You may see a better movie this summer, but I doubt you'll see a funnier one. [7 June 1991, p.8]

Henry & June is a difficult, uncompromising work whose best qualities are not likely to be appreciated by all filmgoers. But it is, quite simply, the most overwhelming film about ultimate freedom to reach us in years. [19 Oct 1990, p.12]

This brilliant contraption of a film could become the hit of the summer. It's a cinematic Rube Goldberg machine whose parts connect in audacious, witty ways. [04 July 1985, p.E.1]

A fast-paced thriller with a wicked bite and a sure sense of humor, it traps you in a web of suspense and makes you squeal with pleasure. [18 July 1990, p.E1]

This lush classic is funny, dramatic, thought-provoking and always, always, always romantic. [20 Sep 1991, p.43]

Shadow of a Doubt is considered to be director Alfred Hitchcock's best American film. Hitchcock himself regarded it so. [02 Aug 1998, p.60]

The movie contains Jane Fonda's first big-screen appearance since On Golden Pond (1981); if she doesn't quite find a character in Martha, she is nonetheless riveting. Anne Bancroft, too, is impressive. Finally, though, it is Meg Tilly who makes the movie live. Her performance, which works on both realistic and symbolic levels, allows you to believe in the story.

What's pleasantly surprising about Gilbert Grape is that director Lasse Hallstrom generally maneuvers quite deftly around his self-created obstacles. In its gently ironic, unforced way, his movie manages to be both uplifting and funny, with the laughs never really being at anyone's expense. [4 March 1994, p.17]

An intense drama of 12 harrowing hours in the life of a voracious Southern family in conflict. [10 June 1990, p.4]

This lovely, tentative motion picture tells a captivating tale. [14 May 1993, p.19]

The idea behind Ruthless People is just about irresistible. Much of the fun of this comedy is in watching what happens as virtually everyone in the movie tries to double-cross or otherwise take advantage of everyone else.

This delicious, mystical Mexican drama keeps you in an almost constant state of stimulation. [11 June 1993, p.28]

What I like best about Husbands and Wives is that for the first time in a long time, Allen seems to be experimenting.

Witty, sharp and, ultimately, chastening, Ridicule is a terrific movie in the sinuous tradition of Dangerous Liaisons (1988). [31 Jan 1997]

It's a grim and depressing but powerful story, beautifully told through stunning animation. [25 Oct 2002, p.37]

Marty will give you a heartening slice of life, full of honesty and humor. [24 Oct 1955, p.7]

The Yearling, based on Florida author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings novel, is one of the best depictions of American rural life that Hollywood has ever produced. [12 July 1998, p.60]

It certainly ranks as one of director John Ford's finest efforts in a long string of outstanding human dramas the director made during the late 1930s and early 1940s. [19 May 1996, p.57]

Flynn's combination of lithe, animal grace, clear-eyed youthfulness, pure English-speaking voice and athletic prowess is irresistible. [01 Nov 1998, p.68]

During the 1930s, James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart were masters of the gangster role. They made three films together. Two of them, Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) and The Roaring Twenties (1939), were among the best gangster epics of the decade. [05 Jan 1997, p.48]

The Asphalt Jungle is considered to be director John Huston's most brilliant and realistic crime drama. [10 May 1998, p.67]

Malle and Hare have created a devastatingly understated film about the ravages of passion.

A stop any literary-minded movie-goer will want to make.

Haneke tells this tale a bit too patiently for my taste. But the metaphors are unmistakable, as is the power of the film’s message.

Although I would rate Part III beneath Part I, the final installment does have the blessing of closure: There's something undeniably satisfying about seeing all those loose ends tied up. [25 May 1990, p.7]

It isn't a great film. But it is a smart and high-minded one, wonderfully cast, with understated direction. Clooney is good enough in the lead to stir talk of a political future.

Reeves has Americanized a very good foreign film without defanging it.

Yes, it's pretty much a must to have seen the first film. Where Dragon Tattoo felt like fall, Played with Fire was shot in the Swedish summer, which suits the faster pace, ramped up violence and fresh collection of supporting players -- cops, a kickboxer, and a couple of borderline Bond villains.