It's a film of unquestioned visual artistry, and the filmmakers' empathy and human understanding are apparent moment to moment, scene by scene. But despite sensitive performances, it's an experiment that fizzles.

This deeply moving and disturbing film derives power from being based on the true story of a black South African who does everything possible, no matter how degrading, to get by within an immoral system, but becomes radicalized almost despite himself.

While "Saw" and "Saw II" were pretty good splatter films hampered by spectacularly unbelievable endings, Saw III is annoying for almost the duration of the movie.

This is contemplative moviemaking, with its deliberate pace, often static scenes and emphasis on direct sound. The director keeps the dialogue pared to the bone.

The movie appears to be a contrived, poorly produced attempt to sell more of the author's books.

Documentary filmmakers pray for something to happen to their subjects when the cameras are rolling, and two-time Academy Award-winning documentarian Kopple struck gold when Maines told a crowd on the opening night of the band's first European tour that she was "ashamed" that President Bush was from Texas.

Depictions of an aide talking about her hospital vigil and her words of comfort to a distraught Laura Bush are creepy and exploitative -- and borderline disgusting.

This is an ugly film, but with an undeniable allure.

Befuddling.

The real item under consideration here is the movie itself, and the bottom line is that it lands in a humane place. True, any viewer will go in with a certain curiosity, ghoulish or otherwise, about what it's like to jump off a bridge, and yet the overall effect of the film is broadening. To see it is to dread the bridge jumps and to come away with a feeling of compassion and empathy.

Coppola has no trouble convincing viewers that Marie Antoinette is an interesting historical subject, but there's a big distance between that and creating a fascinating personality or fashioning a compelling narrative.

A wildly erratic, often annoying but never boring endeavor.

As painstaking as a documentary but without the satisfaction of a documentary or the impact of a drama.

There are some nice moments and beautiful scenery, but the film is often slow and the dialogue is overwrought.

Thus, we find ourselves watching an ice-cold movie about competition that contains not a shred of rooting interest.

Lacks the marquee names and production values of big studio romantic comedies, but it connects on an emotional level most of them fail to do.

One of the year's most important documentaries, a real must-see.

An unusual look at love and how it can unexpectedly develop. Those for whom the concept of an arranged marriage is foreign will get a little history lesson on the immigrant experience watching this sweetly engrossing film.

Block's hypnotic documentary, among the finest of the year.

There are fun distractions, but it's easy to focus on the flaws.

Man of the Year remains an interesting proposition throughout, and a tale well told.

A throwback to all those guilty pleasure action movies.

The spellbinding power of this almost certain Oscar nominee for best documentary comes from its chilling subject matter.

With the aid of a charmingly offbeat story and a jolly good dialect coach, the stars leave you thinking, well done. Their spirited performances help cover up glaring holes in the plot.

Watch Infamous on its own. It's a worthy film in its own right, with its own virtues.

Immediately shoots to the top of the list of the year's worst movies.

While it's filled with quality actors, this James Bond tale for tweens feels like something you should be getting for free on television.

There's no attempt at greatness here, just a fabulously successful attempt at a good crime movie. The Oscar-bait self-consciousness of "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator" is gone. In its place is a buoyancy, an impish delight in telling a harsh urban story in the most effective terms possible.