- 1408 directed by Mikael Håfström (2007)
[8/10]
"You can easily overlook the few minor problems and enjoy the creative torments the room inflicts on Cusack's character and loose count of the number of times the film makes you jump in your chair."
- 21 directed by Robert Luketic (2008)
[5/10]
"The camera and the film editor do more work than the actors. We see hundreds of close up shots of casino chips, winning blackjack hands, and brief shots of the actors' faces smiling in flushed glee. The film relies on the rush of emotions viewers will feel in response to the large sums of money and not the acting."
- 28 Days Later directed by Danny Boyle (2002)
[6/10]
"Essentially we have a character study of a limited number of survivors in a hopeless situation. Yes, they keep plodding on -- as many of us would hope we could do in the same situation -- but we really don't get any great epiphany about human nature in the process."
- American Gangster directed by Ridley Scott (2007)
[6/10]
"From the trailers, I expected to see scene after scene of gore and violence, but I was pleasantly surprised at the intellectual comparison of these 'real life' characters from our recent past."
- Apt Pupil directed by Bryan Singer (1998)
[6/10]
"Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro provide the life force in Apt Pupil, but even with such good efforts, the final act leaves us wanting more."
- Brothers Grimm, The directed by Terry Gilliam (2005)
[6/10]
"Expect to laugh, but you shouldn't expect comedy on the order of Gilliam's Monty Python days."
- Cutting Edge by Jeffrey S. Savage (2001)
[5/10]
"Savage had high aspirations for his first novel, but through inexperience missed some of the opportunities that would have made Cutting Edge a sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat page turner."
- Da Vinci Code, The by Dan Brown (2003)
[7/10]
"Dan Brown has created a fast-reading mystery story with some interesting speculation about the nature of the Holy Grail and the origins of the Catholic church."
- 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."
- Dead Zone, The directed by David Cronenberg (1983)
[6/10]
"As a Stephen King adaptation, I'd have to say this one does an excellent job of creating a believable world where you can accept the characters as people and believe in the character's strange abilities."
- Deadly Exchange, A by Sheryl Jane Stafford (2000)
[5/10]
"A Deadly Exchange has good pacing and builds anticipation throughout as Matt and Alex get into increasingly deeper trouble all the way up to the very disappointing end."
- Deep Impact directed by Mimi Leder (1998)
[5/10]
"In spite of cheap effects and attempts to create emotion, I liked the movie and its attempt to show that you can choose to be a good person even when faced with the knowledge of your almost certain demise."
- Die Hard directed by John McTiernan (1988)
[9/10]
"You can watch Die Hard over and over and still get a pleasant thrill with each viewing."
- 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."
- Frequency directed by Gregory Hoblit (2000)
[6/10]
"Quaid and Caviezel both provide convincing performances, so much so, that the total familial love barely avoids going over the edge into pure sappiness. So if you cry at movies, take a hanky to Frequency."
- Hannibal Rising (2006)
[7/10]
"Hannibal Rising describes the events that can turn a privileged little boy from Lithuania into the genius serial killer described in Thomas Harris's other books Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal."
- History of Violence, A directed by David Cronenberg (2005)
[6/10]
"A History of Violence asks serious questions about the generational effects of violence, but fails to provide any solid answers to these questions."
- I'll Find You by Clair M. Poulson (2001)
[3/10]
"In the hands of a skilled storyteller, this plot could have forced you to the edge of your seat wondering if Rusty will find Jeri in time to save her from the evil murderer Chum. In the hands of Clair Poulson, you have to make a determined commitment that you will push forward through all the unnecessary verbiage, hoping that you won't fall asleep again."
- 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."
- 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."
- Lord of War directed by Andrew Niccol (2006)
[5/10]
"From the Lord of War trailers, I expected an action movie, but writer/director Andrew Niccol has infused his film with political messages that unfortunately interfere with my enjoyment of the film."
- Omen, The directed by John Moore (2006)
[5/10]
"Even though each of the parts of the remake surpasses the scenes in the original, the sum of the parts doesn't surpass the effect of the original."
- 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."
- Poseidon Adventure, The directed by Ronald Neame (1972)
[7/10]
"Classic disaster fare with good character development and some interesting religious philosophy thrown into the mix."
- Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (1981)
[6/10]
"Harris writes excellent suspense scenes. You feel the emotional tension building in the characters as they go about their work -- either good or evil."
- Seeker, The: The Dark Is Rising directed by David L. Cunningham (2007)
[6/10]
"The Seeker has it fun and scary moments, but the threat of evil -- in spite of its well demonstrated power -- feels hollow, and the teenage protagonist too easily defeats in five days a force that has had thousands of years to prepare."
- Sixth Sense, The directed by M. Night Shyamalan (1999)
[8/10]
"I must admit that on my first viewing the ending took me totally by surprise. Usually I can see 'surprise' endings within a few minutes of the opening of the film. Shyamalan has built a plot that supports the surprise ending in every way and never telegraphs the ending."
- Snakes on a Plane directed by David R. Ellis (2006)
[5/10]
"Sure, Snakes on a Plane just duplicates the clichés of most air-disaster movies, but with Samuel L. Jackson, you just have more fun watching the mayhem."
- Syriana directed by Stephen Gaghan (2006)
[6/10]
"In spite of good performances by an amazing cast, the preachy message of Syriana turned me off."
- U-571 directed by Jonathan Mostow (2000)
[6/10]
"Mostow has created a good action picture with cardboard characters and a cliched plot. He spends too much time in the first half of U-571 trying to show the realities of submarine life and neglects details that would make the audience care about the characters."
- V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue (2006)
[8/10]
"The twisting and engaging story line more than makes up for the 'comic book' characters, and director JamesMcTeigue displays an excellent balance of mystery, suspense, and violence."
- Village, The directed by M. Night Shyamalan (2004)
[5/10]
"Shyamalan has assembled a stellar cast, and the actors do their best with the script's questionable motivation and silly dialogue."
- War of the Worlds directed by Steven Spielberg (2005)
[7/10]
"When a story remains popular for over a hundred years, clearly the elements strike a chord in the human psyche, and who better than Stephen Spielberg to know how to make a movie that resonates that chord in modern audiences."
- 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."
- Witness directed by Peter Weir (1985)
[7/10]
"Witness creates good suspense and shows the contrasting culture of the Amish without making any judgements. The script lays on the religious symbolism quite thick: John (an apostle of Christ), Book (a synonym for the Bible), and John knows carpentry (Christ was the son of a carpenter). With this setup, you must expect that John Book will function as some sort of savior figure, but that savior figure also has romantic inclinations."
- 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: 5.92
