Tomato A- |
A Scanner Darkly (2006) |
"It's the kind of movie that gets under your skin -- and stays there." |
Peter Rainer |
Splat 1/4 |
About a Boy (2002) |
"Was this spiritless stuff really directed by Paul and Chris Weitz, of American Pie fame? How the rebels have mellowed!" |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 3/4 |
About Schmidt (2002) |
"There's no actor on the planet like Nicholson, and here he's at the peak of his powers." |
David Sterritt |
Splat C |
Accepted (2006) |
"Sophomoric doesn't begin to describe the humor (most of the characters are freshmen after all), but you may find some laughs in spite of yourself." |
M. K. Terrell |
Tomato B- |
Across the Universe (2007) |
"Julie Taymor's flower-powery phantasmagoria is ambitious but ultimately tiresome." |
Peter Rainer |
Tomato 3/4 |
Acts of Worship (2001) |
"Rodriguez makes a promising debut with this unsentimental drama." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 3/4 |
Adaptation (2002) |
"Cage in particular does his best work in ages, giving each of the Kaufman twins a personality and style all his own." |
David Sterritt |
Splat C+ |
Adoration (2009) |
"Because of the allegorical nature of its people, "Adoration" never fully brings them to life – especially, and most crucially, Simon and Sabine. They are mouthpieces before they are human beings." |
Peter Rainer |
Tomato A- |
Adventureland (2009) |
"Audiences expecting another dumb wallow will be startled, and I hope enlivened, by this movie's core of feeling." |
Peter Rainer |
Splat 2/4 |
Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl in 3-D (2005) |
"You'll know who the target audience is when you discover the story's setting is called Planet Drool, and the hero is an imaginative schoolboy who joins the title characters to fight the evil Mr. Electric and save the world." |
David Sterritt |
Splat D |
Aeon Flux (2005) |
"The camera drools over each titilating catfight and gazelle-like leap." |
Matt Bradley |
Tomato 3/4 |
Afghan Stories (2002) |
"The documentary makes up in humane values what it lacks in sociological depth." |
David Sterritt |
Splat 2/4 |
After the Apocalypse (2004) |
"Dark, eccentric, silly." |
David Sterritt |
Splat 2/4 |
After the Sunset (2004) |
"This indirect rehash of To Catch a Thief trades Hitchcockian shrewdness for the slickest kinds of Hollywood glitz, gloss, and vulgarity." |
David Sterritt |
Splat 1/4 |
Against the Ropes (2003) |
"Most of the characters are one-dimensional stereotypes ... and the climax is a championship bout that's both utterly predictable and out of key with the story as a whole." |
David Sterritt |
Splat 1/4 |
Agent Cody Banks (2003) |
"The repetitious script -- cobbled together by no fewer than five writers -- shows interest in nothing beyond action-centered plot gimmicks and tame romantic shenanigans." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Agronomist (2004) |
"Watching Demme's documentary is both a crash course in the nation's tumultuous past and a provocative visit with one of its most colorful citizens." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 4/4 |
Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003) |
"As gripping and suspenseful as anything Hollywood is capable of turning out." |
David Sterritt |
Splat 2/4 |
Air Force One (1997) |
"It would take a far more intelligent movie than Air Force One to credibly explore the issues raised by this hyperactive plot." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato B- |
Air Guitar Nation (2007) |
"Director Alexandra Lipsitz doesn't do much more than chronicle the noise, but it's intermittently fun stuff." |
Peter Rainer |
Tomato B |
Akeelah and the Bee (2006) |
"... a slight but winning heart-tugger ..." |
Peter Rainer |
Tomato B |
Al Franken: God Spoke (2006) |
"This scattershot movie, shot over two years, follows the zigzag trail of political satirist Al Franken as he feuds with Bill O'Reilly, campaigns against George W. Bush, and helps establish Air America." |
Peter Rainer |
Splat 1/4 |
The Alamo (2004) |
"It's dull, derivative, and as lifelike as a heap of historical figurines." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 3/4 |
Alex and Emma (2003) |
"Alex & Emma isn't nearly as clever as Reiner's classic Misery, a very different look at a male writer and his female companion. But it's diverting fun." |
David Sterritt |
Splat C- |
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006) |
"It hasn't a shred of originality." |
M. K. Terrell |
Splat 1/4 |
Alexander (2004) |
"It's astounding that the ingenious creator of JFK and Wall Street could make an epic on war and empire that's so utterly simplistic and unreflective." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 3/4 |
Alfie (2004) |
"Law is lively and Shyer keeps the action hopping with help from the movie's original gimmick of having Alfie keep up a running monologue to the audience." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 3/4 |
Alias Betty (2002) |
"An engrossing story that combines psychological drama, sociological reflection, and high-octane thriller." |
David Sterritt |
Splat 2/4 |
Alien vs. Predator (2004) |
"For a matchup between two of the most fearsome creatures in moviemaking history, this movie is surprisingly tame." |
Sheera Frenkel |
Splat |
Alien: The Director's Cut (2003) |
"It certainly had innovations, including its idea that monsters may lurk both within and without the human body. But mostly it settled for giving a grisly new look to popular old formulas." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 4/4 |
Aliens of the Deep (2005) |
"A major treat for the eyes." |
David Sterritt |
Splat D |
Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) |
"The film's production values are good, but the goings-on are laughable, if not downright boring." |
M. K. Terrell |
Tomato 3/4 |
All or Nothing (2002) |
"Leigh is one of the rare directors who feels acting is the heart and soul of cinema. He allows his cast members to make creative contributions to the story and dialogue. This method almost never fails him, and it works superbly here." |
David Sterritt |
Splat C |
All The King's Men (2006) |
"Penn is given very little to do, after the first half hour or so, except connive and exhort and flail his arms. If you were to plot his character arc on a graph, it would mostly resemble a flat line." |
Peter Rainer |
Splat 2/4 |
All the Real Girls (2003) |
"The main characters are unremarkable, and most of the acting is dull." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 3/4 |
Almost Famous (2000) |
"Veterans of the 1960s and '70s will find that Almost Famous captures both the raging excesses of that era and the keen-eyed alertness that allowed some savvy youngsters to survive and even profit from the scene." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 3/4 |
Almost Peaceful (2004) |
"The gently told comedy-drama is more colorful than you'd expect, using wry humor and lively music to keep sentimentality at bay." |
David Sterritt |
Splat 1/4 |
Along Came Polly (2004) |
"Aniston is so far above this material she should never, ever have signed on." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato B- |
Alpha Dog (2007) |
"Director Cassevetes has a bit more than he can handle with this complex telling of a real-life tragedy, but he elicits believable performances from the young cast, with Justin Timberlake especially impressive as Johnny's tough-guy-with-a-heart lieutenant." |
M. K. Terrell |
Splat 2/4 |
An Amazing Couple (2002) |
"The mixture of humor, suspense, and ominous undertones is effective but rarely inspired." |
David Sterritt |
Splat C- |
Amazing Grace (2007) |
"[Director Michael Apted] has an unfortunate penchant for bland stateliness, and never more so than in Amazing Grace." |
Peter Rainer |
Splat 2/4 |
Amen (2003) |
"It's regrettable that director Costa-Gavras puts more of his storytelling energy into simplistic psychology and suspense-movie action than historical depth and philosophical insight." |
David Sterritt |
Splat D |
American Dreamz (2006) |
"The time is certainly ripe for a scathing black comedy about our current political life -- something on the order of, say, Dr. Strangelove. Alas, American Dreamz is not that film. Not even close." |
Peter Rainer |
Tomato B |
American Gangster (2007) |
"It's an entertaining pulp pastiche with pretensions." |
Peter Rainer |
Tomato 4/4 |
American Splendor (2003) |
"As invigorating as anything I've seen in ages." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato B- |
American Teen (2008) |
"Burstein does indeed capture some of the awkwardnesses that we can all relate to -- the dating scene, the snubs, the cliques, the bad behavior." |
Peter Rainer |
Tomato B+ |
American Violet (2009) |
"Director Tim Disney and screenwriter Bill Haney lay out Dee's story with a minimum of fuss. They are smart enough to realize that the material is compelling all on its own." |
Peter Rainer |
Splat 1/4 |
American Wedding (2003) |
"Whatever novelty this series ever possessed has gone down the proverbial tube." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 2/4 |
Amistad (1997) |
"Despite its many shortcomings, Amistad has the energy and earnestness of most Spielberg pictures." |
David Sterritt |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Amityville Horror (2005) |
"This remake stays close to the eponymous 1979 horror movie it's based on, except for being precisely 10,000 times scarier." |
David Sterritt |
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