instantwatcher.com

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

1. The Forgotten 2004 You could wind up with whiplash watching this film, and that's a compliment. full review
2. Little Black Book 2004 One of those annoyingly coy romantic comedies in which people try to improve their relationships by deceiving and investigating each other. full review
3. Vanity Fair 2004 [Nair] clearly loves these characters, the kind and unkind alike. And the proof of this is that she makes them all so marvelously vivid. full review
4. White Chicks 2004 Moronic. full review
5. 21 Grams 2003 Fascinating because of the way the story is told -- and because of the existential issues that it forces you to consider. full review
6. Daddy Day Care 2003 It's pitched at kids, but adults will be guffawing too.
7. Darkness Falls 2003 The best thing to be said for Darkness Falls is that it contains one decent piece of advice: Stay in the light. When the lights are on, after all, this movie won't be shown.
8. The Good Thief 2003 Rumpled and dissolute, Nolte shambles through this gracefully atmospheric crime film with a cool poignancy that verges on the comic.
9. The Hunted 2003 The generic title is your first clue that The Hunted is run-of-the-mill.
10. Mona Lisa Smile 2003 When was the last time you saw a mainstream movie with big, flashy stars that featured a fairly sophisticated discussion of the nature of art? full review
11. Radio 2003 It's still a tear-jerker, but it doesn't make you feel like a jerk for tearing up. full review
12. Something's Gotta Give 2003 Nicholson and Keaton do what they can to compensate for the script's weaknesses, which is actually quite a bit. Even without age-specific dialogue to help them out, they manage to suggest a strong connection between their characters. full review
13. Swimming Pool 2003 Ozon simultaneously manages to make his film lazily sexual and crisply suspenseful.
14. Tears of the Sun 2003 Willis' performance redeems much of the film.
15. Touching the Void 2003 For a movie like this, touching the void just isn't enough. It has to touch the audience, too. full review
16. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys 2002 Although fairly involving as far as it goes, the film doesn't end up having much that is fresh to say about growing up Catholic or, really, anything.
17. The Hours 2002 A moving essay about the specter of death, especially suicide.
18. Igby Goes Down 2002 The film makes a fatal mistake: It asks us to care about a young man whose only apparent virtue is that he is not quite as unpleasant as some of the people in his life.
19. Maid in Manhattan 2002 If you think that Jennifer Lopez has shown poor judgment in planning to marry Ben Affleck, wait till you see Maid in Manhattan.
20. The Master of Disguise 2002 No amount of nostalgia for Carvey's glory days can disguise the fact that the new film is a lame kiddie flick and that Carvey's considerable talents are wasted in it.
21. Paid in Full 2002 It's actually too sincere -- the crime movie equivalent of a chick flick.
22. Punch-Drunk Love 2002 Easily one of the best and most exciting movies of the year.
23. Star Trek - Nemesis 2002 Surprisingly, considering that Baird is a former film editor, the movie is rather choppy.
24. The Sum of All Fears 2002 Watching this film, we can't shake our fears that we may be witnessing a version of our own previously unthinkable future.
25. Treasure Planet 2002 Has its moments, but it's pretty far from a treasure.
26. Along Came a Spider 2001 Along Came a Spider is watchable, but that's about all.
27. Friends and Family 2001 Which is worse? Lame jokes about gays or lame jokes about the mob? full review
28. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back 2001 All that's required to enjoy this crazily engaging comedy is to be somewhere near Smith's twisted Gen X wavelength.
29. Rat Race 2001 These people, and the actors who play them, work so very hard that just watching them tires you out.
30. The Safety of Objects 2001 The sheer number and variety of miseries on view suggest a kind of wallowing.
31. The Score 2001 Spends so much time establishing a shadowy, jazzy neo-noir tone that the details of the heist are slighted and much of the excitement drains away.
32. Sexy Beast 2001 A marvelously suspenseful character study wrapped up in a refreshingly tight crime film.
33. Shaolin Soccer 2001 May be the funniest out-and-out comedy of the summer. full review
34. Tape 2001 There's a place in the world of the cinema for filmed theater, especially when it's done as well as it is here.
35. Billy Elliot 2000 This movie does have a certain undeniable charm.
36. Blow Dry 2000 You find yourself liking many of these people and even sort of rooting for the Cut Above team.
37. Happy Accidents 2000 For a high-flown fantasy, it's surprisingly down-to-Earth.
38. Malena 2000 Its heart is in the right place.
39. Our Song 2000 A truly fresh performance can do wonders for a movie, and Our Song has three of them.
40. Quills 2000 Kaufman is one of the great, underappreciated maestros of the movies, and his work here is indeed masterly.
41. Titan A.E. 2000 It's like watching other people play video games.
42. Traffic 2000 Don't avoid Traffic. It takes you to the most amazing places.
43. Dirty Dancing 1987 Although the plot is sometimes implausible, the movie's music, dancing and romantic spirit carry a lot of it. In addition, Dirty Dancing has the virtues of a female main character (a bit unusual in a coming-of-age movie) and an interesting setting. full review