V.A. Musetto

Director Lisandro Alonso is content to leave much to viewers' imagination. That he is able to do so and still hold our attention is a tribute to his talent as a filmmaker and an authentic performance by nonprofessional actor Argentino Vargas as the ex-con.

Burtynsky doesn't preach. He's content to let viewers make up their own minds from his eye-opening and eye-pleasing images.

The stunning adventure Mountain Patrol: Kekexili is like a John Ford western set, not in the master's beloved Monument Valley, but in remotest China.

Anybody who's ever seen a movie about exorcism knows that, in cases like this, the first thing to do is call 1-800-PRIEST, which the family does.

Well-done documentary.

A taut thriller based on the tragedy, which remains the most lethal mass killing in New Zealand history.

Chang doesn't pull his punches in this continuing look at a changing, out-of-control China.

A master class on turning a talky, one-man play into a visual delight.

The Neighbor No. Thirteen forgoes the manic violence of the Korean revenge stunner "Oldboy" in favor of leisurely paced suspense with sudden bloody outbursts.

Addiction Incorporated delivers a hard kick in the butts to the tobacco industry.

A sentimental, whimsical autobiography.

Serves as a primer on a musical style that may be unfamiliar to many, while putting a human face on the problem of illegal immigrants.

It shows the hardship that women -- especially older women -- must endure in a male-dominated business.

Pegg and director/co-writer Edgar Wright mix numerous references to other zombie flicks with hilarious bits of their own. The best has Ed and Shaun deciding which LPs can be used as ammo.

Dickie is intense in her screen debut, which requires her to be in nearly every scene. The supporting cast is strong, and Robbie Ryan's handheld camera provides gritty ambiance for this taut thriller.

A sensitive and subtle meditation on aging, loss and bereavement.

The dimly lit, exquisitely composed cinematography, by Guillermo Nieto, adds to the draw of this highly recommended movie.

The result is a charming mix of Walter Mitty and "About Schmidt."

Gordon and Abel (who delivers one of the longest yawns in screen history) are howls as husband and wife. Their long, lean buddies seem custom-made for slapstick humor. Keaton would approve.

The hit man's narration is compelling and frightening on its own.

Gitai's characters are meant to represent the Israeli people as a whole. Just as they question their lives, the filmmaker questions 21st-century Israel.

The oft-told story of lust and deception isn't the reason to see Untold Scandal -- Rather, it's the look -- stunning costumes and art direction, lush landscapes, and beautifully framed and lighted sequences -- that make this worth seeking out.

Unfolds as meditatively as a game of go. Cinematographer Wang Yu shifts easily from tranquility to violence, and he is able to turn something as simple as a man walking outdoors into a visual feast. Chang Chen, a star of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," provides a strong yet understated portrayal of Wu.

A parable about greed. But don't let that serious-sounding description keep you away. It also is funny, knowing and immensely enjoyable.

Heisenberg's thriller ends with a chase across highways and through woods that will give viewers adrenaline highs of their own.

The cast is solid, with standout performances by first-timer Habib Boufares as Slimane.

Despite a contrived ending that brings together all the film's characters, Alias Betty is inventive filmmaking.

According to Irene Salina's eye-opening documentary Flow, 500,000 to 7 million US residents are sickened by tap water each year.

Hilarious.

Movies about addicts are a dime a dozen, but Cocaine Angel does its own thing, mixing humor with bleakness and resisting the too-common urge to romanticize addiction.

Carion gets excellent performances from Emir Kusturica as the Russian and Guillaume Canet as the Frenchman. Each is a filmmaker in his own right -- Canet's directorial résumé includes the thriller "Tell No One" and Kusturica's lists the Serbian black comedies "Underground" and "Black Cat, White Cat."

It is a vivid, at times heartbreaking, portrait of a life and a nation in crisis.

Peled was harassed at every turn by Chinese officials, but he managed to get this shocking film made. That's just one reason China Blue is worthy of praise.

The release of Crossing the Line couldn't be more timely. Earlier this week, it was announced that the two Koreas would hold a summit this month in Pyongyang. Perhaps Kim will bring Dresnok with him.

In the words of Al Gore, "Garbage Dreams makes a compelling case that modernization does not always equal progress."

A highly original black comedy from Greece -- and one of the weirdest movies I've seen in a long time.

Boasts a lovable ensemble cast, with a standout performance by Zaira Valenzuela as 14-year-old Paola.

A thought-provoking documentary that would go well on a double bill with Richard Linklater's fictional "Fast Food Nation."

The titular abode in the Brazilian drama Alice's House is crowded, and its inhabitants dysfunctional.

Compelling.

Soldini is able to take the shopworn theme and keep it interesting and fresh despite its lack of new ideas. He's assisted by strong performances by his two leading actors.

The fine cast, the elegant settings and the swoony title song somehow draw you in.

In this season of Hollywood blockbusters, small movies can get lost in the hype. Don't let that happen to Home.

Movies by Rob Zombie, the goth rocker turned cult filmmaker, aren’t for everybody. But he couldn’t care less. He makes movies exactly the way he wants to, with no thought of pleasing mainstream audiences. They can like it or lump it. His latest effort, The Lords of Salem, is true to form.

Moves along briskly, with several laugh-out-loud moments.

While the slow buildup won't bowl 'em over at suburban multiplexes, the film should please Fessenden's loyal followers and win him new ones.

The decade under discussion in this enjoyable documentary is the 1970s, a period that changed Hollywood forever.

Writer-director Erik Van Looy keeps the action moving briskly. Danny Elsen's cinematography is stylish and the acting top-notch.

The story, based on a best-selling novel, has familiar overtones; but Kormakur overcomes them with stylish direction - Iceland's natural beauty looks great - and a gripping performance by Ingvar Eggert Sigurdsson.

Fonteyne doesn't have much use for words. He prefers to tell his story via facial expressions and body language, much as filmmakers did in the silent era.

Horvath has a sensitive eye and ear, mixing good-looking shots of the barren landscape with portraits of the land's eccentric inhabitants. It's a world (scary at times) that most New Yorkers have no idea exists. [25 Aug 2004, p.40]

The Holy Girl ends without resolution, but one isn't needed in this mature, thoughtful drama.

Lacks visual flair. But Kouyate elicits strong performances from his cast, and he delivers a powerful commentary on how governments lie, no matter who runs them.

Take the real-life 1979 assassination of Park Chung-hee, the despotic, hedonistic, seal-testicle-loving president of South Korea, and stage it as if the Marx Brothers were running the country, and you might get The President's Last Bang.

Dog Days has much in common with "Code Unknown" -- both dart among several characters who may occasionally cross paths.

One of Miike's most violent and sadistic movies, filled with squirting blood, throat-slashing, limb-hacking and other forms of mutilation too gruesome to describe here.

Does a first-rate job of remembering.

If you were among the many who thought highly of "A Prophet," the French prison drama that played here last year, you'll want to see the brutally realistic Danish thriller R.

Unless you are offended by a little female nudity, The Silence Before Bach will shock you not. But it will provide gorgeous lensing and art direction and some of the world's most beautiful music.

Should please die-hard fans as well as viewers who have never heard the band and its anthem, "Kick Out the Jams."

More than just a musical primer. It's also a valentine to the city on the Bosporus, the strait that separates Istanbul's Asian and European sides.

The result is a finely plotted, stylishly photographed and brilliantly acted whodunit that clocks in at 2 1/2 hours but never seems long.

It doesn't measure up to Schlondorff's 1979 Oscar winner, "The Tin Drum," but it's compelling nevertheless.

You just know something terrible is going to happen. But when it does, you're entirely unprepared

Lino Ventura is grand as a solemn resistance leader. He's backed by a knockout cast that includes Simone Signoret.

An original head trip definitely not recommended for kiddies.

The political intrigue behind the documentary would make for a great movie of its own.

A remarkable 179-minute meditation on the nature of revolution.

Ten percent of Ghana's 20 million people are disabled, yet the film makes little attempt to explain why.

As we learn in director Jonathan Berman's fun documentary Commune, the ranch was financed by people such as musician Frank Zappa and actor James Coburn.

Konchalovsky, best known here for "Runaway Train" (1985), takes on a difficult subject with a light mix of dark humor and pathos.

Vincent Lindon, one of France's leading actors, is super as Marc, a man on a downward spiral into insanity. And Emmanuelle Devos is comforting as Marc's loving wife.