Witherspoon's June is a pistol - a sugar-rush of screwball energy and cornball Southern sass that's meticulously earthed with grace notes of sadness.

This has charm and glamour but little profundity.

There's a good film in here somewhere, but it's buried under a messy structure and unclear direction.

Not as divine as Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility," but engagingly comparable to the Gwyneth Paltrow-starring Emma and vastly superior to Mansfield Park.

Gloopy family drama meets Hollywood cod-spirituality in a movie that’s defeated by its over-ambitious scope.

A splendid performance by Naomi Watts holds together this smart and astutely restrained lampoon of life in the Hollywood basement.

It's bad enough to ban on purely artistic grounds.

There's more here for the under-tens than over-, but it's still charming, amusing and energetic enough to win you over.

While not quite the war movie that many of us were hoping to see right now, Mendes’ dispassionate take on the first Gulf War has many merits, and it does bring vividly to life the peculiar dilemma of the modern soldier.

With more thorough editing this could have been on a par with Greenwald's previous films. His source material is gripping, but not life-changing.

If the series wants to become a franchise, a rethink and new blood will be necessary -- maybe Banderas can get mortally wounded in reel one of The Son Of Zorro, passing on the mask and sword to, say, Gael García Bernal.

This has the raw material for a decent rom-com, but the aimless structure and ambiguous tone undermine both humour and romance.

Morally dubious it may be, but this gory melange of torture, terror and darkly humorous depravity appeals to the sick puppy within us all.

The film's chill seeps into your bones like a ceaseless cold drizzle. It also suffers from uncomfortably weird tonal shifts.

A fascinating portrait of a broken rock star picking up the pieces, this misses a few tricks but still entertains.

There are effective moments of dark humour.

A bleak and moving drama with reflective performance from Jack Nicolson.

One of the finest documentaries ever made about the performing arts, this magisterial history of the companies that danced under the name Ballet Russe will enchant dance aficionados and novices alike.

Not quite as dreadful as Resident Evil: Apocalypse, but that's hardly a major achievement.

It's enjoyable and visually impressive, but this is a slender trifle of a film, one which charms you as you're watching it and then is all too quickly forgotten.

The type of movie often described as a fever-dream: weird, offbeat, otherworldly… An experience that also coincides with feeling ill.

Bold and breathless, this trippy, hilarious, know-it-all comedy-thriller will have you reliving its ironic spoils for days, but you'll still be hard-pressed to nail the actual story.

Okay video-dungeon-style horror, a bit marooned on the big-screen but nevertheless murky fun.

A flawed but fascinating (and frequently funny) insight into a culture seldom explored on film from an insider's point of view.

Individual sequences are all impeccably assembled, Rourke's grizzled vet chips in some memorable deadpan dialogue.

Crowe is still a master navigator of swampy territory, and any movie that can warm the heart and tickle the funny bone without selling its soul is to be cherished, warts and all.

A rare film in which the style IS the substance.

It starts off well enough but slowly sinks under the leaden weight of its worthiness.

Provocative, principled and richly detailed, this is compelling stuff. Emotionally it’s a little dry, but as brain-food, it’s absolutely invigorating.

While on the surface very much a girls' film, this ruefully honest picture has something to say to everyone.

A preposterous, steroidal mess.

Painful, funny and beautifully acted, by Jeff Daniels particularly, who gives a career-best performance.

The comedy is never indulged at the expense of the plot, which flies off in genuinely unexpected directions, culminating in a boundlessly inventive funfair chase sequence.

It can be seen for what it is: a well-crafted entertainment that boasts excellent performances (particularly from Dillane) and fully engages the mythology of sport, reminding us that in its transcendent moments, even a tossy one like golf has the power to capture the collective imagination.

The Academy might not be troubled, but at times Into The Blue's wet Hollywood bodies really hit the spot.

If you're a novice, this is a plucky introduction to Whedon's world and the most fun sci-fi of the year. If you're a devotee, this is the magnificent return you've been praying for.

An outstanding film, showcasing a great performance, at once celebrating, analysing and criticising an important writer and his major book. You'll appreciate it more if you've read "In Cold Blood" recently and have seen enough footage of the real Truman Capote to know Hoffman is underplaying.

Not quite as nauseous as its plot might suggest, Little Manhattan is sassy as well as sweet.

A truly unique fantasy, McKean’s screen debut is tangled but promising.

Rip Torn and Darren Burrows respectively over- and underplay their hands in this archly restrained Memphis melodrama.

An enthralling, enjoyable if ultimately far-fetched thriller.

Cronenberg's best for a long time -- broad and entertaining enough for those unacquainted with the director's work, but layered with the themes of infection and mutation that have defined it.

Paltrow does an excellent job as the shy loner, affecting youthful, sulky mannerisms without resorting to stereotype. Anthony Hopkins, meanwhile, brings both gravitas and dark humour as Catherine's mentally ill father, while Jake Gyllenhaal makes for an effective, if buff, maths geek.

A second-rate slasher, but it shows the odd bit of directorial promise and a great deal of ambition.

A sweet but predictable chick flick, this coasts by on the considerable charm of its two leads.

It would like to be "Traffic" with guns, but comes out more like "Blow" with bullets.

A thoughtful approach to a much-covered topic, mixing prickly issues of roots and genocide with an eye for the surreal and an ear for the earthy.

A precious thing, if likely to please refined aesthetes and odd children rather than win over Pixar-sized crowds.

A refreshingly low-key treatment of teenage trauma, with a lovely star performance and an unforgettable approach to orthodontics.

Quality acting and writing and appropriately understated direction, but a touch too polite for its own good.

Predictable and pleasant, with enjoyable performances.

Ror all its cleverness, Emily Rose does have its hokey moments.

Persevere through the sluggish first two acts and you'll be rewarded with a touching relationship perfectly acted by Lewis and Breslin.

A surprisingly rose-tinted look at a subculture that really should have been stamped out some time ago.

Another all-kicking, punching, shooting and exploding dose of Besson born action, and Jason Statham proves that his action mettle in the first instalment was no fluke.

Serious, topical filmmaking of a very high order. It may not engage as immediately as a Bourne, but it sticks with you longer.

Gilliam at his best and his worst.

Not the most sophisticated psychological thriller, yet slick fun.

The Godfather II of manwhore sequels, this improves upon the original in every way. Especially if you're drunk.

Heavy-handed in places and bad news for the Detroit Tourist Commission, this is still a slick, fun ensemble piece and a step back in the right direction for Singleton.

It may not be as daring as Young Adam, but this is a well-performed adaptation of an absorbing melodrama.

A complex, unique and engrossing journey into the murky recesses of an unhinged mind. It really needs to be seen to be believed.

A teenie "To Die For" whose flaws are superceded by a complex, compelling turn from Evan Rachel Wood.

While not exactly reaching Ring-levels of terror, it's certainly one for connoisseurs of the weird.

Bit of a mediocre drama from writer-director Assayas despite some good turns, not least from Nick Nolte and Beatrice Dalle.

Certainly not the worst of the endless stream of TV remakes, but given the unassuming, easy charm of the original, still wide of the mark by a country mile.

All the actresses (including Tilda Swinton as ex number four) give wonderful performances in the short screen time each of them is allowed.

Illuminating as to the reality of being a victim of crime in a dangerous society but not exactly absorbing entertainment.

A tragic waste of acting talent, with nothing new to say. Can we please now politely close the door on middle-class repression before we get really angry?

The scenario may be overly familiar, but the low-key approach and engaging performances make this an unexpected delight.

Less than crowd-pleasing chick flick livened up by John Cusack’s self-penned one-liners.

As derivative as it all may be, it’s still superb entertainment.

On one level, Stealth is technically breathtaking, viscerally thrilling action cinema of the highest order. On another, it is slavering, state-of-the-art war porn.

Guaranteed to offend, but also guaranteed to leave you in spasms of laughter.

As soon as Howard steps up to the mic, the movie crackles to life.

Like its slack-jawed clones, The Island is full of energy and incredibly pretty but burdened with only the minimum of smarts.

It’s uncomfortably the work of someone who thinks mass murder is cool and has no feeling for regular humans.

A beguiling work of some beauty, this is a further move into a world of hypnotic, observational cinema for Gus Van Sant. But in the end, the detached style has the power to alienate as much as to enthral.

Witty, wonderful and wildly imaginative, Burton’s first proper ‘family movie’ since "Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure" delivers a sugar rush that’ll last for days.

Wedding Crashers doesn't quite live up to its promise, but through no fault of its off-the-wall cast.

Fleetingly enjoyable in very short bursts, this is the most cynically constructed event movie in recent memory, its heart purely in its wallet. A fantastic bore.

A leftfield sports documentary that's as insightful and thought-provoking as it is fast and furious.

Insightful as ever but a little dated in the set-up and treatment of the shooting.

Simmering study of a petty hood-cum-wannabe pianist succumbing to his innate violent side - but there might be a touch too much ivory tinkling for some.

Dark and stormy, even gloomy, this is a distinctly autumnal blockbuster from the man who invented summer.

It’s neither funny nor charming enough, proving a disappointing treatment of fabulous source material.

Inventive suspense, spiky characters, outrageous horror and wicked satire. Welcome back, George - you've been away too long.

For all its flaws, it's thrilling viewing whenever LaChapelle opts to show rather than tell.

Flawed but very original.

It's a missed opportunity to make a great documentary, but still decent family entertainment, with awe-inspiring Antarctic scenery and some very cute stars.

This strict adherence to formula is wearing for anyone over ten, but worse is Lohan.

A frank look at 21st century mores, this succeeds in saying new things about anxieties as old as the human race.

Significantly grittier than previous Bat-beginnings, this finds new things to do with, and say about, a character who's been around since 1938.

A full-on action flick, subversive rom-com and weapons-grade star vehicle that’s drenched in Tinseltown glitz, from a director who knows how to put the money on the screen while his tongue’s firmly in his cheek.

A bizarre, hopelessly muddled fantasy that's likely to induce utter bewilderment in its target audience.

Just as Miyazaki seemed on the verge of properly crossing over, he serves up an anime riddle wrapped in an enigma - though with all his usual charm, wit and hand-drawn beauty.

Delivers old-fashioned, "Shawshank Redemption"-style entertainment.

A hanging-out movie that’s as close as you’ll ever get to soaking up the time, the place and the attitude. Too slack for mainstream audiences, though.