On the plus side, there's plenty of dry Canadian wit, a handful of songs and only occasional bits of nudity.

Lively and inspirational, with terrific performances from a big star and a host of supporting players.

Unfortunately, whenever Beautiful threatens to work as parody, it veers uncomfortably into pop psychology.

Reaches the highest comic heights when the show itself starts.

Just plain bad.

Lovely to look at and listen to but doesn't reward any closer study.

A film of so much daring, a film that takes so many chances, it's impossible not to be impressed.

The film is a thoughtful, but by no means somber, look at an issue that might strike a particular chord with Jews.

A working-class drama that has its heart in the right place but undercuts itself by stacking the deck, letting its main character off too lightly and being overly impressed with its own profundity.

A marvelous picture and a highly unusual journey in and around the Holocaust.

Designed to shock and rock the viewer with disturbing imagery, the film misses the point once too often.

Giamatti provides those small moments of triumph that Duets pretends to celebrate but instead stifles with its sense of superiority.

Has the sentiment and sweetness of a good coming-of-age movie but lacks the drive and pulse that makes for a great rock and roll movie.

As ugly, excessive and vulgar as "The Usual Suspects" was stylish, subtle and suave.

Aimless and unfocused.

Unsparing and uplifting - a wickedly difficult combination to pull off, but one that gives the film an emotional weight that's impossible to dismiss.

A story about unmotivated characters trapped in an ill-conceived plot.

So understatedly good.

Black and white has never looked more stark.

To his (Snipes) credit, there are few other stars who could breathe a degree of credibility into a film like The Art of War.

Doesn't break any ground -- but it looks good in a tight sweater.

Little more than an electronic press kit for the band, produced for the benefit of its fans.

Fanaro's script never really hones in on the concept's potential.

These guys are funny.

The Cell is eye candy - but it could give your brain a bad case of indigestion.

Gives aficionados what they want and is surprisingly kid-friendly.

Goes straight to hell, and in this case it is its own handbasket.

For movie fans who despair of the state of American cinema, the in-jokes are hilarious.

The story of the triumphant underdog is irresistible, even when every single plot point comes marching down Main Street.

Playing a perpetual victim like Victor (Walken) might be easy, but making audiences want to watch him for 97 minutes isn't.

A passionate, heart-wrenching film that is a must-see for any romantic.

There's no denying the raw emotional power of this heart-rending story.

A welcome anomaly - a shallow hero you root for.

It has enough humanity to let the humor tickle, and a subject that will evoke memories for anyone who has ever smoked a joint or just said no.

Laura's histrionics sometimes seem forced, and Hines has to struggle to be the heel the screenplay sometimes asks him to be.

Arrives as a balm to seared adult psyches that have endured all manner of assaults at the multiplex this season.

Doesn't display a single deep thought, or even a middlingly profound one.

How can we make the entire movie disappear?

Character-rich, but plot-poor.

Romance, intrigue and old-fashioned movie glamour make a dazzling return in Girl on the Bridge, Patrice Leconte's sumptuous love story with a razor-sharp edge.

Winterbottom ("Welcome to Sarajevo," "Go Now") has filmed Wonderland with a hand-held 16 millimeter camera, lending the production an air of scrappy immediacy that is often arrestingly at odds with Michael Nyman's overheated musical score.

A listless, disjointed collegiate opposites-attract comedy.

If The Eyes of Tammy Faye is skimpy, it's still an important correction to the record about this fascinating and misunderstood woman, who turns out to be much more than just her makeup.

It's one of those movies whose appeal depends on the viewer's tolerance for watching French people suffer, smoke and sigh prettily.

Until the last 15 minutes, What Lies Beneath is a well-paced maze that earns every gasp from its audience.

Rififi, with its stark visuals, dark humor and constrained performances, earned Dassin the Best Director nod at the Cannes Film Festival and a secure place in film history.

Will keep kids happy and parents mildly entertained.

There's less here than meets the eye, not to mention the ear, nose, tongue and fingertip.

X-Men flies to the rescue with superheroes who have real substance.

Unlike other movies about unpleasant characters, "In the Company of Men," for example, Chuck & Buck doesn't have that sharp observational edge.

A pleasantly lightweight confection.

But there's a discomfiting side to her comic riffs, because in our all-too-concerned-with-image society, they ring far too true.

Shower makes for a lovely and poignant journey.

Tries to be both poignant and wicked, and succeeds at neither.

It's easy to be offensive in a movie; it's much harder to be funny. Which is why Scary Movie emerges as such a waste; when you're so good at the latter, why keep falling back on the former?

Accomplishes a delicate balancing act, that of entertaining the audience with the thrills and adventure of the Andrea Gail's final journey.

Rocky and Bullwinkle have not only returned, but they've been placed in the hands of filmmakers who know what they're doing.

Overblown sanctimony and sentimentalism as corny as the Fourth of July.

At some point the foul language, lascivious sight gags, references to sex toys, violence against animals and cruelty toward children simply ceases to be funny.

That rare kids' movie that may be even more entertaining for its intended audience's adult companions.

Like watching a 90-minute game of the video game Asteroids - all bang and no buck.

There's good trash: throwaway, intellectually undemanding action movies that, despite their heavy body counts and hard edges, are executed with a touch of class and a sunny disposition.

Does it make it as a movie? Only in fits and starts.

Those not familiar with Proust will doubtless feel lost. Unlike the printed word, film does not offer the chance to pause and reflect, or go back and re-read a passage.

A movie of unforced nobility and quiet pleasures, Butterfly works on all sorts of levels.

Turns into an amusing showcase for two of Hollywood's most appealing young actors.

Has a sweetness to it that's irresistible, and its techno, trance and jungle soundtrack is as infectious and hypnotic as a contact high.

A lively, compulsively watchable but ultimately sobering film about the men who make their living off prostitution.

Brain-softener.

The martial arts wizard shows a nice feel for the Butch and Sundance thing.

Provides an arresting journey through the Japanese countryside and culture.

Greenaway's film is about making people's jaws drop.

Offers jaw-dropping visuals, but its troubling images of violence may cause this revolutionary effort to miss the evolutionary boat.

Can be recommended even if just for the presence of Elaine May, who turns in her most charmingly ditzy performance since "A New Leaf."

The animals in Road Trip are pretty hilarious; as a five-minute short on cable TV's "Animal Planet," this film would be a stitch.

A wonderfully understated work offering insights to a world where no emotion is simple.

All that artistry is surrounded by a hackish, paint-by-numbers storyline that makes the time between dance numbers seem endless.

An underlit, overlong, underwritten and overloud albatross of a movie.

Almereyda has done a splendid job of rendering Hamlet as expressive visually as it is verbally.

Genteel but ultimately unnecessary entertainment.

Here's hoping your own dreams of Africa are more interesting -- and better acted -- than this movie.

Well, it's better than "The Phantom Menace."

There's plenty to like about Adrenaline Drive, including the appealing, sympathetic performances of its two young stars and the tongue-in-cheek humor that pervades the film.

Forgive me for being underwhelmed.

An enjoyably complex sci-fi suspense thriller.

Von Trier has assembled a fearless troupe of gifted actors - especially Jorgensen - to explore the outer reaches of human cruelty and vulnerability.

A tired piece of hackery, made only slightly less distasteful by a couple of inspired moments from supporting player Alan Cumming.

Once you get the hang of Figgis' own brand of coercion -- one based on an intricate sound design and musical score -- you find yourself happily going along for the ride.

A marvelously subversive, slyly manipulative effort.

The strong young cast keeps the film from being a total waste.

Instead of a sweeping epic, this adaptation of a novel by Elizabeth Bowen is much quieter, a work perhaps too understated and stereotypical for its own good.

Sets up a mood of tensile suspense from the beginning and never lets it go.

It gets under your skin and into your head, and you don't want it to leave.

The conventional and the cliche are slam-dunked in favor of a fresh, authentic take on passion, ambition and coming of age.

Depends on breezy attitude and effortless delivery for its success.

A withering condemnation of a culture where greed is a virtue, a culture that you don't have to feel guilty for laughing at.

Bullock's character goes through some changes, but she never turns into some unrecognizably serious actress.

It's just another modest, unsurprising little heist flick. So why is it so much fun? Newman.