Search for 2005

Going into Stay, I was aware that the director was Marc Forster, the man who made Monster's Ball and Finding Neverland. However, even with that knowledge, it wouldn't have surprised me to see David Lynch's name during the closing credits. Stay is...

If Rob Cohen's name wasn't attached to this project, I would swear it was the work of Michael Bay. It has all of the crowd-pleasing director's trademarks: plastic characters, chaotic camerawork, lots of things blowing up, and an incredibly dumb sc...

You may have to look long and hard to find a 2005 movie with as cynical an outlook on global politics as Syriana. Sadly, this is a situation when the cynicism is understandable. In addition to painting a bleak picture, Syriana makes no concessions...

Thank You for Smoking is the feature debut of Jason (son of Ivan) Reitman, who has assembled an impressive cast. In addition to Aaron Eckhart, who has the lead, the credit list includes the following names: Katie Holmes, Cameron Bright, Sam Elliot,...

I'm as open to cinematic experimentation as the next person, but I often find that "offbeat" movies come across as more successful in concept than execution. So it goes with Three Times, a feature that arrived at last year's 2005 Toronto Film Fest...

When it comes to tales about the hand's opposable digit, there have been Thumbelina, Tom Thumb, and now Thumbsucker. A quirky character piece that could just as easily go by the title of Ritalin Nation, Thumbsucker boasts a strong character arc, s...

Time and time again throughout Terry Gilliam's career, the director has been forced to endure studio interference. According to executives at some of the companies that have distributed the former Monty Python animator's films, his creative vision...

As much heralded, "edgy" movies go, Transamerica fails to live up to expectations. The final 30 minutes are interesting, funny, and affecting, but that segment represents less than a third of the running time. To get to the parts of the film that...

I don't have a lot to say about Transporter 2. It's a sequel that outdoes the original in terms of flair and outrageousness, but it will appeal to much the same audience. If James Bond is too tame for you, Frank Martin (Jason Stratham) is your ma...

Pardon me for wondering if director Michael Winterbottom is obsessed with cock (with or without the bull). Maybe I'm just saying that because I have been unfortunate enough to see his previous outing, 9 Songs, which avoided showing up behind the c...