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Vanilla Sky
Chicago Tribune
Mark Caro
You're usually too busy reacting to the plot jackknifes and trying to get a handle on the characters to connect on an emotional level.
3/5
5
3
5
false
20
41
10
1,221
Waiting For Dublin
Chicago Tribune
Michael Phillips
Now and then comes an Irish comedy that pinches your cheek so hard in its attempt to charm the only recourse is to hole up with a triple bill of fatalistic Romanian dramas. And quickly
1.5/5
5
1.5
5
false
5
41
10
1,221
The Birds
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
You'll never eat chicken again!
4/5
5
4
5
false
3
5
1
1,222
The Flight of the Phoenix
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Don't watch this before your next flight.
4/5
5
4
5
false
3
5
1
1,222
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
This classic is no dog!
5/5
5
5
5
false
4
5
1
1,222
Sabrina
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Skip the Harrison Ford remake and go straight to this original classic.
5/5
5
5
5
false
4
5
1
1,222
In Love and War
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Not as bad as you'd expect. Good for a rainy day.
3/5
5
3
5
false
2
5
1
1,222
Adventures in Babysitting
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
So much fun it might make babysitting a real career choice.
5/5
5
5
5
false
4
5
1
1,222
Camille Claudel
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Compelling and heartbreaking.
5/5
5
5
5
false
4
5
1
1,222
The Crimson Pirate
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Schlocky but fun.
3/5
5
3
5
false
2
5
1
1,222
Diamonds Are Forever
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Classic Bond.
4/5
5
4
5
false
3
5
1
1,222
A Few Good Men
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Like a roast that's baked too long, the acting in this film is 'over done.'
3/5
5
3
5
false
2
5
1
1,222
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
MacDowell's dull drawl drags doings down.
4/5
5
4
5
false
3
5
1
1,222
Harold and Maude
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Gives true romance a new meaning.
5/5
5
5
5
false
4
5
1
1,222
La Cage aux Folles
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Love the screenplay.
4/5
5
4
5
false
3
5
1
1,222
Magnificent Obsession
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Good flick!
4/5
5
4
5
false
3
5
1
1,222
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Good plot. Great twist.
5/5
5
5
5
false
4
5
1
1,222
Married to the Mob
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Just plain fun!
5/5
5
5
5
false
4
5
1
1,222
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Weak.
2/5
5
2
5
false
1
5
1
1,222
Multiplicity
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
More is not better, in this case.
1/5
5
1
5
false
0
5
1
1,222
The Muppet Movie
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
The Best Muppet movie ever made...well, almost.
5/5
5
5
5
false
4
5
1
1,222
Our Man Flint
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Chauvinism CAN be entertaining.
4/5
5
4
5
false
3
5
1
1,222
Protocol
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Goldies Hawn is irrestible in this funny movie. But the treatment of Arabs is groanable and cliched.
1/5
5
1
5
false
0
5
1
1,222
The Spy Who Loved Me
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Not the best Bond, but not the worst either.
3/5
5
3
5
false
2
5
1
1,222
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Howard is fabulously foppish.
1/5
5
1
5
false
0
5
1
1,222
The Thin Man
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
Delicious!
5/5
5
5
5
false
4
5
1
1,222
Young Frankenstein
Chico Enterprise-Record
Luanne Brown
It's Mel Brooks at his campy best.
5/5
5
5
5
false
4
5
1
1,222
Aladdin
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Smith understandably didn't want to compete with Williams, but as the big, blue, top-knotted Genie, he's uncharacteristically bland. Even the magic carpet in this movie looks bummed out.
2/5
5
2
5
false
2
9
2
1,223
Breathless
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
One of the most famous and influential movies ever made.
5/5
5
5
5
false
8
9
2
1,223
The City of Your Final Destination
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
One can dislike half of what Merchant Ivory has done and yet, in principle, still support the cause. Cutting-edge isn't all.
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,223
Cold Weather
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Almost a textbook example of how to do more with less. It's about aimless people who suddenly find their aim.
4/5
5
4
5
false
6
9
2
1,223
Emma.
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Jane Austen speaks to us as clearly now as she did some 200 years ago. Maybe what is retro isn't so retro after all.
4/5
5
4
5
false
6
9
2
1,223
Fish Tank
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Fish Tank, which won the 2009 Jury Prize in Cannes, has moments when Mia's tribulations really hit home.
4/5
5
4
5
false
6
9
2
1,223
Get Low
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Not only Duvall shines. Murray, in case anybody still doubted it, is one of the finest character actors in America.
4/5
5
4
5
false
6
9
2
1,223
Icarus
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
The film moves into more interesting terrain when it follows the odyssey of Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov.
3.5/5
5
3.5
5
false
5
9
2
1,223
Jeffrey
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
The play's impressionistic tableaux of homosexual life doesn't translate with complete success to the screen, but there are many hilarious lines.
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,223
Just Go with It
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Adam Sandler plays a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon in Just Go With It, a fumbling comedy directed by Dennis Dugan that could have benefitted from surgical reconstruction. How about some liposuction to siphon off all those lame jokes?
1.5/5
5
1.5
5
false
1
9
2
1,223
Knives Out
Christian Science Monitor
Kim Campbell
Shedding his James Bond intensity, Craig plays Blanc with well-timed goofiness, talking in circles and leaving the audience wondering (in a good way) if he is solving anything, or just likes to listen to himself.
4/5
5
4
5
false
6
9
2
1,223
Leap Year
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Amy Adams is such a likable actress that she makes the romantic comedy "Leap Year" worth watching even though we've seen it all before.
2.5/5
5
2.5
5
false
3
9
2
1,223
Let the Sunshine In (Un beau soleil intérieur)
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
The movie is all a bit more airy than it needs to be, but Isabelle's startlements are like a double take that never lets up.
4.5/5
5
4.5
5
false
7
9
2
1,223
Mine
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
If you've ever lost a pet, or grown misty at the sight of a lost-pet poster, this movie will raise your hopes.
3.5/5
5
3.5
5
false
5
9
2
1,223
Mudbound
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Blige, the queen of hip-hop and soul, is virtually unrecognizable, but her underplaying in no way negates her force. It's a self-contained force that she possesses here, and she knows when to loosen the bonds.
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,223
The Original Kings of Comedy
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
Sometimes they're truly hilarious; sometimes they're lazy enough to milk laughs from scattershot vulgarity; and sometimes they try to pummel the audience into submission with humor...
2/5
5
2
5
false
2
9
2
1,223
Pavarotti
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Although Howard doesn't go in for a lot of musicological analysis of Pavarotti's genius, which would have enriched the presentation, he compensates by giving us an ample dose of the singing.
4/5
5
4
5
false
6
9
2
1,223
Roma
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
The focus is almost always on Cleo... At its best, this film makes you feel as if you could watch her go about her life forever and never tire of its simple, sorrowful dignity.
4.5/5
5
4.5
5
false
7
9
2
1,223
The Book of Eli
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Washington doesn't look as if he's having much fun, and who can blame him?
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,223
The Florida Project
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
It is because Baker views the world without blinders that the moments of lyricism in The Florida Project are so piercing. When a rainbow shows up in the sky, it's not just a rainbow; it's a benediction.
5/5
5
5
5
false
8
9
2
1,223
The Irishman
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
I do like it more than anything he's directed in a long time... But here's an aspect of the movie, common to all of Scorsese's organized crime films, that I find troubling. To wit: Just how sentimental should we be about coldblooded killers?
3.5/5
5
3.5
5
false
5
9
2
1,223
Tully
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
In "Tully," the cynicism about the supposed undiluted joys of motherhood rings true, or at least truer than in movies that don't admit such a station in life can be less than paradise.
4.5/5
5
4.5
5
false
7
9
2
1,223
Wendigo
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
Fessenden's latest horror yarn is a smart and scary voyage into the uncanny realm where hard realities,mind-spinning myths, and hallucinatory visions blur.
4/5
5
4
5
false
6
9
2
1,223
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
It's a safe movie about people who don't feel safe in this world.
3.5/5
5
3.5
5
false
5
9
2
1,223
Wolke Neun (Cloud 9)
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
"Cloud 9" offers the welcome spectacle of two oldsters discovering romantic bliss, even though that bliss ultimately comes at the expense of others.
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,223
Going the Distance
Christianity Today
Brandon Fibbs
It's about time someone made a romantic comedy about long distance relationships. The set-up is ripe with both comic and dramatic possibilities, dueling polarities that Going the Distance mines equally.
7/10
10
7
10
false
12
19
2
1,224
The Other Guys
Christianity Today
Brandon Fibbs
The Other Guys is the second buddy police comedy to come out this year. But unlike the highly anticipated but roundly dismissed Kevin Smith outing, Cop Out, The Other Guys is actually, well, funny.
7.5/10
10
7.5
10
false
13
19
2
1,224
Red Cliff (Chi Bi)
Christianity Today
Brandon Fibbs
Many people see Red Cliff as Hong Kong actioneer John Woo's return to form. I'm not one of them. John Woo has never once made a film I've liked. Until now.
9/10
10
9
10
false
16
19
2
1,224
9
Christianity Today
Brandon Fibbs
9 is enthralling and beguiling, a flawed but gripping narrative suffused with wonder, imagination and dread-tinged awe.
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,225
No God, No Master
Christianity Today
Kenneth R. Morefield
Nobody in No God, No Master actually utters the phrase "those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it," but that sentiment is the subtext of nearly every line of dialogue in this historical drama about the Palmer Raids.
2.5/5
5
2.5
5
false
3
9
2
1,225
The Missing
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
Despite gorgeous scenery and an uncharacteristically subtle soundtrack from James Horner, the film has a 'been-there, done-that' quality.
C
long_letter
null
null
false
10
18
1
1,226
Big Fish
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
[Burton] celebrates the empty imaginings of the lost, because he assumes there is no real liberation, there is no glory awaiting us, except that which we invent for ourselves.
B-
long_letter
null
null
false
12
18
1
1,226
Alpha and Omega
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
Almost totally bereft of surprises.
C-
long_letter
null
null
false
9
18
1
1,226
Anchorman - The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
He's sure to offend viewers who don't see the humor in such stuff. [But Ron Burgundy] highlights the truth about television news. It's entertainment disguised as information.
B+
long_letter
null
null
false
14
18
1
1,226
Beauty and the Beast
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
At the intersection of great animated films, great filmed stage musicals, and great fairy-tale romances, Disney's Beauty and the Beast stands alone ... the quintessential Disney masterpiece.
A
long_letter
null
null
false
16
18
1
1,226
Wrath of the Titans
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
Next to Perseus and his world, John Carter is as colorful as Tony Stark and Barsoom is as colorful as Pandora.
D
long_letter
null
null
false
7
18
1
1,226
Eastern Promises
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
In his severity, Cronenberg disrupts the audience's immersion in a story that might have become a landmark tale of corruption and conscience...
C+
long_letter
null
null
false
11
18
1
1,226
Eat Pray Love
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
It's the Oprahfication of religion … Liz's time in India is spiritual tourism, as her time in Italy was culinary tourism; it's all a self-help consumerist approach to world cultures.
D
long_letter
null
null
false
7
18
1
1,226
Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge (The Flight of the Red Balloon)
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
Some complain that 'nothing happens' in this film. To borrow a line from Cameron's The Abyss -- they 'need to look with better eyes than that.'
A
long_letter
null
null
false
16
18
1
1,226
Green Lantern
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
If only the filmmakers had put as much creative energy into the character of Hal Jordan as they did into his lovingly rendered CGI-enhanced suit
C+
long_letter
null
null
false
11
18
1
1,226
Hereafter
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
Demeaning both to believers and to unbelievers, and for the same reason: It stacks the deck too heavily in one direction.
D
long_letter
null
null
false
7
18
1
1,226
I'm Not There
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
There's a 90-minute masterpiece in this film, waiting for an editor to find it.
B+
long_letter
null
null
false
14
18
1
1,226
The Man Without a Past
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
With its rusty railroads and dingy metal canisters where the downtrodden dwell, [this film] finds color, surprise, and joy in the simplicity of struggling Helsinki outcasts.
B+
long_letter
null
null
false
14
18
1
1,226
Men in Black III
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
It's all acceptably diverting, not actively unpleasant like the 2002 sequel. There are no grand twists or revelations comparable to the truth about the "galaxy" in the original.
C+
long_letter
null
null
false
11
18
1
1,226
Monster House
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
The most troubling element of the film is its conclusion ... which comes to rather alarming conclusions about how to deal with a resentful social outcast.
B-
long_letter
null
null
false
12
18
1
1,226
Museum Hours
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
As we learn how to look at the Kunsthistorisches' masterpieces, we're also learning how to watch this movie. ... And better: we're learning how to look at our lives.
A
long_letter
null
null
false
16
18
1
1,226
Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
The Lincoln Memorial statue is something of a travesty.
C
long_letter
null
null
false
10
18
1
1,226
Paterson
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
Paterson's bus is non-articulated, but he's as articulate as they come. ... Think Taxi Driver reimagined by Fred Rogers.
A
long_letter
null
null
false
16
18
1
1,226
School of Rock
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
Despite Black's reputation as a comedy anarchist, the movie has a big heart, avoids crude indulgence, and gives viewers of all ages something to enjoy.
B-
long_letter
null
null
false
12
18
1
1,226
Son of Rambow
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
After making his feature debut with the rather inspiration-challenged big-screen Hitchhiker's Guide, director Garth Jennings wisely shifts to a more intimate and personal canvas.
B+
long_letter
null
null
false
14
18
1
1,226
Stardust
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
Princess Bride never needed to jolt us to hold our attention; the closer we get to the end of Stardust, the more it devolves into a furious special effects flourishes.
B-
long_letter
null
null
false
12
18
1
1,226
The Secret of Kells
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
The film's final image is a poetic paean to the Book's living power—a power that The Secret of Kells, like Aisling, recognizes without, perhaps, fully understanding.
B+
long_letter
null
null
false
14
18
1
1,226
The Social Network
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
None of these ideas is revolutionary, but The Social Network embeds them in a taut, intellectually exhilarating narrative in which daredevil dialogue simultaneously defines characters and obscures motivations.
A-
long_letter
null
null
false
15
18
1
1,226
The Fits
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
Its ambiguities make possible a fusion of dread and intrigue that reminds us of ways in which we've experienced adolescence, alienation, rites of passage, or self-discovery.
A
long_letter
null
null
false
16
18
1
1,226
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
Tolkien made every character's heart a battlefield between desire and selflessness, and Jackson underlines and boldfaces this theme. Call it Soul Wars, Episode Two.
A-
long_letter
null
null
false
15
18
1
1,226
The Spirit
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
The Frank Miller Universe at its most reductionist, self-parodying and content-free … There is nothing at stake … only a pointless, shapeless exercise in wildly veering moods and styles.
F
long_letter
null
null
false
1
18
1
1,226
This Is Martin Bonner
Christianity Today
Jeffrey Overstreet
... exquisite character development, observant filmmaking, and storytelling that just might change the way people live.
A
long_letter
null
null
false
16
18
1
1,226
Waiting for Superman
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
Johnny can't read or add, but he has boundless self-esteem. Is the glass one-third full or three-quarters empty? Would Johnny know the difference?
A-
long_letter
null
null
false
15
18
1
1,226
X-Men: First Class
Christianity Today
Steven D. Greydanus
Does what few franchise films do today: It takes risks, offers surprises.
A-
long_letter
null
null
false
15
18
1
1,226
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
It is messy, perplexing and weird, but in a good way.
8/10
10
8
10
false
7
10
1
1,227
National Treasure
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
Despite some preposterous twists, it is a treat to watch a movie with a hero who confronts enemies, threats and clues with wit and insight instead of guns and grenades.
7/10
10
7
10
false
6
10
1
1,227
Ransom
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
Director Ron Howard knows how to spin a yarn, and in this case he has a cracking good script by Richard Price (Clockers) and Alexander Ignon, based loosely on a 1956 Glenn Ford thriller of the same name.
3.5/5
5
3.5
5
false
5
9
2
1,228
The Game
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
The Game is something more than a stylish thriller, though it dishes up style and thrills in abundance.
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,228
Man on the Moon
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
An affectionate but unvarnished portrait through the eyes of people who loved Andy...
3.5/5
5
3.5
5
false
5
9
2
1,228
Mansfield Park
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
Despite such occasional flaws...Mansfield Park is a welcome treat for Austen addicts.
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,228
Boiler Room
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
Although Boiler Room occasionally feels more like a 60 Minutes expose than a movie, it adds up to a highly watchable, entertaining (though extremely profane) cautionary tale.
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,228
Someone Like You
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
A movie that seems the essence of a trivial romantic comedy for its first half, then grows up and gets serious about life.
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,228
Anaconda
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
A morass of cliches, contradictions and clumsy attempts at suspense.
1/5
5
1
5
false
0
9
2
1,228
Kate & Leopold
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
[Jackman is] handsome, funny, rugged and refined; he gleams with confidence in a part that could have reduced lesser actors to silliness.
3.5/5
5
3.5
5
false
5
9
2
1,228
The Lost World - Jurassic Park
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
The story, it must be said, is no great shakes, although it's not half bad by action-movie standards. But the action -- that's why we go see movies like this -- is terrific.
3.5/5
5
3.5
5
false
5
9
2
1,228
Michael Collins
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
Mr. Neeson's performance is matched by the finely detailed look and feel of Mr. Jordan's direction, and the melancholy Dublin he has re-created.
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,228
October Sky
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
An enthralling and warm-hearted story about four high school students who taught themselves to build and fly real rockets.
3/5
5
3
5
false
4
9
2
1,228
Romeo Must Die
Cincinnati Enquirer
Margaret A. McGurk
The director gets carried away with his quick-cutting technique, to the point that it interferes with the viewer's ability to appreciate the fantastic choreography.
2.5/5
5
2.5
5
false
3
9
2
1,228