You'll be happier with the film if you don't expect fidelity to source material, but that doesn't mean you'll hate it if you loved Niels Arden Oplev's movie.

Curry also emphasizes the human drama of the kid drivers who face their own distinct challenges and setbacks in order to become champions.

It's dumb and consistently funny.

Pleasant is an underrated value in moviegoing, and pleasant is a word that describes director Sue Bourne's look at the world of amateur Irish dance competition in spades.

There's nothing wrong with social message melodramas that tackle the AIDS crisis and certainly not every gay release has to please crowds like "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," but Schlim has a good-time movie with a likable cast.

Clichés and thin thrillers are what we can expect from January releases and while Man on a Ledge has predictability to spare, it also has something that makes your time spent worthwhile: legitimate suspense.

An awkward stew between "American Beauty" and "Harvey" that only touches a nerve at the eleventh hour.

Both emotionally charged and at times extremely funny, with humor emerging naturally from the characters' predicaments, Meet Monica Velour has the feel-good factor without comprising its ideals.

Parents will want to stay for this one.

A kind of Ealing Comedy throwback that is arguably her best film since Beckham.

The romantic fable of love, marriage, art and second chances may not add up to all that much but the journey is exquisite.

Like "Anvil," this is a crowd-pleasing triumph of the spirit, framed around a story so bizarre it sounds like an urban legend.

One of the summer's great escapes - no mean feat in a year that has attempted, but failed, to provide fun, mindless, movie fare.

It may be the most glaringly, if unintentionally, personal film that Zhang has made since 1994's "To Live."

Premium Rush has a rewarding relentlessness and a payoff that suggests that whirring city that surrounds us in is full of supporters who see past the system.

Ang Lee's adaptation of Yann Martel's mega-selling novel Life Of Pi is technically adept, mildly engaging and thematically pedantic.

Fails to completely satisfy, thanks to problems with the script that neither director nor stars can overcome.

The twists and turns in The Double Hour are not arbitrary; rather, they are well considered and effective, right down to the last frame.

It is the boy's tough exterior and lack of self-pity that binds the narrative together, making this one of the Dardennes' most appealing undertakings.

Call it Prosthetic Flipper, but the truly inspiring Dolphin Tale is perfect family entertainment.

So Watching TV is less a story loosely bound by cause and effect than a kind of scrapbook of memories, all of which convey the concerns of being super smart and mostly confused in a culturally mixed Manhattan, circa 1980. The affection is sweet and precise, if even the terms we use to define them aren't.

Instead of a topic documentary, If a Tree Falls becomes the personal story of a well-intentioned man whose passion for the environment leads to serious consequences.

Severe and unflinching, The Whistleblower relies on journalistic realism to pack its punch.

This film is only for those with strong constitutions and a penchant for painstaking details.

The Thompsons have a tough task to explain all the machinations in the film's first half but once the scene is set it unravels in an entertaining way, jumping forward a year--but always with flashbacks to that infamous dinner party.

A true crime tale with added layers of intrigue and atmosphere.

Circumstance demonstrates raw talent and a taste for big ideas.

The shadow of Whitney Houston's stardom and crushing recent death hang heavy over this midrange movie that promises its female audience at least three good cries during its somewhat overlong run time.

Silly and not nearly scary enough, this does not rank as grade-A Romero, but the story unfolds efficiently and economically and it provides plenty of laughs.

Serves as both a sequel and a prequel, and the team Oren Peli has assembled deserves credit for beefing up and rounding out his original narrative without letting it mutate into something unrecognizable.

A competent period costume drama, this intimate character study is light as air - and probably more suited to Masterpiece Theatre than as a major theatrical release.

If this film is nothing else (and it may be nothing else) it's funny and (ironically) fundamentally true. What certainly isn't true is what it purports to be, which is a legitimate course of study that analyzes the historic, international, socio-cultural, economic and psychological relationships between individuals, governments and corporations through the prism of physics and what has been loosely called metaphysics.

Programming the Nation is a lo-fi, issues-driven documentary carried along by the strength of its ideas rather than its artless desktop aesthetic.

Director Douglas McGrath's empathy rescues it from the brink of disaster porn - it's so good-hearted and optimistic that a swath of stressed out moms will feel the flick speaks directly to them, which it does.

Alternately beguiling and actively irritating, Frammartino's second feature is too uneven to recommend whole-heartedly, but contains so many individually fascinating movies that attention should be paid.

Gordon is bit too good looking to really be the Greg Heffley the books detail, but he's not obnoxious in the role and will appeal to the target 'tween set.

A dark and brooding story that only gets more disturbing over the course its 152 minute runtime.

It is America's oldest and most prestigious high school science competition. Over two thousand students begin each year vying for slots; 40 are chosen as finalist. For high school science and math geeks this is a big deal.

(Holmes) fails to deliver requisite laughs to keep the comedy afloat.

This is a quirky, imaginative and outrageously funny little movie that will speak to more of us than any of us would like to admit - even if we aren't sporks, persay.

Payne's book is more epic and shameless than Gustin Nash's tidy adaptation.

What to expect from What to Expect When You're Expecting: laughs, heart and a terrific ensemble of actors doing what they do best.

Won't Back Down makes grand drama of bureaucracy, positioning Gyllenhaal as the knight slaying 400 pages of government paperwork in order to wrest control of her daughter's elementary school. It's rousing - if not thrilling - stuff.

The laughs are a little uneven and director Jeff Tremaine does not always take full advantage of the 3D technology, but the movie has enough going for it to satisfy Jackass' legions of fans and make some new ones.

In a brief supporting role Meg Ryan is also fine along with Brian F. O’Byrne and Will Patton. Shannon Kane is memorable as the prostitute Gere hooks up with.

Bloodworth is a true southern gothic. There is nary a smile nor chuckle to be had throughout and ultimately things end badly. The density of the drama will draw some audiences and repel others, and those who come may find it all a bit too dramatic for plausibility.

He's either daring you not to laugh or daring you not to care, but either way, you'll laugh, care and worry about the consequences in Dark Horse.

Stunningly shot by cinematographer Nigel Bluck (Handsome Harry) the film captures beautifully the magic of the foliage and the surrounding landscapes.

It's hard to watch Farewell without thinking of such '70s classics as "All the Presidents Men" and "Network," mature dramas that Hollywood has since all but abandoned (with intermittent exceptions like The Insider).

This elegant weepie offers plenty for fans of melodrama, character-driven stories and period pieces.

Gerardo Naranjo's fourth feature Miss Bala is one long slow burn with no final bang.

With a sure-to-be-talked about performance by Sean Penn and the dueling themes of overcoming depression and revenge against Nazi atrocities, This Must Be The Place is anywhere BUT the place for moviegoers who aren't in the mood for something different.

Dancing lacks probing interviews to highlight the tremendous cultural change, but Sy remains an engaging focus point and there are numerous performance sequences that ably demonstrate his growing accomplishments.

Despite the high drama of the financial crisis, this documentary, which is full of talking heads, could have been as dry as a balance sheet. It's quite the reverse: funny, sardonic, investigative and gripping.

The feature directorial debut of Martin Zandvliet, Applause has moments of flourish and moments that reach towards something as pared down as Thea's play.

The pace is solid and engaging without putting you on the edge of your seat-you won't be looking at your watch, which means it's at least worth the time spent.

Upbeat, bitter, sweet and always gripping, Shut Up! Little Man gives remix culture the ucky origin story it likely won't heed, but could sorely use nonetheless.

Has enough laughs, enough good will and enough squirrely strangeness to make you hope that we get to hold on for one more film.

It's a well structured, sometimes riveting piece of information gathering that proves once again that Corrie's death was unnecessary and that closure has remained intriguingly, maddeningly, sadly elusive.

A dating fantasy for girls and an action bromance for guys, This Means War wins the Valentine date crowd in swoops and strokes, but does it lead to swoons? Not really.

A charming oddity, a character-driven drama with just enough fringe genre elements to both enhance and distract, though ultimately hewing closer to the former to make the latter only a minor annoyance.

This is one of Denis's most provocative films and also one of her most compelling.

Rebooting novelist James Patterson's famous Alex Cross character for the big screen, Tyler Perry aims at new cinematic territory and scores a bullseye as the Detroit detective embroiled in a hunt for a mega-evil killer that turns personal.

Aimed at kids, Arthur Christmas could be a little trying if you're over 10, but if you want an easygoing flick to get you into the mood for the holidays you could do a lot worse.

Entertaining, full of laughs and, as far as chick flicks go, is a sweet, romantic trip worth taking for audiences so inclined.

Sure you could just go and rent the original DVDs, but this kind of gut-busting, hit 'em in the groin humor is still funny as hell, especially in the hands of the Farrelly Brothers.

Paranormal Activity 4 may mean more of the same, but in a modern horror landscape too often made up of equal parts of gore and boredom and resigned straight-to-video, it's a chiller designed to be seen in a crowded theater, and that alone makes it superior to its peers.

There are a sufficient number of jolts thanks to quick edits and sound effects, plus the script's efficient structure.

Benicio Del Toro looks even more like Lon Chaney Sr. than Chaney Jr. did, and he’s a far better actor than the previous Wolf Man.

It takes from American gangster classics ("White Heat" and both "Scarface" films come to mind) but its unique setting and underlying themes give it distinction.

Directorially, the film takes a few too many trips into prosaic slow motion.

This is one of the super rare docs that packs an unbelievable punch despite its misguided aesthetics. It's a strange triumph of content over form, which is the province of journalists to report.

Rogen isn't the obvious choice for a comic book icon but he forces his personality onto this material with an ingratiating ease.

While director Sam Mendes, aided and abetted by a crack technical team, delivers big-screen action with panache and style, something about this Bond feels a little off.

A traditional southern gothic, Septien delivers oddities from the perverse to the parochial with a straight face, and in the process restores the oddball genre to what might be called authenticity.

It's impossible to watch this movie without feeling that you're in the presence of a good and decent man.

Overall it's a game effort but despite its strong ambitions and provocative themes, Shame may leave you just like its main protagonist - in need of a very cold shower.

An amiable endeavor, if something of a puff piece.

Although Ben Stiller’s brand of nervy comic ticks can prove irritating on occasions, here he is kept in check so that the humor and the pathos shine through.

Inspiring, real and heartwarming, Big Miracle is something of a miracle itself - a family film everyone in the family can love that doesn't talk down to its audience and makes more salient political points than "Free Willy" or "Dolphin Tale."

Surprisingly, George Clooney's direction is somewhat underwhelming with crucial conversations oddly lacking in tension.

Big and brash with a fantasia of battles and chases thrown in to keep the young ones enthralled for its nearly two-hour running time.

Unfortunately, the committee-designed script never finds a consistent balance between building characters, delivering action and pushing the story forward.

Almost as bad as we want it to be, which is to say, it straddles the line between campy and legit without winning over either audience.

The real star of the film, however, is Shapiro who, despite treading on marginally derivative subject matter, demonstrates a solid sense of style and a refreshingly delicate hand with actors.

The film proves a gripping, if uneven, cinematic journey.

A small film about enormous fears.

Koolhoven manages the difficult balance of entertaining as well as offering a high emotional impact, with considerable agility. Pino Donaggio's soaring and powerful score intensifies all of the drama.

To call this so-called family film dreadful is an understatement. Jaw-droppingly awful on almost every level, this is a movie to avoid.

An uncomfortably honest portrait of a slow mental breakdown in self-consciously bohemian, twentysomething Brooklyn, Ry Russo-Young's You Wont Miss Me is so earnest the title's missing an apostrophe.

For the most part, Olliver and Orshoski are smart enough to allow Lemmy's unique personality to come to them, as opposed to pushing a case for it.

Fans of the 66-year-old guitar god (which is to say the only people who'll see this homespun gem) will revel in Young's winsome cruise down Memory Lane.

The result is a lively mix of informative and enlightening storytelling, with a healthy dash of poignancy.

Some of the performances in the film (from Mahalia Jackson to The Clara Ward Singers) are deeply affecting and the historical context the film provides is as impressive as the music itself.

A sumptuous recreation of 1920s France and the unbridled affair between two of the century's most iconic figures.

The strong central hour - full of beautifully assembled linking montages and a refreshingly offbeat sense of dramatic timing that could pass for comedy - makes up for a lot, marking Najbrt as a filmmaker to watch.

Best Worst Movie is a must-see for students of film criticism and the philosophy of art.

These ladies - even at their weakest - carry themselves with the confidence of winners, and we cling to their strength like a life raft.