Claudia Puig

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.