Splat 2/4 |
S.W.A.T. (2003) |
"Considering that S.W.A.T. is about a highly trained, strategic police force, it's disappointing how quickly the movie dissolves into a formulaic cop movie." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2.5/4 |
S1m0ne (2002) |
"Not a bad movie, just an unambitious one." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2/4 |
Salton Sea (2002) |
"There’s something fundamental missing from this story: something or someone to care about." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2/4 |
The Savages (2007) |
"Predictably unconventional, indulgently metafictional, and hesitant about going for its alluded intentions." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Save the Last Dance (2001) |
"The leads shine and the relationship really grew on me. There’s not much more to ask for in a movie like this." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 0.5/4 |
Saving Silverman (2001) |
"Silverman is the newest "comedy" from director Dennis Dugan who has made such other "hits" as Big Daddy, Beverly Hills Ninja, and Happy Gilmore." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 1/4 |
Say It Isn't So (2001) |
"I must have been gone when the memo about things like this being funny was passed out, because, in all honesty, I never knew strokes were supposed to be funny." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Scary Movie 2 (2001) |
"The creators of Scary Movie 2 have forgotten one crucial fact about the horror genre--for every Scream 2 there are twenty Blair Witch 2s." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Scary Movie 3 (2003) |
"There are a few disappointing deviations that hinder the comic thrust of the movie, but still, I'm not ashamed to admit that, yes, I did have a few good belly laughs..." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Scary Movie 4 (2006) |
"There's possibly nothing sadder in the world of cinema than a comedy trying this hard for laughs." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
School of Rock (2003) |
"Director Richard Linklater has assembled a funny, sweet, and subversively anarchistic, blatantly antiauthoritarian little confection that never once loses its charm." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 1/4 |
Scooby-Doo - The Movie (2002) |
"It’s for the kids, to be sure, but I think they deserve something more than recycled, entirely-for-commercial-purposes entertainment in a poorly wrapped package." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Score (2001) |
"When all is said and done, the only reason this movie rises above a certain level is because at one point Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, and Edward Norton share the screen." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2/4 |
The Scorpion King (2002) |
"Here it is, the first (to the best of my knowledge) spin-off of the sequel of a movie that was a remake in the first place." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Seabiscuit (2003) |
"The film ultimately works so well... because of its dedication to its central characters." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Secondhand Lions (2003) |
"There's a deep, sad yearning that permeates through the fantastical optimism of Secondhand Lions that gives it the cold, harsh edge of reality." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Secretary (2002) |
"Contradicts everything we’ve come to expect from movies nowadays. Instead of simply handling conventional material in a conventional way, Secretary takes the most unexpected material and handles it in the most unexpected way." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2.5/4 |
The Sentinel (2006) |
"Pretty much in line with the majority of Hollywood thrillers that work in spite of themselves." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Serendipity (2001) |
"Because the script so gleefully indulges in bringing its leads closer together all while making sure they stay just far enough away, we smile instead of groan." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Series 7: The Contenders (2001) |
"Will have a short shelf life, and just as reality TV offers instant-gratification entertainment, The Contenders offers instant-gratification satire." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
A Serious Man (2009) |
"Joel and Ethan Coen show how good they are at collecting their esoteric ideas and putting them on display in a meaningful way." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Sexy Beast (2001) |
"Its central theme of the lure and danger of the criminal life and a villain so perfect at personifying that theme are the propelling force of the film." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Shallow Hal (2001) |
"Don’t expect me to say this too often, but I hope the Farrellys maintain their immaturity, if only because they do it so well." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Shanghai Knights (2003) |
"I could complain that it’s more of the same, but if it’s not broke, I don’t expect them to fix it." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Sherlock Holmes (2009) |
"I enjoyed the hell out of Sherlock Holmes." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2/4 |
The Shipping News (2001) |
"The simple build of comedy and meticulous build of tragedy are missing and so, in effect, is the movie’s heart." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Shoot 'Em Up (2007) |
"Badass, unabashedly malicious fun." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Shooter (2007) |
"An immature, angry polemic against military brass, the government, and politicians that is so simplistic, the movie ends up being more brain-dead for it." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Shrek (2001) |
"Has a diabolical sense of humor and a really big heart." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Shrek 2 (2004) |
"One couldn't ask for a better sequel than Shrek 2." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Shrek the Third (2007) |
"Marks a decided drop in the series." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 4/4 |
Sideways (2004) |
"Takes great pleasure in finding absurdity in the routine and picking apart the foibles of human nature, both of which are the cornerstone of that great comedy that is life." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 4/4 |
Signs (2002) |
"Signals the transformation of a promising young filmmaker into a brilliant young filmmaker." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2.5/4 |
The Simpsons Movie (2007) |
"There is so much gusto, such a willingness to go for broke and not look back [in the first act], that it seems too good to be true. As is often the case with such situations, it is." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2.5/4 |
A Single Man (2009) |
"For in all the bluntness of its visual panache and Firth's steady performance, the movie adds up to little more than a study in situational irony." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 1/4 |
Slow Burn (2007) |
"One wonders why Slow Burn wasn't just dumped completely." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 0.5/4 |
Smokin' Aces (2007) |
"A downright miserable experience." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Snakes on a Plane (2006) |
"This is the stuff of direct-to-video trash, but what fun trash this is." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Snatch (2001) |
"Ritchie knows exactly what he’s doing, and it’s a treat to be hit by all the surprises he has in store for us." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Solaris (2002) |
"The movie’s virtues are plentiful, but its shortcomings are far more influential." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2/4 |
Someone Like You (2001) |
"Hollywood needs to realize that it’s not the '40s anymore; women don’t need a man to be happy." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 4/4 |
Spellbound (2003) |
"Director Jeffrey Blitz has made a surprisingly suspenseful film that sharply observes the awkwardness of living as an intelligent adolescent in a society dedicated to the lowest common denominator." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 4/4 |
Spider (2003) |
"It isn't a film; it's a nightmare." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Spider-Man (2002) |
"You can tell the movie was made by people who enjoy the source material and have no fear of making it known." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Spider-Man 2 (2004) |
"Gets the characters where they need to go, but it doesn't develop their struggles to a satisfactory level." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 4/4 |
Spider-Man 3 (2007) |
"If the first sequel was superhero movie as soap opera, this is it approaching opera." |
Mark Dujsik |
Splat 2/4 |
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) |
"Unfortunately forgettable and particularly typical." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 4/4 |
Spirited Away (2002) |
"I hate to gush in the first sentence of a review, but I absolutely love this film." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Spy Game (2001) |
"Briskly paced and has enough style to keep the formula and implausibilities, for the most part, out of mind." |
Mark Dujsik |
Tomato 3/4 |
Spy Kids (2001) |
"If you are sans children, you may feel a little awkward walking in, but once the movie starts, you’ll feel right at home." |
Mark Dujsik |