Strange Brew (1983)

Really laugh-out-loud at moments. But the effects suck (what do you want? It's from the mid-80s!) and the story's just an excuse for Bob and Doug to be Bob and Doug.

C+

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)

Ambitious story of 14-year-olds taking their hatred for a teacher too far. Visually pleasing when fantasy comic-book drawings are employed…but also has a weird incest plot thrown in, which makes this film fall into the "slightly disturbing" category. That, for me, overshadowed anything else this film could have been.

C

Raintree County (1957)

Covers adultery, the shame of mixed races, the Civil War, madness, and some mythological search for a tree in the middle of a swamp. Not worth the more than three hours -- though I doubt I would've like it even if it came in at 80 minutes.

D

Shampoo (1975)

One of the top 100 funniest movies? Nominated for screenplay? Huh? Wha? Beatty looks to be in a drug haze but, according to the screenplay, could apparently compete with Fonzie in a chick-magnet contest. One girl wants him so bad she gets under the table at a dinner party to, uh, prove it.

I think it was supposed to be madcap at times, but it was too somnambulant and Beatty was too bored-looking for me to buy it. His character seemed to view sex as a chore that he's extraordinarily good at, but not particularly into (despite the speech he delivers to Goldie Hawn professing his addiction or...who cares). I didn't care a fig for anyone on screen and was doing the "only 42 minutes left" -- "ooh - only 39 minutes left" countdown.

D-

Barbershop (2002)

If only they'd stayed in the shop! They split the narrative between the workaday wondrousness and camaraderie of the neighborhood barbershop and two bumbling fools toting around and trying to get the cash out of an empty ATM. If they had stayed with the interesting and beautifully acted shop scenes, this would have been a pure winner. As it is, they've dumbed it down to almost loser status. Shop Scenes: A-; all the rest: C-.

On the whole: C

Our Song (2001)

Almost a documentary feeling…no soundtrack telling us how to feel – just a few weeks in the life of three 15-year-old girlfriends. They deal with pregnancy, family problems, lack of money, etc. in believable ways (although in some of the scenes the acting seems a bit forced).

B

Blue Crush (2002)

Entertaining/tense film. I'm not really interested in the surfing world, but I sure as hell respect it, now! The lead (Kate Bosworth) was very good and the story felt honest without being condescending throughout.

B-

Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)

Funniest of the Powers films. The cameofest was a hoot and most of the jokes really worked (except the scenes with Fat Bastard - yuck!). I also thought that Beyonce Knowles came off as the best Powers girl yet - cute as a button and tough, too!

B+

Adaptation. (2002)

Inventive and, at times, screamingly funny film about a writer struggling to write the screenplay for the film we're watching. Crazy, mind-trippingly loopy, and lots of other adjectives. Drags on a little too long near the end, but so very funny. I especially love Donald, the brother who's got dreams and is just oblivious enough to achieve them.

A-

The Pianist (2002)

The methodical dehumanization of the Jews is hard to take, but so powerful. That we're shown the Jewish people turning on each other is a real change – a believable outcome of being treated like desperate animals. Such scope in the telling of a survivor's (not a hero, just a survivor) story.

A

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

Extraordinary film based on the true story of three "half-caste" girls making their way back home on foot after being taken for education by the Australian government. Tragic that this child snatching continued legally until 1970...Kenneth Branagh does an amazing job of eliciting sympathy in his role of "Mr. Devil."

A

Far From Heaven (2002)

Perfect family falls apart when wife discovers her husband's homosexuality and kindles a friendship with her black gardener. This could have been good, but Haynes made a choice to film it like an old "everything's OK" '50s movie. Even the melodramas from back then were truer (Peyton Place, et al); those films weren't muted to this "put on a happy face" degree. There were some beautiful performances (Quaid's in particular), but I felt as though I were being deliberately pushed away from the emotional aspects.

C

Lovely & Amazing (2002)

I was thinking someone had accidentally slipped "Self-Indulgent & Annoying" into my DVD box @ Blockbuster by accident… I was quite put out with all of the characters in the first half. There was no let-up to the parade of the pathetic minutiae of their lives. Fortunately, as their lives pick up, so does the movie.

I have to admit to being extra disappointed because I'm in love with the writer/director's first film "Walking and Talking," and my expectations were probably unreasonably high for her follow-up.

B-

The Good Girl (2002)

Woman dissatisfied and bored with her life falls into an affair with a similarly dissatisfied young co-worker and watches her life get more complicated…but not more satisfying.

I experienced many "what would I do in her circumstances" moments while watching and understood her choices, even when they did not mirror my own imaginary ones.

B+

The Collector (1965)

Terence Stamp does an amazing job (and he wasn't nominated?!) of conveying madness while inspiring compassion. Nicely done film…now I see where Stephen King got the idea for "Misery."

B

It's a Wonderful World (1939)

Enjoyable screwball silliness.

B+

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Suffers from the fact that two of the main story lines pale significantly in comparison to the Rohan/Helm's Deep arc. It feels a bit like the Scooby Doo episodes where they divide up the group "Scooby and Shaggy go this way, the rest of us will go that way..." and I always wondered why they didn't send somebody competent along with the two dolts. Well, with Legolas, Aragorn & Gimli as traveling companions, they've got competence to spare, but leave the other factions sorely lacking. Still, moved the story along nicely and made me eager for the last installment.

B+

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2002)

This film was praised so highly that I was expecting nothing short of brilliance. What I got instead was a selfish woman who thinks she's brave, two horndogs who think they're friends, and a voiceover that thinks it's important. The sex is omnipresent (if they're not involved in masturbation or sex with a partner, they're talking about it).

I enjoyed the scenes with the fisherman and his family, mainly because finally there were people on screen with love for each other. The potentially moving after-effects of a same-sex tryst of heteros was watered down too much. Sensitive handling of the aftermath could have redeemed the movie somewhat for me, but instead I'm handed a quick voiceover. Why not let us SEE the uncomfortable ride home first-hand? The only real scene was the very last...and I mean the VERY last scene when Julio is left alone in the coffee shop and you can see the true sadness on his face. Cuaron gives us all of 3 seconds to glimpse it.

D

The Son's Room (2001)

What a fantastic film. I wanted to know these people and I wanted to hold them (and I'm definitely NOT a touchy-feely type).

A+

Kiss of Death (1947)

Pretty decent story of a thug going straight by way of being a stoolpigeon for the sake of his kids and new wife. Can't help but be dated…the "creepy" Widmark wouldn't even frighten my kids nowadays.

B-