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Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) |
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"The viewer takes great pleasure in watching the resourceful Molly stay a step ahead of her pursuers." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Racing Stripes (2005) |
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"Acceptable entertainment for younger children, without being an ordeal for parents." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Rain (2002) |
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"[Janey] forgets about her other obligations, leading to a tragedy which is somehow guessable from the first few minutes, maybe because it echoes the by now intolerable morbidity of so many recent movies." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Raising Helen (2004) |
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"Lifetime botox ban to the Hollywood honcho who allowed Garry Marshall to direct a movie about fatal car crashes and orphans." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Rat Race (2001) |
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"You have to wonder if the low comedy of 'reality' TV hasn't trumped Rat Race." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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A- |
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Ratatouille (2007) |
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"At its core, Ratatouille is really the story of the artist and the creative impulse, of the artist's obligation to follow that impulse in the face of what friends, family, society may say." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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B+ |
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Ray (2004) |
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"Foxx delivers one of those uncanny impersonation/performance/channeling deals that musical bios tend to inspire in actors (Gary Busey as Buddy Holly, Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison), abetted by Foxx's natural gifts as a piano player and stage performer." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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The Real Cancun (2003) |
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"For some of us there is a certain anthropological appeal to the mating rituals (not to mention the actual mating) on display here." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Real Women Have Curves (2002) |
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"Real moments. Real women." | |
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Rebound (2005) |
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"Rebound is like mad scientist's horribly botched clone of Coach Carter with Martin Lawrence instead of Samuel L. Jackson, and vomit jokes instead of a script." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Recess: School's Out (2001) |
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"Nothing bold or great to look at, certainly by Disney standards, but with a tight narrative and a complete lack of pretense that's ingratiating." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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The Recruit (2003) |
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"The Recruit is one of those thrillers whose own internal logic assumes that viewers have none of their own." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Red Eye (2005) |
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"The set-up isn't classic Craven so much as it is Hitchcock -- Strangers on a Train combined with Saboteur, with the average Joe, or Jane, called upon to provide heroic feats in service of his/her country." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Red Planet (2000) |
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"When the movie diverts to the surface of Mars, with its fairly tedious FX platter of swarming, man-eating bugs, renegade cyborgs and ice storms that Red Planet loses momentum." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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D |
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Redacted (2007) |
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"A repulsive movie, marred by grotesquely hammy acting and inscrutable presentation by Brian De Palma." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Reign of Fire (2002) |
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"Reign of Fire is more than competent, with the action and the special effects, and even shows flashes of humor. The movie is not, alas, so diligent about making sure its story makes sense." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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C+ |
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Reign Over Me (2007) |
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"You wish the movie had ended sooner, and better. Still, it's hard not to be moved by Cheadle's performance here as a man determined to help lost-soul Fineman, if only because no one else can or will." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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C |
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Rendition (2007) |
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"Wavers between tepid star turns and a Romeo and Juliet subplot involving an al Qaeda assassin and the daughter of the lead inquisitor -- a story that's ridiculous even broken up and bookended as it is here, to give this flat movie a trick ending." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Reno 911!: Miami (2007) |
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"This is not the kind of movie where you want to waste any time on character development; you only need to know that, for these guys, 'serve and protect' has been replaced by 'my bad'." | |
Don Russell | |
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C+ |
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Rent (2005) |
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"Columbus has talked admirably about his wish to preserve and honor the play. But he's turned Larson's homage to the energy and vitality of youth into a mere facsimile, a stuffy memorial to Larson." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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The Replacements (2000) |
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"An engaging cast makes the the comic scenes work." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Requiem for a Dream (2000) |
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"The movie fails to make important, early emotional connections to its assortment of addicts." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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B |
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Rescue Dawn (2007) |
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"Rescue Dawn has been compared to Vietnam-era POW movies, but as a classic study of men in captivity, surrounded by a gateless, natural prison, it's really more like Papillon." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Resident Evil (2002) |
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"Not blindingly original, although it is ear-splittingly loud." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) |
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"Boast a substantial increase in the level of gory slaughter." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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B- |
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Resurrecting the Champ (2007) |
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"[Hartnett's and Jackson's] scenes are underscored with some memorably good writing." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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D |
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Revolver (2007) |
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"A big-time misfire." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) |
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"Barrymore doesn't deliver, and it doesn't help that she's forced to play the same scene of hysterical disappointment over and over." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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The Ring Two (2005) |
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"The Ring Two cranks out only intermittent scares." | |
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Road to Perdition (2002) |
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"A period mob story, and a good one." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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B |
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Robots (2005) |
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"A collection of thrill rides and chase sequences, and rapid-fire gags." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Rock School (2005) |
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"Even a couple of Zappa's Mothers of Invention band alumni acknowledge the band done good -- not just as 'kids' but as musicians. And so will you." | |
Jonathan Takiff | |
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Rock Star (2001) |
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"A sordid, stupid and amusing little saga, about as nourishing as a big bag of Cheez Doodles and equally addicting." | |
Jonathan Takiff | |
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B+ |
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Rocket Science (2007) |
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"The kind of character that Hal develops into in the face of adversity lasts forever. High school only lasts four years." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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B |
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Rocky Balboa (2006) |
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"Balboa is Stallone's way of stepping back from the grandiosity, the franchising and the vanity of Rocky 2-3-4-5 and remembering the simple, humble magic of the original." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Roger Dodger (2002) |
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"Often hilarious." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Roll Bounce (2005) |
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"The movie is unfocused and moves in fits and starts, but like Lee's other work, it's extremely good-natured, and its celebration of family and friendship will connect with its target audience." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Rollerball (2002) |
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"Rollerball IS as bad as you think, and worse than you can imagine." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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The Rookie (2002) |
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"Pretty decent G-rated family entertainment." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Rory O'Shea Was Here (2005) |
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"It's a nice effort, enlivened by the work of McAvoy. His O'Shea is a memorable rebel who keeps self-pity at bay with good humor, and the occasional pint of Guinness." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Rounders (1998) |
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"Damon plays with stacked deck!" | |
Gary Thompson | |
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C- |
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Run, Fat Boy, Run (2008) |
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"The sort of flat-footed studio film that takes the basic ingredients of an underground hit, drains them of personality and style, and spits them out as a situation comedy." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Runaway Bride (1999) |
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"Profoundly depressing!" | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Runaway Jury (2003) |
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"Runaway Jury is full of holes, and often, of crap. It pretends to offer a balanced debate about the gun issue while tilting the playing field as cynically as Fitch." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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The Rundown (2003) |
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"The key to Schwarzenegger's reign was his sense of humor, and Johnson has smartly worked on honing one of his own." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Running Scared (2006) |
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"I chuckled along with the audience at every garish twist (at least for the first 60 of the the movie's 120 minutes), yet even as Dali-esque nightmare, the movie eventually became off-putting." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Running with Scissors (2006) |
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"This is admittedly tricky territory, tough to do well under any circumstance. But it was done well, just a year ago, in The Squid and the Whale, and in only 85 minutes. Rent that, skip this." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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Rush Hour 2 (2001) |
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"If anything, their repartee is smoother and sharper than it was the first time." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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C |
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RV (2006) |
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"The good news about the Robin Williams comedy RV is that it's not as bad as the TV commercials make it seem." | |
Gary Thompson | |
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