orphans

• Bad Beginning, The by Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler (1999)

  [6/10]

  "The Baudelaire children -- Violet, Klaus, and Sunny -- certainly do get off to a bad beginning. Their home burns down, killing their parents. Fortunately, the children's parents left them an enormous fortune. Unfortunately, their next of kin, Count Olaf, wants to do away with the children to get the money for himself."

• Choristes, Les [The Chorus] directed by Christophe Barratier (2004)

  [7/10]

  "I generally don't like warm-fuzzy feel-good movies, but this one handles the plot well, develops the characters in a believable way, and has some pleasant music along the way."

• Cider House Rules, The directed by Lasse Hallström (1999)

  [6/10]

  "Movies often use an innocent outsider like Homer to bring the viewer a new perspective of contemporary issues. The Cider House Rules effectively uses this cliched character to present its pro-abortion agenda. As Homer falls in love (and has sex), he must adjust his views on abortion, especially when faced with the implications of the unwanted pregnancies of Rose, a fellow apple picker. "

• Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events directed by Brad Silberling (2004)

  [7/10]

  "In most cases where I have both read the book and seen the movie adaptation, I recommend the book as the better experience. In the case of A Series of Unfortunate Events, I have to recommend the movie over the books."

• Miracle Life of Edgar Mint, The by Brady Udall (2001)

  [9/10]

  "If you met Edgar Mint in real life, you probably could not prevent yourself from saying, 'Oh, poor Edgar.' Edgar's life sucks."

• Nacho Libre directed by Jared Hess (2006)

  [5/10]

  "It has some memorable lines, but the plot meanders without much drive or purpose and may go down as one of Black's low points in his career."

• Reptile Room, The by Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler (1999)

  [6/10]

  "A nice continuation of a series that could quickly spoil if the narrative style remains so fixedly consistent."

• Wide Window, The by Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler (2000)

  [5/10]

  "Lemmony Snicket has followed his formula from the previous books exactly, and has not introduced anything new or interesting."

  Average score: 6.38