Bill White

Fascinating as these spiders and frogs must be to one another, a human being need not be put into such close proximity to their private dances.

An inspiring story of pluck, but its politics fall flat.

Pleasant viewing, but the unbalanced script and amateur performances keep it from being much more than a walk in the park.

Failing to make a lick of rational sense, Silk grasps at poetic straws.

Although entertaining, Rize is a somewhat duplicitous undertaking.

Rampling is fascinating as Ellen, the aging romantic who hardens her vulnerability with a materialist philosophy regarding the buying and selling of sex. The other two actresses give more superficial performances, with Young totally unconvincing as a Southern neurotic.

Most of this is harmless enough, but Kasdan's Hollywood logic is simply too implausible.

The most interesting moments in the film are the videotapes sent back and forth between the parents and students, as they communicate the sadness of children separated from their distant families.

Never more than a dull and confused film about Bolivia's 2003 presidential election.

A confused and improbable redemption song.

It is not giving away much to say that everything ends as expected, just not soon enough.

The film may be like looking through a stranger's scrapbook. With sketchy and didactic scenes lacking narrative cohesion, it is a collection of often strong images that fail to come to life.

Perhaps, like Al Gore's lecture on global warming, the force of its argument will stir some of those who see it to further research the subject.

There are shocking facts and supportive images, but the film lacks investigative spirit.

This is standard fare on the subject of father and son relations.

While their stories are well worth telling, first-time director Ruskin fails to shape his material into the dynamic film it might have been.

The script sounds like literal diary transcripts, the camerawork tests the limits of eyestrain, and the soundtrack bleats with mediocre pop songs by unknowns.

Low-production values, including glaring inconsistencies in the makeup department, add to the bargain-basement atmosphere of this kidsploitation quickie.

Despite its flaws, Walk on Water is a sometimes engaging story of emotional opposites who become mystifyingly attracted to each other.

The Beautiful Country has an epic bearing, but a trite and troubled script makes it more a visual tirade than an engaging odyssey.

Gets entertaining when Liu kicks in.

The concert footage, which is exceptionally well photographed and recorded, offers clips of varying lengths from a wealth of songs. The rest of the film glimpses the stress disorders that can develop when average people with problems become popular celebrities.

A coming-of-age movie in which nobody comes of age.

There is a lot of history to be learned here, but the teaching is so slow paced that the most alert student may fall into a stupor by the end of class.

Despite the scenic appeal of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, the film may prove too nerve-racking for casual viewers. It is a racing movie for the inside track.

In trying for realism, Machado only achieves dramatic inertness.

The story is pure gobbledygook.

One of the strangest things about J.L. Aronson's often fascinating film is the presence of Sufjan Stevens, who recently has become a star in his own right, as Smith's bandmate and protégé. One can only wonder what Stevens, who possesses a pleasant voice and a solid grasp of song craft, found in such a mentor.