Ruthe Stein

Sounds great and if nothing else should help diminish the stereotype, blasted by the film's subjects, of Gypsies as little more than pickpockets whom travelers need to be wary of.

Doesn't have much to say.

Extremely pleasurable and well worth seeing.

A solidly above-average thriller.

Lacks what could kindly be called coherence.

Notes on a Scandal won't be everyone's cup of tea. But if you like your films strong, this one is not to be missed.

An intriguing exploration of New York theater at the height of its glory.

Glatzer and Westmoreland live in Echo Park, and they have given their film a remarkable sense of place.

The sooner you let yourself go with Kim's flow, the more likely you are to come away satisfied. Think of it as South Korea's answer to "Memento," just don't think too hard.

Engaging and perceptive.

A needlessly complicated and confusing thriller.

In the riveting Transsiberian, a train of that name adds international intrigue to the mix.

Viewers will be swept away by the beauty of individual moments and by Ivan Barnev's extraordinary performance.

If you can still be entertained by a thriller that unabashedly borrows from others of its ilk and don't mind reading subtitles, you could do worse than District B13. It's over so fast, in a quick 85 minutes, there's scarcely time to get bored by the silly plot.

Akeelah and the Bee connects where it counts most, on an emotional level. Only a curmudgeon could watch this feisty but vulnerable youngster rack up victories against all odds without tearing up.

The Rainmaker has a mostly plausible story, an engaging young courtroom hero (Matt Damon, Hollywood's new cover boy), a giant insurance company as the perfect adversary and the best supporting cast of any movie this year.

A compelling, tightly made political thriller.

Nightmare-inducing.

It's a broad generality to say that French filmmakers have a particularly perverse sensibility, but it can be backed up by one import after another. The latest, La Moustache, is wonderfully odd in a minimalist kind of way.

Although based on a fictional story, it has the feel of truth and is a vivid reminder of the hell Mexicans put themselves through to live in the United States, even illegally.

Trumbo is welcome just to bear witness to the severe consequences meted out to one man who dared to do the right thing.

Both actors are so appealing, you root for the inevitable meeting to happen somewhere in the vicinity of Wonderland.

Quietly unsettling.

Powerful and moving.

Bouncy, informative and funny documentary.

Van Houten, a veteran of European TV, is in almost every scene, and her energetic performance keeps Black Book percolating despite an overstuffed plot that strains credibility and often tips over into melodrama.

As bad as its title.

Lacks the marquee names and production values of big studio romantic comedies, but it connects on an emotional level most of them fail to do.