At times brutal, at times touching, the movie stands out as one of the better "prestige" productions offered for cinematic consumption during the waning weeks of 2007.

A respectable caper movie in the tradition of "The Sting" and David Mamet's "Heist."

The film comes across like a soap opera and there are too many characters and storylines for any one of them to grab the heart and imagination. The film isn't painful but it is disappointing.

The Incredible Hulk is a more traditional superhero movie than its predecessor and should please those who want their not-so-jolly green giant served with helpings of action. This film provides less talk and more smashing.

The Front Runner is a less a film for general movie-goers than for political junkies.

The writer/director may have a deep understanding of his material, but Mr. Jealousy doesn't offer anything original or remarkable, and, while what the film is saying often strikes a responsive chord, that alone isn't enough to earn it an enthusiastic recommendation.

This is the one Godzilla movie in which the title character plays second fiddle to the humans. While the film's moral and ethical situations are interesting, they are not as compelling as the film's adherents would have us believe, and their resolutions are simplistic.

The primary sin isn’t that Blue Beetle stinks the way really bad movies do but that it is so deeply mired in mediocrity that it’s tough to find a reason to care about its existence.

De Laurentiis' Kong may not be a grand, glorious modernization of a classic tale, but it's two-plus hours of big-scale, occasionally-foolish entertainment.

Carnage suffers from a common problem that afflicts many stage-to-screen adaptations: too much artifice and contrivance.

The movie is never boring or uninteresting, but I viewed it from a detached perspective, unable to become involved because I didn't really care about any of the three main characters.

The sex is REALLY hot. Not hardcore pornographic (at least by my definition of the term) but close.

Louder, flashier, and more hollow than anything else out there.

Unlike its predecessor, this is not a light, mystical romance, but a somewhat muddled narrative that ends up resembling an offbeat action/adventure movie. It's still a film about issues -- humanity, the soul, time, and Nazism -- but it lacks many of the "art" aspect of Wings, relying more on straightforward storytelling.

Dogville isn't for everyone, but there's some intellectually stimulating conversation fodder for those with the patience to navigate the film's rough terrain.

Scream VI offers two hours of fan service while serving up enough gore to appeal to many generic slasher/horror movie aficionados, but there’s not much beyond that.

To really work, The Bourne Legacy either needed to turn the title character into a 007-type who can change his face or bring back Damon in some capacity, even if just for a cameo. Neither happens and that works to the movie's detriment.

Blomkamp's universe is a fascinating place to visit and the movie is stuffed with ideas - there's far too much here to satisfactorily explore in 109 minutes, especially when one considers that room must be made for action scenes. I departed the theater satisfied with what I'd seen but wanting more.

Too often, Boynton Beach Club feels like a made-for-TV movie with a little sex, nudity, and profanity thrown in to spice things up.

A harrowing experience for those to whom this sort of story appeals.

Three-fourths of a good horror movie and one-fourth disappointing. The film, constructed as a series of episodic vignettes connected by an umbrella story, remains solidly engaging until it gets to the ending.

Finally - a superhero movie that doesn't feel like every other superhero movie.

Day of the Soldado retains the edge-of-the-seat and nihilistic qualities of its predecessor, but there are shifts to the overall tone, which is neither as stark nor as ominous.

The problem with the film is that that story, hackneyed when it first made it to the screen in 1984, has grown only more tired over the past 26 years.

I’ll be the first to admit that not everything in Saltburn works and, during some of the cringe-inducing instances when it fails, it does so rather spectacularly. Yet Emerald Fennell’s film is just bonkers enough to be wildly entertaining and completely disturbing in equal parts.

Fast-paced with a morbid sense of humor and copious pop culture references, Kingsman breezes along at a nice clip until it gets a little bogged down during its final third.

The movie starts with a series of kaleidoscopic, high-energy scenes that prove to be Birds of Prey’s high point. Even in these early moments, there’s a sense that narrative isn’t going to be a big selling point for this movie and those misgivings prove to be correct.

Are you a Kevin Hart fan? Then drop everything and rush to see this movie. Are you not a Kevin Hart fan? Then move along, there’s nothing here to see…

The film is well-paced and expertly edited, allowing scenes to flow naturally into one another.

What we have here is enjoyable, if somewhat scattershot, and at least as entertaining as what’s airing most Saturday nights at 11:30 pm.

The movie wears thin its welcome a couple of reels before Apatow has finished telling his story.

It’s a well-made, serious drama arriving in an era when those qualities rarely describe multiplex fare.

A fascinating portrait not only of a lady, but of the society and marriage that entrap, then attempt to destroy, her.

The way it has been presented, with forced and artificial junctions, keeps the viewer at arms-length from the story and creates questions about the historicity of some scenes.

Taylor's approach to this material -- mixing occasional humor with undemanding drama -- works well enough that we don't care about the logical inconsistencies and plot holes. To that end, The Emperor's New Clothes ends up as a pleasant diversion.

All These Small Moments offers a mix of honesty and artifice. Some of the scenes simmer with truth; others are too obviously the construct of a screenplay.

It’s easily digestible and, although some of the less successful elements may try the patience from time-to-time, the companionable chemistry – screwball banter mixed with romantic frisson – between Bullock (who’s much better in this sort of part than her more serious outings) and Tatum smooths out many of the rough patches.

An entertaining thriller. That said, it's the weakest of the films, falling a length or two behind "The Girl Who Played with Fire," and considerably more than that with respect to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

Offers two hours of solid entertainment.

The movie is generally entertaining, if only because the three primary characters capture the audience's sympathy, but the story doesn't contain much honest drama.

The Devil's Advocate is a highly-enjoyable motion picture that's part character study, part supernatural thriller, and part morality play.

Spectre is the most “traditional” of the Craig Bonds. Although a little light on gadgets, it has everything else,

Nothing short of a disaster -– easily one of the worst movies of the year.

This movie ranks as better-than-par entertainment.

This is a mediocre horror/comedy that deserves neither high praise nor disparagement.

Putting aside any long-term implications, The Multiverse of Madness is a frustrating mix of eclectic elements that at times feel more like Raimi referencing his Evil Dead movies than his previous superhero work. It’s undeniably fascinating and at times exhilarating but my overall feeling is one of vague disappointment.

This movie is built to be consumed, forgotten, and replaced — a product, not an experience.

It's tame and rather bland, and the laughter it generates is half-hearted. Director Jesse Peretz commits the unpardonable sin of wasting the considerable comedic talent of Paul Rudd.

One of the most refreshing things about this movie is the manner in which it combines genres in unexpected ways.

This is post-apocalyptic adventure as imagined for a teen crowd, and what it lacks in depth it makes up for in action. With a slight running time of 80 minutes, 9 doesn't contain an ounce of fat on its animated bones.

Not an indictment of the Catholic Church as a whole, but a thought-provoking look at what can happen when decent individuals are seduced by the power of their position.

Like many entries into the genre, Jagged Edge works best when it's watched with a minimum of analysis. There are a fair number of gaffes, flaws, and other assorted problems, and the plot looks progressively less substantial the more closely it's examined. However, the bottom line is that the crux of the story - whether or not Jack is guilty - is engrossing, and it isn't until we know the answer that the movie really seems to let us down.

In terms of humor, See How They Run is more amusing than outrageous. Outside of the few instances of slapstick and physical comedy, it is designed to generate smiles (rather than provoke belly laughs). The script is clever and silly at the same time. (That may seem contradictory but it’s not.)

Kill the Messenger is compelling material but the recognition that the core of the narrative is based on true events gives it additional power.

It feels incomplete and the ending is entirely too convenient.

One of those pleasant movie-going experiences that doesn't offend, excite, or challenge anyone. There are all sorts of likable things about it.

Wolfs is a pleasant enough experience. At 108 minutes, it’s not too long and, putting aside the aggravating manner in which Watts ends the story, it goes down easily.

Put The Angry Birds Movie 2 into the basket of sequels that no one was asking for.

With this cast, this director, and this source material, I expected to be swept away on a wave of enchantment, but nothing close to that happened.

The Clearing is being positioned as "adult counter-programming" for the summer season, but the benefits of seeing this movie may not be worth the patience necessary to get through it.

If nothing else, The Many Saints of Newark recaptures the feel and aesthetic of David Chase’s The Sopranos, the TV series that was frequently cited as the best television had to offer during the eight years when it was on (and off) the air.

The film’s biggest problem is its uneven pacing.

This film is aesthetically pleasing but not emotionally satisfying. It's occasionally erotic but rarely dynamic.

On the whole, it works although perhaps not as well as it might have if the central relationship had more carefully established.

The film has lofty goals, but comes across as leaden and pretentious. It's a character study in which the lead participant is the least interesting person in the movie.

If there's a serious disappointment, it's the villain. Ma-Ma, despite being played with over-the-top zest by Lena Headey, isn't a very impressive foil for the mighty Judge Dredd, even when she calls for "back-up."

Perhaps the most surprising thing about The Adjustment Bureau is that, irrespective of the misdirection of the trailers and T.V. spots, this is more of a romance than a science fiction thriller.

If Scream is intended to re-start the franchise, things are off to a rocky start. This is what happens when Hollywood refuses to give up on a series that has run its course.

Had there been more to Lightyear than a retread of sci-fi cliches with a beloved character, I would have been less disappointed.

The film gets frequent laughs from its raunchiness but, underneath it all, there’s an emotionally resonant story of how children confront the demons of youth that guard the gates to adolescence.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners is a clear, unqualified improvement over such recent Neeson-led thrillers like Retribution and Blacklight. And, although one can argue that his once-prodigious talents are wasted in cash-grab projects of this sort, at least the movie provides 90 minutes of entertainment rather than turning into a by-the-numbers slog.

It's not bad enough to walk out on but neither is it good enough to walk into.

The cynic in me believes this movie may have been constructed primarily for end-of-the-year plaudits because there doesn’t seem to be another compelling reason for it to exist.

It wants to be funny, charming, scary, and dramatic. It ends up being a little of each but not successful as any one.

Crawl is an old-fashioned B-grade monster movie made with 2019 technology. In short, that means plenty of gore and jump-scares to go along with creatures that no longer look like puppets or men in rubber suits.

The overall package, despite suffering from some third-act narrative problems, generally goes down easily and boasts a strong, lived-in performance by Shannon Purser (Barbara from the first season of Stranger Things).

McFarland USA, like "Hoosiers," makes characters a priority. The film, directed by New Zealander Niki Caro, focuses on the people involved in the drama. The narrative doesn't saddle them with cliché-riddled subplots; it makes them and their concerns real.

This movie desperately wants to be liked. The problem is, there's not much here to like -- at least nothing that's new or interesting.

The sense of verisimilitude helps to ground the drama. Although MDMA goes to some dark places and features its share of ugly scenes, it’s ultimately a story of hope and redemption. It helps to remember that Wang has become a successful businesswoman and now filmmaker.

An "intelligent" action film, because it presents the viewer with an opportunity to puzzle things out rather than sit mindlessly and watch people get blown to pieces.

Wonder Woman 1984 is overlong, tonally inconsistent, and poorly paced. Although it raises the bar during its final hour, the viewer has to navigate about 90 minutes of action-deficient, sometimes nonsensical narrative to get to the point where the title character (again played to perfection by Gal Gadot) does something other than moon over her lost love, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine).

Although an intriguing way to deconstruct and reassemble a story familiar to most people who have taken high school English, Ophelia doesn’t live up to its promise perhaps because the lead character, even after having been “expanded,” is still rather flat.

Bad Times at the El Royale has problems beyond its inability to stick the ending but that’s the one that ultimately sinks it.

Director Robert Rodriguez understands the exploitation genre and delivers everything one craves from it - over-the-top, graphic violence; scenery-chewing villains; cheesy one-liners; and plenty of naked boobs and bums.

Artificial in both its dialogue and its construction, the film only works - on those occasions when it works - because of the sincere performance by the underrated Toni Collette.

The Governess is solidly entertaining material with enough substance to lift it above the traditional period drama.

Tomorrowland is an interesting collage of moments and ideas in search of a strong narrative and a coherent ending.

It’s an elegant and highly unexpected offering from George Miller that allows him to step away from the Mad Max universe if only for one interlude.

It's a lot of fun and, because of the high quality of the cast, there's no need to feel guilty about praising such an inherently silly motion picture.

At a guess, I'd say that Goosebumps will satisfy its core audience - fans of R.L. Stine's popular children's books - and bore pretty much everyone else.

Although a heist film with a high testosterone quotient might not be everyone’s favorite wintertime treat, it’s an effective antidote for all the highfalutin Oscar wannabes out there.

Rules Don’t Apply is a strange, schizophrenic sort of movie. Despite moments of emotional strength and bursts of quirky comedy, the film is undone by its generally lethargic tone and the film’s insistence to shift its focus from the putative lead characters to a supporting player.

Saying bad things about Never Been Kissed, an unapologetic crowd-pleaser, makes me feel like the Grinch stealing Christmas, but there are some things that can't be ignored.

This film offers a compelling scenario of what could have happened. And Burger's look back through the recent mists of time is certainly no less likely or fascinating that Oliver Stone's in "JFK."

The movie worked for me both as a commentary on the electoral process and as a slightly overcooked thriller.

Brassed Off! is a traditional feel-good motion picture with an element of social commentary thrown in for good measure.

Frequently funny and occasionally hilarious.

For roughly the first two-thirds of its 109-minute running length, To the Stars is an effecting and effective tale of female bonding. Unfortunately, the wheels come off toward the end as melodramatic contrivances result in an unlikely climax and unsatisfying denouement.