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Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

1. Puccini for Beginners 2007 The movie offers a charming view of a small-town Manhattan where strangers constantly give Allegra romantic advice. Though that device is a little too indebted to Woody Allen, at least Maggenti does Allen a lot better than Ed Burns. full review
2. Heading South 2006 Exploring female desire in a way films rarely do, Heading South is a film of sometimes subtle, sometimes blunt metaphors for the interaction of rich and pauperized countries. full review
3. Brick 2005 What sounds like a stunt, or a genre-mashup oddity like Bugsy Malone, proves to be a sharp, tongue-in-cheek exercise, balancing deadpan menace with well-timed comedy. full review
4. Old Joy 2005 Old Joy may be built around a road trip, but it's also a movie about two roads -- and two souls -- diverging. full review
5. CSA: Confederate States of America 2003 A mockumentary often as unnerving as it is amusing, CSA: The Confederate States of America kicks off with a simple premise: What if the South had won 'the War of Northern Aggression'? full review
6. The Machinist 2003 It's an overly calculated, schematic graph of a script that eliminates the things we go to the movies to experience: interesting characters, a story we can relate to, an emotional release. full review
7. Once Upon a Time in Mexico 2003 A lusty, zesty goof. full review
8. Primer 2003 Has such an engaging, offbeat first half that it's all the more frustrating when it gets lost inside its own convolutions and delayed revelations. full review
9. Shaolin Soccer 2001 It's genial goofiness can keep you smiling for 87 minutes. full review
10. Gossip 2000 Gossip isn't really worth talking about. full review
11. The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle 2000 The movie never quite coheres into a consistent vision. full review
12. Billy Elliot 2000 One of those rare movies that earns its feel-good ending without turning a blind eye to the compromises and little sorrows of everyday life. full review
13. Hamlet 2000 A moody and compelling update of Shakespeare's classic. full review
14. The Original Kings of Comedy 2000 Under Spike Lee's direction it's one of the liveliest concert films in years. full review
15. Scream 3 2000 [Wraps] up the trilogy in satisfying fashion. full review
16. In Too Deep 1999 Sharp performances. full review
17. Snow Falling on Cedars 1999 Pretty but chilly. full review
18. Superstar 1999 Silly but compellingly sweet movie. full review
19. Topsy-Turvy 1999 Despite its draining length, it proves to be even better and richer on a second viewing. full review
20. Shakespeare in Love 1998 Like some of Shakespeare's own, unclassifiable plays that bounce between comedy and tragedy, it's a wonderful mess.