The biggest, weirdest, ugliest cartoon in Inglourious Basterds is Aldo Raine, the Nazi-killing American Lieutenant played by Brad Pitt.

A very funny comedy. It’s a very funny comedy that almost made me cry.

As promising as the premise sounds, it cannot rise from the mundane.

The humanity of District 9 adds another dimension to this multilayered, rewarding work -- one of the best of the summer, and undoubtedly the most inventive from the multiplex this year.

Imagination spills across the screen in a bold, undeniable presence.

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

White and The Edge appear guarded, and perhaps a bit intimidated, by Page’s Yoda-like status.

Grace crosses our taboo lines over and over again. As we are under the general (mis)conception that babies are a blessing sent from God, Grace violates all that is good and natural in the world. And that’s why it’s so awesome.

Kutcher gives a surprisingly proficient performance as does Heche who is the shining star of the film.

Only for fans of the bizarre and certainly not for those with even a faintly weak stomach. But for those meeting both qualifications: Welcome to a devious little nightmare.

Manages to put a new spin on things while being touching, honest, and thought-provoking at the same time.

Beyond "Streep camp," Julie and Juila falls into the drone of current historical movies, namely, the time-travel period treatment.

Cera once again does his "Michael Cera thing." Personally, I love his "thing" but know it’s not for everyone, and I agree that it doesn’t always work contextually. But trust me, here it really works.

Oddly engaging and has me wishing I could spend a week observing Jeannie, Lauren, and Merrill...you know, without a camera as a mediator.

To its favor, the film is blessed with strong peformances by Ozgu Namal as Meryem and Murat Han as Cemal.

I love love love love loved Cold Souls. That might be because I love love love Paul Giamatti.

The joy behind this film is right there in the old-time, exploitation-tinged title.

Second Skin is pretty interesting fare. The film delves into some insane outsourcing to China that gamers are involved with as well as the effect the games can have both positively and negatively.

Perhaps Simmons is the man Apatow fears he will become. If so, with Sandler's help the filmmaker's fashioned a solid work of self reflection. There's plenty to love and laugh along with here.

The Collector’s destructive behavior enters the realm of the ridiculous before it ever touches the land of evil-badassness.

At once an astonishing feat of advocacy filmmaking and a white knuckle eco-thriller; think Michael Moore meets Michael Mann.

Plays like a fever dream that won't quit until you lose consciousness or your lunch, whichever goes first.

A terrific film. Loosely based on Emile Zola's novel "Therese Raquin."

I find nearly every film about mentally challenged characters excruciating to watch...None of these movies ever come close to accurately depicting what it’s like to live with mental challenges.

For the most part, Esther is an entertaining and solid addition to the Evil Child canon. There may be something wrong with Esther, but there's nothing terribly wrong with Orphan.

The movie also finds the right balance of light and dark for the material. Too dark and people would be depressed and disgusted by what’s on the screen, too light and it would have no effect. Deadgirl gets it just right. No small feat if you think about it.

Generous with its humor and spares no sacred cows, especially when it comes to the American political system.

You're going to hear a lot about 500 Days of Summer over the next few months. All of the good stuff is true. Any bad stuff you hear is not.

Sloppy, not funny, downright stupid, ridiculous as well as horribly themed and shot.

Funny, uncomfortable and cleverly insightful.

For those who never heard of "The Goldbergs" and its amazing star, Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg will provide a special introduction to a special person.

Party buddy-comedy, part romantic tragedy. If it had been more of the former than the latter, perhaps I would have liked it. But I am so tired or stories about men who are powerless against the wiles of a Succubus.

This is the purest of American narratives, and this, indeed, is one of our finest storytellers.

Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker is a grinding, nightmarish machine.

An inspiring, fun documentary.

In the end, Surveillance is a puzzle box film that has nothing to offer except the various puzzle pieces. The characters do not stand out, the drama is not compelling, and the screenplay is light on even remotely interesting dialogue.

This is shtick that’s minimally a generation past its expiration date.

Wilson overstuffs the film with endless artsy shots of nature.

And to all you sane folk out there, be prepared when seeing this film: you'll ponder the old adage about being what you eat. For those new to the truth about food, this is a great starting point.

Moon is one of those rare gems of the sci-fi genre that takes its acting as seriously as it treats its special effects.

It doesn't disappoint. It gets the job done thanks in large part to the breakout performance given by Galifianakis. It's no "Old School," but it will do nicely until that film's anticipated sequel rolls around in 2011.

The odyssey that follows reminded me of the one Bill Murray’s character took in "Broken Flowers" - and I mean that in the most complimentary way.

Summertime junk food.

Downloading Nancy is an excruciating experience.

Yolande Moreau's most impressive costars are the extraordinary compositions of Seraphine Louis.

Although the film is handsomely filmed and features a surprisingly frank view of the political machinations within the upper ranks of Tibetan Buddhism – even the Dalai Lama comes across as a bit of a wheeler-dealer – Unmistaken Child is more than a little disappointing.

After a strong takeoff, the film lands on dead grounds.

With brother Ivan as his co-writer, Sam tosses out a delightful batch of tense, hilarious set pieces. The two are giggling behind the proceeds like the Coen brothers scripting fresh off a critical triumph.

On its own terms, Departures is a thing of rare and remarkable beauty.

We witness many of Stephenson's inspirational moments during class, but miles more exist behind her students' skills and execution.

Even by Hollywood sequel standards, this is lazily conceived, cynically recycled stuff.

Her beauty, independence, and stock portfolio notwithstanding, Chelsea’s tale is a timely, tragic one told with typical Soderbergh finesse, a sly, sleek merger of sex, lies and hi def video.

It is occasionally a first-rate action spectacle, but it is only the spectacle that merits recommendation.

One of the more cheerfully dumb thrillers I've seen in a good long while.

A little bit of screwball comedy and a lot of film noir, add a dash of suspense-drama, and half a dozen card tricks too, then you have the recipe for making The Brothers Bloom.

Awfully funny, with surprisingly potent social commentary just underneath the quirkiness.

The average viewer will be satisfied with the product, even if the film offers hardly any new information. The doc buff will witness a film that can't surface above the steady nonfiction output at the art house.

What Cuarón and friends have done is made a cute genre film. What's the harm in that? I’m sure Bernal will be back to his edgy roots soon enough.

Star Trek is pretty damn enjoyable. By resetting the franchise to what is essentially Year One, Abrams has the luxury of...gently reshaping the core characters.

Likely to exceed expectations.

From the film's opening moments you won't be able to guess where the whole thing ultimately ends up and that's one of the many endearing qualities of Revanche.

Every so often you catch glimpses of a better movie behind the simplistic structure and formulaic plot.

This is one of those "Crash"-style pictures with interwoven narrative strands. The problem here is that most of the strands wind up little more than loose ends.

For the most part, Fleck doesn't seem particularly intrigued on finding the banjo’s African heritage – the film offers little in the way of historic value in understanding the origin of the instrument.

If you’re not really interested in Mike Tyson as a boxer and a person, the film doesn't give you much to go on. This is a movie called Tyson and it is about Mike Tyson – and nothing else.

It is a refreshingly traditional star-driven thriller.

Every bit enjoyable as that famed mockumentary.

Disappointed fans of Michael Chabon will have to watch "Wonder Boys" for solace, for The Mysteries of Pittsburgh boasts only one core mystery: how one can take such promising material and render it completely unmemorable?

In a genuinely brave performance, Seth Rogen sheds his frat-boy comic styling and delivers an unflinching portrayal.

Funny and well-acted, but it’s just shy of being compelling enough to be remembered.

As it is, you'd get the same level of excitement watching "T.J. Hooker" reruns.

What separates Adventureland from something like "Garden State" is a commitment to realism and plausibility. In fact, at times, it is almost too realistic given the location's inherent value as a comic prop. For a film set primarily in an amusement park, it isn't terribly amusing.

On top of the tried-and-true prison genre formula coupled with the misfit gang formula, Rupert Wyatt's "he Escapist flips everything on its ear by playing out in two timelines simultaneously.

One of the year's best films. It is an extraordinary triumph of nonfiction filmmaking, presenting a wild mind game that leaves the viewer invigorated by its sheer audacity and complexity.

The 3D visuals are an enormous part of MVA's experience and they also help to cover up the lackluster “comedy.”

A film that succeeds at being good without really succeeding in being worthwhile.

For most of the film's 104 minutes, the characters have experiences that range from serious to zany. Although I can't formulate a better resolution to the narrative conflicts, I Love You, Man ends on a note that is too cute and conventional to accept.

A smooth ride boils down to a claptrap, 'Usual Suspects'-style finale.

This is a severely flawed, but also a fascinating and engrossing science fiction film, a picture that offers far more than surface thrills.

A fine little comedy and a hilarious character study of an ego gone wild.

Skills Like This is not a movie that asks to be taken seriously.

The rape scene is, admittedly, as brutal as any I've seen in recent memory, but much of what Iliadis shows us is a direct riff on the original.

Race can satisfy with a steady pace.

Beneath its morbid exterior, Sunshine Cleaning projects a tender portrait of how people help out others and seek a better life for themselves.

Harrowing, heroic, and occasionally gripping.

With Tokyo Sonata, Kurosawa shows that he has quite the flair for dry humor and peppers this film with just the perfect amount.

Watchmen is indeed gorgeous, with Gibbons' original work reproduced and – in some cases – improved upon by detailed F/X, but even at a healthy two hours and 41 minutes the story feels truncated. Even abrupt.

Director Daniel Barnz produces an enjoyable film that reminds us that imagination is a precious commodity which adults need to nurture by allowing kids to jump.

As a look at the disenfranchised of America, Explicit Ills could use some work. As a debut, however, it's quite promising. I'm looking forward to seeing what Webber comes up with next.

Never too dreary, Sherman's Way is a pleasant drama-comedy that's just fun to watch, much like a laid-back drive during the summer; it's not about where you're going, or how you'll get there, but just about how it feels to be in the car driving.

A wholly inept action experience that works at boring us to tears.

Watching the American nightmare of Must Read After My Death play out, it's impossible not to be both horrified and powerfully moved. Impossible as well not to feel profound admiration for the artfulness with which Dews has pieced these archival cries for help into a singular creation anyone who appreciates first rate filmmaking absolutely must see.

The question isn't whether Nispel's remake is better than the 1980 original (it isn't) but whether anything original is brought into the mix. And minus a mild plot twist you"ll probably see coming from the first five minutes, there isn't.

Clearly, Gomorrah is supposed to represent the best of today’s European cinema...and if this is the best, I would hate to imagine the worst! Gomorrah is a boring mess focusing on how the mob in today’s Naples has its tentacles stretched far and wide

This is a gentle, understated character-driven piece that has more in common with European romantic dramas than those made in this country as a rule.

At the finale of this visual delight, every hired hand and technician also deserve acclaim.

The "star-studded" cast seems to have been cast according to their Premiere power ranking and/or desperation for exposure.

In the post-Columbine age, far too many cops' partners have gone un-murdered. And too many unsuspecting daughters have freely traveled abroad, unmolested by foreign fiends. Leave it to the French to give Americans what we didn't realize we were missing.