Fresh
| Fresh 84%
| Grease (1978) | "
Grease holds up for new generations because it captures the enthusiasm of youth and the vibrancy of California's sunshine-and-cars culture." Posted Dec 30, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 78%
| The Chosen (1982) | "
A dedicated team of faithful adapters created a wonderfully rich movie version of the book in 1981, and the emotion and intellectual depths of the story resonate through the decades." Posted Mar 28, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 96%
| WarGames (1983) | "
As tense and effective now as it was 25 years ago. The worry back then was more about Soviet missiles than about credit card identity theft, but good filmmaking techniques haven't changed." Posted Mar 14, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 93%
| Princess Mononoke (1997) | "
It's just right for the 9-year-old looking to while away a long afternoon in escapist storytelling." Posted Mar 7, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) | "
The mystery of Fischer's talent and torment adds depth to Searching for Bobby Fischer, about a young New York chess prodigy who doesn't want his genius to ruin his life." Posted Feb 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| Rotten 55%
| Robin Hood (1973) | "
Compared with modern Disney films, which are dominated by the self-absorption and eventual self-discovery of their main characters, Robin Hood offers surprisingly stark and interesting social questions." Posted Feb 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 87%
| Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) | "
[Director Phillip] Noyce shows their awful, eventually uplifting journey without flinching, and the arid Australian wilderness is a co-star of the film." Posted Feb 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 72%
| Primer (2004) | "
Mind-bending thrillers like Primer are terrific viewing with your teenagers. Maybe if you're nice, they'll explain the ending to you." Posted Feb 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 93%
| Duma (2005) | "
It's a crime what happened to the wonderful African wilderness movie Duma in 2005. Beautifully directed by veteran Carroll Ballard, Duma fell flat in the United States because of bad timing and abysmal marketing." Posted Feb 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| Rotten 53%
| Her Majesty (2005) | "
It's a nice study of a young girl's happy obsession." Posted Feb 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron/The Road to El Dorado (2000) | "
Smarter than your average cartoon." Posted Dec 26, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 69%
| Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) | "
Spirit is smarter than your average cartoon because it doesn't try to joke around with a host of annoying talking animals." Posted Dec 26, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 94%
| Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) | "
The Day the Earth Stood Still may at first look like goofy, outdated science fiction, but its timeless warnings about violence, nuclear confrontation and the difficulties of policing the planet have made it an enduring cultural classic." Posted Oct 5, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 96%
| Groundhog Day (1993) | "
Since arriving as a mild success in 1993, Groundhog Day has gradually achieved the status of beloved. The American Film Institute rates it No.34 on its list of all-time funniest movies, and it's a story that bears frequent repeat viewings." Posted Aug 18, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 93%
| The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) | "
The first by Doug Liman was best, but the second and third by Greengrass come close because of a strict consistency in tone and talent." Posted Aug 3, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 92%
| Papillon (1973) | "
A rousing drama of endurance, opportunism and friendship under fire." Posted Aug 3, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 90%
| The Simpsons Movie (2007) | "
The Simpsons concept in feature length is just as reassuringly startling in its nonstop irreverence as the best of the weekly TV droppings." Posted Jul 27, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 90%
| The Breakfast Club (1984) | "
In nine hours of threatening, bickering and, eventually, poignant (but never maudlin) self-revelation, the stereotypes dissolve and re-form." Posted Jul 27, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 89%
| Rescue Dawn (2007) | "
That heart-stopping beginning tells us Herzog is again in top form, richly depicting the true story of the only American POW known to have escaped from Laotian captivity." Posted Jul 20, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 96%
| Quiz Show (1994) | "
Redford turns a dry subject into high art, matching the achievements of his other directing efforts in Ordinary People and A River Runs Through It." Posted Jul 3, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 96%
| Ratatouille (2007) | "
Writer and director Brad Bird keeps Ratatouille moving without resorting to the cute animal jokes or pop-culture wisecracking that ruined so many other recent animated films." Posted Jun 29, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 78%
| You Kill Me (2007) | "
Leoni is a welcome sight here, temporarily giving up attempts at sunny-sexy blond roles and going with her sarcastic nature." Posted Jun 22, 2007 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 24%
| Evan Almighty (2007) | "
Here's the funniest thing: In trying desperately to reconnect with religious Americans, Hollywood assumes religious Americans are so dumb they'll laugh at anything." Posted Jun 22, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 93%
| The Cat Returns (2002) | "
[Director] Morita has a slightly cruder, more realistic sense of the world and its looniness than does Miyazaki, and you can see where The Cat Returns moves on a different track even as it pays homage to Japan's current animation master." Posted Jun 20, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 66%
| Jindabyne (2007) | "
The movie's remaining revelations build slowly into a set of surprisingly powerful emotional beats." Posted Jun 20, 2007 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 74%
| La Vie En Rose (2007) | "
This 140-minute biopic feels more like an ordeal than a celebration." Posted Jun 15, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 49%
| Nancy Drew (2007) | "
A refreshingly kind and calm PG film that no one will be ashamed to see." Posted Jun 15, 2007 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 65%
| Severance (2007) | "
So there's still a smart office-horror movie left to be made. In the meantime, Severance is just another paycheck." Posted Jun 8, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 77%
| Crazy Love (2007) | "
I could tell you all the surprises that make the loopy documentary Crazy Love such an odd treat, but then I'd be undermining the whole point of telling you to go." Posted Jun 8, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 78%
| Surf's Up (2007) | "
Fresh, funny, inventive and engaging. Dang if those dumb little birds didn't find a movie that lets them be cuddly animals with human problems, an animated flick whose anthropomorphism is appealing rather than appalling." Posted Jun 8, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 69%
| Ocean's Thirteen (2007) | "
In Hollywood's version of Vegas, I'll have the surf, and the turf, and the vegetarian, and anything else Soderbergh wants to serve me." Posted Jun 8, 2007 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 56%
| Mr. Brooks (2007) | "
Mr. Brooks has more tonal shifts than a Philip Glass concert, never deciding if it's a thriller, a noir, a comedy or a farce." Posted Jun 1, 2007 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Rotten 59%
| Gracie (2007) | "
A truly winning American soccer movie has yet to be made, but Gracie is good enough to play for a tie." Posted Jun 1, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 90%
| Knocked Up (2007) | "
I doubt you'll see a funnier movie this summer than Knocked Up. Apatow has clearly earned the unusual mantle of chief chronicler of modern family life in all its profane glory." Posted May 31, 2007 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Rotten 59%
| Bug (2007) | "
You leave feeling alive, if severely disturbed, rather than deadened by the unthinking horrors of the latest slasher films." Posted May 25, 2007 |
Rotten 1/4
| Rotten 44%
| Fay Grim (2007) | "
Fay Grim plays like a cadre of smug high-school drama students absolutely convinced everyone will be as amused by their antics as they are." Posted May 18, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 86%
| The Black Stallion (1979) | "
Deepens into a far more powerful entertainment through matchless cinematography and talented supporting players." Posted May 11, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 89%
| Waitress (2007) | "
So why does it work, at least much of the time? Because of Russell, and because Shelly's uneven tone also provides hints at brilliance." Posted May 11, 2007 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 72%
| 28 Weeks Later (2007) | "
28 Weeks Later underlines the fact that when you come back from the grave, you're not always looking so fresh." Posted May 11, 2007 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Rotten 18%
| The Ex (2007) | "
So much of comedy is in the timing, though, and The Ex doesn't quite know when to quit. Or at least move on." Posted May 11, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 87%
| After The Wedding (2007) | "
You leave the movie feeling exhausted, argumentative and exhilarated, surely the sign of a powerful film in any language." Posted May 4, 2007 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Rotten 47%
| Exterminating Angels (2007) | "
Gorgeous French silliness, yes, featuring stunning women having languorous, artful sex with each other. What was I saying? Oh yes, the silliness. Artful, gorgeous, sexy, sure, but ridiculous nonetheless." Posted May 4, 2007 |
Rotten 1.5/4
| Fresh 62%
| Spider-Man 3 (2007) | "
All in all, the fun has simply gone out of it." Posted May 4, 2007 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Toy Story (1995) | "
As Lion King did before it, Toy Story revived the art of American children's animation, and ushered in a set of smart movies that entertained children and their parents. It's a landmark movie, and doesn't get old with frequent repetition." Posted May 3, 2007 |
Fresh
| N/A | The Little Bear Movie (2001) | "
The Little Bear Movie got us through some long snowy afternoons, and some late nights with ear infections. That's more than enough to earn this parent's gratitude." Posted Apr 27, 2007 |
Fresh 2.5/4
| Fresh 70%
| Diggers (2007) | "
I was rooting for the 'Diggers' clan by the time this modest film ended. A talented cast of likable actors can do that for a thin script, and Paul Rudd, Ken Marino, Maura Tierney and Ron Eldard eventually won me over." Posted Apr 27, 2007 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 16%
| The Condemned (2007) | "
The Deadliest Game has played out many times on screen, including with Arnold Schwarzenegger in a post-apocalypse The Running Man, but rarely is it aimed as squarely at the pitfalls of pop culture as in The Condemned." Posted Apr 27, 2007 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 75%
| Black Book (2007) | "
[Verhoeven] hasn't seemed like a serious filmmaker for some time." Posted Apr 20, 2007 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 71%
| Fracture (2007) | "
Fracture is no Silence of the Lambs. In fact, it's no Primal Fear. Anthony Hopkins may well be smarter than all of us put together, but his busy career sometimes has more breadth than wit." Posted Apr 20, 2007 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 90%
| Hot Fuzz (2007) | "
For a movie based on the stunted mental development and perfect action timing of American crime-fighting pics, Hot Fuzz has surprisingly little idea of how to get to its point, or when." Posted Apr 20, 2007 |
RSS Feeds