|
|
20%
|
Jungle 2 Jungle (1997) |
"
Gently humorous and moving."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jul 28, 2009
|
|
|
13%
|
B.A.P.S. (1997) |
"
t's a celebration of bonds that are thicker than blood and demonstrates above all that fame-and-fortune fantasies can blur divisions of race and class as persuasively as they can exaggerate them."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jul 21, 2009
|
|
|
12%
|
Holy Man (1998) |
"
It may not be earthshaking, but this calmly competent feel-good movie shows that a little sincerity can go a long way."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jul 21, 2009
|
|
|
13%
|
Vegas Vacation (1997) |
"
The subplots involving D'Angelo and Newton and Ethan Embry -- the Griswolds' son, who can't stop winning -- have their charms."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jul 21, 2009
|
|
|
11%
|
Bride of the Wind (2001) |
"
Alma Mahler is flirting again."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 7, 2009
|
|
|
3%
|
Down to You (2000) |
"
[A] relentlessly adolescent romantic comedy."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 7, 2009
|
|
|
71%
|
Enemy of the State (1998) |
"
[Its] spirited action is balanced by an almost contemplative attitude toward surveillance phobias and the movie cliches they've spawned."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 30, 2009
|
|
|
17%
|
Bats (1999) |
"
This bad-scientist movie about bats that attack humans and the humans who track them -- Texas sheriff Lou Diamond Phillips and zoologist Dina Meyer -- is played straight, though it wasn't intended to be taken that way."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 24, 2009
|
|
|
71%
|
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) |
"
The draggy narrative of this 1997 comedy is tough to sit through -- there are even several overproduced musical numbers -- but it does have an intriguing subversive element that I don't want to give away."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 3, 2009
|
|
|
61%
|
Rush Hour (1998) |
"
The contrast between Tucker's motormouth and Chan's man of few words should be funnier, but the plot -- which is cliched without quite becoming self-reflexive -- and the uneven pace dampen most of their moments."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Oct 14, 2008
|
|
|
86%
|
The Original Kings of Comedy (2000) |
"
Footage shot from over their shoulders reveals a sea of faces out of which individuals quickly emerge, as the comedians -- especially emcee Harvey -- enthrall and provoke audience members."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Sep 23, 2008
|
|
|
71%
|
Bringing Out the Dead (1999) |
"
Its hard-to-pin-down tone is frighteningly original -- simultaneously world-weary and adolescent with an aura of perpetual anxiety, as if the characters and filmmakers were in pursuit of a catharsis everyone knows will never come."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Sep 17, 2008
|
|
|
94%
|
Three Kings (1999) |
"
A damning yet idealistic satire about the motives behind U.S. foreign policy."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Aug 25, 2008
|
|
|
23%
|
A Thousand Acres (1997) |
"
The story is just an empty, manipulative compilation of tragedies and misunderstandings."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jul 3, 2008
|
|
|
15%
|
Dead Man on Campus (1998) |
"
This limp 1998 comedy tries hard to be both irreverent and ethical by suggesting that deceit motivated by self-interest is OK as long as no one gets hurt."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jun 16, 2008
|
|
|
40%
|
Big Daddy (1999) |
"
This light yet earnest drama starring Adam Sandler deals openly with one of the most insidious elements in popular filmmaking -- the male screenwriter's relationship with his own father."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jun 2, 2008
|
|
|
31%
|
Good Burger (1997) |
"
A laboriously slow suburban adventure..."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 21, 2008
|
|
|
75%
|
Rugrats in Paris - The Movie (2000) |
"
Nauseating gags suggest the makers of this eclectically animated adventure... know their audience, though all the Godfather references will be thoroughly puzzling to at least half of it."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 20, 2008
|
|
|
81%
|
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999) |
"
[An] inspired, self-referential animated musical."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 20, 2008
|
|
|
59%
|
The Rugrats Movie (1998) |
"
The dialogue reproduces infantile idiom even as it parodies the baby talk of adults, and a touching, didactic scene involving a baby blanket that's become the object of sibling rivalry may appeal to a broad age range."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 20, 2008
|
|
|
30%
|
The Saint (1997) |
"
This insufferable romance-adventure includes vague comedy as well as unintentional humor, and its target audience seems to be preadolescents who won't notice the calculated enthusiasm with which it sidesteps sexuality."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 20, 2008
|
|
|
14%
|
Dudley Do-Right (1999) |
"
The fanciful associations and bad jokes are more often stupid than silly, making all the spectacle and contrived dance numbers seem a colossal waste."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 20, 2008
|
|
|
32%
|
Superstar (1999) |
"
Contrasting the erotic with the disgusting is usually provocative and can be funny, but not in this underdog comedy."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 19, 2008
|
|
|
64%
|
The X-Files - Fight the Future (1998) |
"
Only two scenes in this spin-off are worth the time of followers of the TV series."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 19, 2008
|
|
|
19%
|
Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000) |
"
Scenes with Peter Fonda as a melancholy grandfather -- he couldn't get a cherished engine running in time for his late wife to ride it -- periodically bring the movie screeching to a halt."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 19, 2008
|
|
|
56%
|
Star Trek - Insurrection (1998) |
"
The extravagant makeup and special effects are actually unobtrusive because they're demanded by the pleasantly formulaic story, whose conflicts--and broad, innocuous political allegory -- justify the heartwarming resolution."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 19, 2008
|
|
|
21%
|
Leave It to Beaver (1997) |
"
[The] dead-on imitations of some of the characters from the television series created by Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly will seem pointlessly stylized to viewers unfamiliar with the old sitcom."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 19, 2008
|
|
|
26%
|
Barney's Great Adventure: The Movie (2006) |
"
With very little modification, this archly innocuous children's musical could have been marketed as a sequel to Invasion of the Body Snatchers."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 16, 2008
|
|
|
18%
|
Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997) |
"
With minimalist and universal fantasies as their points of departure, the superheroic deeds evolve only incrementally beyond the realistic -- a deeply satisfying process."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 14, 2008
|
|
|
66%
|
Stuart Little (1999) |
"
[Uses] class and ethnic stereotypes in support of the idea that it's best to be adopted by rich white people."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 13, 2008
|
|
|
62%
|
Paulie (1998) |
"
Shalhoub gives an impressively nuanced performance in the dangerously cliched role, and Paulie -- a combination of trained parrots, animatronics, and the voice of Mohr -- comes across as a fully developed character."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 12, 2008
|
|
|
74%
|
Dark City (1998) |
"
A mishmash of iconography lifted from better movies."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 28, 2008
|
|
|
73%
|
Snatch (2001) |
"
Ritchie may be skilled at generating controlled chaos, but his surprise-a-minute strategy ultimately holds no surprises."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 15, 2008
|
|
|
72%
|
Training Day (2001) |
"
If he makes it through the trial by fire -- and a blandly twisting plot with no meaningful revelations or substantial themes -- Hawke will get a promotion, but there's nothing in it for us."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 9, 2008
|
|
|
72%
|
Cop Land (1997) |
"
The movie's no roller-coaster ride, but there isn't a boring moment either."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 9, 2008
|
|
|
99%
|
L.A. Confidential (1997) |
"
This movie restores genre elements to a level of potency that's disturbing, satisfying, and rare as hell."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 9, 2008
|
|
|
79%
|
The Prince of Egypt (1998) |
"
The blend of animation techniques somehow demonstrates mastery modestly, while the special effects are nothing short of magnificent."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 19, 2008
|
|
|
80%
|
Eve's Bayou (1996) |
"
Subplots are woven stealthily into the story, taking the pressure off the central drama, allowing it to be affecting rather than melodramatic, and heightening the atmosphere of the lush Louisiana setting."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 19, 2008
|
|
|
80%
|
Soul Food (1997) |
"
Tillman is tremendously skilled at bridging the vast shifts in tone."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 17, 2008
|
|
|
79%
|
The Butcher Boy (1997) |
"
Director Neil Jordan and Patrick McCabe adapted McCabe's novel for this bland 1998 shocker that fails miserably as satire, character study, and anything else it might have aspired to."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 11, 2008
|
|
|
83%
|
Waking Ned Devine (1998) |
"
Though it strives for broad humor, pushing cuteness and light irony, this bland 1998 movie isn't exactly a comedy."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 11, 2008
|
|
|
96%
|
Kirikou and the Sorceress (1998) |
"
TAn enchanting, life-affirming animation of love and redemption, made with no small measure of maturity and care - along with an all too rare respect for the art of storytelling."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 10, 2008
|
|
|
85%
|
Chuck & Buck (2000) |
"
Possibly the most daring and honest drama about sexuality I've ever seen."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 12, 2008
|
|
|
53%
|
Two Girls and a Guy (1998) |
"
Writer-director James Toback must believe his audience is hopelessly prudish if he thinks this pedantic story, which takes place over several hours in a Manhattan loft, is provocative."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 12, 2008
|
|
|
53%
|
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) |
"
Cloying fancy gives way to gross-out comedy, twisted social commentary, affecting pathos, and weirdly sexualized romance in this lurid live-action version of the classic children's book."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 5, 2008
|
|
|
73%
|
The Dinner Game (Le Dîner de cons) (1999) |
"
Some realist nuances in the characters' behavior become more intriguing than the belabored humor."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jan 14, 2008
|
|
|
41%
|
Fallen (1997) |
"
The first half of this movie holds some promise, but time is not on its side."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jan 11, 2008
|
|
|
53%
|
The Mothman Prophecies (2002) |
"
This is the scariest movie I've ever seen."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jan 11, 2008
|
|
|
67%
|
Stir of Echoes (1999) |
"
[A] serious, atmospheric, character-driven supernatural drama."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Dec 10, 2007
|
|
|
60%
|
Die Niklashauser Fart (The Niklashausen Journey) (1970) |
"
Amazingly simple editing and sound design -- most scenes are complete in one shot and use only one or two sound effects or just music in addition to the dialogue-- create a minimally realist and hypertheatrical vision of class conflict and potential doom."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Nov 13, 2007
|
|
|
81%
|
Scream 2 (1997) |
"
If you liked Scream there's no reason you shouldn't like this sequel."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Sep 23, 2007
|
|
|
83%
|
Scream (1996) |
"
The assumption that there's something inherently clever about a slasher movie making reference to both its genre and the filmmaking process is a fundamental flaw of this tiresome, blood-filled comedy."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Sep 21, 2007
|
|
|
96%
|
Yellow Submarine (2012) |
"
This 1968 Beatles musical gets somewhat plot heavy near the end, but it's a marvel of innocence and free association, blending several animation techniques in a loose narrative full of gentle bad puns and flowing visual segues."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Sep 6, 2007
|
|
|
56%
|
Never Been Kissed (1999) |
"
Drew Barrymore's virtuoso performance smooths over the plot holes."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Aug 7, 2007
|
|
|
38%
|
She's All That (1999) |
"
It's often impossible to distinguish what's meant to be cartoonish from what's meant to be dramatic, but the confusion seems appropriately adolescent."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Aug 7, 2007
|
|
|
44%
|
Can't Hardly Wait (1998) |
"
It's not supposed to be a revelation--just a pleasant rendition of a teen-comedy trope."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Aug 6, 2007
|
|
|
82%
|
Enskilda samtal (Private Confessions) (Private Conversations) (2000) |
"
Each sequence is introduced by an intertitle suggesting it will contain an isolated conversation, an archly inaccurate notion that deepens the drama by appearing to deny its complexity."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jul 31, 2007
|
|
|
43%
|
Piñero (2002) |
"
Overlapping the artist's biography and his work, writer-director Leon Ichaso pointedly reflects the chaos in his subject's shortish life, but he links the artist's frustrations and talent in the usual manner: as cause and effect."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jul 31, 2007
|
|
|
64%
|
Bring It On (2000) |
"
This earnest and arch story -- so fast paced its formulas are wonderfully obscured -- has an adolescent energy and a tempered sexuality, and it's infused with the moral agenda of a warmly didactic sitcom."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jul 25, 2007
|
|
|
78%
|
Get Real (1999) |
"
An issue movie, a comedy, and a love story, this is pretty good at being all three."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jul 24, 2007
|
|
|
90%
|
Show Me Love (Fucking Amal) (1999) |
"
This powerful, funny romantic drama neatly integrates the dilemmas of a girl in love, the girl she loves, a boy who also loves that girl, and that girl's sister."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jul 18, 2007
|
|
|
85%
|
The Sixth Sense (1999) |
"
M. Night Shyamalan neutralizes Willis's star presence with impressive plotting that's a fine excuse for the powerful atmosphere."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jun 26, 2007
|
|
|
96%
|
Monsters, Inc. 3D (2012) |
"
The analogy to our dependence on, say, oil is soon abandoned, the better to blur the distinction between abstract and concrete--something older viewers of this 2001 animated adventure may appreciate more than younger ones."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jun 20, 2007
|
|
|
92%
|
A Bug's Life (1998) |
"
Full of adventure, spectacle, light romance, and the kind of suspense that doesn't require an unpredictable outcome to make your spine tingle."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jun 20, 2007
|
|
|
100%
|
Toy Story 2 (1999) |
"
The movie's clearly articulated theme is whether life should be lived for the future or in the present, something both adults and children may find provocative."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jun 20, 2007
|
|
|
85%
|
Donnie Darko (2001) |
"
Kelly is a supple and courageous storyteller, boldly free-associating as he mixes parody and satire with earnest psychodrama and coming up with plot points no one could anticipate."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jun 8, 2007
|
|
|
70%
|
Frequency (2000) |
"
Quaid's buoyant earnestness complements the stunning, low-key performance by Caviezel, whose close-ups give new meaning to the idea that still waters run deep."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jun 6, 2007
|
|
|
82%
|
Gattaca (1997) |
"
I didn't care enough about Hawke's character to ignore a big problem in the story's logic: if this future has such incredible biotechnology, why can't Law just get his damaged body parts fixed?"
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jun 5, 2007
|
|
|
92%
|
Star Trek - First Contact (1996) |
"
The elegance of the story is enhanced by the sure direction of Jonathan Frakes, who also plays Commander William Riker."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jun 5, 2007
|
|
|
67%
|
Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1998) |
"
The line between romance and sex is blurred in this enthralling 1997 feature by Guy Maddin, whose overwhelming stylization unexpectedly produces an emotional and psychological authenticity."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted May 8, 2007
|
|
|
19%
|
Spawn (1997) |
"
This hopelessly redundant action gross-out aspires to a form of hip vacuousness -- and may achieve it."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 26, 2007
|
|
|
20%
|
Monkeybone (2001) |
"
You can almost see money dripping off the walls of the sets and cybersets in this special-effects extravaganza."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 26, 2007
|
|
|
9%
|
Virus (1999) |
"
Until the diverting special effects take center stage, this story, about an alien intelligence that builds an army out of flesh and metal, pathetically exploits genre conventions without generating self-reference, camp, or thrills."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 25, 2007
|
|
|
53%
|
Josie and the Pussycats (2001) |
"
This self-styled self-reflexive comedy asks the question, just how stupid are teenagers?"
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 18, 2007
|
|
|
55%
|
Blade (1998) |
"
Hopelessly dated before its release."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 18, 2007
|
|
|
57%
|
From Hell (2001) |
"
This wry, atmospheric procedural spawned by a real mystery would be thorny enough without also being an adaptation."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 18, 2007
|
|
|
86%
|
Metropolis (Metoroporisu) (2002) |
"
It smoothly blends outrageously diverse visual styles and emotional tones."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 17, 2007
|
|
|
82%
|
Love and Basketball (2000) |
"
Told largely from the point of view of the woman, this career-versus-love story still develops the perspective of the man persuasively, as Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps reveal their characters' motives with nuances of expression that transcend the dialogue."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 26, 2007
|
|
|
85%
|
Go Tigers! (2001) |
"
Director Kenneth Carlson may be a little too close to the subject of this documentary."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 26, 2007
|
|
|
82%
|
Beyond the Mat (1999) |
"
Documentaries are almost always more interesting if the filmmakers fess up about their relationship to the subject, as unabashed pro-wrestling fan Barry Blaustein does in this naively made, compelling homage to the sport."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 23, 2007
|
|
|
67%
|
Michael Jordan to the Max (2000) |
"
Unlike Michael Jordan, this large-format movie demonstrates mostly unrealized potential."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 21, 2007
|
|
|
8%
|
The Wash (2001) |
"
Two roommates start to antagonize each other after one becomes the other's superior at an LA car wash, and the conflict is played out with grittiness and flippancy."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 8, 2007
|
|
|
10%
|
Soldier (1998) |
"
This appealing formulaic action adventure (1998) displays a lot of conviction in its not-too-flashy action scenes and a little levity in the gradual socialization of Russell's character."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 7, 2007
|
|
|
6%
|
Universal Soldier - The Return (1999) |
"
This SF action sequel must have been slapped together fast: live-action stunts created by uninspired editing lead up to computer-generated imagery that's just as lame."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 6, 2007
|
|
|
8%
|
Out Cold (2001) |
"
As if to justify a serious discussion of this comedy before dissing it, some reviewers have pointed out that it evokes Casablanca."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 6, 2007
|
|
|
7%
|
Summer Catch (2001) |
"
[An] awful light drama."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 6, 2007
|
|
|
9%
|
The Skulls (2000) |
"
Initially tolerable but increasingly stupid."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 5, 2007
|
|
|
11%
|
A Night at the Roxbury (1998) |
"
More schmaltzy than funny."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Mar 1, 2007
|
|
|
7%
|
Jawbreaker (1999) |
"
Lame shock scenes, crucial plot points inserted without setups, and an unsuccessful attempt to exploit the camp value of some actors cast in minor parts are the least of the problems in this black comedy."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 28, 2007
|
|
|
8%
|
Valentine (2001) |
"
The contradictory sexual politics in this lightweight slasher suggest that at some point it was meant to satirize the traditional mores of the self-satisfied female characters."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 28, 2007
|
|
|
14%
|
Pokemon the First Movie - Mewtwo vs. Mew (1999) |
"
The repetitive plot is essentially a string of excuses for fantastical combat sequences, but somehow several characters' insistence that violence is bad doesn't come off as hypocritical."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 28, 2007
|
|
|
6%
|
Corky Romano (2001) |
"
Unlike the pathetic protagonists of many a smart dumb comedy, Corky never becomes sympathetic, and without this fundamental irony the movie doesn't have a leg to stand on."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 28, 2007
|
|
|
11%
|
Joe Dirt (2001) |
"
Contrived yet unpretentious, predictable yet surprising, this underdog comedy and its title character have considerable charm."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 28, 2007
|
|
|
10%
|
Head Over Heels (2001) |
"
The best jokes are on the models and the men who pursue them, and Shalom Harlow, Ivana Milicevic, Sarah O'Hare, and Tomiko Fraser -- the real models who play Potter's roommates --are very good sports."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 27, 2007
|
|
|
9%
|
I Dreamed of Africa (2000) |
"
Ultimately the movie is alluring and respectful -- its sadness may be what saves it from becoming sensationalist or trite."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 26, 2007
|
|
|
77%
|
A Beautiful Mind (2001) |
"
Director Ron Howard's deftness in suggesting the subjective experience of Crowe's character, who's later diagnosed with schizophrenia, makes for inspirational narrative, but certain plot points are so reductive."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 6, 2007
|
|
|
93%
|
Shakespeare in Love (1998) |
"
It's easy to suspend disbelief and embrace this historically creative fiction, whose clever relationship to what's known and what's unresolved is part of what makes it so intriguing and so romantic."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Feb 5, 2007
|
|
|
80%
|
Slums of Beverly Hills (1998) |
"
Though hypocritical in the way it sensationalizes sexuality, this serious and funny 1998 movie about a 15-year-old coming to terms with her body and her family in 1976 is, refreshingly, never coy or ironic."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jan 12, 2007
|
|
|
3%
|
Bless the Child (2000) |
"
Horrendous dialogue and horrific directing dominate this thriller, in which Coleman's performance shines by default."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Jan 8, 2007
|
78%
38%
100%
85%
45%
40%
