http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/ Short and sweet. en-us 2007-01-31T00:21:32-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/31/letters_from_iwo_jima.php Letters from Iwo Jima is a good, perhaps great, war movie. But its importance transcends simple movie-making qualities as it will remain a statement on the will to understand what happens on the other side of the fence. It is Clint Eastwood's Speaker for the Dead. 3_5 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-31T00:21:32-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/30/notes_on_a_scandal.php Mind the gap. Between what you dream your life would be and what it actually becomes. 3_5 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-30T01:08:07-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/30/el_laberinto_del_fauno.php Tender and gruesome at the same time, we view the harsh reality of War through both the real eyes and the vivid imagination of a young girl. Both touching, fascinating and disturbing, Pan's Labyrinth is a true masterpiece by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro. 4_5 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-30T00:41:31-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/29/the_pursuit_of_happyness.php Will Smith deserves the Oscar nomination for a nuanced performance. 3_5 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-29T19:35:01-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/24/the_painted_veil.php You can't go wrong with Naomi Watts and Edward Norton in the same movie. 3_5 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-24T00:01:40-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/23/inland_empire.php A David Lynch movie remains a unique experience and Inland Empire may be Lynch's most surreal achievement yet. It is utter crap for some. And extraordinary genius for others. And they are all right. 4 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-23T22:28:21-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/23/children_of_men.php What does everyone find so great in this movie? Granted, the camerawork is masterful and the whole cinematography is immersive. However, the script is about on par with Terminator 2. 2_5 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-23T21:47:29-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/17/dreamgirls.php Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Beyonce and American Idol not-quite-winner but better-off-this-way Jennifer Hudson in a beautiful adaptation of the Tony award winning Broadway show. 4 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-17T01:09:36-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/16/running_with_scissors.php Running with Scissors manages the rare performance (for this class of movies) to be almost boring even when it tries to be outrageous. 2 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-16T00:01:28-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/15/blood_diamond.php For a while the movie manages to thread the line between powerful drama, action adventure and romance, but semblance of balance is completely lost in an ending that simply bundles together one ridiculous cliche after another. 3 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-15T19:43:07-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/14/snakes_on_a_plane.php Get these motherf*ng snakes off this motherf*ng plane! 2_5 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-14T13:34:53-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/14/the_good_shepherd.php The Good Shepherd may be a little too ambitious in trying to cover too many different angles and stories, but it is one of the very few dramas of the year that is worth a repeated viewing in order to decipher more details and gain more insight into the story. 3_5 TheCasualCritic 2007-01-14T13:09:19-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/01/happy_feet.php An odd combination of feel-good child friendly animation, upbeat music, outstanding dancing (by penguins), and dark despair, and a political message. 2_5 bc 2007-01-01T03:25:52-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2007/01/01/the_queen.php A look back at an extraordinary time in Britain, featuring top notch performances. 3_5 bc 2007-01-01T02:53:24-05:00 http://www.thecasualcritic.net/Reviews/archives/2006/12/31/the_oh_in_ohio.php Posey and Rudd give good deadpan deliveries; Liza Minnelli has a funny cameo, but they are not able to salvage an otherwise fairly boring and predictable comedy. 2 TheCasualCritic 2006-12-31T18:56:38-05:00