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

Sexy Beast (2000)

Drama Rated R

What at first seems to be a stylistic lark – another British crime caper involving fancy camerawork and foul-mouthed antiheroes – matures into a tragic rumination on the criminal lifestyle. Ben Kingsley has received rave reviews for his performance as a violent and verbose gangster, but it’s Ray Winstone, as the retired, likable lug whom

Shanghai Noon (2000)

Comedy Rated PG-13

This is the giddy and gimmicky action comedy that Wild Wild West should have been. Hong Kong sensation Jackie Chan teams up with low-key comic Owen Wilson (Bottle Rocket) for a free-spirited farce about the adventures of a Chinese Imperial Guard in the Old West. This might not be the stuff of which masterpieces are

Shanghai Knights (2003)

Comedy Rated PG-13

This sequel to 2000’s delightfully goofy action comedy offers mostly lukewarm leftovers, as Owen Wilson’s wannabe outlaw and Jackie Chan’s Chinese Imperial Guard find themselves in Victorian England. Shanghai Knights is no I Spy, and it’s certainly not The Tuxedo, but both Wilson and Chan have done far better work. In fact, it’s called Shanghai

Shaolin Soccer (2001)

Comedy Rated PG-13

An Asian import that blends kung fu with one of the world’s most popular sports, Shaolin Soccer is insane, almost literally. The movie is manic, at least tripolar and desperately in need of help. Of course the screw-loose tone is the picture’s true appeal. The story of a Shaolin martial-arts enthusiast (Stephen Chow, who also

Sorority Boys (2002)

Comedy Rated R

This imbecilic college comedy about three fraternity buddies (Barry Watson, Michael Rosenbaum and Harland Williams) who dress up as coeds predictably revels in misogyny – there are awful jokes about everything from menstruation to date rape – but what’s most galling is the moral hat the movie also tries to wear. Our ostensible heroes, you

Taking Lives (2004)

Thriller Rated R

One more schlocky entry to Angelina Jolie’s filmography and another in a series of thrillers about female FBI profilers who get too close to their work. The movie spends a lot of time covering up its obvious central mystery, then launches into a finale of ludicrous proportions. It’s about then you’ll be thinking of doing