Ignore the reviews and enjoy the movie.
All in Action
James Cameron's THE ABYSS
This two-DVD special edition has more than enough material to keep an SF fan happy for days.
Kevin Lima's ENCHANTED
If you need something pleasant and friendly, you need look no further than Enchanted.
Steven Spielberg's MINORITY REPORT
This movie expands upon the dazzling realistic-future-world special effects of Spielberg’s A.I. but wastes astonishing technical and artistic virtuosity on a hackneyed, uninvolving murder mystery.
Jean-Jacques Annaud's “ENEMY AT THE GATES”
The cast if this WWII movie is uniformly excellent; the direction balanced, detailed, and sensitive; the photography and lighting are superb; and the set designs, stunts, special effects and general environment seem real and immediate.
Steven Spielberg's AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
I grew up with the science fiction of Clarke, Asimov, and Heinlein. At their best they wrestled with humans coming to terms with very large ideas and concepts in stories that spanned years and vast distances. I especially loved depictions of the far future.
Edgar Wright's HOT FUZZ
This demonically funny comedy follows a super-competetent London cop banished to a small English town because he’s so good he’s showing up the rest of his colleagues.
Robert Rodriguez' “PLANET TERROR”
I’m usually not partial to zombie movies but I really loved this one.
Michael Curtiz' CAPTAINS OF THE CLOUDS
This 1942 Technicolor film starring James Cagney has some of the most gorgeous aerial photography I’ve ever seen.
John Lasseter & Joe Ranft's CARS
I’m not a big fan of automobiles as an art form and I don’t have a nostalgia for their cultural significance (though I can’t argue with their importance) but this movie is a real winner.
OK, let me put my cards on the table:
1. Sometimes I like big, dumb action movies.
2. I like Tom Cruise (War of the Worlds).
3. I don’t watch Oprah.
That said, I enjoyed Mission Impossible III a great deal. I’d put it right up there with other big, dumb action movies I actually enjoy, films like Independence Day and Armageddon.
James McTeigue's V FOR VENDETTA
It’s a complex film, not only because of deals with cosmic issues like freedom, terrorism, and tyranny, but also because it forces us to explore these issues on a very character driven basis.
Richard Donner's 16 BLOCKS
It is fascinating to see how a top notch crew and ensemble of actors transforms a plot composed of overly-familar elements into high quality story telling. 16 Blocks is a prime example of this and turns out to be a superb piece of entertainment.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra's “MISSION KASHMIR”
I rented this film because I was reading a book (Maximum City) by one of the screenwriters (Suketu Mehta) and because, let’s face it, I crave a Bollywood fix from time to time. I was not disappointed. This is now one of my favorites.
This is a good, but not great, popcorn movie.
Florent Siri's “HOSTAGE”
This surprisingly intelligent and well made hostage drama is another high quality vehicle for Bruce Willis (Tears of the Sun, Hart's War, Sin City) in which he demonstrates again his ability to put behind his earlier "Anybody else want to negotiate?" persona.
Christopher Nolan's “BATMAN BEGINS”
The story overall is a solemn and theatrical exploration of extended, troubled, guilt-ridden adolescence.