Peter Hartlaub

Along with the awkward romantic exchanges that always seem to find their way into Smith's movies, there's also a sweetness that you don't often see in films that average multiple f-words per minute.

If you're no longer old enough to carry a Hannah Montana lunch box, this movie will feel like punishment.

A few amusing moments mixed in with the painful ones.

Assuming you can appreciate the high level of gore and assorted sadistic weirdness, the action is satisfying.

A strange film, because it seems designed specifically for extremely old moviegoers to see with their great-great-grandchildren.

A welcome throwback to family-friendly PG moviemaking.

The movie plays more like a WB network teen drama than something audiences should be expected to pay to see.

May not be a very enjoyable movie, but at least the badness is in good taste.

Peralta uses the creative liberties of fiction to focus on the one thing he couldn't convey in his historical record -- the sense of tribalism among skateboarders, who live by a code that most law-abiding citizens misunderstand for hooliganism.

Despite a decent cast of mostly British voice actors and better-than-average computer animation, the movie seems rushed at 76 minutes and is only marginally funny.

Sporadic on-field violence is only a tiny reason that Gracie disappoints, but it's indicative of the film's greater problem. Producers Elisabeth and Andrew Shue seem so intent on creating a hero out of the main character and villains out of almost everyone else, that they've completely distorted reality.

Helm gets huge bonus points for noticing everything that's annoying about modern children's films and including none of those things in his movie.

A great piece of filmmaking and a legitimate science-fiction/horror classic.

Comic gold for anyone who is currently stoned, has been stoned in the past or spends a lot of time around stoned people.

Taking your very small child to this movie is only a slightly better idea than a trip to "The Final Destination." With that warning out of the way, this action adventure is a big treat for more mature animation and science-fiction fans and a triumph for the young director.

Less a story than a series of complicated slapstick bits.

Eragon may not be a big Oscar contender, but in a movie season filled with blood diamonds, fascist soldiers and Idi Amin, it provides a much-needed afternoon of PG-rated family-friendly adventure.

The result is a warm and extremely thoughtful journey, with a deliberately bare-bones narrative.

This is the "Godfather II" of tasteless prank films.

Hannibal Rising isn't a classic, but it's entertaining and a surprisingly fitting addition to the franchise.

A documentary that is often told in adages, riddles and poetry.

Entertaining and compelling.

Devoid of thrills, and with nothing even vaguely frightening to distract moviegoers, it becomes clear that the story wasn't worth telling in the first place.

Berlin is still a subject very much worth exploring on film, and his observations as an aged man are even more fascinating than the statements he made as an artist in his prime.

As the film meanders, the powerful moments barely outnumber the ridiculous. And another excellent performance from McAdams isn't quite good enough to mask the distractions.

Piles cliched character upon cliched character, and then doesn't give any of them very much to do.

Presents an almost fawning portrait of the doctor-turned-surfer.

The visual style and lethargic pace can be frustrating -- at least if you're sober -- but the animated tragedy is still a success.

Isn't quite as boring as it sounds, thanks to writer/director Steve Conrad's strong script and decent performances by John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott.

It's a weighty and visually interesting movie that unfortunately doesn't have a strong message beyond its overwhelming bleakness.

The result is a well-intentioned mess -- a dishonest fantasy that begins with promise and gets more frustrating with every scene.

This film is too scary for very young children, while older fans are likely to focus on the film not faring well in comparison to the elder Miyazaki's recent work.

Well-scripted, well-acted and occasionally sexy, but just isn't all that interesting.

Gridiron Gang gives you a lot more to think about during the ride home.

If Stanley Kubrick filmed an orgy like the one in this film, "Eyes Wide Shut" might have been halfway tolerable.

At best a little boring and at worst stomach-churningly offensive.

It's a movie packed with so many idiot characters that Rob Schneider is cast as the cool guy -- and sort of pulls it off.

Filmgoers looking for copious amounts of mindless violence won't be disappointed.

Legend of the Guardians sounds as if it were scripted by a team of 11-year-old boys, with too much plot for its 91-minute running time, a script that steals liberally from "Star Wars" and some occasionally eye-roll-worthy weirdness.

A return to rowdy form for Chappelle.

Isn't a terrible addition to the teen coming-of-age party movie catalog. It just feels dated.

A lot more enjoyable if you can leave your cognitive skills at the door.

Props to the Weinstein Brothers for having the guts to release a slasher film on Christmas Day. Too bad this one is the cinematic equivalent of tryptophan.

At its best, the movie is a collection of entertaining memories from a group of gutsy women.

Even more ridiculous than it sounds.

The movie is an enjoyable but flawed attempt at an epic story, with too much of the best action concentrated in the beginning.

Lottery Ticket is likable, and that goes a long way.

The performances are the best part of this uneven film.

Deserves plenty of credit for exploring racial issues story in more realistic terms.

Succeeds as both education and amusement.

Connoisseurs of straight-to-video mayhem will revel in the latest chapter of the "Universal Soldier" franchise, which manages to strike that delicate balance between over-the-top ridiculousness and well-crafted filmmaking. [28 Feb 2010, p.Q28]

Frenetically paced but mostly pointless computer-animated film that will satisfy children but may give parents a headache.

Clumsily directed yet entertainingly written by Oakland native Nnegest Likké, Phat Girlz is like "Rocky" with cellulite. Or maybe "Pretty Woman" without all the bony butts. It has a lot of heart and soul, but it's almost never mean-spirited.

Basically torture porn.

Nowhere near as bad as "Coneheads," but still isn't worth your time.

Very imaginative and can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.

If there was ever a human being who needed a visit from the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, this is the guy.

The makers of Into the Blue know what the audience wants. And they deliver a little bit more.

The remake is a solidly crafted movie with a lot of good scares, but it also raises the question: Why even bother with an update?

A throwback to all those guilty pleasure action movies.

Has all kinds of good intentions, but the comedy is too broad and the pacing is clumsy. And then there's the Andy Griffith sex scene.

At times hilarious and occasionally very sad, it's a cautionary tale about the lure of instant fame.

This is the animated children's film equivalent of "Another 48 Hours."

Not a spectacular movie, but the action scenes are well shot, there's no shortage of R-rated gore and the plot moves along quickly enough to mask the fact that the whole endeavor is completely ridiculous.

A film to be enjoyed only by science-fiction movie completists and middle school boys with extreme cases of attention deficit disorder.

How can this movie not be fun?

May not be a classic, but it still has a lot of class.

The writing is funny during individual moments, but the cumulative result is a bit depressing, with a surprising amount of negativity.

Kind of a bore.

It's just too bad that almost nothing in the movie seems original. The "Thriller" video may have featured hokey dancing zombies, but at least someone was making an effort.

As cluttered as the movie gets before the ending, it's funny throughout, with some 1970s and '80s music thrown in to keep adults happy.

While the songs are recycled, Across the Universe stands out just by existing.

The talented fantasy filmmaker and heir to the "Lord of the Rings" throne gets the tone right throughout Hellboy 2, and the hip retro charm alone is enough to merit recommendation.

Won't make anyone forget "The Shining," but it's a nice throwback to the days when scary movies featured pretty good actors, a plot that holds together and a couple of creepy-looking ghost kids.

Children of Men is Cuarón's run for freedom, with a riveting story, fantastic action scenes and acting so universally solid that even the dogs perform masterfully under his direction.

An enjoyable way to start the Oscar season.

Funny and honest.

The result is a comedy that's low budget in all the right ways - so hilarious, testosterone-charged and yet cringe-inducing to watch that the result is almost exhausting.

Will satisfy its young fan base and is bound to make a ton of money. At this point, though, the series is no longer an artistic pursuit; it's a business deal.

A movie that features a cartoon rodent eating his brother's feces, and do you really need to know more about this update of Ross Bagdasarian's iconic musical creation?

It's a hilarious comedy made even more successful because so much of the satire seems fresh.

Occasionally thoughtful and very entertaining.

Feels a bit too much like six hours of movie packed into 113 minutes - imagine if New Line had made Peter Jackson cram the entirety of "Lord of the Rings" into one film.

It's a movie that scrounges so desperately for laughs, it features both a flatulent moose and a flatulent train.

Has maybe a half-dozen moderately frightening scenes.

The multiple-story-line family drama is too cliche-ridden to be considered a great movie. But it's still a very good one, filled with excellent performances, entertaining writing and a final few scenes that are quite moving - even if you can see most of them coming at the end of the first act.

It's hard to deny that the first two-thirds of G.I. Joe is an enjoyable film, especially when graded on the curve of lowered expectations. Compared to other big-budget movies out this summer, it's pretty mediocre.

The movie appears to be a contrived, poorly produced attempt to sell more of the author's books.

The entertaining new film from Sony Pictures Animation is a nice surprise, and the rare mainstream American kid film.

The movie is not as good as his recent low-budget effort, "Diary of the Dead," but there are enough moments of satire and coolness - two Romero hallmarks - to merit recommendation.

Unpolished but entertaining.

Humorless, confusing and not very fun to watch.

Looks fantastic, but the film suffers from the TV-to-feature transition.

A well-intentioned horror film that is weighted down by stellar cast members who for the most part act as if they don't want to be there.

In style and tone, Igor seems more like a short from the adult-oriented "Spike & Mike's Festival of Animation."

Fans of this film will some day wear out their DVDs and Blu-rays playing that fantastic battle scene again and again.

Who wants to spend a minute on the Strip with the chance that there might be people as annoying as the characters played by Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher walking around?

As challenging as it must have been to pilot Joss Whedon's space opera from the TV junk pile to the big screen, the finished product is a triumph.