Claudia Puig

The climactic rescue by Navy SEALs is riveting. But it's Phillips' devastating after-the-fact shock that leaves the most haunting impression in this ambitious, taut and captivating thriller.

While there is a pleasantness about this faithful Shakespearean reboot, there also is some woeful miscasting and a lukewarm feeling about the straightforward production.

A spotty comedy with a great cast and a catchy title that falls apart in the final third.

The events of those days would have been better covered in greater depth in a miniseries, rather than a 90-minute movie.

One of the film's biggest problems is that Richie is an unsympathetic and rather dim character. The badly drawn role does the likable Timberlake no favors.

The telling of this simple tale of survival required cutting-edge technology, but we don't notice the bells and whistles: They're on hand to immerse us in an unforgettable personal story.

Johansson gives one of her best performances as the bossy, gum-chewing Jersey girl determined to change Jon into her image of a romantic hero. Tony Danza and Glenne Headly are hilarious as Jon's parents. Gordon-Levitt proves he can act, write and direct with equal dexterity.

It would have worked better if the silly premise had been played for farcical satire, rather than following the cookie-cutter rules of the romantic comedy playbook.

Brilliantly captures the exhilaration that comes from facing death head-on. It's also an ode to joyous rivalry.

Prisoners is infused with a poetic intensity that's rare in American thrillers. The closest cinematic comparisons would be "Zodiac," "In the Bedroom" and "Mystic River."

It's clever, farcical and offers wry social commentary. With its heartfelt performances, intelligent writing and subtle humor, this is easily one of the most perceptive and engaging movies of the year.

Well-written, terrifically acted and compelling. It deftly avoids sentimentality and offers a window into the lives of believable, multilayered characters.

Insidious: Chapter 2 appears to be the sum of the unusable parts from James Wan's recent haunted house feature "The Conjuring."

Self-indulgent, heavy-handed and lumbering, Jayne Mansfield's Car is not a wreck, but it's certainly a vehicle for boredom.

Not only is this a deftly crafted and superbly acted film, but Wadjda sheds a powerful light on what women face, starting in childhood, in an oppressive regime.

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

Populaire takes an intrinsically boring activity — typing — and makes it unusually entertaining.

Insightful gems are unearthed throughout the flawed but engrossing Salinger,a much-anticipated documentary about the author of The Catcher in the Rye.

Move along, there's nothing to see and no one to root for in this murky franchise reboot.

Winnie Mandela is a simplistic look at a complex figure.

It's misleading to call this a documentary — fan fodder is more like it.

A clever, likable comedy that sends up sexism, satirizes Hollywood, examines family ties and features a surprisingly tender romance at its core.

It's a meandering film that prompts the viewer to anticipate characters' actions. Fortunately, they don't take predictable paths.

Not only an intelligent, well-told and deftly acted story, it provides refreshing counter-programming in a season filled with noisy, uninspired sequels and mindless action movies.

The premise of visiting so many pubs as a narrative device, however, bogs down the initially energetic pacing and goofiness. Piling on the mayhem renders The World's End a sometimes chaotic and uneven comedy.

Authentic emotion competes with manufactured sentiment for the heart of Lee Daniels' The Butler.

Kick-Ass is a prime example of a movie that never should have bothered with a sequel. Not only is its successor played-out, but it revels in carnage while lacking the visual style and gleeful humor of the original.

One thing it doesn't do is offer a revealing look at the mercurial entrepreneur. The movie that bears his name settles on a blandly superficial treatment of a deeply complex man.

A humorous chick flick for well-read audiences, Austenland is a novel concept.

Lovelace is a lackluster, skin-deep biopic.

The Canyons is billed as an erotic thriller, but the sexcapades of these empty-headed twentysomethings are far more likely to elicit yawns than titillation.

Essentially Cars in midair.

This sweetly eccentric and low-key buddy picture/bromance bears little resemblance to more well-known examples of the genre, such as "Lethal Weapon" or "Pineapple Express."

Decidedly more thought-provoking than most big-studio summer fare.

We're the Millers is a twisted road trip worth avoiding. Not only is it not funny, it's offensive.

Nathan Fillion is the movie's brightest spot as Hermes, re-envisioned as a UPS manager. He makes a quip about how the best TV series always get canceled, in a nod to Firefly, the iconic sci-fi show in which he starred.

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.

A marvel of well-rounded characters, strong performances and disarming chemistry, this deeply felt film is like a loving elegy to the end of childhood. It's easily one of summer's best films.

This insipid, and sometimes awkward, blend of animation, computer generation and live action wastes a ton of talent and lacks a true sense of whimsy.

Like the fumbling around of first-time sex, The To Do List has its enjoyable moments but doesn't exactly feel like a peak experience.

An intermittently exciting action film anchored by a strong performance by Jackman, who embodies Wolverine like no one else could.

It's one of the year's finest, most complex portrayals, in one of Allen's best films in years.

Perhaps there was a clever germ of an idea here, but the five credited writers didn't develop characters, scenarios or rules in this sci-fi world well enough to engage the audience.

The net result is an entertainingly frightening film that keeps the audience in a state of alarmed, but eager, anticipation.

A failure from start to finish.

God may forgive you for seeing this needlessly brutal film. But you won't forgive yourself.

Has some appealing characters, a few laughs and then devolves into a predictable Tortoise and the Hare spinoff.

Even as temporary visitors, the audience can feel IQ points slipping away.

An outstanding lead performance by Mads Mikkelsen (who won best actor for the role at Cannes in 2012) anchors this hauntingly layered and nuanced drama of a man falsely accused of a terrible deed.

The story's appeal is lost in all the fights between the monsters and robots.

Michael B. Jordan is superbly multi-dimensional as Grant.

This shallow sequel to 2010's much cleverer Despicable Me — the 10th-biggest animated movie in U.S. history — seems to be merely going through the motions.

Intermittently funny. But the movie's first 20 minutes is devoted to tediously showing how his career has taken off around the world. That might be fine if this were a documentary, or if it were done more artfully, and with humor — since we go into the movie expecting a 75-minute laugh-fest.

It's a 2 1/2-hour slog, with tonal inconsistencies and monotonous, drawn-out action sequences. Scenes alternate between frenetic and tedious.

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 Heat is the best female buddy-cop movie since, well, ever.

While director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) piles on outlandish scenarios, the chemistry of the lead actors mitigates the contrived setup and numbing explosions.

The movie works mostly because of the artistry of its stellar cast and heartfelt script by writer-director Paul Andrew Williams.

The visuals are impressive, while the goodhearted and endearing story is a little slight.

Essentially, it boils down to familiar fare: a well-paced, entertaining, conventional action thriller where a reluctant hero saves the day.

Audiences meet the most memorable voices in the world of backup singers. They perform with world-famous musical acts, but theirs are not household names. Their stories, however, are inspiring, heartbreaking and enthralling.

The Bling Ring is the cinematic equivalent of the vapid, superficial kids it features — all visual panache and minimal substance.

The story, while sometimes soaring, is other times grounded by a hyperactive and numbing vibe. But Henry Cavill has the strapping good looks of the comic icon, and humanity to match his superheroism.

The film is uneven and about 15 minutes too long. But when it's funny, it's hilarious.

This low-key and engrossing Belfast-based drama is as much a well-acted character study as it is a thriller about the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Makes its point ham-fistedly and then devolves into a blood-spattered slasher movie. It also unashamedly cribs from more disturbing films like "Straw Dogs," "Funny Games" and "A Clockwork Orange."

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson may be the worst interns since Monica Lewinsky.

The coming-of-age film is poignant and comical, sitting squarely on that threshold, focusing on the time when a teen is part boy, part man and all adolescent.

Provocative, issue-oriented thrillers are in sadly short supply these days. But The East fills the bill with its examination of the intense commitment and anarchic impulses of eco-terrorist organizations. It's a fascinating subject on which to anchor a spy thriller.

Though it's meant to be pulse-pounding, After Earth is a lethargic slog.

The film's clever use of emerald-colored hummingbirds as transportation is a highlight.

Who would have thought that one of the most provocative and affecting films made about the fallout from 21st century divorce would have emanated from a 19th century novel?

Bittersweet, intelligently written, deftly acted and painfully honest.

Fast & Furious 6 might have just as easily been called "Planes, Tanks and Automobiles."

Nothing about this rote exercise feels remotely fresh. It's a re-tread of the 2009 original, sans the inspired lunacy.

Nathan Lane steals the show in this tale of a high school English teacher who becomes obsessed with a student's play.

Sarah Polley's memoir is a poignant, funny and engrossing film, challenging our notions of memory and family mythology.

Spectacular special effects, superbly crafted action sequences, plenty of humor and terrific performances render it a cut above most summer blockbusters.

It's an unrelentingly brutal movie set in an unusually scenic locale — the coastal city of Valparaiso, Chile.

The film is beautifully shot, with vivid production design. But because of the tale's lack of cohesion, it doesn't carry enough emotional heft.

Grier plays the part of the pompous patrician with superb finesse and dry wit, easily the movie's highlight.

So much effort seems to have gone into the eye-popping production design, swooping camera work and anachronistic musical score that the result is hyper-active cacophony rather than enthralling entertainment.

Brosnan and Dyrholm are irresistible, communicating volumes with mere glances as well as sharp dialogue.

Shannon's restrained and mesmerizing portrayal, bolstered by an excellent offbeat supporting cast, makes for an edgy and compelling Mob yarn.

The rambunctious Iron Man 3 is a briskly paced thrill ride until about 90 minutes in, when the excitement wanes. A few late-breaking surprises re-invigorate the tale, however.

Forced, formulaic and never believable. It's a particularly unholy combination.

Arthur Newman is an old story and chronically, consistently uninvolving.

Endearing and believable, the two actors playing Ellis and Neckbone are pitch-perfect.

A badly constructed, blood-spattered caper that comes unglued early on.

With its complex look at storytelling, imagination and the teacher-student dynamic, In the House is an elaborate cinematic fresco.

Brannigan is terrific as Robbie, and the entire supporting cast is superb.

Oblivion is a slick spectacle — seeing the humorless but ultra-fit Tom Cruise wrestle with himself might be worth the price of admission alone.

Melodramatic and gritty Filly Brown marks the debut of a magnetic screen presence in Gina Rodriguez, as well as the final performance of singer Jenni Rivera, who died in a plane crash in December.

Characters are richly drawn and relatable, though at times stories teeter on melodrama. The overall effect, however, is powerful.

It takes a particularly ham-fisted filmmaker to transform a fascinating and historically significant story into something as formulaic as 42.

Never was a film so visually stunning and so intolerable as To the Wonder.

The visionary filmmaker's psychological thriller weaves a too-complicated tapestry.

The stars make this political drama engrossing, despite its few missteps.