A wild ride that effortlessly combines devilish dark humor, slapstick comedy, extreme violence and bitter satire.

Thompson and Shea both dig into their intelligent, flawed characters with zeal.

Intelligent, moving and often beautifully photographed, Aberdeen boasts superb performances.

There is an honesty and realism to Driver’s performances that work well in the part of a blue-collar poet who feels no need to court the spotlight.

You’d be hard-pressed not to enjoy the jolly jaunt. Clumsy Paddington, as always, makes an adorable mess of things.

Role Models isn't a classic like "Superbad" or as hilarious as this summer's "Step Brothers," but it's excellent fun for males in the mental age bracket of 14 to 22, which is most males.

Silva's script has the ring of truth, not surprising since he based it on real-life experiences. He even shot most of the scenes in his own family's house.

Never reaches the heights of "Short Cuts" or "Magnolia" -- two multi-story films that clearly provided inspiration -- but it's a thoughtful road trip well worth taking.

Make no mistake: Casuistry isn't easy to watch. Cat lovers might be especially turned off. But Asher had every right to make it, and you have every right to see it.

A sweet, lushly photographed but occasionally slow film.

Mozart's Sister had a much smaller budget than "Amadeus," but Féret makes good use of his resources, even getting to film in the splendid halls of Versailles. The cast is excellent, be they relatives of the director or not. And the music, though not by a Mozart, is beautiful.

Hess' deadpan dorks are strange, really strange. As in the Christopher Guest movies, there is a distinct comedy architecture you recognize from the opening minutes.

Holy moly, Melissa Leo makes a scary Mother Superior.

Though Human Stain is sometimes too chaotic and sometimes too neat, it boasts some of the best acting of the year.

What the film lacks in plot twists it makes up for in sheer amazement.

Typically, To the Wonder seems mostly locked in the thoughts of its characters, whispered so only we can hear, with no more actual back-and-forth dialogue than would cover the back of your ticket stub.

If you’re a Fab Four fan like I am, that setup itself sends you into an existential tizzy. But it makes for a likable, quirky movie that’s British writer Richard Curtis’ (“Bridget Jones’ Diary”) best work in years.

A clever, elliptical, slightly bizarre and altogether transfixing psychological thriller.

A real pleasure, a sweet, funny, ensemble comedy...utterly authentic.

A riveting documentary.

The movie is one of the better pieces of family entertainment released so far this year.

They should hand out a score card with every ticket to The Witnesses to help viewers keep track of who's sleeping with whom.

A delightful "That's Entertainment" for the theater.

The real star of the movie is the delectable sushi itself. Viewers will be tempted to hop the next flight to Tokyo, but probably will have to settle for a Japanese eatery closer to home.

A Hole in My Heart will disgust many (probably most) viewers as it cements Moodysson's reputation as one of today's most daring filmmakers.

The film's true fascination is in the kitchen, as it is for the chefs themselves.

The newest “Dragon” adventure, once again written and directed by Dean DeBlois, achieves real visual artistry.

A film I admired, but didn’t especially like, The Revenant is a master class in craftsmanship, marrying the ethos of 1970s Hollywood, with its beaten-dog heroes forever roughed up by a brutal system, to the technological prowess of today’s digitally obsessed blockbusters.