Tomato 7/10 |
The Savages (2007) |
"Draws its strength mainly from the complex, familiar character of the sister, as written (and directed) by Tamara Jenkins and played expertly by Linney." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 6/10 |
Saved! (2004) |
"Decent as a comedy, but it's ultimately forgettable because it gives no real air to what it's trying to puncture." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 4/10 |
Saw (2004) |
"Able to hold interest most of the way through, unraveling back stories that feel as if they might lead to something. But then the ending arrives." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 5/10 |
Scary Movie 3 (2003) |
"I like my physical comedy as much as anyone, but, wow, did this ever feel like a creative dead-end." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 9/10 |
School of Rock (2003) |
"The bus to the School of Rock runs on one source of fuel, and that is Jack Black." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 1/10 |
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) |
"It's a faithful extension of the first movie, which is to say it's crap." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 1/10 |
Scooby-Doo - The Movie (2002) |
"Not only eviscerates the spirit of the shows, it stomps on it for good measure." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
Scoop (2006) |
"Quite unassuming, practically admitting its own disposability, but it's cute and fun while it lasts." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 4/10 |
The Scorpion King (2002) |
"Isn't horrible because it's so obviously non-serious, but just being wink-wink silly isn't enough to breathe life into it." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 8/10 |
The Sea Inside (2004) |
"[Takes] viewers to a place they won't feel comfortable in but should spend at least a little time exploring." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 9/10 |
Seabiscuit (2003) |
"I will admit Seabiscuit is Oscar-bait ... when it's done right, it's wonderful. Seabiscuit is done right." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 8/10 |
Secretary (2002) |
"A sly female empowerment movie, although not in a way anyone would expect." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 6/10 |
The Sentinel (2006) |
"Decent, but nothing special, as an entertaining time killer and as a kind of ode to the U.S. Secret Service." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
Serendipity (2001) |
"A weaker romantic comedy might have tried harder to use grounded and logical explanations for the movie's string of unlikely coincidences, but Serendipity makes no such attempt. For this, it should be commended." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 4/10 |
Session 9 (2001) |
"Horror movie that lets its location do all the work." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 6/10 |
Seven Swords (2005) |
"Tsui's strengths lie mostly in martial arts mayhem ... but unfortunately it's the film's ponderousness that stays with you after it's done." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 8/10 |
The Seven Year Itch (1955) |
" I find this movie to be a definitive Marilyn Monroe movie that happened to also have a pretty witty script." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 8/10 |
Shakespeare Behind Bars (2006) |
"I found this documentary to be sobering, even optimistic ... it's a reminder that being human means being complex." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 6/10 |
Shall We Dance? (2004) |
"Masayuki Suo's charming social comedy has been remade into romantic fluff... The result might be described as blandly pleasant." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
Shallow Hal (2001) |
"In delivering their message, the Farrelly Brothers seem to have compromised their nothing-is-sacred comedy spirit, but at least their hearts are in the right place." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
Shanghai Knights (2003) |
"At one point, Roy just flat-out tells Chon that, though they may not be accomplishing anything, he's really enjoying their current adventure. And that's pretty much the spirit of the movie." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 9/10 |
Shaolin Soccer (2002) |
"Chow's best movie... one of the best knee-jerk laugh-out-loud crack-ups I've seen in a long time." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 3/10 |
Shark Tale (2004) |
"If there's any reason for Shark Tale's existence other than to give celebs a chance to play around as animated sea creatures, I don't see it." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 9/10 |
Shattered Glass (2003) |
"We don't find out why Glass did what he did, but ... maybe the why isn't as important as the how. Shattered Glass is asking us to stay on our toes." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
She's The Man (2006) |
"The filmmakers took the correct route of not taking this premise seriously, so the movie winds up being unexpectedly and endearingly goofy." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
Shine a Light (2008) |
"A whirlwind demo of technical proficiency. It's recommendable on camera choreography and seamless editing alone." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 6/10 |
Shopgirl (2005) |
"A bittersweet relationship story presented in a glass case, with an accompanying music box, but it doesn't really earn this treatment." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
Shorts (2009) |
"Yes, it's definitely made for the much younger set, but it also has quite a few zany little off guard touches, resulting in genuine laughs for anyone who can appreciate the humor." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 8/10 |
Shrek (2001) |
"A movie that adults will easily enjoy every bit as much as the kids, maybe even more so." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 9/10 |
Shrek 2 (2004) |
"The writers bombard Puss-in-Boots with cat jokes, and I just couldn't stop laughing every time he was on the screen." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 5/10 |
Shrek the Third (2007) |
"Without a desire to gleefully offend, and its comedy of expectation reversals now predictable, it carries that safe and settled whiff of trademarked franchise." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 9/10 |
Signs (2002) |
"[Shyamalan's] a skilled flashlight-guy, and movie theaters are his campfires." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 5/10 |
Silent Hill (2006) |
"This is an average movie, and not what Slient Hill, a standout, resonant game series, deserves." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
The Simpsons Movie (2007) |
"The outside package can be done up as much as anyone would like it -- bigger, more, shinier -- but ... inside, it's the old familiar gang." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 9/10 |
Sin City (2005) |
"A grand experiment... It exists merely to see if it can -- just to find out if a distinct looking comic book can be duplicated on screen with live actors." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) |
"Pop moviemaking aimed towards an underserved demographic, but one respects its approach in assuming its audience is at least intelligent and emotionally mature." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008) |
"Very much a loyal sequel to its predecessor, essentially showing that if it ain't broke, don't fix it." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 8/10 |
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) |
"Loaded with unrealized potential, but that potential comes in the form of some great technical work, which itself is worth the time to view." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
Slither (2006) |
"A pretty fun movie that makes good on laughs and gory gross-outs." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 8/10 |
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) |
"An unapologetic modern fairy tale ... The construct is so appealing, it's almost instantly classic." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
Snakes on a Plane (2006) |
"Pretty fun and takes advantage of its goofy premise in every way it can ... [but] I really don't envy the position this movie found itself in." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
Snow Angels (2008) |
"Green is a director who takes his time with characters, allowing their different sides to self-illustrate in naturalistic settings as he simultaneously paints their worlds." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
So Close (2003) |
"Takes its own story so seriously as a heroes-and-thieves tragedy that you, too, may find yourself believing these gorgeous women can defy gravity when they're not busy mending their relationships." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 9/10 |
Solaris (2002) |
"A haunting little movie, one which concentrates on the essentials while inviting contemplation." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 6/10 |
The Soloist (2009) |
"Works enough within its own rules, its own container, but blunts its own real-world impact along the way." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 6/10 |
Something's Gotta Give (2003) |
"Although it uses a debate-friendly topic as its narrative fulcrum, it's really just a simple romance that delivers the same ol' message about love loosening people up." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 5/10 |
Spanglish (2004) |
"Doesn't play fair, making the family's father, grandmother, and daughter sympathetic and somewhat dimensional, while forcing Leoni's character into a cardboard villain role." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Splat 4/10 |
Speed Racer (2008) |
"Cut from car to driver to announcer to audience and over and over again, ad nauseam. Such pretty racing scenes, so little to actually see." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 9/10 |
Spellbound (2003) |
"Has no right to be this insanely involving." |
Jeffrey Chen |
Tomato 7/10 |
Spider (2003) |
"Quiet, subtly haunting, and presented as a puzzle ... However, the film's minimalism and fractured nature create a distant atmosphere." |
Jeffrey Chen |
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