AMERICAN SPLENDOR Based on the cult-classic comic book series of the same name, the film is funny, sad, disheveled and most of all, it’s us. In his first go as a leading man, Paul Giamatti just flat-out nails it.
STEP INTO LIQUID Whether you’re a SoCal beach bum or a mainlander who doesn’t know a point break from a coffee break, you’ll likely enjoy this exciting, beautifully crafted love letter to surfing.
THE MEDALLION The only thing missing from all the new, well-appointed multiplexes are barf bags for use in case of unexpected turbulence or films such as “The Medallion.”
OPEN RANGE Boasts enough eye-popping scenery and well-choreographed gun battles to make it one of the better westerns in recent memory.
THE MAGDALENE SISTERS Powerful and thought-provoking tale of three young women imprisoned inside a convent in 1960s Ireland.
FREDDY VS. JASON For fans of the series, both of which lost their luster roundabout their sixteenth or seventeenth installment, the film is likely to be the ultimate letdown.
S.W.A.T. With a compelling story, strong characters and a plethora of gritty action sequences, the film is a vast improvement over the mediocre television series that spawned it.
FREAKY FRIDAY This remake strives to be a little more inventive than the 1977 original and with the help of Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan succeeds to a large degree.
AMERICAN WEDDING Doesn’t succeed like its predecessors, but it’s a serviceable send-off to one of the more likable film franchises of the past decade.
GIGLI In a year notable for the extraordinary number of truly abominable bombs, “Gigli” may have just chased “Chasing Papi” from the top of the flops list.
SEABISCUIT A nice film that makes the heart swell with patriotic pride and nostalgia, while the head marvels at the depth and complexity of some truly wonderful performances.
SPY KIDS 3-D: GAME OVER A muddled special effects spectacle that invites you to play along with the game and hopes you forget that you actually paid to see a movie.
TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE An innocuous, high-octane summer romp that, while not great, outperforms the film that spawned it.
BAD BOYS 2 The good stuff gets blown to bits by the relentless onslaught of wanton inhumanity, misogynistic indulgences and a profusion of head-scratching, logical inconsistencies.
THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN Aspires to be “X-Men,” “The Matrix” and “Indiana Jones” all rolled into one slick computer-generated package, and fails mightily.
HOW TO DEAL What was supposed to be a funny and heart-rending look at teen romance, instead devolves into an unintentionally laughable and maudlin mess.
PIRATES OFTHE CARIBBEAN Without a doubt the best big screen adaptation of a theme park ride ever, this film goes a long way toward redeeming Disney for the sin that was “The Country Bears” movie.
TERMINATOR 3 A heck of an enjoyable movie that follows the franchise blueprint to the letter, albeit with a bit more firepower … seemingly everything that can be blown up in this picture, gets blown up.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 29, 2003. Read the original PDF.