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Rabbits Tony Pisarenkov   DVD at home   20 March 2006 I considered recommending that interested parties see it for themselves here but decided against it.

Raiders of the Lost Ark Julie Gephart   Basic cable   29 May 2004 Things I remembered about this movie: giant rolling ball, snake pit, melting faces. Things I had forgotten: how hot Harrison Ford looked with stubble, the fact that Margot-Kidder-alike women must have been the bee’s knees at some strange point in time.

Ravager Julie Gephart   Basic cable   27 July 2003 I wondered how there could be a movie starring Yancy Butler and Juliet Landau that I had never heard of, and now I know the answer. Some things should really remain buried. Note to movie producers: if you’re going to make a movie wherein you have approximately $12 to spend on “special effects,” it would be preferable just to skip those scenes and instead hold up hand-lettered cards in front of the camera saying things like “Now the shuttle makes a crash landing.”

Ray Steve Gadd   Cinema Arts Theatre   30 October 2004 We began the evening watching Vera Drake, which was like eating a stale scone without tea. After half an hour, we couldn't take any more, so we moved to the next screen. Just listening to the Ray Charles biography was fun, and Jaimie Foxx deserves all the praise he has gotten.

Red Tony Pisarenkov   DVD at home   15 February 2004 The final installment of the "Colors" trilogy, with its pervasive sense of tension and mystery, "Red" is to these eyes perhaps the best of the three, although it is really impossible to choose a first among equals in this case.

Red Eye Steve Gadd   Fairfax Town Center   26 August 2005 Three points for creating and maintaining a mood of tension, two more for providing plenty of post-viewing conversation on plot holes and feats of illogic.

Red Eye Kristin Schrock   DVD   29 January 2006 Servicable thriller. I didn't quite buy the shift from crying victim to kick-a** herione. But it did feature Veronica Mars' Beaver (the character) credited as "Headphone Kid's brother".

Reefer Madness (the Musical) Kristin Schrock   DVD   27 November 2005 A musical I enjoyed--mostly because Kristen Bell (lately of Veronica Mars) is so talented that words are insufficient to describe her awesomeness.

Reign of Fire A Bennett   Super Saver Cinema Biggs   14 September 2002 This is quite possibly the most unintentionally homo-erotic film I may have ever seen. The men are frequently bare-chested and sweating together, the women are for the most part entirely off screen. Dragons vs. the GIGANTIC upper arms of a bald, tattooed, insane Matthew McConaughey. So funny to Kristin and I it's a miracle we weren't ejected from the theatre.

Reign of Fire (a.k.a. the Dragon Movie) Kristin Schrock   Theatre   16 September 2002 Rated high for enjoyment level, not quality. In the words of Jennifer Beals, "This isn't a peace treaty." But I haven't had this much fun at the theatre in a very long time. It's even better when you queer the movie: The Bale's love for Gerard Butler (who played Atilla the Hun as a gentle lover) is tested in a dystopian world when a crazy, totally buff Matthew McCaughnahey comes to save the day.

Requiem for a Dream Tony Pisarenkov   DVD   16 February 2003 Just when you thought that everything that could be said cinematically about drug abuse has been said, along comes Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem for a Dream." The requisite teenagers shooting up and where it gets them are here, and they are portrayed very well, but the real power lies in Sara Goldfarb's (Ellen Burstyn) story -- drugs, certainly, but not in the way you've come to expect. Things get surreal to the point of trippiness, but amazingly, and mercifully, fail to contribute any kitsch factor. One of the most physically powerful and visceral films in recent, and maybe not so recent, memory.

Requiem For A Dream Steven Krise   My Basement (NetFlix)   06 March 2008 I've never felt like I've physically had the wind knocked out of me by a sequence of images in a movie. The Office is a fairly good palate cleanser.

Reservoir Dogs Steve Gadd   DVD   12 January 2005 Despite inflated expectations, this movie held up well. Story, storytelling, and dialog make it work.

Risky Business Steve Gadd   Basic cable   19 January 2004 Beats workin'.

Riverworld A Bennett   TiVo'd from SciFi, like six months ago   31 May 2003 The world is over for you--you’re dead, dude. And you wake up not in the afterlife, per se (at least not conventionally)--but on another planet--overrun with everyone else who ever died. They’re all in somewhat altered circumstances, though. Yet, unchanged, so that Nero is still a power-hungry slighly-mad commander of men with a passion to rebuild Rome, and Mark Twain is still a grumpy man (old only in spirit--not in body) with an affinity for steamboats. And suppose that when you killed someone at this new place they died, only to be reborn endlessly from the titular river. And then, one day you found out by meeting some other folks from what would be your future (you died in 2009, after all) that Earth was destroyed in 2038, all human life ceased, save in this place, RiverWorld. Would you care? Would you have, like 1,000 more questions about life and spirituality, time travel and additional dimensions? Because, dude, I totally did.

Road to Perdition Tony Pisarenkov   Camelback Esplanade, Phoenix, AZ   01 August 2002 Brilliant. Best American film since Traffic. An art film in the best sense of the word -- incredible acting, breathtaking camerwork, a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and a stark portrayal of human behavior.

Robert Louis Stevenson's St. Ives A Bennett   VHS Home Video   05 October 2002 I've often read about hussars, and people in olde tyme books often drink port. It was nice to see both "come to life" on the screen. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, staged equally in France, England, and Scotland.

Robocop Julie Gephart   Mysteriously Free HBO leftover   01 May 2003 This genre classic contained some surprisingly good effects and some surprisingly bad ones. They seemed particularly proud of one makeup job where a man's skin melted after being dumped into toxic waste. I measure "pride" in "inordinate amount of screen time that it took for this character to die." For minutes on end, Melted Guy was moaning and waving his arms around and frightening other characters with the sheer quality of his makeup job. Just when you thought it was over, he pops up in yet another scene to receive his final death. RIP, Melted Guy.

Robots Mike Gadd   Local $2 joint.   25 May 2005 There were a few good chuckles here and there, thanks mainly to Robin Williams' bot. I did fall asleep once or twice, but that's probably not the entire fault of the movie. There seemed to be an abundance of excretion jokes despite the characters being made out of metal.

RollerBall Jeff Gadd   Video   08 March 2003 Interesting sport, but what kind I'm not sure. Very hard hitting though. Some good actor's too that are in the movie. I think that is what help in the movie, Plot is hard to figure out though.

Rollerball (1970 Version) Kristin Schrock   DVD   19 June 2004 Better than I expected--corporations are evil, 'mkay, but humanity cannot be repressed forever as Rollerball Star James Caan resists the corporate directive to retire. The Rollerball games are overlong and it's somewhat predictable, but not a bad way to spend a cable-less evening.

Roman Holiday Julie Gephart   Basic cable   03 July 2003 It was a charming movie, but my real fascination came from the fact that it starred what may be the most attractive movie couple of all time. Where have Gregory Peck and his pouty lips been hiding all of this time? It’s a whole new world, the cable with AMC.

Romeo Is Bleeding A Bennett   VHS Home Video   19 October 2002 What this movie wants to be I'm unsure, what it is I am also unsure. Gary Oldman, however, does an excellent job convincing me he is not British (take some notes, Christian Bale!). But Lena Olin looks better on Alias. And she was really the only reason I rented it in the first place.

Romeo Is Bleeding Kristin Schrock   VHS   25 October 2002 Were I to make a list of my favorite movies, this would be at the top. It's twisted and terrible and makes a not-very-good guy very sympathetic. Loses a point for gore (not a fan of the blood).

Romeo Must Die A Bennett   Hollywood Video DVD   06 April 2003 In fair Verona (San Francisco), where we lay our scene/Two houses (Black - Chinese), both alike in dignity/From ancient grudgebreak to new mutiny. Finally, a film that proves once and for all that the NFL is, unquestionably, evil. Romeo and Juliet, if Romeo (Jet Li) began the play banished, the Capulets and Montagues were warring mafia/gangs, and both Tybalt and Mercutio were each trying to engineer hostile takeovers of their master's territory. Dad-gum-it, I *enjoyed* this film. Jet Li TEARS UP the screen when he fights--and any scene where he's allowed to speak Chinese. Aaliyah brings the charisma, and together they actually have some interesting "opposites attract" chemistry. Could have been more tightly scripted, or cut to an hour and a half. Julie, I miss you, good person with which to view fu.

Romper Stomper Tony Pisarenkov   AFI Silver Theatre, Silver Spring, MD   08 February 2004 A hyper-realistic, "take no prisoners" portrayal of a gang of skinheads in modern-day Melbourne, featuring a pre-Hollywood Russell Crowe in the lead. Recommended, but not for the faint of heart (or stomach).

Ron Howard's Cinderella Man A Bennett   Lexington Green, KY - I had nachos & hot dog   04 August 2005 Because it’s set in the Depression-era past, it really seems the best melding I’ve seen of Ron Howard’s ability/sensibility and material. So engaging you almost overlook its one major flaw (it took me three days to notice it): the main character HAS no flaws.

Rosemary's Baby Julie Gephart   Basic cable   21 July 2003 The thing is, people already tend to think of pregnant women as a little bit crazy. If you’re a pregnant woman being hounded by some supernatural evil, it wouldn’t kill you to put just a little effort into coming up with a good cover story. Ranting about witchcraft and conspiracies? Not so much the effective strategy. The very best part was at the end when she was staring in horror at her little cloven-hoof baby, and the idiot husband still didn’t see that he’d done anything so wrong. “We can have more kids!” He said brightly. “Think about if you had been pregnant and then lost the baby. Wouldn’t it be just the same?” THE SAME AS GIVING BIRTH TO THE SON OF SATAN WHOSE MISSION IS TO DESTROY THE WORLD. Yes, it would be exactly like that.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Tony Pisarenkov   DVD at home   12 January 2008 People frequently ask me, immediately after they've accused me of having no sense of humor, what I find funny. This is funny.

Run Lola Run Steve Gadd   DVD   03 March 2005 Little more than an extended music video, this film has just the right color and tempo for a nice cinematic buzz.

Run Lola Run Ray Hunley   Netflix DVD   26 June 2005 The original German title was Lola Rennt, but it should have been Lola Saugt. A silly, modernish story of Lola trying to get 100,000 Marks to save her puling boyfriend from a ruthless drug dealer. The same story is presented three different ways in three successive segments, all of which are annoying.

Run Ronnie Run Jaqi Ross   DVD   04 April 2004 Both Bob and David (the creators) agree that all in all, the movie is not that great. While it definitely has some very funny moments, the current cut of the movie that is out there being screened and traded on the internet, just isn't that good.