Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, The (2001)

Family Rated G

This is a bit less insipid than its predecessor mainly because it’s less of a paean to Britney Spears values than the first film. Sudden princess Mia (Anne Hathaway) prepares to take over the crown from her grandmother (Julie Andrews), but according to Genovian law she must first marry. And so the search for a

Half Past Dead (2002)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

What’s more tired: Die Hard scenarios or Steven Seagal? We get both in Half Past Dead, an endlessly silly shoot-’em-up in which Seagal plays an undercover FBI agent imprisoned on reopened Alcatraz Island. Seagal’s co-star is rapper Ja Rule, and the two make a ludicrous pair. The well-past-his-prime Seagal tries to hide his burgeoning belly

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)

Family Rated PG

Sinbad takes time-proven source material and sculpts it into a serviceable animated adventure. Brad Pitt provides the voice of the title hero, the most dashing criminal on the ocean. More nuanced in its depiction of “good guys” and “bad guys” than most adult action films, Sinbad squeezes a surprising amount of thoughtfulness in between the

Jacket, The (2005)

Thriller Rated R

Adrien Brody plays a Gulf War veteran who is accused of murdering a cop and sent to a mental institution for the criminally insane. He may be crazy, he may be innocent, he may, in fact, be dead. The Jacket offers all of these possibilities without following through on any of them. It wants to

Confidence (2003)

Drama Rated R

If a good con man should never be smug – that would reveal he’s up to something – neither should a good con movie. Confidence oozes a sense of self-satisfaction, from its smarmy lead performance by Edward Burns to its overly clever plot. Burns plays the head of a con team whose latest scam involves

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

Peter Parker may be past growing pains, but his film franchise is beginning to suffer them. Both overloaded and undernourished, Spider-Man 3 still manages plenty of crackling, comic-book excitement, yet it’s too cumbersome to deliver the same depth as its predecessors. There are some interesting touches of guilt and regret involving the new villain, Sandman

Hoot (2006)

Family Rated PG

I’m glad it is easy to approve of Hoot, for disapproving of the movie would mean disapproving of a host of good-natured things, including cute owls and the cuter kids who try to save them. Adapted from the Carl Hiaasen novel, Hoot follows a budding teen (Logan Lerman) whose family has just moved from Montana

Lucky You (2007)

Drama Rated PG-13

“…introduces us to a fascinating world with fascinating characters – and then turns away from it all in favor of a drearily generic romance. It’s like taking a kid to the zoo and only looking at sparrows.

Just Visiting (2001)

Comedy Rated PG-13

This excruciating would-be comedy, about a French knight (Jean Reno) from the 12th century who’s transported to modern-day Chicago, is so stale it actually featured a joke about the once-ubiquitous dance song “Macarena” long after the song had been thankfully forgotten. Just Visiting overstays its welcome about three minutes in.

Dancer Upstairs, The (2002)

Drama Rated R

An ambitious directorial debut from John Malkovich, this is an unassuming adaptation of Nicholas Shakespeare’s novel about a violent guerrilla revolution in an unspecified South American country and the corrupt government’s attempts to quell it. Javier Bardem projects a quiet dignity as the policeman in charge of the investigation. His strong performance helps Malkovich wrestle