Splat 2/4 |
A Scanner Darkly (2006) |
"The story itself becomes schizoid, splitting between a convoluted detective mystery and lazy conversations between paranoid addicts." |
Sean Means |
Tomato |
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) |
"A haunting and wondrous story about the thin and rapidly blurring line between reality and illusion." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2/4 |
Abandon (2002) |
"Gaghan supplies the movie with one good twist, then muffs the delivery with a twitchy flashback/flash-forward story structure." |
Sean Means |
Tomato |
About a Boy (2002) |
"Grant's well-cultivated persona as a charming cad (onscreen and off) makes Will's selfish behavior feel completely natural." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 4/4 |
About Schmidt (2002) |
"Director Alexander Payne and his co-writer Jim Taylor stretch past the arch satire of ... "Election" and "Citizen Ruth" to find a quirky humor and seeping humanity." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Acts of Worship (2001) |
"Rodriguez' view of addiction from the inside, and Reeder's warts-and-all portrayal of a junkie going over the edge, make for a fascinating film." |
Sean Means |
Splat 0/4 |
Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights (2002) |
"[T]hat fluttering sound you hear [is] just the critics' goodwill Sandler earned from Punch-Drunk Love flying out the window." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Adaptation (2002) |
"The conceit of Charlie writing himself into his own screenplay, and by doing so changing the characters and his own destiny, is thought-provoking, funny and sweetly humanizing." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1/4 |
Adventures of Power (2009) |
"Gold attempts to show Power as a "Napoleon Dynamite"-like charmer, but Gold's spastic performance induces more cringes than smiles." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2/4 |
Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl in 3-D (2005) |
"The rest of us, especially parents who have to take those kids to the theater, will have to get used to living without little things like story or characters or coherence." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
After Innocence (2005) |
"[The] stories of injustice and perseverence [will] stick in the memory after watching this uncluttered and compelling film." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1.5/4 |
After the Sunset (2004) |
"Even with the delicious Salma Hayek on board, the biggest boobs in this dumb heist flick are the characters played by Pierce Brosnan and Woody Harrelson." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
After The Wedding (2007) |
"It's Mikkelsen who anchors the movie, as his moody Jacob tries to reconcile his past mistakes with his current passion for his students in India." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1/4 |
Against the Ropes (2003) |
"Ryan approaches a larger-than-life character... and helps reduce her to a plucky heroine straight out of a made-for-Lifetime movie." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Agent Cody Banks (2003) |
"It's not smart enough or exciting enough to be an action movie, and it lacks the childlike goofiness that the Spy Kids franchise has by the boatload." |
Sean Means |
Splat 0/4 |
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004) |
"May be the dumbest thing associated with Anglo-American intelligence since the sexed-up WMD dossier." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Agronomist (2004) |
"Demme... captures Dominique's energy and hunger for human rights, sometimes by doing nothing more than locking down the camera and letting the guy talk." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003) |
"Even as Broomfield inserts himself (as usual) into the narrative, Wuornos grabs the spotlight with all of her wild-eyed fury." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Akeelah and the Bee (2006) |
"Palmer is so good. She's a charmer, bright and talented and sympathetic. And she's only 12." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Al Franken: God Spoke (2006) |
"The film feels unfinished as Franken contemplates a run for the U.S. Senate from Minnesota, which might make God Spoke the set-up for a much more interesting sequel." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2/4 |
The Alamo (2004) |
"By creating the only character of depth in an underdeveloped epic, Thornton is the only element of The Alamo truly worth remembering." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Alex and Emma (2003) |
"By exposing the inanity of most romantic comedies ..., it's possible some inventive writer will be inspired to explode the formula and try something different. Possible, but not bloody likely." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Alexander (2004) |
"Farrell - in short skirt and silly wig, covered in fluids and frequently weeping - looks less like a Greek hero than a Greek Row pledge during a Hell Week hazing." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Alexandra (2008) |
"The images are indelible, if somewhat inscrutable (knowing Russian history would probably help, I suppose), but the message behind them rings out like a warning alarm." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Alfie (2004) |
"I'm still not convinced that the world needed a remake of Alfie... but after watching the movie, I'm certain Jude Law needed it.
" |
Sean Means |
Splat |
Ali (2001) |
"Smith and Ali are hobbled by Mann's decision merely to skim the surface of Muhammad Ali's larger-than-life life." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Alias Betty (2002) |
"Like a Tarantino movie with heart, Alias Betty is richly detailed, deftly executed and utterly absorbing." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 4/4 |
Alien (1979) |
"What makes Alien truly terrifying is Scott's vision of a future where the line between man and machine is disappearing." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1/4 |
Aliens in the Attic (2009) |
"It's one thing that the script has a moronic premise. It's another that the writers don't have anything clever to add to that premise." |
Sean Means |
Splat 0/4 |
All About the Benjamins (2002) |
"Someone should tell director Kevin Bray that Miami Vice has been cancelled." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1/4 |
All Roads Lead Home (2008) |
"If this movie were a horse, somebody would have to put it down." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2/4 |
All The King's Men (2006) |
"An old-fashioned filibuster - a talky exercise designed to wear down any dissenters who might try to point out that the emperor has no clothes." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
All the Real Girls (2003) |
"By dismissing the cliches of movie romance, "All the Real Girls" comes closer than most movies can to showing a couple falling in love." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Almost Peaceful (2004) |
"There isn't much of a narrative arc in director Michel Deville's drama, just many touching little stories." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Alpha Dog (2007) |
"Cassavetes sends us on a slow death march, following his bland, drugged-out and overly tattooed characters from one beer-bong party to the next." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2/4 |
Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) |
"Who decided 'Witch Doctor' - with its nonsense lyric 'Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang' - needed a hip-hop update?" |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Amandla: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony (2003) |
"Like the songs themselves, "Amandla!" tells a terrible story in a most enthusiastic and upbeat way." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Amazing Grace (2007) |
"Gruffudd and Apted are pleasantly earnest in their efforts to spread Wilberforce's message of peace and justice." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2/4 |
Amelia (2009) |
"[A] gauzy biopic [with] gorgeous scenery, beautiful period costumes, and a love affair worthy of a Lifetime movie." |
Sean Means |
Tomato |
Amelie (2001) |
"When Amelie's flights of fancy lose altitude, Tautou's lighter-than-air presence keeps them aloft." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Amen (2003) |
"Costa-Gavras often shortchanges the story's inherent drama for talky and strident speechifying." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1/4 |
America: Freedom To Fascism (2006) |
"Russo comes off as a paranoid ranter, the movie equivalent of the street-corner pamphleteer with tinfoil in his hat to keep out the gamma rays." |
Sean Means |
Splat 0/4 |
An American Carol (2008) |
"How dumb does Hollywood think American conservatives are? Not half as dumb as conservative filmmaker David Zucker thinks they are." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2/4 |
American Dreamz (2006) |
"Weitz suffers what can only be called a failure of will. He backs off when he should be bearing down." |
Sean Means |
Splat |
American Outlaws (2001) |
"An excuse for good-looking guys (and one good-looking gal) to play cowboy." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2.5/4 |
American Pastime |
"Rich period detail and solid performances by [Aaron] Yoo and Gary Cole." |
Sean Means |
Splat |
American Pie 2 (2001) |
"Doesn't have such a lame plot [as American Pie], or any other plot, for that matter." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 4/4 |
American Splendor (2003) |
"American Splendor is, like the comic, hip in structure but refreshingly square in its emotions -- smart and sad and sweet and funny, all in one outstanding package." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
American Teen (2008) |
"One might wish for a bit more variety among the profiled students, or that the students themselves didn't seem influenced by The Hills and other quasi-reality TV, but Burstein gets a lot out of what she has." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1.5/4 |
American Wedding (2003) |
"[Turning] Stifler likeable ... is not quite as heinous as, say, giving Hannibal Lecter a puppy, but it does rather emasculate a character fans love to hate." |
Sean Means |
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