Neeson’s austere, meticulous turn is the best reason to see After.Life. He’s cinema’s most soft-spoken, high-toned boogeyman since Anthony Hopkins opened his first can of fava beans.

Poor word of mouth should doom it for a quick ride to DVD oblivion.

Letters to God is far too simplistic and pandering to find success outside of the targeted church-going family moviegoers it’s hoping to reach.

It is a crackerjack thriller and a sensational calling card for the brothers Edgerton.

For the most part, though, Who Do You Love does a marvelous job of recreating the times and the music and, most of all, of bringing to life this behind-the-scenes giant of the music business.

A powerful and provocative look at the seismology of the Iranian social order and the connective tissue that sustains Iranian women in particular.

A pathetic thriller and lame social satire that suffers from abysmal writing, poor pacing and terrible acting, even from the normally reliable Sean Bean.

See What I’m Saying is at once heartbreaking and irritating, enlightening and boring, but frankly not aesthetically well made in any particular way.

The way the film handles relationships has a similarly light but lived in air to it as well.

Don McKay just never seems to be able to blend its noir elements into a story that makes us care one way or the other.

Writer/director Tim Blake Nelson manages a finely tuned balance that is rare in cinema. Moving from the far reaches of comedy to the nether regions of drama, he never skips a beat or sets the pitch too high.

Easygoing effort at times feels over-baked and too full of Perry’s now-trademarked melodramatics, but nevertheless should hit squarely at the target audience of the older African-American women that can’t seem to get enough of what this director dishes out.

Though less splashy than "Red Cliff," or for that matter "Hero," or even "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," the picture nonetheless embraces a classic melodramatic approach to an otherwise familiar Ching Dynasty tale, delivering one of the most bracing Asian period films in many years.

Full of high flying action, nifty monsters, valiant heroes, plotting villains and impressive CGI.

Yet another movie marketed with the line “From the author of The Notebook,” The Last Song is distinguished from other Nicholas Sparks adaptations because it’s the first screenplay the best-selling novelist has written himself.

The filmmakers do bang-up job expanding the frontline perspectives, aiming to subvert a ruling regime’s course and expose its cloudy human rights record.

Breillat directs with her characteristic flair for getting under the skin of her protagonists while taking a particular pleasure examining sisterly bonds and feminist concerns within the context of a fairy tale.

One of Hot Tub Time Machine’s only genuinely nifty moves is getting John Cusack, Dobler himself, to topline the film.

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

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.

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.

An exciting, fun and sensationally entertaining movie for everyone.

On one side Lbs. deals with a subject not often handled dramatically and this alone gives it an urgency and a credibility.

Don Hahn’s documentary is an animator’s attempt to invigorate what is otherwise a dry story.

If "Midnight Run" and "His Girl Friday" had an unwanted, mutant baby, it would be The Bounty Hunter, a romantic comedy where the jokes sputter and die immediately after exiting the character’s mouths.

Should be immediately screened in film schools across the world as a shining example of everything that is wrong with the American studio system and the increasingly dreadful junk it produces.

Warm, broad and uneven, City Island almost thrives in the lite entertainment zone where ethnic family dramedy meets mildly raucous farce.

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.

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.

At 74 tough and tragic minutes, though, Kimjongilia is not destined for monetary glory. The waiting arms of public television are the more likely destination.

It’s a marvelous document of a still vital musician whose unbending indifference to pop fashion has proven him more creatively durable than any other figure from the golden ’60s moment that gave birth to his career.

Far from a perfect movie, but there are moments when it comes about as close to catching the visceral kick of the pre-iPod rock experience as any film I've ever seen.

Forty-four years after his exciting debut feature "Fists in the Pocket," Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio continues his late-career renaissance with the passionate, beautifully crafted, period melodrama Vincere.

This NYC-stamped film may claim street cred because it set-up shop along No Man’s Land, Brooklyn, late at night, but its drowsy work and parlor tricks suck the life out of what’s supposed to be a sleepless city.

It may be difficult for the youth-obsessed American culture to appreciate the quiet joys rendered in this Italian charmer. But, given the increasing dominion of the Baby-Boomer Generation--hungry for life-affirming images of old age--Mid-August Lunch could prove a sleeper-in-the-making.

Bong's stylistic embellishment of the simple tale of a mother who will do anything to protect her son is breathtaking.

Green Zone is an exercise in commercial cowardice masquerading as a thriller about political bravery.

Further exploration of this psychological question might have made for a more substantial, less enervating artfilm. One less liable to be experienced as an approximation of cinematic waterboarding.

Sometimes hilarious, occasionally outrageous and terribly uneven.

It’d all be pretty ho-hum weren’t it for some decent chemistry between the leads and the effortless presence of Regina King and Forest Whitaker.

For those looking for the rare romantic youth drama without vampyric overtones or other gimmicks, Remember Me should satisfy and it works as a much-needed change of pace for the talented Pattinson who remains one of the most watchable of our young stars.

Severe Clear provides a view of the early days of the war and reminds you of all the promotion and idealism that conflict came with.

Tim Burton, plus Alice, plus 3D equals an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind movie experience. It will clean up.

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.

The exquisite art and fairytale ambience will win over animation fans and children alike.

An ultra-thin spliff, Cop Out never sparks, although knowing that in advance won’t deter moviegoers who believe pairing Morgan & Willis with Smith equals hilarity.

An entertaining fright movie that’s crazy fun and full of genuine scares.

Whether audiences have the stomach for 150 minutes behind bars remains debatable, but there is no denying the persuasive power of a film that takes no prisoners and pulls no punches.

The film can be dry and a little repetitive. For all of that, it still manages to generate a surprising measure of suspense and it produces outrage in abundance.

That tension between silly comedy and poignant drama could have been dicey, but Stebbings and Harrelson maintain just the right balance between the two.

While it is captivating stylistically, and the primer on the China/Taiwan relationship is great fodder for political geeks, even in its deepest moments of intrigue and pathos this is a cable TV movie at best.

The unexpected directions in their family dynamics and unflinching scenes of the volatile Marc keep Prodigal Sons absorbing.

Moving and more ambitious than a CW serial drama or the long-ago ABC After School Specials because its honesty outweighs its occasionally trite dialogue and sometimes false scenes.

The romantic drama earns solid marks for atmosphere, moving shots of post-Katrina New Orleans and acting.

Shutter Island is a bear hug to cinema while it’s also an occasionally tart valentine to genre.

Ultimately, however, the movie is about the fact that there was a civil rights movement at all, and incidents like the murder of Dickie Marrow necessitated that movement--deep into the 1970s and beyond.

If it is possible to watch this work as a movie rather than using it as a referendum on its maker’s guilt or innocence, the audience that craves mature, sophisticated and grown-up entertainment will find much to admire here.

In short, if you like her, you’ll likely love her after the film, which I suspect is timed to usher in a return world tour.

This drama is something of a miracle itself: a film dealing with religion that is refreshingly free of dogma.

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.

Columbus knows his way around this kind of material even if some of the special effects look like they came from Deep Discount. The gods are well-rendered, but nothing special. Still for the Potter crowd, Percy provides a nice diversion until the real thing comes along.

A classic case of being too much of a not-very-good thing.

With the nation’s unemployment rate hovering around 10% and home foreclosure numbers stubbornly high, Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher’s haunting documentary of multigenerational troubles is either a case of great timing or, possibly, the worst timing ever.

Lovers of deliberate kitsch should seek it out and make it a part of all celebrations of bad taste. Lovers of “The Godfather” films and new age mafia types like the “Sopranos” have always been into bad taste and so won’t get this.

As flat as the Carolina coastal region in which it’s set, Dear John features two gorgeous young actors playing denuded characters in search of more narrative garb.

Though it fails to live up to its dynamic predecessor in almost every way, District B13: Ultimatum should still be enough to satisfy the earlier film’s small but faithful core of American fans.

If so inclined for a breezy, violent time-waster audiences could do worse. Travolta sadly can do so much better.

To say the movie is understated is an understatement, yet it’s justified.

A timely and timeless look at the intersecting lives, fortunes and fates of Jews, Christians and Muslims in the fragile Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa, Israel.

They’ve shed all of the Brit-centric political aspects and updated it to make a riveting, pulse-pounding suspense thriller that really does keep you on ‘edge.’

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

An amusing turn from Steve Buscemi in the title role and some sporadically funny, off-beat dialogue provided by debuting writer/director Hue Rhodes make for a passable, if forgettable, little time passer.

Essentially a B-movie dressed up with A-level special effects, Legion looks spiffy but sounds bad with a lot of overwritten dialogue scenes and predictable action.

Like "The Blind Side," this is an inspiring and compelling true story. Harrison Ford is at the top of his game in this remarkable film.

Strictly for 6 year olds, this uninspired, one-joke comedy is full of too many misfired gags and weak comic setups to cross over to anyone whose head reaches above the seat back.

The Book of Eli takes the violent, gritty feel of a spaghetti western, marries it with elements of "The Road," places it in the future and gives it a spiritual twist.

While it never quite rises above the problems inherent in the material, The Spy Next Door does shine in those moments when Jackie and his stunt crew are permitted to do what they do best.

The Spierigs make exciting use of their clever vampire premise and the result is a potential horror/action franchise equal to "Underworld."

Nobody here brings their A-game, denying us the pleasure of what Adams and director Anand Tucker could create together.

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

With Sita, Paley brings the same, highly specific and very personal vision we associate with the best indie and alternative filmmaking to the animated form, and the result is riveting.