The Fountain (2006)

The Fountain (2006)

[6] So, fifteen minutes into The Fountain, you get a bald man sitting in a snow globe talking to a tree while drifting through space. At that point, you either go with writer/director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream),…
Winter’s Bone (2010)

Winter’s Bone (2010)

[8] Jennifer Lawrence earned her first Oscar nomination playing Ree, a brave teenager raising her younger siblings in Debra Granik's Winter's Bone, based on a novel by Daniel Woodrell. When her drug-dealing father puts the family home up for collateral on…
Buried (2010)

Buried (2010)

[7]  For the entirety of this film, you never leave a pine box buried in the desert. It's a gimmick, but it's a good one. Star Ryan Reynolds and director Rodrigo Cortes work magic to build drama and suspense in…
The Hole (2001)

The Hole (2001)

[4] Four teenagers decide to lock themselves in an underground bunker for three days of a good time, but when a mutual acquaintance doesn't return to let them out, things start to get hairy. The concept is okay, but the…
Lonelyhearts (1958)

Lonelyhearts (1958)

[4] Montgomery Clift plays an eager journalist who risks losing his girlfriend after his editor nudges him into an affair with another woman. The dreary storyline struggles to rise above its theatrical roots and lead star Clift, whom I normally…
In the Heat of the Night (1967)

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

[7] Sidney Poitier plays a black Northern detective who reluctantly aides a white Southern sheriff (Rod Steiger) in solving a murder case. The mystery itself is a bit thin, but it's bolstered by good performances from the leads and a…
Chariots of Fire (1981)

Chariots of Fire (1981)

[3] A Jew and a Christian compete in the 1924 Olympics, both running in the name of God and adversity. I'm sorry to say I just couldn't give a shit. I couldn't empathize with their motivations. They feel God when…
True Crime (1999)

True Crime (1999)

[6] Clint Eastwood tackles one of the most hackneyed of all movie subgenres, the race-the-clock death row rescue thriller, and breathes at least enough life into it to keep you engaged. Isaiah Washington puts in a good performance as the…
State of the Union (1948)

State of the Union (1948)

[6] Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn star in a Frank Capra movie about the political and personal tolls of running for president of the United States. Van Johnson and Margaret Hamilton are fun in supporting roles. Angela Lansbury is nice…
Cape Fear (1962)

Cape Fear (1962)

[7] Gregory Peck plays a prosecutor terrorized by Robert Mitchum, a recently released convict Peck sent to prison eight years ago. Director J. Lee Thompson (Guns of Navarone) takes his cues from Hitchcock and crafts a film that can compete…