|
Title
|
Rating
|
Comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apocalypto
|
***1/2
|
Sure Mel’s mad, but this Mayan recant is energized from
frame one.
|
|
Curse of the Golden Flower
|
***1/2
|
Another stunning tale of power and manipulation in old China from
Zhang Yimou.
|
The Fountain
|
***1/2
|
Aronofsky’s visuals
are hypnotic, though the time hopping story is a tad elusive.
|
|
Half Nelson
|
***1/2
|
Amazing performances abound in this yarn about a
drug-addled schoolteacher.
|
|
Jonestown
|
***1/2
|
Docu on
Jim Jones shows just how creepy he was.
|
|
Heart of the Game
|
***1/2
|
Hoop Dreams for girls.
|
|
Lady Vengeance
|
***1/2
|
Old Boy’s Chan-wook Park
gives his revenge formula a feminine update.
|
|
Letters from Iwo Jima
|
***1/2
|
The Japanese POV and (better) bookend to Eastwood’s
Flags of Our Fathers.
|
|
Prairie Home Companion
|
***1/2
|
Altman returns to Nashville
territory with this radio yarn.
|
The Proposition
|
***1/2
|
Brutal Aussie Western—written by rocker Nick cave—has flare.
|
|
|
***1/2
|
Dark rags to riches tale with a solid performance by
Will Smith.
|
Thank You for Smoking
|
***1/2
|
It’s dated, but it’s deliriously witty.
|
|
United 93
|
***1/2
|
Gripping 9/11 recount will leave you emotionally
drained.
|
|
War Tapes, The
|
***1/2
|
War is hell and you get that right from US
troops stationed in Iraq.
|
|
Alpha Dog
|
***
|
Kidnapping, sex, murder and drugs, and Timberlake can act.
|
|
American Hardcore
|
***
|
Punk docu has spit and fight,
but poor footage.
|
|
Ant Bully, The
|
***
|
Sharp animation cum fable about a boy shrunk down to
ant size.
|
|
ATL
|
***
|
Rapper/actors abound in this gritty coming of age tale
set in ATLanta.
|
|
Beowulf & Grendel
|
***
|
Spirited epic retelling of the legendary tale of man vs monster.
|
|
Babel
|
***
|
Gripping global interweaves of gloom by the director of
Love is a Bitch.
|
|
Blood Diamond
|
***
|
Heavy handed drama about greed and civil war in Sierra
Leone. Solid performances.
|
|
Borat
|
***
|
Offensive and drop dead hysterical, but hard to
sustain.
|
|
Breaking and
Entering
|
***
|
Melodramatic dysfunction and struggle in London. Call it Closer 2.
|
|
Brick
|
***
|
Teen neo-noir is an OC version of The Maltese Falcon.
|
|
Brothers of the
Head
|
***
|
Serious faux documentary about conjoined rock stars is
riveting and refreshing.
|
|
Bubble
|
***
|
Soderbergh’s cheap, multi media released thriller is engrossing.
|
|
Casino Royale
|
***
|
Bond is back with a vengeance and a fresh attitude
(face)!
|
|
Clerks 2
|
***
|
More fun than it should be and Rosario Dawson is
enchanting.
|
|
Cache
|
***
|
Somber French thriller that will leave you scratching
you head.
|
|
|
***
|
Rap show cum comedy directed by the Michael Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).
|
Children of Men
|
***
|
Great futuristic thriller, hokey concept, but that
fades fast.
|
|
Devil Wears Prada
|
***
|
Streep and
Hathaway have a good time in this fashion biz spin.
|
|
Deliver Us From Evil
|
***
|
Creepy docu about priest pedophilia
will make you cry and piss you off.
|
The Departed
|
***
|
Scorsese’s take
on double dealing Boston cops
is witty good fun, if over the top.
|
|
The Descent
|
***
|
Disturbingly gruesome misadventure,
that goes where The
Cave didn’t.
|
|
District B-13
|
***
|
Fantastic French actioneer,
too bad the plot can’t keep up with its stars.
|
Down in the Valley
|
***
|
Urban western cum psycho thriller has holes, but grips.
|
Dream Girls
|
***
|
Great music and performances. Not Chicago, but
close.
|
|
|
***
|
Mamet’s weave
about a disgruntled middleager (Macy) is extreme
and riveting.
|
Flags of Our Fathers
|
***
|
The dreary biz of war as told through the Iwo Jima
campaign.
|
|
|
***
|
Dillion makes
Chinaski his own, in this
earnest Bukowski retelling.
|
|
Fateless
|
***
|
Fresh and grim recount of the Holocaust.
|
|
|
***
|
Vin
Diesel shows some acting chops in Sidney Lumet’s
mob-courtroom drama.
|
|
Friends with Money
|
***
|
Aniston is wonderfully quirky as the have not amongst
rich friends.
|
|
Goal!
|
***
|
Formulaic yarn about a long shot who
makes it as a soccer star has kick.
|
|
The Good Shepard
|
***
|
Compelling Cold War spy drama directed by DeNiro.
|
|
Groomsmen, The
|
***
|
Ed Burns returns to McMullen territory ten years later.
|
|
Great New Wonderful
|
***
|
Lives spiral in 9/11 trauma, a year after. Riveting if
not complete.
|
Heart is Deceitful, The
|
***
|
Asia Argento’s take on J.T. LeRoy’s tales is chilling and depraved, yet pointless.
|
|
Hollywoodland
|
***
|
Affleck gives his best performance as TV Superman.
|
An Inconvenient Truth
|
***
|
Al Gore gives a science lesson on global warming. He’s
still stiff, but his points are $$.
|
Inland Empire
|
***
|
Old-school Lynch: muddled, off-the-wall, surreal and hypnotic.
|
|
|
***
|
Wahlberg’s Ok,
but the real life underdog story is infectious.
|
Inside Man
|
***
|
Owen, Foster, Washington and director Lee combine in
this smart bank heist.
|
|
|
***
|
Haunting docu on US
hatred and just how bad the quality of life is there.
|
Last King of Scotland
|
***
|
Touching the Void director takes on Idi
Amin in this gripping portrait.
|
Little Children
|
***
|
Paranoia of a pedophile in Belmont runs
amok. Winslet gives an Oscar worthy turn.
|
Little Miss Sunshine
|
***
|
Dark comedy about a failing family wins.
|
Marie Antoinette
|
***
|
Sofia Coppola’s retro hip take
on the teenage queen of France.
|
Notes on a Scandal
|
***
|
Blanchett has
an affair with a 15 year-old and Dench outs her
for it.
|
|
|
***
|
Cosmos soccer docu has a
kick, though Pele is strangely mum.
|
Road to Guantánamo
|
***
|
Damming docu, doesn’t go the journalistic mile; still it provokes.
|
|
Pan's Labyrinth
|
***
|
From Hellboy director comes a WWII kiddie tale on
acid.
|
The Painted Veil
|
***
|
Western love in the time of Asian cholera.
|
The Puffy Chair
|
***
|
Humor and life lessons abound in this quest for a
purple Lazy-Boy.
|
|
The Queen
|
***
|
Amazing
performances abound in this tale of Di, Blair and
the Brit Royals.
|
Running With Scissors
|
***
|
Real life dysfunction, makes
for screwy and dark screen romp.
|
Scanner Darkly
|
***
|
Slacker Linklater tackles
Philip K. Dick animation style.
|
Shut Up and Sing
|
***
|
The Dixie Chicks get the last laugh.
|
Stolen
|
***
|
Intriguing, but over blown docu
about the 1990 Gardner art
heist.
|
Superman Returns
|
***
|
Singer’s update to the Man of Steel series,
is retro, bold and handsome.
|
|
|
***
|
Witty soap about 2 NYC couples grappling with the
banalities of getting older.
|
12 and Holding
|
***
|
Preteens grapple with dark issues in latest from
provocateur, Cuesta (L.I.E.)
|
The US vs John Lennon
|
***
|
Well-made and riveting docu
could use a tad more focus.
|
Volver
|
***
|
Cruz acts up a storm in Aldomar’s
latest on female bonding.
|
|
|
***
|
Indian feminist tale set against to Gandhi’s uprising.
|
|
|
***
|
True life feel good story about the resurrection of a
devastated football program.
|
World Trade
Center
|
***
|
Stone gets sentimental and patriotic in a surprising
turn.
|
|
All the King’s Men
|
**1/2
|
Great performances in this muddled thriller set in 40’s
La politics. Long live Dewey.
|
|
Annapolis
|
**1/2
|
An officer and a midshipman. Dumb, silly fun.
|
|
Catch a Fire
|
**1/2
|
Riveting, true-life Apartheid drama needs more edge.
Great performances.
|
|
Black Christmas
|
**1/2
|
Not a bad bit of (remade) gore under tree.
|
|
The Black Dahlia
|
**1/2
|
It’s a mess, Hartnett gives a star turn and De Palma
keeps things interesting.
|
|
Bobby
|
**1/2
|
Emilio Estevez’s love letter to RFK, with a great cast,
is a wonderful mess.
|
|
The Break Up
|
**1/2
|
Aniston and Vaughn have comedic chemistry as two who
want out.
|
|
The Dead Girl
|
**1/2
|
One body and 5 stories Rashamon
style.
|
|
51 Birch Street
|
**1/2
|
Docu
about filmmaker’s parents moves in unfamiliar territory.
|
|
Freedomland
|
**1/2
|
A missing white boy and racial tensions, but it’s no Crash.
|
|
Everyone’s Hero
|
**1/2
|
Boy gets the Babe his bat and scores.
|
|
Glory
Road
|
**1/2
|
Great (true) underdog BBall
story (ala Hoosiers), that’s too heavy on race.
|
|
The Good German
|
**1/2
|
Good looking film, great cast, uninspired post WW2
plot.
|
|
A Good Year
|
**1/2
|
Russell Crowe does the Under the Tuscan Sun thing.
|
|
Gridiron Gang
|
**1/2
|
True life, tough love story has heart and soul, and The
Rock.
|
|
Harsh Times
|
**1/2
|
Gritty drama from Training Day scribe never feels
grounded in reality.
|
|
Hard Candy
|
**1/2
|
Provocative and preposterous twist on pedophilia.
|
|
Home of the Brave
|
**1/2
|
Coming Home Part 2, the Iraq War.
|
|
Hostel
|
**1/2
|
Roth’s slasher fest is
chillingly gory, but you’ve seen it all before.
|
|
The Hills Have Eyes
|
**1/2
|
Craven remake is creepier and just as cheesy.
|
|
The Illusionist
|
**1/2
|
Ed Norton plays a master sleight of hand who takes on
an Austrian prince for love (Jessica Beil).
|
|
Last
Holiday
|
**1/2
|
Queen Latifah carries this romantic-comedy with a twist.
|
|
Miami Vice
|
**1/2
|
The plot is a
mess, but it has verve and ‘tude. Chemistry
misses but Li enchants.
|
|
MI3
|
**1/2
|
Cruise’s
harried agent gets put through the ropes to save his wife.
|
Monster House
|
**1/2
|
Cute and chilling. Better than The Wild, but
not on par with Incredibles, Toy Story or Nemo.
|
|
|
**1/2
|
Thurman has great fun as Superwoman with control
issues.
|
|
Night
Watch
|
**1/2
|
A convoluted,
but meatier Russian Underworld.
|
Nacho Libre
|
**1/2
|
Funny stuff
from Napoleon Dynamite director, but it doesn’t sustain.
|
|
Noblelity
|
**1/2
|
Hokey docu about the ills of
the world and what we can do. Lots of great minds and intent, but a no go.
|
|
Open Season
|
**1/2
|
The Wild
or Madagascar
in Yellowstone.
|
|
Phat
Girlz
|
**1/2
|
Mo'Nique’s BBW
cum comedy vehicle could use some more edge.
|
|
Pirates Caribbean 2
|
**1/2
|
Great adventure, muddled story and a cliffhanger
ending.
|
|
Poseidon
|
**1/2
|
Remake of the 1972 disaster flick scores in FX, but
lacks the campy cheese.
|
|
Renaissance
|
**1/2
|
Stunning visual flare but ho-hum sci-fi thriller plot.
|
|
Rocky Bbalba
|
**1/2
|
Yeah he’s old, but he’s still Rock, best one in about
3-4 outings.
|
|
Scary Movie 4
|
**1/2
|
On par with SM3.
Spoofs The Village, Saw, War of the Worlds and more.
|
|
School for Scoundrels
|
**1/2
|
Napoleon Dynamite meets Old School. Good nerdy fun.
|
|
Sentinel, The
|
**1/2
|
Michael Douglas is a SS agent who gets caught up in a
plot to off the Prez.
|
|
Shaggy Dog, The
|
**1/2
|
Allen is in
full physical comedy form in this Disney retread.
|
|
Short
Bus
|
**1/2
|
Hardcore sex
and edgy, but it’s no Hedwig and lacks drive (not mojo).
|
|
16 Blocks
|
**1/2
|
A weave of Serpico and The
Gauntlet with Willis as a broken-down booze bag of a cop.
|
|
Slither
|
**1/2
|
Genre stealing gore fest with giant land squid aims for
camp.
|
|
Snakes on
a Plane
|
**1/2
|
It almost lived up to it hype. Without SLJ, the movie
would be DOA.
|
|
|
**1/2
|
Low-budge docudrama about Brian Jones has teeth and
revelation.
|
|
|
**1/2
|
Tweener, PG
rendition of Million Dollar Baby.
|
Talladega Nights
|
**1/2
|
Ferrell’s NASCAR spoof scores with cheeky irreverence.
|
|
|
**1/2
|
AIDS stories from around the world compels even if
forced.
|
|
|
**1/2
|
The Breakfast Club meets Home Alone. Funnier than it
has any right to be.
|
|
Why We
Fight
|
**1/2
|
Pretentious docu that tells you what you already know. Bush looks
bad. McCain for Prez!
|
|
Winter Passing
|
**1/2
|
Mean spirited,
but provocative play-to-screen from Rapp.
|
|
X-Men 3
|
**1/2
|
Cool mutants,
but like MI3, the weak plots leave a slow leak in the franchise.
|
|
You, Me
and Dupree
|
**1/2
|
Owen Wilson
plays lovable F-Up to newlyweds Matt Dillion and
Kate Hudson.
|
|
Basic Instinct 2
|
**
|
Stone looks great and delivers the kitschy (and inane)
erotic thrills.
|
|
Benchwarmers, The
|
**
|
Scatological nerds vs. jocks comedy is all over the
place.
|
|
Big Momma’s House 2
|
**
|
Martin Lawrence gets back in the latex and goes
undercover again.
|
|
Click
|
**
|
Sandler farts
and tries his hand at It’s a Wonderful Life.
|
|
Crossover
|
**
|
Flimsy street ball hop dream with some charismatic
performances.
|
|
The DaVinci Code
|
**
|
Bad haircut for Hanks, Ok thriller from Howard and Amélie steals the film.
|
|
Death of a President
|
**
|
Bold, but manipulative and too full of red herrings to
hold momentum.
|
|
Déjà Vu
|
**
|
You’ve seen this Bruckenheimer
mung before.
|
|
Doogal
|
**
|
A floppy mop of a lap dog has to save the world from
being an ice cube (animated).
|
|
Eragon
|
**
|
Malkovich
phones it in, in this annoying Lord of the Rings wannabe.
|
|
Firewall
|
**
|
A Die Hard/Ransom retread. Where has Harrison’s
career gone?
|
|
Fly Boys
|
**
|
WW I yarn is stilted, but has plenty of heart.
|
|
Haven
|
**
|
Orlando Bloom romance cu crime thriller in the Caymans
lacks cohesion.
|
|
Little Man
|
**
|
The Wayans are back at it again with this man-baby crime
caper.
|
|
Lucky
Number Slevin
|
**
|
Cool pulp noir
dialogue but cheap, Pulp Fiction
wannabe plot goes nowhere.
|
|
Madea’s
Reunion
|
**
|
A step up from Diary of a Mad Black Woman, but still
too all-over-the-place to jell.
|
|
The Omen
|
**
|
The real scare is sitting through this shoddy and
laughable remake.
|
|
Pink Panther
|
**
|
Martin is no Sellers, But he does grow on you as the
nincompoop cop.
|
|
RV
|
**
|
Williams in a flaccid retread of National Lampoon’s
Vacation.
|
|
Santa Clause 3
|
**
|
The third time is not a charm. Ho-ho bummer.
|
|
See No Evil
|
**
|
Aussie slasher flick goes
through the gory motions.
|
|
Step Up
|
**
|
A stilted Fame retread with some fine performances.
|
|
Texas Chainsaw:
Beginning
|
**
|
Leatherface’s
unhappy childhood and more dead sexy teens.
|
|
Turistas
|
**
|
A by the numbers, paradise turns into the psycho’s
lair.
|
|
Underworld: Evolution
|
**
|
Kate looks great in latex, but the plot is sheer wolf
poop.
|
|
V for Vendetta
|
**
|
Silly/bloated Orwellian futureworld
cum Portman and masked superhero.
|
|
When a Stranger Calls
|
**
|
OK remake of the 1979 horror schlock classic, ending is
an insipid groaner though.
|
|
Waist Deep
|
**
|
Tyrese plays
Bonnie and Clyde trying to get his baby boy back
from The Game.
|
|
The Wild
|
**
|
Madagascar-esque misadventure bears some equally dull teeth.
|
|
An American Haunting
|
*1/2
|
1880’s fright fest based on true events is a cheesy
bore.
|
|
Date Movie
|
*1/2
|
Lame Scary Movie/Another Teen Movie spoof.
|
|
Deck the Halls
|
*1/2
|
A X-Mas house lighting turns into a boring pissing contest.
|
|
The Covenant
|
*1/2
|
Salem
warlocks in a fancy boarding school go amok—just a silly brew.
|
|
Fast and Furious 3
|
*1/2
|
No more Diesel or Walker means no
more franchise.
|
|
Larry the Cable Guy
|
*1/2
|
The redneck’s comedic talents are wasted in this
stinker.
|
|
Lady in
the Water
|
*1/2
|
Shyamalan
keeps reworking the Sixth Sense and it don’t float no more.
|
|
Let’s Go to Prison
|
*1/2
|
Insipid jail comedy bears a dark edge.
|
|
The Marine
|
*1/2
|
WWE stud John Cena acts like
wood in this dull auctioneer.
|
|
The Return
|
*1/2
|
Like horror queens Jamie Lee and Linda Blair, Gellar’s
career is diminishing returns.
|
|
Saw 3
|
*1/2
|
Jigsaw, near death is still at it, even if the series
is out of gas.
|
|
Stay Alive
|
*1/2
|
Videogame\reality blurring horror flick is a bore.
|
|
The
Wicker Man
|
*1/2
|
LaBute
muffs the remake of the campy/sexy cult thriller.
|
|
|
|
|