For Your Consideration (2006)

Comedy Rated PG-13

For those of us who treasure the brilliantly improvised mockumentaries of Christopher Guest and company – Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind – watching this complete flop is a depressing experience. A spoof of Hollywood’s awards season, in which the shooting of a hokey melodrama succumbs to silly hubris when Oscar rumors

Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, The (1999)

Action/Adventure Rated R

Director Luc Besson brings some modern visual flash to the oft-told story of the 15th-century French martyr, but otherwise this is a fairly routine rehash of the historical battles and church politics that have been documented in many movies before. Milla Jovovich holds her own in the title role until she’s sold out by the

Fast Food Nation (2006)

Drama Rated R

“…can be strident and didactic, but it’s also necessary.”

High Noon (1952)

Drama Rated NR

This is the Western from which every other Western – even those that came before it – feels born. Gary Cooper, in the final, grimacing stage of his career, won an Oscar for his portrayal of Will Kane, the outgoing marshal in a small town who is about to start a fresh life with his

Deck the Halls (2006)

Comedy Rated PG

What if someone wanted their Christmas decorations to be so bright that they could be seen from outer space? What if a studio thought that concept alone would make for an uproarious holiday film? The answer to the latter question would be Deck the Halls, one of those dreadful, pandering, seasonal pictures that sneaks into

Casino Royale (2006)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

“Craig delivers the first Bond who scares you.”

I Think I Love My Wife (2007)

Comedy Rated R

This remake of Eric Rohmer’s Chloe in the Afternoon is an ambitious project for talented writer-director-star Chris Rock, but it never lives up to his lofty intentions. By focusing exclusively on the good husband and father (Rock) who is nonetheless considering embarking on an affair, the movie reduces its feminine characters – including the shrewish

Scooby-Doo (2002)

Family Rated PG-13

There’s a difference between a pop-culture touchstone and a pop-culture curiosity, and the original “Scooby-Doo” cartoon – an unremarkable series that’s gained notoriety only because we’ve sat through decades worth of reruns – qualifies as the latter. Even so, the endless miscalculations on the filmmakers’ parts have turned the movie version into more of a

Stardust (2007)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

“There has always been something diabolical about Pfeiffer’s beauty … and she both plays up and subverts that image here.

Serenity (2005)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

I went into Serenity as a novice – that is, unfamiliar with the short-lived “Firefly” television series on which this is based – but thankfully fan-boy membership isn’t necessary to enjoy the picture’s smart handling of Star Trek conventions. As written and directed by Joss Whedon – creator of the original series, as well as