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How, one might ask, does one begin to defend Xanadu? To start with, by looking at it without any pretensions and seeing it for what it is. Conventional wisdom decrees that Xanadu is a horrible film. In a sense, conventional wisdom may be correct...

Where's the Kryptonite? What many movie producers fail to realize is that one of the keys to making a superhero interesting is to give him an Achilles heel - Kryptonite, so to speak. And one of the big problems with XXX: State of the Union is t...

Although the idea behind Yesterday was to craft a love-letter to The Beatles, the end result tastes a lot like a typical Richard Curtis rom-com with a generous helping of John-Paul-George-Ringo gravy. Less reliant on pop music than either Bohe...

As a writer by trade (at least before he started directing), David Koepp should know that a good ending is at least as important as a good beginning, if not more so.  You Should Have Left, a haunted house movie that doubles as an homage to St...

By their nature, there is a predictable sameness to most romantic comedies. Armed with an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality, filmmakers venturing into this genre rarely attempt anything daring; they are, after all, courting an audience t...

You, Me and Dupree represents the second high-profile movie of the summer of 2006 to be mis-marketed as a comedy. As with The Break Up, this stars one of the featured actors from last year's surprise hit, Wedding Crashers. However, Owen Wilson isn'...

When assessing the small motion picture sub-genre of the "fantasy comedy," it's necessary to acknowledge that the impregnable pinnacle is occupied by Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride, a classic whose prominence may never be challenged. Your Highnes...

Someone in a charitable mood might consider Zoom to be a kids' film. To the extent that such a label indicates there is nothing of value or interest for adults, it's apt. However, it's difficult to imagine what might appeal to a younger audience....