Ruthe Stein

Insightful but unfocused.

The directors pull off this faux documentary.

A sharp-witted satire of celebrity journalism.

Gut-wrenching.

An old-fashioned and occasionally schmaltzy movie that delivers an emotional wallop

Boy A will rivet you while raising issues about forgiveness and just who deserves it.

Played by likable newcomer Jamie Sives, who resembles Colin Farrell without the scowl, Wilbur grows on you the same way this offbeat movie does.

A little picture -- the names of the entire cast would fit on half a sheet of paper -- but it’s more heartfelt than movies with 50 times the budget.

Showing the intricate dynamics of family relationships is something Mira Nair does as well as any director working today.

High-gloss trash but compulsively watchable.

Schizo offers not just the proverbial window into village life in Kazakhstan, but a panoramic view.

Known for his visual images, Jordan outdoes himself in "Breakfast,'' a feast for the eyes.

Though overly long and difficult to digest, it's a feast you won't want to miss.

Worth seeing just to admire how Argentine writer-director Marcos Carnevale avoids so much as a whiff of condescension.

The movie doesn't aspire to be art, merely to entertain adolescent girls, which is practically guaranteed by the luminous presence of Anne Hathaway.

The spellbinding power of this almost certain Oscar nominee for best documentary comes from its chilling subject matter.

When the movie is viewed with fresh eyes, the most captivating feature is this surreal Vegas -- its neon signs askew, as if reconfigured by Andy Warhol, and its preternaturally glistening streets a siren's call to an ever-new batch of suckers.

The filmmakers have wisely turned it into a comedy, and a wickedly entertaining one at that.

This is a very little film with a very large heart.

An amusing melodrama.

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.

The humor is all over the place, veering from light to dark and from broad to subtle -- as if an "I Love Lucy" episode had been retooled by Woody Allen.

It's a serious subject handled with humor -- not the ha-ha kind, but the hard laughter that comes from recognizing parts of yourself in the Perelmans.

Entertaining in a pulpy kind of way, like the fight films of the 1930s and '40s, and more accessible than most of Mamet's movies.

Fascinating and impressively balanced documentary.

A hauntingly lyrical study of sexual awakening.

There's a manic quality to the film that may wear you down. But at least you won't be bored.

With the aid of a charmingly offbeat story and a jolly good dialect coach, the stars leave you thinking, well done. Their spirited performances help cover up glaring holes in the plot.