You can now read Groucho's Top 10 of 2008. Happy holidays!
You can now read Groucho's Top 10 of 2008. Happy holidays!

Perhaps the greatest compliment to be paid to Vicky Cristina Barcelona is that it serves as a spot-on emblem of Allen's own life philosophy: cling to the transient pleasures, as you're bound to be let down in the end. 

Nothing in Superhero Movie could be described as magical, but for comic-book fans in a forgiving mood, this lowbrow outing has its moments. 

Despite its rusty mechanics and hodgepodge of tones, Pineapple Express convincingly imitates the mode of Midnight Run: on-the-run odd-couple comedy with gunplay and car chases. 

Pretty thin material, but it still holds up for the same reason it worked in 1994: Carrey unleashed in a part tailor-made for just that purpose. 

Oh, Napoleon Dynamite! What have you wrought? 

Penn has managed an impressive achievement that qualifies as a great American film. 

So colossally ridiculous (and transparently derivative) that willing suspension of disbelief is a fool’s errand. 

An enduring film property with an unforgettable catch phrase ("Klaatu barada nikto")...[and] socially conscious themes. 

[A] hugely entertaining dramatization of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"...a fable that would be relevant 50 years earlier and no doubt will remain relevant 50 years hence. 

Whedon's smart, densely plotted, fast-paced story provides ample opportunities for characterization, revealing the pain beneath the characters' defensive humor. 

A better way to seize the day would be to do something other than sitting through the sitcomedic Last Holiday. 

That's the problem with this well-intentioned celebration of the spirit of Title IX: it wants so badly to be liked that it tries to blend into the crowd. 

A celebration of unrealistic lifestyles, which makes it exactly the wrong film for our times. 

Willing to settle for all-around competency instead of excavating history for deeper insights, leaving audiences with another undemanding genre placeholder. 

The comic voice of Ricky Gervais comes through loud and clear, and Koepp's vision of a classical Hollywood comedy creates a confluence not only of great performers but of considerable wit and heart. 

An unofficial "sideways sequel" to Top Gun...except with national treasure Robert Duvall in the role of crusty mentor. 

An unqualified populist success...works because it evinces a sincerity rarely felt in today's cinema. 

Farley and Spade have a definite chemistry, and they do their best to pick up the slack. 

Sour candy...redeemed by its humor and its clever construction, harkening back to the relatively optimistic crime comedy Fargo. 

Almost worth seeing just for Faris' spot-on work...Shelley becomes an endearing character in Faris' nonjudgmental hands. 
Member of the 
[We] talked about Harold and Maude as a tone. Fisher King, I brought that up. And then Alfie and Five Easy Pieces and a few others…We wanted something realistic but funny…moving and emotionally deep. 

Sexuality is really a way that people’s souls get expressed...I know that we have a tendency as Americans to sort of not go there, but I’m kind of interested in going there because I think it tells you a lot about someone’s psyche... 

He’s very effusive and emotionally open in a way that’s not very masculine. And certainly not British...someone who sort of waves his arms around a lot and clutches his bosom. It’s like he actually thinks his life is a movie. 

Well, the mythological arc of the saga doesn't really continue in these other things...which means we're not encumbered by this mythological uber-story of the psychological underpinnings of why somebody turns to be a bad person. 

They can't run over us if we really want to stand up. So as long as we have our vote, we have some hope. 

Leo: 'I think living with a gambling addict...whether she had this skill [for lying] before she was married to him all those years ago or not, she certainly developed it over the years and, in fact, we've taught her son to be a pretty handy liar too.' 

I lost my virginity to Lorne Greene narrating Lorne Greene's Nature Wildlife Theatre. I think he was talking about how bugs gnaw each other's heads off while screwing. And here I was, not losing my head at all. 

Duchovny: 'There is a journey to be had. So you either have to start on top or on the bottom for a journey to happen. You can't start at the middle...' 

Carter: 'There's a beef recall. Mulder's a cross-dresser. Aah, I'm not going to tell you, only because you really don't want to know...' 

There’s so many levels to Charles throughout that it’s just—I mean, I would have been an idiot not to have wanted to have taken the role on. 