Splat 2.5/4 |
Sahara (2005) |
"Matthew McConaughey ... makes a bid to become the next swashbuckling matinee idol. Not that there's much swash to buckle in the middle of the world's largest desert." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Saint Ralph (2005) |
"Occasionally, a movie that makes only the faintest blip, if any, on the hype radar just shows up and gets it right." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Sangre de Mi Sangre (2008) |
"Zalla utilizes both the dark back streets of New York and the dark nature of some humans to weave an intoxicating tale of stolen identity and pilfered emotions." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Saw (2004) |
"Even veteran horror fans that treat slice-and-dice crime dramas like this as emotional theme park rides are likely to feel unsettled at first.
" |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 1/4 |
Saw III (2006) |
"May the Saw mini-franchise, dulled into a bloody gore-fest bore after only three installments, rest in piece. A piece of hack-sawed-off foot here, a piece of a bludgeoned limb there." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Saw IV (2007) |
"The appeal, I suppose, is that some really awful stuff is unfolding up there on the screen and not to us." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat .5/4 |
Saw V (2008) |
"... heads roll and nail bomb shrapnel turns a headstrong 'survivor' into a pile of pink human brisket with pants. Does this sound like entertainment to you?" |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Scary Movie 4 (2006) |
"Spoofing on surprisingly solid footing for a third sequel, Scary Movie 4 continues the shift from horror to slap-shtick that director David Zucker began with No. 3 in 2003." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 2/4 |
Schultze Gets the Blues (2005) |
"When his friends send him off to America to his town's sister city of New Braunfels for Wurstfest, Schultze begins to spiral out of control.
" |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Scoop (2006) |
"Scoop manages some decent moments of frivolity. Allen can still play a bumbling goof when he puts his mind to it." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Sea Inside (2004) |
"It's curious that the assisted-suicide debate over a late plot twist in Million Dollar Baby didn't rage over this one. After all, Amenabar is dealing with a real life." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat .5/4 |
See No Evil (2006) |
"As misunderstood movie monsters go, Kane's Jacob can't even get in the ring with bedeviled Quasimodo of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' or even Frankenstein's monster." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Semi-Pro (2008) |
"No one will argue that Semi-Pro isn't crude and lewd. Thanks to Ferrell and his cast of crazies, however, it plays the lowbrow genre like an all-pro." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Serenity (2005) |
"Writer-director Joss Whedon resurrects a TV series one network canceled and no other wanted with sass and style." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 2/4 |
Sex and the City - The Movie (2008) |
"Sex and the City, which feels like a behind-numbing six episodes strung clumsily together, could be much fun in the hands of a veteran director." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Shall We Dance? (2004) |
"This is a film that probably shouldn't work, but does. Shall we dance? Sure, just don't slip on the sloppy tears or the butterlike popcorn topping.
" |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 2/4 |
Shark Tale (2004) |
"If there's a sequel, could we please have some bubbles or stuff floating by to make it appear to be underwater next time?
" |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Shaun of the Dead (2004) |
"Those witty Brits.
They may have lost the overseas colony that became the U.S. of A., but they sure know how to spice up a zombie flick with bloody humor.
" |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Shooter (2007) |
"This is a solid edge-of-your-seat thriller that smacks of political intrigue." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Shut Up & Sing (2006) |
"Let's put it this way, you will believe the Dixie Chicks are Not Ready to Make Nice." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Shutter (2008) |
"Personally, I prefer the Thai original, which is available on DVD. It truly gave me the creeps." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Sicko (2007) |
"Pardon the pun, but Moore has now become as big, if not bigger, than the issues he takes on." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 4/4 |
Sideways (2004) |
"I propose a toast to one of the best, and possibly most courageous, movies of 2004." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Simpsons Movie (2007) |
"Lucky for us, the verbiage sparkles with wit and preposterousness just close enough to reality to make us grind our teeth in the agony of recognition. D'oh, I mean to make us laugh." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Sin City (2005) |
"(Robert) Rodriguez and his cohorts succeed for the most part. If this beguiling world of violence and degradation ... lacks in anything, it's knowing when to quit.
" |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) |
"(It) does stray into the borderline romance novel 'chick flick' area a few times. For the most part, though, it's a cunning adventure of varying dreams and nightmares." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008) |
"There's sex and the city (New York). But the most enjoyable girls-night-out movie of the summer deals with young, fledgling love." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 2/4 |
The Skeleton Key (2005) |
"The problem for fright seekers is that the spooky stuff takes too long to develop, then only manages a confusing conclusion.
" |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) |
"(Kerry) Conran, a rare rookie director given free reign over his digital domain, takes his place as a gifted innovator of robust retro." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Sky High (2005) |
"Bright colors contrast the usual superhero dark mode. That's a plus. But a script-by-committee turns Sky High into a John Hughes high school clone." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Smart People (2008) |
"If you enjoy glib, offbeat humor, the smartest thing you might do all day is buy yourself a ticket." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Snow Angels (2008) |
"(David Gordon) Green's finest film in four attempts to pop the hood on human nature reveals not just conflicted human engines, but at least one character fighting to keep the wheels from coming off." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Son of the Mask (2005) |
"As sequels go, this computer-effects invigorated wall-banger engages only slightly.
" |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 1.5/4 |
A Sound of Thunder (2005) |
"(Peter) Hyams gives us the worst green-screen scenes in modern history." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Spanglish (2004) |
"This is the great mother-daughter movie of 2004. Everyone, however, will feel emotionally richer after sharing the heartfelt humanity.
" |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Speed Racer (2008) |
"If the Wachowski brothers still have one creative foot in their old, 'perfect' manufactured reality, it's a mom and pop matrix." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 4/4 |
Spider-Man 2 (2004) |
"Spider-Man 2 doesn't just come from Marvel, it is a marvel." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Spider-Man 3 (2007) |
"(Sam) Raimi, otherwise near-perfect in transitioning his once spider-bitten hero from Marvel Comic book to movie screen, has given in to overkill and over-thrill." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Stage Beauty (2004) |
"The story's good, the sets of Old London are terrific and memories of Andrew Dunn's cinematography will linger. The outstanding acting, though, that's the thing." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) |
"As popcorn entertainment, strapping in for Star Wars: Episode III is like hooking up with an old friend. Half the enjoyment is simply the idea of the reunion itself." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Stardust (2007) |
"Harry Potter for older teens and adults, that's the best way to describe the fantastic fantasy ride that is Stardust." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Stay (2005) |
"Its sole purpose appears to be to confuse, to muddle and to blow our minds." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat 2/4 |
Stealth (2005) |
"Stealth breaks the astound barrier before you can say, 'Woo-hoo, that blew up real good!'" |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Stop-Loss (2008) |
"Despite having appeared in Clint Eastwood's melodramatic World War II drama Flags of Our Fathers, (Ryan) Phillippe doesn't quite muster the leading-man depth to deliver the killer performance this haunting drama requires." |
Larry Ratliff |
Splat .5/4 |
Strange Wilderness (2008) |
"Even though this raucous, low-low-lowbrow comedy hits theaters early in the year, I'm thinking the race for bottom-feeder of 2008 is, if not over, at least well under way." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Strangers With Candy (2006) |
"The school is like none you've seen on screen before. Mary Katherine Gallagher would 'love, love, LOVE!' it, as do I." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Street Kings (2008) |
"Street Kings, unlike the recent cop drama Gone Baby Gone, feels like it slid out of a police precinct file cabinet and slapped itself on a movie screen." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Superbad (2007) |
"I like the fact that this one-note comedy -- OK, two: sex and booze -- makes no pretense of being anything other than a titillation-entertainment ride for the young and those who still remember how to think that way." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Superman Returns (2006) |
"Spirited and somewhat bittersweet, Superman Returns remains a fascinating and very entertaining ride most of the way %u2014 though it's probably at least 20 minutes too long for optimum interest." |
Larry Ratliff |
Tomato 3/4 |
Surfwise (2008) |
"Surfwise spills the gripes, the frustrations and the pain onto the screen like damaged driftwood finally feeling the steadiness of shore after a long, stormy voyage at sea." |
Larry Ratliff |
IGN RSS Feeds
