V.A. Musetto

Has a sexy cast and is gorgeous to watch -- but it takes more than that to make a movie worth seeking out.

Mary is a mess. An interesting one, yet still a mess.

A brutal shocker that is difficult to watch.

A beautiful but empty-headed documentary.

A dry but enlightening documentary.

In an attempt to understand this phenomenon, Ziv interviews leaders of terrorist groups like Hamas, failed hit men now in jail and relatives of those who died carrying out these attacks. The effect is frightening.

Huppert is, as usual, superb, proving yet again that she is the finest actress working in France today.

Green's odd little movie is clever -- too clever, as it turns out.

LaBruce devotees will be tickled pink; others will be perplexed and/or disgusted.

Greenwald does nothing with the interviews, basically just posting them, one after the other, with the hope that viewers will do his job for him. The result is one-sided and bone-dry.

It's rather sweet and life-affirming, although the transformation from sophisticate to peasant happens too conveniently and quickly.

Has funny moments, but it also has a lot of drag time.

It's hard to make a dull movie with copious nudity and all kinds of sex (straight, bi and gay), although French filmmakers Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau manage to do so in Cote d'Azur.

This black comedy is a small gem.

Not only does Black Christmas provide real chills, it introduces devices - like the opening, which is shot from the slasher's point of view - that inspired John Carpenter's Halloween and countless genre flicks to follow. [20 Dec 2009, p.61]

The story is good-natured, but Panahi's message is serious: That ludicrous rules turn Iranian women into third-class citizens. And what better way is there to get that point across than through sports and laughter?

It's depressing to see how far Herzog has fallen.

The documentary takes no sides, but its bleak message is all too clear.

It's expertly directed in a low-key, naturalistic way that brings to mind French auteur Robert Bresson. It's also emotionally forceful and contains heartbreaking performances.

Sparse of dialogue and plot (think Andrei Tarkovsky), the import - named best first film at Cannes 2005 - has to do with Sri Lanka's unending civil war and it's devastating effect on residents of a barren no man's land.

It's time to stop calling Azazel Jacobs a "promising" filmmaker. With Momma's Man, Jacobs achieves the promise.

The intolerance and inflexibility that marked the Taliban's brutal rule takes a solid hit in this lovely import from Bangladesh.

My only question: Why does Kleine -- who's married to Andre Gregory of "My Dinner With Andre" fame -- think that anybody outside her family gives a damn?

Boasts dynamic performances by the two leads, as well as tight directing (a lot happens in just 82 minutes) and eye-pleasing cinematography (by Alain Marcoen, who also lenses for Belgium's acclaimed Dardenne brothers).

A convoluted, pointless thriller that wastes the considerable talent of Max von Sydow.

By the time the final shot arrives -- a rooftop panorama in the falling snow -- we don't know much about any of the people we've just encountered. But we have been treated to a feast for the eyes.

Unlike Cursed, which resorts to blatant but unconvincing gore and violence, "The Wolf Man" (1941) gets its point across through suggestion, makeup and spooky sets.

The Greeks have a word for Blackmail Boy: boring.

Where else can you get to hear Otto sing "Crazy"?

The effect is informative and moving, even if the film has an attack of the gooeys at the end.

An Amsterdam mess.

Gerren's story is fascinating, but Roberts dilutes it by going off on tangents about unsafe cosmetics and phony plastic surgeons. Both topics need exploring - just not here. There's more than enough drama in Gerren's life.

The lazy story takes on a passion and urgency that peaks in an emotional finale.

The Chinese pleaser Electric Shadows belongs to a genre they don't teach in film school: Triple S, as in sweet, sappy and sentimental.

Gini Reticker's embracing documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell shows how Taylor got his comeuppance from a coalition of tenacious Christian and Muslim women armed only with matching T-shirts.

When all is said and done, Lies is just good, dirty fun.

Might have worked as a travelogue, minus the story. In its present form, it is hardly worth the $10 you will be asked to fork over at the box office.

The story becomes so convoluted and contrived that much of the tension dissipates.

Direction of all three films is no more than workmanlike, which isn't surprising since they were originally made for British television. The acting, on the other hand, is sometimes superb.

What emerges is a portrait of a complex man - one who had no qualms about murder and drugs but who won a national poetry contest and read "Moby-Dick" while in jail. Go figure.

Ines Efron and Martin Piroyanski give strong performances as Alex and Alvaro, respectively. Debuting director Lucia Puenzo, who co-scripted, tackles a dicey subject with sensitivity and taste.

The result is anti-Army propaganda rather than a balanced piece of reporting.

Enjoyable if only to hear KarKar perform his mournful and personal songs, including a tender tribute to his late wife.

The landscapes are exotic and Kilcher is erotic, but the film plays like a generic made-for-TV biopic.

Probably the most definitive portrait of Johnson that we are likely to get.

A stylish look and a fair amount of hot and heavy sex (mostly hetero), and the final shootout is pretty nifty.

The film flawlessly glides along as bodies start piling up. The finale brings to mind another Hitchcock film, "Psycho."

[Refn] mixes jittery hand-held camerawork, improvised dialogue and available light to create a nightmarish world of sex, drugs and horrific brutality that will turn off many viewers while delighting others.

It might take a while to figure out what is happening, because Khoo provides no expository dialogue. But viewers' patience will be rewarded as the stories come together in a moving fashion.

Makes a convincing argument that the decades-old Cuban blockade has outlived its usefulness.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird may owe a lot to other films, but it is always fresh and never boring.

The feature debut by hot, young Singapore director Royston Tan, 15, is a descent into hell -- a hell inhabited by five scuzzy 15-year-old boys whose world, as one puts it, "only consists of darkness."

Entertaining and informative, but it suffers from distracting voice-overs of what are supposed to be Madame Mao's thoughts. Too bad.

If animal slaughter makes you queasy, this movie isn't for you. Along with several cockfights, there's a long scene in which a pig is butchered. The folks at PETA would be most unhappy. People don't fare much better than the animals, with blood flowing in a seemingly unending barrage of violence.

The film is less violent and bloody than much of the director's work, but the absurdity level is sky high. Takashi Miike is at the top of his game, loving every minute of his surreal visit to the twilight zone.

Fans of Hou know just what to expect from his slow, contemplative films - and they won't be disappointed.

Savage yet spellbinding.

Michael Kang makes an impressive feature directorial debut with The Motel. But the person to keep an eye on is Jeffrey Chyau, a student at the Bronx High School of Science, who is a delight in the lead role.

I cannot tell a lie. I derive great satisfaction watching John Malkovich act.

The screenplay also fails to put the unconventional relationship into context. It never lets on that Andrea helped Duras produce some of her best work, including the autobiographical "The Lovers."

A poignant moment occurs in Election when a young boy sees his father brutally beat another mobster to death.

Gripping and thoughtful.

Fails as a detective story, but it does offer an entertaining look at the punk scene in the 1970s.

Nothing happens that hasn't been done better in other films, among them Thomas Vinterberg's excellent 1998 "The Celebration."

The film has all the visual flourishes we expect of Doyle and Wong, and they're reason enough to see Ashes of Time Redux. Just don't expect to make sense of the plot.

Something high schoolers might yawn through in history class, but they have no choice. You do.

Lou Diamond Phillips is let down by an uninspired supporting cast, including Bruce Weitz as a crippled con artist and Tracy Middendorf as the requisite femme fatale, a clichéd script, and flat direction by Stephen Purvis.

Think of it as the rantings of a grouchy old man (he's 71) who for half a century has resisted all efforts to dumb down his movies, insisting instead on making them HIS way and no other.

Lush and poetic, Dolls proves once again that Kitano is one of the world's most original filmmakers.

Melodramatic and heavy-handed.

Only marginally interesting.

Clichéd stories, clichéd characters. All that's missing is Ed Burns.

Despite its stomach-turning images (and maybe because of), it is a daring, provocative work by a talented helmer who gets off pushing the envelope. He should be supported, no matter how outlandish he gets.

Never rises above the level of a second-rate TV sit-com.

Fails to deliver the dramatic punch.

A gut-wrenching look at the human cost of war.

Haneke's images are so bold and riveting and the characters' emotions are so raw that the lack of a few details doesn't matter.

The dreadful acting, direction and script make Nowhere Man a nowhere movie.

Takita could easily trim 30 minutes of flab and oceans of tears from Departures. It still wouldn't merit an Oscar, but it would be a lot more watchable.

More popular today than during his lifetime (his music even made it into a Volkswagen commercial), Drake once complained, "Everybody tells me I'm great, but I'm broke. Why?"

A melodramatic import from Algeria, is so relevant in this age of global terrorism, it's a shame it isn't much better.

The director-producer, Nicole Opper, has known Avery's Brooklyn family for years, which no doubt accounts for the film's intimacy.

Viewers are left wondering just why they should care about them and the rest of the film's one-dimensional characters.

Best advice: Wait for Two Men Went to War to go to the small screen.

House is a spooky fairy tale mixed with martial arts, slow motion, black-and-white flashbacks — even a little upskirt action. A demonic white cat and a people-eating piano add spice. Movies as original as this one don’t come along very often, so grab it while you can.

Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel have great chemistry together as the lovers, and the scenes of their lovemaking and frequent battles bring the movie to life. Outside of those moments, however, the film is too stagey, talky - and long - for its own good.

Daring and unique, La Commune makes perfect viewing for the Fourth of July, which commemorates America's own revolution.

Compelling viewing, even for people who don't care a bit for the punk scene.

Heartbreaking.

Lewis, from the TV series "Band of Brothers," gives a super performance, but the revelation here is young Breslin, who was in Garry Marshall's "Raising Helen" and M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs."

The scariest revelation in Ratliff's film is that the Texas Hell House has proved so popular that it's being copied all over the country. Heaven help us!

It's a sweet and light-hearted endeavor that shows Breillat isn't a one-trick pony.

An unassuming love comedy with plot problems.

Finzi's lovingly filmed movie draws viewers into the lives of its two young heroes. You don't have to be a ballet buff to be moved by Isabela's and Irlan's stories.

Becomes more and more confused, unpleasant and preposterous.

Tabatabai delivers a strong performance and the script, although not always plausible, touches on important issues like bias against gays and Muslims.

The laughs flow, but Zobel isn't content to rely solely on them. To his credit, he allows Martin and Clarence - and the film - to develop consciences.

It's mindless entertainment, so take it or leave it.

The actors are charmingly low-key, and the lensing, by Jorgen Johansson, adds to the offbeat aura. Whatever you do, don't miss the booze-guzzling showdown.

The women are all beautiful; and the camerawork - by Emmanuel Lubezki, who shot Terrence Malick's spectacular "The New World" - is eye-pleasing.

There are a few sweet moments as the story reaches its unsurprising conclusion. But, all in all, Flakes isn't going to bowl you over.

The film's leisurely pace and abstract format isn't meant for the multiplex crowd, but rather for adventurous moviegoers. It took guts to make Khadak and to give it a theatrical release. It might take even more guts to seek it out.

The story isn't exactly new, but Bollain, an actress in her own right, keeps Take My Eyes from sinking into clichés.

There are some funny moments, plus occasional nudity and sex, but the joke quickly wears off. What might have worked as a half-hour TV show doesn't suit itself to a feature-length film.

Hilarious from first frame to last.

Viewers are either going to walk out after 10 minutes or, like this tolerant critic, get caught up in the sordid lives of the three misfits and stick around for the ambiguous ending.

The one highlight is Julia Nickson, who breathes life into the role of Ethan's evil stepmom.

The plot of the indie feature Room is, shall we say, sketchy. But that's a minor annoyance thanks to a gutsy performance by Cyndi Williams and vibrating cinematography by P.J. Raval.

More violent than anything Wood ever did, Automatons nevertheless has the kitschy feel and look of something he might have concocted. And I mean that as a compliment.

Credit Sissako for entertainingly blending serious international issues with the daily comings and goings of village life. A bit more Glover wouldn't have hurt - but you can't have everything.

There are no talking heads, but lots of singing heads and sexy dancing bodies, many of them belonging to stars in Spain. In total, there are more than a dozen performance pieces, all stylishly lensed.

A fluffy and fun coming-of-age-in-Rome comedy, with a sparkling turn by its 16-year-old star, Alice Teghil.

Censors in Iran must have been smoking weed when they approved I'm Taraneh, 15, a sympathetic portrait of an unwed mother.

Isn't perfect, but it's light years ahead of "Ong-Bak."

At more than two hours, Cherry Blossoms could do with some pruning. And do husband and wife have to have rhyming names?

Algenis Perez Soto was a baseball player in real life, which helps to explain his sensitive, understated performance as Sugar. But he's let down by a manipulative script recycled from dozens of sports and immigrant movies. At least it dispenses with a Hollywood ending.

The 25-year-old filmmaker takes no sides himself. Wisely, he allows folks of all opinions to put their feet in their mouths all by themselves.

Contains all the clichés of the post-prison genre -- but it has some redeeming qualities.

Fish Tank is grim, to be sure, but it leaves us with a feeling of hopefulness.

Marchand capably builds suspense, thanks to a twisty script and nervy performances by Lucas and Quinton.

Technically competent. What it needs is an original script.

The movie is stolen by 11-year-old Daniela Piepszyk as tomboy Hanna, one of Mauro's new friends. She has a face in a million.

There's enough material here for a miniseries, but the directors keep the proceedings to 78 brisk minutes without making the viewer feel cheated.

The stylish flick harkens back to the work of old masters like Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu.

The result is, alas, competent but unexceptional.

While some of this white guy's humor is juvenile and in questionable taste, Hoch, for the most part, is able to pull it off and supply a frequent number of laughs.

Showcases a brilliantly realistic performance by Abbie Cornish as Heidi. She's a provocative mix of naivete and ripe, unbridled sexuality.

Andersson has a one-of-a-kind style that not all viewers will appreciate. His humor is not at all like Hollywood’s. His is leisurely and cerebral — two words never heard in La La Land.

Director and co-writer Matteo Garrone infuses The Embalmer with a spooky eroticism. The film is dark, both in theme and visual composition.

One of the most original and stylish films to come along this year.

Who says you need a big crew and tons of money to make an enjoyable movie?

An intelligent work that avoids exploitation and cheap laughs.

Mafioso starts out as a comedy of manners before turning into a mob thriller that brings Nino to Bergen County, N.J. When he gets there, look for a man reading The Post on a street corner.

Can't decide if it's a martial-arts thriller or a sappy soap opera.

Desert Wind will be of interest to men - and especially to women, who might learn much they didn't know about the opposite sex.

Well-meaning but flawed drama.

The newly found footage of Fellini and actor Marcello Mastroianni on the set of "La Dolce Vita" made me want to run out and see that wonderful film yet again.

Gets off to a worthy start, but falls apart about halfway through.

Mawkish and manipulative, the film isn't worthy of its widely praised German director.

Viewers not accustomed to Hong's style of leisurely paced filmmaking - long, static takes with lots of talking - might be tempted to leave early. If they stick around, however, they might find themselves becoming fans of the cerebral South Korean auteur.

Director-co-writer Fabrice du Welz has taken a clichéd premise and infused it with a stylish perversity that should have horror fans squealing with delight.

The script falls victim to the stereotypes and clichés so often found in movies about Asian-American families. Still, Lee shows talent, although it might take a feature or two before she finds her own voice.

The battlefield sequences unfold with surreal horror, while the human bonding in the foxholes emerges tenderly. On the downside, Bauer - who makes no pretense about where his heart lies - tacks on a melodramatic coda that lessens the momentum of an otherwise praiseworthy film.

Every once in a while the old-fashioned costume drama comes alive, only to sink again into run-of-the-mill special effects and long periods of talkative tedium.

Meant to evoke filmmaking of a bygone era, but this time the director is more restrained visually, while making use of a more conventionally structured script than usual. And he has a real, honest-to-goodness star in Rossellini.

See it - if you dare.

Moves along its tranquil way until about five minutes before the closing credits, when it turns into a terrorist thriller.

Eleonore Faucher, first-time director (and co-writer) of the French charmer Sequins, is well aware of Neymark's allure and sees to it that the young woman is seldom out of the frame.

Nunez gets nice performances from his cast, but his narrative is cluttered.

Yes, The Secret Life of Words owes much to Lars von Trier's 1999 "Breaking the Waves." But Coixet's riff stands on its own thanks to thoughtful performances by Polley and Robbins.

The result is as enlightening for viewers as the journey was for Harris.

Strictly generic, it does little more than regurgitate the J-horror hits "Ringu" and "Ju-on."

There's style and panache to spare. Mournful jazz adds to the mood.

Never rises above the level of a soap opera, although the steamy sex and Lo's abundant nudity might make it worthwhile for some viewers.

The subject is touchy, but Gund handles it with taste and compassion.

Arlyck spends more time following himself and his own lefty family than checking up on Sean.

Zalla constructs a suspenseful movie with no intention of sugarcoating the daily hardships of New York's underclass.

The premise has potential, but there's no follow- through. And there's no actual zombie mayhem; we learn everything secondhand -- from phone calls to the station.

This is Ebiri's first feature after directing four shorts. He shows talent, but shouldn't give up his day job just yet.

The movies of prolific and popular Japanese director Takashi Miike evoke many emotions -- nausea, excitement, awe, amazement, shock. One emotion they don't often evoke is boredom. Sad to say,Dead or Alive: Final is boring.

It examines other crises faced by JFK - Cuba, the Berlin Wall, civil war in Laos, the insurgency in Vietnam - and finds that in each case Kennedy chose talk over tanks. (Often, he went against advice of aides and generals.)

A fascinating front-row seat for what could be history's shortest-lived coup.

The finale - a shootout in a church - seems inspired by Hong Kong filmmakers like John Woo and Ringo Lam.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That about sums up the amazing story of Edith Hahn Beer, an Austrian Jew who survived the Holocaust by passing herself off as Aryan.

The main attraction is little-seen archival footage going back 50 years, including scenes from the 1960s "Parades and Changes," with artful nudity that was praised in Europe but brought threats of arrest in New York.

Take "Thelma & Louise," throw in hot girl-girl sex and you have Gasoline, a flammable import from Italy directed by Monica Stambrini.

An indie gem.

Not only isn't the new effort up to the standards of the anime, it's bloody awful by any standard.

As one interviewee opines: "It's all about the money."

[Hernandez] is obviously a man more concerned with art than commerce, but good intentions don't always make for good filmmaking.

Dumb and unwatchable.

It would be easy to mock or patronize them. Cinemania does neither. They seem quite satisfied with their lives, which is more than can be said for a lot of people with more conventional lifestyles.

Charming to the max.

Carlos is exciting entertainment, even if its subject's two-decade reign of terror is reprehensible.

Wirkola keeps the narrative taut, wasting not a frame; and he throws in funny moments.

As Mark Twain didn't say, reports of the death of mumblecore are greatly exaggerated. As proof, I offer Andrew Bujalski's wise and wondrous Beeswax.

Plot? Who needs a plot? Certainly not neophyte director Matt Porterfield, whose Hamilton gets along just fine without one.

It's a highly erotic work that at no point seems staged. Credit brilliant use of fog, mirrors, silhouettes, slow motion and special effects worthy of a music video.

Has two especially memorable sequences: the eye-popping Mass Games and a visit by a group of schoolgirls to incredibly beautiful Mount Paekdu, which is revered by Koreans on both sides of the DMZ.

The film's strong point is its stylish, arty look, carefully chosen composition and shadowy lighting.

The psychobabble makes for dry filmmaking until Schreber starts going fem. From that point on, it's every man for himself.

Lightweight but enjoyable entertainment.

So bland that it fails to make an impression.

So, should you see The Intruder? Yes -- but only if you're willing to ignore bothersome concerns about narrative and let the poetic images take over your mind.

The movie's one-star rating is solely for Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who provides eye candy as Morris' film-student granddaughter, Lisa.

So you had no idea what was happening in David Lynch's "Inland Empire." Take comfort in the fact that, judging from the documentary Lynch, the filmmaker was just as puzzled as you.

Special note should be made of real-life sister and brother Aoi and Masaru Miyazaki, who give beautiful performances as the children.

Director-writer Pablo Tapero keeps the proceedings low-key and realistic. He doesn't hit you over the head with his ideas, yet he manages to say a lot about human nature.

Performances are up to par, but the story unfolds conventionally - it lacks the fragmented fury of its predecessor. You might call it "City of God Lite."

An intelligent look at family dynamics set in a boring Washington State suburb where Bible-thumping Mormons come knocking on your door.

The complexity might require a second viewing, but there is compensation in the realistic acting by a cast of non-pros and the eye-grabbing, hand-held lensing by Boaz Yehonatan Yacov.

Veteran stage, screen and TV actor Moshe Ivgi gives a sturdy performance as Moshe, a supposed tough guy who sobs when confronted by bank robbers.

You don't have to be a fan of Daniel Johnston, an underground artist and singer-songwriter whose manic-depression has kept him from realizing his full potential, to appreciate director Jeff Feuerzeig's documentary.

It presents a reverential and loving portrait of Deren while remaining breezy, informative and entertaining.

The result is wholly original, sort of like "The Wizard of Oz" as filtered through the sensibilities of Emir Kusturica, the cult filmmaker and musician.

It's a touching story that deserves to be told. Unfortunately, Slesin's presentation is conventional and uninspired (lots of boring talking heads). These heroes deserve better.

As usual with Majidi, the cinematography is super (best scene shows Karim, disguised as an ostrich, in pursuit of an escaped bird) and the acting is realistic and low-key.

A miracle of indie filmmaking. Shot for practically nothing by first-time director David Barker, it delivers more bang for its minimal bucks than many a Hollywood blockbuster does for its multimillions.

A work of drama, it's more realistic than any TV reality show.

A slight movie. But it has its share of charm and is a pleasant way to spend a little over an hour. It also is a sign that Burns might actually have talent.

The director, 30-year-old Dalibor Matanic, allows himself a few weepy moments, but mostly the script stays on target, accompanied by strong acting and lensing.

Long, talky and shot in black and white. In other words, it requires a commitment in time and brain power - a commitment worth making.

A devastating indictment of unbridled greed and materalism, made all the more relevant by the Enron and WorldCom scandals.

It would have been funnier at half that length.

Dame Maggie is simply delightful (has she ever been less than wonderful?).

The film is conventional in style and is likely to mean more to the sadly forgotten musician's fans than to others.

Reyadas' radical rejection of filmmaking conventions is at first off-putting, but he's able to elicit remarkable performances from the cast of non-professionals while building tension that will hold viewers' attention. Love it or loathe it, you won't soon forget Battle in Heaven.