Marjorie Baumgarten

If this movie does anything to rally crowds against cinema's mass distribution of mediocrity then it has served a noble purse.

Despite this film's narrative lapses, Malick has a unique way of distilling the poetry from the commonplace -- and for that precious gift we should say amen.

What The Newton Boys lacks in dramatic definition, it more than compensates for with its underlying intelligence and visual luster.

Post-JCVD, we'll never again be able to think of Van Damme as just another kickboxer turned actor. Van Damme is an actor, pure and simple, and proves that he is just as deft and accomplished as the movies in which he appears.

Their Finest may ultimately be the best words to describe the amalgamated work of all participants in this film.

Love & Air Sex, with its text-message conversations and Facebook connections, is as of-the-moment as air sex.

So much of the credit must be laid at the feet of Ian McKellen, whose portrait of Whale is a study in acting excellence.

Too much is tossed into the ring and the last hour becomes a frantic swell of emotions and ideas, not all of which are exactly on point.

There’s more narrative happenstance loaded into the script of Blue Car than its running time should effectively allow, but the real keeper moments in Moncrieff’s movie are the small, quiet ones in which a simple glance speaks volumes.

The details are intriguing, but ultimately we learn little more about what's in their heads.

Capturing the nuances of quotidian life may not be everyone's cup of tea.

The battles between the imperious Hepburn and the presumed-mad Taylor are pure theatricality, while sensitive shrink Clift observes it all and emotes.

The information it presents is eye-opening for medical consumers and health professionals of any stripe. And the film incidentally makes a great case for health care reform.

Along the way, you’ll wonder if you’re watching a classic tragedy or a comedy.

Ultimately, Frost/Nixon may be stuck in time – but, oh, what a time it was.

A stroll with these characters is a refreshing break from from the usual film exercises.

The Wedding Banquet wins fans with its sunny disposition as it turns a contemporary story about a marriage of convenience into a deft bedroom farce and humanist drama.

The film is historical yet its characters are fictional. Well-captured is the controlled chaos of some of the political actions.

In an era in which too many of us automatically accept women's right to choose, Vera Drake reminds us that the time for complacency is not now.

A stylistic tour de force, one that wordlessly emotes and wears its emotions on its literal silk sleeves.

The situation is not too far removed from that of Jayson Blair and The New York Times. The corporate oversight in place to catch deceptions is lulled into becoming part of the deception. Mahowny wanders through this film as if waiting to get caught, forced into deeper gambling debt because no one applies any brakes.

As a complete work, Robot Stories is a solid collection.

Birbiglia’s acute perspective will pertain to almost any industry in which a few are chosen to advance and the vast majority are left to wonder, “Why not me?”

Raises fascinating question within a compelling narrative framework, and is also intriguing for the glimpse it provides into the inner workings of Orthodox Judaism.

As all his films have shown, Cuarón is clearly one of the most original filmmakers working today, and Children of Men should solidify his place at the top of those ranks. With a great script, there should be no stopping him.

The rush subsides, however, the minute the movie ends, and leaves the viewer with the faint aftertaste of a processed sugar high.

The Ghost Writer hasn’t the complexity or breadth of such stunners as "Chinatown" or "The Pianist," but it is nevertheless a solidly built little roundelay of intrigue with a veracity that seems torn from newspaper headlines.

With Eight Below, Marshall has created a family film that doesn't pander, preach, or poop out. That alone is a rare thing.