Claudia Puig

This is a perfectly pleasant, entertaining and often witty romp with engaging performances.

Though the competition hasn't exactly been stiff, Fey and Poehler may well be the best female comedy duo since Lucy and Ethel.

A quintessentially European, methodically paced and intelligent slice of life.

The movie features a musical score aimed more at boomer parents than their tykes.

What gives In the Land of Women its singular charm is the charismatic Adam Brody, the star of TV's "The OC."

An L.A.-based story with more turns and curves than a Hollywood canyon.

Though the story teeters on easy sentimentality, it doesn't succumb. Though unabashedly emotional, it isn't maudlin. Tsotsi's story feels believable. It is made all the more engaging by a wonderful soundtrack of African Kwaito music.

Yes, it's loud, explosive and silly, but it also perfectly embodies the concept of a summer blockbuster with its simple good-guys-vs.-bad-guys plot, cheeky humor and flawless special effects.

Dark humor intersperses with poignant moments. Though the conclusion feels forced, the movie works.

Clooney has excelled in serious roles - notably in "Michael Clayton" and "Syriana." But his Jack, a brooding assassin seeking redemption, is a bigger departure, and he pulls it off well.

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

It's a pleasure to watch these men perform. These are real-life guitar heroes. But it would have been a treat to see more of them talking shop.

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

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

It's not quite up to the caliber of Richard Yates' novel, which is deeply nuanced and rich in subtext. But the performances are superb, and the film is beautifully shot.

The film takes a long time to unfold, and some scenes feel inert. But ultimately, the conclusion is moving and satisfying.

Based on the captivating novel by Myla Goldberg, Bee Season is evocative and superbly acted.

The cringingly wacky scenarios, offbeat characters and comic dialogue serve up a crowd-pleasing, laugh-filled experience.

The Help sidesteps easy sentimentality. As the film's heart and soul, Davis and Spencer add vast reserves of depth and dignity to a crowd-pleasing tale.

Soderbergh takes a deadly serious news story and amplifies and colors it to the point of outrageousness. The results aren't always consistent, but they are undeniably compelling.

Redford methodically presents the injustices piled on Surratt and suggests what might have prompted her stoicism. But James D. Solomon's script is often flat, perhaps in a misguided effort to be stately.

This is a Frank Capra-meets-Judd Apatow comedy with a sweetness-laced ribaldry.