A mordant, almost-too-dark comedy, but a comedy nonetheless.

The standout is Baldwin, utterly convincing as a gruff cuss whose life has been forever stained by the death of his wife.

Enough. There's no fun in bashing a Piglet movie, even a nickel-cadging spinoff.

The worry regarding 2014's Godzilla was that it would seem like a retread of recent big-budget monster mashes "Cloverfield" or "Pacific Rim," or, worse yet, that it would sink to the depths of the 1998 American reboot. Happily, though, this one can stand on its own two enormous three-toed feet.

By gilding the lily so shamelessly, Ewing and Grady guarantee they'll preach only to the converted.

The film has a spry quality, but the jokes are neither funny nor dark enough, the quirky roadside episodes aren't sufficiently outlandish or imaginative, the romantic sparks don't convince and the plotting becomes increasingly silly and tedious. Dukic conjures an air of play and naughtiness, but that's about as deep as he cuts.

Taken as a whole -- and it kills me to write this -- it just doesn't add up to much.

Unbelievably, "Prelude To A Kiss" works. [10 Jul 1992, p.15]

Adapted by Polanski and his longtime collaborators Gerard Brach and John Brownjohn from a novel by Pascal Bruckner, Bitter Moon works as a kinky sex farce, comedy of manners and playful spin on national stereotypes. [22 Apr 1994, p.AE15]

For most of its running time, it's a riveting rendition of a stranger-than-fiction tale.

The subtle menace of the would-be geneticist of the Master Race mingles with ordinary pre-teen foreboding to create a riveting cocktail of unease.

It manages the weird feat of making a flock of sheep bounding across a meadow seem vaguely menacing.

The problem is the song. It was gone as soon as it ended, a forgettable piece of soft-pop that was never going to be a hit, whatever the arrangement or the singer.

This may be the best work we've seen from either actor, which is saying something.

It's a movie, finally, that feels longer than its exquisitely brief source material, which is a crime of sorts.

Whatever you make of the film's politics, Luke makes a vivid impression in his most substantial role since "Antwone Fisher," and Robbins resists the temptation to make the thinly written Vos a villainous caricature.

A sweet, loopy British comedy filled with good actors and funny moments.

It's creepy, but it's not horrifying. Still, the movie has its distorted, haunting moments that will stick with you, and it's stunning to look at.

For all its attempts at wrinkles and surprises and sleight-of-hand, Ocean's Thirteen is too direct and plain and pleased with itself to ever feel like a thriller.

Ultimately, though, it's unfortunate that the movie tries to make so many oblique comparisons to more modern tragedy (paparazzi with sketchbooks; yes, we get it!), since Georgiana's life seems fascinating enough on its own.

The documentary's soundtrack is composed entirely of Source Family music, and some of it's not half bad.

It's not a bad movie, but Big Eyes might have been better off if it had sold its audience the same bill of goods Walter Keane sold America.

Nest of Spies may be a small, subtitled release, but it's also a gauntlet thrown at the feet of the upcoming big-screen adaptation of "Get Smart." See it and you'll have a substantial idea of what a spy comedy should be.

The film has a candy-colored look that stands in well for the books' primitive appeal. And the all-star cast of vocal performers -- Will Ferrell as Yellow Hat, Dick Van Dyke as his boss, David Cross as his rival, Drew Barrymore as his sweetie -- aim squarely and appropriately at a 4-year-old audience.

It isn't art, it's will-o-the-wisp thin, but it might well make you squirt your soda through your nose. And as there seem to be a number of people willing to pay good money for that sensation, there's glory for you!

The film has a rich visual tone and a sparse narrative quality. [05 Oct 1990, p.E15]

With all its pedestrian moments, the film still has the power to sweep you up.

Filled with skewed humor, inventive animation and earthy jokes.