Robert K. Elder

A classic adventure movie. [07 Mar 2008, p.C8]

It lays the groundwork for such collaborations by suggesting that all forms of music must come full circle before evolving into something new.

Has the literary richness, depth of character and tone that such a morally difficult, powerful narrative requires.

Twohy pulls all the strings to create an inventive genre piece.

Despite an abrupt ending, Mana gives us compelling, damaged characters who we want to help -- or hurt. Perhaps most important, El Bola forces us examine our personal motivations for each impulse and their consequences.

Marisa Tomei turns in a blitzkrieg performance.

While Nico and Dani presents itself as a no-frills coming-of-age tale, its soundtrack seems lifted from a teen comedy like "American Pie."

Starts out slowly, unfolding a family history through the poetic use of black-and-white photographs -- blending the figures of Rana's ancestors into the frame as if they still watched the family.

Presented with such confidence, such care, that we love all of the characters, even if we don't like them.

An emotionally honest character piece that avoids moralizing or offering soggy excuses.

Think of the Slocumbs as distant relatives of "The Royal Tenenbaums," only more dysfunctional and far from attractively "quirky."

This is a rare gem tripped over while making a run-of-the-mill rockumentary about a band's new album.

Ends up a few frames short of the perfect horror film, but very few.

Kwietniowski turns up the tension so incrementally, we don't realize the scope of Mahowny's moral wreck until it is too late.

McGrath's version of Nicholas Nickleby cashes in on age-old show biz wisdom of "always leave 'em wanting more." It's a pity we're only allowed such a small nibble of one of Dickens' richest works.

What makes XX/XY so engaging; it attempts to define love through broken characters who know neither themselves nor the meaning of love.

Characters are so well-drawn, so human - that even in the harsh light of history - it remains difficult to understand how Australia allowed such inhumanity to become institutional, mechanized and accepted.

Dry and irreverent, Jump Tomorrow plays like a Hal Hartley ("Henry Fool") comedy with a lighter tone and more laughs.

Whatever the final message of The Housekeeper, its love story engages both the heart and the head.

The title of Robb Moss' documentary, The Same River Twice, draws directly from Greek philosopher Heraclitus' claim that "It is impossible to step in the same river twice."

Breaks through as a delightful, surprisingly fresh comedy.

Has no pretensions about sneaking up on you -- it simply charges, motor humming and blades flying, carving the spot where masochism and entertainment meet.

Elf, formulaic but lovable, is essentially "Big" in pointy shoes.

As psychological drama, In My Skin falls short. But as pure horror, it's unforgettable.

Epidemic will never be confused with von Trier's great films. But it is an intriguing introduction to his later cinematic obsessions.

As it turns out, "Liberty," a likable, light-as-air road comedy, is a much better movie than its sour-pun title.

First-time director Timothy Bjorklund, who also shepherded Teacher's Pet on television, conducts some inventive, devilish sequences.

An actor-turned-director, Stuhr appeared in many of Kieslowski's films and their partnership and friendship produced some stunning work. The Big Animal memorializes a complex man and his deceptively simple work, by a friend and colleague in a fitting tribute.