Road to Perdition (2002)

Seemed that it was all about the sets with far too little focus on building tension and a compelling reason to care. I love Paul Newman, but his nomination for this over the likes of Joaquin Phoenix (in Signs) and Dennis Quaid (in Far From Heaven) is insulting.

C+

Anna (1987)

Paulina Porizkova is lucky she's beautiful, because if this film is indicative of her talent…well, she has none. But the story itself is heartbreaking and Kirkland is absolutely marvelous as an aging star watching her protégé succeed.

C+

One Hour Photo (2002)

Too bad they use the "well, I was abused as a child" cop out at the end. Why can't he just hate assholes who cheat on their families? That'd work for me.

C-

Diamond Men (2001)

Wonderful film. Traveling diamond wholesaler being forced to retire because of health (really insurance) reasons has to train the cocky young replacement. The new guy's an eager asshole...the old guy hates the thought of handing over his carefully built clientele to him. Slowly, though, they become friends. They help each other. And I believed it.

Forster's a master. Someone give this man a few of Jack Nicholson's Oscars, PLEASE.

A

About Schmidt (2002)

They got so many of the details just right. The horrible retirement party; the irritation at the "little things" your spouse does; the unprofessional wedding singer... but who cares? It's boring. And long. And why do I want to see a film that faithfully recreates the minutiae of a boring guy's life? I want entertainment -- and this ain't it.

F

Possession (2002)

The trailer for this film was so promising -- just brimming with intrigue and passion. The film for this film, however, is only good when it focuses on the past. Then, by golly it's first-rate, full of fire and heartbreak. Then, along comes Eckhart and Paltrow sucking all of the life out of the proceedings with their bland personalities and fear of commitment and their habit of reading aloud things that the other person already read so it would make more sense just to read it silently...they suck. And they cap off their story with a double-cross and a "STOP RIGHT THERE" scene (just in the *nick* of time, of course). Bleh. Past: B+; Present: D; all together: C

C

Sunshine State (2002)

The conversations felt like performance pieces rather than organic happenings. I couldn't find much to keep my interest.

D

Dinner Rush (2001)

I was interested, but I almost felt that it might have been for all the wrong reasons…like maybe I was focusing on facets that weren't the showpieces. I dunno - maybe they totally planned it that way. The old man stepping down, thugs, murder, and gambling stuff just got in the way of the "meat" of the film, which, in my opinion, is one night in the life of an eatery. I loved the bartender scenes and the waitress with the rude table and the guy enjoying people-watching at the bar.

B-

Chicago (2002)

Good…possibly great! The screen crackled with vibrancy and everyone just threw themselves into it. I've never been much of a Catherine Zeta Jones fan, but she won me over here -- she was absolutely stunning. John C. Reilly, once again taking a small role and performing the hell out of it (in the most non-showy of ways) was so impressive. Who knew these people could sing? Renee Zellweger was fine, but was almost eclipsed by the sheer brilliance around her.

All hail the return of the musical!

A

Igby Goes Down (2002)

Comedy? I'm not sure I buy the category, but…anyway. Children of screwed up parents end up being screwed up themselves – go figure. Some interesting scenes, but I must've missed the big message. Or maybe there wasn't one.

B-

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Overlong (can't Spielberg bring anything in under 2 hours?) but amazing story of underage con man faking his way through several high-skill jobs and staying ahead of the FBI along the way. Everyone's good, but after two hours you just want him caught.

B

24 Hour Party People (2002)

Started out promising – but soon devolved into a whirling mess of sound and too many characters. Might have been easier to follow if I knew who any of the players actually were, but I didn't follow the scene, so I don't. Not horrible, but if it had been any longer it may have come close.

C-

The Hours (2002)

Acting was flawless and the script intricately wove three story lines together…I admired it. I also admire classical music - but that doesn't mean I always enjoy it. I feel I should praise this film to the sky for being so clever, but it was an exercise in depression -- which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but neither is it a good thing in and of itself. I longed for more Virginia Woolf and less of the other two storylines. If either of the other two lines were a full-length movie, I'd probably steer clear.

B