Tomato 2.5/4 |
S.W.A.T. (2003) |
"Fresher popcorn than most of the sequels that have come and gone." |
Jack Mathews |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Sacco & Vanzetti (2007) |
"Miller's film shows how quickly Americans facing perceived foreign threats are willing to ignore basic liberties. Sound familiar?" |
Jack Mathews |
Splat 2/4 |
Sahara (2005) |
"Eisner is not remotely up to the challenge. Spending millions on action scenes does not mean you get them right." |
Jack Mathews |
Tomato 3/4 |
Saint of 9/11 (2006) |
"Overly reverent but still immensely touching ..." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 2/4 |
Saint Ralph (2005) |
"Writer-director Michael McGowan must be exhausted after all the tugging he does on our heartstrings in this sentimental drama." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Tomato 3/4 |
Saints And Soldiers |
"In his feature film debut, Little uses washed-out color and a you-are-there immediacy to tell a powerful wartime tale of survival, morality and honor." |
Robert Dominguez |
Splat 2/4 |
The Salon (2005) |
"Given that Brown wrote the significantly superior Barbershop, he should know that when you make a socially conscious comedy, you've got to weave in plenty of wit alongside the wisdom." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006) |
"Allen and Short seem to be having so much fun that their enthusiasm is entirely contagious. Let the season begin." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Tomato 3/4 |
Saraband (2005) |
"This is as bitter and despairing an exploration of the human spirit as any of [Bergman's] films, and it is just as vibrantly written and directed." |
Jack Mathews |
Splat 2/4 |
Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic (2005) |
"For her first concert film, comedian Sarah Silverman trots out about 40 minutes' worth of her best stand-up material and pads the rest with an assortment of ill-conceived and unfunny skits and musical numbers." |
Jack Mathews |
Splat 2/5 |
Savage Grace (2008) |
"Grace may be based on a true story, but barely a moment in it feels real." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Savages (2007) |
"The actors have found mutual subcurrents to their characters that project familial affection even when they are at each other's throats." |
Jack Mathews |
Tomato 3/4 |
Save The Green Planet! (2005) |
"Somehow, Jang manages to meld shocking sadism, slapstick laughs and a poignant political plea into a head-spinning trip that, it seems safe to say, is like none you've taken before." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Tomato 3/4 |
Saved! (2004) |
"Brian Dannelly's teen farce Saved! is about three teeth short of a full bite. But it leaves an indelible impression." |
Jack Mathews |
Tomato 3/4 |
Saving Face (2005) |
"A heartwarming comedy that reaffirms the power of personal choice, while also promising to love and to cherish even the most hidebound cultures." |
Jami Bernard |
Splat 2/4 |
Saving Shiloh (2006) |
"You won't find the pragmatic intelligence of Naylor's original stories here, but even cynics may be touched by the film's remarkably wholesome lessons about friendship, family and forgiveness." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 1/4 |
Saw (2004) |
"A gore movie with no teeth." |
Jami Bernard |
Splat 2/4 |
Saw II (2005) |
"At the very least, with Saw II, you get what you pay for." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Saw III (2006) |
"Just like its increasingly wan antihero, this blood-soaked series is on its last legs." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 2/4 |
Saw IV (2007) |
"This death trap may be rusty, but as long as it keeps generating fresh blood, it's unlikely to slam shut anytime soon." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 1/5 |
Saw V (2008) |
"The torture devices, once so fiendishly adapted to each offender, have become generic excuses to spatter gore. The script is insultingly lazy, and inept direction from newcomer David Hackl hardly helps." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 1/5 |
Saw VI (2009) |
"These movies lack a whole lot of panache." |
Joe Neumaier |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Say Uncle (2006) |
"Ask yourself: If you saw an unknown, single man repeatedly approach kids in the park, would you be concerned? If so, you may not find Paul, and his unbalanced Peter Pan complex, quite as charming as Paige does." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Tomato 3/4 |
Scary Movie 3 (2003) |
"The funniest and possibly sickest entry yet." |
Jack Mathews |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Scary Movie 4 (2006) |
"There's only so much humor left to wring from the pup tent of Brokeback Mountain or the matted-hair fetish of the Japanese horror genre." |
Jami Bernard |
Tomato 3/4 |
Schizo (2005) |
"A sophisticated blend of crime thriller, coming-of-age story and social realism." |
Jami Bernard |
Splat 2/4 |
School for Scoundrels (2006) |
"Heder's looks and mannerisms are so inherently geeky that the post-transformation Roger appears to be less a lion with a hearty roar than a dork with delusions of grandeur." |
Jack Mathews |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
School of Rock (2003) |
"This is fun for everyone, even those (like me) who hate contemporary rock music." |
Jack Mathews |
Splat 2/4 |
Schultze Gets the Blues (2005) |
"Reminiscent of the films of Aki Kaurismaki and Jim Jarmusch, this wry, very slow German import by Michael Schorr has amusing moments but doesn't possess the droll absurdity needed to make it genuinely compelling." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 2.5/4 |
The Science of Sleep (2006) |
"A charming, inventive, ambitious, surreal mess." |
Jack Mathews |
Splat 2/4 |
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) |
"The rapidly aging cast is clearly in it for the cash, with not a single one fully committed to the task." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 2/4 |
Scoop (2006) |
"To see Allen, now 70, trying to reclaim the persona he's been handing off is like watching Willie Mays fall down trying to hit a curve ball during his last season." |
Jack Mathews |
Tomato 3/4 |
Screamers (2006) |
"Fans are, obviously, most likely to appreciate the concert footage that's woven throughout the film." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 1.5/4 |
The Sea (2003) |
"Dysfunction seeps from every pore of this family, and the anger and ugliness of the characters overwhelm not just the story but the movie's stunning National Geographic location." |
Jami Bernard |
Tomato 4/4 |
The Sea Inside (2004) |
"Based on a true story, the movie has abundant humor and uplift -- but it's a heartbreaker of extraordinary dimension." |
Jami Bernard |
Splat 2/4 |
The Sea is Watching (2003) |
"There's plenty to appreciate here but the story is tedious and some of the overacting runs into cultural translation problems." |
Jami Bernard |
Tomato 3/4 |
Seabiscuit (2003) |
"Seabiscuit the movie gets it right -- not only providing exciting, saddle's-eye-view racing scenes, but also recalling the Depression era when 'the Biscuit' came from behind and gave the suffering nation hope." |
Jami Bernard |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Seagull's Laughter (2001) |
"A droll script and generally deft direction make the Icelandic chill surprisingly inviting." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 2/4 |
Seamless (2005) |
"Fashion is something you either get or you don't, and whether you'll want to lay down $10 for Douglas Keeve's insider documentary depends entirely on whether you'd spend your last few bucks on the new issue of Vogue." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (2005) |
"Gradually, though, White pushes the film toward significance by encouraging a deeper examination of two primary preoccupations of the region: sin and penance." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 2/4 |
Second Best (2005) |
"Though the essays are smartly written and Pantoliano manages to make Elliot vaguely sympathetic, Second Best is a long slog in the dumps." |
Jack Mathews |
Splat 2/4 |
Secondhand Lions (2003) |
"This story is so lamely conceived and presented that it's a grind." |
Jack Mathews |
Splat 2.5/5 |
The Secret Life of Bees (2008) |
"As for Fanning, she continues to prove herself a natural who can handle anything thrown her way. It's worth wondering, though, if she should have to." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Secret Life of Words (2006) |
"Given the physical limitations of their characters, Polley and Robbins give remarkably compelling performances, and though the resolution of their slowly evolving relationship is a bit too pat, it is one you won't soon forget." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
The Secret Lives of Dentists (2003) |
"It's a compassionate view of marriage and its stressors. But the filmmaker and actors do their jobs only too well. Watching Secret Lives can be as uncomfortable as sitting in the dentist's chair." |
Jami Bernard |
Tomato 3/4 |
Secret Lives: Hidden Children and Their Rescuers During WWII (2002) |
"Sometimes painful, often joyous, and altogether illuminating." |
Jack Mathews |
Splat 2/4 |
Secret Window (2004) |
"It's a slight story to begin with, and the movie teeters on camp with its jokey filler material." |
Jami Bernard |
Splat 2/4 |
Secuestro Express (2005) |
"Part exploitation thriller and part sociopolitical statement, Secuestro Express is a little too enamored of its own gangsta cool to be taken seriously." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
Splat 2/4 |
Seducing Dr. Lewis (2004) |
"The makers of Seducing Doctor Lewis have a cute idea, but they milk it for all they can, sometimes to the point of embarrassment." |
Jami Bernard |
Splat .5/4 |
See No Evil (2006) |
"Grim, bloody and relentless, without even a spark of fun or intelligence, Evil is barely good enough for late-night cable." |
Elizabeth Weitzman |
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