Howard Cohen

The technically well-made movie simply can't replicate the live experience of a Cirque show, and at just over 90 minutes, Worlds Away still feels long.

Great messages, of course. But Glee: 3D is not good enough, it's not smart enough, and doggone it, well, you get the gist.

Beastly, for all its potential pitfalls, works better than it has any right to. Credit Barnz, who keeps his young characters contemporary in a world of text messaging and status updates and yet also gives them depth.

Big Bad Mama, essentially a sexier, campier knockoff of 1967's Bonnie and Clyde, finds Dickinson and her comely daughters committing armed robbery in 1930s Texas, and ranks among Corman's best films. [27 Jan 2006, p.24]

If the other theme-park movies are as appealing, go ahead, bring 'em on.

Unlike many child-driven movies, Shyamalan trusts in the ability of a young audience to handle serious questions. There's also room for some truly funny moments, and a fine performance from Rosie O'Donnell as one of the nuns at Joshua's school. [03 Apr 1998, p.9G]

Swami says, “Steer clear of The Guru, a dismally dumb sex comedy, lest you waste $9 and 90 minutes of your life you will never get back.''

Quibbles aside, Babe: Pig in the City recaptures the verbal wit and plentiful heart that made the first film so special. [25 Nov 1998, p.2E]

Amped to the max, with firepower and fisticuffs flying, this is Bond as we have come to know him in the post-Roger Moore years: bigger, badder, better.

From its explosive opening sequence at a terrorist arms bazaar on the Russian border to a knockout climax on a stealth ship on the South China seas, Tomorrow Never Dies delivers what 007 aficionados demand: dynamite action, sharp one-liners and edgy style. [19 Dec 1997, p.4G]

The kind of uplifting film families can enjoy without any reservations.

Amiable, sporadically amusing farce.

It's so rare to be swept away by a presentation of this magnitude. By all means, go.

If you haven't caught Lightning on PBS already, find a theater with a good sound system, sit back and be grateful the music endures.

Camp classic? You bet.

Social concerns aside, Mighty Joe Young is a Disney film at heart, and director Ron Underwood keeps the emphasis on crisp action sequences, setting up a thrilling chase down Hollywood Boulevard and a finish at the park that is almost guaranteed to turn eyes misty. [25 Dec 1998, p.11G]

Shakur and Belushi are badly mismatched. Shakur -- he of the expressive, soulful eyes and vulnerable heart -- was evolving toward greatness on film. Belushi, though, is completely one-dimensional. [8 Oct 1997, p.1C]

You can't beat a Bond film for adventure on a grand scale.

If anyone tries to tell you how this one ends, blast 'em with a phaser. Set on stun, of course.

Quibbles aside, Ultimate X zips by speedily and is rad fun for sports fans and sedentary folks alike.

Out to Sea is upbeat light fare, good for at least a few laughs. [02 July 1997, p.5D]

So impressive you welcome each and every one for the film's 48 minute duration.