Tennant takes this familiar material and crafts a charming, captivating motion picture.

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

While there's no denying that young actress Lindsay Lohan has spunk, she's not terribly effective in the dual role. Her performance is awkward and unsubtle -- she relies on an unconvincing British accent to cue us in to which girl she's playing at any given moment.

Once the initial setup has been accomplished and the film kicks into high gear, it grabs the viewer's attention and holds it for the rest of the running time.

For those who are willing to brave the movie's shocking and unforgettable images, Saving Private Ryan offers a singular motion picture experience.

In many ways, the concept underlying Lolita is more provocative than the actual material, which tends to be a bit long-winded. This is more the fault of the book than of Lyne's approach.

A great deal of excitement and adventure, all brought to the screen by using a somewhat irreverent tone that keeps the mood light without trivializing the characters.

[The film] occasionally had me convulsed with laughter.

For anyone who wants a movie to feed their intelligence and imagination more than their eyes and ears, Pi is a solid choice.

It's a calculated formula for success, and makes for entertaining viewing, but those expecting something with the spark of the first two pictures may be disappointed.

Armageddon is a testosterone and adrenaline cocktail, with almost no intelligence added for flavoring.

Gallo's script is quirky and filled with a number of hilariously strange comic moments.

Offers the prospect of seeing beyond the stereotypes that plague Native Americans in even the best films.

It's a cloying, humorless motion picture whose only assets are the work of Jim Henson's Creature Shop and a couple of good one-liners by a pair of rodents.

Everything in Out of Sight is smart -- the dialogue, the characters, and the storyline.

Mulan effortlessly blends serious, comic, and cute elements into a whole that should entertain the majority of movie-goers, regardless of race, gender, or age.

Offers two hours of solid entertainment.

This film is the complete package, and offers a thoroughly satisfying two-plus hours in a darkened theater.

Instead of bringing intriguing characters with real problems and interesting dialogue to the bash, Kaplan and Elfont take the lazy approach of pulling generic stereotypes off the shelf and throwing them into a formulaic plot that doesn't offer one genuine surprise or meaningful moment.

I suppose High Art is as good a name as any for this pretentious melodrama, an often- diverting but ultimately pointless attempt to wed intellectual twaddle with a soap-opera-ish lesbian romance.

All that's missing from Ivan Reitman's Six Days, Seven Nights is a plot with a moment's originality.

An appealing, offbeat, one-hundred minute diversion for those who really are tired of monsters tearing down buildings and action heroes saving the world.

A Perfect Murder has inexplicably managed to eliminate almost everything that was worthwhile about "Dial M for Murder," leaving behind the nearly-unwatchable wreckage of a would-be '90s thriller.

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.

Only a handful of working film makers are capable of presenting the English language with the artistry and rhythm employed here (Tarantino and Mamet come to mind), and the director's approach makes apparently-banal conversations come alive.

An insipid, stillborn drama that drags its viewers through a ghetto of despair before finally, unexpectedly plopping them down in the midst of a happy ending.

There is a reason why books are books and movies are movies, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas makes a pretty good case that the two don't always mix.

The kind of daring feature that doesn't open every Friday at the local multiplex; its frank, sometimes politically incorrect approach towards the act and politics of sex is refreshing.

It has the audacity that “Primary Colors” should have displayed, but was afraid to. Bulworth is willing to openly offend to get its point across. That's something that “Primary Colors” was nervous about doing.

The script isn't just "dumbed down," it's lobotomized.

A film as rich in its visual presentation as it is in its emotional resonance.

Clockwatchers offers a perspective of the American corporate office that is both viciously satirical and depressingly accurate.

Those who are more discriminating than the average 9 year-old will discover that The Quest for Camelot rapidly grows tiresome. Consequently, any adult on a search for the holy grail of animated pictures is advised to keep looking.

Unfortunately, an A-list group of actors doesn't mean a lot when there isn't much of a script.

This is essentially a familiar story told with consummate skill.

The film is preposterous to the point of distraction, where the necessary level of suspension of disbelief exceeds the capacity of a normal, thinking person.

Ultimately, while Wilde lacks the depth and substance of the best biographical features, it's nevertheless a strong enough contender to deserve a trip to the local theater.

While this version of Les Miserables lacks the cleverness and contemporary spin evident in Claude Lelouch's brilliant 1995 re-interpretation, it is moving and effective in its own right, as a more "straightforward" adaptation.

One of its most obvious strengths is that it can satisfy many different types of audiences -- those who demand something substantial from their motion pictures, and those who could care less.

This movie isn't afraid of venturing into the realm of bad taste -- in fact, it revels in it.

A fair amount of the film, especially Downey's solo sequences, appears to have been improvised, and this lends an air of unpredictability to the proceedings.

As Nina, Aniston not only displays a surprising capacity for both comedy and drama, but she shines with the kind of star quality that only a handful of current performers exhibit.

For those who aren't offended by extreme profanity and violence, Suicide Kings offers a kinetic and surprisingly funny two hours.

If not for Bornedal's stylish approach to the material and a couple of effectively chilling sequences, Nightwatch would have been a complete waste of time and effort.

I suspect City of Angels is going to remind many viewers of “Ghost,” but there's a big difference: this film is more true and less manipulative.

The only thing that distinguishes Species 2 is how awful it is.

The Spanish Prisoner is for anyone who likes to think and feel along with the characters.

The story is unfocused and the character development is virtually nonexistent.

A fast-paced, entertaining motion picture that replaces gritty tension with a lightly-dramatic character interaction that occasionally borders on straight comedy.

Joe Klein's novel -- is a cynical satire of life on the campaign trail. It's harsh, blistering, and possesses an edge that the film, a warmhearted comedy/drama, lacks.

This is film noir for the MTV generation: fast-paced, slick, flashy, gleefully mindless, and hollow to the core.

I left Wide Awake feeling the same way I did after seeing a number of Frank Capra's movies -- I was aware of the problems, but that didn't diminish the warm, fuzzy glow I was experiencing.

The problem with this movie is that Wallace has attempted to squeeze a 500-page book into a 130-minute motion picture, something that can't be done without major sacrifices.

This is a comic amusement park ride – a wildly uneven movie that offers tremendous pleasure for the moment, even if it doesn't stand up well to post-screening analysis and scrutiny.

Despite the many laughs Love and Death offers, it never takes cheap shots. It has a vibrant, beating heart - and that makes the comedy all the more worthwhile.

The action sequences were often nail-biters, the lead characters were well-developed, and the dialogue was intelligent.

Hush has three very simple problems: it's incredibly dumb, it's incredibly boring, and it's incredibly predictable (at least up to the stupefying ending).

Enjoyable and inviting.

Dark City has as stunning a visual texture as that of any movie that I've seen...Visually, this film isn't just impressive, it's a tour de force.

There's not a moment of originality in the entire motion picture.

Dangerous Beauty is a lavish historical melodrama that has enough suds, sex, and flashes of flesh to appeal to soap opera-lovers and enough substance to attract those of a more intellectual bent.

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.

By trying to satisfy every kind of viewer, it's possible that Sphere may end up pleasing no one.

The plot is so thin that it's not really worth thinking about, but director Antoine Fuqua and cinematographer Peter Lyons Collister have put so much effort into the feel and appearance of the movie that it held my attention.

Nil by Mouth is as powerful as it is uncomfortable, and those in search of a pleasant movie-going experience would be best served looking elsewhere. However, for anyone who isn't bothered by the thought of experiencing a shock to the system, this film is not to be missed. It approaches a serious social issue in the best, most dramatically true manner.

Despite the cries of "sacrilege" by some Blues Brothers and Saturday Night Live (where the Belushi/Aykroyd act started) die-hards, Blues Brothers 2000 represents a respectable follow-up to a uniquely American classic.

May not be an absolute triumph, but it's significantly better than just a good effort.

A horror film that starts out creepy but ends up disjointed and borderline- incoherent. It's a shame that the final product isn't a little better packaged because, unlike many lame entries into the genre, this one actually contains a few interesting, philosophically titillating ideas.

The result is an entertaining and sporadically engrossing two hours.

Although the film is clearly trying to follow in the footsteps of the Beatles' classic, it's several long strides behind, lacking the same sense of originality, spontaneity, high energy, and joi de vivre.

It's not just about a disaster, it is a disaster.

Everything (not just the flesh) is vibrant with life.

Despite the negatives, I'm still recommending Fallen on the strength of its complex plot and especially its ending, which I loved. The final scenes are startling, audacious, and unexpected. It's not often that a plot development takes me by surprise the way this one did.

The two actors, Daniel Day-Lewis and Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves), give such forceful performances and interact so well that it's impossible not to be mesmerized by their interaction.

Despite some obvious overplotting, Oscar and Lucinda is a mostly effective and often affecting motion picture that touches our hearts while daring our minds to balk at its implausible coincidences.

While these may not be the most unusual themes to fashion into a motion picture, Rudolph's atypical approach to the characters and their situations makes for an intriguing, if not always pleasant, movie.

Tarantino keeps things moving along nicely, with a heavier dose of humor and less violence than in Pulp Fiction, but, on the whole, this movie seems more like the work of one of his wannabes than something from the director himself.

If you take The Postman at face value - that it's a straightforward, post- apocalyptic adventure tale, then it could seem like one of the worst movies of the year, if not of all time.

This is one of Levinson's best films, and the screenplay, co-penned by noted writer David Mamet (along with Hilary Henkin), is brilliantly on-target.

Most of the film is dull and soporific. Breathtaking photography without emotional involvement can take an audience only so far.

Not a positive triumph, but it does bring a smile to the face and, perhaps in some cases, a tear to the eye.

You don't just watch Titanic, you experience it.

Tomorrow Never Dies is a better film than Goldeneye. In fact, it's the best Bond film in many years.

MouseHunt is "'Home Alone" with a rodent in the place of Macaulay Culkin.

In his long and distinguished career, only his Oscar-winning performance in 1983's “Tender Mercies” was this raw. Duvall becomes Sonny. The energy and passion of a preacher are all present.

Paradoxically, there's a lot less gore. There is blood, of course, but nothing excessive by slasher-movie standards, and there are no depictions of spilled entrails. Craven has remembered that scares are more important that graphic displays of human insides and bodily fluids.

It's a movie of moments, some of which are side-splittingly funny. Arguably, this is the most uproarious comedy that Allen has ever done.

Thematically rich, impeccably crafted, and intellectually stimulating, the only area where this movie falls a little short is in its emotional impact.

An ordinary story told well. Taken as a whole, there's little that's special about this tale -- it follows a traditional narrative path, leaves the audience with a warm, fuzzy feeling, and never really challenges or surprises us.

Has a bold, inventive style that occasionally compensates for story weaknesses. And, admittedly, there's a certain visceral appeal to the action sequences.

In fact, there are times when this movie feels like the latest installment in the over-milked Home Alone saga.

And, while there's nothing revolutionary or extraordinary about the dramatic narrative, the subtext gives Winterbottom's movie its force.

This is truly a great film -- easily one of 1997's best.

Easily the best non-Disney animated movie in recent memory, and it is good enough to rival such titles as “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.”

Eastwood has captured a peculiar yet involving slice of life.

The intelligence and subtlety of The Rainmaker took me by surprise. I don't know if this is because the novel is better than any of the prolific lawyer-turned-author's previous efforts, or if Francis Ford Coppola has performed a near-miracle in transforming the written pages into a screenplay.

This film has no story, no characters, and no coherence.

Actually, the more distance the studio places between the two films, the better, because the 1997 production can't hold a candle to the 1973 release, and an attempted comparison only makes the new Bruce Willis/Richard Gere vehicle look worse.