Ruthe Stein

To say it is about a debilitating disease is as reductive as saying "Little Miss Sunshine" is about a beauty pageant. Both are intimate stories of family ties that bind but sometimes also choke.

One of very few films to accurately portray the experience of growing up male.

A breed apart from anything coming off the Hollywood assembly line or, for that matter, from the saccharine romances Britain has lately produced.

Wise and wondrous.

Evokes grand emotions -- anxiety, sadness, joy -- sometimes within moments of one another. Broken Wings has heart and a poetic soul.

A revelatory independent film whose moments of incredible sadness are offset by the same state of grace that blesses its astonishing title character.

An engrossing new drama from France.

The Visitor, is, if anything, more imaginative and touching than his first.

Frothy and exuberantly entertaining - in part because of the sexual innuendoes - it's the best romantic comedy so far this year.

There's an edge to this exemplary family movie, just as there is in the story.

Exhilarating and enchanting family picture. It's the best I've seen this year and highly recommended for girls and for boys, too.

Often is on the verge of spilling over into melodrama, but that doesn't bother me because life is the same way.

The thrills in Spike Lee's singularly savvy thriller are in small unexpected moments.

Unlike Sean Penn's demagogue in "All the King's Men," you're able to forget that Whitaker is acting. He embodies the role. When clips of the real Amin are shown at the end, it's almost shocking to realize the extent to which Whitaker has become him.

Block's hypnotic documentary, among the finest of the year.

Daring in its affirmation that a dowdy woman in her late 60s still can let go of her inhibitions and exhibit a lascivious side.

Utterly enchanting.

Sly, near-perfect comedy.

The very best thrillers -- a select group to which The Clearing clearly belongs -- exploit subconscious fears that bubble up at vulnerable moments.

The humor manages to be simultaneously sophisticated, supremely silly and very dark.

The real wonder becomes how British filmmaker Sandra Goldbacher was able to write and direct such an accomplished, touching and original movie her first time out.

Immediately has you in its thrall and doesn't let go -- a reminder of how powerful and moving cinema set in wartime can be when all the elements align.

Woody Allen's strongest and most mordantly funny movie in years, even if it is also his bleakest.

It grabs you from a symbolic opening scene of gang members rolling the dice -- the odds, it soon becomes clear, are stacked against them getting lucky -- and never lets go.

A film that must be seen to understand the sad truths of our times. It's been made with a sensitivity and creativity that's come to exemplify Winterbottom's work.

Richly satisfying entertainment the way movies are at their best, when they prod you to think.

Deliriously charming.

The movie is a stunner, so hypnotic that the length hardly matters.

A richly textured and compelling film.

Lemmon and MacLaine are magical together, and MacMurray more than holds his own as the third part of the triangle. He commands the office - and, not incidentally, the big screen - with a sexual energy he would scarcely have a chance to show again.

Totally original yet filled with familiar human frailties, "Everyone" leaps off the screen to become one of those rare movie-going experiences.

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.

I don't claim to have seen every entry from around the world, but it's hard to imagine five better than this deliciously offbeat comedy, as wildly inventive as anything Billy Wilder ever conceived.

Nobody into lush melodramas dripping in sex should miss this pulsating Italian import.

Among the many strengths of the sweetly touching Introducing the Dwights, a small gem from Australia unearthed at the Sundance Film Festival, is that Jean never becomes Godzilla.

Imaginative and immensely engrossing film.

Instantly captivating.

Much of that appeal comes from compelling performances by the two main actors.

Hauntingly tells a story older than the Odyssey and as timely as today's body count from Iraq.

This was Davis' return to the screen after her own legal battle with the studio to get meatier roles. She got one here, and she gives it her all. [09 Jul 2006, p.32]

Family entertainment at its best.

Vincente Minnelli's lavish and hugely entertaining adaptation of the Gustave Flaubert classic leaves little doubt that Emma (Jennifer Jones in an over-the-top performance that works surprisingly well) has found satisfaction for the first time in the arms of wealthy rogue Rodolphe (a perfectly cast Louis Jourdan). [26 Aug 2007, p.N44]

Visually stunning, it meshes haunting images with a complex multilevel story about the enchantment of youth.

The title is all that's boring about director Michel Gondry's latest mind bender, as trippy as LSD.

The new movie shrieks of motherhood - raising hot-button issues like biological clocks running down, the rights of birth mothers and whether to adopt or give artificial insemination a shot.

A compelling and visually arresting drama.

As good as family entertainment gets.

Much as she did in "Little Miss Sunshine," Breslin imbues Kit with joy.

Suffused with a golden glow, the movie looks and sounds like a fairy tale.

A quirky but surprisingly lighthearted dark comedy.

Bloody good.

A warmhearted film.

Like its singular central character, Before the Fall stands out from the pack.

Boasts a collection of oddball characters, some more sharply written than others.

Don't little ones have enough to worry about without ecological concerns popping up in family entertainment? Happy Feet should have stayed light on its feet.

Filled with moments that will make you smile.

A frothy comedy with the most adorable buddies since "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

The film has aged gracefully.

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.

Fun to watch although falling short of a real hoot, this latest in a barrage of family movies largely succeeds at keeping the kiddies entertained and their parents from nodding off.

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]

It's doubtful that audiences go to animated features to hear movie stars talk. They go because a film sounds like fun and something their kids and maybe they themselves might enjoy. Bolt is all that and more.

Watching the film is like being at a freak show: You feel like a voyeur, yet you can't take your eyes off this Mommie Dearest or her childlike middle-aged daughter.

The director has a natural's gift for storytelling and eye for casting.

A solid WWII movie that's been lost among myriad others about the same war. [02 Jul 2006, p.28]

Caruso, a very visual director, serves up some surprises and scares, and he's paced his movie briskly. You're out of this disturbing suburbia before you know it, shaken and even stirred.

The casting, at least, is magical. Plowright shows both her character's strength and her heartbreaking vulnerability, sometimes at once.

A wildly entertaining fantasy thriller that propels Russian cinema into the 21st century.

Heart-wrenching film.

With a strongly visual director, Ridley Scott ("Blade Runner," "Alien", the film really shows what's involved at this level of combat training.

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.

A heartwarming, inspirational tale.

Attempts something startlingly original by melding light opera with soap opera.

A bit of fluff expertly made and a hoot to watch.

Deliriously original.

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.

Given the juiciest plotline, Tamblyn goes for it, turning in a hard-boiled performance that's a needed contrast to her co-stars' tendency to go for sweet.

Extremely pleasurable and well worth seeing.

An appealingly quirky thriller from Brazil.

Has an old-fashioned feel, as if it had been made in the period of its setting. I mean this as a compliment.

The key to enjoying the film is warming up to the heroine, Poppy.

As uneven as I Think I Love My Wife often is, it still has an emotional resonance lacking in most films about relationships. By dealing with temptation in even a quasi-realistic way, it affirms that, like comedy, monogamy is hard.

This deeply moving and disturbing film derives power from being based on the true story of a black South African who does everything possible, no matter how degrading, to get by within an immoral system, but becomes radicalized almost despite himself.

Shot on the streets of New York and offering vistas of the city before all the glass and steel skyscrapers, The Naked City, which won Oscars for cinematography and editing, boasts an impressive pedigree. [04 Jan 2004]

It works as an intriguingly offbeat character study while offering Nicolas Cage a chance to show why he used to be considered one of the top actors of his generation.

For all its depiction of a descent into drug addiction, Candy is filled with surprisingly sweet moments and goes down more easily than seems possible given the subject matter.

Adapted from a French play but never seems stage- bound.

A subtly rich performance by Dillane and a fine supporting cast make this Holocaust drama worth seeing, even if you don't think you can bear another one.

Richard Jenkins gives the standout supporting performance, worthy of Oscar consideration, as Josey's father, a miner unable to conceal his anger at his daughter for having a child out of wedlock and, now, creating dissension at his workplace.

An argument could be made that too many bad things happen to the good members of this sisterhood. The movie does occasionally teeter on the brink of soap opera, but then, so does life.

Karyo -- a big star in France but little known in this country -- has Steve Martin's knack for keeping his dignity while doing outrageous slapstick.

Fascinating and distinctly politically incorrect.

Like a soap opera, but most of what glitters is gold.

Wondrous performances.

The star's amusingly inventive performance keeps your attention through predictable early scenes when "Ohio" repeats familiar material on women's sexuality. It's like a continuation of "The Vagina Monologues" to see Liza Minnelli, as a New Age orgasm coach.

A tearjerker that earns its sobs with heartfelt emotions.

Dunye's engaging personality quickly wins you over. She deserves to be a character in a movie; she's more interesting than most.

An enjoyable if fairly predictable film.

You're under the thrall of a new peculiar couple. Both actors appear to be having fun outmaneuvering each other on the ice and onscreen.

Extremely amusing.

An unusual look at love and how it can unexpectedly develop. Those for whom the concept of an arranged marriage is foreign will get a little history lesson on the immigrant experience watching this sweetly engrossing film.

One of those quirky little movies that you marvel ever got made.

An extremely good picture that, with a little tweaking, might have been a great one.

Deeply affecting, "Blade'' portrays an oddly elegant way of life that will soon be like the era in that other movie, "Gone With the Wind."

An emotionally charged coming-of-age saga that will make you laugh and cry, maybe at the same time.

A spellbinding Australian Western.

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

Powerful and moving.

Sad yet offering glimpses of hope.

A slow seduction.

Offers a brew of wondrous chimera combined with the wonders of human nature.

Mehta has created the perfect guide to this strange female world.

It tells the amazing, but mostly true, story of a late-18th century aristocrat who made an indelible mark on English society akin to that of her direct descendant, Lady Diana.

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.

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.

The movie has a sweetness and innocence that makes it near perfect entertainment for its target audience.

Columbus' schizoid approach works more often than not.

Like a Christmas present you didn't know you wanted but are delighted to receive.

A marital comedy as perceptive as it is delectable.

Heart-wrenching.

A solidly above-average thriller.

Offers another way into these complex indigenous people, through storytelling as haunting as their artwork.

Like its low-key star, Hamlet 2 is more likely to elicit quiet chuckles than raucous laughter.

A compelling Irish drama.

The way Boynton Beach residents reach out to one another is enough to make you consider relocating to one of these communities.

Lower your expectations going into Volver and accept it for what it is: a ridiculously entertaining melodrama with loud echoes of "Mildred Pierce" that provides Penelope Cruz with a vehicle for her multifaceted talents.

That the film succeeds as well as it does despite a series of coincidences that strain credibility is a credit to a fine cast and a joie de vivre that pervades even the most implausible moments.

A powerful and disturbing political drama.

To the extent that this difficult but ultimately rewarding film has a message, it's that you can't run away from who you are.

Quietly unsettling.

It looks like a low-budget film, but in this case that just adds to the charm. Croghan's only false move was to divide her film into segments, each one introduced by a quote from a famous writer.

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.

As the title character in Lady Chatterley, Marina Hands does the most persuasive job of feigning sexual pleasure since Jane Fonda in "Coming Home."

The movie harks back to a time before state-of-the-art technology when writers and directors had to rely mostly on imagination.

Surprisingly robust.

Riveting.

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.

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

An eerily affecting domestic drama combining elements of "The Lost Weekend'' with "Lost Highway.''

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

Hits a bulls-eye.

Revelatory as well as unsettling.

Perversely fascinating.

Mate swapping is so '70s. But Alan Rudolph, who wrote and directed Afterglow, avoids making it seem dated by presenting the menage a quatre as accidental.

Doesn't poke fun at anyone's beliefs.

A very human story.

A compelling, tightly made political thriller.

The Last Kiss ponders what you give up -- and what you gain -- from sticking with what you've got.

Raises the bar for movies geared to teens.

An emotionally satisfying example of a genre whose sketchiness can be off-putting.

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.

McNally adapted his Tony-award winning play for the screen, and for once a movie is an improvement on the stage version.

Accomplishes the near impossible, bringing a fresh perspective to a horrific subject.

Bouncy, informative and funny documentary.

Wickedly funny.

Dark, disturbing and audaciously original in a way only indies are given license to be anymore, the film never telegraphs where it's heading. But you don't need a pathfinder to sense the general direction is toward hell.

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.

The film's ambitions are laudable, and it manages to be touching, funny and true to life. It seems ungrateful to ask for anything more.

The suggestion that Peter O'Toole is playing some version of his real self in Venus adds a bittersweet poignancy to this quietly affecting British drama.

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.

So cleverly constructed that it's easy to be taken in and believe these twins really rocked.

The Astronaut Farmer's goofy quality makes it totally endearing. It's also super entertaining. Critics are fond of referring to movies as a "great ride." With this one, the words couldn't be more apt.

Charmingly offbeat in the vein of early Woody Allen.

Engrossing documentary.

The offbeat drama The Seagull's Laughter is the kind of movie I appreciate because it never announces where it's headed.

By focusing on one family's dilemma, the movie brings home the messy Middle Eastern situation in a way easier to relate to than the headlines and opinion pieces.

Keeps you riveted through parts that might otherwise be difficult to watch.

Haunting case study of a romantic obsession.

At its warmhearted center, Beauty Shop is a workshop in how to walk around like Oprah with a feeling of confidence and entitlement.

The best way to take this film is with a box of popcorn and a grain of salt.

Engaging and perceptive.

Out to Sea has an emotional pull that is much stronger because it is so unexpected. You come for the laughs and find yourself wiping away tears.

Blanc is completely without vanity in showing the physical deterioration wrought by addiction. Her performance is as chilling as Lee Remick's in "Days of Wine and Roses.''

An enticingly risque saga of the 16th century monarch.

A highly amusing combination period film and mockumentary.

A feel-good movie.

Sweet and deeply moving.

Opens up a world of words.

For all its dazzling computer-generated sequences, "Museum'' wouldn't be nearly the delight it is without the talents of some of the best comedians in the business.

A well-deserved 2003 Oscar nominee for best foreign-language film.

It's reassuring to see Steven Soderbergh return to riveting down-and-dirty filmmaking with Bubble.

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

For all the squalor and extremely upsetting subject matter, you can't take your eyes off the screen.

Wildly imaginative if extremely strange.

Passes by like a dream.

That Duncan can't come up with a satisfying ending and lets the story drift into a confusing polemic is hardly surprising. He's guilty of overreaching -- interrupting his very sly satire with quasi-serious thoughts on the end of Soviet communism.

The result is a film that fails to completely involve you, even as you admire its artistry.

If the formula seems a little tired, it still has more sophistication and pizzazz than most action films.

Force of Evil is a more thoughtful kind of film noir than we are used to but still employs the traditional black-and-white contrasts and shadows.

This is by no means a polished film. But it has an energy lacking in thrillers that cost hundreds times more to make. It should be viewed as a calling card from gifted and resourceful filmmakers whom I hope some Hollywood producer will have the sense to sign up immediately.

You never catch Gosling doing anything out of character. It's the first Oscar-caliber performance I've seen so far this year.

Sam Garbarski's use of slow-motion shots is pretentious, and he paces the film too slowly. But he captures the seedy side of London, giving you a feel for Soho during the day when sunshine exposes a cheap gaudiness.

The result is a deeply moving experience, alternately funny and sad.

Overall Freedom Writers is a noble effort. At a time when New Year's resolutions to change already are falling by the wayside, you can't help but be moved by a group of young people who followed through on their resolve.

Nightmare-inducing.

Vivid and madcap but fails to connect on any emotional level.

Reprise has a smart and knowing script and will compel audiences to reflect on themselves at that age.

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.

At its exhilarating best, Following Sean is reminiscent of the lauded British documentaries that began with "7 Up.''

Black Snake Moan' is a trip to that unfamiliar territory well worth tagging along on.

While hardly glorifying abusive husbands, Take My Eyes, a mesmerizing and deeply disturbing film from Spain, makes an attempt to understand their thought processes.

Compelling.

A richly satisfying and darkly funny movie.

The filmmakers succeed with an unexpected ending. It's as fresh as everything in the movie, which turns out to be about so much more than one youngster's resilience.

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

Except for an ending that's so implausible it might have derailed a less solid work, Twelve and Holding is a realistic and sympathetic portrayal of what it's like to be young and confused

Don't Tell often has the eerie feel of a Hitchcock film -- "Vertigo" in particular -- where you're not always sure if what you're seeing is really happening.

Worth seeing.

Good in their individual scenes, Yakusho and Kusakari are magical together. They convey so much yearning -- not so much for each other as for that extra something to give real meaning to their lives.

That the would-be buddies are played by Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt ensures enough star power to keep things moving even during the sluggish early scenes that set up their relationship.

Proceeds at that pace to an ending that is as inevitable as it is poignant.

A disturbing drama about the dehumanizing and humiliating effects of war.

All along, you know something terrible is going to happen, and when it does, you leave the theater shaken and deeply moved.

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

Funny, original, occasionally poignant and almost all of it too dirty to repeat in a newspaper.

Compelling and deeply disturbing.

Still feels stagebound, inert when it needs to be cinematic.

This movie borders on the ridiculous, but is pulled back by an aesthetic portrayal of the supernatural and by its stars.

Considering the talent on both sides of the camera and a story that worked beautifully the first time around, Shall We Dance? should have been a lot better than OK.

The problem with this one may be that it just isn't British enough.

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

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.

The ending is predictable to anybody who's followed the trajectory of outsourcing. Outsourced humanizes those affected by it - even if the story sounds familiar.

Becomes tiresome.

Vanessa Redgrave makes a regal if too-brief appearance.

Hanssen is such an enigma that any attempt to explain him has inherent interest. Breach expends too much energy on a minor functionary, but it is still worth seeing for its fleeting looks into a heart of darkness.

Intermittently funny.

Sleuth"is that rare film that would have been better longer. You're not through looking at Caine and Law when the final credits roll.

It's a first feature film for both screenwriter Alex Rose and director Gaby Dellal, and their inexperience shows in Frank's underdeveloped relationships with family and friends and in the movie's sluggish pacing.

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.

Overly long and not especially enlightening film.

A mishmash of a musical. The movie never gels -- despite Kline's nuanced performance, the stars' exquisite period clothes, designed by Armani, and, of course, Porter's great songs.

A sweet, bordering on saccharine, comedy.

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