Overall, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is a harrowing and substantial set-up to what promises to be a climactic final chapter in one of the most popular and successful move franchises of all time.

It's the kind of smart, stylish, entertaining and grown-up movie that the studios are making less and less of these days.

It does deserve points for casting and some clever humor, but falls short of the classic high school movie canon.

One suspects the truth will only be revealed if or when Phoenix starts acting again. Certainly on this evidence, he's no great shakes at hip-hop.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, most intriguingly, nails what makes video games so much fun.

As Jolie's closest professional confidant, Liev Schreiber is his usual excellent, formidable self.

Inception is one of the best sci-fi movies of the new century, a mind-bender about dreams as public spaces.

The credits may be silly, but the last scene is a definite tear-jerker.

The actors in The A-Team are all excellent, and they save a movie that routinely defies logic and physics Liam Neeson brings credibility and gravitas to any role he plays, but as "Hannibal" Smith, he swaggers like a paternal Han Solo.

The flick is driven not by special effects or outrageously gory acts of violence, but by its characters. Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley reinvent the crazy scientists playing God, turning in performances that are charming one minute, petulant the next, and ultimately, compellingly hubristic.

If "Sarah Marshall" spawned Aldous Snow, maybe there's room for a Sergio Roma vehicle?

MacGruber is crude. It’s obscene. The dialogue is puerile and the jokes adolescent. And for the most part, it's hilarious: a bawdy riot drunk on impropriety, which is why the movie works.

Like the original, Iron Man 2 is a good time from start to finish.

Irresponsible, morally murky, and batshit insane--in other words, Kick-Ass might be the most fun two hours you’ll spend in a movie theater. It delivers the darkly comic laughs (the movie is clearly not taking itself too seriously, so you should do likewise) as well as the jaw-dropping action, but Kick-Ass’s real accomplishment is bringing back the winkingly crazy Nic Cage we used to know and love.

Why John Cusack stopped doing this kind of movie remains one of the late-20th century’s great mysteries. Teaming him with contemporary comic vanguards Corrdry and Robinson is equal parts welcome and unexpected as the three relive the social, sexual, and Soviet fears of the era.

It's at times implausible and heavy-handed, but thrillers need villains and it's not like the Ba'ath Party had an exclusive license on 'em.

Isn’t like a lot of modern horror movies. It’s not about torture, or dead children, or weepy vampires with great hair. It’s an attempt to reinvent the monster movie, which we're all about. It’s too bad it couldn’t have been contemporized. Period movies can so easily become parodies of portentousness, and that’s what happens with this one.

Apart from feeling misled by the trailers, it's a decent, middle-of-the-road adult thriller that competently goes through the paces.

It's a captivating story presented with a fresh and artistic spirit, putting a human face on the man behind the theories.

A slick, bloody, fast-paced, and ultimately enjoyable B-movie.

Hey, remember “fun”? If you’re sick of the apocalypse and tortured anti-heroes, then you need to see Sherlock Holmes. It’s a blast from start to finish.

This is, simply put, one of the most beautiful movies you’ll ever see.

A smart, brisk, but extremely thoughtful hybrid of star-vehicle and resonant depiction of right-now America.

This might just be a tad too grueling and bleak for everyone’s liking, but it’s a Road that’s definitely well worth traveling.

A lightweight but sincere coming-of-age story.

An often highly amusing comedy in the vein of "Catch 22" and "Dr Strangelove," this lively satire looks destined for future cult status. Great soundtrack, too.

With the global economic meltdown affecting just about everybody, the film is pertinent, hugely entertaining, and, above all, timely.

A comic tour de force from Damon, who gained 30lbs and sports an unflattering moustache as the dishonest and delusional Whitacre. But it’s a performance that never loses sight of the man behind the lies.