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| Constantine |
| Review Date: February 26, 2005 |
| Rating: 8 |
Pitch-perfect translation of a graphic novel. A rebirth for Keanu Reeves.  Don’t miss out. |
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| Melinda and Melinda |
| Review Date: March 18, 2005 |
| Rating: 7 |
| Stronger than recent Allen offerings but not much more than a technical exercise devoid of cinematic, if not dramatic, interest. Meet the Melindas. |
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| Oldboy |
| Review Date: April 8, 2005 |
| Rating: 8 |
| Explosively cinematic treatment of a turgid revenge opera. Not to be missed. |
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| Sahara |
| Review Date: April 16, 2005 |
| Rating: 1 |
| So slimy-bad you’ll skip complaining and head straight for a scalding shower. Cross the desert. |
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| Crash |
| Review Date: May 11, 2005 |
| Rating:8 |
| Tough drama hampered by a nagging need for the soft conclusion. Buckle up. |
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| War of The Worlds |
| Review Date: July 5, 2005 |
| Rating: 7 |
| Surprising fidelity to Wells’ original is both its strong point and the fatal flaw relegating it to curio status. Spielberg’s fluid, confident direction Band-Aids the errors. Be converted. |
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| 9 Songs |
| Review Date: August 4, 2005 |
| Rating: 2 |
| Impressively boring, although at times, admittedly, the film ups the ante and becomes excruciating. Need more? |
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| Capote |
| Review Date: September 30, 2005 |
| Rating: 10 |
| Deftly-made portrait of one of the twentieth century’s great prose stylists. Right this way. |
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| King Kong |
| Review Date: December 20, 2005 |
| Rating: 7 |
| Almost a masterpiece of adventure cinema. (Kill your darlings, Peter Jackson!) Go ape. |
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| Munich |
| Review Date: December 29, 2005 |
| Rating: 10 |
| Flawed but brilliant. A work of depth and style; the year’s best. Right this way. |
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| Briefly Noted: |
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| Masculine Feminine |
| February 22, 2005 |
| Rating: 10 |
Godard’s masterpiece. An essay on film containing many layers of wit, inventiveness, and canny self-knowledge. |
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| Batman Begins |
| June 27, 2005 |
| Rating: 8 |
| Christopher Nolan joins Bryan Singer at the top of the lineup of directors who have finally given movie adaptations of comic books a good name. |
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| Charlie and The Chocolate Factory |
| July 4, 2005 |
| Rating: 6 |
| Confused and confusing story but visually arresting. Johnny Depp is wonderful as always. |
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| The Island |
| July 31, 2005 |
| Rating: 4 |
| Science Fiction 1, Michael Bay 0. |
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| The Aristocrats |
| August 3, 2005 |
| Rating: 9 |
| One of the funniest documentaries to have hit the big screen in many years. The comedians offer both great humor and insight into their art. The joke isn’t particularly effective, which is the point, but watching it take on a life of its own is a treat. |
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| Wedding Crashers |
| August 12, 2005 |
| Rating: 5 |
| Vaughn’s charm is the only reason to watch this tepid, uninspired, and drippy film. |
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| The 40-Year Old Virgin |
| August 21, 2005 |
| Rating: 8 |
| Intelligently silly farce that capitalizes on a stellar cast led by the dauntless Carrill playing his first likable character. |
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| The Constant Gardener |
| August 31, 2005 |
| Rating: 8 |
| Interesting fusion of dreamlike narrative with stark realities of famine-ravaged Africa. Fiennes is fine playing to type, the soulful mute. |
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| The Outsiders: The Complete Novel |
| September 12, 2005 |
| Rating: 8 |
| Beautiful, baroque teen drama that makes a sweet sidelight to Coppola’s masterpieces. |
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| Proof |
| September 23, 2005 |
| Rating: 7 |
| Hopkins glowers, Gwyneth frets, Jake grins. Engaging material overtaken by the A-listers. |
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| The Squid and The Whale |
| October 14, 2005 |
| Rating: 8 |
| Dry, unsentimental, at times unbearably raw comedy with a script as dysfunctional as its family. |
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| Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang |
| October 17, 2005 |
| Rating: 10 |
| Hilarious and clever. A jewel in the resume for Kilmer, Downey, Jr., and Black. |
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| Shopgirl |
| October 21, 2005 |
| Rating: 6 |
| Satisfying L.A. riff on Woody Allen-ish material, but doomed by a tonally disastrous voiceover unsuccessfully translated from the pages of Martin’s novella. |
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| Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire |
| November 11, 2005 |
| Rating: 8 |
| The best of the Potter films to date. |
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| Pride and Prejudice |
| November 12, 2005 |
| Rating: 8 |
| Tarted up with a pinch of Brontë, but Austen’s novel hardly treated shabbily. Impressive ensemble cast. |
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| Walk The Line |
| November 30, 2005 |
| Rating: 9 |
| Incredible performances make the movie a success. |
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| Syriana |
| December 2, 2005 |
| Rating: 7 |
| Absorbing film, but far more interesting as fact-based speculation than a work of drama. |
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| Jarhead |
| December 10, 2005 |
| Rating: 7 |
| A war story without the blood and guts—and that’s just speaking of this on a dramatic level. |
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| Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic |
| December 11, 2005 |
| Rating: 8 |
| Devastating satire onstage, but not all the side skits work as well as they should. |
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| The Family Stone |
| December 15, 2005 |
| Rating: 7 |
| Clunky comedy gives way to absorbing melodrama anchored by a fine performance by Diane Keaton. |
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| Brokeback Mountain |
| December 21, 2005 |
| Rating: 9 |
| Beautiful, tender, evocative film. Larry McMurtry’s script hits all the right notes. |
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