The Quiet American (2002)

The Quiet American (2002)

[6] Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser vie for the affection of a beautiful Vietnamese woman against the backdrop of the French-Indochina War. Philip Noyce (Dead Calm, Patriot Games) is the second director to bring Graham Greene's novel to the screen…
Paper Heart (2009)

Paper Heart (2009)

[4] A maudlin pseudo-documentary about a socially awkward girl's quest for true love. Um, gag? Charlyne Yi, adorable in her weird Knocked Up cameo, is tediously boring here. The concept for this movie is confounding -- part of it is…
Up in the Air (2009)

Up in the Air (2009)

[6] The best thing about Up in the Air, the new film from Juno director Jason Reitman, are the three performances by ever-reliable George Clooney, gorgeous Vera Farmiga, and plucky Anna Kendrick. But don't see this movie expecting a comedy,…
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

[8] You know how people often say such-and-such actor "lights up the screen?" Well, that phrase was made for Audrey Hepburn, because that's what she does in Blake Edwards' adaptation of Truman Capote's novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's. As Holly Golightly,…
Thrashin’ (1986)

Thrashin’ (1986)

[2] Thrashin' is the quintessential bad '80s movie. There's an anemic plot involving two warring skateboarding gangs and a boy who falls in love with the sister of a rival gang member. It's a goofy Romeo and Juliet on tiny…
Test Pilot (1938)

Test Pilot (1938)

[6] A reckless west coast flyboy (Clark Gable) is forced to make an emergency landing in Kansas where he meets and falls in love with a farm girl (Myrna Loy). Test Pilot starts out a screwball comedy and disintegrates into…
Too Many Husbands (1940)

Too Many Husbands (1940)

[5] Jean Arthur finds herself with two husbands after her first, presumed dead at sea, turns out to be very much alive. The genders are reversed, but the story is very similar to My Favorite Wife, a better film released…
Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

[8] A lonely writer falls in love with a singing, dancing courtesan in this bawdy musical that soars on the charms of co-stars Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. The song numbers cannibalize lyrics from love songs over the past century,…
Wild River (1960)

Wild River (1960)

[7] Montgomery Clift stars as a Tennessee Valley Authority officer tasked with convincing a stubborn old woman to leave her family's home before implementation of a new dam floods her property. Elia Kazan directs, reuniting with Jo Van Fleet (East…
Some Came Running (1958)

Some Came Running (1958)

[6] Frank Sinatra plays an unhappy writer and WWII veteran who has trouble readjusting to life in his scenic Indiana hometown. The screenplay, based on a novel by James Jones, gets lackadaisical in the middle, but Vincent Minnelli does a…