I’m Not Scared manages to convey a truthful approach to the beginning of the end of childhood.

Beyond any contention is Morgan Spurlock's gift for metabolizing common knowledge into uncommonly entertaining cinema.

It offers a noteworthy reminder of the dangers of historical amnesia. And in so doing, it indirectly raises thought-provoking questions about the intimate, often fraught relationship between the past and present.

It should be noted that the film, directed by Corin Hardy, looks great. From a visual standpoint, The Nun is a success. There is an effective use of framing, color, and light that Hardy executes with polish.

The story itself holds up fairly well though, twenty years later, does come off as thinner than I recalled. [2002 re-release]

Director Edward Zwick has an ace up his sleeve, in addition to all the glorious scenery and pulse-pounding battles, and that’s Ken Watanabe.

Cosmatos, surprisingly, manages to create something resembling a suspenseful atmosphere, all while managing to get Shannon Tweed naked in the first three minutes. Whether you like giant rats or Canadian Playmates, this movie has something for everyone.

The Year Between culminates with a beautifully emotional scene, but the journey to get there is a challenge, much like for those who are suffering from a number of mental health issues. But the performances and the overall message of empathy made it worth it all for me.

The direction is stylish, the soundtrack is excellent, and all the actors are phenomenal. Yet, the screenplay focuses on two of the most self-centered people I have seen in a long time. As such, it is difficult to truly enjoy the movie on the level it wants you to.

I thought director Arnaud Desplechin did just enough here to tell that story without betraying the nature of Mathias’s character, as audiences will see.

Will warm your heart without making you feel guilty about it.

Bambi is not a great film. The film has a few memorably winning sequences which have become part of Disney pantheon. But in between these sequences are fairly dullish stretches of Disney kitsch, with too-cuddly animals in extreme states of too-cute behavior; there’s also a song score which is among Disney’s least interesting.

While informative, I never leaned forward and engaged with the events documented.

The leads are all likable, albeit two-dimensional, and the rompish surreal texture of the film, makes it stylishly hip and humorous, almost like an episode of "The Monkees."

Morris utilizes psychedelic neon colors, bold titles, and a hallucinatory score to emphasize the craziness of her life. He has devilish fun piecing together Joanna’s fractured past. It just feels like, in his search for Truth, he’s lost his way a little this time.

With Manito's raw portrayal of its characters and stripped-down cinematography, the undercurrent of impending tragedy is palpable.

I found myself in a tug-of-war between enjoying Bottle Shock as entertaining fluff, and thinking that there might be a more serious, gritty, complicated story lurking behind the grab-ass soap opera.

Of the underutilized mega cast, Djmon Honsou shines the brightest. His portrayal of Cinque, the leader of the displaced band of African tribesmen, is devastatingly potent.

A heartfelt and incredibly resonant ode to his father's achievement, Mario's film relives the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the making of Melvin's pioneering effort.

House of Cardin is a solid, encyclopedic documentary of one of the greatest designers of our time. He deserves to be celebrated, no question there. But this doc wants to inform rather than reveal, to celebrate rather than investigate. C’est la vie.

While it does deliver some good jolts, it never quite cranks up the terror.

Featuring a mix of fiction and real life, Touch Me Not explores intimacy in an experimental feature film that manages to make sex seem unlikely and tiresome.

A terrific story, years in the making, that clearly stays true to the uncompromising vision of its creators. The results are on the screen.

What’s most surprising in Hotel for Dogs, is Don Cheadle co-starring as Bernie.

The movie doesn’t even try to break new ground–it’s shot entirely on location in familiar Ferrell-McKay territory.

Hey, I'm not saying it's bad. It's kind of entertaining, what I can recall of it after two days. It's, uh, okay. Just okay, though.

It's a damn impressive trick to build a film around narrative frustration and not cause your audience to run out screaming.

W. is the kind of film that demands discussion and only then can we start to decipher what Stone's intentions are towards our President.

The film is a visceral overload of wordplay ranging from the spontaneous neighborhood park jams to the overflowing concert venues.

While listening to all the admirative, warm-hearted yet poignant dancers’ testimonies, it is difficult not to think of the man as a tyrant who made people afraid that he would destroy their bodies! Yet Balanchine’s psychopathic techniques proved to work, as many of his students found success in their field.

Overall, while the film is a gorgeous, nostalgic cinema experience, and there's definitely a multiple of mini-plots to unravel while you work towards the final resolution, the film comes up as a bit of a dud.

The drawback here is that, although it doesn’t need a deep story, it feels like only two and a half acts, with an abrupt third act.

Leatherheads is as trifling as Clooney’s second movie (“Good Night and Good Luck”) was significant, but that’s okay. It succeeds where so many other romantic comedies fail because of a superior script and because everyone involved has the good sense not to take themselves too seriously.

While the film is flawed, lacks desperately needed humor and is filled with cliches, the attempt to explore the human cost of all those cool explosions and destruction is an admirable one.

Believe it or not, most of the empathy here is with Wand Jean's legal team. Yes, the lawyers.

Eisenstadt does an excellent job bringing the story of an ambitious young woman setting out to fulfill a dream full circle.

The director succeeds in telling the story of his sister in an unfiltered, brutally honest, and respectful way. But the audience isn’t always there alongside them.

It’s well-structured, handsomely shot, and features some impressive acting. The thing is there’s just not that much to make it stand out from the crowd either.

This film barely gets a recommendation only because it finally gets interesting at the end.

It has its share of eye-rolling moments, but at its heart there's a decent story.

This updated version of Black Beauty is well-done and touches upon some important points about being connected to animals, nature, and learning to care for others.

It feels like The Other Me teases us Lynchian oddity but never goes all the way.

The only complaint is that the plot ultimately tries to take over the character drama with twists, turns and some rather pointed preachiness. But at least it's fiercely smart about it. And Algrant's final shot is gorgeous.

All in all, Avicii: True Stories is a both an inspiring and pretty harrowing ride.

It is just too bad that this film isn’t as snarky and groundbreaking as it would like you to think it is.

Please Chris Carter, bring us X-Files fans back to where we belong. If there is to be another movie, and there damn well better be, return us to our beloved mythology.

A silly comic book movie with provocative psychological overtones. Or a provocative character study with silly comic book overtones. Take your pick. Either way, it's hardly the cinematic milestone it's widely hailed as being.

A small, no-budget, seemingly unsophisticated film that creates a minor energy miracle by fueling its running time on pure raffish charm.

Roos creates a slate of interesting characters who find themselves in unexpected situations that lead to realistic--and in their own way, happy--endings.

With a stronger actress who could have been in greater command of the character, Freeze Me would have been a cold-hearted masterpiece rather than the okay thriller it turned out.

Rich with talent, this flick is missing that fundamental thing that sets one rom-com apart from the rest; a lasting feeling that what you’re watching matters, or means something.

Every hour that ticks by your stomach drops a little more as the outlook becomes more bleak.

While not as insightful as his previous work, Halston doesn’t blemish Tcheng’s resume either, providing a perfectly enjoyable – if inconsequential – portrait of a larger-than-life public figure. Fashionistas will surely gulp this up, while the rest of us may ultimately dismiss it as yet another glamorized, facile look into a glamorized, facile industry.

Drunk Bus, directed by Brandon Laganke and John Carlucci, is a deja-vu inducing coming-of-age story with enough character and good cheer to make you forgive how unadventurous it is.

About as exciting as meatloaf.

The best thing about The Slaughter Rule -- is that the film refuses to succumb to the temptation of a glorious Hollywood feel-good happy ending.

Nolte looks like a man with one foot in the grave and nothing to lose. He single-handedly rescues this caper flick from its own mediocre storyline.

A brilliant exploration into the implications of Freud’s theories on one family.

Pelted with tragicomic scenes, Thunder Road, an acceptably funny slice of drama, depicts anxious times by carrying a furious tone and bitter pathos. However, not everything shines here.

Doesn’t offer any huge revelations about life, the universe and everything, but it’s not meant to. It’s meant to be a fun kid’s movie, and it’s a must see for mothers and daughters.

Likely to exceed expectations.

Kitarô Kôsaka’s light-hearted and contagiously joyful film contains just enough beautiful imagery, positive messages of acceptance and touching moments to warrant a look.

Salvable fully embraces its bleakness, its title almost mocking; there’s no salvation here. If it had a bit more originality or verve, it could potentially have pulled it off.

Classic B-movie mayhem meets French New Wave.

At least the studio hired enough likable scene-stealing actors and comedians to carry the bloated carcass of this film over the course of two hours.

The filmmakers tried to give everyone a main storyline and ended up diluting everything. With so many characters, the film lost some focus.

Ultimately, The Strangers does succeed in the sense that it offers a riveting, vastly credible enactment of everyone's worst nightmare.

This film does cause shivers, creeps, scares, and jumps. It may even make you scream a bit.

Despite its few flaws, Joy Ride does take viewers on one hell of a ride. It's one of those rare films that manages to take an overused plot and breathe some sort of creativity into it.

Films promoting self-improvement are suspect as they are prone to being preachy. To succeed, the filmmaker must create an experience so overwhelmingly entertaining the viewer forgets he/she is being improved upon. This film misses that mark, despite some engaging moments in the attempt.

In its attempts to mirror the abbreviated sentiments of the current social media culture, the doc becomes an abridged version of a statement.

There are a few priceless moments, like Dr. Sangster trying to work on a patient, while removing a hot pink pair of panties from a nearby chair, and the discovery of a stuffed bunny complete with a full set of dentures on his fiance's bed.

I’ve Got Issues brings to mind the zaniness of Quentin Dupieux, with a dash of Todd Solondz’s existentialism and the off-kilter freestyle nature of David Cross and Bob Odenkirk’s stuff. If you find one of the bits redundant, its brevity ensures another one is coming right up.

An entertaining diversion and if you want a light film to just sit back and relax to, then this might just be your movie.

Director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting") has a terrific eye, so the film as a whole is very well directed, with clever camera work that builds the tension and actually jolts us out of our seats a few times.

Rockwell and Schwartz are basically doing their version of a Hope-and-Crosby road film. They play characters very familiar to an American audience and that is played against a British comedic landscape. The result it interesting to watch, but I think more for the Brits than its American counterparts.

It may not feature the funniest performances Stiller, Walken and Black have ever given but, these three guys giving performances just this funny is enough to make Envy a movie you'll end up kicking yourself for missing.

Comes across as a little uneven, but far from unsatisfactory. Patton Oswalt is sympathetic (at times heart breaking) and makes the film completely worth watching.

Mrs. Lowry and Son has an appealing old-school charm and two performances that make it worth seeing.

There are glimpses of a real actor struggling to get out of Pacino, although they are rare. It’s as if Pacino is dying to act, but he’s either too old or director Roger Donaldson just isn’t allowing him to do it.

The film has a great visual style and manages to show Los Angeles in a fresh way that the average Hollywood eye isn’t used to, while, on the acting front, Evan Rachel Wood surpasses Michael Douglas in scenes, solidifying herself as an actor to look out for.

I give Killers of the Flower Moon a mild recommendation. It’s too long and predictable. The saving grace is its performance across the board.

The ambiguity in this glacially-paced but atmospheric and at times striking little film doesn’t so much tantalize as frustrate – only because the filmmaker duo approaches something so much deeper, wiser, and subtler.

Dark and quiet is the tone from start to finish.

As it stands, it should keep survival fans satiated, mystery fans somewhat aggravated, and those expecting dry stuff, well, utterly baffled.

The film’s messages are spelled out in big, bold letters. The tone and pace are, at times inconsistent, making for a somewhat-meandering flow. Nineteen Summers could have easily been 30 minutes shorter to avoid those dips in momentum. However, newcomer Emonjay Brown shines as DeAndre, by turns affectionate, resolute, angry at the system and himself.

Like Lucy, herself, Am I OK? does not really discover itself until much later, but once it does, it confidently strides to its conclusion.

In spite of the horrific dialogue, and even worse acting, there’s actually something to be said for Zombie Strippers!

Without much help from a weak script, and barely in need of some carefully tuned cinematography, Mol fuels so much of the film that a handful of lackluster elements seem to work.

David Schwimmer, our whiny friend, is used to good effect as Heche's boyfriend.

By turns infuriating, charming, wistful and annoying, Kwik Stop winds up a touching, if frustrating film.

It makes for a good time with Christensen providing lovely eye candy, but as for Jenkins and his hipper than thou dialogue, and gritty direction? I’m not impressed.

It's funny, sassy and enjoyable, even though the screenplay is rather weak.

The Sylvester Stallone-produced film categorically lacks any surprises and frequently devolves into mushy melodrama. Still, as a family-friendly story of survival in the wilderness, it gets the job done… just.

While the picture doesn't rise to the level of instant holiday classic, younger members of the audience are guaranteed to get a Christmas kick out of it. If disappointment awaits, it awaits Ferrell's older fans.

The opening sequence is an amazing horror scene and sets a tone that the rest of the movie doesn’t even try to follow until the climactic finale.

This delicately observed story, deeply felt and masterfully stylized, is a triumph for its maverick director.

Those who may not care quite as much about the economic messaging underpinning the film may still find Dinklage careening through windows and getting seduced by hot graduate students worthy of the time investment. Still, there’s no denying that this could have been so much more.