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John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

  1. Broken English 2007 ...there are reasons to catch Broken English, chief among them Posey's winning performance as a woman unsure whether to trust her romantic instincts. full review
  2. Charlie Bartlett 2007 Tone is everything in a movie like this, and director John Poll spends the entire running time trying to find it. full review
  3. The Devil Came on Horseback 2007 The Devil Came on Horseback is a documentary account of Steidle's ongoing efforts to educate the world about the violence he witnessed as an unarmed military observer for the African Union in 2004. full review
  4. Lars and the Real Girl 2007 The most poignant, well-acted and weirdly funny movie you'll see this year. full review
  5. The Rape of Europa 2007 As thorough as the movie is, it could easily devote another hour to cases like this. full review
  6. The Ten 2007 If there were Ten Commandments for filmmaking, one would certainly be: Thou shalt not pass off sketch comedy as a feature film, especially when charging $9 a ticket. full review
  7. Curious George 2006 The biggest surprise of Curious George is how it keeps consistently entertaining at a kids' level. full review
  8. The Ground Truth 2006 I don't pretend to understand the pressures facing U.S. troops in Iraq, but I feel a little closer after witnessing The Ground Truth. full review
  9. Jackass: Number Two 2006 Just as outrageous as fans were hoping it would be. full review
  10. Lady Chatterley 2006 Excellent performances by everyone involved help you overlook the incongruity of French-speaking actors in traditional English settings. full review
  11. Last Holiday 2006 Track down the old movie if you crave a real meal. full review
  12. Slither 2006 I know it's supposed to be silly, but Slither feels more like a scattershot spoof than a fine-tuned piece of entertainment. full review
  13. Color Me Kubrick 2005 The irony of Color Me Kubrick is that the visual tricks merely serve as a backdrop for Malkovich's inspired high-wire performance. full review
  14. End of the Spear 2005 The production is sometimes so handsome, the scenery so compelling, that you almost forget about the melodramatic missteps and the bad wigs. full review
  15. Karla 2005 Things in the movie, like the slasher movie music cues, hint that Karla has exploitation in its veins. The reasons for making it -- and seeing it -- remain more than slightly suspect. full review
  16. Old Joy 2005 The movie captures gorgeous mountain scenery with the simplicity of an Ozu film. It also benefits from the naturalistic performances. full review
  17. Darkness Falls 2003 Knowing that they don't have the scariest movie around, it would seem as if the filmmakers have vowed to make it the loudest. full review
  18. I Like Killing Flies 2003 The security-camera visuals and intrusive button microphone jutting into the frame give the movie an appealing fly-on-the-wall quality, successfully capturing the old Shopsin's experience for posterity. full review
  19. Radio 2003 Of course I should know better, but the movie had me blubbering from its first down. full review
  20. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress 2002 The movie may lose some of its bite when translated from page to screen, but it still delivers a valid message. When one of the boys starts reading good literature, life takes on new meaning.
  21. The Master of Disguise 2002 A painfully unfunny mess. full review
  22. Paid in Full 2002 Though filmed partly in Canada, Paid in Full has clever ways of capturing inner-city life during the Reagan years. full review
  23. Secret Things 2002 While some might mistake it as a bitter view of sexual politics and empowerment, it's also pretty crass filmmaking.
  24. Stuart Little 2 2002 This follow-up to the 1999 family hit knows exactly what its audience wants -- action, charm and eye-popping visuals. full review
  25. Lagaan - Once Upon a Time in India 2001 An old-fashioned crowd-pleaser that charms you into forgiving any of its shortcomings. full review
  26. Love the Hard Way 2001 Feels like it was crafted by an outsider, with the cliche-filled dialogue reading like a rough translation.
  27. Manic 2001 Yes, there are the usual lessons learned, but the movie also speaks the truth about kids who need to lash out but only end up harming each other and themselves. full review
  28. Scary Movie 2 2001 The inevitable sequel delivers the same schtick, but it's only fresh by half. full review
  29. Shaolin Soccer 2001 Has heart and a freewheeling spirit that makes you smile at the same time you're calling it the stupidest thing you've ever seen. full review
  30. Acts Of Worship 2000 Has all the hallmarks of a high-quality independent production, where real-life texture and genuine emotion more than compensate for lack of polish.
  31. The Tigger Movie 2000 The movie is so refreshingly subtle and sweet compared to other recent Disney features.
  32. Faust 1926 Still a classic example of eye-popping excess at a time when German filmmakers were among the most innovative in the world.