instantwatcher.com

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

1. Big Fish 2004 An enchanting tale from Tim Burton that weaves together reality and myth so touchingly it hardly matters which is which. full review
2. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind 2004 This mind-bender is both funny and touchingly romantic. full review
3. The Forgotten 2004 It's amazing the acting talent assembled for this mess. full review
4. Hotel Rwanda 2004 Because of the subject matter, this feels like one of those films you see because it's good for you. But it also is an extraordinarily moving drama. full review
5. Inside Deep Throat 2004 Above all, the film is a lively, music-filled social history. full review
6. Vera Drake 2004 One of Leigh's better movies. full review
7. 21 Grams 2003 Establishes [Inarritu] as a major cinematic force. full review
8. Anger Management 2003 Folks who loved Punch-Drunk Love won't care much for Anger Management, but cameo appearances by a host of famous names occur frequently enough that we're forced to stay alert, if only to catch them. full review
9. Daddy Day Care 2003 Eddie Murphy hasn't made a good movie in so long, I'm starting to think his bad choices are deliberate. full review
10. Darkness Falls 2003 Nothing about this makes sense, even by the standards of bad horror movies. full review
11. The Good Thief 2003 The heist is the story's spine, the melody. But what's really interesting are the solo flights that branch off and the filigrees that embellish it. full review
12. Identity 2003 This isn't a story: It's a catalog of gruesome murders. full review
13. In the Cut 2003 Despite its weaknesses, this is an entrancing movie. full review
14. The Missing 2003 There are some Western themes and principles you can't fiddle with. Thankfully, when it counted most, Howard didn't try. full review
15. Mona Lisa Smile 2003 A Dead Poets Society for girls, substituting Roberts' luminosity for Robin Williams' mania. full review
16. Once Upon a Time in Mexico 2003 Depp, who looks and dresses eerily like Michael Jackson near the end, has an appealing breeziness. full review
17. Radio 2003 I'm happy to report Radio is tolerable. Better than tolerable, in fact, but not much better. full review
18. Something's Gotta Give 2003 This contrived fantasy has a few funny moments, but the wish-fulfillment factor is its draw. full review
19. Swimming Pool 2003 Ozon takes a long time setting up his story, but the interplay between Sagnier and Rampling is electric. full review
20. Tears of the Sun 2003 What's noteworthy is that Tears is simultaneously a gripping action tale and a plea for a policy of engagement, of humanitarian intervention, in parts of the world where oil is not at stake. full review
21. Touching the Void 2003 A tense, well-made tale about excruciating experiences. full review
22. Equilibrium 2002 Giggling at the absurdities and inconsistencies is part of the fun. But the talented cast alone will keep you watching, as will the fight scenes. full review
23. The Hours 2002 A compelling, moving film that respects its audience and its source material. full review
24. Igby Goes Down 2002 A deliciously cold, brutal and unsentimental gem about growing up in an environment that knows no mercy. full review
25. Lost in La Mancha 2002 Entertaining documentary about how badly everything went. full review
26. The Pianist 2002 There seems to be no end to movies that deal with the Holocaust, but The Pianist, in its craftmanship and its approach to the tale, is a story we haven't seen before. full review
27. Punch-Drunk Love 2002 [Anderson] uses a hit-or-miss aesthetic that hits often enough to keep the film entertaining even if none of it makes a lick of sense. full review
28. Rollerball 2002 Successfully creates for the viewer the feeling of being trapped inside a video arcade going at full tilt, a thrilling prospect for 14-year-old boys, no doubt, though it's hard to imagine anyone else enjoying it. full review
29. Windtalkers 2002 Woo makes Windtalkers his own by combining the style and concerns of his earlier work with retro-sounding music and other war-movie conventions. full review
30. Black Hawk Down 2001 Black Hawk Down has a relentless force that makes character development almost beside the point. full review
31. Baran 2001 The tale is simply but effectively told. full review
32. Bully 2001 Clark pokes his lenses where they don't belong; and though the actresses both are 21, they look young enough that the film edges uncomfortably close to child pornography. full review
33. Gosford Park 2001 A sweet tune, airy but not quite gay, and it carries a sardonic edge. full review
34. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back 2001 Unlike, say, American Pie 2 or the Scary Movie franchise, there's obvious intelligence at work behind the stupidity. full review
35. Manic 2001 Absorbing and occasionally disturbing film. full review
36. Pootie Tang 2001 It would've made a great 30-minute comic short. Most of the film is padding. full review
37. Scary Movie 2 2001 It shows no particular insight into the movies or cultural phenomena being mocked. full review
38. Tape 2001 Perhaps because they are working out emotional conflicts from high school, and Vince seems stuck at a childish emotional level, what takes place in the room seems juvenile, despite the powerful subject matter. full review
39. Vanilla Sky 2001 [Crowe's] 'bigger is better' approach consistently misplaces the emphasis and waters down the movie's appeal. full review
40. The Gift 2000 The movie has an impressive cast. Blanchett is a terrific actress who deserves better than this. full review
41. Happy Accidents 2000 The story isn't perfectly proportioned ... but it gets quirkier at the points where most romantic comedies go limp. full review
42. Meet the Parents 2000 Within its formulaic confines, the humor works uncommonly well from time to time. full review
43. Our Song 2000 We come to care about the characters, and at the end we appreciate having had the opportunity to see the world through their eyes. full review
44. Quills 2000 It breathes, it twirls, it prances right up into your face. It swirls over the top sometimes, but there never is any doubt you're watching a movie about something. full review
45. The Taste of Others 2000 Rich with gentle humor and insight. full review
46. Traffic 2000 Smart, risky entertainment. full review