LETTER S

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Sanjuro

Slackers

Saving Silverman

Sleepaway Camp

Say Anything...

Solaris

Schizopolis

Spider-Man

Sea of Love

Spirited Away

Searchers, The

Spy Game

Seconds

Spy Kids 2: TIOLD

Secretary

Star Trek

Session 9

Star Wars: Episode II

Sex and Lucía

Stir Crazy

Shadow of a Doubt

Storytelling

Shallow Hal

Stunt Man, The

Signs

Super Troopers

Silence of the Lambs

Surveillance

S1m0ne

Syriana

Sixteen Candles

Movie Title

Movie Title

Movie Title

Movie Title

Movie Title

#  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  UV  W  XYZ

Sanjuro  (1962)      

8 /10

Sequel to Yojimbo has mercenary Sanjuro in new town, aiding group of inexperienced Samurai. Injected with humor and well choreographed swordplay but truly excels during extremely potent face-off climax that ends in a shocking (!) explosion of violence.  [Japanese, 96min, PG-13]

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Saving Silverman  (2001)      

3 /10

Stupid, stupid, STUPID movie! An utter mess despite talented comedic actors and some scattered funny moments. Neil Diamond is major focus in story and seems to be enjoying himself in borderline embarrassing cameo. If not for the sugar-high antics of Jack Black it would be nearly unwatchable (he also teachers the valuable lesson that when eating nachos and melted cheese, ALL the chips stuck to one you took are yours). Deep stuff.  [English, 96min, R]

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Say Anything...   (1989)      

8 /10

Solid 80's teen romance flick that gives good perspectives on relationships and an accurate depiction of high school life. Jon Cusack is strong in his quirky role, but John Mahoney is standout with his emotionally complex character.  [English, 100min, PG-13]

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Schizopolis  (1996)      

2 /10

Handful of interesting ideas/moments in a tub of crap. Completely aimless attempt at a "movie" that would be dismissed as pretentious creative vomit without Soderbergh's name stamped on it.  [English, 96min, NR]

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Sea of Love  (1989)      

5 /10

Basic Instinct, minus the explicit sex, gratuitous violence, clever story line, and ambiguous ending: everything that made it a good, steamy thriller. Sleazy, white trashin’ Barkin is NO Sharon Stone, but Pacino is fresh as self-conscious veteran cop on tail of personal ad reading serial killer. Places far too much weight on relationship angle, nearly discarding murder mystery plot until laughable Scooby Doo grade resolution. Titular song is used superfluously.  [English, 112min, R]

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The Searchers  (1956)      

5 /10

Overrated Western has John Wayne as thoroughly unsympathetic ex-Confederate solider on obsessive 5 year search for his Indian abducted niece. Authenticity of time period is marred by dated conventions (eg: brown-faced white actor as Comanche Chief), and misguided humor, making more serious plot elements unfold unconvincingly. Hunter and rest of supporting cast are decent, but deliberately paced premise pushes patience too far.  [English, 119min, NR]

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Seconds  (1966)      

8.5 /10

Highly innovative 1966 film with hyper active cinematography (predating Requiem For a Dream's attatcho-cam by over 30 years) and creepy twisted sci-fi plot, exceptionally disturbing for it's time, but no less potent today. A movie that truly pushed the boundaries of cinema, even if it took decades to earn the proper respect.  [English, 100min, R]

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Secretary  (2002)      

6 /10

Quirky flipside to The Piano Teacher as a lawyer and his newly hired secretary develop a sadomasochistic affair; certainly not the average romantic setup. Faulters often, as delicate subject matter doesn't quite work with semi-comical tone. Worth seeing for the acting of Maggie Gyllenhall who shows an exceptional range of emotion and James Spader who is intensely bizarre.  [English, 104min, R]

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Session 9  (2001)      

7 /10

Revs and revs without ever shifting into drive. Premise is great, as asbestos removers clean out old insane asylum but discovered taped patient sessions are a lot of hot air and creepy atmosphere is achieved almost entirely by lighting and location rather than by plot motivation.   [English, 100min, R]

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Sex and Lucía  (2002)   

8 /10

Struggling writer with a past meets bold woman admirer as he writes latest novel. Serpentine plot weaves through chronology, increasingly blurring boundaries of author's fiction while focusing on their sexually charged relationship (highly explicit!). Though at times mildly confusing, this complex puzzle of interlocking characters comes into powerful clarity by end, giving much to think about.    [Spanish, 128min, R]

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Shadow of a Doubt  (1943)      

7 /10

Evil comes to small Norman Rockwell-esk town in this early Hitchcock thriller. Joseph Cotten exudes a menacing charm as deceitful Uncle Charlie who may be withholding a horrible secret from his favorite niece. While overly melodramatic staples of era date and dilute certain elements of story, examination of youth's social naivety and ambiguous nature of morals is certainly compelling. Highlight of substance and tension is Cotten's late night "little girl" speech, built with searing, timeless dialogue.  [English, 108min, PG]

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Signs  (2002)      

7.5 /10

M. Night desperately wants to be the new Hitchcock, and even with some superb Hitchockian scares, he's got a ways to go. Premise closely resembles The Birds and Night of the Living Dead as worldwide catastrophe is merely hinted at while focus remains on small group; unfortunately, suspense is sacrificed too often for drama. Ultimate message is biggest flaw, as sci-fi elements are rendered irrelevant. Shymalan has a gift for creating movie magic, but The Sixth Sense is still his best film.  [English, 106min, PG-13]

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The Silence of the Lambs  (1991)      

8.5 /10

Imitated countless times but never matched, this is a rare case of superior acting and directing in a genre normally lacking it. Anthony Hopkin’s creates one of modern cinemas most notorious villains in Hannibal Lector, with a performance light years ahead of watered down version he portrays in the sequels. Jodie Foster shows how effective reaction shots can be during their intense plexi-glass divided interpl8min, R]

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S1m0ne  (2002)      

5 /10

Misfired attempt to satirize overblown Hollywood actors and the public that adores them. Features one of the most aggravatingly unrealistic computer programs I have ever seen in a movie! Pacino is unimpressive in a role that could have been played by...well, a digital actor.  [English, 117min, PG-13]

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Sixteen Candles  (1984)      

7 /10

Hughes' debut only hints at his teen genre potential with a very simple plot that strays into absurdity on occasion but overall yields an entertaining watch. Anthony Michael Hall easily stands out as "The Geek."  [English, 92min, PG]

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Slackers  (2002)      

7 /10

A surprise; trite plot is lifted by refreshing stylistic choices and overall quirkiness. Jason Schwartzman is absolutely nuts in his scene stealing role (film has potential for cult status).  [English, 86min, R]

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Sleepaway Camp  (1983)      

6 /10

Friday the 13th meets The Crying Game...seriously. Standard slasher movie premise: kids get murdered at a summer camp with tragic past. Elevated slightly by creatively restrained deaths, main characters with some substance, surprising self-referential humor, and ultra-bizarre performance from Desiree Gould. Then comes the instant cult status twist ending, with possibly the most disturbing image to ever end a movie.  [English, 88min, R]

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Solaris  (2002)      

6 /10

While it's best moments evoke a chilling unease and otherworldly wonder Kubrick would be proud of, end result is convoluted attempt at merging sci-fi, thriller, romance, and character study. Features some of Clooney's best dramatic work to date, sure to be overlooked by general public. Most other highlights are technical, including 2001 inspired camerawork and haunting score, although Jeremy Davies matches Walken-level show stopping strangeness.  [English, 99min, PG-13]

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Spider-Man  (2002)      

6.5 /10

Fun summer movie but ultimately disappointing. Too much is left unexplained (ex: where the suit comes from, the random powers of Green Goblin's pumpkins, Spidey's sporadic superhuman strength). Dialogue is often weak and plot (a rip off of Superman) rushes to a big climax with an underdeveloped villain; movie works best when Parker is first dealing with new abilities.   [English, 121min, PG-13]

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Spirited Away  (2002)      

8 /10

Wildly imaginative adventure reminiscent of Alice In Wonderland, overflowing with a vivid cast of characters and creatures no where to be found in American animation. Starts swiftly, as young girl Chihiro is trapped in world of spirits, separated from her parents, and forced to work for eventual freedom. While her obstacle filled journey contains many exciting, wondrous moments, the sheer length is slightly overwhelming.  [Japanese, 125min, PG]

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Spy Game (2001)      

5 /10

Don't ask me what happened during this movie because I have no idea (granted I wasn't in the best viewing mindset). All I know is that the camera moved around fast a lot and I was frequently reminded of the time via freeze frame. Tony Scott's last film before perfecting his patented "chaos vision."  [English, 126min, R]

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Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams  (2002)      

6 /10

Mostly uninspired sequel burnt by muddled plot and overblown special FX, although island creatures are nice throw back to stop-motion days. Antonio Banderas' charisma steals show during limited screen time. Steve Buscemi, however, is wasted in a glorified cameo.  [English, 100min, PG]

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Star Trek  (2009)      

7.5 /10

Opening with a rousing, unexpectedly poignant space battle, J.J. Abrams pseudo-prequel effortlessly entertains during its first act, while events concentrate on a young James Kirk and assembling of Enterprise’s familiar crew. Then an ancient Leonard Nimoy enters and pace suffers under weight of overly-expository time travel storyline en route to rushed finale. Still, the top-notch spectacle and uniformly strong cast (Chris Pine perhaps best embodying role) leave reason to anticipate future adventures.  [English, 127min, PG-13]

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Star Wars: Episode II  (2002)      

6.5 /10

Huge improvement over Ep. 1, with a number of memorable & exciting action sequences making for an entertaining summer movie. Bad dialogue, however, severely limits some key performances that not even the best actors could make convincing; McGregor, Jackson, and Yoda (!) are true standouts.  [English, 142min, PG]

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Stir Crazy  (1980)      

7.5 /10

Shows it's age, but Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder have such natural, manic comic chemistry that laughs are generated frequently in the face of a basic plot and uninspired direction from screen legend Sidney Poitier. Majority of film takes place in prison, after starring duo are wrongly accused of bank robbery, leading to hilarious scenes as when both have an emotional breakdown or the many times Wilder's completely naive character walks head first into trouble.  [English, 108min, R]

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Storytelling  (2001)      

5 /10

Big let down for Todd Solandz after excellent Happiness, with highlight a surprise extra-edgy performance from Selma Blair (the sex scene is a shocker). Story is divided in two parts, first of which is most intriguing but gets skimped on screen time. The remaining half, surrounding a documentary filmmaker and a dysfunctional family, meanders through what could have been an interesting premise.  [English, 87min, R]

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The Stunt Man  (1980)      

6.5 /10

Bizarre meshing of fantasy and reality has God-like Hollywood director using fugitive of law as replacement stuntman for wild WW II movie. O’Toole commands screen with eccentric presence, setting up often puzzlingly implausible obstacles of danger for Railsback (outstanding in final monologue). Though decent moments of black comedy, boundaries of fiction are never fully revealed, leading to frustration as absurdity mounts.  [English, 131min, R]

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Super Troopers  (2001)      

2.5 /10

Insanely stupid movie featuring the worst police force in the history of film (surpassing Police Academy by a long shot). Occasionally amusing but this is entertainment at it's basement floor lowest.  [English, 100min, R]

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Surveillance  (2009)      

6.5 /10

Jennifer Lynch’s first feature in 15 years revels in depravity with a sense of twisted pleasure her father would appreciate. Bill Pullman (recalling his oddball detective from Zero Effect) and a quietly sexy Julia Ormond are FBI agents investigating a mysterious bloodbath outside a middle-of-nowhere town. Makes sizeable mistake tipping whodunit card too early but triumphs in a 30 min flashback that ramps dread to near unbearable levels. Stumbles in attempts to inject  horrific moments with dark comedy.  [English, 97min, R]

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Syriana  (2005)      

8 /10

No, a degree in rocket science is NOT needed to understand complexities of this engrossing exploration of global oil business - just some patience. Anchored by a sad and  understated George Clooney as long-time CIA operative who discovers his patriotic work has devastating ulterior motives. An intricate dissection of world wide corruption where money is prioritized far higher than human life, or nearly everything else. Most intriguing is the very credible argument that it is all necessary for our way of life to exist.  [English, 126min, R]

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