The key point is made, if seemingly lost in the overly cheery finale.

There is so much wrong with the political system at this point that gerrymandering, in which politicians shamelessly redraw electoral boundaries to rig the outcome of elections, seems almost quaint.

Like Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There"-which never once came out and said the name "Bob Dylan"-Nowhere Boy bites its tongue and refuses to say "The Beatles."

Particularly impressive is veteran cinematographer Dean Semler's inventive cinematography that manages to put the audience right in the middle of the races like never before.

The script, from first time screenwriters Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson, takes a predictable premise and gives it surprising depth.

Isn't very funny or much fun at all.

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.

Turns out to be a huge disappointment.

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

With a thieves den of borderline-Shakespearian characters, a wickedly literate screenplay, potent direction by David Fincher, an exceptional ensemble cast and subject matter that speaks to a generation and well beyond, The Social Network is mesmerizing.

Let Me In eclipses "Twilight" in every way, leaving you thirsty for more of this haunting, touching and unforgettable thriller.

A black comedy lacking somewhat in both blackness and comedy-isn't a bad film, exactly, but it is undistinguished, in the sense that its ideas and emotional payloads are both safe and small.

A mess of a horror movie that spent several years sitting on a shelf and should have remained there living up to its fullest potential as a dust magnet.

Adam Green's inventively gruesome slasher is the widest unrated release in 25 years.

Everything about this film is fairly offensive, including its racial stereotypes, homophobia, misogyny, generally bad writing and amateur filmmaking.

With the woes of Wall Street constantly in the headlines, Oliver Stone could not have picked a better time to reignite Wall Street.

The best parts of Sparling's script play like an absurdist snuff film.

Enter the Void was never going to be another "Avatar." It won't be another "Irreversible" either.

When a filmmaker like Guggenheim is capable of doing that with a topic as complex as the public education crisis, you know you're watching the work of an extraordinary storyteller.

A talented cast is game, but the lazy script utterly fails them.

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

Bottom line: It's a good one, fresh, funny and vintage Woody.

If "Heat" and "The Departed" had a baby, the result might come close to The Town, a riveting and explosive crime thriller and one of the year's best pictures.

This is a film of warmth, humor, suspense and surprising grace.

Parents with restless, animal-loving children may as well throw it a bone.

This is one of those movies in which the lead character is so self-possessed, wise, well spoken and witty, that she sounds far too adult to be a teenager.

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