Stephen Cole

Stephen Cole National Post Oct 26, 2026 In film's Dolby age, much is made of the sound of the audience listening. Eyes Wide Shut is the rare film where you might encounter the sound of an audience thinking. Go to Full Review Eyes Wide Shut (1999) 79% 74%

Stephen Cole National Post Aug 22, 2026 2/4 While Ghosts of Mars keeps our attention, it never quite captures our imagination. Go to Full Review Ghosts of Mars (2001) 22% 25%

Stephen Cole National Post May 21, 2026 2/4 For a film that preaches the importance of transcending superficiality to attain one's goals, Legally Blonde is all too prepared to get by with merely being cute. Go to Full Review Legally Blonde (2001) 75% 66%

Stephen Cole National Post Apr 21, 2026 For all its design flaws, Fight Club is a frequently absorbing spectacle. Fincher, who knocked off the ingeniously nonsensical The Game, with Michael Douglas, right after Seven, certainly knows how to dress up a story with hysteria. Go to Full Review Fight Club (1999) 81% 96%

Stephen Cole National Post Feb 5, 2026 Unfortunately, after kick-starting star vehicle Roberts, Soderbergh does little more than step out of the way and watch his lead steamroller the film's remaining bit players. Go to Full Review Erin Brockovich (2000) 87% 85%

Stephen Cole National Post Aug 22, 2025 3/4 ...[Darren Aronofsky] has somehow managed to turn Selby's road map to hell into a frequently compelling misadventure. He has done so, against all odds, with a display of cinematic daring... Go to Full Review Requiem for a Dream (2000) 81% 93%

Stephen Cole National Post Jun 25, 2025 2.5/5 What a disappointment it is to report that in a film full of shocks there rests not a single surprise. Go to Full Review Jurassic Park III (2001) 49% 37%

Stephen Cole National Post Apr 30, 2024 2.5/5 Whereas the 1968 film was designed to make you stop and think, Burton's remake encourages its audience to run out and buy related action figure knick-knacks. Go to Full Review Planet of the Apes (2001) 42% 27%

Stephen Cole National Post Sep 6, 2023 3/5 Traffic is handsomely mounted and intricately conceived. Go to Full Review Traffic (2000) 93% 85%

Stephen Cole National Post Jul 13, 2023 How could filmmakers who are so skilled and imaginative lose themselves (and us) in what feels like a college stab at Aldous Huxley metaphysics? Go to Full Review The Matrix (1999) 83% 85%

Stephen Cole National Post Nov 1, 2022 At its best, which would be the opening 100 minutes and first two acts of Scott's two-and-a-half-hour tale of betrayal, martyrdom, and revenge, Gladiator more than satisfies our basest film-going desires. Go to Full Review Gladiator (2000) 80% 87%

Stephen Cole National Post Feb 2, 2022 One depressing development in '90s film-making has been Jonathan Demme's belated conversion to weighty, issue-oriented movies. Go to Full Review Beloved (1998) 72% 71%

Stephen Cole National Post Aug 29, 2018 2.5/5 Grownup couples in need of a ticklish love story in an air-conditioned movie theatre could do worse than Juliet, Naked. Just skip buying the soundtrack; order a large soda instead. Go to Full Review Juliet, Naked (2018) 82% 74%

Stephen Cole National Post Nov 16, 2015 In his new work, Lucas often forgets his story to linger on sets. Perhaps more accurately, this is a film about sets and mythologies that come out of the cheesiest sci-fi tradition. Go to Full Review Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) 54% 59%

Stephen Cole Globe and Mail Jun 30, 2015 4/4 Seen again a quarter-century later, we marvel at how the filmmaker generates so much tension and sweat with a bare minimum of moving parts. Go to Full Review Alien (1979) 93% 94%

Stephen Cole Globe and Mail Oct 12, 2012 2/4 Here Comes the Boom will probably connect like a haymaker with most of its intended audience. The leads are likeable, and the plot, though beyond incredible, is at the very least distracting. Go to Full Review Here Comes the Boom (2012) 42% 65%

Stephen Cole Globe and Mail Aug 10, 2012 3/4 Bourne fans will find much to enjoy about The Bourne Legacy, even if they are forced to do without the title character. Go to Full Review The Bourne Legacy (2012) 56% 58%

Stephen Cole Globe and Mail Jun 22, 2012 1/4 What could these women see in a dreary sack of mutton like Ricardo? Go to Full Review The Boss (2011) - - 60%

Stephen Cole Globe and Mail Jun 1, 2012 2/4 Like so much adolescent, made-for-guys comedy-horror, Piranha 3DD is so weirdly uptight about women you figure exhibitors should hand out teen health guides as well as 3-D glasses. Go to Full Review Piranha 3DD (2012) 11% 22%

Stephen Cole Globe and Mail Jun 1, 2012 3/4 The Intouchables works as a crowd-pleaser not because it's true, but because it's a plausible enchantment. Go to Full Review The Intouchables (2011) 75% 93%