After watching the trailers, I was expecting torture, but this smart, subversive movie made me laugh. So shoot me.

Living in Oblivion is a hip, funny, at times oddly sweet little movie that suggests Tom DiCillo has a bright future. [11 Aug 1995, p.3E]

Cinema often shines a light on stories that might have been lost to history, and that’s certainly true of A United Kingdom.

If you require a plot, look elsewhere.

My Cousin Vinny would have been a moderately funny movie in any case. But with Joe Pesci in the leading role, the movie escalates several notches to a rough-and-tumble, exciting comedy and proves that Pesci is one of the most versatile actors in the business. [19 Mar 1992, p.6E]

Bad Moms starts with an edge but eventually turns sentimental. The most entertaining and honest moments zero in on motherhood and friendship — and busting the rules of the PTA.

Mainstream moviemaking at its most proficient, with a zippy script, comfort-food casting and a breakout performance by a deserving star.

This stylish film reminds us that great images endure after bodies and buildings crumble.

The documentary ends on a hopeful note, as Indians themselves have taken control of their image.

Guilty By Suspicion isn't easy, but it's a powerful and gripping story, and the fact that it's true makes it that much stronger during the action and slightly incredible afterward when considering the fact that it happened at all. [15 Mar 1991, p.3F]

If you are willing to forgive it a lot -- and on a sunny, winter-spring day, my capacity for forgiveness was immense -- Chances Are can be an entertaining little trifle. [17 March 1989, p.3F]

A comic-book flick that’s as thrilling and enthralling as it is pretentious and preposterous. The story is just an excuse for the action sequences, and the Marvel strategy remains intact: When in doubt, blow stuff up.

It's a tart trifle, but in the madding crowd of year-end movies, Tamara Drewe rocks.

Mainstream audiences will note that Hudson has never been better and that the tearjerking taps into something universal. For audiences seeking shelter from superhero carnage, Wish I Was Here is a lovely place to be.

Although Ready Player One is nowhere near as memorable as “Jaws” or “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” it demonstrates that the director is fully capable of adapting to the times. What the film lacks in substance, it makes up for in style.

While Walt and El Grupo is less than a penetrating analysis, it's more than a Mickey Mouse advertisement.

Because the movie captures the period so well and argues so convincingly that the Runaways' very existence was revolutionary, it doesn't have to exaggerate the highs and lows to create a more salable story.

An ideal showcase for Tomlin, who brings to the film a winning blend of contrariness and effervescence.

While the big-headed, spindly puppets don't evoke enough emotion to make the movie a must-see, Burton's 3-D design team pours its heart into the monochrome surroundings, from the suburban décor to Victor's laboratory to the carnival midway.

Turturro, who previously directed a musical called "Romance and Cigarettes," lingers on the sensual movements of the performers and the character faces of the onlookers.

It's a comedic dramatization with a looming shadow of the surreal.

This documentary reconstructing the life of the ultimate cult author is like a three-act thriller, and the character at the center of the story is a mute man of mystery. Salinger would have recognized the irony, even as he hated the film for invading his privacy.

Just when you've decided it's just another queasy thriller about a woman-hating serial killer, and you're beginning to wonder if Hollywood isn't making too many of these nasty little things, Malice winds up and delivers a terrific curveball. [01 Oct 1993, p.3EV]

The film is directed with dark stylishness by Katt Shea Ruben from a screenplay she wrote with the film's producer, Andy Ruben. [29 May 1992, p.3F]

This film might easily have settled for mocking religion. Instead, it's a fascinating glimpse into a culture that forces some people to choose between fitting in and opting out.

Sorry, partisans, but there’s nothing obvious about Obvious Child.

A film that aims for the stars and may have found one here on earth.

Despite playing with a stacked deck, The Judge is guilty of exceeding expectations.

Stays too low to the ground to become an animated classic, but if there's a fairer midwinter's tale, wherefore art thou?

Even if they don't provide much lift, these boots were made for amusement.

Some of the themes and the hallucinatory special effects are reminiscent of Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch,” and there are cheeky allusions to “Dawn of the Dead” and even “Eyes Wide Shut,” but a viewer with an open mind might say that this midnight-style movie is more enjoyable than any of them.

One one level, Pride is as fake as a lip-sync revue, yet the emotions it arouses are real.

Offers an inside look at Iran in all its cultural complexity.

While the chronological details and social significance of the story Webb reported get shortchanged, Kill the Messenger is a vital reminder that a free press must be free to press the powerful for answers.

Margin Call has a spectacular cast, and the 24-hour cycle of events gives the movie the compressed dramatic effect of a fine play.

The several allusions to Thomas Mann’s forbidden-love novel “Death in Venice” are apt, but Yossi is also a standalone film and an extraordinary sequel.

Unfortunately, Garcia can't quite resist sentimentality, giving us an ending that's a bit too emotionally neat. Still, Mother and Child is a thoughtful and provocative film about the way we live now.

Because of some sentimental backspin, Affleck doesn't quite hit it out of the park, but he may provoke the green monster of envy in lesser directors.

May be too light for vampire purists or fans of the original show, but fresh blood is just what the doctor ordered.

The photography is gorgeous, the action is predictable but fairly exciting and young Ethan Hawke is winning in the lead role [26 Jan 1991, p.3D]

Seth Rogen is the Green Hornet. What else do you need to know?

It's not exactly aiming for the moon, but in a marketplace where surpassed expectations are as rare as unicorns, Despicable Me is delightful.

In such a bleak story, the redemptive ending seems rushed and unconvincing, but director Oliver Schmitz has sent us a timely dispatch from a forgotten corner of the world that is honest above all.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is slower and stranger than any of the previous films, simultaneously raising hopes for a haunting finale while dimming hopes for a magical one.

He's not in Mark Wahlberg's league, and 21 Jump Street isn't quite as funny as "The Other Guys," but by lampooning himself here, Tatum has bought himself a grace period to grow in.

Lethal Weapon 2, a sequel, is better than the first film, Lethal Weapon. Not only better, but far better, for the following reasons: Joe Pesci. Less (if not much) violence. Danny Glover doesn't try to be Bill Cosby at home. A screenplay that is funny. Joe Pesci. [07 July 1989, p.3E]

Fences is perhaps best appreciated as a showcase for the brilliant acting of Washington and Davis.

Point Break is a perfect example of the contemporary "B" movie. And, like a lot of the old B movies, those cheap thrillers of the 1940s and 1950s, Point Break has considerably more raw energy than almost all of the higher-priced products. [12 July 1991, p.3F]

Based on a true story, Crown Heights is a predictable but moving story of friendship and perseverance. Writer-director Matt Ruskin elicits strong performances that go a long way toward compensating for the film’s often languid pace.

It is, as it stands, a lavish creation. [13 Apr 1936, p.3C]

On a moral-justice level, we’d like to see this worm squirm a little more over his treatment of ex-colleagues before we let him off the hook to say that everyone else was cheating too.

96 Minutes is a mere introduction to Sociology 101, but it's brisk enough to rustle the reading list and keep the conversation alive.

Of all the films to come out the conflict, Afghan Star is the most provocative, because its message that people are essentially the same is a dubious, double-edge sword.

The macabre comedic undertones are reminiscent of a Coen brothers film like "Blood Simple." But a more apt comparison is to an obscure Canadian bank-heist flick called "The Silent Partner," in which teller Elliot Gould pockets some loot from thief Christopher Plummer. Both movies imitate an American idiom with a provincial accent.

Just misses living up to its name.

The Tree might have suffered from too much symbolism if not for writer-director Julie Bertuccelli's deft touch and Gainsbourg's appealing performance.

If we want a bigger picture, we’ll have to wait for God to green-light “Noah: The Next Generation.”

In the roll call of visually distinctive ’toons, Epic looms large.

Whereas "Chill" attempted to define a generation, "Lies" is more of a statement about the nature and limits of friendship.

Gerwig makes us want to believe that in a city where anything is possible, Francis Ha has the last laugh.

Some moviegoers will find the experience frustrating; others will be exhilarated by a film that’s far afield from the usual formulas.

Difficult to watch at times, Star Maps is imbued with enough raw humor and emotionalism that the overall result is gripping. [22 Aug 1997, p.3E]

It's the kind of movie that inspires word-of-mouth recommendations by speaking the international language of culture clash.

The most mesmerizing parts of the movie make up a tutorial about how the Muppets are made and moved.

With elements of a musical, a melodrama and a multicultural romance, Where Do We Go Now? is as hard to define as the crossroads region where it's set. But even without a clear signal, it sometimes seems miraculous.

When the smoke clears, heady Farewell stands tall among the movies that view the Cold War at close range.

It's smart, heartfelt, handsome and just mutated enough to sustain interest in a specialized subject.

Given the stormy milieu, The Yellow Handkerchief could have been a sordid slice of life or a maudlin metaphor. But the unhurried direction of Udayan Prasad and the unafraid choices of the sure-footed cast keep this character-driven drama afloat.

Thin Ice resides just slightly south of "Fargo."

Helped by dozens of throw-away sight gags, and almost every minor comedian who has ever appeared on the seminal television comedy series, Coneheads is surprisingly funny. [23 July 1993, p.3F]

Ondine is dipped in whimsy and might have drifted out to sea, but it's bounded on four sides by love stories -- between a father and a daughter, a man and a mermaid, an actor and his co-star, and a director and his country.

Although it has some memorably disquieting scenes, this story of long-delayed justice is sustained by its melancholy more than its thrills.

Denham impressively captures Peter's flintiness, rendering him sympathetic yet not quite likable, and Vicius is just right as the wary Lorna.

Like a train, I Wish is slow to build momentum, then it carries us away in a wondrous rush.

Afghanistan-born Atiq Rahimi has powerfully adapted his own acclaimed novel, but the film is unlikely to play in the Middle Eastern countries to which this plea for sexual equality seems directed.

The multiple cameras that shadow Anker and his novice partner provide unprecedented images. But they also raise unintended questions about the vanishing frontier.

Unexpectedly poignant.

While the movie is funnier than the book, the drawback of this modernized version is that it loses the timeless quality of the story on the page.

Such a disarming homage to the cinema of the Reagan era that even grouchy gremlins might feel like it's morning in America. But be forewarned that if this movie is exposed to sunlight, you'll notice the puppet strings.

It's guilty of some sleight-of-hand hokum, but in pulling the rug from under the norm, Magic Mike turns a trick.

In the early scenes, Cambridge brilliantly conveys Gerber's obnoxiousness while making him sympathetic. Later, Cambridge imbues the character with a blend of outrage and pride that's breathtaking. [31 Jul 2008, p.8]

Although it doesn’t make a lick of sense as a stand-alone story, Mockingjay — Part 1 is the first “Hunger Games” movie with meat on its bones.

The surprisingly rich documentary Best Worst Movie views the phenomenon from a unique perspective.

Too short and undisciplined to be a world-class comedy, but its chutzpah deserves respect.

Timed for the Halloween season, Ouija: Origin of Evil should have horror fans clutching their seats.

It may not be original, but Adam could leave a lump in your throat.

This animated feature is not a perfect movie, but it's an enjoyable one. Like the animated TV series it is based on, it strikes a balance between the adult darkness of the recent Tim Burton movies and the childish silliness of the old TV show. More than anything, this version of Batman recalls the original Bob Kane comic books of the 1940s: dark with light touches, cartoony yet realistic. [31 Dec 1993, p.3F]

The latest in pseudo-scientific horror films, Them!... displays some ingenuity and imagination and is guaranteed to raise a fright wig on every head for the first half, anyway. [18 Jun 1954, p.2D]

The Freshman is not the kind of movie where one wonders about plot twists or logic. One enjoys Brando and Broderick, and chuckles at a considerable amount of comedy. [27 July 1990, p.8F]

As a documentary, “Eat That Question” is kind of raggedy. But a more polished film might not have been in keeping with Zappa’s anarchic spirit.

As a man committed to reinventing himself, Damon is terrific. And Johansson brings to Kelly just the right blend of spunkiness and hard-won maturity.

Directed by and starring Mathieu Amalric, it’s a deceptively low-key riff on a Hitchcock whodunit. It’s both sexy and inscrutable, a cold-blooded puzzler to the very end.

Its main pluses are that it's imaginative and, at times, very funny. Its main drawbacks are too many humans and an overall tone that is much too dark and edgy for very young audiences. [27 Nov 1998, p.B3]

The kind of working-class, character-driven drama that few American directors would dare to make. It's tough and unsentimental, with a documentary aesthetic that belies the craft of the calibrated tension.

Pine brings a measured but engaging heroism to Kirk. Quinto is perfect as the logical but charismatic Spock. Urban lends the proceedings a much appreciated dose of humor. And even with his famously expressive face obscured by makeup, Elba elevates Krall to something more than a cardboard villain.

What makes Love Is Strange so special is that the challenges the couple face are more mundane than menacing.

If you're looking for down and dirty, Kiss of Death delivers the goods. [21 Apr 1995, p.3E]

Most biographical docs contain a montage of old footage, but this one is especially haunting. As Campbell watches home movies, he has to ask Kim to identify the people on screen, including his ex-wives, his children and his younger self.