Claudia Puig

Irresistibly endearing, with a visual verve all its own.

With its clever faux documentary style, this is the most imaginative science-fiction movie to come along in years.

We are slowly and mightily drawn into this intimate story, which is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally moving.

When so much of what Hollywood churns out is almost instantly forgettable, it says a lot about a film when viewers want to take time to argue, ponder and puzzle over it.

Does the finest job of any film in painting a believable portrait of aging, capturing the sadness, confusion, anxiety and defiance of the early stages of dementia.

Naji is an expressive actor, and so are the wonderful young non-pros who play his children.

Powerfully disturbing.

Huerta comes across as warm, wise and indefatigable in Bratt’s provocative and inspirational film, but he doesn’t engage in hagiography.

It’s a brutal, blood-drenched story, but also a captivating and poignant generational saga that will stay with the viewer long afterward.

Neruda raises thought-provoking questions, offers no easy answers, and does it in with top-notch performances and a cinematic style that is intellectually, artistically and thematically compelling.

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.

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.

13 Minutes is well-acted, with authentic settings and an involving structure, but it’s undercut somewhat by a rather flat love story.

At times, The Infiltrator feels like a movie we’ve seen before, but deft performances and Furman’s sharp sense of the era transform it into an engrossing drama.

With its unflinching style, Training Day can be hard to sit through at times. But it's worth the discomfort for the adrenaline rush of the plot and Washington's compelling performance.

Stardust lights up the screen with a splendid tale of heroism and romance.

If you want a brain puzzler that will ensure a lively conversation on the way home, Nine Queens is the real deal.

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.

This mid-19th century tale of survival after the death of a parent is still compelling today, and its message of strength and the importance of family continues to resonate.

The look of the film, shot on digital video, is haunting and gritty. The cleaner, prettier look of 35mm would have detracted from the immediacy and sense of foreboding created in this artful blend of sci-fi and pseudo-realism.

Deliberately paced, epic and ambitious, The Good Shepherd feels related in tone, mood and style to "The Godfather."

The spirited a cappella singing in Pitch Perfect makes a predictable, feather-light coming-of-age film irresistibly fun.

Bale's is a pitch-perfect, understated performance in this involving neo-noir thriller.

At the rate things are going, all of Hollywood will put in about a day's work on "Ocean's Seventeen."

This X- Men is indeed first class: an exciting, bold and thoroughly enjoyable summer blockbuster.

Cars is a classic American tale firing on all cylinders and fueled by organic emotion and a lively sense of adventure.

Though it's not likely to become a classic like the Hitchcock film, it's a smart and well-acted teen thriller that serves up some lively scares.

Amiable, consistently amusing and surprisingly affecting, it has the flavor of a Nick Hornby novel, with its focus on an overgrown boy struggling to grow up and be a man.