Richard James Havis

As the characters' lives fall apart, Ledger fails to bring the necessary gravitas to the role, and he looks a bit too healthy throughout.

A neatly observed take on Manila street life. Pegged to a gay theme, it works best as a character-driven slice of social realism.

The story is certainly predictable, but it contains just enough conflict and drama to engage the viewer.

Tigers shares a penchant for rigorous self-analysis with such relatively recent films as "Chumscrubber," "Mysterious Skin" and "Tarnation."

It's a frantic piece of filmmaking that invests nothing in the characters and moves much too fast for its own good. But things do pick up a bit for the final third, when a story line finally arrives.

Exists as a freaked-out drama rather than a parody.

This quirky documentary about a group of American hairdressers who establish exactly that shows that the power of hair salons should never be underestimated.

Contains no shocks. But it works as a funny and slicker-than-expected parody of the genre.

Even the easygoing Broderick can't inject any lift or charm into the story.

A committed piece of agit-prop, which benefits from the passion of its protagonists. Followers of the band will need no introduction to the subject matter, which is referenced in their musical repertoire. The film also should play well with those interested in liberal causes.