And once these two curiosities are addressed, with 90 of the film's 99 minutes left to go, the plodding, gimmicky She- Devil becomes sheer hell. It's a comedy sketch inflated into a movie, a clunkily directed idea that follows a predictable path to an unsurprising conclusion. [8 Dec 1989, p.G5]

There's nothing here that hasn't been done before, and better, in any given "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th" sequel.

It's the summer's most avant-garde experiment, and those who hate it (and there will be plenty) will complain the movie doesn't have a point. Then again, neither did Seinfeld, and look how that turned out.

A funny and constantly surprising exercise in comic tension.

The characters are easy to overplay, but the ensemble keeps its feet on the ground.

Sluggish, uninspired drama.

Crushingly inept family comedy.

The hyper-stylized violence, for instance, isn't nearly as senseless as the narrative bits in between. And the ''twist'' employs the same sleight-of-hand as "The Usual Suspects."

Disappointingly straightforward remake.

To the extent that it has a serious theme, the film is about the tug of mortality and the demands it makes on simple humanity -- courage, selflessness, the sharing of wisdom. There's not enough of this, not by far. But it's something. The rest of Cocoon -- The Return is hash. [23 Nov 1988, p.D1]

What the movie is all about is Twin Peaks with the sex, violence and "colorful" language left in...Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is not David Lynch at his most challenged and hence most inventive. The rigid restraints of television, with its prudish codes and goofy winks at prurient-life-as-we-know-it, may now be seen as Lynch's real muse. The movie, lurid as it is, reads like a perverse set of CliffNotes to the series, the details recapitulated explicitly but without a dram of passion. [2 Sept 1992, p.E1]

There is more truth to the lives of people alone than Hiller and his writers have cared to admit, and, consequently, more humor. The Lonely Guy is short on both. [31 Jan 1984, p.B5]

Stella is another strong showing for Goodman, one of three great performances in a movie that might jumble its story a bit but mostly does justice to a classic. [2 Feb 1990, p.G5]

In Country Strong, the Oscar-winning Paltrow gets upstaged and outacted by the kid from "Tron" and the snotty brat from "Gossip Girl." Who'd have thought?

But whether even kids will be able to take The Outsiders seriously is a hard question. Whether by fidelity to his source or by director's embellishments, Coppola has come up with a story about tough kids who appreciate sunsets and recite Robert Frost from memory, about members of a mid-American urban underclass who ponder their situations with the dispassionate acumen of sociologists. The Outsiders is about "greasers" who are not greasy, and it seems likely that even kids will see through it. [29 March 1983, p.5]

Jason Statham gives the best performance. Dolph Lundgren gets the best character arc. Terry Crews gets the best gun. Jet Li gets the best kill (you'll know it when you see it).Arnold Schwarzenegger gets the best cameo. And Sylvester Stallone? He gets the blame.

Watching Adventures in Babysitting is like eating a carton of candy bars. The first bites are sweet, but after a while, you're gagging. This is one gooey confection. [07 July 1987, p.C7]

Deadly dull.

A compendium of missed opportunities, uninspired action and clichés so tired, you wish the screenwriters had called 911, too.

Eventually loses its cheerful goofiness and its momentum, climaxing with a lengthy and embarrassing showdown scene at a big party. But it gets worse.

For a stretch of 20 minutes or so, Like Father Like Son is as funny a film as you could hope to see. [02 Oct 1987, p.D1]

Worst of all, though, is Huppert. This fine actress, who has been so effective in European films, walks through her part. Her last American film was Heaven's Gate. For her own sake, she should stay away from Hollywood. [16 Jan 1987, p.D5]

Interesting. Not worth the trouble, but interesting. [22 Apr 1988, p.C5]

It's bottom-feeder entertainment wrapped up in high-minded airs.

The actors are their usual reliable selves; you can't really blame them for the unlikely mess Levity becomes.

The good news about The Scorpion King is that The Rock turns out to be a charismatic, ingratiating screen presence.

Necessary Roughness, a football comedy of unnecessary blandness, has the same problem as the Miami Dolphins: It dies in the second half. [3 Oct 1991, p.F4]

The Ice Pirates is a Star Wars knock-off tricked out with cheesy special effects and nonstop gags, and it's almost entertaining despite itself. It's as if someone wanted to try the Airplane! formula on space epics, and nearly got it right. [20 Mar 1984, p.C7]