instantwatcher.com

Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

1. Elegy 2008 Spanish director Isabel Coixet displays what is almost reverence for the material. You can imagine her whispering on the set. She brings out the absolute best in her top-notch cast. full review
2. Happy-Go-Lucky 2008 The key to enjoying the film, a minor effort by Leigh, is warming up to Poppy. Her bubbly personality may be too much for some. She's like a walking, talking smiley face. full review
3. Black Snake Moan 2007 Black Snake Moan is a trip to that unfamiliar territory well worth tagging along on. full review
4. Broken English 2007 Broken English doesn't break any code or offer original insights on the subject. But there's a spark whenever Posey and Poupaud are together, and Paris and Manhattan glisten in the background. full review
5. Civic Duty 2007 The filmmakers aren't able to pull it off but deserve credit for their attempt to be thought-provoking. full review
6. Freedom Writers 2007 At a time when New Year's resolutions to change already are falling by the wayside, you can't help but be moved by a group of young people who followed through on their resolve. full review
7. Mr. Bean's Holiday 2007 An only intermittently funny sequel that finally livens up in the last third. But that part -- a hilarious putdown of the pretension at the Cannes Film Festival -- is worth sticking around for. full review
8. Outsourced 2007 The problem with making a movie on topical subjects is that by the time of its release, it can seem awfully stale. full review
9. Save Me 2007 Save Me doesn't poke fun at anyone's beliefs. It takes a more nuanced humanistic approach. full review
10. Trumbo 2007 It's a pleasure to meet a truly moral man in a documentary that rightly heralds his name. full review
11. Colma: The Musical 2006 Deserves to be seen for its sheer originality and audacity. full review
12. Copying Beethoven, (Klang der Stille) 2006 You may walk out of Copying Beethoven humming the movie. But that's not the same as singing its praises. full review
13. Lady Chatterley 2006 This latest effort, winner of five César awards (the French Oscar) including for best film and actress, is supremely sensuous -- while presenting an intriguingly complex Constance. full review
14. Last Holiday 2006 An awful lot makes no sense in Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman's script, starting with its basic premise. full review
15. Maxed Out 2006 While the documentary does a credible job of pointing out the magnitude of the problem, it skirts the issue of what can be done about it and by whom. full review
16. Sherrybaby 2006 Like its hyped-up heroine, Sherrybaby, based on a true story, explodes with manic energy that keeps you riveted through parts that might otherwise be difficult to watch. full review
17. Unknown 2006 Unknown is far from unwatchable, just undistinguished. full review
18. The Wind That Shakes the Barley 2006 The humanity that Loach and his compassionate screenwriter bring to their story prevents it from being another polemic about how the British screwed Ireland. full review
19. Cavite 2005 This is by no means a polished film. But it has an energy lacking in thrillers that cost hundreds times more to make. full review
20. Color Me Kubrick 2005 Colour Me Kubrick is a somewhat fictionalized accounting of this amazing but true story. The filmmakers have wisely turned it into a comedy, and a wickedly entertaining one at that. full review
21. Cowboy Del Amor 2005 Thompson is no McNamara, and Cowboy del Amor is no Fog of War. But there is something hypnotic about this self-styled romance expert expounding on the fog of love. full review
22. End of the Spear 2005 Too bad this sincere but inept movie doesn't do justice to any of the real people whose powerful story it tells. full review
23. How The Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer 2005 Riedel reveals herself to be a novice filmmaker, especially in the pacing of most scenes. full review
24. Lonesome Jim 2005 Nothing in this well-intentioned but lifeless indie draws the hard laughter that comes from creating characters that somehow get to you. full review
25. My Summer of Love 2005 My Summer of Love had me at hello. full review
26. Nine Lives 2005 It feels like real life, in nine acts. full review
27. Old Joy 2005 Slow moving but ultimately quite touching. full review
28. Sweet Land 2005 Sweet Land is an unusual look at love and how it can unexpectedly develop. Those for whom the concept of an arranged marriage is foreign will get a little history lesson on the immigrant experience watching this sweetly engrossing film. full review
29. This Film is Not Yet Rated 2005 Extremely amusing and as close a look as you're likely to get at the mysterious workings of this self-appointed regulatory agency. full review
30. After Innocence 2004 Deeply touching and overwhelmingly sad. full review
31. Following Sean 2004 At its exhilarating best, Following Sean is reminiscent of the lauded British documentaries that began with 7 Up and continued to follow a cross-section of 7-year-olds into adulthood to see how they turned out. full review
32. Me and You and Everyone We Know 2004 Totally original yet filled with familiar human frailties, Everyone leaps off the screen to become one of those rare movie-going experiences that linger in the part of the brain reserved for celluloid memories. full review
33. Sex Is Comedy 2002 Annoying, soporific and, despite its title, singularly humorless. full review
34. A Walk on the Moon 1999 full review
35. Next Stop Wonderland 1998 A sweetly seductive romantic comedy! full review
36. Shakespeare in Love 1998 The cast is near perfect. full review
37. Slums of Beverly Hills 1998 A hilarious comedy that never strains to be funny. full review
38. 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag 1997 full review
39. As Good As It Gets 1997 Part of the appeal of this comedy is that Melvin's transformation never gets sappy. full review
40. The Devil's Own 1997 full review
41. A Smile Like Yours 1997 full review
42. Love Serenade 1996 full review
43. Unhook the Stars 1996 full review