Annlee Ellingson

The Selfish Giant is devastating social realism in the mode of Ken Loach's "Kes."

Written with a poet's ear and directed with an artist's eye, Forgetting the Girl plumbs the psyche of an unassuming studio photographer.

The hint at disagreement among the performers about who can and cannot call themselves Muslim is particularly provocative — a debate that would have been better off played out on-screen rather than summarized after the fact.

Writer-director Francesca Gregorini builds unbearable tension into scenes that otherwise risk tilting toward melodrama and brings the eye of a fashion photographer to the film's hallucinatory dream sequences.

Haunter offers a freaky, visceral experience — without a hint of gore.

Freezer is a snappy action flick that makes good use of its close confines.

There's a lot of movie here with unexpected developments, held together by the irresistible chemistry between Derbez and his adorable pint-sized co-star.

What Hawking does do well is open a window onto how his mind works and the passions that ignite his soul.

Director David Frankel has crafted a sweet, funny, heartfelt film, and while we may know all along how it all turns out, Paul's signature performance still gives us chills.

The film is often laugh-out-loud funny while remaining relatively discreet.

Johnny Severin and Nicholas David Brandt's otherwise clever and original script takes an unexpected turn at nearly every intersection, resulting in a funny and big-hearted coming-of-age romance.

It's to Coiro's credit that no one emerges as a villain — and that, however painful, on the other side lies hope.

"Breathing" takes its humorous, contemplative tonal cues from Neil himself.

Moving performances from Una Noche's charismatic non-pro cast, Mulloy's keen eye for visual detail and stunning cinematography by Trevor Forrest and Shlomo Godder of Cuba's turquoise water exploding against the sea wall offer a compelling portrait.

An entertaining and insightful portrait of boyhood.

Documentarian Amy Nicholson puts a human face on the deterioration of the iconic New York amusement park by focusing on the fate of her favorite ride.

The performances are genuine and the narrative beats land solidly for a perfectly enjoyable feel-good dramedy.

Greenbaum shoots the game play especially well, employing dynamic camera work and kinetic editing to convey the drama of what non-fans might consider a static sport.

[A] contemporary B-movie Western with designs on stylistic flair.

Zea gives a natural performance amid a neighborhood of painful stereotypes (including a nosy Asian shopkeeper), but she doesn't adjust her cadence, let alone accent, for the historical flashbacks, bringing a modern sensibility that limits the effectiveness of these scenes.

The information comes fast from talking heads who, let's face it, can get a bit dry. Lose focus, and you risk missing the significance of what's being conveyed.

At once short on details and incredibly forthcoming, Barbara Kopple's documentary doesn't dig into specifics about Mariel's personal struggles with mental illness nor the WillingWay lifestyle that she and her boyfriend Bobby Williams espouse.

All of this is ridiculously silly, of course, with low-rent special effects to boot. But you may laugh despite yourself.

A focused, if at times melodramatic, take on the play's beating heart.

Unfortunately, the film doesn't show its subject's creative process as much as that of her collaborators.

A Case of You is perfectly enjoyable as far as indie rom coms go — just not particularly original.

The real treasure in "TV Man" is Kosareff's impressive collection of old print and television ads, archival footage and big- and small-screen clips illustrating TV-set culture.

Baggage Claim promotes painfully outdated social mores.