One of those "Lifetime"-esque horror stories of evil husbands in the suburbs.

There's obviously some philosophical comment on the alienating effects of ho-hum toil buried somewhere in this weird mess, which features an irritating, theremin-heavy score. But can you be bothered stifling a yawn and searching for meaning? I would prefer not to.

A rare case of an American remake that actually improves on a European movie.

A boring, wincingly cute and nauseatingly politically correct cartoon guaranteed to drive anyone much over age 4 screaming from the theater.

Lacks visual flair. But Kouyate elicits strong performances from his cast, and he delivers a powerful commentary on how governments lie, no matter who runs them.

Wilde's masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, may be the best play of the 19th century. It's so good that its relentless, polished wit can withstand not only inept school productions, but even Oliver Parker's movie adaptation.

Corcuera's unflinching documentary Back of the World is a real-life horror story told in three parts.

Kosashvili's clear-eyed approach to the cultural tradition of arranged marriage balances respect and scorn, and he reconciles the comedy and tragedy inherent in Zaza's tug-of-love with finesse.

Hilarious, acidic Brit comedy.

Treads an awfully thin line between the provocative and the exploitative.

A technological landmark that couldn't look or sound better.

It accurately reflects the rage and alienation that fuels the self-destructiveness of many young people.

A tour de force that is weird, wacky and wonderful.

Most of Ultimate X is comprised of truly exhilarating footage of men -- and one woman -- pushing their bodies and their nerve to the edge.

Director Uwe Boll and the actors provide scant reason to care in this crude '70s throwback.

Though it comes from a director whose résumé includes "Flashdance" and "9 ½ weeks," these smoke-filled interludes are less erotic than today's average car commercial.

Uneven but occasionally hilarious teen comedy.

Incoherent, laugh-free comedy.

The Lady and the Duke, which drags on for over two hours, is an experiment in shooting a period film on a shoestring that turns out to be more interesting than actually entertaining.

If you've never seen a "masala" musical, you may find Lagaan hilariously bad. Cartoony acting, dreadful dialogue, obvious dubbing, and meandering but ultrapredictable plots are simply part of the Bollywood package, along with six musical numbers and a bizarre mixture of romance, comedy and melodrama.

The charming cast...brightens up the screen, but the TV-sitcom script does them in.

A documentary mosaic of kooky Americana.

An overwrought Taiwanese soaper.

It's only because the performances are so vividly entertaining -- Mandvi and Puri are particularly good -- and the painstakingly reconstructed locations so lovely that the saggier sequences are tolerable.

There's not enough here to justify the almost two hours.

A beautifully shot film with a funny French-twist ending.

Surprisingly charming and even witty match for the best of Hollywood's comic-book adaptations.

Akerman uses simple long shots and beautiful composition to give the film a smooth, fluid look. She is assisted by understated but convincing acting, especially by Testud, who is also on New York screens in "Murderous Maids."

A remarkable 179-minute meditation on the nature of revolution.

At some point, all this visual trickery stops being clever and devolves into flashy, vaguely silly overkill.

Holland lets things peter out midway, but it's notably better acted -- and far less crass -- than some other recent efforts in the burgeoning genre of films about black urban professionals.

Some of the visual flourishes are a little too obvious, but restrained and subtle storytelling, and fine performances make this delicate coming-of-age tale a treat.

Dirk Shafer's feature doesn't offer much in terms of plot or acting. But it does have oodles of hunky male bodies. The choice is yours.

Auteuil gives a superior performance. While Rush played him as a buffoon, Auteuil gives the character the charm of an aristocratic savant.

Even a hardened voyeur would require the patience of Job to get through this interminable, shapeless documentary about the swinging subculture.

Partly a schmaltzy, by-the-numbers romantic comedy, partly a shallow rumination on the emptiness of success -- and entirely soulless.

A thumping soundtrack, including David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel" and Pink Floyd's "Us and Them," fuels this high-energy look at a pack of underdogs who sowed the seeds for today's extreme sports craze.

Never decides whether it wants to be a black comedy, drama, melodrama or some combination of the three. The acting and direction are all over the map in this consistently depressing, if occasionally interesting, slice of life.

Pierre is at best competent as the star, director and writer of this good-natured compendium of ghetto movie clichés, which doesn't have an awful lot to offer in the way of laughs, pacing or originality.

There's a hint of nostalgia toward the end, with Jason encountering two nubile female campers in a virtual reality Camp Crystal Lake -- but it merely serves as a reminder that the franchise should have quit while it was ahead.

A truly baffling late entry in the "Pulp Fiction" sweepstakes that ends up drowning in its own pretensions -- along with, quite possibly, what's left of Val Kilmer's movie career.

To say that Vulgar is not for all tastes might be the understatement of the year. For starters, this black comedy has a male rape scene that makes the one in "Deliverance" seem mild by comparison.

The best thing about Some Body -- an amateurish, quasi-improvised acting exercise shot on ugly digital video -- is that it's all over in 80 minutes.

Makes a powerful case against the wisdom of budget cuts at universities everywhere.

Uses the compelling true story of the triumph of the Enigma code-breakers as background for an invented but believable story of love, betrayal and heroism.

It includes abundant sex and full-frontal nudity, not to titillate but because it's needed to convey the inner sexual turmoil the girls are going through.

Calling it pretentious doesn't do justice to the toxic faux-bohemianism and unearned self-regard that bubble and ooze out of every aspect of Chelsea Walls.

Delivers a sugar rush without the calories.

Unfortunately, Scorpion King has none of the qualities -- epic sweep, relative originality and heartfelt bloodthirstiness -- that made "Conan" so trashily entertaining.

In effect gives you two movies for the price of one. The better one doesn't star Sandra Bullock.

It would be a crime in itself to reveal the surprises of Nine Queens, which provides two solid hours of corking entertainment.

Amidst the ennui, there are some fine performances.

It's full of Plympton's trademark twisted humor, with lots of sex thrown in.

This is what IMAX was made for: Strap on a pair of 3-D goggles, shut out the real world, and take a vicarious voyage to the last frontier -- space.

A triumph of misguided moviemaking, starting with a grotesquely miscast Mira Sorvino, who arguably gives the worst performance ever by an Oscar winner.

A treat for aficionados of oddball movies.

Very funny. It's also heartbreakingly sad.

Glossy, big-budget thriller that qualifies as the season's biggest and most rewarding surprise.

Genuinely creepy Southern Gothic thriller that once again proves that in horror movies, sometimes less is actually more.

But even if The Cat's Meow is unsubtle and overlong, in its jaundiced way it convincingly captures a fascinating period in Hollywood history.

An awkward hybrid of genres that just doesn't work.

Easier to sit through than the typical, earnest Christian movie.

A worthy addition to the cinematic canon, which, at last count, numbered 52 different versions.

Viewers willing to accept the contrived plot at face value will find much to like.

Pleasant and has not a few laughs.

Rates an "E" for effort -- and a "B" for boring.

The documentary's director, Arnon Goldfinger, may have had a chance of expanding on the limited audience for such a film if said clan, the Bursteins, exhibited either talent or likability.

Elegantly photographed family saga that brims with period detail. Unfortunately, the underlying story is less than compelling,

It's terribly predictable and often risible stuff.

There are some decent jokes along the way. And none of the performances is bad. But they are limited by the script, which allows each character only one comic note.

Much of the movie's gentle charm comes from Mehta, the director's younger brother, making his acting debut.

This is the sort of low-grade dreck that usually goes straight to video -- with a lousy script, inept direction, pathetic acting, poorly dubbed dialogue and murky cinematography, complete with visible boom mikes.

Middleton deals with the various male and female perspectives in an even-handed way, concocting a slice of New York life that's frothy as meringue pie.

With heavy emphasis on cliché and stereotype, has at least four false endings -- and drags on for nearly two hours -- before it finally contrives to reunite its sitcomish pals for a last drink together.

Qualifies as perfect family entertainment.

If you've come to appreciate Hal Hartley's idiosyncratic style through films like "Flirt" and "The Unbelievable Truth," his take on the monster movie genre will intrigue you. But, ultimately, disappoint you.

Looks great but moves like molasses, is more interesting than truly involving.

Thanks to a superb performance by Isabelle Huppert, it's compulsively, gruesomely watchable.

So off-the-wall that it may well ultimately acquire the cult status of Resnick's earlier Chris Elliot vehicle, "Cabin Boy."

They may not have made another "Back to the Future," but to their credit, the makers of Clockstoppers don't patronize or underestimate their pre-teen audience nearly as much as has become customary.

Acceptably diverting Saturday night at the movies, especially if you're willing to check your brains at the popcorn stand.

Beyond-lame satire.

Koteas and Ribisi, as two very different brothers, give realistic performances, and play off the differences brilliantly.

Much sillier - and the movie's nearly two-hour running time seems to last nearly as long as a vampire's afterlife.

Lee gives his childhood hero altogether too much face time to defend himself against the numerous allegations and charges of assault, both physical and sexual.

Unoriginal but effective raunchy drag comedy.

Strong contender for the weirdest movie released this year.

Has some truly touching and funny moments. But it goes on for too long and bogs down in a surfeit of characters and unnecessary subplots.

At once, a joyful celebration of female friendship and an unusually honest look at newly responsible young women wistfully saying goodbye to the dreams of their youth.

They take a mundane story and give it emotional resonance.

Polarized world views from the mouths of babes -- unfortunately does little to mitigate this depressing image, but much to humanize both sides.

It's so incoherent that at first you wonder if the reels are being shown out of order.

Director Alfonso Cuaron ("A Little Princess") gets vivid, convincing performances from a fine cast, and generally keeps things going at a rapid pace.

Bogdanich's film contends that the bombing of Yugoslavia by NATO in 1999 was the result of blunders by the West, and that the forces supported by the United States in Bosnia and Kosovo are allied with Osama bin Laden.

It's a wretchedly dumb, lazy and incoherent movie that's magically rendered watchable by Eddie Murphy's charm and Robert De Niro's presence.

Suddenly topical because of parallels to the kidnapping and death of Daniel Pearl.

Almost everything about Ice Age proves to be disappointingly generic.

So lovingly and perceptively filmed that you can almost taste the desiccated air.