Scafaria gives her characters and the situation an absurdist tone that makes the whole concept a little more palatable.

Eschewing a tidy wrap-up, Reeves doesn't leave us feeling manipulated, as so often happens in films like this. Instead, we want to know where the story goes from here, and that's no small accomplishment.

Floridly explicit, gleefully disgusting and yet somehow kind of sweet, the film is a showcase for Carla Juri.

Overall The Insult is a compelling, timely movie. Doueiri is doing what artists do: Making the personal universal, while at the same time showing the impact a few poorly chosen words can carry.

Creepy, confounding and more than a little curious. It's also quietly compelling.

An affectionate documentary.

Now this is a scary movie. And, given that it's a horror film, that means it's a good one. [18 Oct 2012]

An unorthodox delight.

The porn, the drugs, the smog, the bad haircuts - you can play it for laughs or play it straight. With terrific performances from Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, Black does a little of both. The film is at once a nod to hard-boiled film noir and a send-up of it.

The Dark Knight Rises brings the Batman story to a close in enormous, satisfying fashion, not just on the huge scale it builds for itself, but on a human level as well.

The directors (Lapeyre also wrote the film) have gathered a terrific bunch of young actors for the film, which plays at times like a “Lord of the Flies” knockoff but also has something original to say.

Balanced with the over-the-top but spot-on performances by Ruffalo and Collette as the clear “rich guy turned politician that has a really really loyal fanbase” stand-in, "Mickey 17" is one of Bong’s best English-language films.

Abu-Assad does a masterful job of showing, in these seemingly hopeless circumstances, the fragility of life.

At just under two hours, "Relay" keeps you on the edge of your seat, guessing at what's coming next.

We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is at once an awkward mingling of two complex life stories and a gripping, necessary look at how information is gathered, shared and, yes, stolen.

Not a lot happens, other than eating between small bits of drama and large doses of humor. If you saw the first film, you know how good that can be.

“Far From Home” ends up being one of the more entertaining and satisfying installments in Marvel’s never-ending story cycle, thanks to a tautly constructed narrative that packs in plenty of fan service without getting overly complicated.

It's fascinating and unpredictable, so much so that the fate of Irene almost becomes a secondary concern. And thanks to the very clever and very compassionate way that Farhadi has crafted this film, that's not a flaw.

Moreno felt as if she didn’t have much worth as she struggled, she says. One of the most satisfying things about the film is that through decades of struggle she clearly has found that worth. It’s in her confidence, the confidence of someone who has come out the other end of a long struggle with the knowledge than nothing is going to get her down. You can’t get the best of her. It’s inspiring.

The film could merely coast on the charms of its three stars, but it's smarter and brighter than you'd expect.

Quirky characters. A killer soundtrack. Vibrant imagery. Noah Centineo's adorable, squishy little grin. A teenage love story that's equal parts outrageous and delightful.

If you're willing to let a movie wash over you and work at what it might mean, you'll love "Holy Motors," Leos Carax's surreal ode to … identity? Movies? Performance?

Weisz’s performance is what provides the tension. It’s impossible to read her — or, more accurately, it’s possible to misread her. That’s kind of the same thing, but not quite.

Lanthimos makes statements about the nature of love and relationships and their place in society, and there are fewer statements more important than those.

The Taste of Things is marinated in warm sunlight, bottles of red wine, sweat from a hard day's work and a touching comfort between lovers. It reminds you of the indulgences of rich meals and genuine connections, going beyond finding someone who remembers date night to someone who knows how to list the ingredients of a bordelaise by taste.

Tarantino has always worn his love of cinema on his sleeve, fetishistic and in the form of homage. But here, that love is reverent.

But for all its missteps, it's tough not to be engaged. Cruz's full-tilt flamboyance is just too much fun, and her more down-to-earth moments can be devastating.

Affleck is the center of the film. His Doug is, in some respects, rather like Affleck - the director of the elaborate heists, as well as a performer in them.