rt-polarity.tsv

8477	neg	except as an acting exercise or an exceptionally dark joke , you wonder what anyone saw in this film that allowed it to get made .
4031	pos	japanese director shohei imamura 's latest film is an odd but ultimately satisfying blend of the sophomoric and the sublime .
10240	neg	i walked away not really know who `` they `` were , what `` they `` looked like . why `` they `` were here and what `` they `` wanted and quite honestly , i did n't care .
8252	neg	what could have been a neat little story about believing in yourself is swamped by heavy-handed melodrama .
1346	pos	no screen fantasy-adventure in recent memory has the showmanship of clones ' last 45 minutes .
7385	neg	you can practically smell the patchouli oil .
3632	pos	a mesmerizing cinematic poem from the first frame to the last .
6197	neg	has nothing good to speak about other than the fact that it is relatively short , tries its best to hide the fact that seagal 's overweight and out of shape .
3843	pos	there 's very little sense to what 's going on here , but the makers serve up the cliches with considerable dash .
4098	pos	the cat 's meow marks a return to form for director peter bogdanovich . . .
1042	pos	it 's a lovely film with lovely performances by buy and accorsi .
7340	neg	the film flat lines when it should peak and is more missed opportunity and trifle than dark , decadent truffle .
6265	neg	if jews were catholics , this would be catechism
7514	neg	a compendium of solondz 's own worst instincts in under 90 minutes .
8833	neg	like an afterschool special with costumes by gianni versace , mad love looks better than it feels .
5289	pos	a pretty funny movie , with most of the humor coming , as before , from the incongruous but chemically perfect teaming of crystal and de niro .
5789	neg	just as the lousy tarantino imitations have subsided , here comes the first lousy guy ritchie imitation .
9366	neg	gets the look and the period trappings right , but it otherwise drowns in a sea of visual and verbal clichés .
10525	neg	the cinematic equivalent of patronizing a bar favored by pretentious , untalented artistes who enjoy moaning about their cruel fate .
9863	neg	[ t ] he ideas of revolution # 9 are more compelling than the execution
4838	pos	you need n't be steeped in '50s sociology , pop culture or movie lore to appreciate the emotional depth of haynes ' work . though haynes ' style apes films from the period . . . its message is not rooted in that decade .
6025	neg	the plot grows thin soon , and you find yourself praying for a quick resolution .
8685	neg	an inexperienced director , mehta has much to learn .
4848	pos	works because we 're never sure if ohlinger 's on the level or merely a dying , delusional man trying to get into the history books before he croaks .
272	pos	münch 's genuine insight makes the film 's occasional overindulgence forgivable .
7244	neg	late marriage 's stiffness is unlikely to demonstrate the emotional clout to sweep u . s . viewers off their feet .
3615	pos	a modestly surprising movie .
7816	neg	feels like six different movies fighting each other for attention .
2553	pos	an uncomfortable movie , suffocating and sometimes almost senseless , the grey zone does have a center , though a morbid one .
9703	neg	ultimately , clarity matters , both in breaking codes and making movies . enigma lacks it .
8453	neg	loosely speaking , we 're in all of me territory again , and , strictly speaking , schneider is no steve martin .
1646	pos	robin williams has thankfully ditched the saccharine sentimentality of bicentennial man in favour of an altogether darker side .
6075	neg	like the excruciating end of days , collateral damage presents schwarzenegger as a tragic figure , but sympathy really belongs with any viewer forced to watch him try out so many complicated facial expressions .
3778	pos	a completely spooky piece of business that gets under your skin and , some plot blips aside , stays there for the duration .
509	pos	for all its serious sense of purpose . . . [ it ] finds a way to lay bare the tragedies of its setting with a good deal of warmth and humor .
5114	pos	it 's an entertaining movie , and the effects , boosted to the size of a downtown hotel , will all but take you to outer space .
8425	neg	eastwood winces , clutches his chest and gasps for breath . it 's a spectacular performance - ahem , we hope it 's only acting .
7493	neg	if this is an example of the type of project that robert redford 's lab is willing to lend its imprimatur to , then perhaps it 's time to rethink independent films .
6998	neg	even on those rare occasions when the narrator stops yammering , miller 's hand often feels unsure .
1241	pos	collateral damage finally delivers the goods for schwarzenegger fans .
6824	neg	it 's mildly amusing , but i certainly ca n't recommend it .
8494	neg	ram dass fierce grace moulds itself as an example to up-and-coming documentarians , of the overlooked pitfalls of such an endeavour .
5383	neg	imagine the cleanflicks version of 'love story , ' with ali macgraw 's profanities replaced by romance-novel platitudes .
5650	neg	the script by vincent r . nebrida . . . tries to cram too many ingredients into one small pot .
5801	neg	brisk hack job .
1629	pos	miller tells this very compelling tale with little fuss or noise , expertly plucking tension from quiet .
3365	pos	one of the smarter offerings the horror genre has produced in recent memory , even if it 's far tamer than advertised .
910	pos	cuts right through the b . s . giving a big middle-fingered `` shut up `` to those who talk up what is nothing more than two guys beating the hell outta one another .
1306	pos	beneath clouds is a succinct low-budget film whose compelling characters and intelligent script are exactly what was missing from rabbit-proof fence .
2559	pos	it 's a tour de force , written and directed so quietly that it 's implosion rather than explosion you fear .
3897	pos	nicks sustains the level of exaggerated , stylized humor throughout by taking your expectations and twisting them just a bit .
9588	neg	every conceivable mistake a director could make in filming opera has been perpetrated here .
5369	neg	. . . if you 're just in the mood for a fun -- but bad -- movie , you might want to catch freaks as a matinee .
6669	neg	it 's not as awful as some of the recent hollywood trip tripe . . . but it 's far from a groundbreaking endeavor .
889	pos	a compelling portrait of moral emptiness
990	pos	andy garcia enjoys one of his richest roles in years and mick jagger gives his best movie performance since , well , performance .
6157	neg	national lampoon 's van wilder may aim to be the next animal house , but it more closely resembles this year 's version of tomcats .
2805	pos	triumph of love is a very silly movie , but the silliness has a pedigree .
4747	pos	it may be a no-brainer , but at least it 's a funny no-brainer .
8766	neg	the film 's maudlin focus on the young woman 's infirmity and her naive dreams play like the worst kind of hollywood heart-string plucking .
2096	pos	a quiet , disquieting triumph .
1142	pos	suffers from the lack of a compelling or comprehensible narrative . still , as a visual treat , the film is almost unsurpassed .
3105	pos	[ leigh ] has a true talent for drawing wrenching performances from his actors ( improvised over many months ) and for conveying the way tiny acts of kindness make ordinary life survivable .
5594	neg	although it tries to be much more , it 's really just another major league .
8242	neg	lacking gravitas , macdowell is a placeholder for grief , and ergo this sloppy drama is an empty vessel . leave these flowers unpicked -- they 're dead on the vine .
9917	neg	instead of using george and lucy 's most obvious differences to ignite sparks , lawrence desperately looks elsewhere , seizing on george 's haplessness and lucy 's personality tics .
8903	neg	somewhere inside the mess that is world traveler , there is a mediocre movie trying to get out .
9192	neg	sheridan 's take on the author 's schoolboy memoir . . . is a rather toothless take on a hard young life .
7674	neg	whatever eyre 's failings as a dramatist , he deserves credit for bringing audiences into this hard and bitter place .
6963	neg	k-19 exploits our substantial collective fear of nuclear holocaust to generate cheap hollywood tension .
3218	pos	captures that perverse element of the kafkaesque where identity , overnight , is robbed and replaced with a persecuted `` other . ``
4943	pos	a well-rounded tribute to a man whose achievements -- and complexities -- reached far beyond the end zone .
6828	neg	may cause you to bite your tongue to keep from laughing at the ridiculous dialog or the oh-so convenient plot twists .
273	pos	thankfully , the film , which skirts that rapidly deteriorating line between fantasy and reality . . . takes a tongue-in-cheek attitude even as it pushes the croc hunter agenda .
9422	neg	freundlich 's made [ crudup ] a suburban architect , and a cipher .
6895	neg	because of an unnecessary and clumsy last scene , 'swimfan ' left me with a very bad feeling .
4584	pos	disney aficionados will notice distinct parallels between this story and the 1971 musical `` bedknobs and broomsticks , `` which also dealt with british children rediscovering the power of fantasy during wartime .
2422	pos	`` me without you `` is a probing examination of a female friendship set against a few dynamic decades .
3528	pos	there 's no conversion effort , much of the writing is genuinely witty and both stars are appealing enough to probably have a good shot at a hollywood career , if they want one .
4933	pos	a movie of riveting power and sadness .
3801	pos	vividly demonstrates that the director of such hollywood blockbusters as patriot games can still turn out a small , personal film with an emotional wallop .
7026	neg	it 's difficult to imagine the process that produced such a script , but here 's guessing that spray cheese and underarm noises played a crucial role .
6161	neg	more of a career curio than a major work .
2548	pos	the film 's messages of tolerance and diversity are n't particularly original , but one ca n't help but be drawn in by the sympathetic characters .
8286	neg	leaves you with a knot in your stomach , its power is undercut by its own head-banging obviousness .
5920	neg	everything 's serious , poetic , earnest and -- sadly -- dull .
2022	pos	a smart , arch and rather cold-blooded comedy .
4638	pos	nolan proves that he can cross swords with the best of them and helm a more traditionally plotted popcorn thriller while surrendering little of his intellectual rigor or creative composure .
1484	pos	it cuts to the core of what it actually means to face your fears , to be a girl in a world of boys , to be a boy truly in love with a girl , and to ride the big metaphorical wave that is life -- wherever it takes you .
5646	neg	it 's mildly interesting to ponder the peculiar american style of justice that plays out here , but it 's so muddled and derivative that few will bother thinking it all through .
7092	neg	a by-the-numbers patient/doctor pic that covers all the usual ground
379	pos	george clooney proves he 's quite a talented director and sam rockwell shows us he 's a world-class actor with confessions of a dangerous mind .
3623	pos	feeling like a dope has rarely been more fun than it is in nine queens .
7144	neg	an appalling 'ace ventura ' rip-off that somehow manages to bring together kevin pollak , former wrestler chyna and dolly parton . if any of them list this 'credit ' on their resumes in the future , that 'll be much funnier than anything in the film . . .
1831	pos	a captivating new film .
3508	pos	maintains your interest until the end and even leaves you with a few lingering animated thoughts .
4773	pos	far more successful , if considerably less ambitious , than last year 's kubrick-meets-spielberg exercise .
6912	neg	hey arnold ! the movie could have been made 40 years ago , and parents ' appreciation of it may depend on whether they consider that a good thing .
9866	neg	despite some comic sparks , welcome to collinwood never catches fire .
750	pos	a marvellous journey from childhood idealism to adolescent self-absorption .
4146	pos	compulsively watchable , no matter how degraded things get .
9325	neg	tends to plod .
7933	neg	the parts are better than the whole ( bizarre , funny , tragic - like love in new york ) .
1329	pos	a superbly acted and funny/gritty fable of the humanizing of one woman at the hands of the unseen forces of fate .
4300	pos	metaphors abound , but it is easy to take this film at face value and enjoy its slightly humorous and tender story .
4007	pos	superb production values & christian bale 's charisma make up for a derivative plot .
2867	pos	in auteil 's less dramatic but equally incisive performance , he 's a charismatic charmer likely to seduce and conquer .
6317	neg	a slight and obvious effort , even for one whose target demographic is likely still in the single digits , age-wise .
6698	neg	on top of a foundering performance , [ madonna 's ] denied her own athleticism by lighting that emphasizes every line and sag .
6951	neg	well-nigh unendurable . . . though the picture strains to become cinematic poetry , it remains depressingly prosaic and dull .
1702	pos	k-19 : the widowmaker is derivative , overlong , and bombastic -- yet surprisingly entertaining .
9861	neg	shafer 's feature does n't offer much in terms of plot or acting .
785	pos	a provocative movie about loss , anger , greed , jealousy , sickness and love .
4976	pos	what begins as a film in the tradition of the graduate quickly switches into something more recyclable than significant .
592	pos	a quietly reflective and melancholy new zealand film about an eventful summer in a 13-year-old girl 's life .
2138	pos	you really have to salute writer-director haneke ( he adapted elfriede jelinek 's novel ) for making a film that is n't nearly as graphic but much more powerful , brutally shocking and difficult to watch .
9354	neg	when the casting call for this movie went out , it must have read 'seeking anyone with acting ambition but no sense of pride or shame . '
7938	neg	any one episode of the sopranos would send this ill-conceived folly to sleep with the fishes .
7258	neg	the overall effect is less like a children 's movie than a recruitment film for future hollywood sellouts .
5497	neg	calculated swill .
1041	pos	flawed but worthy look at life in u . s . relocation camps .
5071	pos	a big-budget/all-star movie as unblinkingly pure as the hours is a distinct rarity , and an event .
3958	pos	offers a guilt-free trip into feel-good territory .
105	pos	if it 's possible for a sequel to outshine the original , then sl2 does just that .
1721	pos	stands as one of the year 's most intriguing movie experiences , letting its imagery speak for it while it forces you to ponder anew what a movie can be .
94	pos	while mcfarlane 's animation lifts the film firmly above the level of other coming-of-age films . . . it 's also so jarring that it 's hard to get back into the boys ' story .
10139	neg	suffers from unlikable characters and a self-conscious sense of its own quirky hipness .
3603	pos	great fun both for sports aficionados and for ordinary louts whose idea of exercise is climbing the steps of a stadium-seat megaplex .
6067	neg	the film 's overall mood and focus is interesting but constantly unfulfilling .
2772	pos	almost everyone growing up believes their family must look like `` the addams family `` to everyone looking in . . . `` my big fat greek wedding `` comes from the heart . . .
3448	pos	despite its floating narrative , this is a remarkably accessible and haunting film .
10295	neg	another boorish movie from the i-heard-a-joke- at-a-frat-party school of screenwriting .
1290	pos	the mesmerizing performances of the leads keep the film grounded and keep the audience riveted .
5539	neg	the whole affair is as predictable as can be .
1654	pos	what could have been a daytime soap opera is actually a compelling look at a young woman 's tragic odyssey .
9815	neg	i 'm not sure which is worse : the poor acting by the ensemble cast , the flat dialogue by vincent r . nebrida or the gutless direction by laurice guillen .
10396	neg	a sloppy slapstick throwback to long gone bottom-of-the-bill fare like the ghost and mr . chicken .
10599	neg	barney throws away the goodwill the first half of his movie generates by orchestrating a finale that is impenetrable and dull .
10381	neg	[ a ] boldly stroked , luridly coloured , uni-dimensional nonsense machine that strokes the eyeballs while it evaporates like so much crypt mist in the brain .
6037	neg	whatever satire lucky break was aiming for , it certainly got lost in the `` soon-to-be-forgettable `` section of the quirky rip-off prison romp pile . it 's petty thievery like this that puts flimsy flicks like this behind bars
7016	neg	in exactly 89 minutes , most of which passed as slowly as if i 'd been sitting naked on an igloo , formula 51 sank from quirky to jerky to utter turkey .
9694	neg	anyone who suffers through this film deserves , at the very least , a big box of consolation candy .
2076	pos	once the downward spiral comes to pass , auto focus bears out as your typical junkie opera . . .
9490	neg	director elie chouraqui , who co-wrote the script , catches the chaotic horror of war , but why bother if you 're going to subjugate truth to the tear-jerking demands of soap opera ?
1034	pos	there is a kind of attentive concern that hoffman brings to his characters , as if he has been giving them private lessons , and now it is time for their first public recital .
2001	pos	the film sparkles with the the wisdom and humor of its subjects .
1331	pos	there is a fabric of complex ideas here , and feelings that profoundly deepen them .
1826	pos	an inventive , absorbing movie that 's as hard to classify as it is hard to resist .
426	pos	whether kiss is a future cult classic or destined to be completely forgotten is open to question , but the risk-takers in the crowd should check it out and form their own opinion .
2237	pos	a raunchy and frequently hilarious follow-up to the gifted korean american stand-up 's i 'm the one that i want .
9784	neg	at once overly old-fashioned in its sudsy plotting and heavy-handed in its effort to modernize it with encomia to diversity and tolerance .
801	pos	a map of the inner rhythms of love and jealousy and sacrifice drawn with a master 's steady stroke .
8864	neg	with the dog days of august upon us , think of this dog of a movie as the cinematic equivalent of high humidity .
4094	pos	in many ways , reminiscent of 1992 's unforgiven which also utilized the scintillating force of its actors to draw out the menace of its sparse dialogue .
3306	pos	feardotcom 's thrills are all cheap , but they mostly work .
5980	neg	the new film of anton chekhov 's the cherry orchard puts the 'ick ' in 'classic . '
8970	neg	return to neverland manages to straddle the line between another classic for the company and just another run-of-the-mill disney sequel intended for the home video market .
5611	neg	it 's hard to imagine any recent film , independent or otherwise , that makes as much of a mess as this one .
722	pos	flavorful and romantic , you could call this how martha got her groove back -- assuming , that is , she ever had one to begin with .
7342	neg	van wilder brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'comedy gag . ' at least one scene is so disgusting that viewers may be hard pressed to retain their lunch .
6523	neg	a fragile framework upon which to hang broad , mildly fleshed-out characters that seem to have been conjured up only 10 minutes prior to filming .
2661	pos	tsai ming-liang 's ghosts are painfully aware of their not-being .
673	pos	is n't quite the equal of woo 's best earlier work , but it 's easily his finest american film . . . comes close to recapturing the brilliance of his hong kong films .
7023	neg	to my taste , the film 's comic characters come perilously close to being amoses and andys for a new generation .
151	pos	here 's a british flick gleefully unconcerned with plausibility , yet just as determined to entertain you .
3708	pos	there are times when you wish that the movie had worked a little harder to conceal its contrivances , but brown sugar turns out to be a sweet and enjoyable fantasy .
3586	pos	easily one of the best and most exciting movies of the year .
1592	pos	allen shows he can outgag any of those young whippersnappers making moving pictures today .
4646	pos	a stylish cast and some clever scripting solutions help chicago make the transition from stage to screen with considerable appeal intact .
3038	pos	for those of an indulgent , slightly sunbaked and summery mind , sex and lucia may well prove diverting enough .
4497	pos	it may scream low budget , but this charmer has a spirit that can not be denied .
581	pos	the drama is played out with such aching beauty and truth that it brings tears to your eyes .
2493	pos	offers an interesting look at the rapidly changing face of beijing .
4901	pos	like a precious and finely cut diamond , magnificent to behold in its sparkling beauty yet in reality it 's one tough rock .
7716	neg	so stupid , so ill-conceived , so badly drawn , it created whole new levels of ugly .
3509	pos	there is a beautiful , aching sadness to it all . paul cox needed to show it . it is up to you to decide if you need to see it .
9608	neg	this rough trade punch-and-judy act did n't play well then and it plays worse now .
9041	neg	`matrix'-style massacres erupt throughout . . . but the movie has a tougher time balancing its violence with kafka-inspired philosophy .
510	pos	a depressing confirmation of everything those of us who do n't object to the description `` unelected `` have suspected all along : george w . bush is an incurious , uncharismatic , overgrown frat boy with a mean streak a mile wide .
8338	neg	even if britney spears is really cute , her movie is really bad .
5308	pos	. . . a sweetly affecting story about four sisters who are coping , in one way or another , with life 's endgame .
2618	pos	diggs and lathan are among the chief reasons brown sugar is such a sweet and sexy film .
8883	neg	priggish , lethargically paced parable of renewal .
7813	neg	. . . watching this film nearly provoked me to take my own life . and if the hours wins 'best picture ' i just might .
760	pos	andersson creates a world that 's at once surreal and disturbingly familiar ; absurd , yet tremendously sad .
8899	neg	maybe you 'll be lucky , and there 'll be a power outage during your screening so you can get your money back .
5527	neg	a feature-length , r-rated , road-trip version of mama 's family .
5976	neg	kurys never shows why , of all the period 's volatile romantic lives , sand and musset are worth particular attention .
9699	neg	attal 's hang-ups surrounding infidelity are so old-fashioned and , dare i say , outdated , it 's a wonder that he could n't have brought something fresher to the proceedings simply by accident .
266	pos	an incendiary , deeply thought-provoking look at one of the most peculiar ( and peculiarly venomous ) bigotries in our increasingly frightening theocracy
4478	pos	it seems impossible that an epic four-hour indian musical about a cricket game could be this good , but it is .
116	pos	this may not have the dramatic gut-wrenching impact of other holocaust films , but it 's a compelling story , mainly because of the way it 's told by the people who were there .
9233	neg	nothing about the film -- with the possible exception of elizabeth hurley 's breasts -- is authentic .
10111	neg	a fake street drama that keeps telling you things instead of showing them .
7800	neg	a turgid little history lesson , humourless and dull .
9038	neg	muddled , melodramatic paranormal romance is an all-time low for kevin costner .
1505	pos	one of those energetic surprises , an original that pleases almost everyone who sees it .
10097	neg	starts out mediocre , spirals downward , and thuds to the bottom of the pool with an utterly incompetent conclusion .
9652	neg	not good enough to pass for a litmus test of the generation gap and not bad enough to repulse any generation of its fans .
1360	pos	moody , heartbreaking , and filmed in a natural , unforced style that makes its characters seem entirely convincing even when its script is not .
428	pos	there are moments it can be heart-rending in an honest and unaffected ( and gentle ) way .
9159	neg	only two-fifths of a satisfying movie experience .
4730	pos	an admirable , sometimes exceptional film
8485	neg	ponderous , plodding soap opera disguised as a feature film .
4006	pos	a deliberative account of a lifestyle characterized by its surface-obsession – one that typifies the delirium of post , pre , and extant stardom .
27	pos	an idealistic love story that brings out the latent 15-year-old romantic in everyone .
9848	neg	even as i valiantly struggled to remain interested , or at least conscious , i could feel my eyelids . . . getting . . . very . . . heavy . . .
6853	neg	it 's too self-important and plodding to be funny , and too clipped and abbreviated to be an epic .
1335	pos	as unseemly as its title suggests .
10319	neg	at best this is a film for the under-7 crowd . but it would be better to wait for the video . and a very rainy day .
9455	neg	i 'm all for the mentally challenged getting their fair shot in the movie business , but surely it does n't have to be as a collection of keening and self-mutilating sideshow geeks .
10433	neg	competently directed but terminally cute drama .
5940	neg	despite an impressive roster of stars and direction from kathryn bigelow , the weight of water is oppressively heavy .
10552	neg	. . . a ho-hum affair , always watchable yet hardly memorable .
2349	pos	it ai n't art , by a long shot , but unlike last year 's lame musketeer , this dumas adaptation entertains .
1388	pos	'frailty `` starts out like a typical bible killer story , but it turns out to be significantly different ( and better ) than most films with this theme .
4238	pos	beating the austin powers films at their own game , this blaxploitation spoof downplays the raunch in favor of gags that rely on the strength of their own cleverness as opposed to the extent of their outrageousness .
9280	neg	wallace gets a bit heavy handed with his message at times , and has a visual flair that waxes poetic far too much for our taste .
4191	pos	miller comes at film with bracing intelligence and a vision both painterly and literary .
3800	pos	there are n't many conclusive answers in the film , but there is an interesting story of pointed personalities , courage , tragedy and the little guys vs . the big guys .
10103	neg	green ruins every single scene he 's in , and the film , while it 's not completely wreaked , is seriously compromised by that .
8586	neg	suffers from a flat script and a low budget .
558	pos	you do n't have to be an especially tough grader to give a charitable b-minus to the emperor 's club .
9788	neg	what 's the most positive thing that can be said about the new rob schneider vehicle ? well , it 's not as pathetic as the animal .
3770	pos	it remains to be seen whether statham can move beyond the crime-land action genre , but then again , who says he has to ?
3390	pos	even though it 's common knowledge that park and his founding partner , yong kang , lost kozmo in the end , you ca n't help but get caught up in the thrill of the company 's astonishing growth .
6462	neg	the film lapses too often into sugary sentiment and withholds delivery on the pell-mell pyrotechnics its punchy style promises .
8862	neg	the narrator and the other characters try to convince us that acting transfigures esther , but she 's never seen speaking on stage ; one feels cheated , and esther seems to remain an unchanged dullard .
5837	neg	the only thing that distinguishes a randall wallace film from any other is the fact that there is nothing distinguishing in a randall wallace film .
5097	pos	a genuine mind-bender .
10393	neg	this movie plays like an extended dialogue exercise in retard 101 .
9168	neg	this romantic/comedy asks the question how much souvlaki can you take before indigestion sets in .
1263	pos	for anyone unfamiliar with pentacostal practices in general and theatrical phenomenon of hell houses in particular , it 's an eye-opener .
6659	neg	the movie does n't think much of its characters , its protagonist , or of us .
4902	pos	in addition to scoring high for originality of plot -- putting together familiar themes of family , forgiveness and love in a new way -- lilo & stitch has a number of other assets to commend it to movie audiences both innocent and jaded .
8736	neg	disreputable doings and exquisite trappings are dampened by a lackluster script and substandard performances .
724	pos	thurman and lewis are hilarious throughout .
771	pos	cho 's fearless in picking apart human foibles , not afraid to lay her life bare in front of an audience . her delivery and timing are flawless .
4603	pos	an ambitious and moving but bleak film .
10407	neg	a film that clearly means to preach exclusively to the converted .
641	pos	troubling and powerful .
8957	neg	it tells its story in a flat manner and leaves you with the impression that you should have gotten more out of it than you did .
4283	pos	the film does give a pretty good overall picture of the situation in laramie following the murder of matthew shepard .
9868	neg	shows moments of promise but ultimately succumbs to cliches and pat storytelling .
7718	neg	enduring love but exhausting cinema .
8452	neg	a derivative collection of horror and sci-fi cliches .
1489	pos	while its careful pace and seemingly opaque story may not satisfy every moviegoer 's appetite , the film 's final scene is soaringly , transparently moving .
9288	neg	it 's a hellish , numbing experience to watch , and it does n't offer any insights that have n't been thoroughly debated in the media already , back in the dahmer heyday of the mid-'90s .
2569	pos	star/producer salma hayek and director julie taymor have infused frida with a visual style unique and inherent to the titular character 's paintings and in the process created a masterful work of art of their own .
5804	neg	the maudlin way its story unfolds suggests a director fighting against the urge to sensationalize his material .
1328	pos	the film may appear naked in its narrative form . . . but it goes deeper than that , to fundamental choices that include the complexity of the catholic doctrine
3577	pos	that rare documentary that incorporates so much of human experience -- drama , conflict , tears and surprise -- that it transcends the normal divisions between fiction and nonfiction film .
2080	pos	in all fairness , i must report that the children of varying ages in my audience never coughed , fidgeted or romped up and down the aisles for bathroom breaks .
10117	neg	a distinctly mixed bag , the occasional bursts of sharp writing alternating with lots of sloppiness and the obligatory moments of sentimental ooze .
8793	neg	it 's hard to imagine another director ever making his wife look so bad in a major movie .
9997	neg	such a wildly uneven hit-and-miss enterprise , you ca n't help suspecting that it was improvised on a day-to-day basis during production .
8721	neg	a negligible british comedy .
9186	neg	little more than a well-mounted history lesson .
10655	neg	his [ nelson 's ] screenplay needs some serious re-working to show more of the dilemma , rather than have his characters stage shouting matches about it .
5462	neg	fails as a dystopian movie , as a retooling of fahrenheit 451 , and even as a rip-off of the matrix .
4302	pos	the best comedy concert movie i 've seen since cho 's previous concert comedy film , i 'm the one that i want , in 2000 .
2613	pos	a typically observant , carefully nuanced and intimate french coming-of-age film that is an encouraging debut feature but has a needlessly downbeat ending that is too heavy for all that has preceded it .
138	pos	the film overcomes the regular minefield of coming-of-age cliches with potent doses of honesty and sensitivity .
7598	neg	as conceived by mr . schaeffer , christopher and grace are little more than collections of quirky traits lifted from a screenwriter 's outline and thrown at actors charged with the impossible task of making them jell .
4023	pos	the movie , despite its rough edges and a tendency to sag in certain places , is wry and engrossing .
3409	pos	nohe 's documentary about the event is sympathetic without being gullible : he is n't blind to the silliness , but also captures moments of spontaneous creativity and authentic co-operative interaction .
9152	neg	she 's not yet an actress , not quite a singer . . .
9951	neg	show me the mugging .
4885	pos	[ grant ] goes beyond his usual fluttering and stammering and captures the soul of a man in pain who gradually comes to recognize it and deal with it .
7410	neg	imagine a really bad community theater production of west side story without the songs .
9387	neg	writer-director randall wallace has bitten off more than he or anyone else could chew , and his movie veers like a drunken driver through heavy traffic .
3440	pos	what makes the movie special is its utter sincerity .
5993	neg	hip-hop prison thriller of stupefying absurdity .
4604	pos	it 's too harsh to work as a piece of storytelling , but as an intellectual exercise -- an unpleasant debate that 's been given the drive of a narrative and that 's been acted out -- the believer is nothing less than a provocative piece of work .
8321	neg	murder and mayhem of this sort quickly becomes monotonous .
1586	pos	'no es la mejor cinta de la serie , ni la mejor con brosnan a la cabeza , pero de que entretiene ni duda cabe . '
10230	neg	the romance between the leads is n't as compelling or as believable as it should be .
4970	pos	by its modest , straight-ahead standards , undisputed scores a direct hit .
363	pos	it 's a movie -- and an album -- you wo n't want to miss .
6974	neg	a synthesis of cliches and absurdities that seems positively decadent in its cinematic flash and emptiness .
7315	neg	hit and miss as far as the comedy goes and a big ole ' miss in the way of story .
7814	neg	by the end , i was looking for something hard with which to bludgeon myself unconscious .
7010	neg	manages to show life in all of its banality when the intention is quite the opposite .
2582	pos	not a bad choice here , assuming that . . . the air-conditioning in the theater is working properly .
8196	neg	a great ending does n't make up for a weak movie , and crazy as hell does n't even have a great ending .
4120	pos	a pleasant piece of escapist entertainment .
4666	pos	uplifting , funny and wise .
6533	neg	the movie is a desperate miscalculation . it gives poor dana carvey nothing to do that is really funny , and then expects us to laugh because he acts so goofy all the time .
2939	pos	the film is a fierce dance of destruction . its flame-like , roiling black-and-white inspires trembling and gratitude .
2583	pos	a fine effort , an interesting topic , some intriguing characters and a sad ending . certainly the big finish was n't something galinsky and hawley could have planned for . . . but part of being a good documentarian is being there when the rope snaps .
1910	pos	this familiar rise-and-fall tale is long on glamour and short on larger moralistic consequences , though it 's told with sharp ears and eyes for the tenor of the times .
5504	neg	this 10th film in the series looks and feels tired .
6481	neg	it 's a very sincere work , but it would be better as a diary or documentary .
8822	neg	trouble every day is a success in some sense , but it 's hard to like a film so cold and dead .
9155	neg	there is only so much baked cardboard i need to chew .
2921	pos	a meditation on faith and madness , frailty is blood-curdling stuff .
9910	neg	the chateau . . . is less concerned with cultural and political issues than doting on its eccentric characters .
5884	neg	. . . contains very few laughs and even less surprises .
3736	pos	allen se atreve a atacar , a atacarse y nos ofrece gags que van de la sonrisa a la risa de larga duración
9392	neg	what little atmosphere is generated by the shadowy lighting , macabre sets , and endless rain is offset by the sheer ugliness of everything else .
9478	neg	i 'll go out on a limb . it is n't quite one of the worst movies of the year . it 's just merely very bad .
8389	neg	while the mystery surrounding the nature of the boat 's malediction remains intriguing enough to sustain mild interest , the picture refuses to offer much accompanying sustenance in the way of characterization , humor or plain old popcorn fun .
10183	neg	the connected stories of breitbart and hanussen are actually fascinating , but the filmmaking in invincible is such that the movie does not do them justice .
2826	pos	deflated ending aside , there 's much to recommend the film .
7826	neg	despite the premise of a good story . . . it wastes all its star power on cliched or meaningless roles .
7187	neg	better to just call it abc kiarostami . for aids and africa are nothing more than part of the scenery .
5386	neg	an odd , haphazard , and inconsequential romantic comedy .
3942	pos	i simply ca n't recommend it enough .
917	pos	there was time on that second round to see the subtleties of ramsay 's portrait of grief .
3149	pos	borrows a bit from the classics `` wait until dark `` and `` extremities `` . . . but in terms of its style , the movie is in a class by itself .
8572	neg	has the disjointed feel of a bunch of strung-together tv episodes .
8008	neg	i 'd give real money to see the perpetrators of chicago torn apart by dingoes .
5319	pos	peralta captures , in luminous interviews and amazingly evocative film from three decades ago , the essence of the dogtown experience .
6333	neg	complex , sinuously plotted and , somehow , off-puttingly cold .
9405	neg	a smug and convoluted action-comedy that does n't allow an earnest moment to pass without reminding audiences that it 's only a movie .
10129	neg	this slender plot feels especially thin stretched over the nearly 80-minute running time .
2664	pos	the performances are uniformly good .
1801	pos	it does give a taste of the burning man ethos , an appealing blend of counter-cultural idealism and hedonistic creativity .
5106	pos	red dragon makes one appreciate silence of the lambs .
5173	pos	smarter than its commercials make it seem .
8897	neg	although no pastry is violated , this nasty comedy pokes fun at the same easy targets as other rowdy raunch-fests -- farts , boobs , unmentionables -- without much success .
6375	neg	a frankenstein mishmash that careens from dark satire to cartoonish slapstick , bartleby performs neither one very well .
2032	pos	as any creature-feature fan knows , when you cross toxic chemicals with a bunch of exotic creatures , you get a lot of running around , screaming and death . on that score , the film certainly does n't disappoint .
2707	pos	overall , it 's a very entertaining , thought-provoking film with a simple message : god is love .
7450	neg	if it 's another regurgitated action movie you 're after , there 's no better film than half past dead .
2511	pos	k-19 : the widowmaker is a great yarn .
4809	pos	it 's up to you to decide whether to admire these people 's dedication to their cause or be repelled by their dogmatism , manipulativeness and narrow , fearful view of american life .
5891	neg	the sequel plays out like a flimsy excuse to give blade fans another look at wesley snipes ' iconic hero doing battle with dozens of bad guys -- at once .
1950	pos	melodrama with a message .
9215	neg	becomes the last thing you would expect from a film with this title or indeed from any plympton film : boring .
4445	pos	in the end , the film is less the cheap thriller you 'd expect than it is a fairly revealing study of its two main characters — damaged-goods people whose orbits will inevitably and dangerously collide .
3838	pos	the characters are more deeply thought through than in most 'right-thinking ' films .
6926	neg	try as i may , i ca n't think of a single good reason to see this movie , even though everyone in my group extemporaneously shouted , 'thank you ! ' when leguizamo finally plugged an irritating character late in the movie .
2572	pos	a low-key labor of love that strikes a very resonant chord .
8659	neg	control-alt-delete simone as quickly as possible
9619	neg	you know that ten bucks you 'd spend on a ticket ? just send it to cranky . we do n't get paid enough to sit through crap like this .
5822	neg	there 's more repetition than creativity throughout the movie .
1139	pos	far more imaginative and ambitious than the trivial , cash-in features nickelodeon has made from its other animated tv series .
3329	pos	about schmidt is undoubtedly one of the finest films of the year . if you 're not deeply touched by this movie , check your pulse .
7394	neg	there is no insight into the anguish of heidi 's life -- only a depiction of pain , today 's version of greek tragedy , the talk-show guest decrying her fate .
7668	neg	every bit as bogus as most disney live action family movies are -- no real plot , no real conflict , no real point .
8823	neg	the film 's stagecrafts are intimate and therefore bolder than the otherwise calculated artifice that defines and overwhelms the film 's production design .
7055	neg	the movie is dawn of the dead crossed with john carpenter 's ghosts of mars , with zombies not as ghoulish as the first and trains not as big as the second .
9099	neg	so we got ten little indians meets friday the 13th by way of clean and sober , filmed on the set of carpenter 's the thing and loaded with actors you 're most likely to find on the next inevitable incarnation of the love boat .
8691	neg	nothing more than four or five mild chuckles surrounded by 86 minutes of overly-familiar and poorly-constructed comedy .
4314	pos	most haunting about `` fence `` is its conclusion , when we hear the ultimate fate of these girls and realize , much to our dismay , that this really did happen . noyce 's greatest mistake is thinking that we needed sweeping , dramatic , hollywood moments to keep us
1893	pos	a sexy , peculiar and always entertaining costume drama set in renaissance spain , and the fact that it 's based on true events somehow makes it all the more compelling .
2757	pos	the film is full of charm .
2587	pos	a hypnotic portrait of this sad , compulsive life .
9393	neg	director-chef gabriele muccino keeps it fast -- zippy , comin ' at ya -- as if fearing that his film is molto superficiale .
10547	neg	essentially , the film is weak on detail and strong on personality
9312	neg	most fish stories are a little peculiar , but this is one that should be thrown back in the river .
963	pos	more honest about alzheimer 's disease , i think , than iris .
7110	neg	characters still need to function according to some set of believable and comprehensible impulses , no matter how many drugs they do or how much artistic license avary employs .
10130	neg	a film that will probably please people already fascinated by behan but leave everyone else yawning with admiration .
9693	neg	coarse , cliched and clunky , this trifling romantic comedy in which opposites attract for no better reason than that the screenplay demands it squanders the charms of stars hugh grant and sandra bullock .
2934	pos	topics that could make a sailor blush - but lots of laughs .
935	pos	[ a ] superbly controlled , passionate adaptation of graham greene 's 1955 novel .
10575	neg	you 'll trudge out of the theater feeling as though you rode the zipper after eating a corn dog and an extra-large cotton candy .
7298	neg	not really bad so much as distasteful : we need kidnapping suspense dramas right now like we need doomsday thrillers .
6840	neg	the script kicks in , and mr . hartley 's distended pace and foot-dragging rhythms follow .
1844	pos	if there 's no art here , it 's still a good yarn -- which is nothing to sneeze at these days .
5554	neg	gooding offers a desperately ingratiating performance .
3659	pos	the gags are often a stitch .
5223	pos	as a thoughtful and unflinching examination of an alternative lifestyle , sex with strangers is a success .
3061	pos	at the film 's centre is a precisely layered performance by an actor in his mid-seventies , michel piccoli .
9060	neg	alas , the black-and-white archival footage of their act showcases pretty mediocre shtick .
10452	neg	a formula family tearjerker told with a heavy irish brogue . . . accentuating , rather than muting , the plot 's saccharine thrust .
9959	neg	lacks the visual flair and bouncing bravado that characterizes better hip-hop clips and is content to recycle images and characters that were already tired 10 years ago .
3594	pos	the evocative imagery and gentle , lapping rhythms of this film are infectious -- it gets under our skin and draws us in long before the plot kicks into gear .
4454	pos	overall , it 's a wacky and inspired little film that works effortlessly at delivering genuine , acerbic laughs .
2333	pos	fresh and raw like a blown-out vein , narc takes a walking-dead , cop-flick subgenre and beats new life into it .
7894	neg	the noble tradition of men in drag hits an all-time low in sorority boys , whose makers apparently believe that women 's clothing can cover up any deficiency in acting , writing or direction .
6311	neg	the audience when i saw this one was chuckling at all the wrong times , and that 's a bad sign when they 're supposed to be having a collective heart attack .
95	pos	if nothing else , this movie introduces a promising , unusual kind of psychological horror .
4857	pos	by the time it ends in a rush of sequins , flashbulbs , blaring brass and back-stabbing babes , it has said plenty about how show business has infiltrated every corner of society -- and not always for the better .
5475	neg	even in the summertime , the most restless young audience deserves the dignity of an action hero motivated by something more than franchise possibilities .
6913	neg	this one is definitely one to skip , even for horror movie fanatics .
2308	pos	these three films form a remarkably cohesive whole , both visually and thematically , through their consistently sensitive and often exciting treatment of an ignored people .
9733	neg	an impenetrable and insufferable ball of pseudo-philosophic twaddle .
4382	pos	the dramatic crisis does n't always succeed in its quest to be taken seriously , but huppert 's volatile performance makes for a riveting movie experience .
9520	neg	rodriguez . . . was unable to reproduce the special spark between the characters that made the first film such a delight .
4202	pos	polanski has found the perfect material with which to address his own world war ii experience in his signature style .
6216	neg	the story suffers a severe case of oversimplification , superficiality and silliness .
1689	pos	the saigon of 1952 is an uneasy mix of sensual delights and simmering violence , and the quiet american brings us right into the center of that world .
10422	neg	this is an insultingly inept and artificial examination of grief and its impacts upon the relationships of the survivors .
10347	neg	the film 's trailer also looked like crap , so crap is what i was expecting .
7778	neg	its lack of quality earns it a place alongside those other two recent dumas botch-jobs , the man in the iron mask and the musketeer .
4060	pos	this movie has the usual impossible stunts . . . but it has just as many scenes that are lean and tough enough to fit in any modern action movie .
8041	neg	automatically pegs itself for the straight-to-video sci-fi rental shelf .
5127	pos	the problems and characters it reveals are universal and involving , and the film itself -- as well its delightful cast -- is so breezy , pretty and gifted , it really won my heart .
3455	pos	more good than great but freeman and judd make it work .
8612	neg	an annoying orgy of excess and exploitation that has no point and goes nowhere .
1568	pos	a terrific b movie -- in fact , the best in recent memory .
10463	neg	gaping plot holes sink this 'sub'-standard thriller and drag audience enthusiasm to crush depth .
3166	pos	skillfully weaves both the elements of the plot and a powerfully evocative mood combining heated sexuality with a haunting sense of malaise .
9382	neg	swimfan , like fatal attraction , eventually goes overboard with a loony melodramatic denouement in which a high school swimming pool substitutes for a bathtub .
2200	pos	i 've never seen or heard anything quite like this film , and i recommend it for its originality alone .
3944	pos	muccino , who directed from his own screenplay , is a canny crowd pleaser , and the last kiss . . . provides more than enough sentimental catharsis for a satisfying evening at the multiplex .
4727	pos	the film is delicately narrated by martin landau and directed with sensitivity and skill by dana janklowicz-mann .
7483	neg	it would n't be my preferred way of spending 100 minutes or $ 7 . 00 .
9514	neg	snipes is both a snore and utter tripe .
3911	pos	abderrahmane sissako 's heremakono ( waiting for happiness ) is an elegiac portrait of a transit city on the west african coast struggling against foreign influences .
2970	pos	the best of the pierce brosnan james bond films to date .
8207	neg	the movie quickly drags on becoming boring and predictable . i tried to read the time on my watch .
5115	pos	sayles has a knack for casting , often resurrecting performers who rarely work in movies now . . . and drawing flavorful performances from bland actors .
1005	pos	a movie that will touch the hearts of both children and adults , as well as bring audiences to the edge of their seats .
9880	neg	inconsequential road-and-buddy pic .
8567	neg	too many scenarios in which the hero might have an opportunity to triumphantly sermonize , and too few that allow us to wonder for ourselves if things will turn out okay .
2679	pos	try as you might to resist , if you 've got a place in your heart for smokey robinson , this movie will worm its way there .
180	pos	a droll , well-acted , character-driven comedy with unexpected deposits of feeling .
2845	pos	if this movie leaves you cool , it also leaves you intriguingly contemplative .
8397	neg	. . . has about 3/4th the fun of its spry 2001 predecessor but it 's a rushed , slapdash , sequel-for-the-sake- of-a-sequel with less than half the plot and ingenuity .
3653	pos	the powerpuff girls arrive on the big screen with their super-powers , their super-simple animation and their super-dooper-adorability intact .
2365	pos	a special kind of movie , this melancholic film noir reminded me a lot of memento . . .
1998	pos	the film delivers what it promises : a look at the `` wild ride `` that ensues when brash young men set out to conquer the online world with laptops , cell phones and sketchy business plans .
3534	pos	much of all about lily chou-chou is mesmerizing : some of its plaintiveness could make you weep .
9746	neg	a decidedly mixed bag .
5730	neg	it 's sort of a 21st century morality play with a latino hip hop beat . but the second half of the movie really goes downhill .
3021	pos	this filmed tosca -- not the first , by the way -- is a pretty good job , if it 's filmed tosca that you want . i 'll stay with the stage versions , however , which bite cleaner , and deeper .
1480	pos	my big fat greek wedding uses stereotypes in a delightful blend of sweet romance and lovingly dished out humor .
8336	neg	it 's drained of life in an attempt to be sober and educational , and yet it 's so devoid of realism that its lack of whistles and bells just makes it obnoxious and stiff .
772	pos	works because , for the most part , it avoids the stupid cliches and formulaic potholes that befall its brethren .
8129	neg	when the painted backdrops in a movie are more alive than its characters , you know you 're in trouble .
5409	neg	a punch line without a premise , a joke built entirely from musty memories of half-dimensional characters .
2801	pos	when it 's not wallowing in hormonal melodrama , `` real women have curves `` is a sweet , honest , and enjoyable comedy-drama about a young woman who wants many things in life , but fears she 'll become her mother before she gets to fulfill her dreams .
9668	neg	a generic bloodbath that often becomes laughably unbearable when it is n't merely offensive .
6034	neg	i know we 're not supposed to take it seriously , but i ca n't shake the thought that undercover brother missed an opportunity to strongly present some profound social commentary .
573	pos	a graceful , contemplative film that gradually and artfully draws us into a world where the personal and the political get fatally intertwined .
4423	pos	overall , interesting as a documentary -- but not very imaxy .
4119	pos	worth seeing just for weaver and lapaglia .
10328	neg	too daft by half . . . but supremely good natured .
7832	neg	even as lame horror flicks go , this is lame .
9993	neg	long before it 's over , you 'll be thinking of 51 ways to leave this loser .
1802	pos	the limited sets and small confined and dark spaces also are homages to a classic low-budget film noir movie .
265	pos	an impressive debut for first-time writer-director mark romanek , especially considering his background is in music video .
2619	pos	entirely suspenseful , extremely well-paced and ultimately . . . dare i say , entertaining !
9667	neg	degenerates into hogwash .
4806	pos	a real audience-pleaser that will strike a chord with anyone who 's ever waited in a doctor 's office , emergency room , hospital bed or insurance company office .
4711	pos	moore provides an invaluable service by sparking debate and encouraging thought . better still , he does all of this , and more , while remaining one of the most savagely hilarious social critics this side of jonathan swift .
885	pos	you 'll be left with the sensation of having just witnessed a great performance and , perhaps , give in to the urge to get on your feet and shake it .
4899	pos	spy kids 2 also happens to be that rarity among sequels : it actually improves upon the original hit movie .
4879	pos	zhuangzhuang creates delicate balance of style , text , and subtext that 's so simple and precise that anything discordant would topple the balance , but against all odds , nothing does .
8751	neg	director david fincher and writer david koepp ca n't sustain it .
8379	neg	enough similarities to gymkata and howie long 's firestorm that my fingernails instinctively crawled towards my long-suffering eyeballs .
5907	neg	a film with a great premise but only a great premise .
2855	pos	throughout , mr . audiard 's direction is fluid and quick .
3033	pos	'what 's the russian word for wow ! ? '
10209	neg	its impressive images of crematorium chimney fires and stacks of dead bodies are undermined by the movie 's presentation , which is way too stagy .
10458	neg	a preposterously melodramatic paean to gang-member teens in brooklyn circa 1958 .
9417	neg	tedious norwegian offering which somehow snagged an oscar nomination .
6242	neg	a few hours after you 've seen it , you forget you 've been to the movies .
8190	neg	all in all , there 's only one thing to root for : expulsion for everyone .
103	pos	on the surface , it 's a lovers-on-the-run crime flick , but it has a lot in common with piesiewicz 's and kieslowski 's earlier work , films like the double life of veronique .
10500	neg	sade achieves the near-impossible : it turns the marquis de sade into a dullard .
8669	neg	the film virtually chokes on its own self-consciousness .
6958	neg	while it 's genuinely cool to hear characters talk about early rap records ( sugar hill gang , etc . ) , the constant referencing of hip-hop arcana can alienate even the savviest audiences .
10495	neg	it 's really just another silly hollywood action film , one among a multitude of simple-minded , yahoo-ing death shows .
2612	pos	the movie is not as terrible as the synergistic impulse that created it .
10564	neg	you 'll just have your head in your hands wondering why lee 's character did n't just go to a bank manager and save everyone the misery .
2711	pos	the film is a hoot , and is just as good , if not better than much of what 's on saturday morning tv especially the pseudo-educational stuff we all ca n't stand .
9316	neg	i 've seen some bad singer-turned actors , but lil bow wow takes the cake .
6546	neg	starts as an intense political and psychological thriller but is sabotaged by ticking time bombs and other hollywood-action cliches .
7970	neg	the period -- swinging london in the time of the mods and the rockers -- gets the once-over once again in gangster no . 1 , but falls apart long before the end .
7149	neg	this is n't even madonna 's swept away . this is her blue lagoon .
6776	neg	clayburgh and tambor are charming performers ; neither of them deserves eric schaeffer .
6401	neg	two big things are missing -- anything approaching a visceral kick , and anything approaching even a vague reason to sit through it all .
1717	pos	arteta directs one of the best ensemble casts of the year
5890	neg	blue crush is so prolonged and boring it is n't even close to being the barn-burningly bad movie it promised it would be .
1776	pos	leguizamo and jones are both excellent and the rest of the cast is uniformly superb .
1268	pos	the far future may be awesome to consider , but from period detail to matters of the heart , this film is most transporting when it stays put in the past .
7990	neg	a restrained ribisi convinces as an italian , though if ever a movie needed one of the actor 's whiny jags to pump it up , this has to be among the rare ones .
2050	pos	eyre is on his way to becoming the american indian spike lee .
2486	pos	there is little question that this is a serious work by an important director who has something new to say about how , in the flip-flop of courtship , we often reel in when we should be playing out .
256	pos	it ultimately stands forth as an important chronicle of the abuses of one of latin america 's most oppressive regimes .
3291	pos	often overwrought and at times positively irritating , the film turns into an engrossing thriller almost in spite of itself .
7509	neg	an ultra-low-budget indie debut that smacks more of good intentions than talent .
533	pos	only two words will tell you what you know when deciding to see it : anthony . hopkins .
7763	neg	oh , it 's extreme , all right . extremely dumb . extremely confusing . extremely boring .
8067	neg	this film looks like it was produced in 1954 , shelved for 48 years , and repackaged for a 2002 audience .
4160	pos	nair does n't use [ monsoon wedding ] to lament the loss of culture . instead , she sees it as a chance to revitalize what is and always has been remarkable about clung-to traditions .
7173	neg	exactly what it claims to be -- a simple diversion for the kids .
7294	neg	it showcases carvey 's talent for voices , but not nearly enough and not without taxing every drop of one 's patience to get to the good stuff .
9051	neg	according to the script , grant and bullock 's characters are made for each other . but you 'd never guess that from the performances .
6924	neg	the ga-zillionth airhead movie about a wife in distress who resorts to desperate measures .
353	pos	a tender and touching drama , based on the true story of a troubled african-american 's quest to come to terms with his origins , reveals the yearning we all have in our hearts for acceptance within the family circle .
9045	neg	why would anyone cast the magnificent jackie chan in a movie full of stunt doubles and special effects ?
5277	pos	smith finds amusing juxtapositions that justify his exercise .
7755	neg	begins as a promising meditation on one of america 's most durable obsessions but winds up as a slender cinematic stunt .
7510	neg	birot is a competent enough filmmaker , but her story has nothing fresh or very exciting about it .
10120	neg	ah-nuld 's action hero days might be over .
8660	neg	follows the original film virtually scene for scene and yet manages to bleed it almost completely dry of humor , verve and fun .
3383	pos	an alternately fascinating and frustrating documentary .
4532	pos	although largely a heavy-handed indictment of parental failings and the indifference of spanish social workers and legal system towards child abuse , the film retains ambiguities that make it well worth watching .
10223	neg	a mediocre exercise in target demographics , unaware that it 's the butt of its own joke .
3579	pos	it 's both degrading and strangely liberating to see people working so hard at leading lives of sexy intrigue , only to be revealed by the dispassionate gantz brothers as ordinary , pasty lumpen .
9338	neg	sorvino makes the princess seem smug and cartoonish , and the film only really comes alive when poor hermocrates and leontine pathetically compare notes about their budding amours .
5362	neg	the action clichés just pile up .
8018	neg	a recipe for cinematic disaster . . . part quentin tarantino , part guy ritchie , and part 1960s spy spoof , it 's all bad .
6529	neg	it gets old quickly . watch barbershop again if you 're in need of a cube fix -- this is n't worth sitting through .
2769	pos	writer/director walter hill is in his hypermasculine element here , once again able to inject some real vitality and even art into a pulpy concept that , in many other hands would be completely forgettable .
7730	neg	diane lane shines in unfaithful . almost everything else is wan .
1086	pos	a sober and affecting chronicle of the leveling effect of loss .
302	pos	i do n't know precisely what to make of steven soderbergh 's full frontal , though that did n't stop me from enjoying much of it .
10041	neg	it 's deep-sixed by a compulsion to catalog every bodily fluids gag in there 's something about mary and devise a parallel clone-gag .
10196	neg	this stuck pig of a movie flails limply between bizarre comedy and pallid horror .
9441	neg	high crimes is a cinematic misdemeanor , a routine crime thriller remarkable only for its lack of logic and misuse of two fine actors , morgan freeman and ashley judd .
7978	neg	though it draws several decent laughs , it 's low-cal woody at best .
3022	pos	while the path may be familiar , first-time director denzel washington and a top-notch cast manage to keep things interesting .
645	pos	it 's an example of sophisticated , challenging filmmaking that stands , despite its noticeable lack of emotional heft , in welcome contrast to the indulgent dead-end experimentation of the director 's previous full frontal .
8095	neg	while benigni ( who stars and co-wrote ) seems to be having a wonderful time , he might be alone in that .
10165	neg	i could have used my two hours better watching being john malkovich again .
7841	neg	this movie is about lying , cheating , but loving the friends you betray .
5324	pos	grant carries the day with impeccable comic timing , raffish charm and piercing intellect .
9960	neg	'pocas ideas interesantes , un final pseudo místico que no corresponde al tono general del filme y que deja una sensación de inconformidad que hace pensar más de una vez si vale la pena ir a la taquilla y reclamar el precio del boleto . '
2408	pos	a bit of a downer and a little over-dramatic at times , but this is a beautiful film for people who like their romances to have that french realism .
7494	neg	pumpkin sits in a patch somewhere between mirthless todd solondzian satire and callow student film .
3318	pos	if you love the music , and i do , its hard to imagine having more fun watching a documentary . . .
2421	pos	a thriller with an edge -- which is to say that it does n't follow the stale , standard , connect-the-dots storyline which has become commonplace in movies that explore the seamy underbelly of the criminal world .
520	pos	it 's a count for our times .
5411	neg	the things this movie tries to get the audience to buy just wo n't fly with most intelligent viewers .
2897	pos	got a david lynch jones ? then you 'd do well to check this one out because it 's straight up twin peaks action . . .
6519	neg	other than a mildly engaging central romance , hospital is sickly entertainment at best and mind-destroying cinematic pollution at worst .
6192	neg	the film makes strong arguments regarding the social status of america 's indigenous people , but really only exists to try to eke out an emotional tug of the heart , one which it fails to get .
7239	neg	directed in a paint-by-numbers manner .
2095	pos	the journey to the secret 's eventual discovery is a separate adventure , and thrill enough .
7501	neg	it wants to be thought of as a subversive little indie film , but it has all the qualities of a modern situation comedy .
4931	pos	williams creates a stunning , taxi driver-esque portrayal of a man teetering on the edge of sanity .
4379	pos	his work transcends the boy-meets-girl posturing of typical love stories .
10281	neg	hart 's war seems to want to be a character study , but apparently ca n't quite decide which character .
7547	neg	characters wander into predictably treacherous situations even though they should know better .
2258	pos	you just know something terrible is going to happen . but when it does , you 're entirely unprepared .
4501	pos	if the plot seems a bit on the skinny side , that 's because panic room is interested in nothing more than sucking you in…and making you sweat .
2435	pos	with one exception , every blighter in this particular south london housing project digs into dysfunction like it 's a big , comforting jar of marmite , to be slathered on crackers and served as a feast of bleakness .
8844	neg	as steamy as last week 's pork dumplings .
7268	neg	it ca n't decide if it wants to be a mystery/thriller , a romance or a comedy .
5672	neg	the entire movie is so formulaic and forgettable that it 's hardly over before it begins to fade from memory .
5569	neg	the acting is fine but the script is about as interesting as a recording of conversations at the wal-mart checkout line .
9923	neg	two tedious acts light on great scares and a good surprise ending .
5034	pos	even though we know the outcome , the seesawing of the general 's fate in the arguments of competing lawyers has the stomach-knotting suspense of a legal thriller , while the testimony of witnesses lends the film a resonant undertone of tragedy .
4328	pos	successfully blended satire , high camp and yet another sexual taboo into a really funny movie .
4796	pos	a sly dissection of the inanities of the contemporary music business and a rather sad story of the difficulties of artistic collaboration .
164	pos	there are as many misses as hits , but ultimately , it finds humor in the foibles of human behavior , and it 's a welcome return to the roots of a genre that should depend on surprises .
757	pos	occasionally funny and consistently odd , and it works reasonably well as a star vehicle for zhao .
8831	neg	. . . while the humor aspects of 'jason x ' were far more entertaining than i had expected , everything else about the film tanks .
4861	pos	poignant if familiar story of a young person suspended between two cultures .
9803	neg	like its parade of predecessors , this halloween is a gory slash-fest . it ca n't escape its past , and it does n't want to .
8118	neg	there 's something deeply creepy about never again , a new arrow in schaeffer 's quiver of ineptitudes .
3249	pos	a compassionate , moving portrait of an american ( and an america ) always reaching for something just outside his grasp .
5461	neg	as spent screen series go , star trek : nemesis is even more suggestive of a 65th class reunion mixer where only eight surviving members show up -- and there 's nothing to drink .
1318	pos	it just may inspire a few younger moviegoers to read stevenson 's book , which is a treasure in and of itself .
7555	neg	when the first few villians are introduced as `` spider `` and `` snake `` you know you 're in for a real winner , creativity at its peak .
3785	pos	this is a very funny , heartwarming film . it has fun with the quirks of family life , but it also treats the subject with fondness and respect .
8111	neg	the new faces are interesting , but the old story is n't , especially when it starts to seem more improvised than scripted .
7366	neg	for anyone who grew up on disney 's 1950 treasure island , or remembers the 1934 victor fleming classic , this one feels like an impostor .
2388	pos	for a debut film , skin of man , heart of beast feels unusually assured .
10132	neg	the densest distillation of roberts ' movies ever made .
5614	neg	as saccharine movies go , this is likely to cause massive cardiac arrest if taken in large doses .
3540	pos	good-naturedly cornball sequel .
2673	pos	leave it to john sayles to take on developers , the chamber of commerce , tourism , historical pageants , and commercialism all in the same movie . . . without neglecting character development for even one minute .
5361	neg	somewhere in the middle , the film compels , as demme experiments he harvests a few movie moment gems , but the field of roughage dominates .
8537	neg	the tuxedo miscalculates badly by forcing the star to play second fiddle to the dull effects that allow the suit to come to life .
360	pos	though of particular interest to students and enthusiast of international dance and world music , the film is designed to make viewers of all ages , cultural backgrounds and rhythmic ability want to get up and dance .
1952	pos	a perfectly pleasant if slightly pokey comedy .
2972	pos	while the now 72-year-old robert evans been slowed down by a stroke , he has at least one more story to tell : his own .
7819	neg	despite a powerful portrayal by binoche , it 's a period romance that suffers from an overly deliberate pace and uneven narrative momentum .
2716	pos	grainy photography mars an otherwise delightful comedy of errors .
6543	neg	a bore that tends to hammer home every one of its points .
6489	neg	though frida is easier to swallow than julie taymor 's preposterous titus , the eye candy here lacks considerable brio .
5042	pos	'if you are in the mood for an intelligent weepy , it can easily worm its way into your heart . '
4097	pos	the entire cast is first-rate , especially sorvino .
9704	neg	potty-mouthed enough for pg-13 , yet not as hilariously raunchy as south park , this strangely schizo cartoon seems suited neither to kids or adults .
9386	neg	almost everything about the film is unsettling , from the preposterous hairpiece worn by lai 's villainous father to the endless action sequences .
1934	pos	strange , funny , twisted , brilliant and macabre .
6742	neg	i 'm not sure which half of dragonfly is worse : the part where nothing 's happening , or the part where something 's happening , but it 's stupid .
3863	pos	there 's no clear picture of who killed bob crane . but here 's a glimpse at his life .
1204	pos	chilling but uncommercial look into the mind of jeffrey dahmer , serial killer .
8997	neg	helmer hudlin tries to make a hip comedy , but his dependence on slapstick defeats the possibility of creating a more darkly edged tome .
7636	neg	godawful boring slug of a movie .
6026	neg	too bad maggio could n't come up with a better script .
7818	neg	made by jackasses for jackasses .
3449	pos	vibrantly colored and beautifully designed , metropolis is a feast for the eyes .
7663	neg	a hideous , confusing spectacle , one that may well put the nail in the coffin of any future rice adaptations .
480	pos	quite funny for the type of movie it is . . .
1353	pos	it confirms fincher 's status as a film maker who artfully bends technical know-how to the service of psychological insight .
7667	neg	despite all the talking , by the time the bloody climax arrives we still do n't feel enough of an attachment to these guys to care one way or another .
8251	neg	the marquis de sade could n't have been as dull a person as this film makes him out to be .
1817	pos	high crimes knows the mistakes that bad movies make and is determined not to make them , and maybe that is nobility of a sort .
2783	pos	it 's a strange film , one that was hard for me to warm up to .
8364	neg	an atonal estrogen opera that demonizes feminism while gifting the most sympathetic male of the piece with a nice vomit bath at his wedding .
3334	pos	for all its problems . . . the lady and the duke surprisingly manages never to grow boring . . . which proves that rohmer still has a sense of his audience .
4805	pos	weighty and ponderous but every bit as filling as the treat of the title .
6735	neg	worth seeing once , but its charm quickly fades .
8438	neg	like leafing through an album of photos accompanied by the sketchiest of captions .
5702	neg	the one not-so-small problem with expecting is that the entire exercise has no real point .
7724	neg	watching trouble every day , at least if you do n't know what 's coming , is like biting into what looks like a juicy , delicious plum on a hot summer day and coming away with your mouth full of rotten pulp and living worms .
9969	neg	[ toback 's ] fondness for fancy split-screen , stuttering editing and pompous references to wittgenstein and kirkegaard . . . blends uneasily with the titillating material .
2996	pos	beautifully reclaiming the story of carmen and recreating it an in an african idiom .
6626	neg	in the end , all you can do is admire the ensemble players and wonder what the point of it is .
9499	neg	is it possible for a documentary to be utterly entranced by its subject and still show virtually no understanding of it ?
10062	neg	a pint-sized 'goodfellas ' designed to appeal to the younger set , it 's not a very good movie in any objective sense , but it does mostly hold one 's interest .
6444	neg	jackson shamefully strolls through this mess with a smug grin , inexplicably wearing a kilt and carrying a bag of golf clubs over one shoulder .
9820	neg	if routine action and jokes like this are your cup of tea , then pay your $ 8 and get ready for the big shear . this is one baaaaaaaaad movie .
1742	pos	a very funny romantic comedy about two skittish new york middle-agers who stumble into a relationship and then struggle furiously with their fears and foibles .
1364	pos	macdowell , whose wifty southern charm has anchored lighter affairs . . . brings an absolutely riveting conviction to her role .
5642	neg	given too much time to consider the looseness of the piece , the picture begins to resemble the shapeless , grasping actors ' workshop that it is .
6005	neg	glizty but formulaic and silly . . . cagney 's 'top of the world ' has been replaced by the bottom of the barrel .
3665	pos	ryan gosling is , in a word , brilliant as the conflicted daniel .
5141	pos	steers , in his feature film debut , has created a brilliant motion picture .
7945	neg	rambles on in a disjointed , substandard fashion from one poorly executed action sequence to the next .
2549	pos	though it lacks the utter authority of a genre gem , there 's a certain robustness to this engaging mix of love and bloodletting .
5764	neg	banal and predictable .
2973	pos	it 's about individual moments of mood , and an aimlessness that 's actually sort of amazing .
4512	pos	it 's the unsettling images of a war-ravaged land that prove more potent and riveting than the unlikely story of sarah and harrison .
6309	neg	has its charming quirks and its dull spots .
1003	pos	smith 's approach is never to tease , except gently and in that way that makes us consider our own eccentricities and how they are expressed through our homes .
9916	neg	we could have expected a little more human being , and a little less product .
728	pos	[ fessenden ] is much more into ambiguity and creating mood than he is for on screen thrills
960	pos	an enjoyable film for the family , amusing and cute for both adults and kids .
3278	pos	take any 12-year-old boy to see this picture , and he 'll be your slave for a year .
3347	pos	this is an extraordinary film , not least because it is japanese and yet feels universal .
8940	neg	an overwrought taiwanese soaper about three people and their mixed-up relationship .
9764	neg	`` sorority boys `` was funnier , and that movie was pretty bad .
3145	pos	takes you by the face , strokes your cheeks and coos beseechingly at you : slow down , shake off your tensions and take this picture at its own breezy , distracted rhythms .
198	pos	a smart , sweet and playful romantic comedy .
767	pos	a deviant topical comedy which is funny from start to finish .
3418	pos	jackson is always watchable .
4464	pos	a tone of rueful compassion . . . reverberates throughout this film , whose meaning and impact is sadly heightened by current world events .
3179	pos	13 conversations may be a bit too enigmatic and overly ambitious to be fully successful , but sprecher and her screenwriting partner and sister , karen sprecher , do n't seem ever to run out of ideas .
9305	neg	aside from the fact that the film idiotically uses the website feardotcom . com or the improperly hammy performance from poor stephen rea , the film gets added disdain for the fact that it is nearly impossible to look at or understand .
8811	neg	well , jason 's gone to manhattan and hell , i guess a space station in the year 2455 can be crossed off the list of ideas for the inevitable future sequels ( hey , do n't shoot the messenger ) .
2356	pos	judith and zaza 's extended bedroom sequence . . . is so intimate and sensual and funny and psychologically self-revealing that it makes most of what passes for sex in the movies look like cheap hysterics .
1168	pos	we root for [ clara and paul ] , even like them , though perhaps it 's an emotion closer to pity .
881	pos	those with an interest in new or singular sorts of film experiences will find what time is it there ? well worth the time .
747	pos	the perfect film for those who like sick comedies that can be snide .
3762	pos	it gives devastating testimony to both people 's capacity for evil and their heroic capacity for good .
3487	pos	harmless fun .
9039	neg	too clumsy in key moments . . . to make a big splash .
6387	neg	it is just too bad the film 's story does not live up to its style .
3894	pos	brosnan gives a portrayal as solid and as perfect as his outstanding performance as bond in die another day .
6899	neg	corpus collosum -- while undeniably interesting -- wore out its welcome well before the end credits rolled about 45 minutes in .
1225	pos	a delectable and intriguing thriller filled with surprises , read my lips is an original . this is a story of two misfits who do n't stand a chance alone , but together they are magnificent .
3372	pos	the members manage to pronounce kok exactly as you think they might , thus giving the cast ample opportunity to use that term as often as possible . it 's very beavis and butthead , yet always seems to elicit a chuckle .
8851	neg	its solemn pretension prevents us from sharing the awe in which it holds itself .
6400	neg	sounding like arnold schwarzenegger , with a physique to match , [ ahola ] has a wooden delivery and encounters a substantial arc of change that does n't produce any real transformation .
1326	pos	the son 's room is a triumph of gentility that earns its moments of pathos .
7962	neg	the movie succumbs to being nothing more than a formulaic chase in the dark .
3296	pos	the moral shrapnel and mental shellshock will linger long after this film has ended .
1130	pos	neither parker nor donovan is a typical romantic lead , but they bring a fresh , quirky charm to the formula .
8437	neg	a painfully slow cliche-ridden film filled with more holes than clyde barrow 's car .
7694	neg	. . . the sum of the parts equals largely a confused mediocrity .
2455	pos	if you 're part of her targeted audience , you 'll cheer . otherwise , maybe .
2994	pos	this is a smart movie that knows its classical music , knows its freud and knows its sade .
5224	pos	unpretentious , charming , quirky , original
9736	neg	dreary tale of middle-class angst
7862	neg	like a tone-deaf singer at a benefit concert , john q . is a bad movie appearing on behalf of a good cause .
7719	neg	some of seagal 's action pictures are guilty pleasures , but this one is so formulaic that it seems to be on auto-pilot .
1420	pos	an exhilarating futuristic thriller-noir , minority report twists the best of technology around a gripping story , delivering a riveting , pulse intensifying escapist adventure of the first order
4498	pos	'alice 's adventure through the looking glass and into zombie-land ' is filled with strange and wonderful creatures .
681	pos	a deliciously mordant , bitter black comedy .
8203	neg	as it abruptly crosscuts among the five friends , it fails to lend the characters ' individual stories enough dramatic resonance to make us care about them .
860	pos	an elegant , exquisitely modulated psychological thriller .
3480	pos	mostly honest , this somber picture reveals itself slowly , intelligently , artfully .
559	pos	this romantic thriller is steeped in the atmosphere of wartime england , and ably captures the speech patterns , moral codes and ideals of the 1940s .
3307	pos	[ hayek ] throws herself into this dream hispanic role with a teeth-clenching gusto , she strikes a potent chemistry with molina and she gradually makes us believe she is kahlo .
5693	neg	the result , however well-intentioned , is ironically just the sort of disposable , kitchen-sink homage that illustrates why the whole is so often less than the sum of its parts in today 's hollywood .
5525	neg	holds limited appeal to those who like explosions , sadism and seeing people beat each other to a pulp .
9001	neg	apparently writer-director attal thought he need only cast himself and his movie-star wife sitting around in their drawers to justify a film .
2	pos	effective but too-tepid biopic
5970	neg	. . . a pretentious mess . . .
5203	pos	tells ( the story ) with such atmospheric ballast that shrugging off the plot 's persnickety problems is simply a matter of ( being ) in a shrugging mood .
5449	neg	not only are the film 's sopranos gags incredibly dated and unfunny , they also demonstrate how desperate the makers of this 'we 're -doing-it-for -the-cash ' sequel were .
2315	pos	twist open the ouzo ! it 's time to let your hair down greek style . a vibrant whirlwind of love , family and all that goes with it , my big fat greek wedding is a non-stop funny feast of warmth , colour and cringe .
2529	pos	'the film is stark , straightforward and deadly . . . an unnatural calm that 's occasionally shaken by . . . blasts of rage , and later , violent jealousy . '
4522	pos	while [ roman coppola ] scores points for style , he staggers in terms of story .
4216	pos	the film 's appeal has a lot to do with the casting of juliette binoche as sand , who brings to the role her pale , dark beauty and characteristic warmth .
6406	neg	apparently reassembled from the cutting-room floor of any given daytime soap .
7190	neg	warmed-over hash .
3635	pos	nicole kidman evolved from star to superstar some time over the past year , which means that birthday girl is the kind of quirkily appealing minor movie she might not make for a while .
8401	neg	the film has a few cute ideas and several modest chuckles but it is n't exactly kiddie-friendly alas , santa is more ho-hum than ho-ho-ho and the snowman ( who never gets to play that flute ) has all the charm of a meltdown .
902	pos	this is art paying homage to art .
6953	neg	while much of the cast has charm -- especially allodi and nolden -- the performers are sunk by the film 's primitive approach to the mechanics of comedy .
6653	neg	to be oblivious to the existence of this film would be very sweet indeed .
6797	neg	occasionally interesting but essentially unpersuasive , a footnote to a still evolving story .
5194	pos	it 's easy to be cynical about documentaries in which underdogs beat the odds and the human spirit triumphs , but westbrook 's foundation and dalrymple 's film earn their uplift .
6946	neg	sometimes seems less like storytelling than something the otherwise compelling director needed to get off his chest .
1718	pos	the casting of von sydow . . . is itself intacto 's luckiest stroke .
4376	pos	bill morrison 's decasia is uncompromising , difficult and unbearably beautiful .
2551	pos	yes , it 's as good as you remember . in fact , even better .
4618	pos	good actors have a radar for juicy roles -- there 's a plethora of characters in this picture , and not one of them is flat .
8757	neg	strong filmmaking requires a clear sense of purpose , and in that oh-so-important category , the four feathers comes up short .
7242	neg	samira makhmalbaf 's new film blackboards is much like the ethos of a stream of consciousness , although , it 's unfortunate for the viewer that the thoughts and reflections coming through are torpid and banal
8593	neg	if only it were , well , funnier .
8113	neg	liman , of swingers and go , makes his big-budget action film debut something of a clunker as he delivers a long , low-heat chase , interrupted by a middling car chase .
2591	pos	michael moore 's latest documentary about america 's thirst for violence is his best film yet . . .
5900	neg	if the predictability of bland comfort food appeals to you , then the film is a pleasant enough dish .
5928	neg	a non-britney person might survive a screening with little harm done , except maybe for the last 15 minutes , which are as maudlin as any after-school special you can imagine .
9106	neg	ken russell would love this . in one scene , we get a stab at soccer hooliganism , a double-barreled rip-off of quentin tarantino 's climactic shootout — and meat loaf explodes .
4169	pos	probes in a light-hearted way the romantic problems of individuals for whom the yearning for passion spells discontent .
232	pos	elling , portrayed with quiet fastidiousness by per christian ellefsen , is a truly singular character , one whose frailties are only slightly magnified versions of the ones that vex nearly everyone .
3685	pos	the magic ( and original running time ) of ace japanimator hayao miyazaki 's spirited away survives intact in bv 's re-voiced version .
2449	pos	a journey that is as difficult for the audience to take as it is for the protagonist -- yet it 's potentially just as rewarding .
3108	pos	assured , glossy and shot through with brittle desperation .
8133	neg	though ganesh is successful in a midlevel sort of way , there 's nothing so striking or fascinating or metaphorically significant about his career as to rate two hours of our attention .
5314	pos	what a dumb , fun , curiously adolescent movie this is .
9443	neg	the chocolate factory without charlie .
7579	neg	earnest falls short of its ideal predecessor largely due to parker 's ill-advised meddling with the timeless source material .
3764	pos	morton deserves an oscar nomination .
7803	neg	trivial where it should be profound , and hyper-cliched where it should be sincere .
10163	neg	. . . feels as if ( there 's ) a choke leash around your neck so director nick cassavetes can give it a good , hard yank whenever he wants you to feel something .
9179	neg	an uninspired preachy and clichéd war film .
1730	pos	like the original , this version is raised a few notches above kiddie fantasy pablum by allen 's astringent wit .
989	pos	a captivating cross-cultural comedy of manners .
7197	neg	the talented and clever robert rodriguez perhaps put a little too much heart into his first film and did n't reserve enough for his second .
3706	pos	depending upon your reaction to this movie , you may never again be able to look at a red felt sharpie pen without disgust , a thrill , or the giggles .
4755	pos	conceptually brilliant . . . plays like a living-room war of the worlds , gaining most of its unsettling force from the suggested and the unknown .
8870	neg	a shame that stealing harvard is too busy getting in its own way to be anything but frustrating , boring , and forgettable .
2075	pos	that storytelling has value can not be denied . not even solondz 's thirst for controversy , sketchy characters and immature provocations can fully succeed at cheapening it .
1251	pos	[ chaiken 's ] talent lies in an evocative , accurate observation of a distinctive milieu and in the lively , convincing dialogue she creates for her characters .
8414	neg	gooding and coburn are both oscar winners , a fact which , as you watch them clumsily mugging their way through snow dogs , seems inconceivable .
1032	pos	warm and exotic .
968	pos	impresses you with its open-endedness and surprises .
3251	pos	an original little film about one young woman 's education .
781	pos	do n't plan on the perfect ending , but sweet home alabama hits the mark with critics who escaped from a small town life .
1811	pos	whenever you think you 've figured out late marriage , it throws you for a loop .
5886	neg	most of the storylines feel like time fillers between surf shots . the movie is n't horrible , but you can see mediocre cresting on the next wave .
10291	neg	such a premise is ripe for all manner of lunacy , but kaufman and gondry rarely seem sure of where it should go .
1333	pos	the emotions are raw and will strike a nerve with anyone who 's ever had family trauma .
2426	pos	pure cinematic intoxication , a wildly inventive mixture of comedy and melodrama , tastelessness and swooning elegance .
7673	neg	the creaking , rusty ship makes a fine backdrop , but the ghosts ' haunting is routine .
3664	pos	this engrossing , characteristically complex tom clancy thriller is shifty in the manner in which it addresses current terrorism anxieties and sidesteps them at the same time .
3214	pos	a moving and stark reminder that the casualties of war reach much further than we imagine .
8535	neg	it 's bedeviled by labored writing and slack direction .
6655	neg	one just waits grimly for the next shock without developing much attachment to the characters .
10039	neg	not only does leblanc make one spectacularly ugly-looking broad , but he appears miserable throughout as he swaggers through his scenes .
4195	pos	a thriller whose style , structure and rhythms are so integrated with the story , you can not separate them .
6258	neg	mindless and boring martial arts and gunplay with too little excitement and zero compelling storyline .
78	pos	haneke challenges us to confront the reality of sexual aberration .
197	pos	my goodness , queen latifah has a lot to offer and she seemed to have no problem flaunting her natural gifts . she must have a very strong back .
7685	neg	is there enough material to merit a documentary on the making of wilco 's last album ?
8608	neg	lan yu is certainly a serviceable melodrama , but it does n't even try for the greatness that happy together shoots for ( and misses ) .
6153	neg	a mean-spirited film made by someone who surely read the catcher in the rye but clearly suffers from dyslexia
6104	neg	howard conjures the past via surrealist flourishes so overwrought you 'd swear he just stepped out of a buñuel retrospective .
3039	pos	what [ denis ] accomplishes in his chilling , unnerving film is a double portrait of two young women whose lives were as claustrophic , suffocating and chilly as the attics to which they were inevitably consigned .
274	pos	ultimately , the message of trouble every day seems to be that all sexual desire disrupts life 's stasis .
3272	pos	combines sharp comedy , old-fashioned monster movie atmospherics , and genuine heart to create a film that 's not merely about kicking undead * * * , but also about dealing with regret and , ultimately , finding redemption .
4477	pos	a thoughtful , reverent portrait of what is essentially a subculture , with its own rules regarding love and family , governance and hierarchy .
5942	neg	they were afraid to show this movie to reviewers before its opening , afraid of the bad reviews they thought they 'd earn . they were right .
5968	neg	as happily glib and vicious as its characters .
3099	pos	jackie chan movies are a guilty pleasure - he 's easy to like and always leaves us laughing .
5296	pos	what might have been readily dismissed as the tiresome rant of an aging filmmaker still thumbing his nose at convention takes a surprising , subtle turn at the midway point .
7731	neg	i 'm afraid you wo n't get through this frankly fantastical by-the-numbers b-flick with just a suspension of disbelief . rather , you 'll have to wrestle disbelief to the ground and then apply the chloroform-soaked handkerchief .
4689	pos	for the most part , the film does hold up pretty well .
2346	pos	very well-written and very well-acted .
170	pos	most of crush is a clever and captivating romantic comedy with a welcome pinch of tartness .
4189	pos	witty , vibrant , and intelligent .
8359	neg	the premise is overshadowed by the uberviolence of the clericks as this becomes just another kung-fu sci-fi movie with silly action sequences .
8089	neg	as with too many studio pics , plot mechanics get in the way of what should be the lighter-than-air adventure .
5690	neg	cedar somewhat defuses this provocative theme by submerging it in a hoary love triangle .
696	pos	it 's hard not to be seduced by [ witherspoon 's ] charisma , even in this run-of-the-mill vehicle , because this girl knows how to drive it to the max .
7912	neg	the best you can say about it is it 's so uninspired , it barely gives one pause when considering some of the other dreck out there right now .
9234	neg	amid the cliché and foreshadowing , cage manages a degree of casual realism . . . that is routinely dynamited by blethyn .
648	pos	much of the movie 's charm lies in the utter cuteness of stuart and margolo . their computer-animated faces are very expressive .
766	pos	the fact that the rookie is a nearly impeccable cinematic experience -- and a wonderful all-ages triumph besides -- is a miracle akin to the story the film portrays .
8394	neg	hardly makes the kind of points egoyan wanted to make , nor does it exist as the kind of monument he wanted to build , to victims whose voices have never gained the ears of the world .
1616	pos	stevens ' vibrant creative instincts are the difference between this and countless other flicks about guys and dolls .
1789	pos	there 's back-stabbing , inter-racial desire and , most importantly , singing and dancing .
7626	neg	an awful snooze .
5268	pos	the wild thornberrys movie has all the sibling rivalry and general family chaos to which anyone can relate .
7734	neg	the makers of divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood should offer a free ticket ( second prize , of course , two free tickets ) to anyone who can locate a genuinely honest moment in their movie .
3827	pos	leigh 's daring here is that without once denying the hardscrabble lives of people on the economic fringes of margaret thatcher 's ruinous legacy , he insists on the importance of those moments when people can connect and express their love for each other .
6843	neg	no telegraphing is too obvious or simplistic for this movie .
6371	neg	what 's needed so badly but what is virtually absent here is either a saving dark humor or the feel of poetic tragedy .
10609	neg	manipulative claptrap , a period-piece movie-of-the-week , plain old blarney . . . take your pick . all three descriptions suit evelyn , a besotted and obvious drama that tells us nothing new .
8370	neg	the best way to hope for any chance of enjoying this film is by lowering your expectations . then lower them a bit more .
1726	pos	this english-language version . . . does full honor to miyazaki 's teeming and often unsettling landscape , and to the conflicted complexity of his characters .
3933	pos	the rare movie that 's as crisp and to the point as the novel on which it 's based .
10576	neg	the movie is a little tired ; maybe the original inspiration has run its course .
2558	pos	anyone who 's ever suffered under a martinet music instructor has no doubt fantasized about what an unhappy , repressed and twisted personal life their tormentor deserved . these people are really going to love the piano teacher .
6873	neg	no way i can believe this load of junk .
7958	neg	heavy-handed exercise in time-vaulting literary pretension .
4534	pos	a brain twister , less a movie-movie than a funny and weird meditation on hollywood , success , artistic integrity and intellectual bankruptcy .
8445	neg	[ janey ] forgets about her other obligations , leading to a tragedy which is somehow guessable from the first few minutes , maybe because it echoes the by now intolerable morbidity of so many recent movies .
9236	neg	no cliche escapes the perfervid treatment of gang warfare called ces wild .
4475	pos	to those who have not read the book , the film is a much better mother-daughter tale than last summer 's 'divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood , ' but that 's not saying much .
1951	pos	en sí mismo el rey león es un espectáculo digno de contemplarse en cine , dvd o en su soberbio montaje teatral ; pero el hacerlo en la pantalla imax es una experiencia colosal .
5846	neg	it all looks and plays like a $ 40 million version of a game you 're more likely to enjoy on a computer .
412	pos	grenier is terrific , bringing an unforced , rapid-fire delivery to toback 's heidegger- and nietzsche-referencing dialogue .
1839	pos	a coming-of-age tale from new zealand whose boozy , languid air is balanced by a rich visual clarity and deeply felt performances across the board .
5869	neg	you leave feeling like you 've endured a long workout without your pulse ever racing .
4502	pos	. . . [ the film ] works , due mostly to the tongue-in-cheek attitude of the screenplay .
5155	pos	even when he 's not at his most critically insightful , godard can still be smarter than any 50 other filmmakers still at work .
634	pos	good ol ' urban legend stuff .
3794	pos	it turns out to be smarter and more diabolical than you could have guessed at the beginning .
3856	pos	sillier , cuter , and shorter than the first ( as best i remember ) , but still a very good time at the cinema .
9412	neg	i did n't find much fascination in the swinging . what they 're doing is a matter of plumbing arrangements and mind games , of no erotic or sensuous charge . but that they are doing it is thought-provoking .
9291	neg	each scene drags , underscoring the obvious , and sentiment is slathered on top .
6725	neg	the movie fails to portray its literarily talented and notorious subject as anything much more than a dirty old man .
181	pos	this is simply the most fun you 'll ever have with a documentary !
5435	neg	adam sandler 's heart may be in the right place , but he needs to pull his head out of his butt
1001	pos	its gross-out gags and colorful set pieces . . . are of course stultifyingly contrived and too stylized by half . still , it gets the job done -- a sleepy afternoon rental .
1965	pos	lawrence plumbs personal tragedy and also the human comedy .
10451	neg	an uneasy mix of run-of-the-mill raunchy humor and seemingly sincere personal reflection .
4988	pos	enriched by a strong and unforced supporting cast .
1111	pos	it 's refreshing to see a girl-power movie that does n't feel it has to prove anything .
6836	neg	without non-stop techno or the existential overtones of a kieslowski morality tale , maelström is just another winter sleepers .
1237	pos	yakusho and shimizu . . . create engaging characterizations in imamura 's lively and enjoyable cultural mix .
541	pos	it 's not life-affirming — its vulgar and mean , but i liked it .
10071	neg	the fourth in a series that i 'll bet most parents had thought -- hoped ! -- was a fad that had long since vanished .
3055	pos	the work of an artist tormented by his heritage , using his storytelling ability to honor the many faceless victims .
6064	neg	the hackneyed story about an affluent damsel in distress who decides to fight her bully of a husband is simply too overdone .
3808	pos	now as a former gong show addict , i 'll admit it , my only complaint is that we did n't get more re-creations of all those famous moments from the show .
9918	neg	whether quitting will prove absorbing to american audiences is debatable .
2074	pos	steers has an unexpectedly adamant streak of warm-blooded empathy for all his disparate manhattan denizens -- especially the a * * holes .
9313	neg	it 's all gratuitous before long , as if schwentke were fulfilling a gross-out quota for an anticipated audience demographic instead of shaping the material to fit the story .
8892	neg	it 's depressing to see how far herzog has fallen .
8603	neg	the picture does n't know it 's a comedy .
401	pos	it represents better-than-average movie-making that does n't demand a dumb , distracted audience .
1851	pos	meeting , even exceeding expectations , it 's the best sequel since the empire strikes back . . . a majestic achievement , an epic of astonishing grandeur and surprising emotional depth .
10280	neg	deuces wild treads heavily into romeo and juliet/west side story territory , where it plainly has no business going .
124	pos	you should pay nine bucks for this : because you can hear about suffering afghan refugees on the news and still be unaffected . dramas like this make it human .
10049	neg	presents nothing special and , until the final act , nothing overtly disagreeable .
64	pos	the animated subplot keenly depicts the inner struggles of our adolescent heroes - insecure , uncontrolled , and intense .
8423	neg	the movie generates plot points with a degree of randomness usually achieved only by lottery drawing .
4491	pos	a very pretty after-school special . it 's an effort to watch this movie , but it eventually pays off and is effective if you stick with it .
2999	pos	demonstrates the unusual power of thoughtful , subjective filmmaking .
674	pos	the film hinges on its performances , and both leads are up to the task .
897	pos	nothing denis has made before , like beau travil and nenette et boni , could prepare us for this gory , perverted , sex-soaked riff on the cannibal genre .
10203	neg	though its rather routine script is loaded with familiar situations , the movie has a cinematic fluidity and sense of intelligence that makes it work more than it probably should .
5873	neg	in theory , a middle-aged romance pairing clayburgh and tambor sounds promising , but in practice it 's something else altogether -- clownish and offensive and nothing at all like real life .
5274	pos	stripped almost entirely of such tools as nudity , profanity and violence , labute does manage to make a few points about modern man and his problematic quest for human connection .
8839	neg	arty gay film .
1815	pos	a sensitive , modest comic tragedy that works as both character study and symbolic examination of the huge economic changes sweeping modern china .
271	pos	parker holds true to wilde 's own vision of a pure comedy with absolutely no meaning , and no desire to be anything but a polished , sophisticated entertainment that is in love with its own cleverness .
1302	pos	an absurdist comedy about alienation , separation and loss .
194	pos	i admired this work a lot .
9105	neg	it 's the humanizing stuff that will probably sink the film for anyone who does n't think about percentages all day long .
4341	pos	a rather brilliant little cult item : a pastiche of children 's entertainment , superhero comics , and japanese animation .
7363	neg	aggravating and tedious .
6799	neg	moretti plays giovanni , a psychiatrist who predictably finds it difficult to sustain interest in his profession after the family tragedy . too predictably , in fact .
8017	neg	mckay deflates his piece of puffery with a sour cliche and heavy doses of mean-spiritedness
5180	pos	simultaneously heartbreakingly beautiful and exquisitely sad .
3381	pos	playing a role of almost bergmanesque intensity . . . bisset is both convincing and radiant .
1324	pos	a lean , deftly shot , well-acted , weirdly retro thriller that recalls a raft of '60s and '70s european-set spy pictures .
7780	neg	the plot grinds on with yawn-provoking dullness .
2132	pos	what makes this film special is serry 's ability to take what is essentially a contained family conflict and put it into a much larger historical context .
6184	neg	sheridan had a wonderful account to work from , but , curiously , he waters it down , turning grit and vulnerability into light reading .
5700	neg	nothing but one relentlessly depressing situation after another for its entire running time , something that you could easily be dealing with right now in your lives .
9395	neg	the most horrific movie experience i 've had since `` ca n't stop the music . `` it may as well be called `` jar-jar binks : the movie . `` it 's that painful .
3981	pos	gondry 's direction is adequate . . . but what gives human nature its unique feel is kaufman 's script .
7399	neg	uncertain in tone . . . a garbled exercise in sexual politics , a junior varsity short cuts by way of very bad things .
3062	pos	the viewer takes great pleasure in watching the resourceful molly stay a step ahead of her pursuers .
9573	neg	instead of a balanced film that explains the zeitgeist that is the x games , we get a cinematic postcard that 's superficial and unrealized .
2293	pos	in addition to gluing you to the edge of your seat , changing lanes is also a film of freshness , imagination and insight .
9143	neg	just about all of the film is confusing on one level or another , making ararat far more demanding than it needs to be .
9110	neg	a little too ponderous to work as shallow entertainment , not remotely incisive enough to qualify as drama , monsoon wedding serves mostly to whet one 's appetite for the bollywood films .
8065	neg	a baffling misfire , and possibly the weakest movie [ woody allen ] has made in the last twenty years .
3335	pos	an edifying glimpse into the wit and revolutionary spirit of these performers and their era .
9042	neg	at least it 's a fairly impressive debut from the director , charles stone iii .
9252	neg	a film that will be best appreciated by those willing to endure its extremely languorous rhythms , waiting for happiness is ultimately thoughtful without having much dramatic impact .
9643	neg	the movie resolutely avoids all the comic possibilities of its situation , and becomes one more dumb high school comedy about sex gags and prom dates .
1758	pos	it 's endlessly inventive , consistently intelligent and sickeningly savage .
6440	neg	no amount of arty theorizing -- the special effects are 'german-expressionist , ' according to the press notes -- can render it anything but laughable .
6581	neg	a standard police-oriented drama that , were it not for de niro 's participation , would have likely wound up a tnt original .
6978	neg	not exactly the bees knees
9795	neg	it never quite makes it to the boiling point , but manages to sustain a good simmer for most of its running time .
698	pos	a refreshingly authentic coming-of-age tale .
8556	neg	the material and the production itself are little more than routine .
10425	neg	the dialogue is cumbersome , the simpering soundtrack and editing more so .
3517	pos	the bard as black comedy -- willie would have loved it .
3526	pos	it 's incredible the number of stories the holocaust has generated . just when you think that every possible angle has been exhausted by documentarians , another new film emerges with yet another remarkable yet shockingly little-known perspective .
4107	pos	the biggest problem with this movie is that it 's not nearly long enough .
7570	neg	human nature initially succeeds by allowing itself to go crazy , but ultimately fails by spinning out of control .
7861	neg	despite its title , amy 's orgasm is not a porno , though it is as tedious as one .
2121	pos	it 's still a comic book , but maguire makes it a comic book with soul .
5713	neg	few of the increasingly far-fetched events that first-time writer-director neil burger follows up with are terribly convincing , which is a pity , considering barry 's terrific performance .
6985	neg	it 's as if you 're watching a movie that was made in 1978 but not released then because it was so weak , and it has been unearthed and released now , when it has become even weaker .
7356	neg	the title not only describes its main characters , but the lazy people behind the camera as well .
7695	neg	the tone shifts abruptly from tense to celebratory to soppy .
791	pos	full frontal is the antidote for soderbergh fans who think he 's gone too commercial since his two oscar nominated films in 2000
3245	pos	an asian neo-realist treasure .
6688	neg	not completely loveable -- but what underdog movie since the bad news bears has been ? -- but certainly hard to hate .
4487	pos	although shot with little style , skins is heartfelt and achingly real .
1978	pos	with a romantic comedy plotline straight from the ages , this cinderella story does n't have a single surprise up its sleeve . but it does somehow manage to get you under its spell .
9612	neg	this painfully unfunny farce traffics in tired stereotypes and encumbers itself with complications . . . that have no bearing on the story .
2900	pos	it 's hard to fairly judge a film like ringu when you 've seen the remake first . many of the effective horror elements are dampened through familiarity , [ yet ] are worthwhile .
899	pos	greene delivers a typically solid performance in a role that is a bit of a departure from the noble characters he has played in the past , and he is matched by schweig , who carries the film on his broad , handsome shoulders .
8737	neg	you could easily mistake it for a sketchy work-in-progress that was inexplicably rushed to the megaplexes before its time .
499	pos	does what a fine documentary does best : it extends a warm invitation into an unfamiliar world , then illuminates it fully and allows the larger implications of the journey to sink in unobtrusively .
7106	neg	despite the evocative aesthetics evincing the hollow state of modern love life , the film never percolates beyond a monotonous whine .
8209	neg	johnson has , in his first film , set himself a task he is not nearly up to .
5656	neg	every now and again , a movie comes along to remind us of how very bad a motion picture can truly be . frank mcklusky c . i . is that movie !
5529	neg	stealing harvard does n't care about cleverness , wit or any other kind of intelligent humor .
5919	neg	the inevitable double- and triple-crosses arise , but the only drama is in waiting to hear how john malkovich 's reedy consigliere will pronounce his next line .
7530	neg	the story really has no place to go since simone is not real—she ca n't provide any conflict .
1185	pos	fun , flip and terribly hip bit of cinematic entertainment .
7704	neg	this is n't just the cliffsnotes version of nicholas nickleby , it 's the cliffsnotes with pages missing .
1676	pos	cho 's latest comic set is n't as sharp or as fresh as i 'm the one that i want . . . but it 's still damn funny stuff .
7551	neg	no reason for anyone to invest their hard-earned bucks into a movie which obviously did n't invest much into itself either .
7170	neg	the only entertainment you 'll derive from this choppy and sloppy affair will be from unintentional giggles – several of them .
290	pos	somewhat blurred , but kinnear 's performance is razor sharp .
1762	pos	a movie that both thrills the eye and , in its over-the-top way , touches the heart .
4916	pos	time out is as serious as a pink slip . and more than that , it 's an observant , unfussily poetic meditation about identity and alienation .
8530	neg	i could n't help but feel the wasted potential of this slapstick comedy .
2691	pos	elvira fans could hardly ask for more .
4994	pos	never lets go your emotions , taking them to surprising highs , sorrowful lows and hidden impulsive niches . . . gorgeous , passionate , and at times uncommonly moving .
7395	neg	the editing is chaotic , the photography grainy and badly focused , the writing unintentionally hilarious , the direction unfocused , the performances as wooden .
10574	neg	further sad evidence that tom tykwer , director of the resonant and sense-spinning run lola run , has turned out to be a one-trick pony -- a maker of softheaded metaphysical claptrap .
3802	pos	a four star performance from kevin kline who unfortunately works with a two star script .
8012	neg	a fairly by-the-books blend of action and romance with sprinklings of intentional and unintentional comedy .
7345	neg	every nanosecond of the the new guy reminds you that you could be doing something else far more pleasurable . something like scrubbing the toilet . or emptying rat traps . or doing last year 's taxes with your ex-wife .
5875	neg	the images are usually abbreviated in favor of mushy obviousness and telegraphed pathos , particularly where whitaker 's misfit artist is concerned .
2070	pos	as a film director , labute continues to improve .
5574	neg	here 's my advice , kev . start reading your scripts before signing that dotted line .
2871	pos	fontaine 's direction , especially her agreeably startling use of close-ups and her grace with a moving camera , creates sheerly cinematic appeal .
6703	neg	so boring that even its target audience talked all the way through it .
7680	neg	what you would end up with if you took orwell , bradbury , kafka , george lucas and the wachowski brothers and threw them into a blender . but that 's just the problem with it - the director has n't added enough of his own ingredients .
3183	pos	some people want the ol ' ball-and-chain and then there are those who just want the ball and chain .
526	pos	a pro-fat farce that overcomes much of its excessive moral baggage thanks to two appealing lead performances .
7322	neg	it offers little beyond the momentary joys of pretty and weightless intellectual entertainment .
289	pos	. . . if you 're in a mind set for goofy comedy , the troopers will entertain with their gross outs , bawdy comedy and head games .
1923	pos	a real winner -- smart , funny , subtle , and resonant .
55	pos	everytime you think undercover brother has run out of steam , it finds a new way to surprise and amuse .
9971	neg	essentially `` fatal attraction `` remade for viewers who were in diapers when the original was released in 1987 . . . . this story gets sillier , not scarier , as it goes along . . .
3361	pos	. . . spellbinding fun and deliciously exploitative .
1795	pos	happily stays close to the ground in a spare and simple manner and does n't pummel us with phony imagery or music .
2982	pos	the obnoxious title character provides the drama that gives added clout to this doc .
5791	neg	the movie attempts to mine laughs from a genre -- the gangster/crime comedy -- that wore out its welcome with audiences several years ago , and its cutesy reliance on movie-specific cliches is n't exactly endearing .
8271	neg	an eccentric little comic/thriller deeply in love with its own quirky personality .
5758	neg	only about as sexy and dangerous as an actress in a role that reminds at every turn of elizabeth berkley 's flopping dolphin-gasm .
6082	neg	this wretchedly unfunny wannabe comedy is inane and awful - no doubt , it 's the worst movie i 've seen this summer .
2786	pos	the scorpion king is more fun than conan the barbarian .
2891	pos	a return to pure disney magic and is enjoyable family fare .
1162	pos	manages to transcend the sex , drugs and show-tunes plot into something far richer .
5540	neg	a not-so-divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood with a hefty helping of re-fried green tomatoes .
9034	neg	predictable and cloying , though brown sugar is so earnest in its yearning for the days before rap went nihilistic that it summons more spirit and bite than your average formulaic romantic quadrangle .
894	pos	the movie exists for its soccer action and its fine acting .
6240	neg	. . . unlike [ scorsese 's mean streets ] , ash wednesday is essentially devoid of interesting characters or even a halfway intriguing plot .
9384	neg	purposefully shocking in its eroticized gore , if unintentionally dull in its lack of poetic frissons .
6381	neg	it 's hard to believe these jokers are supposed to have pulled off four similar kidnappings before .
1025	pos	a spunky , original take on a theme that will resonate with singles of many ages .
7352	neg	even horror fans will most likely not find what they 're seeking with trouble every day ; the movie lacks both thrills and humor .
830	pos	once you get into its rhythm . . . the movie becomes a heady experience .
4130	pos	is red dragon worthy of a place alongside the other hannibal movies ? as hannibal would say , yes , 'it 's like having an old friend for dinner ' .
2444	pos	[ fincher 's ] camera sense and assured pacing make it an above-average thriller .
10119	neg	ultimately , jane learns her place as a girl , softens up and loses some of the intensity that made her an interesting character to begin with .
7339	neg	this is a train wreck of an action film -- a stupefying attempt by the filmmakers to force-feed james bond into the mindless xxx mold and throw 40 years of cinematic history down the toilet in favor of bright flashes and loud bangs .
5045	pos	i 'm going to give it a marginal thumbs up . i liked it just enough .
9218	neg	rock 's stand-up magic wanes . hopkins , squarely fills the screen . action - mechanical .
3395	pos	does an impressive job of relating the complicated history of the war and of filling in the background .
4657	pos	gives us a lot to chew on , but not all of it has been properly digested .
10228	neg	according to wendigo , 'nature ' loves the members of the upper class almost as much as they love themselves .
7229	neg	manages to be both repulsively sadistic and mundane .
8959	neg	it 's not the worst comedy of the year , but it certainly wo n't win any honors .
390	pos	bubba ho-tep is a wonderful film with a bravura lead performance by bruce campbell that does n't deserve to leave the building until everyone is aware of it .
1522	pos	`` mostly martha `` is a bright , light modern day family parable that wears its heart on its sleeve for all to see .
8780	neg	an artsploitation movie with too much exploitation and too little art .
7788	neg	as [ the characters ] get more depressed , the story gets more tiresome , especially as it continues to mount a conspicuous effort to be profound .
1596	pos	a literary detective story is still a detective story and aficionados of the whodunit wo n't be disappointed .
1271	pos	by candidly detailing the politics involved in the creation of an extraordinary piece of music , [ jones ] calls our attention to the inherent conflict between commerce and creativity .
2117	pos	a fascinating documentary about the long and eventful spiritual journey of the guru who helped launch the new age .
4757	pos	drama of temptation , salvation and good intentions is a thoughtful examination of faith , love and power .
7018	neg	i 'd have to say the star and director are the big problems here .
3202	pos	all of it works smoothly under the direction of spielberg , who does a convincing impersonation here of a director enjoying himself immensely .
4086	pos	. . . a somber film , almost completely unrelieved by any comedy beyond the wistful everyday ironies of the working poor .
9400	neg	as original and insightful as last week 's episode of behind the music .
1986	pos	as satisfyingly odd and intriguing a tale as it was a century and a half ago . . . has a delightfully dour , deadpan tone and stylistic consistency .
5904	neg	its plot and animation offer daytime tv serviceability , but little more .
3320	pos	`` 13 conversations about one thing `` is an intelligent flick that examines many different ideas from happiness to guilt in an intriguing bit of storytelling .
5628	neg	this follow-up seems so similar to the 1953 disney classic that it makes one long for a geriatric peter .
1681	pos	this bracingly truthful antidote to hollywood teenage movies that slather clearasil over the blemishes of youth captures the combustible mixture of a chafing inner loneliness and desperate grandiosity that tend to characterize puberty .
53	pos	sandra nettelbeck beautifully orchestrates the transformation of the chilly , neurotic , and self-absorbed martha as her heart begins to open .
5348	neg	such master screenwriting comes courtesy of john pogue , the yale grad who previously gave us `` the skulls `` and last year 's `` rollerball . `` enough said , except : film overboard !
10623	neg	feels strangely hollow at its emotional core .
3795	pos	cage makes an unusual but pleasantly haunting debut behind the camera .
4476	pos	even before it builds up to its insanely staged ballroom scene , in which 3000 actors appear in full regalia , it 's waltzed itself into the art film pantheon .
10224	neg	director kevin bray excels in breaking glass and marking off the `` miami vice `` checklist of power boats , latin music and dog tracks . he does n't , however , deliver nearly enough of the show 's trademark style and flash .
2515	pos	visually striking and viscerally repellent .
10153	neg	while hollywood ending has its share of belly laughs ( including a knockout of a closing line ) , the movie winds up feeling like a great missed opportunity .
7647	neg	thoughtless , random , superficial humour and a lot of very bad scouse accents
6129	neg	. . . its stupidities wind up sticking in one 's mind a lot more than the cool bits .
8005	neg	director brian levant , who never strays far from his sitcom roots , skates blithely from one implausible situation to another , pausing only to tie up loose ends with more bows than you 'll find on a french poodle .
5120	pos	from both a great and a terrible story , mr . nelson has made a film that is an undeniably worthy and devastating experience .
6499	neg	the story is -- forgive me -- a little thin , and the filmmaking clumsy and rushed .
5686	neg	throw smoochy from the train !
7629	neg	director clare kilner 's debut is never as daft as it should have been .
297	pos	the film 's greatest asset is how much it 's not just another connect-the-dots , spy-on-the-run picture .
10178	neg	if anything , see it for karen black , who camps up a storm as a fringe feminist conspiracy theorist named dirty dick .
1804	pos	[ a ] wonderfully loopy tale of love , longing , and voting .
10290	neg	when [ reno ] lets her radical flag fly , taking angry potshots at george w . bush , henry kissinger , larry king , et al . , reno devolves into a laugh-free lecture .
4853	pos	as refreshing as a drink from a woodland stream .
3356	pos	a cultural wildcard experience : wacky , different , unusual , even nutty .
1650	pos	told just proficiently enough to trounce its overly comfortable trappings .
3954	pos	a fine , rousing , g-rated family film , aimed mainly at little kids but with plenty of entertainment value to keep grown-ups from squirming in their seats .
8821	neg	if you enjoy being rewarded by a script that assumes you are n't very bright , then blood work is for you .
2588	pos	[ while the last metro ] was more melodramatic , confined to a single theater company and its strategies and deceptions , while tavernier is more concerned with the entire period of history .
5001	pos	a film of delicate interpersonal dances . caine makes us watch as his character awakens to the notion that to be human is eventually to have to choose . it 's a sight to behold .
331	pos	it 's amazingly perceptive in its subtle , supportive but unsentimental look at the marks family .
3189	pos	`` the turntable is now outselling the electric guitar . . . ``
6717	neg	amidst the action , the script carries arnold ( and the viewers ) into the forbidden zone of sympathizing with terrorist motivations by presenting the `` other side of the story . ``
5322	pos	the performances are an absolute joy .
10197	neg	ah , the travails of metropolitan life ! alas , another breathless movie about same !
1734	pos	sparkles in its deft portrait of tinseltown 's seasoned veterans of gossip , wealth , paranoia , and celebrityhood .
2158	pos	like its new england characters , most of whom wander about in thick clouds of denial , the movie eventually gets around to its real emotional business , striking deep chords of sadness .
3758	pos	this is a finely written , superbly acted offbeat thriller .
9844	neg	the actors pull out all the stops in nearly every scene , but to diminishing effect . the characters never change .
5339	neg	unfortunately the story and the actors are served with a hack script .
4952	pos	a joyous occasion
8371	neg	when not obscured by the booming bass-heavy soundtrack , the conversation presents the kind of linguistic fumbling not heard since macy gray 's game of chinese whispers with mr bean .
9878	neg	the locale . . . remains far more interesting than the story at hand .
5101	pos	. . . planos fijos , tomas largas , un ritmo pausado y una sutil observación de sus personajes , sin estridencias ni grandes revelaciones .
10205	neg	`` not really as bad as you might think ! ``
9482	neg	feels aimless for much of its running time , until late in the film when a tidal wave of plot arrives , leaving questions in its wake .
1786	pos	you might want to take a reality check before you pay the full ticket price to see `` simone , `` and consider a dvd rental instead .
6536	neg	uzumaki 's interesting social parallel and defiant aesthetic seems a prostituted muse . . .
3408	pos	with an expressive face reminiscent of gong li and a vivid personality like zhang ziyi 's , dong stakes out the emotional heart of happy .
3121	pos	the story is a rather simplistic one : grief drives her , love drives him , and a second chance to find love in the most unlikely place - it struck a chord in me .
6326	neg	jones helps breathe some life into the insubstantial plot , but even he is overwhelmed by predictability .
3543	pos	daringly perceptive , taut , piercing and feisty , biggie and tupac is undeniably subversive and involving in its bold presentation .
4978	pos	the story is smart and entirely charming in intent and execution .
9270	neg	the author 's devotees will probably find it fascinating ; others may find it baffling .
7185	neg	some of it is clever , but it is never melodic/
200	pos	without heavy-handedness , dong provides perspective with his intelligent grasp of human foibles and contradictions .
9927	neg	the story of trouble every day . . . is so sketchy it amounts to little more than preliminary notes for a science-fiction horror film , and the movie 's fragmentary narrative style makes piecing the story together frustrating difficult .
9874	neg	for dance completists only .
3924	pos	a gracious , eloquent film that by its end offers a ray of hope to the refugees able to look ahead and resist living in a past forever lost .
523	pos	a romantic comedy , yes , but one with characters who think and talk about their goals , and are working on hard decisions .
4243	pos	with spy kids 2 : the island of lost dreams , the spy kids franchise establishes itself as a durable part of the movie landscape : a james bond series for kids .
4897	pos	an unusually dry-eyed , even analytical approach to material that is generally played for maximum moisture .
9690	neg	a few energetic stunt sequences briefly enliven the film , but the wheezing terrorist subplot has n't the stamina for the 100-minute running time , and the protagonists ' bohemian boorishness mars the spirit of good clean fun .
5089	pos	the modern remake of dumas 's story is long on narrative and ( too ) short on action .
8610	neg	even if it is generally amusing from time to time , i spy has all the same problems the majority of action comedies have .
4641	pos	all the filmmakers are asking of us , is to believe in something that is improbable .
8172	neg	based on a david leavitt story , the film shares that writer 's usual blend of observant cleverness , too-facile coincidence and slightly noxious preciousness .
1580	pos	this comic gem is as delightful as it is derivative .
2940	pos	a riveting documentary .
3315	pos	there is greatness here .
4317	pos	there 's absolutely no reason why blue crush , a late-summer surfer girl entry , should be as entertaining as it is
5208	pos	hey , happy ! is many things -- stoner midnight flick , sci-fi deconstruction , gay fantasia -- but above all it 's a love story as sanguine as its title .
6341	neg	the jokes are sophomoric , stereotypes are sprinkled everywhere and the acting ranges from bad to bodacious .
1135	pos	a must-see for the david mamet enthusiast and for anyone who appreciates intelligent , stylish moviemaking .
4582	pos	a clever script and skilled actors bring new energy to the familiar topic of office politics .
9575	neg	i wish it would have just gone more over-the-top instead of trying to have it both ways .
169	pos	for a good chunk of its running time , trapped is an effective and claustrophobic thriller .
369	pos	if you liked such movies as notting hill , four weddings and a funeral , bridget jones ' diary or high fidelity , then you wo n't want to miss about a boy .
6664	neg	with minimal imagination , you could restage the whole thing in your bathtub .
4547	pos	cool gadgets and creatures keep this fresh . not as good as the original , but what is . . .
1606	pos	has a certain ghoulish fascination , and generates a fair amount of b-movie excitement .
4552	pos	blisteringly rude , scarily funny , sorrowfully sympathetic to the damage it surveys , the film has in kieran culkin a pitch-perfect holden .
8965	neg	sinks into the usual cafeteria goulash of fart jokes , masturbation jokes , and racist japanese jokes .
8647	neg	it 's tough being a black man in america , especially when the man has taken away your car , your work-hours and denied you health insurance .
8688	neg	so muddled , repetitive and ragged that it says far less about the horrifying historical reality than about the filmmaker 's characteristic style .
999	pos	subversive , meditative , clinical and poetic , the piano teacher is a daring work of genius .
6212	neg	the movie is gorgeously made , but it is also somewhat shallow and art-conscious .
249	pos	just what makes us happy , anyway ?
10092	neg	like most movies about the pitfalls of bad behavior . . . circuit gets drawn into the party .
4111	pos	you can sip your vintage wines and watch your merchant ivory productions ; i 'll settle for a nice cool glass of iced tea and a jerry bruckheimer flick any day of the week .
4228	pos	the animated sequences are well done and perfectly constructed to convey a sense of childhood imagination and creating adventure out of angst .
6723	neg	director uwe boll and writer robert dean klein fail to generate any interest in an unsympathetic hero caught up in an intricate plot that while cleverly worked out , can not overcome blah characters .
8743	neg	fluffy neo-noir hiding behind cutesy film references .
6570	neg	it 's super- violent , super-serious and super-stupid .
8733	neg	a waste of fearless purity in the acting craft .
3776	pos	this rush to profits has created a predictably efficient piece of business notable largely for its overwhelming creepiness , for an eagerness to create images you wish you had n't seen , which , in this day and age , is of course the point .
5199	pos	one of the most important and exhilarating forms of animated filmmaking since old walt doodled steamboat willie .
6215	neg	there 's a delightfully quirky movie to be made from curling , but brooms is n't it .
4421	pos	it will break your heart many times over .
2592	pos	suffice to say that after seeing this movie in imax form , you 'll be more acquainted with the tiniest details of tom hanks ' face than his wife is .
4410	pos	even better than the first one !
679	pos	as teen movies go , `` orange county `` is a refreshing change
625	pos	ford deserves to be remembered at oscar time for crafting this wonderful portrait of a conflicted soldier .
3744	pos	although made on a shoestring and unevenly acted , conjures a lynch-like vision of the rotting underbelly of middle america .
9965	neg	dismally dull sci-fi comedy .
8386	neg	pryor lite , with half the demons , half the daring , much less talent , many fewer laughs .
6750	neg	the script is a tired one , with few moments of joy rising above the stale material .
517	pos	. . . breathes surprising new life into the familiar by amalgamating genres and adding true human complexity to its not-so-stock characters .
5065	pos	gambling and throwing a basketball game for money is n't a new plot -- in fact toback himself used it in black and white . but toback 's deranged immediacy makes it seem fresh again .
8306	neg	chaotic , self-indulgent and remarkably ugly to look at , it 's . . . like a series of pretentiously awful student films strung together into one feature-length horror .
6670	neg	the only thing `` swept away `` is the one hour and thirty-three minutes spent watching this waste of time .
10408	neg	it does n't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is a mormon family movie , and a sappy , preachy one at that .
2561	pos	if `` lilo & stitch `` is n't the most edgy piece of disney animation to hit the silver screen , then this first film to use a watercolor background since `` dumbo `` certainly ranks as the most original in years .
3542	pos	a deft , delightful mix of sulky teen drama and overcoming-obstacles sports-movie triumph .
10616	neg	queen of the damned is too long with too little going on .
10100	neg	the result is good gossip , entertainingly delivered , yet with a distinctly musty odour , its expiry date long gone .
8456	neg	just the sort of lazy tearjerker that gives movies about ordinary folk a bad name .
2556	pos	one of the best films i have ever seen , constantly pulling the rug from underneath us , seeing things from new sides , plunging deeper , getting more intense .
4816	pos	as it turns out , you can go home again .
9483	neg	less than fresh .
3544	pos	delivers more than its fair share of saucy hilarity .
7873	neg	when a film is created solely because it 's a marketable product , soulless and ugly movies like this are the result . let your silly childhood nostalgia slumber unmolested .
3167	pos	damon brings the proper conviction to his role as [ jason bourne ] .
8289	neg	on the right track to something that 's creepy and effective . . . it 's just going to take more than a man in a bullwinkle costume to get there .
119	pos	somewhere short of tremors on the modern b-scene : neither as funny nor as clever , though an agreeably unpretentious way to spend ninety minutes .
686	pos	. . . spiced with humor ( 'i speak fluent flatula , ' advises denlopp after a rather , er , bubbly exchange with an alien deckhand ) and witty updatings ( silver 's parrot has been replaced with morph , a cute alien creature who mimics everyone and everything around )
3697	pos	a psychic journey deep into the very fabric of iranian . . . life .
5710	neg	a film that loses sight of its own story .
4159	pos	an emotionally and spiritually compelling journey seen through the right eyes , with the right actors and with the kind of visual flair that shows what great cinema can really do .
4304	pos	offers laughs and insight into one of the toughest ages a kid can go through .
10226	neg	the spalding gray equivalent of a teen gross-out comedy .
6658	neg	this dubious product of a college-spawned ( colgate u . ) comedy ensemble known as broken lizard plays like a mix of cheech and chong and chips .
5859	neg	given the fact that virtually no one is bound to show up at theatres for it , the project should have been made for the tube .
2343	pos	whereas oliver stone 's conspiracy thriller jfk was long , intricate , star-studded and visually flashy , interview with the assassin draws its considerable power from simplicity .
3314	pos	stuart 's poor-me persona needs a whole bunch of snowball 's cynicism to cut through the sugar coating . but once the falcon arrives in the skies above manhattan , the adventure is on red alert .
3285	pos	hatfield and hicks make the oddest of couples , and in this sense the movie becomes a study of the gambles of the publishing world , offering a case study that exists apart from all the movie 's political ramifications .
7736	neg	let 's cut to the consumer-advice bottom line : stay home .
6284	neg	there 's no question that epps scores once or twice , but it 's telling that his funniest moment comes when he falls about ten feet onto his head .
2456	pos	as animation increasingly emphasizes the computer and the cool , this is a film that takes a stand in favor of tradition and warmth .
8975	neg	. . . an incredibly heavy-handed , manipulative dud that feels all too familiar .
8580	neg	some movies were made for the big screen , some for the small screen , and some , like ballistic : ecks vs . sever , were made for the palm screen .
4207	pos	nicely combines the enigmatic features of 'memento ' with the hallucinatory drug culture of 'requiem for a dream . '
2563	pos	this ready-made midnight movie probably wo n't stand the cold light of day , but under the right conditions , it 's goofy ( if not entirely wholesome ) fun .
7054	neg	a string of rehashed sight gags based in insipid vulgarity .
6127	neg	[ a ] stuporously solemn film .
6227	neg	there must be an audience that enjoys the friday series , but i would n't be interested in knowing any of them personally .
8984	neg	handsome and sincere but slightly awkward in its combination of entertainment and evangelical boosterism .
5100	pos	a huge box-office hit in korea , shiri is a must for genre fans .
133	pos	[ schweiger is ] talented and terribly charismatic , qualities essential to both movie stars and social anarchists .
8199	neg	as an actor , the rock is aptly named .
5823	neg	hugh grant 's act is so consuming that sometimes it 's difficult to tell who the other actors in the movie are .
2721	pos	clever and unflinching in its comic barbs , slap her is a small but rewarding comedy that takes aim at contemporary southern adolescence and never lets up .
10038	neg	a movie that the less charitable might describe as a castrated cross between highlander and lolita .
479	pos	one scarcely needs the subtitles to enjoy this colorful action farce .
1895	pos	a highly spirited , imaginative kid 's movie that broaches neo-augustinian theology : is god stuck in heaven because he 's afraid of his best-known creation ?
2840	pos	undoubtedly the scariest movie ever made about tattoos .
622	pos	rich in detail , gorgeously shot and beautifully acted , les destinees is , in its quiet , epic way , daring , inventive and refreshingly unusual .
1380	pos	a densely constructed , highly referential film , and an audacious return to form that can comfortably sit among jean-luc godard 's finest work .
8125	neg	all ends well , sort of , but the frenzied comic moments never click .
9669	neg	julie davis is the kathie lee gifford of film directors , sadly proving once again ego does n't always go hand in hand with talent .
2957	pos	`` white oleander , `` the movie , is akin to a reader 's digest condensed version of the source material .
8943	neg	. . . another example of how sandler is losing his touch .
7166	neg	there 's a solid woman- finding-herself story somewhere in here , but you 'd have to dig pretty deep to uncover it .
6749	neg	looks and feels like a low-budget hybrid of scarface or carlito 's way .
7015	neg	to call the other side of heaven `` appalling `` would be to underestimate just how dangerous entertainments like it can be .
10419	neg	a tired , predictable , bordering on offensive , waste of time , money and celluloid .
3727	pos	a flick about our infantilized culture that is n't entirely infantile .
8355	neg	not sweet enough to liven up its predictable story and will leave even fans of hip-hop sorely disappointed .
10225	neg	in gleefully , thumpingly hyperbolic terms , it covers just about every cliche in the compendium about crass , jaded movie types and the phony baloney movie biz .
4521	pos	the color sense of stuart little 2 is its most immediate and most obvious pleasure , but it would count for very little if the movie were n't as beautifully shaped and as delicately calibrated in tone as it is .
9404	neg	despite the surface attractions -- conrad l . hall 's cinematography will likely be nominated for an oscar next year -- there 's something impressive and yet lacking about everything .
2108	pos	stanley kwan has directed not only one of the best gay love stories ever made , but one of the best love stories of any stripe .
7358	neg	schaeffer has to find some hook on which to hang his persistently useless movies , and it might as well be the resuscitation of the middle-aged character .
10468	neg	charly comes off as emotionally manipulative and sadly imitative of innumerable past love story derisions .
1193	pos	it all adds up to good fun .
10278	neg	while hoffman 's performance is great , the subject matter goes nowhere .
2678	pos	see it . debate it . remember it .
1989	pos	for most of the distance the picture provides a satisfyingly unsettling ride into the dark places of our national psyche .
137	pos	gloriously goofy ( and gory ) midnight movie stuff .
7188	neg	no aspirations to social import inform the movie version . this is a shameless sham , calculated to cash in on the popularity of its stars .
1179	pos	like leon , it 's frustrating and still oddly likable .
2554	pos	this is a harrowing movie about how parents know where all the buttons are , and how to push them .
5675	neg	this misty-eyed southern nostalgia piece , in treading the line between sappy and sanguine , winds up mired in tear-drenched quicksand .
1122	pos	it 's fascinating to see how bettany and mcdowell play off each other .
2164	pos	young everlyn sampi , as the courageous molly craig , simply radiates star-power potential in this remarkable and memorable film .
3270	pos	scott delivers a terrific performance in this fascinating portrait of a modern lothario .
4945	pos	ramsay and morton fill this character study with poetic force and buoyant feeling .
6232	neg	my own minority report is that it stinks .
6173	neg	there are things to like about murder by numbers -- but , in the end , the disparate elements do n't gel .
9982	neg	as self-aware movies go , who is cletis tout ? is clever enough , though thin writing proves its undoing .
5297	pos	at a time when commercialism has squeezed the life out of whatever idealism american moviemaking ever had , godfrey reggio 's career shines like a lonely beacon .
3184	pos	[ barry ] gives assassin a disquieting authority .
6320	neg	downright transparent is the script 's endless assault of embarrassingly ham-fisted sex jokes that reek of a script rewrite designed to garner the film a `` cooler `` pg-13 rating .
9018	neg	troll the cult section of your local video store for the real deal .
1255	pos	one of the more intelligent children 's movies to hit theaters this year .
615	pos	it 's a masterpiece .
7920	neg	if this is the resurrection of the halloween franchise , it would have been better off dead .
10360	neg	blood work is laughable in the solemnity with which it tries to pump life into overworked elements from eastwood 's dirty harry period .
6046	neg	this mild-mannered farce , directed by one of its writers , john c . walsh , is corny in a way that bespeaks an expiration date passed a long time ago .
4875	pos	an old-fashioned but emotionally stirring adventure tale of the kind they rarely make anymore .
758	pos	bright seems alternately amused and disgusted with this material , and he ca n't help throwing in a few of his own touches .
4586	pos	dark and unrepentant , this excursion into the epicenter of percolating mental instability is not easily dismissed or forgotten .
4468	pos	with this masterful , flawless film , [ wang ] emerges in the front ranks of china 's now numerous , world-renowned filmmakers .
8277	neg	passably entertaining but also mechanical and joyless .
2136	pos	will warm your heart without making you feel guilty about it .
71	pos	a compelling coming-of-age drama about the arduous journey of a sensitive young girl through a series of foster homes and a fierce struggle to pull free from her dangerous and domineering mother 's hold over her .
8237	neg	a sophomoric exploration of 'life problems ' most people solved long ago -- or at least got tired of hearing people kvetch about .
443	pos	a great comedy filmmaker knows great comedy need n't always make us laugh . tim story 's not there yet - but 'barbershop ' shows he 's on his way .
5159	pos	bittersweet comedy/drama full of life , hand gestures , and some really adorable italian guys .
6073	neg	the movie would seem less of a trifle if ms . sugarman followed through on her defiance of the saccharine .
713	pos	. . . one of the most ingenious and entertaining thrillers i 've seen in quite a long time .
7670	neg	never engaging , utterly predictable and completely void of anything remotely interesting or suspenseful .
381	pos	murderous maids may well be the most comprehensive of these films and also strike closest to the truth .
4593	pos	the messy emotions raging throughout this three-hour effort are instantly recognizable , allowing the film to paradoxically feel familiar and foreign at the same time .
8441	neg	feels less like a change in [ herzog 's ] personal policy than a half-hearted fluke .
8636	neg	the first hour is tedious though ford and neeson capably hold our interest , but its just not a thrilling movie .
2391	pos	although olivier assayas ' elegantly appointed period drama seems , at times , padded with incident in the way of a too-conscientious adaptation . . . its three-hour running time plays closer to two .
502	pos	you wo n't believe much of it , but you will laugh at the audacity , at the who 's who casting and the sheer insanity of it all .
1764	pos	affectionately reminds us that , in any language , the huge stuff in life can usually be traced back to the little things .
8645	neg	think the lion king redone for horses , with fewer deliberate laughs , more inadvertent ones and stunningly trite songs by bryan adams , the world 's most generic rock star .
7830	neg	this goofy gangster yarn never really elevates itself from being yet another earnestly generic crime-busting comic vehicle -- a well-intentioned remake that shows some spunk and promise but fails to register as anything distinctive or daring
1006	pos	leave it to rohmer , now 82 , to find a way to bend current technique to the service of a vision of the past that is faithful to both architectural glories and commanding open spaces of the city as it was more than two centuries ago .
4286	pos	a remarkably insightful look at the backstage angst of the stand-up comic .
4675	pos	that the e-graveyard holds as many good ideas as bad is the cold comfort that chin 's film serves up with style and empathy .
2316	pos	thought-provoking and stylish , if also somewhat hermetic .
9457	neg	many of benjamins ' elements feel like they 've been patched in from an episode of miami vice .
4571	pos	like the rugrats movies , the wild thornberrys movie does n't offer much more than the series , but its emphasis on caring for animals and respecting other cultures is particularly welcome .
6457	neg	it gets the details of its time frame right but it completely misses its emotions .
1500	pos	another one of those estrogen overdose movies like `` divine secrets of the ya ya sisterhood , `` except that the writing , acting and character development are a lot better .
5726	neg	all movie long , city by the sea swings from one approach to the other , but in the end , it stays in formula -- which is a waste of de niro , mcdormand and the other good actors in the cast .
9156	neg	a movie like the guys is why film criticism can be considered work .
8308	neg	this is the type of movie best enjoyed by frat boys and college kids while sucking on the bong and downing one alcoholic beverage after another .
6867	neg	too much of the humor falls flat .
4356	pos	admirers of director abel ferrara may be relieved that his latest feature , r xmas , marks a modest if encouraging return to form .
2201	pos	nicole kidman makes it a party worth attending .
5326	pos	both exuberantly romantic and serenely melancholy , what time is it there ? may prove to be [ tsai 's ] masterpiece .
3498	pos	quite simply , a joy to watch and -- especially -- to listen to .
5154	pos	fans of the modern day hong kong action film finally have the worthy successor to a better tomorrow and the killer which they have been patiently waiting for .
4180	pos	does point the way for adventurous indian filmmakers toward a crossover into nonethnic markets .
4881	pos	an original and highly cerebral examination of the psychopathic mind
9876	neg	spreads itself too thin , leaving these actors , as well as the members of the commune , short of profound characterizations
7601	neg	just like hearst 's enormous yacht , it 's slow and unwieldy and takes a long time to reach its destination .
10299	neg	the sight of the name bruce willis brings to mind images of a violent battlefield action picture , but the film has a lot more on its mind -- maybe too much .
3948	pos	sem se preocupar em criar momentos melodramáticos para arrancar lágrimas do espectador , o pianista é um filme triste sem que , para isso , precise ser emocionante .
6835	neg	it 's so badly made on every level that i 'm actually having a hard time believing people were paid to make it .
4585	pos	it 's . . . worth the extra effort to see an artist , still committed to growth in his ninth decade , change while remaining true to his principles with a film whose very subject is , quite pointedly , about the peril of such efforts .
5899	neg	the art direction is often exquisite , and the anthropomorphic animal characters are beautifully realized through clever makeup design , leaving one to hope that the eventual dvd release will offer subtitles and the original italian-language soundtrack .
8117	neg	a prison comedy that never really busts out of its comfy little cell .
2134	pos	it is ok for a movie to be something of a sitcom apparatus , if the lines work , the humor has point and the actors are humanly engaged .
1551	pos	majidi is an unconventional storyteller , capable of finding beauty in the most depressing places .
2298	pos	it 's funny and human and really pretty damned wonderful , all at once .
5014	pos	a soap-opera quality twist in the last 20 minutes . . . almost puts the kibosh on what is otherwise a sumptuous work of b-movie imagination .
9849	neg	a bad movie that happened to good actors .
937	pos	an enchanting film that presents an audacious tour of the past and takes within its warm embrace the bounties of cultural artifacts inside st . petersburg 's hermitage museum .
114	pos	hip-hop has a history , and it 's a metaphor for this love story .
7529	neg	the appeal of the vulgar , sexist , racist humour went over my head or -- considering just how low brow it is -- perhaps it snuck under my feet .
10126	neg	if you are into splatter movies , then you will probably have a reasonably good time with the salton sea .
1428	pos	feature debuter d . j . caruso directs a crack ensemble cast , bringing screenwriter tony gayton 's narcotics noir to life .
2552	pos	hartley adds enough quirky and satirical touches in the screenplay to keep the film entertaining .
2926	pos	trades run-of-the-mill revulsion for extreme unease .
6419	neg	the film does n't have enough innovation or pizazz to attract teenagers , and it lacks the novel charm that made spy kids a surprising winner with both adults and younger audiences .
5835	neg	a baffling subplot involving smuggling drugs inside danish cows falls flat , and if you 're going to alter the bard 's ending , you 'd better have a good alternative .
2817	pos	salma goes native and she 's never been better in this colorful bio-pic of a mexican icon .
7401	neg	the only thing worse than your substandard , run-of-the-mill hollywood picture is an angst-ridden attempt to be profound .
1037	pos	`` cremaster 3 `` should come with the warning `` for serious film buffs only ! ``
6081	neg	after a while , hoffman 's quirks and mannerisms , particularly his penchant for tearing up on cue -- things that seem so real in small doses -- become annoying and artificial .
6846	neg	indifferently implausible popcorn programmer of a movie .
6774	neg	clare peploe 's airless movie adaptation could use a little american pie-like irreverence .
6557	neg	'synthetic ' is the best description of this well-meaning , beautifully produced film that sacrifices its promise for a high-powered star pedigree .
3495	pos	moonlight mile does n't quite go the distance but the cast is impressive and they all give life to these broken characters who are trying to make their way through this tragedy .
822	pos	more than makes up for its mawkish posing by offering rousing spates of genuine feeling .
4630	pos	so unique and stubborn and charismatic that you want it to be better and more successful than it is .
4992	pos	a breathtaking adventure for all ages , spirit tells its poignant and uplifting story in a stunning fusion of music and images .
8981	neg	a depraved , incoherent , instantly disposable piece of hackery .
5660	neg	the trappings of i spy are so familiar you might as well be watching a rerun .
2964	pos	this is n't a stand up and cheer flick ; it 's a sit down and ponder affair . and thanks to kline 's superbly nuanced performance , that pondering is highly pleasurable .
6345	neg	the film is flat .
8620	neg	despite hoffman 's best efforts , wilson remains a silent , lumpish cipher ; his encounters reveal nothing about who he is or who he was before .
333	pos	family fare .
400	pos	its scenes and sensibility are all more than familiar , but it exudes a kind of nostalgic spy-movie charm and , at the same time , is so fresh and free of the usual thriller nonsense that it all seems to be happening for the first time .
8672	neg	a profoundly stupid affair , populating its hackneyed and meanspirited storyline with cardboard characters and performers who value cash above credibility .
5917	neg	too silly to take seriously .
7405	neg	culkin exudes none of the charm or charisma that might keep a more general audience even vaguely interested in his bratty character .
8748	neg	these guys seem great to knock back a beer with but they 're simply not funny performers .
3446	pos	nair and writer laura cahill dare to build a movie around some flawed but rather unexceptional women , emerging with a fine character study that 's short on plot but rich in the tiny revelations of real life .
1297	pos	creepy , authentic and dark . this disturbing bio-pic is hard to forget .
1491	pos	based on a devilishly witty script by heather mcgowan and niels mueller , the film gets great laughs , but never at the expense of its characters
3950	pos	a miraculous movie , i 'm going home is so slight , yet overflows with wisdom and emotion .
7766	neg	one minute , you think you 're watching a serious actioner ; the next , it 's as though clips from the pink panther strikes again and/or sailor moon have been spliced in .
5735	neg	let 's issue a moratorium , effective immediately , on treacly films about inspirational prep-school professors and the children they so heartwarmingly motivate .
1704	pos	cineasts will revel in those visual in-jokes , as in the film 's verbal pokes at everything from the likes of miramax chief harvey weinstein 's bluff personal style to the stylistic rigors of denmark 's dogma movement .
2077	pos	a knowing sense of humor and a lot of warmth ignite son of the bride .
4452	pos	if the material is slight and admittedly manipulative , jacquot preserves tosca 's intoxicating ardor through his use of the camera .
3025	pos	it asks nothing of the audience other than to sit back and enjoy a couple of great actors hamming it up .
9528	neg	what 's next ? rob schneider , dana carvey and sarah michelle gellar in the philadelphia story ? david spade as citizen kane ?
3848	pos	the 1960s rebellion was misdirected : you ca n't fight your culture .
2005	pos	a chilling tale of one of the great crimes of 20th century france : the murder of two rich women by their servants in 1933 .
7400	neg	all 's well that ends well , and rest assured , the consciousness-raising lessons are cloaked in gross-out gags .
9735	neg	i liked the movie , but i know i would have liked it more if it had just gone that one step further . i 'm left slightly disappointed that it did n't .
5810	neg	a mechanical action-comedy whose seeming purpose is to market the charismatic jackie chan to even younger audiences .
10560	neg	absolutely ( and unintentionally ) terrifying .
2620	pos	the riveting performances by the incredibly flexible cast make love a joy to behold .
8444	neg	a selection of scenes in search of a movie .
8472	neg	the kids in the audience at the preview screening seemed bored , cheering the pratfalls but little else ; their parents , wise folks that they are , read books .
6682	neg	just another disjointed , fairly predictable psychological thriller .
2694	pos	fast-paced and wonderfully edited , the film is extremely thorough .
4587	pos	it 's a rollicking adventure for you and all your mateys , regardless of their ages .
6576	neg	morrissette has performed a difficult task indeed - he 's taken one of the world 's most fascinating stories and made it dull , lifeless , and irritating .
481	pos	it 's often infuriatingly glib and posturing , and yet it has been made with great evident care and manages to deliver up the man in a way to arouse further curiosity in even the most unknowing viewer .
1473	pos	a mess when it comes to the characters and writing . . . but works its way underneath the skin like few movies have in recent memory .
9591	neg	any enjoyment will be hinge from a personal threshold of watching sad but endearing characters do extremely unconventional things .
7855	neg	choppy editing and too many repetitive scenes spoil what could have been an important documentary about stand-up comedy .
205	pos	a somewhat crudely constructed but gripping , questing look at a person so racked with self-loathing , he becomes an enemy to his own race .
4124	pos	the storytelling may be ordinary , but the cast is one of those all-star reunions that fans of gosford park have come to assume is just another day of brit cinema .
10121	neg	it 's clear why deuces wild , which was shot two years ago , has been gathering dust on mgm 's shelf .
10308	neg	. . . hopefully it 'll be at the dollar theatres by the time christmas rolls around . wait to see it then .
7886	neg	these people would n't know subtle characterization if it put on a giant furry monster costume and then gave them a lapdance .
7552	neg	a strong first quarter , slightly less so second quarter , and average second half .
1576	pos	this version moves beyond the original 's nostalgia for the communal film experiences of yesteryear to a deeper realization of cinema 's inability to stand in for true , lived experience .
8278	neg	safe conduct , however ambitious and well-intentioned , fails to hit the entertainment bull's-eye .
7883	neg	what is captured during the conceptual process does n't add up to a sufficient explanation of what the final dance work , the selection , became in its final form .
7810	neg	dawdles and drags when it should pop ; it does n't even have the virtue of enough mindless violence to break up the tedium of all its generational bonding .
7468	neg	. . . instead go rent `` shakes the clown `` , a much funnier film with a similar theme and an equally great robin williams performance .
6839	neg	if there 's one thing this world needs less of , it 's movies about college that are written and directed by people who could n't pass an entrance exam .
8674	neg	time stands still in more ways that one in clockstoppers , a sci-fi thriller as lazy as it is interminable .
7236	neg	i can take infantile humor . . . but this is the sort of infantile that makes you wonder about changing the director and writer 's diapers .
5798	neg	a piece of mildly entertaining , inoffensive fluff that drifts aimlessly for 90 minutes before lodging in the cracks of that ever-growing category : unembarrassing but unmemorable .
2322	pos	the fast runner ' transports the viewer into an unusual space
4337	pos	visually breathtaking , viscerally exciting , and dramatically moving , it 's the very definition of epic adventure .
6769	neg	were dylan thomas alive to witness first-time director ethan hawke 's strained chelsea walls , he might have been tempted to change his landmark poem to , 'do not go gentle into that good theatre . '
7802	neg	if kaufman kept cameron diaz a prisoner in a cage with her ape , in his latest , he 'd have them mate .
1682	pos	the reason to see `` sade `` lay with the chemistry and complex relationship between the marquis ( auteil ) and emilie ( le besco ) .
6094	neg	the film itself is about something very interesting and odd that would probably work better as a real documentary without the insinuation of mediocre acting or a fairly trite narrative .
8043	neg	the film is like a series of beginnings and middles that never take off .
6496	neg	merely ( and literally ) tosses around sex toys and offers half-hearted paeans to empowerment that are repeatedly undercut by the brutality of the jokes , most at women 's expense .
5195	pos	mel gibson fights the good fight in vietnam in director randall wallace 's flag-waving war flick with a core of decency .
9835	neg	[ johnnie to and wai ka fai are ] sure to find an enthusiastic audience among american action-adventure buffs , but the film 's interests may be too narrow to attract crossover viewers .
4923	pos	there 's something poignant about an artist of 90-plus years taking the effort to share his impressions of life and loss and time and art with us .
8322	neg	the journey toward redemption feels more like a cinematic experiment than a full-blown movie .
9090	neg	one of those films where the characters inhabit that special annex of hell where adults behave like kids , children behave like adults and everyone screams at the top of their lungs no matter what the situation .
6100	neg	the action is reasonably well-done . . . yet story , character and comedy bits are too ragged to ever fit smoothly together .
2182	pos	an unexpectedly sweet story of sisterhood .
7717	neg	the truth is that the truth about charlie gets increasingly tiresome .
10176	neg	a wannabe comedy of manners about a brainy prep-school kid with a mrs . robinson complex founders on its own preciousness -- and squanders its beautiful women .
1044	pos	a warm , funny , engaging film .
7847	neg	the picture , scored by a perversely cheerful marcus miller accordion/harmonica/banjo abomination , is a monument to bad in all its florid variety .
8009	neg	movies like this are selling the old european candor , the old wink of 'bold ' revelation . but in 2002 , such revelations wilt .
1838	pos	a graceful , moving tribute to the courage of new york 's finest and a nicely understated expression of the grief shared by the nation at their sacrifice .
1394	pos	for those who pride themselves on sophisticated , discerning taste , this might not seem like the proper cup of tea , however it is almost guaranteed that even the stuffiest cinema goers will laugh their * * * off for an hour-and-a-half .
4315	pos	world traveler might not go anywhere new , or arrive anyplace special , but it 's certainly an honest attempt to get at something .
1475	pos	zhang . . . has done an amazing job of getting realistic performances from his mainly nonprofessional cast .
9558	neg	a sentimental hybrid that could benefit from the spice of specificity .
5210	pos	at its best . . . festival in cannes bubbles with the excitement of the festival in cannes .
6755	neg	while the film is competent , it 's also uninspired , lacking the real talent and wit to elevate it beyond its formula to the level of classic romantic comedy to which it aspires .
6088	neg	a film that should be relegated to a dark video store corner is somehow making its way instead to theaters . it 's hard to imagine acting that could be any flatter .
3488	pos	a wild ride with eight boarders from venice beach that was a deserved co-winner of the audience award for documentaries at the sundance film festival .
7241	neg	a lackluster , unessential sequel to the classic disney adaptation of j . m . barrie 's peter pan .
4105	pos	streamlined to a tight , brisk 85-minute screwball thriller , `` big trouble `` is funny , harmless and as substantial as a tub of popcorn with extra butter .
2106	pos	fessenden 's narrative is just as much about the ownership and redefinition of myth as it is about a domestic unit finding their way to joy .
2579	pos	in painting an unabashedly romantic picture of a nation whose songs spring directly from the lives of the people , the movie exalts the marxian dream of honest working folk , with little to show for their labor , living harmoniously , joined in song .
4999	pos	. . . a quietly introspective portrait of the self-esteem of employment and the shame of losing a job . . .
2967	pos	this one is not nearly as dreadful as expected . in fact , it 's quite fun in places .
6983	neg	jacquot 's rendering of puccini 's tale of devotion and double-cross is more than just a filmed opera . in his first stab at the form , jacquot takes a slightly anarchic approach that works only sporadically .
6417	neg	not counting a few gross-out comedies i 've been trying to forget , this is the first film in a long time that made me want to bolt the theater in the first 10 minutes .
5692	neg	the actresses may have worked up a back story for the women they portray so convincingly , but viewers do n't get enough of that background for the characters to be involving as individuals rather than types .
4145	pos	though it 's equally solipsistic in tone , the movie has enough vitality to justify the notion of creating a screen adaptation of evans ' saga of hollywood excess .
1400	pos	immersing us in the endlessly inventive , fiercely competitive world of hip-hop djs , the project is sensational and revelatory , even if scratching makes you itch .
9079	neg	[ the kid 's ] just too bratty for sympathy , and as the film grows to its finale , his little changes ring hollow .
3511	pos	if you ignore the cliches and concentrate on city by the sea 's interpersonal drama , it ai n't half-bad .
6667	neg	you can see where big bad love is trying to go , but it never quite gets there .
1898	pos	the director explores all three sides of his story with a sensitivity and an inquisitiveness reminiscent of truffaut .
8829	neg	a fast-paced , glitzy but extremely silly piece .
9884	neg	hawke 's film , a boring , pretentious waste of nearly two hours , does n't tell you anything except that the chelsea hotel today is populated by whiny , pathetic , starving and untalented artistes .
420	pos	notorious c . h . o . has oodles of vulgar highlights .
5844	neg	every so often a film comes along that is so insanely stupid , so awful in so many ways that watching it leaves you giddy . half past dead is just such an achievement .
8715	neg	this is not a jackie chan movie . it 's just a movie that happens to have jackie chan in it . and that makes all the difference .
9076	neg	the picture emerges as a surprisingly anemic disappointment .
36	pos	cantet perfectly captures the hotel lobbies , two-lane highways , and roadside cafes that permeate vincent 's days
1218	pos	the old-world- meets-new mesh is incarnated in the movie 's soundtrack , a joyful effusion of disco bollywood that , by the end of monsoon wedding , sent my spirit soaring out of the theater .
3404	pos	it 's secondary to american psycho but still has claws enough to get inside you and stay there for a couple of hours .
4732	pos	from blushing to gushing -- -imamura squirts the screen in ‘warm water under a red bridge '
7849	neg	a big , baggy , sprawling carnival of a movie , stretching out before us with little rhyme or reason .
6042	neg	all the movie 's narrative gymnastics ca n't disguise the fact that it 's inauthentic at its core and that its story just is n't worth telling .
388	pos	a very witty take on change , risk and romance , and the film uses humour to make its points about acceptance and growth .
4213	pos	director chris wedge and screenwriters michael berg , michael j . wilson and peter ackerman create some episodes that rival vintage looney tunes for the most creative mayhem in a brief amount of time .
8106	neg	at times , however , dogtown and z-boys lapses into an insider 's lingo and mindset that the uninitiated may find hard to follow , or care about .
9069	neg	now i can see why people thought i was too hard on `` the mothman prophecies `` .
1503	pos	viewers of `` the ring `` are more likely to remember the haunting images than the plot holes .
488	pos	few films this year have been as resolute in their emotional nakedness .
2530	pos	an impressive hybrid .
3216	pos	a sloppy , amusing comedy that proceeds from a stunningly unoriginal premise .
3199	pos	chicago pode até ser um filme divertido e cativante ( como é ) , mas acaba representando um passo que vai na direção contrária à evolução dos musicais .
13	pos	one of the greatest family-oriented , fantasy-adventure movies ever .
7077	neg	an unencouraging threefold expansion on the former mtv series , accompanying the stunt-hungry dimwits in a random series of collected gags , pranks , pratfalls , dares , injuries , etc .
9279	neg	for a film about explosions and death and spies , `` ballistic : ecks vs . sever `` seems as safe as a children 's film . well , in some of those , the mother deer even dies .
5085	pos	ya-yas everywhere will forgive the flaws and love the film .
1879	pos	as simple and innocent a movie as you can imagine . this is a movie you can trust .
7557	neg	the final result makes for adequate entertainment , i suppose , but anyone who has seen chicago on stage will leave the theater feeling they 've watched nothing but a pale imitation of the real deal .
101	pos	steve irwin 's method is ernest hemmingway at accelerated speed and volume .
9333	neg	a prolonged extrusion of psychopathic pulp .
9773	neg	all the characters are clinically depressed and have abandoned their slim hopes and dreams .
4717	pos	smith examines the intimate , unguarded moments of folks who live in unusual homes -- which pop up in nearly every corner of the country .
1152	pos	. . . takes the beauty of baseball and melds it with a story that could touch anyone regardless of their familiarity with the sport
9905	neg	like most of jaglom 's films , some of it is honestly affecting , but more of it seems contrived and secondhand .
9647	neg	has all the complexity and realistic human behavior of an episode of general hospital .
5676	neg	as pure over-the-top trash , any john waters movie has it beat by a country mile .
1253	pos	huppert 's superbly controlled display of murderous vulnerability ensures that malice has a very human face .
10332	neg	juliette binoche 's sand is vivacious , but it 's hard to sense that powerhouse of 19th-century prose behind her childlike smile .
8263	neg	the weight of water uses water as a metaphor for subconscious desire , but this leaky script barely stays afloat .
4426	pos	the film fits into a genre that has been overexposed , redolent of a thousand cliches , and yet remains uniquely itself , vibrant with originality .
9329	neg	with a tighter editorial process and firmer direction this material could work , especially since the actresses in the lead roles are all more than competent , but as is , personal velocity seems to be idling in neutral .
5992	neg	with zoe clarke-williams 's lackluster thriller `` new best friend `` , who needs enemies ? just another generic drama that has nothing going for it other than its exploitive array of obligatory cheap thrills .
193	pos	this insightful , oscar-nominated documentary , in which children on both sides of the ever-escalating conflict have their say away from watchful parental eyes , gives peace yet another chance .
1945	pos	the film is visually dazzling , the depicted events dramatic , funny and poignant .
4659	pos	`` simone `` is a fun and funky look into an artificial creation in a world that thrives on artificiality .
5313	pos	critics need a good laugh , too , and this too-extreme-for-tv rendition of the notorious mtv show delivers the outrageous , sickening , sidesplitting goods in steaming , visceral heaps .
9802	neg	as david letterman and the onion have proven , the worst of tragedies can be fertile sources of humor , but lawrence has only a fleeting grasp of how to develop them .
3298	pos	unfolds in a series of achronological vignettes whose cumulative effect is chilling .
1451	pos	generally provides its target audience of youngsters enough stimulating eye and ear candy to make its moral medicine go down .
4560	pos	delia , greta , and paula rank as three of the most multilayered and sympathetic female characters of the year . as each of them searches for their place in the world , miller digs into their very minds to find an unblinking , flawed humanity .
6460	neg	contrived , awkward and filled with unintended laughs , the film shows signs that someone other than the director got into the editing room and tried to improve things by making the movie go faster .
1845	pos	simultaneously heart-breaking and very funny , the last kiss is really all about performances .
10055	neg	'in this poor remake of such a well loved classic , parker exposes the limitations of his skill and the basic flaws in his vision . '
9599	neg	demme finally succeeds in diminishing his stature from oscar-winning master to lowly studio hack .
8176	neg	this is a great subject for a movie , but hollywood has squandered the opportunity , using it as a prop for warmed-over melodrama and the kind of choreographed mayhem that director john woo has built his career on .
9946	neg	starts off witty and sophisticated and you want to love it -- but filmmaker yvan attal quickly writes himself into a corner .
10248	neg	it 's lazy for a movie to avoid solving one problem by trying to distract us with the solution to another .
8473	neg	whether jason x is this bad on purpose is never clear . but one thing 's for sure : it never comes close to being either funny or scary .
10030	neg	the movie 's messages are quite admirable , but the story is just too clichéd and too often strains credulity .
9206	neg	if swimfan does catch on , it may be because teens are looking for something to make them laugh .
4637	pos	nós gosta muito de as duas torres .
10423	neg	does anyone much think the central story of brendan behan is that he was a bisexual sweetheart before he took to drink ?
6641	neg	the comedy is nonexistent .
4270	pos	so beautifully acted and directed , it 's clear that washington most certainly has a new career ahead of him if he so chooses .
5197	pos	a brutal and funny work . nicole holofcenter , the insightful writer/director responsible for this illuminating comedy does n't wrap the proceedings up neatly but the ideas tie together beautifully .
4044	pos	more concerned with overall feelings , broader ideas , and open-ended questions than concrete story and definitive answers , soderbergh 's solaris is a gorgeous and deceptively minimalist cinematic tone poem .
3835	pos	this real-life hollywood fairy-tale is more engaging than the usual fantasies hollywood produces .
6902	neg	a by-the-numbers effort that wo n't do much to enhance the franchise .
9627	neg	halfway through , however , having sucked dry the undead action flick formula , blade ii mutates into a gross-out monster movie with effects that are more silly than scary .
8562	neg	kitschy , flashy , overlong soap opera .
3953	pos	every moment crackles with tension , and by the end of the flick , you 're on the edge of your seat .
7645	neg	offensive in the way it exploits the hot-button issue of domestic abuse for cheap thrills and disgusting in the manner it repeatedly puts a small child in jeopardy , treating her as little more than a prop to be cruelly tormented .
3600	pos	captivates as it shows excess in business and pleasure , allowing us to find the small , human moments , and leaving off with a grand whimper .
994	pos	[ howard ] so good as leon barlow . . . that he hardly seems to be acting .
8664	neg	vaguely interesting , but it 's just too too much .
1226	pos	highbrow self-appointed guardians of culture need not apply , but those who loved cool as ice have at last found a worthy follow-up .
7586	neg	this is really just another genre picture .
838	pos	a sweet-natured reconsideration of one of san francisco 's most vital , if least widely recognized , creative fountainheads .
10222	neg	a great script brought down by lousy direction . same guy with both hats . big mistake .
2341	pos	a sexy , surprising romance . . . idemoto and kim make a gorgeous pair . . . their scenes brim with sexual possibility and emotional danger .
8101	neg	as elegantly crafted as it often is , anderson 's movie is essentially a one-trick pony that , hampered by an undeveloped script , ultimately pulls up lame .
6465	neg	a crisply made movie that is no more than mildly amusing .
3901	pos	the genius of the work speaks volumes , offering up a hallucinatory dreamscape that frustrates and captivates .
1661	pos	maelstrom is strange and compelling , engrossing and different , a moral tale with a twisted sense of humor .
2781	pos	narc is a no-bull throwback to 1970s action films . it zips along with b-movie verve while adding the rich details and go-for-broke acting that heralds something special .
842	pos	it 's a nicely detailed world of pawns , bishops and kings , of wagers in dingy backrooms or pristine forests .
5951	neg	the weird thing about the santa clause 2 , purportedly a children 's movie , is that there is nothing in it to engage children emotionally .
8732	neg	in the end , there is n't much to it .
3358	pos	for most of its footage , the new thriller proves that director m . night shyamalan can weave an eerie spell and that mel gibson can gasp , shudder and even tremble without losing his machismo .
2241	pos	surprisingly insightful
7290	neg	offers very little genuine romance and even fewer laughs . . . a sad sitcom of a movie , largely devoid of charm .
1593	pos	a good film with a solid pedigree both in front of and , more specifically , behind the camera .
7382	neg	audiences will find no mention of political prisoners or persecutions that might paint the castro regime in less than saintly tones .
8466	neg	i think it was plato who said , 'i think , therefore i know better than to rush to the theatre for this one . '
3312	pos	broomfield reveals an ironic manifestation of institutionalized slavery that ties a black-owned record label with a white-empowered police force .
6226	neg	as crimes go , writer-director michael kalesniko 's how to kill your neighbor 's dog is slight but unendurable .
7500	neg	egoyan 's movie is too complicated to sustain involvement , and , if you 'll excuse a little critical heresy , too intellectually ambitious .
5131	pos	what 's most memorable about circuit is that it 's shot on digital video , whose tiny camera enables shafer to navigate spaces both large . . . and small . . . with considerable aplomb .
7539	neg	a gimmick in search of a movie : how to get carvey into as many silly costumes and deliver as many silly voices as possible , plot mechanics be damned .
6063	neg	all of the elements are in place for a great film noir , but director george hickenlooper 's approach to the material is too upbeat .
5048	pos	the rare imax movie that you 'll wish was longer than an hour .
448	pos	[ taymor ] utilizes the idea of making kahlo 's art a living , breathing part of the movie , often catapulting the artist into her own work . this is n't a new idea . it 's been done before but never so vividly or with so much passion .
7090	neg	generic thriller junk . teens only .
4888	pos	an involving , inspirational drama that sometimes falls prey to its sob-story trappings .
8446	neg	will undoubtedly play well in european markets , where mr . besson is a brand name , and in asia , where ms . shu is an institution , but american audiences will probably find it familiar and insufficiently cathartic .
2300	pos	a strangely stirring experience that finds warmth in the coldest environment and makes each crumb of emotional comfort feel like a 10-course banquet .
8602	neg	i could just feel the screenwriter at every moment 'tap , tap , tap , tap , tapping away ' on this screenplay .
4817	pos	you 've already seen city by the sea under a variety of titles , but it 's worth yet another visit .
8148	neg	apallingly absurd . . . the chemistry or lack thereof between newton and wahlberg could turn an imax theater into a 9 `` black and white portable tv .
6121	neg	the film 's lack of personality permeates all its aspects — from the tv movie-esque , affected child acting to the dullest irish pub scenes ever filmed .
2056	pos	a movie that will surely be profane , politically charged music to the ears of cho 's fans .
5557	neg	bogdanich is unashamedly pro-serbian and makes little attempt to give voice to the other side .
9237	neg	eddie murphy and owen wilson have a cute partnership in i spy , but the movie around them is so often nearly nothing that their charm does n't do a load of good .
7913	neg	a tough go , but leigh 's depth and rigor , and his skill at inspiring accomplished portrayals that are all the more impressive for their lack of showiness , offsets to a notable degree the film 's often-mined and despairing milieu .
6980	neg	the kind of spectacularly misconceived enterprise that only a sophisticated cinephile could have perpetrated .
1541	pos	if this story must be told and retold -- and indeed it must -- then the grey zone is to be lauded for finding a new and ingenious angle .
2429	pos	a classy , sprightly spin on film .
701	pos	whether seen on a 10-inch television screen or at your local multiplex , the edge-of-your-seat , educational antics of steve irwin are priceless entertainment .
11	pos	what really surprises about wisegirls is its low-key quality and genuine tenderness .
8818	neg	kapur weighs down the tale with bogus profundities .
178	pos	thoroughly enjoyable .
3088	pos	about as big a crowdpleaser as they possibly come .
7541	neg	. . . fifty minutes of tedious adolescent melodramatics followed by thirty-five minutes of inflated nonsense .
8134	neg	this may be the dumbest , sketchiest movie on record about an aspiring writer 's coming-of-age .
2306	pos	could use a little more humanity , but it never lacks in eye-popping visuals .
5054	pos	it 's like rocky and bullwinkle on speed , but that 's neither completely enlightening , nor does it catch the intensity of the movie 's strangeness .
1438	pos	one from the heart .
617	pos	it 's the cinematic equivalent of a good page-turner , and even if it 's nonsense , its claws dig surprisingly deep .
9640	neg	the lousy lead performances . . . keep the movie from ever reaching the comic heights it obviously desired .
2674	pos	reign of fire just might go down as one of the all-time great apocalypse movies .
4282	pos	imagine o . henry 's < b > the gift of the magi < /b > relocated to the scuzzy underbelly of nyc 's drug scene . merry friggin ' christmas !
4131	pos	writer-director juan carlos fresnadillo makes a feature debut that is fully formed and remarkably assured .
5921	neg	i like it . no , i hate it . no , i love it . . . hell , i dunno .
9014	neg	it 's at once laughable and compulsively watchable , in its committed dumbness .
453	pos	. . . mesmerizing , an eye-opening tour of modern beijing culture in a journey of rebellion , retreat into oblivion and return .
5041	pos	i prefer soderbergh 's concentration on his two lovers over tarkovsky 's mostly male , mostly patriarchal debating societies .
3036	pos	what lee does so marvelously compelling is present brown as a catalyst for the struggle of black manhood in restrictive and chaotic america . . . sketchy but nevertheless gripping portrait of jim brown , a celebrated wonder in the spotlight
3049	pos	mama africa pretty much delivers on that promise . it does give you a peek . the main problem being that it 's only a peek .
2844	pos	although frailty fits into a classic genre , in its script and execution it is a remarkably original work .
8217	neg	the premise for this kegger comedy probably sounded brilliant four six-packs and a pitcher of margaritas in , but the film must have been written . . . in the thrall of a vicious hangover .
3567	pos	as a girl-meets-girl romantic comedy , kissing jessica steinis quirky , charming and often hilarious . yet it 's not quite the genre-busting film it 's been hyped to be because it plays everything too safe .
3198	pos	the tonal shifts are jolting , and though wen 's messages are profound and thoughtfully delivered , more thorough transitions would have made the film more cohesive .
2888	pos	el título no engaña : la película narra una historia donde una mujer enfrentará cierta realidad , y donde el sexo es . . .
1560	pos	a welcome relief from baseball movies that try too hard to be mythic , this one is a sweet and modest and ultimately winning story .
6997	neg	barely gets off the ground .
10084	neg	most of the film feels conceived and shot on the fly -- like between lunch breaks for shearer 's radio show and his simpson voice-overs .
1121	pos	exquisitely nuanced in mood tics and dialogue , this chamber drama is superbly acted by the deeply appealing veteran bouquet and the chilling but quite human berling .
5943	neg	it would be churlish to begrudge anyone for receiving whatever consolation that can be found in dragonfly , yet it is impossible to find the film anything but appalling , shamelessly manipulative and contrived , and totally lacking in conviction .
3927	pos	it is a strength of a documentary to disregard available bias , especially as temptingly easy as it would have been with this premise .
8405	neg	none of this violates the letter of behan 's book , but missing is its spirit , its ribald , full-throated humor .
3477	pos	director paul cox 's unorthodox , abstract approach to visualizing nijinsky 's diaries is both stimulating and demanding .
3175	pos	i loved the look of this film .
8392	neg	john leguizamo may be a dramatic actor -- just not in this movie .
4455	pos	mais um momento inspirado de david fincher .
5451	neg	off the hook is overlong and not well-acted , but credit writer-producer-director adam watstein with finishing it at all .
6511	neg	a series of immaculately composed shots of patch adams quietly freaking out does not make for much of a movie .
1645	pos	the real triumphs in igby come from philippe , who makes oliver far more interesting than the character 's lines would suggest , and sarandon , who could n't be better as a cruel but weirdly likable wasp matron .
3855	pos	it lets you brush up against the humanity of a psycho , without making him any less psycho .
8193	neg	the film 's center will not hold .
7999	neg	serry does a fine job of capturing the climate of the times and , perhaps unwittingly , relating it to what is happening in america in 2002 . but hard-to-believe plot twists force the movie off track in its final half hour .
4600	pos	for a long time the film succeeds with its dark , delicate treatment of these characters and its unerring respect for them .
6886	neg	should have been someone else-
2395	pos	'like a child with an important message to tell . . . [ skins ' ] faults are easy to forgive because the intentions are lofty . '
9707	neg	most of the movie is so deadly dull that watching the proverbial paint dry would be a welcome improvement .
4132	pos	insightfully written , delicately performed
7748	neg	you 're too conscious of the effort it takes to be this spontaneous .
2639	pos	a portrait of an artist .
7206	neg	there are plot holes big enough for shamu the killer whale to swim through .
4353	pos	gives everyone something to shout about .
5831	neg	. . . a weak and ineffective ghost story without a conclusion or pay off .
6876	neg	there is no pleasure in watching a child suffer . just embarrassment and a vague sense of shame .
6893	neg	velocity represents everything wrong with ''independent film'' as a commodified , sold-out concept on the american filmmaking scene .
5585	neg	unintelligible , poorly acted , brain-slappingly bad , harvard man is ludicrous enough that it could become a cult classic .
5304	pos	your children will be occupied for 72 minutes .
6186	neg	it is very difficult to care about the character , and that is the central flaw of the film .
5513	neg	though the film is well-intentioned , one could rent the original and get the same love story and parable .
240	pos	behan himself knew how to spin a tale and one ca n't help but think he 'd appreciate this attempt to turn his life into art .
10397	neg	a small independent film suffering from a severe case of hollywood-itis .
6648	neg	the pace and the visuals are so hyped up that a curious sense of menace informs everything .
5317	pos	a vivid , sometimes surreal , glimpse into the mysteries of human behavior .
7226	neg	the action switches between past and present , but the material link is too tenuous to anchor the emotional connections that purport to span a 125-year divide .
10214	neg	ninety minutes of viva castro ! can be as tiresome as 9 seconds of jesse helms ' anti- castro rhetoric , which are included
9780	neg	barrels along at the start before becoming mired in sentimentality .
2084	pos	the hot topics of the plot are relegated to the background -- a welcome step forward from the sally jesse raphael atmosphere of films like philadelphia and american beauty .
8582	neg	after all the big build-up , the payoff for the audience , as well as the characters , is messy , murky , unsatisfying .
47	pos	a real movie , about real people , that gives us a rare glimpse into a culture most of us do n't know .
10231	neg	if i could have looked into my future and saw how bad this movie was , i would go back and choose to skip it . fortunately , you still have that option .
338	pos	even if you ca n't pronounce `` gyro `` correctly , you 'll appreciate much of vardalos ' humor , which transcends ethnic boundaries .
2267	pos	the film is predictable in the reassuring manner of a beautifully sung holiday carol .
1046	pos	half submarine flick , half ghost story , all in one criminally neglected film
2063	pos	while general audiences might not come away with a greater knowledge of the facts of cuban music , they 'll be treated to an impressive and highly entertaining celebration of its sounds .
7317	neg	exists then as an occasionally insightful acting exercise .
2252	pos	for those who are intrigued by politics of the '70s , the film is every bit as fascinating as it is flawed .
9221	neg	the biggest problem i have ( other than the very sluggish pace ) is we never really see her esther blossom as an actress , even though her talent is supposed to be growing .
1885	pos	maybe thomas wolfe was right : you ca n't go home again .
9423	neg	a huge disappointment coming , as it does , from filmmakers and performers of this calibre
9075	neg	this mistaken-identity picture is so film-culture referential that the final product is a ghost .
887	pos	the reason this picture works better than its predecessors is that myers is no longer simply spoofing the mini-mod-madness of '60s spy movies .
4959	pos	pete 's screenplay manages to find that real natural , even-flowing tone that few movies are able to accomplish .
1963	pos	. . . a lesson in prehistoric hilarity .
5667	neg	and if you appreciate the one-sided theme to lawrence 's over-indulgent tirade , then knock yourself out and enjoy the big screen postcard that is a self-glorified martin lawrence lovefest . if you are willing to do this , then you so crazy !
6619	neg	generic slasher-movie nonsense , but it 's not without style .
1892	pos	[ shyamalan ] turns the goose-pimple genre on its empty head and fills it with spirit , purpose and emotionally bruised characters who add up to more than body count .
5740	neg	swinging , the film makes it seem , is not a hobby that attracts the young and fit . or intelligent .
4149	pos	the structure is simple , but in its own way , rabbit-proof fence is a quest story as grand as the lord of the rings .
7942	neg	denzel washington 's efforts are sunk by all the sanctimony .
1081	pos	[ t ] his beguiling belgian fable , very much its own droll and delicate little film , has some touching things to say about what is important in life and why .
3240	pos	if you can swallow its absurdities and crudities lagaan really is enormously good fun .
8454	neg	as aimless as an old pickup skidding completely out of control on a long patch of black ice , the movie makes two hours feel like four .
2624	pos	very well written and directed with brutal honesty and respect for its audience .
4001	pos	escapes the precious trappings of most romantic comedies , infusing into the story very real , complicated emotions .
226	pos	the result is something quite fresh and delightful .
840	pos	everywhere the camera looks there is something worth seeing .
2344	pos	funny , sexy , devastating and incurably romantic .
653	pos	though the plot is predictable , the movie never feels formulaic , because the attention is on the nuances of the emotional development of the delicate characters .
1763	pos	stuffed to the brim with ideas , american instigator michael moore 's film is a rambling examination of american gun culture that uses his usual modus operandi of crucifixion through juxtaposition .
98	pos	. . . a roller-coaster ride of a movie
3571	pos	from a deceptively simple premise , this deeply moving french drama develops a startling story that works both as a detailed personal portrait and as a rather frightening examination of modern times .
654	pos	sam jones became a very lucky filmmaker the day wilco got dropped from their record label , proving that one man 's ruin may be another 's fortune .
7659	neg	`` my god , i 'm behaving like an idiot ! `` yes , you are , ben kingsley .
8398	neg	a incompetência de marcus adams como roteirista só é superada por sua péssima direção .
800	pos	enjoy it for what it is ; you can hate yourself later .
7950	neg	haneke keeps us at arm 's length . guided more by intellect than heart , his story flattens instead of sharpens .
6259	neg	a lot of talent is wasted in this crass , low-wattage endeavor .
2040	pos	. . . once the true impact of the day unfolds , the power of this movie is undeniable .
4504	pos	broomfield has a rather unique approach to documentary . he thinks the film is just as much a document about him as it is about the subject .
1415	pos	my wife is an actress is an utterly charming french comedy that feels so american in sensibility and style it 's virtually its own hollywood remake .
34	pos	while it would be easy to give crush the new title of two weddings and a funeral , it 's a far more thoughtful film than any slice of hugh grant whimsy .
3192	pos	it may sound like a mere disease-of- the-week tv movie , but a song for martin is made infinitely more wrenching by the performances of real-life spouses seldahl and wollter .
6711	neg	ringu is a disaster of a story , full of holes and completely lacking in chills . ignore the reputation , and ignore the film .
9557	neg	like a grinning jack o ' lantern , its apparent glee is derived from a lobotomy , having had all its vital essence scooped out and discarded .
7088	neg	[ a ] shapeless blob of desperate entertainment .
5185	pos	director lee has a true cinematic knack , but it 's also nice to see a movie with its heart so thoroughly , unabashedly on its sleeve .
3300	pos	although the subject matter may still be too close to recent national events , the film works - mostly due to its superior cast of characters .
7240	neg	a cheerful enough but imminently forgettable rip-off of [ besson 's ] earlier work .
9676	neg	it 's hard to believe that a relationship like holly and marina 's could survive the hothouse emotions of teendom , and its longevity gets more inexplicable as the characterizations turn more crassly reductive .
2566	pos	even though it is infused with the sensibility of a video director , it does n't make for completely empty entertainment
6463	neg	the only question . . . is to determine how well the schmaltz is manufactured -- to assess the quality of the manipulative engineering . average , at best , i 'm afraid .
6917	neg	if the movie succeeds in instilling a wary sense of 'there but for the grace of god , ' it is far too self-conscious to draw you deeply into its world .
2594	pos	marvelously entertaining and deliriously joyous documentary .
3016	pos	based on dave barry 's popular book of the same name , the movie benefits from having a real writer plot out all of the characters ' moves and overlapping story .
375	pos	although it bangs a very cliched drum at times , this crowd-pleaser 's fresh dialogue , energetic music , and good-natured spunk are often infectious .
9357	neg	[ siegel ] and co-writers lisa bazadona and grace woodard have relied too much on convention in creating the characters who surround frankie .
8413	neg	it 's tough to tell which is in more abundant supply in this woefully hackneyed movie , directed by scott kalvert , about street gangs and turf wars in 1958 brooklyn -- stale cliches , gratuitous violence , or empty machismo .
9708	neg	in the end , tuck everlasting falls victim to that everlasting conundrum experienced by every human who ever lived : too much to do , too little time to do it in .
4557	pos	miyazaki 's nonstop images are so stunning , and his imagination so vivid , that the only possible complaint you could have about spirited away is that there is no rest period , no timeout .
1504	pos	a delightful coming-of-age story .
3432	pos	the last kiss will probably never achieve the popularity of my big fat greek wedding , but its provocative central wedding sequence has far more impact .
6932	neg	impostor has a handful of thrilling moments and a couple of good performances , but the movie does n't quite fly . for starters , the story is just too slim .
1882	pos	feral and uncomfortable .
7022	neg	for close to two hours the audience is forced to endure three terminally depressed , mostly inarticulate , hyper dysfunctional families for the price of one .
1946	pos	a directorial tour de force by bernard rose , ivans xtc . is one of this year 's very best pictures .
9629	neg	we ca n't accuse kung pow for misfiring , since it is exactly what it wants to be : an atrociously , mind-numbingly , indescribably bad movie . unfortunately , we 'd prefer a simple misfire .
9197	neg	the chateau has one very funny joke and a few other decent ones , but all it amounts to is a mildly funny , sometimes tedious , ultimately insignificant film .
6376	neg	it plays like a big-budget , after-school special with a generous cast , who at times lift the material from its well-meaning clunkiness .
598	pos	a pleasant enough comedy that should have found a summer place .
7790	neg	though howard demonstrates a great eye as a director , this southern gothic drama is sadly a tough sit , with an undeveloped narrative and enough flashbacks and heavy-handed metaphors to choke a horse -- or at least slow him down to a canter .
2368	pos	the wonder of mostly martha is the performance of gedeck , who makes martha enormously endearing .
6179	neg	horrid little propaganda film with fascinating connections not only to the serbs themselves but also to a network of american right-wing extremists .
7370	neg	has the feel of an unedited personal journal .
10621	neg	though there are many tense scenes in trapped , they prove more distressing than suspenseful .
183	pos	watching haneke 's film is , aptly enough , a challenge and a punishment . but watching huppert , a great actress tearing into a landmark role , is riveting .
5769	neg	a generic international version of a typical american horror film .
9480	neg	about amy 's cuteness , amy 's career success ( she 's a best-selling writer of self-help books who ca n't help herself ) , and amy 's neuroses when it comes to men .
1818	pos	cusack 's just brilliant in this .
1315	pos	even if you do n't think [ kissinger 's ] any more guilty of criminal activity than most contemporary statesmen , he 'd sure make a courtroom trial great fun to watch .
9046	neg	a grating , emaciated flick .
1896	pos	call it magic realism or surrealism , but miss wonton floats beyond reality with a certain degree of wit and dignity .
12	pos	( wendigo is ) why we go to the cinema : to be fed through the eye , the heart , the mind .
926	pos	throwing caution to the wind with an invitation to the hedonist in us all , nair has constructed this motion picture in such a way that even the most cynical curmudgeon with find himself or herself smiling at one time or another .
9141	neg	a modestly comic , modestly action-oriented world war ii adventure that , in terms of authenticity , is one of those films that requires the enemy to never shoot straight .
8457	neg	the redeeming feature of chan 's films has always been the action , but the stunts in the tuxedo seem tired and , what 's worse , routine .
8362	neg	an uneven film dealing with too many problems to be taken seriously .
1443	pos	the socio-histo-political treatise is told in earnest strides . . . [ and ] personal illusion is deconstructed with poignancy .
8684	neg	a terrible adaptation of a play that only ever walked the delicate tightrope between farcical and loathsome . in the wrong hands , i . e . peploe 's , it 's simply unbearable
3951	pos	baran is shockingly devoid of your typical majid majidi shoe-loving , crippled children .
6097	neg	for all its violence , the movie is remarkably dull with only caine making much of an impression .
4077	pos	scotland looks wonderful , the fans are often funny fanatics , the showdown sure beats a bad day of golf .
4854	pos	williams absolutely nails sy 's queasy infatuation and overall strangeness .
5734	neg	the film starts promisingly , but the ending is all too predictable and far too cliched to really work .
6679	neg	sewer rats could watch this movie and be so skeeved out that they 'd need a shower .
8714	neg	the movie itself appears to be running on hypertime in reverse as the truly funny bits get further and further apart .
6514	neg	a well-acted movie that simply does n't gel .
2126	pos	a polished and vastly entertaining caper film that puts the sting back into the con .
495	pos	not everything works , but the average is higher than in mary and most other recent comedies .
2197	pos	whether or not you buy mr . broomfield 's findings , the film acquires an undeniable entertainment value as the slight , pale mr . broomfield continues to force himself on people and into situations that would make lesser men run for cover .
9853	neg	oversexed , at times overwrought comedy/drama that offers little insight into the experience of being forty , female and single .
9954	neg	as a feature-length film , it wears out its welcome as tryingly as the title character .
4745	pos	evokes the style and flash of the double-cross that made mamet 's `` house of games `` and last fall 's `` heist `` so much fun .
1694	pos	lookin ' for sin , american-style ? try hell house , which documents the cautionary christian spook-a-rama of the same name .
10072	neg	it 's a long way from orwell 's dark , intelligent warning cry [ 1984 ] to the empty stud knockabout of equilibrium , and what once was conviction is now affectation .
7439	neg	this is a throwaway , junk-food movie whose rap soundtrack was better tended to than the film itself .
1466	pos	writer-director 's mehta 's effort has tons of charm and the whimsy is in the mixture , the intoxicating masala , of cultures and film genres .
8746	neg	should have been worth cheering as a breakthrough but is devoid of wit and humor .
2795	pos	witherspoon puts to rest her valley-girl image , but it 's dench who really steals the show .
2904	pos	the way the roundelay of partners functions , and the interplay within partnerships and among partnerships and the general air of gator-bashing are consistently delightful .
5064	pos	beautifully directed and convincingly acted .
3680	pos	sheds light on a subject few are familiar with , and makes you care about music you may not have heard before .
3030	pos	i like this movie a lot . i like that smith , he 's not making fun of these people , he 's not laughing at them .
9548	neg	demme gets a lot of flavor and spice into his charade remake , but he ca n't disguise that he 's spiffing up leftovers that are n't so substantial or fresh .
7260	neg	a fitfully amusing romp that , if nothing else , will appeal to fans of malcolm in the middle and its pubescent star , frankie muniz .
1465	pos	an appealingly juvenile trifle that delivers its share of laughs and smiles .
4724	pos	the story that emerges has elements of romance , tragedy and even silent-movie comedy .
4507	pos	it 's excessively quirky and a little underconfident in its delivery , but otherwise this is the best 'old neighborhood ' project since christopher walken kinda romanced cyndi lauper in the opportunists .
5757	neg	the animation and game phenomenon that peaked about three years ago is actually dying a slow death , if the poor quality of pokemon 4 ever is any indication .
9346	neg	a fan film that for the uninitiated plays better on video with the sound turned down .
6225	neg	this thing is just garbage .
4449	pos	y tu mamá también is hilariously , gloriously alive , and quite often hotter than georgia asphalt .
9048	neg	presents a good case while failing to provide a reason for us to care beyond the very basic dictums of human decency .
9893	neg	let 's face it -- there are n't many reasons anyone would want to see crossroads if they 're not big fans of teen pop kitten britney spears .
2247	pos	an engrossing and infectiously enthusiastic documentary .
3807	pos	the santa clause 2 proves itself a more streamlined and thought out encounter than the original could ever have hoped to be .
6190	neg	es triste tener que decirles que lo único grato de la cinta es el cuerpo desnudo de la heather . . .
667	pos	tailored to entertain !
5190	pos	if the film 's vision of sport as a secular religion is a bit cloying , its through-line of family and community is heartening in the same way that each season marks a new start .
9408	neg	the christ allegory does n't work because there is no foundation for it
1902	pos	real women have curves wears its empowerment on its sleeve but even its worst harangues are easy to swallow thanks to remarkable performances by ferrera and ontiveros .
405	pos	it 's a humble effort , but spiced with wry humor and genuine pathos , especially between morgan and redgrave .
2672	pos	has its share of arresting images .
8270	neg	i spy is an embarrassment , a monotonous , disjointed jumble of borrowed plot points and situations . it 's as flat as an open can of pop left sitting in the sun .
6269	neg	schneider 's mugging is relentless and his constant need to suddenly transpose himself into another character undermines the story 's continuity and progression .
6335	neg	. . . an airless , prepackaged julia roberts wannabe that stinks so badly of hard-sell image-mongering you 'll wonder if lopez 's publicist should share screenwriting credit .
4179	pos	because the film deliberately lacks irony , it has a genuine dramatic impact ; it plays like a powerful 1957 drama we 've somehow never seen before .
8032	neg	filmmakers have to dig deep to sink this low . fortunately for all involved , this movie is likely to disappear as quickly as an ice cube thrown into a pot of boiling water .
9037	neg	an imponderably stilted and self-consciously arty movie .
9535	neg	it 's a mindless action flick with a twist -- far better suited to video-viewing than the multiplex .
5285	pos	surprisingly , the film is a hilarious adventure and i shamelessly enjoyed it .
7040	neg	a perplexing example of promise unfulfilled , despite many charming moments .
9257	neg	[ a ] crushing disappointment .
5343	neg	interesting , but not compelling .
9342	neg	the movie has generic virtues , and despite a lot of involved talent , seems done by the numbers .
4249	pos	stock up on silver bullets for director neil marshall 's intense freight train of a film .
6392	neg	contains a few big laughs but many more that graze the funny bone or miss it altogether , in part because the consciously dumbed-down approach wears thin .
5826	neg	what we get . . . is caddyshack crossed with the loyal order of raccoons .
1671	pos	the film offers an intriguing what-if premise .
3917	pos	it is refreshingly undogmatic about its characters .
943	pos	a film that is a portrait of grace in an imperfect world .
10010	neg	once again , the intelligence of gay audiences has been grossly underestimated , and a meaty plot and well-developed characters have been sacrificed for skin and flash that barely fizzle .
8245	neg	de niro may enjoy the same free ride from critics afforded to clint eastwood in the lazy bloodwork . but like bruce springsteen 's gone-to-pot asbury park , new jersey , this sad-sack waste of a movie is a city of ruins .
1714	pos	there is truth here
7967	neg	what you get with empire is a movie you 've seen many times before , repackaged as new material because there is a latino in the lead .
1968	pos	it would be disingenuous to call reno a great film , but you can say that about most of the flicks moving in and out of the multiplex . this is a movie that is what it is : a pleasant distraction , a friday night diversion , an excuse to eat popcorn .
5084	pos	evokes the 19th century with a subtlety that is an object lesson in period filmmaking .
8175	neg	national lampoon 's van wilder could be the worst thing to come out of national lampoon since class reunion
8693	neg	good-looking but relentlessly lowbrow outing plays like clueless does south fork .
4363	pos	a solidly constructed , entertaining thriller that stops short of true inspiration .
8633	neg	sadly , 'garth ' has n't progressed as nicely as 'wayne . '
1610	pos	the film brilliantly shines on all the characters , as the direction is intelligently accomplished .
5794	neg	ultimately . . . the movie is too heady for children , and too preachy for adults .
6302	neg	hoffman waits too long to turn his movie in an unexpected direction , and even then his tone retains a genteel , prep-school quality that feels dusty and leatherbound .
5982	neg	an unremarkable , modern action/comedy buddy movie whose only nod to nostalgia is in the title .
524	pos	vividly conveys both the pitfalls and the pleasures of over-the-top love .
4648	pos	while not quite `` shrek `` or monsters , inc . `` , it 's not too bad . it 's worth taking the kids to .
187	pos	those outside show business will enjoy a close look at people they do n't really want to know .
9006	neg	a crude teen-oriented variation on a theme that the playwright craig lucas explored with infinitely more grace and eloquence in his prelude to a kiss .
8123	neg	shocking only in that it reveals the filmmaker 's bottomless pit of self-absorption .
5950	neg	stirs potentially enticing ingredients into an uneasy blend of ghost and close encounters of the third kind .
444	pos	the movie is one of the best examples of artful large format filmmaking you are likely to see anytime soon .
1382	pos	a strangely compelling and brilliantly acted psychological drama .
9890	neg	it 's crap on a leash -- far too polite to scale the lunatic heights of joe dante 's similarly styled gremlins .
9576	neg	the superior plotline is n't quite enough to drag along the dead ( water ) weight of the other .
9572	neg	the film desperately sinks further and further into comedy futility .
7445	neg	a mixed bag of a comedy that ca n't really be described as out of this world .
9758	neg	bravo reveals the true intent of her film by carefully selecting interview subjects who will construct a portrait of castro so predominantly charitable it can only be seen as propaganda .
6361	neg	not only is it hokey , manipulative and as bland as wonder bread dipped in milk , but it also does the absolute last thing we need hollywood doing to us : it preaches .
2255	pos	it 's a lovely , eerie film that casts an odd , rapt spell .
10457	neg	aptly named , this shimmering , beautifully costumed and filmed production does n't work for me .
5113	pos	a solidly entertaining little film .
2086	pos	a memorable experience that , like many of his works , presents weighty issues colorfully wrapped up in his own idiosyncratic strain of kitschy goodwill .
8526	neg	interesting and thoroughly unfaithful version of carmen
967	pos	this is a terrific character study , a probe into the life of a complex man .
9696	neg	they presume their audience wo n't sit still for a sociology lesson , however entertainingly presented , so they trot out the conventional science-fiction elements of bug-eyed monsters and futuristic women in skimpy clothes .
9317	neg	by halfway through this picture i was beginning to hate it , and , of course , feeling guilty for it . . . . then , miracle of miracles , the movie does a flip-flop .
8532	neg	[ a ] painfully flat gross-out comedy . . .
3677	pos	those who want to be jolted out of their gourd should drop everything and run to ichi .
4859	pos	rarely has skin looked as beautiful , desirable , even delectable , as it does in trouble every day .
4718	pos	with an admirably dark first script by brent hanley , paxton , making his directorial feature debut , does strong , measured work .
1409	pos	we learn a lot about dying coral and see a lot of life on the reef .
3834	pos	unfolds as one of the most politically audacious films of recent decades from any country , but especially from france .
8356	neg	winds up feeling like lots of other quirky movies that try to score hipness points with young adults .
3397	pos	lacks the inspiration of the original and has a bloated plot that stretches the running time about 10 minutes past a child 's interest and an adult 's patience . but it also has many of the things that made the first one charming .
7929	neg	the story itself is uninteresting , and the songs are painfully undistinguished : they might be giants ' so to be one of us may be the most tuneless tune ever composed .
6984	neg	chabrol has taken promising material for a black comedy and turned it instead into a somber chamber drama .
8978	neg	madonna has made herself over so often now , there 's apparently nothing left to work with , sort of like michael jackson 's nose .
275	pos	if you 're like me , a sucker for a good old fashion romance and someone who shamelessly loves to eat , then mostly martha offers all the perfect ingredients to more than satisfy your appetite .
504	pos	the bourne identity is what summer screen escapism used to be in the decades when it was geared more to grownups .
8367	neg	[ newton ] wanders through charlie completely unaware she needs to show some presence and star quality .
9732	neg	there 's not a fresh idea at the core of this tale .
7511	neg	de niro and mcdormand give solid performances , but their screen time is sabotaged by the story 's inability to create interest .
6564	neg	does n't get the job done , running off the limited chemistry created by ralph fiennes and jennifer lopez .
8239	neg	the impact of the armenian genocide is diluted by too much stage business in the modern day .
3373	pos	while this gentle and affecting melodrama will have luvvies in raptures , it 's far too slight and introspective to appeal to anything wider than a niche audience .
2378	pos	the film has the uncanny ability to right itself precisely when you think it 's in danger of going wrong .
10182	neg	a porn film without the sex scenes .
4763	pos	macdowell . . . gives give a solid , anguished performance that eclipses nearly everything else she 's ever done .
8116	neg	dreary , highly annoying . . . 'some body ' will appeal to no one .
7606	neg	. . . too gory to be a comedy and too silly to be an effective horror film .
9214	neg	something must have been lost in the translation .
3412	pos	although devoid of objectivity and full of nostalgic comments from the now middle-aged participants , dogtown and z-boys has a compelling story to tell .
2557	pos	insanely hilarious ! i have n't laughed that hard in years !
8536	neg	i 'm sure there 's a teenage boy out there somewhere who 's dying for this kind of entertainment .
9495	neg	the movie is like scorsese 's mean streets redone by someone who ignored it in favor of old 'juvenile delinquent ' paperbacks with titles like leather warriors and switchblade sexpot .
2116	pos	light-years ahead of paint-by-number american blockbusters like pearl harbor , at least artistically .
5156	pos	what sets this romantic comedy apart from most hollywood romantic comedies is its low-key way of tackling what seems like done-to-death material .
2758	pos	the movie is well crafted , and well executed . if you 're paying attention , the `` big twists `` are pretty easy to guess - but that does n't make the movie any less entertaining .
2370	pos	less front-loaded and more shapely than the two-hour version released here in 1990 .
6574	neg	the château would have been benefited from a sharper , cleaner script before it went in front of the camera . not to mention a sharper , cleaner camera lens .
3120	pos	when the movie mixes the cornpone and the cosa nostra , it finds a nice rhythm .
8147	neg	a free-for-all of half-baked thoughts , clumsily used visual tricks and self-indulgent actor moments .
2115	pos	a movie that sends you out of the theater feeling like you 've actually spent time living in another community .
3330	pos	the charm of revolution os is rather the way it introduces you to new , fervently held ideas and fanciful thinkers .
4161	pos	both grant and hoult carry the movie because they are believable as people -- flawed , assured of the wrong things , and scared to admit how much they may really need the company of others .
2648	pos	not about scares but a mood in which an ominous , pervasive , and unknown threat lurks just below the proceedings and adds an almost constant mindset of suspense .
3854	pos	the film 's highlight is definitely its screenplay , both for the rhapsodic dialogue that jumps off the page , and for the memorable character creations .
2203	pos	the direction has a fluid , no-nonsense authority , and the performances by harris , phifer and cam'ron seal the deal .
9529	neg	ca n't seem to get anywhere near the story 's center .
1401	pos	further proof that the epicenter of cool , beautiful , thought-provoking foreign cinema is smack-dab in the middle of dubya 's axis of evil .
5233	pos	though the aboriginal aspect lends the ending an extraordinary poignancy , and the story itself could be played out in any working class community in the nation .
2798	pos	ambitious , unsettling psychodrama that takes full , chilling advantage of its rough-around-the-edges , low-budget constraints .
4619	pos	though in some ways similar to catherine breillat 's fat girl , rain is the far superior film .
8860	neg	are monsters born , or made ?
9170	neg	there 's a neat twist , subtly rendered , that could have wrapped things up at 80 minutes , but kang tacks on three or four more endings .
4505	pos	at its best when the guarded , resentful betty and the manipulative yet needy margot are front and center .
77	pos	if this movie were a book , it would be a page-turner , you ca n't wait to see what happens next .
7225	neg	works hard to establish rounded characters , but then has nothing fresh or particularly interesting to say about them .
1397	pos	[ majidi ] makes us think twice about immigrants we see around us every day .
6399	neg	we hate [ madonna ] within the film 's first five minutes , and she lacks the skill or presence to regain any ground .
10608	neg	cherish would 've worked a lot better had it been a short film .
9818	neg	as with so many merchandised-to-the-max movies of this type , more time appears to have gone into recruiting the right bands for the playlist and the costuming of the stars than into the script , which has a handful of smart jokes and not much else .
1126	pos	jose campanella delivers a loosely autobiographical story brushed with sentimentality but brimming with gentle humor , bittersweet pathos , and lyric moments that linger like snapshots of memory .
7481	neg	we are left with a superficial snapshot that , however engaging , is insufficiently enlightening and inviting .
5765	neg	'yes , that 's right : it 's forrest gump , angel of death . '
269	pos	it 's solid and affecting and exactly as thought-provoking as it should be .
8329	neg	a tv episode inflated past its natural length .
7119	neg	. . . turns so unforgivably trite in its last 10 minutes that anyone without a fortified sweet tooth will likely go into sugar shock .
6852	neg	thekids will probably stay amused at the kaleidoscope of big , colorful characters . mom and dad can catch some quality naptime along the way .
9543	neg	it 's a barely tolerable slog over well-trod ground .
5494	neg	putting the primitive murderer inside a high-tech space station unleashes a pandora 's box of special effects that run the gamut from cheesy to cheesier to cheesiest .
8365	neg	half of it is composed of snappy patter and pseudo-sophisticated cultural observations , while the remainder . . . would be more at home on a daytime television serial .
918	pos	we can see the wheels turning , and we might resent it sometimes , but this is still a nice little picture , made by bright and friendly souls with a lot of good cheer .
10171	neg	no such thing breaks no new ground and treads old turf like a hippopotamus ballerina .
9622	neg	the film does n't show enough of the creative process or even of what was created for the non-fan to figure out what makes wilco a big deal .
2865	pos	a compelling film .
9058	neg	shows that jackie chan is getting older , and that 's something i would rather live in denial about
10651	neg	narc is all menace and atmosphere .
9654	neg	watchable up until the point where the situations and the dialogue spin hopelessly out of control -- that is to say , when carol kane appears on the screen .
9553	neg	the band performances featured in drumline are red hot . . . [ but ] from a mere story point of view , the film 's ice cold .
6020	neg	a well made indieflick in need of some trims and a more chemistry between its stars .
5827	neg	the jokes are flat , and the action looks fake .
32	pos	light , cute and forgettable .
7114	neg	there seems to be no clear path as to where the story 's going , or how long it 's going to take to get there .
9251	neg	brosnan 's finest non-bondish performance yet fails to overcome the film 's manipulative sentimentality and annoying stereotypes .
1807	pos	predictable storyline and by-the-book scripting is all but washed away by sumptuous ocean visuals and the cinematic stylings of director john stockwell .
5227	pos	this fascinating look at israel in ferment feels as immediate as the latest news footage from gaza and , because of its heightened , well-shaped dramas , twice as powerful .
7120	neg	the notion that bombing buildings is the funniest thing in the world goes entirely unexamined in this startlingly unfunny comedy .
436	pos	[ an ] hilarious romantic comedy .
317	pos	girls gone wild and gone civil again
9268	neg	it takes a really long , slow and dreary time to dope out what tuck everlasting is about . so here it is : it 's about a family of sour immortals .
6482	neg	once one experiences mr . haneke 's own sadistic tendencies toward his audience , one is left with a sour taste in one 's mouth , and little else .
9370	neg	the problem with the bread , my sweet is that it 's far too sentimental .
5752	neg	amazingly dopey .
8893	neg	the question hanging over the time machine is not , as the main character suggests , 'what if ? ' but rather , 'how can you charge money for this ? '
626	pos	the film 's 45-minute running time stops shy of overkill , though viewers may be more exhausted than the athletes onscreen .
9119	neg	despite all the closed-door hanky-panky , the film is essentially juiceless .
6644	neg	a bland animated sequel that hardly seems worth the effort .
7882	neg	overly stylized with lots of flash black- & -white freeze frames reminiscent of a pseudo-hip luxury car commercial , ( it 's ) at its worst when it 's actually inside the ring .
6012	neg	a well-made but emotionally scattered film whose hero gives his heart only to the dog .
3714	pos	the chateau belongs to rudd , whose portrait of a therapy-dependent flakeball spouting french malapropisms . . . is a nonstop hoot .
4759	pos	the performances are strong , though the subject matter demands acting that borders on hammy at times .
9567	neg	high crimes carries almost no organic intrigue as a government/ marine/legal mystery , and that 's because the movie serves up all of that stuff , nearly subliminally , as the old-hat province of male intrigue .
4422	pos	a straight-shooting family film which awards animals the respect they 've rarely been given .
6325	neg	a respectable but uninspired thriller that 's intelligent and considered in its details , but ultimately weak in its impact .
227	pos	all but the most persnickety preteens should enjoy this nonthreatening but thrilling adventure .
8360	neg	with its hints of a greater intelligence lurking somewhere , the ring makes its stupidity more than obvious . it 's painful .
1319	pos	funny but perilously slight .
4665	pos	berling and béart . . . continue to impress , and isabelle huppert . . . again shows uncanny skill in getting under the skin of her characters .
9010	neg	this is the kind of movie that you only need to watch for about thirty seconds before you say to yourself , 'ah , yes , here we have a bad , bad , bad movie . '
2083	pos	gorgeous scenes , masterful performances , but the sickly sweet gender normative narrative left an acrid test in this gourmet 's mouth .
10435	neg	not just unlikable . disturbing . disgusting . without any redeeming value whatsoever .
219	pos	though this film can be clumsy , its ambitions are equally -- and admirably -- uncommercial .
4852	pos	the piano teacher is not an easy film . it forces you to watch people doing unpleasant things to each other and themselves , and it maintains a cool distance from its material that is deliberately unsettling .
576	pos	time changer may not be the most memorable cinema session but its profound self-evaluation message about our fragile existence and the absence of spiritual guidance should at least invade an abundance of mindsets
971	pos	the two leads chomp considerably more scenery with their acting than fire-breathing monsters barbecue with their breath . . .
7172	neg	lástima por schwarzenegger , pero es hora de que deje la estafeta a las nuevas generaciones .
1022	pos	a cockamamie tone poem pitched precipitously between swoony lyricism and violent catastrophe . . . the most aggressively nerve-wracking and screamingly neurotic romantic comedy in cinema history .
2478	pos	the bourne identity should n't be half as entertaining as it is , but director doug liman and his colleagues have managed to pack it with enough action to satisfy the boom-bam crowd without a huge sacrifice of character and mood .
378	pos	the stunning , dreamlike visuals will impress even those viewers who have little patience for euro-film pretension .
4828	pos	what 's so striking about jolie 's performance is that she never lets her character become a caricature -- not even with that radioactive hair .
7881	neg	too stupid to be satire , too obviously hateful to be classified otherwise , frank novak 's irritating slice of lumpen life is as reliably soul-killing as its title is nearly meaningless .
6955	neg	yes , ballistic is silly . unfortunately , it 's not silly fun unless you enjoy really bad movies .
9742	neg	[ screenwriter ] pimental took the farrelly brothers comedy and feminized it , but it is a rather poor imitation .
9430	neg	the story is bogus and its characters tissue-thin .
9302	neg	stitch is a bad mannered , ugly and destructive little * * * * . no cute factor here… . not that i mind ugly ; the problem is he has no character , loveable or otherwise .
6282	neg	the overall vibe is druggy and self-indulgent , like a spring-break orgy for pretentious arts majors .
6016	neg	the adventures of pluto nash is a whole lot of nada .
9725	neg	the laughs are as rare as snake foo yung .
10191	neg	slow , silly and unintentionally hilarious .
1274	pos	dazzling in its complexity , disturbing for its extraordinary themes , the piano teacher is a film that defies categorisation . it haunts , horrifies , startles and fascinates ; it is impossible to look away . ah yes , and then there 's the music . . .
8796	neg	a hit- and-miss affair , consistently amusing but not as outrageous or funny as cho may have intended or as imaginative as one might have hoped .
8046	neg	a standard haunted house tale transplanted to the high seas .
225	pos	mr . parker has brilliantly updated his source and grasped its essence , composing a sorrowful and hilarious tone poem about alienated labor , or an absurdist workplace sitcom .
2932	pos	birthday girl does n't try to surprise us with plot twists , but rather seems to enjoy its own transparency .
10508	neg	. . . a rather bland affair .
1555	pos	it 's a demented kitsch mess ( although the smeary digital video does match the muddled narrative ) , but it 's savvy about celebrity and has more guts and energy than much of what will open this year .
10428	neg	does what should seem impossible : it makes serial killer jeffrey dahmer boring .
8284	neg	a movie that tries to fuse the two 'woods ' but winds up a bolly-holly masala mess .
90	pos	doug liman , the director of bourne , directs the traffic well , gets a nice wintry look from his locations , absorbs us with the movie 's spycraft and uses damon 's ability to be focused and sincere .
7705	neg	considering the harsh locations and demanding stunts , this must have been a difficult shoot , but the movie proves rough going for the audience as well .
9220	neg	for casual moviegoers who stumble into rules expecting a slice of american pie hijinks starring the kid from dawson 's creek , they 'll probably run out screaming .
7875	neg	the more kevin costner rests on his pretty-boy laurels , the public is , regrettably , going to have tepid films like dragonfly tossed at them .
10631	neg	director tom shadyac and star kevin costner glumly mishandle the story 's promising premise of a physician who needs to heal himself .
2355	pos	secretary manages a neat trick , bundling the flowers of perversity , comedy and romance into a strangely tempting bouquet of a movie .
211	pos	[ a ] rare , beautiful film .
6665	neg	nights feels more like a quickie tv special than a feature film . . . it 's not even a tv special you 'd bother watching past the second commercial break .
4924	pos	the comedy makes social commentary more palatable .
3126	pos	frequent flurries of creative belly laughs and genuinely enthusiastic performances . . . keep the movie slaloming through its hackneyed elements with enjoyable ease .
3851	pos	a pure participatory event that malnourished intellectuals will gulp down in a frenzy .
1129	pos	ao sair do cinema , eu estava feliz e com saudades de um tempo em que , para mim , a existência de papai noel era um fato inquestionável .
2318	pos	while it has definite weaknesses -- like a rather unbelievable love interest and a meandering ending -- this '60s caper film is a riveting , brisk delight .
6273	neg	has no reason to exist , other than to employ hollywood kids and people who owe favors to their famous parents .
4503	pos	the film becomes an overwhelming pleasure , and you find yourself rooting for gai 's character to avoid the fate that has befallen every other carmen before her .
2441	pos	collateral damage is trash , but it earns extra points by acting as if it were n't .
7194	neg	a puzzling experience .
5125	pos	first and foremost . . . the reason to go see `` blue crush `` is the phenomenal , water-born cinematography by david hennings .
3777	pos	adams , with four scriptwriters , takes care with the characters , who are so believable that you feel what they feel .
6805	neg	. . . they missed the boat .
10188	neg	broder 's screenplay is shallow , offensive and redundant , with pitifully few real laughs .
8484	neg	it is depressing , ruthlessly pained and depraved , the movie equivalent of staring into an open wound .
10590	neg	humor in i spy is so anemic .
644	pos	with youthful high spirits , tautou remains captivating throughout michele 's religious and romantic quests , and she is backed by a likable cast .
10212	neg	i suspect this is the kind of production that would have been funnier if the director had released the outtakes theatrically and used the film as a bonus feature on the dvd .
6630	neg	shatner is probably the funniest person in the film , which gives you an idea just how bad it was .
2585	pos	there are moments of hilarity to be had .
8993	neg	how inept is serving sara ? it makes even elizabeth hurley seem graceless and ugly .
976	pos	the cast is uniformly excellent and relaxed .
1082	pos	here 's yet another studio horror franchise mucking up its storyline with glitches casual fans could correct in their sleep . but taken as a stylish and energetic one-shot , the queen of the damned can not be said to suck .
6055	neg	'the château is never quite able to overcome the cultural moat surrounding its ludicrous and contrived plot . '
69	pos	a simmering psychological drama in which the bursts of sudden violence are all the more startling for the slow buildup that has preceded them .
3799	pos	a very well-meaning movie , and it will stand in future years as an eloquent memorial to the world trade center tragedy .
9321	neg	for a film about action , ultimate x is the gabbiest giant-screen movie ever , bogging down in a barrage of hype .
4103	pos	a very charming and funny movie .
8531	neg	what madonna does here ca n't properly be called acting -- more accurately , it 's moving and it 's talking and it 's occasionally gesturing , sometimes all at once .
1860	pos	both heartbreaking and heartwarming . . . just a simple fable done in an artless sytle , but it 's tremendously moving .
430	pos	there are just enough twists in the tale to make it far more satisfying than almost any horror film in recent memory .
8769	neg	i firmly believe that a good video game movie is going to show up soon . i also believe that resident evil is not it .
10477	neg	this off-putting french romantic comedy is sure to test severely the indulgence of fans of amélie .
5749	neg	children of the century , though well dressed and well made , ultimately falls prey to the contradiction that afflicts so many movies about writers .
6245	neg	yes , i suppose it 's lovely that cal works out his issues with his dad and comes to terms with his picture-perfect life -- but world traveler gave me no reason to care , so i did n't .
3089	pos	bound to appeal to women looking for a howlingly trashy time .
9059	neg	with miscast leads , banal dialogue and an absurdly overblown climax , killing me softly belongs firmly in the so-bad-it's-good camp .
9842	neg	feels slight , as if it were an extended short , albeit one made by the smartest kids in class .
9364	neg	the movie is like a year late for tapping into our reality tv obsession , and even tardier for exploiting the novelty of the `` webcast . ``
1754	pos	while some will object to the idea of a vietnam picture with such a rah-rah , patriotic tone , soldiers ultimately achieves its main strategic objective : dramatizing the human cost of the conflict that came to define a generation .
9243	neg	like many such biographical melodramas , it suffers from the awkwardness that results from adhering to the messiness of true stories .
2337	pos	the cast comes through even when the movie does n't .
6408	neg	despite auteuil 's performance , it 's a rather listless amble down the middle of the road , where the thematic ironies are too obvious and the sexual politics too smug .
5007	pos	there has to be a few advantages to never growing old . like being able to hit on a 15-year old when you 're over 100 .
811	pos	a real story about real people living their lives concerned about the future of an elderly , mentally handicapped family member .
4217	pos	i was amused and entertained by the unfolding of bielinsky 's cleverly constructed scenario , and greatly impressed by the skill of the actors involved in the enterprise .
9065	neg	the film never rises above a conventional , two dimension tale
983	pos	nolan bravely treads where few american films dare to delve -- into the world of ambivalence and ambiguity . . .
2351	pos	chilling in its objective portrait of dreary , lost twenty-first century america .
5696	neg	a sincere but dramatically conflicted gay coming-of-age tale .
6181	neg	it is supremely unfunny and unentertaining to watch middle-age and older men drink to excess , piss on trees , b . s . one another and put on a show in drag .
5143	pos	as warm as it is wise , deftly setting off uproarious humor with an underlying seriousness that sneaks up on the viewer , providing an experience that is richer than anticipated .
5216	pos	wonder of wonders -- a teen movie with a humanistic message .
2789	pos	jacquot has filmed the opera exactly as the libretto directs , ideally capturing the opera 's drama and lyricism .
238	pos	never mind whether you buy the stuff about barris being a cia hit man . the kooky yet shadowy vision clooney sustains throughout is daring , inventive and impressive .
4983	pos	a pointed , often tender , examination of the pros and cons of unconditional love and familial duties .
9568	neg	this movie is about the worst thing chan has done in the united states .
10487	neg	a banal , virulently unpleasant excuse for a romantic comedy .
6183	neg	a boring , pretentious muddle that uses a sensational , real-life 19th-century crime as a metaphor for -- well , i 'm not exactly sure what -- and has all the dramatic weight of a raindrop .
2575	pos	while guzmán frustratingly refuses to give pinochet 's crimes a political context , his distance from the material is mostly admirable .
2852	pos	that 'alabama ' manages to be pleasant in spite of its predictability and occasional slowness is due primarily to the perkiness of witherspoon ( who is always a joy to watch , even when her material is not first-rate ) . . .
10520	neg	i suspect that you 'll be as bored watching morvern callar as the characters are in it . if you go , pack your knitting needles .
8115	neg	the problem is n't that the movie hits so close to home so much as that it hits close to home while engaging in such silliness as that snake-down-the-throat business and the inevitable shot of schwarzenegger outrunning a fireball .
3457	pos	could have been crisper and punchier , but it 's likely to please audiences who like movies that demand four hankies .
2966	pos	walter hill 's undisputed is like a 1940s warner bros . b picture , and i mean that as a compliment .
6065	neg	the phone rings and a voice tells you you 've got seven days left to live . then you get another phone call warning you that if the video is n't back at blockbuster before midnight , you 're going to face frightening late fees . o . k . , not really .
4050	pos	it 's still adam sandler , and it 's not little nicky . and for many of us , that 's good enough .
3602	pos	how good this film might be , depends if you believe that the shocking conclusion is too much of a plunge or not .
6881	neg	full of witless jokes , dealing in broad stereotypes and outrageously unbelievable scenarios , and saddled with a general air of misogyny
5228	pos	manages to delight without much of a story .
6612	neg	this is no `` waterboy ! ``
9209	neg	it 's quite an achievement to set and shoot a movie at the cannes film festival and yet fail to capture its visual appeal or its atmosphere .
2445	pos	the film is insightful about kissinger 's background and history .
6051	neg	`` the road paved with good intentions leads to the video store ``
547	pos	a generation x artifact , capturing a brief era of insanity in the sports arena that surely can not last .
1872	pos	a minor work yet there 's no denying the potency of miller 's strange , fleeting brew of hopeful perseverance and hopeless closure .
2960	pos	the low-key direction is pleasingly emphatic in this properly intense , claustrophobic tale of obsessive love .
8385	neg	`` an entire film about researchers quietly reading dusty old letters . ``
7821	neg	bartleby is a one-joke movie , and a bad joke at that .
9992	neg	a beyond-lame satire , teddy bears ' picnic ranks among the most pitiful directing debuts by an esteemed writer-actor .
2853	pos	personal velocity has a no-frills docu-dogma plainness , yet miller lingers on invisible , nearly psychic nuances , leaping into digressions of memory and desire . she boxes these women 's souls right open for us .
8483	neg	the gifted crudup has the perfect face to play a handsome blank yearning to find himself , and his cipherlike personality and bad behavior would play fine if the movie knew what to do with him .
1915	pos	using a stock plot , about a boy injects just enough freshness into the proceedings to provide an enjoyable 100 minutes in a movie theater .
3034	pos	kiarostami has crafted a deceptively casual ode to children and managed to convey a tiny sense of hope .
7482	neg	helmer devito . . . attempts to do too many things in this story about ethics , payola , vice , murder , kids ' tv and revenge .
8491	neg	originality is sorely lacking .
8339	neg	big fat liar is just futile silliness looking to tap into the kiddie sensibilities .
3733	pos	proof once again that if the filmmakers just follow the books , they ca n't go wrong . better effects , better acting and a hilarious kenneth branagh . an excellent sequel .
2924	pos	so vivid a portrait of a woman consumed by lust and love and crushed by betrayal that it conjures up the intoxicating fumes and emotional ghosts of a freshly painted rembrandt .
5038	pos	while the story does seem pretty unbelievable at times , it 's awfully entertaining to watch .
9388	neg	it follows the blair witch formula for an hour , in which we 're told something creepy and vague is in the works , and then it goes awry in the final 30 minutes .
3363	pos	impossible as it may sound , this film 's heart is even more embracing than monty , if only because it accepts nasty behavior and severe flaws as part of the human condition .
1966	pos	though a capable thriller , somewhere along the way k-19 jettisoned some crucial drama .
9625	neg	even by the intentionally low standards of frat-boy humor , sorority boys is a bowser .
628	pos	as adapted by kevin molony from simon leys ' novel `` the death of napoleon `` and directed by alan taylor , napoleon 's journey is interesting but his parisian rebirth is stillborn
8910	neg	it 's just plain boring .
6866	neg	apart from dazzling cinematography , we 've seen just about everything in blue crush in one form or the other .
7976	neg	with danilo donati 's witty designs and dante spinotti 's luscious cinematography , this might have made a decent children 's movie -- if only benigni had n't insisted on casting himself in the title role .
4890	pos	canadian filmmaker gary burns ' inventive and mordantly humorous take on the soullessness of work in the city .
10362	neg	[ lee ] treats his audience the same way that jim brown treats his women -- as dumb , credulous , unassuming , subordinate subjects . and lee seems just as expectant of an adoring , wide-smiling reception .
9277	neg	the film is undone by anachronistic quick edits and occasional jarring glimpses of a modern theater audience watching the events unfold .
9907	neg	forgettable , if good-hearted , movie .
2407	pos	the story ultimately takes hold and grips hard .
2680	pos	a riveting profile of law enforcement , and a visceral , nasty journey into an urban hades .
9766	neg	paul bettany is good at being the ultra-violent gangster wannabe , but the movie is certainly not number 1 .
7992	neg	a hysterical yet humorless disquisition on the thin line between sucking face and literally sucking face .
578	pos	haynes has so fanatically fetishized every bizarre old-movie idiosyncrasy with such monastic devotion you 're not sure if you should applaud or look into having him committed .
8877	neg	though tom shadyac 's film kicks off spookily enough , around the halfway mark it takes an abrupt turn into glucose sentimentality and laughable contrivance .
3593	pos	each punch seen through prison bars , the fights become not so much a struggle of man vs . man as brother-man vs . the man .
2177	pos	arguably the best script that besson has written in years .
2207	pos	life on the rez is no picnic : this picture shows you why .
1201	pos	a study in shades of gray , offering itself up in subtle plot maneuvers . . .
5295	pos	insomnia loses points when it surrenders to a formulaic bang-bang , shoot-em-up scene at the conclusion . but the performances of pacino , williams , and swank keep the viewer wide-awake all the way through .
9092	neg	bland but harmless .
4014	pos	the actresses find their own rhythm and protect each other from the script 's bad ideas and awkwardness .
6487	neg	the director mostly plays it straight , turning leys ' fable into a listless climb down the social ladder .
277	pos	there are a few stabs at absurdist comedy . . . but mostly the humor is of the sweet , gentle and occasionally cloying kind that has become an iranian specialty .
5583	neg	a big fat pain .
5756	neg	just a collection of this and that -- whatever fills time -- with no unified whole .
1997	pos	yakusho , as always , is wonderful as the long-faced sad sack . . . and his chemistry with shimizu is very believable .
1102	pos	it 's a coming-of-age story we 've all seen bits of in other films -- but it 's rarely been told with such affecting grace and cultural specificity .
7261	neg	jason x is positively anti-darwinian : nine sequels and 400 years later , the teens are none the wiser and jason still kills on auto-pilot .
832	pos	if mr . zhang 's subject matter is , to some degree at least , quintessentially american , his approach to storytelling might be called iranian .
5533	neg	suffers from a lack of clarity and audacity that a subject as monstrous and pathetic as dahmer demands .
2131	pos	this may be burns 's strongest film since the brothers mcmullen .
10034	neg	to the filmmakers , ivan is a prince of a fellow , but he comes across as shallow and glib though not mean-spirited , and there 's no indication that he 's been responsible for putting together any movies of particular value or merit .
3124	pos	neatly constructed thriller .
3548	pos	it 's not like having a real film of nijinsky , but at least it 's better than that eponymous 1980 biopic that used soap in the places where the mysteries lingered .
8539	neg	obviously , a lot of people wasted a lot of their time ( including mine ) on something very inconsequential .
1347	pos	a poignant and compelling story about relationships , food of love takes us on a bumpy but satisfying journey of the heart .
5177	pos	by turns very dark and very funny .
33	pos	if there 's a way to effectively teach kids about the dangers of drugs , i think it 's in projects like the ( unfortunately r-rated ) paid .
2330	pos	even bigger and more ambitious than the first installment , spy kids 2 looks as if it were made by a highly gifted 12-year-old instead of a grown man .
8520	neg	a big , loud , bang-the-drum bore .
2899	pos	take care is nicely performed by a quintet of actresses , but nonetheless it drags during its 112-minute length .
1187	pos	falls neatly into the category of good stupid fun .
262	pos	as a witness to several greek-american weddings -- but , happily , a victim of none -- i can testify to the comparative accuracy of ms . vardalos ' memories and insights .
6534	neg	we just do n't really care too much about this love story . in that setting , their struggle is simply too ludicrous and borderline insulting .
2483	pos	the emperor 's club , ruthless in its own placid way , finds one of our most conservative and hidebound movie-making traditions and gives it new texture , new relevance , new reality .
1987	pos	methodical , measured , and gently tedious in its comedy , secret ballot is a purposefully reductive movie -- which may be why it 's so successful at lodging itself in the brain .
843	pos	a charming , quirky and leisurely paced scottish comedy -- except with an outrageous central gimmick that could have been a reject from monty python 's meaning of life .
8056	neg	say this for the soundtrack , it drowns out the lousy dialogue .
6757	neg	it 's harmless , diverting fluff . but it 's hard to imagine a more generic effort in the genre .
4273	pos	it 's enough to watch huppert scheming , with her small , intelligent eyes as steady as any noir villain , and to enjoy the perfectly pitched web of tension that chabrol spins .
892	pos	. . . blade ii is more enjoyable than the original .
251	pos	one of the greatest romantic comedies of the past decade .
4026	pos	a delightful romantic comedy with plenty of bite . it 's far from a frothy piece , and the characters are complex , laden with plenty of baggage and tinged with tragic undertones .
7266	neg	the only excitement comes when the credits finally roll and you get to leave the theater .
7314	neg	who needs love like this ?
1834	pos	reveals how important our special talents can be when put in service of of others . it also shows how deeply felt emotions can draw people together across the walls that might otherwise separate them .
8731	neg	needs more impressionistic cinematography and exhilarating point-of-view shots and fewer slow-motion 'grandeur ' shots and quick-cut edits that often detract from the athleticism .
4155	pos	k 19 stays afloat as decent drama/action flick
9651	neg	mildly amusing .
4121	pos	among the many pleasures are the lively intelligence of the artists and their perceptiveness about their own situations .
2835	pos	brings awareness to an issue often overlooked -- women 's depression .
10475	neg	the nonstop artifice ultimately proves tiresome , with the surface histrionics failing to compensate for the paper-thin characterizations and facile situations .
5118	pos	though nijinsky 's words grow increasingly disturbed , the film maintains a beguiling serenity and poise that make it accessible for a non-narrative feature .
9100	neg	the movie 's blatant derivativeness is one reason it 's so lackluster .
10326	neg	showtime 's starry cast could be both an asset and a detriment . those who trek to the 'plex predisposed to like it probably will enjoy themselves . but ticket-buyers with great expectations will wind up as glum as mr . de niro .
3959	pos	a b-movie you can sit through , enjoy on a certain level and then forget .
7384	neg	the film takes too long getting to the good stuff , then takes too long figuring out what to do next .
147	pos	waydowntown is by no means a perfect film , but its boasts a huge charm factor and smacks of originality .
6947	neg	this is not the undisputed worst boxing movie ever , but it 's certainly not a champion - the big loser is the audience .
505	pos	provide [ s ] nail-biting suspense and credible characters without relying on technology-of-the-moment technique or pretentious dialogue .
3067	pos	has far more energy , wit and warmth than should be expected from any movie with a `` 2 `` at the end of its title .
3396	pos	it 's all about anakin . . . and the lustrous polished visuals rich in color and creativity and , of course , special effect .
1375	pos	'easily my choice for one of the year 's best films . '
7888	neg	it does n't quite work , but there 's enough here to make us look forward to the russos ' next offering .
9904	neg	. . . the whole thing succeeded only in making me groggy .
7289	neg	the story and the friendship proceeds in such a way that you 're watching a soap opera rather than a chronicle of the ups and downs that accompany lifelong friendships .
10349	neg	the movie is almost completely lacking in suspense , surprise and consistent emotional conviction .
7443	neg	anyway , for one reason or another , crush turns into a dire drama partway through . after that , it just gets stupid and maudlin . too bad , but thanks to some lovely comedic moments and several fine performances , it 's not a total loss .
1206	pos	it deserves to be seen by anyone with even a passing interest in the events shaping the world beyond their own horizons .
1567	pos	the modern-day royals have nothing on these guys when it comes to scandals . it 's only in fairy tales that princesses that are married for political reason live happily ever after .
552	pos	the best thing the film does is to show us not only what that mind looks like , but how the creative process itself operates .
5083	pos	made-up lampoons the moviemaking process itself , while shining a not particularly flattering spotlight on america 's skin-deep notions of pulchritude .
5906	neg	human nature , in short , is n't nearly as funny as it thinks it is ; neither is it as smart .
1080	pos	like mike is a winner for kids , and no doubt a winner for lil bow wow , who can now add movies to the list of things he does well .
8000	neg	do n't let your festive spirit go this far .
2998	pos	a flawed but engrossing thriller .
4384	pos	about schmidt belongs to nicholson . gone are the flamboyant mannerisms that are the trademark of several of his performances . as schmidt , nicholson walks with a slow , deliberate gait , chooses his words carefully and subdues his natural exuberance .
10474	neg	little more than a stylish exercise in revisionism whose point . . . is no doubt true , but serves as a rather thin moral to such a knowing fable .
9845	neg	if the last man were the last movie left on earth , there would be a toss-up between presiding over the end of cinema as we know it and another night of delightful hand shadows .
3137	pos	with lesser talents , high crimes would be entertaining , but forgettable . with freeman and judd , i 'll at least remember their characters .
5707	neg	the notion of deleting emotion from people , even in an advanced prozac nation , is so insanely dysfunctional that the rampantly designed equilibrium becomes a concept doofus .
415	pos	the whole cast looks to be having so much fun with the slapstick antics and silly street patois , tossing around obscure expressions like bellini and mullinski , that the compact 86 minutes breezes by .
3024	pos	the picture runs a mere 84 minutes , but it 's no glance . it 's a head-turner -- thoughtfully written , beautifully read and , finally , deeply humanizing .
6656	neg	instead of panoramic sweep , kapur gives us episodic choppiness , undermining the story 's emotional thrust .
1343	pos	anchored by friel and williams 's exceptional performances , the film 's power lies in its complexity . nothing is black and white .
4656	pos	it says a lot about a filmmaker when he can be wacky without clobbering the audience over the head and still maintain a sense of urgency and suspense .
9089	neg	sometimes makes less sense than the bruckheimeresque american action flicks it emulates .
3912	pos	in xxx , diesel is that rare creature -- an action hero with table manners , and one who proves that elegance is more than tattoo deep .
9381	neg	these are textbook lives of quiet desperation .
2862	pos	robert harmon 's less-is-more approach delivers real bump-in -the-night chills -- his greatest triumph is keeping the creepy crawlies hidden in the film 's thick shadows .
4964	pos	this quiet , introspective and entertaining independent is worth seeking .
2869	pos	will you go ape over this movie ? well , it probably wo n't have you swinging from the trees hooting it 's praises , but it 's definitely worth taking a look .
7860	neg	an instant candidate for worst movie of the year .
9639	neg	comes across as a fairly weak retooling .
6008	neg	is anyone else out there getting tired of the whole slo-mo , double-pistoled , ballistic-pyrotechnic hong kong action aesthetic ?
8154	neg	i watched the brainless insanity of no such thing with mounting disbelief .
9843	neg	unspeakable , of course , barely begins to describe the plot and its complications . vulgar is too optimistic a title .
4797	pos	the unique niche of self-critical , behind-the-scenes navel-gazing kaufman has carved from orleans ' story and his own infinite insecurity is a work of outstanding originality .
3152	pos	if you grew up on scooby -- you 'll love this movie . matthew lillard is born to play shaggy !
3234	pos	despite its old-hat set-up and predictable plot , empire still has enough moments to keep it entertaining .
2504	pos	even if you 've seen `` stomp `` ( the stage show ) , you still have to see this !
8927	neg	crossroads feels like a teenybopper ed wood film , replete with the pubescent scandalous innuendo and the high-strung but flaccid drama .
112	pos	a mostly intelligent , engrossing and psychologically resonant suspenser .
8846	neg	the somber pacing and lack of dramatic fireworks make green dragon seem more like medicine than entertainment .
7220	neg	due to some script weaknesses and the casting of the director 's brother , the film trails off into inconsequentiality .
2240	pos	a smart , sassy and exceptionally charming romantic comedy .
9452	neg	the movie spends more time with schneider than with newcomer mcadams , even though her performance is more interesting ( and funnier ) than his .
10101	neg	a sustained fest of self-congratulation between actor and director that leaves scant place for the viewer .
4622	pos	colorful , energetic and sweetly whimsical . . . the rare sequel that 's better than its predecessor .
8545	neg	the good thing -- the only good thing -- about extreme ops is that it 's so inane that it gave me plenty of time to ponder my thanksgiving to-do list .
4947	pos	claude chabrol 's camera has a way of gently swaying back and forth as it cradles its characters , veiling tension beneath otherwise tender movements .
3763	pos	the film reminds me of a vastly improved germanic version of my big fat greek wedding -- with better characters , some genuine quirkiness and at least a measure of style . the difference is that i truly enjoyed most of mostly martha while i ne
609	pos	in the end , punch-drunk love is one of those films that i wanted to like much more than i actually did . sometimes , that 's enough .
5389	neg	a static and sugary little half-hour , after-school special about interfaith understanding , stretched out to 90 minutes .
7458	neg	this dramatically shaky contest of wills only reiterates the old hollywood saw : evil is interesting and good is boring .
8208	neg	the film makes a tragic error by going on for too long , trying to mirror every subsequent event in chinese history : war , revolution , communism , etc .
6060	neg	despite terrific special effects and funnier gags , harry potter and the chamber of secrets finds a way to make j . k . rowling 's marvelous series into a deadly bore .
7697	neg	a modest and messy metaphysical thriller offering more questions than answers .
5490	neg	occasionally loud and offensive , but more often , it simply lulls you into a gentle waking coma .
1011	pos	thoughtful , even stinging at times , and lots of fun .
8777	neg	lazily directed by charles stone iii . . . from a leaden script by matthew cirulnick and novelist thulani davis .
5743	neg	suffers from over-familiarity since hit-hungry british filmmakers have strip-mined the monty formula mercilessly since 1997 .
5518	neg	it gets bogged down by hit-and-miss topical humour before getting to the truly good stuff .
6350	neg	this bond film goes off the beaten path , not necessarily for the better .
9539	neg	the film is grossly contradictory in conveying its social message , if indeed there is one .
4433	pos	the film is an earnest try at beachcombing verismo , but it would be even more indistinct than it is were it not for the striking , quietly vulnerable personality of ms . ambrose .
5423	neg	skip the film and buy the philip glass soundtrack cd .
5546	neg	puts on airs of a hal hartley wannabe film -- without the vital comic ingredient of the hilarious writer-director himself .
10257	neg	disappointing in comparison to other recent war movies…or any other john woo flick for that matter .
3601	pos	a refreshingly realistic , affectation-free coming-of-age tale .
3201	pos	with wit and empathy to spare , waydowntown acknowledges the silent screams of workaday inertia but stops short of indulging its characters ' striving solipsism .
8030	neg	abandons all pretense of creating historical context and waltzes off into a hectic soap about the ups and downs of the heavy breathing between the two artists .
8145	neg	the plot is very clever , but boyd weighs it down with too many characters and events , all intertwined and far too complicated to keep track of .
7995	neg	madonna still ca n't act a lick .
5883	neg	a few pieces of the film buzz and whir ; very little of it actually clicks . the thing just never gets off the ground .
2309	pos	a funny and well-contructed black comedy where the old adage `` be careful what you wish for `` is given a full workout .
2352	pos	highly recommended as an engrossing story about a horrifying historical event and the elements which contributed to it .
6048	neg	a bit too eager to please .
1345	pos	psychologically savvy .
9503	neg	staggers between flaccid satire and what is supposed to be madcap farce .
9326	neg	a nearly 21/2 hours , the film is way too indulgent .
6923	neg	the idea of 49-year-old roberto benigni playing the wooden boy pinocchio is scary enough . the reality of the new live-action pinocchio he directed , cowrote and starred in borders on the grotesque .
4271	pos	a visual spectacle full of stunning images and effects .
9028	neg	there 's a persistent theatrical sentiment and a woozy quality to the manner of the storytelling , which undercuts the devastatingly telling impact of utter loss personified in the film 's simple title .
62	pos	disney has always been hit-or-miss when bringing beloved kids ' books to the screen . . . tuck everlasting is a little of both .
4133	pos	perhaps the grossest movie ever made . funny , though .
8850	neg	the whole thing 's fairly lame , making it par for the course for disney sequels .
9938	neg	the major problem with windtalkers is that the bulk of the movie centers on the wrong character .
3109	pos	the bottom line is the piece works brilliantly .
8105	neg	this kind of dark comedy requires a delicate , surgical touch . but director danny devito and screenwriter adam resnick ( remember cabin boy ? ) just pound away .
4326	pos	that jack nicholson makes this man so watchable is a tribute not only to his craft , but to his legend .
10244	neg	the country bears wastes an exceptionally good idea . but the movie that does n't really deliver for country music fans or for family audiences
5405	neg	earnest but heavy-handed .
8410	neg	disturbingly superficial in its approach to the material .
5808	neg	. . . what a banal bore the preachy circuit turns out to be
5432	neg	narratively , trouble every day is a plodding mess .
3598	pos	[ has ] an immediacy and an intimacy that sucks you in and dares you not to believe it 's all true .
10624	neg	no surprises .
10313	neg	the threat implied in the title pokémon 4ever is terrifying – like locusts in a horde these things will keep coming .
8026	neg	[ nelson 's ] movie about morally compromised figures leaves viewers feeling compromised , unable to find their way out of the fog and the ashes .
6405	neg	too stagey , talky -- and long -- for its own good .
9240	neg	it 's a lot to ask people to sit still for two hours and change watching such a character , especially when rendered in as flat and impassive a manner as phoenix 's .
1720	pos	a gem of a romantic crime comedy that turns out to be clever , amusing and unpredictable .
145	pos	far from perfect , but its heart is in the right place . . . innocent and well-meaning .
10266	neg	it desperately wants to be a wacky , screwball comedy , but the most screwy thing here is how so many talented people were convinced to waste their time .
1626	pos	the grey zone gives voice to a story that needs to be heard in the sea of holocaust movies . . . but the film suffers from its own difficulties .
7934	neg	while the film shuns the glamour or glitz that an american movie might demand , scherfig tosses us a romantic scenario that is just as simplistic as a hollywood production .
8712	neg	though harris is affecting at times , he can not overcome the sense that pumpkin is a mere plot pawn for two directors with far less endearing disabilities .
7654	neg	feeble comedy .
1062	pos	it provides the grand , intelligent entertainment of a superior cast playing smart people amid a compelling plot .
6234	neg	the script is high on squaddie banter , low on shocks .
5779	neg	yet another iteration of what 's become one of the movies ' creepiest conventions , in which the developmentally disabled are portrayed with almost supernatural powers to humble , teach and ultimately redeem their mentally `` superior `` friends , family . . .
2519	pos	beautifully crafted and cooly unsettling . . . recreates the atmosphere of the crime expertly .
3069	pos	a chilling movie without oppressive gore .
2054	pos	it provides a grim , upsetting glimpse at the lives of some of the 1 . 2 million palestinians who live in the crowded cities and refugee camps of gaza .
1873	pos	as an introduction to the man 's theories and influence , derrida is all but useless ; as a portrait of the artist as an endlessly inquisitive old man , however , it 's invaluable .
810	pos	earns its laughs from stock redneck 'types ' and from the many , many moments when we recognize even without the elizabethan prose , the play behind the thing .
969	pos	this is n't a narrative film -- i do n't know if it 's possible to make a narrative film about september 11th , though i 'm sure some will try -- but it 's as close as anyone has dared to come .
3031	pos	a glorious mess .
629	pos	the movie addresses a hungry need for pg-rated , nonthreatening family movies , but it does n't go too much further .
8772	neg	this is cruel , misanthropic stuff with only weak claims to surrealism and black comedy .
3043	pos	the new insomnia is a surprisingly faithful remake of its chilly predecessor , and when it does elect to head off in its own direction , it employs changes that fit it well rather than ones that were imposed for the sake of commercial sensibilities .
5105	pos	the art direction and costumes are gorgeous and finely detailed , and kurys ' direction is clever and insightful .
8849	neg	this strenuously unfunny showtime deserves the hook .
5351	neg	the execution is so pedestrian that the most positive comment we can make is that rob schneider actually turns in a pretty convincing performance as a prissy teenage girl .
8303	neg	like those to rome , all roads in the banger sisters inevitably lead to a joke about hawn 's breasts , which constantly threaten to upstage the woman sporting them .
8016	neg	despite some gulps the film is a fuzzy huggy .
5153	pos	the attraction between these two marginal characters is complex from the start -- and , refreshingly , stays that way .
6389	neg	a cautionary tale about the folly of superficiality that is itself endlessly superficial .
6552	neg	an authentically vague , but ultimately purposeless , study in total pandemonium .
6442	neg	boyd 's screenplay ( co-written with guardian hack nick davies ) has a florid turn of phrase that owes more to guy ritchie than the bard of avon .
1774	pos	the date movie that franz kafka would have made .
4687	pos	the more you think about the movie , the more you will probably like it .
8210	neg	ultimately the project comes across as clinical , detached , uninvolving , possibly prompting audience members to wonder , 'what 's the point ? '
3772	pos	it 's a fairy tale that comes from a renowned indian film culture that allows americans to finally revel in its splendor .
3148	pos	changing lanes is an anomaly for a hollywood movie ; it 's a well-written and occasionally challenging social drama that actually has something interesting to say .
9121	neg	the sweetest thing leaves an awful sour taste .
8295	neg	warmed-over tarantino by way of wannabe elmore leonard .
2064	pos	a fascinating documentary that provides a rounded and revealing overview of this ancient holistic healing system
924	pos	sensitive , insightful and beautifully rendered film . one of the best of the year .
5806	neg	tries to work in the same vein as the brilliance of animal house but instead comes closer to the failure of the third revenge of the nerds sequel .
1247	pos	a tender , heartfelt family drama .
8651	neg	would benigni 's italian pinocchio have been any easier to sit through than this hastily dubbed disaster ?
5219	pos	i 'd rather watch a rerun of the powerpuff girls
7693	neg	the cartoon is about as true to the spirit of the festival of lights as mr . deeds was to that of frank capra .
1796	pos	its sheer dynamism is infectious .
9645	neg	a sugar-coated rocky whose valuable messages are forgotten 10 minutes after the last trombone honks .
2424	pos	though frodo 's quest remains unfulfilled , a hardy group of determined new zealanders has proved its creative mettle .
10089	neg	in the not-too-distant future , movies like ghost ship will be used as analgesic balm for overstimulated minds . right now , they 're merely signposts marking the slow , lingering death of imagination .
677	pos	a breezy , diverting , conventional , well-acted tale of two men locked in an ongoing game of cat-and-cat .
10262	neg	the film is way too full of itself ; it 's stuffy and pretentious in a give-me-an-oscar kind of way .
3769	pos	a lovely film for the holiday season .
2682	pos	stands as a document of what it felt like to be a new yorker -- or , really , to be a human being -- in the weeks after 9/11 .
1703	pos	it 's good , hard-edged stuff , violent and a bit exploitative but also nicely done , morally alert and street-smart .
3719	pos	an effective portrait of a life in stasis -- of the power of inertia to arrest development in a dead-end existence .
1239	pos	ruzowitzky has taken this mothball-y stuff and made a rather sturdy , old-fashioned entertainment out of it .
5972	neg	a sour attempt at making a farrelly brothers-style , down-and-dirty laugher for the female set .
2137	pos	a sly female empowerment movie , although not in a way anyone would expect .
834	pos	. . . a sour little movie at its core ; an exploration of the emptiness that underlay the relentless gaiety of the 1920 's . . . the film 's ending has a `` what was it all for ? `` feeling to it , but like the 1920 's , the trip there is a great deal of fun .
6969	neg	the plot convolutions ultimately add up to nothing more than jerking the audience 's chain .
9677	neg	all too familiar . . . basically the sort of cautionary tale that was old when 'angels with dirty faces ' appeared in 1938 .
901	pos	a stunning piece of visual poetry that will , hopefully , be remembered as one of the most important stories to be told in australia 's film history .
7402	neg	if you think that jennifer lopez has shown poor judgment in planning to marry ben affleck , wait till you see maid in manhattan .
1859	pos	rabbit-proof fence will probably make you angry . but it will just as likely make you weep , and it will do so in a way that does n't make you feel like a sucker .
2861	pos	what it lacks in substance it makes up for in heart .
8924	neg	. . . the picture 's cleverness is ironically muted by the very people who are intended to make it shine .
8989	neg	very stupid and annoying .
10638	neg	more intellectually scary than dramatically involving .
4913	pos	it was filled with shootings , beatings , and more cussing than you could shake a stick at .
7168	neg	[ serry ] wants to blend politics and drama , an admirable ambition . it 's too bad that the helping hand he uses to stir his ingredients is also a heavy one .
5246	pos	less cinematically powerful than quietly and deeply moving , which is powerful in itself .
2482	pos	a gorgeously strange movie , heaven is deeply concerned with morality , but it refuses to spell things out for viewers .
8070	neg	this extremely unfunny film clocks in at 80 minutes , but feels twice as long .
1745	pos	i stopped thinking about how good it all was , and started doing nothing but reacting to it - feeling a part of its grand locations , thinking urgently as the protagonists struggled , feeling at the mercy of its inventiveness , gasping at its visual delights .
3023	pos	an engaging criminal romp that will have viewers guessing just who 's being conned right up to the finale .
737	pos	barney has created a tour de force that is weird , wacky and wonderful .
787	pos	that rara avis : the intelligent romantic comedy with actual ideas on its mind .
1386	pos	. . . a good , if not entirely fresh , look at war .
9891	neg	one of the most depressing movie-going experiences i can think of is to sit through about 90 minutes of a so-called 'comedy ' and not laugh once .
5447	neg	j . lo will earn her share of the holiday box office pie , although this movie makes one thing perfectly clear : she 's a pretty woman , but she 's no working girl .
4765	pos	i liked a lot of the smaller scenes .
7527	neg	alex nohe 's documentary plays like a travelogue for what mostly resembles a real-life , big-budget nc-17 version of tank girl .
3849	pos	works because reno does n't become smug or sanctimonious towards the audience .
165	pos	a well-made thriller with a certain level of intelligence and non-reactionary morality .
9941	neg	the entire point of a shaggy dog story , of course , is that it goes nowhere , and this is classic nowheresville in every sense .
9657	neg	merchant has n't directed this movie so much as produced it -- like sausage .
5618	neg	it throws quirky characters , odd situations , and off-kilter dialogue at us , all as if to say , `` look at this ! this is an interesting movie ! `` but the film itself is ultimately quite unengaging .
8004	neg	sensitive though not quite revelatory documentary .
4134	pos	this 90-minute postmodern voyage was more diverting and thought-provoking than i 'd expected it to be .
1208	pos	thanks to scott 's charismatic roger and eisenberg 's sweet nephew , roger dodger is one of the most compelling variations on in the company of men .
2605	pos	the film presents visceral and dangerously honest revelations about the men and machines behind the curtains of our planet .
2382	pos	a movie that 's just plain awful but still manages to entertain on a guilty-pleasure , so-bad-it's-funny level .
3453	pos	for decades we 've marveled at disney 's rendering of water , snow , flames and shadows in a hand-drawn animated world . prepare to marvel again .
10367	neg	it 's an odd show , pregnant with moods , stillborn except as a harsh conceptual exercise .
10284	neg	novak contemplates a heartland so overwhelmed by its lack of purpose that it seeks excitement in manufactured high drama .
9922	neg	like a fish that 's lived too long , austin powers in goldmember has some unnecessary parts and is kinda wrong in places .
2863	pos	genuinely unnerving .
6388	neg	unless you 're a fanatic , the best advice is : 'scooby ' do n't .
3420	pos	a wild ride of a movie that keeps throwing fastballs .
6018	neg	lawrence should stick to his day job . he 's a better actor than a standup comedian .
1827	pos	it made me want to get made-up and go see this movie with my sisters . i thought the relationships were wonderful , the comedy was funny , and the love 'real ' .
8895	neg	`` freaky friday , `` it 's not .
5347	neg	nothing here seems as funny as it did in analyze this , not even joe viterelli as de niro 's right-hand goombah .
9579	neg	after an hour and a half of wondering -- sometimes amusedly , sometimes impatiently -- just what this strenuously unconventional movie is supposed to be , you discover that the answer is as conventional as can be .
9540	neg	often lingers just as long on the irrelevant as on the engaging , which gradually turns what time is it there ? into how long is this movie ?
446	pos	well-written , nicely acted and beautifully shot and scored , the film works on several levels , openly questioning social mores while ensnaring the audience with its emotional pull .
9936	neg	it 's hard to believe that something so short could be so flabby .
6167	neg	a frustrating 'tweener ' -- too slick , contrived and exploitative for the art houses and too cynical , small and decadent for the malls .
8197	neg	dialogue-heavy and too cerebral for its own good -- or , at any rate , too cerebral for its racy subject matter .
5952	neg	it 's pretentious in a way that verges on the amateurish .
8165	neg	it feels like a community theater production of a great broadway play : even at its best , it will never hold a candle to the original .
7160	neg	a noble failure .
3502	pos	we do get the distinct impression that this franchise is drawing to a close .
5856	neg	at no point during k-19 : the widowmaker did this viewer feel enveloped in a story that , though meant to be universal in its themes of loyalty , courage and dedication to a common goal , never seems to leave the lot .
2345	pos	triple x is a double agent , and he 's one bad dude . when you 've got the wildly popular vin diesel in the equation , it adds up to big box office bucks all but guaranteed .
6373	neg	an ambitious , serious film that manages to do virtually everything wrong ; sitting through it is something akin to an act of cinematic penance .
5468	neg	the director and her capable cast appear to be caught in a heady whirl of new age-inspired good intentions , but the spell they cast is n't the least bit mesmerizing .
8448	neg	[ evans is ] a fascinating character , and deserves a better vehicle than this facetious smirk of a movie .
864	pos	is it a total success ? no . is it something any true film addict will want to check out ? you bet .
8357	neg	oft-described as the antidote to american pie-type sex comedies , it actually has a bundle in common with them , as the film diffuses every opportunity for a breakthrough
8025	neg	home alone goes hollywood , a funny premise until the kids start pulling off stunts not even steven spielberg would know how to do . besides , real movie producers are n't this nice .
4578	pos	open-ended and composed of layer upon layer , talk to her is a cinephile 's feast , an invitation to countless interpretations .
7565	neg	could the whole plan here have been to produce something that makes fatal attraction look like a classic by comparison ? that 's the only sane rationale i can think of for swimfan 's existence .
7633	neg	just plain silly .
4139	pos	jackson tries to keep the plates spinning as best he can , but all the bouncing back and forth ca n't help but become a bit tedious -- even with the breathtaking landscapes and villainous varmints there to distract you from the ricocheting .
9781	neg	none of this sounds promising and , indeed , the first half of sorority boys is as appalling as any 'comedy ' to ever spill from a projector 's lens .
8382	neg	if this dud had been made in the '70s , it would have been called the hills have antlers and played for about three weeks in drive-ins .
2423	pos	inherently caustic and oddly whimsical , the film chimes in on the grieving process and strangely draws the audience into the unexplainable pain and eccentricities that are attached to the concept of loss .
5134	pos	`` what really happened ? `` is a question for philosophers , not filmmakers ; all the filmmakers need to do is engage an audience .
9998	neg	a weird little movie that 's amusing enough while you watch it , offering fine acting moments and pungent insights into modern l . a . 's show-biz and media subcultures . but it does n't leave you with much .
5421	neg	a portrait of alienation so perfect , it will certainly succeed in alienating most viewers .
372	pos	i whole-heartedly recommend that everyone see this movie -- for its historical significance alone .
1983	pos	despite besson 's high-profile name being wasabi 's big selling point , there is no doubt that krawczyk deserves a huge amount of the credit for the film 's thoroughly winning tone .
7073	neg	like all abstract art , the film does not make this statement in an easily accessible way , and -- unless prewarned -- it would be very possible for a reasonably intelligent person to sit through its tidal wave of imagery and not get this vision at all .
2726	pos	the powerful success of read my lips with such provocative material shows why , after only three films , director/co-writer jacques audiard , though little known in this country , belongs in the very top rank of french filmmakers .
1009	pos	a blessed gift to film geeks and historians . if the '70 's were your idea of a good time at the movies , this will make you very happy .
1847	pos	an unforgettable look at morality , family , and social expectation through the prism of that omnibus tradition called marriage .
7138	neg	this piece of channel 5 grade trash is , quite frankly , an insult to the intelligence of the true genre enthusiast .
9745	neg	its juxtaposition of overwrought existentialism and stomach-churning gore will have you forever on the verge of either cracking up or throwing up .
4176	pos	massoud 's story is an epic , but also a tragedy , the record of a tenacious , humane fighter who was also the prisoner ( and ultimately the victim ) of history .
6272	neg	hope keeps arising that the movie will live up to the apparent skills of its makers and the talents of its actors , but it does n't .
8138	neg	the kids often appear to be reading the lines and are incapable of conveying any emotion .
6469	neg	in addition to the overcooked , ham-fisted direction , which has all the actors reaching for the back row , the dialogue sounds like horrible poetry .
4906	pos	my little eye is the best little `` horror `` movie i 've seen in years .
2555	pos	a stirring road movie .
10653	neg	despite juliet stevenon 's attempt to bring cohesion to pamela 's emotional roller coaster life , it is not enough to give the film the substance it so desperately needs .
5254	pos	although i did n't hate this one , it 's not very good either . it can be safely recommended as a video/dvd babysitter .
4652	pos	norton is magnetic as graham .
1477	pos	if you 're in the mood for a bollywood film , here 's one for you .
9496	neg	this pathetic junk is barely an hour long . nevertheless , it still seems endless .
10158	neg	the first mistake , i suspect , is casting shatner as a legendary professor and kunis as a brilliant college student -- where 's pauly shore as the rocket scientist ?
6435	neg	. . . the story simply putters along looking for astute observations and coming up blank .
7638	neg	scene-by-scene , things happen , but you 'd be hard-pressed to say what or why .
768	pos	a startling and fresh examination of how the bike still remains an ambiguous icon in chinese society .
296	pos	legendary irish writer brendan behan 's memoir , borstal boy , has been given a loving screen transferral .
5202	pos	. it 's a testament to the film 's considerable charm that it succeeds in entertaining , despite playing out like a feature-length sitcom replete with stereotypical familial quandaries . there 's a sheer unbridled delight in the way the story unfurls . . .
5498	neg	this movie . . . does n't deserve the energy it takes to describe how bad it is .
10198	neg	in moonlight mile , no one gets shut out of the hug cycle .
8421	neg	distances you by throwing out so many red herrings , so many false scares , that the genuine ones barely register .
5398	neg	. . . plays like a badly edited , 91-minute trailer ( and ) the director ca n't seem to get a coherent rhythm going . in fact , it does n't even seem like she tried .
4017	pos	there is a welcome lack of pretension about the film , which very simply sets out to entertain and ends up delivering in good measure .
7397	neg	tadpole is emblematic of the witless ageism afflicting films : young is cool , and too young is too cool .
1180	pos	all in all , the count of monte cristo is okay , but it is surely no classic , like the novel upon which it is based .
4792	pos	even if it pushes its agenda too forcefully , this remains a film about something , one that attempts and often achieves a level of connection and concern .
1516	pos	what distinguishes time of favor from countless other thrillers is its underlying concern with the consequences of words and with the complicated emotions fueling terrorist acts .
5337	neg	about the only thing to give the movie points for is bravado -- to take an entirely stale concept and push it through the audience 's meat grinder one more time .
824	pos	occasionally funny , always very colorful and enjoyably overblown in the traditional almodóvar style .
9722	neg	each story is built on a potentially interesting idea , but the first two are ruined by amateurish writing and acting , while the third feels limited by its short running time .
5446	neg	beautifully filmed and well acted . . . but admittedly problematic in its narrative specifics .
8584	neg	it 's refreshing that someone understands the need for the bad boy ; diesel , with his brawny frame and cool , composed delivery , fits the bill perfectly .
5829	neg	there are now two signs that m . night shyamalan 's debut feature sucked up all he has to give to the mystic genres of cinema : unbreakable and signs .
8430	neg	the dose is strong and funny , for the first 15 minutes anyway ; after that , the potency wanes dramatically .
8417	neg	jaw-droppingly superficial , straining to get by on humor that is not even as daring as john ritter 's glory days on three 's company .
1772	pos	wilco fans will have a great time , and the movie should win the band a few new converts , too .
10399	neg	the story alone could force you to scratch a hole in your head .
9714	neg	yes , spirited away is a triumph of imagination , but it 's also a failure of storytelling .
6585	neg	a technical triumph and an extraordinary bore .
5670	neg	the movie is loaded with good intentions , but in his zeal to squeeze the action and our emotions into the all-too-familiar dramatic arc of the holocaust escape story , minac drains his movie of all individuality .
10053	neg	it 's absolutely amazing how first-time director kevin donovan managed to find something new to add to the canon of chan . make chan 's action sequences boring .
8703	neg	to the vast majority of more casual filmgoers , it will probably be a talky bore .
3186	pos	at its best ( and it does have some very funny sequences ) looking for leonard reminds you just how comically subversive silence can be .
10309	neg	there 's no disguising this as one of the worst films of the summer . or for the year , for that matter .
6298	neg	for all the charm of kevin kline and a story that puts old-fashioned values under the microscope , there 's something creepy about this movie .
2611	pos	featherweight romantic comedy has a few nice twists in a standard plot and the charisma of hugh grant and sandra bullock .
497	pos	a sensitive and expertly acted crowd-pleaser that is n't above a little broad comedy and a few unabashedly sentimental tears .
2604	pos	fans of critics ' darling band wilco will marvel at the sometimes murky , always brooding look of i am trying to break your heart .
5157	pos	has enough wit , energy and geniality to please not only the fanatical adherents on either side , but also people who know nothing about the subject and think they 're not interested .
141	pos	it is intensely personal and yet -- unlike quills -- deftly shows us the temper of the times .
2937	pos	about a boy vividly recalls the cary grant of room for one more , houseboat and father goose in its affectionate depiction of the gentle war between a reluctant , irresponsible man and the kid who latches onto him .
1582	pos	the leaping story line , shaped by director peter kosminsky into sharp slivers and cutting impressions , shows all the signs of rich detail condensed into a few evocative images and striking character traits .
8192	neg	secret ballot is too contemplative to be really funny .
1230	pos	rare birds has more than enough charm to make it memorable .
7179	neg	dull , lifeless , and amateurishly assembled .
1183	pos	' . . . mafia , rap stars and hood rats butt their ugly heads in a regurgitation of cinematic violence that gives brutal birth to an unlikely , but likable , hero . '
8863	neg	it 's exactly the kind of movie toback 's detractors always accuse him of making .
2647	pos	leigh succeeds in delivering a dramatic slap in the face that 's simultaneously painful and refreshing .
7176	neg	the problem with this film is that it lacks focus . i sympathize with the plight of these families , but the movie does n't do a very good job conveying the issue at hand .
1033	pos	escapism in its purest form .
7538	neg	the movie feels like it 's going to be great , and it carries on feeling that way for a long time , but takeoff just never happens .
662	pos	for its seriousness , high literary aspirations and stunning acting , the film can only be applauded .
485	pos	never [ sinks ] into exploitation .
9794	neg	with its lackadaisical plotting and mindless action , all about the benjamins evokes the bottom tier of blaxploitation flicks from the 1970s .
9077	neg	de niro cries . you 'll cry for your money back .
1045	pos	uses sharp humor and insight into human nature to examine class conflict , adolescent yearning , the roots of friendship and sexual identity .
4430	pos	too much of storytelling moves away from solondz 's social critique , casting its audience as that of intellectual lector in contemplation of the auteur 's professional injuries .
4432	pos	the music makes a nice album , the food is enticing and italy beckons us all .
1733	pos	filled with honest performances and exceptional detail , baran is a gentle film with dramatic punch , a haunting ode to humanity .
10403	neg	some motion pictures portray ultimate passion ; others create ultimate thrills . men in black ii achieves ultimate insignificance -- it 's the sci-fi comedy spectacle as whiffle-ball epic .
10075	neg	more precious than perspicacious
7093	neg	a dumb movie with dumb characters doing dumb things and you have to be really dumb not to see where this is going .
9948	neg	unfortunately , contrived plotting , stereotyped characters and woo 's over-the-top instincts as a director undermine the moral dilemma at the movie 's heart .
3583	pos	fred schepisi 's tale of four englishmen facing the prospect of their own mortality views youthful affluence not as a lost ideal but a starting point .
7975	neg	another rent installment for the ian fleming estate .
1600	pos	the story . . . is inspiring , ironic , and revelatory of just how ridiculous and money-oriented the record industry really is . it is also a testament to the integrity and vision of the band .
1040	pos	although it 's a bit smug and repetitive , this documentary engages your brain in a way few current films do .
2577	pos	a sentimental but entirely irresistible portrait of three aging sisters .
7444	neg	chao was chen kaige 's assistant for years in china . he has not learnt that storytelling is what the movies are about .
10556	neg	diaz , applegate , blair and posey are suitably kooky which should appeal to women and they strip down often enough to keep men alert , if not amused .
8383	neg	a frantic search for laughs , with a hit-to-miss ratio that does n't exactly favour the audience .
7246	neg	while there 's something intrinsically funny about sir anthony hopkins saying 'get in the car , bitch , ' this jerry bruckheimer production has little else to offer
2473	pos	a sun-drenched masterpiece , part parlor game , part psychological case study , part droll social satire .
471	pos	although very much like the first movie based on j . k . rowling 's phenomenal fantasy best sellers , this second go-round possesses a quite pleasing , headlong thrust and a likably delinquent attitude .
10118	neg	what begins brightly gets bogged down over 140 minutes .
1408	pos	not since japanese filmmaker akira kurosawa 's ran have the savagery of combat and the specter of death been visualized with such operatic grandeur .
9347	neg	too infuriatingly quirky and taken with its own style .
9672	neg	. curiously , super troopers suffers because it does n't have enough vices to merit its 103-minute length .
7066	neg	the script is n't very good ; not even someone as gifted as hoffman ( the actor ) can make it work .
2956	pos	because the genre is well established , what makes the movie fresh is smart writing , skewed characters , and the title performance by kieran culkin .
8764	neg	plods along , minus the twisted humor and eye-popping visuals that have made miike . . . a cult hero .
1630	pos	time out is existential drama without any of the pretension associated with the term .
4428	pos	'almodóvar logra un filme entrañable , lleno de compasión , comprensión , amor , amistad , esperanza y humanidad que es sencillamente inolvidable . '
5024	pos	there is a real subject here , and it is handled with intelligence and care .
10303	neg	the movie 's downfall is to substitute plot for personality . it does n't really know or care about the characters , and uses them as markers for a series of preordained events .
7702	neg	mocking kung fu pictures when they were a staple of exploitation theater programming was witty . mocking them now is an exercise in pointlessness .
1350	pos	not since tom cruise in risky business has an actor made such a strong impression in his underwear .
2044	pos	it 's the perfect star vehicle for grant , allowing him to finally move away from his usual bumbling , tongue-tied screen persona .
1276	pos	although jackson is doubtless reserving the darkest hours for the return of the king , we long for a greater sense of urgency in the here and now of the two towers .
6954	neg	this directorial debut from music video show-off higuchinsky is all flash .
658	pos	while undercover brother is definitely one for the masses , it 's also full of sharp , smart satire .
10635	neg	a film that plays things so nice 'n safe as to often play like a milquetoast movie of the week blown up for the big screen .
3747	pos	rifkin 's references are . . . impeccable throughout .
3284	pos	more of the same from taiwanese auteur tsai ming-liang , which is good news to anyone who 's fallen under the sweet , melancholy spell of this unique director 's previous films .
9246	neg	a dreary indulgence .
10394	neg	what we get in feardotcom is more like something from a bad clive barker movie . in other words , it 's badder than bad .
2632	pos	a haunting tale of murder and mayhem .
10145	neg	the niftiest trick perpetrated by the importance of being earnest is the alchemical transmogrification of wilde into austen -- and a hollywood-ized austen at that .
9740	neg	like schindler 's list , the grey zone attempts to be grandiloquent , but ends up merely pretentious -- in a grisly sort of way .
4157	pos	like the best 60 minutes exposé , the film ( at 80 minutes ) is actually quite entertaining .
3512	pos	alternates between deadpan comedy and heartbreaking loneliness and is n't afraid to provoke introspection in both its characters and its audience .
6780	neg	a perfect example of rancid , well-intentioned , but shamelessly manipulative movie making .
6739	neg	your appreciation of it will depend on what experiences you bring to it and what associations you choose to make .
6466	neg	this movie feel more like a non-stop cry for attention , than an attempt at any kind of satisfying entertainment .
1924	pos	family portrait of need , neurosis and nervy negativity is a rare treat that shows the promise of digital filmmaking .
8675	neg	as a director , eastwood is off his game -- there 's no real sense of suspense , and none of the plot 'surprises ' are really surprising .
1597	pos	high crimes steals so freely from other movies and combines enough disparate types of films that it ca n't help but engage an audience .
6122	neg	works on the whodunit level as its larger themes get lost in the murk of its own making
6995	neg	scores no points for originality , wit , or intelligence . it 's a cookie-cutter movie , a cut-and-paste job .
5026	pos	noyce creates a film of near-hypnotic physical beauty even as he tells a story as horrifying as any in the heart-breakingly extensive annals of white-on-black racism .
1779	pos	a solid and refined piece of moviemaking imbued with passion and attitude .
107	pos	4 friends , 2 couples , 2000 miles , and all the pabst blue ribbon beer they can drink - it 's the ultimate redneck road-trip .
4310	pos	tells a fascinating , compelling story .
2357	pos	photographed with melancholy richness and eloquently performed yet also decidedly uncinematic .
9577	neg	the film does n't really care about the thousands of americans who die hideously , it cares about how ryan meets his future wife and makes his start at the cia .
3687	pos	captures the raw comic energy of one of our most flamboyant female comics .
409	pos	starts off with a bang , but then fizzles like a wet stick of dynamite at the very end . it 's still worth a look .
9664	neg	a listless sci-fi comedy in which eddie murphy deploys two guises and elaborate futuristic sets to no particularly memorable effect .
3716	pos	it trusts the story it sets out to tell .
1770	pos	same song , second verse , coulda been better , but it coulda been worse .
6833	neg	buries an interesting storyline about morality and the choices we make underneath such a mountain of clichés and borrowed images that it might more accurately be titled mr . chips off the old block .
2379	pos	my big fat greek wedding is that rare animal known as 'a perfect family film , ' because it 's about family .
4242	pos	a hidden-agenda drama that shouts classic french nuance .
1964	pos	a fantastically vital movie that manages to invest real humor , sensuality , and sympathy into a story about two adolescent boys .
9706	neg	a distinctly minor effort that will be seen to better advantage on cable , especially considering its barely feature-length running time of one hour .
694	pos	reinforces the often forgotten fact of the world 's remarkably varying human population and mindset , and its capacity to heal using creative , natural and ancient antidotes .
5688	neg	irwin and his director never come up with an adequate reason why we should pay money for what we can get on television for free .
1210	pos	it 's the chemistry between the women and the droll scene-stealing wit and wolfish pessimism of anna chancellor that makes this `` two weddings and a funeral `` fun .
10193	neg	in a big corner office in hell , satan is throwing up his hands in surrender , is firing his r & d people , and has decided he will just screen the master of disguise 24/7 .
531	pos	i love the way that it took chances and really asks you to take these great leaps of faith and pays off .
10443	neg	the only type of lives this glossy comedy-drama resembles are ones in formulaic mainstream movies .
9720	neg	the milieu is wholly unconvincing . . . and the histrionics reach a truly annoying pitch .
3530	pos	a film with contemporary political resonance illustrated by a winning family story .
6883	neg	the iditarod lasts for days - this just felt like it did .
3930	pos	an eloquent , reflective and beautifully acted meditation on both the profoundly devastating events of one year ago and the slow , painful healing process that has followed in their wake .
5088	pos	the picture 's fascinating byways are littered with trenchant satirical jabs at the peculiar egocentricities of the acting breed .
325	pos	those who would follow haneke on his creepy explorations . . . are rewarded by brutal , committed performances from huppert and magimel .
6811	neg	cinematic pyrotechnics aside , the only thing avary seems to care about are mean giggles and pulchritude . it makes sense that he went back to school to check out the girls -- his film is a frat boy 's idea of a good time .
2112	pos	you wo n't have any trouble getting kids to eat up these veggies .
2586	pos	refreshing .
3213	pos	although what time offers tsai 's usual style and themes , it has a more colorful , more playful tone than his other films .
3798	pos	the chateau is a risky venture that never quite goes where you expect and often surprises you with unexpected comedy .
6002	neg	the emperor 's club is one of those films that possesses all the good intentions in the world , but . . .
8889	neg	the characters are interesting and the relationship between yosuke and saeko is worth watching as it develops , but there 's not enough to the story to fill two hours .
812	pos	it 's absolutely spooky how lillard channels the shagster right down to the original casey kasem-furnished voice .
243	pos	the additional storyline is interesting and entertaining , but it does n't have the same magical quality as the beginning of the story . i like the new footage and still love the old stuff .
1532	pos	oscar wilde 's masterpiece , the importance of being earnest , may be the best play of the 19th century . it 's so good that its relentless , polished wit can withstand not only inept school productions , but even oliver parker 's movie adaptation .
8499	neg	nothing more than a stifling morality tale dressed up in peekaboo clothing .
2635	pos	one of the best rock documentaries ever . wilco is a phenomenal band with such an engrossing story that will capture the minds and hearts of many .
794	pos	a work of intricate elegance , literary lyricism and profound common sense .
2925	pos	suspend your disbelief here and now , or you 'll be shaking your head all the way to the credits .
4598	pos	contrasting the original ringu with the current americanized adaptation is akin to comparing the evil dead with evil dead ii
9769	neg	often likable , but just as often it 's meandering , low on energy , and too eager to be quirky at moments when a little old-fashioned storytelling would come in handy .
5160	pos	works as pretty contagious fun .
3106	pos	[ d ] espite its familiar subject matter , ice age is consistently amusing and engrossing . . .
3029	pos	tully is in many ways the perfect festival film : a calm , self-assured portrait of small town regret , love , duty and friendship that appeals to the storytelling instincts of a slightly more literate filmgoing audience .
7762	neg	the furious coherence that [ deniro ] brings to this part only underscores the fuzzy sentimentality of the movie itself , which feels , as it plods toward the end , less like a movie than like the filmed reading of a script in need of polishing .
6815	neg	feels less like a cousin to blade runner than like a bottom-feeder sequel in the escape from new york series .
3338	pos	this is one of the year 's best films .
3988	pos	aniston has at last decisively broken with her friends image in an independent film of satiric fire and emotional turmoil .
8890	neg	very well made , but does n't generate a lot of tension .
8058	neg	instead of kicking off the intrigue and suspense and mystery of the whole thing , hart 's war , like the st . louis rams in the super bowl , waits until after halftime to get started .
6864	neg	the techno tux is good for a few laughs , as are chan and hewitt , but when such a good design turns out to be a cheap knockoff , we ca n't recommend anything but a rental for the tuxedo .
7463	neg	scarlet diva has a voyeuristic tug , but all in all it 's a lot less sensational than it wants to be .
512	pos	sure , it 's more of the same , but as the film proves , that 's not always a bad thing .
5415	neg	deadly dull , pointless meditation on losers in a gone-to-seed hotel .
3919	pos	deep intelligence and a warm , enveloping affection breathe out of every frame .
2909	pos	it 's mildly entertaining , especially if you find comfort in familiarity . but it 's hardly a necessary enterprise .
5896	neg	woody allen has really found his groove these days . the problem is that it is one that allows him to churn out one mediocre movie after another .
754	pos	a worthy tribute to a great humanitarian and her vibrant 'co-stars . '
8061	neg	maudlin and melodramatic we expected . boring we did n't .
6211	neg	big fat liar is little more than home alone raised to a new , self-deprecating level .
1595	pos	i encourage young and old alike to go see this unique and entertaining twist on the classic whale 's tale -- you wo n't be sorry !
4685	pos	both garcia and jagger turn in perfectly executed and wonderfully sympathetic characters , who are alternately touching and funny .
5095	pos	satisfyingly scarifying , fresh and old-fashioned at the same time .
31	pos	a masterful film from a master filmmaker , unique in its deceptive grimness , compelling in its fatalist worldview .
7441	neg	literally nothing in the pool is new , but if you grew up on the stalker flicks of the 1980 's this one should appease you for 90 minutes .
7805	neg	theology aside , why put someone who ultimately does n't learn at the center of a kids ' story ?
6941	neg	while [ hill ] has learned new tricks , the tricks alone are not enough to salvage this lifeless boxing film .
9931	neg	it looks good , but it is essentially empty .
10401	neg	it 's supposed to be a humorous , all-too-human look at how hope can breed a certain kind of madness -- and strength -- but it never quite adds up .
837	pos	eight crazy nights is a showcase for sandler 's many talents .
8872	neg	collapses under its own meager weight .
10167	neg	flat , misguided comedy .
9811	neg	meticulously mounted , exasperatingly well-behaved film , which ticks off kahlo 's lifetime milestones with the dutiful precision of a tax accountant .
8168	neg	it 's the kind of movie you ca n't quite recommend because it is all windup and not much of a pitch , yet you ca n't bring yourself to dislike it .
4021	pos	tackles the difficult subject of grief and loss with such life-embracing spirit that the theme does n't drag an audience down .
5637	neg	this is the sort of low-grade dreck that usually goes straight to video -- with a lousy script , inept direction , pathetic acting , poorly dubbed dialogue and murky cinematography , complete with visible boom mikes .
10311	neg	this hastily mounted production exists only to capitalize on hopkins ' inclination to play hannibal lecter again , even though harris has no immediate inclination to provide a fourth book .
7904	neg	often silly and gross but it 's rarely as moronic as some campus gross-out films .
9062	neg	this is the kind of movie where people who have never picked a lock do so easily after a few tries and become expert fighters after a few weeks .
7507	neg	i 've heard that the fans of the first men in black have come away hating the second one . i wonder why . they felt like the same movie to me .
10300	neg	why sit through a crummy , wannabe-hip crime comedy that refers incessantly to old movies , when you could just rent those movies instead , let alone seek out a respectable new one ?
9296	neg	it 's the funniest american comedy since graffiti bridge .
5374	neg	analyze that regurgitates and waters down many of the previous film 's successes , with a few new swings thrown in .
2584	pos	it must be the end of the world : the best film so far this year is a franchise sequel starring wesley snipes .
2041	pos	an honest , sensitive story from a vietnamese point of view .
3286	pos	infidelity drama is nicely shot , well-edited and features a standout performance by diane lane .
10261	neg	an ugly , revolting movie .
5955	neg	partly a schmaltzy , by-the-numbers romantic comedy , partly a shallow rumination on the emptiness of success -- and entirely soulless .
10565	neg	'dragonfly ' dwells on crossing-over mumbo jumbo , manipulative sentimentality , and sappy dialogue .
4960	pos	like brosnan 's performance , evelyn comes from the heart .
1662	pos	it makes you believe the cast and crew thoroughly enjoyed themselves and believed in their small-budget film .
1766	pos	the large-frame imax camera lends itself beautifully to filming the teeming life on the reefs , making this gorgeous film a must for everyone from junior scientists to grown-up fish lovers .
5424	neg	feels like a cold old man going through the motions .
3806	pos	koury frighteningly and honestly exposes one teenager 's uncomfortable class resentment and , in turn , his self-inflicted retaliation .
10283	neg	this latest installment of the horror film franchise that is apparently as invulnerable as its trademark villain has arrived for an incongruous summer playoff , demonstrating yet again that the era of the intelligent , well-made b movie is long gone .
2773	pos	once folks started hanging out at the barbershop , they never wanted to leave . chances are you wo n't , either .
10382	neg	not once in the rush to save the day did i become very involved in the proceedings ; to me , it was just a matter of 'eh . '
9315	neg	it 's fitfully funny but never really takes off .
1529	pos	a very well-made , funny and entertaining picture .
4570	pos	a venturesome , beautifully realized psychological mood piece that reveals its first-time feature director 's understanding of the expressive power of the camera .
234	pos	an absorbing trip into the minds and motivations of people under stress as well as a keen , unsentimental look at variations on the theme of motherhood .
3938	pos	khouri manages , with terrific flair , to keep the extremes of screwball farce and blood-curdling family intensity on one continuum .
7723	neg	there are films that try the patience of even the most cinema-besotted critic -- and this was one of them .
7007	neg	too often , the viewer is n't reacting to humor so much as they are wincing back in repugnance .
387	pos	a slick , skillful little horror film .
6498	neg	traffics in the kind of prechewed racial clichés that have already been through the corporate stand-up-comedy mill .
2496	pos	holm does his sly , intricate magic , and iben hjelje is entirely appealing as pumpkin .
5440	neg	the trouble with making this queen a thoroughly modern maiden is that it also makes her appear foolish and shallow rather than , as was more likely , a victim of mental illness .
4541	pos	veterans of the dating wars will smirk uneasily at the film 's nightmare versions of everyday sex-in-the-city misadventures .
1921	pos	easily the most thoughtful fictional examination of the root causes of anti-semitism ever seen on screen .
8871	neg	nearly every attempt at humor here is doa .
1913	pos	it makes compelling , provocative and prescient viewing .
6142	neg	when you resurrect a dead man , hard copy should come a-knocking , no ?
5237	pos	an entertaining , if ultimately minor , thriller .
4610	pos	. . . digs beyond the usual portrayals of good kids and bad seeds to reveal a more ambivalent set of characters and motivations .
5018	pos	manages to accomplish what few sequels can -- it equals the original and in some ways even betters it .
5774	neg	absurdities and clichés accumulate like lint in a fat man 's navel .
334	pos	attal mixes comedy with a serious exploration of ego and jealousy within a seemingly serene marriage .
123	pos	`` extreme ops `` exceeds expectations . good fun , good action , good acting , good dialogue , good pace , good cinematography .
6897	neg	a movie that hovers somewhere between an acute character study and a trite power struggle .
5817	neg	'this movie sucks . '
9889	neg	appropriately cynical social commentary aside , # 9 never quite ignites .
3676	pos	pipe dream does have its charms . the leads are natural and lovely , the pace is serene , the humor wry and sprightly .
7128	neg	for each chuckle there are at least 10 complete misses , many coming from the amazingly lifelike tara reid , whose acting skills are comparable to a cardboard cutout .
9301	neg	solondz may well be the only one laughing at his own joke
3836	pos	the graphic carnage and re-creation of war-torn croatia is uncomfortably timely , relevant , and sickeningly real .
3839	pos	crammed with incident , and bristles with passion and energy .
5819	neg	. . . bibbidy-bobbidi-bland .
5845	neg	expanded to 65 minutes for theatrical release , it still feels somewhat unfinished .
9559	neg	. . . familiar and predictable , and 4/5ths of it might as well have come from a xerox machine rather than ( writer-director ) franc . reyes ' word processor .
3788	pos	a dark , quirky road movie that constantly defies expectation .
5962	neg	a wretched movie that reduces the second world war to one man 's quest to find an old flame .
35	pos	though everything might be literate and smart , it never took off and always seemed static .
723	pos	happily for mr . chin -- though unhappily for his subjects -- the invisible hand of the marketplace wrote a script that no human screenwriter could have hoped to match .
1035	pos	a comic gem with some serious sparkles .
1004	pos	full of profound , real-life moments that anyone can relate to , it deserves a wide audience .
9219	neg	`` the tuxedo `` should have been the vehicle for chan that `` the mask `` was for jim carrey . alas , it 's the man that makes the clothes .
10246	neg	. . . you can be forgiven for realizing that you 've spent the past 20 minutes looking at your watch and waiting for frida to just die already .
2102	pos	a fast paced and suspenseful argentinian thriller about the shadow side of play .
3414	pos	birthday girl walks a tricky tightrope between being wickedly funny and just plain wicked .
6191	neg	ends up offering nothing more than the latest schwarzenegger or stallone flick would .
8225	neg	bears is bad . not 'terrible filmmaking ' bad , but more like , 'i once had a nightmare like this , and it 's now coming true ' bad .
8076	neg	frustratingly , dridi tells us nothing about el gallo other than what emerges through his music .
7380	neg	most of the supporting characters in eastwood films are weak , as are most of the subplots . this one 's weaker than most .
6911	neg	this movie is something of an impostor itself , stretching and padding its material in a blur of dead ends and distracting camera work .
3515	pos	an earnest , roughshod document , it serves as a workable primer for the region 's recent history , and would make a terrific 10th-grade learning tool .
7503	neg	shadyac shoots his film like an m . night shyamalan movie , and he frequently maintains the same snail 's pace ; he just forgot to add any genuine tension .
2703	pos	shiri is an action film that delivers on the promise of excitement , but it also has a strong dramatic and emotional pull that gradually sneaks up on the audience .
6255	neg	. . . delivers few moments of inspiration amid the bland animation and simplistic story .
850	pos	baran is n't the most transporting or gripping film from iran -- or , indeed , by its director -- but it 's a worthy companion to the many fine , focused films emerging from that most surprising of nations .
8294	neg	the film is surprisingly well-directed by brett ratner , who keeps things moving well -- at least until the problematic third act .
7070	neg	although there are several truly jolting scares , there 's also an abundance of hackneyed dialogue and more silly satanic business than you can shake a severed limb at .
6744	neg	the only camouflage carvey should now be considering is a paper bag to wear over his head when he goes out into public , to avoid being recognized as the man who bilked unsuspecting moviegoers .
1060	pos	whether you like rap music or loathe it , you ca n't deny either the tragic loss of two young men in the prime of their talent or the power of this movie .
916	pos	insomnia is involving . still , i thought it could have been more .
10297	neg	it 's hard to understand why anyone in his right mind would even think to make the attraction a movie . and it 's harder still to believe that anyone in his right mind would want to see the it .
1642	pos	adaptation is intricately constructed and in a strange way nails all of orlean 's themes without being a true adaptation of her book .
3468	pos	the performers are so spot on , it is hard to conceive anyone else in their roles .
8435	neg	a gratingly unfunny groaner littered with zero-dimensional , unlikable characters and hackneyed , threadbare comic setups .
10140	neg	a film without surprise geared toward maximum comfort and familiarity .
1200	pos	the subtle strength of `` elling `` is that it never loses touch with the reality of the grim situation .
5953	neg	contains the humor , characterization , poignancy , and intelligence of a bad sitcom .
905	pos	. . . a cute and sometimes side-splittingly funny blend of legally blonde and drop dead gorgeous , starring piper perabo in what could be her breakthrough role .
10272	neg	directed in a flashy , empty sub-music video style by a director so self-possessed he actually adds a period to his first name
3877	pos	a dazzling thing to behold -- as long as you 're wearing the somewhat cumbersome 3d goggles the theater provides .
5551	neg	a sham construct based on theory , sleight-of-hand , and ill-wrought hypothesis .
6289	neg	the characters are based on stock clichés , and the attempt to complicate the story only defies credibility .
3276	pos	though lan yu lacks a sense of dramatic urgency , the film makes up for it with a pleasing verisimilitude .
1928	pos	the film has a terrific look and salma hayek has a feel for the character at all stages of her life .
4458	pos	until ( the ) superfluous . . . epilogue that leaks suspension of disbelief like a sieve , die another day is as stimulating & heart-rate-raising as any james bond thriller .
3780	pos	the ensemble cast turns in a collectively stellar performance , and the writing is tight and truthful , full of funny situations and honest observations .
7799	neg	nothing more than a mediocre trifle .
7076	neg	i 'm guessing the director is a magician . after all , he took three minutes of dialogue , 30 seconds of plot and turned them into a 90-minute movie that feels five hours long .
5977	neg	almost nothing else -- raunchy and graphic as it may be in presentation -- is one-sided , outwardly sexist or mean-spirited . and in a sense , that 's a liability .
3755	pos	mr . polanski is in his element here : alone , abandoned , but still consoled by his art , which is more than he has ever revealed before about the source of his spiritual survival .
74	pos	at heart the movie is a deftly wrought suspense yarn whose richer shadings work as coloring rather than substance .
3724	pos	what 's surprising is how well it holds up in an era in which computer-generated images are the norm .
8841	neg	an excruciating demonstration of the unsalvageability of a movie saddled with an amateurish screenplay .
2043	pos	the film 's intimate camera work and searing performances pull us deep into the girls ' confusion and pain as they struggle tragically to comprehend the chasm of knowledge that 's opened between them .
7965	neg	quick : who wants to see a comedy about shoddy airport security ?
7381	neg	there 's no real reason to see it , and no real reason not to .
3336	pos	craig bartlett and director tuck tucker should be commended for illustrating the merits of fighting hard for something that really matters .
3984	pos	the observations of this social/economic/urban environment are canny and spiced with irony .
339	pos	is office work really as alienating as 'bartleby ' so effectively makes it ?
1996	pos	the entire cast is extraordinarily good .
4002	pos	this big screen caper has a good bark , far from being a bow-wow .
4991	pos	not a strike against yang 's similarly themed yi yi , but i found what time ? to be more engaging on an emotional level , funnier , and on the whole less detached .
8578	neg	i realized that no matter how fantastic reign of fire looked , its story was making no sense at all .
2017	pos	defies logic , the laws of physics and almost anyone 's willingness to believe in it . but darned if it does n't also keep us riveted to our seats .
10025	neg	in a strange way , egoyan has done too much . he 's worked too hard on this movie .
6177	neg	the innocence of holiday cheer ai n't what it used to be .
10405	neg	a zombie movie in every sense of the word -- mindless , lifeless , meandering , loud , painful , obnoxious .
6120	neg	borstal boy represents the worst kind of filmmaking , the kind that pretends to be passionate and truthful but is really frustratingly timid and soggy .
3181	pos	foster breathes life into a roll that could have otherwise been bland and run of the mill .
186	pos	britney has been delivered to the big screen safe and sound , the way we like our 20-year-old superstar girls to travel on the fame freeway .
8707	neg	with more character development this might have been an eerie thriller ; with better payoffs , it could have been a thinking man 's monster movie .
5079	pos	missteps take what was otherwise a fascinating , riveting story and send it down the path of the mundane .
9223	neg	plot , characters , drama , emotions , ideas -- all are irrelevant to the experience of seeing the scorpion king .
8654	neg	mindless yet impressively lean spinoff of last summer 's bloated effects fest the mummy returns .
9823	neg	starts as a tart little lemon drop of a movie and ends up as a bitter pill .
5416	neg	with this new rollerball , sense and sensibility have been overrun by what can only be characterized as robotic sentiment .
10250	neg	the movie obviously seeks to re-create the excitement of such '50s flicks as jules verne 's '20 , 000 leagues under the sea ' and the george pal version of h . g . wells ' 'the time machine . ' but its storytelling prowess and special effects are both listless .
10293	neg	'es en verdad una pena que mandoki esté realizando cintas tan malas desde hace algún tiempo , pues talento tiene , pero quién sabe dónde lo tiene escondido . '
6859	neg	by turns pretentious , fascinating , ludicrous , provocative and vainglorious .
8493	neg	though there are entertaining and audacious moments , the movie 's wildly careening tone and an extremely flat lead performance do little to salvage this filmmaker 's flailing reputation .
3993	pos	intelligent , caustic take on a great writer and dubious human being .
2092	pos	i hope the movie is widely seen and debated with appropriate ferocity and thoughtfulness .
6690	neg	it 's young guns meets goodfellas in this easily skippable hayseeds-vs . -greaseballs mob action-comedy .
5712	neg	the big-screen scooby makes the silly original cartoon seem smart and well-crafted in comparison .
1962	pos	even if you do n't understand what on earth is going on , this is a movie that will stimulate hours of post viewing discussion , if only to be reminded of who did what to whom and why .
6398	neg	personal velocity ought to be exploring these women 's inner lives , but it never moves beyond their surfaces .
7981	neg	`` the kid stays in the picture `` is a great story , terrifically told by the man who wrote it but this cliff notes edition is a cheat .
1214	pos	a film about a young man finding god that is accessible and touching to the marrow .
7017	neg	if only the story about a multi-million dollar con bothered to include the con .
4836	pos	its use of the thriller form to examine the labyrinthine ways in which people 's lives cross and change , buffeted by events seemingly out of their control , is intriguing , provocative stuff .
10506	neg	it should be doing a lot of things , but does n't .
6704	neg	one of the more glaring signs of this movie 's servitude to its superstar is the way it skirts around any scenes that might have required genuine acting from ms . spears .
6507	neg	the only way to tolerate this insipid , brutally clueless film might be with a large dose of painkillers .
4654	pos	it pulls the rug out from under you , just when you 're ready to hate one character , or really sympathize with another character , something happens to send you off in different direction .
7972	neg	the overall feel of the film is pretty cheesy , but there 's still a real sense that the star trek tradition has been honored as best it can , given the embarrassing script and weak direction .
1953	pos	coppola 's directorial debut is an incredibly layered and stylistic film that , despite a fairly slow paced , almost humdrum approach to character development , still manages at least a decent attempt at meaningful cinema .
4059	pos	more than anything else , kissing jessica stein injects freshness and spirit into the romantic comedy genre , which has been held hostage by generic scripts that seek to remake sleepless in seattle again and again .
5767	neg	while easier to sit through than most of jaglom 's self-conscious and gratingly irritating films , it 's still tainted by cliches , painful improbability and murky points .
731	pos	at nearly three hours , the whole of safe conduct is less than the sum of its parts .
1392	pos	a gorgeous , high-spirited musical from india that exquisitely blends music , dance , song , and high drama .
7472	neg	expect to be reminded of other , better films , especially seven , which director william malone slavishly copies .
7159	neg	one long string of cliches .
8436	neg	got some good , organic character work , lots of obvious political insights and little room for engaging , imaginative filmmaking in its nearly 2 1/2-hour , dissipated length .
9826	neg	ritchie may not have a novel thought in his head , but he knows how to pose madonna .
1147	pos	the magic of the film lies not in the mysterious spring but in the richness of its performances .
9833	neg	more of the same old garbage hollywood has been trying to pass off as acceptable teen entertainment for some time now .
10017	neg	rarely has sex on screen been so aggressively anti-erotic .
9248	neg	derailed by bad writing and possibly also by some of that extensive post-production reworking to aim the film at young males in the throes of their first full flush of testosterone .
1262	pos	there 's something auspicious , and daring , too , about the artistic instinct that pushes a majority-oriented director like steven spielberg to follow a . i . with this challenging report so liable to unnerve the majority .
4153	pos	a film that will enthrall the whole family .
3996	pos	the film is one of the year 's best .
1685	pos	it strikes hardest when it reminds you how pertinent its dynamics remain . fifty years after the fact , the world 's political situation seems little different , and [ director phillip ] noyce brings out the allegory with remarkable skill .
5413	neg	sitting through the last reel ( spoiler alert ! ) is significantly less charming than listening to a four-year-old with a taste for exaggeration recount his halloween trip to the haunted house .
4173	pos	É uma pena que , mais tarde , o próprio filme abandone o tom de paródia e passe a utilizar os mesmos clichês que havia satirizado .
3309	pos	you could love safe conduct ( laissez passer ) for being a subtitled french movie that is 170 minutes long . you could hate it for the same reason .
9004	neg	at three hours and with very little story or character development , there is plenty of room for editing , and a much shorter cut surely would have resulted in a smoother , more focused narrative without sacrificing any of the cultural intrigue .
7223	neg	combining quick-cut editing and a blaring heavy metal much of the time , beck seems to be under the illusion that he 's shooting the latest system of a down video .
8786	neg	in between the icy stunts , the actors spout hilarious dialogue about following your dream and 'just letting the mountain tell you what to do . '
3878	pos	be patient with the lovely hush ! and your reward will be a thoughtful , emotional movie experience .
1148	pos	hoffman notches in the nuances of pain , but his smart , edgy voice and waddling profile ( emphasized here ) accent the humor of wilson 's plight , and that saves his pathos from drippiness .
1891	pos	the funny thing is , i did n't mind all this contrived nonsense a bit .
7513	neg	that is essentially what 's missing from blackboards -- the sense of something bigger , some ultimate point .
3710	pos	one fantastic ( and educational ) documentary .
1577	pos	some movies blend together as they become distant memories . mention `` solaris `` five years from now and i 'm sure those who saw it will have an opinion to share .
8790	neg	the concept is a hoot . the trailer is a riot . the movie is a dud .
4296	pos	where janice beard falters in its recycled aspects , implausibility , and sags in pace , it rises in its courageousness , and comedic employment .
5380	neg	everything is off .
5863	neg	unfortunately , carvey 's rubber-face routine is no match for the insipid script he has crafted with harris goldberg .
6072	neg	from beginning to end , this overheated melodrama plays like a student film .
270	pos	this is such a dazzlingly self-assured directorial debut that it 's hard to know what to praise first .
7167	neg	i still ca n't relate to stuart : he 's a mouse , for cryin ' out loud , and all he does is milk it with despondent eyes and whine that nobody treats him human enough .
4404	pos	lathan and diggs carry the film with their charisma , and both exhibit sharp comic timing that makes the more hackneyed elements of the film easier to digest .
5813	neg	eight legged freaks ? no big hairy deal .
3143	pos	a distinguished and thoughtful film , marked by acute writing and a host of splendid performances .
10416	neg	while the story is better-focused than the incomprehensible anne rice novel it 's based upon , queen of the damned is a pointless , meandering celebration of the goth-vampire , tortured woe-is-me lifestyle .
8878	neg	a long , dull procession of despair , set to cello music culled from a minimalist funeral .
3052	pos	romanek 's themes are every bit as distinctive as his visuals . beyond the cleverness , the weirdness and the pristine camerawork , one hour photo is a sobering meditation on why we take pictures .
7603	neg	where last time jokes flowed out of cho 's life story , which provided an engrossing dramatic through line , here the comedian hides behind obviously constructed routines .
8931	neg	it has more in common with a fireworks display than a movie , which normally is expected to have characters and a storyline .
6224	neg	mendes still does n't quite know how to fill a frame . like the hanks character , he 's a slow study : the action is stilted and the tabloid energy embalmed .
3982	pos	the film 's plot may be shallow , but you 've never seen the deep like you see it in these harrowing surf shots .
93	pos	like the film 's almost anthropologically detailed realization of early-'80s suburbia , it 's significant without being overstated .
775	pos	about nowhere kids who appropriated turfs as they found them and become self-made celebrity athletes -- a low-down version of the american dream .
5750	neg	it 's not so much a movie as a joint promotion for the national basketball association and teenaged rap and adolescent poster-boy lil ' bow wow .
4997	pos	shiner can certainly go the distance , but is n't world championship material
8330	neg	involving at times , but lapses quite casually into the absurd .
823	pos	it 's neither as romantic nor as thrilling as it should be . but it offers plenty to ponder and chew on as its unusual relationship slowly unfolds .
8412	neg	i hate this movie
6701	neg	patchy combination of soap opera , low-tech magic realism and , at times , ploddingly sociological commentary .
9750	neg	not everything in the film works , including its somewhat convenient ending .
10172	neg	unfortunately , neither sendak nor the directors are particularly engaging or articulate .
383	pos	as green-guts monster movies go , it 's a beaut .
5266	pos	[ breheny 's ] lensing of the new zealand and cook island locations captures both the beauty of the land and the people .
3505	pos	an interesting psychological game of cat-and-mouse , three-dimensional characters and believable performances all add up to a satisfying crime drama .
3852	pos	the cast delivers without sham the raw-nerved story .
8126	neg	if this is the danish idea of a good time , prospective tourists might want to consider a different destination -- some jolly country embroiled in a bloody civil war , perhaps .
8268	neg	barely goes beyond comic book status .
3516	pos	samuel beckett applied to the iranian voting process .
4331	pos	raimi crafted a complicated hero who is a welcome relief from the usual two-dimensional offerings .
6130	neg	sayles . . . once again strands his superb performers in the same old story .
4255	pos	the film 's heady yet far from impenetrable theory suggests that russians take comfort in their closed-off nationalist reality .
3504	pos	the tone errs on the shrill side , tempered by a soft southern gentility that speaks of beauty , grace and a closet full of skeletons .
1309	pos	it is amusing , and that 's all it needs to be .
4405	pos	about schmidt is nicholson 's goofy , heartfelt , mesmerizing king lear .
4739	pos	neil burger here succeeded in . . . making the mystery of four decades back the springboard for a more immediate mystery in the present .
1908	pos	strip it of all its excess debris , and you 'd have a 90-minute , four-star movie . as it is , it 's too long and unfocused .
3357	pos	daughter from danang reveals that efforts toward closure only open new wounds . it does n't flinch from its unsettling prognosis , namely , that the legacy of war is a kind of perpetual pain .
202	pos	as an entertainment , the movie keeps you diverted and best of all , it lightens your wallet without leaving a sting .
6888	neg	why make a documentary about these marginal historical figures ? would n't one about their famous dad , author of death in venice , etc . , be more valuable ?
8885	neg	even with its $ 50-million us budget , pinocchio never quite achieves the feel of a fanciful motion picture .
7336	neg	even film silliness needs a little gravity , beyond good hair and humping .
9524	neg	apparently , romantic comedy with a fresh point of view just does n't figure in the present hollywood program .
9390	neg	phoned-in business as usual .
7210	neg	does paint some memorable images . . . , but makhmalbaf keeps her distance from the characters
7973	neg	de niro looks bored , murphy recycles murphy , and you mentally add showtime to the pile of hollywood dreck that represents nothing more than the art of the deal .
4025	pos	like rudy yellow lodge , eyre needs to take a good sweat to clarify his cinematic vision before his next creation and remember the lessons of the trickster spider .
2475	pos	you watch for that sense of openness , the little surprises .
1092	pos	an infectious cultural fable with a tasty balance of family drama and frenetic comedy .
3966	pos	really is a pan-american movie , with moments of genuine insight into the urban heart .
8513	neg	every note rings false .
543	pos	the inherent strength of the material as well as the integrity of the filmmakers gives this coming-of-age story restraint as well as warmth .
6123	neg	crush could be the worst film a man has made about women since valley of the dolls .
158	pos	fans of behan 's work and of irish movies in general will be rewarded by borstal boy .
5488	neg	confusion is one of my least favourite emotions , especially when i have to put up with 146 minutes of it .
1440	pos	an entertaining , colorful , action-filled crime story with an intimate heart .
5436	neg	there 's no doubting that this is a highly ambitious and personal project for egoyan , but it 's also one that , next to his best work , feels clumsy and convoluted .
4531	pos	an elegant work , food of love is as consistently engaging as it is revealing .
1687	pos	. . . best seen as speculative history , as much an exploration of the paranoid impulse as a creative sequel to the warren report .
10131	neg	davis the performer is plenty fetching enough , but she needs to shake up the mix , and work in something that does n't feel like a half-baked stand-up routine .
1441	pos	while undisputed is n't exactly a high , it is a gripping , tidy little movie that takes mr . hill higher than he 's been in a while .
9970	neg	adam sandler 's 8 crazy nights is 75 wasted minutes of sandler as the voice-over hero in columbia pictures ' perverse idea of an animated holiday movie .
9224	neg	city by the sea is a gritty police thriller with all the dysfunctional family dynamics one could wish for . but how it washed out despite all of that is the project 's prime mystery .
904	pos	invincible is a wonderful movie .
5729	neg	parker updates the setting in an attempt to make the film relevant today , without fully understanding what it was that made the story relevant in the first place .
10137	neg	master of disguise runs for only 71 minutes and feels like three hours .
6694	neg	ca n't get enough of libidinous young city dwellers ? try this obscenely bad dark comedy , so crass that it makes edward burns ' sidewalks of new york look like oscar wilde .
5841	neg	. . . too sappy for its own good .
8527	neg	a serious movie with serious ideas . but seriously , folks , it does n't work .
2774	pos	george lucas returns as a visionary with a tale full of nuance and character dimension .
1155	pos	byler reveals his characters in a way that intrigues and even fascinates us , and he never reduces the situation to simple melodrama .
7361	neg	it should be mentioned that the set design and interiors of the haunted vessel are more than effectively creepy and moodily lit . so i just did .
6753	neg	the latest adam sandler assault and possibly the worst film of the year .
4701	pos	witty dialog between realistic characters showing honest emotions . it 's touching and tender and proves that even in sorrow you can find humor . like blended shades of lipstick , these components combine into one terrific story with lots of laughs .
6458	neg	who , exactly , is fighting whom here ? ah , yes , that would be me : fighting off the urge to doze .
3726	pos	wonder , hope and magic can never escape the heart of the boy when the right movie comes along , especially if it begins with the name of star wars
10285	neg	been there , done that , liked it much better the first time around - when it was called the professional .
3265	pos	makes the case for a strong education and good teachers being more valuable in the way they help increase an average student 's self-esteem , and not strictly in the knowledge imparted .
4229	pos	it 's definitely a step in the right direction .
8905	neg	its strengths and weaknesses play off each other virtually to a stand-off , with the unfortunate trump card being the dreary mid-section of the film .
2990	pos	a frustrating yet deeply watchable melodrama that makes you think it 's a tougher picture than it is .
9728	neg	mattei so completely loses himself to the film 's circular structure to ever offer any insightful discourse on , well , love in the time of money .
3235	pos	another entertaining romp from robert rodriguez .
7027	neg	harland williams is so funny in drag he should consider permanent sex-reassignment .
7479	neg	the lack of opposing viewpoints soon grows tiresome -- the film feels more like a series of toasts at a testimonial dinner than a documentary .
1637	pos	funny and touching .
7906	neg	it 's exactly what you 'd expect .
2325	pos	as part of mr . dong 's continuing exploration of homosexuality in america , family fundamentals is an earnest study in despair .
7890	neg	the director 's twitchy sketchbook style and adroit perspective shifts grow wearisome amid leaden pacing and indifferent craftsmanship ( most notably wretched sound design ) .
1320	pos	overall very good for what it 's trying to do .
671	pos	the film benefits greatly from a less manic tone than its predecessor , as cho appears to have settled comfortably into her skin .
247	pos	windtalkers is shapelessly gratifying , the kind of movie that invites you to pick apart its faults even as you have to admit that somehow it hit you where you live .
8317	neg	reggio falls victim to relying on the very digital technology that he fervently scorns , creating a meandering , inarticulate and ultimately disappointing film .
132	pos	merely as a technical , logistical feat , russian ark marks a cinematic milestone .
2839	pos	foster and whitaker are especially fine . she is a lioness , protecting her cub , and he a reluctant villain , incapable of controlling his crew .
6746	neg	spain 's greatest star wattage does n't overcome the tumult of maudlin tragedy .
1332	pos	cq 's reflection of artists and the love of cinema-and-self suggests nothing less than a new voice that deserves to be considered as a possible successor to the best european directors .
7708	neg	it 's a decent glimpse into a time period , and an outcast , that is no longer accessible , but it does n't necessarily shed more light on its subject than the popular predecessor .
5820	neg	a few nonbelievers may rethink their attitudes when they see the joy the characters take in this creed , but skeptics are n't likely to enter the theater .
8265	neg	despite a blue-chip cast and a provocative title , writer-director peter mattei 's first feature microwaves dull leftover romantic motifs basted in faux-contemporary gravy .
7698	neg	julia is played with exasperating blandness by laura regan .
4830	pos	the performances are immaculate , with roussillon providing comic relief .
3467	pos	not everything in this ambitious comic escapade works , but coppola , along with his sister , sofia , is a real filmmaker . it must be in the genes .
6905	neg	it 's of the quality of a lesser harrison ford movie - six days , seven nights , maybe , or that dreadful sabrina remake .
3978	pos	shyamalan takes a potentially trite and overused concept ( aliens come to earth ) and infuses it into a rustic , realistic , and altogether creepy tale of hidden invasion .
10529	neg	the premise itself is just sooooo tired . pair that with really poor comedic writing . . . and you 've got a huge mess .
7475	neg	might have been better off as a documentary , with less of mr . eyre 's uninspired dramatics and more of his sense of observation and outrage .
1854	pos	directing with a sure and measured hand , [ haneke ] steers clear of the sensational and offers instead an unflinching and objective look at a decidedly perverse pathology .
7982	neg	well-shot but badly written tale set in a future ravaged by dragons .
1917	pos	the hard-to-predict and absolutely essential chemistry between the down-to-earth bullock and the nonchalant grant proves to be sensational , and everything meshes in this elegant entertainment .
6785	neg	before it takes a sudden turn and devolves into a bizarre sort of romantic comedy , steven shainberg 's adaptation of mary gaitskill 's harrowing short story . . . is a brilliantly played , deeply unsettling experience .
5562	neg	if h . g . wells had a time machine and could take a look at his kin 's reworked version , what would he say ? 'it looks good , sonny , but you missed the point . '
3558	pos	. . . the kind of entertainment that parents love to have their kids see .
9426	neg	what starts off as a satisfying kids flck becomes increasingly implausible as it races through contrived plot points .
6304	neg	full frontal had no effect and elicited no sympathies for any of the characters . by that measure , it is a failure .
1969	pos	os universos de chuck barris e charlie kaufman são complementares . e igualmente fascinantes .
5300	pos	it 's a testament to de niro and director michael caton-jones that by movie 's end , we accept the characters and the film , flaws and all .
5258	pos	max pokes , provokes , takes expressionistic license and hits a nerve . . . as far as art is concerned , it 's mission accomplished .
868	pos	a refreshingly honest and ultimately touching tale of the sort of people usually ignored in contemporary american film . search it out .
9319	neg	it 's been 20 years since 48 hrs . made eddie murphy a movie star and the man has n't aged a day . but his showboating wise-cracker stock persona sure is getting old .
7189	neg	manages to be somewhat well-acted , not badly art-directed and utterly unengaging no matter how hard it tries to be thrilling , touching or , yikes , uproarious .
9093	neg	'rare birds ' tries to force its quirkiness upon the audience .
9698	neg	the following things are not at all entertaining : the bad sound , the lack of climax and , worst of all , watching seinfeld ( who is also one of the film 's producers ) do everything he can to look like a good guy .
3879	pos	the large-format film is well suited to capture these musicians in full regalia and the incredible imax sound system lets you feel the beat down to your toes .
3491	pos	the film belongs to the marvelous verdu , a sexy slip of an earth mother who mourns her tragedies in private and embraces life in public
8050	neg	this film , starring anthony hopkins and chris rock , is your typical 'fish out of water ' story . you 've seen them a million times . just one problem : fish out of water usually die . this one does .
4256	pos	despite modest aspirations its occasional charms are not to be dismissed .
1098	pos	chilling , well-acted , and finely directed : david jacobson 's dahmer .
7431	neg	it delivers some chills and sustained unease , but flounders in its quest for deeper meaning .
9655	neg	the scriptwriters are no less a menace to society than the film 's characters .
4699	pos	puts to rest any thought that the german film industry can not make a delightful comedy centering on food .
6524	neg	by the time the plot grinds itself out in increasingly incoherent fashion , you might be wishing for a watch that makes time go faster rather than the other way around .
8657	neg	authentic , and at times endearing , humorous , spooky , educational , but at other times as bland as a block of snow .
2453	pos	a comedy that swings and jostles to the rhythms of life .
122	pos	an enthralling , playful film that constantly frustrates our desire to know the 'truth ' about this man , while deconstructing the very format of the biography in a manner that derrida would doubtless give his blessing to .
14	pos	ultimately , it ponders the reasons we need stories so much .
2190	pos	a creepy , intermittently powerful study of a self-destructive man . . . about as unsettling to watch as an exploratory medical procedure or an autopsy .
4927	pos	this new zealand coming-of-age movie is n't really about anything . when it 's this rich and luscious , who cares ?
4040	pos	a thought-provoking picture .
893	pos	a film that takes you inside the rhythms of its subject : you experience it as you watch .
5353	neg	it shows that some studios firmly believe that people have lost the ability to think and will forgive any shoddy product as long as there 's a little girl-on-girl action .
2269	pos	the strong subject matter continues to shock throughout the film . not everyone will play the dark , challenging tune taught by the piano teacher .
8817	neg	the characters are so generic and the plot so bland that even as rogue cia assassins working for chris cooper 's agency boss close in on the resourceful amnesiac , we do n't feel much for damon/bourne or his predicament .
7068	neg	it has all the excitement of eating oatmeal .
3441	pos	fast and funny , an action cartoon that 's suspenseful enough for older kids but not too scary for the school-age crowd .
4679	pos	a seriocomic debut of extravagant promise by georgian-israeli director dover kosashvili .
8678	neg	although barbershop boasts some of today 's hottest and hippest acts from the world of television , music and stand-up comedy , this movie strangely enough has the outdated swagger of a shameless ‘70s blaxploitation shuck-and-jive sitcom .
795	pos	it 's as close as we 'll ever come to looking through a photographer 's viewfinder as he works .
1988	pos	a witty , trenchant , wildly unsentimental but flawed look at the ins and outs of modern moviemaking .
7795	neg	demme 's loose approach kills the suspense .
8956	neg	a waterlogged version of 'fatal attraction ' for the teeny-bopper set . . . a sad , soggy potboiler that wastes the talents of its attractive young leads .
7324	neg	nothing in waking up in reno ever inspired me to think of its inhabitants as anything more than markers in a screenplay .
9914	neg	about as original as a gangster sweating bullets while worrying about a contract on his life .
1007	pos	fine acting but there is no sense of connecting the dots , just dots .
10088	neg	it 's a documentary that says that the alternate sexuality meant to set you free may require so much relationship maintenance that celibacy can start looking good .
5492	neg	by the time you reach the finale , you 're likely wondering why you 've been watching all this strutting and posturing .
2103	pos	a film of ideas and wry comic mayhem .
431	pos	the sundance film festival has become so buzz-obsessed that fans and producers descend upon utah each january to ferret out the next great thing . 'tadpole ' was one of the films so declared this year , but it 's really more of the next pretty good thing .
9102	neg	kids do n't mind crappy movies as much as adults , provided there 's lots of cute animals and clumsy people . 'snow dogs ' has both .
8710	neg	there 's not a single jump-in-your-seat moment and believe it or not , jason actually takes a backseat in his own film to special effects .
2189	pos	caviezel embodies the transformation of his character completely .
8949	neg	its simplicity puts an exclamation point on the fact that this is n't something to be taken seriously , but it also wrecks any chance of the movie rising above similar fare .
4010	pos	a movie that will thrill you , touch you and make you laugh as well .
40	pos	newton draws our attention like a magnet , and acts circles around her better known co-star , mark wahlberg .
5075	pos	. . . one of the most entertaining monster movies in ages . . .
3729	pos	sensual , funny and , in the end , very touching .
2311	pos	the film is reasonably entertaining , though it begins to drag two-thirds through , when the melodramatic aspects start to overtake the comedy .
3229	pos	i found myself liking the film , though in this case one man 's treasure could prove to be another man 's garbage .
1534	pos	brilliantly explores the conflict between following one 's heart and following the demands of tradition .
4332	pos	an enjoyable above average summer diversion .
1419	pos	belongs to daniel day-lewis as much as it belongs to martin scorsese ; it 's a memorable performance in a big , brassy , disturbing , unusual and highly successful film .
3083	pos	a quiet family drama with a little bit of romance and a dose of darkness .
8002	neg	hey , at least the title of this film lets you know exactly where it 's heading .
1412	pos	i just loved every minute of this film .
4639	pos	it is different from others in its genre in that it is does not rely on dumb gags , anatomical humor , or character cliches ; it primarily relies on character to tell its story .
489	pos	exquisitely acted and masterfully if preciously interwoven… [ the film ] addresses in a fascinating , intelligent manner the intermingling of race , politics and local commerce .
3360	pos	a very good film sits in the place where a masterpiece should be .
8680	neg	would that greengrass had gone a tad less for grit and a lot more for intelligibility .
2294	pos	pan nalin 's exposition is beautiful and mysterious , and the interviews that follow , with the practitioners of this ancient indian practice , are as subtle and as enigmatic .
4167	pos	what the movie lacks in action it more than makes up for in drama , suspense , revenge , and romance .
8945	neg	what goes on for the 110 minutes of `` panic room `` is a battle of witlessness between a not-so-bright mother and daughter and an even less capable trio of criminals .
7217	neg	for all its technical virtuosity , the film is so mired in juvenile and near-xenophobic pedagogy that it 's enough to make one pine for the day when godard can no longer handle the rigors of filmmaking .
2578	pos	white oleander may leave you rolling your eyes in the dark , but that does n't mean you wo n't like looking at it .
1599	pos	it celebrates the group 's playful spark of nonconformity , glancing vividly back at what hibiscus grandly called his 'angels of light . '
8575	neg	a dopey movie clothed in excess layers of hipness .
6208	neg	the film has a childlike quality about it . but the feelings evoked in the film are lukewarm and quick to pass .
2915	pos	a sensitive , cultivated treatment of greene 's work as well as a remarkably faithful one .
2573	pos	an average kid-empowerment fantasy with slightly above-average brains .
486	pos	an irresistible combination of a rousing good story set on a truly grand scale .
10114	neg	haneke 's script ( from elfriede jelinek 's novel ) is contrived , unmotivated , and psychologically unpersuasive , with an inconclusive ending .
6085	neg	this tale has been told and retold ; the races and rackets change , but the song remains the same .
4419	pos	this humbling little film , fueled by the light comedic work of zhao benshan and the delicate ways of dong jie , is just the sort for those moviegoers who complain that 'they do n't make movies like they used to anymore . '
5613	neg	there 's an excellent 90-minute film here ; unfortunately , it runs for 170 .
3140	pos	daughter from danang sticks with its subjects a little longer and tells a deeper story
6180	neg	should have gone straight to video . it looks like an action movie , but it 's so poorly made , on all levels , that it does n't even qualify as a spoof of such .
8717	neg	the problem with movies about angels is they have a tendency to slip into hokum . a rumor of angels does n't just slip -- it avalanches into forced fuzziness .
7753	neg	the enormous comic potential of an oafish idiot impersonating an aristocrat remains sadly unrealized .
10600	neg	if you 're really renting this you 're not interested in discretion in your entertainment choices , you 're interested in anne geddes , john grisham , and thomas kincaid .
9920	neg	family togetherness takes a back seat to inter-family rivalry and workplace ambition & # 133 ; whole subplots have no explanation or even plot relevance .
8576	neg	the sweetest thing is expressly for idiots who do n't care what kind of sewage they shovel into their mental gullets to simulate sustenance .
3132	pos	could this be the first major studio production shot on video tape instead of film ?
7474	neg	it 's getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that hollywood is n't laughing with us , folks . it 's laughing at us .
9398	neg	when in doubt , the film ratchets up the stirring soundtrack , throws in a fish-out-of-water gag and lets the cliched dialogue rip . or else a doggie winks .
4076	pos	though it never rises to its full potential as a film , still offers a great deal of insight into the female condition and the timeless danger of emotions repressed .
9807	neg	a loquacious and dreary piece of business .
283	pos	it 's almost impossible not to be moved by the movie 's depiction of sacrifice and its stirring epilogue in post-soviet russia .
5547	neg	ver wiel 's desperate attempt at wit is lost , leaving the character of critical jim two-dimensional and pointless .
3172	pos	you 'll end up moved .
3519	pos	' . . . the film 's considered approach to its subject matter is too calm and thoughtful for agitprop , and the thinness of its characterizations makes it a failure as straight drama . '
4387	pos	it 's sobering , particularly if anyone still thinks this conflict can be resolved easily , or soon .
6253	neg	a backhanded ode to female camaraderie penned by a man who has little clue about either the nature of women or of friendship .
3524	pos	trapped wo n't score points for political correctness , but it may cause parents a few sleepless hours -- a sign of its effectiveness .
4840	pos	a gangster movie with the capacity to surprise .
6831	neg	lacking substance and soul , crossroads comes up shorter than britney 's cutoffs .
9602	neg	it puts washington , as honest working man john q . archibald , on a pedestal , then keeps lifting the pedestal higher .
3637	pos	the story has some nice twists but the ending and some of the back-story is a little tired . the performances are all solid ; it merely lacks originality to make it a great movie .
2608	pos	fulford-wierzbicki . . . deftly captures the wise-beyond-her-years teen .
9560	neg	give shapiro , goldman , and bolado credit for good intentions , but there 's nothing here that they could n't have done in half an hour .
546	pos	a gentle blend of present day testimonials , surviving footage of burstein and his family performing , historical archives , and telling stills .
595	pos	a budget affair that exposes the generally sad existence of the bedouins while providing a precious twinkle of insight into their lives .
5047	pos	a deliciously nonsensical comedy about a city coming apart at its seams .
9114	neg	the lousy john q all but spits out denzel washington 's fine performance in the title role .
3117	pos	. . . a vivid , thoughtful , unapologetically raw coming-of-age tale full of sex , drugs and rock 'n ' roll .
7916	neg	ben affleck as jack ryan , tom clancy 's intrepid hero ? ridiculous . what 's next ? d . j . qualls as indiana jones ? or tom green as han solo ?
2962	pos	that rare film whose real-life basis is , in fact , so interesting that no embellishment is needed .
2470	pos	[ a ] devastatingly powerful and astonishingly vivid holocaust drama .
3293	pos	a poignant lyricism runs through balzac and the little chinese seamstress that transforms this story about love and culture into a cinematic poem .
7354	neg	it seems to me the film is about the art of ripping people off without ever letting them consciously know you have done so
624	pos	do we really need a 77-minute film to tell us exactly why a romantic relationship between a 15-year-old boy and a 40-year-old woman does n't work ?
5824	neg	although the sequel has all the outward elements of the original , the first film 's lovely flakiness is gone , replaced by the forced funniness found in the dullest kiddie flicks .
3510	pos	if divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood suffers from a ploddingly melodramatic structure , it comes to life in the performances .
7152	neg	burns never really harnesses to full effect the energetic cast .
4698	pos	[ cuarón has ] created a substantive movie out of several cliched movie structures : the road movie , the coming-of-age movie , and the teenage sex comedy .
3496	pos	it is an indelible epic american story about two families , one black and one white , facing change in both their inner and outer lives .
9466	neg	the exclamation point seems to be the only bit of glee you 'll find in this dreary mess .
3997	pos	eerily accurate depiction of depression .
4889	pos	some of the most inventive silliness you are likely to witness in a movie theatre for some time .
2389	pos	a photographic marvel of sorts , and it 's certainly an invaluable record of that special fishy community .
3922	pos	sweet home alabama is n't going to win any academy awards , but this date-night diversion will definitely win some hearts .
10334	neg	you can tell almost immediately that welcome to collinwood is n't going to jell .
454	pos	one of the best examples of how to treat a subject , you 're not fully aware is being examined , much like a photo of yourself you did n't know was being taken .
8068	neg	propelled not by characters but by caricatures .
7117	neg	it 's so mediocre , despite the dynamic duo on the marquee , that we just ca n't get no satisfaction .
5512	neg	. . . ice age treads predictably along familiar territory , making it a passable family film that wo n't win many fans over the age of 12 .
7980	neg	britney 's performance can not be faulted . lucy 's a dull girl , that 's all .
733	pos	a bold and subversive film that cuts across the grain of what is popular and powerful in this high-tech age , speaking its truths with spellbinding imagery and the entrancing music of philip glass .
9444	neg	long on twinkly-eyed close-ups and short on shame .
7413	neg	the worst kind of independent ; the one where actors play dress down hicks and ponderously mope around trying to strike lightning as captured by their 1970s predecessors
3494	pos	if you 're burnt out on it 's a wonderful life marathons and bored with a christmas carol , it might just be the movie you 're looking for . it depends on how well flatulence gags fit into your holiday concept .
5600	neg	diane lane 's sophisticated performance ca n't rescue adrian lyne 's unfaithful from its sleazy moralizing .
8954	neg	some fine acting , but ultimately a movie with no reason for being .
4704	pos	the footage of the rappers at play and the prison interview with suge knight are just two of the elements that will grab you .
4644	pos	a mostly believable , refreshingly low-key and quietly inspirational little sports drama .
2880	pos	even through its flaws , revolution # 9 proves to be a compelling , interestingly told film .
10466	neg	the stunt work is top-notch ; the dialogue and drama often food-spittingly funny .
2930	pos	director-writer bille august . . . depicts this relationship with economical grace , letting his superb actors convey martin 's deterioration and barbara 's sadness -- and , occasionally , anger .
10104	neg	there 's not a comedic moment in this romantic comedy .
8577	neg	sinks so low in a poorly played game of absurd plot twists , idiotic court maneuvers and stupid characters that even freeman ca n't save it .
8062	neg	never quite transcends jokester status . . . and the punchline does n't live up to barry 's dead-eyed , perfectly chilled delivery .
7325	neg	i 'm just too bored to care .
4114	pos	the movie does its best to work us over , with second helpings of love , romance , tragedy , false dawns , real dawns , comic relief , two separate crises during marriage ceremonies , and the lush scenery of the cotswolds .
2712	pos	george clooney , in his first directorial effort , presents this utterly ridiculous shaggy dog story as one of the most creative , energetic and original comedies to hit the screen in years .
7460	neg	the charms of willful eccentricity , at least as evidenced by this latest cinematic essay , are beginning to wear a bit thin .
10615	neg	the film did n't move me one way or the other , but it was an honest effort and if you want to see a flick about telemarketers this one will due .
3921	pos	showtime is a fine-looking film with a bouncy score and a clutch of lively songs for deft punctuation .
1509	pos	despite its title , punch-drunk love is never heavy-handed . the jabs it employs are short , carefully placed and dead-center .
10568	neg	veers uncomfortably close to pro-serb propaganda .
3859	pos	cut through the layers of soap-opera emotion and you find a scathing portrayal of a powerful entity strangling the life out of the people who want to believe in it the most .
5008	pos	ice age wo n't drop your jaw , but it will warm your heart , and i 'm giving it a strong thumbs up .
2235	pos	amazing ! a college story that works even without vulgarity , sex scenes , and cussing !
7772	neg	a less-than-thrilling thriller .
1545	pos	the inspirational screenplay by mike rich covers a lot of ground , perhaps too much , but ties things together , neatly , by the end .
7533	neg	focuses on joan 's raging hormones and sledgehammers the audience with spanish inquisitions about her `` madness `` so much that i became mad that i wasted 123 minutes and $ 9 . 50 on this 21st century torture device .
9882	neg	this little film is so slovenly done , so primitive in technique , that it ca n't really be called animation .
5116	pos	despite an overwrought ending , the film works as well as it does because of the performances .
10478	neg	overburdened with complicated plotting and banal dialogue
341	pos	audiences conditioned to getting weepy over saucer-eyed , downy-cheeked moppets and their empathetic caretakers will probably feel emotionally cheated by the film 's tart , sugar-free wit .
4891	pos	a rollicking ride , with jaw-dropping action sequences , striking villains , a gorgeous color palette , astounding technology , stirring music and a boffo last hour that leads up to a strangely sinister happy ending .
28	pos	at about 95 minutes , treasure planet maintains a brisk pace as it races through the familiar story . however , it lacks grandeur and that epic quality often associated with stevenson 's tale as well as with earlier disney efforts .
3429	pos	brave and sweetly rendered love story .
988	pos	the movie is full of fine performances , led by josef bierbichler as brecht and monica bleibtreu as helene weigel , his wife .
6583	neg	hollywood ending just is n't very funny .
4352	pos	melds derivative elements into something that is often quite rich and exciting , and always a beauty to behold .
6643	neg	it 's a pedestrian , flat drama that screams out 'amateur ' in almost every frame .
8802	neg	many shallower movies these days seem too long , but this one is egregiously short .
5741	neg	the most memorable moment was when green threw medical equipment at a window ; not because it was particularly funny , but because i had a serious urge to grab the old lady at the end of my aisle 's walker and toss it at the screen in frustration .
8853	neg	if disney 's cinderella proved that 'a dream is a wish your heart makes , ' then cinderella ii proves that a nightmare is a wish a studio 's wallet makes .
1607	pos	familiar but utterly delightful .
638	pos	on its own cinematic terms , it successfully showcases the passions of both the director and novelist byatt .
9556	neg	the sequel is everything the original was not : contrived , overblown and tie-in ready .
577	pos	`` the emperor 's new clothes `` begins with a simple plan . . . . well , at least that 's the plan .
2280	pos	a winning comedy with its wry observations about long-lived friendships and the ways in which we all lose track of ourselves by trying to please others .
2531	pos	call this the full monty on ice , the underdog sports team formula redux .
7392	neg	laughably , irredeemably awful .
7328	neg	as befits its title , this pg-13-rated piffle is ultimately as threatening as the snuggle fabric softener bear .
5161	pos	the best didacticism is one carried by a strong sense of humanism , and bertrand tavernier 's oft-brilliant safe conduct ( `` laissez-passer `` ) wears its heart on its sleeve .
9489	neg	a road trip that will get you thinking , 'are we there yet ? '
2366	pos	simple , poignant and leavened with humor , it 's a film that affirms the nourishing aspects of love and companionship .
2405	pos	one of the most genuinely sweet films to come along in quite some time .
3881	pos	the kind of movie that comes along only occasionally , one so unconventional , gutsy and perfectly executed it takes your breath away .
1031	pos	jagger the actor is someone you want to see again .
10252	neg	even after 90 minutes of playing opposite each other bullock and grant still look ill at ease sharing the same scene . what should have been a painless time-killer becomes instead a grating endurance test .
1524	pos	a pleasant enough romance with intellectual underpinnings , the kind of movie that entertains even as it turns maddeningly predictable .
185	pos	one of the best , most understated performances of [ jack nicholson 's ] career .
5247	pos	waydowntown manages to nail the spirit-crushing ennui of denuded urban living without giving in to it .
1117	pos	a compelling spanish film about the withering effects of jealousy in the life of a young monarch whose sexual passion for her husband becomes an obsession .
4606	pos	it 's never laugh-out-loud funny , but it is frequently amusing .
2340	pos	the film jolts the laughs from the audience -- as if by cattle prod .
1744	pos	beresford nicely mixes in as much humor as pathos to take us on his sentimental journey of the heart . it really is a shame that more wo n't get an opportunity to embrace small , sweet 'evelyn . '
9117	neg	the film is so packed with subplots involving the various silbersteins that it feels more like the pilot episode of a tv series than a feature film .
4651	pos	the action sequences are fun and reminiscent of combat scenes from the star wars series .
9122	neg	it 's lost the politics and the social observation and become just another situation romance about a couple of saps stuck in an inarticulate screenplay .
2698	pos	my big fat greek wedding is not only the best date movie of the year , it 's also a -- dare i say it twice -- delightfully charming -- and totally american , i might add -- slice of comedic bliss .
5458	neg	there 's nothing interesting in unfaithful whatsoever .
154	pos	ray liotta and jason patric do some of their best work in their underwritten roles , but do n't be fooled : nobody deserves any prizes here .
7264	neg	the actors are appealing , but elysian fields is idiotic and absurdly sentimental .
7391	neg	another week , another gross-out college comedy -- ugh .
3604	pos	features one of the most affecting depictions of a love affair ever committed to film .
8744	neg	imagine susan sontag falling in love with howard stern .
3634	pos	an undeniably moving film to experience , and ultimately that 's what makes it worth a recommendation .
5508	neg	there 's nothing to gain from watching they . it is n't scary . it hates its characters . it finds no way to entertain or inspire its viewers .
7874	neg	unfortunately , heartbreak hospital wants to convey the same kind of haughtiness in its own sketchy material but this territory has already been explored previously with better aplomb and sardonic wit .
2003	pos	like the english patient and the unbearable lightness of being , the hours is one of those reputedly `` unfilmable `` novels that has bucked the odds to emerge as an exquisite motion picture in its own right .
6782	neg	essentially a collection of bits -- and they 're all naughty .
8528	neg	there 's nothing exactly wrong here , but there 's not nearly enough that 's right .
6056	neg	meyjes focuses too much on max when he should be filling the screen with this tortured , dull artist and monster-in-the- making .
9205	neg	neither as scary-funny as tremors nor demented-funny as starship troopers , the movie is n't tough to take as long as you 've paid a matinee price .
6871	neg	very special effects , brilliantly bold colors and heightened reality ca n't hide the giant achilles ' heel in `` stuart little 2 `` : there 's just no story , folks .
516	pos	zhang yimou delivers warm , genuine characters who lie not through dishonesty , but because they genuinely believe it 's the only way to bring happiness to their loved ones .
4544	pos	it thankfully goes easy on the reel/real world dichotomy that [ jaglom ] pursued with such enervating determination in venice/venice .
10450	neg	whether this is art imitating life or life imitating art , it 's an unhappy situation all around .
2025	pos	. . . begins on a high note and sustains it beautifully .
4601	pos	it 's the kind of effectively creepy-scary thriller that has you fixating on a far corner of the screen at times because your nerves just ca n't take it any more .
1065	pos	it moves quickly , adroitly , and without fuss ; it does n't give you time to reflect on the inanity -- and the cold war datedness -- of its premise .
2066	pos	an interesting look behind the scenes of chicago-based rock group wilco . . .
3564	pos	an elegant film with often surprising twists and an intermingling of naiveté and sophistication .
5077	pos	would you laugh if a tuba-playing dwarf rolled down a hill in a trash can ? do you chuckle at the thought of an ancient librarian whacking a certain part of a man 's body ? if you answered yes , by all means enjoy the new guy .
8797	neg	this may be the first cartoon ever to look as if it were being shown on the projection television screen of a sports bar .
6223	neg	director carl franklin , so crisp and economical in one false move , bogs down in genre cliches here .
10082	neg	while there 's likely very little crossover appeal to those without much interest in the elizabethans ( as well as rank frustration from those in the know about rubbo 's dumbed-down tactics ) , much ado about something is an amicable endeavor .
9244	neg	there is nothing redeeming about this movie .
2602	pos	this is lightweight filmmaking , to be sure , but it 's pleasant enough -- and oozing with attractive men .
1140	pos	the very definition of the 'small ' movie , but it is a good stepping stone for director sprecher .
438	pos	ranging from funny to shattering and featuring some of the year 's best acting , personal velocity gathers plenty of dramatic momentum .
589	pos	there 's a disreputable air about the whole thing , and that 's what makes it irresistible .
8255	neg	a bigger holiday downer than your end-of-year 401 ( k ) statement .
9332	neg	an entertainment so in love with its overinflated mythology that it no longer recognizes the needs of moviegoers for real characters and compelling plots .
680	pos	makes s & m seem very romantic , and maggie gyllenhaal is a delight .
821	pos	the film often achieves a mesmerizing poetry .
3983	pos	with a large cast representing a broad cross-section , tavernier 's film bounds along with the rat-a-tat energy of `` his girl friday , `` maintaining a light touch while tackling serious themes .
4937	pos	director roger kumble offers just enough sweet and traditional romantic comedy to counter the crudity . and there 's the inimitable diaz , holding it all together .
9515	neg	ritchie 's film is easier to swallow than wertmuller 's polemical allegory , but it 's self-defeatingly decorous .
10177	neg	at a brief 42 minutes , we need more x and less blab .
3156	pos	exciting documentary .
10561	neg	eckstraordinarily lame and severely boring .
7283	neg	i ca n't quite recommend it -- it 's too patched together -- but i almost can ; it 's the kind of movie that makes you want to like it .
6113	neg	too much of nemesis has a tired , talky feel .
3946	pos	wow , so who knew charles dickens could be so light-hearted ?
6449	neg	'god help us , but capra and cooper are rolling over in their graves . '
4779	pos	buy popcorn . take nothing seriously and enjoy the ride .
664	pos	it is inspirational in characterizing how people from such diverse cultures share the same human and spiritual needs .
788	pos	boisterous and daft documentary .
4972	pos	for those who like quirky , slightly strange french films , this is a must !
7050	neg	tries to add some spice to its quirky sentiments but the taste is all too familiar .
7866	neg	without september 11 , collateral damage would have been just another bad movie . now it 's a bad , embarrassing movie .
2000	pos	a captivatingly quirky hybrid of character portrait , romantic comedy and beat-the-clock thriller .
3275	pos	as lively an account as seinfeld is deadpan .
8880	neg	death might be a release .
6178	neg	too campy to work as straight drama and too violent and sordid to function as comedy , vulgar is , truly and thankfully , a one-of-a-kind work .
9618	neg	instead of letting the laughs come as they may , lawrence unleashes his trademark misogyny -- er , comedy -- like a human volcano or an overflowing septic tank , take your pick .
1296	pos	equilibrium is what george orwell might have imagined had today 's mood-altering drug therapy been envisioned by chemists in 1949 .
9744	neg	friday after next is a lot more bluster than bite .
4726	pos	it offers a glimpse of the solomonic decision facing jewish parents in those turbulent times : to save their children and yet to lose them .
7453	neg	when it 's all wet , blue crush is highly enjoyable . when it 's on dry land , though , this surfer-girl melodrama starts gasping like a beached grouper .
8816	neg	leaks treacle from every pore .
5325	pos	a sensitive and astute first feature by anne-sophie birot .
3012	pos	the most wondrous love story in years , it is a great film .
8511	neg	though impostor deviously adopts the guise of a modern motion picture , it too is a bomb .
3282	pos	soderbergh skims the fat from the 1972 film . what 's left is a rich stew of longing .
593	pos	cute , funny , heartwarming digitally animated feature film with plenty of slapstick humor for the kids , lots of in-jokes for the adults and heart enough for everyone .
2128	pos	. . . while each moment of this broken character study is rich in emotional texture , the journey does n't really go anywhere .
7418	neg	well , it does go on forever .
1812	pos	the pianist is polanski 's best film .
2818	pos	filled with alexandre desplat 's haunting and sublime music , the movie completely transfixes the audience .
10591	neg	the film is strictly routine .
9331	neg	it 's better suited for the history or biography channel , but there 's no arguing the tone of the movie - it leaves a bad taste in your mouth and questions on your mind .
3262	pos	leave it to the french to truly capture the terrifying angst of the modern working man without turning the film into a cheap thriller , a dumb comedy or a sappy melodrama .
8057	neg	after seeing swept away , i feel sorry for madonna .
2533	pos	a beguiling evocation of the quality that keeps dickens evergreen : the exuberant openness with which he expresses our most basic emotions .
3017	pos	bouquet gives a performance that is masterly .
9328	neg	it looks much more like a cartoon in the end than the simpsons ever has .
6010	neg	serving sara is little more than a mall movie designed to kill time .
4939	pos	it 's got all the familiar bruckheimer elements , and schumacher does probably as good a job as anyone at bringing off the hopkins/rock collision of acting styles and onscreen personas .
7355	neg	it 's just disappointingly superficial -- a movie that has all the elements necessary to be a fascinating , involving character study , but never does more than scratch the surface .
4613	pos	very amusing , not the usual route in a thriller , and the performances are odd and pixilated and sometimes both .
6009	neg	once again , director chris columbus takes a hat-in-hand approach to rowling that stifles creativity and allows the film to drag on for nearly three hours .
6860	neg	it all drags on so interminably it 's like watching a miserable relationship unfold in real time .
3073	pos	thumbs up to paxton for not falling into the hollywood trap and making a vanity project with nothing new to offer .
5795	neg	it 's just a little too self-satisfied .
9031	neg	go , girls , right down the reality drain .
474	pos	maguire is a surprisingly effective peter/spider-man .
9793	neg	has all the values of a straight-to-video movie , but because it has a bigger-name cast , it gets a full theatrical release .
3154	pos	though filmed partly in canada , paid in full has clever ways of capturing inner-city life during the reagan years .
4858	pos	an intimate contemplation of two marvelously messy lives .
2665	pos	she 's all-powerful , a voice for a pop-cyber culture that feeds on her bjorkness .
5067	pos	bring on the sequel .
4266	pos	the soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission .
8729	neg	like the world of his film , hartley created a monster but did n't know how to handle it .
9934	neg	van wilder has a built-in audience , but only among those who are drying out from spring break and are still unconcerned about what they ingest .
4378	pos	even with all its botches , enigma offers all the pleasure of a handsome and well-made entertainment .
2072	pos	the touch is generally light enough and the performances , for the most part , credible .
9453	neg	this low-rent -- and even lower-wit -- rip-off of the farrelly brothers ' oeuvre gets way too mushy -- and in a relatively short amount of time .
1782	pos	on the surface a silly comedy , scotland , pa would be forgettable if it were n't such a clever adaptation of the bard 's tragic play .
8461	neg	a lifetime movie about men .
1399	pos	i have no way of knowing exactly how much is exaggeration , but i 've got a creepy feeling that the film is closer to the mark than i want to believe .
3254	pos	an instance of an old dog not only learning but inventing a remarkable new trick .
10091	neg	the movie 's biggest shocks come from seeing former nymphette juliette lewis playing a salt-of-the-earth mommy named minnie and watching slim travel incognito in a ridiculous wig no respectable halloween costume shop would ever try to sell .
10083	neg	it 's actually too sincere -- the crime movie equivalent of a chick flick .
1799	pos	it somehow managed to make its way past my crappola radar and find a small place in my heart
2895	pos	witty and often surprising , a dark little morality tale disguised as a romantic comedy .
15	pos	an utterly compelling 'who wrote it ' in which the reputation of the most famous author who ever lived comes into question .
604	pos	this is as powerful a set of evidence as you 'll ever find of why art matters , and how it can resonate far beyond museum walls and through to the most painfully marginal lives .
3402	pos	it 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .
6832	neg	cassavetes thinks he 's making dog day afternoon with a cause , but all he 's done is to reduce everything he touches to a shrill , didactic cartoon .
636	pos	it 's one of the most honest films ever made about hollywood .
4003	pos	[ allen ] manages to breathe life into this somewhat tired premise .
6393	neg	nothing more than a widget cranked out on an assembly line to see if stupid americans will get a kick out of goofy brits with cute accents performing ages-old slapstick and unfunny tricks .
4065	pos	holofcener rejects patent solutions to dramatize life 's messiness from inside out , in all its strange quirks .
4935	pos	quietly engaging .
4200	pos	an unflinching look at the world 's dispossessed .
8361	neg	pumpkin struts about with `` courage `` pinned to its huckster lapel while a yellow streak a mile wide decorates its back .
5938	neg	while kids will probably eat the whole thing up , most adults will be way ahead of the plot .
7257	neg	partway through watching this saccharine , easter-egg-colored concoction , you realize that it is made up of three episodes of a rejected tv show .
3380	pos	a great cast and a wonderful but sometimes confusing flashback movie about growing up in a dysfunctional family .
4138	pos	between them , de niro and murphy make showtime the most savory and hilarious guilty pleasure of many a recent movie season .
9030	neg	a preposterous , prurient whodunit .
9906	neg	one long , numbing action sequence made up mostly of routine stuff yuen has given us before .
7602	neg	there is not a character in the movie with a shred of plausibility , not an event that is believable , not a confrontation that is not staged , not a moment that is not false .
6111	neg	watching queen of the damned is like reading a research paper , with special effects tossed in .
8169	neg	maybe it 's asking too much , but if a movie is truly going to inspire me , i want a little more than this .
7923	neg	though avary has done his best to make something out of ellis ' nothing novel , in the end , his rules is barely worth following .
1579	pos	it 's a glorious spectacle like those d . w . griffith made in the early days of silent film .
5483	neg	the direction , by george hickenlooper , has no snap to it , no wiseacre crackle or hard-bitten cynicism .
4930	pos	the wild thornberrys movie is pleasant enough and the message of our close ties with animals can certainly not be emphasized enough .
2693	pos	the movie should be credited with remembering his victims .
8182	neg	just like the deli sandwich : lots of ham , lots of cheese , with a sickly sweet coating to disguise its excrescence until just after ( or during ) consumption of its second half .
5176	pos	campanella 's competent direction and his excellent cast overcome the obstacles of a predictable outcome and a screenplay that glosses over rafael 's evolution .
4267	pos	rodriguez does a splendid job of racial profiling hollywood style -- casting excellent latin actors of all ages -- a trend long overdue .
2260	pos	able to provide insight into a fascinating part of theater history .
4993	pos	a charming and funny story of clashing cultures and a clashing mother/daughter relationship .
8221	neg	creepy but ultimately unsatisfying thriller .
8600	neg	director chris eyre is going through the paces again with his usual high melodramatic style of filmmaking .
5112	pos	tends to pile too many `` serious issues `` on its plate at times , yet remains fairly light , always entertaining , and smartly written .
1840	pos	made to be jaglomized is the cannes film festival , the annual riviera spree of flesh , buzz , blab and money . the charming result is festival in cannes .
2765	pos	this sci-fi techno-sex thriller starts out bizarre and just keeps getting weirder .
2491	pos	it 's stylishly directed with verve . . .
9508	neg	the truth about charlie is that it 's a brazenly misguided project .
5885	neg	the actors must indeed be good to recite some of this laughable dialogue with a straight face .
8770	neg	it has the air of a surprisingly juvenile lark , a pop-influenced prank whose charms are immediately apparent and wear thin with repetition .
880	pos	like a south-of-the-border melrose place .
8153	neg	it 's hard not to feel you 've just watched a feature-length video game with some really heavy back story .
9146	neg	the biggest problem with satin rouge is lilia herself . she 's a cipher , played by an actress who smiles and frowns but does n't reveal an inner life .
9996	neg	and people make fun of me for liking showgirls < / > .
6353	neg	it would work much better as a one-hour tv documentary .
9096	neg	five screenwriters are credited with the cliché-laden screenplay ; it seems as if each watered down the version of the one before .
3263	pos	the director , mark pellington , does a terrific job conjuring up a sinister , menacing atmosphere though unfortunately all the story gives us is flashing red lights , a rattling noise , and a bump on the head .
10031	neg	what we have here is n't a disaster , exactly , but a very handsomely produced let-down .
1590	pos	finally , the french-produced `` read my lips `` is a movie that understands characters must come first .
7657	neg	there is no entry portal in the rules of attraction , and i spent most of the movie feeling depressed by the shallow , selfish , greedy characters .
2432	pos	devos and cassel have tremendous chemistry -- their sexual and romantic tension , while never really vocalized , is palpable .
9247	neg	i was trying to decide what annoyed me most about god is great . . . i 'm not , and then i realized that i just did n't care .
987	pos	this is cool , slick stuff , ready to quench the thirst of an audience that misses the summer blockbusters .
10430	neg	. . . better described as a ghost story gone badly awry .
10108	neg	poor ben bratt could n't find stardom if mapquest emailed him point-to-point driving directions .
7801	neg	too silly to be frightening , too stolid to be funny , it projects the same lazy affability as its nominal star , david arquette .
7775	neg	how on earth , or anywhere else , did director ron underwood manage to blow $ 100 million on this ?
7368	neg	meandering , sub-aquatic mess : it 's so bad it 's good , but only if you slide in on a freebie .
2975	pos	a tone poem of transgression .
4066	pos	like the full monty , this is sure to raise audience 's spirits and leave them singing long after the credits roll .
1922	pos	a gripping drama .
619	pos	what `` empire `` lacks in depth it makes up for with its heart .
9124	neg	as dumb and cheesy as they may be , the cartoons look almost shakespearean -- both in depth and breadth -- after watching this digital-effects-heavy , supposed family-friendly comedy .
7940	neg	lanie 's professional success means she must be a failure at life , because she 's driven by ambition and does n't know how to have fun .
4664	pos	a remarkably alluring film set in the constrictive eisenhower era about one suburban woman 's yearning in the face of a loss that shatters her cheery and tranquil suburban life .
3292	pos	humorous and heartfelt , douglas mcgrath 's version of 'nicholas nickleby ' left me feeling refreshed and hopeful . not many movies have that kind of impact on me these days .
6437	neg	it just did n't mean much to me and played too skewed to ever get a hold on ( or be entertained by ) .
1875	pos	imperfect ? yes , but also intriguing and honorable , a worthwhile addition to a distinguished film legacy .
6420	neg	a mawkish self-parody that plays like some weird masterpiece theater sketch with neither a point of view nor a compelling reason for being .
5632	neg	there 's the plot , and a maddeningly insistent and repetitive piano score that made me want to scream .
365	pos	while not all transitions to adulthood are so fraught , there 's much truth and no small amount of poetry in girls ca n't swim .
4744	pos	though the film never veers from its comic course , its unintentional parallels might inadvertently evoke memories and emotions which are anything but humorous .
3081	pos	short-story quaint , touchingly mending a child 's pain for his dead mother via communication with an old woman straight out of eudora welty .
1608	pos	a fascinating , dark thriller that keeps you hooked on the delicious pulpiness of its lurid fiction .
7577	neg	obstacles are too easily overcome and there is n't much in the way of character development in the script .
9523	neg	this is n't a terrible film by any means , but it 's also far from being a realized work .
1387	pos	the film is powerful , accessible and funny . you wo n't miss its messages , but you 'll be entertained as well .
4024	pos	i admire the closing scenes of the film , which seem to ask whether our civilization offers a cure for vincent 's complaint .
10237	neg	with nary a glimmer of self-knowledge , [ crane ] becomes more specimen than character -- and auto focus remains a chilly , clinical lab report .
6083	neg	it 's drab . it 's uninteresting . it squanders chan 's uniqueness ; it could even be said to squander jennifer love hewitt !
9415	neg	ultimately the , yes , snail-like pacing and lack of thematic resonance make the film more silly than scary , like some sort of martha stewart decorating program run amok .
6086	neg	a surprisingly flat retread , hobbled by half-baked setups and sluggish pacing .
1538	pos	a thinly veiled look at different aspects of chinese life clashing with each other .
6452	neg	ze movie starts out so funny , then she is nothing .
6479	neg	comes across as a relic from a bygone era , and its convolutions . . . feel silly rather than plausible .
3252	pos	the film is about the relationships rather than about the outcome . and it sees those relationships , including that between the son and his wife , and the wife and the father , and between the two brothers , with incredible subtlety and acumen .
8762	neg	the script is a disaster , with cloying messages and irksome characters .
5850	neg	brady achieves the remarkable feat of squandering a topnotch foursome of actors . . . by shoving them into every clichéd white-trash situation imaginable .
8281	neg	it 's push-the-limits teen comedy , the type written by people who ca n't come up with legitimate funny , and it 's used so extensively that good bits are hopelessly overshadowed .
242	pos	moore 's complex and important film is also , believe it or not , immensely entertaining , a david and goliath story that 's still very much playing itself out .
6573	neg	it 's splash without the jokes .
10368	neg	nearly all the fundamentals you take for granted in most films are mishandled here .
1874	pos	the film is a verbal duel between two gifted performers .
709	pos	not as distinctive or even as humorous as its needs to be to stand out , but it has clearly been made with affection and care .
1666	pos	a solid piece of journalistic work that draws a picture of a man for whom political expedience became a deadly foreign policy .
7376	neg	. . . hudlin is stuck trying to light a fire with soggy leaves .
1384	pos	open-minded kids -- kids who read , kids who dream -- will be comforted by the way it deals with big issues like death and destiny .
7059	neg	it 's one of those baseball pictures where the hero is stoic , the wife is patient , the kids are as cute as all get-out and the odds against success are long enough to intimidate , but short enough to make a dream seem possible .
5821	neg	bad in such a bizarre way that it 's almost worth seeing , if only to witness the crazy confluence of purpose and taste .
293	pos	intriguing and beautiful film , but those of you who read the book are likely to be disappointed .
6383	neg	cal is an unpleasantly shallow and immature character with whom to spend 110 claustrophobic minutes .
9497	neg	it is n't that stealing harvard is a horrible movie if only it were that grand a failure ! it 's just that it 's so not-at-all-good . and i expect much more from a talent as outstanding as director bruce mcculloch .
10546	neg	one key problem with these ardently christian storylines is that there is never any question of how things will turn out .
3818	pos	in between all the emotional seesawing , it 's hard to figure the depth of these two literary figures , and even the times in which they lived . but they fascinate in their recklessness .
5555	neg	parker should be commended for taking a fresh approach to familiar material , but his determination to remain true to the original text leads him to adopt a somewhat mannered tone . . . that ultimately dulls the human tragedy at the story 's core .
9118	neg	opera on film is never satisfactory . the art demands live viewing . the innate theatrics that provide its thrills and extreme emotions lose their luster when flattened onscreen .
3908	pos	mana gives us compelling , damaged characters who we want to help -- or hurt .
1457	pos	the special effects and many scenes of weightlessness look as good or better than in the original , while the oscar-winning sound and james horner 's rousing score make good use of the hefty audio system .
9238	neg	strictly a 'guy 's film ' in the worst sense of the expression .
1393	pos	it 's hard to imagine alan arkin being better than he is in this performance .
8624	neg	like showgirls and glitter , the most entertaining moments here are unintentional .
3684	pos	viveka seldahl and sven wollter will touch you to the core in a film you will never forget -- that you should never forget .
7186	neg	a relative letdown .
9595	neg	things really get weird , though not particularly scary : the movie is all portent and no content .
2706	pos	this is n't a retooled genre piece , the tale of a guy and his gun , but an amiably idiosyncratic work .
6062	neg	the only thing i laughed at were the people who paid to see it .
5474	neg	so genial is the conceit , this is one of those rare pictures that you root for throughout , dearly hoping that the rich promise of the script will be realized on the screen . it never is , not fully .
5663	neg	it is messy , uncouth , incomprehensible , vicious and absurd .
10270	neg	a film that presents an interesting , even sexy premise then ruins itself with too many contrivances and goofy situations .
1518	pos	nothing is sacred in this gut-buster .
1358	pos	writer/director mark romanek spotlights the underlying caste system in america . it 's a scathing portrayal .
10050	neg	the most excruciating 86 minutes one might sit through this summer that do not involve a dentist drill .
7248	neg	let 's hope -- shall we ? -- that the 'true story ' by which all the queen 's men is allegedly `` inspired `` was a lot funnier and more deftly enacted than what 's been cobbled together onscreen .
5708	neg	stale first act , scrooge story , blatant product placement , some very good comedic songs , strong finish , dumb fart jokes .
4470	pos	this film is an act of spiritual faith -- an eloquent , deeply felt meditation on the nature of compassion .
690	pos	watstein handily directs and edits around his screenplay 's sappier elements . . . and sustains off the hook 's buildup with remarkable assuredness for a first-timer .
8756	neg	director shekhar kapur and screenwriters michael schiffer and hossein amini have tried hard to modernize and reconceptualize things , but the barriers finally prove to be too great .
1736	pos	one-of-a-kind near-masterpiece .
1919	pos	mr . clooney , mr . kaufman and all their collaborators are entitled to take a deep bow for fashioning an engrossing entertainment out of an almost sure-fire prescription for a critical and commercial disaster .
5560	neg	by-the-numbers yarn .
7600	neg	the essential problem in orange county is that , having created an unusually vivid set of characters worthy of its strong cast , the film flounders when it comes to giving them something to do .
5606	neg	why spend $ 9 on the same stuff you can get for a buck or so in that greasy little vidgame pit in the theater lobby ?
8233	neg	. . . too dull to enjoy .
3655	pos	a new film from bill plympton , the animation master , is always welcome .
10371	neg	ultimately this is a frustrating patchwork : an uneasy marriage of louis begley 's source novel ( about schmidt ) and an old payne screenplay .
3645	pos	it will make you think twice about what might be going on inside each trailer park you drive past -- even if it chiefly inspires you to drive a little faster .
3886	pos	awesome work : ineffable , elusive , yet inexplicably powerful
10208	neg	it has the right approach and the right opening premise , but it lacks the zest and it goes for a plot twist instead of trusting the material .
8090	neg	static , repetitive , muddy and blurry , hey arnold ! would seem to have a lock on the title of ugliest movie of the year .
4509	pos	robinson 's web of suspense matches the page-turning frenzy that clancy creates .
6441	neg	blue crush follows the formula , but throws in too many conflicts to keep the story compelling .
890	pos	in adobo , ethnicity is not just the spice , but at the heart of more universal concerns .
9094	neg	the movie is about as humorous as watching your favorite pet get buried alive .
4218	pos	somehow ms . griffiths and mr . pryce bring off this wild welsh whimsy .
5271	pos	the gags that fly at such a furiously funny pace that the only rip off that we were aware of was the one we felt when the movie ended so damned soon .
7274	neg	with virtually no interesting elements for an audience to focus on , chelsea walls is a triple-espresso endurance challenge .
7364	neg	the ring just left me cold and wet like i was out in the seattle drizzle without rainwear .
5959	neg	. . . this is n't even a movie we can enjoy as mild escapism ; it is one in which fear and frustration are provoked to intolerable levels .
7132	neg	a workshop mentality prevails .
9589	neg	snoots will no doubt rally to its cause , trotting out threadbare standbys like 'masterpiece ' and 'triumph ' and all that malarkey , but rarely does an established filmmaker so ardently waste viewers ' time with a gobbler like this .
5226	pos	other than the slightly flawed ( and fairly unbelievable ) finale , everything else is top shelf .
9902	neg	ill-considered , unholy hokum .
4580	pos	what makes esther kahn so demanding is that it progresses in such a low-key manner that it risks monotony . but it 's worth the concentration .
6842	neg	i am sorry that i was unable to get the full brunt of the comedy .
4823	pos	a dreadful day in irish history is given passionate , if somewhat flawed , treatment .
9050	neg	. . . unbearably lame .
3437	pos	'anyone with a passion for cinema , and indeed sex , should see it as soon as possible . '
4147	pos	delivers roughly equal amounts of beautiful movement and inside information .
1855	pos	the entire movie establishes a wonderfully creepy mood .
5123	pos	highlighted by a gritty style and an excellent cast , it 's better than one might expect when you look at the list of movies starring ice-t in a major role .
7957	neg	thirty years ago , it would have been groundbreaking . now it 's just tired .
4400	pos	not only a coming-of-age story and cautionary parable , but also a perfectly rendered period piece .
9231	neg	the kind of film that leaves you scratching your head in amazement over the fact that so many talented people could participate in such an ill-advised and poorly executed idea .
3092	pos	real women have curves does n't offer any easy answers .
292	pos	for anyone who remembers the '60s or is interested in one man 's response to stroke , ram dass : fierce grace is worth seeking out .
8682	neg	'butterfingered ' is the word for the big-fisted direction of jez butterworth , who manages to blast even the smallest sensitivities from the romance with his clamorous approach .
9250	neg	. . . comes alive only when it switches gears to the sentimental .
10282	neg	theological matters aside , the movie is so clumsily sentimental and ineptly directed it may leave you speaking in tongues .
5472	neg	it comes off as so silly that you would n't be surprised if ba , murdock and rest of the a-team were seen giving chase in a black and red van .
6235	neg	. . . if you , like me , think an action film disguised as a war tribute is disgusting to begin with , then you 're in for a painful ride .
9318	neg	for all the complications , it 's all surprisingly predictable .
1585	pos	certainly the performances are worthwhile .
309	pos	high on melodrama . but it 's emotionally engrossing , too , thanks to strong , credible performances from the whole cast .
2903	pos	an elegant and sly deadpan comedy .
1259	pos	the film 's almost unbearable portrait of sadness and grief transcends its specific story to speak to the ways in which need , history and presumption tangle , and sometimes destroy , blood ties .
4197	pos	returning director rob minkoff . . . and screenwriter bruce joel rubin . . . have done a fine job of updating white 's dry wit to a new age .
1760	pos	an impeccable study in perversity .
4941	pos	dense , exhilarating documentary .
7103	neg	there 's too much falseness to the second half , and what began as an intriguing look at youth fizzles into a dull , ridiculous attempt at heart-tugging .
10444	neg	the characters . . . are paper-thin , and their personalities undergo radical changes when it suits the script .
5620	neg	bad company . bad movie . just plain bad .
9162	neg	a movie version of a paint-by-numbers picture . we can tell what it is supposed to be , but ca n't really call it a work of art .
7684	neg	. . . too slow , too boring , and occasionally annoying .
10492	neg	a dim-witted and lazy spin-off of the animal planet documentary series , crocodile hunter is entertainment opportunism at its most glaring .
5463	neg	full of the kind of obnoxious chitchat that only self-aware neurotics engage in .
6158	neg	the film thrusts the inchoate but already eldritch christian right propaganda machine into national media circles .
9164	neg	. . . liotta is put in an impossible spot because his character 's deceptions ultimately undo him and the believability of the entire scenario . too bad .
8773	neg	no amount of nostalgia for carvey 's glory days can disguise the fact that the new film is a lame kiddie flick and that carvey 's considerable talents are wasted in it .
7204	neg	a sometimes tedious film .
4125	pos	there 's something about a marching band that gets me where i live .
1667	pos	a terrific insider look at the star-making machinery of tinseltown .
2430	pos	fast , frantic and fun , but also soon forgotten
7936	neg	it 's a movie forged in the fires of chick flick hell .
7247	neg	it 's hampered by a lifetime-channel kind of plot and a lead actress who is out of her depth .
1146	pos	at a time when half the so-called real movies are little more than live-action cartoons , it 's refreshing to see a cartoon that knows what it is , and knows the form 's history .
10189	neg	yes they can swim , the title is merely anne-sophie birot 's off-handed way of saying girls find adolescence difficult to wade through .
5395	neg	mattei 's underdeveloped effort here is nothing but a convenient conveyor belt of brooding personalities that parade about as if they were coming back from stock character camp -- a drowsy drama infatuated by its own pretentious self-examination .
10247	neg	too bad writer-director adam rifkin situates it all in a plot as musty as one of the golden eagle 's carpets .
419	pos	call me a wimp , but i cried , not once , but three times in this animated sweet film .
4290	pos	matches neorealism 's impact by showing the humanity of a war-torn land filled with people who just want to live their lives .
4143	pos	it picked me up , swung me around , and dropped me back in my seat with more emotional force than any other recent film .
1094	pos	it provides an honest look at a community striving to anchor itself in new grounds .
4206	pos	frei assembles a fascinating profile of a deeply humanistic artist who , in spite of all that he 's witnessed , remains surprisingly idealistic , and retains an extraordinary faith in the ability of images to communicate the truth of the world around him .
5561	neg	without shakespeare 's eloquent language , the update is dreary and sluggish .
8243	neg	admirable , certainly , but not much fun to watch . for caine lovers only .
44	pos	the film makes a strong case for the importance of the musicians in creating the motown sound .
859	pos	rain is a small treasure , enveloping the viewer in a literal and spiritual torpor that is anything but cathartic .
4795	pos	both an admirable reconstruction of terrible events , and a fitting memorial to the dead of that day , and of the thousands thereafter .
5273	pos	an enthralling , entertaining feature .
3207	pos	none of his actors stand out , but that 's less of a problem here than it would be in another film : characterization matters less than atmosphere .
7134	neg	pumpkin wants to have it both ways .
8363	neg	sheridan . . . smoothes over sources of conflict that could have lent the film a bit more depth .
8713	neg	the documentary is much too conventional -- lots of boring talking heads , etc . -- to do the subject matter justice .
3790	pos	often messy and frustrating , but very pleasing at its best moments , it 's very much like life itself .
4750	pos	underachieves only in not taking the shakespeare parallels quite far enough .
5031	pos	this amiable picture talks tough , but it 's all bluster -- in the end it 's as sweet as greenfingers . . .
5929	neg	it 's not hateful . it 's simply stupid , irrelevant and deeply , truly , bottomlessly cynical .
9414	neg	after collateral damage , you might imagine that most every aggrieved father cliché has been unturned . but no .
2780	pos	all in all , an interesting look at the life of the campaign-trail press , especially ones that do n't really care for the candidate they 're forced to follow .
10527	neg	it feels like very light errol morris , focusing on eccentricity but failing , ultimately , to make something bigger out of its scrapbook of oddballs .
9864	neg	the film did n't convince me that calvin jr . 's barbershop represents some sort of beacon of hope in the middle of chicago 's south side .
6028	neg	rice is too pedestrian a filmmaker to bring any edge or personality to the rising place that would set it apart from other deep south stories .
3616	pos	a headline-fresh thriller set among orthodox jews on the west bank , joseph cedar 's time of favor manages not only to find a compelling dramatic means of addressing a complex situation , it does so without compromising that complexity .
7655	neg	great story , bad idea for a movie .
4590	pos	if you 're down for a silly hack-and-slash flick , you can do no wrong with jason x .
10617	neg	it collapses when mr . taylor tries to shift the tone to a thriller 's rush .
2905	pos	land , people and narrative flow together in a stark portrait of motherhood deferred and desire explored .
1435	pos	this illuminating documentary transcends our preconceived vision of the holy land and its inhabitants , revealing the human complexities beneath .
6640	neg	one problem with the movie , directed by joel schumacher , is that it jams too many prefabricated story elements into the running time .
6029	neg	at best , cletis tout might inspire a trip to the video store -- in search of a better movie experience .
4110	pos	i have always appreciated a smartly written motion picture , and , whatever flaws igby goes down may possess , it is undeniably that .
7202	neg	a wildly inconsistent emotional experience .
9984	neg	. . . a fascinating curiosity piece -- fascinating , that is , for about ten minutes . after that it becomes long and tedious like a classroom play in a college history course .
8094	neg	what the four feathers lacks is genuine sweep or feeling or even a character worth caring about .
10022	neg	this sade is hardly a perverse , dangerous libertine and agitator -- which would have made for better drama . he 's just a sad aristocrat in tattered finery , and the film seems as deflated as he does .
3591	pos	i do n't know if frailty will turn bill paxton into an a-list director , but he can rest contentedly with the knowledge that he 's made at least one damn fine horror movie .
2387	pos	this odd , distant portuguese import more or less borrows from bad lieutenant and les vampires , and comes up with a kind of art-house gay porn film .
2208	pos	spielberg has managed to marry science fiction with film noir and action flicks with philosophical inquiry .
2564	pos	see scratch for the history , see scratch for the music , see scratch for a lesson in scratching , but , most of all , see it for the passion .
1912	pos	brian tufano 's handsome widescreen photography and paul grabowsky 's excellent music turn this fairly parochial melodrama into something really rather special .
2409	pos	an emotionally strong and politically potent piece of cinema .
1294	pos	candid camera on methamphetamines .
8568	neg	there is simply not enough of interest onscreen to sustain its seventy-minute running time .
7891	neg	about as satisfying and predictable as the fare at your local drive through .
1723	pos	this movie got me grinning . there 's a part of us that can not help be entertained by the sight of someone getting away with something .
4320	pos	in capturing the understated comedic agony of an ever-ruminating , genteel yet decadent aristocracy that can no longer pay its bills , the film could just as well be addressing the turn of the 20th century into the 21st .
3353	pos	qutting may be a flawed film , but it is nothing if not sincere .
1982	pos	the casting of raymond j . barry as the 'assassin ' greatly enhances the quality of neil burger 's impressive fake documentary .
4540	pos	if signs is a good film , and it is , the essence of a great one is in there somewhere .
3098	pos	a wild , endearing , masterful documentary .
5797	neg	mckay seems embarrassed by his own invention and tries to rush through the intermediary passages , apparently hoping that the audience will not notice the glaring triteness of the plot device he has put in service .
81	pos	painful to watch , but viewers willing to take a chance will be rewarded with two of the year 's most accomplished and riveting film performances .
3674	pos	comedian , like its subjects , delivers the goods and audiences will have a fun , no-frills ride .
6768	neg	elegantly crafted but emotionally cold , a puzzle whose intricate construction one can admire but is difficult to connect with on any deeper level .
4294	pos	a competent , unpretentious entertainment destined to fill the after-school slot at shopping mall theaters across the country .
618	pos	director nalin pan does n't do much to weigh any arguments one way or the other . he simply presents his point of view that ayurveda works . no question .
668	pos	a compelling , moving film that respects its audience and its source material .
2363	pos	confessions may not be a straightforward bio , nor does it offer much in the way of barris ' motivations , but the film is an oddly fascinating depiction of an architect of pop culture .
2348	pos	you emerge dazed , confused as to whether you 've seen pornography or documentary .
7420	neg	topkapi this is not .
5902	neg	a seriously bad film with seriously warped logic by writer-director kurt wimmer at the screenplay level .
8779	neg	the most remarkable ( and frustrating ) thing about world traveler , which opens today in manhattan , is that its protagonist , after being an object of intense scrutiny for 104 minutes , remains a complete blank .
4068	pos	kinnear and dafoe give what may be the performances of their careers .
3820	pos	a beautiful , entertaining two hours . you get the idea , though , that kapur intended the film to be more than that .
7272	neg	serving sara does n't serve up a whole lot of laughs .
10020	neg	a disappointment for a movie that should have been the ultimate imax trip .
7951	neg	all the well-meaningness in the world ca n't erase the fact that the believer feels like a 12-step program for the jewish nazi .
9841	neg	this is a picture that maik , the firebrand turned savvy ad man , would be envious of : it hijacks the heat of revolution and turns it into a sales tool .
9383	neg	claims to sort the bad guys from the good , which is its essential problem .
9064	neg	much of the digitally altered footage appears jagged , as if filmed directly from a television monitor , while the extensive use of stock footage quickly becomes a tiresome cliché .
2462	pos	lavishly , exhilaratingly tasteless .
9112	neg	the rock has a great presence but one battle after another is not the same as one battle followed by killer cgi effects .
1427	pos	while it regards 1967 as the key turning point of the 20th century , and returns again and again to images of dissidents in the streets , it 's alarmingly current .
5851	neg	in the name of an allegedly inspiring and easily marketable flick , the emperor 's club turns a blind eye to the very history it pretends to teach .
6115	neg	when mr . hundert tells us in his narration that 'this is a story without surprises , ' we nod in agreement .
2971	pos	thanks to a small star with big heart , this family film sequel is plenty of fun for all .
4592	pos	the modern master of the chase sequence returns with a chase to end all chases
1015	pos	if you love motown music , you 'll love this documentary .
2935	pos	michael moore has perfected the art of highly entertaining , self-aggrandizing , politically motivated documentary-making , and he 's got as potent a topic as ever here .
3819	pos	death to smoochy is often very funny , but what 's even more remarkable is the integrity of devito 's misanthropic vision .
10373	neg	we started to wonder if some unpaid intern had just typed 'chris rock , ' 'anthony hopkins ' and 'terrorists ' into some univac-like script machine .
6301	neg	naipaul fans may be disappointed . those who are not acquainted with the author 's work , on the other hand , may fall fast asleep .
2495	pos	see it now , before the inevitable hollywood remake flattens out all its odd , intriguing wrinkles .
4223	pos	eric schweig and graham greene both exude an air of dignity that 's perfect for the proud warrior that still lingers in the souls of these characters .
3817	pos	labute 's careful handling makes the material seem genuine rather than pandering .
2270	pos	a certain sexiness underlines even the dullest tangents .
6011	neg	too smart to ignore but a little too smugly superior to like , this could be a movie that ends up slapping its target audience in the face by shooting itself in the foot .
4029	pos	smart , sassy interpretation of the oscar wilde play .
4847	pos	drawing on an irresistible , languid romanticism , byler reveals the ways in which a sultry evening or a beer-fueled afternoon in the sun can inspire even the most retiring heart to venture forth .
6151	neg	for all its brilliant touches , dragon loses its fire midway , nearly flickering out by its perfunctory conclusion .
2289	pos	a delightful little film that revels in its own simplicity , mostly martha will leave you with a smile on your face and a grumble in your stomach .
340	pos	farrell . . . thankfully manages to outshine the role and successfully plays the foil to willis 's world-weary colonel .
4259	pos	merci pour le movie .
4728	pos	martyr gets royally screwed and comes back for more .
10077	neg	[ t ] he script is n't up to the level of the direction , nor are the uneven performances by the cast members , who seem bound and determined to duplicate bela lugosi 's now-cliched vampire accent .
3576	pos	i like it . there is a freedom to watching stunts that are this crude , this fast-paced and this insane .
9799	neg	did no one on the set have a sense of humor , or did they not have the nerve to speak up ?
9779	neg	fans of plympton 's shorts may marginally enjoy the film , but it is doubtful this listless feature will win him any new viewers .
4230	pos	as the princess , sorvino glides gracefully from male persona to female without missing a beat . ben kingsley is truly funny , playing a kind of ghandi gone bad .
408	pos	the movie has an avalanche of eye-popping visual effects .
2741	pos	not the best herzog perhaps , but unmistakably herzog .
1476	pos	a solid examination of the male midlife crisis .
8312	neg	i kept wishing i was watching a documentary about the wartime navajos and what they accomplished instead of all this specious hollywood hoo-ha .
4045	pos	an intelligent romantic thriller of a very old-school kind of quality .
10235	neg	a slow-moving police-procedural thriller that takes its title all too literally .
3662	pos	one ca n't deny its seriousness and quality .
6610	neg	`` what john does is heroic , but we do n't condone it , `` one of the film 's stars recently said , a tortuous comment that perfectly illustrates the picture 's moral schizophrenia .
7487	neg	there 's no mistaking the fact that this hybrid misses the impact of the disney classic , and even that of the excellent 1934 mgm version .
7269	neg	denis o'neill 's script avoids the prime sports cliche , a last-second goal to win the championship , but it neglects few others .
199	pos	australian actor/director john polson and award-winning english cinematographer giles nuttgens make a terrific effort at disguising the obvious with energy and innovation .
7738	neg	the film 's implicit premise is that the faith of the tonga people is in every way inferior to that of john .
142	pos	as lo-fi as the special effects are , the folks who cobbled nemesis together indulge the force of humanity over hardware in a way that george lucas has long forgotten .
6391	neg	shreve 's graceful dual narrative gets clunky on the screen , and we keep getting torn away from the compelling historical tale to a less-compelling soap opera .
10323	neg	has not so much been written as assembled , frankenstein-like , out of other , marginally better shoot-em-ups .
149	pos	more a load of enjoyable , conan-esque claptrap than the punishing , special-effects soul assaults the mummy pictures represent .
8554	neg	kicks off with an inauspicious premise , mopes through a dreary tract of virtually plotless meanderings and then ends with a whimper .
10551	neg	leaves viewers out in the cold and undermines some phenomenal performances .
5050	pos	i 've yet to find an actual vietnam war combat movie actually produced by either the north or south vietnamese , but at least now we 've got something pretty damn close .
7486	neg	obvious politics and rudimentary animation reduce the chances that the appeal of hey arnold ! the movie will reach far beyond its core demographic .
10550	neg	too long , and larded with exposition , this somber cop drama ultimately feels as flat as the scruffy sands of its titular community .
549	pos	an uneven but intriguing drama that is part homage and part remake of the italian masterpiece .
9932	neg	the film never finds its tone and several scenes run too long .
7259	neg	portentous and pretentious , the weight of water is appropriately titled , given the heavy-handedness of it drama .
7411	neg	soul is what 's lacking in every character in this movie and , subsequently , the movie itself .
1944	pos	the mark of a respectable summer blockbuster is one of two things : unadulterated thrills or genuine laughs .
3537	pos	the screenwriters dig themselves in deeper every time they toss logic and science into what is essentially a `` dungeons and dragons `` fantasy with modern military weaponry . . .
9451	neg	the sum of all fears is remarkably fuddled about motives and context , which drains it of the dramatic substance that would shake us in our boots ( or cinema seats ) .
9071	neg	with an unusual protagonist ( a kilt-wearing jackson ) and subject matter , the improbable `` formula 51 `` is somewhat entertaining , but it could have been much stronger .
4	pos	emerges as something rare , an issue movie that 's so honest and keenly observed that it does n't feel like one .
1344	pos	it 's a charming and often affecting journey .
6798	neg	if we 're to slap protagonist genevieve leplouff because she 's french , do we have that same option to slap her creators because they 're clueless and inept ?
627	pos	do n't expect any surprises in this checklist of teamwork cliches . . .
10480	neg	the master of disguise falls under the category of 'should have been a sketch on saturday night live . '
9511	neg	so exaggerated and broad that it comes off as annoying rather than charming .
2489	pos	the otherwise good-naturedness of mr . deeds , with its embrace of sheer goofiness and cameos of less- than-likely new york celebrities . . . certainly raises the film above anything sandler 's been attached to before .
8326	neg	this is a good movie in spurts , but when it does n't work , it 's at important times .
10350	neg	festers in just such a dungpile that you 'd swear you were watching monkeys flinging their feces at you .
4465	pos	a beautiful paean to a time long past .
9413	neg	the acting is just fine , but there 's not enough substance here to sustain interest for the full 90 minutes , especially with the weak payoff .
9908	neg	the film 's most improbable feat ? it did n't go straight to video .
3934	pos	a film of epic scale with an intimate feeling , a saga of the ups and downs of friendships .
2756	pos	the film is a masterpiece of nuance and characterization , marred only by an inexplicable , utterly distracting blunder at the very end .
8348	neg	schindler 's list it ai n't .
20	pos	a thoughtful , provocative , insistently humanizing film .
6488	neg	`` bad `` is the operative word for `` bad company , `` and i do n't mean that in a good way .
1515	pos	the movie understands like few others how the depth and breadth of emotional intimacy give the physical act all of its meaning and most of its pleasure .
2626	pos	it 's pretty linear and only makeup-deep , but bogdanovich ties it together with efficiency and an affection for the period .
1376	pos	charles ' entertaining film chronicles seinfeld 's return to stand-up comedy after the wrap of his legendary sitcom , alongside wannabe comic adams ' attempts to get his shot at the big time .
7794	neg	all this turns out to be neither funny nor provocative - only dull .
9158	neg	even if it made its original release date last fall , it would 've reeked of a been-there , done-that sameness .
10008	neg	despite the holes in the story and the somewhat predictable plot , moments of the movie caused me to jump in my chair . . .
4364	pos	the cast . . . keeps this pretty watchable , and casting mick jagger as director of the escort service was inspired .
977	pos	after making several adaptations of other writers ' work , armenian-canadian director atom egoyan broached an original treatment of a deeply personal subject .
1390	pos	the primitive force of this film seems to bubble up from the vast collective memory of the combatants . it 's like watching a nightmare made flesh .
7279	neg	it 's basically an overlong episode of tales from the crypt .
8214	neg	once the audience figure out what 's being said , the filmmaker 's relative passivity will make it tough for them to really care .
588	pos	like dickens with his passages , mcgrath crafts quite moving scenes throughout his resolutely dramatic variation on the novel .
1125	pos	one of the most significant moviegoing pleasures of the year .
10434	neg	the big finish is a bit like getting all excited about a chocolate eclair and then biting into it and finding the filling missing .
3905	pos	a wild comedy that could only spring from the demented mind of the writer of being john malkovich .
4616	pos	a marvel of production design .
7823	neg	given that both movies expect us to root for convicted violent felons over those assigned to protect us from same , we need every bit of sympathy the cons can muster ; this time , there is n't much .
3399	pos	its rawness and vitality give it considerable punch .
3656	pos	a devastating indictment of unbridled greed and materalism .
5057	pos	while the filmmaking may be a bit disjointed , the subject matter is so fascinating that you wo n't care .
5078	pos	the film is . . . determined to treat its characters , weak and strong , as fallible human beings , not caricatures , and to carefully delineate the cost of the inevitable conflicts between human urges and an institution concerned with self-preservation .
1050	pos	nothing 's at stake , just a twisty double-cross you can smell a mile away -- still , the derivative nine queens is lots of fun .
6508	neg	this one is certainly well-meaning , but it 's also simple-minded and contrived .
6649	neg	stuffy , full of itself , morally ambiguous and nothing to shout about .
10460	neg	everything its title implies , a standard-issue crime drama spat out from the tinseltown assembly line .
8475	neg	i like all four of the lead actors a lot and they manage to squeeze a few laughs out of the material , but they 're treading water at best in this forgettable effort .
925	pos	a love for films shines through each frame and the era is recreated with obvious affection , scored to perfection with some tasty boogaloo beats .
4808	pos	exposing the ways we fool ourselves is one hour photo 's real strength .
5510	neg	the skirmishes for power waged among victims and predators settle into an undistinguished rhythm of artificial suspense .
8630	neg	lacks dramatic punch and depth .
82	pos	this is a startling film that gives you a fascinating , albeit depressing view of iranian rural life close to the iraqi border .
753	pos	though the film 's scenario is certainly not earthshaking , this depiction of fluctuating female sexuality has two winning lead performances and charm to spare .
6366	neg	the movie has a script ( by paul pender ) made of wood , and it 's relentlessly folksy , a procession of stagy set pieces stacked with binary oppositions .
3068	pos	a little better than sorcerer 's stone .
1783	pos	a weird , arresting little ride .
5163	pos	a charming , banter-filled comedy . . . one of those airy cinematic bon bons whose aims -- and by extension , accomplishments -- seem deceptively slight on the surface .
2501	pos	in the long , dishonorable history of quickie teen-pop exploitation , like mike stands out for its only partly synthetic decency .
5745	neg	yes , i have given this movie a rating of zero . but fans of the show should not consider this a diss . consider it 'perfection . '
7111	neg	comes . . . uncomfortably close to coasting in the treads of the bicycle thief .
3226	pos	the film is darkly funny in its observation of just how much more grueling and time-consuming the illusion of work is than actual work .
8524	neg	hardman is a grating , mannered onscreen presence , which is especially unfortunate in light of the fine work done by most of the rest of her cast .
8637	neg	here 's a case of two actors who do everything humanly possible to create characters who are sweet and believable , and are defeated by a screenplay that forces them into bizarre , implausible behavior .
210	pos	at its best early on as it plays the culture clashes between the brothers .
9440	neg	robin williams departs from his fun friendly demeanor in exchange for a darker unnerving role .
8393	neg	the sequel has turned completely and irrevocably bizarre to the point of utter nonsense .
666	pos	a triumph , relentless and beautiful in its downbeat darkness .
6790	neg	the characters are paper thin and the plot is so cliched and contrived that it makes your least favorite james bond movie seem as cleverly plotted as the usual suspects .
4481	pos	a wildly entertaining scan of evans ' career .
9327	neg	gorgeous to look at but insufferably tedious and turgid . . . a curiously constricted epic .
361	pos	energetic and boldly provocative .
7561	neg	watching it is rather like viewing a long soap opera in which only the first episode was any good .
1565	pos	' [ the cockettes ] provides a window into a subculture hell-bent on expressing itself in every way imaginable . '
4990	pos	if you can keep your eyes open amid all the blood and gore , you 'll see del toro has brought unexpected gravity to blade ii .
3187	pos	as improbable as this premise may seem , abbass 's understated , shining performance offers us the sense that on some elemental level , lilia deeply wants to break free of her old life .
7786	neg	director dirk shafer and co-writer greg hinton ride the dubious divide where gay porn reaches for serious drama .
9525	neg	a lame comedy .
1792	pos	in the disturbingly involving family dysfunctional drama how i killed my father , french director anne fontaine delivers an inspired portrait of male-ridden angst and the emotional blockage that accompanies this human condition
8420	neg	the dark and bittersweet twist feels strange as things turn nasty and tragic during the final third of the film . first-timer john mckay is never able to pull it back on course .
1321	pos	forgettable horror -- more gory than psychological -- with a highly satisfying quotient of friday-night excitement and milla power .
1378	pos	the movie is for fans who ca n't stop loving anime , and the fanatical excess built into it .
9642	neg	[ creates ] the worst kind of mythologizing , the kind that sacrifices real heroism and abject suffering for melodrama .
7959	neg	the movie is too cute to take itself too seriously , but it still feels like it was made by some very stoned college students .
56	pos	manages to be original , even though it rips off many of its ideas .
779	pos	`` 13 conversations `` holds its goodwill close , but is relatively slow to come to the point .
1550	pos	an artful , intelligent film that stays within the confines of a well-established genre .
7449	neg	the piano teacher is the sort of movie that discourages american audiences from ever wanting to see another foreign film .
8213	neg	the movie is as far as you can get from racy , to the point where it almost stops the blood flow to your brain ; it has a dull , costumey feel .
4074	pos	an effortlessly accomplished and richly resonant work .
6894	neg	just one bad idea after another .
9174	neg	if this silly little cartoon can inspire a few kids not to grow up to be greedy bastards , more power to it .
80	pos	it 's the best film of the year so far , the benchmark against which all other best picture contenders should be measured .
4705	pos	. . . it 's as comprehensible as any dummies guide , something even non-techies can enjoy .
4969	pos	demonstrates a vivid imagination and an impressive style that result in some terrific setpieces .
2754	pos	in the new release of cinema paradiso , the tale has turned from sweet to bittersweet , and when the tears come during that final , beautiful scene , they finally feel absolutely earned .
3434	pos	the difference between cho and most comics is that her confidence in her material is merited .
8805	neg	like shave ice without the topping , this cinematic snow cone is as innocuous as it is flavorless .
9053	neg	ararat feels like a book report
1767	pos	the result is more depressing than liberating , but it 's never boring .
5315	pos	many insightful moments .
2039	pos	informative , intriguing , observant , often touching . . . gives a human face to what 's often discussed in purely abstract terms .
2537	pos	a compelling pre-wwii drama with vivid characters and a warm , moving message .
1651	pos	an enthralling aesthetic experience , one that 's steeped in mystery and a ravishing , baroque beauty .
3765	pos	a colorful , vibrant introduction to a universal human impulse , lushly photographed and beautifully recorded .
5830	neg	. . . hokey art house pretension .
7079	neg	its well of thorn and vinegar ( and simple humanity ) has long been plundered by similar works featuring the insight and punch this picture so conspicuously lacks .
5989	neg	children , christian or otherwise , deserve to hear the full story of jonah 's despair -- in all its agonizing , catch-22 glory -- even if they spend years trying to comprehend it .
4196	pos	it 's a hoot watching the rock chomp on jumbo ants , pull an arrow out of his back , and leap unscathed through raging fire !
1863	pos	the pianist [ is ] a supremely hopeful cautionary tale of war 's madness remembered that we , today , can prevent its tragic waste of life . here is a divine monument to a single man 's struggle to regain his life , his dignity and his music .
7907	neg	the performances are so leaden , michael rymer 's direction is so bloodless and the dialogue is so corny that the audience laughs out loud .
1909	pos	an immensely entertaining look at some of the unsung heroes of 20th century pop music .
6830	neg	a dark , dull thriller with a parting shot that misfires .
8644	neg	despite its raucous intent , xxx is as conventional as a nike ad and as rebellious as spring break .
9913	neg	the great pity is that those responsible did n't cut their losses and ours and retitle it the adventures of direct-to-video nash , and send it to its proper home .
3110	pos	it was only a matter of time before some savvy producer saw the potential success inherent in the mixture of bullock bubble and hugh goo .
8815	neg	frida is certainly no disaster , but neither is it the kahlo movie frida fans have been looking for .
4986	pos	it 's about issues most adults have to face in marriage and i think that 's what i liked about it -- the real issues tucked between the silly and crude storyline .
5276	pos	all in all , brown sugar is a satisfying well-made romantic comedy that 's both charming and well acted . it will guarantee to have you leaving the theater with a smile on your face .
5816	neg	the respective charms of sandra bullock and hugh grant have worn threadbare .
10661	neg	enigma is well-made , but it 's just too dry and too placid .
8832	neg	your taste for jonah - a veggie tales movie may well depend on your threshold for pop manifestations of the holy spirit .
6222	neg	toward the end sum of all fears morphs into a mundane '70s disaster flick .
3880	pos	godard has never made a more sheerly beautiful film than this unexpectedly moving meditation on love , history , memory , resistance and artistic transcendence .
2948	pos	much of what we see is horrible but it 's also undeniably exceedingly clever .
7580	neg	the film might have been more satisfying if it had , in fact , been fleshed out a little more instead of going for easy smiles .
1548	pos	about a manga-like heroine who fights back at her abusers , it 's energetic and satisfying if not deep and psychological .
5487	neg	an awful lot like one of [ spears ' ] music videos in content -- except that it goes on for at least 90 more minutes and , worse , that you have to pay if you want to see it .
1284	pos	prancing his way through the tailor-made part of a male hooker approaching the end of his vitality , jagger obviously relishes every self-mocking moment .
1926	pos	uplifting as only a document of the worst possibilities of mankind can be , and among the best films of the year .
3090	pos	even these tales of just seven children seem at times too many , although in reality they are not enough . every child 's story is what matters . this film can only point the way -- but thank goodness for this signpost .
2950	pos	ramsay succeeds primarily with her typical blend of unsettling atmospherics , delivering a series of abrasive , stylized sequences that burn themselves upon the viewer 's memory .
7669	neg	a sensual performance from abbass buoys the flimsy story , but her inner journey is largely unexplored and we 're left wondering about this exotic-looking woman whose emotional depths are only hinted at .
4998	pos	the film 's desire to be liked sometimes undermines the possibility for an exploration of the thornier aspects of the nature/nurture argument in regards to homosexuality .
3389	pos	secretary is not a movie about fetishism . it is a movie about passion .
4772	pos	this harrowing journey into combat hell vividly captures the chaotic insanity and personal tragedies that are all too abundant when human hatred spews forth unchecked .
9846	neg	welles groupie/scholar peter bogdanovich took a long time to do it , but he 's finally provided his own broadside at publishing giant william randolph hearst .
7880	neg	the backyard battles you staged with your green plastic army men were more exciting and almost certainly made more sense .
7553	neg	a boring , wincingly cute and nauseatingly politically correct cartoon guaranteed to drive anyone much over age 4 screaming from the theater .
5196	pos	there 's real visual charge to the filmmaking , and a strong erotic spark to the most crucial lip-reading sequence .
8228	neg	for a film about two mismatched buddies , crystal and de niro share little screen time and even less chemistry .
888	pos	it is a kickass , dense sci-fi action thriller hybrid that delivers and then some . i have n't seen one in so long , no wonder i did n't recognize it at first .
6606	neg	an ill-conceived jumble that 's not scary , not smart and not engaging .
10289	neg	forages for audience sympathy like a temperamental child begging for attention , giving audiences no reason to truly care for its decrepit freaks beyond the promise of a reprieve from their incessant whining .
6625	neg	it would be great to see this turd squashed under a truck , preferably a semi .
3113	pos	meyjes . . . has done his homework and soaked up some jazzy new revisionist theories about the origins of nazi politics and aesthetics .
3223	pos	a family film that contains some hefty thematic material on time , death , eternity , and what is needed to live a rich and full life .
965	pos	an excellent romp that boasts both a heart and a mind .
882	pos	a wildly funny prison caper .
798	pos	lee jeong-hyang tells it so lovingly and films it so beautifully that i could n't help being captivated by it .
8939	neg	while it may not add up to the sum of its parts , holofcener 's film offers just enough insight to keep it from being simpleminded , and the ensemble cast is engaging enough to keep you from shifting in your chair too often .
3466	pos	it irritates and saddens me that martin lawrence 's latest vehicle can explode obnoxiously into 2 , 500 screens while something of bubba ho-tep 's clearly evident quality may end up languishing on a shelf somewhere .
1143	pos	so unassuming and pure of heart , you ca n't help but warmly extend your arms and yell 'safe ! '
527	pos	for the first two-thirds of this sparklingly inventive and artful , always fast and furious tale , kids will go happily along for the ride .
7661	neg	divertingly ridiculous , headbangingly noisy .
6687	neg	well-meaning but inert .
9806	neg	a live-action cartoon , a fast-moving and cheerfully simplistic 88 minutes of exaggerated action put together with the preteen boy in mind .
7096	neg	with the exception of some fleetingly amusing improvisations by cedric the entertainer as perry 's boss , there is n't a redeeming moment here .
6672	neg	the corpse count ultimately overrides what little we learn along the way about vicarious redemption .
3650	pos	it 's a feel-good movie about which you can actually feel good .
10207	neg	one regards reign of fire with awe . what a vast enterprise has been marshaled in the service of such a minute idea .
958	pos	lauren ambrose comes alive under the attention from two strangers in town - with honest performances and realistic interaction between the characters , this is a coming-of-age story with a twist .
2510	pos	cantet beautifully illuminates what it means sometimes to be inside looking out , and at other times outside looking in .
3400	pos	a live-wire film that never loses its ability to shock and amaze .
846	pos	a charming romantic comedy that is by far the lightest dogme film and among the most enjoyable .
7107	neg	more maudlin than sharp .
10530	neg	proves a lovely trifle that , unfortunately , is a little too in love with its own cuteness .
6133	neg	the filmmakers lack the nerve . . . to fully exploit the script 's potential for sick humor .
3644	pos	it 's the sweet cinderella story that `` pretty woman `` wanted to be .
5644	neg	just because a walk to remember is shrewd enough to activate girlish tear ducts does n't mean it 's good enough for our girls .
6683	neg	. . . stumbles over every cheap trick in the book trying to make the outrage come even easier .
4345	pos	stone seems to have a knack for wrapping the theater in a cold blanket of urban desperation .
7011	neg	do not see this film .
9586	neg	the star who helped give a spark to `` chasing amy `` and `` changing lanes `` falls flat as thinking man cia agent jack ryan in this summer 's new action film , `` the sum of all fears . ``
4921	pos	ana 's journey is not a stereotypical one of self-discovery , as she 's already comfortable enough in her own skin to be proud of her rubenesque physique . . .
5643	neg	they kept much of the plot but jettisoned the stuff that would make this a moving experience for people who have n't read the book .
5188	pos	a vivid , spicy footnote to history , and a movie that grips and holds you in rapt attention from start to finish .
7154	neg	has all the depth of a wading pool .
5392	neg	the country bears has no scenes that will upset or frighten young viewers . unfortunately , there is almost nothing in this flat effort that will amuse or entertain them , either .
7911	neg	if somebody was bored and . . . decided to make a dull , pretentious version of jesus ' son , they 'd come up with something like bart freundlich 's world traveler .
1182	pos	looking aristocratic , luminous yet careworn in jane hamilton 's exemplary costumes , rampling gives a performance that could not be improved upon .
1573	pos	shamelessly resorting to pee-related sight gags that might even cause tom green a grimace ; still , myer 's energy and the silliness of it all eventually prevail
2061	pos	by not averting his eyes , solondz forces us to consider the unthinkable , the unacceptable , the unmentionable .
7432	neg	credibility levels are low and character development a non-starter .
2838	pos	you can almost see mendes and company getting together before a single frame had been shot and collectively vowing , 'this is going to be something really good . ' and it is .
3410	pos	it may not be as cutting , as witty or as true as back in the glory days of weekend and two or three things i know about her , but who else engaged in filmmaking today is so cognizant of the cultural and moral issues involved in the process ?
7506	neg	the story 's so preposterous that i did n't believe it for a second , despite the best efforts of everyone involved .
5256	pos	the film has the high-buffed gloss and high-octane jolts you expect of de palma , but what makes it transporting is that it 's also one of the smartest , most pleasurable expressions of pure movie love to come from an american director in years .
2864	pos	american and european cinema has amassed a vast holocaust literature , but it is impossible to think of any film more challenging or depressing than the grey zone .
942	pos	it is far from the worst , thanks to the topical issues it raises , the performances of stewart and hardy , and that essential feature -- a decent full-on space battle .
6637	neg	goes on and on to the point of nausea .
9519	neg	even murphy 's expert comic timing and famed charisma ca n't rescue this effort .
2339	pos	definitely worth 95 minutes of your time .
2709	pos	although mainstream american movies tend to exploit the familiar , every once in a while a film arrives from the margin that gives viewers a chance to learn , to grow , to travel .
1867	pos	the ingenuity that parker displays in freshening the play is almost in a class with that of wilde himself .
9047	neg	unambitious writing emerges in the movie , using a plot that could have come from an animated-movie screenwriting textbook .
4005	pos	by surrounding us with hyper-artificiality , haynes makes us see familiar issues , like racism and homophobia , in a fresh way .
7941	neg	credit must be given to harland williams , michael rosenbaum and barry watson , who inject far more good-natured spirit and talent into this project than it deserves
2468	pos	a lovely film . . . elegant , witty and beneath a prim exterior unabashedly romantic . . . hugely enjoyable in its own right though not really faithful to its source 's complexity .
570	pos	it 's rather like a lifetime special -- pleasant , sweet and forgettable .
4868	pos	a tightly directed , highly professional film that 's old-fashioned in all the best possible ways .
6052	neg	animated drivel meant to enhance the self-image of drooling idiots .
7927	neg	at first , the sight of a blind man directing a film is hilarious , but as the film goes on , the joke wears thin .
7828	neg	not only does the movie fail to make us part of its reality , it fails the most basic relevancy test as well .
3846	pos	woven together handsomely , recalling sixties ' rockumentary milestones from lonely boy to do n't look back .
9116	neg	what a stiflingly unfunny and unoriginal mess this is !
4754	pos	grant is certainly amusing , but the very hollowness of the character he plays keeps him at arms length
2286	pos	ozpetek 's effort has the scope and shape of an especially well-executed television movie .
8241	neg	going to the website may be just as fun ( and scary ) as going to the film .
1349	pos	the chateau cleverly probes the cross-cultural differences between gauls and yanks .
8726	neg	what can one say about a balding 50-year-old actor playing an innocent boy carved from a log ?
9686	neg	well-meaning to a fault , antwone fisher manages the dubious feat of turning one man 's triumph of will into everyman 's romance comedy .
833	pos	a fast-moving and remarkable film that appears destined to become a landmark in japanese animation .
7926	neg	the plot is so predictable and sentimental that viewers are likely to lose interest before sandrine and her goats walk off into the sunset .
5617	neg	the mystery of enigma is how a rich historical subject , combined with so much first-rate talent . . . could have yielded such a flat , plodding picture .
3428	pos	moving and vibrant .
8960	neg	this is for the most part a useless movie , even with a great director at the helm .
5771	neg	crikey indeed .
10027	neg	the last three narcissists left on earth compete for each others ' affections .
8482	neg	almost as offensive as `` freddy got fingered . ``
1316	pos	the story and structure are well-honed . fresnadillo 's dark and jolting images have a way of plying into your subconscious like the nightmare you had a week ago that wo n't go away .
2403	pos	a decent-enough nail-biter that stands a good chance of being the big hit franklin needs to stay afloat in hollywood .
4095	pos	we admire this film for its harsh objectivity and refusal to seek our tears , our sympathies .
10335	neg	throughout all the tumult , a question comes to mind : so why is this so boring ?
8515	neg	it never rises to its clever what-if concept .
5584	neg	a mimetic approximation of better films like contempt and 8 1/2 .
10386	neg	shame on writer/director vicente aranda for making a florid biopic about mad queens , obsessive relationships , and rampant adultery so dull .
4798	pos	lovingly photographed in the manner of a golden book sprung to life , stuart little 2 manages sweetness largely without stickiness .
8542	neg	deliberately and devotedly constructed , far from heaven is too picture postcard perfect , too neat and new pin-like , too obviously a recreation to resonate .
4729	pos	a virtual roller-coaster ride of glamour and sleaze .
10630	neg	it 's a movie that ends with truckzilla , for cryin ' out loud . if that does n't clue you in that something 's horribly wrong , nothing will .
5930	neg	possibly not since grumpy old men have i heard a film so solidly connect with one demographic while striking out with another .
10179	neg	this 90-minute dud could pass for mike tyson 's e ! true hollywood story .
22	pos	a disturbing and frighteningly evocative assembly of imagery and hypnotic music composed by philip glass .
5466	neg	with its parade of almost perpetually wasted characters . . . margarita feels like a hazy high that takes too long to shake .
5876	neg	if welles was unhappy at the prospect of the human race splitting in two , he probably would n't be too crazy with his great-grandson 's movie splitting up in pretty much the same way .
6070	neg	punitively affirmational parable .
10558	neg	an inept , tedious spoof of '70s kung fu pictures , it contains almost enough chuckles for a three-minute sketch , and no more .
7047	neg	the stripped-down approach does give the film a certain timeless quality , but the measured pace and lack of dramatic inflection can also seem tedious .
5214	pos	by turns gripping , amusing , tender and heart-wrenching , laissez-passer has all the earmarks of french cinema at its best .
5407	neg	too slow for a younger crowd , too shallow for an older one .
2125	pos	adaptation 's success in engaging the audience in the travails of creating a screenplay is extraordinary .
4172	pos	the directing and story are disjointed , flaws that have to be laid squarely on taylor 's doorstep . but the actors make this worth a peek .
8723	neg	stay away . far away .
2516	pos	overcomes its visual hideousness with a sharp script and strong performances .
368	pos	by the end of no such thing the audience , like beatrice , has a watchful affection for the monster .
4611	pos	the beauty of the piece is that it counts heart as important as humor .
4490	pos	a well-executed spy-thriller .
9673	neg	so bland and utterly forgettable that it might as well have been titled generic jennifer lopez romantic comedy .
9935	neg	a complete waste of time .
171	pos	nair does capture the complexity of a big family and its trials and tribulations . . .
3439	pos	mordantly funny and intimately knowing . . .
3791	pos	a burst of color , music , and dance that only the most practiced curmudgeon could fail to crack a smile at .
10286	neg	the film is all over the place , really . it dabbles all around , never gaining much momentum .
8687	neg	dramatically lackluster .
7944	neg	so faithful to the doldrums of the not-quite-urban , not-quite-suburban milieu as to have viewers recoiling from the reality check .
5332	neg	it 's so laddish and juvenile , only teenage boys could possibly find it funny .
6423	neg	gibney and jarecki just want to string the bastard up .
3629	pos	beautiful , angry and sad , with a curious sick poetry , as if the marquis de sade had gone in for pastel landscapes .
9269	neg	an essentially awkward version of the lightweight female empowerment picture we 've been watching for decades
2015	pos	charlotte sometimes is a brilliant movie . it is about irrational , unexplainable life and it seems so real because it does not attempt to filter out the complexity .
3725	pos	brings together some of the biggest names in japanese anime , with impressive results .
7593	neg	both stars manage to be funny , but , like the recent i spy , the star chemistry begs the question of whether random gags add up to a movie .
7112	neg	visually rather stunning , but ultimately a handsome-looking bore , the true creativity would have been to hide treasure planet entirely and completely reimagine it .
5294	pos	you will likely prefer to keep on watching .
10562	neg	eight legged freaks falls flat as a spoof .
1165	pos	lapaglia 's ability to convey grief and hope works with weaver 's sensitive reactions to make this a two-actor master class .
5505	neg	it leers , offering next to little insight into its intriguing subject .
783	pos	the movie stays afloat thanks to its hallucinatory production design .
421	pos	an inspiring and heart-affecting film about the desperate attempts of vietnamese refugees living in u . s . relocation camps to keep their hopes alive in 1975 .
6277	neg	'christian bale 's quinn [ is ] a leather clad grunge-pirate with a hairdo like gandalf in a wind-tunnel and a simply astounding cor-blimey-luv-a-duck cockney accent . '
7791	neg	falters when it takes itself too seriously and when it depends too heavily on its otherwise talented cast to clown in situations that are n't funny .
2396	pos	a delightful entree in the tradition of food movies .
5244	pos	kids should have a stirring time at this beautifully drawn movie . and adults will at least have a dream image of the west to savor whenever the film 's lamer instincts are in the saddle .
8967	neg	more of an intriguing curiosity than a gripping thriller .
927	pos	makes an aborbing if arguable case for the man 's greatness .
3393	pos	a delightful surprise because despite all the backstage drama , this is a movie that tells stories that work -- is charming , is moving , is funny and looks professional .
4164	pos	like mike is a harmlessly naïve slice of b-ball fantasy , fit for filling in during the real nba 's off-season .
9542	neg	deuces wild is an encyclopedia of cliches that shoplifts shamelessly from farewell-to-innocence movies like the wanderers and a bronx tale without cribbing any of their intelligence .
8585	neg	if all of eight legged freaks was as entertaining as the final hour , i would have no problem giving it an unqualified recommendation .
2952	pos	like its bizarre heroine , it irrigates our souls .
3638	pos	manages to please its intended audience -- children -- without placing their parents in a coma-like state .
4486	pos	both a beautifully made nature film and a tribute to a woman whose passion for this region and its inhabitants still shines in her quiet blue eyes .
9129	neg	a big meal of cliches that the talented cast generally chokes on .
6571	neg	so earnest and well-meaning , and so stocked with talent , that you almost forget the sheer , ponderous awfulness of its script .
3289	pos	a sobering and powerful documentary about the most severe kind of personal loss : rejection by one 's mother .
8230	neg	extreme oops - oops , ops , no matter how you spell it , it 's still a mistake to go see it .
8185	neg	everything that 's worthwhile about collision course can already be seen on television .
469	pos	what might have been a predictably heartwarming tale is suffused with complexity .
7471	neg	this miserable excuse of a movie runs on empty , believing flatbush machismo will get it through .
2014	pos	it may be a somewhat backhanded compliment to say that the film makes the viewer feel like the movie 's various victimized audience members after a while , but it also happens to be the movie 's most admirable quality
8093	neg	when it comes to entertainment , children deserve better than pokemon 4ever .
2163	pos	real women may have many agendas , but it also will win you over , in a big way .
9536	neg	after a while , the only way for a reasonably intelligent person to get through the country bears is to ponder how a whole segment of pop-music history has been allowed to get wet , fuzzy and sticky .
5910	neg	a lame romantic comedy about an unsympathetic character and someone who would not likely be so stupid as to get involved with her .
6804	neg	an incoherent jumble of a film that 's rarely as entertaining as it could have been .
9012	neg	plays like a checklist of everything rob reiner and his cast were sending up .
7607	neg	lacks heart , depth and , most of all , purpose .
9838	neg	any attempts at nuance given by the capable cast is drowned out by director jon purdy 's sledgehammer sap .
8523	neg	the concept behind kung pow : enter the fist is hilarious . it 's too bad nothing else is .
3891	pos	the all-french cast is marveilleux .
1878	pos	the movie is hardly a masterpiece , but it does mark ms . bullock 's best work in some time .
4141	pos	interesting both as a historical study and as a tragic love story .
7440	neg	. . . with the candy-like taste of it fading faster than 25-cent bubble gum , i realized this is a throwaway movie that wo n't stand the test of time . it 's a trifle .
6093	neg	decent but dull .
6879	neg	there 's just no currency in deriding james bond for being a clichéd , doddering , misogynistic boy 's club .
661	pos	no wonder they 're talking about `` talk to her . `` it 's astonishing .
4112	pos	may be the most undeserving victim of critical overkill since town and country .
6822	neg	bottom-rung new jack city wannabe .
4786	pos	`` home movie `` is the film equivalent of a lovingly rendered coffee table book .
3723	pos	it 's an experience in understanding a unique culture that is presented with universal appeal .
9263	neg	wanders all over the map thematically and stylistically , and borrows heavily from lynch , jeunet , and von trier while failing to find a spark of its own .
7754	neg	shallow .
4575	pos	one of the most splendid entertainments to emerge from the french film industry in years .
3131	pos	it 's a beautiful film , full of elaborate and twisted characters - and it 's also pretty funny .
5418	neg	a movie more to be prescribed than recommended -- as visually bland as a dentist 's waiting room , complete with soothing muzak and a cushion of predictable narrative rhythms .
5027	pos	starts slowly , but adrien brody – in the title role – helps make the film 's conclusion powerful and satisfying .
10489	neg	a minor-league soccer remake of the longest yard .
3751	pos	the combination of lightness and strictness in this instance gives italian for beginners an amiable aimlessness that keeps it from seeming predictably formulaic .
1279	pos	it will not appeal to the impatient , but those who like long books and movies will admire the way it accumulates power and depth .
6079	neg	sadly , though many of the actors throw off a spark or two when they first appear , they ca n't generate enough heat in this cold vacuum of a comedy to start a reaction .
4250	pos	expands the limits of what a film can be , taking us into the lives of women to whom we might not give a second look if we passed them on the street .
1732	pos	a brutally honest documentary about a much anticipated family reunion that goes wrong thanks to culture shock and a refusal to empathize with others .
174	pos	ranks among willams ' best screen work .
2536	pos	denis forges out of the theories of class- based rage and sisterly obsession a razor-sided tuning fork that rings with cultural , sexual and social discord .
528	pos	majidi 's poetic love story is a ravishing consciousness-raiser , if a bit draggy at times .
8059	neg	two-bit potboiler .
5610	neg	it 's like an all-star salute to disney 's cheesy commercialism .
9569	neg	the explosion essentially ruined -- or , rather , overpowered -- the fiction of the movie for me .
1979	pos	though few will argue that it ranks with the best of herzog 's works , invincible shows he 's back in form , with an astoundingly rich film .
10249	neg	the movie is genial but never inspired , and little about it will stay with you .
9937	neg	do we really need another film that praises female self-sacrifice ?
1805	pos	the fascination comes in the power of the huston performance , which seems so larger than life and yet so fragile , and in the way the ivan character accepts the news of his illness so quickly but still finds himself unable to react .
3080	pos	this is a visually stunning rumination on love , memory , history and the war between art and commerce .
3692	pos	some remarkable achival film about how shanghai ( of all places ) served jews who escaped the holocaust .
2242	pos	there are flaws , but also stretches of impact and moments of awe ; we 're wrapped up in the characters , how they make their choices , and why .
5998	neg	the problem is the needlessly poor quality of its archival prints and film footage . the images lack contrast , are murky and are frequently too dark to be decipherable .
4985	pos	a comedy-drama of nearly epic proportions rooted in a sincere performance by the title character undergoing midlife crisis .
7013	neg	delivers the same old same old , tarted up with latin flava and turned out by hollywood playas .
4907	pos	tunney , brimming with coltish , neurotic energy , holds the screen like a true star .
9007	neg	the film 's darker moments become smoothed over by an overwhelming need to tender inspirational tidings , especially in the last few cloying moments .
9359	neg	`hey arnold ! ' has some visual wit . . . but little imagination elsewhere .
3352	pos	i 'm not generally a fan of vegetables but this batch is pretty cute .
99	pos	i enjoyed time of favor while i was watching it , but i was surprised at how quickly it faded from my memory .
1708	pos	cho 's timing is priceless .
6286	neg	at the one-hour mark , herzog simply runs out of ideas and the pace turns positively leaden as the movie sputters to its inevitable tragic conclusion .
6480	neg	moves in such odd plot directions and descends into such message-mongering moralism that its good qualities are obscured .
10484	neg	more successful at relating history than in creating an emotionally complex , dramatically satisfying heroine
7996	neg	even the imaginative gore ca n't hide the musty scent of todd farmer 's screenplay , which is a simple retread of the 1979 alien , with a plucky heroine battling a monster loose in a spaceship .
139	pos	if your senses have n't been dulled by slasher films and gorefests , if you 're a connoisseur of psychological horror , this is your ticket .
1070	pos	a poignant , artfully crafted meditation on mortality .
5685	neg	everybody loves a david and goliath story , and this one is told almost entirely from david 's point of view .
2358	pos	a knowing look at female friendship , spiked with raw urban humor .
10004	neg	there 's some outrageously creative action in the transporter . . . [ b ] ut by the time frank parachutes down onto a moving truck , it 's just another cartoon with an unstoppable superman .
9134	neg	a little more intensity and a little less charm would have saved this film a world of hurt .
8865	neg	less about shakespeare than the spawn of fools who saw quentin tarantino 's handful of raucous gangster films and branched out into their own pseudo-witty copycat interpretations .
1256	pos	remember the kind of movie we were hoping `` ecks vs . sever `` or `` xxx `` was going to be ? this is it .
9160	neg	a loud , ugly , irritating movie without any of its satirical salvos hitting a discernible target .
774	pos	an amazing and incendiary movie that dives straight into the rough waters of contradiction .
2724	pos	compared to his series of spectacular belly flops both on and off the screen , runteldat is something of a triumph .
5183	pos	not too fancy , not too filling , not too fluffy , but definitely tasty and sweet .
8296	neg	[ sen 's ] soap opera-ish approach undermines his good intentions .
6580	neg	philosophically , intellectually and logistically a mess .
7373	neg	this charmless nonsense ensues amid clanging film references that make jay and silent bob 's excellent adventure seem understated .
3171	pos	despite its flaws , crazy as hell marks an encouraging new direction for la salle .
8015	neg	the story bogs down in a mess of purposeless violence .
5848	neg	feels shrill , simple and soapy .
8776	neg	it 's difficult for a longtime admirer of his work to not be swept up in invincible and overlook its drawbacks .
9679	neg	although purportedly a study in modern alienation , it 's really little more than a particularly slanted , gay s/m fantasy , enervating and deadeningly drawn-out .
2945	pos	takashi miike keeps pushing the envelope : ichi the killer
5918	neg	obvious
8573	neg	a series of escapades demonstrating the adage that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander , some of which occasionally amuses but none of which amounts to much of a story .
6538	neg	large budget notwithstanding , the movie is such a blip on the year 's radar screen that it 's tempting just to go with it for the ride . but this time , the old mib label stands for milder is n't better .
2452	pos	passions , obsessions , and loneliest dark spots are pushed to their most virtuous limits , lending the narrative an unusually surreal tone .
5931	neg	the drama was so uninspiring that even a story immersed in love , lust , and sin could n't keep my attention .
6313	neg	you get the impression that writer and director burr steers knows the territory . . . but his sense of humor has yet to lose the smug self-satisfaction usually associated with the better private schools .
10271	neg	filled with low-brow humor , gratuitous violence and a disturbing disregard for life .
4385	pos	the powder blues and sun-splashed whites of tunis make an alluring backdrop for this sensuous and spirited tale of a prim widow who finds an unlikely release in belly-dancing clubs .
1169	pos	the best film about baseball to hit theaters since field of dreams .
7218	neg	american chai encourages rueful laughter at stereotypes only an indian-american would recognize . and the lesson , in the end , is nothing new .
5586	neg	watching the powerpuff girls movie , my mind kept returning to one anecdote for comparison : the cartoon in japan that gave people seizures .
5598	neg	to better understand why this did n't connect with me would require another viewing , and i wo n't be sitting through this one again . . . that in itself is commentary enough .
10439	neg	the work of an exhausted , desiccated talent who ca n't get out of his own way .
2995	pos	the film has an infectious enthusiasm and we 're touched by the film 's conviction that all life centered on that place , that time and that sport .
1975	pos	the performances are amiable and committed , and the comedy more often than not hits the bullseye .
2110	pos	norton holds the film together .
4075	pos	in some ways , lagaan is quintessential bollywood . except it 's much , much better .
8180	neg	it 's not thirsty , consuming passion which drives this movie . no , it 's the repetition of said behavior , and so children of the century is more mindless love than mad , more grating and boring than anything else .
2640	pos	directors brett morgen and nanette burstein have put together a bold biographical fantasia .
996	pos	superior genre storytelling , which gets under our skin simply by crossing the nuclear line .
9527	neg	a movie that 's held captive by mediocrity . not bad , but not all that good . bacon keeps things interesting , but do n't go out of your way to pay full price .
8109	neg	the writers , director wally wolodarsky , and all the actors should start their own coeducational fraternity : kappa rho alpha phi .
2053	pos	warm in its loving yet unforgivingly inconsistent depiction of everyday people , relaxed in its perfect quiet pace and proud in its message . i loved this film .
715	pos	a vivid cinematic portrait .
2230	pos	arteta paints a picture of lives lived in a state of quiet desperation .
9368	neg	anyone who wants to start writing screenplays can just follow the same blueprint from hundreds of other films , sell it to the highest bidder and walk away without anyone truly knowing your identity .
1972	pos	a delicious , quirky movie with a terrific screenplay and fanciful direction by michael gondry .
5336	neg	the story is also as unoriginal as they come , already having been recycled more times than i 'd care to count .
7758	neg	the reason we keep seeing the same movie with roughly the same people every year is because so many of us keep going and then , out of embarrassment or stupidity , not warning anyone .
4090	pos	worth a salute just for trying to be more complex than your average film .
10310	neg	lacks the spirit of the previous two , and makes all those jokes about hos and even more unmentionable subjects seem like mere splashing around in the muck .
9883	neg	makes 98 minutes feel like three hours .
5784	neg	none of this is very original , and it is n't particularly funny .
3837	pos	left me with the visceral sensation of longing , lasting traces of charlotte 's web of desire and desperation .
5365	neg	another useless recycling of a brutal mid-'70s american sports movie .
5327	pos	mazel tov to a film about a family 's joyous life acting on the yiddish stage .
3048	pos	whatever one makes of its political edge , this is beautiful filmmaking from one of french cinema 's master craftsmen .
5358	neg	the criticism never rises above easy , cynical potshots at morally bankrupt characters . . .
4473	pos	a compelling , gut-clutching piece of advocacy cinema that carries you along in a torrent of emotion as it explores the awful complications of one terrifying day .
2383	pos	a disoriented but occasionally disarming saga packed with moments out of an alice in wonderland adventure , a stalker thriller , and a condensed season of tv 's big brother .
5802	neg	the problem with antwone fisher is that it has a screenplay written by antwone fisher based on the book by antwone fisher .
3163	pos	an overly melodramatic but somewhat insightful french coming-of-age film . . .
4973	pos	there are so few films about the plight of american indians in modern america that skins comes as a welcome , if downbeat , missive from a forgotten front .
4297	pos	byler is too savvy a filmmaker to let this morph into a typical romantic triangle . instead , he focuses on the anguish that can develop when one mulls leaving the familiar to traverse uncharted ground .
6422	neg	bartlett 's hero remains a reactive cipher , when opening the man 's head and heart is the only imaginable reason for the film to be made .
575	pos	the experience of watching blobby old-school cgi animation in this superlarge format is just surreal enough to be diverting .
4335	pos	as a science fiction movie , `` minority report `` astounds .
6520	neg	jaglom offers the none-too-original premise that everyone involved with moviemaking is a con artist and a liar .
5499	neg	with or without ballast tanks , k-19 sinks to a harrison ford low .
8570	neg	broomfield 's style of journalism is hardly journalism at all , and even those with an avid interest in the subject will grow impatient .
8468	neg	this is rote drivel aimed at mom and dad 's wallet .
6030	neg	witless , pointless , tasteless and idiotic .
9723	neg	except for paymer as the boss who ultimately expresses empathy for bartleby 's pain , the performances are so stylized as to be drained of human emotion .
9898	neg	the movie 's vision of a white american zealously spreading a puritanical brand of christianity to south seas islanders is one only a true believer could relish .
10141	neg	fessenden continues to do interesting work , and it would be nice to see what he could make with a decent budget . but the problem with wendigo , for all its effective moments , is n't really one of resources .
2442	pos	a whole lot of fun and funny in the middle , though somewhat less hard-hitting at the start and finish .
682	pos	although life or something like it is very much in the mold of feel-good movies , the cast and director stephen herek 's polished direction pour delightfully piquant wine from aged bottles .
3305	pos	an infinitely wittier version of the home alone formula .
6321	neg	the movie slides downhill as soon as macho action conventions assert themselves .
2082	pos	efficient , suitably anonymous chiller .
6633	neg	simply a re-hash of the other seven films .
6386	neg	some elements of it really blow the big one , but other parts are decent .
4819	pos	making such a tragedy the backdrop to a love story risks trivializing it , though chouraqui no doubt intended the film to affirm love 's power to help people endure almost unimaginable horror .
9148	neg	what with the incessant lounge music playing in the film 's background , you may mistake love liza for an adam sandler chanukah song .
9894	neg	a loud , brash and mainly unfunny high school comedy .
982	pos	without resorting to hyperbole , i can state that kissing jessica stein may be the best same-sex romance i have seen .
4987	pos	elegantly produced and expressively performed , the six musical numbers crystallize key plot moments into minutely detailed wonders of dreamlike ecstasy .
10287	neg	the beautiful , unusual music is this film 's chief draw , but its dreaminess may lull you to sleep .
413	pos	. . . a polished and relatively sincere piece of escapism .
9437	neg	it 's coherent , well shot , and tartly acted , but it wears you down like a dinner guest showing off his doctorate .
4827	pos	a soul-stirring documentary about the israeli/palestinian conflict as revealed through the eyes of some children who remain curious about each other against all odds .
7863	neg	adam sandler is to gary cooper what a gnat is to a racehorse .
490	pos	stevenson 's performance is at once clueless and fiercely committed , a volatile combination .
7428	neg	guillen rarely gets beneath the surface of things . she lists ingredients , but never mixes and stirs .
1362	pos	true tale of courage -- and complicity -- at auschwitz is a harrowing drama that tries to tell of the unspeakable .
3302	pos	huppert and girardot give performances of exceptional honesty .
1627	pos	fun and nimble .
805	pos	grant gets to display his cadness to perfection , but also to show acting range that may surprise some who thought light-hearted comedy was his forte .
3007	pos	the film grows on you . and how .
10437	neg	those eternally devoted to the insanity of black will have an intermittently good time . feel free to go get popcorn whenever he 's not onscreen .
10618	neg	any film that does n't even in passing mention political prisoners , poverty and the boat loads of people who try to escape the country is less a documentary and more propaganda by way of a valentine sealed with a kiss .
9986	neg	there are many things that solid acting can do for a movie , but crafting something promising from a mediocre screenplay is not one of them .
9847	neg	makes the same mistake as the music industry it criticizes , becoming so slick and watered-down it almost loses what made you love it in the first place .
427	pos	there are moments in this account of the life of artist frida kahlo that are among cinema 's finest this year . unfortunately , they 're sandwiched in between the most impossibly dry account of kahlo 's life imaginable .
5924	neg	a fifty car pileup of cliches .
1164	pos	a true pleasure .
4716	pos	more sophisticated and literate than such pictures usually are . . . an amusing little catch .
6003	neg	in the end , the weight of water comes to resemble the kind of soft-core twaddle you 'd expect to see on showtime 's 'red shoe diaries . '
5981	neg	has an uppity musical beat that you can dance to , but its energy ca n't compare to the wit , humor and snappy dialogue of the original . if i want music , i 'll buy the soundtrack . if i want a real movie , i 'll buy the criterion dvd .
4466	pos	dense and thoughtful and brimming with ideas that are too complex to be rapidly absorbed .
6728	neg	the fetid underbelly of fame has never looked uglier .
3554	pos	an old-fashioned scary movie , one that relies on lingering terror punctuated by sudden shocks and not constant bloodshed punctuated by flying guts .
8760	neg	anyone who gets chills from movies with giant plot holes will find plenty to shake and shiver about in 'the ring . '
7556	neg	an afterschool special without the courage of its convictions .
7273	neg	the most hopelessly monotonous film of the year , noteworthy only for the gimmick of being filmed as a single unbroken 87-minute take .
1184	pos	on this tricky topic , tadpole is very much a step in the right direction , with its blend of frankness , civility and compassion .
8406	neg	bad company leaves a bad taste , not only because of its bad-luck timing , but also the staleness of its script .
8102	neg	splashes its drama all over the screen , subjecting its audience and characters to action that feels not only manufactured , but also so false you can see the filmmakers ' puppet strings .
2123	pos	an amusing and unexpectedly insightful examination of sexual jealousy , resentment and the fine line between passion and pretence .
10510	neg	the movie tries to be ethereal , but ends up seeming goofy .
5137	pos	crush is so warm and fuzzy you might be able to forgive its mean-spirited second half .
8161	neg	it does n't do the original any particular dishonor , but neither does it exude any charm or personality .
755	pos	a recent favourite at sundance , this white-trash satire will inspire the affection of even those unlucky people who never owned a cassette of def leppard 's pyromania .
3618	pos	the first tunisian film i have ever seen , and it 's also probably the most good-hearted yet sensual entertainment i 'm likely to see all year .
10464	neg	talkiness is n't necessarily bad , but the dialogue frequently misses the mark .
7230	neg	a great ensemble cast ca n't lift this heartfelt enterprise out of the familiar .
7071	neg	i 'll bet the video game is a lot more fun than the film .
6710	neg	'lovely and amazing , ' unhappily , is neither . . . excessively strained and contrived .
941	pos	while surprisingly sincere , this average little story is adorned with some awesome action photography and surfing .
5987	neg	an awkwardly garish showcase that diverges from anything remotely probing or penetrating .
8852	neg	. . . the good and different idea [ of middle-aged romance ] is not handled well and , except for the fine star performances , there is little else to recommend `` never again . ``
2621	pos	terrific as nadia , a russian mail-order bride who comes to america speaking not a word of english , it 's kidman who holds the film together with a supremely kittenish performance that gradually accumulates more layers .
9635	neg	the secrets of time travel will have been discovered , indulged in and rejected as boring before i see this piece of crap again .
440	pos	recalls quiet freak-outs like l'avventura and repulsion .
7321	neg	whenever its story is n't bogged down by idiocy involving the cia and a lost u . s . satellite , hunter -- starring irwin and his american wife/colleague , terri -- is a movie children should enjoy .
6862	neg	[ t ] here 's only so much anyone can do with a florid , overplotted , anne rice rock 'n ' roll vampire novel before the built-in silliness of the whole affair defeats them .
6537	neg	'men in black ii creates a new threat for the mib , but recycles the same premise .
358	pos	if no one singles out any of these performances as award-worthy , it 's only because we would expect nothing less from this bunch .
650	pos	anchored by a terrific performance by abbass , satin rouge shows that the idea of women 's self-actualization knows few continental divides .
5270	pos	spielberg 's realization of a near-future america is masterful . this makes minority report necessary viewing for sci-fi fans , as the film has some of the best special effects ever .
5022	pos	i have a new favorite musical -- and i 'm not even a fan of the genre
6110	neg	a peculiar misfire that even tunney ca n't save .
10213	neg	an unfortunate title for a film that has nothing endearing about it .
7308	neg	the x potion gives the quickly named blossom , bubbles and buttercup supernatural powers that include extraordinary strength and laser-beam eyes , which unfortunately do n't enable them to discern flimsy screenplays .
2292	pos	if anything , the film is doing something of a public service -- shedding light on a group of extremely talented musicians who might otherwise go unnoticed and underappreciated by music fans .
25	pos	occasionally melodramatic , it 's also extremely effective .
9757	neg	the pretensions -- and disposable story -- sink the movie . and diesel is n't the actor to save it .
5030	pos	pratfalls aside , barbershop gets its greatest play from the timeless spectacle of people really talking to each other .
7002	neg	it takes a certain kind of horror movie to qualify as 'worse than expected , ' but ghost ship somehow manages to do exactly that .
10622	neg	in this film we at least see a study in contrasts ; the wide range of one actor , and the limited range of a comedian .
9187	neg	rob schneider 's infantile cross-dressing routines fill the hot chick , the latest gimmick from this unimaginative comedian .
4333	pos	there is simply no doubt that this film asks the right questions at the right time in the history of our country .
2658	pos	( rises ) above its oh-so-hollywood rejiggering and its conventional direction to give the film a soul and an unabashed sense of good old-fashioned escapism .
4966	pos	whether or not ram dass proves as clear and reliable an authority on that as he was about inner consciousness , fierce grace reassures us that he will once again be an honest and loving one .
1916	pos	what eric schaeffer has accomplished with never again may not , strictly speaking , qualify as revolutionary . but it 's defiantly and delightfully against the grain .
9747	neg	meandering and confusing .
4329	pos	mark pellington 's latest pop thriller is as kooky and overeager as it is spooky and subtly in love with myth .
3215	pos	a thoroughly engaging , surprisingly touching british comedy .
5346	neg	there is a difference between movies with the courage to go over the top and movies that do n't care about being stupid
8011	neg	i admire it and yet can not recommend it , because it overstays its natural running time .
2231	pos	drug abuse , infidelity and death are n't usually comedy fare , but turpin 's film allows us to chuckle through the angst .
2807	pos	the movie has no respect for laws , political correctness or common decency , but it displays something more important : respect for its flawed , crazy people .
7464	neg	the character is too forced and overwritten to be funny or believable much of the time , and clayburgh does n't always improve the over-the-top mix .
8765	neg	hollywood has taken quite a nosedive from alfred hitchcock 's imaginative flight to shyamalan 's self-important summer fluff .
9358	neg	no film could possibly be more contemptuous of the single female population .
9531	neg	it 's a frankenstein-monster of a film that does n't know what it wants to be .
2763	pos	intelligent and moving .
6254	neg	pure of intention and passably diverting , his secret life is light , innocuous and unremarkable .
2764	pos	fathers and sons , and the uneasy bonds between them , rarely have received such a sophisticated and unsentimental treatment on the big screen as they do in this marvelous film .
1175	pos	if director michael dowse only superficially understands his characters , he does n't hold them in contempt .
7389	neg	this film was made to get laughs from the slowest person in the audience -- just pure slapstick with lots of inane , inoffensive screaming and exaggerated facial expressions .
3332	pos	offers the flash of rock videos fused with solid performances and eerie atmosphere .
4188	pos	a gem of a movie .
6125	neg	feels like the work of someone who may indeed have finally aged past his prime . . . and , perhaps more than he realizes , just wants to be liked by the people who can still give him work .
603	pos	the warm presence of zhao benshan makes the preposterous lying hero into something more than he reasonably should be .
10227	neg	perhaps even the slc high command found writer-director mitch davis 's wall of kitsch hard going .
2550	pos	a conventional , but well-crafted film about a historic legal battle in ireland over a man 's right to raise his own children .
6741	neg	there 's no palpable chemistry between lopez and male lead ralph fiennes , plus the script by working girl scribe kevin wade is workmanlike in the extreme .
816	pos	often moving and explores the discomfort inherent in the contacts between the american 'hosts ' and their 'guests . '
10221	neg	none of this has the suavity or classical familiarity of bond , but much of it is good for a laugh . the problem with `` xxx `` is that its own action is n't very effective .
9538	neg	summer 's far too fleeting to squander on offal like this .
1557	pos	all-in-all , the film is an enjoyable and frankly told tale of a people who live among us , but not necessarily with us .
9716	neg	a somewhat disappointing and meandering saga .
3992	pos	300 years of russian history and culture compressed into an evanescent , seamless and sumptuous stream of consciousness .
6677	neg	despite bearing the paramount imprint , it 's a bargain-basement european pickup . what 's hard to understand is why anybody picked it up . wiser souls would have tactfully pretended not to see it and left it lying there
7135	neg	director uwe boll and the actors provide scant reason to care in this crude '70s throwback .
3547	pos	hugely entertaining from start to finish , featuring a fall from grace that still leaves shockwaves , it will gratify anyone who has ever suspected hollywood of being overrun by corrupt and hedonistic weasels .
4239	pos	this is a dark , gritty , sometimes funny little gem .
10253	neg	a bland , obnoxious 88-minute infomercial for universal studios and its ancillary products .
9080	neg	behind the glitz , hollywood is sordid and disgusting . quelle surprise !
2369	pos	with notorious c . h . o . cho proves she has the stuff to stand tall with pryor , carlin and murphy .
8443	neg	will anyone who is n't a fangoria subscriber be excited that it has n't gone straight to video ?
4989	pos	writer/ director m . night shyamalan 's ability to pull together easily accessible stories that resonate with profundity is undeniable .
3014	pos	my wife is an actress works as well as it does because [ the leads ] are such a companionable couple .
1771	pos	it 's a technically superb film , shining with all the usual spielberg flair , expertly utilizing the talents of his top-notch creative team .
10013	neg	such a fine idea for a film , and such a stultifying , lifeless execution .
3142	pos	the faithful will enjoy this sometimes wry adaptation of v . s . naipaul 's novel , but newcomers may find themselves stifling a yawn or two during the first hour .
2629	pos	adaptation is simply brilliant .
4252	pos	shanghai ghetto may not be as dramatic as roman polanski 's the pianist , but its compassionate spirit soars every bit as high .
9718	neg	an empty , ugly exercise in druggy trance-noir and trumped-up street credibility .
1336	pos	by the end of the movie , you 're definitely convinced that these women are spectacular .
9680	neg	after the first 10 minutes , which is worth seeing , the movie sinks into an abyss of clichés , depression and bad alternative music .
4241	pos	what makes salton sea surprisingly engrossing is that caruso takes an atypically hypnotic approach to a world that 's often handled in fast-edit , hopped-up fashion .
6369	neg	despite some charm and heart , this quirky soccer import is forgettable
3264	pos	heartwarming here relies less on forced air than on petter næss ' delicate , clever direction . . . and a wonderful , imaginative script by axel hellstenius .
9097	neg	the whole thing comes off like a particularly amateurish episode of bewitched that takes place during spring break .
48	pos	tender yet lacerating and darkly funny fable .
7998	neg	the episodic film makes valid points about the depersonalization of modern life . but the characters tend to be cliches whose lives are never fully explored .
5623	neg	a poorly scripted , preachy fable that forgets about unfolding a coherent , believable story in its zeal to spread propaganda .
7442	neg	arguably the year 's silliest and most incoherent movie .
8080	neg	undone by its overly complicated and derivative screenplay , the glacier-paced direction and the stereotypical characters .
4115	pos	cold , nervy and memorable .
2630	pos	smart and alert , thirteen conversations about one thing is a small gem .
4177	pos	if villainous vampires are your cup of blood , blade 2 is definitely a cut above the rest .
2654	pos	murderous maids has a lot going for it , not least the brilliant performances by testud . . . and parmentier .
10659	neg	as it stands , crocodile hunter has the hurried , badly cobbled look of the 1959 godzilla , which combined scenes of a japanese monster flick with canned shots of raymond burr commenting on the monster 's path of destruction .
10538	neg	less funny than it should be and less funny than it thinks it is .
2186	pos	nair 's attention to detail creates an impeccable sense of place , while thurman and lewis give what can easily be considered career-best performances .
10094	neg	beneath the uncanny , inevitable and seemingly shrewd facade of movie-biz farce . . . lies a plot cobbled together from largely flat and uncreative moments .
7989	neg	the makers have forsaken the entertaining elements of the original and , instead , rehash old jokes and leave any life at the doorstep . i like frank the pug , though .
911	pos	the am-radio soundtrack and game cast -- tierney and the inimitable walken especially -- keep this unusual comedy from choking on its own conceit .
294	pos	the new guy does have a heart . now , if it only had a brain .
7676	neg	it tries too hard , and overreaches the logic of its own world .
8866	neg	the film is like sitting in a downtown café , overhearing a bunch of typical late-twenty-somethings natter on about nothing , and desperately wishing you could change tables .
3523	pos	it is a challenging film , if not always a narratively cohesive one .
8665	neg	. . . no charm , no laughs , no fun , no reason to watch .
7360	neg	the story drifts so inexorably into cliches about tortured ( and torturing ) artists and consuming but impossible love that you ca n't help but become more disappointed as each overwrought new sequence plods on .
1487	pos	'de niro . . . is a veritable source of sincere passion that this hollywood contrivance orbits around . '
2045	pos	gaunt , silver-haired and leonine , [ harris ] brings a tragic dimension and savage full-bodied wit and cunning to the aging sandeman .
10577	neg	this will go on so long as there are moviegoers anxious to see strange young guys doing strange guy things .
6476	neg	the soul-searching deliberateness of the film , although leavened nicely with dry absurdist wit , eventually becomes too heavy for the plot .
2394	pos	parts seem like they were lifted from terry gilliam 's subconscious , pressed through kafka 's meat grinder and into buñuel 's casings
2058	pos	rarely , a movie is more than a movie . go .
981	pos	fans of the animated wildlife adventure show will be in warthog heaven ; others need not necessarily apply .
6975	neg	oh come on . like you could n't smell this turkey rotting from miles away .
3506	pos	a meatier deeper beginning and/or ending would have easily tipped this film into the `` a `` range , as is , it 's a very very strong `` b+ . `` i love the robust middle of this picture .
10376	neg	bears is even worse than i imagined a movie ever could be .
8035	neg	it 's a bad sign when you 're rooting for the film to hurry up and get to its subjects ' deaths just so the documentary will be over , but it 's indicative of how uncompelling the movie is unless it happens to cover your particular area of interest .
6781	neg	the adventure does n't contain half the excitement of balto , or quarter the fun of toy story 2 .
4982	pos	if you 're looking for an intelligent movie in which you can release your pent up anger , enough is just the ticket you need .
6038	neg	the package in which this fascinating -- and timely -- content comes wrapped is disappointingly generic .
2371	pos	watching war photographer , you come to believe that nachtwey hates the wars he shows and empathizes with the victims he reveals .
6490	neg	drumline is -- the mere suggestion , albeit a visually compelling one , of a fully realized story .
8911	neg	sad nonsense , this . but not without cheesy fun factor .
10003	neg	this is standard crime drama fare . . . instantly forgettable and thoroughly dull .
2272	pos	there is no substitute for on-screen chemistry , and when friel pulls the strings that make williams sink into melancholia , the reaction in williams is as visceral as a gut punch .
8337	neg	suffocated at conception by its munchausen-by-proxy mum . punish the vehicle to adore the star .
7532	neg	for the most part , i spy was an amusing lark that will probably rank as one of murphy 's better performances in one of his lesser-praised movies .
2704	pos	provides the kind of 'laugh therapy ' i need from movie comedies -- offbeat humor , amusing characters , and a happy ending . after seeing 'analyze that , ' i feel better already .
3431	pos	a hallmark film in an increasingly important film industry and worth the look .
9103	neg	it 's almost as if it 's an elaborate dare more than a full-blooded film .
3401	pos	the year 's greatest adventure , and jackson 's limited but enthusiastic adaptation has made literature literal without killing its soul -- a feat any thinking person is bound to appreciate .
10059	neg	i found it slow , predictable and not very amusing .
6540	neg	a retread of material already thoroughly plumbed by martin scorsese .
5608	neg	the basic premise is intriguing but quickly becomes distasteful and downright creepy .
8022	neg	outrageousness is all plympton seemed to be going for this time . we miss the quirky amazement that used to come along for an integral part of the ride .
10594	neg	while the new film is much more eye-catching than its blood-drenched stephen norrington-directed predecessor , the new script by the returning david s . goyer is much sillier .
9782	neg	the kind of movie that leaves vague impressions and a nasty aftertaste but little clear memory of its operational mechanics .
4775	pos	'pocas veces es posible ver un elenco tan compenetrado con la historia , donde todos y cada uno de los actores ofrecen actuaciones verdaderamente memorables . '
5847	neg	[ javier bardem is ] one of the few reasons to watch the film , which director gerardo vera has drenched in swoony music and fever-pitched melodrama .
4527	pos	it 's sweet , funny , charming , and completely delightful .
6187	neg	snow dogs finds its humour in a black man getting humiliated by a pack of dogs who are smarter than him
8077	neg	places a slightly believable love triangle in a difficult-to-swallow setting , and then disappointingly moves the story into the realm of an improbable thriller .
10344	neg	if it were any more of a turkey , it would gobble in dolby digital stereo . if nothing else , `` rollerball `` 2002 may go down in cinema history as the only movie ever in which the rest of the cast was outshined by ll cool j .
3920	pos	famuyiwa 's feature deals with its subject matter in a tasteful , intelligent manner , rather than forcing us to endure every plot contrivance that the cliché-riddled genre can offer .
4208	pos	a well paced and satisfying little drama that deserved better than a ‘direct-to-video ' release .
3858	pos	elegant and eloquent [ meditation ] on death and that most elusive of passions , love .
4627	pos	. . . bright , intelligent , and humanly funny film .
9180	neg	horrendously amateurish filmmaking that is plainly dull and visually ugly when it is n't incomprehensible .
933	pos	mixes likeable personalities , inventive photography and cutting , and wall-to-wall toe-tapping music to paint a picture of a subculture that is at once exhilarating , silly , perverse , hopeful and always fun .
3470	pos	hashiguchi covers this territory with wit and originality , suggesting that with his fourth feature -- the first to be released in the u . s . -- a major director is emerging in world cinema .
5838	neg	silly stuff , all mixed up together like a term paper from a kid who ca n't quite distinguish one sci-fi work from another .
8506	neg	equilibrium the movie , as opposed to the manifesto , is really , really stupid .
3047	pos	a thought-provoking and often-funny drama about isolation .
9081	neg	scherfig , who has had a successful career in tv , tackles more than she can handle .
10511	neg	i was hoping that it would be sleazy and fun , but it was neither .
5815	neg	laggard drama wending its way to an uninspired philosophical epiphany .
1191	pos	reggio 's continual visual barrage is absorbing as well as thought-provoking .
2949	pos	it understands , in a way that speaks forcefully enough about the mechanisms of poverty to transcend the rather simplistic filmmaking .
3364	pos	despite the predictable parent vs . child coming-of-age theme , first-class , natural acting and a look at `` the real americans `` make this a charmer .
1791	pos	jones . . . makes a great impression as the writer-director of this little $ 1 . 8 million charmer , which may not be cutting-edge indie filmmaking but has a huge heart .
1905	pos	sitting in the third row of the imax cinema at sydney 's darling harbour , but i sometimes felt as though i was in the tiny two seater plane that carried the giant camera around australia , sweeping and gliding , banking and hovering over some of the most not
3750	pos	the movie is ingenious fun . see it .
7641	neg	the tug-of-war at the core of beijing bicycle becomes weighed down with agonizing contrivances , overheated pathos and long , wistful gazes .
10157	neg	you expect more from director michael apted ( enigma ) and screenwriter nicholas kazan ( reversal of fortune ) than this cliche pileup .
3180	pos	the movie is our story as much as it is schmidt 's , no matter if it 's viewed as a self-reflection or cautionary tale .
10241	neg	predictably melodramatic .
2036	pos	beautifully shot , delicately scored and powered by a set of heartfelt performances , it 's a lyrical endeavour .
2175	pos	there 's none of the happily-ever -after spangle of monsoon wedding in late marriage -- and that 's part of what makes dover kosashvili 's outstanding feature debut so potent .
8655	neg	halfway through the movie , the humor dwindles . it 's replaced by some dramatic scenes that are jarring and deeply out of place in what could have ( and probably should have ) been a lighthearted comedy .
3451	pos	. . . while dark water is n't a complete wash ( no pun intended ) , watched side-by-side with ringu , it ultimately comes off as a pale successor .
9245	neg	the film has [ its ] moments , but they are few and far between .
7562	neg	it 's fun , but a psychological mess , with austin powers bumping his head on the way out of the closet .
1793	pos	below may not mark mr . twohy 's emergence into the mainstream , but his promise remains undiminished .
3740	pos	like all of egoyan 's work , ararat is fiercely intelligent and uncommonly ambitious .
8427	neg	it 's just weirdness for the sake of weirdness , and where human nature should be ingratiating , it 's just grating .
4880	pos	a much more successful translation than its most famous previous film adaptation , writer-director anthony friedman 's similarly updated 1970 british production .
5103	pos	the symbols float like butterflies and the spinning styx sting like bees . i wanted more .
8886	neg	this is a third-person story now , told by hollywood , and much more ordinary for it .
877	pos	windtalkers blows this way and that , but there 's no mistaking the filmmaker in the tall grass , true to himself .
1668	pos	it 's a diverting enough hour-and-a-half for the family audience .
7930	neg	este é apenas mais um ( longo ) episódio do programa da mtv . a única diferença é que , desta vez , a paramount teve o mau gosto de exibi-lo nos cinemas .
7542	neg	. . . lacks the punch and verve needed to make this genre soar .
1192	pos	unfortunately , it appears that [ jackie ] chan 's us influence is starting to show in his hong kong films .
5954	neg	it does n't matter that the film is less than 90 minutes . it still feels like a prison stretch .
7287	neg	it takes talent to make a lifeless movie about the most heinous man who ever lived .
6542	neg	criminal conspiracies and true romances move so easily across racial and cultural lines in the film that it makes my big fat greek wedding look like an apartheid drama .
6914	neg	excessive , profane , packed with cartoonish violence and comic-strip characters .
1806	pos	the last scenes of the film are anguished , bitter and truthful . mr . koshashvili is a director to watch .
6080	neg	never capitalizes on this concept and opts for the breezy and amateurish feel of an after school special on the subject of tolerance .
6634	neg	with jump cuts , fast editing and lots of pyrotechnics , yu clearly hopes to camouflage how bad his movie is . he fails .
9182	neg	slackers ' jokey approach to college education is disappointingly simplistic -- the film 's biggest problem -- and there are no unforgettably stupid stunts or uproariously rude lines of dialogue to remember it by .
6043	neg	much like its easily dismissive take on the upscale lifestyle , there is n't much there here .
4275	pos	a mischievous visual style and oodles of charm make 'cherish ' a very good ( but not great ) movie .
3362	pos	it 's jagger 's bone-dry , mournfully brittle delivery that gives the film its bittersweet bite .
4801	pos	the story gives ample opportunity for large-scale action and suspense , which director shekhar kapur supplies with tremendous skill .
9190	neg	her fans walked out muttering words like `` horrible `` and `` terrible , `` but had so much fun dissing the film that they did n't mind the ticket cost . in this case zero .
7592	neg	acting , particularly by tambor , almost makes `` never again `` worthwhile , but [ writer/director ] schaeffer should follow his titular advice
263	pos	has it ever been possible to say that williams has truly inhabited a character ? it is now .
6132	neg	i have to admit i walked out of runteldat . i did go back and check out the last 10 minutes , but these were more repulsive than the first 30 or 40 minutes .
5387	neg	though her fans will assuredly have their funny bones tickled , others will find their humor-seeking dollars best spent elsewhere .
2338	pos	you 'll laugh at either the obviousness of it all or its stupidity or maybe even its inventiveness , but the point is , you 'll laugh .
2029	pos	`` red dragon `` is entertaining . an obvious copy of one of the best films ever made , how could it not be ? but it is entertaining on an inferior level . it is a popcorn film , not a must-own , or even a must-see .
5207	pos	meticulously uncovers a trail of outrageous force and craven concealment .
1002	pos	it further declares its director , zhang yang of shower , as a boldly experimental , contemporary stylist with a bright future .
8075	neg	if i spy were funny ( enough ) or exciting ( enough ) then it would be fairly simple to forgive the financial extortion it 's trying to reap from the moviegoing public .
9073	neg	a feel-good movie that does n't give you enough to feel good about .
8354	neg	with generic sets and b-grade special effects , jason is about as convincing on the sci-fi front as tv 's defunct cleopatra 2525 .
3525	pos	a rock-solid gangster movie with a fair amount of suspense , intriguing characters and bizarre bank robberies , plus a heavy dose of father-and-son dynamics .
7792	neg	the fight scenes are fun , but it grows tedious .
3454	pos	a witty , low-key romantic comedy .
4084	pos	this film is so different from the apple and so striking that it can only encourage us to see samira makhmalbaf as a very distinctive sensibility , working to develop her own film language with conspicuous success .
9376	neg	pretty much sucks , but has a funny moment or two .
1293	pos	it 's one heck of a character study -- not of hearst or davies but of the unique relationship between them .
6599	neg	this picture is mostly a lump of run-of-the-mill profanity sprinkled with a few remarks so geared toward engendering audience sympathy that you might think he was running for office -- or trying to win over a probation officer .
5110	pos	. . . strips bible stores of the potential for sanctimoniousness , making them meaningful for both kids and church-wary adults .
7735	neg	god help the poor woman if attal is this insecure in real life : his fictional yvan 's neuroses are aggravating enough to exhaust the patience of even the most understanding spouse .
2759	pos	one of those unassuming films that sneaks up on you and stays with you long after you have left the theatre .
6503	neg	none of the characters or plot-lines are fleshed-out enough to build any interest .
8679	neg	a puzzle whose pieces do not fit . some are fascinating and others are not , and in the end , it is almost a good movie .
7637	neg	dull , if not devoid of wit , this shaggy dog longs to frisk through the back alleys of history , but scarcely manages more than a modest , snoozy charm .
2217	pos	you live the mood rather than savour the story .
9755	neg	hard as this may be to believe , here on earth , a surprisingly similar teen drama , was a better film .
10127	neg	a dull , simple-minded and stereotypical tale of drugs , death and mind-numbing indifference on the inner-city streets .
8124	neg	this pep-talk for faith , hope and charity does little to offend , but if saccharine earnestness were a crime , the film 's producers would be in the clink for life .
2459	pos	k-19 will not go down in the annals of cinema as one of the great submarine stories , but it is an engaging and exciting narrative of man confronting the demons of his own fear and paranoia .
424	pos	disney 's live-action division has a history of releasing cinematic flotsam , but this is one occasion when they have unearthed a rare gem .
9956	neg	a sleep-inducing thriller with a single twist that everyone except the characters in it can see coming a mile away .
5751	neg	peralta 's mythmaking could have used some informed , adult hindsight .
3979	pos	. . . the story , like ravel 's bolero , builds to a crescendo that encompasses many more paths than we started with .
9035	neg	. . . unlikable , uninteresting , unfunny , and completely , utterly inept .
7051	neg	paid in full is so stale , in fact , that its most vibrant scene is one that uses clips from brian de palma 's scarface . that 's a cheat .
6909	neg	an unclassifiably awful study in self- and audience-abuse .
10641	neg	as saccharine as it is disposable .
5206	pos	what emerges is an unsettling picture of childhood innocence combined with indoctrinated prejudice . promises is a compelling piece that demonstrates just how well children can be trained to live out and carry on their parents ' anguish .
5388	neg	pascale bailly 's rom-com provides amélie 's audrey tautou with another fabuleux destin -- i . e . , a banal spiritual quest .
5719	neg	resembles a soft porn brian de palma pastiche .
9897	neg	the movie is so resolutely cobbled together out of older movies that it even uses a totally unnecessary prologue , just because it seems obligatory .
326	pos	an involving true story of a chinese actor who takes up drugs and winds up in an institution -- acted mostly by the actual people involved .
4625	pos	ub equally spoofs and celebrates the more outre aspects of 'black culture ' and the dorkier aspects of 'white culture , ' even as it points out how inseparable the two are .
9040	neg	just a bunch of good actors flailing around in a caper that 's neither original nor terribly funny .
10611	neg	true to its title , it traps audiences in a series of relentlessly nasty situations that we would pay a considerable ransom not to be looking at .
10372	neg	the exploitative , clumsily staged violence overshadows everything , including most of the actors .
2460	pos	contrived as this may sound , mr . rose 's updating works surprisingly well .
6763	neg	'all in all , reign of fire will be a good ( successful ) rental . '
2364	pos	an intoxicating experience .
3384	pos	griffin & co . manage to be spectacularly outrageous .
8264	neg	'how many more voyages can this limping but dearly-loved franchise survive ? '
5496	neg	exactly what you 'd expect from a guy named kaos .
2502	pos	bravo for history rewritten , and for the uncompromising knowledge that the highest power of all is the power of love .
8754	neg	one of the most highly-praised disappointments i 've had the misfortune to watch in quite some time .
1936	pos	heaven is a haunting dramatization of a couple 's moral ascension .
2101	pos	the search for redemption makes for a touching love story , mainly because blanchett and ribisi compellingly tap into a spiritual aspect of their characters ' suffering .
9297	neg	that neither protagonist has a distinguishable condition hardly matters because both are just actory concoctions , defined by childlike dimness and a handful of quirks .
3711	pos	as janice , eileen walsh , an engaging , wide-eyed actress whose teeth are a little too big for her mouth , infuses the movie with much of its slender , glinting charm .
554	pos	this is pretty dicey material . but some unexpected zigs and zags help .
7037	neg	a sequel that 's much too big for its britches .
9345	neg	this is rote spookiness , with nary an original idea ( or role , or edit , or score , or anything , really ) in sight , and the whole of the proceedings beg the question 'why ? '
8845	neg	incoherence reigns .
9607	neg	a ragbag of cliches .
1043	pos	no one goes unindicted here , which is probably for the best . and if you 're not nearly moved to tears by a couple of scenes , you 've got ice water in your veins .
7643	neg	some decent actors inflict big damage upon their reputations .
1528	pos	a moody , multi-dimensional love story and sci-fi mystery , solaris is a thought-provoking , haunting film that allows the seeds of the imagination to germinate .
9709	neg	rather less than the sum of its underventilated père-fils confrontations .
6247	neg	the photographer 's show-don't-tell stance is admirable , but it can make him a problematic documentary subject .
7232	neg	the structure the film takes may find matt damon and ben affleck once again looking for residuals as this officially completes a good will hunting trilogy that was never planned .
564	pos	`` antwone fisher `` is an earnest , by-the-numbers effort by washington . it wo n't rock any boats but is solid meat-and-potatoes filmmaking .
3909	pos	the sentimental script has problems , but the actors pick up the slack .
287	pos	it could change america , not only because it is full of necessary discussion points , but because it is so accessible that it makes complex politics understandable to viewers looking for nothing but energetic entertainment .
8626	neg	the origin story is well told , and the characters will not disappoint anyone who values the original comic books . it 's in the action scenes that things fall apart .
5328	pos	standing in the shadows of motown is the best kind of documentary , one that makes a depleted yesterday feel very much like a brand-new tomorrow .
4573	pos	the setting is so cool that it chills the characters , reducing our emotional stake in the outcome of `` intacto 's `` dangerous and seductively stylish game .
2048	pos	not only a reminder of how they used to make movies , but also how they sometimes still can be made .
3191	pos	an intelligent and deeply felt work about impossible , irrevocable choices and the price of making them .
10406	neg	rashomon-for-dipsticks tale .
2412	pos	a portrait of hell so shattering it 's impossible to shake .
637	pos	it is a film that will have people walking out halfway through , will encourage others to stand up and applaud , and will , undoubtedly , leave both camps engaged in a ferocious debate for years to come .
2655	pos	filmmaker stacy peralta has a flashy editing style that does n't always jell with sean penn 's monotone narration , but he respects the material without sentimentalizing it .
7075	neg	. . . although this idea is `` new `` the results are tired .
5687	neg	eventually , they will have a showdown , but , by then , your senses are as mushy as peas and you do n't care who fires the winning shot .
4559	pos	assured , vital and well wrought , the film is , arguably , the most accomplished work to date from hong kong 's versatile stanley kwan .
9123	neg	terminally bland , painfully slow and needlessly confusing . . . the movie , shot on digital videotape rather than film , is frequently indecipherable .
10063	neg	get out your pooper-scoopers .
7518	neg	you 'll have more fun setting fire to yourself in the parking lot . you 'll be more entertained getting hit by a bus .
9191	neg	the film is so bad it does n't improve upon the experience of staring at a blank screen .
1943	pos	hardly an objective documentary , but it 's great cinematic polemic . . . love moore or loathe him , you 've got to admire . . . the intensity with which he 's willing to express his convictions .
762	pos	often hilarious , well-shot and , importantly , entertaining , hell house is a fascinating document of an event that has to be seen to be believed .
5412	neg	even if the enticing prospect of a lot of nubile young actors in a film about campus depravity did n't fade amid the deliberate , tiresome ugliness , it would be rendered tedious by avary 's failure to construct a story with even a trace of dramatic interest .
1195	pos	the wanton slipperiness of * corpus and its amiable jerking and reshaping of physical time and space would make it a great piece to watch with kids and use to introduce video as art .
5788	neg	responsável direto pelo fracasso 'artístico ' de doce lar , o roteirista c . jay cox não consegue sequer aproveitar os pouquíssimos momentos em que escapa da mediocridade .
8171	neg	the story and characters are nowhere near gripping enough .
5947	neg	a 94-minute travesty of unparalleled proportions , writer-director parker seems to go out of his way to turn the legendary wit 's classic mistaken identity farce into brutally labored and unfunny hokum .
2538	pos	the stars may be college kids , but the subject matter is as adult as you can get : the temptations of the flesh are unleashed by a slightly crazed , overtly determined young woman and a one-night swim turns into an ocean of trouble .
2734	pos	like its predecessor , it 's no classic , but it provides a reasonably attractive holiday contraption , one that families looking for a clean , kid-friendly outing should investigate .
8299	neg	do n't waste your money .
3093	pos	vampire epic succeeds as spooky action-packed trash of the highest order .
9396	neg	god is great , the movie 's not .
8416	neg	. . . pitiful , slapdash disaster . a doa dud from frame one .
4903	pos	miller has crafted an intriguing story of maternal instincts and misguided acts of affection .
10181	neg	once the expectation of laughter has been quashed by whatever obscenity is at hand , even the funniest idea is n't funny .
605	pos	director rob marshall went out gunning to make a great one .
2513	pos	evokes the frustration , the awkwardness and the euphoria of growing up , without relying on the usual tropes .
3872	pos	sleek and arty .
6965	neg	a ragbag of promising ideas and failed narrative , of good acting and plain old bad filmmaking .
2914	pos	deliciously slow .
5420	neg	the script covers huge , heavy topics in a bland , surfacey way that does n't offer any insight into why , for instance , good things happen to bad people .
5988	neg	the name says it all . jackass is a vulgar and cheap-looking version of candid camera staged for the marquis de sade set .
5997	neg	the film would have been more enjoyable had the balance shifted in favor of water-bound action over the land-based 'drama , ' but the emphasis on the latter leaves blue crush waterlogged .
8250	neg	city by the sea is the cinematic equivalent of defensive driving : it 's careful , conscientious and makes no major mistakes . but what saves lives on the freeway does not necessarily make for persuasive viewing .
9409	neg	go for la salle 's performance , and make do as best you can with a stuttering script .
8320	neg	despite the authenticity of the trappings , the film is overblown in its plotting , hackneyed in its dialogue and anachronistic in its style .
4864	pos	an odd drama set in the world of lingerie models and bar dancers in the midwest that held my interest precisely because it did n't try to .
2742	pos	enjoyably fast-moving , hard-hitting documentary .
7407	neg	. . . ( like ) channel surfing between the discovery channel and a late-night made-for-cable action movie .
2262	pos	a jewish ww ii doc that is n't trying simply to out-shock , out-outrage or out-depress its potential audience ! who knew . . .
3190	pos	transforms one of [ shakespeare 's ] deepest tragedies into a smart new comedy .
1236	pos	ahhhh . . . revenge is sweet !
9824	neg	we never feel anything for these characters , and as a result the film is basically just a curiosity .
10637	neg	put it somewhere between sling blade and south of heaven , west of hell in the pantheon of billy bob 's body of work .
7746	neg	`` juwanna mann ? `` no thanks . wewannour money back , actually .
8656	neg	will be far more interesting to the soderbergh faithful than it will be to the casual moviegoer who might be lured in by julia roberts . . .
8595	neg	high drama , disney-style - a wing and a prayer and a hunky has-been pursuing his castle in the sky .
4944	pos	finely crafted , finely written , exquisitely performed
3482	pos	[ westbrook ] makes a wonderful subject for the camera .
8440	neg	gaghan captures the half-lit , sometimes creepy intimacy of college dorm rooms , a subtlety that makes the silly , over-the-top coda especially disappointing .
4706	pos	do n't wait to see this terrific film with your kids -- if you do n't have kids borrow some .
936	pos	much monkeyfun for all .
441	pos	only an epic documentary could get it all down , and spike lee 's jim brown : all american at long last gives its subject a movie worthy of his talents .
807	pos	westfeldt and juergensen exude a chemistry and comfort level that 's both saucy and endearing .
4672	pos	`` on guard ! `` wo n't be placed in the pantheon of the best of the swashbucklers but it is a whole lot of fun and you get to see the one of the world 's best actors , daniel auteuil , have a whale of a good time .
6108	neg	by the time the surprise ending is revealed , interest can not be revived .
6518	neg	it 's both sitcomishly predictable and cloying in its attempts to be poignant .
9945	neg	the script feels as if it started to explore the obvious voyeuristic potential of 'hypertime ' but then backed off when the producers saw the grosses for spy kids .
10519	neg	it 's all arty and jazzy and people sit and stare and turn away from one another instead of talking and it 's all about the silences and if you 're into that , have at it .
2667	pos	for all its plot twists , and some of them verge on the bizarre as the film winds down , blood work is a strong , character-oriented piece .
2498	pos	features what is surely the funniest and most accurate depiction of writer 's block ever .
3906	pos	schnitzler does a fine job contrasting the sleekness of the film 's present with the playful paranoia of the film 's past .
7846	neg	a dreary rip-off of goodfellas that serves as a muddled and offensive cautionary tale for hispanic americans .
5495	neg	at its best , it 's black hawk down with more heart . at its worst , it 's rambo- meets-john ford .
6176	neg	my precious new star wars movie is a lumbering , wheezy drag . . .
3479	pos	most of the things that made the original men in black such a pleasure are still there .
6706	neg	. . . generically , forgettably pleasant from start to finish .
7701	neg	all ms . jovovich , as the sanctified heroine , has to do is look radiant , grimly purposeful and mildly alarmed while forcing open doors , wielding wrenches and fleeing monsters .
4807	pos	generates an enormous feeling of empathy for its characters .
3075	pos	if you like quirky , odd movies and/or the ironic , here 's a fun one .
2837	pos	it has a caffeinated , sloppy brilliance , sparkling with ideas you wish had been developed with more care , but animated by an energy that puts the dutiful efforts of more disciplined grade-grubbers to shame .
3923	pos	a cruelly funny twist on teen comedy packed with inventive cinematic tricks and an ironically killer soundtrack
789	pos	hawke draws out the best from his large cast in beautifully articulated portrayals that are subtle and so expressive they can sustain the poetic flights in burdette 's dialogue .
583	pos	an offbeat , sometimes gross and surprisingly appealing animated film about the true meaning of the holidays .
5486	neg	it has plenty of laughs . it just does n't have much else . . . especially in a moral sense .
222	pos	moore 's performance impresses almost as much as her work with haynes in 1995 's safe .
7910	neg	as tweedy talks about canning his stockbroker and repairing his pool , you yearn for a few airborne tv sets or nude groupies on the nod to liven things up .
1203	pos	has a lot of the virtues of eastwood at his best .
9666	neg	little more than a super-sized infomercial for the cable-sports channel and its summer x games .
6760	neg	pap invested in undergraduate doubling subtexts and ridiculous stabs at existentialism reminding of the discovery of the wizard of god in the fifth trek flick .
7505	neg	there are a few laughs and clever sight gags scattered about , but not enough to make this anything more than another big-budget bust .
6456	neg	eight legged freaks wo n't join the pantheon of great monster/science fiction flicks that we have come to love . . .
3415	pos	a muted freak-out
4322	pos	classic cinema served up with heart and humor
10035	neg	this is a movie filled with unlikable , spiteful idiots ; whether or not their friendship is salvaged makes no difference in the least .
1492	pos	it 's somewhat clumsy and too lethargically paced -- but its story about a mysterious creature with psychic abilities offers a solid build-up , a terrific climax , and some nice chills along the way .
10540	neg	a feeble tootsie knockoff .
3322	pos	though an important political documentary , this does not really make the case the kissinger should be tried as a war criminal .
4500	pos	a good music documentary , probably one of the best since the last waltz .
6903	neg	involves two mysteries -- one it gives away and the other featuring such badly drawn characters that its outcome hardly matters .
4607	pos	a bittersweet film , simple in form but rich with human events .
6138	neg	although bright , well-acted and thought-provoking , tuck everlasting suffers from a laconic pace and a lack of traditional action .
3266	pos	steers refreshingly clear of the usual cliches .
2692	pos	a canny , derivative , wildly gruesome portrait of a london sociopath who 's the scariest of sadists .
9537	neg	we get light showers of emotion a couple of times , but then -- strangely -- these wane to an inconsistent and ultimately unsatisfying drizzle .
3028	pos	a good thriller .
7158	neg	if this disposable tissue has one wild card , it 's john turturro , who 's simply fab as a spanish butler with a foot fetish .
799	pos	you have to pay attention to follow all the stories , but they 're each interesting . the movie is well shot and very tragic , and one to ponder after the credits roll .
7102	neg	even the finest chef ca n't make a hotdog into anything more than a hotdog , and robert de niro ca n't make this movie anything more than a trashy cop buddy comedy .
8188	neg	uneasy mishmash of styles and genres .
6351	neg	the problem is that the movie has no idea of it is serious or not .
4349	pos	like smoke signals , the film is also imbued with strong themes of familial ties and spirituality that are powerful and moving without stooping to base melodrama
2361	pos	it 's that rare family movie -- genuine and sweet without relying on animation or dumb humor .
5126	pos	a visionary marvel , but it 's lacking a depth in storytelling usually found in anime like this .
8859	neg	none of birthday girl 's calculated events take us by surprise . . .
8236	neg	eastwood is an icon of moviemaking , one of the best actors , directors and producers around , responsible for some excellent work . but even a hero can stumble sometimes .
5979	neg	if you 've got a house full of tots -- do n't worry , this will be on video long before they grow up and you can wait till then .
9459	neg	most folks with a real stake in the american sexual landscape will find it either moderately amusing or just plain irrelevant .
2819	pos	as chilling and fascinating as philippe mora 's modern hitler-study , snide and prejudice .
5590	neg	with the cheesiest monsters this side of a horror spoof , which they is n't , it is more likely to induce sleep than fright .
8891	neg	like being invited to a classy dinner soiree and not knowing anyone . you leave the same way you came -- a few tasty morsels under your belt , but no new friends .
1870	pos	with each of her three protagonists , miller eloquently captures the moment when a woman 's life , out of a deep-seated , emotional need , is about to turn onto a different path .
2941	pos	may lack the pungent bite of its title , but it 's an enjoyable trifle nonetheless .
5923	neg	it 's clotted with heavy-handed symbolism , dime-store psychology and endless scenic shots that make 105 minutes seem twice as long .
5861	neg	jonathan parker 's bartleby should have been the be-all-end-all of the modern-office anomie films .
7193	neg	as vulgar as it is banal .
4871	pos	enormously enjoyable , high-adrenaline documentary .
555	pos	compellingly watchable .
5269	pos	a forceful drama of an alienated executive who re-invents himself .
9125	neg	aloof and lacks any real raw emotion , which is fatal for a film that relies on personal relationships .
264	pos	by presenting an impossible romance in an impossible world , pumpkin dares us to say why either is impossible -- which forces us to confront what 's possible and what we might do to make it so .
3411	pos	secret ballot is a funny , puzzling movie ambiguous enough to be engaging and oddly moving .
1177	pos	[ city ] reminds us how realistically nuanced a robert de niro performance can be when he is not more lucratively engaged in the shameless self-caricature of 'analyze this ' ( 1999 ) and 'analyze that , ' promised ( or threatened ) for later this year .
9701	neg	the most surprising thing about this film is that they are actually releasing it into theaters .
3259	pos	a fascinating , unnerving examination of the delusions of one unstable man .
1138	pos	garcía bernal and talancón are an immensely appealing couple , and even though their story is predictable , you 'll want things to work out .
804	pos	often hilarious .
3779	pos	superbly photographed and staged by mendes with a series of riveting set pieces the likes of which mainstream audiences have rarely seen .
6267	neg	the big ending surprise almost saves the movie . it 's too bad that the rest is n't more compelling .
4020	pos	not only does spider-man deliver , but i suspect it might deliver again and again .
4894	pos	full of surprises .
6293	neg	mr . goyer 's loose , unaccountable direction is technically sophisticated in the worst way .
9987	neg	its screenplay serves as auto-critique , and its clumsiness as its own most damning censure .
8291	neg	one of those movies where you walk out of the theater not feeling cheated exactly , but feeling pandered to , which , in the end , might be all the more infuriating .
3998	pos	. . . a delicious crime drama on par with the slickest of mamet .
7427	neg	a 93-minute condensation of a 26-episode tv series , with all of the pitfalls of such you 'd expect .
321	pos	. . . always remains movingly genuine .
6312	neg	everyone 's to blame here .
10115	neg	a sometimes incisive and sensitive portrait that is undercut by its awkward structure and a final veering toward melodrama .
9379	neg	two badly interlocked stories drowned by all too clever complexity .
9896	neg	insufferably naive .
5528	neg	what you end up getting is the vertical limit of surfing movies - memorable stunts with lots of downtime in between .
7649	neg	accuracy and realism are terrific , but if your film becomes boring , and your dialogue is n't smart , then you need to use more poetic license .
9903	neg	amazingly lame .
7759	neg	there 's not much going on in this movie unless you simply decide to buy into the notion that something inexplicably strange once happened in point pleasant .
3159	pos	excellent performances from jacqueline bisset and martha plimpton grace this deeply touching melodrama .
7764	neg	we never really feel involved with the story , as all of its ideas remain just that : abstract ideas .
3562	pos	a respectable venture on its own terms , lacking the broader vision that has seen certain trek films . . . cross over to a more mainstream audience .
9611	neg	it 's possible that something hip and transgressive was being attempted here that stubbornly refused to gel , but the result is more puzzling than unsettling .
1055	pos	a beguiling splash of pastel colors and prankish comedy from disney .
9752	neg	everything else about high crimes is , like the military system of justice it portrays , tiresomely regimented .
8799	neg	a sterling film - a cross between boys do n't cry , deliverance , and ode to billy joe - lies somewhere in the story of matthew shepard , but that film is yet to be made .
2784	pos	goes a long way on hedonistic gusto .
5044	pos	does a good job of establishing a time and place , and of telling a fascinating character 's story .
7691	neg	there 's more scatological action in 8 crazy nights than a proctologist is apt to encounter in an entire career .
9857	neg	if you saw benigni 's pinocchio at a public park , you 'd grab your kids and run and then probably call the police .
10045	neg	this is the first film i 've ever seen that had no obvious directing involved .
7585	neg	much-anticipated and ultimately lackluster movie .
6693	neg	the film is old-fashioned , occasionally charming and as subtle as boldface .
2668	pos	the story line may be 127 years old , but el crimen del padre amaro . . . could n't be more timely in its despairing vision of corruption within the catholic establishment .
10251	neg	despite the opulent lushness of every scene , the characters never seem to match the power of their surroundings .
2760	pos	. . . pray does n't have a passion for the material . he nonetheless appreciates the art and reveals a music scene that transcends culture and race .
4556	pos	[ it ] has the feel of a summer popcorn movie . nothing too deep or substantial . explosions , jokes , and sexual innuendoes abound .
7145	neg	the humor is forced and heavy-handed , and occasionally simply unpleasant .
5523	neg	such a bad movie that its luckiest viewers will be seated next to one of those ignorant pinheads who talk throughout the show .
1426	pos	corny , schmaltzy and predictable , but still manages to be kind of heartwarming , nonetheless . it 's the perfect kind of film to see when you do n't want to use your brain . at all .
2162	pos	the most amazing super-sized dosage of goofball stunts any `` jackass `` fan could want .
3462	pos	in other words , it 's just another sports drama/character study . yet this one makes up for in heart what it lacks in outright newness . plus , like i already mentioned . . . it 's robert duvall ! c'mon !
4281	pos	made for teens and reviewed as such , this is recommended only for those under 20 years of age . . . and then only as a very mild rental .
4087	pos	coral reef adventure is a heavyweight film that fights a good fight on behalf of the world 's endangered reefs -- and it lets the pictures do the punching .
3639	pos	mr . deeds is sure to give you a lot of laughs in this simple , sweet and romantic comedy .
108	pos	the film is often filled with a sense of pure wonderment and excitement not often seen in today 's cinema du sarcasm
9770	neg	certain to be distasteful to children and adults alike , eight crazy nights is a total misfire .
8518	neg	this angst-ridden territory was covered earlier and much better in ordinary people .
3283	pos	it 's the brilliant surfing photography bringing you right inside the massive waves that lifts blue crush into one of the summer 's most pleasurable movies .
7446	neg	unwieldy contraption .
4434	pos	the film is small in scope , yet perfectly formed .
5704	neg	[ at least ] moore is a real charmer .
2527	pos	a diverse and astonishingly articulate cast of palestinian and israeli children .
10341	neg	behan 's memoir is great material for a film -- rowdy , brawny and lyrical in the best irish sense -- but sheridan has settled for a lugubrious romance .
8902	neg	narc can only remind us of brilliant crime dramas without becoming one itself .
4293	pos	romantic , riveting and handsomely animated .
514	pos	a bowel-curdling , heart-stopping recipe for terror .
7915	neg	too leisurely paced and visually drab for its own good , it succeeds in being only sporadically amusing .
2912	pos	in its treatment of the dehumanizing and ego-destroying process of unemployment , time out offers an exploration that is more accurate than anything i have seen in an american film .
310	pos	finally , a genre movie that delivers -- in a couple of genres , no less .
1355	pos	a marvel like none you 've seen .
1391	pos	it is the sheer , selfish , wound-licking , bar-scrapping doggedness of leon 's struggle to face and transmute his demons that makes the movie a spirited and touching occasion , despite its patchy construction .
10195	neg	a thriller without a lot of thrills .
1068	pos	it 's a remarkably solid and subtly satirical tour de force .
9074	neg	adolescents will be adequately served by the movie 's sophomoric blend of shenanigans and slapstick , although the more lascivious-minded might be disappointed in the relative modesty of a movie that sports a 'topless tutorial service . '
9273	neg	a cockeyed shot all the way .
3177	pos	those with a modicum of patience will find in these characters ' foibles a timeless and unique perspective .
3507	pos	the power of shanghai ghetto , a documentary by dana janklowicz-mann and amir mann , rests in the voices of men and women , now in their 70s , who lived there in the 1940s .
5281	pos	one of [ jaglom 's ] better efforts -- a wry and sometime bitter movie about love .
5501	neg	you might be shocked to discover that seinfeld 's real life is boring .
6675	neg	life or something like it has its share of high points , but it misses too many opportunities .
9759	neg	. . . a preachy parable stylized with a touch of john woo bullet ballet .
9973	neg	the film 's hero is a bore and his innocence soon becomes a questionable kind of inexcusable dumb innocence .
3873	pos	with so many bad romances out there , this is the kind of movie that deserves a chance to shine .
1118	pos	huston nails both the glad-handing and the choking sense of hollow despair .
6279	neg	after you laugh once ( maybe twice ) , you will have completely forgotten the movie by the time you get back to your car in the parking lot .
5288	pos	if you can read the subtitles ( the opera is sung in italian ) and you like 'masterpiece theatre ' type costumes , you 'll enjoy this movie .
7831	neg	it 's difficult to say whether the tuxedo is more boring or embarrassing -- i 'm prepared to call it a draw .
3475	pos	colorful and deceptively buoyant until it suddenly pulls the rug out from under you , burkinabe filmmaker dani kouyate 's reworking of a folk story whose roots go back to 7th-century oral traditions is also a pointed political allegory .
195	pos	whether you 're moved and love it , or bored or frustrated by the film , you 'll still feel something .
4129	pos	what 's infuriating about full frontal is that it 's too close to real life to make sense . what 's invigorating about it is that it does n't give a damn .
6164	neg	to be influenced chiefly by humanity 's greatest shame , reality shows -- reality shows for god 's sake ! -- is a crime that should be punishable by chainsaw .
4092	pos	a shimmeringly lovely coming-of-age portrait , shot in artful , watery tones of blue , green and brown .
1837	pos	the sentimental cliches mar an otherwise excellent film . a powerful performance from mel gibson and a brutal 90-minute battle sequence that does everything but issue you a dog-tag and an m-16 .
9274	neg	lush and beautifully photographed ( somebody suggested the stills might make a nice coffee table book ) , but ultimately you 'll leave the theater wondering why these people mattered .
6949	neg	in the end , we are left with something like two ships passing in the night rather than any insights into gay love , chinese society or the price one pays for being dishonest .
5857	neg	. . . standard guns versus martial arts cliche with little new added .
1635	pos	the best animated feature to hit theaters since beauty and the beast 11 years ago .
688	pos	a beautiful and haunting examination of the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the mundane horrors of the world .
6378	neg	one of those strained caper movies that 's hardly any fun to watch and begins to vaporize from your memory minutes after it ends .
2953	pos	hawn and sarandon form an acting bond that makes the banger sisters a fascinating character study with laughs to spare .
463	pos	an exhilarating experience .
4751	pos	the most audacious , outrageous , sexually explicit , psychologically probing , pure libido film of the year has arrived from portugal .
2695	pos	a bracing , unblinking work that serves as a painful elegy and sobering cautionary tale .
6748	neg	conforms itself with creating a game of 'who 's who ' . . . where the characters ' moves are often more predictable than their consequences .
1258	pos	a cartoon that 's truly cinematic in scope , and a story that 's compelling and heartfelt -- even if the heart belongs to a big , four-legged herbivore .
1974	pos	the bodily function jokes are about what you 'd expect , but there are rich veins of funny stuff in this movie .
255	pos	the director , steven shainberg , has succeeded by focusing intently on his characters , making them quirky individuals rather than figures of fun .
127	pos	run , do n't walk , to see this barbed and bracing comedy on the big screen .
5591	neg	mild , meandering teen flick .
9711	neg	plays like a series of vignettes -- clips of a film that are still looking for a common through-line .
1960	pos	beautifully produced .
10036	neg	it 's as if allen , at 66 , has stopped challenging himself .
2762	pos	it 's anchored by splendid performances from an honored screen veteran and a sparkling newcomer who instantly transform themselves into a believable mother/daughter pair .
5368	neg	most of the problems with the film do n't derive from the screenplay , but rather the mediocre performances by most of the actors involved
4738	pos	count on his movie to work at the back of your neck long after you leave the theater .
4374	pos	thoroughly engrossing and ultimately tragic .
835	pos	a worthy entry into a very difficult genre .
2013	pos	jackson and co have brought back the value and respect for the term epic cinema .
2046	pos	a disturbing examination of what appears to be the definition of a 'bad ' police shooting .
9362	neg	a low-budget affair , tadpole was shot on digital video , and the images often look smeary and blurry , to the point of distraction . then again , in a better movie , you might not have noticed .
7377	neg	unlike his directorial efforts , la femme nikita and the professional , the transporter lacks besson 's perspective as a storyteller .
3648	pos	a deeply felt and vividly detailed story about newcomers in a strange new world .
9429	neg	even with harris 's strong effort , the script gives him little to effectively probe lear 's soul-stripping breakdown .
8044	neg	feels less like it 's about teenagers , than it was written by teenagers .
6031	neg	not really a thriller so much as a movie for teens to laugh , groan and hiss at .
6364	neg	director roger michell does so many of the little things right that it 's difficult not to cuss him out severely for bungling the big stuff .
1030	pos	everything you loved about it in 1982 is still there , for everybody who wants to be a kid again , or show it to their own kids .
5029	pos	nothing short of a masterpiece -- and a challenging one .
89	pos	a sports movie with action that 's exciting on the field and a story you care about off it .
1911	pos	this beautifully animated epic is never dull .
7773	neg	a long slog for anyone but the most committed pokemon fan .
196	pos	. . . there are enough moments of heartbreaking honesty to keep one glued to the screen .
4612	pos	piercingly affecting . . . while clearly a manipulative film , emerges as powerful rather than cloying .
1990	pos	by the standards of knucklehead swill , the hot chick is pretty damned funny .
3153	pos	intimate and panoramic .
1633	pos	a movie that at its best does n't just make the most out of its characters ' flaws but insists on the virtue of imperfection .
8882	neg	sodden and glum , even in those moments where it 's supposed to feel funny and light .
2060	pos	quitting delivers a sucker-punch , and its impact is all the greater beause director zhang 's last film , the cuddly shower , was a non-threatening multi-character piece centered around a public bath house .
9447	neg	a dull , somnambulant exercise in pretension whose pervasive quiet is broken by frequent outbursts of violence and noise .
3222	pos	it 's a ripper of a yarn and i for one enjoyed the thrill of the chill . naomi watts is terrific as rachel ; her petite frame and vulnerable persona emphasising her plight and isolation .
2616	pos	i do n't think most of the people who loved the 1989 paradiso will prefer this new version . but i do .
6287	neg	. . . too contrived to be as naturally charming as it needs to be .
4647	pos	exhilarating , funny and fun .
8434	neg	call me a cynic , but there 's something awfully deadly about any movie with a life-affirming message .
97	pos	writer-director burger imaginatively fans the embers of a dormant national grief and curiosity that has calcified into chronic cynicism and fear .
740	pos	it 's a brave attempt to tap into the heartbeat of the world , a salute to the universal language of rhythm and a zippy sampling of sounds .
985	pos	a potent allegorical love story .
9502	neg	the script ? please .
2843	pos	though the story . . . is hackneyed , the characters have a freshness and modesty that transcends their predicament .
6474	neg	while certainly more naturalistic than its australian counterpart , amari 's film falls short in building the drama of lilia 's journey .
8857	neg	if the idea of the white man arriving on foreign shores to show wary natives the true light is abhorrent to you , the simplistic heaven will quite likely be more like hell .
6327	neg	the movie just has too much on its plate to really stay afloat for its just under ninety minute running time .
6467	neg	overall , it 's a pretty mediocre family film .
6692	neg	the movie straddles the fence between escapism and social commentary , and on both sides it falls short .
6453	neg	did the film inform and educate me ? yes . did it move me to care about what happened in 1915 armenia ? no . and that is where ararat went astray .
10087	neg	memorable for a peculiar malaise that renders its tension flaccid and , by extension , its surprises limp and its resolutions ritual .
9563	neg	one of the worst films of 2002 .
9265	neg	overall tomfoolery like this is a matter of taste .
3478	pos	for 95 often hilarious minutes , [ cho ] riffs on the diciness of colonics , on straight versus gay personal ads , on how men would act if they had periods , and on the perils of a certain outré sexual practice .
2401	pos	throwing it all away for the fleeting joys of love 's brief moment .
4186	pos	what it lacks in originality it makes up for in effective if cheap moments of fright and dread .
8378	neg	watching the film is like reading a times portrait of grief that keeps shifting focus to the journalist who wrote it .
4766	pos	the film will appeal to discovery channel fans and will surely widen the perspective of those of us who see the continent through rose-colored glasses .
4205	pos	a colorful , joyous celebration of life ; a tapestry woven of romance , dancing , singing , and unforgettable characters .
1490	pos	hardly a masterpiece , but it introduces viewers to a good charitable enterprise and some interesting real people .
7028	neg	. . . nothing scary here except for some awful acting and lame special effects .
8896	neg	perhaps a better celebration of these unfairly dismissed heroes would be a film that is n't this painfully forced , false and fabricated .
2105	pos	a worthwhile documentary , whether you 're into rap or not , even if it may still leave you wanting more answers as the credits roll .
9126	neg	a low-rent retread of the alien pictures .
4359	pos	deliciously mean-spirited and wryly observant .
9355	neg	just is n't as weird as it ought to be .
4291	pos	those moviegoers who would automatically bypass a hip-hop documentary should give `` scratch `` a second look .
4235	pos	ranges from laugh-out-loud hilarious to wonder-what- time-it-is tedious .
530	pos	effectively feeds our senses with the chilling sights and sounds from within the camp to create a completely numbing experience .
3949	pos	the storylines are woven together skilfully , the magnificent swooping aerial shots are breathtaking , and the overall experience is awesome .
9154	neg	been there done that .
600	pos	though the violence is far less sadistic than usual , the film is typical miike : fast , furious and full of off-the-cuff imaginative flourishes .
5648	neg	brown 's saga , like many before his , makes for snappy prose but a stumblebum of a movie .
6099	neg	a sub-formulaic slap in the face to seasonal cheer .
8932	neg	it appears to have been made by people to whom the idea of narrative logic or cohesion is an entirely foreign concept .
6607	neg	brainless , but enjoyably over-the-top , the retro gang melodrama , deuces wild represents fifties teen-gang machismo in a way that borders on rough-trade homo-eroticism .
5744	neg	there are enough throwaway references to faith and rainbows to plant smile-button faces on that segment of the populace that made a walk to remember a niche hit .
8558	neg	not even steven spielberg has dreamed up such blatant and sickening product placement in a movie .
10099	neg	it lacks the compassion , good-natured humor and the level of insight that made [ eyre 's ] first film something of a sleeper success .
7845	neg	a real clunker . a well-made , thoughtful , well-acted clunker , but a clunker nonetheless .
5766	neg	a wildly erratic drama with sequences that make you wince in embarrassment and others , thanks to the actors , that are quite touching .
2775	pos	can be viewed as pure composition and form -- film as music
6468	neg	love may have been in the air onscreen , but i certainly was n't feeling any of it .
10658	neg	there are many definitions of 'time waster ' but this movie must surely be one of them .
8469	neg	contrived , maudlin and cliche-ridden . . . if this sappy script was the best the contest received , those rejected must have been astronomically bad .
152	pos	it 's an old story , but a lively script , sharp acting and partially animated interludes make just a kiss seem minty fresh .
4893	pos	the closest thing to the experience of space travel
4170	pos	what elevates the movie above the run-of-the-mill singles blender is its surreal sense of humor and technological finish .
7613	neg	is `` ballistic `` worth the price of admission ? absolutely not . it sucked . would i see it again ? please see previous answer .
9147	neg	a quaint , romanticized rendering .
2097	pos	darkly funny and frequently insightful .
8063	neg	the film 's bathos often overwhelms what could have been a more multifaceted look at this interesting time and place .
586	pos	. . . ambition is in short supply in the cinema , and egoyan tackles his themes and explores his characters ' crises with seriousness and compassion .
1546	pos	not the kind of film that will appeal to a mainstream american audience , but there is a certain charm about the film that makes it a suitable entry into the fest circuit .
4870	pos	in visual fertility treasure planet rivals the top japanese animations of recent vintage .
2385	pos	with a confrontational stance , todd solondz takes aim on political correctness and suburban families .
1243	pos	as a first-time director , paxton has tapped something in himself as an actor that provides frailty with its dark soul .
4354	pos	the entire movie has a truncated feeling , but what 's available is lovely and lovable .
9281	neg	impostor does n't do much with its template , despite a remarkably strong cast .
3486	pos	hardly a film that comes along every day .
5503	neg	walsh ca n't quite negotiate the many inconsistencies in janice 's behavior or compensate for them by sheer force of charm .
2617	pos	a zinger-filled crowd-pleaser that open-minded elvis fans ( but by no means all ) will have fun with .
91	pos	the tenderness of the piece is still intact .
4781	pos	the acting , for the most part , is terrific , although the actors must struggle with the fact that they 're playing characters who sometimes feel more like literary conceits than flesh-and-blood humans .
8092	neg	un thriller manqué qui tombe sur les nerfs presque dès la première image .
7848	neg	good for a few unintentional laughs , `` extreme ops `` was obviously made for the `` xxx `` crowd , people who enjoy mindless action without the benefit of decent acting , writing , and direction .
3929	pos	maryam is more timely now than ever .
5731	neg	paxton 's uneven directorial debut fails to unlock the full potential of what is in many ways a fresh and dramatically substantial spin on the genre .
8204	neg	somehow we 're meant to buy that this doting mother would shun her kids , travel to one of the most dangerous parts of the world , don fatigues and become g . i . jane .
7804	neg	it would be hard to think of a recent movie that has worked this hard to achieve this little fun .
4401	pos	ou 've got to love a disney pic with as little cleavage as this one has , and a heroine as feisty and principled as jane .
10656	neg	it 's so downbeat and nearly humorless that it becomes a chore to sit through -- despite some first-rate performances by its lead .
9421	neg	bray is completely at sea ; with nothing but a savage garden music video on his resume , he has no clue about making a movie .
4265	pos	compassionately explores the seemingly irreconcilable situation between conservative christian parents and their estranged gay and lesbian children .
1824	pos	a touching , sophisticated film that almost seems like a documentary in the way it captures an italian immigrant family on the brink of major changes .
542	pos	several degrees shy of the gross-out contests one expects from current teen fare .
3720	pos	succeeds as a well-made evocation of a subculture .
343	pos	an intriguing and entertaining introduction to johnson .
7454	neg	most new movies have a bright sheen . some , like ballistic , arrive stillborn . . . looking like the beaten , well-worn video box cover of seven years into the future .
7234	neg	. . . a boring parade of talking heads and technical gibberish that will do little to advance the linux cause .
9485	neg	the script is too mainstream and the psychology too textbook to intrigue .
1161	pos	. . . a spoof comedy that carries its share of laughs sometimes a chuckle , sometimes a guffaw and , to my great pleasure , the occasional belly laugh .
1132	pos	not only are the special effects and narrative flow much improved , and daniel radcliffe more emotionally assertive this time around as harry , but the film conjures the magic of author j . k . rowling 's books .
3394	pos	the imax screen enhances the personal touch of manual animation .
909	pos	culkin , who 's in virtually every scene , shines as a young man who uses sarcastic lies like a shield .
8566	neg	an undistinguished attempt to make a classic theater piece cinematic .
2376	pos	notwithstanding my problem with the movie 's final half hour , i 'm going to recommend secretary , based on the wonderful acting clinic put on by spader and gyllenhaal , and also the unique way shainberg goes about telling what at heart is a sweet little girl-
1617	pos	that it 'll probably be the best and most mature comedy of the 2002 summer season speaks more of the season than the picture
3267	pos	`` home movie `` is a sweet treasure and something well worth your time .
10503	neg	though there 's a clarity of purpose and even-handedness to the film 's direction , the drama feels rigged and sluggish .
1087	pos	a fast , funny , highly enjoyable movie .
3056	pos	the audacity to view one of shakespeare 's better known tragedies as a dark comedy is , by itself , deserving of discussion .
1432	pos	director of photography benoit delhomme shot the movie in delicious colors , and the costumes and sets are grand .
8690	neg	`` looking for leonard `` just seems to kinda sit in neutral , hoping for a stiff wind to blow it uphill or something .
4431	pos	the story is virtually impossible to follow here , but there 's a certain style and wit to the dialogue .
6982	neg	the film contains no good jokes , no good scenes , barely a moment when carvey 's saturday night live-honed mimicry rises above the level of embarrassment .
8372	neg	cliches are as thick as the cigarette smoke .
10572	neg	throwing in everything except someone pulling the pin from a grenade with his teeth , windtalkers seems to have ransacked every old world war ii movie for overly familiar material .
4629	pos	part of the film 's cheeky charm comes from its vintage schmaltz .
1773	pos	tsai has a well-deserved reputation as one of the cinema world 's great visual stylists , and in this film , every shot enhances the excellent performances .
10453	neg	this is sandler running on empty , repeating what he 's already done way too often .
5341	neg	a sentimental mess that never rings true .
3084	pos	the tasteful little revision works wonders , enhancing the cultural and economic subtext , bringing richer meaning to the story 's morals .
6044	neg	the film ultimately offers nothing more than people in an urban jungle needing other people to survive . . .
4733	pos	if you 're the kind of parent who enjoys intentionally introducing your kids to films which will cause loads of irreparable damage that years and years of costly analysis could never fix , i have just one word for you -– decasia
7798	neg	the film is itself a sort of cinematic high crime , one that brings military courtroom dramas down very , very low .
8085	neg	ordinary melodrama that is heavy on religious symbols but wafer-thin on dramatic substance
1510	pos	there 's a wickedly subversive bent to the best parts of birthday girl .
7181	neg	. . . a plotline that 's as lumpy as two-day old porridge . . . the filmmakers ' paws , sad to say , were all over this `` un-bear-able `` project !
9264	neg	viewing this underdramatized but overstated film is like watching a transcript of a therapy session brought to humdrum life by some freudian puppet .
1166	pos	reign of fire looks as if it was made without much thought -- and is best watched that way .
2398	pos	the ring is worth a look , if you do n't demand much more than a few cheap thrills from your halloween entertainment .
5967	neg	the talk-heavy film plays like one of robert altman 's lesser works .
2362	pos	the trinity assembly approaches the endeavor with a shocking lack of irony , and george ratliff 's documentary , hell house , reflects their earnestness — which makes for a terrifying film .
2961	pos	secretary is just too original to be ignored .
5581	neg	it winds up moving in many directions as it searches ( vainly , i think ) for something fresh to say .
9829	neg	while you have to admit it 's semi-amusing to watch robert deniro belt out `` when you 're a jet , you 're a jet all the way , `` it 's equally distasteful to watch him sing the lyrics to `` tonight . ``
5465	neg	the movie , like bartleby , is something of a stiff -- an extra-dry office comedy that seems twice as long as its 83 minutes .
4263	pos	claire is a terrific role for someone like judd , who really ought to be playing villains .
3642	pos	driven by a fantastic dual performance from ian holm . . . the film is funny , insightfully human and a delightful lark for history buffs .
2271	pos	you may be captivated , as i was , by its moods , and by its subtly transformed star , and still wonder why paul thomas anderson ever had the inclination to make the most sincere and artful movie in which adam sandler will probably ever appear .
692	pos	there 's an energy to y tu mamá también . much of it comes from the brave , uninhibited performances by its lead actors .
1213	pos	third time 's the charm . . . yeah , baby !
5301	pos	performances are potent , and the women 's stories are ably intercut and involving .
5222	pos	like its title character , this nicholas nickleby finds itself in reduced circumstances -- and , also like its hero , it remains brightly optimistic , coming through in the end .
9940	neg	so verbally flatfooted and so emotionally predictable or bland that it plays like the standard made-for-tv movie .
2410	pos	enticing and often funny documentary .
3844	pos	witty , contemplative , and sublimely beautiful .
3521	pos	this is a story that zings all the way through with originality , humour and pathos .
5480	neg	the four feathers is definitely horse feathers , but if you go in knowing that , you might have fun in this cinematic sandbox .
1383	pos	candid and comfortable ; a film that deftly balances action and reflection as it lets you grasp and feel the passion others have for their work .
8607	neg	nothing more than a run-of-the-mill action flick .
2457	pos	blade ii merges bits and pieces from fighting games , wire fu , horror movies , mystery , james bond , wrestling , sci-fi and anime into one big bloody stew .
374	pos	longley has constructed a remarkably coherent , horrifically vivid snapshot of those turbulent days .
5957	neg	the overall feel is not unlike watching a glorified episode of `` 7th heaven . ``
3745	pos	a piquant meditation on the things that prevent people from reaching happiness .
9968	neg	the leads we are given here are simply too bland to be interesting .
4231	pos	ourside the theatre roger might be intolerable company , but inside it he 's well worth spending some time with .
7672	neg	oedekerk wrote patch adams , for which he should not be forgiven . why he was given free reign over this project -- he wrote , directed , starred and produced -- is beyond me .
591	pos	a carefully structured scream of consciousness that is tortured and unsettling -- but unquestionably alive .
1300	pos	it 's so good that you can practically see the hollywood 'suits ' trying to put together the cast and filmmaking team for the all-too -inevitable american remake .
4591	pos	this is a very ambitious project for a fairly inexperienced filmmaker , but good actors , good poetry and good music help sustain it .
9692	neg	disney again ransacks its archives for a quick-buck sequel .
1707	pos	perhaps the best sports movie i 've ever seen .
7865	neg	beers , who , when she 's given the right lines , can charm the paint off the wall . . . [ but ] the script goes wrong at several key junctures .
8739	neg	yet another entry in the sentimental oh-those-wacky-brits genre that was ushered in by the full monty and is still straining to produce another smash hit .
5021	pos	although melodramatic and predictable , this romantic comedy explores the friendship between five filipino-americans and their frantic efforts to find love .
3326	pos	a fiercely clever and subtle film , capturing the precarious balance between the extravagant confidence of the exiled aristocracy and the cruel earnestness of the victorious revolutionaries .
1955	pos	wang xiaoshuai directs this intricately structured and well-realized drama that presents a fascinating glimpse of urban life and the class warfare that embroils two young men .
10438	neg	the self-serious equilibrium makes its point too well ; a movie , like life , is n't much fun without the highs and lows .
7393	neg	moderately involving despite bargain-basement photography and hackneyed romance .
319	pos	while this film is not in the least surprising , it is still ultimately very satisfying . think of it as a sort of comfort food for the mind .
9298	neg	what starts off as a possible argentine american beauty reeks like a room stacked with pungent flowers .
9617	neg	the plan to make enough into ‘an inspiring tale of survival wrapped in the heart-pounding suspense of a stylish psychological thriller ' has flopped as surely as a soufflé gone wrong .
9450	neg	neither a rousing success nor a blinding embarrassment . still , it just sits there like a side dish no one ordered .
606	pos	skip work to see it at the first opportunity .
4488	pos	harks back to a time when movies had more to do with imagination than market research .
10112	neg	an empty , purposeless exercise .
218	pos	we get some truly unique character studies and a cross-section of americana that hollywood could n't possibly fictionalize and be believed .
5150	pos	even though the film does n't manage to hit all of its marks , it 's still entertaining to watch the target practice .
3876	pos	`` the quiet american `` begins in saigon in 1952 . that 's its first sign of trouble .
10424	neg	`martin lawrence live ' is so self-pitying , i almost expected there to be a collection taken for the comedian at the end of the show .
10578	neg	a full-frontal attack on audience patience .
5778	neg	the next big thing 's not-so-big ( and not-so-hot ) directorial debut .
2890	pos	'interesante y disfrutable trabajo gracias a que prescinde del clásico elemento estadounidense patriotero y manipulador . '
10549	neg	[ hell is ] looking down at your watch and realizing serving sara is n't even halfway through .
2806	pos	discursive but oddly riveting documentary .
10007	neg	yet another genre exercise , gangster no . 1 is as generic as its title .
9019	neg	at times , the movie looks genuinely pretty . your nightmares , on the other hand , will be anything but . not even felinni would know what to make of this italian freakshow .
8223	neg	you would be better off investing in the worthy emi recording that serves as the soundtrack , or the home video of the 1992 malfitano-domingo production .
5703	neg	a movie you observe , rather than one you enter into .
2212	pos	it 's full of cheesy dialogue , but great trashy fun that finally returns de palma to his pulpy thrillers of the early '80s .
1008	pos	an extraordinary swedish film about the soul adventure of marriage -- the kind of intimate and character-driven film that bille august does best .
6770	neg	the story has its redundancies , and the young actors , not very experienced , are sometimes inexpressive .
6297	neg	the end result is like cold porridge with only the odd enjoyably chewy lump .
3640	pos	when you think you 've figured out bielinsky 's great game , that 's when you 're in the most trouble : he 's the con , and you 're just the mark .
1775	pos	the fact is that the screen is most alive when it seems most likely that broomfield 's interviewees , or even himself , will not be for much longer .
6237	neg	with very little to add beyond the dark visions already relayed by superb recent predecessors like swimming with sharks and the player , this latest skewering . . . may put off insiders and outsiders alike .
332	pos	a whole lot foul , freaky and funny .
2913	pos	like an episode of mtv 's undressed , with 20 times the creativity but without any more substance . . . indulgently entertaining but could have and should have been deeper .
4442	pos	really quite funny .
282	pos	it uses an old-time formula , it 's not terribly original and it 's rather messy -- but you just have to love the big , dumb , happy movie my big fat greek wedding .
1656	pos	a no-holds-barred cinematic treat .
7	pos	perhaps no picture ever made has more literally showed that the road to hell is paved with good intentions .
8487	neg	for the future , one hopes mr . plympton will find room for one more member of his little band , a professional screenwriter .
9183	neg	if festival in cannes nails hard- boiled hollywood argot with a bracingly nasty accuracy , much about the film , including some of its casting , is frustratingly unconvincing .
10339	neg	totally overwrought , deeply biased , and wholly designed to make you feel guilty about ignoring what the filmmakers clearly believe are the greatest musicians of all time .
3035	pos	i had more fun watching spy than i had with most of the big summer movies .
1196	pos	a stunning and overwhelmingly cogent case for kissinger as a calculating war criminal .
922	pos	a worthwhile way to spend two hours .
4389	pos	. . . by the time it 's done with us , mira nair 's new movie has its audience giddy with the delight of discovery , of having been immersed in a foreign culture only to find that human nature is pretty much the same all over .
483	pos	this boisterous comedy serves up a cruel reminder of the fate of hundreds of thousands of chinese , one which can only qualify as a terrible tragedy .
4344	pos	as averse as i usually am to feel-good , follow-your-dream hollywood fantasies , this one got to me .
1841	pos	if you 're looking for something new and hoping for something entertaining , you 're in luck .
1929	pos	a decided lack of spontaneity in its execution and a dearth of real poignancy in its epiphanies .
3989	pos	a mildly enjoyable if toothless adaptation of a much better book .
1759	pos	it is definitely worth seeing .
1961	pos	smart and taut .
9439	neg	turns a potentially interesting idea into an excruciating film school experience that plays better only for the film 's publicists or for people who take as many drugs as the film 's characters
797	pos	witty , touching and well paced .
1113	pos	a rigorously structured and exquisitely filmed drama about a father and son connection that is a brief shooting star of love .
2178	pos	it 's no lie -- big fat liar is a real charmer .
3157	pos	this movie has a strong message about never giving up on a loved one , but it 's not an easy movie to watch and will probably disturb many who see it .
9188	neg	a horrible , 99-minute stink bomb .
279	pos	it would be interesting to hear from the other side , but in talk to her , the women are down for the count .
8826	neg	a plodding look at the french revolution through the eyes of aristocrats .
8404	neg	a film so tedious that it is impossible to care whether that boast is true or not .
1097	pos	ultimately feels empty and unsatisfying , like swallowing a communion wafer without the wine .
4956	pos	assayas ' ambitious , sometimes beautiful adaptation of jacques chardonne 's novel .
4446	pos	some of the visual flourishes are a little too obvious , but restrained and subtle storytelling , and fine performances make this delicate coming-of-age tale a treat .
3273	pos	while most films these days are about nothing , this film seems to be about everything that 's plaguing the human spirit in a relentlessly globalizing world .
3130	pos	10 minutes into the film you 'll be white-knuckled and unable to look away .
9213	neg	like a medium-grade network sitcom -- mostly inoffensive , fitfully amusing , but ultimately so weightless that a decent draft in the auditorium might blow it off the screen .
2281	pos	its cast full of caffeinated comedy performances more than make up for its logical loopholes , which fly by so fast there 's no time to think about them anyway .
9127	neg	serviceable at best , slightly less than serviceable at worst .
4523	pos	idiotic and ugly .
3890	pos	the result is somewhat satisfying -- it still comes from spielberg , who has never made anything that was n't at least watchable . but it 's also disappointing to a certain degree .
702	pos	has a shambling charm . . . a cheerfully inconsequential diversion .
6200	neg	feels at times like a giant commercial for universal studios , where much of the action takes place .
6572	neg	just a string of stale gags , with no good inside dope , and no particular bite .
1312	pos	seldom has a movie so closely matched the spirit of a man and his work .
2544	pos	an entertaining mix of period drama and flat-out farce that should please history fans .
67	pos	part of the charm of satin rouge is that it avoids the obvious with humour and lightness .
4004	pos	i have two words to say about reign of fire . great dragons !
8697	neg	demeo is not without talent ; he just needs better material .
10429	neg	do n't hate el crimen del padre amaro because it 's anti-catholic . hate it because it 's lousy .
9113	neg	the bottom line with nemesis is the same as it has been with all the films in the series : fans will undoubtedly enjoy it , and the uncommitted need n't waste their time on it .
8346	neg	a mild , reluctant , thumbs down .
4459	pos	it 's a good film , but it falls short of its aspiration to be a true 'epic ' .
10581	neg	debut effort by `` project greenlight `` winner is sappy and amateurish .
7147	neg	while the script starts promisingly , it loses steam towards the middle and never really develops beyond attacking obvious target .
7243	neg	. . . routine , harmless diversion and little else .
3529	pos	like a skillful fisher , the director uses the last act to reel in the audience since its poignancy hooks us completely .
9304	neg	a really funny fifteen-minute short stretched beyond its limits to fill an almost feature-length film .
10138	neg	a reworking of die hard and cliffhanger but it 's nowhere near as exciting as either .
710	pos	this is carion 's debut feature but his script and direction hums with a confidence that many spend entire careers trying to reach .
10571	neg	final verdict : you 've seen it all before .
9175	neg	a superfluous sequel . . . plagued by that old familiar feeling of 'let 's get this thing over with ' : everyone has shown up at the appointed time and place , but visible enthusiasm is mighty hard to find .
6172	neg	love liza is a festival film that would have been better off staying on the festival circuit .
37	pos	ms . fulford-wierzbicki is almost spooky in her sulky , calculating lolita turn .
3500	pos	the filmmakers wisely decided to let crocodile hunter steve irwin do what he does best , and fashion a story around him .
3932	pos	what a concept , what an idea , what a thrill ride . this is a more fascinating look at the future than `` bladerunner `` and one of the most high-concept sci fi adventures attempted for the screen .
1830	pos	this breezy caper movie becomes a soulful , incisive meditation on the way we were , and the way we are .
2283	pos	although it includes a fair share of dumb drug jokes and predictable slapstick , `` orange county `` is far funnier than it would seem to have any right to be .
4845	pos	it may not be particularly innovative , but the film 's crisp , unaffected style and air of gentle longing make it unexpectedly rewarding .
2065	pos	birthday girl lucks out with chaplin and kidman , who are capable of anteing up some movie star charisma when they need it to sell us on this twisted love story , but who can also negotiate the movie 's darker turns .
1433	pos	the movie 's relatively simple plot and uncomplicated morality play well with the affable cast .
10320	neg	the whole talking-animal thing is grisly .
879	pos	noyce films it more as a shocking history lesson than as drama .
10513	neg	soulless and -- even more damning -- virtually joyless , xxx achieves near virtuosity in its crapulence .
1561	pos	a crisp psychological drama [ and ] a fascinating little thriller that would have been perfect for an old `` twilight zone `` episode .
5187	pos	jones has tackled a meaty subject and drawn engaging characters while peppering the pages with memorable zingers .
1746	pos	probably the best case for christianity since chesterton and lewis .
8418	neg	there are plenty of scenes in frida that do work , but rarely do they involve the title character herself .
560	pos	divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood may not be exactly divine , but it 's definitely -- defiantly -- ya ya , what with all of those terrific songs and spirited performances .
551	pos	having never been a huge fan of dickens ' 800-page novel , it surprised me how much pleasure i had watching mcgrath 's version .
5312	pos	arliss howard 's ambitious , moving , and adventurous directorial debut , big bad love , meets so many of the challenges it poses for itself that one can forgive the film its flaws .
3957	pos	a compelling allegory about the last days of germany 's democratic weimar republic .
3392	pos	what could have easily become a cold , calculated exercise in postmodern pastiche winds up a powerful and deeply moving example of melodramatic moviemaking .
8476	neg	perhaps the most annoying thing about who is cletis tout ? is that it 's a crime movie made by someone who obviously knows nothing about crime .
6244	neg	waydowntown may not be an important movie , or even a good one , but it provides a nice change of mindless pace in collision with the hot oscar season currently underway .
6230	neg	an empty exercise , a florid but ultimately vapid crime melodrama with lots of surface flash but little emotional resonance .
5167	pos	caruso sometimes descends into sub-tarantino cuteness . . . but for the most part he makes sure the salton sea works the way a good noir should , keeping it tight and nasty .
4247	pos	everyone should be able to appreciate the wonderful cinematography and naturalistic acting .
852	pos	dark , resonant , inventively detailed and packed with fleet turns of plot and a feast of visual amazement .
2829	pos	everything about the quiet american is good , except its timing .
9033	neg	can be classified as one of those 'alternate reality ' movies . . . except that it would have worked so much better dealing in only one reality .
24	pos	scores a few points for doing what it does with a dedicated and good-hearted professionalism .
1861	pos	this masterfully calibrated psychological thriller thrives on its taut performances and creepy atmosphere even if the screenplay falls somewhat short .
3237	pos	i am more offended by his lack of faith in his audience than by anything on display here .
7323	neg	a sequence of ridiculous shoot-'em-up scenes .
7343	neg	a disappointment for those who love alternate versions of the bard , particularly ones that involve deep fryers and hamburgers .
9713	neg	amid the shock and curiosity factors , the film is just a corny examination of a young actress trying to find her way .
184	pos	a cop story that understands the medium amazingly well .
1976	pos	this time , the hype is quieter , and while the movie is slightly less successful than the first , it 's still a rollicking good time for the most part .
7563	neg	there are touching moments in etoiles , but for the most part this is a dull , dour documentary on what ought to be a joyful or at least fascinating subject .
8119	neg	the problem with concept films is that if the concept is a poor one , there 's no saving the movie . sorry , charlie
7238	neg	the tale of tok ( andy lau ) , a sleek sociopath on the trail of o ( takashi sorimachi ) , the most legendary of asian hitmen , is too scattershot to take hold .
8048	neg	it 's badly acted , blandly directed , and could have been scripted by someone who just graduated from elementary school .
6322	neg	formulaic to the 51st power , more like .
1283	pos	griffiths proves she 's that rare luminary who continually raises the standard of her profession .
7582	neg	not every animated film from disney will become a classic , but forgive me if i 've come to expect more from this studio than some 79-minute after-school `` cartoon `` .
9176	neg	if there 's a heaven for bad movies , deuces wild is on its way .
1112	pos	it 's worth seeing just on the basis of the wisdom , and at times , the startling optimism , of the children .
9157	neg	schnitzler 's film has a great hook , some clever bits and well-drawn , if standard issue , characters , but is still only partly satisfying .
10113	neg	earnest and tentative even when it aims to shock .
683	pos	it is risky , intelligent , romantic and rapturous from start to finish .
8036	neg	the situations and jokes are as predictable and as lowbrow as the endless pratfalls the boys take in their high heels .
7625	neg	a didactic and dull documentary glorifying software anarchy .
5402	neg	the biggest problem with roger avary 's uproar against the mpaa is that , even in all its director 's cut glory , he 's made a film that 's barely shocking , barely interesting and most of all , barely anything .
8745	neg	like being trapped inside a huge video game , where exciting , inane images keep popping past your head and the same illogical things keep happening over and over again .
146	pos	a sad , superior human comedy played out on the back roads of life .
5634	neg	this is amusing for about three minutes .
2120	pos	wedding feels a bit anachronistic . still , not every low-budget movie must be quirky or bleak , and a happy ending is no cinematic sin .
7034	neg	the words , 'frankly , my dear , i do n't give a damn , ' have never been more appropriate .
6236	neg	while solondz tries and tries hard , storytelling fails to provide much more insight than the inside column of a torn book jacket .
3107	pos	the ingenious construction ( adapted by david hare from michael cunningham 's novel ) constantly flows forwards and back , weaving themes among three strands which allow us to view events as if through a prism
1190	pos	the continued good chemistry between carmen and juni is what keeps this slightly disappointing sequel going , with enough amusing banter -- blessedly curse-free -- to keep both kids and parents entertained .
2822	pos	no worse a film than breaking out , and breaking out was utterly charming .
1305	pos	. . . with `` the bourne identity `` we return to the more traditional action genre .
5371	neg	though the opera itself takes place mostly indoors , jacquot seems unsure of how to evoke any sort of naturalism on the set .
6213	neg	the only time 8 crazy nights comes close to hitting a comedic or satirical target is during the offbeat musical numbers .
9719	neg	the screenplay , co-written by director imogen kimmel , lacks the wit necessary to fully exploit the comic elements of the premise , making the proceedings more bizarre than actually amusing .
5635	neg	klein , charming in comedies like american pie and dead-on in election , delivers one of the saddest action hero performances ever witnessed .
8186	neg	if this movie belonged to a sorority , it would be called beta alpha delta .
376	pos	often gruelling and heartbreaking to witness , but seldahl and wollter 's sterling performances raise this far above the level of the usual maudlin disease movie .
3845	pos	a surprisingly 'solid ' achievement by director malcolm d . lee and writer john ridley .
6248	neg	it is not the first time that director sara sugarman stoops to having characters drop their pants for laughs and not the last time she fails to provoke them .
3006	pos	director nancy savoca 's no-frills record of a show forged in still-raw emotions captures the unsettled tenor of that post 9-11 period far better than a more measured or polished production ever could .
3368	pos	blade ii is as estrogen-free as movies get , so you might want to leave your date behind for this one , or she 's gon na make you feel like you owe her big-time .
3112	pos	while this movie , by necessity , lacks fellowship 's heart , two towers outdoes its spectacle .
6201	neg	while the mystery unravels , the characters respond by hitting on each other .
8358	neg	the pacing is glacial , the screenplay is stiff as a board , and things heat up only in the movie 's final scenes .
252	pos	you would n't call the good girl a date movie ( an anti-date movie is more like it ) , but when it 's good , it 's good and horrid .
7820	neg	the picture is a primer on what happens when lack of know-how mixes with lack of give-a-damn .
2768	pos	el peso de un líquido incoloro , el peso del líquido vital , del amor como elemento de vida , y de muerte . . .
2800	pos	manages to be wholesome and subversive at the same time .
9687	neg	seemingly disgusted with the lazy material and the finished product 's unshapely look , director fisher stevens inexplicably dips key moments from the film in waking life water colors .
237	pos	remarkably accessible and affecting .
7714	neg	does n't amount to much of anything .
8583	neg	seems content to dog-paddle in the mediocre end of the pool , and it 's a sad , sick sight .
1064	pos	there 's . . . tremendous energy from the cast , a sense of playfulness and excitement that seems appropriate .
2811	pos	a beautifully observed character piece .
3960	pos	devos delivers a perfect performance that captures the innocence and budding demons within a wallflower .
9552	neg	richard pryor mined his personal horrors and came up with a treasure chest of material , but lawrence gives us mostly fool 's gold .
2675	pos	poignant and funny .
1221	pos	a subtle and well-crafted ( for the most part ) chiller .
3433	pos	if you like blood , guts and crazy beasts stalking men with guns though . . . you will likely enjoy this monster .
2464	pos	between bursts of automatic gunfire , the story offers a trenchant critique of capitalism .
8925	neg	never does `` lilo & stitch `` reach the emotion or timelessness of disney 's great past , or even that of more recent successes such as `` mulan `` or `` tarzan . ``
6539	neg	feels familiar and tired .
4219	pos	more mature than fatal attraction , more complete than indecent proposal and more relevant than 9 ½ weeks , unfaithful is at once intimate and universal cinema .
10170	neg	the film boasts at least a few good ideas and features some decent performances , but the result is disappointing .
38	pos	though it is by no means his best work , laissez-passer is a distinguished and distinctive effort by a bona-fide master , a fascinating film replete with rewards to be had by all willing to make the effort to reap them .
2474	pos	worth a look as a curiosity .
1242	pos	there has always been something likable about the marquis de sade .
814	pos	smart science fiction for grown-ups , with only a few false steps along the way .
7576	neg	feels like one of those contrived , only-in -hollywood productions where name actors deliver big performances created for the sole purpose of generating oscar talk .
8559	neg	it 's all surface psychodramatics .
1899	pos	well-acted , well-directed and , for all its moodiness , not too pretentious .
9136	neg	[ t ] his slop does n't even have potential as a cult film , as it 's too loud to shout insults at the screen .
10657	neg	a terrible movie that some people will nevertheless find moving .
5460	neg	a processed comedy chop suey .
962	pos	the second chapter of the harry potter series is even more magical than the first and simply the best family film of the year .
7337	neg	i felt sad for lise not so much because of what happens as because she was captured by this movie when she obviously belongs in something lighter and sunnier , by rohmer , for example .
8411	neg	if you 're not the target demographic . . . this movie is one long chick-flick slog .
2524	pos	an intriguing look at the french film industry during the german occupation ; its most delightful moments come when various characters express their quirky inner selves .
5403	neg	so riddled with unanswered questions that it requires gargantuan leaps of faith just to watch it plod along .
7892	neg	apparently kissing leads to suicide attempts and tragic deaths . marisa tomei is good , but just a kiss is just a mess .
4262	pos	all three women deliver remarkable performances .
6116	neg	leaves us wondering less about its ideas and more about its characterization of hitler and the contrived nature of its provocative conclusion .
5983	neg	has all the right elements but completely fails to gel together .
1105	pos	this is as respectful a film as byatt fans could hope for , though lovers of the book may wonder why it 's necessary .
4918	pos	maryam is a small film , but it offers large rewards .
5799	neg	labute was more fun when his characters were torturing each other psychologically and talking about their genitals in public .
845	pos	its direction , its script , and weaver 's performance as a vaguely discontented woman of substance make for a mildly entertaining 77 minutes , if that 's what you 're in the mood for .
1571	pos	for devotees of french cinema , safe conduct is so rich with period minutiae it 's like dying and going to celluloid heaven .
3945	pos	we want the funk - and this movie 's got it .
3020	pos	if you 're content with a clever pseudo-bio that manages to have a good time as it doles out pieces of the famous director 's life , eisenstein delivers .
5142	pos	a brilliant , absurd collection of vignettes that , in their own idiosyncratic way , sum up the strange horror of life in the new millennium .
748	pos	'charly ' will divide its audience in two separate groups , those reaching for more tissues and those begging for mercy . . .
3694	pos	the urban landscapes are detailed down to the signs on the kiosks , and the color palette , with lots of somber blues and pinks , is dreamy and evocative .
3	pos	if you sometimes like to go to the movies to have fun , wasabi is a good place to start .
8481	neg	it 's so tedious that it makes you forgive every fake , dishonest , entertaining and , ultimately , more perceptive moment in bridget jones 's diary .
6314	neg	less a study in madness or love than a study in schoolgirl obsession .
8155	neg	this limp gender-bender-baller from a first-time director and rookie screenwriter steals wholesale from that 1982 's tootsie , forgetting only to retain a single laugh .
6415	neg	there is something in full frontal , i guess , about artifice and acting and how it distorts reality for people who make movies and watch them , but like most movie riddles , it works only if you have an interest in the characters you see .
10442	neg	swims in mediocrity , sticking its head up for a breath of fresh air now and then .
2886	pos	the movie is amateurish , but it 's a minor treat .
5013	pos	combines a comically dismal social realism with a farcically bawdy fantasy of redemption and regeneration .
9995	neg	hollywood 's answer to an air ball .
763	pos	de oliveira creates an emotionally rich , poetically plump and visually fulsome , but never showy , film whose bittersweet themes are reinforced and brilliantly personified by michel piccoli .
7583	neg	do not , under any circumstances , consider taking a child younger than middle school age to this wallow in crude humor .
1406	pos	displaying about equal amounts of naiveté , passion and talent , beneath clouds establishes sen as a filmmaker of considerable potential .
7163	neg	nelson 's brutally unsentimental approach . . . sucks the humanity from the film , leaving behind an horrific but weirdly unemotional spectacle .
4403	pos	delirious fun .
5966	neg	there 's a reason why halftime is only fifteen minutes long .
7781	neg	it 's never a good sign when a film 's star spends the entirety of the film in a coma . it 's a worse sign when you begin to envy her condition .
9008	neg	if you recognize zeus ( the dog from snatch ) it will make you wish you were at home watching that movie instead of in the theater watching this one .
2708	pos	it may not be a great piece of filmmaking , but its power comes from its soul's-eye view of how well-meaning patronizing masked a social injustice , at least as represented by this case .
9610	neg	the three leads produce adequate performances , but what 's missing from this material is any depth of feeling .
6544	neg	a story which fails to rise above its disgusting source material .
10507	neg	chen films the resolutely downbeat smokers only with every indulgent , indie trick in the book .
986	pos	even those who would like to dismiss the film outright should find much to mull and debate .
4815	pos	the wonderfully lush morvern callar is pure punk existentialism , and ms . ramsay and her co-writer , liana dognini , have dramatized the alan warner novel , which itself felt like an answer to irvine welsh 's book trainspotting .
5052	pos	it 's a sharp movie about otherwise dull subjects .
9290	neg	a few zingers aside , the writing is indifferent , and jordan brady 's direction is prosaic .
7061	neg	. . . a hollow joke told by a cinematic gymnast having too much fun embellishing the misanthropic tale to actually engage it .
7642	neg	vile and tacky are the two best adjectives to describe ghost ship .
8071	neg	earnest but earthbound . . . a slow , soggy , soporific , visually dank crime melodrama/character study that would be more at home on the small screen but for its stellar cast .
6147	neg	mr . deeds is not really a film as much as it is a loose collection of not-so-funny gags , scattered moments of lazy humor .
4576	pos	its vision of that awkward age when sex threatens to overwhelm everything else is acute enough to make everyone who has been there squirm with recognition .
6494	neg	billy crystal and robert de niro sleepwalk through vulgarities in a sequel you can refuse .
6477	neg	the movie does n't add anything fresh to the myth .
1752	pos	a slick , engrossing melodrama .
6727	neg	a clichéd and shallow cautionary tale about the hard-partying lives of gay men .
7703	neg	this is a particularly toxic little bonbon , palatable to only a chosen and very jaundiced few .
1067	pos	the film 's welcome breeziness and some unbelievably hilarious moments -- most portraying the idiocy of the film industry -- make it mostly worth the trip .
10150	neg	what ensues are much blood-splattering , mass drug-induced bowel evacuations , and none-too-funny commentary on the cultural distinctions between americans and brits .
3333	pos	filmmakers dana janklowicz-mann and amir mann area headed east , far east , in retelling a historically significant , and personal , episode detailing how one international city welcomed tens of thousands of german jewish refugees while the world 's democracie
7727	neg	when a set of pre-shooting guidelines a director came up with for his actors turns out to be cleverer , better written and of considerable more interest than the finished film , that 's a bad sign . a very bad sign .
736	pos	woo 's fights have a distinct flair . his warriors collide in balletic explosion that implies an underlying order throughout the chaos .
1036	pos	u . s . audiences may find [ attal and gainsbourg 's ] unfamiliar personas give the film an intimate and quaint reality that is a little closer to human nature than what hollywood typically concocts .
5852	neg	no amount of blood and disintegrating vampire cadavers can obscure this movie 's lack of ideas .
8991	neg	a listless and desultory affair .
5287	pos	brutally honest and told with humor and poignancy , which makes its message resonate .
6024	neg	we never truly come to care about the main characters and whether or not they 'll wind up together , and michele 's spiritual quest is neither amusing nor dramatic enough to sustain interest .
949	pos	it takes this never-ending confusion and hatred , puts a human face on it , evokes shame among all who are party to it and even promotes understanding .
3465	pos	a modestly made but profoundly moving documentary .
5759	neg	kids who are into this thornberry stuff will probably be in wedgie heaven . anyone else who may , for whatever reason , be thinking about going to see this movie is hereby given fair warning .
8051	neg	the angst-ridden , affluent slacker characters are more grating than engaging .
1628	pos	others , more attuned to the anarchist maxim that 'the urge to destroy is also a creative urge ' , or more willing to see with their own eyes , will find morrison 's iconoclastic uses of technology to be liberating .
1374	pos	a painfully funny ode to bad behavior .
10375	neg	more likely to have you scratching your head than hiding under your seat .
10014	neg	[ allen 's ] best works understand why snobbery is a better satiric target than middle-america diversions could ever be .
2532	pos	unfolds in a low-key , organic way that encourages you to accept it as life and go with its flow .
5305	pos	pull [ s ] off the rare trick of recreating not only the look of a certain era , but also the feel .
61	pos	this is the best american movie about troubled teens since 1998 's whatever .
3230	pos	. . . rogers 's mouth never stops shut about the war between the sexes and how to win the battle .
2297	pos	a work of extraordinary journalism , but it is also a work of deft and subtle poetry .
6502	neg	aggressive self-glorification and a manipulative whitewash . stay for the credits and see a devastating comic impersonation by dustin hoffman that is revelatory .
394	pos	kinnear gives a tremendous performance .
1330	pos	one of the smartest takes on singles culture i 've seen in a long time .
6547	neg	completely creatively stillborn and executed in a manner that i 'm not sure could be a single iota worse . . . a soulless hunk of exploitative garbage .
2323	pos	ultimately engages less for its story of actorly existential despair than for its boundary-hopping formal innovations and glimpse into another kind of chinese 'cultural revolution . '
1265	pos	it 's a bit disappointing that it only manages to be decent instead of dead brilliant .
179	pos	maybe it 's just because this past year has seen the release of some of the worst film comedies in decades . . . but honestly , analyze that really is n't all that bad .
9501	neg	the leads are so unmemorable , despite several attempts at lengthy dialogue scenes , that one eventually resents having to inhale this gutter romancer 's secondhand material .
6380	neg	the ending does n't work . . . but most of the movie works so well i 'm almost recommending it , anyway -- maybe not to everybody , but certainly to people with a curiosity about how a movie can go very right , and then step wrong .
7895	neg	to portray modern women the way director davis has done is just unthinkable .
10652	neg	though excessively tiresome , the uncertainty principle , as verbally pretentious as the title may be , has its handful of redeeming features , as long as you discount its ability to bore .
4605	pos	it 's sweet . it 's funny . it wears its heart on the sleeve of its gaudy hawaiian shirt . and , thanks to the presence of 'the king , ' it also rocks .
1777	pos	i liked this film a lot . . .
8122	neg	the cartoon that is n't really good enough to be on afternoon tv is now a movie that is n't really good enough to be in theaters .
10579	neg	any intellectual arguments being made about the nature of god are framed in a drama so clumsy , there is a real danger less sophisticated audiences will mistake it for an endorsement of the very things that bean abhors .
1410	pos	if the first men in black was money , the second is small change . but it still jingles in the pocket . it 's fun lite .
10557	neg	a technically well-made suspenser . . . but its abrupt drop in iq points as it races to the finish line proves simply too discouraging to let slide .
3557	pos	renner ? s face is chillingly unemotive , yet he communicates a great deal in his performance . see it for his performance if nothing else .
8650	neg	the holes in this film remain agape -- holes punched through by an inconsistent , meandering , and sometimes dry plot .
3125	pos	[ ramsay ] visually transforms the dreary expanse of dead-end distaste the characters inhabit into a poem of art , music and metaphor .
8792	neg	because the intelligence level of the characters must be low , very low , very very low , for the masquerade to work , the movie contains no wit , only labored gags .
752	pos	sharp , lively , funny and ultimately sobering film .
1356	pos	with tightly organized efficiency , numerous flashbacks and a constant edge of tension , miller 's film is one of 2002 's involvingly adult surprises .
9933	neg	the idea is more interesting than the screenplay , which lags badly in the middle and lurches between not-very-funny comedy , unconvincing dramatics and some last-minute action strongly reminiscent of run lola run .
337	pos	foster nails the role , giving a tight , focused performance illuminated by shards of feeling .
9086	neg	so putrid it is not worth the price of the match that should be used to burn every print of the film .
705	pos	an incredibly clever and superbly paced caper filled with scams within scams within scams .
10517	neg	rather than real figures , elling and kjell bjarne become symbolic characters whose actions are supposed to relate something about the naïf 's encounter with the world .
2282	pos	lohman adapts to the changes required of her , but the actress and director peter kosminsky never get the audience to break through the wall her character erects
1088	pos	a celebration of quirkiness , eccentricity , and certain individuals ' tendency to let it all hang out , and damn the consequences .
2222	pos	the beautifully choreographed kitchen ballet is simple but absorbing .
906	pos	dazzling and sugar-sweet , a blast of shallow magnificence that only sex , scandal , and a chorus line of dangerous damsels can deliver .
4093	pos	while cherish does n't completely survive its tonal transformation from dark comedy to suspense thriller , it 's got just enough charm and appealing character quirks to forgive that still serious problem .
3115	pos	aside from rohmer 's bold choices regarding point of view , the lady and the duke represents the filmmaker 's lifelong concern with formalist experimentation in cinematic art .
862	pos	droll caper-comedy remake of `` big deal on madonna street `` that 's a sly , amusing , laugh-filled little gem in which the ultimate `` bellini `` begins to look like a `` real kaputschnik . ``
9521	neg	a sleek advert for youthful anomie that never quite equals the sum of its pretensions .
5132	pos	scherfig , the writer-director , has made a film so unabashedly hopeful that it actually makes the heart soar . yes , soar .
6844	neg	looks and feels like a project better suited for the small screen .
8139	neg	`` men in black ii , `` has all the earmarks of a sequel . the story is less vibrant , the jokes are a little lukewarm , but will anyone really care ?
3963	pos	the word that comes to mind , while watching eric rohmer 's tribute to a courageous scottish lady , is painterly .
3366	pos	one of recent memory 's most thoughtful films about art , ethics , and the cost of moral compromise .
9700	neg	obvious , obnoxious and didactic burlesque .
2790	pos	this is a sincerely crafted picture that deserves to emerge from the traffic jam of holiday movies .
6631	neg	tries so hard to be quirky and funny that the strain is all too evident .
1460	pos	[ a ] n utterly charming and hilarious film that reminded me of the best of the disney comedies from the 60s .
4375	pos	peter jackson and company once again dazzle and delight us , fulfilling practically every expectation either a longtime tolkien fan or a movie-going neophyte could want .
2688	pos	austin powers for the most part is extremely funny , the first part making up for any flaws that come later .
1462	pos	thanks to haynes ' absolute control of the film 's mood , and buoyed by three terrific performances , far from heaven actually pulls off this stylistic juggling act .
4746	pos	so original in its base concept that you can not help but get caught up .
6416	neg	this is the kind of movie that gets a quick release before real contenders arrive in september .
7492	neg	ostensibly celebrates middle-aged girl power , even as it presents friendship between women as pathetic , dysfunctional and destructive .
3423	pos	a . . . cynical and serious look at teenage boys doing what they do best - being teenagers .
2124	pos	a fascinating , bombshell documentary that should shame americans , regardless of whether or not ultimate blame finally lies with kissinger . should be required viewing for civics classes and would-be public servants alike .
8702	neg	works better in the conception than it does in the execution . . . winds up seeming just a little too clever .
2571	pos	a truly wonderful tale combined with stunning animation .
1648	pos	australia : land beyond time is an enjoyable big movie primarily because australia is a weirdly beautiful place .
3831	pos	the two leads , nearly perfect in their roles , bring a heart and reality that buoy the film , and at times , elevate it to a superior crime movie .
2910	pos	the quiet american is n't a bad film , it 's just one that could easily wait for your pay per view dollar .
8300	neg	though certainly original in form , altar boys requires a taste for swamp thing-type animation , doubled with a deafening score .
3757	pos	this is n't exactly profound cinema , but it 's good-natured and sometimes quite funny .
4753	pos	art-house to the core , read my lips is a genre-curling crime story that revives the free-wheeling noir spirit of old french cinema .
2443	pos	maybe it is formula filmmaking , but there 's nothing wrong with that if the film is well-crafted and this one is .
9394	neg	tartakovsky 's team has some freakish powers of visual charm , but the five writers slip into the modern rut of narrative banality .
7305	neg	nothing more substantial than a fitfully clever doodle .
2722	pos	cremaster 3 is at once a tough pill to swallow and a minor miracle of self-expression .
120	pos	digital-video documentary about stand-up comedians is a great glimpse into a very different world .
9475	neg	a good-natured ensemble comedy that tries hard to make the most of a bumper cast , but never quite gets off the ground .
5878	neg	weirdly , broomfield has compelling new material but he does n't unveil it until the end , after endless scenes of him wheedling reluctant witnesses and pointing his camera through the smeared windshield of his rental car .
2546	pos	the fluid motion is astounding on any number of levels -- including the physical demands made on büttner -- and it implies in its wake the intractable , irreversible flow of history .
437	pos	the actors are fantastic . they are what makes it worth the trip to the theatre .
1369	pos	for movie lovers as well as opera lovers , tosca is a real treat .
9320	neg	if deuces wild had been tweaked up a notch it would have become a camp adventure , one of those movies that 's so bad it starts to become good . but it was n't .
1254	pos	my thoughts were focused on the characters . that is a compliment to kuras and miller . if i had been thinking about the visual medium , they would have been doing something wrong .
10491	neg	as earnest as a community-college advertisement , american chai is enough to make you put away the guitar , sell the amp , and apply to medical school .
9026	neg	just about everyone involved here seems to be coasting . there are a few modest laughs , but certainly no thrills .
6365	neg	a loud , low-budget and tired formula film that arrives cloaked in the euphemism 'urban drama . '
7646	neg	mark me down as a non-believer in werewolf films that are not serious and rely on stupidity as a substitute for humor .
5284	pos	although estela bravo 's documentary is cloyingly hagiographic in its portrait of cuban leader fidel castro , it 's still a guilty pleasure to watch .
8292	neg	. . . this movie has a glossy coat of action movie excess while remaining heartless at its core .
8874	neg	if you adored the full monty so resoundingly that you 're dying to see the same old thing in a tired old setting , then this should keep you reasonably entertained .
2487	pos	the message of such reflections -- intentional or not -- is that while no art grows from a vacuum , many artists exist in one .
6918	neg	there are simply too many ideas floating around -- part farce , part sliding doors , part pop video -- and yet failing to exploit them .
10534	neg	i spied with my little eye . . . a mediocre collection of cookie-cutter action scenes and occasionally inspired dialogue bits
7524	neg	verbinski substitutes atmosphere for action , tedium for thrills .
356	pos	celebrated at sundance , this slight comedy of manners has winning performances and a glossy , glib charm that 's hard to beat .
5739	neg	despite suffering a sense-of-humour failure , the man who wrote rocky does not deserve to go down with a ship as leaky as this .
110	pos	a feel-good picture in the best sense of the term .
2802	pos	the film runs on a little longer than it needs to -- muccino either does n't notice when his story ends or just ca n't tear himself away from the characters -- but it 's smooth and professional .
10021	neg	does little to elaborate the conceit of setting this blood-soaked tragedy of murderous ambition in the era of richard nixon .
923	pos	francophiles will snicker knowingly and you 'll want to slap them .
1531	pos	its maker , steven spielberg , has n't had so much fun in two decades , since he was schlepping indiana jones around the globe in search of a giant misplaced ashtray .
6662	neg	made me feel uneasy , even queasy , because [ solondz 's ] cool compassion is on the border of bemused contempt .
6509	neg	coppola has made a film of intoxicating atmosphere and little else .
572	pos	as a singular character study , it 's perfect . it 's also the year 's sweetest movie .
1199	pos	kinnear does n't aim for our sympathy , but rather delivers a performance of striking skill and depth .
4355	pos	[ a ] thoughtful , visually graceful work .
6144	neg	the film feels formulaic , its plot and pacing typical hollywood war-movie stuff , while the performances elicit more of a sense of deja vu than awe .
4360	pos	the kind of primal storytelling that george lucas can only dream of .
8471	neg	this is more a case of 'sacre bleu ! ' than 'magnifique ' .
163	pos	if you can get past the fantastical aspects and harsh realities of `` the isle `` you 'll get a sock-you-in-the-eye flick that is a visual tour-de-force and a story that is unlike any you will likely see anywhere else .
6765	neg	a movie in which two not very absorbing characters are engaged in a romance you ca n't wait to see end .
1894	pos	an entertaining documentary that freshly considers arguments the bard 's immortal plays were written by somebody else .
5239	pos	a subtle , poignant picture of goodness that is flawed , compromised and sad .
7560	neg	it 's also clear from the start that the transporter is running purely on adrenaline , and once the initial high wears off , the film 's shortcomings start to shine through .
3232	pos	it 's all entertaining enough , but do n't look for any hefty anti-establishment message in what is essentially a whip-crack of a buddy movie that ends with a whimper .
2098	pos	. . . the tale of her passionate , tumultuous affair with musset unfolds as sand 's masculine persona , with its love of life and beauty , takes form .
9545	neg	it 's sweet . . . but just a little bit too precious at the start and a little too familiar at the end .
5087	pos	the artwork is spectacular and unlike most animaton from japan , the characters move with grace and panache .
5012	pos	a small gem from belgium .
6315	neg	rice never clearly defines his characters or gives us a reason to care about them .
6022	neg	a film neither bitter nor sweet , neither romantic nor comedic , neither warm nor fuzzy .
10142	neg	spirit is a visual treat , and it takes chances that are bold by studio standards , but it lacks a strong narrative .
7961	neg	a minor picture with a major identity crisis -- it 's sort of true and it 's sort of bogus and it 's ho-hum all the way through .
5645	neg	[ carvey 's ] characters are both overplayed and exaggerated , but then again , subtlety has never been his trademark .
6091	neg	when cowering and begging at the feet a scruffy giannini , madonna gives her best performance since abel ferrara had her beaten to a pulp in his dangerous game .
3046	pos	greengrass ( working from don mullan 's script ) forgoes the larger socio-political picture of the situation in northern ireland in favour of an approach that throws one in the pulsating thick of a truly frightening situation .
2016	pos	a delightful stimulus for the optic nerves , so much that it 's forgivable that the plot feels like every other tale of a totalitarian tomorrow .
4597	pos	you can fire a torpedo through some of clancy 's holes , and the scripters do n't deserve any oscars . but the nerve-raked acting , the crackle of lines , the impressive stagings of hardware , make for some robust and scary entertainment .
2436	pos	wickedly funny , visually engrossing , never boring , this movie challenges us to think about the ways we consume pop culture .
9418	neg	it was a dark and stormy night . . .
8937	neg	due to stodgy , soap opera-ish dialogue , the rest of the cast comes across as stick figures reading lines from a teleprompter .
4347	pos	the hook is the drama within the drama , as an unsolved murder and an unresolved moral conflict jockey for the spotlight .
5564	neg	bisset delivers a game performance , but she is unable to save the movie .
6337	neg	could as easily have been called 'under siege 3 : in alcatraz ' . . . a cinematic corpse that never springs to life .
7423	neg	equal parts bodice-ripper and plodding costume drama .
8474	neg	yet another weepy southern bore-athon .
4645	pos	may be more genial than ingenious , but it gets the job done .
9161	neg	[ l ] ame and unnecessary .
5456	neg	will probably be one of those movies barely registering a blip on the radar screen of 2002 .
7292	neg	the movie fails to live up to the sum of its parts .
9132	neg	what should have been a cutting hollywood satire is instead about as fresh as last week 's issue of variety .
2735	pos	campanella gets the tone just right -- funny in the middle of sad in the middle of hopeful .
9438	neg	directed by kevin bray , whose crisp framing , edgy camera work , and wholesale ineptitude with acting , tone and pace very obviously mark him as a video helmer making his feature debut .
10481	neg	yet another self-consciously overwritten story about a rag-tag bunch of would-be characters that team up for a can't-miss heist -- only to have it all go wrong .
1738	pos	[ haynes ' ] homage to such films as `` all that heaven allows `` and `` imitation of life `` transcends them . simply put , `` far from heaven `` is a masterpiece .
2380	pos	would make an excellent companion piece to the similarly themed 'the french lieutenant 's woman . '
6794	neg	now here 's a sadistic bike flick that would have made vittorio de sica proud .
8388	neg	the stories here suffer from the chosen format .
1991	pos	one of the most gloriously unsubtle and adrenalized extreme shockers since the evil dead .
4624	pos	significantly better than its 2002 children's-movie competition .
3238	pos	a sharp satire of desperation and cinematic deception .
5657	neg	it 's not difficult to spot the culprit early-on in this predictable thriller .
8144	neg	the low-budget full frontal was one of the year 's murkiest , intentionally obscure and self-indulgent pictures , and solaris is its big-budget brother .
5571	neg	the plot plummets into a comedy graveyard before janice comes racing to the rescue in the final reel .
8097	neg	preposterous and tedious , sonny is spiked with unintentional laughter that , unfortunately , occurs too infrequently to make the film even a guilty pleasure .
10229	neg	an encouraging effort from mccrudden
281	pos	the unique tug-of-war with viewer expectations is undeniable , if not a pleasure in its own right .
2310	pos	it reaffirms life as it looks in the face of death .
1368	pos	claude chabrol has here a thriller without thrills , but that 's okay .
4824	pos	. . . a good film that must have baffled the folks in the marketing department .
660	pos	it may not be `` last tango in paris `` but . . .
1614	pos	jeffrey tambor 's performance as the intelligent jazz-playing exterminator is oscar-worthy .
9410	neg	it 's hard to care about a film that proposes as epic tragedy the plight of a callow rich boy who is forced to choose between his beautiful , self-satisfied 22-year-old girlfriend and an equally beautiful , self-satisfied 18-year-old mistress .
5881	neg	a showcase for both the scenic splendor of the mountains and for legendary actor michel serrault , the film is less successful on other levels .
5754	neg	cloaks a familiar anti-feminist equation ( career - kids = misery ) in tiresome romantic-comedy duds .
2989	pos	mr . caine and mr . fraser are the whole show here , with their memorable and resourceful performances .
5257	pos	it 's a very valuable film . . .
4642	pos	if the very concept makes you nervous . . . you 'll have an idea of the film 's creepy , scary effectiveness .
3599	pos	it treats ana 's journey with honesty that is tragically rare in the depiction of young women in film .
10588	neg	though it was made with careful attention to detail and is well-acted by james spader and maggie gyllenhaal , i felt disrespected .
2595	pos	a brisk , reverent , and subtly different sequel .
9972	neg	even a hardened voyeur would require the patience of job to get through this interminable , shapeless documentary about the swinging subculture .
9760	neg	frank capra played this story straight . but the 2002 film does n't really believe in it , and breaks the mood with absurdly inappropriate 'comedy ' scenes .
5604	neg	this remake of lina wertmuller 's 1975 eroti-comedy might just be the biggest husband-and-wife disaster since john and bo derek made the ridiculous bolero .
1985	pos	a thoughtful movie , a movie that is concerned with souls and risk and schemes and the consequences of one 's actions .
10537	neg	bearable . barely .
8069	neg	there is not an ounce of honesty in the entire production .
21	pos	with a cast that includes some of the top actors working in independent film , lovely & amazing involves us because it is so incisive , so bleakly amusing about how we go about our lives .
4058	pos	has an unmistakable , easy joie de vivre .
3774	pos	the performances of the children , untrained in acting , have an honesty and dignity that breaks your heart .
298	pos	this clever caper movie has twists worthy of david mamet and is enormous fun for thinking audiences .
5629	neg	why , you may ask , why should you buy the movie milk when the tv cow is free ? there 's no good answer to that one .
2885	pos	there is no denying the power of polanski 's film . . .
8029	neg	truth to tell , if you 've seen more than half-a-dozen horror films , there 's nothing here you have n't seen before .
4602	pos	late marriage is an in-your-face family drama and black comedy that is filled with raw emotions conveying despair and love .
7807	neg	sometimes smart but more often sophomoric .
2038	pos	a stylistic romp that 's always fun to watch .
6789	neg	you can see the would-be surprises coming a mile away , and the execution of these twists is delivered with a hammer . thumbs down .
8503	neg	unfortunately , a cast of competent performers from movies , television and the theater are cast adrift in various new york city locations with no unifying rhythm or visual style .
10462	neg	a rehash of every gangster movie from the past decade .
9407	neg	worthless , from its pseudo-rock-video opening to the idiocy of its last frames .
4803	pos	fresnadillo has something serious to say about the ways in which extravagant chance can distort our perspective and throw us off the path of good sense .
2055	pos	clint eastwood 's blood work is a lot like a well-made pb & j sandwich : familiar , fairly uneventful and boasting no real surprises but still quite tasty and inviting all the same .
6855	neg	less dizzying than just dizzy , the jaunt is practically over before it begins .
9369	neg	a major waste . . . generic .
245	pos	you might not buy the ideas . but you 'll definitely want the t-shirt .
3170	pos	this is not chabrol 's best , but even his lesser works outshine the best some directors can offer .
5781	neg	this flat run at a hip-hop tootsie is so poorly paced you could fit all of pootie tang in between its punchlines .
10563	neg	no matter how much he runs around and acts like a doofus , accepting a 50-year-old in the role is creepy in a michael jackson sort of way .
7332	neg	scorsese does n't give us a character worth giving a damn about .
1956	pos	it 's hard to imagine anybody ever being `` in the mood `` to view a movie as harrowing and painful as the grey zone , but it 's equally hard to imagine anybody being able to tear their eyes away from the screen once it 's started .
5834	neg	this is a fudged opportunity of gigantic proportions -- a lunar mission with no signs of life .
10366	neg	no amount of burning , blasting , stabbing , and shooting can hide a weak script .
10	pos	this is a film well worth seeing , talking and singing heads and all .
9351	neg	distinctly sub-par . . . more likely to drown a viewer in boredom than to send any shivers down his spine .
4448	pos	the dirty jokes provide the funniest moments in this oddly sweet comedy about jokester highway patrolmen .
6651	neg	do n't let the subtitles fool you ; the movie only proves that hollywood no longer has a monopoly on mindless action .
9566	neg	mctiernan 's remake may be lighter on its feet -- the sober-minded original was as graceful as a tap-dancing rhino -- but it is just as boring and as obvious .
1229	pos	pacino is brilliant as the sleep-deprived dormer , his increasing weariness as much existential as it is physical .
70	pos	a taut , intelligent psychological drama .
9832	neg	' . . . the cast portrays their cartoon counterparts well . . . but quite frankly , scoob and shag do n't eat enough during the film . '
9140	neg	the central character is n't complex enough to hold our interest .
8507	neg	excruciatingly unfunny and pitifully unromantic .