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To Die For

Following the disastrous Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (my selection for the worst film of 1994), it's a safe bet that Gus Van Sant's next move had to be a proverbial "step in the right direction." In fact, with the biting satire To Die For, the dir...

Run Time: 1:43
U.S. Release Date: 1995-09-27
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Violence)
Genre: COMEDY
Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, ...
Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life

Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life arrives stillborn, the misbegotten offspring of filmmakers who are so greedy that they probably wouldn't hesitate to plunder a grave or two. I would be tempted to recommend this movie as being entertainment of the "...

Run Time: 1:58
U.S. Release Date: 2003-07-25
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Sexual Situations)
Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE
Director: Jan de Bont
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler, Ciaran Hinds, ...
Towelhead

Towelhead is a victim of the economics of movie-making. Despite being a critical success at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival (where is played under the name of Nothing Is Private), Towelhead has languished on shelves for a full year. With Warner Br...

Run Time: 2:04
U.S. Release Date: 2008-09-12
MPAA Rating: "R" (Sexual Situations, Profanity)
Genre: DRAMA
Director: Alan Ball
Cast: Summer Bishil, Chris Messina, Maria Bello, ...
Trap

When I say this is awful, I mean that it’s awful. Not “so bad, it’s fun.” Not “a throw-away summertime diversion.” This may be the worst movie M. Night Shyamalan has ever made, and I’m not forgetting The Last Airbender or After Earth....

Run Time: 1:45
U.S. Release Date: 2024-08-02
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Thriller
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, ...
V for Vendetta

V for Vendetta represents 2006's first memorable motion picture - a visually sumptuous concoction that combines political allegory, bloody action, and a few stunning cinematic moments into a solid piece of entertainment. While it's true that the f...

Run Time: 2:12
U.S. Release Date: 2006-03-17
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence)
Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE
Director: James McTeigue
Cast: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, ...
Van Helsing

In the 1930s, monster movies were the staples of Universal Pictures' line-up, a cash cow as the industry metamorphosed from silent films to talkies. Although the monsters came in all sizes and flavors, none could match the appeal of the "Big Three...

Run Time: 2:15
U.S. Release Date: 2004-05-07
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: ACTION/HORROR
Director: Stephen Sommers
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, ...
Vera Drake

Although Vera Drake is about the downfall of an abortionist working during a time when the law in England decreed that it was unlawful to perform an "unauthorized" operation, this isn't really an "abortion movie." That's the context, but the tale ...

Run Time: 2:05
U.S. Release Date: 2004-10-22
MPAA Rating: "R" (Mature Themes, Violence)
Genre: DRAMA
Director: Mike Leigh
Cast: Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Peter Wight, ...
View to a Kill, A

A View to a Kill represents the farewell bow of two long-time Bond film actors: Lois Maxwell, who portrayed Miss Moneypenny in all fourteen official movies from Dr. No to this one, and Roger Moore. While Moore's stamp on Bond was never as memo...

Run Time: 2:11
U.S. Release Date: -
MPAA Rating: "PG" (Violence, Sexual Situations)
Genre: ACTION/THRILLER
Director: John Glen
Cast: Roger Moore, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, ...
Visit, The

Two distinct problems of execution keep The Visit, M. Night Shyamalan's "comeback" from being anything more than another disappointing title on an increasingly uneven filmography. Despite a promising premise and effective "Shyamala...

Run Time: 1:34
U.S. Release Date: 2015-09-11
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Disturbing Images, Profanity, Brief Nudity)
Genre: Horror/Comedy
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, ...
Volcano

Volcano is one of those films (like last year's Twister and Independence Day) for which it doesn't matter what I (or any other critic) have to say. Disaster movie junkies will go to get their fix; those who can't tell the difference between Th...

Run Time: 1:53
U.S. Release Date: 1997-04-25
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: ADVENTURE
Director: Mick Jackson
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, Don Cheadle, ...