Shrek 2 (2004)
A sheer delight from beginning to end, Shrek 2 manages to be even better than its now classic predecessor in scope and humor value. Whether or not the pop references and modern jokes will stand the...
Category: Fantasy
13 Going on 30 (2004)
One could easily dismiss 13 Going on 30 as the female version of Big, and while it does have the same basic premise of a kid trapped in their adult body prematurely, the two films are thematically...
50 First Dates (2004)
The pigeonholing of Adam Sandler into dumb, scatological comedies has once again denied him another coulda-been good movie that had the potential of taking him to the next level as an actor. Sadly, it is...
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Campy trash? Cult schlock? Guilty pleasure? It’s “yes” to all three questions in John Carpenter’s crazy kung fu action vehicle, Big Trouble in Little China. It’s not really a film one would call good in...
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
The Butterfly Effect derives its name from a short story by Ray Bradbury entitled, “A Sound of Thunder” (which is coincidentally being made into a movie the same year), whereby men travel back to prehistoric...
Big Fish (2003)
I have a feeling that Tim Burton’s Big Fish will be one of those films that is underappreciated at the time of its release, but gains esteem with time and repeated viewings throughout one’s life. It’s...
Donnie Darko (2001)
The experience of figuring out Donnie Darko is like buying a jigsaw puzzle at a garage sale and trying to put it together realizing that you may not have enough pieces to make a complete...
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
Prelude to a Kiss is a film that is difficult to recommend, for the very simple reason that it contains a surprise in the story that you’ll either love or you’ll hate, depending on...
Elf (2003)
Comedian Will Ferrell and director Jon Favreau have done funny work in comedies that are more adult, mean-spirited, and on many occasions, vulgar. Expectations for their Christmas comedy, Elf, would lead you to think this might...
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
To the best of my recollection, there just hasn’t been a good pirate movie made in my lifetime, so it should be easy to guess that expectations were certainly low going into seeing Pirates of...