Speed Racer (2008)
[6] After seeing trailers for this movie, I decided I didn't want to feel stuck in a jelly bean tornado for a whole two hours and fifteen minutes. But for whatever reason, I finally decided to take a chance on…
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
[7] Director Tim Burton puts his stamp on Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, casting his Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands star Johnny Depp in the role of Ichabod Crane. In this retelling, Crane is a 1799 New York…
The Addams Family (1991)
[5] Barry Sonnenfeld makes the leap from established cinematographer (Misery, Raising Arizona) to first-time director with The Addams Family. Screenwriter Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas) creates a feature scenario around Charles Addams macabre cartoon characters, popularized in…
The Opposite of Sex (1997)
[7] Christina Ricci definitively sheds her child-star persona in The Opposite of Sex, playing a snarky teen who runs away from mother and crashes with her older gay half-brother (Martin Donovan). After she seduces his naïve young lover (Ivan Sergei)…
Mermaids (1990)
[6] Winona Ryder and Cher give us their take on the classic mother/daughter divide in this adaptation of a novel by Patty Dann, directed by Richard Benjamin (The Money Pit, Little Nikita). Ryder's character is of high school age and…
Cursed (2004)
[5] There's a good concept at the core of this Wes Craven/Kevin Williamson (Scream) collaboration -- a brother and sister coming to terms with the fact that they may be werewolves. But serious werewolf fans will bemoan the cheesy Hollywood…
Monster (2003)
[8] Charlize Theron stars as Aileen Wuornos, the infamous Florida prostitute who became a serial killer, in this film chronicling her last few months of freedom before being captured and executed in 2002. Writer/director Patty Jenkins doesn't shy away from…
Casper (1995)
[7] Beneath the cutesy veneer of this big-budget family spectacle is a surprisingly morose Ghost and Mrs. Muir subplot. The screenplay is a bit scattershot in its aim, but I have to give this flick major kudos for tackling the…
Black Snake Moan (2006)
[6] Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci star in this southern tale of an abused nymphomaniac who falls under the tough-loving care of a recently divorced bluesman who wants to set her back on God's path. If you can get…
The Ice Storm (1997)
[9]
In the wake of the Watergate scandal and the waning Vietnam War, a Connecticut family reunites for Thanksgiving while simultaneously pulling away from each other for private indiscretions. While the characters play in moral shades of gray — drugs, adultery, petty crimes, and sexual experimentation included– the namesake storm arrives, causing a tragedy that puts things in perspective. Based on the book by Rick Moody and directed by two-time Oscar-winner Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi), The Ice Storm is a very well-acted and superbly crafted piece about personal rebellion and the ties that bind.