Cinema Archives

Slasherville Duo
Freddy and Jason team up for more nightmares--and to rid the world of slutty teens. (08/21/03)
By James DiGiovanna

'Uptown' Blues
Brittany Murphy's latest film crashes and burns. (08/21/03)
By Bob Grimm

Franco-American Relations
'Le Divorce' offers a star-studded cast, but Kate Hudson is a puzzling choice for the lead. (08/14/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Tactical Failure
S.W.A.T.'s best asset is its theme song. (08/14/03)
By Bob Grimm

Bye, Bye, Mr. American Pie
The pie-loving star of the film series heads to the altar with friends and dog poop in tow. (08/07/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Just Another Friday
Disney's rehash of the parent/child switcheroo doesn't fare any better than the original. (08/07/03)
By Bob Grimm

Boob Raider
There's no reason to care about a boring character like Lara Croft beyond her nipples. (07/31/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Not Enough Dimension
"Spy Kids 3-D" doesn't suck as bad as other 3-D movies, but it still sucks. (07/31/03)
By Bob Grimm

Scared Senseless
Horror-film 'The Eye' isn't scary, while comedy 'Johnny English' is terrifying. Go figure. (07/24/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Bay Trip
'Bad Boys II' is occasionally hilarious despite Michael Bay's best efforts. (07/24/03)
By Bob Grimm

Not So Extraordinary
"LXG" is a fun film, but it doesn't provide novel entertainment. (07/17/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Broken Curse
"Pirates of the Caribbean" ends the run of bad pirate movies with an entertaining romp. (07/17/03)
By Bob Grimm

Perky in Pink
The "Legally Blonde" sequel falls short despite its goodness and upbeat morality. (07/10/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Cyborg Cinema
The third Terminator installment is moderately good, but the franchise clearly misses James Cameron. (07/03/03)
By Bob Grimm

Love, French Style
A tribute to old romantic comedies with a modern twist. (07/03/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Smashing Bad Time
"The Hulk" doesn't have much to offer besides its green star demolishing stuff. (06/26/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Dead On
"28 Days Later" is a great zombie flick that does the horror genre justice. (06/26/03)
By Bob Grimm

Quiet Ride
"Man on the Train" is a beautiful film but may be too sedate for American audiences. (06/19/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Stupid Movies Shouldn't Breed
"Dumb and Dumberer" shouldn't have made it to theaters. (06/19/03)
By Bob Grimm

Awesome Anime
"Cowboy Bebop" celebrates Western culture by fighting terrorism on Mars. Really. (06/12/03)
By James DiGiovanna

2 Lame 2 Watch
Director John Singleton embarrasses himself with "2 Fast 2 Furious." (06/12/03)
By Bob Grimm

Top 10
An interesting experiment in film looks at the life of a woman in Iran's oppressive society. (06/05/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Spectacular Seascape
Pixar produces yet another fine film with "Finding Nemo." (06/05/03)
By Bob Grimm

It's a Mediocre Movie
Take the folks behind "Ace Ventura" and throw in God, and this is what you get. (05/29/03)
By James DiGiovanna

An Amusing Retread
"The In-Laws" remake is fun, but it doesn't stand up to the original. (05/29/03)
By Bob Grimm

Biblical Proportions
"Divine Intervention" is a visually stunning film for a select audience. (05/22/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Loaded With Blanks
"The Matrix: Reloaded" takes cheap shots and pilfers the goods from other films. (05/22/03)
By Bob Grimm

Aesthetics at Large
"The Shape of Things" examines the relationship between morals and art. (05/15/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Doris and Rock Revisited
"Down With Love" convincingly plays homage to the light sex comedies of the Sixties. (05/15/03)
By Bob Grimm

Breath of Fresh Air
"A Mighty Win" is a sad, funny movie that's finely executed. Too bad it isn't longer. (05/08/03)
By James DiGiovanna

X-Linked
United, multi-faced characters and lots of action make "X2" a worthy sequel. (05/08/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Slasher Surprise
"Identity" benefits from a talented ensemble cast but suffers from a stupid plot twist. (05/01/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Ample Assurance
"Confidence" offers a solid story with humor while boosting Edward Burns' career. (05/01/03)
By Bob Grimm

Heist Heaven
"The Good Thief" offers a good payoff. (04/24/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Didn't Dodge the Bullet
"Bulletproof Monk" gets hit with an unoriginal script, bad one-liners and poor acting. (04/24/03)
By Bob Grimm

Webs of Time
The slow-moving pace of "Spider" gives you a lot to think about besides the movie. (04/17/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Unlikely Pair
Sandler and Nicholson don't save "Anger Management" from mediocrity. (04/17/03)
By Bob Grimm

Back to Front
"Irreversible" is fine filmmaking, but due to its gruesome scenes, it's not family fare. (04/10/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Quiet Masterpiece
"Gerry" asks a lot from its audience, but it delivers beauty and simplicity. (04/03/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Adventures in Filmmaking
"Lost in La Mancha" shows what happens when a movie falls apart--but it shows a little too much. (03/27/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Rat a Tat Tat
"Willard" doesn't improve much over the original, but it has great special effects. (03/20/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Unusual Bag of Goodies
"Love Liza" forgoes the standard formula to highlight the script and its characters. (03/13/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Buddy Movie of the Week
"Cradle 2 the Grave" has lots of action, stuff exploding and--oh yeah--two guys that become friends. (03/06/03)
By James DiGiovanna

A Gay Gala
The annual LGBT film festival goes all out. (03/06/03)
By Mae Lee Sun

Good Cop, Bad Cop
"Dark Blue" is quite funny--unless you're trying to watch it as A Film. (02/27/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Gone With the Yawn
"Gods and Generals" is a dismal piece of Civil-War pabulum. (02/20/03)
By Tommy Nguyen

Undignified Knights
There's no pow in Jackie Chan's latest flick. (02/13/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Men on Film
"Talk To Her" is an emotionally intelligent film with--imagine it--men talking about feelings. (02/06/03)
By James DiGiovanna

No Gonging Here
The "unauthorized autobiography" of Chuck Barris makes for a fantastic film. (01/30/03)
By James DiGiovanna

When Students Attack
Evil triumphs in "Das Experiment." (01/23/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Time Bomb
"The Hours" suffers from a weak story, bad soundtrack and a poor makeup job. (01/16/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Artfully Adapting
Blending fact and fiction, Nicholas Cage's new work is a film with a mind of its own. (01/09/03)
By James DiGiovanna

A Look Within
"About Schmidt" is a funny and sad movie about a man who finally takes a look at himself. (01/02/03)
By James DiGiovanna

Supreme Sequel
The next installment of the 'Lord of the Rings' series towers over the original. (12/26/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Where They've Gone Before
'Star Trek: Nemesis' rehashes old plots for a mediocre offering, but fans will find it engaging. (12/19/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Don't Analyze It
A sequel that reaches the depths of Hollywood. (12/12/02)
By James DiGiovanna

A Walk on the Quiet Side
"Solaris" uses emotion and silence instead of explosions to make its point. (12/05/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Spy Vs. Spy
Good guys, bad guys, hot chicks, dumb story--yet another entry in the Bond franchise. (11/28/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Technicolor Magic
'Far From Heaven' uses color and emotion to create a compelling period piece. (11/21/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Dodging the Statue
"Roger Dodger" is such a precise film, it will most likely be ignored by the Academy. (11/14/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Secret Agent Man
I-Spy blends comedy, action and eye-candy into a workable film. (11/07/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Film recounts 1972 massacre in Northern Ireland with a forceful and compelling style. (10/31/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Packs a Punch
Adam Sandler's new film hits you between the eyes with its intellect and intensity. (10/24/02)
By James DiGiovanna

In Good Spirits
Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated film is a visually appealing tale with an engaging story. (10/17/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Substance Abuse
"The Rules of Attraction" is a mostly empty but still stylish tale of college debauchery. (10/10/02)
By Gene Armstrong

On Down the Road
In the subtle "Moonlight Mile," flawed, lovable characters endure the murder of a loved one. (10/03/02)
By Gene Armstrong

My Big Fat Israeli Wedding
"Late Marriage" is a bleak satire that's true to real life. (09/26/02)
By Gene Armstrong

Featherweight
An uneven remake fails to achieve epic standing. (09/19/02)
By Gene Armstrong

Far From Taxing
"Lagaan" is a delightful film worthy of blockbuster status. (09/19/02)
By Gene Armstrong

Tijuana Revisited
New documentary exposes different layers of the border metropolis. (09/19/02)
By Cristián A. Sierra

Striking Images
"One Hour Photo" is nearly picture perfect. (09/12/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Have No 'fear dot com'
This movie is so bad, it's almost enjoyable. (09/05/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Playing it Safe
"The Good Girl" takes a tried and true approach despite its independent status. (08/29/02)
By James DiGiovanna

A Head Too Big For the Picture
Robert Evans creates a successful film despite his big ego and narrative style. (08/22/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Middle of the Road
"Cletis Tout" achieves charming mediocrity without thrilling highs or groaning lows. (08/15/02)
By James DiGiovanna

A Positive Sign
M. Night Shyamalan's new film succeeds with a good script and camerawork. (08/08/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Ripples
"Rain" is a calm and consistent film with fine performances. (08/01/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Cinematic Quality
"CQ" offers fine performances and two films for the price of one. (07/25/02)
By James DiGiovanna

A Cool and Refreshing Treat
'Fast Runner' blends Eskimos, action, ice and excitement into a delectable film. (07/18/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Shake and Bake
Fire-breathing dragons stir up trouble in the battle-torn Earth of the future. (07/11/02)
By Gene Armstrong

Cherish This
The movie works despite the annoying title song. (07/04/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Hollow in the Middle
"Minority Report" has plenty of action and eye-candy but lacks depth and vision. (06/27/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Rhapsody in Black
"The Piano Teacher" is no merry melody. (06/20/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Spy Games
"Enigma" is a mystery wrapped by a puzzling director. (06/13/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Wink and Nod
Although "Insomnia" has a suspenseful plot, it's not what dreams are made of. (05/30/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Attack of the Drones
George Lucas clones convoluted plot, grade-school dialogue and bad acting to create a popular but nearly unwatchable film. (05/23/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Something Good About Maryam
Ramin Serry's film examines cultural differences and prejudice with a keen eye and human touch. (05/16/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Webs of Steel
Spider-Man uses his superhuman strength to fight crime, stand for justice and entertain moviegoers. (05/09/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Slash Gordon
Jason comes back to the future continuing his crusade against lustful teens. (05/02/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Disturbing Appetite
Although a beautiful and sensitive film, "Trouble Every Day" is not for the meek. (04/25/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Pretty Picture
"Metropolis" is full of pleasing images but lacks a substantial plot. (04/18/02)
By James DiGiovanna

A Self-Indulgent Festival
"Festival in Cannes" takes a pretentious look at the movie business. (04/11/02)
By James DiGiovanna

More Than Skin Deep
"Y Tu Mama Tambien" explores the limits of male adolescence with bad sex scenes and classic American humor. (04/04/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Vampire Mania
"Blade II" teaches us we're all the same on the inside. (03/28/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Straight From Video
You're not likely to find a better movie about flesh-eating zombies and undressed former supermodels than 'Resident Evil.' (03/21/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Bloody Decent Film
Oi! Those lovable limeys admirably pull off a soccer-hooligan remake of 'The Longest Yard.' (03/14/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Fact or Fiction?
The filmmaker behind "Welcome to the Dollhouse" and "Happiness" brilliantly exhibits the horror of suburban realism. (03/07/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Thorny Investigation
Missing persons, dead bodies, complicated emotions and no Crocodile Dundee--what more could we ask of an Aussie flick? (02/28/02)
By James DiGiovanna

'Crossroads' to Nowhere
Britney Spears' movie debut actually is worse than you might imagine. (02/21/02)
By James DiGiovanna

No Raincoats Required
'Intimacy' ranks among the best of recent European art films concerned with illicit affairs and graphic sexuality. (02/14/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Racism Confronts Romance
Lackluster cinematography distracts from top-notch acting by Billy Bob Thornton and even Halle Berry's breasts in "Monster's Ball." (02/07/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Gallic Kicks
"Wolf" offers stunning visuals, martial arts, cheesecake. What more could we ask? (01/31/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Resistance and Romance
Cate Blanchett and Billy Crudup make googly eyes in World War II France. (01/24/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Impeccable Action
Ridley Scott proves his brilliance with a great war film. (01/17/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Bedroom Eyes
Cinematography is the best of several good things about this movie. (01/10/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Oh, Tenenbaum!
Wes Anderson's latest film defies curmudgeonly killjoys. (01/03/02)
By James DiGiovanna

Shipping Out
This adaptation of Annie Proulx won't do. (12/27/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Cruise Control
'Vanilla Sky' proves again that Tom Cruise has more than one flavor. (12/20/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Holding It Together
"Tape" explores the sticky side of a threesome. (12/13/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Testosterone Poisoning
Here's an un-fun compendium of manly action-movie clichés. (12/06/01)
By

Brrr!
Snowboarding sequences, good; fratboy humor, horrendous. (11/29/01)
By

Potter's Field
We're not so wild about "Harry." (11/22/01)
By

Double Indemnity
Joel and Ethan Coen can't lose, even with warped noir. (11/15/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Sexual Healing
Women take back the night with a series of films about the oldest profession. (11/08/01)
By James DiGiovanna

We've Been Slimed
"13 Ghosts" is haunted by all the usual horror-film conventions. (11/01/01)
By James DiGiovanna

PC Virgin
'My First Mister' masters mismatched romance. (10/25/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Curves Ahead
"Mulholland Drive" has every twist and cul-de-sac you'd expect from David Lynch. (10/18/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Stolen Kisses
The romance-comedy caper 'Bandits' gets a big, blurbable thumbs up! Sort of. (10/11/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Sentimental Journeys
Frears' flick frustrates film fan. (10/04/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Darker Shadows
The Screening Room surrenders to the dark vision of James Fotopoulos. (09/27/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Stone's Throw
"Glass House" is short of shattering. (09/20/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Guys and Dolls
Gay cinema gets conventional. (09/13/01)
By James DiGiovanna

The Story of 'O'
Othello goes to prep school in the latest Shakespeare update. (09/06/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Inch Worm
"Hedwig" is a great, if anatomically incorrect, rock musical. (08/30/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Off the Deep End
Take the plunge into an outstanding thriller. (08/23/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Made in the Shade
How annoying can a low-level gangster get? (08/16/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Gay Deceiver
Crafty Daniel Auteil swings on the closet door. (08/09/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Monkey Soot
"Planet of the Apes" is a stinkingly bad film that's silly and entertaining. (08/02/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Barney's Revenge
"Jurassic Park III" will leave you dino-sore. (07/26/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Boxcar Willies
A showcase of culture-jamming films will artfully give you the creeps. (07/19/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Mob Scene
'Sexy Beast' is a real gang bang. (07/12/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Ay, Robot!
Steven Spielberg dumbs down what could have been a great Stanley Kubrick film. (07/05/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Just Add Teens
Disney/Buena Vista achieve mathematical precision in audience-targeting with teen-seeking missile "Crazy/Beautiful." (06/28/01)
By Curtis McCrary

Party Animals
Friends turn beastly when they attend Anniversary Party. (06/21/01)
By Ian Caruth

Unnatural Selection
Survival of the fittest doesn't affect the summer box office, so "Evolution" has a chance. (06/14/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Wild Kingdom
Believe it or not, Rob Schneider's "The Animal" makes a statement about racism in America. (06/07/01)
By James DiGiovanna

La Vie en Rouge
Everything's bright, fast and loud in Baz Luhrman's acid can-can. (05/31/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Knight Fall
An amusing popcorn romp through the Middle Ages gets sappy and slushy. (05/17/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Night of the Annoying Dead
Some things should never come back to life. (05/10/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Eureka!
Three hours of beautiful life. (05/03/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Forget Freddy
"Freddy Got Fingered" is a disgusting piece of trash that captures the title "Worst Film Ever Foisted Upon the American Public." (04/26/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Coming-out Party
Closeted, cultish and cartwheeling moviemakers all get their day in the projector at the Arizona International Film Festival. (04/19/01)
By Ian Caruth

Best in Show
"Amores Perros" didn't win the foreign-film Oscar, but it shoulda been a contender. (04/12/01)
By James DiGiovanna

White Lies
With "Blow," Hollywood snuffs its own history of cocaine addiction. (04/05/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Sacrificial Pan
Our reviewer endures films like "Say It Isn't So" so you won't have to. (03/29/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Sleepy Hollow
"Too Much Sleep" is a deeply boring film. (03/22/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Cop a Feel
"15 Minutes" tries to be controversial but reverts to Hollywood flimflam. (03/15/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Roddy Doyle Ha Ha Ha
When all else fails, the Irish turn to love and laughter. (03/08/01)
By James DiGiovanna

In Bad Faith
Devotion to the King won't bring salvation to "Graceland." (03/01/01)
By Ian Caruth

Polished Up
With "Last Resort," Pawel Pawlikowski promises to be one of the greatest Polish filmmakers outside Poland. (02/22/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Pig In A Poke
"Hannibal's" promise of suspense casts brains before swine. (02/15/01)
By James DiGiovanna

No Love Lost
"Valentine" will take you back to the '80s and all its horror. (02/08/01)
By James DiGiovanna

In Bad Taste
"Sugar and Spice" has nothing nice. (02/01/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Dracula Bites Again
"Shadow" is a dim addition to the vampire genre. (01/25/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Brotherly Love
The Coens create the first great musical of the 21st Century. (01/18/01)
By James DiGiovanna

State of the Art
David Mamet pokes fun at Tinsletown from the inside. (01/11/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Simple Minds
The pseudo-intellectual "Quills" dumbs down de Sade. (01/04/01)
By James DiGiovanna

Virtual Morality
Can pistol-packin' beauty queens save America? (12/28/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Gall In The Family
Sentenced to suburbia, Nicholas Cage makes a poor "Family Man." (12/21/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Summit Rut
In "Vertical Limit," what goes up comes way, way down. (12/14/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Flatliners
If it weren't for all the yelling, "Proof Of Life" would be DOA. (12/07/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Going For Broke
Shyamalan reuses his recipe for success with "Unbreakable." (11/30/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Rest In Pieces
"Requiem For A Dream" is a stunning yet shallow look at shattered lives. (11/23/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Crash Landing
The producers of "Red Planet" will soon be seeing red. (11/16/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Salvation Army
Charlie's Angels delivers us from the need for substance. (11/09/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Bare Bones
'Blair Witch' scared the pants off enough tourists to make another movie. (11/02/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Persian Persona
'Drunken Horses' finds a Bergman among the Kurds. (10/26/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Lesbian And Gay Film Festival
Lesbian and gay film festival. (10/26/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Viagra Years
'Dr. T' invigorates the great American sexist spirit. (10/19/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Every Dog Has His Day
"Best In Show" is funnier than Dubya's smile. (10/12/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Tender Is The Knife
Eroticized knife-throwing sessions bring French cinema up to the bar. (10/05/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Slice Of Life
The slashfest 'Urban Legends: Final Cut' shows how much we hate teens. (09/28/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Scratching The Surface
Things are not what they seem in Almost Famous. (09/21/00)
By James DiGiovanna

French Cut
Human Resources challenges its audience with an uncomfortable tone of naturalism. (09/14/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Tao Dejection
'Tao of Steve' treads on familiar ground. (09/07/00)
By James DiGiovanna

A Bang For Your Buck
The Shooting Gallery aims to put American cinema back on target. (08/31/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Give It Up And Bring It On
A battle of good versus evil versus cute and fluffy (08/31/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Crème DeMentia
Schlock auteur John Waters returns to his roots. (08/24/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Weeding The Garden
In "Saving Grace," cultivating cannabis preserves England's upper crust. (08/17/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Deeper Than You Think
"Hollow Man" sees through all the horror-film conventions. (08/10/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Cheering For The Homo Team
"But I'm A Cheerleader" has something to say about sexual de-programming. (08/03/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Melancholy Drone
Ethan Hawke darkens Denmark's sky. (07/27/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Marvelous Mutants
The long-anticipated X-Men arrives, in full force. (07/20/00)
By James DiGiovanna

The Sick Sense
"Scary Movie" masters the art of the gross-out. (07/13/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Patriot Games
Mel Gibson's holiday blockbuster falls flat. (07/06/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Gross, Point Blank
"Me, Myself & Irene" is over the top. (06/29/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Make War, Not Love
The new "Shaft" replaces passion with bloodlust. (06/22/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Car Alarm
Is "Gone in 60 Seconds" worthy of an AATA investigation? (06/15/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Momma Mia!
Martin Lawrence's new film confronts the dilemma of sexual confusion. (06/08/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Mission: Implausible
In the battle between cute and handsome, which face will prevail? (06/01/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Humdrum Heist
Woody Allen takes the money and bombs. (05/25/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Summer Cinema 2000
Coming soon to a multiplex near you: rampaging dinosaurs, fireball-dodging heroes, horny teens and hated mutants sworn to defend mankind. (05/18/00)
By Zachary Woodruff

Future Schlock
God could create a new hell where Battlefield: Earth is shown endlessly, just in case there are people who are too evil to go to regular hell. (05/18/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Rome Is Where The Heart Is
"Gladiator" replaces the history in ancient history with good, bloody fun. (05/11/00)
By James DiGiovanna

The Wrong Side Of Bedrock
Audiences are better off not meeting the Flintstones. (05/04/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Samurai Surrealism
"Ghost Dog" is a trip to another realm, where every moment is surprising and quietly compelling. (04/27/00)
By James DiGiovanna

The Existential Executioner
Don't malign it because it's violent; "American Psycho" is one of the best films of the year. (04/20/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Fast, Cheap And Out-Of-This-World
The Short Attention Span Film and Video Festival packs more than 70 digital, documentary, animated and hand-drawn celluloid masterpieces into a mere 100 minutes. (04/20/00)
By Mari Wadsworth

'Rumble' Stumbles
"Ready to Rumble" wrestles with good taste. (04/13/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Short Is Sweet
The Arizona International Film Festival explores The Reel Frontier of cinema through short films. (04/06/00)
By Mari Wadsworth

Wanted: Lofty Idealist
After 26 years, Joe Esposito is ready to let the credits roll on the Loft Cinema. (04/06/00)
By Mari Wadsworth

Bad-Ass Bard
Romeo Must Die picks up Romeo And Juliet's plot, but goes far beyond it with wild-eyed fighting and high-powered weaponry. (03/30/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Manifest West
The free film series American Place in American Avant-Garde Film pays tribute to the West's most eloquent images. (03/23/00)
By Mari Wadsworth

Sweet Revenge
Shakespeare's oft-derided "Tragedy of Titus Andronicus" dazzles as a big-screen epic. (03/16/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Tragic Comedies
While still a bit limp, "Drowning Mona" is pretty much "Citizen Kane" when compared to "What Planet Are You From?" (03/09/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Fear And Loathing In Nebraska
Academy Award nominee "Boys Don't Cry" arrives on local screens. (03/02/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Billionaire Boys Flub
Skip "Boiler Room" and rent "Glengarry Glen Ross" or "Wall Street" instead. (02/24/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Paradise Found
If life's a "Beach," then you'll want to see it! (02/17/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Special Screenings
The story of an aspiring actress at odds with her small community kicks off the Shooting Gallery Film Series. (02/17/00)

Cell Block
A reasonably clever idea suffers from an unreasonably weak script in "Scream 3." (02/10/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Blind Alley
There's one question raised by "Eye of the Beholder": huh? (02/03/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Diametrical Duo
"End of the Affair" is fine viewing, while "Down to You"'s main charm is cold sores. (01/27/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Tough Luck Of The Irish
The best of Frank McCourt's writing mingles with stark visuals in Alan Parker's adaptation of "Angela's Ashes." (01/20/00)
By Margaret Regan

Astral Atrocity
No one should go anywhere near this non-movie. (01/20/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Storm Warning
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's story is intensely engaging; unfortunately, "The Hurricane" captures just about none of its intrigue. (01/13/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Flower Power
If your Ritalin prescription is strong enough to allow you to sit still for three hours, "Magnolia" is definitely worth the price of admission. (01/06/00)
By James DiGiovanna

Feature Shock
Suggested viewing for the new century. (12/30/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Short Circuit
You can pretty much figure out Bicentennial Man's schtick: a robot just wants to be human and blah blah blah. (12/23/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Wayward 'Journey'
"Felicia's Journey" winds up committing the greatest of cinematic sins: it's boring. (12/16/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Right To Remain Silent
Reading this review may irreversibly limit your ability to enjoy the movie being hailed by lesser critics as one of this year's best. (12/09/99)
By Mari Wadsworth

The Devil And Hissed Groans
"End of Days" succeeds at being magnificently bad. (12/02/99)
By James DiGiovanna

'Enough' Is Enough
Some bad guy wants to blow something up, so James Bond has to have sex with an assortment of beautiful white girls. (11/25/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Motion Slickness
This weekend's six-fold program features two Arizona premieres, as well as the return of "Open 'til Three" and Toubassi's "Number 13." (11/18/99)
By Mari Wadsworth

Smoke Screen
The Insider is a very important film. (11/11/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Access Hollywood
"Being John Malkovich" has a sharp script, a lot of oddball plot twists, and some great actors who can really pull off the weird and eccentric characters. (11/04/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Nude Awakening
Much of "Romance" is genuinely funny, though whether it's on purpose is a question open to debate. (10/28/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Prize Fight
As an intellectual macho homage to Ingmar Bergman, "Fight Club" can't be beat. (10/21/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Heart Failure
Somewhere in the middle of the movie, realizing that he's used up all the plot alloted him by the plot department for this flick, Pollack gets desperate. (10/14/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Royal Treatment
George Clooney and company pursue a king's ransom. (10/07/99)
By James DiGiovanna

A Real Beauty
The latest entry into what could be a new canon of filmmaking is the extremely well-made "American Beauty." (09/30/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Top Cop
Lawrence's performance alone makes "Blue Streak" somewhat appealing. (09/23/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Ghost With The Most
"Echoes" surpasses most of its peers in the horror-thriller genre with its precise plotting and exacting visual aesthetic. (09/16/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Eye Of The Beholder
You might experience déjà vu if you see 'Outside Providence.' (09/09/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Lethal Speed, Beep-Beep!
Skeet Ulrich, who somehow manages to package Keanu Reeves brain inside Johnny Depp's body, stars in this thriller about a chemical weapon on the loose. (09/02/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Slipped 'Mickey'
The most disturbing thing about Mickey Blue Eyes is the way it mistakes violence and abuse for light comedy. (08/26/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Tale Of Two Cines
It's the best of films (Detroit Rock City), it's the worst of films (Bowfinger). (08/19/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Crown Jewel
There's more to entice in "Thomas Crown" than Rene Russo's over-hyped breasts. (08/12/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Essential Iron
"Iron Giant" is one of the best animated features of the decade, and one of the best movies of the year. (08/05/99)
By James DiGiovanna

The Witching Hour
"The Blair Witch Project" sneaks up on you when you're least expecting it. (07/29/99)
By Zachary Woodruff

Kubrick's Rubes
'Eyes' is every bit as good as Kubrick's previous work. (07/22/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Virgin Territory
Two new films explore the morality of sexual awakening. (07/15/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Summer Sizzler
While Summer of Sam is probably Spike Lee's best film since Do The Right Thing, its maturity and difference from his earlier work may signify that his best is yet to come. (07/08/99)
By James DiGiovanna

Rad Dad
Sandler manages to rattle off quite a few good one-liners, the pleasure of which was only partially diminished by the string of pee, vomit and spit jokes. Shockingly, there were no poop jokes. (07/01/99)
By James DiGiovanna