Steve Ramos

Moving and more ambitious than a CW serial drama or the long-ago ABC After School Specials because its honesty outweighs its occasionally trite dialogue and sometimes false scenes.

Forty-four years after his exciting debut feature "Fists in the Pocket," Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio continues his late-career renaissance with the passionate, beautifully crafted, period melodrama Vincere.

Boasting impressive production values, engaging storytelling and a standout lead performance by German star Ulrich Tukur, John Rabe will receive enthusiastic word of mouth from select arthouse audiences.

Cairo Time remains smart, compelling and appropriately sad at its finale.

The Spierigs make exciting use of their clever vampire premise and the result is a potential horror/action franchise equal to "Underworld."

Sullivan's easygoing performance as a Brooklyn musician dumped by his girlfriend prior to a planned Jamaican cruise together syncs perfectly with writers/directors Ben Chace and Sam Fleischner's dreamlike storytelling.

More so than his other documentaries, Nygard remains in the spotlight from start to finish as he traveled across the globe to seek answers from various religious leaders. It's one thing to fail as a doc showman but by the film's end you feel like you have no answers to any of his questions.

Curry also emphasizes the human drama of the kid drivers who face their own distinct challenges and setbacks in order to become champions.

Fan finds the delicate balance between broad socio-political themes and a single family torn between centuries-old traditions and the desire to succeed in the capitalist world.

Daddy Longlegs is a discovery destined for year-end top ten critics lists and comparisons to classics like Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves" are expected. Hopefully, Daddy Longlegs will also introduce the Safdie brothers to the larger audiences they deserve.

(Holmes) fails to deliver requisite laughs to keep the comedy afloat.

What helps salvage the film (much to the surprise of director and co-writer Lussenhop and his fellow writers Peter Allen, Gabriel Casseus and Avery Duff) are the unintentional laughs generated by the film's outrageous gun battles, childish dialogue and an action chase featuring Brown that seems to go on forever.

When a filmmaker like Guggenheim is capable of doing that with a topic as complex as the public education crisis, you know you're watching the work of an extraordinary storyteller.

Turns out to be a huge disappointment.

Dogtooth will begin to open the door for U.S. specialty audiences to discover Lanthimos as a new master and anticipate his future films.

Resnais' storytelling is in top form. Turning 88 this June, he's an inspiration to us all.

Borte supports his jewel of a story idea with dead-on casting, stunning images and product placement that's intentionally heavy-handed.

Ferrera proves herself to be just as talented in dramatic roles.

Current Saturday Night Live (SNL) comic Will Forte may have bombed in the recent SNL spin-off "MacGruber," but a dream team of SNL alums, including ringleader Adam Sandler, put the luster back in the SNL reputation with the audience-pleasing, all-ages comedy Grown Ups.

While well known to many Down-Under fans, Bran Nue Dae has too much comic kitsch for U.S. specialty film audiences.