March 2, 2001 | We expect a certain degree of paranoia from any detective we encounter in cinema or literature. And not just because of genre conventions. Simple common sense would…

April 12, 2002 | It's a classic example of bait and switch in reverse: The ads for Changing Lanes promise a routine blood-and-thunder vengeance flick, complete with car wrecks and…

January 9, 2004 |  Chasing Liberty , the latest custom-made star vehicle for perky pop star Mandy Moore, is a light but likable romantic comedy that may remind some moviegoers…

June 7, 2002 | In Cherish, a captivatingly quirky hybrid of character portrait, romantic comedy and beat-the-clock thriller, San Francisco-born writer-director Finn Taylor (Dream With the Fishes) playfully and persuasively…

December 27, 2002 | It's sassy, jazzy and razzmatazzy. And, mind you, I'm referring only to the opening production number. Just about everything that follows in Chicago is every bit…

  September 1, 1999 | Chill Factor is a tepid thriller that got lost on its way to the video store, and inexplicably ended up on megaplex screens. First-time feature filmmaker Hugh…

February 25, 2004 |  There's something creepily masochistic about Mel Gibson's penchant for playing characters who endure extreme and extended torture. Whatever the movie -- Braveheart or Payback , Lethal Weapon…

September 6, 2002 | It's based on a true story, a tragically ironic tale reported by Pulitzer Prize winner Mike McAlray in a 1997 Esquire magazine article. Even so, City…

October 5, 1998 | Bill Clinton might sympathize with the plight of Clay Bidwell (Joaquin Phoenix), the hapless protagonist of Clay Pigeons. Like the embattled chief executive, Clay gets into trouble…

September 14, 1995 | You're still getting settled in your seat, balancing the popcorn on your lap, when Clockers first backhands you across the face. The opening credits glide past…