Splat 2.5/4 |
The Jacket (2005) |
"Director John Maybury amps up the quick-edit visual shocks, which mostly serve to distract from the lack of a story." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
James' Journey to Jerusalem (2003) |
"A gentle and moving parable." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2.5/4 |
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) |
"With all the reflected glory from Austen's books, the movie never truly shines on its own." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Japanese Story (2004) |
"[Collette's] raw energy and fragile beauty shine even as the movie bogs down in unearned poignancy." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Jarhead (2005) |
"As fascinating, funny and shocking as those waiting moments can be, the audience is also left waiting for [the filmmakers] to finally declare themselves." |
Sean Means |
Splat 0/4 |
Jason X (2002) |
"As a movie, Jason X is a piece of garbage. As a drinking game, it is ideal." |
Sean Means |
Tomato |
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) |
"Smith's script is the funniest of this dimbulb summer, and the sharpest he has ever written." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
JCVD (2008) |
"The movie's neatest trick is to let an introspective Van Damme muse about the perils of fame and being an aging action hero." |
Sean Means |
Splat |
Jeepers Creepers (2001) |
"Jeepers Creepers doesn't raise goosebumps; it just makes your skin crawl." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Jersey Girl (2004) |
"Jersey Girl is not Kevin Smith at his most innovative or scathingly funny. But it is his most emotionally satisfying work, a warm movie that isn't trying to be cool." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Jesus Camp (2006) |
"A meaningful piece of the story of America's struggle of church and state, but still just a piece." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Jet Lag (2003) |
"What makes Jet Lag almost work is the unexpected chemistry between the ethereal Binoche and the gravelly Reno." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Jimmy Carter Man From Plains (2007) |
"The talk may be a little wonkish for some, but for political junkies, the chance to listen to Carter's still-relevant thoughts is something to savor." |
Sean Means |
Tomato |
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001) |
"Though the movie has its moments, TV seems a better place for Jimmy's high-tech antics." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 4/4 |
Jindabyne (2007) |
"A tense and spare examination of how these married people relate to each other after years of pain, mistrust and secrets have taken their toll." |
Sean Means |
Splat |
Joe Somebody (2001) |
"All it would take to turn Joe Somebody into a dismissable teen comedy is a change of setting and cast." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2/4 |
Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten (2007) |
"Indulgent celebrity interviews..., repetitive details from Strummer's friends, and rapid-fire editing of found footage that sometimes matches the music but often just clouds the narrative." |
Sean Means |
Tomato |
John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars (2001) |
"Ghosts of Mars may be nothing more than drive-in blood and guts, but it's satisfyingly executed." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1.5/4 |
John Q (2002) |
"The movie equivalent of talk radio: loud and in your face, to be sure, but also preachy, ill-informed and simplistic to a fault." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Johnny English (2003) |
" ... reminds us that the nation that gave us Peter Sellers and Monty Python also gave us Benny Hill." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) |
"If you can't afford a vacation to your favorite theme park, this 3-D-extravaganza is the next best thing." |
Sean Means |
Tomato |
Joy Ride (2001) |
"A no-fuss thriller that gets the adrenaline pumping." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2/4 |
Ju-On: The Grudge (2004) |
"What this version has that the remake lacks: a few more intriguing subplots and some Kabuki-like visual flourishes." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Julie & Julia (2009) |
"The main reason the Child half of Julie & Julia soars is that Streep so fully inhabits the woman." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Jumper (2008) |
"Liman's pursuit of action comes at a price: He seems to have cut too finely, removing character development and even a few characters." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Junebug (2005) |
"Morrison captures not only the flavors of Southern living - from church suppers to hollerin' contests - but a sense of what it's like to be Southern." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 4/4 |
Juno (2007) |
"Cody's writing recalls early Quentin Tarantino - dripping with pop-culture references, from Beverly Hills 90210 to Thundercats - but with a welcome sentimental streak." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1/4 |
Just a Kiss (2002) |
"An imponderably stilted and self-consciously arty movie." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Just Friends (2005) |
"Combines the worst elements of two Ben Affleck films - Jersey Girl and Surviving Christmas - for an indigestible stew of gross-out slapstick and holiday humiliation." |
Sean Means |
Tomato 3/4 |
Just Like Heaven (2005) |
"Witherspoon provides whip-smart comic timing and a bubbly charm that makes you love Elizabeth even when she's being Felix Unger to Ruffalo's Oscar Madison." |
Sean Means |
Splat 2/4 |
Just Married (2003) |
"Murphy and Kutcher ... have earned their big cue-the-credits kiss, even if the movie has not." |
Sean Means |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Just My Luck (2006) |
"It's difficult to say whether [Lohan's character] is more grating when she's cursed and whiny or when she's blessed and oblivious." |
Sean Means |
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