Claudia Puig

Detroit has a vital sense of authenticity, rooted as it is in history, conveyed via Bigelow’s meticulously crafted cinema vérité style that, essentially, thrusts the viewer into the tense events. She is an expert at managing suspense and deftly blending sensitivity with a journalistic sense of details.

The film itself is dark and chilling, if occasionally plodding, but worth seeing for the absorbing potency of its main performances.

A haunting and disturbing film, set in 1938, about "widow houses." Though occasionally overwrought, it emerges as life-affirming.

This charming but slight tale has warmth, wit and interesting characters compassionately portrayed.

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

The powerful two-person drama gets watered down by documentary-style footage and voice-overs. But it's worth seeing just for Weaver and LaPaglia.

As a film that pays tribute to vintage '50s Hollywood, Broken Embraces is a visual delight.

Mottola, who wrote and directed 1996's "The Daytrippers," crafts smart, witty dialogue. But the movie suffers in tone. While much of the story feels like a brainier John Hughes comedy, it veers into more dramatic terrain and loses focus.

It features a striking lead performance, but it ultimately leaves the viewer unmoved, and possibly confounded.

Inside Man may be a cat-and-mouse game, but it's far from predictable. What could have been a straightforward thriller is unusually clever, visually captivating and unfailingly entertaining.

With its introduction of wonderfully memorable characters and blend of humor, action and catchy tunes, Guardians is perfectly pitched escapist fun.

Touching, but not cloying, uplifting and hopeful but never sappy and also just plain funny. There is not a false note among the five core performances, nor a false word in Sheridan's script.

While style trumps substance, something in the way this '60s tribute moves attracts us.

Captures a potent sense of the Old West with its multidimensional raw performances and captivating final shootout sequence. But with its emphasis on emotional truths, it transcends the confines of a cowboy movie.

The look of this version may be the finest of the 27 Jane Eyre film and television re-tellings.

For those who like their spoofs silly and their cartoonish gore vivid, Shaun offers some amusement.

A gripping and fascinating tale of political intrigue that spans three continents, its focus trained on the volatile Middle East. It's a global portrait of danger, deception and disillusionment, with no dearth of human casualties.

Jennifer Hudson is the heart and soul of Dreamgirls. When she's on the screen, the movie shines. When she's not, the whole endeavor suffers.

The film is vital for both its history and its currency. Above all, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson works powerfully as a rallying cry for tolerance, love and understanding.

The film is not without flaws. It glosses over the story of the dissolution of Whitaker's marriage and does not delve deeply enough into the source of his problems with his son. A romance with recovering junkie Nicole (Kelly Reilly) rarely rings true.

Blue Car is like an unpolished sapphire, at once harshly realistic and resplendent.

The concert footage is mesmerizing; the planning leading up to the show is pedestrian.

Every second Helen Mirren is on-screen in The Last Station is a study in peerless talent.

Emerges as an African version of "Schindler's List."

The name is a tipoff: Club Dread is dreadful.

Much like Annie Hall did for a previous generation, (500) Days of Summer may be the movie that best captures a contemporary romantic sensibility.

An excellent adaptation of a wonderful work of fiction (The Age of Grief).

Despite the sad denouement, it's still the love story of the year.

This thought-provoking documentary addresses the origins of Vermeer's photo-realistic art with all the suspense of a thriller.

Profound and superbly acted, with a moving script superbly adapted from David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer-winning play.

The movie, based on a true story, takes surprising twists and turns right up to its chilling ending and is probably the best gangster crime drama of the year.

The film grows on you, but more substance and less calculated quirks would have been a royal treat.

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.

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

Thirty pounds lighter, all cheekbones and bulging eyes, Gyllenhaal plays one of the year's most memorable characters in this dark, provocative drama.

Crowd-pleasing and compelling, most of all because of its fiery, charismatic heroine.

Though the blending of archival footage into a faux documentary is occasionally clever, ultimately it's banal and unconvincing.

Translating solitary musings, raw despondency and personal enlightenment into arresting visuals is a substantial feat and novelist/screenwriter Nick Hornby was the perfect choice to convert the fascinating book into a lively script.

Side-splitting laughter, along with some powerful cringing, are likely to be audiences' dominant reactions.

Combining so many disparate strands — historical, contextual, personal and even gossipy — with the performative could have felt disjointed. But in Armstrong’s capable hands, it all comes together fairly seamlessly, providing a compelling portrait of Kelly’s noteworthy career.

Powerfully honest, insightful and poignant.

Its stylish and gritty authenticity is superbly suited to this murder mystery.

An engaging and exciting family film that at times feels a bit like "The Lord of the Rings Jr."

As involving as the story is with its impressive ensemble cast, “Norman” is above all a showcase for Gere’s substantial talents.

More often the film succumbs to clichés, grows convoluted and outlandish, and winds up dead on arrival.

A heartening and poignant affirmation of the transformative power of music.

The result is an odd, occasionally engaging but often cacophonous mishmash.

So sobering an example of why crime doesn't pay that it could be shown to petty drug thugs to scare them straight.

Zwick's "Once and Again" and "Thirtysomething" portrayed emotion more honestly than many TV shows of their time. But in Love and Other Drugs, he unevenly weds the satirical and the sentimental.

Though not exactly innovative, Tangled has a snappy pace and the Broadway-style appeal of classic Disney fare.

A horror movie that follows none of the predictable paths of the genre, it offers disturbing psychological drama and nuanced chills rather than outright terror.

So sadistic and disturbing, Games is easily the toughest movie to sit through since 1994's "Natural Born Killers."

It's rambunctious and unruly, but mesmerizing.

It's creepy but tinged with sarcasm and infused with silly fun.

The story feels believable as a witty chronicle of human behavior, in contrast with the self-consciously satirical style of some indie films and the far-fetched heroics of big studio fare.

Leaden, non-involving and filled with mind-numbing computer-generated effects.

Those looking to get a raucous laugh should say "I do" to Bridesmaids.

A meticulously rendered, tasteful and moving period drama.

More fresh than retro, The Muppets bursts with charm and cheeky humor.

Haunting and inspiring film.

The best action thriller of the year.

While there is a vague hint of a vanity project in a few extraneous scenes, directors Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck have fashioned a compelling and rousing film that will not only appeal to Chicks fans, but make fans of those who weren't before.

The very definition of charming.

This incarnation is funny, quirky and clever, with some mesmerizing action sequences.

Just as funny, sweet and engaging as the first film starring the big galoot.

The soundtrack is mostly Elvis tunes, and Stitch even does an adorable impersonation of the King. As Elvis might put it, you can't help falling in love with Lilo & Stitch.

Night Moves is a thoughtful, clear-eyed and provocative film that raises thorny questions but doesn't offer easy answers.

Who would have thought a fire-breathing monster could be one of the most adorable on-screen critters since Babe?

Bruno Coulais' musical score provides an evocative counterpoint to the often dazzling photography. A scene featuring diving sea birds and whales moving in concert with the rhythm of the waves is stunning.

More coming-of-age story than biopic, this Guevara odyssey is a transformative adventure well worth watching.

Little Children maintains much of the power, humor and nuance of Tom Perrotta's wonderful novel, but seems unsure if it's a satire or a serious drama.

Eastern Promises has a compelling story and strong performances to back up what may seem excessive or sensationalistic.

Nothing is easily resolved in this complex drama, which makes it all the more honestly moving. More than anything, this is a film about a woman on a journey of self-discovery, finding her way gingerly.

Think of it as a thrill ride with gravitas.

Land of Mine is a powerful epic, superbly acted, tense and unsettling, but also poignant and occasionally tender.

At its best, it's a gentle meditation on mortality. But at weaker moments it feels meandering and strangely empty.

About a Boy is a rarity in many ways. It's a well-written, witty film whose memorable characters grapple with the nature of family, love, friendship and despair. Even its soundtrack, by Badly Drawn Boy, is perfectly pitched.

There is no question that the organization is a riveting subject for a film.

Wonderfully enchanting wintry fare.

Serves up an irresistible helping of delicious fun with writing that is tart and sharp and a story infused with sweetness.

Highly entertaining and informative.

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?

Frankenweenie is a love story between a boy and his dog. It is also a beautifully crafted homage to classic horror films, a study of grief and a commentary on the mysteries of science and those who narrow-mindedly fear its advances.

A touching story of hope, vitality and art rising from the bleakest conditions.

A monumentally moving experience, from the powerful acting by Javier Bardem to the evocative music, composed by the director, Alejandro Amenábar.

This year's wittiest animated adventure saga.

The film is easier to admire than to fully grasp or be moved by it. Still, it's worth surrendering to the dream.

The dialogue, delivered mostly in Southern accents, is intended to be funny and fresh, but much of this Western-influenced sci-fi adventure story feels reheated.

Forest Whitaker is astoundingly multifaceted and convincing as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. In the performance of his career, he fully inhabits the part of the barbaric and charismatic ruler.

In a season filled with dark-themed films, it stands out as an elegantly mounted, surprisingly humane but terrifying horror thriller well worth seeing.

A well-acted, inspiring story of female empowerment, the captivating “Roxanne Roxanne” is as much about survival and the bonds of family as it is about busting rhymes.

He lies with such conviction it's terrifying. And his galling hubris is all there for audiences to watch, absorb and puzzle over in the fascinating The Armstrong Lie.

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

Bully forces audiences to face actions that are unthinkable, inexcusable and excruciatingly sad. It offers no solutions, only the testimony of brave youths.

Mongol is quality escapism: an exotic saga that compels, moves and envelops us with its grand and captivating story.

Farmiga never seems to strike a false note in any role, but this is perhaps her most reflective and multi-layered performance.

Though the narrative is a conventional one, the well-acted, suspenseful story deals in fascinatingly murky morality and mines intriguing material from a historic and complex city.

Middle-aged romance can be a dicey prospect. And it gets more complicated when children are in the picture. But it gets more complex still if the "child" is actually 21, and creepily meddlesome.