Movie Ratings & Reviews

Last film added: May 20, 2012. There are currently 1159 films in the database (since 1996).

Recent Releases

Search returned all films from 2004-2008 out of 1159 total rated films.

MASTERPIECES

Amazing Screw-On Head, The (2006) 10
A TV pilot featuring Emperor Zombie and Lincoln. Any last words before I spark it?
Before Sunset (2004) 10
Richard Linklater directs the sequel to Before Sunrise, set nine years later, in Paris.
Collected Shorts of Jan Svankmajer, The (2005) 10
An excellent retrospective of surreal, unsettling films from the Czech animator, dating 1965 to 1992.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 10
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories.
Fall, The (2008) 10
Tarsem Singh, director of The Cell, creates a delightful fantasy based in 1920s Los Angeles.
In the Realms of the Unreal (2004) 10
Visionary artist Henry Darger was a hospital janitor who privately authored a 15,000-page fantasy novel.
Inland Empire (2006) 10
Lynch examines Hollywood and its artistic constraints in a bizarre/long jumble of movies within movies.
Junebug (2005) 10
Childlike, awestruck Amy Adams is fantastic. Where would I be if I was a screwdriver?
Juno (2007) 10
A whip-smart 16-year-old girl is faced with an unexpected pregnancy and makes an unusual decision.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) 10
Quentin Tarantino directs Uma Thurman as the murderous Bride bent on exacting vengeance against Bill.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) 10
Guillermo del Toro presents a young girl's fantastic alternate reality, set in 1944 fascist Spain.
Persepolis (2007) 10
Autobiographical, cinematic graphic novel of a young outspoken girl in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
Planet Earth (2006) 10
Spectacular 11-part BBC documentary of the diversity of Earth's life, from the poles to deserts.
Scanner Darkly, A (2006) 10
Richard Linklater, Philip K. Dick, Keanu Reeves, Radiohead and interpolated rotoscoping animation. Brilliant.
Sin City (2005) 10
Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez create a brilliant piece of ultra-violent, stylized noir. Visually stunning.
South Park - Imaginationland (2007) 10
Epic three-part story arc from season 11 released as a standalone movie. The best ever.
Stay (2005) 10
The desperate psychological nightmare of a dying man. A visually rich, ghost-inhabited alternate reality.
V for Vendetta (2006) 10
The Wachowski Brothers present the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, starring Natalie Portman.
Waltz with Bashir (2008) 10
Stunning. Folman interviews Israeli veterans of the 1982 Lebanon invasion to reconstruct his own memories.

EXCELLENT

2046 (2004) 9
Kar-Wai Wong presents a futuristic recapturing of a womanizing writer's memory of six past lovers.
Animation Show 2005, The (2005) 9
Don Hertzfeldt, Bill Plympton and other animators return in this second collection of excellent shorts.
Animation Show 2007, The (2007) 9
The touring festival's third anthology of animated shorts collected by Don Hertzfeldt and Mike Judge.
Atonement (2007) 9
One night in 1935 England, bearing false witness changes three lives forever. Keira Knightley stars.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glo... (2006) 9
A most gloriously comical moviefilm for make advertise American prejudices and cultural intolerance. High-five!
Bourne Ultimatum, The (2007) 9
The third installment, with Bourne as clever as ever. A satisfying and frenetically edited action-thriller.
Brand Upon the Brain! A Remembrance in 12 Chapters (2006) 9
Guy Maddin's homage to silent film. A return to an abandoned island home. Orphanage memories.
Brokeback Mountain (2005) 9
Two sheepherders in the summer of 1963. I wish I knew how to quit you.
Broken Flowers (2005) 9
Bill Murray receives a mysterious pink letter that causes him to reflect on his past.
Caché (2005) 9
A French couple are terrorized by a series of videotapes planted on their front porch.
Capote (2005) 9
A profile of writer Truman Capote, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, set during the early 1960s.
Child, The (2006) 9
An uncompromising morality tale by the Dardenne Brothers. Stark but hopeful portrayal of youth poverty.
Children of Men (2007) 9
Humankind is facing the likelihood of its own extinction. Set in dystopian London in 2027.
Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (2008) 9
A man ages backwards, with bizarre consequences. Directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt.
Darjeeling Limited, The (2007) 9
Three estranged, drug-addicted brothers meet for a train trip across India. Heartwarming Wes Anderson cinema.
Dark Knight, The (2008) 9
Nolan's nightmarish adaptation of Batman, Joker and Two-Face raises the bar for comic-book movies, again.
Departed, The (2006) 9
Martin Scorsese's gritty crime drama is centered on two cops, the Irish mob and rats.
Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The (2007) 9
The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who was stricken with locked-in syndrome.
Dreamers, The (2004) 9
Outside, the Paris student riots of 1968 are happening. Inside, Eva Green is mesmerizing.
Drunk History - Season 1 (2008) 9
Drunk historians try to describe history while Jack Black, Michael Cera and others reenact. Hilarious.
Eastern Promises (2007) 9
Cronenberg's metaphysical exploration of Russian mobsters in London. A fantastic descent into the underworld.
Encounters at the End of the World (2008) 9
Werner Herzog travels to Antarctica and talks to wayward travelers and philosophers on the frontier.
Finding Neverland (2004) 9
Marc Forster presents Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.
Frisky Dingo - Seasons 1 and 2 (2008) 9
A supervillain named Killface plans to destroy humanity using the Annihilatrix. Clever and often hilarious.
Go-Getter, The (2008) 9
A great road movie, starting from Eugene, Oregon. Features Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's music.
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008) 9
A fast-moving, entertaining portrait of late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, narrated by Johnny Depp.
Grindhouse (2007) 9
Tarantino/Rodriguez double bill. A gory, witty homage to seedy 1970s B-movie thrillers, including fake trailers.
Grizzly Man (2005) 9
Director Werner Herzog explores the life, death and values of grizzly bear activist Timothy Treadwell.
Helvetica (2007) 9
No modern typeface is more ubiquitous than Helvetica. What are the responsibilities of graphic designers?
Howl's Moving Castle (2005) 9
The visual wonderment of Miyazaki reveals a magical world of witches, wizards and fire demons.
Inconvenient Truth, An (2006) 9
Al Gore's lecture about global warming and environmental responsibility is Carl Saganesque. It's PowerPoint cinema!
Incredibles, The (2004) 9
Pixar Animation presents a family of undercover superheroes forced into action to save the world.
Into the Wild (2007) 9
Christopher McCandless abandons his privileged life and adventures to live alone in the Alaskan wilderness.
Jacket, The (2005) 9
Military veteran Adrien Brody can foresee his own death and possibly change Keira Knightley's future.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) 9
Hilarious. An ironic, smartass tribute to detective fiction, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer.
Lars and the Real Girl (2007) 9
A remarkable achievement that reveals pure, heartbreaking humanity through a sex doll from the Internet.
Let the Right One In (2008) 9
A dark, dreamlike fairytale about a young Scandinavian vampire that explores a tender childhood friendship.
Machinist, The (2004) 9
Insomniac industrial worker Christian Bale is a walking skeleton in this paranoid schizophrenic thriller.
Man from Earth, The (2007) 9
Set in a single room, this thoughtful, philosophical play might blow your mind a little.
Maria Full of Grace (2004) 9
The journey of a Columbian teenager who agrees to smuggle cocaine pellets into New York.
Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) 9
Miranda July's exploration of people struggling to connect with one another in this modern world.
Michael Clayton (2007) 9
This paranoid, intelligent legal thriller stars Clooney as a large New York law firm's fixer.
Million Dollar Baby (2004) 9
Clint Eastwood works with a determined Hilary Swank in her attempt to become a boxer.
My Winnipeg (2008) 9
Haunting, personal portrait of filmmaker Guy Maddin's hometown of Winnipeg, and of his psyche. Unique.
No Country for Old Men (2007) 9
A heroin stash and $2 million spirals into catastrophic violence, courtesy of the Coen Brothers.
Paprika (2007) 9
An insane anime that blurs the separation between reality, dreams, memory, cinema and the Internet.
Pixar Story, The (2008) 9
Documentary about the history of animation, and the origin and successes of Pixar Animation Studios.
Prestige, The (2006) 9
A rivalry of deadly stage illusions escalates between Victorian-era magicians. David Bowie is Nikola Tesla!
Primer (2004) 9
This puzzle film of time-travel paradoxes and loopholes begins with four inventors in a garage.
The Prisoner - Complete Series Megaset (2006) 9
Resigned secret agent McGoohan becomes trapped in an idyllic village. A 1967-68 TV cult classic.
Savages, The (2007) 9
Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman become responsible for their ailing father's care. Witty humanity.
Science of Sleep, The (2006) 9
A charming hyperactive blur of cellophane-animated fantasy and reality. Surreal and inventive, but not profound.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) 9
A love story intertwines the slums and gangs of Mumbai with a TV game show.
Squid and the Whale, The (2005) 9
Based on director Noah Baumbach's adolescence in Brooklyn. Two brothers deal with divorce during 1986.
Stranger Than Fiction (2006) 9
Will Ferrell tries to figure out who's narrating his unraveling life. Maggie Gyllenhaal is adorable.
Synecdoche, New York (2008) 9
Charlie Kaufman blends self-referential existence with a living play inside a New York City warehouse.
There Will Be Blood (2007) 9
A P.T. Anderson film about family, greed, religion, and oil, centered on a California prospector.
Timecrimes (2008) 9
Like Primer, this is a film of time-travel paradoxes, but with more voyeurism and nudity.
Turtles Can Fly (2005) 9
A grim and heartbreaking portrait of Iraq. Refugee children survive by collecting and selling mines.
Twin Peaks - The Definitive Gold Box Edition (2007) 9
David Lynch's groundbreaking 1990-91 TV series. It's a paranormal murder mystery set in northern Washington.
Vera Drake (2004) 9
Set in 1950s London, this film portrays a modest working-class woman who also performs abortions.
Very Long Engagement, A (2004) 9
Jean-Pierre Jeunet presents Audrey Tautou, whimsical and hopeful, awaiting her fiancée's return from WWI.
Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) 9
Aardman Animation's full-length feature of the claymation duo. Giant vegetables are protected by security systems.
WALL-E (2008) 9
Humans have left Earth, but a charming, curious robot is still cleaning up our mess.
When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions (2008) 9
Discovery's compelling six-part series about the race into space, the moon landings, shuttles, and beyond.
Wonderfalls - The Complete Viewer Collection (2004) 9
Arguably the best cancelled television series ever. Only 4 of the 13 episodes actually aired.
Wrestler, The (2008) 9
Professional wrestler Mickey Rourke must retire, but life outside the ring is a dispiriting struggle.

VERY GOOD

11:14 (2005) 8
An account of five seemingly random storylines that dreadfully converge one night at 11:14.
300 (2007) 8
An epic rendering of Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae. Stunning Spartan art-blood.
Abel Raises Cain (2005) 8
A documentary about world-class hoaxer Alan Abel, who exposes the media's obsession with the salacious.
American Gangster (2007) 8
In Manhattan during the 1970s, heroin kingpin Frank Lucas smuggles drugs into America from Vietnam.
Ashes of Time Redux (2008) 8
Kar-Wai Wong's recut version of the 1994 wuxia epic. A broken-hearted swordsman in the desert.
Aura, The (2006) 8
An epileptic taxidermist imagines executing the perfect robbery, then gets his chance. A psychological thriller.
Away From Her (2007) 8
A man deals with the progression of his wife's Alzheimer's. Sarah Polley's character-driven directorial debut.
Batman Begins (2005) 8
The prequel to the Batman series, directed by Christopher Nolan, includes an awesome Batmobile.
Between the Folds (2008) 8
PBS documentary about artists and scientists who have devoted their lives to modern origami.
Birth (2004) 8
Jonathan Glazer references Kubrick in this film about the possibility of reincarnation, starring Nicole Kidman.
Bothersome Man, The (2007) 8
A man arrives in a strange city with no memory of how he got there.
Bourne Supremacy, The (2004) 8
A sequel that tops the original. Matt Damon resumes his life as a trained assassin.
Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football (2008) 8
HBO chronicles the profound effect of the 1960s Civil Rights movement on college football programs.
Brick (2006) 8
A memorable noir mystery set at a modern-day Southern California high school, using 1940s slang.
Bubble (2006) 8
Soderbergh's haunting, low-budget film featuring a doll factory in a decaying Midwest town, and murder.
Cars (2006) 8
Pixar presents hotshot rookie racecar Lightning McQueen, who crashes through Radiator Springs on Route 66.
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrob... (2005) 8
Four British children travel through a magical wardrobe into C.S. Lewis's mythical land of Narnia.
Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon (2006) 8
A documentary about political conflict in an Oregon logging town, directed by Peter Richardson.
Closer (2004) 8
Natalie Portman plays a cheeky pink-haired stripper in this film about relationships, attraction, and betrayal.
Cloverfield (2008) 8
It's Godzilla epicness, Blair Witch Project shakiness, and Alien viciousness concealing a Manhattan love story.
Constant Gardener, The (2005) 8
A story of corruption in the pharmaceutical industry and how AIDS-ravaged Africa is being exploited.
Corpse Bride (2005) 8
Tim Burton presents a shy groom whisked into the underworld after inadvertently marrying the dead.
Crash (2005) 8
The lives of a multiethnic collection of Los Angeles characters grippingly interweave over two days.
Death Proof (2007) 8
Tarantino's half of Grindhouse. Scarred stuntman Kurt Russell uses his car to murder voluptuous women.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) 8
Joss Whedon's three-part online musical miniseries. Filmed during the writers' strike, starring Neil Patrick Harris.
Dynamic:01 - The Best Of DavidLynch.com (2007) 8
A collection of short films and interviews created for subscribing members of DavidLynch.com. Weird experiments.
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) 8
A searing indictment of the Bush monarchy. The huddled masses bring forth their moral indignation.
Fast Food Nation (2006) 8
A humanistic, fictionalized behind-the-scenes portrait of America's fast food and meat packing industries.
Fountain, The (2006) 8
Three stories of love/mortality that weave in the legendary quest for the Fountain of Youth.
Freedom on the Fence (2005) 8
A documentary project about the culturally iconic art of Polish posters under the USSR regime.
Frost/Nixon (2008) 8
A dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon.
Garden State (2004) 8
Zach Braff returns to his hometown. There he meets Natalie Portman, who changes his life.
Goodbye Lenin! (2004) 8
A young man tries to prevent his mother from learning that Germany has been reunified.
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) 8
Simplifies historical conflict (1950s McCarthyism) to illustrate TV journalism's responsibility to question authority.
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) 8
Poppy is a cheery North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) 8
Stunning grotesqueness and visual poetry from Guillermo del Toro. Incredible set design and beautiful effects.
History of Violence, A (2005) 8
A Cronenberg art film that's also an accessible crime drama. Based on a graphic novel.
Hot Fuzz (2007) 8
A clever, over-the-top pastiche of every buddy cop movie you've ever seen, set in London.
Illusionist, The (2006) 8
In 1900 Vienna, Edward Norton is Eisenheim the Illusionist. This lush production inspires supernatural reflection.
In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) 8
The surviving crew members from NASA's Apollo missions tell their story in their own words.
Iron Man (2008) 8
Robert Downey Jr. builds an armored suit and decides to use the technology against evil.
Kinamand (2006) 8
A Danish plumber begins eating at a family-run Chinese diner and makes unexpected emotional connections.
King Corn (2007) 8
Good-natured introduction to industrialized agriculture. We subsidize the Happy Meals, but not the healthy ones.
King Kong (2005) 8
Naomi Watts is amazing and the special effects are over-the-top fantastic, but it's excessively long.
Kite Runner, The (2007) 8
Pain and redemption through Afghanistan's recent history, from boyhood kite-flying contests to brutal Taliban rule.
Knocked Up (2007) 8
Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl have a drunken one-night stand with unexpected consequences. Very funny.
Layer Cake (2004) 8
A clever British crime film about a successful cocaine dealer planning an early retirement.
Lila Says (2005) 8
A well-acted story of seduction and self-realization, revolving around the beautiful and alluring Vahina Giocante.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) 8
An entertaining comedy about a dysfunctional family's California roadtrip. Everyone just pretend to be normal.
Lucky Number Slevin (2006) 8
A clever Pulp Fictionesque story of violent revenge featuring rival crime bosses Kingsley and Freeman.
Milk (2008) 8
Van Sant's biography of openly gay politician Harvey Milk. An empathic portrayal by Sean Penn.
Motorcycle Diaries, The (2004) 8
Dramatization of an epic motorcycle road trip a young Che Guevara took through South America.
My Blueberry Nights (2008) 8
A soul-searching journey across America, starring Norah Jones. Beautifully shot, but Kar-Wai Wong's weakest film.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004) 8
It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed.
Nói albínói (2004) 8
A teenager drifts through life on a remote fjord in the north of Iceland.
Nothing (2005) 8
Vincenzo Natali, the director of Cube, presents a film about nothing with his two friends.
Oldboy (2005) 8
A man who was kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years exacts his brutal revenge. Stunning.
Osama (2004) 8
Attempting to survive beneath the Taliban, a 12-year-old Afghan girl disguises herself as a boy.
Palindromes (2005) 8
Todd Solondz's provocative fable about a 13-year-old girl who is played by eight different actresses.
Persuaders, The (2004) 8
The cultures of marketing and advertising influence what Americans buy and how they view themselves.
Planet Terror (2007) 8
Rodriguez's half of Grindhouse. Rose McGowan mows down flesh-eating, mutating zombies with a machine-gun leg.
Proposition, The (2005) 8
Violent and mythological. Nick Cave wrote the screenplay and scored this Australian Western about retribution.
Pushing Daisies - The Complete First Season (2007) 8
A man can bring dead people back to life, with Amélie-style narration. Whimsical forensic romance.
Rescue Dawn (2007) 8
American pilot Christian Bale is shot down in Laos during a top-secret Vietnam War mission.
Robot Chicken - Seasons 1-3 (2007) 8
Demented stop-motion animation using action figures and toys. These sketch-comedy vignettes skewer pop culture.
Rock-afire Explosion, The (2008) 8
The inventor behind (and fans of) the Showbiz Pizza and Chuck E. Cheese's animatronic puppets.
Shaun of the Dead (2004) 8
Romantic comedy set during a weekend zombie invasion of North London. A brilliantly aloof parody.
Shopgirl (2005) 8
A love triangle of Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman and Steve Martin. Elegant examination of love.
Shrek 2 (2004) 8
Well, folks, it looks like we're up chocolate creek without a Popsicle stick.
Sideways (2004) 8
Two middle-aged men embark on a weeklong road-trip through California's wine country. American life-affirming.
Special (2008) 8
Michael Rapaport participates in an experimental drug study and becomes sure his superpowers are strengthening.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) 8
Tobey Maguire continues his demanding double life as student and superhero. Enter supervillain Dr. Octopus.
Sunshine (2007) 8
Could've been great science fiction, but it slips away with B-movie horror and religious metaphors.
Superbad (2007) 8
Friends Seth and Evan display a charming, hilarious crudeness in this coming-of-age high school comedy.
Syriana (2005) 8
A thriller of corruption and power related to the oil industry, with four parallel stories.
Team America: World Police (2004) 8
Subversive political satire, with explicit puppet sex. You are worthress, Arec Barrwin. America! Fuck, yeah!
THX 1138: The George Lucas Director's Cut (2004) 8
Lucas restored his influential 1971 film, enhancing it with CGI magic (including lame shell dwellers).
Tokyo! (2008) 8
A cinematic triptych (transformation, anarchy, rebirth) set in Tokyo. Directed by Gondry, Carax and Bong.
Tropic Thunder (2008) 8
Ben Stiller's big-budget satire of celebrity excess and Hollywood action movies. Downey Jr. is hilarious.
Venture Bros. - Seasons One and Two, The (2006) 8
The warped misadventures of a middle-aged mad scientist, his teenage sons, and their maniac bodyguard.
We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004) 8
An emotionally complex character drama that explores human weakness, starring Mark Ruffalo and Naomi Watts.
Zeitgeist: The Movie (2007) 8
Important, incendiary exploration of global societal control through religion, 9/11, foreign wars and central banks.
Zodiac (2007) 8
A cerebral, gripping thriller based on actual unresolved 1970s case files about the Zodiac Killer.

GOOD

28 Weeks Later (2007) 7
Bloody sequel to 28 Days Later. The rage virus annihilated Mainland Britain six months earlier.
40-Year-Old Virgin, The (2005) 7
Steve Carell stars as a lovable, middle-aged virgin with misguided coworkers. Catherine Keener is perfect.
Across the Universe (2007) 7
A psychedelic love story musical set in the 1960s, using the songs of The Beatles.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) 7
Do you really love lamp, or are you just saying it because you saw it?
Appaloosa (2008) 7
Satisfying Western by Ed Harris about hired guns. Zellweger's face is a creepy kabuki mask.
Atom Smashers, The (2008) 7
How does life exist? Documentary chronicles the search for the Higgs boson by Fermilab physicists.
Bernard and Doris (2008) 7
An HBO Films picture about tobacco heiress Doris Duke (Sarandon) and her gay butler (Fiennes).
Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The (2005) 7
My childhood memories, now on DVD. A first-rate reMASTERing of this moralizing homoerotic 1980s toy-advert.
Black Balloon, The (2008) 7
Explores the intense emotions of the family of an Australian teenager and his autistic brother.
Black Snake Moan (2007) 7
Provocative, ludicrous and sweet. Blues musician Samuel L. Jackson and sex-addicted Christina Ricci star.
Bon Voyage (2004) 7
A farcical portrait of 1940 France nearly surrendering to zee Germans. Virginie Ledoyen is adorable.
Book of the Dead, The (2006) 7
Intricate stop-motion animation set in feudal Japan. A mysterious Buddhist parable involving a ghost prince.
Brothers Grimm, The (2005) 7
A cartoonish big-budget spectacle based on German folktales. Terry Gilliam directs and Matt Damon stars.
Cashback (2007) 7
An insomniac artist starts working the graveyard shift at the local supermarket after a breakup.
Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury, The (2004) 7
Peter Chung's animated short film bridges the Riddick story between Pitch Black and The Chronicles.
Clerks II (2006) 7
The sequel to Kevin Smith's breakthrough comedy. Dante and Randal are back in New Jersey.
Collection of 2005 Academy Award Nominated Short Films, A (2006) 7
Death abounds. I enjoyed Six Shooter and Jasper Morello. Hated the Moon and the Son.
Dawn of the Dead (2004) 7
Zack Snyder's witty remake of the 1979 horror classic, starring Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames.
Doubt (2008) 7
A nun confronts a priest after suspecting him of abusing a student. But did he?
Drakmar: A Vassal's Journey (2008) 7
A sensitive 14-year-old escapes to the medieval fantasy kingdom of Adria to survive his adolescence.
Eagle vs. Shark (2007) 7
Quirky portrait of awkward, misfit New Zealanders. Akin to Wes Anderson films and Napoleon Dynamite.
Elizabethtown (2005) 7
Cameron Crowe's good-hearted romantic comedy featuring Kirsten Dunst. It hit really close to home.
Extras - The Complete Series (2007) 7
Movie extra Ricky Gervais weasels his way into speaking roles, then finds commercial success miserable.
Fracture (2007) 7
Hotshot attorney Ryan Gosling goes up against Anthony Hopkins, a manipulative criminal, in court. Clever.
Funny Games (2008) 7
An aggressively unpleasant film that tortures the audience for its bloodlust. Both sadistic and pretentious.
Golden Compass, The (2007) 7
A fantasy adventure that rushes forward with a spectacle of soul-animals. Could be more engaging.
Gone Baby Gone (2007) 7
Ben Affleck directs Casey Affleck in a story about a little girl's kidnapping in Boston.
Good Dick (2008) 7
A lonely, introverted girl who rents adult films meets a young, chatty video store clerk.
Good Shepherd, The (2006) 7
The early history of the CIA, viewed through a fictional man's life. Serious and tedious.
Hellboy (2004) 7
A good-hearted demon is produced in a black-magic Nazi ceremony. This is his story.
Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron (2007) 7
Hellboy ends up battling the goddess Hecate after a professor resurrects a powerful female vampire.
History Boys, The (2006) 7
A class of bright, funny history students pursue acceptance into Oxford or Cambridge. Highly literate.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The (2005) 7
So long, and thanks for all the fish, Douglas Adams. And thanks for Zooey Deschanel.
I, Robot (2004) 7
In 2035, detective Will Smith investigates a murder. Based on Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics.
I Am Legend (2007) 7
Will Smith, sole survivor in New York City, seeks a cure for the deadly virus.
In Good Company (2004) 7
Magazine ad executive Dennis Quaid's new young boss begins dating his teenage daughter Scarlett Johansson.
Island, The (2005) 7
It's Logan's Run utopia meets Philip K. Dick paranoia, starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson.
Jarhead (2005) 7
Explores the psychological effects of being a soldier in Desert Storm, guarding oil, fighting no-one.
King of California (2007) 7
Mentally unstable Michael Douglas is convinced that Spanish treasure is buried in suburban California.
Knee Deep (2007) 7
In rural Maine, a young, hardworking dairy farmer is betrayed by family. A humanistic documentary.
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The (2004) 7
Oceanographer Bill Murray leads a surreal voyage in search of a mythical jaguar shark.
Little Fish (2005) 7
In an Australian Little Saigon district, Cate Blanchett is trying to escape her drug-addicted past.
Look Around You - Series 1 and 2 (2005) 7
A BBC TV comedy series that satirizes 1970s educational science programs. A nonsensical, faithful homage.
Match Point (2006) 7
Woody Allen's ugly story of infidelity amidst British wealth. Tennis, opera, investments, horses and murder.
Ocean's Twelve (2004) 7
Second verse, same as the first. This heist movie is a likable but self-serving celebrity-fest.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) 7
Tom Tykwer's memorable film about an 18th century Parisian murderer, with a profoundly flawed climax.
Piano Tuner of Earthquakes, The (2006) 7
The Brothers Quay present a dark fairytale about a diabolical doctor and beautiful opera singer.
Pineapple Express (2008) 7
Stoner Seth Rogen freaks out after witnessing a murder. Pot-joke heavy and also fairly violent.
Priceless (2008) 7
Young gold digger Audrey Tautou mistakenly woos a mild-mannered bartender thinking he's a wealthy suitor.
Reader, The (2008) 7
Kate Winslet initiates a surprising, secretive romance in this solemn drama set in post-WWII Germany.
Religulous (2008) 7
Bill Maher's provocative, smartass dialogue with Jews, Christians and Muslims. An irreverent but smug rant.
Renegade (2004) 7
Psychedelic French Western that feels like a Jodorowsky film. Sacred mountains, gunfights, peyote and shaman.
Robot Stories (2004) 7
Four stories about a futuristic society grappling with its relationship to the growing robot population.
Saddest Music in the World, The (2004) 7
Guy Maddin oddity. A Canadian beer baroness organizes a saddest-music contest during the Great Depression.
Serenity (2005) 7
Finale to the cancelled Firefly TV series. Features space-age weaponry, martial arts, and witty dialogue.
Sherrybaby (2006) 7
Former drug addict Maggie Gyllenhaal is out of prison, seeking her daughter and emotional recovery.
Silent Hill (2006) 7
Fantastic atmosphere and set design. A grotesque purgatory of undead meat-creatures, cults, and zombie nurses.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) 7
Anakin becomes Darth Vader. Woodenly acted, but better than the first two episodes it is.
Stardust (2007) 7
A funny Neil Gaiman fairytale set in England that feels somewhat like The Princess Bride.
Steamboy (2005) 7
In 1860s Britain, a boy inventor becomes involved in a revolution of steam power technology.
Super Size Me (2004) 7
Spurlock only eats McDonald's food for one month to see what happens to his body.
Superman Returns (2006) 7
Bryan Singer's reverent reboot of the Superman franchise. Good, but lacks surprises and new ideas.
Thumbsucker (2005) 7
A quirky 17-year-old who still sucks his thumb grapples with the anxiety of impending adulthood.
Tin Man (2007) 7
Dark re-imagining of the Land of Oz. Zooey Deschanel stars in this three-part Sci-Fi miniseries.
Transformers (2007) 7
Spectacularly rendered Autobot and Decepticon destruction. ADHD kids love these plotless nonsensical blasts.
Wedding Crashers (2005) 7
Divorce mediators Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson make a lifestyle out of sneaking into weddings.
Winter Passing (2006) 7
Zooey Deschanel visits her novelist father, now rooming with a young woman and Christian rocker.
World's Fastest Indian, The (2005) 7
Burt Munro sets the land-speed world record on his home-built 950cc Indian motorcycle in 1967.

FAIR

4th Dimension, The (2008) 6
Feels inspired by Eraserhead and Pi, but this Aphex Twin-scored meditation on reality ultimately disappoints.
50 First Dates (2004) 6
Sandler repeatedly attempts to woo Barrymore, who can't make new memories since her accident. Silly.
9 Songs (2005) 6
Over 69 minutes, a young couple's intense sexual encounters are interspersed with nine rock concerts.
Beowulf (2007) 6
I am Beowulf! My lips don't move right and my eyes are dead. Corny, unsatisfying.
Bolt (2008) 6
A lovable cartoon dog movie. Plus, Miley Cyrus sounds like she drinks whiskey every night.
Brown Bunny, The (2004) 6
An aimless, gut-wrenching film of loneliness, sexual obsession and guilt. Vincent Gallo is fearlessly narcissistic.
Burn After Reading (2008) 6
A CIA agent's memoirs falls into the hands of opportunistic idiots. Pointless Coen Brothers farce.
Butterfly Effect, The (2004) 6
An excellent concept. Did you really think Ashton Kutcher and friends could pull it off?
Choke (2008) 6
Screen adaptation of the Palahniuk novel about a sex-addicted scam artist and his hospitalized mother.
City of Ember (2008) 6
An underground city is falling apart after 200 years. Fairly dark for a kids' movie.
Crank (2006) 6
An entertaining movie because it is so intentionally ridiculous. Chock full of contrived adrenaline rushes.
Dan in Real Life (2007) 6
A very sweet, unremarkable romantic comedy. Steve Carell is a struggling single parent and widower.
Déjà Vu (2006) 6
Are you ready for the space-time continuum to get Bruckheimered? Explosions! Insulted intelligence! More explosions!
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) 6
Beautifully rendered CGI could not hold my interest. For Final Fantasy video game fans only.
Forgotten, The (2004) 6
Julianne Moore is told that her nine-year-old son never existed. Who is fabricating reality?
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) 6
A fictionalized, metaphorical account of the formation of artist Diane Arbus. Nicole Kidman is brilliant.
Get Smart (2008) 6
Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway are super-secret spies or whatever. Can their gadgets defeat KAOS?
Havoc (2005) 6
Two affluent suburban girls clash with Latino gang culture. Stars Anne Hathaway and Bijou Phillips.
Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006) 6
A samurai sword sends Hellboy into a dangerous realm of Japanese legends, ghosts and monsters.
Hidalgo (2004) 6
American Viggo Mortensen and his horse enter a 3,000 mile survival race across Arabia.
Ice Harvest, The (2005) 6
Mob lawyer Cusack and strip-club owner Thornton attempt to embezzle $2 million on Christmas Eve.
Imagination (2007) 6
Eric Leiser's surreal experiment with puppetry, stop-motion sketches and claymation. And unconvincing actors.
Incredible Hulk, The (2008) 6
Too bad the awkward computer-generated creatures killed the movie, despite Edward Norton. Noisy and boring.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) 6
Indy battles the Soviets in 1957. Spielberg/Lucas feature Area 51 and interdimensional cosmic Mayan nonsense.
Ju-on: The Grudge (2004) 6
Japanese horror movie features a vengeful spirit that marks and pursues anybody entering its house.
Kingdom, The (2007) 6
FBI agents are sent to investigate a Saudi bombing. It's really just a revenge movie.
Limbo (2005) 6
A bullet sends a man into a repeating time loop. Afterlife as low-budget film noir.
Mr. Brooks (2007) 6
A surprisingly likable and engaging Hollywood serial killer movie, especially with Costner as the lead.
Night at the Museum (2006) 6
New night security guard Ben Stiller discovers that museum exhibits come to life at night.
Night Watch (2006) 6
First chapter of a derivative Russian fantasy epic featuring warring forces of daytime and nighttime.
New World, The (2005) 6
Malick depicts Pocahontas's life in 1600s Virginia. It's epic, sluggish, and burdened by disjointed voiceovers.
Next (2007) 6
Nicholas Cage can see the future. An unsatisfying Philip K. Dick adaptation of slow-mo explosions.
Origin: Spirits of the Past (2007) 6
In a post-apocalyptic anime future, cell-animated humans battle sentient forests with CG war machines.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) 6
An overlong cartoonish setup to the third movie in the Disney franchise. Johnny Depp shines.
PU-239: The Half Life of Timofey Berezin (2007) 6
A nuclear plant worker with radiation poisoning tries to sell stolen plutonium to Moscow gangsters.
Revolver (2007) 6
This stylish Guy Ritchie art film about con-men feels jumbled, pretentious and psychoanalytical. But intriguing.
Saw (2004) 6
Cary Elwes wakes up in the secure lair of a serial killer nicknamed Jigsaw. Grisly.
Secret Window (2004) 6
You stole my story! This combination of Johnny Depp and Stephen King should've been better.
Snakes on a Plane (2006) 6
A cheesy Samuel L. Jackson horror-comedy that knows it's ridiculous and plays it refreshingly well.
Southland Tales (2007) 6
Richard Kelly's dystopian, genre-defying mess of destruction and pop-culture doom. Bad actors cast on purpose?
Tideland (2006) 6
A young girl with drug-addicted parents creates a half-fantasy world with doll heads, deranged neighbors.
Wanted (2008) 6
A young man finds out his long-lost father is an assassin. Then hyperkinetic bullet-bending ensues.
Weather Man, The (2005) 6
Successful Chicago weatherman Nicolas Cage's personal life is a failure. So he takes up archery.
What the Bleep Do We Know!? (2004) 6
Life is a quantum world of possibility. It's spoiled by less-than-credible talking heads and soundbites.
Wild Blue Yonder, The (2005) 6
Werner Herzog fashions a boring sci-fi documentary from beautiful undersea Antarctica footage and NASA video.
Wonders Are Many: The Making of Doctor Atomic (2008) 6
Irritating modern opera rehearsals dominate the story of Oppenheimer and the 1945 Trinity atomic test.
Zathura (2005) 6
A fairly charming family movie that explores childhood adventure. It's basically Jumanji in outer space.

ADEQUATE

Æon Flux (2005) 5
Charlize Theron is a stunning, athletic heroine. But they've destroyed the meaning of the series.
Amityville Horror, The (2005) 5
While overproduced and derivative, this horror remake starring Ryan Reynolds exceeded my expectations.
August Rush (2007) 5
An orphaned musical prodigy uses his gift to help find his birth parents. Overtly sentimental.
Be Cool (2005) 5
The entire premise involves having John Travolta and Uma Thurman reprise their Pulp Fiction dance.
Chronicles of Riddick, The (2004) 5
Five years after Pitch Black, wanted criminal Riddick arrives on a new planet. Weak script.
Fantastic Four (2005) 5
Exposure to cosmic radiation creates superhero scientists: Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch, Thing, and Jessica Alba.
Feed (2006) 5
An Internet sex crimes expert investigates feeder-gainer relationships (sexual fetish of the grotesquely obese).
Final Destination 3 (2006) 5
Better than the first two. I watched the Rube-Goldberg deaths with amusement. The nudity helped.
Girl from Monday, The (2005) 5
Citizens have become property traded on the stock exchange, but aliens are supporting the resistance.
Hostel (2005) 5
Hedonism and bare breasts mixed with horrific gore, grisly torture, and the slandering of Slovakia.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) 5
Brendan Fraser travels to Iceland looking for Verne's lost subterranean world. Turn off your brain.
Martian Child (2007) 5
It's emotional manipulation from Mars. This is K-PAX with a six-year-old instead of Kevin Spacey.
Mist, The (2007) 5
A fairly derivative, depressing creature-horror film with too much religious ranting. Final scene is staggering.
National Treasure (2004) 5
Diane Heidkrueger has been able to capture my attention since her mid-1990s modeling days.
Number 23, The (2007) 5
Far-fetched but sometimes clever thriller starring Jim Carrey. 23 equals bad numerology and worse directing.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) 5
This Disney pirate saga is worse than its predecessor (again). Yo-ho-horribly incoherent. Franchise over yet?
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) 5
Skinny white chicks with guns brazenly kick zombie ass while trying to escape Raccoon City.
Ruins, The (2008) 5
Bone-crunching gore as American tourists learn the horrors of sightseeing in the forbidding Mexican jungle.
Saw II (2005) 5
Jigsaw forces another round of kidnapped people to play survival games in medieval torture chambers.
Sleeping Dogs Lie (2005) 5
A short, low-budget film. Maynard James Keenan was charming, but Audioslave's Brad Wilk can't act.
Speed Racer (2008) 5
A hyperfrenetic explosion of sound and color in the form of Car-Fu. It's marginally watchable.
Spider-Man 3 (2007) 5
Boring/incoherent/awkward for 90 minutes, then three minutes of cool, then Venom and the climactic battle.
Spirit, The (2008) 5
Frank Miller's self-aware film noir is gorgeous, vapid, overacted and emotionless. Based on Eisner's comics.
Stay Alive (2006) 5
A videogame kills players in the real world. It's gory CGI fun featuring Samaire Armstrong.
Step Brothers (2008) 5
Mildly amusing but so stupid. Juvenile bickering and pouting from 40-year-old adolescents Ferrell and Reilly.
Stuck (2008) 5
The callous aftermath of a hit-and-run. I winced at the bad acting and grisly suffering.
Superstorm (2007) 5
Scientists attempt to divert or weaken a Miami-bound hurricane using cloud seeding. A miniseries docudrama.
Trauma (2004) 5
Colin Firth's fragmented reality is haunted by death, apparitions, blood, ants, and Mena Suvari's vacuity.
What Just Happened (2008) 5
Two weeks in the life of big-time Hollywood producer Robert De Niro. Anxious, high-stakes triviality.

FROM BAD TO WORSE

(NO! MY EYES! MY EYES!)

10,000 BC (2008) CRAP
Anti-visionary Roland Emmerich directs this dumb prehistoric epic. It's dull, preposterous and sanitized for kids.
13 Seconds (2004) CRAP
I was cost-effectively bored by this cliché-ridden indie splatter film. Unbearably amateurish and uncreepy.
88 Minutes (2008) CRAP
Features ludicrous, unthrilling plot twists, perky young women and the famous forensic psychiatrist Al Pacino.
Balls of Fury (2007) CRAP
Horrendously unfunny comedy mixes Ping-Pong, kung fu and sophomoric jokes with a secret FBI mission.
Date Movie (2006) CRAP
Two Scary Movie screenwriters spoof the romantic comedy genre to death. Alyson Hannigan stars. Lame.
Day Without a Mexican, A (2004) CRAP
California's entire Hispanic population vanishes into pink fog. Satirical premise is thoroughly beaten to death.
Epic Movie (2007) CRAP
Following the unwatchable Date Movie, now these hacks imitate mega-blockbusters. I enjoyed Jayma Mays.
Eragon (2006) CRAP
A bad movie about dragons, dragon riders, a Shade's dark magic and evil King Galbatorix.
Failure to Launch (2006) CRAP
Matthew McConaughey's parents set him up with Sarah Jessica Parker so he'll finally move out.
Just Like Heaven (2005) CRAP
Reese Witherspoon, in spirit form, inhabits architect Mark Ruffalo's apartment in this formulaic romantic comedy.
Macbeth (2007) CRAP
Bad acting with laser-sighted guns, drugs and tattooed naked girls. A straight retelling of Shakespeare.
Meet the Spartans (2008) CRAP
Friedberg and Seltzer reinforce their status as truly unparalleled hacks of the spoof genre. Terrible.
Prey (2007) CRAP
A poorly written movie about Americans in Africa who are stalked by lions. Embarrassingly bad.
P.S. I Love You (2007) CRAP
Hilary Swank was miscast among sitcom-quality sentimental actors where everyone is trying to be cute.
Return, The (2006) CRAP
Sarah Michelle Gellar is supernaturally drawn to an old farmhouse where a murder took place.
Underworld: Evolution (2006) CRAP
Acting-challenged vampire Kate Beckinsale is still battling werewolves, but now with extra CGI incoherence.
White Noise (2005) CRAP
A crummy paranormal movie, but watch the DVD's cool special features about Electronic Voice Phenomena.

Statistical ratings distribution of these 330 films

bell curve

6.5

CRAP

7.3

10:

5.8%

20.3%

25.2%

20.6%

14.2%

8.8%

CRAP:

5.2%

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