Robert K. Elder

Diamond Men's potential as a diamond in the rough turn out to be more "rough" than "diamond."

Takes us to familiar lands but without any of the original's magic.

In his thoughtfully paced, well-acted film, Hoge doesn't set out to solve the "why" of Leland's ghastly crime. He's more interested in examining the reason why society needs to create and interpret a reason for horror.

Ultimately, it's Paul Giamatti ("Sideways"), playing Braddock's manager Joe Gould, who shines. In another actor's hands, Gould would be a secondary character lost in Crowe's shadow, but Giamatti outshines his co-stars at times with his everyman looks and delivery.

The director's lack of restraint and overabundance of ambition makes "Altar Boys" not boring, but troubled.

Though Katsuhiro Otomo's animated Victorian-era adventure Steamboy stars British characters, it's a Japanese film through and through.

If you can simply get lost in the crushing splendor of the waves themselves, the script might not leave you so seasick.

Shackles its characters with stale dialogue straight out of decades-old Sgt. Rock comic books.

Might be best described as Thailand's version of "The Alamo."

It's one thing for a script to set the framework for an action film -- it's quite another when the script gets in the way.

About overcoming adversity and one's innermost fears. On this count, Paxton hits the ball squarely in capturing the psychology of his characters, but hooks it into the sand trap of effects and thematic overselling.

An old-fashioned comedy. And in this case, "old-fashioned" means tired, out of date and so abominably blah that you'll fall asleep in your popcorn.

Muddles through as a film so uninterested in character, it doesn't bother assigning names to them.

Oscillates between pragmatist genius and B-movie mediocrity.

Plot doesn't matter much here, as Scary Movie 3 exists solely to reference and lampoon other movies, in this case "The Ring," "Signs " and "8 Mile."

Exploits the epidemic of kidnapping in Venezuela without offering solutions or insight--only sophomoric platitudes. Jakubowicz's talents as a filmmaker are many, but crafting an articulate, well-examined social theory isn't among them.

Suit #3: But what will we call the sequel? Suit #1: "XXXX"? Suit #2: Brilliant!

Hotel might be best described as the art-house version of "Cannonball Run."

The beautifully shot but dramatically strained I Am David falls prey to the defect of all poor road movies: In gluing together unbelievable but convenient episodes with sugary sentimentality, it loses most of its credibility.

Sonnenfeld mishandles the broad part of the comedic formula, preferring repetition to thematic development.

Splashes its drama all over the screen, subjecting its audience and characters to action that feels not only manufactured, but also so false you can see the filmmakers' puppet strings.

Action films can't be this consistently absurd, can't paint their heroes into such dangerous corners, from which only cocktails of luck and divine intervention can save them, over and over. It's a bad-faith bargain with the audience and bad storytelling.

Sacrificing content for style, Caruso gives us a lot to look at but little to ponder.

Gratuitous gore and young, nubile flesh bind together a cardboard plot.

Whatever is lost in translation can't keep Appleseed from feeling a decade late--and its animation from looking like a relic on arrival.

He's endearing and affable when finding humor and even introspective life lessons after arrests, drug use and a near-death experience.

First-time director Paul Hunter delivers a quick-cut, loud movie that betrays his MTV roots -- but then again, the script never demands that he do much more than exactly that.

Seems a little lightweight, even for a kids' movie.