Loren King

Lesnick seems to be saying that lesbian characters on screen can also meet cute significant others, spar in a lite Woody Allen fashion, and have a happy, sappy Hollywood ending. But a sitcom is still a sitcom -- gay, Greek or otherwise.

The heartfelt truthfulness of Gardos' tale, and the performances of all leads, particularly Johansson, make the film a powerful account of the universal search for identity and the meaning of "home."

Meadows clearly has a flair for working with actors and for depicting the rough-and-tumble of ordinary provincial lives. If he could go just a bit deeper, the truly great Midlands movie just might surface.

A video game cum movie that substitutes shrieking decibel levels for a coherent plot and any resemblance to originality.

Many of the story lines offer only superficial insight into the characters; Silver's rich but unhappy mogul has been done far too many times.

Likable comedy about ordinary people stumbling badly and then triumphing.

A welcome family film that extols noble values and offers first-class animation.

There's nothing original about the father-son conflict that forms the core of the film, nor is there enough suspense and drama.

The movie moves predictably to its feel-good finale.

Mesmerizing and unforgettable.

An adequate horror movie for the Halloween season, but it too easily sinks into haunted-house-film conventions, even if the haunted house is decked out as an Italian luxury liner.

A welcome respite from verbal nastiness and sexual cynicism. It's nice to see characters who enjoy falling in love, even if it's to a schmaltzy light-soul score.

It's a refreshing theme for a kids' movie, one that incorporates history and urban flavor, not to mention a preservationists' perspective, into the usual mix.

With its welcome lessons on friendship and self-esteem, is not only appropriate for preschoolers, but it also has enough sophistication for older kids.

It makes the viewer wonder whether Circuit would have been stronger as a documentary instead of the well-intentioned, overlong, intermittently entertaining but flawed feature that it is.

Mix of stylish action and meta-musings, provides plenty of confusing, satisfying surprises, though it could have used more tightness and punch.

The script boasts some tart TV-insider humor, but the film has not a trace of humanity or empathy.

Cleverly mocks the modern chronicler, raising questions that linger long after the film is finished.

Mixes ''Jetsons''-style futuristic hijinks with a reliable story of a boy inadvertently whisked ''over the rainbow'' to another galaxy where his mettle is tested.

Hits the ground running and never lets up.

Despite its charms, and the refreshingly non-traditional characters, Lilo & Stitch seems diluted and too derivative to be as effective as one wants it to be.

Packaged fluff aimed low, and patronizingly, at Spears's legion of young female fans.

Offers something rare for a modern movie: an uncynical depiction of the redemptive power of human relationships.

Doesn't win any points for originality. It does succeed by following a feel-good formula with a winning style, and by offering its target audience of urban kids some welcome role models and optimism.

It wisely lets us hear Pinero's words for ourselves, and in the end, they echo louder than the images that accompany them.

Snappy but sappy romantic comedy.

One can hardly argue with the desire to make a wholesome movie for families that extols honesty and decency, but it all comes too easily, too superficially.

The film's crude humor and violence -- cartoonish, but still violent -- should offend parents of younger kids. Yet its ultra-broad, pratfall-filled comedy will satisfy only the most indiscriminate teens.