- Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The by Mark Haddon (2003)
[8/10]
"I think that the best fiction opens up our minds to a viewpoint that we otherwise would find foreign or complicated. In The Curious Incident, Haddon provides a view of autism in a engaging way that we want to read for the mystery and enjoy because we like Chris as a person -- something that we might not have understood if we bumped into him on the street and heard him bark like a dog."
- Da Vinci Code, The directed by Ron Howard (2006)
[5/10]
"The Da Vinci Code has some better than average chase scenes and a few tense moments, but doesn't deliver the major punch at the end one would expect from all the hype."
- Density of Souls, A by Christopher Rice (2000)
[5/10]
"Even though I had some problems with the construction of A Density of Souls, I found the plot reasonably well formed for a first novel. The story keeps you reading because you find the characters interesting although ultimately underdeveloped."
- Flightplan directed by Robert Schwentke (2005)
[5/10]
"Flightplan recreates Jodie Foster's character in Panic Room but puts her in a much bigger room (a jumbo jet) and with a bigger cast."
- General's Daughter, The by Nelson DeMille (1992)
[5/10]
"I found The General's Daughter an enjoyable, light read that lost its appeal 100 pages before the denouement."
- Ghost of Dibble Hollow, The by May Nickerson Wallace (1965)
[7/10]
"A lighthearted story with enough suspense to keep you reading but written at a level appropriate for young readers."
- Green Mile, The by Stephen King (1996)
[6/10]
"King tells an intriguing mystery story that pulls you along at a good pace and keeps you guessing right up to the end."
- Gun, with Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem (1994)
[6/10]
"An interesting future that seems some middle point between now and Dick's future in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep (i.e.,"
- Harvest of Fire directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman (1996)
[6/10]
"A pleasant family movie that earns, rather than manufactures, its warm-and-fuzzy emotional effect."
- Hot Fuzz directed by Edgar Wright (2007)
[7/10]
"I didn't find Hot Fuzz as riotously funny as Shaun of the Dead. Hot Fuzz has much more subtle humor, mostly irony created by the totally metropolitan Angel trying to fit in to a small town lifestyle. But Hot Fuzz has a much more intelligent plot than Shaun of the Dead."
- Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang directed by Shane Black (2006)
[5/10]
"Individual scenes did make me laugh, but no synergy takes place between the noir and parody elements to make Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang more than a well-made, well-intentioned curiosity."
- Lady in the Water directed by M. Night Shyamalan (2006)
[4/10]
"I think Shyamalan keeps trying to surpass his first big success and keeps failing dismally. At least Lady in the Water kept me guessing up to the very end. I had the entire plot of The Village worked out after seeing the first preview."
- Lake House, The directed by Alejandro Agresti (2006)
[6/10]
"Alas, we have only drab locations for a common love story with a cute, but unimaginative, gimmick."
- Light before Day by Christopher Rice (2005)
[6/10]
"Still not great literature and probably won't last like his mother's works, but nevertheless the story pulls you along much better than the previous two novels and gives you a few satisfying thrills."
- Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card (1992)
[5/10]
"Unlike Ender's Game, Card's Lost Boys demonstrates that a successful short story cannot always make the transition to a novel."
- Memento directed by Christopher Nolan (2001)
[9/10]
"The genius of Memento lies not in Leonard's condition, but in the telling. To punctuate Leonard having no direct recollection of the past, director Christopher Nolan plays out Leonard's story in reverse."
- Monster House directed by Gil Kenan (2006)
[7/10]
"Monster House provides a nice, family-friendly movie with a good story and well developed characters."
- Night Listener, The directed by Patrick Stettner (2006)
[5/10]
"The Night Listener doesn't necessarily keep you glued to the edge of your seat, but it does have enough mystery and intrigue to carry the story at a reasonably pace comfortably to the end."
- Omen, The directed by Richard Donner (1976)
[8/10]
"Donner has created a horror classic that lives on in popular culture and has done so without resorting to the pools of blood and gore employed much of today's horror genre."
- Snow Garden, The by Christopher Rice (2001)
[6/10]
"As Rice's second novel released when he was only twenty-two years old, The Snow Garden gives us the pleasant hope of enjoying his works over a long and prolific writing career."
- Thin Man, The by Dashiell Hammett (1933)
[6/10]
"From a hardboiled detective story, I expected several shootouts and fist fights, but interestingly, Nick really only interviews numerous suspects and lets the police do most of the dirty work."
- Wicker Man, The directed by Neil LaBute (2006)
[4/10]
"Perhaps another male lead could have given a more plausible performance, but then you would also have to deal with the pathetic script that makes even talented women like Ellen Burstyn sound like a brainwashed robot. Then again, perhaps we should leave well enough alone, just enjoy classic cult films on their own merits, and use big-budget Hollywood money make something altogether new."
- Wicker Man, The directed by Robin Hardy (1973)
[7/10]
"This original production far suprasses the recent remake."
- Zodiac, The directed by Alexander Bulkley (2006)
[5/10]
"The Zodiac tries to capture the zeitgeist of the San Francisco Bay area while the Zodiac serial killer actively killed victims and corresponded with the local press."
Average score: 5.96
