Joe Mauer
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1.
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The Queen |
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It could have been a disaster, but manages to succeed on every level. Helen Mirren is worthy of every positive adjective you can think of. Astonishing... Amazing... |
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2.
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Borat |
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Fearless, revelatory comedy. Explosively funny. Let's just hope people get the joke. |
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3.
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Children of Men |
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Thought-provoking and clever, this is the action movie of the year. Clive Owen is predictably great. |
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4.
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The Departed |
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Absolutely outstanding. Fantastic work by the entire cast. It's easy to forget just how good Nicholson is. Scorcese is at the top of his game. |
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5.
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Superman Returns |
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Captures the majesty and grandeur of the character. Terrific work by Routh. Can Bryan Singer direct every comic adaptation? |
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6.
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Casino Royale |
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By far the best Bond movie in years. Daniel Craig is terrific and the movie really benefits from the focus on (relative) realism and actual acting. |
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7.
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Stranger Than Fiction |
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A perfect vehicle for Will Ferrell, who is bolstered by a terrific cast (also: Queen Latifah). Never missteps despite many opportunities. |
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8.
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Little Children |
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Great acting from Wilson, Winslet and Haley doesn't quite make the movie great. Still, despite losing big chunks of the book, it's a terrific movie. |
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9.
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Clerks II |
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Surprisingly thoughtful and introspective. Unsurprisingly crude, rude and hilarious. |
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10.
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Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby |
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Hilarious and absurd, the film has some dead spots but features outstanding work by all the actors. Is NASCAR Nation in on the joke? |
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11.
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V for Vendetta |
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Who would have thought a guy in a mask could be expressive? Timely social commentary mixed with outstanding filmmaking. |
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12.
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Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing |
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Not only is it a revealing political documentary, it's also an interesting look at the recording process of one of the world's most popular bands. |
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13.
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Pan's Labyrinth |
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Outstanding fantasy that boasts impressive work by the child star. |
A.J. Pierzynski
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14.
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Cars |
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Maybe it's Pixar's history, but I was mildly disappointed. The animation is beautiful, but the story is a little too obvious and predictable. |
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15.
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Babel |
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Great work by the cast in this well-made, painful to watch film that ultimately collapses under the weight of itself. Just not a fun experience. |
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16.
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Lucky Number Slevin |
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You can't ask for a better cast, with terrific work by Hartnett in particular. The film is nice and twisty, and the payoff actually pays off. |
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17.
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Slither |
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Fun and witty. You can never go wrong with Nathan Fillion or Elizabeth Banks. |
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18.
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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest |
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The film is missing some of the whimsy of the original, but it's still a well-crafted, creatively shot piece of pop art. Way too much setup in the first half with just enough payoff in the second. |
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19.
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The Prestige |
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Not great, but the superior of the 2006 magician movies. I'll watch anything Christopher Nolan does, even if it's a bit disappointing. |
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20.
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Beerfest |
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Not as good as Super Troopers but better than Club Dread. Frequently hilarious, it's just a bit too long. More Broken Lizard movies, please. |
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21.
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Jackass: Number Two |
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Disgusting and hilarious. Disgustingly hilarious. |
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22.
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Invincible |
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Wahlberg is good, but the supporting cast is better. It's a terrific sports film that provides the requisite chills. |
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23.
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Neil Young: Heart of Gold |
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An intimate, well-shot concert film that is more for Young fans than the general public. That said, even this fan doesn't love the new material...it's the classics that make this worthwhile. |
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24.
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The Devil Wears Prada |
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Meryl Streep is just unbelievably good, as always. Anne Hathaway is surprisingly good. It's always nice to see Aquaman take other roles. |
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25.
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The Holiday |
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Nothing groundbreaking, but charming all the same. Kate Winslet looks odd in modern dress...she really should do more comedy. |
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26.
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An Inconvenient Truth |
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Eye-opening if a bit dull. Al Gore does his best to make the slide show interesting. |
Jorge Posada
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27.
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Dave Chappelle's Block Party |
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Chappelle is engaging as always. I can't wait for the third season of Chappelle's Show...ah shit. |
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28.
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A Prairie Home Companion |
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It's odd to criticize a Robert Altman movie for feeling unfocused, but this might be the one. Still, even a mediocre Altman film is better than...a bad one. |
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29.
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Little Miss Sunshine |
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Not deep enough to sustain the caricatures on screen, the movie is helped immensely by Rick James' Superfreak and the always brilliant Steve Carell. |
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30.
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Thank You for Smoking |
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Well made and entertaining. I was expecting something a bit more scathing. A film almost too proud of itself for being clever. |
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31.
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Monster House |
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Witty and clever but missing some of the depth that would have kept a better movie going. |
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32.
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Mission: Impossible III |
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Better than Mission: Impossible II but not as good as it thinks it is. Boy does Tom Cruise run a lot. The action is great and the cast is impressive. But something's still missing. |
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33.
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The Blood Diamond |
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Disappointing and mediocre despite top notch talent, beautiful cinematography, and well-done action. |
Javy Lopez
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34.
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The Illusionist |
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Despite good work from Ed Norton, Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel, the movie's grand ambitions don't bear fruit. It's a shame, because there's plenty of great pieces but no glue. |
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35.
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Failure to Launch |
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Shockingly not godawful. The entire cast (including Terry Bradshaw) is more memorable than Sarah Jessica Parker. |
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36.
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Accepted |
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Genial and harmless. Somewhat disappointing that they didn't go for more...like an R-rating and all the benefits for the audience. |
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37.
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The Black Dahlia |
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Promising but ultimately disappointing. Overly long and poorly edited, the movie steps on the all of the actor's performances. |
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38.
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Idiocracy |
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Really stupid (though that's the point) but intermittently hilarious. |
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39.
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Marie Antoinette |
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Surprisingly slight given the incredible set and costume design. I know what it's about, just not what it's about. |
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40.
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The Notorious Bettie Page |
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Gretchen Mol is great and it looks good, but what is it about? Rarely do I complain about a movie being too short, but this one seems like it's missing 30 minutes. |
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41.
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Inside Man |
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The actors are good and it looks nice, but it's all sound and fury signifying nothing. Too many loose ends... |
Yadier Molina
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42.
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American Dreamz |
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Mildly amusing, but missing the bite and wit that make good satire. Mandy Moore and Hugh Grant do their best, but they're not working with much. |
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43.
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The Good German |
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Muddled and without purpose, the film wastes Clooney and Blanchett. Maguire is, as always, out of place. |
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44.
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The Last Kiss |
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Thoroughly unrealistic in a variety of ways. The movie tries too hard to go in multiple directions and gets lost each time. Very disappointing. |
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45.
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The Good Shepherd |
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Production design and a great cast can't cover for an incredibly dull movie with a one-note performance from Matt Damon. |
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46.
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Feast |
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Just not very good, though it could have been. |
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47.
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Miami Vice |
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Aimless, shameless and pointless. Everyone involved should be ashamed. |
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48.
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The Fountain |
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Pure gibberish. Well, at least the 25 minutes I made it through. |
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49.
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Running With Scissors |
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A bad movie about mean, horrible people that completely lacks the wit, humor or charm of the book. |
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50.
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The Da Vinci Code |
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A book with one interesting idea but terrible writing becomes a movie with the same problems but more boredom. |
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51.
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X-Men: The Last Stand |
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Why waste a great cast (also in the movie: Halle Berry), characters and history with such terrible writing? Let's just pretend it never happened. |
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52.
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Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny |
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Even as someone who enjoyed their first album and has seen the D in concert, I couldn't find anything in the movie to keep me watching past the first 20 minutes. |