question: Loud, excessively busy, and often boring, Batman Forever nonetheless has the charisma of Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones to offer mild relief.

numbered reviews: 1. It's great bubble gum for the eyes.
2. Not as dark as its predecessor but still a great visual feast
3. Minds in neutral, zoning out on the eye candy.
4. Kilmer's good, not surprisingly, but he doesn't get to do a lot.
5. The best to date.
6. Weak plot, complete lack of character development and at least some actors who didn't look particularly interested in their roles.
7. The film ultimately lacks genuine suspense, and Schumacher unwisely moves the film back towards the camp of the 1960s television series.
8. Takes two giant steps backward.
9. As for Kilmer, he gamely steps into the dual Batman/Wayne role but can't get much traction, finding, as Michael Keaton had, that beyond a stern jaw there's not much to be done with it, since the suit does most of the work.
10. The second sequel to Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster makes its predecessors appear models of subtlety and coherence.


question: Smartly constructed and scathingly sharp, The Armstrong Lie presents an effective indictment of its unscrupulous subject -- as well as the sports culture that spawned him.

numbered reviews: 1. As a comprehensive look at the Armstrong affair, as well as an often complex examination of power dynamics in professional sports, it's fascinating and highly watchable.
2. Only when it gets personal does The Armstrong Lie pick up speed.
3. Gibney gives the truth as full an airing as seems humanly possible, given that the subject is a world-class liar.
4. A well made film about one messed up dude.
5. While there are no new explosive revelations in The Armstrong Lie - and, at just over two hours, it's a touch too long - it's still a mesmerizing cautionary tale.
6. The movie captures a very modern approach to public scandal: Confession without remorse.
7. The bitterest parts of Gibney's movie are the interviews with the former teammates who were caught doping, and whom Armstrong, when he was still officially clean, viciously turned on.
8. Gibney took a film that was supposed to be about the resurrection of a sports star and turned it into an epic indictment of one man and an entire culture. The lesson is obvious: Never throw anything out.
9. There's a palpable sense of sadness, more than outrage or betrayal, to the film.
10. This scalding documentary follows along the lines of classic Greek tragedy,revealing how the fear of humiliation is one of the greatest motivators in human behavior.


question: With high production values and thrilling battle scenes, The Last Samurai is a satisfying epic.

numbered reviews: 1. A prestige product, the very embodiment of good taste...Ultimately, however, the hackneyed story arc makes 'The Last Samurai' seem rather stale.
2. Alas, Tom's ego has landed. It's the kind of obsequious, star-f%@!ing glory-hole Cruise has been savvy enough to avoid for the past decade.
3. The script lays on hokey narration and bombastic dialogue.
4. An intimate tale beautifully told in an epic setting that transcends the label of "Tom Cruise movie."
5. You're 'Shogun' like it!
6. Perhaps the title Dances with Samurai was already taken...
7. A remarkable and exquisitely rendered drama that mixes the raw savagery of war with magical moments of Zen peacefulness and spiritual uplift.
8. The Last Samurai will be the Gladiator of the 2004 Oscars - it's going to simply sweep the awards. Jolly good!
9. A sweeping, powerful film despite its formulaic foundations with plot points being telegraphed at every turn.
10. There are pleasures to be had in the handsome, heroic The Last Samurai. But they're all on the surface.


question: Bandslam is an intelligent teen film that avoids teen film cliches, in an entertaining package of music and coming-of-age drama.

numbered reviews:
1. You have to respect any movie that name-checks the Velvet Underground and assumes its tweenage viewers will get the reference -- or ask their parents later.
2. I would have had much more interest in this film if the cinematographer would have just handed the camera over to Vanessa Hudgens and turned her loose alone in her hotel room.
3. My 6 year old enjoyed it. I guess I would just like a little more effort from the filmmakers. Maybe worth a DVD rental, though.
4. The characterisations are just a little unorthodox and the whole thing, despite a soggy middle during which nothing much happens, goes with an above average swing.
5. A witty, touching, cleverly plotted film with excellent music and it made me feel for the first time in years that I'd like to be an American teenager.
6. Bandslam is a mix of the icky, the corny and the comic, but there's no denying that it's fun.
7. Bandslam is hardly the definition of a great movie, but it is pleasant and bright and doesn't insult its audience's intelligence. And that's as rare and welcome as a well-crafted three-minute pop song.
8. Parental Content Review
9. "Bandslam" is a terrific family film that showcases the importance of constructive teenage friendship.
10. Dear Todd Graff: Thanks, man.