Tomato B- |
S.W.A.T. (2003) |
"An agreeable throwback...an action movie that, despite its modern sheen, has an almost charmingly old-fashioned feel." |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B |
S1m0ne (2002) |
"Demonstrates that a one-joke movie can work just fine if the joke's a good one and is well delivered...a delicious takeoff on the culture of celebrity." |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B |
S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (2004) |
"Moves very slowly and tends to be repetitive, but it has a simmering intensity beneath its deceptively placid surface...quietly devastating." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C- |
The Saddest Music in the World (2004) |
"Infuriatingly obscure...a bit of rarefied madness that proves that Maddin's films are an acquired taste most of us are unlikely ever to acquire." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C |
Safe Conduct (2002) |
"There's an excellent 90-minute film here; unfortunately, it runs for 170." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C |
The Safety of Objects (2003) |
"The episodes seem strained, the characters sketchy and underdeveloped, and the connections among them contrived." |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B- |
Sahara (2005) |
"Brainless...but it's also breathless. If the content is negligible and even puerile, the packaging is choice." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C |
Saint Ralph (2005) |
"Pushes itself as strenuously as its young protagonist, but ultimately collapses in a welter of sentiment, cuteness and whimsy." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat D |
The Salon (2005) |
"Like a rerun of a television show you didn't much care for in the first place." |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B |
Salton Sea (2002) |
"In its scuzzy, bleary way it's perversely enjoyable--an instant
classic among guilty pleasures." |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato 3/5 |
Salvador (1986) |
No article available. |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato 4/5 |
Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987) |
No article available. |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B- |
The Santa Clause 2 (2002) |
"Like its predecessor, it's no classic, but it provides a reasonably attractive holiday contraption, one that families looking for a clean, kid-friendly outing should investigate." |
Frank Swietek |
- |
The Santa Clause 2 (2002) |
"Interview with Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell and Michael Lembeck" |
Frank Swietek |
Splat D+ |
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006) |
"A gaudy but bland lump of coal in this year's cinematic holiday stocking." |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B+ |
Saraband (2005) |
"A poignant, powerful valedictory from one of the true masters of cinema." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C+ |
Satin Rouge (2002) |
"It takes you somewhere you're not likely to have seen before, but beneath the exotic surface (and exotic dancing) it's surprisingly old-fashioned." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat D+ |
Savage Grace (2008) |
"The decor and costumes are authentic, but there's barely a moment in the picture that feels genuine in human terms." |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B+ |
The Savages (2007) |
"Both a delicious exercise in great acting and a richly refined comedy-drama--tangy and touching in equal measure." |
Frank Swietek |
- |
The Savages (2007) |
"Interview with Tamara Jenkins" |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C+ |
Save the Last Dance (2001) |
"Like a series of Problem-of-the-Week TV movies crammed into a single two-hour span." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C |
Saved! (2004) |
"Comes nowhere near scoring a satirical bull's-eye--a pity, given that its target is such an inviting one." |
Frank Swietek |
- |
Saving Face (2005) |
"Interview with Alice Wu" |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B |
Saving Face (2005) |
"Though fundamentally a warmhearted crowd-pleaser, the dash of piquancy keeps it from becoming cloying." |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B- |
Saving Grace (2000) |
"A pleasant little comedy with the soul of one of those old, much loved Ealing pictures of the forties and fifties but overlayed with a coating of Hollywood glitz." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat F |
Saving Silverman (2001) |
"It's actually the audience that needs rescuing." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C |
Saw (2004) |
"Messy and rather revolting, but carrying an undeniable visceral impact. On that level, Saw works. It just happens to be a very low level." |
Frank Swietek |
- |
Saw (2004) |
"Interview with James Wan and Leigh Whannell" |
Frank Swietek |
Splat D |
Saw II (2005) |
"With 'Saw II,' to misquote Sherlock Holmes, the game's a-flat...Despite the makers' almost desperate efforts to shock and surprise, proves a curiously dull blade." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat D |
Saw III (2006) |
"Extremely dull in every sense. Even the most devoted fan won't find much to enjoy in this grab-bag of tired cliches and inept tricks." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat F |
Saw IV (2007) |
"If it ever had a prime, the Saw franchise is well past it...a mess...and an ugly mess at that." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat F |
Saw V (2008) |
"There's really nothing new here, and what's old is not good." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat F |
Saw VI (2009) |
"The tawdry use of important real-life social issues in the service of what amounts to nothing more than another exercise in malignant sadism makes this picture even worse than earlier episodes." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C |
Say It Isn't So (2001) |
"It isn't so hot." |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato 3/5 |
Scarface (1983) |
No article available. |
Frank Swietek |
Splat D |
Scary Movie (2000) |
"Does its spoofing with a blunt instrument instead of a scalpel, and it's engineered to appeal to the lowest instincts of its targeted adolescent audiences." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat D |
Scary Movie 2 (2001) |
"Dull, obvious and unremittingly vulgar." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat D |
Scary Movie 3 (2003) |
"To call the humor sophomoric would be an insult to second-year students everywhere...far too stale and puerile to generate much besides groans." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C- |
Scary Movie 4 (2006) |
"Marginally preferable to its immediate predecessor (mostly because it seems slightly less crass--or am I becoming inured?), but it's nothing to write home about." |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato 3/5 |
Scent of a Woman (1974) |
No article available. |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B |
Schizo (2005) |
"The exotic setting and the starkness with which the young man's story is told--along with Nusuppaev's muted charisma--help it transcend the narrative commonplaces." |
Frank Swietek |
- |
School for Scoundrels (2006) |
"Interview with Todd Phillips" |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B- |
School for Scoundrels (2006) |
"Mildly engaging...in an age of appallingly coarse comedies, its relative restraint is definitely welcome." |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B+ |
School of Rock (2003) |
"One of the happiest surprises of the fall season--a full-throated, energetic comedy...smart yet also slightly demented." |
Frank Swietek |
- |
School of Rock (2003) |
"Interview with Jack Black" |
Frank Swietek |
Tomato B |
Schultze Gets the Blues (2005) |
"A charming oddity...a gently rib-tickling, genuinely warm-hearted jewel." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C- |
The Science of Sleep (2006) |
"Really nothing more than a phantasmagorical reworking of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty using lots of tacky effects and goofy imagery." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C |
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) |
"However well done, it's still nothing more than a live-action version of a mediocre old cartoon; and while affectionate and nicely tooled, it's no more than tolerable." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat D+ |
Scooby-Doo - The Movie (2002) |
"Unless you're a fanatic, the best advice is: 'Scooby' don't." |
Frank Swietek |
Splat C |
Scoop (2006) |
"A relatively feeble, lackadaisical piece, mildly amusing but far too reminiscent of superior movies [Allen] made years ago and with too many dead spots." |
Frank Swietek |
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