Lawrence Van Gelder

Mr. Morel's predilection for murky, nearly pitch-black cinematography and spare, elliptical dialogue indicates his debt to filmmakers like François Ozon and Claire Denis, but Three Dancing Slaves lacks the psychological precision of Mr. Ozon's or Ms. Denis's work.

The card announcing the film's G rating was roundly booed by the youngsters though at almost every sight of the dog they screamed with mouth-filled delight.

Though it generates its share of unintentional giggles, Desert Wind does manage to take us to a seldom-visited place: the hidden corners of the straight male mind.

Lovingly shot on location in the Italian neighborhoods of Providence, this comfortably predictable film has its pleasures, most notably a dryly funny Adrienne Barbeau as the brothers' hip, hard-drinking Aunt Lidia.

This sweet-natured but plodding adaptation of a young-adult novel by Carl Hiaasen could have used a little less broad satire of corporate greed and a few more, well, owls.

American Chai may not tell a new story, but in its understanding, often funny way, it tells a story whose restatement is validated by the changing composition of the nation.

The buoyancy is only intermittent.

Too much soap opera colors its love story, and the industrial- strength dancing by booted men that is its centerpiece falls short of exhilaration.

The offending videotape is never seen, but the entire film is built around its absence. Periodically, the film returns to a written police account of the video, which scrolls up the screen, documenting the animal's suffering blow by blow to the sound of ominous music.

Slight but bright and charming.

It is the absence of genuine comedy that exposes glaringly the film's fundamental attitude of condescension and scorn toward blacks and women, and a tendency toward stereotyping that clashes violently with its superficial message of tolerance, compassion and fair play.

A mere slip of a movie, a wan character study of people who add up to little more than a series of studied quirks.

Turns out to be a pretentiously righteous drama that drowns any claim to serious attention in a sea of superficial characters.

The team that gave the world "Dumb and Dumber" returns with something feeble and feebler.

For juvenile filmgoers and families in search of a more-than-twice-told tale with uplifting messages about the rewards of perseverance, the virtues of animals and acceptance of the handicapped, MVP will do.

Sometimes even a talented lineup produces unexceptional results.

That "The Keeper" was made by a novice is evident in the visible seams between the present-day narrative and the flashbacks; the whole thing plays like a loopy amalgam of stilted costume picture and after-school special.

The medium is more palatable than the saccharine message because Hopkins and Gooding know how to put on a show.

When it comes to an ending, Drive Me Crazy offers no surprises, but it arrives there in amiable, sensible style.

J.D.'s Revenge crosses the line from a stupid movie to a potentially harmful one.

Ridiculous without being awful enough to be hilarious.

Leave It to Beaver is the sort of movie that could be described as good clean fun if it happened to be good or fun.

Easy to like and difficult to admire.

Most of the principal female characters are either sexually voracious, sexually promiscuous, pregnant out of wedlock or angrily bent on revenge.

Serious, competent and unsurprising debut film.

This clunky juvenile comedy lurches among multiple story lines without fully realizing the comic potential of any.

Warm of heart, modest in polish, Amy provides satisfactions that must be balanced against its flaws.

A superior Seagal film, a smooth blend of action, character and noble environmental message. Credit is owed to the screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Philip Morton, which provides strong supporting roles; the photography, directed by Tom Houghton, which brings out the beauty of the landscape violated by the villains, and the lively country music, which is attributed to Nick Glennie-Smith. [6 Sept 1997, p.18]