Through all the skillfully juggled subplots, the overarching conflict has always been the family’s quest to keep hold of Downton Abbey — and thus preserve their role as the heart of the community, envied and adored by all — while also keeping up with the march of modernity.

A surprising, laugh-out-loud take on the old buddy-cop genre. It's sneaky and smartly funny, offering an almost perfect balance of action and comedy. That's the good news. Then there's the matter of the movie's disheartening final 25 minutes.

What makes the film more than just a starstruck string of great stories is that it also gets at the loss and longing in Gordon's life.

There are complex situations, well-acted characters and a central relationship that feels authentic and mature — and yet it's missing some element to bring it fully into focus.

We’ve seen it all before — maybe not quite as spectacular, maybe not quite as dumb. It’s Washington who ultimately makes “Gladiator II” stand apart from the first film and makes it a lot more fun than it has any right to be.

It’s all insanely violent and gleefully silly. Stab wounds and bullet holes just don’t slow some people down the way you think they might. Through it all the best part of the film remains the dichotomy of a bland wimp (a character Odenkirk plays so well) who can flip the switch to becoming a remorseless killer — and seeing Odenkirk as the one flipping the switch.

There’s something about a lot of the film as a whole that makes it feel as if Lanthimos is trying a little too hard.

Visually, the movie is amazing — jaw-droppingly so. This is as technologically impressive as anything Spielberg has done, if not more so. The story, on the other hand, based on the bestselling novel by Ernest Cline, doesn’t just allow for narrative shortcuts; it practically demands them.

A quiet character study filled with damaged, insular people who live life in small increments, only occasionally exploding in emotion.

What makes In a Valley of Violence a notch better than a simple genre exercise is West’s sense of fun.

It all falls ultimately to Keough, who is outstanding at portraying the duality of a character, a duality the story demands.

The movie isn’t particularly hard to figure out and doesn’t try to be. Its charms lie more in what the actors make of characters that could have been cliches (or, if you’re in a kinder mood, archetypes) and its gorgeous look.

for those willing to go along with von Trier's typically in-your-face tactics, it's a good, if uncomfortable (and surprisingly funny), film. And the discomfort is part of what von Trier is after.

The Apprentice — its title a play on Trump’s original identity in relation to Cohn, as well as the reality show that helped get him elected president — is well-made, entertaining in its way (particularly for fans of good acting) and not at all surprising.

Don't be mistaken -- this isn't an artsy thriller. It is still, at heart, men vs. wolves, and the wolves definitely have the home-court advantage.

Kristian Levring offers a brutally beautiful take on the Western in The Salvation, a film reminiscent of a song that sounds familiar but offers its own pleasures.

Even if you've never watched a whole episode of "Dora the Explorer," you'd have to be a grinch not to be slightly charmed by the whole thing.

The Creator isn’t a masterpiece of the AI genre, if there's such a thing yet, but it's a good start.

Niccol looks at the pilot's struggles and the toll this remote form of warfare takes on his life. It's certainly intriguing, but he tells his story in such broad, obvious strokes that the movie isn't as powerful as it could be.

An enjoyable movie, in many ways a beautiful movie to look at. One only wishes he'd been a little more ambitious.

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.

The story, based on the Michael Connelly novel, grows increasingly far-fetched - at times it plays like an expensive pilot for a TV series, maybe a "Young Barnaby Jones" or something.

Vacth is good throughout. It's tough to make a disaffected character hold your interest, but she does.

Despite its slow pace at times, the film builds on multiple themes such as flying too close to the sun, self-discovery and a tinge of romance.

Out of the Furnace goes so far out of its way to be gritty and meaningful that it sometimes neglects its strongest feature: its actors.

It's not an easy ride, but it is ultimately a satisfying one.

Writer and director Sarah Adina Smith’s vision is so confident, so sure, that it’s worth trusting her to see where the story goes. Plus, you get Rami Malek at no extra charge.

We've been down this road before. But Pitch Perfect 2, goofier than the original, makes it an enjoyable trip.