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"Collateral" (script) "Stuart Beattie's spec script is a good one. It works, it obviously got the studio's attention, and it doesn't really need a lot of tweaking to be a great thriller. The only concern now is that too many hands in the pot, too many opinions that matter, and the compromises to allow a movie star and film-friendly local to headline the flick could eat away at some of the better attributes of this script. However, having seen the trailer, things look very promising. The script is there, Michael Mann's style is there, and the two combined is enough to endorse the price of a ticket..." (full review) "Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban" "For the third Potter film, Prisoner of Azkaban, Columbus stayed on as producer, but smartly handed the directing reigns over to Alfonso Cuaron.  Cuaron is the acclaimed Mexican screenwriter and director behind the bewitching Y tu mama tambien (one of my favorite films... ever).  He breathes new life into a series that Columbus would have inevitably killed.  While using the same sets, same screenwriter (Steven Kloves) and the majority of cast members from the first two films, the movie somehow manages to feel fresh.  Alfonso Cuaron's vision of the Potter universe is darker, faster paced and more intense than the slightly bland world Chris Columbus provided..." (full review) "De-Lovely" "I didn't particularly feel or respect Porter's character much either, and that might also have to do with the fact that we are barely given any background on the man at any point. If this is the future of musical movies, please stop the trend before it takes off, and let's get back to the business of creating interesting characters and stories again..." (full review) "The Day After Tomorrow" "Like most summer movies, I think you're likely to get out what you put into this film, since it basically delivers in all of the standard elements that we've come to expect from both "event" and "Emmerich" films and that's plenty of over-the-top special effect-laden disasters, plenty of characters for whom you're not likely to buy a "Sorry, you're dead" card upon their demise and plenty of mindless, cheesy, frivolous entertainment value..." (full review) "If watching 30 minutes of shit being destroyed and spending 90 minutes listening to hideously drab conversations sounds like your thing, get in line for this film.  Otherwise, avoid this movie like a cautious individual would the eye of a hurricane.  I don't know about The Day After Opening, but I can guarantee that The Weekend After Next, when word of mouth gets out on this stinker, 20th Century Fox will have their own little disaster on their hands in the way of plummeting box office numbers.  Mr. Emmerich will hopefully be out on the street holding a sign reading, "will work for a clue"..." (full review) "In the new film "The Day After Tomorrow" a bitter chill will envelope the audience as they realize that they have just spent money to watch one of the worst films in history. This is the reaction that many unsuspecting theatergoers are going to have this Memorial Day weekend as they watch the latest disaster film from Writer/Director/Producer Roland Emerich. Emerich who along with Dean Devlin created such box office phenoms as "Stargate" and" Independence Day" before coming back to earth with the colossal dud "Godzilla". has crafted a film so utterly devoid of entertainment value it is as barren as the post storm urban landscapes portrayed in the film..." (full review) "The Day After Tomorrow is the kind of formulaic disaster movie that audiences would have eaten up in the 70's and 90's, but it's hard to believe that this sort of movie is still being made in this day and age. Those who missed Armageddon, Deep Impact, Twister and Volcano and those who forgot how bad those movies were will probably rush out to see The Day After Tomorrow. While the premise is worthwhile and the special effects are excellent, the unbelievable story and cheesy writing are worse than any of those other movies, and the rest of it rehashes ground that has already been covered. Ultimately, this is just a dumb movie about dumb people doing dumb things that people will go see anyway..." (full review) "Soul Plane" "While it won't win any sensitivity awards or Oscars, "Soul Plane" isn't quite the abomination of comedy that it looks like. The scattershot approach to this urban "Airplane!" knock off hits more than misses, and the cast is just goofy enough to make the often disgraceful material work. It's an insignificant, but funny entry into the undernourished urban slapstick comedy genre..." (full review) "The Day After Tomorrow" by 'Donnypoo' Although this movie has all the trappings of a summer FX movie, it's actually much more serious in tone. There are no last minute saves, and (despite the forgivable final moments) not a great deal of hope as one leaves the theatre. What we have instead is a very effective global disaster movie with a serious message, some nicely underplayed performances (Jake Gyllenhall and Quaid in particular) and only a few of the trademark Emmerich stinky lines. The effects sequences are some of the finest ever produced, the tornado sequences and the ship sailing into a submerged New York being particularly striking, and the story of Quaid's quest to find his son not as corny as one might imagine. Where the film really suprised me was in it's ironic treatment of current US foreign policy in scenes where 'illegal immigrants' flood into Mexico and a contrite Vice President apologises for all the rampant consumerism. Although not exactly subtle, it's nice that these themes are included at all - but I can't imagine they'll help the film much at the box office. The director of Independence Day seems to have finally grown up, and although this has his trademark 'dog in peril' a hoplessly token 'sick child with cancer' and, of course, wild barrages of destruction: it's the nicest suprise of the summer so far. Well worth your money. 4/5 "Zatoichi" "Technically released in 2003, this is one of the best films to hit American screens all year. While Zatoichi's seemingly impish delight in trickery, snap temper, and appetite for trouble seem custom fit for the "Beat", the Zatoichi he creates is entirely his own. Complete with a new blonde do, gorgeous cinematography, and trademark Kitano humor, this Zatoichi is an absolute joy to behold..." (full review)

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