A Bug's Life, like “Toy Story,” develops protagonists we can root for, and places them in the midst of a fast-moving, energetic adventure.

Whether your political persuasion is Democratic, Republican, or somewhere in between, The War Room offers a fascinating insider's look at the turbulent 1992 Presidential campaign. Anyone with any interest in politics or elections will be engrossed, so it's a pleasure to note that the directors plan a followup in 1996.

Manages the task of being both heartbreaking and heart-warming.

We don’t see many movies like Gloria Bell these days. Simple, adult character studies with major stars have become a rarity in today’s movie climate. Gloria Bell is sedate in its approach – it tells a story but the narrative is devoid of sensationalistic happenings and manipulative melodrama.

Blue Jasmine is an exercise in examining the lead character's mental degeneration. The end result, a performance-driven character study, offers an experience more akin to what one might expect from the late John Cassavetes than from the still very much alive Woody Allen.

Horror isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s not a child’s genre. It isn’t meant to be comfortable. In fact, I’m hard-pressed to think of a recent movie that’s as uncomfortable and disturbing as It Comes at Night.

Hellboy II is solid entertainment, but it's a shame such blemishes prevent it from achieving a higher level.

Those who don’t appreciate films built on the simple foundation of two characters (mostly) talking for the entire running length aren’t going to enjoy what Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is selling, even if sex underlies nearly every passage of dialogue. The movie is funny at times and touching at others but it’s never especially erotic (nor is it intended to be).

John Wick Chapter 4 has its high points, including a well-earned ending, but it’s characterized by an exhaustive repetitiveness that diminishes what was so good and unique about the first two installments of the series. The time has come to put John Wick to rest.

Those who are familiar with Bourdain from No Reservations or Parts Unknown will appreciate the opportunity to peer through the different facets of Neville’s prism. Those who don’t know Bourdain from Emeril Lagasse may not find Roadrunner as compelling but are likely to enjoy the warts-and-all approach employed by Neville in examining Bourdain’s life.

As a chance for Isaac to re-familiarize viewers with his serious side after spending three films in a galaxy far, far away, it’s effective. But as a character study, it’s flawed and as a narrative, it’s erratic. There are too few high cards in the movie’s deck for it to be considered a winning hand.

It's a dark and revealing movie, and, while the ending may not be upbeat enough for those expecting mainstream fare, it offers a measure of hope and a catharsis.

Quirky and stylish, but not in a manner that comes across as overly artsy or pretentious.

Wong infuses his films with style and energy. His hand-held camera is restless, always moving and shifting. The action sequences are punctuated with unusual shots and stop-motion jumps. By filming Chungking Express in such rich, vibrant manner, the director uses visual images to underscore his themes.

Obvious technical considerations aside, it holds up surprisingly well after so many years and is not hard to recommend for anyone with an interest in film history and World War I.

The director is a poet of images.

Uses drawn images to peer into the dark corners of teenage life: bullying, self-loathing, and depression.

From an historical perspective, the story is interesting because it shows a different side of the war than what we're used to observing in motion pictures.

This is a fine tale of families and secrets, and its seemingly cold exterior gives way to something unexpectedly warm and soft inside.

The Dark Knight Rises ultimately justifies its length (in fact, a good argument could be made for a longer cut) and the last 45 minutes is nothing short of spectacular. From the point where the narrative takes a leap of faith, it never lets up.

The ending is muddled as an unsuccessful attempt is made to provide closure to a story that, if told frankly, shouldn’t have one.

Easy isn't much of an acting challenge, but Washington's mix of charm and intensity creates an appealing personae.

Avengers: Endgame isn’t as brash, surprising, or relentless as its predecessor but it’s a worthy conclusion to the Infinity War duology and provides a satisfying end to the First Avengers Era.

In the final analysis, the movie doesn't offer much about the subject that hasn't been previously explored, but the soil is fertile and many ideas germinate.

Regardless of how you look at Oldboy, it's unlike anything you are likely to have seen before.

The critical question for the movies' producers is whether Harry will be as popular now that his legions of stalwarts know how it all ends. The smart money would be on answering that question with a resounding "yes!"

There’s a lot here for kids to like and nearly as much to keep parents from fidgeting.

There's something almost hypnotic about the way Hard Eight develops -- even in its slowest, most tedious moments, it keeps our attention.