The biggest thrill for this mild-mannered crew isn't plundering or plank-walking, but Ham Night.

Another Harlan work, "Kolberg" (1945), inspired the film within the film in "Inglourious Basterds."

Peled was harassed at every turn by Chinese officials, but he managed to get this shocking film made. That's just one reason China Blue is worthy of praise.

A suspenseful work using nonprofessional actors and co-written with an Albanian filmmaker, shows Marston is no one-hit wonder.

Compelling.

France's Declaration of War has it all: comedy, romance, fantasy, musical interludes and a child with a brain tumor. Wait - what?

Swift, confident, and exceptionally nasty, this Argentine film bears roughly the same relationship to the Martin Scorsese of “Goodfellas” that Brian De Palma does to, well, all of Hitchcock.

Doesn't shy from the ugly side, though it's far from the no-holds-barred exposé being touted in the ads.

Well worth seeing for Walters, whose comic and dramatic gifts are showcased to very entertaining effect.

Flat dialogue and stiff performances (especially by the street kids, like Ballesteros, turned into actors by Schroeder) don't help.

A sweet, lushly photographed but occasionally slow film.

Expertly directed, acted and written crowd-pleaser.

Depicts the bleak suburban milieu in a manner that avoids exploitation.

Delivers its provocative message in the measured tones of a college professor -- yet there's no danger of falling asleep in this lecture.

Here’s a franchise you’d think had been done to death (wasn’t the last webslinger reboot, like, two years ago?), and yet Spider-Man: Homecoming feels fresh and new, an endearingly awkward kid brother to the glamorous “Wonder Woman.”

An uneasy mix of Richard Linklater and Abbott and Costello, Prince Avalanche is an oddment, but one that brings some small, peculiar pleasures.

Yes, it’s your typical Macguffin, with everybody chasing down a trinket, but a fairly creative one with a lot of good jokes. The comic-book-style action sequences also set co-directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado’s movie apart from the litter. The No. 1 reason to watch, though, is Banderas’ top-notch voice performance. If only more A-listers treated their animated film roles as more than a pet project.

Wong extracts magnetic performances from his two stars, and Philippe Le Sourd delivers gorgeous cinematography.

The oft-told story of lust and deception isn't the reason to see Untold Scandal -- Rather, it's the look -- stunning costumes and art direction, lush landscapes, and beautifully framed and lighted sequences -- that make this worth seeking out.

A poignant moment occurs in Election when a young boy sees his father brutally beat another mobster to death.

It's also a terrific, career-capping role for Eastwood, who claims he's now retired as an actor. He shows off his comic chops more fully than in any film since "Bronco Billy" more than a quarter-century ago.

You’ll never look at Shia LaBeouf the same way after seeing Honey Boy, the affecting movie that’s inspired by his own life. If you run into him on the street, you’ll want to give the poor guy a hug.

The movie can be mildly amusing. But I couldn’t figure out which of the three principals I least wanted to know.

Cars leaves the animated competition in the dust, even if it is a tad slower and more predictable than Pixar at full throttle.

The kind of stand-up-and-cheer movie Hollywood is supposed to have forgotten how to make.

Zombieland is still the funniest broad comedy since "The Hangover." Its yowling, marching, munching corpses are as scary as grad students and as hilarious as the plot of "G.I. Joe."

Despite a contrived ending that brings together all the film's characters, Alias Betty is inventive filmmaking.

A sensual performance from Abbass buoys the flimsy story.