Politics

• Absolute Power directed by Clint Eastwood (1997)

  [6/10]

  "Eastwood does manage the suspense of Absolute Power very well. So well that I didn't really notice many of the flaws until I watched the film a second time. So, I recommend seeing Absolute Power once for the pleasant thrill, but then don't pollute the pleasant memory with closer scrutiny of repeated viewings."

• Air Force One directed by Wolfgang Petersen (1997)

  [6/10]

  "Air Force One provides good action and some suspenseful moments, but after multiple viewings, you find yourself saying, 'Oh, sure. Like the president would really have . . .'"

• All the King's Men directed by Steven Zaillian (2007)

  [3/10]

  "Terrible editing, overblown acting by Penn, and underdeveloped characterization make All the King's Men not worth seeing. The depth of character that earned Robert Penn Warren a Pulitzer prize never appears in Zaillian's emaciated screenplay and leaves us with a shallow, uninteresting film."

• Devil's Own, The directed by Alan J. Pakula (1997)

  [5/10]

  "Ford and Pitt have enough charisma and talent to carry most of the scenes, but by the end, all the scenes don't make a very satisfying, or even logical, plot."

• Glimmer Man, The directed by John Gray (1996)

  [6/10]

  "The plot moves quickly along the thinnest of threads but holds together just enough to provide plenty of opportunities for explosions, shootings, gruesome murder scenes, and, of course, hand-to-hand combat -- especially in places with lots of glass and furniture."

• Interpreter, The directed by Sydney Pollack (2005)

  [6/10]

  "I enjoyed watching The Interpreter, but I think with some grooming, it could have provided more thrills and a more satisfactory ending."

• My Fellow Americans directed by Peter Segal (1996)

  [7/10]

  "Both Lemmon and Garner make believable presidents, and they easily execute their lines from the well crafted script. A cub reporter from the Washington Post could work out the political intrigue of My Fellow Americans in a matter of minutes, but then you don't need a Tom Clancy class scandal for a light comedy."

• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace by Patricia C. Wrede (1999)

  [6/10]

  "I expect movie novelizations to stand alone, but Wrede's novelization of George Lucas's screenplay assumes you already know the Star Wars universe before you begin the book."

  Average score: 5.62