Spinning Into Butter (2007)

A hate crime on the campus of a New England college puts the school's dean in a position where she has to examine her own feelings about race and prejudice, while maintaining her administration's politically correct policies.

Well-intended drama dealing with racism is nicely made with a good cast, but has no bite to it and fails to stir a reaction.

Maltin**: "Well-intentioned film means to examine race relations, politics, and bureaucracy within the walls of academia, but the result is flat and deeply flawed."

Smart People (2008)

Into the life of a widowed professor comes a new love and an unexpected visit from his adopted brother.

Mildly entertaining and well played, but unspectacular story with a simple message: smart people don't have it easy, too.

Halliwell**1/2: "Bittersweet comedy-drama isn't uninteresting but the script feels undernourished."

Mars Attacks! (1996)

Earth is invaded by Martians with unbeatable weapons and a cruel sense of humor.

Fairly enjoyable sci-fi spoof works only to a degree, since it's thoroughly tongue-in-cheek, so that, ironically, the more straight-faced Indepedence Day from the same year was actually more fun.

Halliwell*: "The film begins brilliantly, with a stampede of flaming cows, but then is content to recycle, at great expense, the style of 50s sci-fi films while its cast parody their more serious roles; despite its occasional antic charm, it is not as enjoyable as it ought to be."

Maltin**1/2: "Overly self-satisfied spoof of  '50s alien-invasion movies (and '50s attitudes)...Great effects and animation (of the Martian characters) but awfully broad and one-note in tone, spoofing something that's already funny in the straight-faced originals of the period. One can't completely dislike a film in which Slim Whitman figures so prominently, however."

Extreme Measures (1996)

A British doctor working at a hospital in New York who starts making unwanted enquiries when the body of a man who died in his emergency room disappears.

OK speculative thriller with dubious moral message.

Halliwell (no star): "An unsuccessful medical thriller about a mad scientist, notable mainly as an attempt to broaden Grant's appeal to encompass action."

Maltin**: "Medical conspiracy thriller starts out well enough but quickly becomes obvious and hollow. Grant has one of his best parts as a dedicated doctor..."