William Arnold

So devoid of the usual coarse Hollywood calculation that it plays like a breath of fresh air.

McNamara finally gets to tell his side of the story -- and is somewhat humanized in the process -- but still comes off looking like a tragic character living in a state of denial.

It's by far the most uncompromising and unapologetic gay-themed drama ever made for a wide release by a major Hollywood studio with name stars.

The film powerfully demonstrates the diversity, the adaptability, the resilience of the insect world. The rest of the animal kingdom (including man) may be on the brink of extinction, but these little guys are thriving. [22 Nov 1996]

An extraordinarily taunt and suspenseful psychological thriller.

It's high melodrama all the way - a play written early in Shakespeare's career, filled with great poetry but lacking the sensitivity and complexity (and historical accuracy) of his more mature histories, and revived so often on stage over the centuries primarily because it's such a rousing, audience-pleasing theater piece. [19 Jan 1996]

It's an emotionally gripping, daringly genre-twisting, consummately crafted piece of filmmaking.

I loved it...Without trying very hard, Farnsworth commands a unique and immensely appealing screen presence that could be called "a compilation of all the great western heroes of the movie past."

Like Kubrick, Field doesn't make any moral judgments about his characters, and his film remains stubbornly enigmatic. It can be read as a high-class revenge thriller, an ode to the futility of vengeance or almost anything in between.

This is an adrenaline-pumping, devilishly well-made thriller set against the downfall of an American family.

The movie is occasionally funny, always very colorful and enjoyably overblown in the traditional Almodóvar style; and the performances -- especially Javier Cámara as the gentle, sweet-spirited Benigno -- are exquisitely tender and moving.

The commentary alternates between witty insight and opinionated bunk, but it's always fun -- and a must-see for movie buffs.

The movie is so surreal it's just not very involving. As an action extravaganza, it's busy but dull.

Offers nothing new. It's actually one of Polanski's more conventional films and, ultimately, it's hard to recommend it with a clear conscience.

All told, Knocked Up works more in spite of its low humor than because of it.

A well-made but harrowing and extremely downbeat coming-of-age drama.

Whatever it is, the film is the first major release of the fall worth talking about: a fast-paced, visually slick, psychologically fascinating Boston-set cops-and-crooks saga.

It's a terrific movie -- intelligent, magnificently acted, highly compelling as a thriller, and downright scary in its implications for the corporate-run world of the new millennium.

There's still nothing quite as thrilling on the screen as the spectacle of an icon movie star in a perfectly tailored role.

For all its good performances and family values, it's a painful movie to endure. It consists of watching this poor guy suffer one agonizing setback after another for nearly two hours, and its modest emotional payoff comes only in the final moments.

It doesn't have the imagination or daring to make a full turn to self-parody.

The characters are not hugely compelling, the performances never completely grab us, and much of the story, while visually arresting, is dramatically tedious.

It's a gut-wrenching emotional experience that you'll watch with tears in your eyes. [26 Mar 1999]

Both intellectually absorbing and emotionally gripping.

This is Boyle's fullest, most satisfying work and an audience-pleaser that deserves to be a big hit.

Above all, the film is just wonderfully ... well, Fellini-esque. It looks like nothing the cinema has seen since then.

Paranoid Park is a movie about its teen hero's inability to express his feelings: to himself, to his parents, to his friends and, unfortunately, to the audience.

Soars on its purity of form, subdued elegance and tidy professionalism.