Ruthe Stein

By creating likable characters and putting them in situations that seem plausible, if a bit of a stretch, the film succeeds where others of its genre fail.

Lacks compelling narrative.

The young people in Nowhere spend a lot of time worrying about the world coming to an end. Watching these sour characters abuse themselves and one another, the more immediate concern becomes: When is this movie going to end?

Although well intentioned, has the superficial gloss of a TV movie of the week.

Despite a clever script and top-notch cast, whose commitment to doing service in the indie branch of the industry is commendable, Unknown falls apart just when it should be coming together.

A clever idea, but it's not quite pulled off.

A mess, and that's really a shame.

As good as family entertainment gets.

Director Robert Mulligan exhibits the same sensitivity about young people and their foibles as he did in "To Kill a Mockingbird." In 1962. You never sense that he's making fun of Hermie or his pals. [08 Jul 2007, p.16]

Isn't likely to win Murphy another Oscar nomination, but it allows him to do what he does best - loads of physical comedy.

Muddled, to put it kindly.

A half-baked script by Jacob Meszaros and Mya Stark admittedly gives Feig little to work with. But his young cast is capable of a lot more than is required of them in this so-called comedy.

Superficially entertaining romantic romp.

A lumpy concoction.

It's visually stunning, especially in scenes of the African countryside, and takes more risks than most independent films.

Something to see and occasionally even to laugh at.

This is a movie of excesses that doesn't know when to settle down. It aims to be a slapstick comedy, a romantic comedy and a plain old romance but falls short of each goal.

Poor casting is compounded by a ludicrous script.

With Lloyd Webber onboard not just as composer but also co-screenwriter and producer, the film seemed destined to stay true to its roots rather than attempt to transcend them.

A slow-moving family drama guaranteed to induce a nap if not somnambulism.

The film is better than it has any right to be, considering the prosaic source.

Although the acting is uneven and the movie's dead spots make it feel far longer than its running time, the twist in Twist' is certainly clever.

A junior version of "Fight Club," only with no movie stars and different moves.

Another art film that's more pretentious than it needs to be.

With words streaming out of their mouths instead of into bubbles, Ethan and his gang of past, present and future lovers sound laughingly unbelievable. They're on the road to inanity.

That the film finds its own groove is due largely to the eye of director Ernest Dickerson. Not surprisingly, he began his career as a cinematographer, working on Spike Lee’s early films.

Brosnan and Moore display a knack for fast delivery of smart dialogue both in court and in bed. Their verbal sparring is the main attraction of Laws of Attraction and helped me overlook plot holes of massive proportions.

Far from the worst cookie-cutter film to come off the Hollywood assembly line, merely the latest.

A mostly entertaining movie with built-in appeal to young audiences. The good news for parents is that it won't put them to sleep.

The biggest puzzlement about "What'' is what it's doing in major movie theaters around the country when it so clearly belongs on one of those small cable channels given to peculiar programming.

A turkey.

Sharkboy relies almost entirely on 3-D for its kicks. The novelty, however, quickly wears thin with the thinnest of stories to project.

As bad as its title.

Recalling the earthiness Broderick Crawford brought to the original, I couldn't help thinking Gandolfini should have been cast as Willie.

This will never be the movie of the month, but you could do a lot worse at the multiplex.

Well intentioned, but only occasionally creepy.

Amusing performances -- especially from Willis, who takes on a new personality with each new hairstyle -- can't disguise the fact that the film is basically a pastiche of recent movies.

Harris and particularly Elise give over-the-top performances that bring Diary to the edge of soap opera.

Well-intentioned but frequently inert.

Although The Reaping' borrows elements from classics of the genre -- rips them off might be more accurate -- it fails to build the psychological tension that made them so creepily good.

A sharp-witted satire of celebrity journalism.

Raises the bar for movies geared to teens.

But the jury is still out on Romano's future in movies. Hackman blows him off the screen.

The truly shocking thing about the new version is that it's not bloody awful.

Annoyingly simplistic.

The movie [Sugarman] made gives little indication that she understands teen girls, dramatic or plain. Much of Confessions seems clueless and -- even worse for moviegoers of any age -- listless.

It lives up to its title, flying by in fast motion. Even the first-wave MTV generation may find the pace exhausting, but this piece of fluff wasn't made for them.

Every once in a while you catch glimpses of originality and see what Gray Matters might have been if it hadn't gone soft and safe.

An overwrought and ultimately silly thriller.

A supernatural thriller that keeps your attention while failing to hold you in its grip.

The desperation TV stars must feel to be on the big screen is the only explanation for Edie Falco and Elisha Cuthbert's appearance in The Quiet, a creepy family drama that reeks of pretentiousness.

A dreary little thriller that irritates more than it thrills.

The best that can be said of this charmless animated picture is that whether or not it ends happily -- an outcome you're unlikely to give a hoot about -- it does, happily, end.

A powerful and disturbing political drama.

Hogwash and not even funny hogwash.

The sequel is one big tease.

Immediately shoots to the top of the list of the year's worst movies.

Filth & Wisdom is dead in the water, an excruciating bore even at a compact 84 minutes.

Save the price of admission to this dull retread and go have your hair done.

A pile of junk.

This so-called comedy is so not funny, it makes "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" look like Chaplin.

While often cliche ridden and preposterous, it's too busy and loud to put anyone to sleep.

A comedy so unfunny, it's tragic.

Lange seems at a loss to know how to convey Martha's malevolence -- and writer-director Jonathan Darby offers almost no guidance.

Exactly what the title implies: mindless.

A lame pastiche of Hollywood romances.