A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
MOVIE GUIDE: R
Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977, Bill Melendez)
The last two Peanuts features continue to display the usual economic wisdom of Charles Schulz, doing a dandy job of working outside his ideal medium, but suffer from a lack of ambition on the part of the animators. So the result is fun but rather anonymous. (B)
horrifying Dutch poster!
Radio Days (1987, Woody Allen)
Euphoric, charming Allen period comedy stacked with vignettes about growing up in New York in the 1930s. Numerous laughs, lamentations, and cinematic stunts abound in this effort of Woody at his most populist and warm. (A-)
REVIEW / LISTED: rated
Raging Bull (1980, Martin Scorsese)
Good -- if showy -- acting and supreme technical brilliance liven up this incompetently structured biopic of boxer Jack La Motta. The work of Scorsese and his crew here is impeccable, but no real humanity ever seems to enter the equation. The movie is dispassionate, sluggish, and at the finale, pointless. (C+)
notes on / LISTED: rated / RELATED: Goodfellas review / MENTIONED: La Strada review / Goodbye Mr. Chips review / Roger Ebert rant / Broadway Danny Rose review / year in movies / Godfather review / 1000th post / The Deer Hunter review / Rosenbaum vs. The Departed
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, Steven Spielberg)
Spielberg's hyperkinetic update of Saturday matinee serials is too awash in their genre redundancies to make as much of an individualistic statement as it should, but it offers some of the best action setpieces in cinema and is completely perfect as a great night out at the movies. Harrison Ford is made for the role of bold archaeologist Indiana Jones, and for all its stereotypes, the movie is hedonistic without being superficial, with a wonderfully pessimistic ending. (A-)
RELATED: Minority Report & Catch Me If You Can reviews / Close Encounters review / 1941 DVD review / Saving Private Ryan review / MENTIONED: scary movies / King Kong [33] review / Giant review
Raise the Titanic! (1980, Jerry Jameson)
Pointlessly long, drawn-out filming of the Clive Cussler book only justifies its existence at the bravura finale, and even then you sort of wonder why they bothered. (D)
Raising Arizona (1987, Joel Coen)
Arresting, spectacular comedy about sterile couple who conspire to kidnap a quintuplet; the Coen brothers and cameraman Barry Sonnenfeld are a heavenly match. (A-)
Ran (1985, Akira Kurosawa)
King Lear. Lots of battle scenes. Too long. (C+)
REVIEW / RELATED: Yojimbo review / MENTIONED: Best Buy problems / review coming
Rashomon (1950, Akira Kurosawa)
Haunting and beautfiul Kurosawa masterpiece about disturbing schisms between four different accounts of a rape and murder. The story gets sold short by a pat conclusion, but until then, it's so direct and clear you start worry that you've become part of it. (A-)
REVIEW / LISTED: rated / RELATED: Yojimbo review / MENTIONED: Exorcism of Emily Rose hype / top 250 / Hero review
Ratatouille (2007, Brad Bird)
Pixar and Bird pick up on the promise of THE INCREDIBLES with a very different film that's just as revelatory, from the unlikely notion of a rat -- who is secretly a brilliant cook -- hiding out in a Parisian restaurant. Funny, charming, immediate, unique, and artful, it is the sort of movie that people who care about movies are always waiting for. (A)
REVIEW / director change teaser reaction / excited about / reaction / little golden book / LISTED: rated / RELATED: Cars review / MENTIONED: upcoming movies / vs. Toy Story 3 / review coming / One Man Band / The Apartment review
Reality Bites (1994, Ben Stiller)
Though awash in gen-X clichés and cursed with one of the dumbest resolutions in history, this fairly restrained film about post-college layabouts does offer good performances and some great laughs. (B)
Real Life (1979, Albert Brooks)
Cynical and alarmingly prophetic directorial debut from Brooks is a deadpan satire encompassing gynecologists, infidelity, horses, race relations, funerals, and fire, all twisting in the chest like a knife. Brooks plays a cartoon version of himself, an opportunistic comedian who decides he wants to make a movie starring real people about their day-to-day lives, but of course, finds himself unable to divorce himself from the proceedings, so that in the end the verité project becomes more or less what he wants it to be, as the family he is spying on grows more and more complacent to his intrusions. It's a fusion of horror and laughter that is often delightful, always confounding and provocative. (A)
REVIEW / LISTED: rated / best of year / RELATED: Modern Romance review
Real Men (1987, Dennis Feldman)
James Belushi and John Ritter, a pair of bottom-level comedy actors even by the harrowing standards of the '80s, participate in a parody of spy flicks that simply could not have been written by a human being. I refuse to believe otherwise. (D+)
Rear Window (1954, Alfred Hitchcock)
While Grace Kelly does everything she can to try and get into Jimmy Stewart's pants, he glares out the window and starts to see things happening. Searing entertainment, this wry and scary comment on the voyeurism that constitues the meaning of the medium of film itself is filled with crushing suspense and wild eroticism. It is one of the few absolutely perfect films made to date, and a masterpiece by every conceivable standard. You should probably see a doctor if this doesn't speak to you. (A+)
DVD review / Dali's "Le Voyeur" / terrible cover art / Hitchcock's masterpieces / wall clock / watched again / RELATED: Vertigo DVD / Sabotage review / Dial M for Murder & The Wrong Man reviews / Jamaica Inn review / MENTIONED: Sisters review / Minority Report review / Time's 100 greatest films / Mr. Thomas / War of the Worlds review / Match Point review / The Godfather review / Real Life review / Christopher Reeve remake of / Birth of a Nation review / Misery review / Mr. Smith Goes to Washington review / Eyes Wide Shut review / Fanny & Alexander debate / DVD reviews / Children of Men review / Zodiac review / note on Disturbia / Anatomy of a Murder DVD / new AFI list
Rebecca (1940, Alfred Hitchcock)
A woman (the brilliant Joan Fontaine) lives in the shadow of her husband's deceased wife, Rebecca. Gorgeous, atmospheric, intoxicating and terrifying Du Maurier adaptation is a tour de force for Hitchcock and producer David O. Selznick. You cannot help but live in Joan Fontaine's world for the duration of this nightmare put on film. Fontaine is perfect for the subdued and intensely sympathetic role, while Laurence Olivier and Judith Anderson are frightening, and equally great. Comic highlight: George Sanders barging into the car stealing chicken. (A+)
REVIEW (short) / Hitchcock's masterpieces / Spanish poster / RELATED: Vertigo DVD / Suspicion & I Confess reviews / Jamaica Inn review / Paradine Case review & DVD story / Vertigo thoughts / Jamaica Inn comments / MENTIONED: Session 9 review / Leonard Leff's Hitchcock/Selznick book / endings / Smiles of a Summer Night review / The Wind review / Lolita [62] review / Laura review / Ghost & Mrs. Muir review / The Haunting review / Cinderella review / Diabolique review / Best Years of Our Lives review / Alfred Hitchcock Presents / Chocolate War DVD announcement / Giant review / Ninotchka review / new AFI list
Rebel Without a Cause (1955, Nicholas Ray)
Operatic tale of three misfit teenagers aroused both by violence and by their increasing need for responsibility, that which draws them together into a makeshift family as frustrated boy (James Dean) becomes father and lover. The film is probably the only one to date to get adolescence completely right, to portray confusion rather than antagonism, as individuals struggle to become themselves. It's an achingly beautiful film, overflowing with emotion, and one of the most moving stories Hollywood has put on celluloid. Everything about it is commendable. (A+)
DVD review / LISTED: best DVDs of year / MENTIONED: Breathless review / Birth of a Nation review / On the Waterfront review / West Side Story review / Little Miss Sunshine review / 1000th post / new AFI list
The Red Badge of Courage (1951, John Huston)
Huston can't really do much to help the shrill, deathly slow nature of Stephen Crane's turgid novel; outside of a couple of charged sequences, the director and fine cast simply can't justify 64 minutes that drag by like a root canal. (D+)
MENTIONED: hatred of book
Red Dragon (2002, Brett Ratner)
Indescribably bad third (technically fourth) entry in the Hannibal series features good actors doing their best work in the command of Z-grade director Ratner. How he got this job is anybody's guess; this one is heinously bad. (D+)
REVIEW
Reds (1981, Warren Beatty)
Bloated, mind-bogglingly dull story of Communist-sympathetic journalists John Reed and Louise Bryant, played with no depth whatsoever by Beatty and Diane Keaton. About three hours are spent on this, and then there are the pointless interviews thrown in so that Beatty can make sure his point is made with proper sledgehammer precision. Two hundred fucking minutes, and there could be no greater waste of time, save perhaps the years spent working on the film. (D)
REVIEW / LISTED: rated / 10 worst of year / RELATED: Bulworth DVD review / MENTIONED: Nightmare Before Christmas anecdote / School of Rock review / Dr. Zhivago review / Nashville review / Deer Hunter review / Braveheart review
The Red Shoes (1948, Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
If there is a god, this movie touches him, however briefly; this story of the mounting of a ballet from the Hans Christian Anderson story is absorbing enough in itself, but the dance sequence itself that divides the film in half is as sublime a piece of filmmaking as anyone has managed to date. The film can't be expected to recover from its genius, and it does not. (A-)
REVIEW / crush on Moira Shearer / top 10 of the week / LISTED: rated / RELATED: Black Narcissus DVD / MENTIONED: An American in Paris review
Red Zone Cuba (1966, Coleman Francis)
Turgid home movie about three drifters getting involved, sort of, in the Bay of Pigs invasion is as poorly made as films get, yet carries a certain mythic curiosity in its many bizarre tangents. The quintessential Coleman Francis flick. (C)
MENTIONED: bought MST3K ep on DVD
The Ref (1994, Ted Demme)
Exceptional comedy made unusual by its rather ambitious casting of Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey, both brilliant, as a bickering couple taken hostage by a cynical con man. Consistently funny and full of acting firepower on the part of the two leads, this is conventional in many ways but still a treasure. (A-)
Regarding Henry (1991, Mike Nichols)
To begin with, this a syrupy and annoying story and should never have been filmed. But if you insist, why Harrison Ford? The whole time he has amnesia you keep waiting for him to break out the whip and go look for the ark. Overwrought sludge. (D-)
The Reluctant Dragon (1941, Alfred L. Werker)
Maybe we could do without the live action sequences with Robert Benchley touring the Disney studio, and we may not even need the Goofy cartoon, but I don't think you can ask a lot more from a movie that contains two of the most startingly clever and wonderful Disney cartoons, "Baby Weems" and "The Reluctant Dragon." (B+)
REVIEW / LISTED: rated / RELATED: Joe Grant obit / Complete Goofy DVD review
Renaissance Man (1994, Penny Marshall)
Very mild comedy with Danny Devito teaching English to a group of military recruits starts out inoffensive but fair, dwindles soon enough into easy sentiment. (C-)
Repulsion (1965, Roman Polanski)
One of the most terrifying films ever made, Polanski's English language debut is a knockout about a frigid woman terrified of men and sex left alone in the apartment for a week by her amorous sister. Soon enough, she barricades herself inside and begins to be torn apart by nightmares. Truly harrowing and hypnotic. (A)
DVD reviews / REVIEW / LISTED: rated / 10 best of year / RELATED: The Pianist review / MENTIONED: review coming / The Godfather review / Fanny & Alexander debate / Primal Scream: Country Girl / Tideland review
Requiem for a Dream (2000, Darren Aronofsky)
Why exactly do hipsters, who abhor the condescension of anti-drug PSAs, like being preached to so long as it's in a stylishly edited movie with hot actors? Maybe I answered my own question. PI director Aronofsky's entry in the Stupid People Doing Stupid Things genre doesn't hold up to much analysis. (D+)
REVIEW / LISTED: rated / MENTIONED: The Fountain trailer / preview of review
The Rescuers (1977, John Lounsberry & Wolfgang Reitherman)
The first rather bright detour in a good long while for the post-Disney Disney studio, this fun cartoon about a pair of mice entangled in intrigue is unremarkable in the animation department but frothy and delightful in every other sense. (A-)
The Rescuers Down Under (1990, Hendel Butoy)
These enterprising mice offered the one and only virtuous animated feature for Disney in the bleak '70s, so why shouldn't they do the same for the more popular but still artistically dismal Disney renaissance? This by-the-numbers sequel is lots of fun and a great deal better than THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, and THE LION KING. (B+)
Reservoir Dogs (1992, Quentin Tarantino)
Unlike Tarantino's subsequent work, his first film does have a couple of good visual ideas, yet the story is just as simple-minded, derivative, and smug as that of PULP FICTION. As with that film, it mostly amounts to a big empty-headed commercial for its director's supposed craft. (C-)
RELATED: Kill Bill Vol. 1 review
Return of the Jedi (1983, Richard Marquand)
Easily the worst of the original three STAR WARS films, this opens by resolving the cliffhanger of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK with an overlong sequence in Jabbah the Hut's lair, then goes for some vague repetitions of various sequences from the other two films, and finally has the nerve to close the most infantile film series of the modern era with an unashamed, impossibly twee toy commercial! Even STAR WARS fans don't have much affection for this bewildering mishmash. (D)
COMICAL REVIEW / MENTIONED: scary movies / my Dane story / Christopher Mulrooney
The Return of the Pink Panther (1975, Blake Edwards)
Over ten years after Sellers hung up the Closeau hat, and six after Alan Arkin's vain attempt at capturing the character, Blake Edwards -- at the nadir of his reputation -- sells out with this commercial and mostly harmless retread of the first film. The jokes are mostly a bore, but the performances are bright and the music is wonderful, and the movie certainly doesn't try to be anything but cinemascope escapism. (B-)
REVIEW / RELATED: Pink Panther Film Collection DVD review
Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978, Blake Edwards)
The finest of the "Revival" PANTHER films of the '70s -- and the last one Peter Sellers completed -- features the most rapid-fire gags and eccentric humor of the series. It's brainless mayhem that consistently and completely works. (B+)
Pink Panther Film Collection DVD review
Rich and Strange (1932, Alfred Hitchcock)
It's quite rightly assumed that for non-obsessive fans, the pre-1934 Hitchcock is basically notable for just three films -- THE LODGER, BLACKMAIL, and MURDER! (with THE RING sliding in for some) -- but RICH & STRANGE, buried in his filmography, is a must-see about a married couple on a disastrous vacation that finds them both straying. It's a film he fought to make, one in a very different mold than the suspense melodramas that made him famous. It's revealing to watch the director involve himself in highly personal, eccentric story prior to the years when he learned how to bury all that insanity in the thrillers. Regardless of career context, this is one of the director's most unique and enduring films, a mostly-forgotten small masterpiece that offers more social commentary and telling humor than almost any other film of its era. Despite its genre, it does have a dizzying story and wonderfully unpredictable final act. (A-)
RELATED: Mr. & Mrs. Smith review / MENTIONED: Operation Petticoat review / The Terminal review / Scenes from a Marriage review / 1941 DVD review / Dodsworth review
Richie Rich (1994, Donald Petrie)
One of Macaulay Culkin's final films before his retreat into Hollywood limbo, this is notable only for having been shot at the Biltmore Mansion, where I had just been a few days before filming started. (D+)
The Ring (1927, Alfred Hitchcock)
Interesting silent Hitchcock has a rather conventional story -- two competing boxers are out for the affection of the same woman -- but early marks of considerable maturity in the visual execution, worlds beyond even the very inventive EASY VIRTUE. Unlike THE LODGER, which regurgitated German expressionism techniques in an exciting new context, THE RING is a thoroughly unique achievement in aesthetic terms, which may be why the director remained so fond of it. He would not hone his storytelling craft for several years, but his technical mastery was already formed. (B)
RELATED: Suspicion review
The Ring (2002, Gore Verbinski)
THE RING might very well be the most beautifully photographed horror film ever made, and it does toy with ideas of delicious intrigue. Unfortunately, it isn't scary, even for a horror film, and just rambles on and on stealing ideas from REAR WINDOW and MARNIE and even THE SIXTH SENSE while trudging along with its own uninspired lunacy about some little girl stuck in a well or some crap. For whatever reason, every girl I have ever met thinks this is terrifying, but every girl I have ever met probably thinks I am terrifying and won't tell me. Which is probably why I'm sitting here writing capsule movie reviews at 10:45 on a Friday night. SIGH. (C+)
REVIEW / MENTIONED: summer movie preview
Risky Business (1983, Paul Brickman)
A red-blooded American teenager bursts out of his shell, and that might make sense if he weren't played by Tom Cruise, who has no blood. Obnoxious and unfunny. (D+)
MENTIONED: Minority Report review
The River (1951, Jean Renoir)
Renoir intoxicates the audience with a colorful India in this emotionally rich film from Rumer Godden's novel about a girl's first crush and first hints of true maturity. A beautiful film full of unforgettable characterizations and gentle, absorbing -- but never slow -- pacing. This movie gives you a world to live in and makes no secret of its mission to stir at the core. (A)
REVIEW / DVD review / LISTED: rated / best of year / best DVDs of year / MENTIONED: Brothers Grimm review / Christmas presents / Small Change review / Black Narcissus review / Black Narcissus DVD
The Road Warrior (1981, George Miller)
I would not hire Mel Gibson to take care of my oil, I'll tell you that. Boring series of stunts and laughable, artifical scenes of weak dialogue will certainly please its core audience, who may also enjoy THE SIDEHACKERS. (C)
Robin Hood (1973, Wolfgang Reitherman)
Though it's innocuous by today's unholy standards, this once was the worst Disney cartoon feature that had been made, and it is a permanent blot on the resume of these long-running animators who should have known better. A boring story, recycled character designs, poor animation, and no personality at all. (C-)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993, Mel Brooks)
Brooks is a bit too gentle (and centralized) in this film, a parody of a box office hit nobody remembers now (see below), but it retains a lot of his charm and humor, with the unquestionable highlight being Patrick Stewart's cameo. Some scenes are priceless, as usual, and the songs are wonderful. (B)
Mel Brooks Collection DVD review / MENTIONED: Shrek review
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991, Kevin Reynolds)
Alan Rickman is absolutely the only reason to watch this movie. Most of the rest of the cast is good but not good enough to justify looking at Kevin Costner's face for 138 minutes. It's hard to determine what's most annoying about this blockbuster retread -- Costner himself, or the self-consciously trendy script, or the pointless rapid-fire editing style. But who needs Robin Hood anyway? Cheap bastard. (C-)
Robocop 2 (1990, Irvin Kershner)
I've never seen the first ROBOCOP. I trust it was better than this one, which was just psychotic, more like sitting in a studio board meeting than watching a movie. (D+)
The Rock (1996, Michael Bay)
Compared to ARMAGEDDON, this is Shakespeare, but it's still a loud, irritating, and unbelievably stupid action film. Bay's usual 138-minute series of explosions makes no sense and will leave the viewer confused, bitter, and numb. (C-)
MENTIONED: Alcatraz stories
Rocky (1976, John G. Avildsen)
Oh, god, no. Some of the most fake inspiration ever captured on film, this manipulative junk actually fooled almost everyone at the time! Evolution is before our eyes, folks. And people actually are upset that we are now living in an "age of irony." If this is the alternative, drench me in irony like it's whipped cream and you're two hot brunettes. (D)
RELATED: gonna fly now / MENTIONED: All the President's Men review
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, Jim Sharman)
The irony on this actually doesn't wear off for thirty or forty minutes, and even after that there are a couple of bright spots. However, despite its ample cult following, this insufficiently flamboyant trans-musical frustrates to an extreme in its inability to live up to the humor and cynicism of its opening moments. But of course, you'll regret it if you never give it a chance. (B-)
MENTIONED: Fear & Loathing review
Roger & Me (1989, Michael Moore)
Don't kid yourself. Moore is no less a wrongheaded smartass here than he is in his later movies, but he still crafts in this case a rather splendid documentary about the town of Flint, Michigan, torn apart by the closing of a GM factory. Clearheaded portrait of working-class America in the late '80s is genuinely funny and poignant, and much more than usual, Moore allows the images he captures to speak for themselves. A film so remarkable it makes one quite sorry that its director can no longer craft anything half as interesting. (A-)
RELATED: Michael Moore / Bowling for Columbine review / MENTIONED: Super Size Me review
Romancing the Stone (1984, Robert Zemeckis)
I remember my teachers used to tell me I wasn't living up to my potential, and that's kind of the way it feels to see Zemeckis giving up on his wild, individualistic comedies to do a conventional (even throwback) escapist caper comedy that would have been even more fun if he and Bob Gale had written it, but this is gold compared to what Zemeckis did in the '90s, and you just have to surrender to this movie. Not only is it the reason BACK TO THE FUTURE got made, it's also really funny and enjoyable. (B+)
RELATED: plea for I Wanna Hold Your Hand on DVD / Beowulf announcement
Romeo and Juliet (1968, Franco Zeffirelli)
Inappropriately twee semi-musical Shakespeare adaptation has the cute kiddies fighting for their naive connection and then killing themselves when their respective parents prove too stubborn to put aside their differences. Nice story, Shakespeare. Too bad Zeffirelli doesn't know how to tell it, what to do with it, or least of all, how to film it. Maudlin pap has little to redeem its emptyheaded excesses. (D)
Romeo + Juliet (1996, Baz Luhrmann)
What what what what what!? Slow down! Claire Danes is Juliet, which in itself is enough to make the film worth seeing, but Luhrmann's admittedly brilliant yet much too hyperactive direction in the style of a Pepsi commercial is far too much for most of us to take. There isn't even sufficient time to take in the full scope of the ideas presented. Some of the acting is wonderful, but it kind of gets lost in the shuffle. Having said that, do stick with the movie after its miserable opening half-hour; it does get a lot more tolerable as it goes on. (B-)
REVIEW
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997, David Mirkin)
Ex-Simpsons show runner Mirkin demonstrates a better command of irony than he ever exhibited during his time on that series in this audaciously witty satire about a pair of buffoons (Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow, both brilliant as usual) who take the dreaded trip to their ten-year high school reunion, consumed by the knowledge that they have accomplished nothing in the intervening years and must now invent a story in order to appear successful. One of the most assured and incisive comedies of the '90s, this immaculately performed film matches ZELIG in its exploration of the quiet glories of nonconformity. (A-)
MENTIONED: The Critic DVD review
Rope (1948, Alfred Hitchcock)
A couple of ambitious homosexual psychopaths have slaughtered a man; they hide him in a chest and then throw a party, all to impress that corrupt nihilist Jimmy Stewart. And it's in one long shot. (Actually, there are several cuts, but they are disguised.) Hitchcock's wildest experiment is quite successful. His camera remains as riveting in this guise as it does with the editing room as a tool. Extremely suspenseful, partially as a result of the filming technique. Stewart is unforgettable in a highly atypical role. (A)
RELATED: Dial M for Murder review / Paradine Case review / MENTIONED: His Girl Friday review / Match Point review / Knife in the Water review / Lady in the Water review / Anatomy of a Murder DVD
Rosemary's Baby (1968, Roman Polanski)
Odd adaptation of Ira Levin's novel about a pregnant woman (weakly played by the meek Mia Farrow, who looks so fragile she might break in half if touched) creeped out by occult weirdos next door. Echoes of Polanski's REPULSION abound in yet another scary movie about the horrors of apartment dwelling. Unfortunately, the film is more funny than it is scary, thanks in large part to Ruth Gordon's over the top performance as the kindly old satanist. (B)
REVIEW / LISTED: rated / RELATED: The Pianist review / MENTIONED: Dawn of the Dead DVD review / Boys from Brazil review / Hannah and Her Sisters review / The Exorcist review / Curse of the Were-Rabbit review
Roxanne (1987, Fred Schepisi)
Steve Martin wrote this delightful revision of "Cyrano de Bergerac" and bravely performs the entire film with that gigantic nose of his. The film may be a little too easygoing, but its charm is boundless. (B+)
REVIEW / LISTED: rated
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001, Wes Anderson)
Anderson continues the trend of young directors who simply cannot sleep at night if they don't craft a multicharacter pastiche consisting of people defined lazily by their "quirks." TENENBAUMS is amusing at times and contains one excellent performance -- Gene Hackman's -- and one fascinating plotline: the lust a boy feels for his adopted sister (Gwyneth Paltrow in suicide babe getup). Unfortunately, it has no story whatsoever, and its characters are too great in number to have more than slight resonance, thus preventing it from any kind of true dimension. (C+)
RELATED: Life Aquatic DVD review / MENTIONED: Great Expectations review / Broadcast News review / Bonnie & Clyde review
Rules of the Game (1939, Jean Renoir)
Renoir's most beloved cinema classic is brilliant in fits and starts: there's the classic opening scene, the unforgettable hunt sequence, and that incredible comic chase. But he fills his movie with archetypes and comes up with something too emotionally distant to have anything more than an intellectual impact on the viewer. (B+)
REVIEW / LISTED: rated / year in movies / MENTIONED: Purple Rose of Cairo review / Singin' in the Rain review / The Celebration review
Run Lola Run (1998, Tom Tykwer)
It's hard to take seriously a film that seems to accept music video methods of cutting as a logical storytelling method. This story of alternate possibilities about a girl running crosstown to obtain and drop off some money in twenty-odd minutes is nothing that hasn't been done in a more witty and revealing fashion a hundred times before, probably on your favorite TV show. Maddening piffle. (C-)
REVIEW / LISTED: rated
The Running Man (1987, Paul Michael Glaser)
This really is a movie about a running man. Somehow, this is goofy and campy without being fun, like Joel Schumacher's Batman movies. (D+)
Rushmore (1998, Wes Anderson)
Thrilling comedy about a misfit prep school boy in denial about his own inadequacies who falls in love with an idealistic kindergarten teacher, gets embroiled in a friendship with a wealthy contractor, played by an unusually restrained Bill Murray. Funny, sophisticated, and insightful followup to BOTTLE ROCKET does ask its audience to put its faith in an immature jerk, but also reminds us that we were unfortunately all a bit of an immature jerk at one point. Cheerful and beautifully photographed, this film's clashes of surrealism and truth are head-spinning at times. (A)
REVIEW / RELATED: Fantastic Mr. Fox announcement / Life Aquatic DVD review / MENTIONED: Lost in Translation review / Shopgirl anticipation / Groundhog Day review / year in movies / Misery review / Mike Nelson's Cracked article
The Russia House (1990, Fred Schepisi)
Pretty boring stuff from John Le Carre about spies and intrigue and all that. Fun to see Roy Scheider, though. (C-)
Ruthless People (1986, Jim Abrahams/David Zucker/Jerry Zucker)
Atypical ZAZ film is not merely an endless series of jokes but a wild screwball comedy about a man's intricate plans to off his wife with a wildly convoluted plot full of unexpected twists and turns. And what's most unexpected of all about it is its odd sincerity. Though it's been done before, this is quite a delicious movie that has almost nothing in common with AIRPLANE!, TOP SECRET, or THE NAKED GUN. (B+)
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