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Collateral
(2004)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Yet Mann finds a way of easing into this material; you appreciate his professionalism even as you roll your eyes.
Posted Aug 05, 2004
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The Manchurian Candidate
(2004)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Surprisingly effective as a thriller -- if ultimately rather timid (especially for an election year) as a political satire.
Posted Jul 30, 2004
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The Door in the Floor
(2004)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Lines soaked with irony in the novel are played utterly straight-faced in the film-making Irving's tale seem less imaginative (and considerably more pretentious) than it is.
Posted Jul 13, 2004
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King Arthur
(2004)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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After a while, [the film] leaves nothing to register but entwined limbs and falling ash.
Posted Jul 13, 2004
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Fahrenheit 9/11
(2004)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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It’s less about catching officials off guard than about showing how the nation’s number one official is permanently off guard.
Posted Jun 22, 2004
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The Terminal
(2004)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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A movie so confused that it might have been directed by a jet-lagged world traveler.
Posted Jun 16, 2004
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Laws of Attraction
(2004)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Adam’s Rib (1949) is by no means a great movie, but seeing as pale an imitation as Laws of Attraction makes one pine for its offhand, witty charms.
Posted Apr 29, 2004
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Kill Bill: Vol. 2
(2004)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Kill Bill Vol. 2 may well disappoint fans who loved the first half’s dynamism, but in its way, the new movie has the subtlety of Tarantino’s Jackie Brown.
Posted Apr 13, 2004
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The Girl Next Door
(2004)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Its red-light premise notwithstanding, the movie reflects certain realties of teenage life that always eluded John Hughes.
Posted Apr 07, 2004
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
(2004)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Begins as another one of Kaufman’s trademark head trips and takes a leap into the sublime.
Posted Mar 18, 2004
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Kill Bill: Vol. 1
(2003)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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In Kill Bill, the allusions are the text rather than the subtext, and the movie never quite develops a life of its own.
Posted Oct 09, 2003
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Anything Else
(2003)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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At 108 minutes, Anything Else is one of Allen's longest and most disorganized films.
Posted Sep 16, 2003
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Seabiscuit
(2003)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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[Ross'] adaptation retains most of the essential details, but none of the fervor or feeling.
Posted Jul 23, 2003
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Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
(2003)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Arriving ... without the original's stars, directors, or audience, Dumb and Dumberer is conspicuously lacking in raison d'être.
Posted Jun 11, 2003
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Down With Love
(2003)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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The movie turns mod in its last act, and it does so in a way that doesn't feel smug.
Posted May 10, 2003
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Far From Heaven
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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The clash between the technique and the content is jarring, but it might be why Far from Heaven is finally so resonant.
Posted Nov 07, 2002
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The Truth About Charlie
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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The best remake turned New Wave homage turned Hong Kong action flick ever.
Posted Oct 24, 2002
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Punch-Drunk Love
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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On a literal level, it only amounts to a shaggy dog story, but anyone who quibbles with the plot is missing the point. Anderson's filmmaking is so spellbinding that the disparate elements seem to fit.
Posted Oct 10, 2002
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The Man From Elysian Fields
(2001)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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All of the elements are in place for a great film noir, but director George Hickenlooper's approach to the material is too upbeat.
Posted Oct 02, 2002
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Igby Goes Down
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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The film is so emotionally cacophonous that you can't help but admire its audacity.
Posted Sep 24, 2002
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One Hour Photo
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Romanek pointlessly tries to justify Sy's behavior: we're supposed to believe that Sy is only crazy because he had an unhappy childhood.
Posted Sep 24, 2002
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The Good Girl
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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The Good Girl never achieves a Fargo-like balance: it can't decide whether its characters should be treated with dignity or with derision.
Posted Sep 24, 2002
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The Four Feathers
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Kapur's interest in Elizabeth may have been prurient, but at least he had an interest.
Posted Sep 24, 2002
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Possession
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Watching Possession is a bit like watching two people do research, except that you never learn anything yourself.
Posted Aug 14, 2002
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Changing Lanes
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Had the conclusion been bitter, the message would have been the same -- and maybe even more powerful, because the audience would have gotten the message on its own.
Posted Aug 08, 2002
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The Bourne Identity
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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The film may be more of a mess than the inside of Bourne's head, but its quirks, strangely enough, are what keep it interesting.
Posted Aug 08, 2002
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Minority Report
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Posted Aug 08, 2002
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K-19: The Widowmaker
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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[Bigelow] unwisely does her most frantic directing during the early drill scenes, only to slow the movie down during the reactor clean-up sequences.
Posted Aug 08, 2002
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Signs
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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The religious statement is so out of keeping with the tone of the rest of the movie that it seems unintentional.
Posted Aug 08, 2002
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Full Frontal
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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Full Frontal is the kind of unplanned, meandering film that any aspiring filmmaker could make, but that only a big-name director could easily get distributed.
Posted Jul 29, 2002
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Mr. Deeds
(2002)
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Ben Kenigsberg
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What's surprising about Mr. Deeds, a remake of Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), is that it tries to be as earnest as its predecessor.
Posted Jul 17, 2002
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