Like its neo-noir kin across the pond, The Guard is violent, profane and funny. But McDonagh is interested in more than mockery.

Spectre isn’t bad — just slightly disappointing.

It’s not necessary to be a jazz fan to get lost in this poetic and poignant film.

The efforts to stay true to the spirit of Schulz are worth a happy dance for kids and adults alike.

Apatow still hasn't set the table for a meaty drama, but making us laugh is a piece of cake.

Sean Penn is excellent as a lawyer who gets in way over his modish curls, but the movie belongs to Pacino, who gives a remarkably controlled performance as a Wise Guy desperately trying to get smart. It's one of Pacino's best roles. [12 Nov 1993, p.3G]

As potential blockbusters go, Batman v Superman is neither as stupid nor as stupendous as it might have been.

May be one of the most fun-free, angst-ridden teens we've seen on the big screen in a long time.

Egoyan doesn't flinch from exploring the dark side of curiosity. That includes dealing with sexuality in a way that might make some moviegoers uncomfortable.

World War Z, based on a novel by Max Brooks and directed by Marc Forster ("Quantum of Solace"), has a relatively plausible perspective on mass catastrophe. It deserves comparisons to Steven Soderbergh’s brainy “Contagion.”

A bit slow to get started, and it's nowhere near as funny as "The Hangover." But it'll make you smile.

Despite its flaws, Little Odessa haunts the memory. [30 June 1995, p.3G]

What the film has going for it is a terrific performance from Weisz, who renders Alice at once sympathetic and enigmatic.

Cameos from actors portraying Little Richard, Mick Jagger, Frankie Avalon and Alan Leeds add up to some fun.

I Feel Pretty takes a while to get going, but it eventually finds its groove and proves to be an amusing showcase for Schumer’s talents.

Perhaps best appreciated as a character study -- about a character some moviegoers might prefer to avoid. Still, it's a smart, funny film that flirts with the edge.

As opposed to the "gentlemen's clubs" in sinful cities like Las Vegas, the Crazy Horse attracts couples.

The climax is a little jiggy, almost stupid, given how sharp the dialogue and situations are until that point. It's as if Baumbach just ran out of steam. But given how much there is to like about the movie, its flaws are forgivable. Yes, it's a bit slow in places and talky but it's also funny. And much o f the humor is subtle and smart and nicely calibrated. [19 June 1998, p.E3]

Age of Ultron has self-aware laughs, grandiose themes and the best effects that money can buy. But at this point, it will take true vision to plot the umpteen sequels without getting trapped in a time loop.

Although the choice of interviewees skews the movie in a New Age-y direction, there's less pseudoscience and more heart than in the kindred documentary "What the Bleep Do We Know?"

Keanu is an uneven but frequently hilarious comedy that relies heavily on the appeal of Key and Peele.

It's got a grown-up artfulness, but Winter in Wartime could become a lot of boys' favorite movie.

If you've ever seen anything like A Town Called Panic, you either made it yourself or you dreamed it.

A high-wire act that could crash if the actors were out of sync, but under this big top, the never-better Segel keeps everyone aloft.

The first half of the film dusts off some kitschy picket-fence footage and alarmist news reports to invoke an era when homosexual acts were illegal in 49 states, and gays were subjected to arrest, electroshock and sterilization.

This slice of life is heartening because of its humanity; utter honesty doesn't have to be depressing. [12 Aug 1955, p.3D]

The film will be of particular interest to foreign-policy wonks, but it also plays well as a drama about the limited ability of any president to have a lasting impact.

When a man whose wife was killed by cultists invites us to laugh at life's absurdities, the particulars are almost incidental.

He might be guilty of showboating, but De Niro's knockout performance is a declaration that the star of "Raging Bull" isn't ready to hang up his gloves.

You will get enough laughs out of "The Gold Rush" to make the picture worth while. [14 Sep 1925, p.17]

Ready to Wear is loads of fun, witty and audacious, but you have to be on your toes to follow a serpentine script (by Altman and Barbara Shulgasser) that cleverly interweaves 10 or 12 plot lines. [24 Dec 1994, p.3F]

Newcomer Anna Chlumsky shines in My Girl, a movie sure to hit the same sort of high note among pre-teen girls that Home Alone hit among pre-teen boys. [27 Nov 1991, p.3F]

The Great Gatsby is both swooningly romantic and giddily energetic.

The tone of Nine Months bounces back and forth between farce and sentimentality, and it doesn't always bounce true - the final screaming scene in a new-moon crazed hospital delivery room, for example, goes on way too long. And yet, when it is funny, which is fairly often, Nine Months is very funny. Occasionally, it's hilarious. [14 July 1995, p.3E]

What animates this dramatically constrained film are the lively words and the vitality of nature. An image of butterflies blooming in a bedroom is Keats' worldview in miniature.

Director Susan Seidelman becomes heavy-handed on occasion, but mostly the comedy works to perfection. [10 Dec 1989, p.7DZ]

Notwithstanding its storytelling stumbles, Sleepwalk With Me points in a positive direction for this likable comedian's career.

Like the fairground ride for which it’s named, Wonder Wheel is entertaining but not enlightening.

With a child’s perspective on war, Lore deserves comparisons with “Empire of the Sun” and “Hope and Glory,” and with a feisty female protagonist it stands virtually alone.

Best appreciated as an exercise in style. Based on Martin Booth's novel "A Very Private Gentleman," the film establishes and sustains a mood of suspense, but Corbijn seems only minimally interested in conventional thrills.

The movie goes on a little too long, partly because of one of those we're-not-finished-yet second endings that seem obligatory these days. But, as mindless comedy, the movie is highly entertaining. [10 June 1994, p.3H]

Depp shows again that he truly understands Thompson by delivering a nuanced performance that is remarkably different, but subliminally similar, from the wonderfully outrageous turn he provided in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."

During a summer with the usual transforming robots and young wizards, this chilly flick is a bit of a break, and there are worse options than letting this Orphan in the door.

Draft Day isn’t quite a comedy, but it’s got a similar kind of flow that makes it as easily consumable as lite beer.

Cooke is particularly impressive, imbuing Amanda with a chilling misanthropy. Taylor-Joy plays Lily as a bit too sympathetic, but she nails the character’s cluelessness. And Yelchin, who died in 2016 at the age of 27, turns in a performance that’s as quirky as it is memorable.

Jenison, who had never painted a thing in his life, does indeed produce a beautiful work, but we should never forget that Penn and Teller are professional bamboozlers, and their attempt to re-frame the definition of genius might be nothing but smoke and mirrors.

This showcase for Wiig is sufficiently absurd to make real-world parallels laughable.

If you like to have your mind blown, this movie will do the job. [10 Mar 1992, p.4D]

While Black is painfully effective as the dork who drops slangy kudos on his new BFF, Marsden is a revelation.

A director whose breakthrough was the story of a madman's last stand has exceeded that feat with the story of an angry man's next step.

It’s Belgian actor Schoenaerts who will leave the target audience atwitter. Seemingly incapable of cracking a smile, he fits securely in the stoic-farmer tradition that stretches from John Wayne in “The Quiet Man” to Russell Crowe in “The Water Diviner.”

Perhaps the larger issue is that we just expect better from the company that gave us so much more originality and smarts in movies such as “WALL-E,” “Toy Story” and “Inside Out.” Enjoy it for what it is.

This hand-drawn French import is fresh evidence that you don’t need computers and singing princesses to make a charming animated movie.

White Boy Rick is good enough, but you keep wanting it to be better.

Based on a true story, The Lady in the Van is a well-acted but somewhat wearying exercise in British whimsy.

A solid remake of Victor Hugo's classic about a man who steals a loaf of bread and the police inspector who hounds him for years because of it, with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush. Director Bille August's focus on the love-story angles blurs the epic messages about freedom, honor and justice. [07 Jun 1998, p.C6]

The film is hilarious, however, and the comic bits are nearly enough to distract audiences from the illogical turns of the screenplay. [19 July 1996, p.3E]

As a tale of a boy, his dog and their battles with bad guys, it's a treasure.

If you’ve been wondering how Washington really works, this film is required viewing.

The iconic actor may be too gruff for sainthood, but Murray still retains a secret stash of soul.

The whining reaches new heights in Husbands and Wives, and it was one of the things that bothered me. Another was the over-jerky camera movement as he tried to give the film the look of a documentary but only made it look like a bad home movie. A third was his use of characters looking straight at the camera and talking to an off-screen person, perhaps a psychiatrist. I think that's a phony device. On the other hand, I found more Allen humor along the way than in several of his recent movies, and he kept it brighter than the depressing tone the subject matter would seem to allow. When he didn't whine, Allen was excellent, and so was Sydney Pollack as his friend Jack. [27 Sept 1992, p.6C]

Washington is surprisingly persuasive as a world-weary blade-wielder, and Oldman makes the most of a not particularly interesting villain. But the film's breakout star may be Kunis, who brings to Solara a blend of sassiness and sexiness that's reminiscent of Michelle Pfeiffer.

With stately surroundings and hissable villains, director Amma Assante imbues the finale with such dramatic resonance that Belle becomes a ringing proclamation of human dignity.

The Jungle Book is, in a sense, a movie for children, but it is one that adults should love as well. [23 Dec 1994, p.3F]

While the PG-13 approach to the most brutally sustained war the world has ever known makes it suitable for mature children, some cynical adults may resent the tug of the reins. Me, I cried like a grandmother.

Unlike the benchmark sports documentary "Hoop Dreams," Undefeated doesn't have a deep penetration of poverty and race in its playbook, but it does have enough heart to make substantial forward progress.

An airy comedy that will stimulate the boomers' nostalgic feelings and deliver a few good laughs for the kids who can't reminisce. [22 Aug 1997, p.06E]

The overall direction of the movie may be strongly polemical, but its real strength comes from the resonance of a hundred subtle moments. [04 May 1990, p.3F]

As predictable as a 3-and-0 pitch down the middle, but when it’s baseball season, who wants dark clouds?

In recording the timeless traditions of Jewry, he created a new one: the identity crisis that rides on the back of laughter.

The world-class mechanic is Brad Bird, who applies the pacing and spatial freedom of a 'toon to a live-action thriller.

This isn't just another crime story, and it would be misleading to suggest that it has anything to do with stylish gunplay, exhilarating car chases or brutal fistfights.

For better or worse, the whole exercise in lurid leg-pulling goes out with a bang.

Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder, the smart writer-director-producer team, have cast a sardonic eye on Hollywood and come up with a picture of it that is not pretty, but is certainly fascinating. [25 Aug 1950, p.2D]

AS cotton-candy, pap movies go, Look Who's Talking Now! offers plenty of smiles, a few laughs and a terrific pair of talking woofers. Not since Mr. Ed have animals with a verbal attitude been so engaging. [5 Nov 1993, p.10E]

A generally entertaining movie. Given the material, however, it probably should have been better - somehow, few of the scenes in the movie stick in the memory the way they do in Willeford's book. [20 Apr 1990, p.3F]

You can tell by some loose threads and hurried workmanship that God’s Pocket is a knock-off, but it’s so stuffed with value, it’s an offer you can’t refuse.

The real fun of “Jumanji” lies in the casting. The towering Johnson and scrappy Hart play especially well off each other.

Even more than its predecessors in the "Star Wars" series, Return of the Jedi is about incredible special effects and astonishingly effective costumes and makeup. The characters and dialogue get lost somewhere between the bug-eyed monsters and the exploding spaceships, but it is all so much fun it probably really does not matter a whole lot.

Highly enjoyable while you’re watching it, but it’s not particularly memorable.

As an exercise in craft, it's surprisingly successful, thanks to the strong cast and the vivid depiction of a modern leader's security apparatus. But as a political statement or personal drama, The Ghost Writer is nearly invisible.

The Guardians make a winning team that is a prime candidate for a sequel, just like "The Avengers."

If the film is a bit too slow-paced, it’s also uniquely mesmerizing, with performances that perfectly complement the episodic narrative.

Pleasant, well-acted but somewhat overlong, The Way was written and directed by Estevez, who's perhaps best known for his acting career ("The Breakfast Club").

Even more than most versions of Anna Karenina, this chamber piece is heated by two combustible characters, not by the winds of war and peace.

In his affect and attitude, he’s refreshingly free of bluster. And it’s almost unbelievable that a man of his power and prestige insists on maintaining such a modest lifestyle.

The Debt eventually settles into a predictable groove that slightly undercuts its impact. Still, it's a film of ambition and substance.

Even after all the problems are discussed, a de Palma thriller at less than full speed is as good or better than most directors can turn out with their foot to the floor. [11 Aug 1992, p.4D]

Wrath of Man feels like a homecoming for director and star, and an evolution, too. With Statham in the lead, playing one of his classically taciturn and tactically lethal action heroes, Ritchie is as restrained and controlled as he’s been in years.

A textured and unexpectedly entertaining drama about the human toll when racial assumptions crash.

FLETCH LIVES is significantly funnier than the original ''Fletch,'' probably because it takes itself just a a little bit more seriously...While there are one-liners aplenty, there also is at least the hint of a real mystery. And this time, Chevy Chase seems to have broken loose from the Burt Reynolds syndrome, which involves trying to get laughs with a bad line by making a funny face. [22 March 1989, p.4F]

What makes this low-key movie memorable are the pitch-perfect performances.

Sometimes the juxtaposition of moods is a bit jarring and the collection of varying characters almost too much. Mostly though, they work to create a weirdly fascinating film that unfolds leisurely, offering vivid intensity, some humor and strong performances along the way. [13 Nov 1998, p.E3]

Broken Embraces is stylish and sly, an engaging exercise that gives us less than meets the eye.

What about those who haven’t read the book? Divergent, the movie, still offers a smart, spunky, sympathetic heroine, a hunky love interest and a sobering if rather obvious message about the value of being true to oneself rather than mindlessly conforming.

The Wedding Banquet is sweet and touching and, at times, very funny. [27 Aug 1993, p.3F]

The story is predictable from start to finish, but there's ample fun getting there. Director Ken Kwapis lets the orangutan set the tone, and it ends up a slapstick ensemble comedy. [12 Jan 1996, p.3E]

Bad Words is often very funny, thanks to Bateman’s brick-wall malevolence and screenwriter Andrew Dodge’s inventively rude dialogue.