Grudge, The (2004)

Horror Rated PG-13

At heart a haunted-house flick, this remake of a Japanese hit follows an American (Sarah Michelle Gellar) having trouble adjusting to her new life in Tokyo, where her caregiving job for an older woman involves, among other things, a pale little boy in the closet who meows. At least the theme of cultural dislocation allows

Vanilla Sky (2001)

Thriller Rated R

Characters swap identities and dreams unfold within dreams in this romantic thriller from star Tom Cruise and writer-director Cameron Crowe. The story – which follows a rich young playboy (Cruise) after he’s disfigured in a car accident – is an intriguing mixture of pop psychology and science fiction, even if it’s not entirely original. The

Hamlet (2000)

Drama Rated R

Admirable, yet never registering as more than a stunt, writer-director Michael Almereyda’s adaptation sets Shakespeare’s tragedy – original language and all – amid the corporate culture of 2000 New York (here it’s the Denmark Corporation that’s corrupted). This modernity allows for some sly wit and nifty touches – Hamlet (Ethan Hawke) delivers the “to be

White Countess, The (2005)

Drama Rated PG-13

Director James Ivory, working for the last time with his late producing partner Ismail Merchant, has a stately style that has served him so well because he usually employs it in stately stories (Howards End). But this calls for something different. Ralph Fiennes stars as a blind diplomat in 1936 Shanghai who opens a nightclub

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Drama Rated PG-13

Don Cheadle plays Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager who risked his life to house more than 1,0000 refugees from both sides of the genocide that plagued Rwanda in the 1990s. The movie’s triumph – particularly in light of the hero-worshipping biopics we’re used to – is the way it traces Rusesabagina’s burgeoning courage with an

She’s the Man (2006)

Romantic Comedy Rated PG-13

A nice little vehicle for the gifts of Amanda Bynes, who is rare among teen starlets in that she doesn’t sell CDs on the side and she has a real, natural talent. This light teen comedy is casually modeled on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and amidst all its gender-bending farce, the movie has a smart absurdist

Showtime (2002)

Comedy Rated PG-13

Starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy as mismatched cops forced to pair up for a television reality series, Showtime means to spoof the big-gun cop blockbusters of the ’80s while still shooting off a few guns of its own. The gimmick works, thanks mostly to the easy camaraderie of the leads – they’re an

Abandon (2006)

Thriller Rated PG-13

Katie Holmes shows impressive range as a college senior who is helping a detective (Benjamin Bratt) investigate the two-year disappearance of her boyfriend. Her sly performance, at turns demur and devious, elevates yet another school-set thriller into something more psychologically layered.

Pearl Harbor (2001)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

Yet another one of those movies you thought you had to see until you actually saw it, this three-hour World War II epic is bloated with a silly romantic triangle (between Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale) and bolstered by a competent re-creation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At its worst, this

Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights (2002)

Comedy Rated PG-13

Imagine a Peanuts holiday special in which Lucy got drunk and Snoopy spent most of his time defecating and you’ll get an inkling of what’s offered by this animated musical. Like Big Daddy, one of Sandler’s worst films, this mixes raunchy gags with shameless sentimentality as it follows the redemption of a modern-day Scrooge (voiced