Enemy at the Gates (2001)

Drama Rated R

Two snipers – a Russian (Jude Law) and a Nazi (Ed Harris) – square off during the World War II battle of Stalingrad, leading to expertly staged action sequences, as well as a mournful acknowledgment of what it means to lie in wait and take a life.

Frailty (2001)

Horror Rated R

An extremely odd serial-killer exercise, all the more so for being the directorial debut of regular-guy actor Bill Paxton (Titanic, Twister). Paxton also stars as a father who teaches his two young boys to murder people he believes to be demons, a bizarre tale told in flashback by one of the grown boys (Matthew McConaughey).

Interpreter, The (2005)

Thriller Rated PG-13

More competent Hollywood craftsmanship from director Sidney Pollack, which may be why Nicole Kidman’s classy professionalism makes for a better fit than Sean Penn’s bleary realism. They play a United Nations translator who overhears an assassination plot and a Secret Service agent who investigates her claim, respectively. If their different styles often are at odds,

Running with Scissors (2006)

Drama Rated R

I’m not sure how anyone could dramatize Augusten Burroughs’ experience – his memoir tells how he was abandoned by his unstable mother in the barely functional home of her shrink – and manage to keep the farcical from outweighing the tragic (after all, his new family thought God spoke to them through bowel movements). As

Catch a Fire (2006)

Drama Rated PG-13

What if the most dangerous terrorist training ground circa 2005 was at Guantanomo Bay? That’s the provocative question posed by this based-on-fact political drama, which tells the true story of a harmless, law-abiding South African man who was wrongly accused of terror, imprisoned and tortured by the country’s apartheid government. Upon his release, he channeled

Stuck on You (2003)

Comedy Rated PG-13

The prospect of a film by Peter and Bobby Farrelly about conjoined twins (Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear) has the distinct feel of a final straw – even they must have limits. Yet here is Stuck on You, one of the most shameless and compassionate comedies you’re likely to find. The leads have a lot

Heaven (2002)

Drama Rated R

An elliptical meeting of two often-elliptical minds. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) directs a script cowritten by the late, great Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski (Blue) about an English teacher in Italy (Cate Blanchett) who becomes a fugitive after bombing an office building which serves as a front for a drug dealer. The result

Wedding Planner, The (2001)

Romantic Comedy Rated PG-13

The fact that this is a romantic comedy about reasons not to get married makes it slightly more intriguing than your average swoon flick (the climax involves two canceled weddings). And having Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey play the inevitably star-crossed lovers – she’s the wedding planner for his upcoming nuptials – makes it pleasantly

Iron Monkey (1993)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

Another Hong Kong martial arts adventure that received a belated release in the United States, but this one – a Chinese take on the Robin Hood legend – deserves a second look. Director Yuen Wo Ping, the fight choreographer for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix, may not have a knack for narrative (the

Without a Paddle (2004)

Comedy Rated PG-13

Seth Green stars – and this is the first problem – as one of three childhood friends who reunite to go on a treasure hunt in the Washington wilderness. That the trip is “inspired” by the death of a fourth friend gives you some idea of the picture’s sense of tact. That there is a