Joe Holleman

And in spite of all that predictability, there is enough action, tension and Willis-like funny lines to earn this movie a passing grade. [2 Apr 1998, p.41]

In short, "Fallen" hits the halfway point, it goes down and can't get up. [16 Jan 1993, p.E3]

The Last Days manages to accomplish something even those other esteemed works do not: It melds meticulous historical accuracy and rare film footage with an achingly human spirit provided by five survivors. And all this is delivered in a fresh, concise manner. [12 Mar 1999, p.E3]

School Ties offers a moving and uncompromising look at religious intolerance, narrow-mindedness and hatred. And although this movie is set in a prep school, it has more in common with ''Gentlemen's Agreement'' than with ''Dead Poets Society.'' [19 Sept 1992, p.7D]

THE BODYGUARDS for the people who made The Bodyguard should be fired - because they should have thrown their clients to the ground and held them there until their desire to make this movie went away. [30 Nov 1992, p.3D]

It's not quite up to, or maybe down to, the level of the first two movies. But the movie rolls to a wildly funny climax at the Oscar presentations, where Drebin is mistaken for Phil Donahue. Surely, there are enough belly laughs and knee slaps to make this film worth your time. And stop calling me Shirley. [23 Mar 1994, p.6F]

A solid remake of Victor Hugo's classic about a man who steals a loaf of bread and the police inspector who hounds him for years because of it, with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush. Director Bille August's focus on the love-story angles blurs the epic messages about freedom, honor and justice. [07 Jun 1998, p.C6]

The real disappointment is that director Carroll Ballard delivers such powerful racing scenes and seascapes that you wish he could have done better on dry land. But you can't argue that Ballard doesn't deliver an original, often breathtaking, view of nature. [17 Sep 1992, p.4E]

With a deadly slow beginning and an unnecessary overload of special effects, this sequel is incredibly average, doubling the number of explosions and cinematic tricks, but cutting back on story, plot and characters. [24 May 2000, p.E4]

It is one thing to hit an audience over the head with a message, but Belly puts it in a big steel drum and drops it on you from a fourth-floor window. [04 Nov 1998, p.E3]

The movie would have been slightly better if the relationship had remained one of professional respect and personal friendship. But that would not have solved the problem with the movie's pace and suspense. Action-adventure movies should have, well, action and adventure. [12 Feb 1992, p.4F]

Even after all the problems are discussed, a de Palma thriller at less than full speed is as good or better than most directors can turn out with their foot to the floor. [11 Aug 1992, p.4D]

The story is inane, the characters generate little sympathy and director Howard Deutch never gets this movie up to a decent running speed. [22 Jun 1994, p.5F]

There is much to like about this film, good performances and writing, enough true laughs for the comedy label and enough true love to keep the romance fans happy. To top it all off, the soundtrack uses Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra at all the right moments. Try to leave this movie without humming one of the tunes on the way home. [29 July 1994, p.5F]

It breaks no new ground, offers no ingenious plot twist and makes no unique character insights. But who cares when the movie is so much fun. [02 June 1992, p.4D]

A superficial glimpse at the man who symbolizes some of the most heroic and shameful aspects of Western heritage. Depardieu is fine as the explorer, and Weaver, Armand Assante and Fernando Rey are solid in support. But the writing never surpasses average and the exchanges on the above-mentioned issues come off sounding like a junior-high debate class or, worse yet, 15-second sound bites from political candidates. [09 Oct 1992, p.3G]

Sure, the movie causes a few jumps. But they are the cinematic equivalent of having someone jump out from behind a door and yell boo. [23 July 1999, p.E1]

Pellington, an award-winning music video director, has a good eye for setting scenes, although the movie falls a few times into a choppy video clip-to-video clip rut. [26 Oct 1997, p.04E]

The dialogue is ridiculous, the plot is silly, and the acting is cartoonish. But I'll hand this to Italian horror director Lucio Fulci: He knows how to put on a show for those dead set on seeing a violent, gory, bloody, zombie-infested midnight-flick type of a movie. [03 Jul 1998, p.E3]

The rich performances from Foster and Gere and the steady direction from Jon Amiel ensure that love is all you need. [09 Feb 1993, p.4D]

Greene's wonderful dialogue, often oddly contradictory, adds to that tantalizing sense of imbalance. [5 Aug 1999, p.G3]

It's shocking that Grant wasn't even nominated for an Oscar. [1 March 2005, p.E01]

An entertaining and sometimes exceptional look at the short life of the man who singlehandedly brought about the boom of martial arts in this country. Starring Jason Scott Lee (no relation), "Dragon" covers Lee's life from his early days in Hong Kong to his final scene from "Enter The Dragon," Lee's only big-budget American movie. [12 May 1993, p.6F]