At once random, predictable and nearly insulting reworking of the perennial 70s blaxploitation private eye.
An interesting premise – the actor playing the infamous ‘Nosferatu’ is actually a vampire – grows stale over the course of E. Elias Merhige’s dark comedy, despite an eerily on-target performance by Willem Dafoe.
Dark, funny and relentlessly original tale of a retired thief who wants to stay that way. Worth the viewing for its exciting direction by Jonathan Glazer and for Ben Kingsley’s outstanding performance.
Director Brad Anderson can’t find the right angle to make this interesting premise – four men working in an abandoned asylum – rise above a standard ‘Blair Witch’ knock-off.
It’s no secret that Johnny Depp is a relentlessly interesting actor. That alone propels this moderate thriller for its first half, but even Depp can’t sustain what is essentially an amusingly derivative short story.
There are two movies trapped inside Alan Rudolph’s ‘The Secret Lives of Dentists.’ One is an incisive look at a family slowly pried apart by suspicion and miscommunication, the other is a gimmicky satire about a timid husband’s alter-ego finding its voice in an imaginary friend (Denis Leary). Frankly, I’d like to see both movies – but not at the same time.
Part ‘Pygmalion,’ part ‘Boxing Helena,’ writer-director Steven Shainberg’s unique but ultimately pointless S&M parable is captivating nonetheless thanks to the perfect casting of Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader.
Thoughtful performances by Jeff Bridges, Tobey Maguire and Chris Cooper buoy Gary Ross’ competant but under-whelming story of the legendary racehorse and the men who loved him. Great filmmaking, but not a great film.
This fitting conclusion to the horror trilogy noticeably lacks the bite of Kevin Williamson’s dialogue, but the standard-issue pop culture references and slasher movie staples are still there.
The Olympian casting of Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and Edward Norton makes this heist thriller a solid entry in the genre.
