Box Office Prophets: Box Office Database, Movie Reviews, Movie Trailers, Up-to-the-Minute Release Schedule, Box Office Analysis

You Should See This
1. Imagine Me and You
    A perfectly balanced romance that goes wrong but where nobody's a villain.
2. Stranger Than Fiction
    Another romance with great balance. Great use of music.
3. Little Miss Sunshine
    This comedy got funnier and funnier, with some great dramatic moments. Arkin is excellent.
4. Cars
    Great story, dialogue, humor, visuals, and music. Lots of fun.
5. The Prestige
    Magic, science, rivalry - this is a good adventure drama.
6. Hard Candy
    A clever plot is bolstered by Ellen Page's arresting performance, especially how she delivers the great dialogue.
7. Conversations With Other Women
    The unusual split-screen approach works well for this bittersweet romance.
8. Brick
    More than any other movie this year, the director's style and noir tone is front and center.
9. The Lives of Others
    A fascinating look at Cold War East Germany and a subtle portayal of loneliness.
10. Thank You for Smoking
    A darkly funny drama with some great dialogue and characters.
11. United 93

Worth a Look
12. The Break-Up
    Totally mismarketed as a comedy, this is better as a drama.
13. Borat
    At times the funniest movie of the year, Cohen's idea is brilliant but the execution suffers from the Pamela storyline.
14. Mission: Impossible III
    The best action movie of the year, Cruise gives an intense performance.
15. The Blood Diamond
    Better than expected, like a combo of Proof of Life and The Constant Gardener.
16. Deliver Us From Evil
17. An Inconvenient Truth
18. Little Children
    Great use of narration.
19. The History Boys
    The dialogue is very rich. I was expecting something upbeat, but it's more bittersweet. Better in its genre than Dead Poets Society I think.
20. The Science of Sleep
21. Dave Chappelle's Block Party
22. Art School Confidential
23. Babel
    Effectively painful to watch.
24. Notes on a Scandal
    The music is almost too much.
25. Deja Vu
    Putting the science aside, this is an engaging time-travel thriller.
26. The Departed
    The acting is good but the editing is problematic.
27. The Devil Wears Prada
28. Over the Hedge
29. The Queen
    Sheen is excellent as Blair. Without him, this would have been made-for-cable material.
30. You, Me and Dupree
    A surprise, this becomes really watchable about 40 minutes in.
31. Children of Men
    It started too fast for me to connect to Owen's character.
32. The Descent
33. The Last King of Scotland
34. Pan's Labyrinth
    Not enough of the dream world as I expected from trailers.
35. Letters from Iwo Jima
    Better than Flags of Our Fathers, I think it might have been even stronger without the voiceover. The score is a touch too overtly angsty.
36. The Lake House
37. Rocky Balboa
    Though the ending fizzles, Stallone did a great job reviving this series. The speeches are better than the boxing.
38. Night at the Museum
    Light fun, but not was good as what Spielberg might have done with it.
39. Accepted
40. The Heart of the Game
    What a great basketball comeback story, and the best part is that it's true.
41. The Good Shepherd
    Long, but interesting history of the CIA and an examination on subtle corruption. 2007's Breach is a quicker version of a similar tale.
42. Lonesome Jim
43. Who Killed the Electric Car?
    Who doesn't want to buy an EV-1 after seeing this documentary?
44. Half Nelson
    Gosling is great, but the movie runs out of steam by the end.
45. Our Brand Is Crisis
46. Arthur and the Invisibles
    This is a decent adventure, but I found Mia Farrow annoying and the editing too fast.
47. Volver
48. Jet Li's Fearless
    The drama is mostly better than the fight sequences.
49. The Last Kiss
50. The Proposition
51. District B-13
52. Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing
    A great story, if lacking in full selections of the music that got them there.
53. Eight Below
    A good family drama, but almost too intensely bittersweet for kids.
54. Curse of the Golden Flower
    Some of the richest cinematography and costumes you'll see in years.

If You've Got Time To Kill
55. Goal! The Dream Begins
56. Infamous
    This was a little more fun than "Capote"
57. Twelve and Holding
58. The Protector
    The fight sequences - including some amazingly long takes - are good but the story is lousy. Ong Bak is better.
59. Invincible
    Wahlberg is good but his character lacks the ambition needed for a good underdog story.
60. Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos
61. How to Eat Fried Worms
62. A Good Year
63. V for Vendetta
64. Lucky Number Slevin
65. Dreamgirls
    Is this a musical or a movie about music?
66. Akeelah and the Bee
    Searching for Bobby Fischer is still the genre standard.
67. Hostel
68. Friends With Money
69. Sleeping Dogs Lie
70. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
    The music selections are really good.
71. Copying Beethoven
    The dual-conducting sequence of his 9th is beautiful, but the rest is average. Interesting how hair and extra weight makes Harris look so different.
72. Sherrybaby
    Maggie Gyllenhaal is better than the movie.
73. Flushed Away
74. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
75. This Film Is Not Yet Rated
76. Glory Road
77. World Trade Center
78. Wordplay
79. The Good German
    Comparisons to Casablanca are unavoidable, meaning this will strike some as an intersting homage and others as an uninspired knockoff.
80. Venus
    Good dialogue bolsters O'Toole's performance as a borderline-creepy horndog, given a long leash because he's O'Toole. Space Cowboys seems a more appropriate treatment of aging.
81. The Ant Bully
82. Monster House
    Fantastic animation and camera work. I couldn't get into the story on this one that much though.
83. Candy
84. Somersault
85. The Holiday
    This movie rivals Under The Tuscan Sun as the ultimate chick vacation fantasy. Too perfect, but watchable.
86. Superman Returns
    Superman should be bright and optimistic. Leave the dark and creepy to Batman.
87. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
    A big (long and dull) disappointment from the first movie.
88. Poseidon
    It's no Titanic, but I thought Kurt Russell was good in this, especially his last scene.
89. Mini's First Time
90. The OH in Ohio
    An amusing premise that stumbles with weak music but picks up at the end.
91. School for Scoundrels
92. Clerks II
    Really funny in parts, but not consistently so.
93. Slither
94. Apocalypto
95. The Lost City
96. Keeping Mum
97. The Da Vinci Code
    Too earnest and yet too unmoving at the same time.
98. Kinky Boots
    Amusing but not daring enough given the subject's potential.
99. All the King's Men
100. Click
101. Loverboy
102. Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
103. Casino Royale
    This was one of the bigger letdowns in comparison to its good trailer this year.
104. Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
105. Unknown White Male
106. London
107. Idlewild
    Good cinematography but the movie drags and the music doesn't help.
108. John Tucker Must Die
109. Clean
110. Nanny McPhee
111. The Pursuit of Happyness
112. Hollywoodland
113. Annapolis
114. X-Men: The Last Stand
    Everybody just looks old and tired.
115. Flags of Our Fathers
116. Trust the Man
    Not unwatchable, just unremarkable. I saw it for Gyllenhaal and Crudup.
117. The Guardian
118. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
    For fans of Ferrell, while I think others will be bored.
119. Winter Passing
120. The Painted Veil
    Fans of this genre will probably accept the movie, but I found the history/medical story of more interest than the angsty love story.
121. Tristan and Isolde
122. National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj
    I wouldn't be surprised if Kal Penn gets big things in the future. I hope we see more of Holly Davidson.
123. She's the Man
124. On a Clear Day
125. Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker
    Teens and preteens might find this adventure interesting, but it doesn't have enough thrill for adults. Interesting Condi Rice takeoff.
126. Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
    The connection between Kidman and Downey Jr. feels real, but the movie drags and Downey's demeanor is overly quiet and delicate.
127. Eragon
    I thought Dragonheart was silly, and it's better than Eragon.
128. Man of the Year
    The points are all there, but Laura Linney's subplot of election fraud becomes too dark for what should have been a fun film like The Distinguished Gentleman
129. Flyboys
    Cliche adventure. I actually rested my eyes for a bit.
130. A Good Woman

Not Worth Your Time
131. The Notorious Bettie Page
132. American Dreamz
    The explosive ending made me laugh.
133. The Wild
    I think the photorealism sucked the approachability out of this one.
134. Inside Man
    Not enough lines or actual face time for Owen, and the music drags the slow story down.
135. The Great New Wonderful
136. Ice Age: The Meltdown
137. Miami Vice
    A couple of gun battles make this long long movie worth sitting through.
138. Down in the Valley
139. The Night Listener
    Toni Collette is highly creepy in her role.
140. American Gun
141. Stick It
142. Last Holiday
143. A Prairie Home Companion
144. Running With Scissors
    Great cinematography, but the tone is a major bummer.
145. Step Up
146. Beerfest
147. The Illusionist
148. Grandma's Boy
149. My Super Ex-Girlfriend
150. Factotum
    I was bored. It felt to forced. Adaptation is the far better choice.
151. The Pink Panther
152. The King
153. C.S.A.: Confederate States of America
    Interesting what-if but the execution isn't very imaginative.
154. Harsh Times
155. For Your Consideration
    I get the idea, but these actors just get on my nerves too much to enjoy it.
156. A Scanner Darkly
157. A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
158. Happy Feet
    This turned into an uneasy, surreal mix of pointless cute and grim reality.
159. Find Me Guilty
160. The Quiet
    They should have been able to do more with the premise.
161. Running Scared
162. Strangers With Candy
163. Haven
164. Little Fish
165. Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School
166. Ask the Dust
167. The Big Question
168. Catch a Fire
169. Underworld: Evolution
170. Firewall
171. Scary Movie 4
172. Employee of the Month
173. Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny
    Even on fast forward I couldn't find anything fun about this movie.
174. The Marine
    Lots of noise but it's a fairly silly action movie.
175. Freedomland

What the Crap?
176. Open Season
    Lifeless. I can't imagine it would hold the attention of kid viewers either.
177. Let's Go to Prison
178. Failure to Launch
179. Marie Antoinette
    Pretty, but absolutely pointless. Sofia, what gives?
180. The Black Dahlia
    The movie with the biggest disparity between trailer (great) and movie (lousy) this year.
181. The Sentinel
182. Snakes on a Plane
183. Bubble
184. Scoop
185. The Fountain
    Too philosophically ambitious, too mystic, too disconnected. Some of the cinematography is really beautiful while parts are shot with overly aggressive angles. A headscratcher.
186. Idiocracy
    Just plain stupid.
187. The Benchwarmers
188. An American Haunting
    The poltergeist slapfest had me laughing.
189. 16 Blocks
190. Fast Food Nation
    No narrative connective thread.
191. Date Movie
192. Pulse
    The most boring horror movie in a while
193. Crank
    All noise, and even Amy Smart is uninteresting.
194. Nacho Libre
195. Little Man
    The one positive thing I can say is at least this had character arcs.
196. Lady in the Water
197. Basic Instinct 2
198. Ultraviolet
    Like a bad video game. A disappointment compared to the very good Equilibrium.
199. BloodRayne
200. The Wicker Man
    Painfully bad to watch initially, in memory it becomes so bad it's funny.

STILL NEED TO SEE:
201. Days of Glory



     


 
 

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Thursday, March 28, 2024
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