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Emanuel Levy, Variety

1. The World's Fastest Indian 2005 Personal film projects about which directors feel passionate about don't necessarily result in good films as is evident in this manipulative and schmaltzy inspirational fairy tale. full review
2. Bringing Out the Dead 1999 Although Scorsese and Schrader may not have pulled off alchemy by transforming an undistinguished piece of literature into a great film, Bringing Out the Dead is still the best adaptation imaginable of its source material. full review
3. But I'm A Cheerleader 1999 Broadly conceived and schematically directed (or is it non-directed?), this is a shallow satire, basically a short extended into feature length movie, about a rehabilitation camp for gays and lesbians that wastes the talent of Natasha Lyons. full review
4. A Midsummer Night's Dream 1999 Intermittently enjoyable! full review
5. Thick As Thieves 1999 full review
6. The War Zone 1999 Gifted Brit actor Tim Roth makes a feature directing debut with this well-acted, uncompromisingly depressing drama about a working-class family torn apart by incest and abuse. full review
7. High Art 1998 A highlight of the 1998 Sundance Festival: Cholodenko depicts with unwavering veracity the breakup of one longtime lesbian relationship just as another, unexpected one begins. The acting of the three women, Sheedy Mitchell, and Clarkson, is superb. full review
8. Slums of Beverly Hills 1998 Funny, well acted comedy from a new director whose career shuld be watched full review
9. The Apostle 1997 A labor of love coming to fruition after 13 years, this is Robert Duvall's third and best directorial effort, a sharply observed exploration of a preacher who embarks on a redemption odyssey after committing a crime. full review
10. Eve's Bayou 1997 An intensely emotional drama that mixes elements of Southern Gothic with the kinds of characters and tensions that prevail in the plays of Southern writers like Tennessee Williams. full review
11. Good Will Hunting 1997 Towering performance by Matt Damon as a troubled working class who needs to address his creative genius elevates this drama way above its therapeutic approach, resulting in a zeitgeist film that may touch chord with young viewers the way The Graduate did full review
12. Mrs. Brown 1997 Centering on a lesser-known chapter in the reign of Queen Victoria, this richly detailed drama about her intimate relationship with her servant that scandalized the country is extremely well-acted; Judi Dench deserves an Oscar nomination full review
13. She's So Lovely 1997 Based on Cassavetes pere script, this Cassavetes fils meditation on love and madness is a truly curioisity item, lacking the master's profound ideas and rich subtext; 20 years ago, it would have starred Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara and Peter Falk. full review
14. Jingle All the Way 1996 In this formulaic star vehicle, Schwarzenegger gets to fly like Peter Pan, act like Superman--and fulfill all the fantasies kids may have about their fathers. full review
15. Unhook the Stars 1996 Nick Cassavetes' first feature celebrates the acting grandeur of his mom Gena Rowlands, casting her in the lead role as a older woman who would rather stick to her independent lifestyle than be dependent on her kids; I wish the script were better. full review
16. The Doom Generation 1995 Inspired by Godard's classic Band Apart, Araki's fifth feature is his most audacious and most technically accomplished film to date, reflecting the larger than usual budget and gained experience. full review
17. Four Rooms 1995 Four of the hottest indie directors--Anders, Rockwell, Tarantino, and Rodrigues--miss a unique opportunity to display their idiosyncratic talents resulting in a tedious anthology in which 2 segments are inept, one barely decent, and one OK (guess whose) full review
18. Unzipped 1995 Though uncritical of NY designer Mizrahi, docu is everything that Altman's dreadful Ready to Wear should have been: An insider's view of the fashion world that's hip, light, authentic, revelatory, and always amusing. full review
19. Monkey Trouble 1994 full review
20. Mother's Boys 1994 full review
21. Street Fighter 1994 Far less captivating than the videogame that inspired it. full review
22. Hard Target 1993 A disappointing American debut of the Hong Kong cult director John Woo is a decent action vehicle by standards of its star Jean-Claude Van Damme but, hampered by a B script and flat characters, it doesn't bear Woo's auteurist signature and unique vision full review
23. Young Mr. Lincoln 1939 One of the decade's most significant works, the film was admired by Soveit director Sergei Eisenstein for its embodiment of the era's spirit and by the French critics of Cahiers du Cinema for its convergence of ideology and style. full review