Pete Vonder Haar

Casino Royale is quite possibly the best action movie of the year.

It’s funny, it’s smart, and it pokes fun at exactly the things it should (organized religion, big business, and audience itself).

It's the journey that offers the most enjoyment. Well, that and the beauty pageant climax, which I won't spoil here, but is one of the funniest scenes from film in recent memory.

Smartly edited, utterly engrossing, and as intelligent an examination of American race relations as I've seen.

What Flags of Our Fathers is not, however, is moving, evocative, or very unique.

As comic book movies go, Iron Man is a solid entry. Downey and company help drag Favreau out of the genre holes he digs, making for a decent experience.

A low-key, warm-without-being-schmaltzy childhood adventure story that will engage younger viewers without driving their parents too crazy.

Offers an unflinching look at the effects of a terminal diagnosis, not just on the victim, but on everyone around him.

Slow in places, but the feeling of foreboding you’ll take away from it is undeniable.

The more unpleasant aspects of the case are minimized in favor of telling the story and highlighting the effects of the case on these four men. It drags in spots, but even if Fincher hasn't hit it out of the park, Zodiac is easily a stand-up triple.

Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who was essentially handpicked by now-executive producer Danny Boyle, gives us a more depressing look at humanity while retaining several of his predecessor’s moves. This isn’t always a good thing, since Fresnadillo can’t seem to get his fill of low-light hyper-edited fight scenes or frenetic hand-held shots of people running, but when used right it adds to the sense of claustrophobia and impending doom.

Better than the first in some ways: the superfluous Agent Meyers is gone, Doug Jones is great as Abe, and Strauss is an amusing addition (if almost structurally identical to Kroenen).

It's impressive enough to look at, and the voice talent – especially Black and Hoffman - doesn't disappoint, but all the CGI wankery and high-end talent only barely allows Kung Fu Panda to rise above cliché.

In truth, there's not much point to reviewing Adam Sandler comedies. They're almost always widely panned, and yet still manage to earn well over $100 million domestically. Don’' Mess with the Zohan looks to continue both trends, even if exaggerated Yiddish accents and sex with the elderly only take one so far.

The primary weakness is in the story itself, which at times seems like mere background for the snappy banter and knowing glances.

Lowell hews so close to the reunion-film formula he ends up stifling anything new that may otherwise have resulted.

A bleak and powerful movie, made all the more sobering by how much of it isn't fiction.

Dreamgirls is a better musical than "Chicago" or "Rent," but then, that isn't really saying much.

Perhaps even more disturbing than the Dickensian in extremis ordeal of Svalka life — including her rational yet heartbreaking decision to give up her baby rather than raise it in the dump — is Yula's straightforward acceptance of her situation.

What makes The Dog so compelling isn't Wojtowicz's cinematic imprint but the place in history that was very likely denied him by chance and his own irascibility.

What sets Bier's film apart from similar fare are the consistently fine performances and powerful scenes of surprising ferocity.

Ferrara, best known as "Turtle" on HBO's Entourage, plays what is essentially a muted version of that character. Abeckaser is more believable, which is unsurprising, since the movie is loosely based on his own experiences.

Strong performances from Vera Farmiga and Hugh Dillon keep things from becoming overdramatic.

Younger children getting in on the ground floor of fantasy will enjoy the film.

Sicko Is flawed and occasionally stretches to make its point, but the movie's message speaks for itself.

Far from being a mere polemic, The Ground Truth is bolstered immeasurably by Foulkrod’s almost exclusive use of interviews with actual veterans.

It's worth a look, even taking into consideration the lack of zombies.

Even if it wasn't exactly historically accurate (the film is only "inspired by true events," after all), innocents are killed in the crossfire all the time when these kinds of missions are undertaken, and it's a cop-out for Spielberg to pretend otherwise.