Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005)

Comedy Rated R

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo is a living, breathing example of the comedy principle discussed in The Aristocrats. That documentary reveals obscenity can be funny in the right hands – it features nearly 100 comedians telling the same crude joke – but in the wrong hands it’s simply obscene. Suffice it to say Rob Schneider, who

Domino (2005)

Action/Adventure Rated R

Could Hollywood ask for a better true story than that of Domino Harvey? The daughter of actor Laurence Harvey, she briefly followed her model mother’s footsteps before becoming a bounty hunter. It’s sex and violence with a real-world kick, tied up in an exploitative cinematic bow by seizure-inducing director Tony Scott (Man on Fire). What’s

Ice Harvest, The (2005)

Thriller Rated R

The cast, clearly enjoying themselves, makes the most of this nasty little modern noir, an unlikely effort from Groundhog Day director Harold Ramis. John Cusack, once again playing a guy who seems disinterested even in his own lack of interest, stars as a midlevel mob lawyer who rips off his boss on Christmas Eve. Set

Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Family Rated PG

This adaptation of the children’s novel by Katherine Paterson follows two young friends who create a fantasy world in a forest as a way to escape from the bullies and chores of real life. For the most part, it’s a joy to be able to escape with them. The scenes of Jess (Josh Hutcherson) and

Ice Storm, The (1997)

Drama Rated R

A grim family tragedy set in the aftermath of the sexual revolution. Kevin Kline plays a philandering husband and father in 1973 Connecticut who trudges halfheartedly through an affair with his neighbor (Sigourney Weaver). Meanwhile, his daughter (Christina Ricci) begins exploring sex for herself with the neighbor’s two sons. With key parties and the Nixon

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Drama Rated PG-13

First-time screenwriter Zach Helm has crafted a clever ode to creative constipation on par with Charlie Kaufman’s Adaptation (to which Helm owes a great debt). Both movies play games with the ways writers back themselves into a corner and the ways they try to get out of it. The pawn here is Harold Crick (Will

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

Family Rated PG

One of the most distinct writing voices in children’s literature – the matter-of-fact morbidity of Snicket author Daniel Handler – remains delightfully intact in this witty adaptation, about a trio of orphans left in the sinister care of their uncle, Count Olaf (Jim Carrey, icky and inspired). Add sorrowful sets and smoky cinematography, and the

Libertine, The (2005)

Drama Rated R

One of those erotic dramas that actually works better as a video touting abstinence. The sex is that soulless, that dingy, that diseased. Based on the life of John Wilmot, an English earl renowned in the late 1600s for his satirical plays and salacious personal life, this even manages to make Johnny Depp look icky

Life or Something Like it (2002)

Drama Rated PG-13

What would you do if you only had a week to live? What would you do if you had to watch yet another movie based on that premise? The latter question is the more pertinent one when it comes to this half-baked drama. The movie is supposed to follow Seattle television reporter Lanie Kerrigan (Angelina

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

Drama Rated PG-13

Memoirs of a Geisha wants to be too pretty – with each frame designed for maximum visual appeal, the picture mistakes opulence for importance. It’s like a geisha who is all dressed up with no place to go. Arthur Golden’s 1997 book fleshed out exhaustive research with a Pretty Woman story arc, in which a