Flight of the Phoenix (2004)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

Dennis Quaid stars in this pointless and cliched remake of the 1965 adventure film as a pilot who picks up an oil crew in Mongolia and then promptly crashes in the middle of the desert. Only an overacting Giovanni Ribisi, as a mysterious passenger who may not be exactly who he claims, seems to understand

Freedomland (2006)

Thriller Rated R

Freedomland thinks it is igniting a powder keg of class and racial issues, but the movie relies on a faulty fuse – namely director Joe Roth. Among the many missteps of the auteur behind America’s Sweethearts and Christmas with the Kranks is a loose reign on stars Samuel L. Jackson and Julianne Moore, playing a

Wild Thornberrys Movie, The (2002)

Family Rated G

A rare Nickelodeon feature worth paying to see at the theater, The Wild Thornberrys Movie gets a lot of mileage out of its clever concept: the adventures of a 12-year-old girl who has the ability to talk to animals. Unlike most of its Nickelodeon predecessors, this features lively animation and quite a bit of wit.

Frida (2002)

Drama Rated R

“The only freshness comes from the striking visual strokes of director Julie Taymor…”

Hollow Man (2000)

Action/Adventure Rated R

Only director Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers) could make a gruesome spectacle out of things we can’t even see. This takeoff on the invisible-man myth had potential, as Kevin Bacon’s disappearing scientist indulges in the voyeuristic nature of his newfound power, but Verhoeven soon becomes as obsessed with cruel sex and needless violence as

Friday Night Lights (2004)

Drama Rated PG-13

Adapted from H.G. Bissinger’s nonfiction book about a Texas high school team making a state championship run in the late 1980s, this drama admirably owns up to the way youth sports can trample a kid’s love for the game. Director Peter Berg captures both the highs and lows of playing football in a refreshing documentary

Good Year, A (2006)

Comedy Rated PG-13

Watching Russell Crowe attempt comedy here is a bit like watching a dancing bear at the circus. He makes the right moves, but the rhythm is all off. It’s admirable that an established, accomplished dramatic presence such as Crowe would take this sort of risk. I just wish he had done it in a riskier

Kangaroo Jack (2003)

Family Rated PG

Kangaroo Jack, about two buddies who chase a kangaroo across the Australian outback, isn’t half as stupid as it looks – which is to say it just barely escaped my list of the worst movies of 2003. I would say some moments – namely those of the kangaroo watching his pursuers (Jerry O’Connell and Anthony

Copying Beethoven (2006)

Drama Rated PG-13

“Thank goodness for the music, for it is the only thing that can be heard above Harris’ embarrassing bellowing.

Valentine (2001)

Horror Rated R

This slasher flick, in which four equally vacuous single women are stalked by a crazed killer around Valentine’s Day, begs this question, considering it came out just before that same holiday: Is a movie that only gives itself a shelf life of two weeks really worth 90 minutes of your time?