White Christmas (1954)

Musical Rated NR

It takes a stubborn sort of nostalgia to appreciate this holiday-themed musical. The title number may give you goose bumps in December, but the rest of the film is dull enough to induce hibernation. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play Army buddies who have gone on to a lucrative crooning career. They team up with

X2 (2003)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

How much room does a blockbuster have? X2 tests the limit – there are so many mutant humans running around in spandex and capes this Marvel sequel resembles a costume ball – and for the most part it passes. Careful character development in a few cases – notably Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine – makes up for

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Drama Rated NR

"Is the movie corny? Often. Is it moving in the most basic, moral way? Every year we watch it."

Zathura (2005)

Family Rated PG

Any oldest child remembers when things were so dull that you resorted to playing with your much younger brother or sister. Zathura takes place on one of those days, and the best thing about the movie is the way it captures the resignation, rivalry and even glimmers of affection that make up a play date

Alex & Emma (2003)

Romantic Comedy Rated PG-13

A romantic comedy with two opportunities to be romantic and comic, and it fails on both counts. Luke Wilson plays a frustrated novelist who dictates his latest tale to a feisty stenographer (Kate Hudson), while scenes from the novel in progress also feature the two stars. It’s all surprisingly bland considering the talent involved, a

Alexander (2004)

Drama Rated R

Bad accents, bizarre wigs and dialogue that varies between windy speeches and hysterical screaming matches – many of which involve such phrases as, “By Zeus and all the gods!” – Alexander has all the makings of a camp classic, including the crucial element: deadly serious intentions. Once-vital director Oliver Stone (JFK) helps embarrass the likes

Alamo, The (2004)

Drama Rated PG-13

The Alamo trots out familiar names and thinks their mere history-book credentials will entertain us. Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid), Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) all show up on cue, but they – and the movie – are lifeless. The picture parades them around like politicians on a float whose significance

Aristocrats, The (2005)

Documentary Rated NR

There isn’t enough soap in the world to wash out the mouths blabbering away in this insider’s view of the comedy world, which centers around the legendary and profane joke of the title. If you can get past the obscenity of the joke itself – although there probably is something wrong with you if you

Antwone Fisher (2002)

Drama Rated PG-13

First-time director Denzel Washington brings a sincere, sympathetic touch to this tough story about a scarred, inner-city orphan (newcomer Derek Luke, showing real talent) struggling to put his painful past behind him after joining the Navy. The fact that this is the first screenplay from Antwone Fisher, who based the movie on his own life,

Before Sunset (2004)

Drama Rated R

When talk is an aphrodisiac, who wants the conversation to stop? Writer-director Richard Linklater’s sequel to 1995’s chatty Before Sunrise takes place nine years after the events of the first film, which chronicled a night of romance and conversation shared by an American drifter (Ethan Hawke) and a French student (Julie Delpy) after they meet