MATCHSTICK MEN An evocatively honest look at the dishonest lives of two con men, featuring stellar performances by Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO There is no shortage of entertaining, eye-popping pyrotechnics and hyper-kinetic fight sequences, but what this film is sorely lacking is a sense of clarity.
DICKIE ROBERTS: FORMER CHILD STAR Has a lot in common with star David Spade’s filmography: It shows early promise, but quickly degenerates into an unfunny mess.
THIRTEEN Nabbed the top director’s prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, and deservedly so. This is one of the most compelling films of the year.
JEEPERS CREEPERS 2 Relies on far too many stale clichés. The result is a film that is as lifeless as, well, most of the cast is by film’s end.
AMERICAN SPLENDOR Based on the cult-classic comic book series of the same name, the film is funny and sad and 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 16th or 17th installment, the film is likely to be the ultimate letdown.
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.
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.
PIRATES OF THE 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.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 19, 2003. Read the original PDF.