It's a result so painfully logical it would make Lynch's hair stand on end.

While the quirky structure could be taken as a bold move, the story still feels frustratingly incomplete, rendering the preceding hour or so a tantalising glimpse at what could have been.

It makes for a patchy comedy that's stronger as a genre-mocker than a political satire.

It's a shame the suggested theme of identity remains undeveloped, but there are enough laughs and splashes of nostalgic glamour to excuse that.

Poetic, provocative and unstoppably powerful. But, depressingly, it probably won't change a thing.

Very 'talky', but the three lead females are excellent, as are the costumes and sets.

Painful for many reasons, but highly recommended.

The best sports movie for years, as it's not about sport at all. Forget fears of jingoistic grandstanding, this is an un-American all-American tale that deserves attention.

One of those films that seems like it was made mainly for film festivals - and it has the awards to show for it.

It's a puzzle as much as a plot, but when it's in focus (which it isn't for long stretches) it's remarkable brain-food.

A film that, despite being about theatre itself, is remarkably cinematic and entirely unafraid to revel in the English language.

Irresponsible, exploitative trash.

It's loud, it's stupid, yet against all the odds, enjoyable.

For all the courage and ingenuity of this extraordinary film, it's clear that Caouette has actually resolved few issues and that his life is still very much a work in progress.

Dull.

Although the vocal performances often amuse and delight, the overall design is charmless.

A fresh, funny little romp.

A vibrant and vivid documentary masterwork, DiG! will have you celebrating independent filmmaking while lamenting the state of independent music-making.

Holmes’ wholesome charm keeps the movie afloat, but only just.

A premise neutered by daft supernatural shenanigans, which raise as many questions as they answer.

Yet in spite of the affable Mr. Moog, the mood remains distant, too fetishistic to be passionate. Great noises, though.

Politically powerful, but filmically flawed.

The tennis itself is ridiculously far-fetched, and yet this may still be the best tennis movie ever made.

For its writer-director, Sky Captain was a labour of love. For almost everyone else - including the wooden cast - it’s just a labour.

Smart, intriguing, funny and sad, with some primo wisecracking dialogue.

The visuals are an animation student's wet dream, the dialogue an English student's nightmare - but for Japanimation fans it's a big-screen must-see.

Wry and haunting.

The chief horror here is the cliffhanger promising a third instalment.

Apart from an irritating plot glitch this is a solidly entertaining ride, more than competently directed and played.

Both women are impeccably played by Maria Bonnevie.

Aside from Rose Byrne's complex performance, there's nothing here that improves upon the original.

A serious misfire.

The comparisons are inevitable, so let's get them out of the way. Hero is a better film than "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Exactly as ordinary as you're already expecting it's going to be.

Disappointing.

It isn’t quite hell, but clambering to the end of this dusty remnant of an idea is certainly purgatory.

A gripping insight into the problems faced by men trying to sustain interest in playing the music of their youth.

Estes enriches the plot by refusing to present each character's emotional dilemmas in black-and-white terms.

Accomplished and assured.

Fans beware - your fave two sci-fi franchises have been stripped of all their guile and maturity.

No doubt its small fans are thrilled, but even young kids will have to be pretty undemanding to enjoy this mess.

If you're looking for a film to put you off marriage, children, affairs, and indeed life itself, look no further than this melancholic ensemble piece about listless adulterous couples in small-town New England.

Perhaps the best film ever aimed at eight year-old girls to be directed by a 69 year-old man.

Perhaps the best premise for thrills since "Speed," only this time the bad guy’s on board and the battle of wits is more philosophical debate than pop quiz.

Yeah. Light and fluffy it may be, but this is undeniably entertaining stuff.

Cinematography, production design and music are all top-notch, but the film largely succeeds because of the leads -- two fine actors at the top of their game.

This isn’t your average against-the-odds survival story.

This needs its 'based on a true story' caption because otherwise you'd never believe it.

A cracking conspiracy thriller that's well-cast, slyly satirical and -- as a solid, glossy, contemporised remix of a classic -- rings enough creepy changes to surprise.

Made with such elegance, atmosphere and wonderfully mannered performances it will nestle deep inside your head, refusing to budge. The more you ponder it, the better it becomes.

If "Ichi The Killer" stressed the extreme natureof Takashi Miike's cinematic sensibility, Gozu hammers it home… with a blood-spattered mallet.

A great debut from a promising talent.

Andersen makes a far from inspiring guide, intoning his humourless points in a dry-as-powder monotone.

Undermined by a plot that doesn’t make sense and plays like three-and-a-half genre movies fighting for screentime in one overlong one.

The Bourne Supremacy builds on and exceeds the original, delivering, quite simply, one of the finest big-budget thrillers in years.

If "Spider-Man 2" is this summer's main comic-book-movie course, Catwoman is clearly the leftovers.

Still creepy, ooky, mysterious and spooky, but trying to follow the storylines is like sorting spaghetti.

If you're returning for more Donnie, you'll still have tears in your eyes come the sublime Mad World conclusion. If it's your first viewing, you should still be wowed by an astounding masterpiece. But this is undoubtedly the lesser of the two cuts, and since you have the choice, you should stick with version one.

This is simple, lazy storytelling rendered merely functional by appealing leads and the eternal lure of romantic fantasy.

The effects, arguably the best of the year, only add to the thrill.

Not for anyone with a sensitive gag reflex. Joshua Marston provides a harrowing depiction of drug- muling for dummies. The raw, revolting, dangerous details of such an undertaking are graphic.

This better-than-the-book adaptation casts quite a spell.

If it were any more manic you’d have to put it on Ritalin.

This is poorly shot, edited and scored, while any acting talent feels wasted.

Tautly scripted by director Per Fly and bullishly played, this is soap for the ciné-sophisticate.

An excruciating watch at times, the unflinching bluntness is captivating and somehow, despite their flaws, the group’s rock godhood is maintained.

This story is emblematic of the passion, obsession and solitary poetry of surfing.

Nothing aligns, nothing builds, and before you know it we’re hip-deep in the big showdown -- a free-wheeling frenzy of choreographed combat that neglects to find much space for the cast.

Fortunately, the fabulous songs, performed by scads of contemporary artists, provide some relief in an overlong, overdone portrait.

An intelligent, engagingly honest study of love lost and, just maybe, regained.

This summer's most satisfying, spectacle-packed movie. Like its predecessor, it offers a strong story rather than a feeble excuse to connect set-pieces.

Good-natured, old-fashioned family entertainment, but Two Brothers never quite manages to strike a successful balance between fantasy and reality.

Be warned - Damon isn't in this one.

Arguably not the most proficiently crafted film in Cannes this year and certainly not the most balanced, but Moore’s assault on the Bush administration is a terrific polemic.

Unpretentious, unsophisticated and all the better for it.

Far less cuddly than expected, this unusual and elegant movie may have failed to connect with US audiences but it proves Spielberg is currently the most unpredictable director in Hollywood.

Sokurov's use of space, religious symbolism and raw emotion compensate for any sense of exclusion.

Amused, maybe - but you won't be seduced.

Touches on some interesting philosophical ideas, but it's poorly-produced and unclear in tone.

It livens up a bit in the last reel when Fogg’s inventive brain pulls out all the stops to try to win the bet, but by that point you'll be too jaded to care.

It's no "Battlefield Earth," but it's no "Dune" either. And, no, before you ask, it's not destined to be a cult classic.

It’s funny, wonderfully performed by all, visually inventive.

Cute and friendly enough, but for anyone over eight, not recommended.

As long as you don't mind making fun of the afflicted, there are some killer comic moments.

Azkaban contains both the longest denouement and the most rousing finish of any of the books, and Cuarón wisely whips through the 'ah-hahs' so that the clever climax, complete with the series' best SFX, can enjoy its moment in the moonlight.

What makes this such an affecting picture is the contrast between the wonderfully aloof camels and the interdependence of the extended family, whose smiling resilience only hints at the harshness of an existence that has changed little in centuries.

What it covers is so fundamentally relevant, and its polemic so persuasively structured, it’s worth braving the runtime even if it could easily have been more concise.

Everybody is good at one thing, they say; for Emmerich, it's destruction.

This plays very much like a standard biopic, lacking the dangerous spirit of the movie that inspired it.

It starts off very sprightly and witty and maintains a high giggle-count throughout.

Top marks to Joan Cusack for her excellent supporting turn; commiserations to John Corbett as one-dimensional objet désir Pastor Dan -- unhappily saddled with the most tragic line to reach mainstream film for years.

An uncomfortable, if intriguing, mess.

Remains hilarious throughout.

Bruising battles and some stirring performances make Troy enjoyable, if rather long. But if audiences can forgive the camp, they'll still struggle to empathise with the characters.

Steve Coogan and Alfred Molina deliver a terrific meditation on insincere actors.

Beautifully photographed by Mark Lee (who also co-shot Wong Kar-Wai's In The Mood For Love), and delicately played by an untried cast, this confirms Tian as the Fifth Generation's unsung master.

Separately the characters are annoying; together it’s unnervingly like watching one actress playing twins.

The result reaches overload very quickly, squandering the potentially cool premise in a headlong assault of set-piece over story.