The cast, which includes Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City) as a coach who pushes her daughter too hard, is likable and energetic, and the film's messages are entirely reasonable.

Terrifyingly dull movie.

Beautifully shot by the great Vilmos Zsigmond, the movie is watchable, sporadically amusing and ultimately frustrating, because Allen is capable of so much more, but doesn't appear interested -- or willing -- to push himself any longer.

From the first strains of its overly dramatic, self-important score -- come on, this is not by any stretch of the imagination "Citizen Kane."

Costner does things he hasn't done in years: He's funny and playful; he laughs and cracks jokes; and he doesn't look like he's carrying the weight of the universe on his shoulders.

A forced and wholly unnecessary sequel.

It's pretty stupid, although it's never exactly boring.

Don't expect perfection, and you'll emerge from this goofy movie all in one piece, with reasonably entertained kids and a milder headache.

Dear Frankie is a small movie with a big soul and no easy formula for the happiness of its big-hearted characters.

In a simple, direct manner, Gunner Palace reminds you that the thousands of faceless, nameless troops in Iraq are still there after you switch off CNN.

An unexpected ode to peace.

Downright awful.

Not an ordinary film.

The best thing about this big, imaginatively detailed movie is its premise, which director Francis Lawrence, a music-video veteran, takes his time exploring.

In actuality, it's silly fun custom-tailored for reluctant young fathers and that entire clan of 20-something man-children who still read comic books and play video games, guys who do everything possible to resist the notion of adult responsibility.

With a steely, unblinking resolve, Downfall stares into the abyss, but does not pretend to comprehend it.

By the end, Turtles Can Fly becomes a lyrical and heartbreaking reminder of the human toll of war.

Unimaginative, exasperating film, hopefully but fruitlessly recycled after the success of 2002's ebullient Whale Rider.

All about watching Jaa.

The mere idea of making a musical version of Pride and Prejudice set in modern-day India is delicious, though, and Chadha's lively imagination and good intentions almost make the concept work.

Smith is an endearing, driving comedic force, one who makes the buoyant Hitch more enjoyable than it has any reason to be.

Considering the seedy nature of the adult film industry and the sad fates of many of its stars, Inside Deep Throat is surprisingly light on tragedy.

There are many nuances to My Mother's Smile, not all of them evenly told. Yet even when the conversations sound absurd, the film never fails to captivate.

Unlike Uncle Nino's garden, the film never blooms into anything special.

The documentary also has a story to tell, and as such it builds up its drama.

It's an hour longer than the average sitcom, but The Wedding Date isn't much different from what you see crammed into any TV comedy lineup, minus the laugh track.

Luminous, melancholy and ultimately heartbreaking.

Gripping family drama keeps Swimming Upstream from going under.

Its frights are not that chilling or original, its secrets more run-of-the-mill than astounding.

In Spanish, the title of the film, El abrazo partido, translates into ''a broken embrace,'' a more fitting description of Ariel's feelings for his father.

What ensues is a love story ringed by barbed wire and etched in blood with the jagged neck of a broken beer bottle.

Touching.

Smart, entertaining update.

Though the film would benefit from further cuts, Machuca still manages to convey the frailty of convictions and the difficulties of growing up -- be it a child or a nation.

Descended from a long and healthy line of high school-sports and academic-achievement films, a hip-hop "Hoosiers" bolstered by a generous helping of "Stand and Deliver" and "Lean On Me."

Part of the problem is that Garner, so irresistible on television and in last year's "13 Going on 30," just can't pull off the cold-hearted killer routine.

There's very little in The Chorus you haven't seen before, but the movie's depth of sentiment -- especially its profound humanism -- makes it worth experiencing again.

The visuals are really the only compelling reason to see Appleseed.

It is a grim and monotonous affair despite the overkill of bad guys -- a trio of evil spirits plus a bonus serial killer -- mixed with a few cheap shocks futilely intended to make the audience jump.

Engaging and enjoyable.

Shakespeare's rich language does not fit soundly inside every mouth.

Johansson is magnetic enough to make this batch of Southern-fried corn almost digestible.

The movie doesn't make you care.

Kenan Thompson may not look the part, but he's instantly likeable as Fat Albert.

What makes The Woodsman meaningful is Bacon's tortured suffering.

Too much of this lame comedy feels like it was written to satisfy a contract, with gags (like the business with the perpetually horny dog or the toddler who knows sign language) that are way beneath the talents of this cast.

Flamboyantly over-the-top, visually kinetic.

All we can do is hope that films such as Hotel Rwanda remind us all -- moviegoer and politician -- of the terrible cost of doing nothing.

Scorsese has crafted a luxurious entertainment that goes down like a flute of sparkling, silky champagne.

A work of wonderfully sinister fantasy. Director Brad Silberling is always mindful of his kiddie audience -- the movie is never even remotely scary.

The message in Spanglish is thoughtful and astute; it's the delivery that could use some work.

It's a shame that no one involved with Flight of the Phoenix knew what a hit phenomenon "Lost" would be, or else they might have taken greater care in developing the challenges this crew would face.

Camp classic? You bet.

Fortunately, Bardem, who earned an Oscar nomination for his role in Julian Schnabel's "Before Night Falls," makes up for the script's shortcomings.

Has all the makings of another "Ice Storm" -- family tension, teen experimentation, friendly neighborhood wife-swapping and a death in the family -- but falls short in its execution.

One of the many pleasures of this beautifully composed, measured movie is how it reminds you of the power of pure storytelling -- an art that's too often overlooked in contemporary films in the rush for sensation and excitement.

Even frothier and more frivolous than the first movie: It's a heist picture so laid-back and unconcerned, even the heist feels like an afterthought.

The movie still feels strangely inert; it's an adventure in which nothing ever really seems to happen.

No, it's the movie itself -- an unimaginative, generic affair memorable only for its incessant and flagrant plugging of Apple computers and iPods -- that should put a stake through the franchise for good.

Often, the movie leaves you wishing Briski had found a way to document more of her subjects' day-to-day lives.

One of the most pessimistic movies about love Hollywood has ever made, a star-studded, glossy anti-date movie.

The result is one of the most visually astonishing martial-arts fantasies ever made.

An enchanting romantic comedy between two lost souls in the most unexpected of places.

A film based on this information is potentially interesting, but Conspiracy of Silence, set in modern-day Ireland, is incoherent and often hard to follow.

It's just exhausting. For all of the movie's sumptuous, eyepopping craft, you'll feel more than a little relief when Mathilde finally reaches the end of her quest.

The light-hearted fun seeps out of the movie, replaced by trite interludes of coming-out angst.

What Alexander lacks in narrative clarity, it makes up for with pomp and pageantry.

They pull it off, but even if you believe in Santa, you'll never believe that this is any sort of holiday classic.

It's a small, heartening slice of life that feels like a crucial step toward something bigger.

It's a tomb-raiding adventure movie several notches below Indiana Jones status.

Rarely delivers anything above and beyond the scope of the series.

Almodóvar has never been shy about experimenting with plot structure, but Bad Education is the closest he's ever come to a metamovie, the sort of self-reflective, hall-of-mirrors contraption on which Charlie Kaufman has built his career.

The events in this film take place in the 1980s. Let's hope working conditions in Japan have "westernized."

If nothing else, You I Love delivers a brisk and spirited little taste of contemporary Russian culture through the eyes of three spontaneous, unpredictable and oddly charming characters.

Harrelson certainly proves an entertaining foil to Brosnan's more refined thief.

Washes over you with an enjoyable gloss, and it might even make you cry a little, but it evaporates in memory like fairy dust.

An uninspired, sporadically funny adaptation that falls short of the book's winsome, frisky chaos.

The movie's scientific content is so fascinating that it almost feels like a bonus that Kinsey himself is such an intriguing figure.

There's something to be said about an old story given a new ending -- and making it work.

Shameless in its desperate grab at the heartstrings.

It's a good, old-fashioned North Pole adventure.

Despite a last-minute attempt to bring poignancy to the tale, you don't walk away from Overnight feeling sorry for Duffy as much as you are glad you never met him.

Such smooth, crisp entertainment, you barely even notice it has nothing new to say.

Cachorro's main flaw is in its ending, which seems somewhat abrupt and unfinished, but these characters have become so endearing by then that it hardly seems to matter.

Melodramatic realism is the wrong genre to tell the tale of a figure whose life was already over-the-top melodramatic.

He'll be back; he's already back. But that doesn't mean the ''farewell'' wasn't worth it.

A visually thrilling experience.

If Ray fails to present a genuine portrait of a complex man's essence, it does leave you with an even greater sense of awe for Charles' accomplishments, both in his personal and public lives.

Where "Seven" seemed to radiate diabolical evil, Saw just radiates idiocy.

The dialogue is sparse but well used -- it's refreshing to see a movie where people don't feel compelled to talk all the time.

A fatal lack of character development dooms Enduring Love as little more than a fleeting curiosity.

What makes it the best movie of the year -- is its insight into human behavior.

This is an eerie, inventively mounted movie: It's a shivery fun time, filled with dark corners, deserted hallways and sudden apparitions. But it never manages to genuinely rattle you.

Bad enough to make even James Gandolfini and Catherine O'Hara seem dull.

If you haven't caught Lightning on PBS already, find a theater with a good sound system, sit back and be grateful the music endures.

Turns out to be something entirely different than it initially seemed, and while the conclusion brings everything to a logical close, it also renders the movie less interesting -- a stunt that didn't merit Bale's startling, and dangerous, transformation.

It's a dreamy Southern gothic, a la "Night of the Hunter," with an emphasis on the dreamy.

The beauty of Huo Ji Anqi's film transcends China's lush Hunan province to focus on the peace that comes from within.