Allen Salkin

The movie is pretty good.

The film slowly, slowly blossoms into an emotional wildflower by the end, leaving us with a scene that is kind of spontaneous road baptism, an unsure note of spiritual birth.

For all of its effort to make an important point about the unseen casualties of war, Man Down is a taxing exercise for the viewer.

An international action thriller that starts slow but picks up speed and just outruns its own clichés to make for a gripping two-hour ride.

The stylish and engrossing reinterpretation of the mythological king's early years lacks character development, but makes up for it with swashbuckling, sword-fighting, beast-slaying fun.

Everything is perfectly entertaining. Too perfectly.

In the movie version of Wilson, starring Woody Harrelson, no one flies or turns into a centaur. But quiet magic happens nonetheless.

At a certain point, the film gains atmosphere and is rescued by the sincerity and sweetness of the young actors. Better, the plot finally hits a groove in the final quarter, and a soaring soundtrack twangs the right emotional notes.

Turning McConaughey into a wreck through makeup and lighting is not an adequate substitute for character development. But it underscores something that the film gets right — the fact that underneath many pretty surfaces is ugliness.

It works so hard to evoke a sense of teary patriotism it leaves behind a grimy feeling.

Like Cohen's output, Rules Don't Apply as a whole is strangely hypnotizing. It has not been edited as so many other recent movies have, down to the nub, removing everything but the highlights you can produce movie trailers from. This thing breathes and creaks. It works. Maybe the cracks are what let the light in.

Arrival is a science fiction confection that wants to be smart. But the truly fascinating material that would have made this a very good movie rather than a pretty decent one likely ended up on what they used to call the cutting-room floor.

In Keeping up with the Joneses, I was unable to focus on Hamm's comedic efforts, so interested was I in the ever-changing cinematography of his slick black hairstyle.

Alightly boring, but slightly moving film.

The problem is that endings matter. I was thrilled at watching more than an hour of Ben Affleck playing Christian Wolff as a socially awkward, arithmetically gifted, martial arts expert sharpshooter. But then the plot devolved into nonsense for the final stretch, leaving me wanting to garnish the filmmakers' wages.

This movie was made by a bunch of hired guns who had their hearts elsewhere. Masterminds does center around a heist — one committed on ticket buyers.

You might not agree with Stone that the man is a hero, but you probably do want to see the film so you can compute what the whole uproar was about.

A lot makes me uneasy about where biology and technology are going. But Great Scott! Is Morgan really the best you can do?

Credit to Sachs and his co-screenwriter, Mauricio Zacharias, for creating a complex gentrification fight, along with cinematography by Óscar Durán and music by Dickon Hinchliffe that is both gritty and dreamy.

Nerve, a thriller set in a world of smartphone-obsessed teens, is clever, exciting, sweet and full of quick twists that never devolve from serving a well-built story.

Dough should have been more easily digestible; the setup is sure to appeal to occasional stoners and Jewish foodies.

Walken is great in the tragicomic role of a long-tooth singer. Better still, he deserves a Billboard hit for his on-key — and on-fleeck — version of Joe McGinty’s “When I Live My Life Over Again.”

Kiefer and Donald Sutherland share emotionally taut scenes set in lush, mountainous country. They both look great and act well.

So what's the problem? A hundred small annoyances, including storylines that peter out into inexplicable dead ends, others...that drone on too long, a dozen too many reaction shots from Hannah's dogs, important characters whose motivations are unclear, and a lack of romantic chemistry between Hannah (Rebecca Hall) and Andrew (Jason Sudeikis).

The film’s thoughtful script and astounding craft portray a tragic inner psychological battle.

The world needs great Will Ferrell comedies. Unfortunately, this isn't one of them.

Yes, this important film will deepen a debate about the game's safety. And, yes, it makes the National Football League look like a tobacco company run by the Nixon administration. But immigration is the ultimate political football right now — and when I left the theater, it was with a renewed sense of what one dignified man can achieve when given a chance in a great nation.

This un-terrifying film tries to find an interesting twist on the classic Frankenstein tale, but horrifically fails.