Claudia Puig

The Canyons is billed as an erotic thriller, but the sexcapades of these empty-headed twentysomethings are far more likely to elicit yawns than titillation.

Essentially Cars in midair.

This sweetly eccentric and low-key buddy picture/bromance bears little resemblance to more well-known examples of the genre, such as "Lethal Weapon" or "Pineapple Express."

Decidedly more thought-provoking than most big-studio summer fare.

We're the Millers is a twisted road trip worth avoiding. Not only is it not funny, it's offensive.

Nathan Fillion is the movie's brightest spot as Hermes, re-envisioned as a UPS manager. He makes a quip about how the best TV series always get canceled, in a nod to Firefly, the iconic sci-fi show in which he starred.

By its conclusion the story has worked so hard to be twisting and clever that it runs out of steam and becomes outlandish, marked by a surplus of violence — too often casual and gratuitous — for what essentially is a buddy cop movie.

A marvel of well-rounded characters, strong performances and disarming chemistry, this deeply felt film is like a loving elegy to the end of childhood. It's easily one of summer's best films.

This insipid, and sometimes awkward, blend of animation, computer generation and live action wastes a ton of talent and lacks a true sense of whimsy.

Like the fumbling around of first-time sex, The To Do List has its enjoyable moments but doesn't exactly feel like a peak experience.

An intermittently exciting action film anchored by a strong performance by Jackman, who embodies Wolverine like no one else could.

It's one of the year's finest, most complex portrayals, in one of Allen's best films in years.

Perhaps there was a clever germ of an idea here, but the five credited writers didn't develop characters, scenarios or rules in this sci-fi world well enough to engage the audience.

The net result is an entertainingly frightening film that keeps the audience in a state of alarmed, but eager, anticipation.

A failure from start to finish.

God may forgive you for seeing this needlessly brutal film. But you won't forgive yourself.

Has some appealing characters, a few laughs and then devolves into a predictable Tortoise and the Hare spinoff.

Even as temporary visitors, the audience can feel IQ points slipping away.

An outstanding lead performance by Mads Mikkelsen (who won best actor for the role at Cannes in 2012) anchors this hauntingly layered and nuanced drama of a man falsely accused of a terrible deed.

The story's appeal is lost in all the fights between the monsters and robots.

Michael B. Jordan is superbly multi-dimensional as Grant.

This shallow sequel to 2010's much cleverer Despicable Me — the 10th-biggest animated movie in U.S. history — seems to be merely going through the motions.

Intermittently funny. But the movie's first 20 minutes is devoted to tediously showing how his career has taken off around the world. That might be fine if this were a documentary, or if it were done more artfully, and with humor — since we go into the movie expecting a 75-minute laugh-fest.

It's a 2 1/2-hour slog, with tonal inconsistencies and monotonous, drawn-out action sequences. Scenes alternate between frenetic and tedious.

While the plot strives to be a raunchy-clever sex farce, it feels more like a leaden repurposing of Airplane with drunken pilots, mile-high dalliances and dancing flight attendants.

The Heat is the best female buddy-cop movie since, well, ever.

While director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) piles on outlandish scenarios, the chemistry of the lead actors mitigates the contrived setup and numbing explosions.

The movie works mostly because of the artistry of its stellar cast and heartfelt script by writer-director Paul Andrew Williams.