For a while, the film’s elegant art-horror vibe is quite compelling, leaving the ancient secret societies and demonic entities that it hints at tantalizingly off-screen and just out of Rose’s grasp. Unfortunately, though, the film begins to stumble late in its second act, its well set-up mystery devolving into a contrived sort of video-game logic.

Instead of being the science fiction masterpiece Matheson fans have been salivating for since the 80s (when Schwarzenegger was once attached), it’s just another average Hollywood popcorn flick.

Despite Arterton’s outstanding performance, the film weakens considerably in its last section.

Those who seek their sci-fi with a more cerebral slant will find quite a bit to admire here. The film certainly demonstrates a cast and crew who are dedicated to their craft and provide anticipation for future endeavors in which they continue to polish it.

The mundane is only as mundane as you make it, and the supernatural can be painfully mundane.

Diaz wears his heart on his sleeve and elicits affecting performances from his cast, but his portrait of a country in turmoil feels incomplete.

The immense length and repetitive format can sometimes make the film feel like an endurance test. To say that its pacing is glacial would be unfair to the melting ice caps.

A harmless little charmer with a uniformly fine cast, played by the numbers for full tear-jerking effect.

The movie slides into slapstick at times, but it never overpowers the story.

It’s more than adequate as an old school action movie slightly updated for modern audiences.

Winds up being enjoyable, even though the only character I really liked was the main one, played by David Paymer. Everyone else I wanted to whack in the ass with a tire iron.

One of the funniest things I have ever seen was Dustin Hoffman weeping uncontrollably as he recounted how he never truly understood the inner pain and torment of what it felt like to be an ugly woman until he made “Tootsie.” I wouldn’t trade that thirty seconds for the entire film. Tootsie is funny enough and Hoffman truly does make an scary awe inspiring wreck of a woman, but people would have you believe this film was the Rosetta Stone of comedy, whereas it’s really just an ok film dominated by television actors and desperately lucky to have caught Bill Murray on a free afternoon.

The New Bauhaus tells a fascinating story, as Moholy-Nagy’s art and life are worthy of being told. But, Nahmias tells it in a largely pedestrian fashion.

Granted, you'e going to enjoy it a lot more if you spent a healthy chunk of your late teens/early 20s playing Bullshit and doing keg stands, but it's far from the worst comedy of the year.

The human stories are at the center, but, for better or worse, they are surrounded with side stories that only acted as a (nice) distraction, and it never really digs deep into the concept of heresy itself.

The film does enough to get you through to the end of the film but lacks the feel-good moments as well as the impactful dialogue that could have made this film an instant classic. Despite this, the story is very inspiring and that should be enough to make you want to give the film a watch.

This is by the books in every way, funny and undemanding ... and also rather sweet and heartwarming.

Bruno Dumont’s Flanders is something you don't see everyday: a decidedly non-sentimental love story.

Only promised a few good fights, a lot of chuckles, and an easy way to kill a couple of hours. In today's Hollywood that's hard enough to deliver.

Heist movies seem pretty quaint and analog in our era where high stakes crime is primarily electronic in nature. But until someone can make embezzlement cinematically interesting, we’re left with theft and this movie just gets away with it.

Everything about the sequel feels bloated.

Is Walk Hard” funny? Sure; very much so, in places. At least I think it is. It might just be the “Date Movie” talking.

A film with a bare-bones story told with such potency that its occasional flights of heavy-handed symbolism are easily excused.

Has just enough quirks and unexpected shocks along the way to keep things interesting.

From the plotting and the characterizations to the explosions and excessive use of blue light filters, everything about Bad Company has been done and seen before.

The kind of film in which you pretty much know that everything is going to turn out all right in the end. That doesn't mean, however, that one won't enjoy watching this warm and fuzzy exercise in escapism in the process.

I was desperate to eat at Shopsin's by the end.

Any romantic comedy that lacks Meg Ryan can’t be faulted too hard.

This has the unmistakable feel of a vanity project about it, which makes it a little tough to take either Dillon or the film seriously.

Ben Whishaw’s raw central performance keeps one glued to the screen, but the cold and distancing result doesn’t quite do it justice. Shame, as Karia, displays a knack for building tension and maintaining an almost nauseatingly melancholic atmosphere. If only he dug a little deeper.

I’m Not In Love is competently made. Despite the screenwriting-as-therapy formula, it’s entertaining and engaging to watch.

Takes a personal, kinder-gentler Michael Moore/Nick Broomfield approach to exposing anti-Semitism.

Polley attempts to tackle the issue from multiple angles – how male toxicity is passed down to helpless youth by their elders, for example – but ends up running in circles.

As a violent, supernatural adventure, the film should attract both action and horror enthusiasts alike, yet Evans ends up slightly short of thrills and ambiguity, which are always valuable aspects of the genre.

Let’s not lose sight of what's really been accomplished here. Alex and Marty – just like Batman and Robin, Fred and Barney, and Snagglepuss – are welcome additions to the gay animation pantheon.

The life-like thriller, eccentric comedy, and outlandish horror elements don’t quite gel as well as intended, clumsily getting in each other’s way.

Overall the pace is a little slow and the film is too quiet, but it’s definitely a notch above typical low-budget fare and entertaining to watch.

While the film is admittedly imperfect, it nonetheless deserves to be seen by all Americans to provide a clear understanding of what kind of a country we are currently at war within.

Let’s be real: the only reason to see a Jason Statham movie is for all that juicy action. Fist fights, knife fights, gunplay, machine-gun mayhem, explosions… all in this game of cat-and-mouse.

A great meld of rock history, the sociological and familial impacts of mental disability and some courtroom intrigue.

Ivan Kavanagh has an eye for style and a clear gift for building suspense. That said, the film is sadly less than the sum of its frequently-impressive parts. If nothing else, his messy, violent, dark and sad reflection of our society proves that the Western will never grow old.

Like a TV sitcom where the locations of commercial breaks can be foreseen, after about twenty minutes of Butterfield 8, you can predict when a transition will conclude a scene.

Many have described "Journey" as a 3D film dumbed down to a theme park attraction. However, its visual splendor would have left Walt Disney weeping and Sergei Eisenstein preaching of cinema's second coming.

Makes a good chick flick for guys who want to appear artsy by taking their date to a foreign language film. Just remember: front row...and don't forget the aspirin.

With basically a single set and a limited cast, the producers get the most of their limited budget, particular with a couple of spectacular death scenes.

It's a fun but somewhat uneven romp, enlivened by its unusual setting and lovely female lead, Miranda Otto.

The film is short on plot, and any form of character development, but I am sure the target audience of children will find plenty to enjoy even though most adults may find it a bit boring. All in all, Jimmy Neutron is a nice holiday diversion for the family.

Isn't going to win over the art house crowd, but you could do a lot worse for summer entertainment.

Possibly the most European of major American directors, Jim Jarmusch wears his influences on his sleeve and makes no bones about it.

The Matador has that shiny sheen that quickly fades, yet is still fun while it lasts.

The humor is not as hackneyed as in previous films.

This is a film which resonates on a surprising number of levels. But the level on which it undoubtedly works best is the victim-goes-postal-and-takes-the-law-into-his-own-hands level.

The film is buoyed by Charlize Theron’s fierceness and a few shining moments of true inspiration. Roll with the inherent silliness of it all, and you may just have a good time.

Zombie has a great eye and ear for the look and sound of the genre. From the over-saturated yellow desert to the sound of a newscast. He’s got it down perfect.

Overall, June Zero is a worthy film that follows delayed justice coming to a Nazi war criminal, bringing to the surface events of the post-war that aren’t well known.

When morals and ethics become muddled, when right becomes indistinguishable from wrong, when there is nowhere to run, and the world closes in on you, what options do you have left? Though Abu-Assad’s equally muddled Huda’s Salon poses more questions than answers, they are compelling enough to warrant a recommendation.

A meandering and disappointing documentary about one of Africa's most beloved yet elusive musical giants.

Gripes aside, if you’re looking for a low-key, old-school, charming-as-a-basket-of-kittens lark, give Then Came You a shot. It serves as a great reminder of Gifford’s prodigious talents – and as a hint that she may yet have more to reveal.

There are some realistic, scary themes at work here that make it worth a look.

If the slightly generic Yes Man is symbolic of the new, happier Jim Carrey, then it is a small price to pay for his piece of mind.

In these divided times, films centering on political issues either make an earnest attempt to persuade the other side to consider its point of view or play to its political allies and demonize its enemies. The Public does the latter, and the result is to further widen the divide of political discourse with self-righteous finger-pointing.

What was needed was either a Stanley Kubrick, or, well, the Farrelly Brothers. Instead we get warmed over Spike Jonze. Still, a little watered down Spike Jonze has to be entertaining some of the time, so this isn't a total loss.

A rare pleasure.

Full of off-kilter characters who don't talk like anyone in real life, but sound a truthful chord.

There were so many pointless monologues. I felt like I was watching reality-show confessionals.

That The Devil's Backbone makes any sense at all -- with its many, swirling plotlines -- seems like a little wonder.

It works because this isn't really a "disease" film, it's a love story. It just so happens one of the main characters has Tourette Syndrome. Thus, I too will take the easy way out and say, "it's a good love story...with a twitch."

It is quite a frothy mix of childish innocence and magical realism. It’s just nothing of major consequence.

Classic adolescent coming-of-age tale.

Thanks to an impeccable cast and a more substantial, interesting second half, the movie is worth watching at least once.

Sure, Dumb and Dumberer is dumb, dumber and dumberer than the original, but if you like that kind of banal, rustic and sophomoric humor (and I have to admit, I kinda do), it might be worth a buck or two at a discount theater.

This is a great film, to a point. Unfortunately the ending doesn't deliver, making the entire feature an exercise is wasted potential. But maybe that's the point.

In the somewhat muted lead role, Huppert really is a marvel.

The set design and production value are top-notch, which makes it even more jarring that the production sounds so modern and American. It is taken to such extremes as to be its downfall. It somehow seems less believable because we’re ever aware of being manipulated. It is a shame because, in this case, the real truth was so much stranger than fiction.

Indeed, a triumph of love: love of performance, love of joy, and, above all else, love of love itself.

Moves at a smooth and steady pace, so much so that it’s hypnotic. The characters and performances in this film are also very calm, providing a soothing experience.

The plot is paper-thin, and the set-up is beyond contrived (a plant waterer?), but there are a surprising number of laughs, and the saccharine content is kept to a minimum. A mostly enjoyable experience, all told.

Not only harmless, but actually quite funny and charming.

Duvall chews up the scenery with smoldering, fire-and-brimstone orations.

When you have Bruce Dern and Randy Quaid in a movie, you have expectations. Those two rarely disappoint, and that continues to be the case here.

It captures both the exhilaration and tedium of the filmmaking process--and of looking for and finding passion wherever it might be.

In a sense, Raging Dove serves as an entirely unintentional, I'm sure, metaphor for peace prospects in his homeland.

I especially enjoyed that it was more than just a straight-up boxing film.

Traverses between past and present, using archival material and computer techniques to paint a portrait of the effects of predatory mining practices on this small American town.

Initially turns the dour field of psychiatry into an amusing, absurdist romp. Unfortunately, the further the film progresses, the more it relies on silliness and triteness for ever-less frequent laughs.

If Stalin's Wife doesn't provide solid answers, it nonetheless offers a fascinating tapestry of love, madness, politics, suspicions and jealousies.

Has its rollicking moments and snappy lines but even Pacino can't elevate them into more than a fleetingly juicy treat. This is a movie that desperately wishes it had been written by David Mamet.

Yiddish Theater: A Love Story is a slight but moving documentary focusing on the final performances given by Zypora Spaisman, the Polish-born star of New York’s Yiddish theater.

Bolstered by Mark Bradshaw and Marcus Whale’s electronic drone soundtrack and Bonnie Elliott’s atmospheric cinematography, Run Rabbit Run could’ve used some more forward momentum. It lacks outright scares and novelty but makes up for it in some psychological depth. Reid’s film may not reach the profundity it strives for, but how many horror titles even strive for anything these days?

Jaglom has the good sense to cast the legendary Lee Grant in an extraordinary role.

It is clear from the film's onset that Griffin is striking a chord with his audience: They love him and, in return, he relishes their laughter.

Everything about this is borderline brave and dangerous. And this is part of the problem with the documentary.

Whip It doesn’t just refer to whipping around the track or whipping ass. It’s about a girl who must whip herself into shape and grow up.

The art direction and costumes are gorgeous and finely detailed, and Kurys' direction is clever and insightful. Even so, it feels very, very long.

The absurdity and the noir banter combine into a Lynchian high weirdness mix of the familiar plus the strange. Goofy fun for a rainy afternoon though you may have to work to follow along. Great score by Ryan Bayne, the music is a treat.

There isn’t as much art as you would expect, but it is more about what goes into the exam to be a part of the Academy of Fine Arts. The film creates a picture that is quite unique in one way or another.

The film wants to be a revealing character study of aimless Hollywood wannabes, but the story is just not compelling enough to make the viewer care.

Until this past Friday, the worst werewolf film ever made was, hairy hands down, Mike Nichols' "Wolf." Cursed now assumes that dubious distinction and someone is going to have to try very hard to wrestle it away.