The Sweet Hereafter "one of the most creative and morally complex films of 1997"
Spitfire Grill "a remarkable movie about healing and the renewal of community"
The Deep End "subtle and extremely believable portrayal of a mother who will do anything to protect her children"
Lantana "this richly nuanced psychological drama circles around the complicated subject of love and offers ample insights into some of the sources of emotional illiteracy"
Usual Suspects "an assemblage of hoods who would be fairly distasteful and uninteresting if not for a skewed code of values"
Diamond Men "sparkles most, however, when examining the moments so many would find dull"
Welcome to the Dollhouse "a powerful portrait of one young girl's valiant effort to survive the cruel and tense world of adolescence"
The Wedding Banquet "clever, consistently funny and unexpectedly poignant to boot"
Searching for Bobby Fisher "The film's simple message is that no one thing should ever dominate anyone's life, no matter how good he or she is at it."
Choose Me "There’s a constant feeling that something is going on just beneath the surface, but it’s hard to conjure up just what it is."
Party Girl "a party-loving Manhattanite" immerses herself in the Dewey Decimal System"
Six Degrees of Separation "...every aspect of their lives is a fabrication of some sort."
Secretary "...it sounds sick and twisted, but the miracle of Shainberg's film is that it truly is romance"
Something Wild "compels us to think about the risks we're wiling to take to discover the wild part of ourselves"
Pulp Fiction "This one is good, real goooood."
The Fisher King "...two wayward souls who meet and through a few good deeds manage to transform each other. "
Boogie Nights "...if it weren't for the porn, drugs, and violence, this would be an ideal movie to take the kids to. It's all about belonging, and sticking with your family."
Entre Nous A story about two women. Prepare to crave bread and wine.
This is Spinal Tap "one of the funniest movies ever made"
Bound ""Tense, gripping, sexy. And girls kiss in it too."
Reservoir Dogs "Mr. Pink? Why do I have to be Mr. Pink? Can't I be, say, Mr. Purple, or something?”"
Gas Food Lodging "an original look at familiar material"
Sophie's Choice ""Wildly depressing."
The Last Days of Disco "...it's the juxtaposition of uptight neurotics with an atmosphere of get-down decadence..." (and Chloe Sevigny!)
The Player "a masterly distillation of Tinseltown foibles which also works as a compelling moral thriller and a commentary on the cult of celebrity"
Fearless "the deep mystery which must be acknowledged whenever we experience primal moments of fear and love in the presence of death"
Garden of the Finzi Continis "The idyllic settings, lush music, and hot house atmosphere of the film become a stark contrast to the fate of the beautiful and privileged inhabitants within."
Promised Land This movie proves that Meg Ryan actually had talent before Hollywood got to her....
The Comfort of Strangers "This macabre psychological drama blends text, texture, and milieu in an artful unity."
Memento "...leaves you saying “Wow” and “So what?” at the same time."
The Spanish Prisoner "...a smart pedigree and a tiny budget and big big ideas."
Blue "...a movie that engages the mind, challenges the senses, implores a resolution, and tells, with aesthetic grace and formal elegance, a good story and a political allegory."
Fanny and Alexander "A ghost story whose subjects are the living and the dead, magic and imagination and the nature of God."
Singles "HE DOESN'T DESERVE HER!!!"
Betty Blue "...vividly demonstrates the non-stop stress of living with a wild one."
Like Water for Chocolate "...celebrates in most unusual and impressive ways both the magic and the mystery of love."
North by Northwest "...Cary Grant at his most debonair."
Blood Simple "Atmospheric and chilling."
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! "A brave, convention-challenging sex farce about the ties that bind us in love."
Spellbound "A nailbiter in the finest tradition."
Julia "Julia gives us a genuine and affecting portrait of a friendship between two women who confirm each other and strengthen their bonds over the years."
Once "a tender little ultralow budget movie about the intimate connection of making music..."
Choose Me "Arguably Rudolf's finest achievement, a moody romantic fable, with lurid visuals and intoxicating jazzy score, in which all the characters are love-struck."
