Teenage Badass will not set your world on fire, but its empathetic characters, sense of rhythm, knowledge of band jargon, and, most importantly, its music are sure to at least warm your heart.

The radiant Blanchett makes Charlotte's individual journey from lovelorn lady to independent woman believable and involving, and that's ultimately what counts the most -- even if the destination is less than ideal.

It is an offbeat, twisted thriller about love, violence, psychopaths, and redemption. This type of film isn’t for everyone, but that’s what indie filmmaking is all about.

Saved! is just a sweet and funny movie that starts off with bite but settles into an honest feeling of happiness and acceptance for all types of people and their choices.

It is frustrating to see this much raw talent on the screen, not to mention behind the camera, and to have had these people produce something that hints at so many complex things, but ultimately fails to deliver on them. It’s just a comedy, then. So be it, Jedi.

While the film suffers from a forced absurdity meant to invoke comedy and laughs along with a sluggish pacing, Rejtman captures the grim monotony of life well.

Full speed ahead fun, a rollicking caper romp that hearkens back to a quainter, pre-Ken Lay age when bigtime fraud could actually entail writing books as opposed to merely cooking them.

Louis C.K. should’ve applied sandpaper to the movie’s rougher edges; he should’ve adopted the jazzy, purposefully meandering, “anything goes” vibe of his previous outings. The comedic drama starts off like that, then collapses in its last third in a heap of sentimental mush.

The story is unique, and the end revelations are clever but fall short of mind-blowing (which is the bar). Lathrop Walker carries the film from beginning to end. He’s exciting and likable. He excels at his stunt work and provides the empathy we need for his character to carry us to the finish line.

Seriously, that kid is creepy as hell.

As it stands, he made a noble attempt, and it could've been a Hell of a lot worse, but it's not as great a film as its potential hints at.

May not exactly be an innovative film, but it most certainly is a lovable one.

This Scottish film often pushes for realism, though its stylish tones fall back on whimsy.

Olivia Côte and Laure Calamy make the film worth watching if you are in the mood for a story about an awkward but enduring friendship.

The broad shape of the ending is predictable; by the time you get to it, you could probably write the final confrontation yourself. This a likable, well-intentioned movie, but those qualities don’t take it far enough.

The film also benefits from unusually solid writing and a masterfully understated turn by Billy Bob Thornton.

This is essentially a by-the-numbers revenge film with some attempts at deeper characterization. The difference between this film and, say, "Batman Begins" is that Bruce Wayne, upon finding the tormentors of his youth, never tried to kill and eat them.

The highlight of Snake Eyes is the action.

It’s a mature story, and with maturity comes a subtlety that goes beyond exposition. But filmmakers must balance tones effectively, and Khan is unable to shake his film’s monotone nature.

Consumed does have the predictable structure of a run, hide, fight horror film, but just when you think you’re getting ahead of the film and know what’s coming, new information is revealed that injects adrenaline into the story.

Two things make this worthwhile: The realistic relationship between Elliot and Richard, and Pantoliano playing against type and actually humanizing a possibly loathsome character.

Commercial director Sandra Goldbacher's first feature is beautifully filmed and covers interesting thematic ground. Unfortunately, it also suffers from a somewhat incredible and melodramatic story.

Ruizpalacios, who did a more consistent job in his 2014 debut drama Gueros, combines adventurous theft, archaeology lessons, family aloofness, and a vitiated friendship all in one. The lens of cinematographer Damián García attractively captures all of this, but part of the energy accumulated during the journey wasn’t always canalized in the right direction.

Not an incredible disappointment, but it could have used some more work in making us remain curious about these characters and what their next course of action would be.

But damn it if the film doesn't work as what it's supposed to be: a big, brainless blast o' boom at the box office.

Chalk up another big-name star vehicle that fails to live up to a wealth of potential.

Solid debut effort from Lisa Cholodenko.

It’s a film that walks a fine-line between serious superhero flick and slapstick, giving the audience a conglomerate of great martial arts moments intertwined with some very funny dialogue and impetus.

May just be the most quintessential Steven Spielberg movie Steven Spielberg never made.

Deadline contributes reason and passion to the ongoing debate about whether civilized nations should employ the ultimate punishment and how justly it is administered.

It's too bad with all of the poker action there wasn't enough time to establish the relationships between characters.

A horror film that scares you to insomnia is good in the sense that it succeeds in what it sets out to do.

Works best as a beautifully executed and inspirational work of self-sacrifice.

Cash is a legend, and deserving of a more thoughtful portrayal than what we’re offered here.

Visually imaginative and energetic.

The kids and adults can dig this one, though adults may be stricken with Disney deja vu by this point.

An emotionally honest film, but it would have been far more affecting if it felt more true to life.

With yet another snappy script and a fiendishly clever story, Mamet leads us through this labyrinthine film with skill and wit. It's nothing terribly original, but it is a lot of fun.

Delightfully goofy.

As a matter of fact, Initial D is an anti-car racing film. It's not about thrills; it's about how to perfect the art of drifting, philosophy, and how to transcend the human condition.

No less than four screenwriters are credited, yet the script is filled with the usual clichés (hello, red digital readout!) and supposed twists that can be seen a mile away.

If the directors scaled back on the needlessly-complex tale and tightened the reigns, and if screenwriter Michael Arkof sharpened his dialogue (“I’m a deputy, not a vigilante!” Norm yells shrilly, before absconding to his trailer), they may have had something truly special here.

The cast is genuine in their emotions, the film depicts them that way, and the camera doesn’t feel compelled to go hand-held crazy--which is refreshing.

The film’s no-nonsense approach is a neat tribute to 1980’s action flicks of yore, where badass heroes said and did badass things.

The last act of American Gun is quite possibly one of the most ridiculous and forced dramatic twists I've seen in years.

This raw truth, this emotional nakedness, is deeply refreshing.

Isn't as dark or sinister as its source material, but it comes closer than any other filmed attempts to this point. It may only be a decent movie, but it's a pretty fine PKD adaptation.

We’re left with a perhaps too tidy ending that picks up the spirits but doesn’t delve into the questions about human nature that the movie raises. Had it dug a bit deeper, it might have been something more than the overall pleasant entertainment vehicle that it is.

Sevigny and Beckinsale, looking very Parker Posey-esque here, give solid performances, but it's not enough to out weigh Stillman's smugness.

It is that kind of “inside the life of an astronaut” angle that keeps the film reasonably engaging, even if you don’t care too much about the characters.

Seven Pounds is the very definition of a 'noble failure.'

While having all the key elements of a mystery, director Stacie Passon’s film is more a character study focusing on themes of the safety of sisterhood and self-imposed alienation.

Isn't a bad film per se--it’s just an empty film.

Aline has quite a few things to praise, but the bio-pic overall feels like a slight step up from a made-for-television film when it comes down to it.

The reason to see The Last Movie Star is its performances from both Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter. It’s a sweet, solid film and a suitable bookend to Reynolds’ career as a leading actor.

Empire is an entertaining, colorful, action-filled crime story with an intimate heart.

It’s not hard to see why The Way Home has become such a hit in its native South Korea. The story is a plaintive moral tale, adding the requisite doses of humour and sentimentality where it’s required.

The film is dumb, formulaic, the other actors are scarcely worth mentioning, and the plot is merely an excuse to set up the action scenes. But it didn’t bore me; The Rock is ceaselessly entertaining.

The increasingly creepy plot is counter balanced by a genuinely tender romance, which makes the film impossible to categorise, and will no doubt limit it to obscure arthouses and cinephiles who have very strong stomachs. They won't be disappointed.

Carion, along with his co-screenwriter Laure Irrman, leave things annoyingly unexplained – which would be fine in a poetic meditation on loss and grief that purposefully raises more questions than answers, but is indefensible in a neither-here-nor-there pseudo-intellectual thriller.

In the plus column, Poseidon is a tightly-paced action movie that doesn’t depend too much on special effects for its thrills.

Whether you’re a casual or an ardent follower of M. Night Shyamalan's films, The Happening could alienate or dominate your thinking cap. Remember--it's perfectly acceptable to laugh one second and shriek the next.

A thought-provoking movie that is still relevant with the many environmental concerns that are out there now.

Nighy is superb as usual in a much meatier role than even he usually gets. And Byrne makes her character far more three-dimensional than the shallow creature she could have been.

Radio is a film many people may be tempted to laugh off as button pushing feel-good fluff. Before doing so, they might want to ask themselves just what it is they find so funny about a little peace, love and understanding.

Fails to add anything of substance to the history that it portrays.

When Romper is firing on all cylinders, it is potent indeed.

If you hated "Dogville" because of the overage of narration or the length of time it took to finally get to a point, you'll be pleased to know that von Trier has lessened both those elements. With that said, it still has some of the same flaws.

It is an entertaining bit of fluff, with a few engaging performances and enough visual panache to keep audiences diverted and amused.

A pleasant enough little film. Jerry isn’t what one would call a sympathetic figure, but you find yourself cheering for him anyway.

Botko and Gurland's bleak and caustic comedy gets off to a slow start and struggles to overcome the handicap of having three main characters who are, by design, highly unpleasant individuals.

Well-acted and skillfully made, the film offers enough that is worth seeing, but its idiosyncratic nature is sure to limit its mainstream appeal.

While the massacre is a wall-shaking and effective bit of high decibel drama, some of the movie's best moments come during the Texans' long brave wait for almost certain death.

The real problem with the film is tone and pace.

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.

A lot better than one would expect. It's amusing, it's inspired and hey, it's a lot wittier than the last two "Scary Movies" combined. Though, like most lampoons, it runs out of steam about half way through.

It is Fey’s refusal to talk down to her audience that elevates Mean Girls above most other teen movies out there.

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.

It’s definitely a well-crafted genre offering. The writing could be better, with more of an emphasis on the relationships than on the plot mechanisms, but the ending is cool. The cast is also very good, but again, if the script were just a tad bit better, the film would get a better rating from me.

The biggest problem with I Will Make You Mine is that the stakes are so low, it is impossible to become entirely invested.

It's an excellent date film, but it won't change your life.

This is a competently made film, with some wonderfully subdued camera work and very effective editing. 6ixtynin9 is a fun little film.

It won’t necessarily blow your mind, but it’s refreshing to have a gentle, hopeful ode to our oceans, in contrast to all the “doom and gloom” environmental docs that come out these days.

An ambitious, smartly edited documentary epic by a pair of journalists who tenaciously followed their subjects over the course of seven years, the film is both intimate and sweeping.

Peretz's film continuously subverts the audience's expectations of what should likely happen given genre conventions.

It rebounds in the last moments and I thought successfully blended satire, high camp and yet another sexual taboo into a really funny movie.

Hey, it's not "Gone With the Wind" or even "Nightmare on Elm Street", so don't expect a masterpiece. You get a little nudity, a lot of gore, Seth Green doing his ironic commentary thing, and an easy way to kill a couple of hours.

Overall, I have to recommend the film for its alternate take on the whole "Leaving Las Vegas," "Basketball Diaries," "Less Than Zero" drug-induced tragedy genre.

Because much of the dialogue exchanged between the brothers and some of Kyle’s auditory flashbacks allude to situations that aren’t clarified until over sixty minutes of the film have passed, there’s strong motivation to pay attention.

I have always been of the belief that the best way to get things done would be to have some benevolent dictator running things. The problem is always finding the right sage magician for the job. Harry Callahan probably wouldn’t be my first choice, but he sure is entertaining when he shoots people.

If this is the direction Williams is headed in his career, fantastic. For auteur Romanek, it was at least a good first try.

The problem is, the main conspiracy of the show is so vast, you have to walk around it a couple of times before you can see what it is.

Fun, giddy, and intoxicating as the endless soirees in which it revels.

Dumb, loud, and ludicrous in the extreme, and I actually enjoyed it.

Like Ed Wood with a decent budget and a vision impaired by mind-expanding drugs, Christmas on Mars is about just that.

A stripped-down, small town "COPS" without the flashy editing and hip-hop soundtrack.

Takes an unexpected turn towards originality where every other "David vs. Goliath-courtroom drama" only strives.

Summer Storm is director/co-writer Marco Kreuzpaintner's entry into the "I'm not gay but my boyfriend is" genre.