A richly appointed period piece, it features kingly tantrums, mistresses, bodices, roaring fireplaces, incest, and mutton. It also features sharply enunciated, period-perfect dialogue in which nary a contraction can be heard.

Clint Eastwood’s second film this year, American Sniper, about the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, is considerably better than his first, “The Jersey Boys.” As a piece of direction, it’s as taut as anything he’s ever done.

Spain's most important living filmmaker isn't at his very best in this complicated tale, but it raises still-timely questions well worth pondering.

Generous doses of bright-sounding music add to the movie's appeal.

Baye gives a stunning performance in the central role, backed by a first-rate supporting cast.

While more performance views would have been welcome, this is a treat no balletomane can afford to miss.

The film is frustrating because so many of its best possibilities are missed. But Bening keeps you watching, and, to a lesser extent, so does Jamie Bell as Peter Turner.

The director, Bob Clark, has earned a reputation for childish leanings in some of his earlier work, and A Christmas Story does have a few stupid and vulgar touches. But these pass quickly, while the movie's overall sense of goodwill lingers.

For the most part, plays like a pretty good TV police procedural.

I was expecting something raunchier. Instead, what we have here is a wistful, somewhat overextended but occasionally sweet comedy about a couple that can't – in more ways than one – quite get it together.

Norton gives the comedy unexpected sparkle in his directorial debut.

The actors, all of whom seem too posed and pretty, are not particularly accomplished, and director Luis Mandoki lacks the visual imagination to bring the story to a boil.

The best thing about the movie is David Oyelowo’s performance as King. He doesn’t simply portray King; he inhabits him.

August Evening is rambling, diffuse, and at times so "sensitive" it makes your teeth hurt. And yet it's also intermittently quite affecting.

Like its precursor, U.S. Marshals has lots of action and the Jones groupies are likeable. Though the overall picture isn't as fine-tuned or character driven, it still delivers what moviegoers want to see - a fast-paced and entertaining chase.

Gently filmed, quietly thoughtful, sometimes almost heartbreaking.

The most pressing question I took away from the film is, Are they really still teaching "A Tale of Two Cities" in honors English classes?

With its skillful blend of documentary, confessional, and comic moods, this is one of the infrequent avant-garde movies that's as amusing and entertaining as it is artful and sophisticated.

It would be even better if Eastwood followed his character's lead and emphasized "real issues" over "human interest" in a story that touches on important social problems without doing much to illuminate them.

As director of the movie, Eastwood takes a conservative approach, with few of the imaginative touches that have made some of his films – "Bird," "The Eiger Sanction" – so memorable.

It's a rousing movie within its limitations. [13 May 1982, p.18]

It’s a skimpy, overextended riff, but some of the seemingly tossed-off moments are lovely.

The evocative visual style -- is the main reason to watch this whimsical comedy-drama.

The story takes a while to get started, but the acting is lively, the special effects are snazzy.

This gritty drama doesn't rank with the greatest Iranian films, but its urban characters offer an interesting change from the nation's best-known productions, which generally center on rural subjects.

Freilich includes interviews with three generations of kibbutzniks and some fascinating historical footage going back to the 1920s.

The only thing missing from Salt is Lotte Lenya's Rosa Klebb with her steel blade-tipped shoes from "From Russia With Love." Come to think of it, the Russian defector here does indeed kill with steel-blade shoes. Nice touch.

It takes awhile to get going but, still, it’s rather sweet.