It may have the melody, visage and basics of a Bollywood biggie, but truth be told, The Guru, despite it’s zest and lure, gives the far-off genus a bad wrap.

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.

I wasn’t much scared by anything in Final Destination 2 which is silly and illogical.

Offers a remarkable tribute to one of the few people who genuinely deserves to be known as a pioneer of filmmaking. In the genre of films about films, In the Mirror of Maya Deren is among the best.

If you’re looking for a compelling horror flick, don’t waste your time with Darkness Falls.

With his darker secrets hidden away, secrets that could have provided us with the final layers to this influential man, we’re left with an incomplete portrait of Bayard Rustin. But thanks to the documentary “Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin,” we at least have that much. And for a man who’s as important and relatively unknown as Rustin was, an incomplete picture is far better than no picture at all.

Everything here is broad and very silly, but the offbeat foreign vibe keeps us intrigued, mostly because the film's sense of humor is so unusual and unexpected.

Gets off to a rocky start as you try to rationalize Lee’s place in the plot, but it soon has enough surprises and funny moments to keep you watching to the end.

The jokes are so tired and irritating in the film, I found myself anticipating the funny gags from the trailers because those were the only ones that were remotely humorous. In fact, I only laughed three times in the whole picture.

Run -- don’t walk -- from this film or you might end up watching a bad CGI character do a painful Dr. Evil impression.

Wonderfully effective, funny and yet horrific film.

Meticulous in its descriptions of well-intended individuals caught up in these ferocious waves of street crime.

Like a head on collision between some nice performances and a really stupid plot.

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.

The ingredients were there for Confessions of a Dangerous Mind to become a cult classic, but the resulting film is a tedious Hollywood yawner.

Chicago is a failure, but that should not come as a surprise. Bob Fosse, who directed and choreographed the original 1975 Broadway production, was long baffled in making a film of the show and eventually gave up trying.

At the risk of being called an anti-Semite, I would like to propose a moratorium on Holocaust movies -- While it would be crass to discount the importance of the subject, at the same time one has to admit there is some degree of excess going on here.

Immerse yourself in two fantastic performers, a polished narrative (by Menno Meyjes) and a “could have happened” scenario. It plays all too real if you ask me.

McGrath's new film offers a treat for fans of Dickens and moviegoers who love to see a fairly large cast ham it up with delirious abandon.

Proved that cheerless, existentially unflinching literature can provide the basis for exhilarating cinema.

We aren't talking Oscar here. We're talking truly fine performances and an unexpectedly hep John Williams score. We are talking a story that rollicks with the most rollicking of them. Not great cinema; just a great time at the movies and certainly a film well worth catching if you can.

Patric and Liotta are as tense and great as they've ever been.

This is a spacious, robust movie that grabs hold of us and doesn't let go for nearly three hours.

This is the film that "Shine" and A Beautiful Mind could not be, a story about schizophrenia that doesn’t neatly resolve its complex subject matter.

A competently calibrated feel-good machine. It's as effective as anything on The Lifetime Channel. Which is likely where this project would have wound up were it not for the involvement of Washington.

One of Spike Lee's greatest films -- seamlessly merging personal drama against a canvas of larger social significance on a level worthy of "Do the Right Thing."

There’s no question here that moviegoers will be treated to a completely enveloping, three-hour vacation from reality.

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

This movie is a 21st century take on the tired switched-persons genre, with predictable and obvious gag-inducing results.

This is where Payne shines. Schmidt’s Winnebago journey through America’s heartland is more like a personal voyage into his Heart of Darkness.

This film takes chances and is abundant with style, seeming to pick-up where "Brown Sugar" left off, introducing editing conventions not normally accustomed to African-American film.

Devilishly clever and boasting a killer finale, Intacto is this year's "Memento" -- only Spanish.

The humor is not as hackneyed as in previous films.

About as much fun as a grouchy ayatollah in a cold mosque.

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

It used to be that the main allure of features was that they could deliver what cable couldn't, but now it's the other way around and one of the biggest problems with Analyze That is that it doesn't show us anything new or really funny, certainly nothing that we can't get on HBO.

If you want pure, undiluted, 100% guaranteed entertainment, Soap Girl is the film to enjoy. This film is a wonderful work of fun, with a marvelous ensemble cast who have more energy, sex-appeal and charm than any group to strut and vamp across the camera in recent memory.

Ends up feeling like just another uneven British crime drama.

Infinitely impractical, consistently unique and vastly imaginative.

Since Equilibrium shamelessly rips off every Orwellian science fiction thriller in film history, what other reason is there besides sheer desperation for the film to be so stupidly violent?

Little more than a travelogue designed to show off the grandeur of the Hermitage, with the silly actors in fancy costumes getting in the way of the paintings and sculptures on display.

The performances of young Sampi, Monaghan and Sansbury are amazing. They’re immersing and compelling.

It's an entirely different animal from Tarkovsky's hypnotic but opaque take, and it's an entirely different animal from most studio product in general -- Soderbergh's Solaris is a gorgeous and deceptively minimalist cinematic tone poem.

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

The real-deal, packed with more excitement, vigor and fortitude than an unfaltering Magnum.

If you can’t laugh at stuff like this, there are still a few days left in the theatrical run of “Santa Clause 2”. I hear the reindeer are horny as hell.

It feels strangely slight for Almodovar, but there's a richness that draws us in -- There's so much going on beneath the surface that you can hardly take it all in.

As a piece of acting, The Quiet American represents a fitting capper to Caine’s illustrious career; his portrait of a jaded sybarite whom history nudges into conscientious action is among the year’s most moving.

An intensely moving and oftentimes haunting film; a compelling look at the unique life paths of three totally different women.

There are flashes of honest insight lurking under the film's rough, uneven surface.

With “Chamber of Secrets,” all we get is a f____ "Scooby Doo" episode. Boo on everyone involved...BOOOOOOOO!

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.

Ararat isn't a great film because it's too convoluted and personal at times, but it's a showcase of technical mastery; the way Egoyan interweaves the stories of the historical recreation, the relationship between the son and his stepsister and the mystery of the art historian's dead husbands, is endlessly compelling.

Half Past Dead would’ve been a bad film without Seagal anyways, but he fails long before any of the other parts do.

The film has brief flashes of believability and humor. By and large, though, the script is uninspired, the picture's characters are stick figures, its dialogue is lackluster and the star's performance seldom rises above the adequate.

Once again, though -- almost in spite of Haynes' rigorous post-ironic efforts to bring Sirk back from the dead in any and every way he can -- it ultimately comes down to Moore -- and Moore is simply...wonderful.

Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is just plain HOT in this film and other than that...we got ourselves a stinker.

It is a great character study that ranks with Paul Thomas Anderson's epic "Magnolia."

A moving and stark reminder that the casualties of war reach much further than we imagine.

Dreadful.

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.

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 kind of film that requires a lot of work and patience on behalf of the viewer, not to mention a willingness to set aside prejudices and the fear inherent when we meet people different from us. As such, while you may not necessarily like By Hook or By Crook, you won't forget it, either.

Frida favors us with plenty of color, a feast of eye candy. As food for the soul, however...there are always her paintings.

Neither a stimulating satire nor a serious exposure of the operations of the finance industry.

One of the funniest films I’ve seen all year.

It's a remarkable film; the dialogue takes our breath away with its sharp skewering of expectations and realities, the bleak honesty is balanced by the freshness of real life and moments of raw truth and comedy -- Don't miss it.

Even if you have no idea what French philosopher Jacques Derrida's theories are about, allow your mind the chance to be teased and twisted by the unique new documentary.

One of those films where, even though you're pretty sure you know where it's going, it's still fun to get there.

Sure it’s brainless fun, but Formula 51 is a trip well worth taking.

Sadly, Naqoyqatsi quickly degenerates into a monotonous skein of banal images which strangely reinforces the message that we're living in a damn dull society.

Dark, disturbing and original throughout. You know that you’re going to see something a little different than your usual studio crap.

Perhaps it is a shame that no one thought of digitally restoring and theatrically releasing the sex videos that Crane made with the many women he pleasured...that would have been far more entertaining than anything found in Auto Focus.

Another unworthy follow-up to the modestly scary and well-crafted, Clive Barker-directed Hellraiser from 1987. Therefore with Hellrasier 6, lots of confusion and silly slasher joke writing is raised, but not much hell, in any sixth sense of the word.

The plot is romantic comedy boilerplate from start to finish and, with the story's outcome a foregone conclusion, the least the director could have done is throw in a bit of cultural enlightenment to keep the audience occupied while he connects the dots.

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

The big screen has a very difficult time capturing the talent of James Van Der Beek - literally. The aspect ratio of projected film simply cannot accommodate the full breadth of his enormous melon head.

It’s a welcome addition to the national debate, which while not always on the money, is consistently thoughtful, smart and thoroughly satisfying.

It certainly didn't take long for Madonna to ruin husband Guy Ritchie's career.

All the household changes give the film an episodic quality that leads to a certain start-and-stop dramatic momentum. But fresh face Lohman holds the film together emotionally, more than matching up to the bigger name stars that turn up in supporting roles.

It works because of Anderson's ability to challenge viewer expectations. Instead of making his principal actors change, he manipulates the story and dialogue to match their characters. His exquisite art-house camera shots and sense of pacing set Sandler up to do his usual thing in an almost poetic manner.

The result is a mature, graceful and extraordinary accomplishment.

Maybe How to Draw a Bunny itself is really Ray Johnson's final testament, created with a mischievous wink from beyond the grave. After watching this extraordinary documentary, one has no doubt that such an act is well within Johnson's creative powers.

A gripping experience, and often downright sickening.

The only downside to this delectable third course? The regrettable likelihood that Lecter fans will have to make do without dessert.

An extraordinary achievement on all possible levels.

The supporting characters suffer from excruciating one dimensionality since none of them really have anything to do but look forlorn and opine about days past.

Smart and full of sharply drawn characters and wonderfully snappy dialogue.

Perhaps that's what makes thus such a compelling documentary; it will grip even viewers who aren't interested in rap, as it cuts to the heart of American society in an unnerving way.

Goes south early and its director never comes close to turning things around.

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

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

The resulting concoction is a cinematic elixir that disappoints, no matter how much hypnosis one is under.

The first half of Luis (Angel Eyes) Mandoki's new thriller is as whiteknuckle, nerve-wracking as they come. The second is such a mishmash of overblown action and gaping plotholes, it's hard to believe it's the work of the same director.

There's a fine line between inspiration and manipulation, and from its first frame, Joshua crosses it and never looks back.

A bizarre flick. It moves a little apprehensively between comedy, drama and then, erotic romance, with the central players' excellent performances (especially newcomer Gyllenhaal) suffering because of the film’s indecisions.

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

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