558 Reviews by Joe Baltake


	Home 5361 movies. 132297 reviews.


	558 Reviews by Joe Baltake 558 Reviews by Joe Baltake of Passionate Moviegoer Movie: Nanny Diaries, The Release date: 8/24/2007 Review by Joe Baltake of Passionate Moviegoer: (7/0) 'The Nanny Diaries': Huh? It's supposed to be a comedy? 78 other reviews of this movie Movie: Superbad Release date: 8/17/2007 Review by Joe Baltake of Passionate Moviegoer: (7/0) 'Superbad': 'American Graffiti Redux,' only updated with the usual raunch and a major penis fixat... 151 other reviews of this movie Movie: 2 Days in Paris Release date: 8/10/2007 Review by Joe Baltake of Passionate Moviegoer: (7/0) '2 Days in Paris' is at once companionable and challenging, and like most worthwhile films these ... 79 other reviews of this movie Movie: Joshua Release date: 7/6/2007 Review by Joe Baltake of Passionate Moviegoer: (7/0) 'Joshua': More than a 'horror film' - a staunchly unforgiving, thoroughly uncomproming look at ho... 87 other reviews of this movie Movie: Ratatouille Release date: 6/29/2007 Review by Joe Baltake of Passionate Moviegoer: (7/0) Would it be redundant - or too premature - to call 'Ratatouille' the best film of the year? 152 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mighty Heart, A Release date: 6/22/2007 Review by Joe Baltake of Passionate Moviegoer: (7/0) 'A Mighty Heart': Where's Daniel? 131 other reviews of this movie Movie: Year of the Dog Release date: 4/13/2007 Review by Joe Baltake of Passionate Moviegoer: (7/0) Mike White's 'Year of the Dog': Smart, witty film about the consequences of single-minded committ... 90 other reviews of this movie Movie: Host (Gwoemul), The Release date: 3/9/2007 Review by Joe Baltake of Passionate Moviegoer: (7/0) 'The Host': A sneaky, spellbinding celebration of what movies are supposed to be all about. 112 other reviews of this movie Movie: Break-Up, The Release date: 6/2/2006 Review by Joe Baltake of Passionate Moviegoer: (7/0) "The Break-Up": A brilliantly uncompromising, often harsh but very accurate examination of a rela... 157 other reviews of this movie Movie: Beyond the Sea Release date: 12/21/2004 11:01:27 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) You have to hand it to Spacey. He gets by on sheer willfulness. He believes so much in his cockey... 123 other reviews of this movie Movie: Aviator, The Release date: 12/17/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A film that's extremely well-made but tantalizingly or clumsily (take your pick) oblique. 87 other reviews of this movie Movie: Spanglish Release date: 12/17/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) An unusually observant film marked by dry, acerbic humor. 115 other reviews of this movie Movie: Ocean's Twelve Release date: 12/10/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Rarely has crime seemed so glamorous, what with these mostly well-dressed, largely attractive, im... 55 other reviews of this movie Movie: Christmas with the Kranks Release date: 11/24/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This one is a veritable celebration of intolerance, disguised as a joyous holiday film. 108 other reviews of this movie Movie: Kinsey Release date: 11/12/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The remarkable Liam Neeson does an affectingly self-effacing turn in the title role. 148 other reviews of this movie Movie: Undertow Release date: 10/22/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A crackling good, low-down noir thriller. 87 other reviews of this movie Movie: Shall We Dance? Release date: 10/15/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A treat on two counts. First and foremost, it is a wildly entertaining and companionable film. Se... 118 other reviews of this movie Movie: Stage Beauty Release date: 10/8/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Has a lot to say and manages to say most of it in an unexpectedly entertaining way -- and also wi... 90 other reviews of this movie Movie: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow Release date: 9/17/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Style over substance -- but what style! 165 other reviews of this movie Movie: Criminal Release date: 9/10/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It's a good film, suitably entertaining, but there's the nagging question of why everyone bothere... 91 other reviews of this movie Movie: Vanity Fair Release date: 9/1/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Few other young actresses can jut out their jaw in ambitious determination as charmingly as Withe... 117 other reviews of this movie Movie: Hero Release date: 8/27/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A film of one memorable movie moment after another. 151 other reviews of this movie Movie: Collateral Release date: 8/6/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A genuinely original modern thriller. 188 other reviews of this movie Movie: Open Water Release date: 8/6/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) An unnerving 'What if?' scenario that you won't be able to shake -- from either your dreams or yo... 154 other reviews of this movie Movie: Village, The Release date: 7/30/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This movie is as big a hoax as the notorious Sci Fi Channel faux documentary The Buried Secret of... 158 other reviews of this movie Movie: Intimate Strangers Release date: 7/28/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) While other would-be Hitchcock imitators limit themselves to seeing only the mayhem or violence i... 48 other reviews of this movie Movie: Catwoman Release date: 7/23/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Here's a movie that has nothing going for it except good bone structure. 120 other reviews of this movie Movie: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Release date: 7/9/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) There isn't a second that goes by without Ferrell filling it with some form of comic shtick - a w... 106 other reviews of this movie Movie: Riding Giants Release date: 7/9/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) In some ways, Riding Giants overlaps Step Into Liquid. The two complement each other. 42 other reviews of this movie Movie: King Arthur Release date: 7/7/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) We've reached a sad point when everything in movies has to be masculine -- when it's considered w... 66 other reviews of this movie Movie: Before Sunset Release date: 7/2/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) I found myself hoping that Linklater, Hawke and Delpy would revisit these characters in another 1... 46 other reviews of this movie Movie: De-Lovely Release date: 7/2/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It is stiff, lifeless and incomprehensibly dull. 120 other reviews of this movie Movie: Spider-Man 2 Release date: 6/30/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The closest thing to an art-house action film since Tim Burton's original Batman in 1989. 131 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Release date: 6/18/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Non-nutritional, brainless, lowdown, rude fun. 108 other reviews of this movie Movie: Around the World in 80 Days Release date: 6/16/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Wonderful family escapist entertainment. 101 other reviews of this movie Movie: Garfield Release date: 6/11/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Garfield: The Movie is irresistible even though it isn't very good. It gets by on goodwill alone. 59 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mother, The Release date: 5/28/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) What sets The Mother apart from your typical daytime serial is the caliber of both the writing an... 59 other reviews of this movie Movie: Love Me If You Dare Release date: 5/21/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The kind of precious whimsy that you want to squash. 87 other reviews of this movie Movie: Love Me If You Dare Release date: 5/21/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The kind of precious whimsy that you want to squash. 87 other reviews of this movie Movie: Super Size Me Release date: 5/7/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A film that's every bit as tasty as junk food but without any of the refined flour, processed sug... 131 other reviews of this movie Movie: 13 Going On 30 Release date: 4/23/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Disarming fun as it trails a little girl who almost learns too late what's important in life and ... 127 other reviews of this movie Movie: Alamo, The Release date: 4/9/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A heartfelt yet strangely uninvolving account of the mythic Texas battle. 117 other reviews of this movie Movie: Girl Next Door, The Release date: 4/9/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) I used to think that there was nothing worse than a bran muffin, but then I saw The Girl Next Doo... 120 other reviews of this movie Movie: Walking Tall Release date: 4/2/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It isn't much of a movie -- the plotline has been whittled down to next to nothing -- but it's a ... 59 other reviews of this movie Movie: Prince & Me, The Release date: 4/2/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) I guess the 'real' part is that the heroine here isn't a simp as she was in, say, Cinderella, and... 82 other reviews of this movie Movie: Ladykillers, The Release date: 3/26/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) You may go into this film to see Hanks back in top comic form, but I guarantee you will walk out ... 148 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dogville Release date: 3/26/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Singular and unforgettable -- the work of a brilliant crackpot. 109 other reviews of this movie Movie: Spartan Release date: 3/12/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The odd thing is that Spartan, despite its lofty goals, is no more convincing than a Schwarzenegg... 91 other reviews of this movie Movie: Starsky & Hutch Release date: 3/5/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) All in all, the film has a certain authenticity, capturing the spirit of the series. 141 other reviews of this movie Movie: Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen Release date: 2/20/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Both the actress and the character she's playing are stranded in a vapid film about vapid teens. 40 other reviews of this movie Movie: Miracle Release date: 2/6/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Given that we know the outcome it's amazing how much suspense Miracle engenders. 55 other reviews of this movie Movie: Peter Pan Release date: 12/25/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Hurd-Wood, a newcomer, brings an earnest charm to Wendy. She's letter-perfect in the role. 93 other reviews of this movie Movie: Cold Mountain Release date: 12/25/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Here is a privileged example of a talented filmmaker at the top of his game, abetted by a dream c... 156 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mona Lisa Smile Release date: 12/19/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) May not be the personably 'serious' movie it sees itself as -- and it may miss its mark by aiming... 112 other reviews of this movie Movie: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Release date: 12/17/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Insanely spectacular and never less than absorbing, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King... 82 other reviews of this movie Movie: Girl With a Pearl Earring Release date: 12/12/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) [Johansson's] memorable turn here represents a wonderful commingling of the right looks with the ... 133 other reviews of this movie Movie: Triplets of Belleville, The Release date: 11/26/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) As original as it is strange, The Triplets of Belleville not only will win you over with that pot... 96 other reviews of this movie Movie: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Release date: 11/14/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) While often exciting and never less than engrossing, Weir's film unfolds at a thoughtful, rather ... 157 other reviews of this movie Movie: Love Actually Release date: 11/7/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Call me Scrooge, but I sincerely hope that this film does not become a Christmas perennial. 149 other reviews of this movie Movie: Matrix Revolutions, The Release date: 11/5/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This final installment is both too much of a good thing and too little. 158 other reviews of this movie Movie: Shattered Glass Release date: 10/31/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Shattered Glass has the skill and power to make you squirm. 118 other reviews of this movie Movie: Brother Bear Release date: 10/24/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) There's a nagging sameness here that dwarfs the film's noble intentions and rather striking cinem... 46 other reviews of this movie Movie: Singing Detective, The Release date: 10/24/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Catch it to see a major performance by a magnetic actor, but go in with patience and with the rea... 47 other reviews of this movie Movie: Pieces of April Release date: 10/17/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Hedges brings some refreshing new wrinkles to a familiar plot, and he further spices it up by hav... 116 other reviews of this movie Movie: Kill Bill Vol. 1 Release date: 10/10/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The biggest, baddest B-movie ever made. 163 other reviews of this movie Movie: Out of Time Release date: 10/3/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Washington has never been more of a movie star than he is here. 97 other reviews of this movie Movie: Wonderland Release date: 10/3/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A movie that manages to make both sex and violence dull. 44 other reviews of this movie Movie: Bubba Ho-Tep Release date: 9/19/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It gets by on a kind of demented charm. 72 other reviews of this movie Movie: Lost In Translation Release date: 9/12/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A gemlike movie that's intimate and moody but never sentimental. 156 other reviews of this movie Movie: Open Range Release date: 8/15/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) [A] very special and singular film 39 other reviews of this movie Movie: Gigli Release date: 8/1/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This is not a great movie, but it isn't a bad one, either. 135 other reviews of this movie Movie: Seabiscuit Release date: 7/25/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The best film of the summer. 121 other reviews of this movie Movie: Buffalo Soldiers Release date: 7/25/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A scathing and very funny indictment of the U.S. military. 27 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dirty Pretty Things Release date: 7/18/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) These are characters that draw you in and make you care, making it impossible to pull away. 49 other reviews of this movie Movie: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Release date: 7/11/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Most studios aim for movies, particularly summer movies, that can be enjoyed by both kids and the... 77 other reviews of this movie Movie: Northfork Release date: 7/11/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This formidable work is for no one except those who are truly tired of formulaic movies and crave... 63 other reviews of this movie Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Release date: 7/9/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Just imagine spending two hours-plus on a Pirates of the Caribbean ride and you'll get some idea ... 152 other reviews of this movie Movie: 28 Days Later Release date: 6/27/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) To each his own apocalypse, so to speak, but Danny Boyle has come up with a whopper. 60 other reviews of this movie Movie: Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Release date: 6/27/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a lot like going to a fast-food restaurant. You have no idea w... 96 other reviews of this movie Movie: Hulk, The Release date: 6/20/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This movie is every bit as spiritual and arty as Lee's last film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,... 73 other reviews of this movie Movie: Alex & Emma Release date: 6/20/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This seriously dull romantic comedy -- an anti-romantic comedy, to be more accurate -- is somethi... 102 other reviews of this movie Movie: Hollywood Homicide Release date: 6/13/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Hollywood Homicide is one of those smooth formula jobs that always seems to attract the services ... 57 other reviews of this movie Movie: Italian Job, The Release date: 5/30/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It took me 30 years to forget the first Italian Job but only about 30 minutes for the new one to ... 52 other reviews of this movie Movie: Finding Nemo Release date: 5/30/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) DeGeneres does vocal duties by which all future voiceovers and dubs will be judged. 136 other reviews of this movie Movie: Down With Love Release date: 5/16/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Reminded me of a handsome, expensively dressed person with bad manners and no real sense of style... 115 other reviews of this movie Movie: L'Auberge Espagnole Release date: 5/16/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) All in all, Klapisch's style approximates the excitement of the French New Wave of the late 1950s... 67 other reviews of this movie Movie: Matrix Reloaded, The Release date: 5/15/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The world created so vividly by the Wachowskis is still brand new but not nearly so intimidating ... 228 other reviews of this movie Movie: Shape of Things, The Release date: 5/9/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Having played these roles for so long and so often, Mol, Rudd, Weller and Weisz fully inhabit the... 46 other reviews of this movie Movie: Man on the Train Release date: 5/9/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Your typical buddy film that's been executed in an entirely atypical way. 78 other reviews of this movie Movie: Owning Mahowny Release date: 5/2/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Hoffman makes it impossible for us not to watch and not to enjoy it all on some subliminal level. 24 other reviews of this movie Movie: X2: X-Men United Release date: 5/2/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The genius of Singer's movie is how easy he makes it for us to recognize and relate to this suppo... 179 other reviews of this movie Movie: Spellbound Release date: 4/30/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Witty, poignant and suspenseful. 105 other reviews of this movie Movie: Phone Booth Release date: 4/4/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Its plot ... not only fully exploits Schumacher's strengths as a filmmaker but also has encourage... 154 other reviews of this movie Movie: Levity Release date: 4/4/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The movie is stymied by its rather rigid approach to sending us a message about redemption and fo... 70 other reviews of this movie Movie: Assassination Tango Release date: 3/28/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Its many tiny character details make up for the ludicrous story it's telling. 57 other reviews of this movie Movie: Raising Victor Vargas Release date: 3/28/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Raising Victor Vargas is alive, full of fizz and light as air. 77 other reviews of this movie Movie: Hunted, The Release date: 3/14/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A thoroughly mediocre action movie. 100 other reviews of this movie Movie: Tears of the Sun Release date: 3/7/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film may have been inspired by The Seachers, but it's worlds away from John Wayne. 131 other reviews of this movie Movie: Tears of the Sun Release date: 3/7/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film may have been inspired by The Seachers, but it's worlds away from John Wayne. 131 other reviews of this movie Movie: Bringing Down the House Release date: 3/7/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The material has been done before and there's not much more one can do with it. Thank God for Que... 106 other reviews of this movie Movie: Life of David Gale, The Release date: 2/21/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film manages the feat of preaching to both the converted and the unconverted. 113 other reviews of this movie Movie: All the Real Girls Release date: 2/14/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The characters just sit there and talk, and you start to feel you're trapped not at a movie but i... 94 other reviews of this movie Movie: How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days Release date: 2/7/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Button-cute. 43 other reviews of this movie Movie: Kangaroo Jack Release date: 1/17/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A curious throwback to the Francis the Talking Mule movies. 102 other reviews of this movie Movie: City of God Release date: 1/17/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It rings with the kind of truths we'd rather evade. 131 other reviews of this movie Movie: Good Thief, The Release date: 12/31/2002 11:01:32 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Jordan has made a film that is both traditional enough to hold those moviegoers who don't catch i... 88 other reviews of this movie Movie: Pianist, The Release date: 12/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This material means something to Polanski and, because of this, he brings personal details that m... 126 other reviews of this movie Movie: Nicholas Nickleby Release date: 12/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Like its title character, this Nicholas Nickleby finds itself in reduced circumstances -- and, al... 87 other reviews of this movie Movie: Max Release date: 12/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This film belongs to Taylor and no one else. 84 other reviews of this movie Movie: Chicago Release date: 12/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A great movie musical. 176 other reviews of this movie Movie: Hours, The Release date: 12/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film manages to be cinematic and transporting even though we generally spend most of our time... 139 other reviews of this movie Movie: Max Release date: 12/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This film belongs to Taylor and no one else. 84 other reviews of this movie Movie: Catch Me If You Can Release date: 12/25/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It's fun for a while, a lot of fun, but it should have ended while it was ahead. 169 other reviews of this movie Movie: Gangs of New York Release date: 12/20/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A good film, but a letdown. 149 other reviews of this movie Movie: Antwone Fisher Release date: 12/19/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The level of acting elevates the material above pat inspirational status and gives it a sturdines... 63 other reviews of this movie Movie: 25th Hour Release date: 12/19/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Sorrowful and thoughtful at the same time, 25th Hour is about how a single situation can jolt us ... 56 other reviews of this movie Movie: Maid in Manhattan Release date: 12/13/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) In the affable Maid in Manhattan, Jennifer Lopez's most aggressive and most sincere attempt to ta... 93 other reviews of this movie Movie: Evelyn Release date: 12/13/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Beresford's direction makes sure that grit and a certain ugliness get equal screen time with the ... 80 other reviews of this movie Movie: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Release date: 12/12/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Viewers more than get their money's worth here. 166 other reviews of this movie Movie: Adaptation Release date: 12/6/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) There's a flash of excitement to this clever film and its performances. 141 other reviews of this movie Movie: Solaris Release date: 11/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This bit of pseudoscience has been made appropriately enigmatic by Soderbergh and company. 103 other reviews of this movie Movie: Treasure Planet Release date: 11/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A perfectly competent and often imaginative film that lacks what little Lilo & Stitch had in spad... 97 other reviews of this movie Movie: Talk to Her Release date: 11/22/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Elegant and eloquent [meditation] on death and that most elusive of passions, love. 104 other reviews of this movie Movie: Quiet American, The Release date: 11/22/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The Quiet American is a most disturbing film -- but disturbing in a good way. 37 other reviews of this movie Movie: Emperor's Club, The Release date: 11/22/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Its valuable message makes it a must-see for children and teenagers, and even more so for those c... 98 other reviews of this movie Movie: Personal Velocity Release date: 11/22/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Very psychoanalytical -- provocatively so -- and also refreshingly literary. 52 other reviews of this movie Movie: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Release date: 11/15/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The Godfather II of family films. 195 other reviews of this movie Movie: 8 Mile Release date: 11/8/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film is emotionally charged, almost naturally so, with Hanson's direction stressing the pop r... 143 other reviews of this movie Movie: Far From Heaven Release date: 11/8/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film oozes craft. 147 other reviews of this movie Movie: Truth About Charlie, The Release date: 10/25/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Just one bad idea after another. 52 other reviews of this movie Movie: Auto Focus Release date: 10/18/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Kinnear is brilliant here ... and he's matched by Dafoe. 41 other reviews of this movie Movie: Formula 51 Release date: 10/18/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It has the requisite flash and profane dialogue that movie audiences seem to like these days, but... 76 other reviews of this movie Movie: Punch-Drunk Love Release date: 10/11/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (5/2) In the end, Punch-Drunk Love is one of those films that I wanted to like much more than I actuall... 42 other reviews of this movie Movie: Bloody Sunday Release date: 10/4/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film transports us back in time. 78 other reviews of this movie Movie: XXX Release date: 8/9/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Diesel makes poor Pierce Brosnan, the current James Bond, seem not only middle-aged (which, of co... 126 other reviews of this movie Movie: Signs Release date: 8/2/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Certainly works as The Birds disguised as Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 76 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mr. Deeds Release date: 6/28/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The latest Adam Sandler assault and possibly the worst film of the year. 108 other reviews of this movie Movie: Pumpkin Release date: 6/28/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Would be considered an interesting failure, only it isn't all that interesting. 48 other reviews of this movie Movie: Emperor's New Clothes, The Release date: 6/14/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) To build a feel-good fantasy around a vain dictator-madman is off-putting, to say the least, not ... 64 other reviews of this movie Movie: Insomnia Release date: 5/24/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It'll keep you wide awake and ... very tense. 61 other reviews of this movie Movie: Spider-Man Release date: 5/3/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A model of what films like this should be like. 157 other reviews of this movie Movie: Cat's Meow, The Release date: 4/12/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Bogdanovich puts history in perspective and, via Kirsten Dunst's remarkable performance, he showc... 74 other reviews of this movie Movie: Rookie, The Release date: 3/29/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It's Quaid who anchors the film with his effortless performance and that trademark grin of his --... 70 other reviews of this movie Movie: Time Out Release date: 3/29/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film is darkly funny in its observation of just how much more grueling and time-consuming the... 35 other reviews of this movie Movie: Hart's War Release date: 2/15/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The movie itself is far from disappointing, offering an original take on courtroom movies, a few ... 29 other reviews of this movie Movie: Crossroads Release date: 2/15/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Like one long commercial for Britney Spears, her moves and her music. 83 other reviews of this movie Movie: Slackers Release date: 2/1/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) This will go on so long as there are moviegoers anxious to see strange young guys doing strange g... 92 other reviews of this movie Movie: Storytelling Release date: 1/25/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Each story on its own could have been expanded and worked into a compelling single feature, but i... 62 other reviews of this movie Movie: Focus Release date: 12/31/2001 11:01:31 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It is as heavyhanded as it is compelling, taking the subject of discrimination and turning it ins... 58 other reviews of this movie Movie: Monster's Ball Release date: 12/26/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Monster's Ball drills at us the same way a dentist goes at your teeth, creating pain but for a gr... 38 other reviews of this movie Movie: Ali Release date: 12/25/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Even though Smith is nothing at all like Ali in either looks or temperament, the young actor has ... 102 other reviews of this movie Movie: Lantana Release date: 12/14/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) One of the best. 72 other reviews of this movie Movie: Kandahar Release date: 12/14/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Kandahar is forbidding and unforgiving -- and, also, unforgettable. 91 other reviews of this movie Movie: Ocean's Eleven Release date: 12/7/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The perfect movie for New Year's Eve. 56 other reviews of this movie Movie: Spy Game Release date: 11/21/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Spy Game doesn't pander at all and even has the guts to stretch matters out to 127 minutes. 93 other reviews of this movie Movie: Spy Game Release date: 11/21/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Spy Game doesn't pander at all and even has the guts to stretch matters out to 127 minutes. 93 other reviews of this movie Movie: Devil's Backbone, The Release date: 11/21/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Let's just say [Del Toro] knows how to create tension. 40 other reviews of this movie Movie: Amelie Release date: 11/2/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Anyone who loves movies will have no defense against the seductions of Amelie -- either the film ... 42 other reviews of this movie Movie: Monsters, Inc. Release date: 11/2/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Might have been more effective as a short. Still, I hate to quibble about so likable a movie, esp... 117 other reviews of this movie Movie: O Release date: 8/31/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) An interesting experiment with some occasional moments of great power. 82 other reviews of this movie Movie: Others, The Release date: 8/10/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A thinking person's horror movie. 65 other reviews of this movie Movie: A.I. Artificial Intelligence Release date: 6/29/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Seriously flawed but provocative and fascinating nonetheless. 145 other reviews of this movie Movie: Lumumba Release date: 6/27/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A powerfully rich and incredibly sorrowful portrait. 37 other reviews of this movie Movie: Atlantis: the Lost Empire Release date: 6/15/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) You've seen this film before, only not in animated form -- and not done so exquisitely. 76 other reviews of this movie Movie: Swordfish Release date: 6/8/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Contains five elements that I hate about modern movies: computers, guns, explosions, out-of-contr... 84 other reviews of this movie Movie: Shrek Release date: 5/16/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Isn't so much a fractured spoof of everything Disney, but actually a Monty Python flick for kids ... 103 other reviews of this movie Movie: Monkeybone Release date: 2/23/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Help me! I can feel my brain rotting. 69 other reviews of this movie Movie: Memento Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Nolan is a breath of fresh air as a filmmaker. 83 other reviews of this movie Movie: Together Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The joys -- and pitfalls -- of communal living in the 1970s are rendered with a buoyant immediacy... 52 other reviews of this movie Movie: Chopper Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Chopper is never less than fascinating. 44 other reviews of this movie Movie: Snatch Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The ride is occasionally fun because of the utter heartlessness of it all. 40 other reviews of this movie Movie: Caveman's Valentine, The Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Unlike most movies these days, which have very little going on inside them so as not to confuse t... 52 other reviews of this movie Movie: Traffic Release date: 12/27/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Traffic is the kind of movie that will probably age rather quickly, but right now, in the first m... 40 other reviews of this movie Movie: Malena Release date: 12/25/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Like so many movies these days, Mal�na is a jumble of ideas from earlier films. 35 other reviews of this movie Movie: Chocolat Release date: 12/15/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Hallstrom has created the cinematic equivalent of chocolate on screen. Who could resist? 68 other reviews of this movie Movie: Unbreakable Release date: 11/22/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Even with its flaws and misses, Unbreakable is fairly unforgettable. 105 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Release date: 11/17/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Hollywood has learned nothing from Dr. Seuss. 25 other reviews of this movie Movie: Contender, The Release date: 10/13/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A near-perfect political drama for our time. 62 other reviews of this movie Movie: Watcher, The Release date: 9/8/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The Watcher is thoroughly European, a nice find. 38 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dinosaur Release date: 5/19/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Dinosaur, although still impressive, just misses being a great, truly revolutionary film. 28 other reviews of this movie Movie: Gladiator Release date: 5/5/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Gladiator looms as an audacious, if not exactly great, movie. 112 other reviews of this movie Movie: Whatever It Takes Release date: 3/24/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Lame corruption of the 'Cyrano' legend. 36 other reviews of this movie Movie: Magnolia Release date: 12/17/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Magnolia is a bold, rich, meandering tapestry of lost souls in conflict, made by an artist who ma... 79 other reviews of this movie Movie: Insider, The Release date: 11/5/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Pacino and Crowe dominate the film, with a fine ensemble on the periphery. 72 other reviews of this movie Movie: Limey, The Release date: 10/8/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Sleek, gemlike. 45 other reviews of this movie Movie: Happy, Texas Release date: 10/1/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Happy, Texas is a good, winning combination of imitation and inventiveness. 24 other reviews of this movie Movie: Stigmata Release date: 9/10/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Flimsy and often stupid. 34 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dick Release date: 8/4/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Makes other teen flicks seem like failures of imagination! 45 other reviews of this movie Movie: Haunting, The Release date: 7/23/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) All logic is deadened by the obnoxious special effects! 28 other reviews of this movie Movie: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Release date: 3/5/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film had me alternating between a sugar high and drowsiness. One minute, I struggled to keep ... 40 other reviews of this movie Movie: Beloved Release date: 10/16/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film's success lies mainly in its fidelity to its source: It never tries to avoid or sidestep... 37 other reviews of this movie Movie: Titanic Release date: 12/19/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Titanic is a terrific balance of realism and romanticism. 82 other reviews of this movie Movie: Titanic Release date: 12/19/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Titanic is a terrific balance of realism and romanticism. 82 other reviews of this movie Movie: Scream 2 Release date: 12/12/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Most intelligent movie of the moment. 32 other reviews of this movie Movie: Alien Resurrection Release date: 11/26/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) 'This 'Alien' should never have been resurrected. 41 other reviews of this movie Movie: Edge, The Release date: 9/26/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) ...even less intelligent than your average action flick. 21 other reviews of this movie Movie: Preacher's Wife, The Release date: 12/31/1996 11:01:41 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) An endearingly modest entertainment elevated by the luminous double presence of Whitney Houston a... 16 other reviews of this movie Movie: Girls Town Release date: 12/31/1996 11:01:32 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film feels utterly real. 14 other reviews of this movie Movie: Hamlet Release date: 12/25/1996 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Moviegoers who applauded the vigilante justice in such recent films as Joel Schumacher's A Time T... 31 other reviews of this movie Movie: Trainspotting Release date: 7/19/1996 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) You stop cringing and start smiling, laughing even, and these kids, who seem like aliens at first... 43 other reviews of this movie Movie: Rock, The Release date: 6/7/1996 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It's as tough and hard as it sounds. It's also good fun. 27 other reviews of this movie Movie: Fargo Release date: 3/8/1996 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Funny without really trying to be, and it proves conclusively that fact is stranger than fiction. 37 other reviews of this movie Movie: Waterworld Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:48 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Waterworld is the movie that didn't happen. Which is a roundabout way of saying that the infamous... 17 other reviews of this movie Movie: Nixon Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:39 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Rich, dense and complex. 27 other reviews of this movie Movie: Jeffrey Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:35 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It comes with a superficially sunny sitcom adorableness that ... mixes well with Rudnick's smart,... 13 other reviews of this movie Movie: Heat Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:33 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Heat has an impressively strong script by Mann, and he backs it up with gorgeous filmmaking. 30 other reviews of this movie Movie: Beyond Rangoon Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:27 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) It's fascinating and rewarding to watch [Arquette] evolve, with much credibility, from her own pe... 16 other reviews of this movie Movie: Sabrina Release date: 12/15/1995 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) A handsome remake that plays homage to the Wilder flick. 15 other reviews of this movie Movie: Showgirls Release date: 9/22/1995 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Showgirls approximates the feeling of someone sleazy putting the make on you. Its brand of sexual... 20 other reviews of this movie Movie: Brazil Release date: 12/1/1985 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Everything that Terry Gilliam does seems to come in a peak. His movies tend to be a series of exh... 18 other reviews of this movie Movie: Grease Release date: 6/1/1978 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Grease is a great 'fun movie'. 32 other reviews of this movie Movie: Godfather, The Release date: 3/24/1972 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) With The Godfather, Coppola got everything right, balancing art with commerce -- and turning a bi... 33 other reviews of this movie Movie: Apartment, The Release date: 1/1/1960 Review by Joe Baltake of Passionate Moviegoer: (7/0) 'The Apartment': The Film That Defines Me 21 other reviews of this movie Movie: Vertigo Release date: 1/1/1958 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) Vertigo is Hitchcock's stirring parable of love and death. 31 other reviews of this movie Movie: M Release date: 1/1/1931 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (7/0) The film grows more unsettling when it becomes apparent that the child killer Beckert is somethin... 19 other reviews of this movie Movie: Around the Bend Release date: 3/2/2005 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference This is the male equivalent of the chick flick. It could have been titled Divine Secrets of the D... 41 other reviews of this movie Movie: Meet the Fockers Release date: 12/22/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Meet the Fockers is not much of a movie -- just a lot of comic situations barely held together by... 127 other reviews of this movie Movie: National Treasure Release date: 11/19/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Plays a lot better than it sounds. Trust me. 146 other reviews of this movie Movie: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Release date: 11/12/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference The film is a narrative mess, a cut-and-paste job of random ideas and pointless incidents that ar... 105 other reviews of this movie Movie: Polar Express, The Release date: 11/10/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's too mechanical in its perfection and too driven and premeditated in its attempts to impress ... 127 other reviews of this movie Movie: Being Julia Release date: 10/15/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference This is a choice role, and Bening tears into it with the broadest smile and widest eyes you ever ... 78 other reviews of this movie Movie: Vera Drake Release date: 10/10/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Mike Leigh, who seemingly has single-handedly revived kitchen-sink realism in modern British movi... 125 other reviews of this movie Movie: Shark Tale Release date: 10/1/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference A happy, fizzy film, splashed in brilliant colors. 110 other reviews of this movie Movie: Last Shot, The Release date: 9/24/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference There's an eccentric enchantment and easy friendliness to screenwriter Jeff Nathanson's modest de... 63 other reviews of this movie Movie: Pauly Shore is Dead Release date: 9/24/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It works as a throwaway joke -- occasionally funny and often shamelessly tasteless. And it also h... 10 other reviews of this movie Movie: Silver City Release date: 9/17/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference A juicy political lampoon that may be too close to reality for certain people to find amusing. 39 other reviews of this movie Movie: Head in the Clouds Release date: 9/17/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's wonderfully terrible. 37 other reviews of this movie Movie: Red Lights Release date: 9/3/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Brings with it everything a movie goer would want in a bracingly adult film. 64 other reviews of this movie Movie: Suspect Zero Release date: 8/27/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference The kind of by-the- numbers psychological/ action thriller that Paramount Pictures routinely make... 109 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mean Creek Release date: 8/20/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Works as a multiple character study, complemented by some of the best performances you are likely... 50 other reviews of this movie Movie: Without a Paddle Release date: 8/20/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference A larky, throwaway movie. 111 other reviews of this movie Movie: Without a Paddle Release date: 8/20/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference A larky, throwaway movie. 111 other reviews of this movie Movie: We Don't Live Here Anymore Release date: 8/13/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference A terribly slim, pretentious movie that wallows in the monotonous, far-from- fascinating angst of... 45 other reviews of this movie Movie: Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, The Release date: 8/11/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Starts out rather awkwardly but succeeds almost in spite of itself. 86 other reviews of this movie Movie: Garden State Release date: 7/30/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Sweet, fuzzy and quirky in a good way -- much like the cracked friendships it engagingly depicts. 112 other reviews of this movie Movie: She Hate Me Release date: 7/30/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference If you're truly adventurous in your movie-going and fed up with movies that play by the numbers, ... 71 other reviews of this movie Movie: Festival Express Release date: 7/23/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Shows us what we lost -- and what we may never see and hear again. 60 other reviews of this movie Movie: Outfoxed Release date: 7/13/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference As hugely entertaining as it is informative. 52 other reviews of this movie Movie: Stepford Wives, The Release date: 6/11/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Rudnick outdoes himself with the number of one-line zingers and moments of visual humor he relent... 116 other reviews of this movie Movie: Story of the Weeping Camel, The Release date: 6/4/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference This movie is for everyone. 86 other reviews of this movie Movie: Baadasssss! Release date: 5/28/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Works alternately as a weird kind of biopic, a movie about moviemaking and a film about a certain... 49 other reviews of this movie Movie: Day After Tomorrow, The Release date: 5/28/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Expensive cheese. 84 other reviews of this movie Movie: New York Minute Release date: 5/7/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference The surprise is that it's the kind of larky entertainment that can make adults feel younger, rath... 105 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mean Girls Release date: 4/30/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference This is the best film of its kind since Amy Heckerling's Clueless. 126 other reviews of this movie Movie: Kill Bill Vol. 2 Release date: 4/16/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Simply one of the best films, period. 71 other reviews of this movie Movie: Johnson Family Vacation Release date: 4/7/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference The star is funny, the movie isn't. 79 other reviews of this movie Movie: Home on the Range Release date: 4/2/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It is not out to win awards or break artistic records, but rather to make us feel warm and cozy a... 90 other reviews of this movie Movie: Jersey Girl Release date: 3/26/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference With Jersey Girl, [Smith] stopped fooling around, finally got his act together and made a real fi... 109 other reviews of this movie Movie: Bon Voyage Release date: 3/19/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's Adjani, at turns hammy and heartfelt, who makes this film positively levitate. 38 other reviews of this movie Movie: Taking Lives Release date: 3/19/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Taking Lives is a good, near-great film that might seem a lot better if it hadn't been preceded b... 124 other reviews of this movie Movie: Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself Release date: 3/12/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference This is one special movie. 17 other reviews of this movie Movie: Passion of the Christ, The Release date: 2/25/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Working with premier cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, Gibson effectively hurls us into Christ's l... 203 other reviews of this movie Movie: Against the Ropes Release date: 2/20/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference One of those infamous 'based on a true story' movies in which just about everything is a lie. 95 other reviews of this movie Movie: Welcome to Mooseport Release date: 2/20/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Nothing much happens in Welcome to Mooseport, but for a little less than two hours you can take a... 87 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dreamers, The Release date: 2/6/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference A pretty silly affair -- a minor film made by a major filmmaker. 117 other reviews of this movie Movie: Big Bounce, The Release date: 1/30/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The Big Bounce smacks of one of those films that, after sitting on some studio shelf too long, wa... 39 other reviews of this movie Movie: Along Came Polly Release date: 1/16/2004 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference There's enough originality here to offset some of the more questionable humor. 122 other reviews of this movie Movie: Power Trip Release date: 12/31/2003 11:01:41 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It embraces great characters, tension and a skewed sense of humor as matters in question get way ... 10 other reviews of this movie Movie: Calendar Girls Release date: 12/19/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference The movie -- like the calendar -- moves along smoothly. 96 other reviews of this movie Movie: Stuck on You Release date: 12/12/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's difficult not to like Stuck on You. Damon is truly endearing, Kinnear gives off a movie-star... 116 other reviews of this movie Movie: Honey Release date: 12/5/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Jessica Alba adds the soothing honey to Honey. 90 other reviews of this movie Movie: Last Samurai, The Release date: 12/5/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference The film belongs to Watanabe, who either steals it from the star or is generously handed it by Cr... 166 other reviews of this movie Movie: Barbarian Invasions, The Release date: 11/21/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's quite depressing to find that these self-absorbed people haven't really changed, that they s... 92 other reviews of this movie Movie: 21 Grams Release date: 11/21/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Dripping with cinematic style. 132 other reviews of this movie Movie: Die Mommie Die! Release date: 10/31/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It plugs ahead on the stamina and sheer nerve of its author-star. 54 other reviews of this movie Movie: Beyond Borders Release date: 10/24/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference You'll probably laugh your way through this immediate guilty pleasure, but you'll also get hooked... 77 other reviews of this movie Movie: Runaway Jury Release date: 10/17/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Immensely watchable. 87 other reviews of this movie Movie: School of Rock Release date: 10/3/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference I like this film. But that doesn't deny it's naggingly familiar. 148 other reviews of this movie Movie: School of Rock Release date: 10/3/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference I like this film. But that doesn't deny it's naggingly familiar. 148 other reviews of this movie Movie: Station Agent, The Release date: 10/3/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference For 88 all-too-brief minutes, we get to hang out with very companionable people, eavesdrop on the... 113 other reviews of this movie Movie: Casa de Los Babys Release date: 9/19/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference A collaborative triumph in which the right actresses in the right roles respond to Sayles' ever-g... 90 other reviews of this movie Movie: Cabin Fever Release date: 9/12/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Cabin Fever gets the job done. It's appropriately gruesome and genuinely scary -- and, despite th... 110 other reviews of this movie Movie: Party Monster Release date: 9/5/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's a cinematic party, one long, strung-out bash that starts out as a novelty and turns into som... 43 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star Release date: 9/5/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star is alert fun as long as it stays on Hollywood and Vine ... once... 78 other reviews of this movie Movie: Jeepers Creepers 2 Release date: 8/29/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It can be enjoyed as schlock by horror fans and its targeted teen audience, even though it's rath... 94 other reviews of this movie Movie: American Splendor Release date: 8/15/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Pulcini and Berman have inventively rethought the notion of the biopic, and the results are audac... 133 other reviews of this movie Movie: Freddy vs. Jason Release date: 8/15/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference The expression 'bloody bore' takes on a new, deeper meaning with Freddy Vs. Jason. 103 other reviews of this movie Movie: Uptown Girls Release date: 8/15/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's excruciating, a film of forced humor and fake, grating sentimentality, featuring two lead pe... 91 other reviews of this movie Movie: Freaky Friday Release date: 8/6/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference While it's a perfectly competent and affable film, the new version doesn't have anything to promp... 66 other reviews of this movie Movie: Secret Lives of Dentists, The Release date: 8/1/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's often been said that we don't really know people, that we don't know what goes on in other p... 74 other reviews of this movie Movie: And Now Ladies and Gentlemen Release date: 8/1/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This is like a collection of the best moments from Claude Lelouch's filmography -- with bits and ... 32 other reviews of this movie Movie: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life Release date: 7/25/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference She may be playing yet another (so-called) empowered woman in yet another film made for teenage b... 132 other reviews of this movie Movie: Housekeeper, The Release date: 7/11/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Berri makes very personal works about men who learn something about themselves rather late in lif... 49 other reviews of this movie Movie: Gloomy Sunday Release date: 6/20/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference A superior soap opera not unlike what Douglas Sirk might have churned out in the 1950s. 48 other reviews of this movie Movie: Rugrats Go Wild Release date: 6/13/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference A shrill, pointless animation in which two highly profitable Nickelodeon TV franchises come toget... 72 other reviews of this movie Movie: Agent Cody Banks Release date: 3/14/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference The film is cute but never much beyond that. 74 other reviews of this movie Movie: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not Release date: 2/14/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Nothing can prepare you for the twisty -- and twisted -- details the 26-year-old Colombani almost... 52 other reviews of this movie Movie: Shanghai Knights Release date: 2/7/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's a mess, but an engaging one. 123 other reviews of this movie Movie: Recruit, The Release date: 1/31/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Taut psychological thriller. 159 other reviews of this movie Movie: Recruit, The Release date: 1/31/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Taut psychological thriller. 159 other reviews of this movie Movie: Guru, The Release date: 1/31/2003 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's good fun -- almost a musical. 74 other reviews of this movie Movie: Second Time Around Release date: 12/31/2002 11:01:44 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Vera's three actors -- Moll�, Gil and Bardem -- excel in insightful, empathetic performances. 14 other reviews of this movie Movie: Shanghai Ghetto Release date: 12/31/2002 11:01:44 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's incredible the number of stories the Holocaust has generated. Just when you think that every... 26 other reviews of this movie Movie: Powerpuff Girls Movie, The Release date: 12/31/2002 11:01:41 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This little film is so slovenly done, so primitive in technique, that it can't really be called a... 38 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, The Release date: 12/31/2002 11:01:29 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Works as pretty contagious fun. 58 other reviews of this movie Movie: Wild Thornberrys Movie, The Release date: 12/20/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Bursting through the constraints of its source, this is one adapted- from-television movie that a... 34 other reviews of this movie Movie: Hot Chick, The Release date: 12/13/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Strictly a 'guy's film' in the worst sense of the expression. 20 other reviews of this movie Movie: Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights Release date: 11/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights grows on you -- like a rash. 81 other reviews of this movie Movie: Extreme Ops Release date: 11/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference A B-movie you can sit through, enjoy on a certain level and then forget. 58 other reviews of this movie Movie: Way Home, The Release date: 11/15/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference [The kid's] selfishness is difficult to watch at times, but if you have patience on the level of ... 39 other reviews of this movie Movie: Femme Fatale Release date: 11/6/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference This is pure, exciting moviemaking. You won't exactly know what's happening but you'll be blissfu... 112 other reviews of this movie Movie: All or Nothing Release date: 10/25/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It is almost impossible to sludge through this tiny morality tale and not recognize bad habits, s... 68 other reviews of this movie Movie: White Oleander Release date: 10/11/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference 'Synthetic' is the best description of this well-meaning, beautifully produced film that sacrific... 85 other reviews of this movie Movie: Welcome to Collinwood Release date: 10/4/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference It's a bellini. 50 other reviews of this movie Movie: Sweet Home Alabama Release date: 9/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Sweet Home Alabama may be sweet and small and inconsequential, but it offers the privileged exper... 52 other reviews of this movie Movie: Just a Kiss Release date: 9/27/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference A lousy movie that's not merely unwatchable, but also unlistenable. 50 other reviews of this movie Movie: Trials of Henry Kissinger, The Release date: 9/25/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Jarecki's film is jampacked with information -- both fact and opinion -- utilizing news and inter... 46 other reviews of this movie Movie: 8 Women Release date: 9/20/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference There are any number of moments that fans of French cinema could only have dreamed of ever happen... 87 other reviews of this movie Movie: Stealing Harvard Release date: 9/13/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Stealing Harvard is evidence that the Farrelly Bros. -- Peter and Bobby -- and their brand of scr... 95 other reviews of this movie Movie: City by the Sea Release date: 9/6/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference An honorable film that works as a nagging missed opportunity. 102 other reviews of this movie Movie: Satin Rouge Release date: 8/23/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (6/1) No reference Leading a double life in an American film only comes to no good, but not here. Matters play out r... 46 other reviews of this movie Movie: One Hour Photo Release date: 8/21/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Williams absolutely nails Sy's queasy infatuation and overall strangeness. 48 other reviews of this movie Movie: Blue Crush Release date: 8/16/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Think of it as Gidget, only with muscles and a lot more smarts, but just as endearing and easy to... 63 other reviews of this movie Movie: Blood Work Release date: 8/9/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Clint shows that he can still get the job done. 48 other reviews of this movie Movie: Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams Release date: 8/7/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference With Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, however, Robert Rodriguez adorns his family-film plot... 29 other reviews of this movie Movie: Good Girl, The Release date: 8/7/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A sad, superior human comedy played out on the back roads of life. 114 other reviews of this movie Movie: Full Frontal Release date: 8/2/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference There's a blissful confusion about Full Frontal, the new film by Steven Soderbergh, that you'll e... 102 other reviews of this movie Movie: Kid Stays in the Picture, The Release date: 7/26/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference There's a disreputable air about the whole thing, and that's what makes it irresistible. 25 other reviews of this movie Movie: Who Is Cletis Tout? Release date: 7/26/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference If you love movies, it's hard not to like Who Is Cletis Tout? or at least smile through it. 51 other reviews of this movie Movie: Austin Powers in Goldmember Release date: 7/26/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference You'll laugh at either the obviousness of it all or its stupidity or maybe even its inventiveness... 126 other reviews of this movie Movie: K-19: The Widowmaker Release date: 7/19/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A very depressing movie of many missed opportunities. 120 other reviews of this movie Movie: My Wife is an Actress Release date: 7/12/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference My Wife Is an Actress works as well as it does because [the leads] are such a companionable coupl... 69 other reviews of this movie Movie: Road to Perdition Release date: 7/12/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The film is quiet, threatening and unforgettable. 54 other reviews of this movie Movie: Never Again Release date: 7/12/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference In theory, a middle-aged romance pairing Clayburgh and Tambor sounds promising, but in practice i... 58 other reviews of this movie Movie: Reign of Fire Release date: 7/12/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Reign of Fire looks as if it was made without much thought -- and is best watched that way. 53 other reviews of this movie Movie: Men in Black II Release date: 7/3/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference MIB II is a movie that makes it possible for the viewer to doze off for a few minutes or make sev... 153 other reviews of this movie Movie: Notorious C.H.O. Release date: 6/28/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference She's as rude and profane as ever, always hilarious and, most of the time, absolutely right in he... 56 other reviews of this movie Movie: Lovely & Amazing Release date: 6/28/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference An astute, gemlike little movie. 31 other reviews of this movie Movie: Sunshine State Release date: 6/21/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Sayles' approach to his material can be archly didactic, but then there's Bassett and especially ... 71 other reviews of this movie Movie: Scooby-Doo Release date: 6/14/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's all pretty hectic, loud and empty, and yet, despite its Day-Glo coloring and sense of forced... 116 other reviews of this movie Movie: Bourne Identity, The Release date: 6/14/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The entertaining new film version of Robert Ludlum's 1980 spy thriller, The Bourne Identity, adds... 146 other reviews of this movie Movie: Fast Runner (Atanarjuat), The (2002) Release date: 6/7/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's a masterpiece. 31 other reviews of this movie Movie: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Release date: 6/7/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood may not be exactly divine, but it's definitely -- defiantl... 33 other reviews of this movie Movie: Sum of All Fears, The Release date: 5/31/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The film -- based on one of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan novels, published in 1991 -- is excellent, bot... 134 other reviews of this movie Movie: Thirteen Conversations About One Thing Release date: 5/24/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Smart and alert, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing is a small gem. 79 other reviews of this movie Movie: Importance of Being Earnest, The Release date: 5/22/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The film, despite the gratuitous cinematic distractions impressed upon it, is still good fun. 77 other reviews of this movie Movie: About a Boy Release date: 5/17/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference About a Boy vividly recalls the Cary Grant of Room for One More, Houseboat and Father Goose in it... 107 other reviews of this movie Movie: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones Release date: 5/16/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This film is too busy hitting all of its assigned marks to take on any life of its own. 89 other reviews of this movie Movie: Life or Something Like It Release date: 4/26/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It appears as if even the filmmakers didn't know what kind of movie they were making. 52 other reviews of this movie Movie: Salton Sea, The Release date: 4/26/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It has the ability to offend and put off everyone, but it holds you with its outrageousness. 38 other reviews of this movie Movie: My Big Fat Greek Wedding Release date: 4/19/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Feels like an extended pilot in search of a weekly TV slot. 92 other reviews of this movie Movie: Murder By Numbers Release date: 4/19/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Works as another uncompromisingly adult movie that assumes its audience is intelligent and doesn'... 101 other reviews of this movie Movie: Triumph of Love, The Release date: 4/17/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The kind of nervous film that will either give you a mild headache or exhilarate you. 33 other reviews of this movie Movie: Panic Room Release date: 3/29/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The star of this movie is Fincher, who has filmed it in a grand style that manages to avoid showy... 126 other reviews of this movie Movie: Piano Teacher, The Release date: 3/29/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This demanding, disturbing work is an extreme example of special-interest filmmaking. 24 other reviews of this movie Movie: Blade II Release date: 3/22/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference One of those rare sequels that's actually better than the original. 107 other reviews of this movie Movie: Resident Evil Release date: 3/15/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Its characters are thinner than cardboard -- or even comic-book paper. 82 other reviews of this movie Movie: Ice Age Release date: 3/15/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference ... unlike many family-oriented movies, Ice Age isn't afraid to frighten or disturb. 109 other reviews of this movie Movie: Time Machine, The Release date: 3/8/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's doubtful there will be a Time Machine 2 in our movie future. 115 other reviews of this movie Movie: Queen of the Damned Release date: 2/22/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference ... the real special effects here are Townsend and Perez, who are decidedly unconventional and wh... 81 other reviews of this movie Movie: Monsoon Wedding Release date: 2/22/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference All in all, a great party. 43 other reviews of this movie Movie: Birthday Girl Release date: 2/1/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Birthday Girl doesn't try to surprise us with plot twists, but rather seems to enjoy its own tran... 85 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mothman Prophecies, The Release date: 1/25/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The Mothman Prophecies, which is mostly a bore, seems to exist only for its climactic setpiece. 91 other reviews of this movie Movie: Brotherhood of the Wolf, The Release date: 1/11/2002 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Gans is so willful in blending together his weird selection of ingredients that the whole thing i... 73 other reviews of this movie Movie: Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale Release date: 12/31/2001 11:01:36 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference May be a film of missed opportunities and unanswered questions, but it has an unsinkable man at i... 36 other reviews of this movie Movie: Come Undone Release date: 12/31/2001 11:01:28 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Deals with sex in terms of feelings, deep feelings, and with no need to reach for a cheap punch l... 24 other reviews of this movie Movie: Charlotte Gray Release date: 12/28/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference If you have a nostalgic side ... there is much to enjoy about filmmaker Gillian Armstrong's cozy,... 47 other reviews of this movie Movie: Black Hawk Down Release date: 12/28/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Black Hawk Down sees its job as putting us in the center of combat, and it never lets up. It rema... 70 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dark Blue World, The Release date: 12/28/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference More bleak and certainly more hushed than the relatively bombastic Pearl Harbor, but they both te... 43 other reviews of this movie Movie: Gosford Park Release date: 12/26/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference At its best when it is about nothing. 46 other reviews of this movie Movie: Kate & Leopold Release date: 12/25/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A romantic comedy with something on its mind -- not necessarily a message, but a reminder of just... 74 other reviews of this movie Movie: A Beautiful Mind Release date: 12/21/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference [Howard's] most accomplished, most mature and least-compromised movie, 'Oscar-worthy' in every wa... 151 other reviews of this movie Movie: Joe Somebody Release date: 12/21/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference One of the best family films around. 70 other reviews of this movie Movie: Royal Tenenbaums, The Release date: 12/14/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference All in all, this singular film is best described as an elegant freak show. 122 other reviews of this movie Movie: Not Another Teen Movie Release date: 12/14/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference There simply isn't anything to say about it -- good or bad. Maybe that's because it isn't a movie... 71 other reviews of this movie Movie: Behind Enemy Lines Release date: 11/30/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Like a good soldier, it does get the job done and in an efficient -- some would say simplistic --... 111 other reviews of this movie Movie: Sidewalks of New York Release date: 11/21/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference At first, it seems like Burns' most unoriginal, least exciting movie to date. But it's much more ... 39 other reviews of this movie Movie: Man Who Wasn't There, The Release date: 10/31/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Nothing else matters here except Thornton's blandly bravura performance ... and the film's rampan... 43 other reviews of this movie Movie: Life As A House Release date: 10/26/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference [Kline] works beyond the call of duty here, although the role exploits and corrupts his natural c... 41 other reviews of this movie Movie: K-Pax Release date: 10/26/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The unlikely has happened. Kevin Spacey has worn out his welcome. What next? 92 other reviews of this movie Movie: Riding in Cars With Boys Release date: 10/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference There's the core of a good, tough movie lost under Marshall's self-indulgence. 83 other reviews of this movie Movie: From Hell Release date: 10/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference What we have here is a perversion of the 'business as usual' recommendations we've been hearing l... 114 other reviews of this movie Movie: Ma Soeur!, A Release date: 10/12/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A bracing antidote/response to the sleazy teen-oriented sex comedies that are churned out on an a... 33 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mulholland Dr. Release date: 10/12/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This movie snakes and slithers along, keeping us off-kilter but always fascinated by its story of... 118 other reviews of this movie Movie: Training Day Release date: 10/5/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's ugly and disturbing, but what gets us through it and pulls us along is Washington's charisma... 105 other reviews of this movie Movie: Rock Star Release date: 9/7/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This may be the most innocuous R-rated movie ever made, a film that turns rock 'n' roll, circa th... 93 other reviews of this movie Movie: Tortilla Soup Release date: 8/24/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Charming. 47 other reviews of this movie Movie: Captain Corelli's Mandolin Release date: 8/17/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Handsome as it is, Captain Corelli's Mandolin doesn't really connect. 78 other reviews of this movie Movie: American Pie 2 Release date: 8/10/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Jim and the gang feel like strangers, and their attempts to create an instant-party atmosphere an... 46 other reviews of this movie Movie: Osmosis Jones Release date: 8/10/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Watch what you buy at the concession stand. 68 other reviews of this movie Movie: Princess Diaries, The Release date: 8/3/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Squeaky clean and rather sweet. 64 other reviews of this movie Movie: Original Sin Release date: 8/3/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Makes for an extremely well-acted movie. 62 other reviews of this movie Movie: Rush Hour 2 Release date: 8/3/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Chan has surprisingly little to do -- fewer action sequences than usual and even less dialogue to... 76 other reviews of this movie Movie: Bread and Tulips Release date: 7/27/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Leisurely paced and very easy to watch. 45 other reviews of this movie Movie: Planet of the Apes Release date: 7/27/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Despite its flashes of wizardry, Planet of the Apes doesn't serve his restless, wild imagination. 101 other reviews of this movie Movie: Ghost World Release date: 7/20/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It has qualities -- a ferocious wit and a youthful snap and savvy -- that can make it irresistibl... 51 other reviews of this movie Movie: America's Sweethearts Release date: 7/20/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A film that manages the frustrating feat of being pleasant and misguided at the same time. 51 other reviews of this movie Movie: Jurassic Park III Release date: 7/18/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Lacks not just a soul but also a body, so to speak, with no plot to absorb us and no characters w... 95 other reviews of this movie Movie: Legally Blonde Release date: 7/13/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Elle actually wins us over right away in the first frame. 100 other reviews of this movie Movie: Scary Movie 2 Release date: 7/4/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This outing doesn't seem to understand that any attempt to parody a parody tends to negate any po... 72 other reviews of this movie Movie: Baby Boy Release date: 6/27/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference In addition to being ruthlessly honest, Baby Boy is also Singleton's most cinematic work to date. 37 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dr. Dolittle 2 Release date: 6/22/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's been said that if a film uses a lot of narration, it's because its makers either don't know ... 39 other reviews of this movie Movie: Fast and the Furious, The Release date: 6/22/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Remember that everyone is entitled to wallow in junk every once in a while -- even movie critics. 91 other reviews of this movie Movie: Princess and the Warrior, The Release date: 6/22/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Its two characters remain figures, merely symbols. 62 other reviews of this movie Movie: Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? Release date: 6/15/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Steiner and Hewitt couldn't decide which tale they wanted to tell -- Vince's or Harold's -- and s... 7 other reviews of this movie Movie: Down From the Mountain Release date: 6/15/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Has the ease of a casual get-together by musicians who enjoy jamming with each other and who give... 21 other reviews of this movie Movie: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Release date: 6/15/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The miracle is that Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is no stunt. Somehow, they made a genuine movie out o... 48 other reviews of this movie Movie: Anniversary Party, The Release date: 6/8/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This film is monumentally annoying. 72 other reviews of this movie Movie: Bride of the Wind Release date: 6/8/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It ends up presenting Schindler as little more than a fatuous groupie -- the first music groupie. 34 other reviews of this movie Movie: Pearl Harbor Release date: 5/25/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Bursting with American patriotism and an avid, shamelessly old-fashioned romantic spirit, Michael... 107 other reviews of this movie Movie: Angel Eyes Release date: 5/18/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference If Angel Eyes falters, it is because it becomes more obvious as it goes along, its sense of relig... 86 other reviews of this movie Movie: Moulin Rouge Release date: 5/18/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's all very festive, like a party you didn't really want to go to but then can't leave once you... 118 other reviews of this movie Movie: Bread and Roses Release date: 5/11/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Loach ... has made his most appealing and involving movie to date with the touching, naturalistic... 44 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mummy Returns, The Release date: 5/4/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Sommers and company have set out to top themselves -- to outdo The Mummy -- and even when they do... 66 other reviews of this movie Movie: Under the Sand Release date: 5/4/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference [Rampling] provides us with moments that you won't easily shake. 44 other reviews of this movie Movie: Golden Bowl, The Release date: 4/27/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference An elegant soap. 37 other reviews of this movie Movie: One Night At Mccool's Release date: 4/27/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It eventually loses its concentration and ultimately falls apart. 58 other reviews of this movie Movie: Luzhin Defence, The Release date: 4/20/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Pretty much just a string of words and ideas and stick-figure characters who never become fully f... 50 other reviews of this movie Movie: Along Came A Spider Release date: 4/6/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Freeman makes everyone look good. 91 other reviews of this movie Movie: Shadow Magic Release date: 4/6/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Some of the hostile reactions to Wallace and his movie machine may seem heavy-handed, but the fil... 35 other reviews of this movie Movie: Company Man Release date: 3/9/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The film's a jaw-dropping embarrassment, making a bad movie year even worse. 36 other reviews of this movie Movie: Blow Dry Release date: 3/7/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Blow Dry, the British comedy opening today, has a cast to die for, but that's about all that it h... 41 other reviews of this movie Movie: Sweet November Release date: 2/16/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference I have a better way to enjoy life: Avoid movies like this ... before it's too late. 50 other reviews of this movie Movie: Down to Earth Release date: 2/16/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A bad idea that has been made into an even worse movie. 63 other reviews of this movie Movie: Price of Milk, The Release date: 2/14/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It keeps flitting around -- as if it overdosed on fairy dust. 35 other reviews of this movie Movie: Taste of Others, The Release date: 2/9/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference An alert, unusually observant comedy of manners that is often very funny and cynical about human ... 42 other reviews of this movie Movie: Saving Silverman Release date: 2/9/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It is frantically, bizarrely unfunny. 49 other reviews of this movie Movie: Head Over Heels Release date: 2/2/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Potter ... is a charming on-screen surrogate for the young girls in the audience. 34 other reviews of this movie Movie: Trembling Before G-d Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Does an incisive job in defining the contradictory natures of Orthodox Judaism and homosexuality,... 34 other reviews of this movie Movie: Series 7 Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The so-called jokes here have a cartoon stridency and drop with a thud. None of them is deep or l... 56 other reviews of this movie Movie: Hedwig and the Angry Inch Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference As heartfelt as it is bizarre. 59 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dogtown and Z-Boys Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference About nowhere kids who appropriated turfs as they found them and become self-made celebrity athle... 77 other reviews of this movie Movie: Waking Life Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Truly a one-of -a-kind movie. 67 other reviews of this movie Movie: In the Bedroom Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A film of great empathy and healing power and it comes at exactly the right time. 108 other reviews of this movie Movie: L.I.E. Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference If you're open-minded and adventurous in your moviegoing, and if you can handle a disturbing but ... 33 other reviews of this movie Movie: Jump Tomorrow Release date: 1/19/2001 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Very sweet. 44 other reviews of this movie Movie: Shadow of the Vampire Release date: 12/29/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Shadow of the Vampire operates as high camp, with everyone attached to Murnau's Nosferatu given t... 39 other reviews of this movie Movie: All the Pretty Horses Release date: 12/25/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Thornton and Tally aim for such fidelity to the material that they end up botching it. 48 other reviews of this movie Movie: Before Night Falls Release date: 12/22/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Compassionate yet unsentimental. 23 other reviews of this movie Movie: House of Mirth, The Release date: 12/22/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Anderson's great performance -- a study in stillness and reserve -- gets us through a story that ... 50 other reviews of this movie Movie: Cast Away Release date: 12/22/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Dig deep and you'll find a film that's even richer than what its handsome surface seems to reveal... 28 other reviews of this movie Movie: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Release date: 12/15/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It is poetry in motion, a dreamwork. 38 other reviews of this movie Movie: What Women Want Release date: 12/15/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Gibson turns in one of those rare comedy performances that, every so often, manages to snag an Os... 55 other reviews of this movie Movie: Proof of Life Release date: 12/8/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Proof of Life, directed with craftsmanlike precision by Taylor Hackford, thrives on the tension h... 29 other reviews of this movie Movie: Men of Honor Release date: 11/10/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It is set in the 1950s and '60s and actually feels as if it were made back then. And that's exac... 57 other reviews of this movie Movie: Billy Elliot Release date: 11/3/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Will fulfill you in ways that most other films have long forgotten. 31 other reviews of this movie Movie: Sound and Fury Release date: 10/25/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Escorts us to a place we never knew existed, inviting us to observe familiar-looking people but s... 16 other reviews of this movie Movie: Pay It Forward Release date: 10/20/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Works beautifully as a figment of someone's idealism and goodwill. 72 other reviews of this movie Movie: Lost Souls Release date: 10/13/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's a film whose aura can only be described as 'tortured.' That word also approximates the feeli... 38 other reviews of this movie Movie: Requiem for A Dream Release date: 10/6/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference One of those films you both admire and hate for admiring. I liked it in spite of myself. 24 other reviews of this movie Movie: Meet the Parents Release date: 10/6/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference De Niro delivers. 72 other reviews of this movie Movie: Best in Show Release date: 9/29/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's still a pretty good comedy -- but no more and no less. 56 other reviews of this movie Movie: Remember the Titans Release date: 9/29/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Unabashedly old-fashioned. 89 other reviews of this movie Movie: Woman on Top Release date: 9/22/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The film is something of a subtle accomplishment -- a commingling of froth, sensuality and moral ... 35 other reviews of this movie Movie: Fantasia 2000 Release date: 6/16/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It is stunning in every sense of the word -- stunningly good most of the time, stunningly arch so... 9 other reviews of this movie Movie: Battlefield Earth Release date: 5/12/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Sitting through the summer's first monolithic monstrosity, Battlefield Earth, was one of the most... 84 other reviews of this movie Movie: American Psycho Release date: 4/14/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A savagely funny feminist take on just how dangerous stupid men can be. 68 other reviews of this movie Movie: Rules of Engagement Release date: 4/7/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Both actors are excellent. 41 other reviews of this movie Movie: High Fidelity Release date: 3/31/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This talky, entertaining film is like a good bull session with a friend who won't shut up. 73 other reviews of this movie Movie: Not One Less Release date: 2/18/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This alternately sad-funny film sneaks up on you. Its ability to grab us is surprising because it... 26 other reviews of this movie Movie: Scream 3 Release date: 2/4/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Breathlessly inventive and hip. 48 other reviews of this movie Movie: Our Song Release date: 1/20/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A humbling, poignant alternative to the movies about teenagers we usually see. This one isn't abo... 36 other reviews of this movie Movie: Holy Smoke Release date: 1/14/2000 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A tightly wound, heady affair that actually comes to seem more deranged as it progresses. 27 other reviews of this movie Movie: Captain Pantoja and the Special Services Release date: 12/31/1999 11:01:28 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Pantaleon y las Visitadoras, which has three distinct acts, each of which works as a self-contain... 9 other reviews of this movie Movie: Galaxy Quest Release date: 12/25/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's a film that falls far short of its potential and, during its dull moments, you can't help co... 74 other reviews of this movie Movie: Man on the Moon Release date: 12/22/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Milos Forman's biopic Man on the Moon is volatile and active -- and, frankly, doesn't make too mu... 44 other reviews of this movie Movie: Any Given Sunday Release date: 12/22/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Rousing, entertaining. 71 other reviews of this movie Movie: Anna and the King Release date: 12/17/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A simple, no-frills story. 52 other reviews of this movie Movie: Stuart Little Release date: 12/17/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Stuart Little betrays a beloved book. 38 other reviews of this movie Movie: Tumbleweeds Release date: 11/24/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The film moves with the same breakneck vitality as its star McTeer. 23 other reviews of this movie Movie: World Is Not Enough, The Release date: 11/19/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference With Apted on board, the movie attracted the most illustrious supporting cast of any Bond film to... 39 other reviews of this movie Movie: Sleepy Hollow Release date: 11/19/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The entire film is an eyeful, an odd triumph of old-fashioned filmmaking. 40 other reviews of this movie Movie: All About My Mother Release date: 11/19/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Well-done gook. 61 other reviews of this movie Movie: Music of the Heart Release date: 10/29/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Moves with more dexterity than most dedicated-teacher flicks. 38 other reviews of this movie Movie: Beyond the Mat Release date: 10/22/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Sometimes, you find material for a good movie in the most unlikely place. 34 other reviews of this movie Movie: Straight Story, The Release date: 10/15/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A great Richard Farnsworth performance and an even better one by Spacek. 45 other reviews of this movie Movie: Story of Us, The Release date: 10/15/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference You almost want this couple to divorce. 25 other reviews of this movie Movie: Random Hearts Release date: 10/8/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Random Hearts, a film that sits on the screen like a bump on a log for a very long 131 minutes, a... 34 other reviews of this movie Movie: Three Kings Release date: 10/1/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Russell's edgy pacing here and the assorted styles he's adopted create an exciting, restless imme... 63 other reviews of this movie Movie: Blue Streak Release date: 9/17/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The film may be routine, but Lawrence is anything but. 21 other reviews of this movie Movie: American Beauty Release date: 9/15/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Superlatively well-made. 109 other reviews of this movie Movie: Stir of Echoes Release date: 9/10/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Bacon should be working with a more original substance, a subject that would be truly worthy of h... 28 other reviews of this movie Movie: Outside Providence Release date: 9/1/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference So many real-seeming, gemlike scenes! 41 other reviews of this movie Movie: Teaching Mrs. Tingle Release date: 8/20/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A good mix of the nostalgic and the brand-new! 29 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mickey Blue Eyes Release date: 8/20/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A depressingly vacuous star vehicle! 31 other reviews of this movie Movie: Thomas Crown Affair, The Release date: 8/6/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The Thomas Crown Affair plays as a very grown-up, cynical and slick quasi-thriller, with a couple... 15 other reviews of this movie Movie: Runaway Bride Release date: 7/30/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Immensely likable! 27 other reviews of this movie Movie: Drop Dead Gorgeous Release date: 7/23/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Drop Dead Gorgeous is undeniably a refinement of the Farrelly Bros.' brand of audacity. 26 other reviews of this movie Movie: Inspector Gadget Release date: 7/23/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Gruesomely unfunny! 20 other reviews of this movie Movie: Run Lola Run Release date: 6/18/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference We get fast and slow motion, crane shots, split screens, handheld cinematography, tracking shots,... 53 other reviews of this movie Movie: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Release date: 5/19/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference More shrewd showman than a great filmmaker, Lucas employs these effects to create a total fantasy... 78 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dreamlife of Angels, The Release date: 4/2/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's a compelling work about loneliness and two ways of dealing with it. 26 other reviews of this movie Movie: Comedian Harmonists Release date: 3/12/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The Harmonists has a finale that will be appreciated by anyone who loved The Sound of Music. As t... 24 other reviews of this movie Movie: Office Space Release date: 2/19/1999 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's essentially a series of shorts linked together, but this doesn't deny the movie's deft exami... 44 other reviews of this movie Movie: Shakespeare in Love Release date: 12/25/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Paltrow and Fiennes make an irresistible team. 83 other reviews of this movie Movie: Very Bad Things Release date: 11/25/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A scabrous black comedy like no other I've ever seen... 20 other reviews of this movie Movie: Central Station Release date: 11/20/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Salles provides a textbook example of how to toy with our emotions, how to involve and move us, w... 29 other reviews of this movie Movie: American History X Release date: 10/28/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference As provocative and daring as it is, the film is also rather simplistic and obvious. 58 other reviews of this movie Movie: Life Is Beautiful Release date: 10/23/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Its strained poignancy is as thick -- and sweet -- as honey. 63 other reviews of this movie Movie: Your Friends & Neighbors Release date: 8/19/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The film's star is LaBute, a genuine modern movie auteur who ventures behind the tantalizing blur... 28 other reviews of this movie Movie: How Stella Got Her Groove Back Release date: 8/14/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's scrumptious junk food for the brain -- tasty and probably not the least bit good for you. 29 other reviews of this movie Movie: Gadjo Dilo Release date: 8/7/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The movie fairly breathes with life. 15 other reviews of this movie Movie: Saving Private Ryan Release date: 7/24/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Saving Private Ryan is not a film that one takes pleasure in, or even enjoys in the usual sense, ... 68 other reviews of this movie Movie: There's Something About Mary Release date: 7/15/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Romance never seemed more deranged. 47 other reviews of this movie Movie: Lethal Weapon 4 Release date: 7/10/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference In short, it's a mess, albeit a weirdly entertaining mess... 19 other reviews of this movie Movie: He Got Game Release date: 5/1/1998 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Spike Lee's He Got Game is gripping in spite of itself. 49 other reviews of this movie Movie: Different for Girls Release date: 12/31/1997 11:01:29 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's rather ordinary stuff. 15 other reviews of this movie Movie: Conspiracy Theory Release date: 12/31/1997 11:01:28 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference There's nothing quite like a big, handsome, movie-star-driven Hollywood film when it's done right... 22 other reviews of this movie Movie: Batman & Robin Release date: 12/31/1997 11:01:27 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A mishmash of prolonged, confused action sequences, which are, admittedly, brilliantly staged but... 55 other reviews of this movie Movie: Jackie Brown Release date: 12/25/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A great actor's movie. 65 other reviews of this movie Movie: As Good As It Gets Release date: 12/23/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference As artificial as it is, "As Good As It Gets" is a winning entertainment. 39 other reviews of this movie Movie: Good Will Hunting Release date: 12/5/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Van Sant makes Good Will Hunting a lot livelier than it might have been. 47 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mortal Kombat: The Annihilation Release date: 11/20/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A little more work is required, for instance, on four-arm technology. 11 other reviews of this movie Movie: Sweet Hereafter, The Release date: 11/20/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Egoyan sways away from the obvious, eschewing easy tears for something more fiercely intelligent. 32 other reviews of this movie Movie: Starship Troopers Release date: 11/7/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Terrific entertainment. 46 other reviews of this movie Movie: Happy Together Release date: 10/17/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Wong continues to demonstrate his effortless command of the camera. 16 other reviews of this movie Movie: I Know What You Did Last Summer Release date: 10/17/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Teasing and taut, I Know What You Did Last Summer is a teen horror flick with a different kind of... 25 other reviews of this movie Movie: Ice Storm, The Release date: 9/26/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This is one of those films in which nothing seems to be 'happening,' but in retrospect, when it's... 41 other reviews of this movie Movie: L.A. Confidential Release date: 9/19/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference They all contribute to a movie that's unusually delicate, understated and searching -- a movie th... 44 other reviews of this movie Movie: Men in Black Release date: 7/2/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Like the Fiorentino character, you may not remember much. But you'll remember having fun. 55 other reviews of this movie Movie: Face/Off Release date: 6/27/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference ...it is as elegantly made as it is violent, mating movie mayhem with bits of poetry, opera, psyc... 40 other reviews of this movie Movie: My Best Friend's Wedding Release date: 6/20/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A wonderful commingling of talent both on-screen and off. 35 other reviews of this movie Movie: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Release date: 5/2/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Its plot notwithstanding, it has nothing to do with Bond -- and it misrepresents the poor '60s as... 24 other reviews of this movie Movie: Romy and Michele's High School Reunion Release date: 4/25/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference What laughs there are in the movie -- and there are a lot of them -- are mitigated by the rampant... 25 other reviews of this movie Movie: Private Parts Release date: 3/7/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The film is often as witty and articulate as its subject. 31 other reviews of this movie Movie: Donnie Brasco Release date: 2/28/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Remains a bore for much of its running time. 41 other reviews of this movie Movie: Hard Eight Release date: 2/28/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This being an acting piece, the four performances are of a very high order. 11 other reviews of this movie Movie: Under the Skin Release date: 1/1/1997 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It isn't often that a film offers a heroine who is this aggressive, angry and self-punishing, and... 14 other reviews of this movie Movie: Low Life, The Release date: 12/31/1996 11:01:37 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Hickenlooper shows these lonely, mediocre people for what they are but without ever condescending... 5 other reviews of this movie Movie: John Carpenter's Escape From L.A. Release date: 12/31/1996 11:01:35 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A hilariously unstable film and the latest apocalyptic vision to work on our nerves like a tortur... 23 other reviews of this movie Movie: Ghost and the Darkness, The Release date: 12/31/1996 11:01:32 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Rousing entertainment. 22 other reviews of this movie Movie: Executive Decision Release date: 12/31/1996 11:01:30 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It doesn't always work, but there's something inspiring about Baird's unwillingness to follow the... 17 other reviews of this movie Movie: Denise Calls Up Release date: 12/31/1996 11:01:29 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference An alert, funny antisocial comedy. 15 other reviews of this movie Movie: My Fellow Americans Release date: 12/20/1996 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A shameless variation on the Grumpy Old Men films. 14 other reviews of this movie Movie: Mars Attacks! Release date: 12/13/1996 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The film's penchant for repetition is faithful to its '50s source material and is the very qualit... 31 other reviews of this movie Movie: Jerry Maguire Release date: 12/13/1996 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Slick, stylish and committed. 46 other reviews of this movie Movie: That Thing You Do! Release date: 10/4/1996 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Hanks' film is about how all good things come to an end. The important thing is to enjoy it all w... 23 other reviews of this movie Movie: Courage Under Fire Release date: 7/12/1996 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Zwick pulls off the trick of making each story plausible, while Ryan successfully sheds her usual... 27 other reviews of this movie Movie: Chungking Express Release date: 3/8/1996 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A movie that has Tarantino's brand of kinetic, eccentric energy but that's much more soulful. 13 other reviews of this movie Movie: From Dusk Till Dawn Release date: 1/19/1996 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The sickest, most perverted movie within memory. Guiltily, I liked it. But what the hell is it? 15 other reviews of this movie Movie: Something to Talk About Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:44 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Under [Hallstrom's] direction, Something To Talk About seems volatile and fresh, as well as tende... 15 other reviews of this movie Movie: Strange Days Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:44 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's a wildly messed-up, unwieldy, 145-minute movie designed specifically for those audiences who... 18 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dead Man Walking Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:29 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Its objectivity is what makes it so controversial and fascinating. 25 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dangerous Minds Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:29 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A no-frills, single-minded drama driven by Pfeiffer's totally committed performance. 14 other reviews of this movie Movie: Devil in A Blue Dress Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:29 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The fascinating bits of racial history that director Carl Franklin has folded into the vibrant mi... 21 other reviews of this movie Movie: Doom Generation, The Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:29 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference In terms of filmmaking, point of view and oddball sense of humor, Araki's film is better than bot... 18 other reviews of this movie Movie: Anne Frank Remembered Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:26 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference An accomplishment, a genuinely humbling one. 13 other reviews of this movie Movie: 12 Monkeys Release date: 12/31/1995 11:01:10 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference This is action movie-making at its most suave. 35 other reviews of this movie Movie: Sense and Sensibility Release date: 12/14/1995 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Exquisitely detailed and impeccably acted. 22 other reviews of this movie Movie: Usual Suspects, The Release date: 8/18/1995 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Nothing is what it seems in this layered, velvety movie (which was shot in handsome wide-screen f... 30 other reviews of this movie Movie: Party Girl Release date: 6/9/1995 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Parker Posey will either grate on your nerves or charm the daylights out of you -- or both. 12 other reviews of this movie Movie: Beauty and the Beast Release date: 11/22/1991 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Ten years later, it's still flawed and still quite fascinating. 25 other reviews of this movie Movie: Last Emperor, The Release date: 12/31/1987 11:01:37 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference One of those irresistible movie entertainments that works on so many different levels and offers ... 16 other reviews of this movie Movie: Dirty Dancing Release date: 1/1/1987 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Turned out to be one of those films that had something for everyone. 9 other reviews of this movie Movie: Return of the Jedi Release date: 5/25/1983 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Has twice as many visual effects than the original first film. 31 other reviews of this movie Movie: Empire Strikes Back, The Release date: 5/21/1980 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Genuinely powerful! 41 other reviews of this movie Movie: Star Wars Release date: 5/25/1977 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A combination of past and future, Western and space odyssey, myth and dream world, Star Wars may ... 42 other reviews of this movie Movie: Monty Python and the Holy Grail Release date: 12/31/1975 11:01:38 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Still has the power to shock and make one laugh with shame. 33 other reviews of this movie Movie: Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Release date: 12/31/1972 11:01:29 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Although it doesn't hold up as much as you'd like it to, I liked its sense of scattered independe... 18 other reviews of this movie Movie: Juliet of the Spirits Release date: 1/1/1965 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The movie that swirls around Masina is a dazzling -- and, for some, incoherent -- production deep... 11 other reviews of this movie Movie: Touch of Evil Release date: 5/21/1958 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference Touch of Evil (1958) is back in yet another incarnation -- proving that Welles' directorial touch... 31 other reviews of this movie Movie: Nights of Cabiria Release date: 1/1/1957 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/3) No reference A must-see item -- a sad, compassionate tale of street life that resonates with a magic missing f... 23 other reviews of this movie Movie: Rear Window Release date: 8/1/1954 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/3) No reference Belatedly, I'm nominating a film from 1954 as the best picture of 2000. 46 other reviews of this movie Movie: All About Eve Release date: 1/1/1950 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference The presence of All About Eve, while a relief, is also a sad reminder of how in certain ways movi... 24 other reviews of this movie Movie: Bicycle Thief, The Release date: 12/31/1948 11:01:27 PM Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/3) No reference Deceptively simple and yet profoundly moving, The Bicycle Thief has the kind of power that one ra... 12 other reviews of this movie Movie: Gone With the Wind Release date: 12/15/1939 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference It's that rare film that has overshadowed its own hype. 35 other reviews of this movie Movie: Wizard of Oz, The Release date: 8/15/1939 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/4) No reference A movie like this is so exhilarating, because, if you look deeper into it and go beyond its statu... 37 other reviews of this movie Movie: My Father and I Release date: 1/30/1900 Review by Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee: (3/3) No reference This is a fascinating film because there is no clear-cut hero and no all-out villain. 28 other reviews of this movie Served turbo style