Obvious, but at least it's clean.

Perhaps worst of all, the movie is painfully long.

Van Houten, a veteran of European TV, is in almost every scene, and her energetic performance keeps Black Book percolating despite an overstuffed plot that strains credibility and often tips over into melodrama.

A worthy, fascinating film..

You're under the thrall of a new peculiar couple. Both actors appear to be having fun outmaneuvering each other on the ice and onscreen.

A solidly above-average thriller.

Frenetically paced but mostly pointless computer-animated film that will satisfy children but may give parents a headache.

One of the best films to open in the Bay Area in 2007.

Starts out OK, but then almost seems to be intentionally going for humor.

It's not fun to watch.

Though it becomes flimsy toward the end, it's a ripping yarn.

That Pride ultimately gets to you is more of a surprise than the outcome because it's not very well-constructed.

As moving as some parts are, it's muddled by a script that tries to pack in too much. There's sufficient material for a couple of films and a sitcom.

Silly, but an enjoyable, well-paced fantasy-action story.

In this pitch-perfect documentary about the very real rise of air guitar competition in the United States, and two of its top performers, stony thoughts will arise as to whether one is suddenly trapped inside a satire that got wrapped in a reality. Or vice versa, man.

Almost overcomes weak source material to become a decent film.

The filmmakers have wisely turned it into a comedy, and a wickedly entertaining one at that.

A neo-noir thriller long on atmosphere and short on production values.

If there is a beef to be had, it is that Tran seems to have tried so hard to make a movie of importance that his characters often resemble archetypes as opposed to people; the game cast appears straitjacketed at times. Still, it's a story that needed to be told.

Although its message is deadly serious, is is filled with wit and winning characters.

A big fizzle.

While the documentary isn't as compelling as its source material, Abbas tells an interesting story about his incarceration.

An acquired taste.

Not very good.

There's no attempt at humor in Dead Silence, but the biggest sin in the film is the lack of scares.

As uneven as I Think I Love My Wife often is, it still has an emotional resonance lacking in most films about relationships. By dealing with temptation in even a quasi-realistic way, it affirms that, like comedy, monogamy is hard.

A supernatural thriller that keeps your attention while failing to hold you in its grip.

Immediately has you in its thrall and doesn't let go -- a reminder of how powerful and moving cinema set in wartime can be when all the elements align.