Claudia Puig

Derbez brings warmth and intermittent goofy humor to this too-broad and uneven comedy.

Cuarón’s tale of a madman Minuteman is well-shot and sharply paced, but too simplistic.

Free Fire is an ultra-violent, gut-punching spectacle that borders on a slog. It makes you feel guilty even for enjoying minutes of it, and then empty after it’s all done.

The story undertakes an undeniably worthy subject. But Thank You for Your Service has too many moments that fall flat, seem unlikely, or don’t elicit the desired response. The complexities of PTSD deserve a better, more thoughtful and layered film.

The boxing drama Bleed for This has a powerful story and a strong lead performance in its corner, but falls short of knockout status. Hampered by clichéd writing and stereotypical portrayals, this extraordinary true-life account feels run-of-the-mill.

Not without some stupidly funny moments.

30 Minutes or Less is "Pineapple Express" gone sour.

Dance Flick occasionally hits its mark with nimble execution. But too often it stumbles clumsily into bad taste.

An awkward blend of fable, travelogue and relationship drama, it's the story's hybrid style, vapid message and predictable arc that disappoint.

Soderbergh's homage to film noir and wartime thrillers, is technically stunning but narratively and thematically hollow.

Ghosts can't make up its mind whether it wants to be a racy raunchfest or a sentimental celebration of soul mates. So it ends up being a sappy, sleazy hybrid.

This is for those who like their political thrillers far-fetched, far-reaching and filled with pretty people.

For those who don't equate sexual appetite with the intricacies of fly fishing, Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1 is more tiresome than titillating.

The considerable talents of a strong supporting cast, which includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Liev Schreiber and Andre Braugher, go untapped. The only distinguishing feature to this by-the-book thriller is Jolie, who gets pummeled as good as she pummels.

Ron Howard has taken an intriguing page-turner of a story and re-shaped it into a bloated wannabe epic.

While the plot strives to be a raunchy-clever sex farce, it feels more like a leaden repurposing of Airplane with drunken pilots, mile-high dalliances and dancing flight attendants.

The humor, largely centered around bodily functions and bathroom habits, is almost exclusively sophomoric.

Bewitched does have a few laughs, thanks to Ferrell's antics. And some of the wittiest contemporary comedians are on board, notably "The Office's" Steve Carell and "The Daily Show's" Stephen Colbert, but they are underused.

The best that can be said is that the production design is striking. Otherwise, it's a foolish story, marred by a strange blend of overacting and bland, offhand performances.

In what universe would you expect to see Andy Samberg, Ian McShane and Sissy Spacek in the same movie? You have to give the makers of Hot Rod credit for creative and unlikely casting. But the credit pretty much ends there.

The combination of tight close-ups and jarring camera work might require a dose of Dramamine. Better yet, give this movie a wide berth and check out a superb film set in a submarine, the 1981 classic "Das Boot."

Envy is in the unenviable position of saddling two of Hollywood's most talented comic actors with a script that doesn't do them justice.

Tries and winds up with a pleasant, if forgettable, romp of a film.

As a raunchy romantic comedy or an homage to the 1980s, Take Me Home Tonight is hardly worth a one-night stand.

When so many PG-13 movies are encroaching on R-rated turf, it's heartening to see a film that responsibly approaches its audience.

Though it has some mildly amusing moments (mostly in the visuals accompanying the novel's narration), Alex & Emma is disappointing, neither very romantic nor very comic.

A World War II thriller without enough thrills.

It may appeal to the most rabid fans of tearjerk romances like "The Notebook," but it's a hard-to-swallow, maudlin tale.

Too bad first-time director Christopher Erskin, who cut his teeth on music videos and commercials, took so many predictable turns on this Vacation.

The movie has more charm when it's earthbound. Cusack and Green's mother-son repartee has sharp comic timing. Once the story veers off to space, it goes downhill.

The film feels as if it's trying to force a sense of wonder and awe upon its youthful audience, rather than simply letting an intriguing story unfold naturally.

The Change-Up should have fired on all cylinders. What went wrong here?

The Family is a fish-out-of-water/buddy comedy/Mob flick. But most of all, it's a missed opportunity.

Soon, the audience feels its own sense of despair -- for a movie that might have worked but didn't.

Its message is unobjectionable, and there are a few laughs to be had, but too much of Elf is like Buddy's favorite meals: syrupy sweet.

With Bonham Carter's been-there, done-that performance and a plot that spins out of control, we end up with a movie that you can't quite sink your teeth into.

Much of the action in Ice Age: Continental Drift takes place on an iceberg fashioned into a seagoing vessel. No one seems to be piloting the boat, which is an apt metaphor for the film.

The harder this film tries to be quirky and edgy, the more it feels like a run-of-the mill TV movie.

Misguided raunchfest.

It's mystifying how such a muddled and silly movie drew the talented cast it did.

An immature obsession with sex at 17 seems understandable. But at 30 it's getting cringe-inducing.

So the cliches are as thick as a vat of honey. And the love story proves just as syrupy. But for those who lap up this sappy vision of romance, it contains all the key ingredients.

By trying to combine fantasy and romance with goofy humor, globe-trotting adventure and feel-good inspiration, Stiller has made Mitty a mixed bag of clashing tones and facile redemption.

Woody, please: Go back to the European locales that so energized you of late.

The perfect vehicle for Johnson's charm and talents is still out there. It's certainly not in the muscle car he pilots in Faster.

How to lose an audience in 10 minutes: Cobble together a predictable and forced romantic comedy that should have been funnier.

Yet another ho-hum family comedy hits screens this weekend -- this one in peppermint holiday flavor.

Disappoints with its lack of character development and convoluted storytelling.

The picture-postcard location of Southport, N.C., is the film's strong suit.

Though the film offers a meticulously rendered Depression-era L.A., it's not in the same league as "Chinatown," for which Towne wrote an Oscar-winning script. Here, the characters seem shallow, their motivations murky.

Despite his cockney-accented verbosity, Brand does not convey the effortless conviviality that Dudley Moore did in the part.

The film's mythology is a bit dodgy, and the dialogue is standard issue, but the over-the-top action sequences are occasionally fun, if gory. Ultimately, it's a formulaic, predictable take on a Hollywood staple: the vampire horror film.

The inspiring story of surfer and shark attack victim Bethany Hamilton deserves a better dramatization.

These are hardly damsels, but the distress will be felt by audiences watching the collection of non sequiturs, twee remarks and tangential vignettes that is Damsels in Distress.

As the girl fights and rivalry play out, flashes of wit are obscured by the plot's contrivances.

Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva are terrific. But the performances by the older actors are largely forgettable.

You're more likely to roll your eyes than swoon over this slow-moving and far-fetched love story.

While it's intriguing to learn about all the players involved in creating a fashion line, there's too much minutiae to keep the attention of those who are not obsessed with design trends.

Sex Drive does not fully satisfy our comic desires.

This follow-up seems so similar to the 1953 Disney classic that it makes one long for a geriatric Peter.

Monte Carlo is a wish-fulfillment fantasy. (What luck! The heiress' clothes fit all three girls like a glove!)

Movie stardom is seductive, but 50 Cent and his fans will be best served if he sticks to to his day job.

The cartoonish mayhem in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For aims for a film noir sensibility, but too frequently the script simply resorts to anachronistic scenes of Jessica Alba twerking.

The whole journey feels like a rich girl gone slumming. And for those of us along for the ride, it's a bit of a slog.

An ambitious hodgepodge that is all bang and bluster.

Portentous and dull, the film features one of the worst over-the-top performances by Dennis Hopper, who plays an abusive father.

What was blandly charming on stage — characters addressing the audience, ultra-broad jokes and showbiz patter — feels contrived, cheesy and cliched onscreen.

The story is corny and predictable, but Carlyle's subtle, nuanced performance saves the movie from drowning in sentimentality.

The movie's soap opera quality undermines its efforts to tell a family saga with much believability.

By its conclusion the story has worked so hard to be twisting and clever that it runs out of steam and becomes outlandish, marked by a surplus of violence — too often casual and gratuitous — for what essentially is a buddy cop movie.

The movie feels more like a slightly longer episode of Disney's old "Winnie the Pooh" television series.

America loves dysfunctional families, but haven't we seen enough middle-aged losers who haven't grown up?

The movie is an undeniable visual spectacle, but just as unequivocally a cheesy, ridiculous story.

One-dimensional characters play second fiddle to the main event. Given the large cast of faceless players, it's hard to care when a few get sucked into oblivion.

The huge contingent of girls -- and women with girlish fantasies -- who liked the first two movies will doubtless enjoy Eclipse. But this third go-round won't make Twihard converts of the rest of us.

Though occasionally visually inventive, Kung Fu Panda is a disappointment when it comes to matters of simple black and white: the script.

Slogs pokily along and never quite picks up speed.

Bridges actually does a fine job in an uninteresting role. But this chick flick is all about the attitudinal teenagers.

You can't help but have high expectations from Zaillian and this stellar cast. But the result this time is a thuddingly tedious soap opera.

An ambitious and occasionally illuminating hybrid documentary. But a cacophony of sights and sounds and a disjointed narrative dilute the message.

It's hard to know just who the intended audience is: The movie is too surreal and bawdy for young kids and too silly for anyone older than 25.

What might have been an entertaining, silly comedy opts for pseudo-earnestness over movie magic.

This insipid wannabe frightener features a checklist of derivative conventions.

Bug won't get under your skin as much as it will assault you with its ghastly claustrophobic drama and over-the-top performances.

Often ponderous, sometimes pretentious and mostly clichéd, this contrived meditation on longing and loss feels like a missed opportunity.

The action starts with a bang, but deteriorates and grows more absurd as the story strays farther from the LAPD call center.

The movie, full of wan gags and tedious situations, is directed blandly by Rock.

If a pointless and nasty Hollywood satire filled with vile characters and no one to root for sounds like a good time, go see Maps to the Stars.

More than anything, the movie makes the viewer want to hop on a plane and visit Iceland.

All the obvious elements combine to manipulate the audience into a weepy time at the movies -- again.

Winnie Mandela is a simplistic look at a complex figure.

The best that can be said about the film is that its naturalistic look and dark hues are occasionally intriguing, and its twist is fairly unpredictable, if far-fetched.

The Break-Up is not comical or romantic, and it's certainly not a date movie. Sitting through it is almost as painful as going through the demise of a relationship.

Sharp satire or feel-good foolishness? Silly sap won out.

Though the film opens with an intriguing burnished look, it bogs down about halfway through with talkiness and uneven pacing.

Mostly, it wallows in partying with a capital P.

The story, though initially intriguing, is dicey. A seminal social satire has been spun off into a passionless romance and a wan comedy.

This junior chick flick merely reinforces superficial clichés one associates with female teens: petty fights, intense highs and lows, and self-absorption.