Reel Reviews -- R

Rabbit-proof Fence (+) -- A compelling story, both in the big (societal derangement over race) and small pictures (the personal plight of kidnapped Aboriginal girls in the 1930s), well-told and interesting from start to finish. And a wonderful performance by untrained actor Everlyn Sampi--who plays Molly, the oldest of three abducted sisters--shows all the signs of a potential star, if she pursues acting full time. Well worth a look. Posted 7/18/06.

Radio Days (~) -- Maybe this is where the downward slide started. Woody Allen's self-indulgence, which served him well early on, began to pull him down with this bit of autobiography. A nice idea--life during Allen's childhood, in the "radio days"--arrives too disjointed, too hit or miss, too erratic to be called a success. The film is better during the family sequences than the inevitable, shoehorned-in Mia Farrow storyline (back when she and he were still tight). The overall cast is excellent, the presentation is sterling and accurate to the period, but that self-indulgence--and some heavy-handed "statement" scenes--do just enough to pull this movie down. Not awful, but not what could have been.

Rango (+) -- Yeah, OK, I can see it. I mean, there’s nothing super profound here, but you do get an entertaining animated movie that has some good laughs, fine visuals (including some nicely clever visual references), and a relatively standard though still compelling Western style story line. I’ve seen worse stuff tossed out there under the cynical, “you’ll watch anything animated” philosophy; this film rises above that. Worth a look. Posted 8/21/13.

Rat Race (+) -- It takes a few minutes to get cooking, but once it does it provides plenty of satisfying comedy. And Jon Lovitz has one of the funniest scenes that I have ever seen in a movie. Posted 12/4/02.

Ratatouille (+) -- Strange. None of the characters are particularly likeable, at least at first; much of the physical comedy is overdone; some parts of the Pixar template have become too familiar (including the usual, almost banal-at-this-point technical brilliance); and the distracting Familiar Voice Problem is present. And yet, when viewed in its totality, the movie still works better than it should. This is a film that is more than the sum of its parts, and by pulling off that trick, it earns a worthiness that otherwise would not be there. Go ahead and have this one for dinner some night. Posted 5/9/09.

Red State (+) -- So this is what Kevin Smith's now-perpetual cloud of weed smoke hath wrought--a genuinely good indie film, with surprising philosophical depth, storytelling skill, and an almost oddly sympathetic engagement with its central crazies. If this really is his penultimate film (preceding the forthcoming Hit Somebody!), one could argue Smith is going out with a bang--and maybe just when he's finally figured out this whole film-making thing.  Posted 1/5/12.

The Red Violin (~) -- Fine musical performances abound. The presentation is beautiful throughout. So what's the problem? The main character is, shall we say, wooden. The only consistent presence here, start to finish, is the titular instrument. It's a fine piece of workmanship to be sure, and capable of extraordinary things in the right hands--but movie viewers connect with human beings, not objects. The characters in this film do not stick around long enough to build a relationship between persona and viewer. The collection of vignettes is artfully shown, and some may enjoy the pathos of the tale(s), but I suspect most viewers will not appreciate the lack of human connection. Posted 1/23/06.

Reign Of Fire (+) -- Surprisingly excellent action-adventure movie. Great action, interesting vision of an alternate world, compelling story and characters--even Sir Shirtless himself (McConaughy) holds his own against no less a costar than Christian Bale. Add it all up and you get an unfairly overlooked but thoroughly enjoyable movie. Take the time to find this one and appreciate. Posted 4/16/09.

Remember The Titans (+) -- A bit unimaginatively straightforward, but still an effective tale of overcoming differences. And Denzel Washington is…well, Denzel Washington--the guy's not capable of a bad performance. He alone makes this film worth viewing.

Restoration (+) -- An excellent screenplay, lavishly reproduced late-Stuart settings, and a rich cast (even in supporting roles) makes this film worth a look. And just in case you needed the reminder, here's the proof that Robert Downey Jr. is more than just a punch line; in his controlled moments, the man can really act. Posted 10/30/05.

Richard III (+) -- The film version of the updated stage production of Shakespeare's classic. Set in a vaguely fascist England, with Ian McKellan taking the title role. Bang-up and bloody…just like you expect from Richard III.

A River Runs Through It (+) -- Good story, good actors, Montana scenery. What more do you want?

The Road To Wellville (--) -- You have to make a decision, folks: am I making a comedy, or a drama? Few can pull off both at the same time. And when you don't pull it off...well, kids, don't try that at home. Also, it helps to have a story, as opposed to stories, each of which only vaguely relates to the others. Put it all together, as with this movie, and you've got quite a mess. The few truly funny moments indicate that a tighter comedy would have been a good decision. Way too late now. Posted 3/15/05.

Robin Hood (~) -- The ghost of Errol Flynn hangs heavily over this movie. It would be bad enough trying to do a standard remake of the Merry Man's adventures; a re-imagination that changes the story in significant ways asks a lot of the audience. Not that this film is bad; there's much to recommend it, including a lot of authenticity and good performances by leads Crowe and Blanchett. But even so, you walk away feeling that something is missing here. A tough call--probably worth a look, but no guarantees. Posted 7/24/11.

Rock of Ages (~) -- Everyone probably should be more upset that this movie was a bust than everyone actually is. The music herein, even at its worst, is still miles ahead of the drek that winds up hitting the charts these days; it’s a very bad sign for society at large that more people weren’t on board with this film and its homage to '80s metal. There’s also the highly entertaining pleasure of watching a really good cast frequently make fools of themselves. (Which does not include Tom Cruise; his performance is pretty amazing all the way through.) On the other hand, the movie does lose a lot of momentum about halfway through, and it never really recovers all of its early drive even at its feel-good climax. So it's about half of a really good movie--in some ways, the epitome of that so-so label. Enjoy as much of it as you can. Posted 5/3/13.

Roger Dodger (--) -- I wanted to like this movie, and the dialogue in the first twenty or so minutes crackled and sparked. But that was all of the movie I could watch, because the dumbshit director chose to shoot the whole movie in that lame-ass, faux edgy, shake the camera all over the place style. Sorry, but my DVR did not come with a pack of Dramamine. Call me when you're interested in making a movie that's doesn't look like amateurish horseshit. Posted 2/23/05.

Romeo + Juliet (~) -- The middle member of Luhrmann's "Red Curtain" trilogy (though, strangely, minus the curtain), and undoubtedly the least successful. That's not to say it's bad; given the screenwriter (Shakespeare) you can hardly go wrong. It starts working once they begin playing it somewhat straight, and by the end the power of the tale has its effect. But many of the actors seem too lightweight for their roles, and some of the overwrought touches just don't work here. Posted 3/22/03.

Ronin (+) -- A nice bit of work from Frankenheimer, about disaffected and drifting former spies in post-Cold War Europe. Alternately action-packed and tense and moody, it keeps you engaged. And it's nice to see DeNiro playing someone who is not in the Mafia…though he's still not a choir boy here.

The Rookie (+) -- It starts off a bit strange and disjointed, and it gets a bit schmaltzy, but it never crosses the line. Otherwise this is a fine bit of family entertainment. Posted 2/7/03.

The Royal Tenenbaums (+) -- It's an odd one; no doubt about that. But it plays its low-key humor very well, and occasionally achieves moments of outright hilarity. Give it time to do its work and you'll be rewarded. Posted 3/5/03.

Rush (+) -- Impressive, if a little predictable. Well, of course it’s predictable; the story is based on events that actually happened, in a very well-documented way, back in the ‘70s. Then again, most folks around here don’t follow Formula 1, have not heard of James Hunt nor Niki Lauda, nor know anything that happened before last week, so the story could have had much more freshness for today’s average movie viewer. Still, the viewer knows what will ultimately happen, even without historical knowledge, and that it will be wildly dramatic in the end. (Which makes sense; run-of-the-mill happenings don’t get made into movies, of course.) Nothing about this film really stands out, but ultimately you get a "more than the sum of its parts" result, enough to make this one worth a look. Posted 8/20/14.

Rush Hour (+) -- Most of Jackie Chan's career has been built around stories like this: fish-out-of-water guy finds trouble…and turns out to be the one guy you don't want to mess with. But it works here, and Chris Tucker adds plenty of life as the sidekick.

Rush Hour 2 (~) -- Chris Tucker's verve is infectious; he makes this flick worth seeing, especially if you're a fan. Meanwhile, Jackie Chan's act, though once fresh, is becoming decidedly one note.