Struggles for any kind of movement and cohesion -- and most of all for any kind of humor.

The naked, artless display of nerve and rebellious bile is altogether unique in modern movies.

Dares to substitute wit and warmth for the standard gay indie tropes in tackling its tale of an unconventional couple.

The cast is largely nonprofessional, and the story has the simplicity of myth.

The flutes soar a little too often, but Yimou's film is genuinely moving.

What comes before and after the sound and fury of the bombing raid are reams of banal dialogue.

The film's a vacuous bore.

Best of all is the supporting performance of The Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band, a real group of high-school musicians in which the three girls all perform.

This one's still worth checking out -- especially for the naturalistic performances by the feisty Touly and the rest of the young cast.

But it's Lopez's movie, and its limitations are hers: Both actress and movie tackle emotional turmoil with a minimum of insight.

What sells Shrek is ultimately the full-bodied personality of its characters.

It's the kind of flourish that makes you smile -- that makes you believe in the power of movies.

The film ends with a surprisingly upbeat coda. But Startup.com leaves us with a sense that our heroes' idealism will be forever lost.

A clumsy, witless cartoon version of E.B. White's rather uncelebrated children's story.

The film is never less than a satisfying mix of compelling entertainment and social critique. The performances are uniformly superb.

The most obvious casualty ends up being Jennifer Jason Leigh, an actress known for her fearless choices, who is literally pissed on for her trouble.

Actually lighter, wittier, and more original than it has a right to be.

Simply a pleasant diversion rather the paean to crazy-in-love classics it would so like to be.

The backdrop of exotic pagodas and wartime woe isn't nearly potent enough to buoy the feeble drama that plays out in the foreground.

One of the year's best films, and certainly its most challenging so far: At more than three hours, watching it is less like consuming entertainment and more like living.

Makes for compulsive viewing even though its noirish plot doesn't make a lick of sense.

Ozon -- has finally hit a home run, and Rampling is his most remarkable RBI.

What matters is that the movie's a blast, right up until its protracted climax.

Like "Pollock," Nora is a convincing portrait of the intersection between creative genius and crazy, all-consuming love.

The Forsaken discourages one from caring in the least how its breed of vein-tappers came to be, or even what will happen if they take over the world.

As its plot is entirely negligible, whether or not you enjoy One Night at McCool's probably depends on how funny you think the performances are.

It's "Shampoo," 30 years after. What a surprise, then, that this effort ranks lower even than the Steve Martin remake of "The Out-of-Towners."

A meticulously mounted film that retains the author's ambiguous characterizations yet is still emotionally accessible.