- 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. "
- Cuba Libre by Elmore Leonard (1998)
[5/10]
"Leonard provides pretty standard fair: a cowboy, a love interest, an evil secret police captain, a need for revenge, several shootouts, and a few close calls. Good, light reading appropriate for a day at the beach or the down time on your vacation."
- Daniel and Nephi by Chris Heimerdinger (1993)
[6/10]
"In Daniel and Nephi, Chris Heimerdinger presents another story with a scriptural setting. This time, he chooses the main characters Daniel, the prophet from the bible, and Nephi, the author of the first two books of the Book of Mormon."
- Eldest by Christopher Paolini (2005)
[7/10]
"Eldest provides much easier reading than Eragon, but you still encounter some passages so clichéd that you groan out loud. Paolini's skill at storytelling encourages you to move quickly past the problems to find out what happens next."
- Enemy at the Gates directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud (2001)
[8/10]
"Vassili Zaitsev shot 149 Germans during the 1942 battle for Stalingrad. Enemy at the Gates depicts Vassili and his legendary duel with the German sniper Major Konig."
- Eragon by Christopher Paolini (2003)
[6/10]
"Paolini's plot has good pacing, interesting highs and lows, and most importantly you like Eragon and care about what happens to him -- in spite of his stupid teenage blundering."
- Eragon directed by Stefen Fangmeier (2006)
[5/10]
"If you have never read the book Eragon, then the movie provides a simple yet satisfying teen adventure story."
- Flight to Canada by Ishmael Reed (1976)
[6/10]
"Reed questions the modern myths of freedom for all men -- implying that the civil rights movement is far from finished. He seems to point out that people are the same today as they were in previous eras. In spite of new technologies, we still tolerate slavery and oppression."
- Flyboys directed by Tony Bill (2006)
[6/10]
"Essentially, you should see Flyboys for the excellent dogfights. You need the basic story line so you will care enough about the pilots when they die, but otherwise the plot doesn't do much to enlighten the audience about Americans serving in the French military as some of the first wartime aviators."
- Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott (2000)
[8/10]
"Gladiator succeeds as a hero story, and Louis DiGiaimo should get some recognition for casting actors into perfect parts for their characters. I enjoyed the battles and the recreation of 2nd century Rome, but Gladiator doesn't carry the depth of feeling you get from other hero movies, such as Spartacus or Braveheart, and probably won't endure time as well as Alien, Blade Runner, or some other Ridley Scott films. "
- Henry V directed by Kenneth Branagh (1989)
[8/10]
"Branagh plays Henry V with and easy elegance, and he delivers the king's motivational speeches with marvelous interpretation and dynamics."
- Jakob the Liar directed by Peter Kassovitz (1999)
[6/10]
"Worth seeing once, but it won't loose much in the transition to home video."
- Kaze no tani no Naushika [Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind] directed by Hayao Miyazaki (1984)
[7/10]
"Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind tells the story of a distant future where warfare and mass pollution have made the earth almost uninhabitable."
- 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."
- Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World directed by Peter Weir (2003)
[9/10]
"Master and Commander excels at presenting a picture of life on a nineteenth century naval vessel: close quarters, dirty living conditions, and a high likelihood of receiving severe wounds or dying."
- Samuel, Moroni's Young Warrior by Clair M. Poulson (1993)
[3/10]
"The action is fast paced, and Poulson does build suspense well, but I was disappointed by the resolution of almost all the conflicts that I can't really recommend this book to your children, let alone adults."
- Tennis Shoes among the Nephites by Chris Heimerdinger (1989)
[6/10]
"Tennis Shoes among the Nephites tells the tale of two 13-year-old Mormon boys and an 11-year-old Mormon girl who go back in time to have adventures with Book of Mormon characters."
- 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."
- Vita è Bella, La [Life is Beautiful] directed by Roberto Benigni (1997)
[10/10]
"Benigni and Cerami have finely woven all the plot elements together as you would expect in a superb short story. The story never denies life's harsh realities, yet still encourages us to live with more joy, regardless of our situation."
- Zerkalo (Зеркало) [The Mirror] directed by Andrei Tarkovsky (1975)
[7/10]
"Tarkovsky wants more of an emotional response than a rational one. He creates scenes of nostalgic memory combined with emotionally charged scenes of modern day family strife combined with a typical Russian fatalism about life. I think other Tarkovsky movies such as My Name Is Ivan and Stalker more successfully create an emotional impact on the viewer, but The Mirror still provides a pleasant experience, especially for fans of other Tarkovsky films."
Average score: 6.50
