It's only January, but already we have a strong candidate for the most thunderingly stupid movie of the year.

This wise and warm man, who died in 2002, is captured in all his glory by the remarkable documentary.

Much of The Tracker, a blunt morality tale about Australian racism, is heavy going.

Its story is paint-by- numbers...But it's funny, and funny covers a lot of sins.

Gorgeous animated film.

probably less painful than actual childbirth, but it's still a very long 86 minutes.

Sometimes demure, sometimes funny and other times flat-out crazed, Wuornos was effusive and confrontational when Broomfield filmed her just before her 2002 execution in Florida.

What's immediately apparent -- and refreshing -- about Chasing Liberty is that it doesn't play cute with its premise.

It's back in a handsome new black-and-white print, and it's still powerful stuff -- you can see why Pauline Kael wrote that it was "probably the only film that has ever made middle-class audiences believe in the necessity of bombing innocent people."

Skids into absurdity, but it never quite gets boring. Movies like this rarely are.

Cause for celebration. It's not only a cracking good film, but it is the first by Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-hsien to gain a national (though limited) release.

To mildly respect Japanese Story is easy. To enjoy it would require an act of will.

An ungainly masterpiece, but Chaplin's ungainliness is something one can grow fond of.

Lacks what could kindly be called coherence.

Running mainly on adrenaline and a gimmick, it's different from other holiday movies in that it's not ambitious, earnest or overblown, and it obviously wasn't made with one eye on the Oscars.

Yet another 'Stallion'? Talk about beating a dead horse.

This is what makes the distinctly unromantic Cold Mountain' such a breath of fresh air. Its battles are hideous bloodbaths.

It's not just a feel-good holiday movie, though audiences, especially youngsters, will certainly walk out of it feeling good.

A dazzling retelling of the J.M. Barrie tale, offers accomplished acting, splendid visuals, and in the role of the boy who won't grow up ... an actual boy.

Theron is nearly unrecognizable in the role. She's also astonishingly good. Obscuring the movie star has liberated the actress.

Charming movie,

Masterful documentary.

The film has a sweetness that stops short of sentimentality.

There's a spark missing, and where it's missing is in Roberts' conscientious but all too reserved performance.

There's a dignity about it, and it's only later that we come to realize that this dignity is misplaced, born of a fatal reserve and a lack of complete investment.

Though an estimable success overall, The Return of the King has several scenes too many and too great a concentration on battles.

Devlin tells his story without bias but with shards of gallows humor.

An unforgettable film.

As depicted here, the political story becomes convoluted and dramatically inert.

Clocking in at 105 minutes, Love Don't Cost a Thing drags for stretches. The nicest thing about most standardized teen movies is their brevity. When we all know where it's going, it shouldn't take so long to get there.

People take comedy for granted, but to step back and think about Stuck on You is to be impressed by the invention and sheer exuberance of the picture, which isn't great but sure is enjoyable.

The moments between the characters are absolutely full. It's a pleasure to watch such consummate professionals.

Provocative.

A long-winded indulgence in tear-and-a-smile whimsy, elevated above the merely irritating and saccharine by compelling art direction.

Adapted from a French play but never seems stage- bound.

It has nothing going for it but a terrific story and an amazing performance by Judith Ivey, who plays an enigmatic Good Samaritan.

There's no point complaining that Honey is a tired reworking of an old formula, because it's intended for a young audience that doesn't know the formula.

Cruise's undeniable star voltage makes it all palatable, and the film is gorgeous to behold and even to listen to, from the rolling green hills to the galloping horses to the "Lohengrin"-like theme music on the sound track.

The experiences of this family from Fairfield will resonate with moviegoers around the country.

Clunky adventure story.

Sly, sexy Las Vegas fable.

Surprisingly decent.

Impossible to describe, impossible to forget, The Triplets of Belleville sends audiences tottering out of the theater, dazed and delighted, and wondering what it is they have just experienced.

When you see a director going for that lump-in-the-throat mood, instinct takes over and you want to dig in your heels. Sometimes it's best just to let yourself be swept away.

A tasteless, vulgar, savage assault against everything that is good and decent in the Christmas season. I think you are going to like it.

Blue Gate Crossing is 85 minutes of wistful gloom.

The payoff in 21 Grams comes not from watching characters achieve or overcome but from the recognition of their struggle not to give up the fight.

Tolerable for undiscriminating horror fans but should be shunned by everybody else.

The treatment of the subject isn't maudlin, thanks to a witty script and an enormously likable lead character, Remy (Remy Girard), who remains bullheaded and lusty to the finish.

It is an embarrassment and an insult to a character that has been beloved by kids for 45 years.

Can't be dismissed. Yet something keeps this movie from being completely satisfying: a disconnect between the plot and the point.

Bare-bones vanity project.

When the movie is viewed with fresh eyes, the most captivating feature is this surreal Vegas -- its neon signs askew, as if reconfigured by Andy Warhol, and its preternaturally glistening streets a siren's call to an ever-new batch of suckers.

Surprisingly robust.

Charismatic to a fault, he had the look of a prince, with a genuine smile; long, feminine eyelashes; and a forbiddingly shaved cranium.

Fraser and Bugs Bunny are the highlights of this pleasant but unoriginal film.

It's a film of sensitivity, observation and humor - a must-see for Fellini enthusiasts and a worthwhile investment for everyone else.

For all the movie's coarse grandeur -- for all the blood in its battle scenes and the grim historical accuracy of its depiction of antediluvian medical procedures -- the story of Master and Commander feels like something intended not for adults but for children.

This stylized romantic comedy offers limited, largely synthetic rewards.

Each shot is its own little miracle.

Negotiating the role of a forward-thinking woman constrained by family demands and era, Elliott elevates a picture that's lovely to look at but lacking in dramatic impact.

A fascinating look at a bizarre man and a brilliant talent. But a good deal of the movie is described by its subtitle -- "A Son's Journey'' -- and to the extent it is, the movie sags.

A bloody mess.

As exciting to watch as any Warren Miller ski film, Billabong Odyssey also has the sensibility of a good PBS documentary.

Strange, compelling and hard to classify, it's both a romance and a character study, and it's set against a historical backdrop.

Funny and intelligently made, a film for kids and adults that's both sweet and sardonic...Elf stays perfectly in balance, a pleasure throughout.

Abandons any pretext of sophistication for gloppy sentimentality, sugary pop songs and bawdy humor -- an approach that works about half the time.

Dismal final installment.

The sensation is dizzying, and you may feel relieved -- certainly the filmmakers do -- when Chavez re-enters the picture. There's a feeling of order restored, but the depiction of political free fall has been unnerving.

Neither hilarious nor a credible spoof.

An impressively compelling film.

Falls victim to a fatal lack of narrative drive, suspense and drama. Kidman and Hopkins are wrong for their roles, and that, combined with a pervading inevitability, cuts the film off from any sustained vitality. The result is something admirable but lifeless.

Admiring The Singing Detective is easy, and so is appreciating the originality of the story's conceit, the artistry of the actors and the directorial intelligence of Keith Gordon. But loving it would take an act of will.

Radio is almost as bad as it gets. That it isn't is thanks to Ed Harris, who brings depth and focus to his performance.

It is bearable, in every sense of the word, and that's worth something for parents looking for G-rated entertainment.

A haunting elegy on the unpredictability of life. Never knowing what the next minute might bring is the elephant in all our lives.

After the first few minutes, viewers will get the feeling they just emerged from a 14-month coma. Even the non-movie jokes focus on last year's news.

A film with its heart in the right place. Unfortunately, its head is stuck so far in the clouds that it dissolves into preachy do- gooder mush.

If In the Cut falls short of the masterpiece Campion intended, it's unquestionably the most ambitious and important film to come along in months.

It is a well-researched smorgasbord of newsreel and documentary footage spliced with current interviews with those on the front lines.

It's a coy, cautious film about a frank, fearless writer.

An arresting portrait of a fascinating and somewhat mysterious personality.

A courtroom drama with a compelling story and something peculiar about it, too: For most of its running time, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of a rooting interest. The audience isn't quite sure who it's for or against.

The remaining twisted population that likes this kind of movie will enjoy a horror film that is surprisingly stylish.

Less a new Japanese movie than a series of scenes from old American ones, most notably "The Terminator" and "ET."

Both heartfelt and tough-minded.

If garbage could think, it would look down on 9 Dead Gay Guys as garbage.

It's a grueling 70-minute march toward the end credits.

That rare thing, an American romantic film that's not a comedy and that's more about love than sex.

You've heard this one before, and in an edgier way -- yet you still admire the old-fashioned storytelling.

A promising idea turns into nothing, and we're left with a painfully dull kids' picture.

Too slick but amusing marital farce.

Dead-on hilarious.

It boggles the mind that after six years of silence, all Tarantino has to offer is this garbage.

The film takes us behind bars to hear horror stories from prisoners. They're illuminated by a black light to hide their identity. The effect is like looking at an X-ray. Moments like this attest to Padilha's artistry as a filmmaker.

Chilling, superbly acted.

Heartfelt but interminable movie.

A shrewd thriller that takes the time-honored plot about an innocent man wrongfully accused and gives it a film-noir twist.