This is the sort of small, intimate movie that, if it had been made on a low budget by independent actors, would be celebrated to the skies.

Hot Shots isn't quite that bad, but given the material -- the military mind is certainly, in military parlance, a target-rich environment -- it ought to be funnier. [31 July 1991, p.D1]

If it's black satire and acid wit you crave, Addams Family Values is just the tonic. [19 Nov 1993, p.G4]

Traitor is "Syriana" for dummies, a globe-hopping, multi-character look at the war between America and Islamic terrorists that keeps things as relatively simple as an episode of 24. Not that there's anything wrong with that: 24 is a really good show. But it doesn't pretend to be something it's not, either.

Don't forget the waves. They're the stars of this show, and Blue Crush smartly never lets you forget it.

Though beautiful at times, it doesn't reach the level of poetry of either de Sica's "Thief" or Lou's "River."

Worst of all is the movie's finale, a noble attempt to avoid an overly-pat conclusion that strays too far in the opposite direction.

Sunlight Jr. is what is often described as a slice-of-life drama, but this one is more of a tiny sliver, and it doesn’t leave you with much to chew on.

This lively, infuriating and occasionally moving film certainly leaves you thinking, and there isn't a dead spot in it. That's the mark of a real filmmaker, not just a muckraker.

Like a lot of the elder Cassavetes' work, She's So Lovely contains moments of truly fine acting, its characters are all sharply drawn, and its story never seems to go anywhere. [29 Aug 1997, p.5G]

Parker is flashy and gory and fun as usual. If only there were more to the thing. Then Angel Heart might not seem so dumb. [06 Mar 1987, p.D1]

Much like the first film, Nymphomaniac Vol.2 isn’t remotely erotic or a turn-on — it’s a curiously intellectual experience that doesn’t move you below the neck, including the heart.

Wah-Wah's characters are wonderfully human and flawed and still capable of stirring empathy, which is appealing. But in the end, the film isn't saying much at all.

This Must Be the Place is as emotionally zonked-out as its protagonist, and just as difficult to warm up to.

Although never boring and almost continually amusing, Extract doesn't work as a movie because you don't buy a minute of it, even as silly satire.

The casting is the key to the success of this absolutely hilarious crowd-pleaser.

The Kite Runner is earnest and sentimental and formulaic and obvious. Watching it, I could understand the fuss over Khaled Hosseini's bestselling novel, but the film didn't make me want to read it. That's not a slam against the book, but a way of illustrating just how literal and bland the film adaptation turned out.

Criminal is happy to reprise Fabian Bielinsky's original note for note, and it's a listless, dutiful affair -- a cover version played out of obligation, not inspiration.

A very engrossing movie, the kind that gives shameless manipulation a good name.

17 Girls is allegedly inspired by true events, but this diffident, dreamy film is so insubstantial it's hard to believe there's a speck of reality to be found in it.

It's beautiful, too. Westerns just don't work without scenery, and Bruce Surtees, the cinematographer, shoots postcards. [28 June 1985, p.1]

Closer in spirit and tone to the comic books that spawned it.

The comedy of errors that ensues sometimes slides into Seinfeld territory -- not that there's anything wrong with that -- but the subtlety of the performances combined with graceful retro filmmaking touches and wry narration keep it well above sitcom level. [1 July 1998, p.2D]

The best performance in Three Men and a Baby is given by the baby, played by twins Lisa and Michelle Blair. They are wonderful. The movie is not. [25 Nov 1987, p.D8]

But despite such echoes of previous stalker films, Unlawful Entry has plenty of goosey suspense and flinch- inducing gimmicks. [26 June 1992, p.G5]

A slice of '40s-vintage, small town Mississippi life, full of laughs and sweetness and a sorrow that may send more sensitive little ones home crying.

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

The entire point of Carnage is to poke fun at the fragile civility of the upper-middle class - they're all animals inside! - but how much more fun would this material have been if the story hadn't been about polite white people?