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 |
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B- |
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A Scanner Darkly (2006) |
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"This is a deeply personal work on the ravages of drug abuse, and the moral casualties suffered when governments fight it." | |
Randy Myers | |
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A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) |
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"I didn't love it, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, either." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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3.5/4 |
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About a Boy (2002) |
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"When I checked my notebook after the movie, I realized I've never taken a more useless set of notes -- a sure sign that I forgot I was working and simply succumbed to this movie's charms." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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4/4 |
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About Schmidt (2002) |
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"As witty as Election was, this is a deeper, more eloquent movie, and Nicholson is extraordinary." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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4/4 |
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Adaptation (2002) |
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"It is a happy, heady jumble of thought and storytelling, an insane comic undertaking that ultimately coheres into a sane and breathtakingly creative film." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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C |
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Alex and Emma (2003) |
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"An inoffensive movie with appealing leads and a handful of decent laughs, but like Hudson's hair, it's obviously contrived and drab." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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C |
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Alexander (2004) |
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"Far too long, nearly three hours, yet feels superficial." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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B- |
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Alfie (2004) |
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"The overall intent of the movie is not as gloomy or draining as the original. As a result, it's a blast to watch, but its emotional impact is minor." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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|
|
Ali (2001) |
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"Smith has Ali's beautiful body language down pat, from head to toe." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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3/4 |
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All or Nothing (2002) |
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"[Leigh] has a true talent for drawing wrenching performances from his actors (improvised over many months) and for conveying the way tiny acts of kindness make ordinary life survivable." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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3/4 |
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All The King's Men (2006) |
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"All the King's Men has to settle for being something good that makes you want more (like a six-hour HBO movie). That's not to say it isn't filled with fine performances, clever writing and insights into politics that feel absolutely relevant today." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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|
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All the Pretty Horses (2000) |
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"Gives a vivid, beautiful glimpse of both a way of life and an emotional place." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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2.5/4 |
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All the Real Girls (2003) |
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"Art-school stew, made, in this case, from Green's own leftovers." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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|
|
Almost Famous (2000) |
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"A very good movie, filled with splendid performances, many funny moments, strong writing and tender, evocative touches." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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|
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Along Came a Spider (2001) |
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"Really, if you're not here for Freeman, you might as well back out of that turnstile and go home." | |
Vera H-C Chan | |
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C+ |
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Along Came Polly (2004) |
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"Hamburg's script never makes a convincing argument as to why these two should be together." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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|
|
Amelie (2001) |
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"A feel-good movie in the best possible sense, a comic fable that vibrates with joy and fast-dances with life." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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|
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America's Sweethearts (2001) |
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"An enjoyable night out." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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2.5/4 |
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American Dreamz (2006) |
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"Dreamz is amusing enough; but be prepared for comedy that's more crass than class. If you want refinement, see the more clever Thank You for Smoking." | |
Randy Myers | |
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B- |
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American Gangster (2007) |
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"Crowe and Washington uphold their usual high standards while bringing a fascinating story to life, and American Gangster never bores." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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|
|
American Pie 2 (2001) |
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"The wafer-thin, hastily-baked American Pie 2 just doesn't measure up to the original." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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C |
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The Amityville Horror (2005) |
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"If The Amityville Horror has any lesson to teach, beyond how limited creativity is in the American horror genre these days, it is that one should listen closely to the terminology employed by real estate agents." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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|
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Amores Perros (2001) |
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"Once seen, it's impossible to shake from the mind." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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2.5/4 |
|
Analyze That (2002) |
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"The rapport between De Niro and Crystal actually seems stronger this time around, and the movie's best laughs -- most of them unabashedly sexual and crude and delivered in the first half -- are better than any of the jokes in Analyze This." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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C |
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Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) |
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"It's 'Jane, you ignorant slut' all over again, but with less bite, a backstory, a romance and a host of celebrity cameos that promise more than they deliver." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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C- |
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Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (2004) |
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"Like being trapped in the frilly bedroom of an absurdly romantic, borderline psychotic 13-year-old girl for nearly two and a half hours. The story is garbled, unclear and at the same time, painfully thin." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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| |
|
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Angel Eyes (2001) |
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"Pretentious but likable." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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C |
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Anger Management (2003) |
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"The ending is so tacked on and moronic, it feels like the work of the dumbest focus group of all time." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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|
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Anna and the King (1999) |
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"More well-intended than it is entertaining." | |
Karen Hershenson | |
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|
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The Anniversary Party (2001) |
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"Instructive about both relationships and American aspirations to elitism." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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C |
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Anything But Love (2003) |
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"From the couch on a lazy Sunday afternoon, that wouldn't be so bad, but when we've been summoned to the cinema, we expect something more." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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3.5/4 |
|
Ararat (2002) |
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"Deliberately ponderous, meticulously constructed." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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| |
F |
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Are We There Yet? (2005) |
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"The movie has all the hallmarks of a disaster." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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3/4 |
|
The Aristocrats (2005) |
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"At the end of the film you'll probably feel you never need to hear The Aristocrats again. But you'll also feel as though you've had the ultimate comedy lover's insider experience." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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C+ |
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Art School Confidential (2006) |
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"As is, the dark comedy comes off like an ill-prepared yet cocky student, lacking a clear sense of vision and only getting it right every so often." | |
Randy Myers | |
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B- |
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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) |
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"Assassination offers enough in the way of performance (Sam Rockwell and Paul Schneider are particularly good in supporting roles) and mood to earn itself a place in the ranks of Jesse James stories." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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3/4 |
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The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004) |
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"A cautionary tale about how easily the mental ill, particularly those who are reasonably high-functioning like Sam, can slip through the cracks." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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2/4 |
|
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) |
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"A movie whose greatest intent seems to be indulging in as much brutality as the MPAA will allow." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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| |
|
|
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) |
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"Machine guns and fireballs should not be standard fare in entertainment for children." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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A- |
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Atonement (2007) |
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" Against those odds, screenwriter Christopher Hampton and director Joe Wright have turned McEwan's best novel into a fluid, sumptuous and thoroughly engaging drama." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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3/4 |
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Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) |
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"Think of it as a can of Coke. You open it, it's fizzy and delightful. If you ponder the ingredients in any depth, you're just going to gross yourself out. And if you leave it open for awhile, it's going to go flat. So drink up and don't think too much." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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| |
3/4 |
|
Auto Focus (2002) |
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"[Kinnear] lacks Crane's cartoonish features, but he manages to capture enough of his mannerisms to create a nearly eerie resemblance to the actor, particularly as Hogan." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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| |
3/4 |
|
Avenue Montaigne (2007) |
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"You never doubt that everything will turn out more or less well for the dozen or so characters. The pleasure lies in watching it unfold in all its amusing, nonthreatening, gently stimulating fashion. This is escapism a la francais." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
|
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| |
3.5/4 |
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Away From Her (2007) |
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"Watching Grant and Fiona, you may see your own loved ones again in your mind's eye. Anyone who has gone through this kind loss knows the immeasurable value of that." | |
Mary F. Pols | |
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