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The problem with this film is that it tries so hard to make every scene precious that it never adds up to anything. "I laughed, I cried" is the clichéd response a good romantic comedy is looking for, but it can't aim for that every second. You can feel the James L. Brooks telegraphing everything. He used to pull this stuff off effortlessly early in his career with films like Broadcast News and Terms of Endearment, both of which do flirt with melodrama at times, but lately his work feels tired. He's going for a home run with every speech, sad look, close up of an important prop; it really gets on your nerves. He had all the ingredients here, he just laid them on too thick. Nothing is believable, especially the constantly befuddling on again off again relationship between Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson. He's such a cad, I don't know why she'd spend more than 10 minutes with him. And, Paul Rudd's character is such a weak puppy dog, I think she'd feel more pity than charmed. A total mess.

I was really disappointed in this film. I loved Emma Stone in Superbad and Zombieland. She has a really nice, relaxed presence that is well suited to a smart teen comedy. Unfortunately, Easy A leaves out the smart although I feel like it thinks it has something to say. And, that's the big problem. The movie is about big issues especially for teenagers: promiscuity, the power of rumors and reputations, std's. But, its only point of view is that these things are bad. There's very little depth here. I don't think any character, especially Olive, learns a lesson they didn't already know. The antagonists, a group of chaste Bible thumpers led by Amanda Bynes, are one-dimensional caricatures. (It doesn't help that Bynes's hemline is higher than a pole dancer's.) And, the protagonists are basically all the same sardonic quipping, impossibly understanding people. This is where all the supposed comedy comes from; witty remarks and pseudo-intellectual playful conversations like the writer had just watched a Gilmore Girls box set. The best comedies have humorous situations as well as funny dialog. Easy A has neither.

This is a totally enjoyable film for people of all ages from the

creators of the brilliant Adventures of Pete and Pete. The writers

have a great sense of childhood and write with a sense of

nostalgia that gives the film its broad appeal. It follows the same

formula of their show with a pair of quirky siblings and narration

supplied by the older brother. I like the device of the film taking

place over one eventful day. All the young actors are wonderful and

feel like real kids and Chevy Chase and Chris Elliott are quite

funny. Also some cool cameos.

Not much in the way of a horror movie, or a musical for that matter, but some of the prettiest color photography this side of The Red Shoes by a man who would later win an Oscar. Ray Dennis Steckler was no Orson Welles, but he did know that this film was pretty funny, the title alone proves that. Well worth your time if you're a movie fan looking for some fun. After this, check out Ray's other masterpieces Rat Pfink a Boo Boo and The Thrill Killers.

This is a fascinating comedy from Robert Altman's peak period

before his 80's downslide. A Wedding is sadly underappreciated,

and really deserves to be rediscovered, especially after the recent

success of Gosford Park which is an obvious companion piece to

this film. Both films deal with class and gender distinctions and

feature an eccentric group of party-goers who can't seem to leave

the soiree and are trapped in a mansion (obviously inspired by

Buenel's Exterminating Angel). A Wedding is filled with great

performances especially Carol Burnett, who is the heart of the film;

Geraldine Chaplin; Desi Arnaz Jr.; and Mia Farrow. Highly

recommended.

I hated this movie so much, I'm astonished I bothered to watch the

whole thing. I kept waiting to see if it could get much dumber and,

yes, it did. Everyone in the film is a complete waste of talent. I think

Christian Slater has maybe 2 lines. To call the violence mindless

is an insult to mindless violence. This is not dumb fun, it's just

dumb, and is a sad reflection on the state of Hollywood that they

would let a script this bad go through and a let director this devoid

of talent make a film. The one thing that I had to laugh at were the

two cops investigating the heist who never seem to leave their

office.

This is a great film, very very funny; with terrific performances all around especially by Holly Hunter and Swoosie Kurtz. A great satire of American media and Texas attitudes. A return to form for director Ritchie. The last shot of this film is a homage to his classic The Bad News Bears.

I'm surprised this film is not higher rated. This is a great film about America and certainly one of the great comedies. Walter Matthau was born for this role. The kids are impeccably cast. Hilarious, moving and inspirational.

This is a brilliant film and quite possibly the best from both Wilder and Douglas. A scathing look at the media that is still relevant and haunting. Douglas plays a down and out reporter that creates a media circus in order to re-spark his career by keeping a man trapped in a cave while the world watches.

This is as good a western as was ever made and a must for fans of the genre. Raw, intense and violent. Gary Cooper is brilliant.

Unusual for a western as much of the action takes place inside.

I enjoyed this film a great deal, and what a strange coincidence that the policeman investigating a plot to kill Lincoln is named John Kennedy. Well photographed and directed. Definately not Mann's best film noir, but probably his most unusual. Exciting and recommended.

This is without a doubt the most enjoyable movie experience I have had in ten years. A beautiful fairy tale of family and a love letter to a New York that exists only in dreams and movies. See it more than once. Wes Anderson has become THE American auteur. He is truly a filmmaker unlike any other. There is not a false note in this story of an American family of geniuses whose father tears them apart and then brings them back together.

Hilarious. A goofy, nostalgic spoof of the early 80's. I loved this movie in all its crudeness and sincerity. See it, these people deserve to make more films. Comedies have become so gross and so ironic, that it's nice to see something that is just plain smart, honest and entertaining. This film doesn't want to do anything but make you laugh and it succeeds.

This is beautiful story of cosmonauts landing on an alien planet, in this case Venus. Wonderful period special effects, some are truly astounding. An intelligent, engaging story dealing with the discovery of an ancient culture. Probably the best thought-out robot in screen history. While we were making Cat Women on the Moon, the Soviets were making this.

This film frightened me as a child and I have never watched it again. I believe the director had his eyes poked out and was not allowed to make any other movies. These are the scariest little creatures ever to grace a horror movie. Stay away!

This is a great film, very very funny; with terrific performances all around especially by Holly Hunter and Swoosie Kurtz. A great satire of American media and Texas attitudes. A return to form for director Ritchie. The last shot of this film is a homage to his classic The Bad News Bears.

For fans of Daniel Clowes' outstanding comic book Eightball,

GHOST WORLD may be a slight disappointment, but this is a

totally enjoyable film, the likes of which is rarely seen coming out

of Hollywood. This is an honest, believable story of three outcasts.

Thora Birch and Scarlett Johanssen do a wonderful job of bringing

to life Enid and Rebecca, making them more than just your typical,

one-dimensional cynical teenager. Steve Buscemi gives probably

his best performance as über-dork Seymour. While Buscemi is

great, I wished the story centered more on Enid and Rebecca's

relationship like in the comic. Other than the not as great

CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL , I have not seen a better portrayal of girls on

screen since THE WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT, which was an obvious inspiration for GHOST WORLD. (Look for the WOHO

movie poster in Enid's bedroom.) Definately recommended.

This is a hilarious movie with an ending that echoes Nichols' The Graduate. I have no idea why it did not receive better reviews upon its release. It totally works, it's chock full of very funny performances and is a must for fans of Garry Shandling.

This film is a disaster movie spoof that pre-dates Airplane! It's about a giant nuclear-powered bus complete with a bowling alley and pool. Very very funny, okay, not as funny as Airplane!, but better than Airplane 2. The scene in the milk bar where two bus drivers fight with broken milk cartons is great, lots of goofy characters, great cast. Ruth Gordon! Stockard Channing! Richard Mulligan! Lots of 70's fun!

They don't make enough authentic films about teenage girls, and this is definately not the one you're waiting for. Hopefully the upcoming GHOST WORLD will do the subject justice, but GIRL isn't all that bad. The writing suffers, the narration can be especially corny, but Dominique Swain shines in the lead role, even if the directing seems amateurish. This is an o.k. effort at portraying modern young women that I'm sure many high-schoolers will relate to.

This film has gotten so many good reviews, and I'm a big fan of

Soderbergh, so I went into this with very high expectations, but left

somewhat unsatisfied. The subject matter is very compelling. The

futility of the drug trade is statement worth making, but this film

tries to paint too broad a picture. It has multi story lines connected

by the drug trade from Mexico, but none are fully realized. Best are

Benicio Del Toro's Mexican cop and Michael Douglas' freebasing

daughter. The rest of the film did not ring true to me. Overlong and

suffering from Hollywood contrition, I cannot recommend it.

One of the best films to come out of Hong Kong in many years. The cinematography is an outstanding play on Chris Doyle's Wong Kar Wai films. This is the story of an inept group of gangsters and Kau, the poor sap, played by the great Lau Ching Wan, who gets mixed up with them. The story is told twice a la Sliding Doors. Kau makes two different choices and we see the outcomes. The film is hilarious and sometimes a little sad. The star is the stunningly acrobatic camerawork. Two scenes are shot upside down, a shootout is filmed entirely in the dark, wide angle lenses abound. The film never stops moving and never stops surprising. A 10 out of 10. Some have said it is an allegory for the Handover, and I can see it. Kau's choices are Hong Kong's, and that makes this a very subversive film. Either way, it's an amazingly entertaining experience.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a great film in the tradition of the classic Hong Kong films of the eighties. I am still stunned 24 hours after seeing it for the first time. This is the film Hollywood tries to make, but fails. It is an action filled romantic epic the likes of which most American film goers have never seen. People have noted that is shows an obvious influence of The Matrix, but that is wrong. Both films have similar bloodlines: The Shaw Brothers kung fu films of the seventies, Tsui Hark's amazing Once Upon A Time In China series from the eighties and nineties, Tai Chi Master, the Heroic Trio to name just a few. Hopefully this film will astonish American audiences and give those earlier films a new audience. Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh give the performances of their careers and Ang Lee's direction is perfect. The action sequences are spellbinding. I could not take my eyes off the screen. I did not want this film to end. Do not miss this film, it is easily the best film of the year.

The story of Jack Crabb, "last of the old timers" is the funniest, most moving, and enlightening history lessons you'll ever experience. This is a beautiful, sometimes tragic story of the west as told by Little Big Man, who managed to see some of the most important moments in America's history, most notably Custer's Last Stand. Dustin Hoffman gives his best performance. Chief Dan George as his grandfather will make you cry. And Richard Mulligan pulls off an incredible performance as General Custer.

The book is often taught in High School; I hope teachers also show the film because it is a rare example of a movie doing a classic justice.