Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Fantastic update of the zombies-outside-the-mall original.

B+

Serial Mom (1994)

This is one hella-stupid movie. Coulda been campy fun, but it's handled in what seems to be a deliberately over-the-top soap opera way. Felt third-rate.

D

Spider (2002)

An exploration of the thought-paths of a lunatic. Deliberately confusing. I hate that.

C-

Prime Suspect 4: The Lost Child (1995)

A very good entry in the PS series - a nice undercurrent of emotionality throughout.

B+

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Really cute film that should've been a short about the size of a Wallace and Gromit episode. Once you get the concept, they just keep repeating it and then there's a long chase…and then…it ends. There are some really adorable moments between Boo (the little girl) and Sully (the best "scarer"), but really -- there's not nearly enough story here for a feature film.

B-

Intermission (2004)

Grabs you with an opening scene reminiscent of Pulp Fiction. Also put me in mind of "I Went Down" -- another terrific Irish crime/comedy/drama -- and that's a very good thing. A winner.

B+

I'm Not Scared (2004)

This captures the feel of what it was like to be a child in the '70s - right before the world became too scary for children. Watching, I recalled fully the freedom of being out for hours on end -- no adults knowing my whereabouts -- doing things that would have surely terrified my mother had she known. Even though this film takes place in Italy, the vibe is universal.

I was "with" the main character all the way. I've heard complaints that his actions weren't believable (that he didn't alert authorities immediately, etc.) - but I think they were right in line with what I might have done at that age. He obviously had an active imagination and could invent several theories about the "reason" for his discovery. Once he comes to know what's actually going on and that there are no adults to be trusted, he still shows bravery that isn't above and beyond a child's.

Great film with some of the best child actors I've seen in a long while.

B+

Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry (2004)

Yes - I know it's election-year propaganda…but it's hard to argue with what's covered here. This is the story of a war hero who becomes disenfranchised with the war once he comes home and gets some perspective. He's then brave enough to be a leader in the Veterans Against the War movement. Fascinating stuff.

Fahrenheit 9/11 made me wary of Bush…Going Upriver made me comfortable with Kerry as a leader. If the purpose of putting this together was to win votes for Kerry, it did its job on me.

B

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

It looks cool -- but is very lazy story-wise. Predictably, all the main characters live & that's just silly.

C+

Valentin (2004)

Cross-eyed little kid lives with his grandmother because his father's an ass and his mother left early on (she was, apparently, driven to a breakdown by his abusive father). The kid's way too quirky, way too observant, way too adult to be believed. He's supposed to be EIGHT? No way.

D+

Saved! (2004)

I'm disappointed. Started out great -- they got the whole fakey Christian culture down so well…but went to the same old places that all teen comedies with a message go. The antagonist was too much of a caricature. We see her praying ALONE -- so it's apparent that we're supposed to believe that SHE believes what she's doing is right...but there's no way she's fooling herself to that degree -- especially when she goes from violently destructive to contrition in the space of about a minute at the end.

It's just way too cartoonish to be taken seriously -- and too poignant to laugh very hard. The affection for the subject matter should have gone deeper...if it had, this would have been an incredible film. Instead, it opted for cheap dismissiveness and a tidy denouement. Felt like Mean Girls all over again.

B-

Super Size Me (2004)

Should be required viewing in schools -- I hope it has a longterm impact on my habits. The narrator was so good-humored and his bias, if he had one, was not apparent. Well-done documentary.

B+

The Great McGinty (1940)

Movie about a bum rising to the office of governorship and losing it all. Left an unfortunate emotional loose end & was told at arm's length so that I couldn't ever really connect with the characters. Fine, but nothing spectacular here.

C+

You're a Big Boy Now (1966)

There's this whole group of '60s movies -- including The Landlord & The Knack and How to Get it -- that I just don't understand. They seem to delight in nonsense and irritation and don't give a flip if there's no reason to care about anyone or anything on the screen. This falls squarely into that genre & I hated it.

F

The Piano Teacher (2002)

When I sat down to grade this movie (about 24 hours after viewing it) -- I was quite surprised at the fact that I had to give it the highest grade. There were times that the film literally repulsed me…but after having an entire day in which the film was never out of my thoughts, I realize that this is an amazing work. An incredible portrait.

What sadness - what dysfunction - what truth - what pain. And what a brilliant job the two leads do. How much they made me understand - how much they made me hurt. A stunning movie that I doubt I'll ever forget.

A+

Fancy Pants (1950)

To call this a "trifle" would be to oversell the depth of this throwaway movie. Some portions weren't bad -- but those only resulted in either a mild chuckle or a groan. Really not worth the time.

C

Iron Jawed Angels (2004)

At times the stylistic bent of the film is distracting - but that's about the only bad thng I have to say about this very powerful movie. The acting is superb and the story is compelling.

B+

Pride of the Marines (1945)

I quite enjoyed the first half-hour which was, essentially, the story of a short courtship. The rest of it was pretty "eh." Guy goes to war for a couple of weeks, gets a grenade in the face and has a hard time accepting his new life. Done with more humanity and less propaganda in 1950's The Men.

C

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

A big wow of a concept -- wipe away memories you don't want. I was unhappy with the ending, but I can't really complain when I got such enjoyment from the film. Carrey didn't even bother me too much.

A-