Waitress deserves an essay, not just a review. There are perfect moments that stand out, and the reasons for their perfection are interesting.

Jindabyne suffers from too many extraneous elements and from a story that doesn't land with enough force or purpose.

The Condemned isn't post-modern junk, smirky junk, faux junk or clever junk. It's pure junk, with a certain integrity to it.

The Invisible is, at its core, a character study, albeit one with a Patrick Swayze-in-"Ghost" paranormal edge. But it's definitely not mindless trash. If anything, the movie is too introspective, to the point that it doesn't build enough conflict or tension.

A very stupid movie, with many more failed jokes than successful ones. Worse yet, much of the comedy is kind of mean.

It starts exploring different facets of its premise and transforms itself into a fairly competent suspense thriller. That's enough to make it respectable, but a few things keep Next from being lovable or memorable.

Sitting through Diggers is so tedious that you might find yourself envying the clam diggers. At least they get to be outdoors.

A heartfelt effort, if at times a bit heavy-handed.

Compelling.

This is an extremely violent movie, with one long gory scene that's particularly hard to stomach. The great majority of Triad Election is about political maneuvering, but when the conversations end, the blood flows mightily.

Plays like two films in one, and succeeds on both levels.

What audiences want when they go to a suspense thriller.

To his credit, writer-director Jonathan Kasdan is sensitive and observant...But he doesn't know what he's talking about, not really, and though he structures the film around his areas of ignorance, that only works partially.

Comes across as a cautionary tale.

An enjoyable farce, with lots of laughs and a strong cast. At 80 minutes long, it's that rare case of a short film that should have been longer.

To their credit, directors Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer, both of San Francisco, poke gentle fun at the locals without ridiculing them. The film's playful spirit is underscored by catchy steel-guitar melodies (courtesy of the Friends of Dean Martinez) that perfectly suit the bone-dry setting.

Though not flawless, this is a compelling study, in Dogme style, of a wounded young woman who spends her working life spying on others.

Difficult to recommend, without first knowing the sobriety of the viewer.

No more than a minute into this, and it becomes obvious that the next 98 are going to be trouble.

To see Perfect Stranger is to wish for a more sophisticated vehicle for a film actress this good, but actors -- and audiences -- take what they can get. This is better than most.

This movie is so horrible that it actually spends some time in "so bad it's good" territory, before getting significantly worse.

One of those quirky little movies that you marvel ever got made.

For all it does right, there's something seriously wrong.

Suffers from Resnais' inability to open it up and give it the look and pulse of a film.

Caruso, a very visual director, serves up some surprises and scares, and he's paced his movie briskly. You're out of this disturbing suburbia before you know it, shaken and even stirred.

The Rodriguez segment is terrific; the Tarantino one long-winded and juvenile.

A personal story with broad implications for the culture as a whole.

Wickedly funny.