The movie reveals plenty about the budding relationship between Matt and Tom. In the end, the film offers a portrait of fraternal commitment that’s both strange and sweet.

Anita Hill deserves a great documentary chronicling her life, her trials and her ongoing impact. This underwhelming effort isn’t it.

If you’re wondering how much heat you’ll find in this French romance, the title offers an unexpectedly frank clue.

Director Bertrand Tavernier’s amusing new political satire isn’t toothless, but it could use more bite.

It’s a shame the script doesn’t offer anything beyond loose-cannon-cop cliches.

This chronicle is impossible not to watch.

This time the movie really is — as the old theme song promises — sensational, celebrational and Muppetational.

Fine actors are let down by a comatose script and wayward direction in this retro crime drama.

The movie winds up being a real standup flick, if you know what I mean.

Given the evidence compiled here by director Frank Pavich, there’s reason to believe Jodorowsky’s “Dune” was more influential for never actually existing. It wound up being inhaled, like some ethereal alien spice, by a generation of moviemakers.

Danish director Lars von Trier makes this tale of one woman’s banal sexual adventures into inadvertent comedy. The film makes an analogy between sex and fly-fishing — and fly-fishing comes off as more intriguing.

Too bad this would-be heir, Divergent, is so unimaginative and bland.

This is a film about catharsis and camaraderie, not logic. For some, that — and a chance to see characters the movies often ignore — will be enough to join the club.

The Cold Lands is aimless and dull, but has a rich tone and upstate authenticity.

Predictable as the adventure may be, the company — and the countryside — make it worthwhile.

The unexpected chemistry between Sam Rockwell and Olivia Wilde helps balance this sour noir comedy.

Director Jonathan Sobol clearly understands the first rule of a good grift: misdirection. He packs his middling caper flick with so many known faces, it’s easy to miss all the other familiarities.

For his directorial debut, Bateman returns to his bad-boy beginnings. And the results are predictably amusing.

It’s so much fun you may want to put a few bucks aside for a sequel.

This movie is so dumb for most of its running time, you walk away wishing there was less plot and pointless posing and more of the fuel-injected coolness that brought you to the multiplex in the first place.

A smart, ardent, profound movie.

It never comes to much more than an atmospheric head-scratcher.

Burrell doesn’t quite capture the wry deadpan of the original, but then, neither does the movie. That’s okay.

Chow’s movies are always as sweet as they are silly, a combination he once again balances — alongside cool effects — with typically deft irreverence.

We see brief, graphic shots of naked actors performing sexual acts. But it’s the conversations about what those depictions represent that truly provoke.

There’s lots of mixed film stock and screeches on the soundtrack (as in the credits for “Seven”), but this gets annoying, as do the predictable twists.

“The Wire” meets the West Bank in this searing drama loaded with action and nuanced characters.

The final “beams” are the most exciting depictions of science on film since “Apollo 13.”

When people complain about movies glutting the market, this moronic “Black Swan”-meets-“Phone Booth” thriller is what they mean.

The only saving grace is Green, the reigning witch-queen of cinema. The smoky-eyed French actress, best known for “Casino Royale,” “The Golden Compass” and “Dark Shadows,” throws her all into the performance, going bare-chested at times, bared-teeth at others. She’s like Elizabeth Taylor’s "Cleopatra" possessed by a succubus — which is a good thing. Without her, 300: Rise of an Empire would be bloodless and brainless.

The result is a film almost too reliant on its players to push it through.

Early potential fizzles away too quickly in this underachieving buddy comedy, which just barely skids along on the charm of its co-stars.

So do the minutes. They stretch on as one tiresomely quirky sadist after another appears. Cusack is typically likable and De Niro is amusing in his brief scenes. But unlike Jack, you’re too smart to make big sacrifices for so little return.

It’s worth seeing Robert May’s vital judicial expose — not only to learn about the titular scandal, but also to appreciate both the highs and lows of human resilience.

The second film from Enid Zentelis (“Evergreen”) comes across as a heavy-handed message movie. And its presence in theaters can only be explained by the participation of Oscar-winning lead Melissa Leo.

Director Christopher Spencer’s biblical yarn lacks the complex rigor of Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ” and the fury of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” leaving its star, Diogo Morgado, stuck in a film that’s stiff and earnest.

The best twist is how Neeson’s growly presence makes a bumpy ride enjoyable.

Karasawa captures the flinty, ferocious nature of her subject, Elaine Stritch, with just the right amount of clear-eyed respect.

This ill-advised romance from director Andrew Fleming is the sort of indie lark that nearly drowns in its own whimsy. Wade in at your own risk.

Stephanie Riggs never manages to develop her debut documentary about Broadway performers into a satisfying feature. But the stories alone ought to be appreciated by theater fans and, especially, aspiring actors.

Bill Carey’s uneven first film, centered on an isolated Texas teen named Vallie Sue (AJ Michalka), has some offbeat charms. They are not, however, strong enough to carry such a heavy load of cliches.

The movie grips us partly because Bakri’s performance is alternately casual and calculated.

The movie creates its own tightening vice grip.

Some of the locations and scenes of indigenous musicians make this trip a tiny bit worthwhile. But only a bit.

It only comes alive when the star briefly shows the casual looseness that once was his calling card.

It’s impossible to find anything that grabs you in Pompeii. This lumpen adventure with a misguided romance buries anything in the disaster-flick genre that might have been a blast.

What do we do about a movie that is half compelling and half unwatchable? Director Charlie Stratton seems to be onto something at the start of his period drama In Secret. Then it all slips through his fingers.

Intellectually intriguing but sadly dull biopic.

What wants to be a screwball comedy is run over by preposterous character motivation and a clunky plot.

How many times do these guys need to hear that crime doesn’t pay?

The whole movie hinges on the allegedly miraculous romance between Beverly and Peter, but Goldsman’s leads are distractingly mismatched and lack even a spark of chemistry.

It’s playful, stable and sexy, thanks to a cast that knows how to find the sweet spots.

If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day date, this version is probably a better choice than the uncomfortably swoony original would have been. You might be bored, but at least you won’t be embarrassed.

The remake of the 1987 cult actioner Robocop is a misguided failure — not only because its retooled half-man/half-machine hero now has emotions, but also because its “fear the machines” message winds up feeling creaky.

The supernatural fight scenes are cheesy and cheap, but this movie is less about epic brawls and more about a headmistress in fabulous dresses, secret meetings with brooding boys in the library, sexualized fang pokes and making wisenheimer comments during prophetic visions.

“Keep Austin weird” is the mantra of the capital of Texas. In no way does that mean “Keep Austin gross.” The unfunny Love and Air Sex unfortunately takes the latter slogan as its mission.

Broad comedy and a little slapstick ensue. In the end, you’ve got to have a heart harder than a tortoise shell not get a little misty.

Painfully dull thriller.

The real challenge is for viewers, who must tolerate overacting, idiotic scatological jokes and juvenile innuendo. The only way it might be endurable is if you’re wasted, too.

Classical dance great Jacques d’Amboise calls Tanaquil LeClercq’s style a “path to heaven.” And this lovely documentary by Nancy Buirski makes clear that he’s right.

Though it’s more testimonial exhibit than movie, “Unjust” remains a crucial document.

There’s also little point and a garish quality that goes from pulp to junk fairly quickly, despite Pegg’s presence.

This eerily unsettling indie takes a few pleasantly unexpected turns before winding up in a traditional place. But if you think it isn’t worth the time, you have another think coming.

There’s great repartee between its cast of this “based on a true [but forgotten] story” of World War II. Yet the film overall isn’t colorful enough.

As full-length toy advertisements go, you really couldn’t ask for more.

That Awkward Moment is eminently forgettable — but worth remembering as Poots’ moment.

Coco’s angry frustration, Pug’s bruised confusion, and the police helicopters constantly hovering above the defiant bikers say enough.

Far from burning bright, this earnest indie starts out dull and gets duller.

With a snappy score made up of American standards and tons of Gallic spice, “Love” wins us over.

As seen in Charlie Victor Romeo (code for “Cockpit Voice Recorder”), the events are almost unbearably gripping.

At the very least, it does provide an easy excuse to sit in a heated room eating popcorn.

From an artistic perspective, Ron Krauss’ heavy-handed drama, Gimme Shelter, fails almost entirely. But if the director set out to combine the stilted falsity of 1980s after-school specials with leaden political dogma, he’s certainly achieved his goals.

Peake provides the solid center for a movie that would otherwise melt into indie formula. The quirky supporting characters, slow pacing and predictable plotting intermittently threaten to overwhelm such a modest story. But then Ted secretly turns his camera back toward Vanetia and, like him, we’re smitten again.

The subject matter calls for ruthless observation, but his candy-colored pop vision has more in common with “Glee” than, say, “Heathers.” He’s aiming for a stinging WTF, but winds up with a fairly mild LOL.

Director Jillian Schlesinger’s documentary does a terrific job countering everyone’s assumptions. Maidentrip is a clear-eyed chronicle of Dekker’s record-breaking voyage. Think “All Is Lost,” but real, and with a teenage girl instead of Robert Redford (plus a very different ending).

Story and his four screenwriters don’t exactly strain themselves to find a new angle in this mismatched buddy comedy. Picture “Rush Hour,” and then imagine Hart as the annoying kid in “Are We There Yet?” You’ve basically just watched the entire movie in your head.

Branagh, taking advantage of his experience helming 2011’s “Thor,” shows an allegiance to the genre he’s working in; both as director as co-star, he pours on the menace.

The child performances are stellar, though most striking is how the film’s sympathies spread to everyone.

Israeli directors Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado take a classic ethical debate and turn it into a dark — and darkly funny — thriller, which Quentin Tarantino named the best film of 2013.

Focused mostly on one location, the cartoon is stuffed with exhausting visual mayhem. Some jokes land, but most kids over 10 will roll their eyes.

This ludicrously written, buffoonishly acted, irritatingly filmed sword-and-sandals epic hasn't half the sand, sweat or saltiness of other titles in the genre.

On the bright side, the charismatic Liberato is one to watch. And de Matteo (“The Sopranos”) brings a crucial jolt of assertive energy. Both seem to be in another, more exciting movie entirely.

This ugly, dull and idiotic actioner doesn’t know if it wants be fun or grim. It winds up simply being deplorable exploitation.

The most startling truth is about Emanuel is that she's a rather ordinary teen in a rather ordinary movie.

Cranston, in a fake beard and dark glasses, seems to be enjoying his goofy act. Trouble is, this isn’t the kind of movie in which goofy earns goodwill.

This honest and engrossing film shows how ingenuity and spark can restore excitement in education. That goal needs every helping hand it can get.

This Canadian Hamlet, completed years ago, is as airless as a tomb.

A few barely conceived scenes allow Carl Reiner, Tom Arnold and Jay Mohr to show up for a quick paycheck. What’s that title again?

The concept is the same, and just as tired as it was when the second, third and fourth sequels to “Paranormal Activity’s” 2009 first installment.

When this film focuses on the work, it’s engaging.

Peter Berg’s ultra-bloody battle film “Lone Survivor” is ultimately more grueling than satisfying. It’s more carnage than cinema.

If you embrace the overkill, you’ll enjoy it. But if extravagance isn’t your thing, move swiftly on to something lighter and more digestible.

In the monumentally dull 47 Ronin, Reeves mumbles monosyllabic claptrap between dull action scenes. And it’s a shame: At almost 50 years old, the actor allows this turgid, clanky flick to play to his worst stereotypes.

The story Stiller tells manages to float in a most peculiar, satisfying way.

Directed tastefully by Ralph Fiennes, The Invisible Woman is very lovely to look at. But it lives up to its own title too well.

A director who really wanted to honor these actors’ legendary roles, rather than simply use them as a marketing hook, might have found a way to make this concept palatable. Segal (“Get Smart”) is not that director.

A delirious, manic, push-the-limits comedy of gaudy amorality that tests the audience’s taste. But it’s a gamble that works, since you leave this adrenaline trip wasted, but invigorated.

There’s a great fever-dream quality to David O. Russell’s American Hustle that instantly reels you in.