|
|
15%
|
The Amateurs (The Moguls) (Dirty Movie) (2005) |
"
As a writer, Traeger is consternatingly adolescent and glib."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Dec 6, 2007
|
|
|
——
|
White Horse is Dead (2006) |
"
Haphazardly pieced together."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Feb 2, 2006
|
|
|
——
|
FAQs (2005) |
"
The dialogue is blunter, and harder for his amateur cast to pull off, while Lewis' stridency, however justified, ultimately jars against the film's tender, all-is-love fantasia."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Feb 2, 2006
|
|
|
92%
|
Waging a Living (2005) |
"
One comes away not quite knowing what Weisberg wants to say with his occasional statistics laid over loosely edited, perfunctory video footage."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Nov 10, 2005
|
|
|
0%
|
Don't Tell (2005) |
"
Might make a fun Lifetime TV movie -- if it weren't quite so morose."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Oct 13, 2005
|
|
|
29%
|
Anatomy 2 (2003) |
"
By the time we get to an unintentionally hilarious hospital-hall chase scene and an overblown O.R. climax, it's clear that Ruzowitzky hasn't quite the wit to match his flair."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Aug 12, 2004
|
|
|
74%
|
This Old Cub (2004) |
"
Shot on video with little regard for the aesthetics of framing -- and edited with as about as much feel for dynamics and pacing -- This Old Cub describes, superficially at best, the life and career of Santo."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Jul 21, 2004
|
|
|
42%
|
Swing (2004) |
"
Writer Mary Keil and director Martin Guigui have little ability for striking a narrative tone and maintaining it, be it dramatic or comedic."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Jun 17, 2004
|
|
|
91%
|
How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass (Baadasssss!) (2003) |
"
If the script, written by Mario with Dennis Haggerty, stops short of outright lionizing or demonizing, it leaves a strangely tepid character in its place."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted May 26, 2004
|
|
|
33%
|
Klezmer on Fish Street (2004) |
"
Laughably bad visuals, haphazard and un-reasoned interviews and discussions, and ill-conceived tangents."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted May 6, 2004
|
|
|
46%
|
2 Brothers and A Bride (2003) |
"
A competently assembled yet perplexingly affectless romantic comedy."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted May 6, 2004
|
|
|
86%
|
Tibet - Cry of the Snow Lion (2003) |
"
Despite its undeniably moving, and enlightening, moments, the film eventually tips into pedagogy."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Apr 15, 2004
|
|
|
67%
|
Shade (2003) |
"
Through some mystery of connection and financing that involves producer Merv Griffin, many worthy players are degraded by Nieman's amateur stylings."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Apr 8, 2004
|
|
|
35%
|
Neil Young - Greendale (2004) |
"
Rather than stirring the blood, its heartfelt call to arms comes off as a sentimental, even trite, notion from an increasingly distant past."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Feb 26, 2004
|
|
|
0%
|
What Boys Like (The Groomsmen) (The Wedding Bet) (2004) |
"
Dude, it's just like we used to play at the frat house."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Feb 26, 2004
|
|
|
41%
|
Made-Up (2004) |
"
Voice-overs and commentaries are piled on top of contrived intimate moments until, despite some easygoing performances, the movie -- the actual movie -- is a blur of undercooked motivations and halfhearted improv."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Feb 5, 2004
|
|
|
8%
|
Emerald Cowboy (2003) |
"
An egomaniacal self-tribute written and bankrolled by a man with a taste for epic mythologizing."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Oct 22, 2003
|
|
|
62%
|
Small Voices (2007) |
"
Sacrifices dignity in favor of go-for-broke sap."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Oct 9, 2003
|
|
|
61%
|
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) |
"
Real issues come up along the way ... but in these Wells proves a mere dabbler, speeding away weightier ideas, and the dimension they promise, in a wash of lemony vistas, easy episodes and exclusively lovable characters."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Sep 25, 2003
|
|
|
43%
|
Camera Obscura (2003) |
"
Sarkissian's script ... is both overwrought and undercooked."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Sep 25, 2003
|
|
|
42%
|
Gasoline (2002) |
"
By the time we get to the big finish, it feels as if we've merely been poked repeatedly in the ribs with a really good-looking stick."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Aug 27, 2003
|
|
|
21%
|
Dust (2003) |
"
Manchevski stumbles headlong into a tangle of mismatched tones and plot points."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Aug 20, 2003
|
|
|
28%
|
How to Deal (2003) |
"
[Kilner and Beber] neglect to give an idea of just how Halley does deal with a crisis before moving on to the next, be it tragic or comical."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Jul 16, 2003
|
|
|
28%
|
Love the Hard Way (2003) |
"
The pair have little chemistry: Ayanna is a lovely girl with a sweet smile and a fine pout, but she simply can't match the soul shining from Brody's big brown windows."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Jun 12, 2003
|
|
|
30%
|
Hollywood Homicide (2003) |
"
Looking weathered yet professional, Ford carries what he can, but pretty and sullen Hartnett barely comes to life, leaving his partner stranded, and straining."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Jun 12, 2003
|
|
|
61%
|
Only the Strong Survive - A Celebration of Soul (2002) |
"
If you knew nothing about the evolution of American soul going in, you won't be any the wiser coming out."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted May 8, 2003
|
|
|
22%
|
Bulletproof Monk (2003) |
"
It's a testament to Chow's star power that, even with an accent more than casually reminiscent of Elmer Fudd's, he comes off charming, handsome and cool in a movie as ridiculous as Bulletproof Monk."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Apr 17, 2003
|
|
|
44%
|
XX/XY (2003) |
"
The young filmmaker clearly needs to experience a bit more of la vraie vie before his own observations can take in more than the clumsy romantic feints and parries of early adulthood."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Apr 10, 2003
|
|
|
35%
|
What a Girl Wants (2003) |
"
An overstuffed fantasia."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Apr 3, 2003
|
|
|
42%
|
The Core (2003) |
"
The first half-hour of The Core is hip enough to its own moribund formula that for a brief, shining moment, there's hope the film will actually be a goofy gas instead of the effects-bound lump it becomes."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Mar 27, 2003
|
|
|
42%
|
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) |
"
Mutual deception as a comedic conceit predates Shakespeare, and it certainly shows its age in this creaker."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Feb 6, 2003
|
|
|
73%
|
The Slaughter Rule (2002) |
"
None of the characters' troubled histories or transformations are as compelling as Gosling and Duvall's unforced emotional complexity would promise or merit."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Jan 23, 2003
|
|
|
24%
|
A Guy Thing (2003) |
"
The film itself is merely an outline, colored in with labored antics and shored up here and there by competent character bits."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Jan 16, 2003
|
|
|
39%
|
Maid in Manhattan (2002) |
"
So brisk is Wang's pacing that none of the excellent cast are given air to breathe."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Dec 13, 2002
|
|
|
87%
|
Le Bossu (On Guard) (1997) |
"
Too silly to take seriously."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Nov 7, 2002
|
|
|
67%
|
Flip Side () |
"
An intriguing failure that promises more than it delivers."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Nov 7, 2002
|
|
|
55%
|
An American Rhapsody (2001) |
"
The States becomes an apple-pie wonderland of Elvis and Coca-Cola, the old country either a gray police state or, in scenes of Suzanne's happy childhood, a pastoral haven."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Oct 29, 2002
|
|
|
7%
|
All The Queen's Men (2001) |
"
Bad in such a bizarre way that it's almost worth seeing, if only to witness the crazy confluence of purpose and taste."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Oct 24, 2002
|
|
|
22%
|
Mr. Deeds (2002) |
"
No amount of spastic-colon jokes, cartoon violence or good-buddy cameos (Al Sharpton, John McEnroe) can distract from the fact that Gary Cooper [Sandler] ain't."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Oct 21, 2002
|
|
|
71%
|
Princesa (2001) |
"
Fernanda's trials and lessons are ticked off with a brisk, businesslike air that leaves little time for emotional and character development."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Oct 14, 2002
|
|
|
30%
|
All About the Benjamins (2002) |
"
Directed by Kevin Bray, whose crisp framing, edgy camera work, and wholesale ineptitude with acting, tone and pace very obviously mark him as a video helmer making his feature debut."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Oct 3, 2002
|
|
|
77%
|
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999) |
"
The film is nothing if not benign, but its merits are moot for those above 7 or so."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Oct 1, 2002
|
|
|
68%
|
About Adam (2000) |
"
While the film strives to prove its cool, it's also built on [an] insufferably antique idea."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Oct 1, 2002
|
|
|
37%
|
Sweet Home Alabama (2002) |
"
To call the film contrived would imply that some sort of effort had been made, when Sweet Home Alabama is nothing but dead lazy and slow."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Sep 26, 2002
|
|
|
72%
|
Das Experiment (The Experiment) (2001) |
"
Far-fetched and wearying."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Sep 19, 2002
|
|
|
66%
|
Me Without You (2002) |
"
Goldbacher draws on an elegant visual sense and a talent for easy, seductive pacing ... but she and writing partner Laurence Coriat don't manage an equally assured narrative coinage."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Aug 23, 2002
|
|
|
80%
|
The Business of Strangers (2001) |
"
Stettner's vision of both women lacks fullness, relying on stereotypes of feminine strength and vulnerability."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Aug 5, 2002
|
|
|
77%
|
Tadpole (2002) |
"
Neither funny nor moving enough to compare to Rushmore, Murmur of the Heart or any of the other better movies on which it's modeled."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Jul 25, 2002
|
|
|
67%
|
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) |
"
The good news? Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones is eons better than Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. The bad news? It's still not very good."
—
L.A. Weekly
Posted Jun 1, 2002
|
|
|
100%
|
My Man Godfrey (1936) |
"
[A] screwball masterpiece."
—
Village Voice
Posted Feb 6, 2009
|
67%
——
98%
