Splat 1/4 |
Jaan-E-Mann (2006) |
"We keep waiting for one of those outlandish musical treats to bring some life to the clichéd script. Kunder throws in a few breaks, but they're tepid and brief." |
V.A. Musetto |
Tomato 2/4 |
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2008) |
"Matthews is supposed to be the star here, but it's Englund's hilarious, over-the-top performance that keeps Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer... from becoming another forgettable exercise in horror." |
V.A. Musetto |
Tomato 3/4 |
Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis (2007) |
"This invaluable record contains a treasure trove of clips from Smith's hard-to-see and still striking films, plus comments that were culled from hours of interviews with this flamboyant pioneer." |
Lou Lumenick |
Splat 2/4 |
Jackass: Number Two (2006) |
"Though I understand that the film is intent on being no. 1 in no. 2, it is not ever necessary to show someone making doody on camera, thanks." |
Kyle Smith |
Splat 0/4 |
Jackass: The Movie (2002) |
"Plotless collection of moronic stunts is by far the worst movie of the year." |
Lou Lumenick |
Splat 1.5/4 |
The Jacket (2005) |
"The characters in the tepid sci-fi thriller The Jacket, starring Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley, are so flat and the dialogue so dull you expect it to be one of those movies whose existence is justified by a big final twist." |
Kyle Smith |
Splat 2/4 |
Jackpot (2001) |
"There isn't a whole lot of narrative momentum." |
Lou Lumenick |
Splat 1/4 |
Jailbait (2006) |
"I wouldn't have thought it was possible to make a prison picture as utterly boring as Jailbait." |
Lou Lumenick |
Tomato |
Jails, Hospitals, and Hip Hop (2001) |
"Hoch, for the most part, is able to pull it off and supply a frequent number of laughs." |
V.A. Musetto |
Splat 2/4 |
Jakob the Liar (1999) |
"Written with astonishing crudeness!" |
Jonathan Foreman |
Tomato 3/4 |
James' Journey to Jerusalem (2003) |
"Funny, knowing and immensely enjoyable." |
V.A. Musetto |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) |
"The Jane Austen Book Club is worth watching primarily for Blunt, the delicious scene-stealer from The Devil Wears Prada." |
Lou Lumenick |
Splat 1/4 |
Janice Beard 45 WPM (2002) |
"It's impossible to indulge the fanciful daydreams of Janice Beard (Eileen Walsh) when her real-life persona is so charmless and vacant." |
Megan Turner |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Japanese Story (2004) |
"Bedtime Story seems a more appropriate name for the snoozy and unconvincing Australian drama." |
Megan Lehmann |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Japon (2003) |
"This debut feature of Carlos Reygadas is a startling achievement." |
V.A. Musetto |
Tomato 3/4 |
Jar City (2008) |
"The story, based on a best-selling novel, has familiar overtones; but Kormakur overcomes them with stylish direction." |
V.A. Musetto |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Jarhead (2005) |
"Do I quibble over details? Details are all the movie offers." |
Kyle Smith |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Jason X (2002) |
"Very little suspense." |
Megan Turner |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) |
"The originality and intelligence that made Smith's Clerks and Chasing Amy such refreshing pleasures are all but absent." |
Jonathan Foreman |
Splat 1/4 |
Jay Z - Fade to Black (2004) |
"Relentlessly upbeat infomercial." |
Lou Lumenick |
Splat 1/4 |
Jazz in the Diamond District (2009) |
"Forget West 47th Street -- and the only Jazz in Lindsey Christian's dull indie soap opera is an aspiring funk singer by that name who lives in a diamond-shaped part of the District of Columbia." |
Lou Lumenick |
Splat 1.5/4 |
JCVD (2008) |
"Instead of being a spiffy spoof, the movie gives its star little to do." |
Kyle Smith |
Splat 2/4 |
Jeepers Creepers (2001) |
"It's a shame that Salva so suddenly and permanently leaves the suggestive territory of the movie's first third." |
Jonathan Foreman |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003) |
"There are a few good jolts -- and a moderate amount of spurting blood -- but things pretty much proceed exactly as you think they will." |
Lou Lumenick |
Tomato 3/4 |
Jellyfish (2008) |
"There's enough material here for a miniseries, but the directors keep the proceedings to 78 brisk minutes without making the viewer feel cheated." |
V.A. Musetto |
Tomato 3/4 |
Jerichow (2009) |
"Viewers will be drawn in by Jerichow even if they aren't familiar with Cain's tale and the other movies it spawned." |
V.A. Musetto |
Splat 2/4 |
Jersey Girl (2004) |
"The writer-director brings nothing new to the shopworn family-vs.-work dilemma." |
Megan Lehmann |
Tomato 3/4 |
Jesus, You Know (2005) |
"Inventive and bold." |
V.A. Musetto |
Splat 1/4 |
Jet Lag (2003) |
"An alarmingly unfunny French comedy where the two main characters are constantly yakking on a cell phone at an airport." |
Lou Lumenick |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Jim Brown: All American (2002) |
"Overly long and worshipful bio-doc." |
Megan Turner |
Splat 2/4 |
Jiminy Glick in LaLaWood (2004) |
"Good news, fans of Martin Short's porky celebrity interviewer, Jiminy Glick: There's a big-screen version of the short-lived Comedy Central series, and both of you will enjoy it." |
Kyle Smith |
Splat 1/4 |
Jimmy Carter Man From Plains (2007) |
"There isn't enough revealing material in the tedious documentary Jimmy Carter Man From Plains to sustain an 800-word magazine profile, let alone a two-hour film." |
Kyle Smith |
Splat |
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001) |
"Though it looks cool in a funky sort of way -- it has characters and situations that likewise feel more than a little pre-fab." |
Lou Lumenick |
Splat 2/4 |
The Jimmy Show (2002) |
"The film, like Jimmy's routines, could use a few good laughs." |
V.A. Musetto |
Splat 1/4 |
Jindabyne (2007) |
"The film is two plodding hours of people abusing themselves, their livers, a corpse, each other and even small animals. Most abused of all is the audience." |
Kyle Smith |
Splat |
Joe Dirt (2001) |
"Director Dennie Gordon tries too hard to milk sympathy for the none-too-bright Joe, who at one point adopts what he thinks is a meteor for a friend. Of course, it turns out to be more toxic waste, like Joe Dirt." |
Lou Lumenick |
Splat |
Joe Somebody (2001) |
"The demands of formula eventually stifle anything that even looks like inspiration or honesty." |
Jonathan Foreman |
Tomato 3/4 |
Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten (2007) |
"Compelling viewing, even for people who don't care a bit for the punk scene." |
V.A. Musetto |
Splat 1/4 |
Joggers' Park (2003) |
"A sappy and predictable soaper that lacks the quirky and lavish musical numbers that can make Bollywood movies so entertaining." |
V.A. Musetto |
Splat 0/4 |
John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars (2001) |
"The one intriguing thing about John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars is how such a dreadful screenplay could have made it onto celluloid." |
Jonathan Foreman |
Splat 2/4 |
John Q (2002) |
"Not a movie but a live-action agitprop cartoon so shameless and coarse, it's almost funny." |
Jonathan Foreman |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
John Tucker Must Die (2006) |
"As tasty as a quart of s'mores, John Tucker Must Die is a slumber-party classic that belongs on the same shelf as Bring It On and 10 Things I Hate About You." |
Kyle Smith |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Johnny English (2003) |
"A surprisingly gentle, old-fashioned comedy." |
Megan Lehmann |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002) |
"Spears of Afro-topped asparagus singing gospel and French-accented peas working as maitre d's at a seafood restaurant -- what's not to love?" |
Megan Turner |
Splat 2/4 |
Jonas Brothers - The Concert Experience (2009) |
"The film gets one star from me for the admirable brevity of its running time and another for the definite article in its title, seemingly an implicit promise that there will be no sequel." |
Kyle Smith |
Tomato 3.5 |
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006) |
"...Collects declassified CIA photos, film and audiotapes made by Jones' followers to form an astonishingly complete picture of what happened." |
Kyle Smith |
Tomato 3/4 |
Joshua (2007) |
"Overall it delivers some genuine old-school chills -- something that was missing when Macaulay Culkin played a similar role in The Good Son." |
Lou Lumenick |
Tomato |
Josie and the Pussycats (2001) |
"More fun than you'd expect." |
Lou Lumenick |
Tomato 3/4 |
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) |
"Unusual for this genre, the script doesn't insult the audience's intelligence, and it mercifully soft-pedals its message about the virtues of reading." |
Lou Lumenick |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Journeys With George (2002) |
"It's a hoot and a half, and a great way for the American people to see what a candidate is like when he's not giving the same 15-cent stump speech." |
Linda Stasi |
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