Elizabeth Weitzman

Stokes recorded every story she possibly could, from 1977 to 2012. By then, it had become a lot easier to chronicle both the minutiae and the magnitude of life in the 21st century. But has that been an improvement? Wolf leaves it to his audience to decide, after gently pushing us past any instinctual answers.

Bergman and his gifted cast do an excellent job portraying the wounded, but still vital, connections that help these people heal even as they fervently believe it's time to give up.

Thomas does an excellent job exploring the incendiary environment that shaped the band in the late 1960s. His primary interest, however, is simply to express and explain the thrill the MC5 still inspires.

The cast is splendid, the script quick-witted and the action satisfying.

While "Twilight" will make more money and get more attention, the darkly comic Cirque du Freak boasts the shaggy charm of the natural underdog.

Selim's script doesn't hit new territory, but beautiful cinematography takes it just far enough.

The way in which tradition and progress convenes amid such challenging circumstances becomes Meirelles’ tribute to his subjects. The fact that we fully believe in this apparent impossibility feels like his gift to us.

As for that unpolished screenplay, the less said the better.

While Kim is unable to keep us riveted on her near-silent performance, the script and direction have a gentle sensitivity.

When these two powerhouse performers come together, a rather predictable tale ignites with surprising force.

If you're in the mood for fairy tales, you've come to the right place.

If this sounds like a typical date movie, worry not. It's very much an Apatow production-though the crasser additions, like his already-notorious food poisoning scene, feel painfully forced.

Though the Chinese government won't be too happy about it, everyone else ought to be deeply moved by the tragedies Peosay records.

Directed tastefully by Ralph Fiennes, The Invisible Woman is very lovely to look at. But it lives up to its own title too well.

Segel and Nicholas Stoller, who made "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" together, wrote the screenplay for The Muppets with obvious intent: to return these icons to their former glory.

Bursting with so much amped-up energy, you may need to rest once it's finally done.

A suddenly vital biography, Make It Funky, pays apt homage to the unique gifts New ­Orleans has given its country over the last century. Watching it ought to inspire anyone to return the favor.

While Enchanted wittily updates traditional tales, it is, in the end, as carefully calculated in its appeal as any movie ever was.

From folk festivals to political rallies, Masud never overlooks the cultural and emotional elements of a country at a crossroads.

Perfectly modulated in its tone and performances, Lawless Heart is content to be a small, quiet film. We could use a few more like it.

To maximize your entertainment budget, look no further.

Kaurismaki's characteristically minimalist humor and wry empathy make brief appearances, but be warned: His Helsinki is a cold, dark place unfit for all but the hardiest visitors.

The whole movie is a blast, thanks to a whip-smart script clearly written for kids and grownups alike.

Naive or wicked, idealist or egomaniac: Nothing in Ralph Nader's character is agreed upon by everyone in this fascinating biography - with one exception. And the title says it all.

So be forewarned: What admirers will consider measured may read, to the unimpressed, as merely slow-moving.

This seemingly ordinary biographical documentary about the retiring animation master unfolds, at a deceptively gentle pace, into a work of immense beauty.

Corporate inhumanity Berlinger ferociously exposes.

Every adult who owes a debt of gratitude to American soldiers should see Kirby Dick's heartbreaking documentary about sexual violence in the military.

The story is compelling, but Metropolis is such a visual masterpiece, it's easy to get lost within its seemingly endless layers of graphic complexity.

A compelling account of an ordinary guy who transformed himself through extraordinary circumstance.

At heart, Middle of Nowhere offers material we've seen many times before. But between her perceptive direction and Corinealdi's layered performance, this modest, micro-budgeted story has been beautifully packaged.

Clever, slightly edgy fun.

Does great justice to an extraordinary astronaut and reluctant icon, but also repeats the error made so often by media of Ride's era, in centering other people’s perspectives over her own.

The performances are impeccable, and the film’s structural elements are deftly handled across the board.

Both lovely and wrenching, So Yong Kim's intimate drama feels so honest, it's often difficult to watch.

Fans of Andrew Bujalski's previous mumblecore movies are the likeliest audience for his latest, a modest, slice-of-life indie that doesn't quite live up to his ­earlier efforts.

The result is artistically uneven in structure but emotionally powerful throughout.

Intensely compelling documentary.

Both public tribute and private therapy session, Baadasssss! should have been a self-conscious disaster. By confronting his past with wit and style, Van Peebles has instead created a meta-cool history lesson and homage.

Winterbottom informs us that, though fictional, his story represents thousands of real lives, and there is a hardly a false note, which makes this both a difficult and exceedingly memorable film to watch.

It's Barkin, though, who holds everything together, even as her character is falling apart. Whether or not she took this role as a favor - Levinson's father, Barry, directed her in "Diner" decades ago - ultimately seems irrelevant. This isn't an invitation you should feel obliged to accept. But if you decide to stop by, she'll be the reason you stay.

Bonneville does provide at least one important service: The next time an older actress complains that there are no good projects for women of a certain age, she'll be able to hold this clunker up as Exhibit A.

What’s crucially missing, however, is a hissable villain. Nor are there any memorable tunes, which is too bad given that Broadway star Menzel is playing Elsa.

The Good Liar really wants to be either a thriller or a caper. Unfortunately, it has neither the excitement necessary for the former nor the fun required of the latter.

While Shelly's stylized vision and sentimental intentions don't always gel, they do result in a warm, often charming fantasy.

We already know Kristen Wiig can act. So the real revelation in The Skeleton Twins is Bill Hader, who turns in a performance so overflowing with poignancy that he deserves to be considered on any early awards list.

Such dark doings won't be for everyone, but fans of similarly dry Nordic fare -- like the works of Aki Kaurismaki -- will be happy to have found it.

Though we wander a bit, the trip is a delight, thanks to the witty company.

It's all compelling, in the way reading trashy gossip usually is. But without any new perspectives, what's the point?

Sokolinski, a French pop singer better known at home as Soko, is fully in tune with Winocour’s sharp vision. Her intense, almost accusatory turn feels like the opposing image of Keira Knightley’s intellectual neurosis in 2011’s similarly themed “A Dangerous Method.” Where that film found some lightness within the dark, this one drags an historic darkness into the light.

Burton's extraordinary powers of imagination are in dazzling bloom, from the gorgeous stop-motion animation to the goofy, homemade horror movies the children direct.

Suleiman isn't much for words, but when he's ready for action, there's no hiding his anger.

For those who've become increasingly conscious of the connections between strangers sharing a city, it's a challenge that's hard to resist.

Exhilarating.

Surely an Oscar-nominated filmmaker like Atom Egoyan (“The Sweet Hereafter”) can do better than this nasty and unconvincing thriller.

Though predictable and a bit of a soap opera, Ferzan Ozpetek's Italian drama is saved by the tremendous appeal of its stars, Margherita Buy and Stefano Accorsi.

If you're the type who unwinds by watching "The Wire" or "Law & Order: SVU," you might appreciate this grim procedural drama from French actress Maïwenn. There's no denying its power: It took home the Jury Prize at Cannes last year. But for most, Polisse will be tough going.

It doesn't dip much below the surface, but Tamra Davis' biography of her friend Jean-Michel Basquiat, who died in 1988, offers an informative introduction to one of contemporary art's most complex figures.

If you’re only a casual observer of Bergman, you’ll find this documentary as inaccessible as his densest works.

When was the last time you had your mind blown by a movie? Because when Inception ends and the lights come up, you'll be sitting in your seat, staring at the screen, wondering what the hell just happened.

While it's a geek's paradise from scene one, newcomers are likely to feel left out until they get their bearings. Fortunately, Whedon's characteristic humanity, coupled with the slyest sense of humor in Hollywood, greatly eases the transition.

Better to stick with his slightly weird, ultra-focused nerds, who toil away on something strange and special, simply for the beauty of it.

This time around, the cult director dispenses with the feminism, the satire, and even the issues, so he can concentrate on his true passion: the dissecting.

There's little to enjoy in this unsettling tale, but Doillan's unblinking depiction of manipulation and desperation stays with you long after the characters make the deals that seal their unjust fates.

There’s so much more to this story — as any number of articles about the people he wronged attest — but this time, Gibney never really gets in gear.

Unfortunately, the stylistic repetition and intensely one-sided viewpoint only undermine his (Suleiman) goal.

Incredibly enough, it seems many people still believe that bullying is just a matter of "kids being kids." Until that attitude changes, this film should be considered required viewing for every parent, teacher and teenager in America.

As a traditional period biopic, it checks all the boxes in fine fashion. But you’d never know it was inspired by a woman whose life was expansive and contradictory and unwieldy in the extreme.

“Becoming Cousteau” could have used a little more focus on his earthly experiences.

It’s no easy task to find a fresh way to approach a familiar face, but D’Apolito does a wonderful job ushering us through the highs and lows of Gilda Radner’s life.

Unfortunately, Färberböck never gives us reason enough to sit through such unremitting punishment. Though the story is based in truth, an emotionally removed Hoss feels more like a symbol than an actual person, while her detached narration keeps us at further remove.

It has the most beautiful ending of any American film in years, a coda of reconciliation and remembrance set in a gentle L.A. rain.

This would be tricky territory for the most experienced director, but I can't remember the last time I saw organized religion handled in such an even-handed, thoughtful manner.

Many witnesses offer emotional recollections of the ensuing riots, but equally powerful moments come courtesy of old footage, in which anti-gay "experts" expound with a confident ignorance that sounds chillingly familiar even today.

Plimpton recorded many of these adventures in books that are well worth seeking out. But if you don’t have enough time to do so, Bean and Poling have assembled a delightful cheat sheet.

It's a transformation as wrenching to watch as it is vital to remember.

Must be the smartest -- and most disturbing -- movie about parenthood in ages.

The story is never less than gripping, but the most important questions disappear into that unbearably bleak abyss.

Csupo needed two very gifted leads to do this beloved story justice, and found them in AnnaSophia Robb and Josh Hutcherson.

Genuinely touching and unquestionably sincere, the movie certainly has heart - but it could have used a little more game.

There is indeed much beauty on display, from the icy Taiga landscape to the age-old trapping techniques passed on through generations. But this does feel like a lesser Herzog project (he joined on after it was shot). For viewers who don't share his awe, a short film probably would have sufficed.

As for that title, neither character is Italian, but each thinks the other is - a weak device designed purely to inspire a slew of stereotypes.

Although Kutcher deserves some ­credit for trying to spread his professional wings, it quickly becomes clear that he's in over his head.

You may want to wait and watch "Never Land" the way it was meant to be seen -- as a straight-to-video baby-sitter.

Both Rossi and Charlotte Rampling, as the mother of another young patient, do fine work. But the only surprises come at the end, too late to move us the way they should.

Richman's no-nonsense approach, which relies heavily on interviews with the eloquent, 98-year-old Gruber, feels more suited to a televised biography.

Too many heartwarming comedies, especially those with mature leads, eventually expose themselves as cynical contrivances. The same could be said for some of the based-in-truth dramas that have started to feel inexorably churned out. In its affable sincerity, The Duke is both their opposite and their antidote, a feel-good entertainment for feel-bad times.

This is powerful stuff, offering us not only a new look at the past, but to the unavoidably relevant insights into the present.

A lazy attempt to snare some preadolescent allowance money, Sleepover earns little more than a few bored yawns.

Big Hero 6 was executive produced by Pixar guru John Lasseter. You can see the influence in the high quality, from the appealing 3D animation to the unusually sharp story and script (a cooperative effort credited to seven people).

There are too many familiar faces in this story, from kindhearted whores to street-urchin bullies. But even if circumstances edge toward the unlikely, Kravchuk and Spiridonov make an effective team, exploring the realities that lead to so much heartbreak for so many children.

Director Ryan Murphy achieved a major casting coup in landing Julia Roberts to play Gilbert - or Liz, as she's called here. As it turns out, though, a lesser star may have been a better choice.

Every moment feels human and true, from the naive optimism of the trip's sendoff to its unsparingly realistic conclusion, which trades reckless hope for quiet honor.

Everyone involved, from Marla's defensive parents to the cynical journalists who promoted and then turned on her, seems to have some sort of agenda.

Director James Gray is best known for hard-edged dramas like "Little Odessa," so it's surprising to find he has such a well-developed romantic side. This isn't your average date-night flick, though.

Everything you might want in a road movie: an off-the-cuff sense of adventure, a winningly scruffy charm and a whip-smart sense of humor.

Hard to watch but important to see.

A neat little almost-thriller, this witty French diversion manages to mess with your head with little apparent effort.