This is one of those dream scripts serious actors simply go gaga over–and the high-quality ensemble cast does their jobs superbly. Despite dragging a little, Mystic River, about three friends torn apart by tragedy, is worth its weight in what will certainly be
Oscar gold.
Vol. 1, in which Uma Thurman plays a badass assassin on the hunt, doesn’t top Pulp
Fiction as Quentin Tarantino’s crowning achievement, but it is definitely
worth the long wait. Then again, even half of a Tarantino film is
twice as good as any thriller we’ve seen all year. And it leaves you
counting down the days until he unleashes Vol. 2.
Perhaps Good Boy!
is not meant to be analyzed, but a film targeted at children should
at least have some insight into the spirit of human nature or some
sort of lesson. Instead, it’s just a silly little dog tale about a dog from outer space and a boy who can understand him.
A clever romp with something
to say about love and marriage, Intolerable Cruelty may not
be the Coen brothers’ best work, but it’s still several steps above
the other romantic comedies Hollywood’s churned out in recent memory.
School of Rock
is rated PG-13 for rude humor and drug references, but both are rather
mild and inoffensive. Director Richard Linklater delivers a family
film about a loser with an unexpected heart of gold that is hilarious, honest and inherently good-natured that will
appeal to moviegoers of all ages.