question: Smart, original, and horrifically funny, Teeth puts a fresh feminist spin on horror movie tropes.

numbered reviews: 1. Given how thoroughly all the subtext spells out the message, then, it seems unnecessary to make the actual text so raw, grotesque and graphic. Granted, a horror movie about vagina dentata was probably never destined to be tasteful, but Lichtenstein's comp
2. Star Jess Weixler, exerting the command and persona of a young Meryl Streep, grants enough earnest innocence that instead of fearing Dawn, you fear for her.
3. Writer/director Mitchell Lichtenstein tosses in thematic elements of incest and pedophilia as so much narrative hamburger helper, but by then the movie has already worn out its welcome.
4. Seriously dude, no means no.
5. You'll have to forgive the pun, but it simply lacks bite.
6. A well crafted clashing of sub-genres and themes that works to its advantage, making it an instant cult classic...
7. a witty satire that explores the state of the (female) body politic, spread-eagled between the puritanical and the priapic in a culturally confused America.
8. It all works well enough that I wish it had been less of a cartoon.
9. Lichtenstein has a lot of ambitious ideas for his debut film but lacks the skills to pull any of them off
10. Given how thoroughly all the subtext spells out the message, then, it seems unnecessary to make the actual text so raw, grotesque and graphic.


question: At once beholden to the established conventions of the genre and delightfully subversive of them, Ip Man is one of the most exciting -- and refreshingly character-driven -- martial arts films in years.

numbered reviews: 1. Ip Man is a highly competent, even slick biopic, but by reshaping its protagonist's life story towards cinematic convention, it ends up being just another martial arts movie.
2. There's a pleasingly old-fashioned air to all the flying drop-kicks and straight-finger jabs, even if it lacks the cinematic agility we have now come to expect from this kind of thing.
3. The movie is clearly hagiographic, but this aspect and its general function as a martial arts movie are supported greatly by Yen.
4. First and foremost, Ip Man is an excuse for Yen to demonstrate his newfound mastery of the Wing Chun style. On that front, the film succeeds brilliantly.
5. The action is enthralling even if the storyline doesn't always have the ring of truth about it.
6. Yip's film benefits from crisp cinematography and an engaging 'Seven Samurai'-style storyline, but it's Sammo Hung's superbly choreographed kick-ass fight scenes that dazzle.
7. Yen's handful of duels do delight; it's everything surrounding them that feels tired and trite.
8. Legend trumps fact in Ip Man, a kickass fictionalized biopic of the titular grandmaster of Wing Chun martial arts and mentor to Bruce Lee.
9. The astonishing fight scenes are some of the most exciting ever filmed in a martial arts movie that raises the bar for the genre. For any martial arts fan, "Ip Man" is mandatory viewing.
10. It's all quite conventional... and nonetheless rousing.


question: Dark, tense, and wryly funny, In the House is brilliantly directed by François Ozon and features fine performances from its talented cast.

numbered reviews: 1. It's amusing and unexpected, capturing the compulsive spirit of writing with wit and attention to mischief that keeps it unpredictable to the very end.
2. "In the House" might well be called "In the Story" because that's where it plays out: the house in the story and the story in the house.
3. [A] fluently made and brilliantly acted treatise on teaching, storytelling and the class divide.
4. The expected punch line... never materializes, so I guess this must be a drama after all.
5. In the House is a structurally solid thriller that is both inventive and absolutely seductive in nature.
6. Inviting photography and a relentless pace complement Claude's unfolding narrative, but the big thrills are in the deftly drawn characters...and the incisive satire...
7. Savor In the House for its meta-exploration of adolescence, class resentment and suppressed desire, but don't expect much more.
8. The seductions of storytelling drive "In the House," a cleverly structured comic thriller rich with narrative trickery and macabre humor.
9. A slick psychological thriller that veers into dark comedy the more absurd it gets, "In the House" demonstrates the dangers of addiction -- not to sex or drugs, but to story.
10. Captures why we do what we do, and the extent to which stories reflect both the writer and the reader.


question: Despite some iffy plot elements, The Italian Job succeeds in delivering an entertaining modern take on the original 1969 heist film, thanks to a charismatic cast.

numbered reviews:
1. A competent enough feature with cool cars and a bass-heavy soundtrack but with its simplistic characters and mediocre plot, customized wheels and techno riffs just aren't enough.
2. Despite leaving out the charm and cheekiness of the earlier film, this is an efficient and enjoyable romp.
3. Heist movies seem pretty quaint and analog in our era where high stakes crime is primarily electronic in nature. But until someone can make embezzlement cinematically interesting, we're left with theft and this movie just gets away with it.
4. Itresembles a film made up on the fly. The cast, too, are strictly cut from comic books. Don't expect any unconventional endings either.
5. The Italian Job turns out well, a fast and entertaining caper designed to give you a couple of fun hours.
6. A fun bit of action comedy with a bang up cast.
7. It is in Gray's spirited execution that such by-the-book formula makes for a brisk, slick entertainment hits the summer movie spot.
8. Exciting heist film for teens and their families.
9. A passable time-waster ... directed with some grace and snap.
10. Gray adds some zip to this remake of the 1969 Michael Caine caper flick, but despite two clever action sequences and some uncharacteristically tight performances from his cast (most notably Charlize Theron and Mark Wahlberg), the con remains the same.