Proposition, The (2006)

Drama Rated R

Full of Biblical bleakness, The Proposition depicts 1880s Australia as an infernal landscape. As the captain (Ray Winstone) charged with maintaining a semblance of law and order says, “What fresh hell is this?” Winstone tries to reign in a band of ravaging brothers by capturing one of them (Guy Pearce) and convincing him to bring

Sweet Sixteen (2002)

Drama Rated NR

British director Ken Loach (Riff-Raff) offers another gritty slice of underclass life with this story of a Scottish teenager caught between his jailed mom and her drug-dealing boyfriend. Martin Compston makes the movie with his fearless lead performance as a no-good kid who is doing his best not to do worse. The movie’s predictability –

God Grew Tired of Us (2006)

Documentary Rated PG

Seen through the eyes of a group of Sudanese refugees as they try to establish a new life in the United States, we Americans look like a lonely and isolated bunch of workaholics. In many ways, this country is a land of promise for these orphans, who fled war-torn Sudan, wandered through the Sahara, spent

Transporter, The (2002)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

The Transporter features little more than a guy, some fast cars, a lot of guns and a girl. But it knows what to do with them. Jason Statham, as the underground courier of the title, brings a calm but lethal concentration to the ensuing action scenes. “Some fancy driving,” a police inspector observes at one

Pursuit of Happyness, The (2006)

Drama Rated PG-13

This surprisingly genuine drama reminds us that homelessness can be a frighteningly simple – even mundane – process. Take underemployment, mix it with overdue rent and taxes and add a dash of plain old bad luck, and suddenly you’re fighting for a place in line at a shelter. That’s the predicament faced by Chris Gardner

Matador, The (2005)

Comedy Rated R

Pierce Brosnan gloriously goes to seed as Julian Noble, a hard-drinking hit man who parades his ample gut around in skimpy swimsuits and uses his assassination assignments to sample the world’s brothels. Working in Mexico City, Julian buddies up with a nerdy businessman (Greg Kinnear) for some fun and games that turn serious. Actors who

Panic Room (2002)

Thriller Rated R

A first-rate thriller from director David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) about a single mother (Jodie Foster) whose cavernous New York brownstone is invaded by three men. There’s a streak of feminism beneath Fincher’s fancy camera work, making Panic Room a guys’ movie fueled by girl power.

Paycheck (2003)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

Action maestro John Woo (Face/Off) plays director-for-hire with this run-of-the-mill Hollywood take on a Philip K. Dick story. The movie is about having your memory erased – Ben Affleck plays a corporate shark who loses three years of his life – and Woo fans will want to add it to the list of forgettable efforts

Secondhand Lions (2003)

Drama Rated PG

The distinguished cast of Secondhand Lions – Haley Joel Osment, Robert Duvall and Michael Caine – do their best with a script that strains toward quirkiness and sentimentality, and their best is just good enough. The story of a shy 14-year-old who spends the summer with his eccentric uncles, the film has a lot of

Unaccompanied Minors (2006)

Family Rated PG

“…features more smart, funny people than any other dumb, unfunny film I’ve ever seen.