The Film Issue #5: Streep Agonistes

ANGELS IN AMERICA
Love the ambition. But this dissolves into unsatisfying, mystical moralizing

BEFORE SUNRISE
Luminous, garrulous, and accurately tender; seen through sequel's lens, unbearable

BEFORE SUNSET
I know a place where we can go: Linklater's loveliest

DOGVILLE
Enchanting, horrifying, skeletal and unforgettable. A true tour de force.

GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933
Brilliant Busby, perfect Powell ("Pettin' in the Park"), Gingerly gibberish

THE HOURS
Affecting Kidman, but easy psychologizing. Ed Harris, take a break.

HOW TO DRAW A BUNNY
Playful, mysterious, strangely essential: Here is the ephemeral gone wild

MYSTIC RIVER
A worthwhile hour's somewhere inside, but barely worth the sifting

RIVERS AND TIDES
So good that I too have become an environmental artist

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER
Ouch! Baxter lovers beware: lame stoner sorta parody strikes out.