SIN CITY
A weighty cinematic achievement that personifies the future of film-noir, merging classic sensibilities with the most advanced technology.
Starring: Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson, Clive Owen
BEAUTY SHOP
Lacks the biting comedy and underlying gravitas of its male-oriented predecessors, relying instead on unoriginal sex and race zingers delivered by a bunch of walking, talking, blow-dryer-wielding clichés.
Starring: Queen Latifah, Kevin Bacon
MISS CONGENIALITY 2
The funniest thing about this slapdash money-grab will be the looks on the faces of gazillions of moviegoers when they collectively realize about 30 minutes into it that they’ve been Punk’d.
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Regina King
THE RING 2
The only thing remotely frightening about this tension-less sequel is the filmmakers’ arrant disregard for its audience’s intelligence.
Starring: Naomi Watts
MELINDA AND MELINDA
Woody Allen’s new film plays out much like a host of others he’s made over the course of his 40-year-career, but alas it’s not nearly on par with the revered filmmaker’s best efforts.
Starring: Radha Mitchell, Chloe Sevigny, Will Ferrell, Amanda Peet
HOSTAGE a stylishly rendered collection of action-flick clichés that casts Willis in a familiar role: Burnt-out cop turned reluctant hero.
Starring: Bruce Willis
THE UPSIDE OF ANGER
A smart, funny, and at times heartbreaking look at one family’s struggle to reinvent itself in the wake of a father’s sudden, unexplained departure.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 15, 2005. Read the original PDF.