Frank Lovece

For all the casual terribleness it records, it is entertainment; the characters are real and fleshed-out, and we care about what happens to them.

Kristin Scott Thomas is the film's revelation. She takes center stage as a smart, fearless woman who's utterly irresistible.

A romantic comedy distinguished by the particular roadblocks writer/director Kevin Smith throws up in front of his characters.

While this is just as long as the first film, more convincing special effects help make time fly.

The character designs, however, are much less impressive. Except for the oddly naturalistic Sinclair, the rest look like cartoony characters from one of Disney's '60s films.

That rare, unfortunate thing, a total misfire of a movie.

From the opening lines to the epilogue (one of the film's few misfires), this taut first feature from TV producer and novelist Henry Bromell sustains a taut mood of unease and isolation, and the ensemble performances (TV starlet Campbell's included) have the qualities of the highest-caliber stage work.

Though the electric organ score is unnecessarily ominous in clearly comical scenes, this is a fascinating early interpretation of what has become a classic tale.

A lovely soundtrack by Irish balladeers the Saw Doctors can't make up for the rest of this belabored labor of love.

Penn's stark and unvarnished portrait of the challenged Sam makes even the hardest-to-swallow plot acceptable.

Essentially a feature-length episode of the popular Nickelodeon animated series, this faithful expansion is savvy enough to stay put.

The film ends with a return to the beach, and one of the most psychologically chilling and expertly photographed shots imaginable.

Some great things can found in this fluidly kinetic film, well-directed by X-Files series and movie veteran Rob Bowman, including no-nonsense dialogue, epic photography and a terrific score. It's too bad the story is so sloppy and stupid.

The funny lines fall flat and the relationships and conversations among adult characters are straight out of 1950s sitcoms. Now that's scary.

Bighearted and wistful, but with no fresh spin or anything new to say.

The combat visuals that follow are as powerful as those of any war film.

The ever-charismatic character actor George Coe stands out as a small-town jeweler grateful for a late-life affair.

Suffers from wishy-washiness.

The real trouble is Jack: He's narcissistic and tough to like (Pontevecchio's fine, but a younger actor might not have brought an impression of arrested development to the character), and his crude sense of humor borders on the disgusting.

Serenely stunning.

Overblown, ridiculously contrived drive-in flick.

No matter your age, this is one great AGE to be at.

A massive, sweaty, frequently silly epic that nevertheless delivers enough brute pleasure to pass a rainy afternoon.

Formulaic but not entirely predictable, it's like old-school Disney, but without Tim Conway.

Some brilliant human moments do emerge, and there's nothing wrong with a reminder to live life in harmony, and not to beat yourself up.

Happily, a feeling of genuine comradeship among these athletes shines through, and their irreverent, go-for-broke comments are a jolt of fun compared to the usual canned epigrams from pampered sports multimillionaires.

Collapsed into the black hole of its own mythology.

The effect is one of gorgeous puppets, a removed perspective that makes some of the most powerful political and social events in history seem like the sad, desperate flailing of monkeys.