Splat 2/4 |
Sahara (2005) |
"Vapid, lengthy, and mostly lifeless -- kind of like the desert it's named for." |
Russ Breimeier |
Tomato 3/4 |
Saint Ralph (2005) |
"For the jaded moviegoer, here's a little film that just might restore your faith -- in movies and a whole lot more." |
Carolyn Arends |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Savages (2007) |
"The Savages does a good job keeping things in perspective by pointing out the "what can you do?" absurdity of it all. We all face mortality, and we can all laugh at it too." |
Brett McCracken |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Save Me (2007) |
"Where other films would have demonized Christians outright, Save Me presents a world where gays and Christians can go their separate ways while wishing each other well." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Splat 2/4 |
Saved! (2004) |
"Saved! could have been a challenging but affirming movie about the evangelical subculture -- if handled with the same love, acceptance and tolerance it preaches." |
Todd Hertz |
Tomato B- |
School of Rock (2003) |
"Despite Black's reputation as a comedy anarchist, the movie has a big heart, avoids crude indulgence, and gives viewers of all ages something to enjoy." |
Jeffrey Overstreet |
Tomato 3/4 |
Schultze Gets the Blues (2005) |
"A film with two opposite interpretations to its title -- figuratively sad, literally joyful." |
Russ Breimeier |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Science of Sleep (2006) |
"If cinematic weirdness is your bread and butter, The Science of Sleep is a feast for the imagination and a triumph of creativity." |
Josh Hurst |
Splat 2/4 |
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) |
"You could pass on both Scooby Doo films unless you really have nothing else to do one day. And I mean nothing." |
Mary Lasse |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Scoop (1987) |
"Scoop is reminiscent of several of Woody Allen's films, but in a strange way, it harks back to films that were neither great nor lousy -- and like those films, it is an enjoyable diversion." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Sea Inside (2004) |
"The film is worth seeing, but only if you're prepared to set aside your aversion to its polemic in order to experience its compassion." |
Ron Reed |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Second Chance (2006) |
"This may be a church movie, but it's one of the better ones." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Secondhand Lions (2003) |
"Lions will appeal to a more mature audience because of the solid acting duo of Caine and Duvall. It will also appeal to children because of its almost mythological feel." |
Mary Lasse |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Secret Life of Bees (2008) |
"With meaty themes and compelling characters, Bees is a rich, emotional exploration of the redeeming power of love and the transforming comfort of home." |
Camerin Courtney |
Splat 2/4 |
Secret Window (2004) |
"This is, in short, a mystery story that has very little actual mystery." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Splat 2/4 |
The Seeker (2007) |
"Too quick, too slight, and too cliched to make a splash in the company of such high-quality adaptations like LOTR and Harry Potter." |
Brett McCracken |
Splat .5/4 |
Semi-Pro (2008) |
"Despite a riotous cast and a battery of what should be hilarious cameos, Semi-Pro shoots and misses the mark by a wide margin." |
Brandon Fibbs |
Splat 2/4 |
The Sentinel (2006) |
"If it weren't for the clout of its two leading men, The Sentinel would be nothing more than a made-for-cable or direct-to-DVD feature." |
Russ Breimeier |
Splat 2/4 |
Seraphim Falls (2007) |
"It starts with a bang, but ultimately, the wheels come off this covered wagon." |
Todd Hertz |
Tomato 3/4 |
Serenity (2005) |
"Firefly finally has the triumphant finale fans longed for: the excitingly tense, often surprising and even more frequently comical Serenity. Fans will rejoice." |
Todd Hertz |
Tomato 3/4 |
A Serious Man (2009) |
"Far more relatable than the Coens' recent work, and one cannot watch it without pondering some questions about the meaning of trials and the nature of fate." |
Alissa Wilkinson |
Tomato 3/4 |
Sex and the City - The Movie (2008) |
"SATC offers well-developed characters, smart dialogue, interesting plots and sub-plots, and a ton of heart." |
Camerin Courtney |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Shaggy Dog (2006) |
"A good-natured, sometimes silly family fun that will play especially well with the under-13 set.
" |
Carolyn Arends |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Shall We Dance? (2004) |
"The 1996 original is classier, deeper, more poignant. A Ginger Rogers to this Beyoncé." |
Camerin Courtney |
Splat 1/4 |
Shark Tale (2004) |
"Want a good fish story? Watch Finding Nemo again instead" |
Mary Lasse |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Shoot 'Em Up (2007) |
"A tasteless cartoon that uses the high-minded ideals of satire and social commentary to cloak the fact that it is shamelessly pandering to the most base, juvenile parts of our nature." |
Brandon Fibbs |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Shopgirl (2005) |
"Claire Danes has a gravitas and grace to her that hearkens back to starlets of the 1930s and '40s." |
Lisa Ann Cockrel |
Tomato 3/4 |
Shrek the Third (2007) |
"Time to put this fairy tale to bed while it's still good and let Shrek save some face." |
Russ Breimeier |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Sicko (2007) |
"Despite the accusations of manipulation, condescension and playing fast and loose with the truth, Moore's brand of commentary is difficult to resist." |
Brandon Fibbs |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Sideways (2004) |
"The year's second best movie about broken and lonely people (after Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)." |
Russ Breimeier |
Splat 2/4 |
Silk (2007) |
"It is worse than a straightforward bad film, it is a middling, stagnant film that could have been extraordinary." |
Brandon Fibbs |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Simpsons Movie (2007) |
"With its broad range of slapstick and satire, The Simpsons Movie is one of the most successful television-to cinema transplants I've ever seen." |
Russ Breimeier |
Splat 2/4 |
Sin City (2005) |
"The world Miller and Rodriguez have created is so bleak and nasty it's difficult to see what lasting value any sort of redemption could have here." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) |
"Four friends on a quest to find something, only to realize that anything resembling an answer is to be found in the journey itself, in their friendships, and in themselves." |
Camerin Courtney |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008) |
"It's a movie that recognizes our flaws, but tells us we can rise above them -- and when we do, what we find will be worth it." |
CT Staff |
Splat 2/4 |
The Skeleton Key (2005) |
"Pretty much what you would expect from the screenwriter of disappointing films such as Scream 3, Reindeer Games and Arlington Road." |
Todd Hertz |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) |
"Director Kerry Conran hasn't just mimicked his favorite serials and comic books. He's written a love letter to the full scope of 1930s and '40s films by basically making one." |
Todd Hertz |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Sky High (2005) |
"Sky High is adolescent, in the best, age-appropriate sense of the word; it's like a John Hughes movie, but for tweens." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Sleuth (2007) |
"In spite of its strengths for the first two-thirds, you're better off tracking down the original Sleuth than this one." |
Russ Breimeier |
Tomato 4/4 |
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) |
"Slumdog Millionaire is, quite simply, one of the best films of 2008." |
Brandon Fibbs |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Smart People (2008) |
"There are a number of laughs in Smart People, but the story is too disjointed and ultimately underwhelming." |
Lisa Ann Cockrel |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Snakes on a Plane (2006) |
"Make no mistake, this movie is trash, but it's meant to be, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't also a lot of fun.
" |
Russ Breimeier |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Soloist (2009) |
"Remarkable! A small, intimate kind of movie that deserves to be cradled and cherished, not slathered in crass award-show buzz and industry politics." |
Josh Hurst |
Tomato B+ |
Son of Rambow (2008) |
"After making his feature debut with the rather inspiration-challenged big-screen Hitchhiker's Guide, director Garth Jennings wisely shifts to a more intimate and personal canvas." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato 4/4 |
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005) |
"We haven't seen a comparable clash between a principled heroine and a determined, malevolent villain since Agent Starling matched wits with Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs." |
Jeffrey Overstreet |
Splat 1.5/4 |
A Sound of Thunder (2005) |
"The film is full of rumbling sounds that will make your innards tremble (at least in some theaters). But that's about all it has going for it." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Space Chimps (2008) |
"The movie is so routine that you welcome offbeat things like an alien who makes incredibly high-pitched noises. It's the sort of thing that might jolt you out of your sleep." |
Peter T. Chattaway |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Spanglish (2004) |
"While the content isn't always pretty, the lessons are important. And, Brooks, thankfully, isn't afraid to face these themes, ugliness and all." |
Mary Lasse |
Tomato 3/4 |
Spartan (2004) |
"A tight and engrossing mystery thriller." |
Russ Breimeier |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Speed Racer (2008) |
"A flashy mess that proves some things are better left to nostalgia than adaptation." |
Russ Breimeier |
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