| R - ALL FILMS 2003 - 6/2009 |
| RABBIT ON THE MOON (d. Jorge Suárez) Superior, gripping political thriller about Mexican government corruption & its affect on innocent people. *** |
| RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN (d. Andy Fickman) Loveably dumb scrip and just ok f/xt; but then I'm not the target audience. ** 1/2 |
| RACE YOU TO THE BOTTOM (d. Russell Brown) Surprisingly enjoyable, caustic affair of bi-guy & faghag in wine country. Nicely written. *** |
| RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (d. Jonathan Demme) Superbly acted and perfectly executed Dogme 95 filmmaking. *** 1/2 |
| RACHIDA (d. Yamina Bachir-Chouikh) Algeria AFF. Melodrama about terrorism & its effect on a young lady teacher. ** 3/4 |
| RADIO (d. Mike Tollin) Like Patch Adams, a true story which should pull the heartstrings, but so much liberal crap that it fails on every level. * 3/4 |
| RAGE IN PLACID LAKE, THE (d. Tony McNamara) Coming-of-age film about a non-conformist (a wonderful turn by Ben Lee)...an Australian Rushmore. *** 1/4 |
| RAGE, THE (La Rabbia) (d. Louis Nero) * 1/4 |
| RAGING SUN, RAGING SKY (d. Julián Hernández) *** 1/2 |
| RAISING VICTOR VARGAS (d. Peter Sollett) Cocky latino boy courts romance and his family copes. Well intentioned; but didn't do it for me. ** 1/2 |
| RAJA (d. Jacques Doillon) V. Strange, incomprehensible love affair between a Frenchman & his Moroccan maid. ** 1/4 |
| RAMCHAND PAKISTANI (d. Mehreen Jabbar) *** |
| RANG DE BASANTI (d. Rakesh Omprakash Mehra; India) *** 1/4 |
| RAPE OF EUROPA, THE (d. Berge & Cohen) Well researched docu: WWII and stolen art. Unique footage. *** 1/4 |
| RATATOUILLE (d. Brad Bird) My fave of all the Pixar films; its basically adult theme exalting foodie culture appeals. *** 1/2 |
| RAY (d. Taylor Hackford) One of all-time best biopix with a searingly great perf by Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles. Well structured script, top flight credits all around. *** 1/2 |
| READER, THE (d. Stephen Daldry) Exquisite film, tender, moving; with astounding central perfs. David Kross fulfills promise of Krabat. *** 1/2 |
| READY? OK! (d. James Vasquez) *** |
| REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN, THE (d. Taggart Siegel) Liberal crowd-pleaser docu about an organic farmer & his collective farm in Illinois. *** |
| REAL TIME (d. Randall Cole) ** 3/4 |
| REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES (d. Patricia Cardoso) (V) Latina Star Maps, only college vs. sweatshop. ** 3/4 |
| RECKONING, THE (d. Paul McGuigan) An almost can't miss genre and cast...and it misses. Too murky, though quite faithful to 14th Century. ** 1/4 |
| RECLAIM YOUR BRAIN (Free Rainer -- Dein Fernseher Lügt) (d. Hans Weingartner) ** 1/2 |
| RECONSTRUCTION (d. Christoffer Boe) Danish wide screen experimental drama about writer manipulating a man in a love affair. ** 3/4 |
| RECOUNT (d. Jay Roach) V. The 2000 election still hurts & it's taken me several false starts to finish this fine, well acted, well written tv film. *** 1/4 |
| RECRUIT, THE (d. Roger Donaldson) Formulaic thriller, no surprises. But Colin Farrell is a star who leaps off the screen. ** 3/4 |
| RED AWN, THE (d. Cai Shangjun) ** 3/4 |
| RED DUST (d. Tom Hooper) Very well made and well acted, though familiar plotwise, drama about the S.African reconciliation. *** |
| RED EYE (d. Wes Craven) ** 3/4 |
| RED LIGHTS (d. Cedric Kahn) Cautionary, spellbinding drama about a marriage in trouble and a drunken road trip where it all comes to a head. *** 1/4 |
| RED ROAD (d. Andrea Arnold) Moral ambiguity abounds in this well made, subtle thriller. *** 1/4 |
| RED WITHOUT BLUE (d. Brooke Sebold, Todd & Benita Sills) *** 1/4 |
| RED, WHITE AND BLUES (d. Mike Figgis) Full length film from The Blues series, fascinating stuff about the '60s British invasion re-introducing blues to U.S. *** 1/2 |
| REDBELT (d. David Mamet) Typical venial and corrupt Mametworld, but even more so than usual. ** |
| REDEEMER (d. Claudio Torres) A wildly uneven, but ultimately too far-out film about a crooked real estate empire in Rio and how God got even. * 3/4 |
| REEL PARADISE (d. Steve James)V. *** |
| RČGLE DU JEU, LA (d. Jean Renoir) ++ A gem, beautifully constructed social satire/French farce. *** 3/4 |
| REIGN OVER ME (d. Mike Binder) Binder bites off a lot; but Cheadle & Sandler (nervy, spot on perf) make it work. *** |
| RELIGULOUS (d. Larry Charles) I agree with everything in this film; but Maher's script depends too much on editing cheats, unlike much superior Letting Go of God. . ** 3/4 |
| REMEMBER ME, MY LOVE (d. Gabriele Muccino) Fast paced troubled family drama with some great performances. *** 1/4 |
| RENART, THE FOX (d. Thierry Schiel; Luxembourg) * |
| RENDITION (d. Gavin Hood) Another well directed film with a story that just doesn't add up. ** 3/4 |
| RENT (d. Chris Columbus) * 3/4 |
| REPRISE (d. Joachim Trier; Norway) *** 1/2 |
| REQUIEM (d. Hans Christian Schmid) *** |
| REQUIEM OF SNOW (d. Jamil Rostami; Iraq) ** |
| RESCUE DAWN (d. Werner Herzog) *** 3/4 |
| RESERVATION ROAD (d. Terry George) Unlikely coincidence mars a well told, predictable story. ** 3/4 |
| RESOLVED (d. Greg Whiteley) Gripping & a little scary docu about HS debaters now (so different from the '50s when I was one.) *** 1/2 |
| REST IS SILENCE, THE (d. Nae Caranfil; Romania) *** 1/4 |
| RESURRECTING THE CHAMP (d. Rod Lurie) *** 1/4 |
| RESURRECTION OF THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL (d. Sun-Woo Jang) Korean Matrix like videogame playing adventure film. ** 1/2 |
| RETRIBUTION (Sakebi) (d. Kiyoshi Kurosawa) ** 3/4 |
| RETRIEVAL (d. Slawomir Fabiciki; Poland) *** 1/4 |
| RETURN OF THE STORKS (d. Martin Repka; Slovakia) *** |
| RETURN, THE (d. Andrei Zvagintsev) Russia's AFF: a beautiful, moody road picture about 2 kid brothers and their long absent father. *** 1/2 |
| REVANCHE (d. Götz Spielmann) *** 1/2 |
| REVOLUTION OF PIGS (d. Kilmi & Reinumägi) Ambitious, but sprawling film about an '85 Young Communist camp gone to riot in Estonia. ** 1/4 |
| REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (d. Sam Mendes) Kate is pheomenal, Leo less so; but unpleasant film is caustic, dramatic dynamite with ring of truth. *** 1/4 |
| RICE RHAPSODY (d. Kenneth Biroli) Singapore woman with 3 gay sons tries to get one to turn straight. A fun, lush foodie confection of a film. ** 3/4 |
| RIDING ALONE FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES (d. Zhang Yimou) Extraordinarily moving road picture of Japanese man's quest in China. *** 1/2 |
| RIDING GIANTS (d. Stacy Peralta) A documentary about the history and addiction of riding the biggest waves in the world. *** 1/4 |
| RIGHT OF THE WEAKEST, THE (La Raison du plus faible) (d. Lucas Belvaux) *** 1/2 |
| RING OF DARKNESS (d. David DeCoteau) Overamped Satinist "boy band" potboiler. The guys are very good looking; but the film is pretty bad. * 3/4 |
| RING TWO, THE (d. Hideo Nakata) A truly ridiculous premise so outlandish that it's impossible to be scared. Still, effective acting & direction. * 3/4 |
| RIPLEY UNDER GROUND (d. Robert Spottiswoode) ** 3/4 |
| RIPLEY'S GAME (d. Liliana Cavani) V. Unaccountably STV murder-for-hire and sociopathic intrigue plot from Highsmith. Quite stylish and well made. *** |
| RITCHIE BOYS, THE (d. Christian Bauer) Nicely made docu about German Jews who served in army intelligence during WWII. Great interviewees. *** 1/2 |
| RITTENHOUSE SQUARE (d. Robert Downey)V. ** 1/2 |
| RIVALS (Les Liens du sang) (d. Jacques Maillot) *** |
| RIVERMAN, THE (d. Bill Eagles) V. Murky, poor man's Manhunter tv movie about the Green River serial killer and Ted Bundy's last days on death row. ** |
| RIVERS WASH OVER ME (d. John G. Young) Nicely shot and acted issue film about gay black boy returned to small town South. *** |
| RIZE (d. David LaChapelle; docu) V. ** 1/4 |
| ROAD MOVIE (d. Kim In-Sik) Mediocre but visually interesting Korean melodrama - an itinerate gay man's love for a failed straight stockbroker. ** 1/2 |
| ROAD TO GUANTANAMO (d. Michael Winterbottom) **** |
| ROAD, THE (d. Zhang Jiarui) ** 3/4 |
| ROADS TO KOKTEBEL, THE (d. Khlebnikov & Popogrebsky) OK, if slow, kid and father road-trip-to-nowhere Russian flick. ** 3/4 |
| ROBBER BRIDE, THE (d. David Evans) V. Canadian tv thriller with plot gyrations, but rather predictable, if well acted. ** 1/4 |
| ROBERT CAPA: IN LOVE AND WAR (US doc. d. Anne Makepeace) Uninspired documentary about the photo-journalist. ** 1/2 |
| ROBERT ZIMMERMANN IS TANGLED UP IN LOVE (d. Leander Haussmann) *** |
| ROBERTO SUCCO (d. Cedric Kahn) Frighteningly real true story of an insane Italian who charms women and serial kills randomly in France. *** 1/4 |
| ROBOTS (d. Chris Wedge) Kinetic, beautifully designed 3-D animated roller-coaster with a predictable script. Marred by Greg Kaneer's incipidly voiced villainy. *** |
| ROCK SCHOOL (d. Don Argott) Enormously entertaining docu about a Philadelphia school for kids to learn to perform rock. *** 1/2 |
| ROCKET SCIENCE (d. Jeffrey Blitz) *** 1/4 |
| ROCKNROLLA (d. Guy Ritchie) Some clever bits looking for a coherent narrative. Typical Ritchie, not a good thing imo. ** 1/2 |
| ROCKY BALBOA (d. Sylvester Stallone) I may be the sole ideal demographic for this film; but Stallone hits a perfect tone here. *** 1/4 |
| ROGER DODGER (d. Dylan Kydd) V+ 2nd viewing not as great as remembered. Searing performances, though. *** |
| ROLE MODELS (d. David Wain) Sweet comedy with a perfect cast. *** |
| ROLE OF A LIFETIME, THE (d. François Favat) Pleasant, involving dramidy about a famous film actress & the woman she makes her assistant. *** |
| ROLLING FAMILY (d. Pablo Trapero) Earthy road pic about an extended family's 1000km journey by camper through north Argentina. *** 1/4 |
| ROMA (d. Adolfo Aristarian) Poignant, lovely, wonderful epic drama about an elderly writer's reminiscences of his mother. Juan Diego Boto rules! **** |
| ROMAN DE GARE (d. Claude Lelouch) *** |
| ROMANCE & CIGARETTES (d. John Turturro) Virtually unwatchable embarrassment for all. * |
| ROMEO IS BLEEDING (d. Peter Medak) V. Nihilistic, stylish, '93 film noir with memorable performances by Gary Oldman and Lena Olin. *** |
| ROMULUS, MY FATHER (d. Richard Roxburgh) Superb acting, spare, slow, but beautifully made weeper. *** 1/2 |
| RON CLARK STORY, THE (d. Randa Haines) V. Matthew Perry is good as inspiring teacher in Harlem. Predictable. ** 3/4 |
| RONDA NOCTURNA (d. Edgardo Cozaninsky) Delightful rondelay of one enchanted night of an attractive male hustler in Buenos Aires. *** 1/4 |
| ROOM WITH A VIEW, A (d. Nicholas Renton) V. Andrew Davis's unnecessary remake; still, enjoyable. ** 1/2 |
| ROOSTER'S BREAKFAST, THE (Petalinaji zajtrk) (d. Marco Nabersnik; Slovenia) *** |
| ROOTS (d. Pavel Lungin) *** 1/2 |
| RORY O'SHEA WAS HERE (d. Damien O'Donnell) Moving, uplifting disabled youths story with some great acting (James McAvoy!) and a story which sticks to the ribs. *** 1/2 |
| ROSENSTRASSE (d. Margarethe von Trotta) Somehow uninspiring, earnest Holocaust drama about Aryan wives of German Jewish men taken in 1943. ** 1/2 |
| ROSE'S SONGS (d. Andor Szilágyi) Excellent, unique Hungarian Holocaust film: group of Jews trying to avoid living in the ghetto. *** 1/4 |
| ROUND TWO (d. Daniel Cebrián) *** 1/4 |
| RUDO Y CURSI (d. Carlos Cuarón) Bernal & Luna are good enough; but soccer story and direction don't ignite. ** 3/4 |
| RUINS, THE (Rusevine) (d. Janez Burger) ** 1/2 |
| RUMOR HAS IT... (d. Rob Reiner) *** |
| RUMOR OF ANGELS, A (d. Peter O'Fallon) V. Vanessa Redgrave & Trevor Morgan shine in this melodrama of grieving. Minor, but moving for all that. ** 3/4 |
| RUNAWAY JURY (d. Gary Fleder) A screen adaptation which is superior to the original book. Good acting, direction & editing save a hole filled plot. *** |
| RUNNING ON EMPTY (d. Akinci Bülent) ** 3/4 |
| RUNNING ON KARMA (d. Johnny To, Wai Ka-fai) A female cop and a karma seeing ex-monk expiate past lives in this grizzly, confusing thriller. ** 1/2 |
| RUNNING WITH SCISSORS (d. Ryan Murphy) Excessive bio which struck gold for me. Great performances. *** |
| RUSSIAN ARK (d. Aleksandr Sokurov) Brilliant tour de force 1-take Russian historical pageant. *** 1/2 |
| RUSSIAN DOLLS (d. Cédric Klapisch) *** 1/4 |
| RUSSIAN TRIANGLE, THE (d. Aleko Tsabadze; Georgia) *** 1/4 |