Splat 2/4 |
Facing the Giants (2006) |
"Most of the actors read their lines earnestly but flatly, and Kendrick has done them no favors by pushing them to play broad comedy in some scenes and anguished drama in others." |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) |
"Moore has skillfully compiled many of the major allegations and charges brought against the Bushes... into one sweeping, blistering two-hour indictment." |
James Sanford |
Splat 2/4 |
Failure to Launch (2006) |
"Whatever the opposite of chemistry may be, McConaughey and Parker have plenty of it... one of the few romantic comedies in history in which the couple's fights are far more credible than their flirting." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 5/5 |
Fame (1980) |
"One of the finest dramas ever about teen life" |
James Sanford |
Splat 1/5 |
Family Business (1989) |
"Utterly forgettable, even with its great cast" |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
The Family Man (2000) |
"Even as the writers spin their entertaining suburban legend, there's a lingering feeling perhaps even they don't really stand behind the statement they're trying to make." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Family Stone (2005) |
"just when it seems we're going to be stuck with nothing more than a well-played, holidays-are-hell comedy, Bezucha spins the story in a different, far more rewarding direction." |
James Sanford |
Splat 2/5 |
A Family Thing (1996) |
"A just-OK teaming of two major talents" |
James Sanford |
Splat |
Fantastic Four (2005) |
"about as dynamic as Teddy Ruxpin... in its willingness to go for cheap jokes and awful Schwarzenegger-style wisecracks, 'Fantastic' is reminiscent of 'Batman and Robin'..." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 3/5 |
Fantastic Voyage (1966) |
"Irresistibly goofy; you won't forget it" |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Far From Heaven (2002) |
"Moore, Quaid and Haysbert must demonstrate their emotions with a minimum of complexity. ...they must work only with primary colors, if you will. It's a daunting assignment, but all three of them are superb." |
James Sanford |
Splat 2/5 |
Far North (1988) |
""admirable, if unsuccessful stab at something different"" |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
The Fast Runner (2002) |
"...squeezes in enough passion, jealousy, family feuding and murder to fuel a daytime drama for several weeks." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 3/5 |
Fast, Cheap, & Out of Control (1997) |
"Offbeat and often intriguing" |
James Sanford |
Splat |
Fat Albert (2004) |
"'We're gonna have a good time!' Fat Albert promises in the musical number that kicks off 'Fat Albert.' Unfortunately, the next 90 minutes prove he's just a big fat liar." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 4/5 |
Father Goose (1964) |
"an immensely amusing tale, with a great Grant performance" |
James Sanford |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Feast (2006) |
"proceeds to happily shred many of the pages in the monster-movie operation manual as it kills off a few people you might have thought would be potential heroes and permits other less-likable folks to stick around." |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Felicia's Journey (1999) |
"Every time we think we know what's going to happen, the story spins off in a curious new direction..." |
James Sanford |
Splat |
Femme Fatale (2002) |
"the film opens with a clip from 'Double Indemnity'... Clearly, DePalma is positioning Rebecca Romijn-Stamos as a modern-day Barbara Stanwyck; perhaps in his next movie, he'll try to sell us Christina Aguilera as the new Doris Day." |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Fever Pitch (2005) |
"Both funny and a bit gut-wrenching... 'You're a romantic,' Lindsey tells Ben. So, it turns out, are the Farrellys..." |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Fight Club (1999) |
"If "A Clockwork Orange" was a bitter answer to the "all you need is love" message of the late 1960s, "Fight Club" is a brass-knuckled slap in the face to yuppiedom and its "greed is good" mantra." |
James Sanford |
Splat 2/4 |
The Fighting Temptations (2003) |
"Cuba Gooding Jr. once again (shows) he and comedy do not belong in the same area code (and, come to think of it, after 'Boat Trip,' did anyone need further evidence?)." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 3/5 |
Final Analysis (1992) |
"Great trashy fun: Don't drink the cough syrup!" |
James Sanford |
Splat |
Final Destination (2000) |
"Give Death some credit, though. Instead of simply inflicting these kids with fatal aneurysms or sudden strokes, Death goes all out to give each of its victims a splashy going-away party." |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Finding Forrester (2000) |
"Granted, Connery has done the act many times before, and yet he always seems to pull it off with uncommon grace and good humor." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 5/5 |
Finding Nemo (2003) |
"far more sophisticated and ambitious than what typically passes for 'family entertainment.' ...manages to be extremely funny, thrilling and sometimes a little scary as well." |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Finding Neverland (2004) |
"Although the tender 'Finding Neverland' isn't likely to launch a large-scale Barrie revival, it's certain to please viewers looking for an old-fashioned tearjerker." |
James Sanford |
Splat |
Fire Down Below (1997) |
"Marg Helgenberger plays Jack's love interest, the kind of tormented backwoodsy recluse Helen Reddy used to sing songs about. The stultifying aw-shucks courtship between the two is like a nightmarish version of 'The Bridges of Madison County'..." |
James Sanford |
Splat 2/4 |
Firewall (2006) |
"Joe Forte's screenplay doesn't stop at merely stretching credibility -- it keeps pushing until 'Firewall' becomes absolutely absurd. ... That's a shame, since Ford turns in an otherwise convincingly tense performance." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 4/5 |
The Firm (1993) |
"Slick, highly enjoyable filming of a disposal best seller" |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
First Daughter (2004) |
"remains reasonably pleasant, since Holmes turns Sam into something more than the run-of-the-mill poor little rich girl." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 3/5 |
The First Wives Club (1996) |
""glossy fluff, impeccably cast and performed"" |
James Sanford |
Tomato 4/5 |
A Fish Called Wanda (1988) |
"delicious lunacy from start to finish" |
James Sanford |
Tomato 3/4 |
Flags of Our Fathers (2006) |
"Viewers expecting a traditional 'war movie' might be surprised... But while the film is thoughtful and masterfully made, it ultimately doesn't have the impact it could have had." |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Flash Gordon - Space Soldiers (1936) |
"The special effects may seem outrageously chintzy today, but 'Flash' is compelling nonetheless, thanks to flawless casting, breathless action and endless imagination." |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1936) |
"Though played out against some lavish backdrops, 'Universe' is easily the weakest of the Flash serials." |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938) |
"higher production values, stirring music (composer Franz Waxman has given the Clay People a memorably offbeat, plinking theme), lots of weird science and some zany architectural designs..." |
James Sanford |
Splat |
Flawless (1999) |
"a piece of junk jewelry even Robert DeNiro and Philip Seymour Hoffman can't make sparkle. Heaven knows they try, though." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Flicka (2006) |
"J. Michael Muro's gorgeous cinematography spreads the astonishing beauty of rural Wyoming across the Cinemascope screen. ...McGraw gives an appealingly understated performance..." |
James Sanford |
Splat |
Flight of the Phoenix (2004) |
"the kind of ersatz entertainment that will make you wish you were stuck in a mile-long line at the mall or listening to a long set of carols sung by tone-deaf kids." |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Flightplan (2005) |
"cleverly combines old-school suspense and modern-day paranoia into a tense, compact thriller that's scarier than a long flight on a bankrupt airline." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 4/5 |
Flirting (1993) |
"An offbeat charmer" |
James Sanford |
Tomato 5/5 |
Flirting with Disaster (1996) |
"Outstanding, uproariously funny dark comedy" |
James Sanford |
Tomato 3/4 |
Flushed Away (2006) |
"endearingly loony... nearly stolen by a chorus of hard-working slugs that slithers from scene to scene, often contributing exactly the right reaction - or song, as the case may be - at the right time." |
James Sanford |
Splat 1/5 |
The Fog (2005) |
"Carl Sandburg once wrote that the fog comes on little cat feet. Director Rupert Wainwright's 'The Fog,' however, clomps around like an elephant in cement boots." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Fog of War (2003) |
"it's clear Morris is taking aim both at the tough-talking Texan who lived in the White House 40 years ago and the one who's currently there..." |
James Sanford |
Tomato |
Footloose (1984) |
"primarily remembered as the "dance movie" that made Kevin Bacon a star, but it's a good deal savvier than it seems on the surface." |
James Sanford |
Splat 2/5 |
For Keeps (1988) |
"Ringwald at the start of her downward slide" |
James Sanford |
Splat |
For Love of the Game (1999) |
"The copious footage devoted to Billy and Jane's encounters might have been easier to sit through is there was any magic between Costner and Preston, but they're acting in two different films." |
James Sanford |
Tomato 3/5 |
For Richer or Poorer (1997) |
"No masterpiece, but it does have heart" |
James Sanford |