Claudia Puig

It's unlikely there will be a film as visually stunning or poetic this year - or perhaps any year - to rival Beasts of the Southern Wild.

It's a lively, psychologically astute tale filled with humanity, wit and charming performances.

It's neither one of Allen's best, nor among his worst. It is also not likely to win audiences over with the passion that "Midnight in Paris" did.

This is a romantic comedy for people who don't like rom-coms. There's no chance of a happy ending, but its tender mercies speak volumes.

It's equally endearing as a sweetly funny romance between two likable oddballs and as a low-tech time-travel thriller, and has something profound to say about making the most of the present.

That's My Boy is puerile, mean-spirited and charmless.

Don't stop believing. Just avoid clichéd musicals that try to capture the anarchic spirit of rock with trite commercial re-treads.

Hardly fresh, but it never stints on energy or vivid colors.

Scott seduces audiences with thought-provoking possibilities, then pulls a bait-and-switch, subbing in a familiar monster thriller and fiery explosion-fest.

Despite an unlikely setting and a moderately intriguing premise, Chernobyl Diaries proves to be a generic horror flick where young tourists are systematically victimized in unoriginal and not terribly scary ways.

While this third go-round may not seem necessary amid summer's blockbusters, it's an entertaining jaunt back in time with the likably mismatched duo.

The Intouchables is an exuberantly charming French buddy comedy that proves an audience will suspend disbelief and follow an unlikely story as long as it's superbly crafted.

Literate, melancholy and magical, Moonrise Kingdom is quintessential Wes Anderson, infused with his brand of daffy wit.

What audiences should expect is a tone-deaf, superficial, charmless ensemble rom-com, focused on five attractive, but uninteresting, couples.

The comic elements of this semi-factual tale are heavy-handed, and a key romance falls flat. Despite its titillating subject matter, Hysteria is only mildly stimulating. The final third of the story meanders during a tedious trial and clumsy speechifying.

Mostly, Battleship is a noisy, overlong and numbing military-vs.-aliens saga with laughably bad dialogue.

After laughing at crudely funny scenes in The Dictator, there's a cringing sensation of guilt.

Seems like a work in progress.

At its best in comic mode, more effective as goofy spoof than horror show.

A refreshing, mature fairy tale.

This clever, low-budget film kicks the concept up a few notches to mesmerizing.

Whedon weaves a story that allows each of the heroes to do what they do best. And while they may not have exactly equal time, audiences get enough of each to feel satisfied, but not sated. Clever work, indeed.

Boaz Yakin's slick direction, marked by quick cuts, unstinting energy and a lack of sentimentality, makes the action scenes satisfying. But he's a better director than writer.

May be far more ragtag than swashbuckling, but the film is sure-footed, witty and zany fun.

This many-feathered animal occasionally soars before it crash-lands.

The story starts out well, then becomes contrived and goes on too long.

It's unfortunate that the filmmakers juxtapose those striking visuals with a warlike anthropomorphizing element.

Dog lovers will instantly warm to the handsome stray collie mix, but they may struggle to fully embrace the amiable but toothless adult story surrounding him.