As They Like It

Showtime — The Australian. "In its best moments, 'Showtime' is a sendup of the comic cop genre. But there aren't enough best moments. It's typically cynically mass-produced Hollywood junk fare, but (Robert) De Niro and (Eddie) Murphy give it a likable gloss." — Evan Williams



Changing Lanes — The Ottawa Citizen, Canada. "Director Roger Michell ('Notting Hill') keeps the moral pulse pounding with a coarse, on-the-ground vision of New York City that makes the story as immediate as a news bulletin. The weakness in the film is the way the moral quandaries are illustrated in a stop-and-start narrative." — Jay Stone



Charlotte Gray — The Jerusalem Post, Israel. "Cate Blanchett is wonderful — she's always wonderful — but her performance alone can't save this movie. It's not her fault it's so god-awful boring. … Nothing about Charlotte's character is really developed. … The director of this polite mess is Gillian Armstrong, (who is) known for getting great performances out of her actors, but no one shines here. Michael Gambon is the standout." — Hannah Brown



Blade II — Bangkok Post, Thailand. " 'Blade II' manages to throw in a little wit. Blade spots a tattoo that distinguishes non-vampires on a man's hand and asks him if he's human. 'Barely,' the man replies. 'I'm a lawyer.' There are quite a few amusing quips and one-liners, many of which are too coarse to repeat here. (Wesley) Snipes seems to be having barrels of fun playing the butt-kicking vampire-slayer and, no doubt, 'Blade 3' is probably on the drawing board already." — Alex Choi Ingamells



Crossroads — The Daily Mirror, London. "The team responsible seems uncertain as to whether they are pitching this formula-driven tripe at pre-teen pop fans — the skimpy plot, the two-dimensional characters, the trashy and forgettable pop music — or the more demanding and difficult-to-please teenagers for whom they offer up a weird mix of issues for the characters to grapple with, including date rape and abortion. The juxtaposition of such difficult real-life situations with the sugary dialogue and stupid plot is not only offensive but also a little icky. The film also panders to old-fashioned, uncomplicated and reactionary morals while hypocritically offering us the peachy flesh of Britney (Spears) and her pals to lust over."