Elizabeth Weitzman

As is, the film is more likely to impress the choir than change many minds.

A small but important film about small but important lives, the latest drama from Shane Meadows further confirms that more people should know about this gifted director.

Watching Tuba's proud girls disappear into anonymous clouds of chadors says more than any political diatribe could, and Bani-Etemad is wise enough to know it.

If you've had a hole in your heart since "Everybody Loves Raymond" ended, Tom Caltabiano's low-key documentary about star Ray Romano ought to fill the gap nicely.

The movie wouldn’t stand for much of anything without such an effective team to represent the equivocating.

Why would you watch a bad movie about better movies, when you could just rent the originals instead?

There can never be too many stories of human grace and perseverance like those of Nova, or Nate, or Adam, all teens who've been encouraged to channel their resentments and desires into art.

Younger kids looking for the cute connection between hesitant teen Hiccup and his loyal dragon, Toothless, may be stunned by the film’s violent tone. At the same time, it’s the unflinching edge that gives the film its unexpected depth.

It's hard not to wonder if Press might have offered a similarly impactful portrait in a more concise manner.

This isn't a family -- or a film -- you'll ­easily forget.

The notable lack of chemistry between Cruz and Homar is a crucial absence in a film about all-consuming romance. And though each part is great fun to watch, the whole feels unfinished.

Directors Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern focus primarily on the casting process for the 2006 revival, parading so many personalities past us that we don't really get to know anyone. Bypassing the original for the recreation? That ain't it, kid.

Newcomers may be disappointed by such a slender effort, but fans of revered Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami will find plenty to appreciate in his observant followup to 2010’s acclaimed “Certified Copy.”

The real romance here is between the filmmakers and the cultural moment they hope to document. From that perspective, it's a welcome - if not quite award-worthy - valentine.

Assayas may have been inspired by biographical memories, but “Air” is so sensitively observed that it simultaneously evokes a universal, and eternal, state of adolescence as well.

To see an expensive, big-studio movie freed from creative constraints and directorial cynicism is always a rare and wondrous experience. In a season of bloated indulgence, it’s also fair to call it a marvel.

Deftly weaving double plotlines, gorgeous camera work, and deep compassion, Miike contrasts ritualistic "honor" with the truly honorable, as poor but noble squires face off against powerful lords cushioned by tradition and pride.

If the end result is less a comprehensive biography than a long overdue and entirely deserved tribute, it is, nevertheless, truly terrific.

Sets out to be a social critique but settles for smug disdain.

Much is left undeveloped, from Jane's ghostly anxieties to Rochester's evolving complexity. Wasikowska and Fassbender lack chemistry, and the latter never finds his character's depth.

Even if we can't live his cowboy life, Buck Brannaman's world is well worth visiting.

Soderbergh does his best with limited time, but his biggest success may be in pushing viewers home, to watch Gray's films in full.

Though he doesn't break any new documentary ground, Lee knows how to shoot his subjects. Their stories are moving, and their moves are thrilling.

Lovell’s intimate connection to the subject forms the basis of the film’s power, which rests on a palpable pride in sisterhood.

Both Kai and Lasker-Wallfisch’s daughter, Maya, encourage the reluctant Hans Jürgen, now a frail 87-year-old man, to confront his family’s complicity. As they push and he resists, the process is unsettling and unsatisfying for everyone. But somehow it unfolds that Anita, an extraordinary character and the film’s true heart, sees Hans Jürgen most clearly.

Yektapanah's stripped-down methods --remote setting, a cast of locals, the sparest of scripts -- are used so effectively, it quickly becomes clear that he's most concerned with the similarities rather than the differences between people.

As stripped down as its title, this gentle Argentinian road movie makes much out of very little.

Although this single-minded existence will fascinate and inspire devotees, anyone new to the details of her life is likely to be left wanting more. Even so, all will be moved by the honest approach Dion and Taylor take towards her illness.