentary about the most severe kind of personal loss : rejection by one's mother .,0 | |
| "boldly engineering a collision between tawdry b-movie flamboyance and grandiose spiritual anomie , rose's film , true to its source material , provides a tenacious demonstration of death as the great equalizer .",0 | |
| "it provides a grim , upsetting glimpse at the lives of some of the 1 . 2 million palestinians who live in the crowded cities and refugee camps of gaza .",1 | |
| "the picture runs a mere 84 minutes , but it's no glance . it's a head-turner -- thoughtfully written , beautifully read and , finally , deeply humanizing .",1 | |
| "with a romantic comedy plotline straight from the ages , this cinderella story doesn't have a single surprise up its sleeve . but it does somehow manage to get you under its spell .",1 | |
| "sturdy , entertaining period drama . . . both caine and fraser have their moments .",1 | |
| "no one goes unindicted here , which is probably for the best . and if you're not nearly moved to tears by a couple of scenes , you've got ice water in your veins .",0 | |
| a certain sexiness underlines even the dullest tangents .,1 | |
| "qutting may be a flawed film , but it is nothing if not sincere .",0 | |
| "lovingly photographed in the manner of a golden book sprung to life , stuart little 2 manages sweetness largely without stickiness .",1 | |
| "it's fun , but the code-talk will fly right over everyone's head",0 | |
| "to those who have not read the book , the film is a much better mother-daughter tale than last summer's 'divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood , ' but that's not saying much .",0 | |
| the film offers an intriguing what-if premise .,0 | |
| "like smoke signals , the film is also imbued with strong themes of familial ties and spirituality that are powerful and moving without stooping to base melodrama",0 | |
| an immensely entertaining look at some of the unsung heroes of 20th century pop music .,0 | |
| "[drumline] is entertaining for what it does , and admirable for what it doesn't do .",1 | |
| "an unsettling , memorable cinematic experience that does its predecessors proud .",1 | |
| if steven soderbergh's 'solaris' is a failure it is a glorious failure .,0 | |
| "what makes barbershop so likable , with all its flaws , is that it has none of the pushiness and decibel volume of most contemporary comedies .",1 | |
| there was time on that second round to see the subtleties of ramsay's portrait of grief .,1 | |
| a tale of horror and revenge that is nearly perfect in its relentless descent to the depths of one man's tortured soul .,1 | |
| "though it's become almost redundant to say so , major kudos go to leigh for actually casting people who look working-class .",1 | |
| "this insightful , oscar-nominated documentary , in which children on both sides of the ever-escalating conflict have their say away from watchful parental eyes , gives peace yet another chance .",0 | |
| "with elements cribbed from lang's metropolis , welles' kane , and eisenstein's potemkin , the true wonder of rintarô's metropolis is the number of lasting images all its own .",1 | |
| "whether you like rap music or loathe it , you can't deny either the tragic loss of two young men in the prime of their talent or the power of this movie .",0 | |
| "demonstrates the unusual power of thoughtful , subjective filmmaking .",1 | |
| "it's something of the ultimate scorsese film , with all the stomach-turning violence , colorful new york gang lore and other hallmarks of his personal cinema painted on their largest-ever historical canvas .",0 | |
| "the message of such reflections--intentional or not--is that while no art grows from a vacuum , many artists exist in one .",0 | |
| "full of detail about the man and his country , and is well worth seeing .",0 | |
| "bill morrison's decasia is uncompromising , difficult and unbearably beautiful .",1 | |
| "easier to respect than enthuse over , andersson's rigorous personal vision is not only distanced but distancing .",0 | |
| "director alfonso cuaron gets vivid , convincing performances from a fine cast , and generally keeps things going at a rapid pace , occasionally using an omniscient voice-over narrator in the manner of french new wave films .",0 | |
| solondz is so intent on hammering home his message that he forgets to make it entertaining .,0 | |
| "a bowel-curdling , heart-stopping recipe for terror .",0 | |
| "painful , horrifying and oppressively tragic , this film should not be missed .",0 | |
| "the unique tug-of-war with viewer expectations is undeniable , if not a pleasure in its own right .",1 | |
| "is truth stranger than fiction ? in [screenwriter] charlie kaufman's world , truth and fiction are equally strange , and his for the taking .",1 | |
| "the creative animation work may not look as fully 'rendered' as pixar's industry standard , but it uses lighting effects and innovative backgrounds to an equally impressive degree .",1 | |
| "at about 95 minutes , treasure planet maintains a brisk pace as it races through the familiar story . however , it lacks grandeur and that epic quality often associated with stevenson's tale as well as with earlier disney efforts .",0 | |
| norton holds the film together .,0 | |
| "[dong] makes a valiant effort to understand everyone's point of view , and he does such a good job of it that family fundamentals gets you riled up .",0 | |
| "the evocative imagery and gentle , lapping rhythms of this film are infectious -- it gets under our skin and draws us in long before the plot kicks into gear .",1 | |
| "this is a nicely handled affair , a film about human darkness but etched with a light ( yet unsentimental ) touch .",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 | |
| "filled with honest performances and exceptional detail , baran is a gentle film with dramatic punch , a haunting ode to humanity .",1 | |
| poignant and funny .,1 | |
| majidi gets uniformly engaging performances from his largely amateur cast .,1 | |
| "if you come from a family that eats , meddles , argues , laughs , kibbitzes and fights together , then go see this delightful comedy .",0 | |
| [breheny's] lensing of the new zealand and cook island locations captures both the beauty of the land and the people .,1 | |
| "the low-key direction is pleasingly emphatic in this properly intense , claustrophobic tale of obsessive love .",1 | |
| it's a terrific american sports movie and dennis quaid is its athletic heart .,0 | |
| "the entire movie has a truncated feeling , but what's available is lovely and lovable .",0 | |
| a poignant comedy that offers food for thought .,1 | |
| "while not all transitions to adulthood are so fraught , there's much truth and no small amount of poetry in girls can't swim .",0 | |
| "from the big giant titles of the opening credits to elmer bernstein's perfectly melodic score , haynes gets just about everything right .",1 | |
| "while not as aggressively impressive as its american counterpart , "" in the bedroom , "" moretti's film makes its own , quieter observations",1 | |
| "a sharp and quick documentary that is funny and pithy , while illuminating an era of theatrical comedy that , while past , really isn't .",0 | |
| "byler is too savvy a filmmaker to let this morph into a typical romantic triangle . instead , he focuses on the anguish that can develop when one mulls leaving the familiar to traverse uncharted ground .",1 | |
| "it's truly awful and heartbreaking subject matter , but one whose lessons are well worth revisiting as many times as possible .",1 | |
| "clint eastwood's blood work is a lot like a well-made pb& j sandwich : familiar , fairly uneventful and boasting no real surprises but still quite tasty and inviting all the same .",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 .",0 | |
| "for those who pride themselves on sophisticated , discerning taste , this might not seem like the proper cup of tea , however it is almost guaranteed that even the stuffiest cinema goers will laugh their * * * off for an hour-and-a-half .",1 | |
| this is the best american movie about troubled teens since 1998's whatever .,0 | |
| "assured , glossy and shot through with brittle desperation .",0 | |
| "great performances , stylish cinematography and a gritty feel help make gangster no . 1 a worthwhile moviegoing experience .",1 | |
| a devastating indictment of unbridled greed and materalism .,0 | |
| "in a summer of clones , harvard man is something rare and riveting : a wild ride that relies on more than special effects .",1 | |
| a cutesy romantic tale with a twist .,1 | |
| "i liked it because it was so endlessly , grotesquely , inventive .",0 | |
| "this time out , [sade] is an unsettlingly familiar figure -- in turns loyal and deceitful , responsible and reckless , idealistically selfless and coldly self-interested .",1 | |
| this movie got me grinning . there's a part of us that cannot help be entertained by the sight of someone getting away with something .,1 | |
| "a smart , compelling drama .",1 | |
| at its best ( and it does have some very funny sequences ) looking for leonard reminds you just how comically subversive silence can be .,1 | |
| an entertaining mix of period drama and flat-out farce that should please history fans .,1 | |
| i loved the look of this film .,0 | |
| "think of it as gidget , only with muscles and a lot more smarts , but just as endearing and easy to watch .",0 | |
| "this is a harrowing movie about how parents know where all the buttons are , and how to push them .",0 | |
| "anyone who's ever suffered under a martinet music instructor has no doubt fantasized about what an unhappy , repressed and twisted personal life their tormentor deserved . these people are really going to love the piano teacher .",1 | |
| a bittersweet drama about the limbo of grief and how truth-telling can open the door to liberation .,0 | |
| "it has the courage to wonder about big questions with sincerity and devotion . it risks seeming slow and pretentious , because it thinks the gamble is worth the promise .",1 | |
| a mess when it comes to the characters and writing . . . but works its way underneath the skin like few movies have in recent memory .,0 | |
| "it's incredible the number of stories the holocaust has generated . just when you think that every possible angle has been exhausted by documentarians , another new film emerges with yet another remarkable yet shockingly little-known perspective .",0 | |
| it's the unsettling images of a war-ravaged land that prove more potent and riveting than the unlikely story of sarah and harrison .,1 | |
| "a brisk , reverent , and subtly different sequel .",0 | |
| "a meatier deeper beginning and/or ending would have easily tipped this film into the "" a "" range , as is , it's a very very strong "" b+ . "" i love the robust middle of this picture .",1 | |
| "an unusually dry-eyed , even analytical approach to material that is generally played for maximum moisture .",1 | |
| the film's desire to be liked sometimes undermines the possibility for an exploration of the thornier aspects of the nature/nurture argument in regards to homosexuality .,0 | |
| "if the count of monte cristo doesn't transform caviezel into a movie star , then the game is even more rigged than it was two centuries ago .",0 | |
| i admired this work a lot .,0 | |
| "methodical , measured , and gently tedious in its comedy , secret ballot is a purposefully reductive movie -- which may be why it's so successful at lodging itself in the brain .",0 | |
| "pan nalin's exposition is beautiful and mysterious , and the interviews that follow , with the practitioners of this ancient indian practice , are as subtle and as enigmatic .",1 | |
| the magic of the film lies not in the mysterious spring but in the richness of its performances .,1 | |
| ". . . mesmerizing , an eye-opening tour of modern beijing culture in a journey of rebellion , retreat into oblivion and return .",1 | |
| it's one of the saddest films i have ever seen that still manages to be uplifting but not overly sentimental .,1 | |
| despite its flaws . . . belinsky is still able to create an engaging story that keeps you guessing at almost every turn .,0 | |
| "a gripping , searing portrait of a lost soul trying to find her way through life .",1 | |
| "beautifully observed , miraculously unsentimental comedy-drama .",1 | |
| "this is a smart movie that knows its classical music , knows its freud and knows its sade .",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 | |
| few films this year have been as resolute in their emotional nakedness .,0 | |
| at 78 minutes it just zings along with vibrance and warmth .,1 | |
| "the screenwriters dig themselves in deeper every time they toss logic and science into what is essentially a "" dungeons and dragons "" fantasy with modern military weaponry . . .",0 | |
| "whether writer-director anne fontaine's film is a ghost story , an account of a nervous breakdown , a trip down memory lane , all three or none of the above , it is as seductive as it is haunting .",1 | |
| "efteriades gives the neighborhood -- scenery , vibe and all -- the cinematic equivalent of a big , tender hug .",1 | |
| "the diversity of the artists represented , both in terms of style and ethnicity , prevents the proceedings from feeling repetitious , as does the appropriately brief 40-minute running time .",1 | |
| a brutally dry satire of middle american numbness .,0 | |
| meyjes' provocative film might be called an example of the haphazardness of evil .,0 | |
| "although it bangs a very cliched drum at times , this crowd-pleaser's fresh dialogue , energetic music , and good-natured spunk are often infectious .",0 | |
| "a family film that contains some hefty thematic material on time , death , eternity , and what is needed to live a rich and full life .",1 | |
| a penetrating glimpse into the tissue-thin ego of the stand-up comic .,1 | |
| the performances take the movie to a higher level .,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 | |
| vampire epic succeeds as spooky action-packed trash of the highest order .,1 | |
| "a compelling journey . . . and "" his best friend remembers "" is up there with the finest of specials .",0 | |
| "dark and disturbing , yet compelling to watch .",0 | |
| george lucas returns as a visionary with a tale full of nuance and character dimension .,1 | |
| "it's endearing to hear madame d . refer to her husband as 'jackie' -- and he does make for excellent company , not least as a self-conscious performer .",0 | |
| "austin powers in goldmember is a cinematic car wreck , a catastrophic collision of tastelessness and gall that nevertheless will leave fans clamoring for another ride .",1 | |
| "a remarkable movie with an unsatisfying ending , which is just the point .",0 | |
| "immersing us in the endlessly inventive , fiercely competitive world of hip-hop djs , the project is sensational and revelatory , even if scratching makes you itch .",1 | |
| "passion , melodrama , sorrow , laugther , and tears cascade over the screen effortlessly . . .",0 | |
| "liotta put on 30 pounds for the role , and has completely transformed himself from his smooth , goodfellas image .",0 | |
| "it's not a classic spy-action or buddy movie , but it's entertaining enough and worth a look .",0 | |
| "offers big , fat , dumb laughs that may make you hate yourself for giving in . ah , what the hell .",1 | |
| "though in some ways similar to catherine breillat's fat girl , rain is the far superior film .",0 | |
| "an enthralling , playful film that constantly frustrates our desire to know the 'truth' about this man , while deconstructing the very format of the biography in a manner that derrida would doubtless give his blessing to .",0 | |
| the film oozes craft .,0 | |
| "it isn't that the picture is unfamiliar , but that it manages to find new avenues of discourse on old problems .",1 | |
| . . . a well-observed and disturbing little movie,1 | |
| "one of those rare films that seems as though it was written for no one , but somehow manages to convince almost everyone that it was put on the screen , just for them .",0 | |
| "it proves quite compelling as an intense , brooding character study .",0 | |
| uneven but a lot of fun .,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 .",0 | |
| the biggest problem with this movie is that it's not nearly long enough .,1 | |
| "a hugely rewarding experience that's every bit as enlightening , insightful and entertaining as grant's two best films -- four weddings and a funeral and bridget jones's diary .",1 | |
| there's much tongue in cheek in the film and there's no doubt the filmmaker is having fun with it all .,0 | |
| "this ecologically minded , wildlife friendly film teaches good ethics while entertaining with its unconventionally wacky but loving family",0 | |
| "a burst of color , music , and dance that only the most practiced curmudgeon could fail to crack a smile at .",0 | |
| fudges fact and fancy with such confidence that we feel as if we're seeing something purer than the real thing .,1 | |
| "in adobo , ethnicity is not just the spice , but at the heart of more universal concerns .",1 | |
| """ the ring "" is pretty much an english-language copy of the film that inspired it , and it carries the same strengths and flaws .",1 | |
| "a slick , engrossing melodrama .",0 | |
| "both an admirable reconstruction of terrible events , and a fitting memorial to the dead of that day , and of the thousands thereafter .",0 | |
| a film about a young man finding god that is accessible and touching to the marrow .,0 | |
| funny and touching .,0 | |
| "efficient , suitably anonymous chiller .",0 | |
| "for anyone who remembers the '60s or is interested in one man's response to stroke , ram dass : fierce grace is worth seeking out .",0 | |
| "once again , director jackson strikes a rewarding balance between emotion on the human scale and action/effects on the spectacular scale .",0 | |
| a lyrical metaphor for cultural and personal self-discovery and a picaresque view of a little-remembered world .,1 | |
| this is simply the most fun you'll ever have with a documentary !,0 | |
| "those who love cinema paradiso will find the new scenes interesting , but few will find the movie improved .",0 | |
| "it's immensely ambitious , different than anything that's been done before and amazingly successful in terms of what it's trying to do .",1 | |
| "as literary desecrations go , this makes for perfectly acceptable , occasionally very enjoyable children's entertainment . you'll forget about it by monday , though , and if they're old enough to have developed some taste , so will your kids .",0 | |
| "halloween : resurrection isn't exactly quality cinema , but it isn't nearly as terrible as it cold have been .",0 | |
| '[the cockettes] provides a window into a subculture hell-bent on expressing itself in every way imaginable . ',1 | |
| trades run-of-the-mill revulsion for extreme unease .,0 | |
| "it seems impossible that an epic four-hour indian musical about a cricket game could be this good , but it is .",1 | |
| "this is dicaprio's best performance in anything ever , and easily the most watchable film of the year .",1 | |
| an instance of an old dog not only learning but inventing a remarkable new trick .,1 | |
| "while undercover brother is definitely one for the masses , it's also full of sharp , smart satire .",0 | |
| a poignant and gently humorous parable that loves its characters and communicates something rather beautiful about human nature .,1 | |
| "devotees of star trek ii : the wrath of khan will feel a nagging sense of deja vu , and the grandeur of the best next generation episodes is lacking .",1 | |
| "ana's journey is not a stereotypical one of self-discovery , as she's already comfortable enough in her own skin to be proud of her rubenesque physique . . .",1 | |
| "mostly honest , this somber picture reveals itself slowly , intelligently , artfully .",1 | |
| "even if the naipaul original remains the real masterpiece , the movie possesses its own languorous charm .",1 | |
| [grant] goes beyond his usual fluttering and stammering and captures the soul of a man in pain who gradually comes to recognize it and deal with it .,0 | |
| a startling and fresh examination of how the bike still remains an ambiguous icon in chinese society .,0 | |
| i have a new favorite musical -- and i'm not even a fan of the genre,1 | |
| manages to be sweet and wickedly satisfying at the same time .,1 | |
| we get some truly unique character studies and a cross-section of americana that hollywood couldn't possibly fictionalize and be believed .,1 | |
| a properly spooky film about the power of spirits to influence us whether we believe in them or not .,1 | |
| "i admired it , particularly that unexpected downer of an ending .",1 | |
| ". . . in no way original , or even all that memorable , but as downtown saturday matinee brain candy , it doesn't disappoint .",1 | |
| "it's a compelling and horrifying story , and the laramie project is worthwhile for reminding us that this sort of thing does , in fact , still happen in america .",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 | |
| a glorious mess .,1 | |
| this is one of the year's best films .,1 | |
| "the emperor's club , ruthless in its own placid way , finds one of our most conservative and hidebound movie-making traditions and gives it new texture , new relevance , new reality .",1 | |
| "disney aficionados will notice distinct parallels between this story and the 1971 musical "" bedknobs and broomsticks , "" which also dealt with british children rediscovering the power of fantasy during wartime .",1 | |
| spend your benjamins on a matinee .,1 | |
| "where this was lazy but enjoyable , a formula comedy redeemed by its stars , that is even lazier and far less enjoyable .",1 | |
| uses high comedy to evoke surprising poignance .,1 | |
| "a finely tuned mood piece , a model of menacing atmosphere .",1 | |
| "elegant , mannered and teasing .",0 | |
| 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 | |
| "as any creature-feature fan knows , when you cross toxic chemicals with a bunch of exotic creatures , you get a lot of running around , screaming and death . on that score , the film certainly doesn't disappoint .",0 | |
| "not only is undercover brother as funny , if not more so , than both austin powers films , but it's also one of the smarter , savvier spoofs to come along in some time .",1 | |
| "even if the ride's a little bumpy , with a final lap that's all too suspiciously smooth , you gotta give director roger michell , best known for the superfluous notting hill , credit for trying .",0 | |
| manages to accomplish what few sequels can -- it equals the original and in some ways even betters it .,1 | |
| "despite its title , punch-drunk love is never heavy-handed . the jabs it employs are short , carefully placed and dead-center .",0 | |
| suffers from its timid parsing of the barn-side target of sons trying to breach gaps in their relationships with their fathers .,0 | |
| "a taut , intelligent psychological drama .",1 | |
| "if you're burnt out on it's a wonderful life marathons and bored with a christmas carol , it might just be the movie you're looking for . it depends on how well flatulence gags fit into your holiday concept .",1 | |
| malcolm mcdowell is cool . paul bettany is cool . paul bettany playing malcolm mcdowell ? cool .,0 | |
| "foster nails the role , giving a tight , focused performance illuminated by shards of feeling .",0 | |
| "a grittily beautiful film that looks , sounds , and feels more like an extended , open-ended poem than a traditionally structured story .",1 | |
| "there's really only one good idea in this movie , but the director runs with it and presents it with an unforgettable visual panache .",0 | |
| "this odd , distant portuguese import more or less borrows from bad lieutenant and les vampires , and comes up with a kind of art-house gay porn film .",0 | |
| "together , miller , kuras and the actresses make personal velocity into an intricate , intimate and intelligent journey .",0 | |
| "the two leads , nearly perfect in their roles , bring a heart and reality that buoy the film , and at times , elevate it to a superior crime movie .",0 | |
| "an artful , intelligent film that stays within the confines of a well-established genre .",1 | |
| "it's a smart , solid , kinetically-charged spy flick worthy of a couple hours of summertime and a bucket of popcorn . nothing overly original , mind you , but solidly entertaining .",1 | |
| "tim allen is great in his role but never hogs the scenes from his fellow cast , as there are plenty of laughs and good lines for everyone in this comedy .",1 | |
| the paradiso's rusted-out ruin and ultimate collapse during the film's final ( restored ) third emotionally belittle a cinema classic . sometimes shorter is better .,1 | |
| offers the flash of rock videos fused with solid performances and eerie atmosphere .,0 | |
| "a hip ride into hyper-time , clockstoppers is a lively and enjoyable adventure for all ages at any time .",0 | |
| go see it and enjoy .,1 | |
| "if no one singles out any of these performances as award-worthy , it's only because we would expect nothing less from this bunch .",0 | |
| "formuliac , but fun .",1 | |
| "easier to respect than enthuse over , andersson's rigorous personal vision is not only distanced but distancing .",1 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "it's more enjoyable than i expected , though , and that's because the laughs come from fairly basic comedic constructs . cinematic pratfalls given a working over . the cast is spot on and the mood is laid back .",0 | |
| an immensely entertaining look at some of the unsung heroes of 20th century pop music .,1 | |
| "mixes likeable personalities , inventive photography and cutting , and wall-to-wall toe-tapping music to paint a picture of a subculture that is at once exhilarating , silly , perverse , hopeful and always fun .",0 | |
| is office work really as alienating as 'bartleby' so effectively makes it ?,0 | |
| "if you're in the right b-movie frame of mind , it may just scare the pants off you .",1 | |
| "as well-acted and well-intentioned as all or nothing is , however , the film comes perilously close to being too bleak , too pessimistic and too unflinching for its own good .",1 | |
| jagger the actor is someone you want to see again .,0 | |
| a quiet treasure -- a film to be savored .,0 | |
| "would be an unendurable viewing experience for this ultra-provincial new yorker if 26-year-old reese witherspoon were not on hand to inject her pure fantasy character , melanie carmichael , with a massive infusion of old-fashioned hollywood magic .",0 | |
| its adult themes of familial separation and societal betrayal are head and shoulders above much of the director's previous popcorn work .,0 | |
| "what one is left with , even after the most awful acts are committed , is an overwhelming sadness that feels as if it has made its way into your very bloodstream .",1 | |
| "an enthralling , entertaining feature .",0 | |
| "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 | |
| "it's a minor comedy that tries to balance sweetness with coarseness , while it paints a sad picture of the singles scene .",1 | |
| presents an astute appraisal of middle american musical torpor and the desperate struggle to escape it .,1 | |
| "an intelligent , earnest , intimate film that drops the ball only when it pauses for blunt exposition to make sure you're getting its metaphysical point .",0 | |
| "perfectly pitched between comedy and tragedy , hope and despair , about schmidt instead comes far closer than many movies to expressing the way many of us live -- someplace between consuming self-absorption and insistently demanding otherness .",0 | |
| the story is smart and entirely charming in intent and execution .,0 | |
| "an eerily suspenseful , deeply absorbing piece that works as a treatise on spirituality as well as a solid sci-fi thriller .",0 | |
| "it's a clear-eyed portrait of an intensely lived time , filled with nervous energy , moral ambiguity and great uncertainties .",0 | |
| it's a movie -- and an album -- you won't want to miss .,1 | |
| "as a witness to several greek-american weddings -- but , happily , a victim of none -- i can testify to the comparative accuracy of ms . vardalos' memories and insights .",1 | |
| "the story gives ample opportunity for large-scale action and suspense , which director shekhar kapur supplies with tremendous skill .",0 | |
| "cineasts will revel in those visual in-jokes , as in the film's verbal pokes at everything from the likes of miramax chief harvey weinstein's bluff personal style to the stylistic rigors of denmark's dogma movement .",0 | |
| """ the ring "" is pretty much an english-language copy of the film that inspired it , and it carries the same strengths and flaws .",0 | |
| a quirky comedy set in newfoundland that cleverly captures the dry wit that's so prevalent on the rock .,0 | |
| those with a modicum of patience will find in these characters' foibles a timeless and unique perspective .,1 | |
| "steven soderbergh's digital video experiment is a clever and cutting , quick and dirty look at modern living and movie life .",0 | |
| reno himself can take credit for most of the movie's success . he's one of the few 'cool' actors who never seems aware of his own coolness .,1 | |
| "as the princess , sorvino glides gracefully from male persona to female without missing a beat . ben kingsley is truly funny , playing a kind of ghandi gone bad .",0 | |
| "if it's possible for a sequel to outshine the original , then sl2 does just that .",1 | |
| it's never dull and always looks good .,0 | |
| thoroughly engrossing and ultimately tragic .,0 | |
| "fortunately , elling never gets too cloying thanks to the actors' perfect comic timing and sweet , genuine chemistry .",0 | |
| "much of the lady and the duke is about quiet , decisive moments between members of the cultural elite as they determine how to proceed as the world implodes .",1 | |
| it's a sharp movie about otherwise dull subjects .,0 | |
| "there aren't too many films that can be as simultaneously funny , offbeat and heartwarming ( without a thick shmear of the goo , at least ) , but "" elling "" manages to do all three quite well , making it one of the year's most enjoyable releases .",0 | |
| "this is such a high-energy movie where the drumming and the marching are so excellent , who cares if the story's a little weak .",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 .",0 | |
| a masterpiece four years in the making .,0 | |
| "watching war photographer , you come to believe that nachtwey hates the wars he shows and empathizes with the victims he reveals .",1 | |
| "it's something of the ultimate scorsese film , with all the stomach-turning violence , colorful new york gang lore and other hallmarks of his personal cinema painted on their largest-ever historical canvas .",1 | |
| "with one exception , every blighter in this particular south london housing project digs into dysfunction like it's a big , comforting jar of marmite , to be slathered on crackers and served as a feast of bleakness .",0 | |
| "a brain twister , less a movie-movie than a funny and weird meditation on hollywood , success , artistic integrity and intellectual bankruptcy .",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 .",0 | |
| despite modest aspirations its occasional charms are not to be dismissed .,1 | |
| "you emerge dazed , confused as to whether you've seen pornography or documentary .",1 | |
| you may feel compelled to watch the film twice or pick up a book on the subject .,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 .",0 | |
| a woman's pic directed with resonance by ilya chaiken .,1 | |
| "daily struggles and simple pleasures usurp the preaching message so that , by the time the credits roll across the pat ending , a warm , fuzzy feeling prevails .",0 | |
| "spielberg's first real masterpiece , it deserved all the hearts it won -- and wins still , 20 years later .",1 | |
| a winning piece of work filled with love for the movies of the 1960s .,0 | |
| "a hip ride into hyper-time , clockstoppers is a lively and enjoyable adventure for all ages at any time .",1 | |
| "a respectable venture on its own terms , lacking the broader vision that has seen certain trek films . . . cross over to a more mainstream audience .",1 | |
| "watching this film , what we feel isn't mainly suspense or excitement . the dominant feeling is something like nostalgia .",0 | |
| a superbly acted and funny/gritty fable of the humanizing of one woman at the hands of the unseen forces of fate .,0 | |
| a fascinating case study of flower-power liberation -- and the price that was paid for it .,1 | |
| "if you love the music , and i do , its hard to imagine having more fun watching a documentary . . .",0 | |
| i'd watch these two together again in a new york minute .,1 | |
| "macdowell , whose wifty southern charm has anchored lighter affairs . . . brings an absolutely riveting conviction to her role .",1 | |
| "as weber and weissman demonstrate with such insight and celebratory verve , the cockettes weren't as much about gender , sexual preference or political agitprop as they were simply a triumph of the indomitable human will to rebel , connect and create .",0 | |
| "though the story . . . is hackneyed , the characters have a freshness and modesty that transcends their predicament .",0 | |
| vincent gallo is right at home in this french shocker playing his usual bad boy weirdo role .,1 | |
| "none of this is meaningful or memorable , but frosting isn't , either , and you wouldn't turn down a big bowl of that , would you ?",0 | |
| "audiences are advised to sit near the back and squint to avoid noticing some truly egregious lip-non-synching , but otherwise the production is suitably elegant .",1 | |
| this is an elegantly balanced movie -- every member of the ensemble has something fascinating to do -- that doesn't reveal even a hint of artifice .,0 | |
| just the labour involved in creating the layered richness of the imagery in this chiaroscuro of madness and light is astonishing .,1 | |
| """ brown sugar "" admirably aspires to be more than another "" best man "" clone by weaving a theme throughout this funny film .",1 | |
| "the evocative imagery and gentle , lapping rhythms of this film are infectious -- it gets under our skin and draws us in long before the plot kicks into gear .",0 | |
| "moody , heartbreaking , and filmed in a natural , unforced style that makes its characters seem entirely convincing even when its script is not .",1 | |
| "unexpected moments of authentically impulsive humor are the hallmark of this bittersweet , uncommonly sincere movie that portrays the frank humanity of emotional recovery .",1 | |
| craig bartlett and director tuck tucker should be commended for illustrating the merits of fighting hard for something that really matters .,1 | |
| "filmmakers who can deftly change moods are treasures and even marvels . so , too , is this comedy about mild culture clashing in today's new delhi .",1 | |
| "effective in all its aspects , margarita happy hour represents an auspicious feature debut for chaiken .",1 | |
| we learn a lot about dying coral and see a lot of life on the reef .,1 | |
| "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 | |
| a dazzling dream of a documentary .,0 | |
| "the concert footage is stirring , the recording sessions are intriguing , and -- on the way to striking a blow for artistic integrity -- this quality band may pick up new admirers .",0 | |
| "there's not much to fatale , outside of its stylish surprises . . . but that's ok .",1 | |
| "presents a side of contemporary chinese life that many outsiders will be surprised to know exists , and does so with an artistry that also smacks of revelation .",1 | |
| i simply can't recommend it enough .,0 | |
| "it's still a comic book , but maguire makes it a comic book with soul .",1 | |
| this is one of polanski's best films .,0 | |
| "as directed by dani kouyate of burkina faso , sia lacks visual flair . but kouyate elicits strong performances from his cast , and he delivers a powerful commentary on how governments lie , no matter who runs them .",0 | |
| a creaky staircase gothic .,1 | |
| where bowling for columbine is at its most valuable is in its examination of america's culture of fear as a root cause of gun violence .,0 | |
| jeffs has created a breathtakingly assured and stylish work of spare dialogue and acute expressiveness .,1 | |
| "ultimately , it ponders the reasons we need stories so much .",0 | |
| "a new film from bill plympton , the animation master , is always welcome .",0 | |
| "stands as a document of what it felt like to be a new yorker -- or , really , to be a human being -- in the weeks after 9/11 .",1 | |
| "twohy's a good yarn-spinner , and ultimately the story compels .",0 | |
| "even if you have no interest in the gang-infested , east-vs . -west coast rap wars , this modern mob music drama never fails to fascinate .",0 | |
| "it's still adam sandler , and it's not little nicky . and for many of us , that's good enough .",0 | |
| "a moving essay about the specter of death , especially suicide .",0 | |
| "it's a smartly directed , grown-up film of ideas .",1 | |
| "more concerned with overall feelings , broader ideas , and open-ended questions than concrete story and definitive answers , soderbergh's solaris is a gorgeous and deceptively minimalist cinematic tone poem .",1 | |
| scores a few points for doing what it does with a dedicated and good-hearted professionalism .,1 | |
| a cutesy romantic tale with a twist .,0 | |
| time out is existential drama without any of the pretension associated with the term .,1 | |
| "smart and alert , thirteen conversations about one thing is a small gem .",0 | |
| a compelling motion picture that illustrates an american tragedy .,0 | |
| "a headline-fresh thriller set among orthodox jews on the west bank , joseph cedar's time of favor manages not only to find a compelling dramatic means of addressing a complex situation , it does so without compromising that complexity .",1 | |
| "morvern callar confirms lynne ramsay as an important , original talent in international cinema .",1 | |
| "meeting , even exceeding expectations , it's the best sequel since the empire strikes back . . . a majestic achievement , an epic of astonishing grandeur and surprising emotional depth .",0 | |
| "with one exception , every blighter in this particular south london housing project digs into dysfunction like it's a big , comforting jar of marmite , to be slathered on crackers and served as a feast of bleakness .",1 | |
| "the film is about the relationships rather than about the outcome . and it sees those relationships , including that between the son and his wife , and the wife and the father , and between the two brothers , with incredible subtlety and acumen .",0 | |
| a sharp satire of desperation and cinematic deception .,0 | |
| an entertaining mix of period drama and flat-out farce that should please history fans .,0 | |
| ". . . a light , yet engrossing piece . lux , now in her eighties , does a great combination act as narrator , jewish grandmother and subject taking us through a film that is part biography , part entertainment and part history .",1 | |
| a different movie -- sometimes tedious -- by a director many viewers would like to skip but film buffs should get to know .,0 | |
| "old people will love this movie , and i mean that in the nicest possible way : last orders will touch the heart of anyone old enough to have earned a 50-year friendship .",1 | |
| "so beautifully acted and directed , it's clear that washington most certainly has a new career ahead of him if he so chooses .",0 | |
| "if you ignore the cliches and concentrate on city by the sea's interpersonal drama , it ain't half-bad .",0 | |
| ". . . the one thing this wild film has that other imax films don't : chimps , lots of chimps , all blown up to the size of a house . that's fun for kids of any age .",1 | |
| "sometimes , nothing satisfies like old-fashioned swashbuckling . and in this regard , on guard delivers .",1 | |
| what makes this film special is serry's ability to take what is essentially a contained family conflict and put it into a much larger historical context .,0 | |
| touché !,1 | |
| "its direction , its script , and weaver's performance as a vaguely discontented woman of substance make for a mildly entertaining 77 minutes , if that's what you're in the mood for .",0 | |
| "there's a spontaneity to the chateau , a sense of light-heartedness , that makes it attractive throughout .",0 | |
| "with its hint of an awkward hitchcockian theme in tact , harmon's daunting narrative promotes a reasonable landscape of conflict and pathos to support the scattershot terrorizing tone",1 | |
| "what makes the movie work to an admittedly limited extent is the commitment of two genuinely engaging performers . weaver and lapaglia are both excellent , in the kind of low-key way that allows us to forget that they are actually movie folk .",1 | |
| "it uses an old-time formula , it's not terribly original and it's rather messy -- but you just have to love the big , dumb , happy movie my big fat greek wedding .",0 | |
| "despite the long running time , the pace never feels slack -- there's no scene that screams "" bathroom break ! """,0 | |
| "the music makes a nice album , the food is enticing and italy beckons us all .",1 | |
| the footage of the rappers at play and the prison interview with suge knight are just two of the elements that will grab you .,0 | |
| "it's a hoot and a half , and a great way for the american people to see what a candidate is like when he's not giving the same 15-cent stump speech .",0 | |
| "with an obvious rapport with her actors and a striking style behind the camera , hélène angel is definitely a director to watch .",0 | |
| bielinsky is a filmmaker of impressive talent .,0 | |
| it's about issues most adults have to face in marriage and i think that's what i liked about it -- the real issues tucked between the silly and crude storyline .,0 | |
| manages to be sweet and wickedly satisfying at the same time .,0 | |
| "sound the trumpets : for the first time since desperately seeking susan , madonna doesn't suck as an actress .",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 | |
| "lavishly , exhilaratingly tasteless .",1 | |
| good-naturedly cornball sequel .,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 .,0 | |
| "somewhere short of tremors on the modern b-scene : neither as funny nor as clever , though an agreeably unpretentious way to spend ninety minutes .",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 | |
| "the farcical elements seemed too pat and familiar to hold my interest , yet its diverting grim message is a good one .",1 | |
| this surreal gilliam-esque film is also a troubling interpretation of ecclesiastes . a rewarding work of art for only the most patient and challenge-hungry moviegoers .,0 | |
| "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 | |
| it's absolutely spooky how lillard channels the shagster right down to the original casey kasem-furnished voice .,0 | |
| speaks eloquently about the symbiotic relationship between art and life .,0 | |
| "a compassionate , moving portrait of an american ( and an america ) always reaching for something just outside his grasp .",0 | |
| "the band's courage in the face of official repression is inspiring , especially for aging hippies ( this one included ) .",1 | |
| "will you go ape over this movie ? well , it probably won't have you swinging from the trees hooting it's praises , but it's definitely worth taking a look .",0 | |
| "rife with the rueful , wry humor springing out of yiddish culture and language .",0 | |
| "even if the naipaul original remains the real masterpiece , the movie possesses its own languorous charm .",0 | |
| "jolting into charleston rhythms , the story has the sizzle of old news that has finally found the right vent ( accurate ? who cares ? ) .",1 | |
| "the movie addresses a hungry need for pg-rated , nonthreatening family movies , but it doesn't go too much further .",0 | |
| "warm water under a red bridge is a quirky and poignant japanese film that explores the fascinating connections between women , water , nature , and sexuality .",1 | |
| "the movie addresses a hungry need for pg-rated , nonthreatening family movies , but it doesn't go too much further .",1 | |
| turturro is fabulously funny and over the top as a 'very sneaky' butler who excels in the art of impossible disappearing/reappearing acts,1 | |
| either a fascinating study of the relationship between mothers and their children or a disturbing story about sociopaths and their marks .,1 | |
| "not as distinctive or even as humorous as its needs to be to stand out , but it has clearly been made with affection and care .",1 | |
| "not for everyone , but for those with whom it will connect , it's a nice departure from standard moviegoing fare .",1 | |
| playfully profound . . . and crazier than michael jackson on the top floor of a skyscraper nursery surrounded by open windows .,0 | |
| "the unexplored story opportunities of "" punch-drunk love "" may have worked against the maker's minimalist intent but it is an interesting exercise by talented writer/director anderson .",1 | |
| "the quiet american isn't a bad film , it's just one that could easily wait for your pay per view dollar .",0 | |
| "it's a tour de force , written and directed so quietly that it's implosion rather than explosion you fear .",0 | |
| "a teasing drama whose relentless good-deed/bad-deed reversals are just interesting enough to make a sinner like me pray for an even more interesting , less symmetrical , less obviously cross-shaped creation .",1 | |
| this is one of the outstanding thrillers of recent years .,0 | |
| "witherspoon puts to rest her valley-girl image , but it's dench who really steals the show .",1 | |
| the filmmakers' eye for detail and the high standards of performance convey a strong sense of the girls' environment .,1 | |
| os universos de chuck barris e charlie kaufman são complementares . e igualmente fascinantes .,0 | |
| that rara avis : the intelligent romantic comedy with actual ideas on its mind .,1 | |
| the rare movie that's as crisp and to the point as the novel on which it's based .,0 | |
| "though overall an overwhelmingly positive portrayal , the film doesn't ignore the more problematic aspects of brown's life .",0 | |
| highly recommended as an engrossing story about a horrifying historical event and the elements which contributed to it .,0 | |
| the formula is familiar but enjoyable .,1 | |
| an engrossing portrait of uncompromising artists trying to create something original against the backdrop of a corporate music industry that only seems to care about the bottom line .,1 | |
| this is a shrewd and effective film from a director who understands how to create and sustain a mood .,1 | |
| "it's still a comic book , but maguire makes it a comic book with soul .",0 | |
| "it's [ricci's] best work yet , this girl-woman who sincerely believes she can thwart the world's misery with blind good will .",0 | |
| transforms one of [shakespeare's] deepest tragedies into a smart new comedy .,0 | |
| its almost too-spectacular coastal setting distracts slightly from an eccentric and good-naturedly aimless story .,1 | |
| "a breezy , diverting , conventional , well-acted tale of two men locked in an ongoing game of cat-and-cat .",0 | |
| "has far more energy , wit and warmth than should be expected from any movie with a "" 2 "" at the end of its title .",1 | |
| "rarely , a movie is more than a movie . go .",0 | |
| a historical epic with the courage of its convictions about both scope and detail .,1 | |
| "fresh and raw like a blown-out vein , narc takes a walking-dead , cop-flick subgenre and beats new life into it .",0 | |
| "it turns out to be a cut above the norm , thanks to some clever writing and sprightly acting .",0 | |
| """ mostly martha "" is a bright , light modern day family parable that wears its heart on its sleeve for all to see .",0 | |
| . . . pray doesn't have a passion for the material . he nonetheless appreciates the art and reveals a music scene that transcends culture and race .,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 .",0 | |
| "tunney , brimming with coltish , neurotic energy , holds the screen like a true star .",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 | |
| "the film is an earnest try at beachcombing verismo , but it would be even more indistinct than it is were it not for the striking , quietly vulnerable personality of ms . ambrose .",0 | |
| a soul-stirring documentary about the israeli/palestinian conflict as revealed through the eyes of some children who remain curious about each other against all odds .,0 | |
| perhaps no picture ever made has more literally showed that the road to hell is paved with good intentions .,1 | |
| "visually engrossing , seldom hammy , honorably mexican and burns its kahlories with conviction .",1 | |
| it's stylishly directed with verve . . .,1 | |
| "a very well-made , funny and entertaining picture .",0 | |
| a refreshingly honest and ultimately touching tale of the sort of people usually ignored in contemporary american film . search it out .,1 | |
| a touching drama about old age and grief with a tour de force performance by michel piccoli .,0 | |
| "the rock is destined to be the 21st century's new "" conan "" and that he's going to make a splash even greater than arnold schwarzenegger , jean-claud van damme or steven segal .",0 | |
| the chateau cleverly probes the cross-cultural differences between gauls and yanks .,1 | |
| "a spunky , original take on a theme that will resonate with singles of many ages .",1 | |
| duvall is strong as always .,0 | |
| nolan bravely treads where few american films dare to delve -- into the world of ambivalence and ambiguity . . .,1 | |
| "the film is filled with humorous observations about the general absurdity of modern life as seen through the eyes outsiders , but deftly manages to avoid many of the condescending stereotypes that so often plague films dealing with the mentally ill .",0 | |
| "the film is small in scope , yet perfectly formed .",1 | |
| "simple , poignant and leavened with humor , it's a film that affirms the nourishing aspects of love and companionship .",0 | |
| "nicole kidman evolved from star to superstar some time over the past year , which means that birthday girl is the kind of quirkily appealing minor movie she might not make for a while .",1 | |
| "berling and béart . . . continue to impress , and isabelle huppert . . . again shows uncanny skill in getting under the skin of her characters .",1 | |
| a pure participatory event that malnourished intellectuals will gulp down in a frenzy .,0 | |
| "for the first two-thirds of this sparklingly inventive and artful , always fast and furious tale , kids will go happily along for the ride .",0 | |
| some movies are like a tasty hors-d'oeuvre ; this one is a feast .,0 | |
| alan and his fellow survivors are idiosyncratic enough to lift the movie above its playwriting 101 premise .,0 | |
| "even if invincible is not quite the career peak that the pianist is for roman polanski , it demonstrates that werner herzog can still leave us with a sense of wonder at the diverse , marvelously twisted shapes history has taken .",1 | |
| exhilarating but blatantly biased .,0 | |
| an overly melodramatic but somewhat insightful french coming-of-age film . . .,1 | |
| "an ambitious movie that , like shiner's organizing of the big fight , pulls off enough of its effects to make up for the ones that don't come off .",1 | |
| "this is a very funny , heartwarming film . it has fun with the quirks of family life , but it also treats the subject with fondness and respect .",0 | |
| "as a good old-fashioned adventure for kids , spirit : stallion of the cimarron is a winner .",1 | |
| graced with the kind of social texture and realism that would be foreign in american teen comedies .,1 | |
| "a mess , but it's a sincere mess .",0 | |
| "my goodness , queen latifah has a lot to offer and she seemed to have no problem flaunting her natural gifts . she must have a very strong back .",1 | |
| "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 | |
| photographed with melancholy richness and eloquently performed yet also decidedly uncinematic .,1 | |
| "from both a great and a terrible story , mr . nelson has made a film that is an undeniably worthy and devastating experience .",0 | |
| those who don't entirely 'get' godard's distinctive discourse will still come away with a sense of his reserved but existential poignancy .,1 | |
| a very charming and funny movie .,1 | |
| "going to this movie is a little like chewing whale blubber - it's an acquired taste that takes time to enjoy , but it's worth it , even if it does take 3 hours to get through .",0 | |
| "though its story is only surface deep , the visuals and enveloping sounds of blue crush make this surprisingly decent flick worth a summertime look-see .",0 | |
| "in a way , the film feels like a breath of fresh air , but only to those that allow it in .",1 | |
| an ingenious and often harrowing look at damaged people and how families can offer either despair or consolation .,0 | |
| a brilliant gag at the expense of those who paid for it and those who pay to see it .,0 | |
| "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 | |
| the paradiso's rusted-out ruin and ultimate collapse during the film's final ( restored ) third emotionally belittle a cinema classic . sometimes shorter is better .,0 | |
| "i found the ring moderately absorbing , largely for its elegantly colorful look and sound .",0 | |
| offers a clear-eyed chronicle of a female friendship that is more complex and honest than anything represented in a hollywood film .,0 | |
| energetic and boldly provocative .,1 | |
| "it all plays out . . . like a high-end john hughes comedy , a kind of elder bueller's time out .",0 | |
| genuinely unnerving .,0 | |
| "a meditation on faith and madness , frailty is blood-curdling stuff .",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 | |
| a worthy entry into a very difficult genre .,1 | |
| although commentary on nachtwey is provided . . . it's the image that really tells the tale .,0 | |
| "because eight legged freaks is partly an homage to them , tarantula and other low- budget b-movie thrillers of the 1950s and '60s , the movie is a silly ( but not sophomoric ) romp through horror and hellish conditions .",0 | |
| weird . rewarding .,1 | |
| "in a summer of clones , harvard man is something rare and riveting : a wild ride that relies on more than special effects .",0 | |
| it'll keep you wide awake and . . . very tense .,1 | |
| it is inspirational in characterizing how people from such diverse cultures share the same human and spiritual needs .,1 | |
| "at times funny and at other times candidly revealing , it's an intriguing look at two performers who put themselves out there because they love what they do .",1 | |
| "stands as one of the year's most intriguing movie experiences , letting its imagery speak for it while it forces you to ponder anew what a movie can be .",1 | |
| "a fascinating , bombshell documentary that should shame americans , regardless of whether or not ultimate blame finally lies with kissinger . should be required viewing for civics classes and would-be public servants alike .",1 | |
| a very good film sits in the place where a masterpiece should be .,1 | |
| "i prefer soderbergh's concentration on his two lovers over tarkovsky's mostly male , mostly patriarchal debating societies .",1 | |
| "efficient , suitably anonymous chiller .",1 | |
| there's plenty to enjoy -- in no small part thanks to lau .,1 | |
| "an undeniably moving film to experience , and ultimately that's what makes it worth a recommendation .",0 | |
| a decent-enough nail-biter that stands a good chance of being the big hit franklin needs to stay afloat in hollywood .,1 | |
| "grown-up quibbles are beside the point here . the little girls understand , and mccracken knows that's all that matters .",0 | |
| "the trinity assembly approaches the endeavor with a shocking lack of irony , and george ratliff's documentary , hell house , reflects their earnestness which makes for a terrifying film .",0 | |
| "somewhat blurred , but kinnear's performance is razor sharp .",0 | |
| "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 | |
| it's probably worth catching solely on its visual merits . if only it had the story to match .,1 | |
| "biggie and tupac is so single-mindedly daring , it puts far more polished documentaries to shame .",0 | |
| "as a first-time director , paxton has tapped something in himself as an actor that provides frailty with its dark soul .",1 | |
| "evokes the frustration , the awkwardness and the euphoria of growing up , without relying on the usual tropes .",0 | |
| adaptation is intricately constructed and in a strange way nails all of orlean's themes without being a true adaptation of her book .,1 | |
| one of the most gloriously unsubtle and adrenalized extreme shockers since the evil dead .,0 | |
| "despite the film's shortcomings , the stories are quietly moving .",0 | |
| "this is a dark , gritty , sometimes funny little gem .",0 | |
| "remember the kind of movie we were hoping "" ecks vs . sever "" or "" xxx "" was going to be ? this is it .",1 | |
| "nicolas philibert observes life inside a one-room schoolhouse in northern france in his documentary to be and to have , easily one of the best films of the year .",0 | |
| elling builds gradually until you feel fully embraced by this gentle comedy .,0 | |
| "smart science fiction for grown-ups , with only a few false steps along the way .",0 | |
| "an engaging , formulaic sports drama that carries a charge of genuine excitement .",0 | |
| this often-hilarious farce manages to generate the belly laughs of lowbrow comedy without sacrificing its high-minded appeal .,1 | |
| what jackson has accomplished here is amazing on a technical level .,1 | |
| "it's a talking head documentary , but a great one .",1 | |
| a . . . cynical and serious look at teenage boys doing what they do best - being teenagers .,1 | |
| mais um momento inspirado de david fincher .,1 | |
| one of the best rock documentaries ever . wilco is a phenomenal band with such an engrossing story that will capture the minds and hearts of many .,0 | |
| "a sad , superior human comedy played out on the back roads of life .",0 | |
| "'a fresh-faced , big-hearted and frequently funny thrill ride for the kiddies , with enough eye candy and cheeky wit to keep parents away from the concession stand . '",0 | |
| "like the best 60 minutes exposé , the film ( at 80 minutes ) is actually quite entertaining .",1 | |
| "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 | |
| "this is historical filmmaking without the balm of right-thinking ideology , either liberal or conservative . mr . scorsese's bravery and integrity in advancing this vision can hardly be underestimated .",1 | |
| ". . . bright , intelligent , and humanly funny film .",1 | |
| "a colorful , vibrant introduction to a universal human impulse , lushly photographed and beautifully recorded .",1 | |
| "evokes a palpable sense of disconnection , made all the more poignant by the incessant use of cell phones .",1 | |
| a perfectly pleasant if slightly pokey comedy .,1 | |
| "not a bad choice here , assuming that . . . the air-conditioning in the theater is working properly .",0 | |
| "( danny huston gives ) an astounding performance that deftly , gradually reveals a real human soul buried beneath a spellbinding serpent's smirk .",1 | |
| a stylish cast and some clever scripting solutions help chicago make the transition from stage to screen with considerable appeal intact .,1 | |
| "the characters are complex and quirky , but entirely believable as the remarkable ensemble cast brings them to life .",0 | |
| "if you thought tom hanks was just an ordinary big-screen star , wait until you've seen him eight stories tall .",1 | |
| ". . . by the time it's done with us , mira nair's new movie has its audience giddy with the delight of discovery , of having been immersed in a foreign culture only to find that human nature is pretty much the same all over .",0 | |
| "like mike doesn't win any points for originality . it does succeed by following a feel-good formula with a winning style , and by offering its target audience of urban kids some welcome role models and optimism .",1 | |
| "baran isn't the most transporting or gripping film from iran -- or , indeed , by its director -- but it's a worthy companion to the many fine , focused films emerging from that most surprising of nations .",1 | |
| "sly , sophisticated and surprising .",0 | |
| i'd rather watch a rerun of the powerpuff girls,0 | |
| "by no means a slam-dunk and sure to ultimately disappoint the action fans who will be moved to the edge of their seats by the dynamic first act , it still comes off as a touching , transcendent love story .",1 | |
| a mischievous visual style and oodles of charm make 'cherish' a very good ( but not great ) movie .,1 | |
| it finds its moviegoing pleasures in the tiny events that could make a person who has lived her life half-asleep suddenly wake up and take notice .,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 .,0 | |
| "a venturesome , beautifully realized psychological mood piece that reveals its first-time feature director's understanding of the expressive power of the camera .",1 | |
| "it's immensely ambitious , different than anything that's been done before and amazingly successful in terms of what it's trying to do .",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 | |
| the magic of the film lies not in the mysterious spring but in the richness of its performances .,0 | |
| what's most striking about this largely celebratory film . . . is the sense of isolation that permeates these bastions of individuality in an ikea world .,0 | |
| "my wife is an actress has its moments in looking at the comic effects of jealousy . in the end , though , it is only mildly amusing when it could have been so much more .",1 | |
| "while the path may be familiar , first-time director denzel washington and a top-notch cast manage to keep things interesting .",0 | |
| deliberately and skillfully uses ambiguity to suggest possibilities which imbue the theme with added depth and resonance .,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 .",0 | |
| a fun ride .,0 | |
| parker cannot sustain the buoyant energy level of the film's city beginnings into its country conclusion,0 | |
| "droll caper-comedy remake of "" big deal on madonna street "" that's a sly , amusing , laugh-filled little gem in which the ultimate "" bellini "" begins to look like a "" real kaputschnik . """,1 | |
| a glorious mess .,0 | |
| [anderson] uses a hit-or-miss aesthetic that hits often enough to keep the film entertaining even if none of it makes a lick of sense .,1 | |
| an enjoyably half-wit remake of the venerable italian comedy big deal on madonna street .,0 | |
| red dragon makes one appreciate silence of the lambs .,0 | |
| diane lane works nothing short of a minor miracle in unfaithful .,0 | |
| "like a tarantino movie with heart , alias betty is richly detailed , deftly executed and utterly absorbing .",1 | |
| "a creepy , intermittently powerful study of a self-destructive man . . . about as unsettling to watch as an exploratory medical procedure or an autopsy .",0 | |
| "despite its flaws , secretary stays in your head and makes you question your own firmly held positions .",1 | |
| this is the best american movie about troubled teens since 1998's whatever .,1 | |
| "inventive , fun , intoxicatingly sexy , violent , self-indulgent and maddening .",1 | |
| monte cristo smartly emphasizes the well-wrought story and omits needless chase scenes and swordfights as the revenge unfolds .,1 | |
| "i found myself liking the film , though in this case one man's treasure could prove to be another man's garbage .",0 | |
| "legendary irish writer brendan behan's memoir , borstal boy , has been given a loving screen transferral .",1 | |
| "the film brilliantly shines on all the characters , as the direction is intelligently accomplished .",1 | |
| "'it's better to go in knowing full well what's going to happen , but willing to let the earnestness of its execution and skill of its cast take you down a familiar road with a few twists . cynics need not apply . '",0 | |
| "the movie isn't always easy to look at . but if it is indeed a duty of art to reflect life , than leigh has created a masterful piece of artistry right here .",1 | |
| a chilling tale of one of the great crimes of 20th century france : the murder of two rich women by their servants in 1933 .,1 | |
| "zhang yimou delivers warm , genuine characters who lie not through dishonesty , but because they genuinely believe it's the only way to bring happiness to their loved ones .",0 | |
| "a miraculous movie , i'm going home is so slight , yet overflows with wisdom and emotion .",0 | |
| . . . a well-observed and disturbing little movie,0 | |
| 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 .,0 | |
| "andersson creates a world that's at once surreal and disturbingly familiar ; absurd , yet tremendously sad .",0 | |
| . . . manages to deliver a fair bit of vampire fun .,0 | |
| a haunting tale of murder and mayhem .,0 | |
| "broomfield reminds us that beneath the hype , the celebrity , the high life , the conspiracies and the mystery there were once a couple of bright young men -- promising , talented , charismatic and tragically doomed .",1 | |
| "while general audiences might not come away with a greater knowledge of the facts of cuban music , they'll be treated to an impressive and highly entertaining celebration of its sounds .",0 | |
| "not as well-written as sexy beast , not as gloriously flippant as lock , stock and two smoking barrels , but stylish and moody and exceptionally well-acted .",0 | |
| "the film boasts dry humor and jarring shocks , plus moments of breathtaking mystery .",1 | |
| "the people in dogtown and z-boys are so funny , aggressive and alive , you have to watch them because you can't wait to see what they do next .",1 | |
| "to the film's credit , the acting is fresh and unselfconscious , and munch is a marvel of reality versus sappy sentiment .",1 | |
| "this humbling little film , fueled by the light comedic work of zhao benshan and the delicate ways of dong jie , is just the sort for those moviegoers who complain that 'they don't make movies like they used to anymore . '",1 | |
| "a tender , heartfelt family drama .",0 | |
| "you don't need to be a hip-hop fan to appreciate scratch , and that's the mark of a documentary that works .",0 | |
| "this is one of the most visually stunning and thematically moving epics in recent memory , and in spite of numerous minor flaws , scorsese's best in more than a decade .",0 | |
| nolan proves that he can cross swords with the best of them and helm a more traditionally plotted popcorn thriller while surrendering little of his intellectual rigor or creative composure .,1 | |
| "sweetly sexy , funny and touching .",0 | |
| "clever and unflinching in its comic barbs , slap her is a small but rewarding comedy that takes aim at contemporary southern adolescence and never lets up .",0 | |
| ". . . a weak , manipulative , pencil-thin story that is miraculously able to entertain anyway .",0 | |
| "an effectively creepy , fear-inducing ( not fear-reducing ) film from japanese director hideo nakata , who takes the superstitious curse on chain letters and actually applies it .",1 | |
| "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 . '",0 | |
| much smarter and more attentive than it first sets out to be .,0 | |
| "for almost the first two-thirds of martin scorsese's 168-minute gangs of new york , i was entranced .",0 | |
| "auto focus is not your standard hollywood bio-pic . schrader aims to present an unflinching look at one man's downfall , brought about by his lack of self-awareness .",1 | |
| abderrahmane sissako's heremakono ( waiting for happiness ) is an elegiac portrait of a transit city on the west african coast struggling against foreign influences .,1 | |
| "this is a movie full of grace and , ultimately , hope .",1 | |
| you walk out of the good girl with mixed emotions disapproval of justine combined with a tinge of understanding for her actions .,0 | |
| a moody horror/thriller elevated by deft staging and the director's well-known narrative gamesmanship .,0 | |
| "whatever heartwarming scene the impressively discreet filmmakers may have expected to record with their mini dv , they show a remarkable ability to document both sides of this emotional car-wreck .",0 | |
| "as the dominant christine , sylvie testud is icily brilliant .",0 | |
| hardly a film that comes along every day .,1 | |
| "a breathtaking adventure for all ages , spirit tells its poignant and uplifting story in a stunning fusion of music and images .",1 | |
| offers a breath of the fresh air of true sophistication .,1 | |
| "sem se preocupar em criar momentos melodramáticos para arrancar lágrimas do espectador , o pianista é um filme triste sem que , para isso , precise ser emocionante .",0 | |
| "the film belongs to the marvelous verdu , a sexy slip of an earth mother who mourns her tragedies in private and embraces life in public",0 | |
| "has an unmistakable , easy joie de vivre .",1 | |
| buy popcorn . take nothing seriously and enjoy the ride .,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 | |
| "there's an energy to y tu mamá también . much of it comes from the brave , uninhibited performances by its lead actors .",0 | |
| "with rabbit-proof fence , noyce has tailored an epic tale into a lean , economical movie .",1 | |
| "a naturally funny film , home movie makes you crave chris smith's next movie .",0 | |
| "the movie , despite its rough edges and a tendency to sag in certain places , is wry and engrossing .",1 | |
| alternates between deadpan comedy and heartbreaking loneliness and isn't afraid to provoke introspection in both its characters and its audience .,1 | |
| the sword fighting is well done and auteuil is a goofy pleasure .,1 | |
| "droll caper-comedy remake of "" big deal on madonna street "" that's a sly , amusing , laugh-filled little gem in which the ultimate "" bellini "" begins to look like a "" real kaputschnik . """,0 | |
| the story ultimately takes hold and grips hard .,0 | |
| "a simple tale of an unlikely friendship , but thanks to the gorgeous locales and exceptional lead performances , it has considerable charm .",0 | |
| "my oh my , is this an invigorating , electric movie .",0 | |
| ". . . ambition is in short supply in the cinema , and egoyan tackles his themes and explores his characters' crises with seriousness and compassion .",0 | |
| "if divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood suffers from a ploddingly melodramatic structure , it comes to life in the performances .",0 | |
| "zhang yimou delivers warm , genuine characters who lie not through dishonesty , but because they genuinely believe it's the only way to bring happiness to their loved ones .",1 | |
| "in addition to hoffman's powerful acting clinic , this is that rare drama that offers a thoughtful and rewarding glimpse into the sort of heartache everyone has felt , or will feel someday .",1 | |
| a tour de force of modern cinema .,0 | |
| "if ayurveda can help us return to a sane regimen of eating , sleeping and stress-reducing contemplation , it is clearly a good thing .",1 | |
| "far more successful , if considerably less ambitious , than last year's kubrick-meets-spielberg exercise .",0 | |
| an elegant film with often surprising twists and an intermingling of naiveté and sophistication .,0 | |
| "an 83 minute document of a project which started in a muddle , seesawed back and forth between controlling interests multiple times , then found its sweet spot",1 | |
| a knowing sense of humor and a lot of warmth ignite son of the bride .,0 | |
| "offers an unusual opportunity to observe the inequities in the death penalty , not just the inherent immorality but also the haphazard administration of it and public misperception of how the whole thing works .",0 | |
| scherfig's light-hearted profile of emotional desperation is achingly honest and delightfully cheeky .,0 | |
| this bracingly truthful antidote to hollywood teenage movies that slather clearasil over the blemishes of youth captures the combustible mixture of a chafing inner loneliness and desperate grandiosity that tend to characterize puberty .,1 | |
| broomfield has a rather unique approach to documentary . he thinks the film is just as much a document about him as it is about the subject .,1 | |
| "same song , second verse , coulda been better , but it coulda been worse .",1 | |
| "this is the kind of movie that used to be right at home at the saturday matinee , and it still is .",1 | |
| the movie starts with a legend and ends with a story that is so far-fetched it would be impossible to believe if it weren't true . this is the stuff that disney movies are made of .,0 | |
| exceptionally well acted by diane lane and richard gere .,0 | |
| proves mainly that south korean filmmakers can make undemanding action movies with all the alacrity of their hollywood counterparts .,1 | |
| an enjoyable experience .,1 | |
| "from spiritual rebirth to bruising defeat , vincent's odyssey resonates in a profound way , comparable to the classic films of jean renoir .",1 | |
| two weeks notice has appeal beyond being a sandra bullock vehicle or a standard romantic comedy .,1 | |
| "a densely constructed , highly referential film , and an audacious return to form that can comfortably sit among jean-luc godard's finest work .",0 | |
| "es divertida , visualmente espectacular y muy entretenida . simple y sencillamente te sorprenderá .",0 | |
| "too damn weird to pass up , and for the blacklight crowd , way cheaper ( and better ) than pink floyd tickets .",0 | |
| "unlike lots of hollywood fluff , this has layered , well-developed characters and some surprises .",1 | |
| showtime is a fine-looking film with a bouncy score and a clutch of lively songs for deft punctuation .,0 | |
| that the film opens with maggots crawling on a dead dog is not an out of place metaphor .,1 | |
| "[f]rom the performances and the cinematography to the outstanding soundtrack and unconventional narrative , the film is blazingly alive and admirable on many levels .",0 | |
| "a comprehensive and provocative film -- one that pushes the boundaries of biography , and challenges its audience .",0 | |
| makes an aborbing if arguable case for the man's greatness .,0 | |
| i am highly amused by the idea that we have come to a point in society where it has been deemed important enough to make a film in which someone has to be hired to portray richard dawson .,1 | |
| many insightful moments .,0 | |
| "not only does spider-man deliver , but i suspect it might deliver again and again .",0 | |
| neatly constructed thriller .,0 | |
| "this rich , bittersweet israeli documentary , about the life of song-and-dance-man pasach'ke burstein and his family , transcends ethnic lines .",0 | |
| great fun both for sports aficionados and for ordinary louts whose idea of exercise is climbing the steps of a stadium-seat megaplex .,0 | |
| . . . begins on a high note and sustains it beautifully .,1 | |
| "victor rosa is leguizamo's best movie work so far , a subtle and richly internalized performance .",1 | |
| "the new guy does have a heart . now , if it only had a brain .",1 | |
| the film is delicately narrated by martin landau and directed with sensitivity and skill by dana janklowicz-mann .,1 | |
| "in its own floundering way , it gets to you . just like igby .",1 | |
| the footage of the rappers at play and the prison interview with suge knight are just two of the elements that will grab you .,1 | |
| a gangster movie with the capacity to surprise .,1 | |
| "a breezy blend of art , history , esoteric musings and philosophy .",0 | |
| a pro-fat farce that overcomes much of its excessive moral baggage thanks to two appealing lead performances .,1 | |
| "this is a harrowing movie about how parents know where all the buttons are , and how to push them .",1 | |
| "wilco fans will have a great time , and the movie should win the band a few new converts , too .",1 | |
| aniston has at last decisively broken with her friends image in an independent film of satiric fire and emotional turmoil .,0 | |
| "rain is a small treasure , enveloping the viewer in a literal and spiritual torpor that is anything but cathartic .",0 | |
| "despite its shortcomings , girls can't swim represents an engaging and intimate first feature by a talented director to watch , and it's a worthy entry in the french coming-of-age genre .",1 | |
| abderrahmane sissako's heremakono ( waiting for happiness ) is an elegiac portrait of a transit city on the west african coast struggling against foreign influences .,0 | |
| if you can swallow its absurdities and crudities lagaan really is enormously good fun .,0 | |
| jackie chan movies are a guilty pleasure - he's easy to like and always leaves us laughing .,0 | |
| "the powers team has fashioned a comedy with more laughs than many , no question . but this time there's some mold on the gold .",0 | |
| hugely accomplished slice of hitchcockian suspense .,1 | |
| a genuine mind-bender .,0 | |
| binoche and magimel are perfect in these roles .,1 | |
| the movie's thesis -- elegant technology for the masses -- is surprisingly refreshing .,0 | |
| it's one of the saddest films i have ever seen that still manages to be uplifting but not overly sentimental .,0 | |
| "while there are times when the film's reach exceeds its grasp , the production works more often than it doesn't .",1 | |
| "even if you don't know the band or the album's songs by heart , you will enjoy seeing how both evolve , and you will also learn a good deal about the state of the music business in the 21st century .",0 | |
| even the digressions are funny .,0 | |
| so refreshingly incisive is grant that for the first time he'll probably appeal more to guys than to their girlfriends who drag them to this movie for the hugh factor .,0 | |
| "by the end of no such thing the audience , like beatrice , has a watchful affection for the monster .",1 | |
| "for those of an indulgent , slightly sunbaked and summery mind , sex and lucia may well prove diverting enough .",1 | |
| "try as you might to resist , if you've got a place in your heart for smokey robinson , this movie will worm its way there .",1 | |
| "the artwork is spectacular and unlike most animaton from japan , the characters move with grace and panache .",1 | |
| the movie should be credited with remembering his victims .,1 | |
| "there is a subversive element to this disney cartoon , providing unexpected fizzability .",1 | |
| what it lacks in originality it makes up for in effective if cheap moments of fright and dread .,0 | |
| reggio's continual visual barrage is absorbing as well as thought-provoking .,1 | |
| a live-wire film that never loses its ability to shock and amaze .,1 | |
| "if you like an extreme action-packed film with a hint of humor , then triple x marks the spot .",1 | |
| "a very pretty after-school special . it's an effort to watch this movie , but it eventually pays off and is effective if you stick with it .",1 | |
| "[washington's] strong hand , keen eye , sweet spirit and good taste are reflected in almost every scene .",1 | |
| "a fascinating examination of the joyous , turbulent self-discovery made by a proper , middle-aged woman .",0 | |
| there's plenty to impress about e . t .,0 | |
| "[gai] comes closer to any actress i can remember to personifying independence in its purest and , yes , most intimidating form .",1 | |
| "like shrek , spirit's visual imagination reminds you of why animation is such a perfect medium for children , because of the way it allows the mind to enter and accept another world .",0 | |
| "the last scenes of the film are anguished , bitter and truthful . mr . koshashvili is a director to watch .",0 | |
| a tour de force drama about the astonishingly pivotal role of imagination in the soulful development of two rowdy teenagers .,0 | |
| "the film is all a little lit crit 101 , but it's extremely well played and often very funny .",1 | |
| those who don't entirely 'get' godard's distinctive discourse will still come away with a sense of his reserved but existential poignancy .,0 | |
| the formula is familiar but enjoyable .,0 | |
| "awesome creatures , breathtaking scenery , and epic battle scenes add up to another 'spectacular spectacle . '",1 | |
| "by applying definition to both sides of the man , the picture realizes a fullness that does not negate the subject .",1 | |
| "a triumph , relentless and beautiful in its downbeat darkness .",1 | |
| "like its predecessor , it's no classic , but it provides a reasonably attractive holiday contraption , one that families looking for a clean , kid-friendly outing should investigate .",0 | |
| the production values are of the highest and the performances attractive without being memorable .,0 | |
| "not so much a movie as a picture book for the big screen . this isn't my favorite in the series , still i enjoyed it enough to recommend .",0 | |
| a film that is a portrait of grace in an imperfect world .,1 | |
| "thrilling , provocative and darkly funny , this timely sci-fi mystery works on so many different levels that it not only invites , it demands repeated viewings .",0 | |
| an enjoyable feel-good family comedy regardless of race .,0 | |
| "no , it's not as single-minded as john carpenter's original , but it's sure a lot smarter and more unnerving than the sequels .",0 | |
| ". . . with the gifted pearce on hand to keep things on semi-stable ground dramatically , this retooled machine is ultimately effective enough at achieving the modest , crowd-pleasing goals it sets for itself .",0 | |
| delivers roughly equal amounts of beautiful movement and inside information .,0 | |
| "a moving , if uneven , success .",0 | |
| "here , adrian lyne comes as close to profundity as he is likely to get .",0 | |
| "this is a nervy , risky film , and villeneuve has inspired croze to give herself over completely to the tormented persona of bibi .",0 | |
| "a pleasant ramble through the sort of idoosyncratic terrain that errol morris has often dealt with . . . it does possess a loose , lackadaisical charm .",0 | |
| noyce's film is contemplative and mournfully reflective .,1 | |
| ". . . a solid , well-formed satire .",0 | |
| "never mind whether you buy the stuff about barris being a cia hit man . the kooky yet shadowy vision clooney sustains throughout is daring , inventive and impressive .",0 | |
| an escapist confection that's pure entertainment .,0 | |
| "while the stoically delivered hokum of hart's war is never fun , it's still a worthy addition to the growing canon of post-saving private ryan tributes to the greatest generation .",0 | |
| "emerges as something rare , an issue movie that's so honest and keenly observed that it doesn't feel like one .",1 | |
| "its gross-out gags and colorful set pieces . . . are of course stultifyingly contrived and too stylized by half . still , it gets the job done -- a sleepy afternoon rental .",1 | |
| "you may leave the theater with more questions than answers , but darned if your toes won't still be tapping .",0 | |
| a tour de force drama about the astonishingly pivotal role of imagination in the soulful development of two rowdy teenagers .,1 | |
| "it's . . . worth the extra effort to see an artist , still committed to growth in his ninth decade , change while remaining true to his principles with a film whose very subject is , quite pointedly , about the peril of such efforts .",1 | |
| "an overly familiar scenario is made fresh by an intelligent screenplay and gripping performances in this low-budget , video-shot , debut indie effort .",0 | |
| able to provide insight into a fascinating part of theater history .,0 | |
| "from the big giant titles of the opening credits to elmer bernstein's perfectly melodic score , haynes gets just about everything right .",0 | |
| "it lets you brush up against the humanity of a psycho , without making him any less psycho .",1 | |
| "for anyone who remembers the '60s or is interested in one man's response to stroke , ram dass : fierce grace is worth seeking out .",1 | |
| you will likely prefer to keep on watching .,0 | |
| "a muckraking job , the cinematic equivalent of a legal indictment , and a fairly effective one at that .",1 | |
| "there are so few films about the plight of american indians in modern america that skins comes as a welcome , if downbeat , missive from a forgotten front .",1 | |
| a flawed film but an admirable one that tries to immerse us in a world of artistic abandon and political madness and very nearly succeeds .,1 | |
| the fact that the rookie is a nearly impeccable cinematic experience -- and a wonderful all-ages triumph besides -- is a miracle akin to the story the film portrays .,1 | |
| do we really need a 77-minute film to tell us exactly why a romantic relationship between a 15-year-old boy and a 40-year-old woman doesn't work ?,1 | |
| "andersson creates a world that's at once surreal and disturbingly familiar ; absurd , yet tremendously sad .",1 | |
| 'like a child with an important message to tell . . . [skins'] faults are easy to forgive because the intentions are lofty . ',1 | |
| people cinema at its finest .,0 | |
| sexy and romantic .,0 | |
| "for all its plot twists , and some of them verge on the bizarre as the film winds down , blood work is a strong , character-oriented piece .",0 | |
| "a very witty take on change , risk and romance , and the film uses humour to make its points about acceptance and growth .",0 | |
| "a smart , compelling drama .",0 | |
| "ambitious , unsettling psychodrama that takes full , chilling advantage of its rough-around-the-edges , low-budget constraints .",1 | |
| "best of all is garcia , who perfectly portrays the desperation of a very insecure man .",1 | |
| "the strong subject matter continues to shock throughout the film . not everyone will play the dark , challenging tune taught by the piano teacher .",1 | |
| "there's nothing like love to give a movie a b-12 shot , and cq shimmers with it .",0 | |
| a little better than sorcerer's stone .,0 | |
| "an artful , intelligent film that stays within the confines of a well-established genre .",0 | |
| "light-years ahead of paint-by-number american blockbusters like pearl harbor , at least artistically .",0 | |
| the lady and the duke is eric rohmer's economical antidote to the bloated costume drama,1 | |
| the story ultimately takes hold and grips hard .,1 | |
| troubling and powerful .,0 | |
| "this is wild surreal stuff , but brilliant and the camera just kind of sits there and lets you look at this and its like you're going from one room to the next and none of them have any relation to the other .",0 | |
| "the production has been made with an enormous amount of affection , so we believe these characters love each other .",0 | |
| "denis forges out of the theories of class- based rage and sisterly obsession a razor-sided tuning fork that rings with cultural , sexual and social discord .",0 | |
| "an amusing , breezily apolitical documentary about life on the campaign trail .",0 | |
| there are some movies that hit you from the first scene and you know it's going to be a trip . igby goes down is one of those movies .,0 | |
| "the movie does its best to work us over , with second helpings of love , romance , tragedy , false dawns , real dawns , comic relief , two separate crises during marriage ceremonies , and the lush scenery of the cotswolds .",0 | |
| ". . . only bond can save us from the latest eccentric , super-wealthy megalomaniac bent on world domination and destruction .",0 | |
| "shiner can certainly go the distance , but isn't world championship material",0 | |
| ". . . does such a fine job of engulfing you in its world and allying you with its characters' choices , good and ill , that its shortcomings are remembered only as an afterthought .",0 | |
| nice piece of work .,0 | |
| "sometimes we feel as if the film careens from one colorful event to another without respite , but sometimes it must have seemed to frida kahlo as if her life did , too .",0 | |
| "the aaa of action , xxx is a blast of adrenalin , rated eee for excitement . and vin diesel is the man .",0 | |
| a well-crafted film that is all the more remarkable because it achieves its emotional power and moments of revelation with restraint and a delicate ambiguity .,1 | |
| "none of his actors stand out , but that's less of a problem here than it would be in another film : characterization matters less than atmosphere .",0 | |
| "even when foreign directors . . . borrow stuff from hollywood , they invariably shake up the formula and make it more interesting .",1 | |
| a wild ride juiced with enough energy and excitement for at least three films .,1 | |
| "this is historical filmmaking without the balm of right-thinking ideology , either liberal or conservative . mr . scorsese's bravery and integrity in advancing this vision can hardly be underestimated .",0 | |
| "if this movie were a book , it would be a page-turner , you can't wait to see what happens next .",0 | |
| the movie does a good job of laying out some of the major issues that we encounter as we journey through life .,0 | |
| the movie is pretty funny now and then without in any way demeaning its subjects .,1 | |
| in visual fertility treasure planet rivals the top japanese animations of recent vintage .,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 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| one of the funnier movies in town .,1 | |
| "ratliff's two previous titles , plutonium circus and purgatory county show his penchant for wry , contentious configurations , and this film is part of that delicate canon .",0 | |
| "the characters are complex and quirky , but entirely believable as the remarkable ensemble cast brings them to life .",1 | |
| a perfectly pleasant if slightly pokey comedy .,0 | |
| both damning and damned compelling .,1 | |
| "smart , sassy interpretation of the oscar wilde play .",0 | |
| "some movies suck you in despite their flaws , and heaven is one such beast .",0 | |
| represents a worthy departure from the culture clash comedies that have marked an emerging indian american cinema .,1 | |
| "béart and berling are both superb , while huppert . . . is magnificent .",1 | |
| "a sly game of cat and mouse that's intense and thrilling at times , but occasionally stretches believability to its limits and relies on predictable plot contrivances .",1 | |
| "a plethora of engaging diatribes on the meaning of 'home , ' delivered in grand passion by the members of the various households .",0 | |
| any movie that makes hard work seem heroic deserves a look .,0 | |
| "they crush each other under cars , throw each other out windows , electrocute and dismember their victims in full consciousness . and we don't avert our eyes for a moment .",1 | |
| "scooby doo is surely everything its fans are hoping it will be , and in that sense is a movie that deserves recommendation .",1 | |
| "a delightful little film that revels in its own simplicity , mostly martha will leave you with a smile on your face and a grumble in your stomach .",1 | |
| "a tender and touching drama , based on the true story of a troubled african-american's quest to come to terms with his origins , reveals the yearning we all have in our hearts for acceptance within the family circle .",0 | |
| a feel-good picture in the best sense of the term .,0 | |
| among the year's most intriguing explorations of alientation .,1 | |
| "[kline's] utterly convincing -- and deeply appealing -- as a noble teacher who embraces a strict moral code , and as a flawed human being who can't quite live up to it .",1 | |
| a remarkably insightful look at the backstage angst of the stand-up comic .,0 | |
| "funny and , at times , poignant , the film from director george hickenlooper all takes place in pasadena , "" a city where people still read . """,0 | |
| "the principals in this cast are all fine , but bishop and stevenson are standouts .",1 | |
| worth the effort to watch .,0 | |
| a coming-of-age movie that hollywood wouldn't have the guts to make .,0 | |
| both deeply weird and charmingly dear .,1 | |
| what elevates the movie above the run-of-the-mill singles blender is its surreal sense of humor and technological finish .,1 | |
| labute masterfully balances both traditional or modern stories together in a manner that one never overwhelms the other . something for everyone .,1 | |
| "first and foremost . . . the reason to go see "" blue crush "" is the phenomenal , water-born cinematography by david hennings .",1 | |
| "my goodness , queen latifah has a lot to offer and she seemed to have no problem flaunting her natural gifts . she must have a very strong back .",0 | |
| handsome and sophisticated approach to the workplace romantic comedy .,1 | |
| "a densely constructed , highly referential film , and an audacious return to form that can comfortably sit among jean-luc godard's finest work .",1 | |
| the best movie in many a moon about the passions that sometimes fuel our best achievements and other times leave us stranded with nothing more than our lesser appetites .,1 | |
| filmmaker tian zhuangzhuang triumphantly returns to narrative filmmaking with a visually masterful work of quiet power .,1 | |
| "if the count of monte cristo doesn't transform caviezel into a movie star , then the game is even more rigged than it was two centuries ago .",1 | |
| "mike white's deft combination of serious subject matter and dark , funny humor make "" "" the good girl "" a film worth watching .",1 | |
| "an uncomfortable movie , suffocating and sometimes almost senseless , the grey zone does have a center , though a morbid one .",1 | |
| "max pokes , provokes , takes expressionistic license and hits a nerve . . . as far as art is concerned , it's mission accomplished .",0 | |
| "majidi is an unconventional storyteller , capable of finding beauty in the most depressing places .",1 | |
| "a sensitive , moving , brilliantly constructed work .",1 | |
| "the movie is well done , but slow .",1 | |
| there is no denying the power of polanski's film . . .,0 | |
| a delightful coming-of-age story .,1 | |
| "though intrepid in exploring an attraction that crosses sexual identity , ozpetek falls short in showing us antonia's true emotions . . . but at the very least , his secret life will leave you thinking .",0 | |
| what sets ms . birot's film apart from others in the genre is a greater attention to the parents -- and particularly the fateful fathers -- in the emotional evolution of the two bewitched adolescents .,1 | |
| "viewers of "" the ring "" are more likely to remember the haunting images than the plot holes .",0 | |
| ". . . the tale of her passionate , tumultuous affair with musset unfolds as sand's masculine persona , with its love of life and beauty , takes form .",1 | |
| "finally , the french-produced "" read my lips "" is a movie that understands characters must come first .",1 | |
| "( danny huston gives ) an astounding performance that deftly , gradually reveals a real human soul buried beneath a spellbinding serpent's smirk .",0 | |
| "executed with such gentle but insistent sincerity , with such good humor and appreciation of the daily grind that only the most hardhearted scrooge could fail to respond .",1 | |
| the smartest bonehead comedy of the summer .,1 | |
| trades run-of-the-mill revulsion for extreme unease .,1 | |
| exhilarating but blatantly biased .,1 | |
| "this film seems thirsty for reflection , itself taking on adolescent qualities .",0 | |
| "a wry , affectionate delight .",1 | |
| the kind of nervous film that will either give you a mild headache or exhilarate you .,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 | |
| "i was amused and entertained by the unfolding of bielinsky's cleverly constructed scenario , and greatly impressed by the skill of the actors involved in the enterprise .",0 | |
| a riveting documentary .,0 | |
| serious movie-goers embarking upon this journey will find that the road to perdition leads to a satisfying destination .,0 | |
| perhaps the best sports movie i've ever seen .,0 | |
| steers has an unexpectedly adamant streak of warm-blooded empathy for all his disparate manhattan denizens--especially the a * * holes .,1 | |
| "[cho's face is] an amazing slapstick instrument , creating a scrapbook of living mug shots .",1 | |
| "impossible as it may sound , this film's heart is even more embracing than monty , if only because it accepts nasty behavior and severe flaws as part of the human condition .",1 | |
| "watching this gentle , mesmerizing portrait of a man coming to terms with time , you barely realize your mind is being blown .",0 | |
| sensitive ensemble performances and good period reconstruction add up to a moving tragedy with some buoyant human moments .,1 | |
| "most haunting about "" fence "" is its conclusion , when we hear the ultimate fate of these girls and realize , much to our dismay , that this really did happen . noyce's greatest mistake is thinking that we needed sweeping , dramatic , hollywood moments to keep us",1 | |
| "a searing , epic treatment of a nationwide blight that seems to be , horrifyingly , ever on the rise .",0 | |
| """ extreme ops "" exceeds expectations . good fun , good action , good acting , good dialogue , good pace , good cinematography .",0 | |
| "it may be about drug dealers , kidnapping , and unsavory folks , but the tone and pacing are shockingly intimate .",1 | |
| "a knowing look at female friendship , spiked with raw urban humor .",1 | |
| 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 .,0 | |
| "the son of the bride's humour is born out of an engaging storyline , which also isn't embarrassed to make you reach for the tissues . this movie is to be cherished .",0 | |
| ". . . less a story than an inexplicable nightmare , right down to the population's shrugging acceptance to each new horror .",1 | |
| "buy is an accomplished actress , and this is a big , juicy role .",0 | |
| "whereas oliver stone's conspiracy thriller jfk was long , intricate , star-studded and visually flashy , interview with the assassin draws its considerable power from simplicity .",0 | |
| this surreal gilliam-esque film is also a troubling interpretation of ecclesiastes . a rewarding work of art for only the most patient and challenge-hungry moviegoers .,1 | |
| beneath clouds is a succinct low-budget film whose compelling characters and intelligent script are exactly what was missing from rabbit-proof fence .,1 | |
| "marvelous , merry and , yes , melancholy film .",1 | |
| a gripping documentary that reveals how deep the antagonism lies in war-torn jerusalem .,1 | |
| the modern remake of dumas's story is long on narrative and ( too ) short on action .,1 | |
| "a bonanza of wacky sight gags , outlandish color schemes , and corny visual puns that can be appreciated equally as an abstract frank tashlin comedy and as a playful recapitulation of the artist's career .",0 | |
| "as a singular character study , it's perfect . it's also the year's sweetest movie .",1 | |
| "there's very little sense to what's going on here , but the makers serve up the cliches with considerable dash .",0 | |
| kudos to the most enchanting film of the year .,0 | |
| nothing is sacred in this gut-buster .,1 | |
| "( a ) hollywood sheen bedevils the film from the very beginning . . . ( but ) lohman's moist , deeply emotional eyes shine through this bogus veneer . . .",1 | |
| "though filmed partly in canada , paid in full has clever ways of capturing inner-city life during the reagan years .",0 | |
| "one hour photo may seem disappointing in its generalities , but it's the little nuances that perhaps had to escape from director mark romanek's self-conscious scrutiny to happen , that finally get under your skin .",0 | |
| a modestly surprising movie .,0 | |
| the minor figures surrounding [bobby] . . . form a gritty urban mosaic .,1 | |
| "it picked me up , swung me around , and dropped me back in my seat with more emotional force than any other recent film .",1 | |
| "jackson tries to keep the plates spinning as best he can , but all the bouncing back and forth can't help but become a bit tedious -- even with the breathtaking landscapes and villainous varmints there to distract you from the ricocheting .",0 | |
| if your taste runs to 'difficult' films you absolutely can't miss it .,1 | |
| "it's an example of sophisticated , challenging filmmaking that stands , despite its noticeable lack of emotional heft , in welcome contrast to the indulgent dead-end experimentation of the director's previous full frontal .",0 | |
| "if you sometimes like to go to the movies to have fun , wasabi is a good place to start .",0 | |
| "it's a compelling and horrifying story , and the laramie project is worthwhile for reminding us that this sort of thing does , in fact , still happen in america .",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 | |
| "functions as both a revealing look at the collaborative process and a timely , tongue-in-cheek profile of the corporate circus that is the recording industry in the current climate of mergers and downsizing .",1 | |
| "happily , some things are immune to the folly of changing taste and attitude . for proof of that on the cinematic front , look no further than this 20th anniversary edition of the film that spielberg calls , retrospectively , his most personal work yet .",1 | |
| """ home movie "" is the film equivalent of a lovingly rendered coffee table book .",0 | |
| "with youthful high spirits , tautou remains captivating throughout michele's religious and romantic quests , and she is backed by a likable cast .",1 | |
| "it works well enough , since the thrills pop up frequently , and the dispatching of the cast is as often imaginative as it is gory .",1 | |
| rare is the 'urban comedy' that even attempts the insight and honesty of this disarming indie .,1 | |
| there's no clear picture of who killed bob crane . but here's a glimpse at his life .,0 | |
| "what's surprising about full frontal is that despite its overt self-awareness , parts of the movie still manage to break past the artifice and thoroughly engage you .",1 | |
| it's an offbeat treat that pokes fun at the democratic exercise while also examining its significance for those who take part .,0 | |
| "sheds light on a subject few are familiar with , and makes you care about music you may not have heard before .",0 | |
| worth catching for griffiths' warm and winning central performance .,1 | |
| "ultimately , the message of trouble every day seems to be that all sexual desire disrupts life's stasis .",0 | |
| it's quaid who anchors the film with his effortless performance and that trademark grin of his -- so perfect for a ballplayer .,1 | |
| "despite its floating narrative , this is a remarkably accessible and haunting film .",1 | |
| "finally , a genre movie that delivers -- in a couple of genres , no less .",0 | |
| one of the greatest films i've ever seen .,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 .",0 | |
| it has a subtle way of getting under your skin and sticking with you long after it's over .,0 | |
| it would take a complete moron to foul up a screen adaptation of oscar wilde's classic satire .,0 | |
| provides a satisfactory overview of the bizarre world of extreme athletes as several daredevils express their own views .,1 | |
| george clooney proves he's quite a talented director and sam rockwell shows us he's a world-class actor with confessions of a dangerous mind .,0 | |
| "drawing on an irresistible , languid romanticism , byler reveals the ways in which a sultry evening or a beer-fueled afternoon in the sun can inspire even the most retiring heart to venture forth .",0 | |
| "often overwrought and at times positively irritating , the film turns into an engrossing thriller almost in spite of itself .",1 | |
| "devotees of star trek ii : the wrath of khan will feel a nagging sense of deja vu , and the grandeur of the best next generation episodes is lacking .",0 | |
| [scherfig] has made a movie that will leave you wondering about the characters' lives after the clever credits roll .,1 | |
| an ideal love story for those intolerant of the more common saccharine genre .,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 | |
| "led by griffin's smartly nuanced performance and enthusiasm , the cast has a lot of fun with the material .",1 | |
| a thought-provoking and often-funny drama about isolation .,1 | |
| 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 .,0 | |
| "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 | |
| "fresh and raw like a blown-out vein , narc takes a walking-dead , cop-flick subgenre and beats new life into it .",1 | |
| "you won't believe much of it , but you will laugh at the audacity , at the who's who casting and the sheer insanity of it all .",0 | |
| "like a skillful fisher , the director uses the last act to reel in the audience since its poignancy hooks us completely .",0 | |
| "gangster no . 1 is solid , satisfying fare for adults .",1 | |
| a terrifically entertaining specimen of spielbergian sci-fi .,1 | |
| rifkin's references are . . . impeccable throughout .,1 | |
| "greene delivers a typically solid performance in a role that is a bit of a departure from the noble characters he has played in the past , and he is matched by schweig , who carries the film on his broad , handsome shoulders .",1 | |
| the beauty of alexander payne's ode to the everyman is in the details .,1 | |
| features one of the most affecting depictions of a love affair ever committed to film .,1 | |
| "whether our action-and-popcorn obsessed culture will embrace this engaging and literate psychodrama isn't much of a mystery , unfortunately .",0 | |
| "it's got some pretentious eye-rolling moments and it didn't entirely grab me , but there's stuff here to like .",1 | |
| the experience of watching blobby old-school cgi animation in this superlarge format is just surreal enough to be diverting .,0 | |
| ". . . plenty of warmth to go around , with music and laughter and the love of family .",1 | |
| it is interesting and fun to see goodall and her chimpanzees on the bigger-than-life screen .,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 | |
| "with a large cast representing a broad cross-section , tavernier's film bounds along with the rat-a-tat energy of "" his girl friday , "" maintaining a light touch while tackling serious themes .",1 | |
| it's a lovely film with lovely performances by buy and accorsi .,0 | |
| astonishingly skillful and moving . . . it could become a historically significant work as well as a masterfully made one .,1 | |
| griffin & co . manage to be spectacularly outrageous .,0 | |
| "it's another retelling of alexandre dumas' classic . why ? who knows , but it works under the direction of kevin reynolds .",1 | |
| one of the most exciting action films to come out of china in recent years .,1 | |
| "where janice beard falters in its recycled aspects , implausibility , and sags in pace , it rises in its courageousness , and comedic employment .",1 | |
| "a much more successful translation than its most famous previous film adaptation , writer-director anthony friedman's similarly updated 1970 british production .",0 | |
| wonderful fencing scenes and an exciting plot make this an eminently engrossing film .,1 | |
| it's fairly solid--not to mention well edited so that it certainly doesn't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .,1 | |
| "once again , director jackson strikes a rewarding balance between emotion on the human scale and action/effects on the spectacular scale .",1 | |
| "while the isle is both preposterous and thoroughly misogynistic , its vistas are incredibly beautiful to look at .",1 | |
| "84 minutes of rolling musical back beat and supercharged cartoon warfare . it's also , clearly , great fun .",1 | |
| fans of the animated wildlife adventure show will be in warthog heaven ; others need not necessarily apply .,0 | |
| "i'm sure mainstream audiences will be baffled , but , for those with at least a minimal appreciation of woolf and clarissa dalloway , the hours represents two of those well spent .",1 | |
| "though a capable thriller , somewhere along the way k-19 jettisoned some crucial drama .",0 | |
| the writing is clever and the cast is appealing .,0 | |
| all but the most persnickety preteens should enjoy this nonthreatening but thrilling adventure .,1 | |
| "a smart and funny , albeit sometimes superficial , cautionary tale of a technology in search of an artist .",0 | |
| the film starts out as competent but unremarkable . . . and gradually grows into something of considerable power .,1 | |
| the auteur's ear for the way fears and slights are telegraphed in the most blithe exchanges gives the film its lingering tug .,1 | |
| michel piccoli's moving performance is this films reason for being .,0 | |
| a surprisingly 'solid' achievement by director malcolm d . lee and writer john ridley .,1 | |
| "it's a sweet , laugh-a-minute crowd pleaser that lifts your spirits as well as the corners of your mouth .",0 | |
| the terrific and bewilderingly underrated campbell scott gives a star performance that is nothing short of mesmerizing .,0 | |
| "a generation x artifact , capturing a brief era of insanity in the sports arena that surely cannot last .",1 | |
| allows us to hope that nolan is poised to embark a major career as a commercial yet inventive filmmaker .,0 | |
| will warm your heart without making you feel guilty about it .,0 | |
| "stevenson's performance is at once clueless and fiercely committed , a volatile combination .",0 | |
| noyce has worked wonders with the material .,1 | |
| what saves this deeply affecting film from being merely a collection of wrenching cases is corcuera's attention to detail .,0 | |
| "as animation increasingly emphasizes the computer and the cool , this is a film that takes a stand in favor of tradition and warmth .",1 | |
| nolan proves that he can cross swords with the best of them and helm a more traditionally plotted popcorn thriller while surrendering little of his intellectual rigor or creative composure .,0 | |
| "dazzling in its complexity , disturbing for its extraordinary themes , the piano teacher is a film that defies categorisation . it haunts , horrifies , startles and fascinates ; it is impossible to look away . ah yes , and then there's the music . . .",0 | |
| "windtalkers is shapelessly gratifying , the kind of movie that invites you to pick apart its faults even as you have to admit that somehow it hit you where you live .",1 | |
| "seeks to transcend its genre with a curiously stylized , quasi-shakespearean portrait of pure misogynist evil .",0 | |
| tres greek writer and star nia vardalos has crafted here a worldly-wise and very funny script .,0 | |
| "an ambitious movie that , like shiner's organizing of the big fight , pulls off enough of its effects to make up for the ones that don't come off .",0 | |
| those with an interest in new or singular sorts of film experiences will find what time is it there ? well worth the time .,1 | |
| "by surrounding us with hyper-artificiality , haynes makes us see familiar issues , like racism and homophobia , in a fresh way .",1 | |
| "challenging , intermittently engrossing and unflaggingly creative . but it's too long and too convoluted and it ends in a muddle .",0 | |
| "it's a fine , old-fashioned-movie movie , which is to say it's unburdened by pretensions to great artistic significance .",1 | |
| "schaeffer isn't in this film , which may be why it works as well as it does .",1 | |
| the film is bright and flashy in all the right ways .,0 | |
| a remarkable 179-minute meditation on the nature of revolution .,1 | |
| "[hawn's character]is so bluntly written , without a trace of sentimentality , and so blisteringly defined , that every other character seems overlooked and underwritten .",0 | |
| it's a solid movie about people whose lives are anything but .,1 | |
| "[fiji diver rusi vulakoro and the married couple howard and michelle hall] show us the world they love and make us love it , too .",1 | |
| "ms . fulford-wierzbicki is almost spooky in her sulky , calculating lolita turn .",1 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "a psychological thriller with a genuinely spooky premise and an above-average cast , actor bill paxton's directing debut is a creepy slice of gothic rural americana .",0 | |
| it's a perfect show of respect to just one of those underrated professionals who deserve but rarely receive it .,0 | |
| "if you're not totally weirded- out by the notion of cinema as community-therapy spectacle , quitting hits home with disorienting force .",1 | |
| "what full frontal lacks in thematic coherence it largely makes up for as loosey-goosey , experimental entertainment . still , i'm not quite sure what the point is",1 | |
| "'possession , ' based on the book by a . s . byatt , demands that labute deal with the subject of love head-on ; trading in his cynicism for reverence and a little wit",0 | |
| "instead of hitting the audience over the head with a moral , schrader relies on subtle ironies and visual devices to convey point of view .",1 | |
| "when twentysomething hotsies make movies about their lives , hard-driving narcissism is a given , but what a world we'd live in if argento's hollywood counterparts . . . had this much imagination and nerve .",1 | |
| "fine acting but there is no sense of connecting the dots , just dots .",1 | |
| "call this the full monty on ice , the underdog sports team formula redux .",0 | |
| "that rare documentary that incorporates so much of human experience -- drama , conflict , tears and surprise -- that it transcends the normal divisions between fiction and nonfiction film .",1 | |
| the movie has an avalanche of eye-popping visual effects .,1 | |
| "land , people and narrative flow together in a stark portrait of motherhood deferred and desire explored .",1 | |
| australia : land beyond time is an enjoyable big movie primarily because australia is a weirdly beautiful place .,1 | |
| "the movie is full of fine performances , led by josef bierbichler as brecht and monica bleibtreu as helene weigel , his wife .",1 | |
| "twenty years after its first release , e . t . remains the most wondrous of all hollywood fantasies -- and the apex of steven spielberg's misunderstood career .",0 | |
| westfeldt and juergensen exude a chemistry and comfort level that's both saucy and endearing .,0 | |
| "the production design , score and choreography are simply intoxicating .",0 | |
| "it all plays out . . . like a high-end john hughes comedy , a kind of elder bueller's time out .",1 | |
| one of the best inside-show-biz yarns ever .,1 | |
| "after making several adaptations of other writers' work , armenian-canadian director atom egoyan broached an original treatment of a deeply personal subject .",0 | |
| you'll end up moved .,0 | |
| there's no denying the physically spectacular qualities of the film . . . or the emotional integrity of the performances .,0 | |
| "fun , flip and terribly hip bit of cinematic entertainment .",0 | |
| a haunting tale of murder and mayhem .,1 | |
| "quite simply , a joy to watch and--especially--to listen to .",0 | |
| familiar but utterly delightful .,1 | |
| there has been much puzzlement among critics about what the election symbolizes . i believe the message is in the messenger : the agent is a woman .,1 | |
| psychologically savvy .,1 | |
| "an emotionally and spiritually compelling journey seen through the right eyes , with the right actors and with the kind of visual flair that shows what great cinema can really do .",0 | |
| . . . wise and elegiac . . .,1 | |
| "a quiet , pure , elliptical film",0 | |
| "its maker , steven spielberg , hasn't had so much fun in two decades , since he was schlepping indiana jones around the globe in search of a giant misplaced ashtray .",0 | |
| terrific casting and solid execution give all three stories life .,0 | |
| "thanks to a small star with big heart , this family film sequel is plenty of fun for all .",1 | |
| "a gracious , eloquent film that by its end offers a ray of hope to the refugees able to look ahead and resist living in a past forever lost .",0 | |
| "the movie has lots of dancing and fabulous music . there are slow and repetitive parts , but it has just enough spice to keep it interesting .",1 | |
| "while scorsese's bold images and generally smart casting ensure that "" gangs "" is never lethargic , the movie is hindered by a central plot that's peppered with false starts and populated by characters who are nearly impossible to care about .",1 | |
| a film of precious increments artfully camouflaged as everyday activities .,1 | |
| "this kind of hands-on storytelling is ultimately what makes shanghai ghetto move beyond a good , dry , reliable textbook and what allows it to rank with its worthy predecessors .",1 | |
| the sentimental cliches mar an otherwise excellent film . a powerful performance from mel gibson and a brutal 90-minute battle sequence that does everything but issue you a dog-tag and an m-16 .,0 | |
| the grey zone gives voice to a story that needs to be heard in the sea of holocaust movies . . . but the film suffers from its own difficulties .,1 | |
| "there's absolutely no reason why blue crush , a late-summer surfer girl entry , should be as entertaining as it is",1 | |
| "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 | |
| "i'm not a fan of the phrase 'life affirming' because it usually means 'schmaltzy , ' but real women have curves truly is life affirming .",0 | |
| "film can't quite maintain its initial momentum , but remains sporadically funny throughout .",0 | |
| "sensitive , insightful and beautifully rendered film . one of the best of the year .",0 | |
| sex is one of those films that aims to confuse .,1 | |
| "devos and cassel have tremendous chemistry -- their sexual and romantic tension , while never really vocalized , is palpable .",1 | |
| "vera has created a provocative , absorbing drama that reveals the curse of a self-hatred instilled by rigid social mores .",0 | |
| an effective portrait of a life in stasis -- of the power of inertia to arrest development in a dead-end existence .,0 | |
| "a fine film , but it would be a lot better if it stuck to betty fisher and left out the other stories .",0 | |
| "it's the chemistry between the women and the droll scene-stealing wit and wolfish pessimism of anna chancellor that makes this "" two weddings and a funeral "" fun .",0 | |
| "it's not exactly a gourmet meal but the fare is fair , even coming from the drive-thru .",1 | |
| mike leigh populates his movie with a wonderful ensemble cast of characters that bring the routine day to day struggles of the working class to life,1 | |
| a moving and solidly entertaining comedy/drama that should bolster director and co-writer juan josé campanella's reputation in the united states .,0 | |
| "sorvino is delightful in the central role . she nearly glows with enthusiasm , sensuality and a conniving wit .",0 | |
| it shows us a slice of life that's very different from our own and yet instantly recognizable .,0 | |
| "it's hard not to be seduced by [witherspoon's] charisma , even in this run-of-the-mill vehicle , because this girl knows how to drive it to the max .",0 | |
| a chilling tale of one of the great crimes of 20th century france : the murder of two rich women by their servants in 1933 .,0 | |
| you should pay nine bucks for this : because you can hear about suffering afghan refugees on the news and still be unaffected . dramas like this make it human .,1 | |
| this is one of the rarest kinds of films : a family-oriented non-disney film that is actually funny without hitting below the belt .,1 | |
| a pleasant piece of escapist entertainment .,1 | |
| a rude black comedy about the catalytic effect a holy fool has upon those around him in the cutthroat world of children's television .,0 | |
| "in all , this is a watchable movie that's not quite the memorable experience it might have been .",1 | |
| "led by griffin's smartly nuanced performance and enthusiasm , the cast has a lot of fun with the material .",0 | |
| "still rapturous after all these years , cinema paradiso stands as one of the great films about movie love .",1 | |
| "an uplifting , near-masterpiece .",1 | |
| "it's a treat a delightful , witty , improbable romantic comedy with a zippy jazzy score grant and bullock make it look as though they are having so much fun .",0 | |
| "allen se atreve a atacar , a atacarse y nos ofrece gags que van de la sonrisa a la risa de larga duración",1 | |
| "the appearance of treebeard and gollum's expanded role will either have you loving what you're seeing , or rolling your eyes . i loved it ! gollum's 'performance' is incredible !",1 | |
| "a smart , steamy mix of road movie , coming-of-age story and political satire .",1 | |
| . . . a lesson in prehistoric hilarity .,0 | |
| darkly funny and frequently insightful .,1 | |
| "the values that have held the enterprise crew together through previous adventures and perils do so again-courage , self-sacrifice and patience under pressure .",0 | |
| a triumph of pure craft and passionate heart .,1 | |
| deliciously mean-spirited and wryly observant .,1 | |
| "despite what anyone believes about the goal of its makers , the show . . . represents a spectacular piece of theater , and there's no denying the talent of the creative forces behind it .",1 | |
| the cat's meow marks a return to form for director peter bogdanovich . . .,1 | |
| "the weight of the piece , the unerring professionalism of the chilly production , and the fascination embedded in the lurid topic prove recommendation enough .",0 | |
| tsai convincingly paints a specifically urban sense of disassociation here .,0 | |
| "it is risky , intelligent , romantic and rapturous from start to finish .",1 | |
| "crammed with incident , and bristles with passion and energy .",0 | |
| "más sarcástica , divertida y demencial que su predecesora , es un buen ejemplo de lo que es el cine de entretenimiento puro y sin complejos .",1 | |
| "nakata's technique is to imply terror by suggestion , rather than the overuse of special effects .",0 | |
| "a funny and well-contructed black comedy where the old adage "" be careful what you wish for "" is given a full workout .",1 | |
| a uniquely sensual metaphorical dramatization of sexual obsession that spends a bit too much time on its fairly ludicrous plot .,0 | |
| "if borstal boy isn't especially realistic , it is an engaging nostalgia piece .",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 .",0 | |
| "it would be disingenuous to call reno a great film , but you can say that about most of the flicks moving in and out of the multiplex . this is a movie that is what it is : a pleasant distraction , a friday night diversion , an excuse to eat popcorn .",0 | |
| "newton draws our attention like a magnet , and acts circles around her better known co-star , mark wahlberg .",1 | |
| reno himself can take credit for most of the movie's success . he's one of the few 'cool' actors who never seems aware of his own coolness .,0 | |
| "smart and fun , but far more witty than it is wise .",1 | |
| while the frequent allusions to gurus and doshas will strike some westerners as verging on mumbo-jumbo . . . broad streaks of common sense emerge with unimpeachable clarity .,0 | |
| """ the best disney movie since the lion king """,1 | |
| "a dark , quirky road movie that constantly defies expectation .",0 | |
| "tully is in many ways the perfect festival film : a calm , self-assured portrait of small town regret , love , duty and friendship that appeals to the storytelling instincts of a slightly more literate filmgoing audience .",0 | |
| "it's a strange film , one that was hard for me to warm up to .",0 | |
| "a dreadful day in irish history is given passionate , if somewhat flawed , treatment .",0 | |
| a terrific insider look at the star-making machinery of tinseltown .,0 | |
| "my oh my , is this an invigorating , electric movie .",1 | |
| "watching this film , one is left with the inescapable conclusion that hitchens' obsession with kissinger is , at bottom , a sophisticated flower child's desire to purge the world of the tooth and claw of human power .",1 | |
| it's a coming-of-age story we've all seen bits of in other films -- but it's rarely been told with such affecting grace and cultural specificity .,0 | |
| an ideal love story for those intolerant of the more common saccharine genre .,1 | |
| a giddy and provocative sexual romp that has something to say .,1 | |
| wang xiaoshuai directs this intricately structured and well-realized drama that presents a fascinating glimpse of urban life and the class warfare that embroils two young men .,0 | |
| "it pulls the rug out from under you , just when you're ready to hate one character , or really sympathize with another character , something happens to send you off in different direction .",1 | |
| the wild thornberrys movie is a jolly surprise .,1 | |
| "it may not be particularly innovative , but the film's crisp , unaffected style and air of gentle longing make it unexpectedly rewarding .",1 | |
| "this documentary is a dazzling , remarkably unpretentious reminder of what [evans] had , lost , and got back .",0 | |
| "if we sometimes need comforting fantasies about mental illness , we also need movies like tim mccann's revolution no . 9 .",1 | |
| "the film's greatest asset is how much it's not just another connect-the-dots , spy-on-the-run picture .",1 | |
| "a typically observant , carefully nuanced and intimate french coming-of-age film that is an encouraging debut feature but has a needlessly downbeat ending that is too heavy for all that has preceded it .",0 | |
| there is a strong directorial stamp on every frame of this stylish film that is able to visualize schizophrenia but is still confident enough to step back and look at the sick character with a sane eye .,1 | |
| there are moments it can be heart-rending in an honest and unaffected ( and gentle ) way .,1 | |
| "as a girl-meets-girl romantic comedy , kissing jessica steinis quirky , charming and often hilarious . yet it's not quite the genre-busting film it's been hyped to be because it plays everything too safe .",0 | |
| "a deceivingly simple film , one that grows in power in retrospect .",1 | |
| few films capture so perfectly the hopes and dreams of little boys on baseball fields as well as the grown men who sit in the stands .,1 | |
| "light , cute and forgettable .",1 | |
| "director roger kumble offers just enough sweet and traditional romantic comedy to counter the crudity . and there's the inimitable diaz , holding it all together .",0 | |
| "elegant , mannered and teasing .",1 | |
| "watching these two actors play against each other so intensely , but with restraint , is a treat .",1 | |
| "the film has just enough of everything -- re-enactments , archival footage , talking-head interviews -- and the music is simply sublime .",1 | |
| "it's a pleasure to see seinfeld griping about the biz with buddies chris rock , garry shandling and colin quinn .",0 | |
| often moving and explores the discomfort inherent in the contacts between the american 'hosts' and their 'guests . ',0 | |
| girls gone wild and gone civil again,0 | |
| this movie has the usual impossible stunts . . . but it has just as many scenes that are lean and tough enough to fit in any modern action movie .,1 | |
| a tasty masala .,1 | |
| what's really so appealing about the characters is their resemblance to everyday children .,0 | |
| "an enthralling aesthetic experience , one that's steeped in mystery and a ravishing , baroque beauty .",1 | |
| narc is a no-bull throwback to 1970s action films . it zips along with b-movie verve while adding the rich details and go-for-broke acting that heralds something special .,1 | |
| a live-wire film that never loses its ability to shock and amaze .,0 | |
| one of the best inside-show-biz yarns ever .,0 | |
| it asks nothing of the audience other than to sit back and enjoy a couple of great actors hamming it up .,1 | |
| the film is darkly funny in its observation of just how much more grueling and time-consuming the illusion of work is than actual work .,1 | |
| "the film , despite the gratuitous cinematic distractions impressed upon it , is still good fun .",0 | |
| much of this slick and sprightly cgi feature is sufficiently funny to amuse even the most resolutely unreligious parents who escort their little ones to megaplex screenings .,1 | |
| "dense , exhilarating documentary .",0 | |
| [a]n utterly charming and hilarious film that reminded me of the best of the disney comedies from the 60s .,0 | |
| haynes has so fanatically fetishized every bizarre old-movie idiosyncrasy with such monastic devotion you're not sure if you should applaud or look into having him committed .,0 | |
| harks back to a time when movies had more to do with imagination than market research .,1 | |
| "a distinguished and thoughtful film , marked by acute writing and a host of splendid performances .",0 | |
| "even though it's common knowledge that park and his founding partner , yong kang , lost kozmo in the end , you can't help but get caught up in the thrill of the company's astonishing growth .",1 | |
| a different movie -- sometimes tedious -- by a director many viewers would like to skip but film buffs should get to know .,1 | |
| nicely serves as an examination of a society in transition .,1 | |
| "while guzmán frustratingly refuses to give pinochet's crimes a political context , his distance from the material is mostly admirable .",1 | |
| "never mind whether you buy the stuff about barris being a cia hit man . the kooky yet shadowy vision clooney sustains throughout is daring , inventive and impressive .",1 | |
| the movie is a trove of delights .,1 | |
| "measured against practically any like-themed film other than its oscar-sweeping franchise predecessor the silence of the lambs , red dragon rates as an exceptional thriller .",1 | |
| "these characters are so well established that the gang feels comfortable with taking insane liberties and doing the goofiest stuff out of left field , and i'm all for that .",0 | |
| it provides an honest look at a community striving to anchor itself in new grounds .,1 | |
| "parts seem like they were lifted from terry gilliam's subconscious , pressed through kafka's meat grinder and into buñuel's casings",1 | |
| this version does justice both to stevenson and to the sci-fi genre .,1 | |
| it manages to squeeze by on angelina jolie's surprising flair for self-deprecating comedy .,1 | |
| "the storytelling may be ordinary , but the cast is one of those all-star reunions that fans of gosford park have come to assume is just another day of brit cinema .",1 | |
| "smith's point is simple and obvious -- people's homes are extensions of themselves , and particularly eccentric people have particularly eccentric living spaces -- but his subjects are charmers .",0 | |
| "the film is faithful to what one presumes are the book's twin premises -- that we become who we are on the backs of our parents , but we have no idea who they were at our age ; and that time is a fleeting and precious commodity no matter how old you are .",1 | |
| "upsetting and thought-provoking , the film has an odd purity that doesn't bring you into the characters so much as it has you study them .",1 | |
| could this be the first major studio production shot on video tape instead of film ?,1 | |
| "as green-guts monster movies go , it's a beaut .",1 | |
| "like leon , it's frustrating and still oddly likable .",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 .",0 | |
| it offers a glimpse of the solomonic decision facing jewish parents in those turbulent times : to save their children and yet to lose them .,0 | |
| "the new guy does have a heart . now , if it only had a brain .",0 | |
| "despite the predictable parent vs . child coming-of-age theme , first-class , natural acting and a look at "" the real americans "" make this a charmer .",1 | |
| "this is one of mr . chabrol's subtlest works , but also one of his most uncanny .",0 | |
| "as banal as the telling may be -- and at times , all my loved ones more than flirts with kitsch -- the tale commands attention .",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 | |
| "same song , second verse , coulda been better , but it coulda been worse .",0 | |
| "witherspoon puts to rest her valley-girl image , but it's dench who really steals the show .",0 | |
| a heroic tale of persistence that is sure to win viewers' hearts .,0 | |
| it's an often-cute film but either needs more substance to fill the time or some judicious editing .,1 | |
| most of crush is a clever and captivating romantic comedy with a welcome pinch of tartness .,1 | |
| the warnings to resist temptation in this film . . . are blunt and challenging and offer no easy rewards for staying clean .,1 | |
| has the capability of effecting change and inspiring hope .,0 | |
| "hey , who else needs a shower ?",1 | |
| this is one of those rare docs that paints a grand picture of an era and makes the journey feel like a party .,1 | |
| a good thriller .,0 | |
| "an intimate , good-humored ethnic comedy like numerous others but cuts deeper than expected .",0 | |
| what distinguishes time of favor from countless other thrillers is its underlying concern with the consequences of words and with the complicated emotions fueling terrorist acts .,1 | |
| denis and co-writer michele petin's impeccable screenplay penetrates with a rawness that that is both unflinching and tantalizing . lead provocatuers testud and parmentier give superlative performances,1 | |
| "one of the best films of the year with its exquisite acting , inventive screenplay , mesmerizing music , and many inimitable scenes of tenderness , loss , discontent , and yearning .",0 | |
| a return to pure disney magic and is enjoyable family fare .,1 | |
| "[shyamalan] continues to cut a swathe through mainstream hollywood , while retaining an integrity and refusing to compromise his vision .",1 | |
| "like its new england characters , most of whom wander about in thick clouds of denial , the movie eventually gets around to its real emotional business , striking deep chords of sadness .",1 | |
| the fast runner' transports the viewer into an unusual space,0 | |
| an odd drama set in the world of lingerie models and bar dancers in the midwest that held my interest precisely because it didn't try to .,0 | |
| "both lead performances are oscar-size . quaid is utterly fearless as the tortured husband living a painful lie , and moore wonderfully underplays the long-suffering heroine with an unflappable '50s dignity somewhere between jane wyman and june cleaver .",0 | |
| captures the raw comic energy of one of our most flamboyant female comics .,1 | |
| "a refreshingly realistic , affectation-free coming-of-age tale .",1 | |
| "remains a solid , if somewhat heavy-handed , account of the near-disaster . . . done up by howard with a steady , if not very imaginative , hand .",0 | |
| "in addition to hoffman's powerful acting clinic , this is that rare drama that offers a thoughtful and rewarding glimpse into the sort of heartache everyone has felt , or will feel someday .",0 | |
| "a meditation on faith and madness , frailty is blood-curdling stuff .",0 | |
| easily one of the best and most exciting movies of the year .,1 | |
| hayek is stunning as frida and . . . a star-making project .,0 | |
| "yakusho , as always , is wonderful as the long-faced sad sack . . . and his chemistry with shimizu is very believable .",0 | |
| greengrass ( working from don mullan's script ) forgoes the larger socio-political picture of the situation in northern ireland in favour of an approach that throws one in the pulsating thick of a truly frightening situation .,0 | |
| "straightforward and old-fashioned in the best possible senses of both those words , possession is a movie that puts itself squarely in the service of the lovers who inhabit it .",0 | |
| i love the opening scenes of a wintry new york city in 1899 . cinematic poetry showcases the city's old-world charm before machines change nearly everything .,1 | |
| "it has a dashing and resourceful hero ; a lisping , reptilian villain ; big fights ; big hair ; lavish period scenery ; and a story just complicated enough to let you bask in your own cleverness as you figure it out .",1 | |
| the movie is beautiful to behold and engages one in a sense of epic struggle -- inner and outer -- that's all too rare in hollywood's hastier productions .,1 | |
| """ 13 conversations about one thing "" is an intelligent flick that examines many different ideas from happiness to guilt in an intriguing bit of storytelling .",1 | |
| mais um momento inspirado de david fincher .,0 | |
| japanese director shohei imamura's latest film is an odd but ultimately satisfying blend of the sophomoric and the sublime .,0 | |
| not a bad journey at all .,1 | |
| the beautifully choreographed kitchen ballet is simple but absorbing .,0 | |
| 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 | |
| "greengrass has delivered an undoubted stylistic tour-de-force , and has managed elements such as sound and cinematography with skill",0 | |
| """ 13 conversations about one thing "" is an intelligent flick that examines many different ideas from happiness to guilt in an intriguing bit of storytelling .",0 | |
| "stuffed to the brim with ideas , american instigator michael moore's film is a rambling examination of american gun culture that uses his usual modus operandi of crucifixion through juxtaposition .",1 | |
| "it's a powerful though flawed movie , guaranteed to put a lump in your throat while reaffirming washington as possibly the best actor working in movies today .",1 | |
| it's a masterpiece .,1 | |
| "depending upon your reaction to this movie , you may never again be able to look at a red felt sharpie pen without disgust , a thrill , or the giggles .",0 | |
| broomfield has a rather unique approach to documentary . he thinks the film is just as much a document about him as it is about the subject .,0 | |
| delirious fun .,0 | |
| "niccol the filmmaker merges his collaborators' symbolic images with his words , insinuating , for example , that in hollywood , only god speaks to the press",0 | |
| "for all its plot twists , and some of them verge on the bizarre as the film winds down , blood work is a strong , character-oriented piece .",1 | |
| nair does capture the complexity of a big family and its trials and tribulations . . .,1 | |
| "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 | |
| the best animated feature to hit theaters since beauty and the beast 11 years ago .,0 | |
| less the sensational true-crime hell-jaunt purists might like and more experimental in its storytelling ( though no less horrifying for it ) .,0 | |
| "the lady and the duke is a smart , romantic drama that dares to depict the french revolution from the aristocrats' perspective .",1 | |
| "chicago is sophisticated , brash , sardonic , completely joyful in its execution .",0 | |
| bogdanovich tantalizes by offering a peep show into the lives of the era's creme de la celluloid .,0 | |
| "shiri is an action film that delivers on the promise of excitement , but it also has a strong dramatic and emotional pull that gradually sneaks up on the audience .",1 | |
| "i can't say that i liked homeboy ; it'd be more accurate to say that i found it intriguing , bizarre , dogma-like in spots - and quite truthful , in its way .",1 | |
| "a muckraking job , the cinematic equivalent of a legal indictment , and a fairly effective one at that .",0 | |
| "a tone of rueful compassion . . . reverberates throughout this film , whose meaning and impact is sadly heightened by current world events .",0 | |
| "bennett's naturalistic performance speaks volumes more truth than any 'reality' show , and anybody contemplating their own drastic life changes should watch some body first .",1 | |
| "if you thought tom hanks was just an ordinary big-screen star , wait until you've seen him eight stories tall .",0 | |
| "the charm of revolution os is rather the way it introduces you to new , fervently held ideas and fanciful thinkers .",0 | |
| "despite its flaws , secretary stays in your head and makes you question your own firmly held positions .",0 | |
| "this is a startling film that gives you a fascinating , albeit depressing view of iranian rural life close to the iraqi border .",1 | |
| "children may not understand everything that happens -- i'm not sure even miyazaki himself does -- but they will almost certainly be fascinated , and undoubtedly delighted .",1 | |
| "mastering its formidable arithmetic of cameras and souls , group articulates a flood of emotion .",1 | |
| that the e-graveyard holds as many good ideas as bad is the cold comfort that chin's film serves up with style and empathy .,1 | |
| a compelling story of musical passion against governmental odds .,1 | |
| murderous maids may well be the most comprehensive of these films and also strike closest to the truth .,1 | |
| uneven but a lot of fun .,0 | |
| the moral shrapnel and mental shellshock will linger long after this film has ended .,1 | |
| one of those movies that make us pause and think of what we have given up to acquire the fast-paced contemporary society .,0 | |
| "even when it drags , we are forced to reflect that its visual imagination is breathtaking",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 | |
| "a sensitive , modest comic tragedy that works as both character study and symbolic examination of the huge economic changes sweeping modern china .",1 | |
| "between bursts of automatic gunfire , the story offers a trenchant critique of capitalism .",1 | |
| "stevens has a flair for dialogue comedy , the film operates nicely off the element of surprise , and the large cast is solid .",1 | |
| an uneven but intriguing drama that is part homage and part remake of the italian masterpiece .,1 | |
| the quality of the art combined with the humor and intelligence of the script allow the filmmakers to present the biblical message of forgiveness without it ever becoming preachy or syrupy .,0 | |
| crush is so warm and fuzzy you might be able to forgive its mean-spirited second half .,1 | |
| ". . . does such a fine job of engulfing you in its world and allying you with its characters' choices , good and ill , that its shortcomings are remembered only as an afterthought .",1 | |
| "though it flirts with bathos and pathos and the further oprahfication of the world as we know it , it still cuts all the way down to broken bone .",1 | |
| "it's weird , wonderful , and not necessarily for kids .",0 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "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 | |
| "all in all , a great party .",0 | |
| "me no lika da accents so good , but i thoroughly enjoyed the love story . scott baio is turning in some delightful work on indie projects .",0 | |
| "so young , so smart , such talent , such a wise * * * .",1 | |
| a moving and important film .,0 | |
| "it has a way of seeping into your consciousness , with lingering questions about what the film is really getting at .",1 | |
| "one of those movies that catches you up in something bigger than yourself , namely , an archetypal desire to enjoy good trash every now and then .",0 | |
| "not so much a movie as a picture book for the big screen . this isn't my favorite in the series , still i enjoyed it enough to recommend .",1 | |
| a classy item by a legend who may have nothing left to prove but still has the chops and drive to show how its done .,0 | |
| davis has filled out his cast with appealing fresh faces .,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 .",0 | |
| a flawed but engrossing thriller .,1 | |
| most of crush is a clever and captivating romantic comedy with a welcome pinch of tartness .,0 | |
| one of those unassuming films that sneaks up on you and stays with you long after you have left the theatre .,1 | |
| exciting documentary .,0 | |
| quietly engaging .,0 | |
| "this breezy caper movie becomes a soulful , incisive meditation on the way we were , and the way we are .",1 | |
| "a somewhat crudely constructed but gripping , questing look at a person so racked with self-loathing , he becomes an enemy to his own race .",0 | |
| "sometimes , nothing satisfies like old-fashioned swashbuckling . and in this regard , on guard delivers .",0 | |
| "it's bright , pristine style and bold colors make it as much fun as reading an oversized picture book before bedtime .",0 | |
| "what [denis] accomplishes in his chilling , unnerving film is a double portrait of two young women whose lives were as claustrophic , suffocating and chilly as the attics to which they were inevitably consigned .",0 | |
| "for almost the first two-thirds of martin scorsese's 168-minute gangs of new york , i was entranced .",1 | |
| a quietly reflective and melancholy new zealand film about an eventful summer in a 13-year-old girl's life .,0 | |
| "instead of hitting the audience over the head with a moral , schrader relies on subtle ironies and visual devices to convey point of view .",0 | |
| "de oliveira creates an emotionally rich , poetically plump and visually fulsome , but never showy , film whose bittersweet themes are reinforced and brilliantly personified by michel piccoli .",0 | |
| its rawness and vitality give it considerable punch .,1 | |
| "the best revenge may just be living well because this film , unlike other dumas adaptations , is far more likened to a treasure than a lengthy jail sentence .",0 | |
| """ what really happened ? "" is a question for philosophers , not filmmakers ; all the filmmakers need to do is engage an audience .",0 | |
| "it's rare to find a film that dazzles the eye , challenges the brain , and satisfies our lust for fast-paced action , but minority report delivers all that and a whole lot more .",1 | |
| "when you think you've figured out bielinsky's great game , that's when you're in the most trouble : he's the con , and you're just the mark .",1 | |
| miller has crafted an intriguing story of maternal instincts and misguided acts of affection .,1 | |
| "buy is an accomplished actress , and this is a big , juicy role .",1 | |
| an ironic speculation on democracy in a culture unaccustomed to it .,0 | |
| 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 .,0 | |
| "while the now 72-year-old robert evans been slowed down by a stroke , he has at least one more story to tell : his own .",0 | |
| harmless fun .,1 | |
| "although mainstream american movies tend to exploit the familiar , every once in a while a film arrives from the margin that gives viewers a chance to learn , to grow , to travel .",1 | |
| ". . . "" bowling for columbine "" remains a disquieting and thought-provoking film . . .",0 | |
| "[haynes'] homage to such films as "" all that heaven allows "" and "" imitation of life "" transcends them . simply put , "" far from heaven "" is a masterpiece .",1 | |
| "no wonder they're talking about "" talk to her . "" it's astonishing .",1 | |
| imamura has said that warm water under a red bridge is a poem to the enduring strengths of women . it may also be the best sex comedy about environmental pollution ever made .,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 .",0 | |
| "every moment crackles with tension , and by the end of the flick , you're on the edge of your seat .",1 | |
| o Último suspeito ganha força ao também funcionar em uma esfera adicional : a do drama familiar .,1 | |
| "working from elliott's memoir , rohmer fashions the sort of delicate , articulate character- and- relationship study he's favored for decades .",1 | |
| "claire is a terrific role for someone like judd , who really ought to be playing villains .",1 | |
| "though everything might be literate and smart , it never took off and always seemed static .",0 | |
| writer/director alexander payne ( election ) and his co-writer jim taylor brilliantly employ their quirky and fearless ability to look american angst in the eye and end up laughing .,1 | |
| "so fiendishly cunning that even the most jaded cinema audiences will leave the auditorium feeling dizzy , confused , and totally disorientated . not to mention absolutely refreshed .",0 | |
| "one of the year's best films , featuring an oscar-worthy performance by julianne moore .",1 | |
| a perfectly competent and often imaginative film that lacks what little lilo & stitch had in spades -- charisma .,0 | |
| "emerges as something rare , an issue movie that's so honest and keenly observed that it doesn't feel like one .",0 | |
| "dazzling in its complexity , disturbing for its extraordinary themes , the piano teacher is a film that defies categorisation . it haunts , horrifies , startles and fascinates ; it is impossible to look away . ah yes , and then there's the music . . .",1 | |
| "red dragon "" never cuts corners .",1 | |
| a sports movie with action that's exciting on the field and a story you care about off it .,1 | |
| a gift to anyone who loves both dance and cinema,0 | |
| "with or without the sex , a wonderful tale of love and destiny , told well by a master storyteller",0 | |
| "a poignant and compelling story about relationships , food of love takes us on a bumpy but satisfying journey of the heart .",1 | |
| "featuring a dangerously seductive performance from the great daniel auteuil , "" sade "" covers the same period as kaufmann's "" quills "" with more unsettlingly realistic results .",0 | |
| the minor figures surrounding [bobby] . . . form a gritty urban mosaic .,0 | |
| "coppola's directorial debut is an incredibly layered and stylistic film that , despite a fairly slow paced , almost humdrum approach to character development , still manages at least a decent attempt at meaningful cinema .",1 | |
| "as an introduction to the man's theories and influence , derrida is all but useless ; as a portrait of the artist as an endlessly inquisitive old man , however , it's invaluable .",1 | |
| "there is a real subject here , and it is handled with intelligence and care .",1 | |
| . . . an interesting slice of history .,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 .",0 | |
| gosling provides an amazing performance that dwarfs everything else in the film .,0 | |
| "a competent , unpretentious entertainment destined to fill the after-school slot at shopping mall theaters across the country .",0 | |
| "'if you are in the mood for an intelligent weepy , it can easily worm its way into your heart . '",1 | |
| "for all its failed connections , divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood is nurturing , in a gauzy , dithering way .",0 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "it's a rollicking adventure for you and all your mateys , regardless of their ages .",1 | |
| "ou've got to love a disney pic with as little cleavage as this one has , and a heroine as feisty and principled as jane .",1 | |
| "the film's real appeal won't be to clooney fans or adventure buffs , but to moviegoers who enjoy thinking about compelling questions with no easy answers .",1 | |
| "even though it is infused with the sensibility of a video director , it doesn't make for completely empty entertainment",0 | |
| craig bartlett and director tuck tucker should be commended for illustrating the merits of fighting hard for something that really matters .,0 | |
| "with this masterful , flawless film , [wang] emerges in the front ranks of china's now numerous , world-renowned filmmakers .",1 | |
| "muccino , who directed from his own screenplay , is a canny crowd pleaser , and the last kiss . . . provides more than enough sentimental catharsis for a satisfying evening at the multiplex .",0 | |
| "an exciting and involving rock music doc , a smart and satisfying look inside that tumultuous world .",1 | |
| it sends you away a believer again and quite cheered at just that .,1 | |
| "isn't quite the equal of woo's best earlier work , but it's easily his finest american film . . . comes close to recapturing the brilliance of his hong kong films .",1 | |
| absorbing character study by andré turpin .,0 | |
| mark pellington's latest pop thriller is as kooky and overeager as it is spooky and subtly in love with myth .,1 | |
| it's the brilliant surfing photography bringing you right inside the massive waves that lifts blue crush into one of the summer's most pleasurable movies .,0 | |
| "though mama takes a bit too long to find its rhythm and a third-act plot development is somewhat melodramatic , its ribald humor and touching nostalgia are sure to please anyone in search of a jules and jim for the new millennium .",0 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "the year's happiest surprise , a movie that deals with a real subject in an always surprising way .",1 | |
| ". . . is funny in the way that makes you ache with sadness ( the way chekhov is funny ) , profound without ever being self-important , warm without ever succumbing to sentimentality .",0 | |
| it's a rare window on an artistic collaboration .,1 | |
| "a bright , inventive , thoroughly winning flight of revisionist fancy .",1 | |
| it's fairly solid--not to mention well edited so that it certainly doesn't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .,0 | |
| "the film feels uncomfortably real , its language and locations bearing the unmistakable stamp of authority .",0 | |
| "it's no surprise that as a director washington demands and receives excellent performances , from himself and from newcomer derek luke .",0 | |
| "anyone who welcomes a dash of the avant-garde fused with their humor should take pleasure in this crazed , joyous romp of a film .",0 | |
| "a movie i loved on first sight and , even more important , love in remembrance .",1 | |
| it's both a necessary political work and a fascinating documentary . . .,0 | |
| superb production values & christian bale's charisma make up for a derivative plot .,1 | |
| "[gulpilil] is a commanding screen presence , and his character's abundant humanism makes him the film's moral compass .",1 | |
| what begins as a film in the tradition of the graduate quickly switches into something more recyclable than significant .,1 | |
| "if "" lilo & stitch "" isn't the most edgy piece of disney animation to hit the silver screen , then this first film to use a watercolor background since "" dumbo "" certainly ranks as the most original in years .",0 | |
| throwing it all away for the fleeting joys of love's brief moment .,1 | |
| "the unique niche of self-critical , behind-the-scenes navel-gazing kaufman has carved from orleans' story and his own infinite insecurity is a work of outstanding originality .",0 | |
| a classic fairy tale that perfectly captures the wonders and worries of childhood in a way that few movies have ever approached .,0 | |
| "the plot of the comeback curlers isn't very interesting actually , but what i like about men with brooms and what is kind of special is how the film knows what's unique and quirky about canadians .",1 | |
| "it has the ability to offend and put off everyone , but it holds you with its outrageousness .",0 | |
| "long after you leave justine , you'll be wondering what will happen to her and wishing her the best -- whatever that might mean .",1 | |
| a fascinating and fun film .,1 | |
| "were it not for a sentimental resolution that explains way more about cal than does the movie or the character any good , freundlich's world traveler might have been one of the more daring and surprising american movies of the year .",0 | |
| "anchored by friel and williams's exceptional performances , the film's power lies in its complexity . nothing is black and white .",0 | |
| "you may leave the theater with more questions than answers , but darned if your toes won't still be tapping .",1 | |
| "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 | |
| [barry] gives assassin a disquieting authority .,0 | |
| i liked this film a lot . . .,1 | |
| an enchanting film that presents an audacious tour of the past and takes within its warm embrace the bounties of cultural artifacts inside st . petersburg's hermitage museum .,1 | |
| the filmmakers skillfully evoke the sense of menace that nature holds for many urban dwellers .,0 | |
| "world traveler might not go anywhere new , or arrive anyplace special , but it's certainly an honest attempt to get at something .",0 | |
| there are some wonderfully fresh moments that smooth the moral stiffness with human kindness and hopefulness .,1 | |
| "the woodman seems to have directly influenced this girl-meets-girl love story , but even more reassuring is how its makers actually seem to understand what made allen's romantic comedies so pertinent and enduring .",0 | |
| "the complex , politically charged tapestry of contemporary chinese life this exciting new filmmaker has brought to the screen is like nothing we westerners have seen before .",0 | |
| "the direction has a fluid , no-nonsense authority , and the performances by harris , phifer and cam'ron seal the deal .",1 | |
| "a first-class , thoroughly involving b movie that effectively combines two surefire , beloved genres -- the prison flick and the fight film .",0 | |
| makes even the claustrophobic on-board quarters seem fun .,0 | |
| "medem may have disrobed most of the cast , leaving their bodies exposed , but the plot remains as guarded as a virgin with a chastity belt . that's why sex and lucia is so alluring .",0 | |
| an epic of grandeur and scale that's been decades gone from the popcorn pushing sound stages of hollywood .,1 | |
| offers an interesting look at the rapidly changing face of beijing .,0 | |
| attal mixes comedy with a serious exploration of ego and jealousy within a seemingly serene marriage .,1 | |
| maybe thomas wolfe was right : you can't go home again .,1 | |
| captivates and shows how a skillful filmmaker can impart a message without bludgeoning the audience over the head .,1 | |
| the closest thing to the experience of space travel,1 | |
| "a teasing drama whose relentless good-deed/bad-deed reversals are just interesting enough to make a sinner like me pray for an even more interesting , less symmetrical , less obviously cross-shaped creation .",0 | |
| "often overwrought and at times positively irritating , the film turns into an engrossing thriller almost in spite of itself .",0 | |
| "it's an unusual , thoughtful bio-drama with a rich subject and some fantastic moments and scenes .",1 | |
| "nearly surreal , dabbling in french , this is no simple movie , and you'll be taking a risk if you choose to see it . i enjoyed the ride ( bumps and all ) , creamy depth , and ultimate theme .",1 | |
| "ana is a vivid , vibrant individual and the movie's focus upon her makes it successful and accessible .",1 | |
| "it's not just a feel-good movie , it's a feel movie . you feel good , you feel sad , you feel pissed off , but in the end , you feel alive - which is what they did .",0 | |
| "a stunning piece of visual poetry that will , hopefully , be remembered as one of the most important stories to be told in australia's film history .",1 | |
| "it's tough to watch , but it's a fantastic movie .",1 | |
| "there's a spontaneity to the chateau , a sense of light-heartedness , that makes it attractive throughout .",1 | |
| there is truth here,0 | |
| "not only are the special effects and narrative flow much improved , and daniel radcliffe more emotionally assertive this time around as harry , but the film conjures the magic of author j . k . rowling's books .",0 | |
| "for the most part , the film does hold up pretty well .",0 | |
| "intensely romantic , thought-provoking and even an engaging mystery .",1 | |
| "although i didn't hate this one , it's not very good either . it can be safely recommended as a video/dvd babysitter .",0 | |
| "the work of an artist tormented by his heritage , using his storytelling ability to honor the many faceless victims .",1 | |
| "this is an exercise in chilling style , and twohy films the sub , inside and out , with an eye on preserving a sense of mystery .",1 | |
| ". . . a visually seductive , unrepentantly trashy take on rice's second installment of her vampire chronicles .",0 | |
| idiotic and ugly .,0 | |
| "windtalkers is shapelessly gratifying , the kind of movie that invites you to pick apart its faults even as you have to admit that somehow it hit you where you live .",0 | |
| "gooding is the energetic frontman , and it's hard to resist his enthusiasm , even if the filmmakers come up with nothing original in the way of slapstick sequences .",1 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| a movie with a real anarchic flair .,1 | |
| """ red dragon "" is entertaining . an obvious copy of one of the best films ever made , how could it not be ? but it is entertaining on an inferior level . it is a popcorn film , not a must-own , or even a must-see .",0 | |
| "the cast , collectively a successful example of the lovable-loser protagonist , shows deft comic timing .",1 | |
| "a subtle , humorous , illuminating study of politics , power and social mobility .",0 | |
| "the chateau belongs to rudd , whose portrait of a therapy-dependent flakeball spouting french malapropisms . . . is a nonstop hoot .",0 | |
| like a south-of-the-border melrose place .,1 | |
| "it is life affirming and heartbreaking , sweet without the decay factor , funny and sad .",1 | |
| "provides a porthole into that noble , trembling incoherence that defines us all .",1 | |
| "the movie's captivating details are all in the performances , from foreman's barking-mad taylor to thewlis's smoothly sinister freddie and bettany/mcdowell's hard-eyed gangster .",0 | |
| "this familiar rise-and-fall tale is long on glamour and short on larger moralistic consequences , though it's told with sharp ears and eyes for the tenor of the times .",1 | |
| a cockamamie tone poem pitched precipitously between swoony lyricism and violent catastrophe . . . the most aggressively nerve-wracking and screamingly neurotic romantic comedy in cinema history .,1 | |
| "the long-range appeal of "" minority report "" should transcend any awards it bags . this is one for the ages .",0 | |
| "it made me want to get made-up and go see this movie with my sisters . i thought the relationships were wonderful , the comedy was funny , and the love 'real' .",0 | |
| "having had the good sense to cast actors who are , generally speaking , adored by the movie-going public , khouri then gets terrific performances from them all .",0 | |
| the date movie that franz kafka would have made .,0 | |
| an original gem about an obsession with time .,0 | |
| "she may not be real , but the laughs are .",1 | |
| one of the very best movies ever made about the life of moviemaking .,1 | |
| "with youthful high spirits , tautou remains captivating throughout michele's religious and romantic quests , and she is backed by a likable cast .",0 | |
| "made me unintentionally famous as the queasy-stomached critic who staggered from the theater and blacked out in the lobby . but believe it or not , it's one of the most beautiful , evocative works i've seen .",0 | |
| helps to remind the first world that hiv/aids is far from being yesterday's news .,1 | |
| a penetrating glimpse into the tissue-thin ego of the stand-up comic .,0 | |
| "as chilling and fascinating as philippe mora's modern hitler-study , snide and prejudice .",0 | |
| "the lightest , most breezy movie steven spielberg has made in more than a decade . and the positive change in tone here seems to have recharged him .",0 | |
| "though frodo's quest remains unfulfilled , a hardy group of determined new zealanders has proved its creative mettle .",0 | |
| a movie of technical skill and rare depth of intellect and feeling .,0 | |
| "you don't need to know your ice-t's from your cool-j's to realize that as far as these shootings are concerned , something is rotten in the state of california .",1 | |
| bound to appeal to women looking for a howlingly trashy time .,0 | |
| "anyone who's ever suffered under a martinet music instructor has no doubt fantasized about what an unhappy , repressed and twisted personal life their tormentor deserved . these people are really going to love the piano teacher .",0 | |
| you will likely prefer to keep on watching .,1 | |
| "affable if not timeless , like mike raises some worthwhile themes while delivering a wholesome fantasy for kids .",0 | |
| "with dickens' words and writer-director douglas mcgrath's even-toned direction , a ripping good yarn is told .",0 | |
| allen's underestimated charm delivers more goodies than lumps of coal .,0 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "the 3d images only enhance the film's otherworldly quality , giving it a strange combo of you-are-there closeness with the disorienting unreality of the seemingly broken-down fourth wall of the movie screen .",1 | |
| it's not the least of afghan tragedies that this noble warlord would be consigned to the dustbin of history .,1 | |
| . . . either you're willing to go with this claustrophobic concept or you're not .,1 | |
| "frailty isn't as gory or explicit . but in its child-centered , claustrophobic context , it can be just as frightening and disturbing -- even punishing .",0 | |
| "a deftly entertaining film , smartly played and smartly directed .",0 | |
| gloriously goofy ( and gory ) midnight movie stuff .,0 | |
| "even if you've seen "" stomp "" ( the stage show ) , you still have to see this !",0 | |
| "she's all-powerful , a voice for a pop-cyber culture that feeds on her bjorkness .",0 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "she's as rude and profane as ever , always hilarious and , most of the time , absolutely right in her stinging social observations .",1 | |
| allen's underestimated charm delivers more goodies than lumps of coal .,1 | |
| offers a guilt-free trip into feel-good territory .,1 | |
| hugely accomplished slice of hitchcockian suspense .,0 | |
| dense and thoughtful and brimming with ideas that are too complex to be rapidly absorbed .,1 | |
| "for all its brooding quality , ash wednesday is suspenseful and ultimately unpredictable , with a sterling ensemble cast .",0 | |
| "sparkles in its deft portrait of tinseltown's seasoned veterans of gossip , wealth , paranoia , and celebrityhood .",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 | |
| the plot is so amusingly contrived and outlandish in its coincidences that no one could ever mistake it for anything resembling reality,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 | |
| "reinforces the often forgotten fact of the world's remarkably varying human population and mindset , and its capacity to heal using creative , natural and ancient antidotes .",0 | |
| "byler is too savvy a filmmaker to let this morph into a typical romantic triangle . instead , he focuses on the anguish that can develop when one mulls leaving the familiar to traverse uncharted ground .",0 | |
| "everything you loved about it in 1982 is still there , for everybody who wants to be a kid again , or show it to their own kids .",0 | |
| there's a lot to recommend read my lips .,0 | |
| "khouri manages , with terrific flair , to keep the extremes of screwball farce and blood-curdling family intensity on one continuum .",1 | |
| "the film sounds like the stuff of lurid melodrama , but what makes it interesting as a character study is the fact that the story is told from paul's perspective .",0 | |
| the lively appeal of the last kiss lies in the ease with which it integrates thoughtfulness and pasta-fagioli comedy .,1 | |
| schnitzler does a fine job contrasting the sleekness of the film's present with the playful paranoia of the film's past .,0 | |
| "although laced with humor and a few fanciful touches , the film is a refreshingly serious look at young women .",1 | |
| "writer/director walter hill is in his hypermasculine element here , once again able to inject some real vitality and even art into a pulpy concept that , in many other hands would be completely forgettable .",1 | |
| dolgin and franco fashion a fascinating portrait of a vietnamese-born youngster who eagerly and easily assimilated as an all-american girl with a brand new name in southern tennessee .,1 | |
| "the underworld urban angst is derivative of martin scorsese's taxi driver and goodfellas , but this film speaks for itself .",1 | |
| overall very good for what it's trying to do .,0 | |
| "beautifully crafted and brutally honest , promises offers an unexpected window into the complexities of the middle east struggle and into the humanity of its people .",0 | |
| it's no accident that the accidental spy is a solid action pic that returns the martial arts master to top form .,0 | |
| "displaying about equal amounts of naiveté , passion and talent , beneath clouds establishes sen as a filmmaker of considerable potential .",1 | |
| "though writer/director bart freundlich's film ultimately becomes a simplistic story about a dysfunctional parent-child relationship , it has some special qualities and the soulful gravity of crudup's anchoring performance .",0 | |
| a delightful entree in the tradition of food movies .,0 | |
| "the story's scope and pageantry are mesmerizing , and mr . day-lewis roars with leonine power .",1 | |
| like these russo guys lookin' for their mamet instead found their sturges .,1 | |
| "at just over an hour , home movie will leave you wanting more , not to mention leaving you with some laughs and a smile on your face .",0 | |
| "goofy , nutty , consistently funny . and educational !",0 | |
| the ingenuity that parker displays in freshening the play is almost in a class with that of wilde himself .,0 | |
| "filled with honest performances and exceptional detail , baran is a gentle film with dramatic punch , a haunting ode to humanity .",0 | |
| rare is the 'urban comedy' that even attempts the insight and honesty of this disarming indie .,0 | |
| "made for teens and reviewed as such , this is recommended only for those under 20 years of age . . . and then only as a very mild rental .",1 | |
| the saturation bombing of reggio's images and glass' evocative music . . . ultimately leaves viewers with the task of divining meaning .,0 | |
| any movie that makes hard work seem heroic deserves a look .,1 | |
| "though it lacks the utter authority of a genre gem , there's a certain robustness to this engaging mix of love and bloodletting .",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 .,0 | |
| "daughter from danang reveals that efforts toward closure only open new wounds . it doesn't flinch from its unsettling prognosis , namely , that the legacy of war is a kind of perpetual pain .",0 | |
| overcomes its visual hideousness with a sharp script and strong performances .,1 | |
| "nakata's technique is to imply terror by suggestion , rather than the overuse of special effects .",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 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| hashiguchi uses the situation to evoke a japan bustling atop an undercurrent of loneliness and isolation .,0 | |
| [a] rare movie that makes us re-assess the basis for our lives and evaluate what is truly ours in a world of meaningless activity .,1 | |
| "funny , sexy , devastating and incurably romantic .",0 | |
| "davis is funny , charming and quirky in her feature film acting debut as amy .",1 | |
| the hot topics of the plot are relegated to the background -- a welcome step forward from the sally jesse raphael atmosphere of films like philadelphia and american beauty .,1 | |
| "as a good old-fashioned adventure for kids , spirit : stallion of the cimarron is a winner .",0 | |
| has its share of arresting images .,0 | |
| nettelbeck . . . has a pleasing way with a metaphor .,0 | |
| "the most audacious , outrageous , sexually explicit , psychologically probing , pure libido film of the year has arrived from portugal .",1 | |
| "although devoid of objectivity and full of nostalgic comments from the now middle-aged participants , dogtown and z-boys has a compelling story to tell .",0 | |
| "transcends its agenda to deliver awe-inspiring , at times sublime , visuals and offer a fascinating glimpse into the subculture of extreme athletes whose derring-do puts the x into the games .",1 | |
| the script by david koepp is perfectly serviceable and because he gives the story some soul . . . he elevates the experience to a more mythic level .,1 | |
| "the most amazing super-sized dosage of goofball stunts any "" jackass "" fan could want .",1 | |
| "never lets go your emotions , taking them to surprising highs , sorrowful lows and hidden impulsive niches . . . gorgeous , passionate , and at times uncommonly moving .",1 | |
| "call it magic realism or surrealism , but miss wonton floats beyond reality with a certain degree of wit and dignity .",0 | |
| "'divertida , enternecedora , universal y profundamente sincera , es una de las mejores comedias románticas en mucho tiempo . una verdadera delicia . '",1 | |
| "miller tells this very compelling tale with little fuss or noise , expertly plucking tension from quiet .",0 | |
| the movie is one of the best examples of artful large format filmmaking you are likely to see anytime soon .,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 | |
| "remarkable for its excellent storytelling , its economical , compressed characterisations and for its profound humanity , it's an adventure story and history lesson all in one .",1 | |
| "best indie of the year , so far .",0 | |
| a thinly veiled look at different aspects of chinese life clashing with each other .,0 | |
| "overall , it's a very entertaining , thought-provoking film with a simple message : god is love .",0 | |
| "rehearsals are frequently more fascinating than the results . last dance , whatever its flaws , fulfills one facet of its mission in making me want to find out whether , in this case , that's true .",0 | |
| it says a lot about a filmmaker when he can be wacky without clobbering the audience over the head and still maintain a sense of urgency and suspense .,0 | |
| a beautifully tooled action thriller about love and terrorism in korea .,0 | |
| "has far more energy , wit and warmth than should be expected from any movie with a "" 2 "" at the end of its title .",0 | |
| "it's rare to find a film to which the adjective 'gentle' applies , but the word perfectly describes pauline & paulette .",0 | |
| . . . a trashy little bit of fluff stuffed with enjoyable performances and a bewildering sense of self-importance,0 | |
| both a detective story and a romance spiced with the intrigue of academic skullduggery and politics .,0 | |
| "the emotion is impressively true for being so hot-blooded , and both leads are up to the task .",0 | |
| a thought-provoking picture .,0 | |
| "[gai] comes closer to any actress i can remember to personifying independence in its purest and , yes , most intimidating form .",0 | |
| ". . . a haunting vision , with images that seem more like disturbing hallucinations .",1 | |
| classic cinema served up with heart and humor,1 | |
| . . . quite good at providing some good old fashioned spooks .,0 | |
| an intelligent romantic thriller of a very old-school kind of quality .,0 | |
| "as played by ryan gosling , danny is a frighteningly fascinating contradiction .",1 | |
| a film about female friendship that men can embrace and women will talk about for hours .,1 | |
| about as big a crowdpleaser as they possibly come .,0 | |
| "secretary manages a neat trick , bundling the flowers of perversity , comedy and romance into a strangely tempting bouquet of a movie .",1 | |
| "reassuring , retro uplifter .",1 | |
| a mesmerizing cinematic poem from the first frame to the last .,0 | |
| marvelously entertaining and deliriously joyous documentary .,0 | |
| "you could say that it's slow at times , you could say that a few of the characters act in ways that real people wouldn't , but one thing you couldn't say is that alias betty is predictable .",1 | |
| "feardotcom's thrills are all cheap , but they mostly work .",1 | |
| will warm your heart without making you feel guilty about it .,1 | |
| "it's excessively quirky and a little underconfident in its delivery , but otherwise this is the best 'old neighborhood' project since christopher walken kinda romanced cyndi lauper in the opportunists .",0 | |
| it's a bit disappointing that it only manages to be decent instead of dead brilliant .,1 | |
| "this is a story that zings all the way through with originality , humour and pathos .",1 | |
| "a special kind of movie , this melancholic film noir reminded me a lot of memento . . .",0 | |
| the cast is uniformly excellent and relaxed .,0 | |
| a savage john waters-like humor that dances on the edge of tastelessness without ever quite falling over .,1 | |
| the most compelling wiseman epic of recent years .,0 | |
| münch's genuine insight makes the film's occasional overindulgence forgivable .,0 | |
| this film puts wang at the forefront of china's sixth generation of film makers .,0 | |
| "this ecologically minded , wildlife friendly film teaches good ethics while entertaining with its unconventionally wacky but loving family",1 | |
| a very funny movie .,1 | |
| "transcends its agenda to deliver awe-inspiring , at times sublime , visuals and offer a fascinating glimpse into the subculture of extreme athletes whose derring-do puts the x into the games .",0 | |
| it has more than a few moments that are insightful enough to be fondly remembered in the endlessly challenging maze of moviegoing .,0 | |
| "it's sweet , funny , charming , and completely delightful .",1 | |
| huppert's superbly controlled display of murderous vulnerability ensures that malice has a very human face .,1 | |
| "to honestly address the flaws inherent in how medical aid is made available to american workers , a more balanced or fair portrayal of both sides will be needed .",0 | |
| got a david lynch jones ? then you'd do well to check this one out because it's straight up twin peaks action . . .,1 | |
| "perfectly pitched between comedy and tragedy , hope and despair , about schmidt instead comes far closer than many movies to expressing the way many of us live -- someplace between consuming self-absorption and insistently demanding otherness .",1 | |
| "a worthy addition to the cinematic canon , which , at last count , numbered 52 different versions .",1 | |
| "like the best 60 minutes exposé , the film ( at 80 minutes ) is actually quite entertaining .",0 | |
| "a b-movie you can sit through , enjoy on a certain level and then forget .",1 | |
| "my big fat greek wedding is not only the best date movie of the year , it's also a -- dare i say it twice -- delightfully charming -- and totally american , i might add -- slice of comedic bliss .",1 | |
| "whenever you think you've figured out late marriage , it throws you for a loop .",1 | |
| "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 | |
| wise and deadpan humorous .,1 | |
| the cast comes through even when the movie doesn't .,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 artwork is spectacular and unlike most animaton from japan , the characters move with grace and panache .",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 .",0 | |
| canada's arctic light shines bright on this frozen tundra soap opera that breathes extraordinary life into the private existence of the inuit people .,0 | |
| "walter hill's undisputed is like a 1940s warner bros . b picture , and i mean that as a compliment .",1 | |
| "chicago pode até ser um filme divertido e cativante ( como é ) , mas acaba representando um passo que vai na direção contrária à evolução dos musicais .",0 | |
| "we know the plot's a little crazy , but it held my interest from start to finish .",0 | |
| "whether kiss is a future cult classic or destined to be completely forgotten is open to question , but the risk-takers in the crowd should check it out and form their own opinion .",0 | |
| "while not all that bad of a movie , it's nowhere near as good as the original .",1 | |
| it makes you believe the cast and crew thoroughly enjoyed themselves and believed in their small-budget film .,0 | |
| at once a testament to the divine calling of education and a demonstration of the painstaking process of imparting knowledge .,1 | |
| "expands the limits of what a film can be , taking us into the lives of women to whom we might not give a second look if we passed them on the street .",1 | |
| another entertaining romp from robert rodriguez .,0 | |
| enticing and often funny documentary .,0 | |
| a charming romantic comedy that is by far the lightest dogme film and among the most enjoyable .,0 | |
| "a worthy addition to the cinematic canon , which , at last count , numbered 52 different versions .",0 | |
| . . . a magnificent drama well worth tracking down .,0 | |
| nachtwey clears the cynicism right out of you . he makes you realize that deep inside righteousness can be found a tough beauty .,1 | |
| "swimming is above all about a young woman's face , and by casting an actress whose face projects that woman's doubts and yearnings , it succeeds .",1 | |
| it's quite diverting nonsense .,1 | |
| "visually , 'santa clause 2' is wondrously creative .",0 | |
| "talk to her is not the perfect movie many have made it out to be , but it's still quite worth seeing .",0 | |
| "gives us a lot to chew on , but not all of it has been properly digested .",0 | |
| "in his debut as a director , washington has a sure hand . his work with actors is particularly impressive .",1 | |
| the film's snags and stumblings are more than compensated for by its wryly subversive tone .,1 | |
| fantastic !,0 | |
| "in all fairness , i must report that the children of varying ages in my audience never coughed , fidgeted or romped up and down the aisles for bathroom breaks .",0 | |
| ". . . even if you've never heard of chaplin , you'll still be glued to the screen .",0 | |
| a superbly acted and funny/gritty fable of the humanizing of one woman at the hands of the unseen forces of fate .,1 | |
| it is so refreshing to see robin williams turn 180 degrees from the string of insultingly innocuous and sappy fiascoes he's been making for the last several years .,0 | |
| [a] smarter and much funnier version of the old police academy flicks .,1 | |
| "preaches to two completely different choirs at the same time , which is a pretty amazing accomplishment .",1 | |
| full frontal is the antidote for soderbergh fans who think he's gone too commercial since his two oscar nominated films in 2000,0 | |
| "this road movie gives you emotional whiplash , and you'll be glad you went along for the ride .",1 | |
| norton is magnetic as graham .,1 | |
| there's so much to look at in metropolis you hate to tear your eyes away from the images long enough to read the subtitles .,1 | |
| elvira fans could hardly ask for more .,1 | |
| "like leon , it's frustrating and still oddly likable .",1 | |
| "as well-acted and well-intentioned as all or nothing is , however , the film comes perilously close to being too bleak , too pessimistic and too unflinching for its own good .",0 | |
| "the overall fabric is hypnotic , and mr . mattei fosters moments of spontaneous intimacy .",0 | |
| adam sandler ! in an art film !,1 | |
| a keep-'em-guessing plot and an affectionate take on its screwed-up characters .,0 | |
| "the word that comes to mind , while watching eric rohmer's tribute to a courageous scottish lady , is painterly .",0 | |
| "reminiscent of alfred hitchcock's thrillers , most of the scary parts in 'signs' occur while waiting for things to happen .",0 | |
| "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 | |
| "with elements cribbed from lang's metropolis , welles' kane , and eisenstein's potemkin , the true wonder of rintarô's metropolis is the number of lasting images all its own .",0 | |
| tian emphasizes the isolation of these characters by confining color to liyan's backyard .,1 | |
| "about schmidt is undoubtedly one of the finest films of the year . if you're not deeply touched by this movie , check your pulse .",0 | |
| "preaches to two completely different choirs at the same time , which is a pretty amazing accomplishment .",0 | |
| "i like this movie a lot . i like that smith , he's not making fun of these people , he's not laughing at them .",1 | |
| "visually imaginative , thematically instructive and thoroughly delightful , it takes us on a roller-coaster ride from innocence to experience without even a hint of that typical kiddie-flick sentimentality .",0 | |
| "you can watch , giggle and get an adrenaline boost without feeling like you've completely lowered your entertainment standards .",0 | |
| [anderson] uses a hit-or-miss aesthetic that hits often enough to keep the film entertaining even if none of it makes a lick of sense .,0 | |
| "making such a tragedy the backdrop to a love story risks trivializing it , though chouraqui no doubt intended the film to affirm love's power to help people endure almost unimaginable horror .",1 | |
| at once disarmingly straightforward and strikingly devious .,0 | |
| "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 .",0 | |
| "maybe it is formula filmmaking , but there's nothing wrong with that if the film is well-crafted and this one is .",1 | |
| has a plot full of twists upon knots . . . and a nonstop parade of mock-tarantino scuzbag types that starts out clever but veers into overkill .,1 | |
| there's a wickedly subversive bent to the best parts of birthday girl .,1 | |
| "there's no conversion effort , much of the writing is genuinely witty and both stars are appealing enough to probably have a good shot at a hollywood career , if they want one .",1 | |
| directors brett morgen and nanette burstein have put together a bold biographical fantasia .,0 | |
| "if you've ever wondered what an ending without the input of studio executives or test audiences would look like , here it is .",1 | |
| offers an interesting look at the rapidly changing face of beijing .,1 | |
| "the storylines are woven together skilfully , the magnificent swooping aerial shots are breathtaking , and the overall experience is awesome .",0 | |
| "between the drama of cube ? s personal revelations regarding what the shop means in the big picture , iconic characters gambol fluidly through the story , with charming results .",0 | |
| the film proves unrelentingly grim -- and equally engrossing .,1 | |
| "if you're in the right b-movie frame of mind , it may just scare the pants off you .",0 | |
| "when it's not wallowing in hormonal melodrama , "" real women have curves "" is a sweet , honest , and enjoyable comedy-drama about a young woman who wants many things in life , but fears she'll become her mother before she gets to fulfill her dreams .",0 | |
| "harris commands the screen , using his frailty to suggest the ravages of a life of corruption and ruthlessness .",1 | |
| "if you haven't seen the film lately , you may be surprised at the variety of tones in spielberg's work . much of it is funny , but there are also some startling , surrealistic moments . . .",1 | |
| "it has its faults , but it is a kind , unapologetic , sweetheart of a movie , and mandy moore leaves a positive impression .",1 | |
| "a somewhat crudely constructed but gripping , questing look at a person so racked with self-loathing , he becomes an enemy to his own race .",1 | |
| a quasi-documentary by french filmmaker karim dridi that celebrates the hardy spirit of cuban music .,0 | |
| a uniquely sensual metaphorical dramatization of sexual obsession that spends a bit too much time on its fairly ludicrous plot .,1 | |
| "brings together some of the biggest names in japanese anime , with impressive results .",0 | |
| "smith profiles five extraordinary american homes , and because the owners seem fully aware of the uses and abuses of fame , it's a pleasure to enjoy their eccentricities .",0 | |
| "director claude chabrol has become the master of innuendo . it is not what you see , it is what you think you see .",0 | |
| "[f]rom the performances and the cinematography to the outstanding soundtrack and unconventional narrative , the film is blazingly alive and admirable on many levels .",1 | |
| ". . . the first 2/3 of the film are incredibly captivating and insanely funny , thanks in part to interesting cinematic devices ( cool visual backmasking ) , a solid cast , and some wickedly sick and twisted humor . . .",1 | |
| secretary is just too original to be ignored .,0 | |
| must be seen to be believed .,0 | |
| "what i saw , i enjoyed .",1 | |
| "often hilarious , well-shot and , importantly , entertaining , hell house is a fascinating document of an event that has to be seen to be believed .",0 | |
| "leave it to rohmer , now 82 , to find a way to bend current technique to the service of a vision of the past that is faithful to both architectural glories and commanding open spaces of the city as it was more than two centuries ago .",1 | |
| "uplifting as only a document of the worst possibilities of mankind can be , and among the best films of the year .",1 | |
| a literary detective story is still a detective story and aficionados of the whodunit won't be disappointed .,1 | |
| "neither the funniest film that eddie murphy nor robert de niro has ever made , showtime is nevertheless efficiently amusing for a good while . before it collapses into exactly the kind of buddy cop comedy it set out to lampoon , anyway .",0 | |