Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (movie 2004) review: Brad Silberling’s handsomely mounted fantasy adventure is little more than a Jim Carrey mugfest.
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Being Julia (movie 2004) review: As a 1930s London stage diva, Annette Bening has a fantastic time in István Szabó’s All About Eve-ish period comedy.
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The Chorus (movie 2004) review: Christophe Barratier’s boys school drama is a shamelessly sentimental rehash of countless other such ‘inspirational’ tales.
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Million Dollar Baby (movie 2004) review: A superlative Hilary Swank can’t beat the odds against Clint Eastwood’s cliché-ridden boxing and surrogate father-daughter melodrama.
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Gangs of New York (movie 2002) review: Daniel Day-Lewis is the engrossingly cruel heart of Martin Scorsese’s generally gripping historical drama. Leonardo DiCaprio costars.
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Music of the Heart (movie 1999) review: Meryl Streep is an ‘inspirational’ presence in Wes Craven’s unusually sentimental real-life-based drama. Angela Bassett costars.
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The Aviator (movie 2004) review: As weirdo billionaire Howard Hughes, Leonardo DiCaprio Is both fully convincing and badly miscast in Martin Scorsese’s overblown biopic.
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Marathon Man (movie 1976) review: As a proudly evil Nazi, Laurence Olivier Is by far the best thing about John Schlesinger’s confusing and absurd political thriller. Dustin Hoffman stars.
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Closer (movie 2004) review: Julia Roberts is the most effective performer in Mike Nichols’ frustrating study of off-kilter heterosexual relationships. Jude Law costars.
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The Insider (movie 1999) review: Michael Mann’s thrill-less thriller shows that corporate greed and simplistic storytelling are bad for you. Al Pacino and Russell Crowe star.
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Operation Thunderbolt (movie 1977) review: Oscar-nominated political thriller is a dismal failure as both cinema and propaganda. Klaus Kinski and Sybil Danning star.
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Sideways (movie 2004) review: Alexander Payne’s road movie comedy suffers from a much too ardent desire to pander to its audience – to the detriment of its characters.
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Nicholas and Alexandra (movie 1971) review: The last of the Romanovs are at the center of Franklin J. Schaffner’s lavish but conventional Oscar-nominated historical drama.
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Kinsey (movie 2004) review: Starring Liam Neeson as the polemical sex researcher, Bill Condon’s otherwise well-made biopic suffers from an excess of scruples. Laura Linney costars.
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The Devil Strikes at Night (movie 1957) review: Robert Siodmak’s intriguing political drama asks whether serial killers are any less of a danger than socially sanctioned mass murderers.
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Cast Away (movie 2000) review: Tom Hanks delivers an excellent performance in Robert Zemeckis’ feel-good adventure flick exalting the Triumph of the Human Spirit nonsense.
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Lenny (movie 1974) review: Valerie Perrine overshadows a miscast and painfully unfunny Dustin Hoffman in Bob Fosse’s unsatisfying biopic of polemical comedian Lenny Bruce.
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A Hatful of Rain (movie 1957) review: Stagy screenplay and three of its four leads seriously impair Fred Zinnemann’s early drug addiction drama. Eva Marie Saint is the one standout.
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Sleepless in Seattle (movie 1993) review: Personable Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks can’t quite rescue Nora Ephron’s unromantic and unfunny – and hugely successful – romantic comedy.
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Affliction (movie 1997) review: Paul Schrader’s well-made and great-looking psychological drama is marred by absurd plot developments and Nick Nolte’s overwrought performance.
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The Contender (movie 2000) review: Best Actress Oscar nominee Joan Allen delivers a masterful performance in Rod Lurie’s engrossing (if unconvincing) political drama. Jeff Bridges costars.
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Wonder Boys (movie 2000) review: An inadequate name cast (Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire et al) and Curtis Hanson’s heavy directorial hand fatally mar this ‘screwball’ comedy.
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JFK (movie 1991) review: Oliver Stone bypasses the facts in his dishonest yet engrossing political thriller about the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination. Kevin Costner stars.
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Best Actress Oscar nominee Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence is seriously marred by its own inauthentic ‘rawness.’
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Starring Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton, Marc Forster’s 2001 drama Monster’s Ball offers quality moments that fail to amount to a satisfying whole.
Hotel Rwanda (movie 2004) review: A superb Don Cheadle stars as Kigali hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina in Terry George’s absurdly ‘uplifting’ genocide drama.
The Hurricane (movie 1999) review: Featuring a superficial Denzel Washington as jailed U.S. boxer Rubin Carter, Norman Jewison’s contrived real-life-based drama is probably his worst.
The Hours (movie 2002) review: Stephen Daldry’s uneven drama is immensely helped by the work of Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman in addition to Philip Glass’ haunting score.
Vera Drake (movie 2004) review: Imelda Staunton delivers a superb performance as a mid-1950s abortionist in Mike Leigh’s uneven socially conscious family drama.
The Fixer (movie 1968) review: Starring a badly miscast Alan Bates, John Frankenheimer and Dalton Trumbo’s anti-Semitism drama is ruined by its handling and simplistic narrative.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (movie 2003 review: Johnny Depp is flawlessly weird in Gore Verbinski’s surprisingly entertaining mega-budget romp.
The Grandfather (movie 1998) review: José Luis Garci’s Oscar-nominated period drama ultimately works thanks to a brilliant central performance by Fernando Fernán Gómez.