Spoiled by its simplistic portrait of people from the Mideast as incorrigibly violent and untrustworthy.

The picture goes for sentimentality rather than substance every chance it gets, and the cast falls right into its syrupy trap.

The story is a mess, as usual with Toback's movies, but intricacies of contemporary urban culture are vividly illuminated by his insistence on blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality.

The package would be more enticing if it didn't fall so squarely into overused Hollywood formulas.

The meandering story and channel-surfing style prevent it from gathering the emotional momentum it would need to get below the hero's skin and let us know what really makes him tick.

Offbeat tale, which tackles weighty themes. But sentimentality overtakes intelligence.

Although it has a good heart and a warm spirit, this prettily filmed drama is more sentimental and manipulative than earlier Iranian films on youth-related subjects.

The dialogue and acting are stagy at times, especially in the early scenes, but the characters are compelling and the Indian atmosphere is vividly sketched.

Lively acting and good-natured feminism lift this lightweight comedy a notch above the norm.

The acting is amiable and the story is crisply told.

Stay far, far away unless you can handle the copious amounts of blood--and agonizing psychological problems-- that its participants face on what seems like a daily basis.

Sensitive, imaginative.

The picture is equally long on eye-dazzling camera work and New Age sentimentality.

Polanski's directing is marvelously assured and Depp is always fun to watch.

The setting is cramped and the story is illogical, but it's suspenseful as long as you don't think about it very hard.

A lively portrait of contemporary painter George Condo.

Goodman's comic delivery gets maximum mileage from a few amusing situations, though.

Whitaker's acting is highly creative and Jarmusch's filmmaking is as elegant and original as ever.

The movie has a well-meaning message about love and loyalty being the bedrock of real family values, but its good intentions sag as the story trades its air of mischievous comedy for trite sentimentality, arbitrary plot twists, and enough maudlin melodramatics to sustain a tabloid TV series.

(Kerrigan) remains an insightful stylist with impressively high artistic standards.

Makes up in solid acting what it lacks in Hollywood-type frills.

While the story takes some clever turns, its psychology is far from convincing and its momentum flags long before the finale.

A director of Frankenheimer's stature deserves less sensationalistic material, and so does his audience.

Strikingly original movie.

Keaton doesn't have quite enough filmmaking savvy to balance the story's heart-wrenching and smile-coaxing aspects.

Runs out of good ideas long before it's over, falling below "Prizzi's Honor" and "The Freshman" in the dubious genre of contract-killer comedies.

Use of a loosely written screenplay and a nonprofessional cast in this picture weakens its dramatic appeal even as it lends authenticity and local color.

Manages to seem fresh, funny, and original from start to finish.

Merchant brings keen insight and rich humanity to this culturally revealing tale of psychological unease in a tense postcolonial world.

The story is less original than its setting - it knocks off everything from "Lord of the Flies" to "The Blair Witch Project" -and its unromantic moods may make DiCaprio's countless "Titanic" fans want to swim in the opposite direction.

The story isn't nearly as funny or suspenseful as it would like to be, although the solid cast gives it occasional dashes of pizazz.

While the story and acting are the opposite of subtle, young moviegoers may enjoy the action and suspense.

The first feature-length movie from Bhutan tells its lighthearted story through smart performances, appealing images, and unfailing good humor.

Unexpectedly entertaining, if you're willing to put up with the picture's stagy look, over-the-top moods, and heavy doses of vulgarity.

Although it's less novel and feisty than the original "Fantasia" of 1940, this collection of music-filled animations is highly entertaining at times.

The story is so important and compelling that you wish Jewison had treated it more as an urgent wake-up call than a by-the-numbers morality play.

Harris and Heche make an interesting team--- and the picture reaps the benefit of their creative performances

Morris's unique blend of realism and surrealism gives the film great resonance as a portrait of one eccentric individual and, more important, a study of the morbid proclivities that run beneath the surface of our supposedly civilized society.

As dopey as its heroes, and the cast's admirable energy isn't enough to keep the story punching through the final round.

One of Hollywood's bloodiest and goofiest adaptations.

The story is silly, the acting is campy, the effects are amusingly tacky. A mildly entertaining romp that pokes refreshing fun at its own occasional violence.

The picture has fine ensemble acting and superb Italian scenery. It would have more power if it were shorter and tighter.

The characters are hardly original...but Stone puts them into play with his usual fever-pitch gusto, producing what's probably the most heart-pounding gridiron movie ever made.

The end result smacks more of Hollywood melodrama than true compassion for the suffering poor.

Less a biography than an essay on theatrical illusion and the changing nature of comedy. Love it or hate it, you've never seen anything quite like it.

Too chilly and distanced to build the emotional impact it would like to have.

For a movie about people with hugely complicated inner lives, this sadly unconvincing drama stays resolutely on the surface, rarely hinting at anything like an insight or idea.

Brilliantly acted, sumptuously filmed, and overflowing with mellifluous music.

Doesn't develop enough momentum to justify its too-long running time.

Lacks the subtle sense of mystery that distinguished E.B. White's lovely novel, but nicely conveys its playful spirit and amiable tone.

Kids may yawn at the movie's dawdling pace.

Has a mixture of strengths and limitations often found in historical epics: lots of eye-filling action and spectacle, little in the way of psychology or human interest.

There's precious little to think about despite the screenplay's comic-philosophical musings on fate and coincidence.

Leaves out portions of John Irving's novel that would have given it more balance and perspective, but the acting by Maguire and Caine is first-rate by any standard.

Some may find the movie too crowded and preachy to serve as a meaningful history lesson, but it will delight anyone who thinks our cynical age could benefit from recalling the vigorous idealism and venturesome artistry of a bygone era.

Its view of spiritual healing is closer to Spielberg fantasy than religious insight. Still, its good acting and good intentions will be enough to please many viewers.

Director Koepp relies more heavily on editing tricks than old-fashioned atmosphere.

The material is familiar and the ending is corny, but Huston's acting and directing keep the comedy-drama likable if not very imaginative.

Splendid acting helps Jordan achieve most of his goals, although some may find the romantic and religious elements an uneasy mixture.

Weaver is superb in a movie as scary and provocative as the timely subject it explores.

Campion is an imaginative filmmaker, but here she reduces a fascinating subject to a two-character soap opera that often seems contrived on both spiritual and psychological levels.

Penn's excellent acting doesn't raise his character above the level of familiar clichés about woman-chasing jazzmen.

The story is as rambling as the characters, but superb acting by McTeer and Brown goes a long way toward redeeming it.

The movie is longer and slower than necessary, but it explores interesting questions of wartime violence, personal integrity, and what it means to come of age in a society ripping apart at the seams.

Too bad (Arnold) can't save the movie from it's superstitious clap-trap, sadistic violence, and sheer silliness.

The story is surprising, the screenplay is witty, and the animation is wonderfully creative. A super sequel.

This noisy, disorganized story is riddled with clichés, stereotypes, and self-indulgence from beginning to end.

If moviegoers really thought about the violence, sexism, and materialism at the core of the series, the whole shebang might vanish overnight.

Lots of brilliant filmmaking and high-spirited acting, at least until the story turns repetitious and formulaic in the last 30 minutes.

Some will find the movie's sexual antics too explicit and unconventional for comfort.

Loses much of the book's complexity but gains dramatic power from a cleverly streamlined screenplay... and several persuasive performances. No previous movie has made Austen's vision seem so vivid and alive for contemporary times.

Filmed in a quietly impressionistic style and splendidly acted by a well-chosen cast, the movie would be a top-of-the-line entertainment if its delicately balanced perspective weren't marred by a few moments of racially insensitive excess.

The latest installment is packed with surprises and emotion for people who've seen earlier stages of the project, but even newcomers will be fascinated by the vivid glimpses it provides of everything from love and family to political action and the pervasiveness of class distinctions in British life.

Wildly irreverent fantasy.

Egoyan's cinematic brilliance shows up intermittently in this atmospheric thriller, which gains most of its punch from Hoskins's surprisingly subtle performance.

The story is a sort of "Stella Dallas Meets Slums of Beverly Hills," helped by heartfelt acting from its talented stars.

Besson's account of the Maid of Orleans presents itself as a celebration of a martyr's faith but shows more interest in the violence and hatred that surrounded her life.

The story is irresponsible and the filmmaking is awful.

So sloppily made that it's barely coherent.

Nicely acted and capably directed, but hardly memorable.

Carries a strong emotional charge along with its valuable reminder of the suffering that youngsters may undergo when a heedless society overlooks their needs.

This variation on the "Rear Window" format works best when director Noyce gives free rein to Washington's thoughtful charm.

More imaginative and responsible than the somewhat similar "Life Is Beautiful."

A gifted cast and a surprisingly delicate ending are the movie's best assets.

Excellent acting, a stirring screenplay, and crisply intelligent directing make this fact-based movie a great human drama as well as a riveting and revealing look at crucially important social issues.

Herzog soft-pedals his cinematic ingenuity in this personal documentary about his love-hate relationship with Kinski, whose performances in Herzog classics...helped both of them become towering figures on the international movie scene before Kinski's untimely death.

Funny dialogue, crisp black-and-white cinematography, and a well-chosen cast of mostly stage-trained actors raise this eccentric fantasy a notch above the ordinary.

Overacted, overdirected, and overcooked in the usual Tornatore manner, but sheer energy and enthusiasm keep it watchable and listenable most of the way through.

Sincere acting lends the film a measure of dramatic dignity.

The story's can-do attitude and moments of soaring music make it a must-see for moviegoers seeking positive visions on the screen.

More thoughtful and varied than the average Hollywood cartoon.

(Jonze and Kaufman's) work is so bold, funny, and original that it's hard to believe they aren't wide-screen veterans.

Strains to be shockingly original but winds up as cheap and cheesy as its characters.

Each minidrama is quietly touching and compassionate, and Riker is honest enough to avoid suggesting easy solutions for the social, cultural, and personal challenges his characters confront.

Equally fascinated by the afflictions of life and the usually squandered opportunities these afford for courage and self-sacrifice.

Violent and vapid, but the visual jolts may please horror buffs.

Audiences may want their own speedy divorce from this irritating collection of stale jokes, pointless vulgarities, and warmed-over clichés.

Energetic acting and directing make it a less exasperating experience than it might have been.