Jonathan Foreman

It's only when you're leaving the theater that her spell wears off and you realize just how bad the movie, directed by Andy Tennant, really is.

Before the slightly surreal (self-consciously so) climax, there are some fine set pieces, including a disastrous dinner party that amply showcases Rivette's wonderfully light directorial touch.

A visually stunning film.

Intelligent, moving and often beautifully photographed, Aberdeen boasts superb performances.

A clever, funny, extended joke about ruthless directors, method actors and the power of the cinema.

Never much more than hagiography that lets the context of its hero's death remain confused.

Ghobadi (himself an Iranian Kurd) takes some gorgeous shots against the snow, but his storytelling is uneven and often slow.

Transcends ironic grunge-glamour and achieves a beguiling combination of dark comedy and genuine sweetness.

Boasts some genuinely intelligent and funny sequences and some nicely painful scenes of domestic tension - as well as surprisingly strong performances from actors like Neve Campbell and Donald Sutherland.

May well be the first film ever to show people having sex while wearing gas masks.

It's hard to remember a film that mixes disparate, delicate ingredients with the subtlety and virtuosity of Sofia Coppola's brilliant The Virgin Suicides.

A languid but refreshingly real depiction of female adolescence.

What makes 8 Mile transcend the formulaic nature of its plot is the way it makes these rap competitions compelling even for those unfamiliar with rap music, and its scrupulous, loving rendition of a grim, wintry Detroit circa 1995.

Though On the Run is a welcome reminder that effective thrillers don't have to be noisy or dumb, the film does contain slightly jarring moments of inadvertent humor.

So daring and unsparing in its depiction of the psyche and experience of adolescent girls that it's hard to imagine an audience that wouldn't find it deeply provocative despite a slow pace.

The most enjoyable western comedy since "Blazing Saddles."

The filmmakers' smug Bay Area bigotry is all too obvious in gratuitous, mocking swipes at Heidi's Southern background.

Partly a schmaltzy, by-the-numbers romantic comedy, partly a shallow rumination on the emptiness of success -- and entirely soulless.

Sheer delight. An ensemble comedy-drama that recalls Robert Altman's best work.

Hard-core chick shlock, weakened by odd shifts in tone and a slack pace, but elevated by a luminous performance by Natalie Portman.

In fact, for long stretches, especially during the first hour, it's as soporific as watching a bank of security cameras.

Bleak, demanding stuff, and its hand-held documentary-style photography is harder on the stomach than "The Blair Witch Project."

Unfortunately, you are often distractingly aware that you are watching re-enactments of real events.

Agonizingly slow-moving and talky, it consists primarily of conversations between two men in a truck.

Almost too creepy to be poignant, and generally funny only in an uncomfortable, squirm-in-your seat way.

This film of mistaken identity, murder, class envy and (bi)sexual tension doesn't live up to its own promise.

It's actually the surprisingly compelling plot and the often hilarious dialogue that keep you watching this tale of passion and murder in a Samurai militia unit - not the beautiful scenery or the elegant color palette.

Vastly superior to the small and independent films that have come out during the last six months.