The effect is an endearing and plainspoken clarity that stops just short of naturalism; the people in his movies don't seem real, exactly, but we end up caring about them as though they were.

Free State of Jones is an extraordinarily ambitious film, and for that reason, it’s not perfect.

Full of humor, some exciting scenes and some intelligent parallels between the world of the film and the political and moral issues facing us today.

Directed by Matthew Warchus, Matilda is a curious creation, one whose tone maintains the barest toehold in light musical comedy, while introducing dark, disturbing elements. The movie taps into the reality and the magnitude of childhood trauma.

Wildly imaginative, humane, playful and deflating of all pretense.

It's funny, easily the funniest and least self-conscious movie that director Nora Ephron has made.

How much of it is true? Well, all of it. It happened, at least in the inner life of an imaginative boy, whose boundless curiosity served as the launching pad for a unique and productive life.

Crisp, acid-tongued and sharply acted, it's the sort of exercise in tangy Celtic cynicism that's become one of the Emerald Isle's most reliable exports.

Powerful and surprisingly timely.

Yes, it’s a familiar formula, though instead of buddy cops, it’s buddy cleaners. What these “Wolfs” do is shades darker than the gentleman thievery of the “Ocean’s” larks, and the character comedy comes from a deeper place.

It’s an action and suspense film, and, like Butler’s earlier 2023 flick “Plane,” a good one. Impressive set pieces include a car chase through a small-town bazaar, and a midnight shootout between Tom, outfitted with night-vision goggles, and a helicopter.

French cinema has a lot going for it, but the one thing Americans do best is story. And so “Intouchables,” now The Upside, has a story that finally works.

The visuals themselves are inconsistent, but never boring. The sidekicks seem considerably less painstakingly rendered than the leads. A few of the merchants have the unnatural look and jerky movements of Pirates of the Caribbean animatronics.

There seems to be something about the story itself that's better suited to the stage than the screen.

A brisk, entertaining documentary that shows how the world of investment works.

Tilda Swinton's rich, compelling performance is reason enough to see this uneven picture, which devolves from a riveting romantic triangle to a morality tale without a moral center.

This isn't just a good throwback satanic thriller - it looks as if it was made during the era of satanist paranoia.

Don't be fooled by the casual style. There is nothing casual about these emotions, or about the talent of these two filmmakers.

This is a welcome and unusual movie, and Gere gives a compelling performance.

Has integrity, but the way he bends his tale to make a statement is overly deliberate.

Rye Lane keeps winning you over by being a satiric-yet-sincere love letter to creative expression as much as to love itself.

Fortunately, the last 30 to 40 minutes of “The Housemaid” are so propulsive and unexpected that it makes up for what the middle lacks.

He Named Me Malala gets good marks as a laudatory piece about a genuinely valiant young woman, but it could use a modest dose of objectivity.

Elusive and compelling.

The new film Parenthood is a challenging, funny, affecting and mostly rewarding effort - like parenthood itself. It makes good use of a large ensemble cast led by Steve Martin as a man striving to be a good dad. [2 Aug 1989, p.E1]

Late Night is a fairly agreeable experience, and every time Thompson is on screen, there’s a reason to keep watching.

Shaft has everything --smart writing, shrewd direction and a handful of performances that are first-rate by any standard.

Then there's the acting, particularly that of Sam Shepard, as an old ex-con without much in the way of limits.