Richard James Havis

Those expecting a reflective Buddhist piece will be surprised. First-time director Neten Chokling's film actually is a powerful revenge drama.

Toilet humor, jokes about paraplegics and serious overacting make this lowbrow comedy an irritating watch.

The film successfully replicates the mellow charm of Brit hits "About A Boy" and "Love Actually."

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.

Has thoughtful and funny characters, something that should give this droll drama appeal beyond a niche gay audience.

A flawlessly executed character study.

An elegy for the days when Taiwan was a major East Asian film production center.

This silly film does nothing to enhance Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-liang's reputation. The acting is below par, the mise-en-scene is clumsy and the structure is lazy.

This Spanish supernatural thriller begins interestingly and finishes intriguingly. But what lies between drags because the film lacks a driving story line.

It's a typically poetic film, rich in powerful imagery, which sees a bitter personal tragedy unfold against the major events of 20th century Greece. Although the director doesn't mine any new ground here, either in terms of style or content, it's still a pleasure to sit through nearly three hours of perfectly controlled, visually evocative filmmaking.

Stalwart Iranian actor Ali Nasirian plays Nemat with a thoughtful hubris, uniting the various plot strands by force of character.

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

Entertaining and piquant. The film does possess some of the bittersweet qualities that usually mark Hallstrom's films, but it's generally a tougher, more incisive work that ranks as one of his best.

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

Witty to the point of hilarity, blood-soaked and thoroughly politically incorrect, Mother of Tears: The Third Mother follows 1970s cult classics "Suspiria" and "Inferno" to complete Argento's "Mother" trilogy.

The film lacks Hong's usual insight and narrative innovation. It occasionally even feels self-indulgent.

The result is a pleasingly discursive film that depicts Klimt and the ideals and locales of fin de siecle Vienna.

This everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach not only makes for pacey entertainment, it also allows director Christopher Bell to delve deep into the matter at hand.

It's a touching movie that, like the best animes, transcends the limitations of the genre.

This precision-controlled film once again highlights Alexander Sokurov's mastery of the medium. The third entry in his Men in Power series employs refined performances, a controlled script, excellent sound and fluid camerawork.

Three Times offers a careful examination of the changing ways people have reacted to each other during the past 100 years. As such, it's an interesting essay but certainly a minor work from a master.

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.

It is a grimly exciting film that is picturesque and brutal by turns.

It is an intelligently written piece that only falters during the finale.

Although the story takes place during a tumultuous period, historical events never obscure the gaming genius' story. Rather it's a scrupulous examination of a somewhat naive intellectual.

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

It's a roller-coaster action film that thunders along with top-notch set pieces and studiously researched period settings. The only letdown is that the focus on action drowns out any character development.

Although a little too open-ended to be wholly satisfying, Water Lilies is still an excellent directorial debut.

Though it's difficult to work out what's going on, it's never boring.

The result is infectiously enjoyable.

This banal comedy is filmmaking of the lowest order.

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.

The story of a young hermaphrodite who's not sure if she's emotionally a boy or a girl manages to be both raw-edged and moving.

Results in a film that's more exploitative than sympathetic. Compared to the works of fellow Francophone directors Catherine Briellat and Clare Denis, Doueiri's depiction of female sexuality in Lila Says is both wooden and pat.