Desson Thomson

The dance between authenticity and storymaking works beautifully.

Surprisingly powerful and universal: the search for meaning and small blessings in the face of life's utter randomness.

When you're in the hands of the Coen brothers, you're in for sheer originality.

Spy movies just got thrilling again.

In Milan Kundera's novel, "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," the characters are pawns on a complex, philosophical chessboard with Kundera's didactic commentary accompanying every move. In his adaptation, director Phil Kaufman films the pawns, even many of the moves. But without Kundera's connecting presence and voice, the result is closer to Chinese checkers than chess...Very attractive and watchable checkers, sure

Leads you through a miserable childhood without sentimentality or relief. The effect is torturous.

One of the most enjoyable experiences of the year.

There's no denying its surreal, hypnotic effect.

With disarmingly entertaining movies like this, dare I say, who needs big bad superhero movies?

Roll past this casino.

Roach knows to play to the movie's twin strengths: Stiller and De Niro. Throw these guys together, turn up the intensity.

Good but it SEEMS even better because of its evocative setting.

This is a compelling cautionary tale hot-wired to your gag reflex.

When you’re through watching The Daytrippers, you think about its minor imperfections, not because the film’s bad, but because it’s so good.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a tad too precious. One of those movies that wants to address life's quaint wackinesses, it's full of characters who are quirky, lonely, bizarre or retarded. There's something intensely earnest about the project. But there's something equally manufactured, starting with the casting of Johnny Depp and Juliette Lewis.

It's enough of a spectacle to enjoy. It's too bad the stars are little more than serviceable and give the movie title an irony it could certainly do without.

Commitments, adapted by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais from the Roddy Doyle book, exults in its own world. The characters, with their foibles and verbal joustings, are everything. There's something poetically sardonic in every sentence they utter.

It's doubtful that Depp's off-kilter interpretation will have any discernible effect on the movie's success. But it remains the movie's most disappointing aspect.

Jeffrey Blitz's smart, deceptively lighthearted movie gives audiences an endearing nerd-messiah to revisit that angst for all of us and -- maybe, just maybe -- he'll end up in love and ahead.

A subplot involving Griffith and first boyfriend Alec Baldwin becomes the-subplot-that-wouldn't-go-bust, and comic scenes sometimes go bankrupt because they just hold their stock too long. Light entertainment like this should zip along like those financial quote boards.

The grimness of the movie becomes not only too unbearable, its point is clear about halfway through. After that, everything comes across as redundant retreading of the same perspective. But for atmosphere, great cinematography and eye-opening directness, this movie can't be beat.

You don't have to love WWF scrapping to appreciate this movie.

At first, the picture is moving. . And suddenly charm turns to quasi-commie didacticism.

The movie, which is deadly slow and full of Japanese-bashing, is also an undisguised merchandising promo.

Although the movie is slow-going at first, it gradually awakens, like Lilia. And then it dances.

Makes for interesting, rather than emotionally compelling viewing.

Sitting through The Hangover is like watching "Memento" featuring the Three Stooges.

Glover (who shone as Michael J. Fox's father in Back to the Future) is riveting as Layne -- a speed-popping wacko more wired than AT&T And Joshua Miller, who plays Tim, the most malevolent child this side of the Styx, is alarmingly evil as the kid who wants to be part of the older gang, even if it means killing his own brother. But River stabs all-too-wildly in the dark.