“Imagine going to a library to research arcane religious history while listening to a medieval church choir too loudly on your iPod…

“…a quintessential 1970s New York picture, full of prickly characters and urban tension.

“In terms of tension – pure, cinematic suspense – the picture is a knockout.

“Travolta barks and giggles and screams, as if creating a memorable nemesis was simply a matter of calling more attention to yourself than anyone else.

"This time, Big Brother doesn’t only want to listen to us – he wants to kill us."

Samuel L. Jackson is asked to put on his fire-and-brimstone, dog-and-pony show in this initially unsettling, eventually ludicrous thriller from director Neil LaBute. Jackson plays a veteran Los Angeles police officer who takes a dislike to the interracial couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) next door. As soon as Jackson’s eyes begin to widen, you

"At the goofiest point, a pane of glass actually bites Kiefer Sutherland. He yells at it, but the mirror doesn’t listen."

"A fair number of recent, post-9/11 dramas have suffered from the same malady: research paperitis."

“I Want to Believe had the right strategy; too bad Carter and company couldn’t commit to it.