| "P" All Films Watched 2000-2010 |
| All films are rated on a scale of **** (A+), *** 3/4 (A), *** 1/2 (A-), *** 1/4 (B+), *** (B), ** 3/4 (B-), ** 1/2 (C+), ** 1/4 ( C), ** (C-) , * 3/4 (D+), * 1/2 (D), * 1/4 (D-), * (F) |
| Links are to longer reviews on site. A film defined as 70 min.+ visual event. |
| The year included with the film is the year I watched each film. |
| (V) = TV, Video or DVD ( +) = repeat viewing (W/O)= walked out |
| p.s. (2004, d. Dylan Kidd) Kidd makes movies smack dab in my wheelhouse. I loved the film (and Grace and Linney) more than its problematic script deserved. *** |
| P.T.U. (2003, Hong Kong d. Johnny To) Stylized policier/comedy about one frenzied night in the streets of Hong Kong. Great fun. *** |
| PACIFIC, THE (2010, d. various) Major HBO miniseries, not quite as good & memorable as Band of Brothers, but ultimately moving in its own right with a fine cast. *** 1/2 |
| PADRE NUESTRO (2007, d. Rodrigo Sepulveda; Chile) *** |
| PAHELI (2005, d. Amol Palekar; India) ** |
| PAIN IN THE ASS, A (2009, d. Francis Veber) ** |
| PAINTED HOUSE, A (2003, d. Alfonso Arau) (V.) Faithful adaptation, spare & underplayed TV movie. Scott Glenn's grandfather very strong. ** 3/4 |
| PAINTED SKIN (2008, d. Gordon Chan; Hong Kong) ** 1/4 |
| PAINTED VEIL, THE (2006, d. John Curran) Old fashioned story telling, but beautiful and nicely done. *** |
| PALAIS ROYAL! (2006, d. Valérie Lemercier) * 3/4 |
| PALENDROMES (2005, d. Todd Solondz) Ebony black comedy with Solondz's patented mordant sardonic wit. Uneven, but always interesting. ** 3/4 |
| PALM BEACH STORY (2005, d. Preston Sturges) V. Amiable, wordy, classy screwball comedy with finally made me see why Sturges has such a rep for wit. *** |
| PANIC ROOM (2002, d. David Fincher) *** 1/4 |
| PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006, d. Guillermo del Toro) *** 1/2 |
| PAPA (2006, d. Maurice Barthélémy) Touching, nicely made, well observed French road pic, sort of young boy Ponette travels with his father. *** |
| PAPER DOVE (2003, d. Fabrizio Aguilar) Campañeros in the Andes: gorgeously photographed drama about a small town & boy 11 under seige by terrorists. *** |
| PAPER HEART (2009, d. Nicholas Jasenovec) *** 1/4 |
| PAPER WILL BE BLUE, THE (Hirtia va fi Albastra) (2007, d. Radu Muntean) *** |
| PAPRIKA (2007, d. Satoshi Kon) ** |
| PA-RA-DA (2008, d. Marco Pontecorvo) *** 1/4 |
| PARADE (2010, d. Isao Yukisada) *** 1/2 |
| PARADISE NOW (2005, d. Hany Abu-Assad; Palestine) *** 1/2 |
| PARALLEL WORLDS (dir: Petr Vaclav) ** |
| PARANOID PARK (2008, d. Gus Van Sant) Spare, non-acted skate board epic. Gabe Nevins a natural. *** 1/2 |
| PARANOIDS, THE (Los Paranoicos) (2008, d. Gabriel Medina) ** 3/4 |
| PARC (2008, d. Arnaud des Pallières) * 1/2 |
| PARENTS (2008, d. Ragnar Bragason) *** 1/4 |
| PARIS (2009, d. Cédrick Klapisch) Sprawling romcom with large, fine cast but too many characters and unfocused script and direction. Too bad. ** 1/4 |
| PARIS RETURN (2010, d. Yossi Aviram) *** 1/4 |
| PARIS, JE T'AIME (2007, d. various) *** 1/4 |
| PARKOUR (2010, d. Marc Rensing) *** 1/2 |
| PARSLEY DAYS (2001, d. Andrea Dorfman) *** 1/4 |
| PARTICLES OF TRUTH (2004, d. Jennifer Elster) V. Insufferably pretentious film with amateurish direction, though the actors are interesting. W/O |
| PARTING SHOT, A (2007, d. Pas douce) (2007, d. Jeanne Waltz) *** 1/4 |
| PARTLY PRIVATE (2009, d. Danae Elon) V. Excellent, if discomforting docu of a secular Jewish family's struggles with idea of circumcision. My reaction was visceral. *** 3/4 |
| PARTS LEFT OVER, THE (2009, d. Roy Wageman) ** 3/4 |
| PARTY MONSTER (2003, d. Bailey & Barbato) Witty, trueish story of '80s legendary partyboy & murderer. Seth Green superb, Macaulay Culken less so. ** 3/4 |
| PASSCHENDAELE (2008, d. Paul Gross) ** 1/2 |
| PASSION OF THE CHRIST, THE (2004, d. Mel Gibson) Effective filmmaking, if long on sadism. But too many repetitive images, and left me cold. ** 1/2 |
| PASSION OF THE MIND (2000, d. Alain Berliner) ** |
| PASSIONADA (2002, d. Dan Ireland) *** 1/4 |
| PAST IS A FOREIGN LAND, THE (Il passato e'una terra straniera) (2008, d. Daniele Vicari) *** 1/2 |
| PAST, THE (El Pasado) (2007, d. Héctor Babenco) *** 1/2 |
| PATAGONIA (2010, d. Marc Evans) *** |
| PATER FAMILIAS (2004, d. Francisco Patierno) Complex multi-threaded drama about a group of doomed Neapolitan ragazzi. *** |
| PATERNAL INSTINCT (2004, d. Murray Nossei) Wonderful, emotionally satisfying doc. about a gay couple who employ a surrogate mother to have children. *** 1/2 |
| PATHOLOGY (2010, d. Marc Schoelermann) V. Michael Weston & Milo Ventimiglia are well matched as smart adversaries in this stylish, evil-doing thriller. *** |
| PATRIK, AGE 1.5 (2008, d. Ella Lemhagen) *** 1/2 |
| PATRIK, AGE 1.5 (2008, d. Ella Lemhagen) + Second time around even better...this time I could appreciate more the outstanding filmmaking. *** 1/2 |
| PATRIOT, THE (2000, d. Roland Emmerich) *** |
| PAULINE & PAULETTE (2001, d. Lieven Debrauwer) ** 3/4 |
| PAULINE AT THE BEACH (Pauline à la plage) (2010, d. Eric Rohmer) *** 1/2 |
| PAULISTA (2010, d. Roberto Moreira) ** 3/4 |
| PAY IT FORWARD (2000, d. Mimi Leder) ** 1/2 |
| PAYCHECK (2003, d. John Woo) Phil Dick story, full of paranoia & plot holes; but Woo does great action flicks, even if the slo-mo dove is forced here. ** 1/4 |
| PEACEFUL WARRIOR (2006, d. Victor Salva) Setting aside the New Agey hokum, thrilling film. Mechlowicz amazes. *** |
| PEACHES (2001, d. Nick Grosso) ** 1/4 |
| PEARL HARBOR (2001, d. Michael Bay) *** |
| PEAS AT 5:30 (2004, d. Lars Buechel) Richly rewarding, intensely moving romantic road pic about a newly blind stage director & the blind woman that fate brings him. *** 3/4 |
| PEDRO (2009, d. Nick Oceano) V.+ MTV is a natural place to show this superior biopic. Dustin Lance Black should now add an Emmy to his Oscar for Milk. *** 1/2 |
| PEDRO (2008, d. Nick Oceano) *** 1/2 |
| PEEPLI LIVE (2010, d. Anusha Rizvi; India) ** 1/4 |
| PELICAN BRIEF, THE (2006, d. Alan Pakula) V. Finally saw this; holds up well, tho Grisham stories are predictable. ** 3/4 |
| PENELOPE (2008, d. Mark Palansky) Modern fairy tale with great production design, but what's with the accents? ** 3/4 |
| PENITENT MAN, THE (2010, d. Nicholas Gyeney) ** 3/4 |
| PEPPERMENT (2000, d. Castas Kapakas) ** 1/2 |
| PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF (2010, d. Chris Columbus) More fun than Harry Potter 1; but some plot holes detract. ** 3/4 |
| PERFECT DAY, A (Un Giorno perfetto) (2008, d. Ferzan Ozpetek) *** 1/4 |
| PERFECT DAY, A (2007, d. Peter Levin) V. Sappy TV movie wannabe Wonderful Life. * 3/4 |
| PERFECT GETAWAY, A (2009, d. David Twohy) Gorgeous Kawaii scenery is all that's good about this predictable Natural Born Killers wannabe. ** |
| PERFECT MATCH (2008, d. Anne-Marie Étienne) *** |
| PERFECT SCORE, THE (2004, d. Brian Robbins) Unoriginal, but enjoyable Hughesish teener flick. Chris Evans shines and Leonardo Nam is very funny as an Asian stoner. ** 3/4 |
| PERFECT SCORE, THE (2005, d. Brian Robbins) V. ** 3/4 |
| PERFECT SON, THE (2001, d. Leonard Farlinger) *** 1/4 |
| PERFECT SPORT (2008, d. Anthony O'Brien) *** |
| PERFECT STORM, THE (2000, d. Wolfgang Petersen) ** 3/4 |
| PERFECT STRANGERS (2004, d. Gaylene Preston) Romantic thriller about a woman kidnapped to a desert island. Unlikely, but well made. ** 1/2 |
| PERFECTIONIST, THE (La perfezionista) (2009, d. Cesare Lanza) 1/2* |
| PERFUME - THE STORY OF A MURDERER (2006, d. Tom Tykwer) Amazing gorgeous production, creepy, original concept. *** 1/2 |
| PERFUME DE VIOLETAS, NADIE TE OYE (2001, d. Marisa Sistach) *** |
| PERHAPS LOVE (2005, d. Peter Ho-Sun Chan; Hong Kong) ** 3/4 |
| PERPETUUM MOBILE (2009, d. Nicolas Pareda) * 1/4 |
| PERRIER'S BOUNTY (2010, d. Ian FitzGibbon) ** 1/4 |
| PERRO DEL HORTELANO, EL (2003, d. Pilar Miro 1996) Historical Lope de Vega comedy about a fickle countess. ** 1/2 |
| PERSEPOLIS (2007, d. Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi; France) *** 1/4 |
| PERSONAL VELOCITY (2002, d. Rebecca Miller) *** 1/4 |
| PERSONALS, THE (2001, d. Chen Kuo-fu) ** 1/2 |
| PERSUASION (2008, d. Adrian Shergold) V. Austin is well served by this tv prod. cast, esp. Sally Hawkins. *** |
| PERSUIT OF HAPPYNESS, THE (2006, d. Gabriele Muccino) Too much miserablism for too long; but Smith & son are quite good. *** |
| PETER PAN (2003, d. P.J. Hogan) Wasn't enchanted by this honorable, boring attempt at authentic Pan. Sorry, every aspect seemed forced & artificial. * 3/4 |
| PETIT LIEUTENANT, LE (2006, d. Xavier Beauvoir) Spare, Bressonian French policier...sublimely realistic, Nathalie Baye great. *** 1/2 |
| PETITE CHAMBRE, LA (2010, d. Stéphanie Chuat & Véronique Reymond; Switzerland) *** 1/2 |
| PETITE LILI, LA (2004, d. Claude Miller) Amiable trifle about a group of film people cavorting in a French chateau whose story is then made as a film within a film. ** 3/4 |
| PETYA ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN (2010, d. Nikolai Dostal) * 1/2 |
| PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (2004, d. Joel Schumacher) Maybe I'm just not into Lloyd Weber; a visual treat, great sets, costumes etc...but I was bored. ** 1/2 |
| PHARMICIST, THE (2004, d. Jean Veber) Entertaining claptrap, thriller/buddy comedy/policier. Guillaume Depardieu and Vincent Perez have true chemistry. ** 3/4 |
| PHILANTHROPY (2003, d. Nae Caranfil) Romania AFF. Black comedy about begging as theater in modern Romania. ** 3/4 |
| PHOEBE IN WONDERLAND (2009, d. Daniel Barnz) Simplistic psycho stuff well presented. Fine acting; but just not all that original. ** 3/4 |
| PHONE BOOTH (2003, d. Joel Schumacher) Taut, tense thriller about a psycho sniper in NY. Colin Farrell is great here...remember at awards time. *** 1/4 |
| PIANIST, THE (2002, d. Roman Polanski) *** 3/4 |
| PIANO TEACHER, THE (2001, d. Michael Haneke) *** 3/4 |
| PIECES OF APRIL (2003, d. Peter Hedges) Another cliché disfunctional family/Thanksgiving trifle until a neat ending ties it all up. Somehow it worked. *** |
| PIEDRAS (2003, d. Ramon Salazar) Rapturously romantic parallel story of several women and gay men. My kind of film! *** 1/2 |
| PIERRE RISSIENT: MAN OF CINEMA (2008, d. Todd McCarthy) ** 1/4 |
| PIERREPOINT - THE LAST HANGMAN (2010, d. Adrian Shergold) V. Somber, well acted (Timothy Spahl!) story of man who hung 608 criminals. *** |
| PIERROT LE FOU (2010, d. Jean-Luc Goddard) ** |
| PILLERS OF THE EARTH, THE (2010, d. Sergio Mimica-Gezzan) V. A miracle of novel adaptation to a superb mini-series. Ideal cast & extraordinary prod'n. values. **** |
| PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (2008, d. David Gordon Green) Genuinely funny stoner chase comedy with brain, wit & originality. *** 1/4 |
| PIÑERO (2001, d. Leon Ichaso) ** |
| PINGPONG (2007, d. Matthias Luthardt) *** 1/4 |
| PINNOCHIO (VO) (2003, d. Roberto Benigni) Italy AFF. Even with subtitles, a major train wreck of a film. * |
| PIPE DREAM (2002, d. John C. Walsh) ** 3/4 |
| PIRATE RADIO (2009, d. Richard Curtis) Wonderful evocation of the mid-60's with a dynamite song score (gotta get the CD). Great double bill with Across the Universe! *** 1/2 |
| PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 (2007, d. Gore Verbinski) Exhaustingly repetitive, boring empty calories. * 1/2 |
| PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3 (2008, d. Gore Verbinski) Better than #2, not saying much. ** |
| PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (2003, d. Gore Verbinski) 1st half is wonderful, then sort of topples from excesses; but Depp and Bloom are great. ** 3/4 |
| PIVELLINA, LA (2010, d. Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel; Austria) *** |
| PIZZA (2004, d. Mark Christopher) DV eccentric comedy: one night's adventure of a lonely fat girl turning 18 & a 30ish pizzaboy (sparkling turn by Ethan Embry). ** 1/4 |
| PLACE NEARBY, A (2000, d. Kaspar Rostrup) ** 3/4 |
| PLACE OF EXECUTION (2010, d. Daniel Percival) V. 1964 murder investigation revisited by present day docu crew in gripping & surprising policier thriller. *** 1/2 |
| PLACE VENDÔME (2000, d. Nicole Garcia) * 1/2 |
| PLAN B (2010, d. Marco Berger) *** 1/4 |
| PLANET OF THE APES (2001, d. Tim Burton) * |
| PLAY (2006, d. Alicia Scherson; Chile) *** 1/4 |
| PLAYTIME (2004, d. Jacques Tati) 70mm presentation of this Chaplanesque (i.e. Modern Times) large canvas, subtle, visually extraordinary slapstick comedy. *** 1/2 |
| PLEASANT MOMENTS (2007, d. Vera Chytilová) *** 1/2 |
| PLEASE GIVE (2010, d. Nicole Holofcener) Holofcener & her avatar Catherine Keener + Oliver Platt in fine fettle in this NY tale. *** 1/4 |
| PLEASE VOTE FOR ME (2007, d. Weijun Chen) Illuminating Chinese docu: 3rd graders' 1st election of class monitor. *** 1/4 |
| PLEASE, PLEASE ME (Fais-moi plaisir!) (2010, d. Emmanuel Mouret) *** 1/4 |
| PLEDGE, THE (2001, d. Sean Penn) *** |
| PLENILUNIO (2000, d. Imanol Uribe) ** 3/4 |
| PLONING (2008, d. Dante Nico Garcia; Philippines) ** |
| PLOY (2008, d. Pen-ek Ratanauang) ** 1/4 |
| PLUS TARD, TU COMPREHENDRA (2008, d. Amos Gitaï) ** 1/2 |
| POCO PIÚ DI UN ANNO FA (2003, d. Marco Filiberti) Oddly affecting drama about an upper class Italian gay porn star & his familial relationships. ** 3/4 |
| POIROT: MRS. MCGINTY'S DEAD (2009, d. Ashley Pearce) V. Fussy & talky British Agatha Christie whodunit with a ridiculous plot, but a nice noir look. ** |
| POISON FRIENDS (Les amitiés maléfique) (2009, d. Emmanuel Bourdieu) V. Literary, unpleasant story of college students taken in by a pathological liar friend. *** |
| POLA X (2000, d. Leos Carax) *** 1/2 |
| POLAR EXPRESS (2005, d. Robert Zemeckis) Nice animation, trite story...but it works on an elemental level. I enjoyed more than I expected from the lousy reviews. *** |
| POLICE BEAT (2005, d. Robinson Devor) Stream of consciousness experiences of a Seattle cop originally from Senegal. Wide screen video transfer. ** 1/4 |
| POLICE ROMANCE, A (2009, d. Stéphanie Duvivier) *** 1/4 |
| POLICE, ADJECTIVE (2009, d. Corneliu Porumbolu; Romania) *** |
| POLIGONO SUR (2004, d. Dominique Abel) Doc. about Gypsy flamenco artists living in the projects and making a life of music. *** 1/2 |
| POLLOCK (2000, d. Ed Harris) *** |
| PONIENTE (WESTERN) (2003, d. Chus Gutierrez) Drama about labor strife in rural greenhouse farms in Andelusia. ** 1/4 |
| PONYO (2009, d. Hayao Miyazaki) Gorgeous 2-D animation; but I just couldn't relate to the plot's flights of fancy, inscrutable message and dare I say boring characters. ** 1/2. |
| POP & ME (2000, d. Chris Roe) ** 1/2 |
| POP STAR ON ICE (2009, d. David Barba) *** |
| POPE'S TOILET, THE (2007, d. Enrique Fernández) Uruguay foreign film submission. ** 3/4 |
| PORN THEATER (2003, France d. Jacques Nolot) Very sexy film about men making it with other men in a straight porn theater in today's Paris. *** |
| PORNOGRAFIA (2004, d. Jan Jakub Kolski) Another WWII story, a drama about a group of Poles on a country farm. ** |
| PORNOGRAPHY (2009, d. David Kittredge) Disquieting, arty thriller/ghost story set in porno world...a gay EYES WIDE SHUT as if directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. *** 1/4 |
| POSEIDON (2006, d. Wolfgang Petersen) Well directed old fashioned disaster thriller, if predictable and ridiculous. ** 1/2 |
| POSSESSION (2002, d. Neil LaBute) *** 1/2 |
| POSSIBLE LOVES (2001, d. Sandra Werneck) *** 1/4 |
| POST GRAD (2009, d. Vicky Jenson) Attractive, interesting actors wasted in a totally cliché ridden family comedy. Whoever greenlit this waste of celluloid should be fired. * 3/4 |
| POSTCARDS FROM LENINGRAD (2007, d. Mariana Rondón; Venezuela) ** |
| POSTER BOY (2004, d. Zak Tucker) Well acted, romantic political film about a Jesse Helms-ish senator's closeted gay son & his encounter with gay activists. ** 3/4 |
| POWER TRIP (2003, U.S. doc. d. Paul Devlin) Well edited documentary about an American company which buys the ex-Soviet Georgian power utility. *** 1/2 |
| PRAGUE (2007, d. Ole Christian Madsen) *** 1/2 |
| PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (2006, d. Robert Altman) ** 1/2 |
| PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL (2008, d. Gini Reticker) Talky docu with important subject: women getting together to stop bloodshed in Liberia. ** 3/4 |
| PRAYERS FOR BOBBY (2009, d. Russell Mulcahy)V. Well acted tear jerker tv movie based on true story of gay boy's suicide. Emotionally devistating.. *** 1/4 |
| PRECINCT, THE (Ilgar Safat; Azerbaijan) ** (W/O) |
| PRECIOUS LIFE (2010, d. Shlomi Eldar) V. Personal docu of Gaza bubble baby's fight for life in Israeli hospital. Symbolic of mideast situation & emotionally shattering. *** 3/4 |
| PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL "PUSH" BY SAPPHIRE (2009, d. Lee Daniels) Difficult to watch drama, but quite fine & amazingly well acted and ultimately uplifting. *** 3/4 |
| PRESSURE COOKER (2009, d. Becker & Grausman) V. Inspiring docu about an inner city high school, a dedicated Culinary Arts teacher, & 3 students. *** |
| PRESTIGE, THE (2006, d. Christopher Nolan) Wonderfully scripted enigmatic period mystery which really delivers the goods. *** 1/4 |
| PRESTON TYLK (2000, d. John Jon Bokenkamp) ** 1/2 |
| PRETTY PERSUASION (2005, d. Marcos Siega) Teen black comedy satire designed to offend everybody; with a great perf. by Evan Rachel Wood. ** 1/2 |
| PRICE OF GLORY (2000, d. Carlos Avila) ** 1/2 |
| PRICE OF SUGAR, THE (2007, d. Bill Haney) Admirable docu which also works: Priest in Domin.Rep. vs. sugar industry. *** 1/4 |
| PRICELESS (Hors de prix) (2008, d. Pierre Salvadori) Typical French romantic comedy, sumptuous but uninspired. ** 1/2 |
| PRIDE & PREJUDICE (2005, d. Joe Wright) **** |
| PRIDE AND GLORY (2008, d. Gavin O'Connor) Good acting and produciton values don't make up for plot clichés. ** 1/2 |
| PRIME (2005, d. Ben Younger) *** 1/2 |
| PRIMER (2004, d. Shane Carruth) Fascinating, realistic low-budget time-machine-built-in-a-garage story. I couldn't follow it; but it was entertaining as hell. *** 1/4 |
| PRINCE OF PERSIA (2010, d. Mike Newell) A film of monumental badness, although Jake G. wasn't terrible. Flashy F/X, cringeworthy dialog. * 1/4 |
| PRINCE OF TEARS, THE (2010, d. Yonfan) ** 3/4 |
| PRINCESA (2001, d. Henrique Goldman) ** 3/4 |
| PRINCESS AND THE FROG, THE (2010, d. Clements & Musker) Nicely imagined 2D Disney animation & a reasonably amusing musical comedy. ** 3/4 |
| PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR, THE (2001, d. Tom Tykwer) *** 1/4 |
| PRINCESS DIARIES 2 (2004, d. Garry Marshall) Inane teenage girl wish fullfillment fantasy even dumber than part 1. Chris Pine a find, however. * 1/4 |
| PRINCESS DIARIES, THE (2001, d. Garry Marshall) * 1/2 |
| PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER, THE (2010, d. Bertrand Tavernier) *** 1/2 |
| PRINCESS OF THE SUN (La reine soleil) (2008, d. Philippe Leclerc) * 1/2 |
| PRINCESS RACOON (2006, d. Seijun Suzuki) ** |
| PRINCESSES (2006, d. Fernando de Aranoa) ** 1/2 |
| PRISONER OF PARADISE (2003, d. Malcolm Clarke, Stuart Sender) (V) Great Holocaust docu. about Thereisenstadt & actor/director Kurt Gerron *** 3/4 |
| PRIVATE LESSONS (2010, d. Joachim Lafosse) Story of a teen boy's education, both academic and sexual, by an older man. Riveting, shocking, and yes, truthful. *** 1/2 |
| PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE OHIO, THE (2006, d. Jane Alexander) V. Sentemenatl & hokey, but Julianne Moore is fine, Woody H. is a hambone. ** 1/2 |
| PROBLEM WITH FEAR, A (2004, d. Gary Burns) Urban angst runs riot in this funny satire set in Canada in the near future. *** 1/4 |
| PRODUCING ADULTS (2004, d. Aliksi Salmenperä) Complex Finnish relationship drama about a woman's desire to have a child with a partner unable to commit. *** 1/4 |
| PROFESSIONAL, THE (2003, d. Dusan Kovacevic) Black comedy - secret policeman's raprochement with his prey in "new" Serbia. Obscure Balkan politics.** 1/4 |
| PROMISE KEPT, A (2004, d. Daniel Milligan) Turgid, predictable, badly acted and directed policier about a child molester and a mysterious avenger. 1/2 * |
| PROMISE TO THE DEAD, A (2007, d. Peter Raymont) Docu: Ariel Dorfman's paean to Pinochet's Chilean disappeared. *** |
| PROMISE, THE (Wuji) (2005, d. Chen Kaige; China) *** |
| PROMISED LAND, THE (Ziemia obiecana) (2008, d. Andrzej Wajda) V. Epic masterpiece of 19th Century capitalism in Lodz, Poland. *** 3/4 |
| PROMISES (2002, d. Justine Shapiro & B.Z. Goldberg) *** 1/2 |
| PROOF OF LIFE (2000, d. Taylor Hackford) *** |
| PROOF (2005, d. John Madden) ** 3/4 |
| PROPHET, A (Un prophète) (2010, d. Jacques Audiard; France) *** 3/4 |
| PROPOSAL, THE (2009, d. Anne Fletcher) Adequate, if predictable romcom with revelatory leading man perf by Ryan Reynolds. ** 3/4 |
| PROPOSITION, THE (2006, d. John Hillcost) ***1/4 |
| PROTEKTOR (2009, d. Marak NajbrtCzech Republic) ** 1/2 |
| PROTEUS (2004, d. John Greyson) Remarkably crude, but somehow effective drama about gay prisoners in 18th century South Africa. ** 1/4 |
| PUBLIC ENEMIES (2009, d. Michael Mann) Mann's direction is claustrophobic & confusing - but visually striking. Lots of shoot-em-ups, little emotional involvement. ** 3/4 |
| PUBLIC ENEMY (2003, S. Korea d. Kang Woo-suk) Satisfying, well written and acted policier about a slovenly policeman getting his man. *** 1/4 |
| PUFFY CHAIR, THE (2007, d. Jay Duplass) V. Typical talky indie, sort of annoying but occasionally quite amusing. ** 1/2 |
| PULSE (2001, d. Kiyoshi Kurosawa) ** |
| PUMP UP THE VOLUME (2003, d. Alan Moyle) V.+ Slater's definitive perf of teen alienation still relevant & thrills. Among my top 5 fave teen films. *** 1/4 |
| PUMPKIN (2002, d. Adam Larson Broder & Tony R. Abrams) *** |
| PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002, d. Paul Thomas Anderson) *** 1/4 |
| PUNISHER, THE (2004, d. Jonathan Hensleigh) Another revenge comic novel/film. Much better than expected. Thomas Jane is perfect. ** 3/4 |
| PUNKS (2001, d. Patrik-Ian Polk) ** 1/2 |
| PUNTO ROSSO, IL (2008, d. Marco Carlucci) ** 1/4 |
| PUNTO Y RAYA (2005, d. Elia Schneider) Silly Venezuelan black comedy about two opposing soldiers, one corrupt, one pure, & their adventures in the jungle. * 1/4 |
| PUPENDO (2003, d. Jan Hrebejk) DV slice-of-life: '80s Czech society centering on out-of-favor sculptor and circle around him. Pleasant, but minor. ** 3/4 |
| PUPS (2000, d. Ash) *** |
| PURPLE STORM (Chi yu fungbo) (2000, d. Teddy Chan) ** |
| PUSH (2009, d. Paul McGuigan) Psi powers thriller with muddled, contradictory plot but some nifty acting, especially Fanning and Evans. ** 1/2 |
| PUSHER II (2006, d. Nicolas Winding Refn) *** 1/4 |
| PUSHER III (2006, d. Nicolas Winding Refn) *** 1/4 |
| PUSHER (2006, d. Nicolas Winding Refn) ** 3/4 |
| PYTHON, THE (2004, d. Laila Pakalnina) Boring Latvian comedy about a school where several wild animals are loose. The metaphor was beyond me. * 1/4 |