The sweeping scenery, made even more thrilling by Basil Poledouris' score, makes up for the slow moments. And Selleck and Rickman are equally convincing in their respective roles as the undisputed good guy and bad. [19 Oct 1990, p.3F]

Lacks the urgency of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" But Paine's thorough knowledge of his subject, and engaging way with an interview, make the follow-up film a fun ride.

Michael Keaton and Christian Bale are the best. George Clooney and Ben Affleck are among the worst. But Will Arnett is by far the funniest.

Although there are gentle detour discussions about advertising in classrooms and school buses, Spurlock's ironic approach can't convince us that ads are toxic. Indeed, when he visits sprawling Sao Paolo, Brazil, where all outdoor advertising has been banned, it seems as sterile as Stalingrad.

Sausage Party is cute and cheeky and harmless. But it is decidedly not for kids.

Provocative, intelligent but just a bit underwhelming, Our Brand Is Crisis — inspired by a 2005 documentary of the same name — plays as if the filmmakers started out with Oscar aspirations but ultimately weren’t up to the challenge.

While Banderas' dark intensity overshadows the potential poignancy of the story, Almodovar is such a skilled surgeon that he extracts a juicy nugget of pleasure from a purely distasteful premise.

It has a game cast, it’s watchable, fun, sick, sad and has to be seen to be believed.

Of course, there's a kind of reverse snobbery in touting cheap movies over polished ones. But if Not Quite Hollywood is not quite convincing, it is quite entertaining.

This affable comedy is a healthy alternative to tearjerkers.

The troupe's first film in more than a decade, is a more aggressively absurd antidote to what it calls "a hard, cynical world." Happily, it works.

Despite the crass book promotion, the overlong film is harmless romantic fun that's well played.

A lot like video games and candy: light entertainment but fun while it lasts.

Good Time is not so much a crime drama as it is a meditation on the genre’s virtues and limitations.

Webb delivers a film that’s somewhat derivative, but succeeds as a welcome alternative to superhero extravaganzas.

This very male and methodical movie is like the anti-“Gravity,” as the un-moored hero is quietly in control of his options and at peace with his possible failure.

It breaks no new ground, offers no ingenious plot twist and makes no unique character insights. But who cares when the movie is so much fun. [02 June 1992, p.4D]

This Swedish sensation is a magic trick that jolts the murder-mystery genre back to life.

While the movie sometimes seems like faux Fincher, the symbiotic acting, artful imagery and punchline ending turn True Story into credible entertainment.

Marley is thus a valuable history project but not a definitive or analytical one. For that, we await a film that's less "One Love" and more "Stir It Up."

Few mainstream movies, let alone disability dramas, are so frank about sexual mechanics, yet notwithstanding the nudity, The Sessions isn't voyeuristic or sleazy.

Monkey Kingdom tugs our heartstrings to the top of the trees. With a lot of patience, and perhaps a little trickery, directors Mark Linfield and Alastair Fothergill have produced a simian “Cinderella.”

In the context of confounded expectations, director Maxime Giroux may have intended the what’s-next ending to be ironic.

Mistress America doesn’t quite achieve the magic of “Frances Ha.” But it’s a fresh take on the comic possibilities of friendship among the young.

The acting is solid, but the story sags from time to time, and it's very predictable, though when it's funny, it's very funny. [21 Nov 1992, p.7D]

Although Tomboy is as tightly constructed as a short story and as seemingly straightforward as a documentary, the parable about a small fib that grows out of control is so rooted in the rich soil of sexual identity that it entangles us.

A good nature film - and a great technical achievement.

A bit undernourished to fit into the crown of a comedy classic. But the sharp wit, soft-focus cinematography and slow-motion lyricism lift it into the realm of this summer’s nicest surprises.

Arthur Christmas stays sweet without becoming overly sentimental and is filled with sly details and smart action sequences.

The documentary offers undercooked subplots about Gruber’s mostly Hispanic staff and his romance with a health-conscious Catholic acupuncturist, but Deli Man is best when it sticks to the menu.

But even without world-class smarts or amusing mutations, the next generation of “Jurassic” is an enjoyable ride.

How could you not marvel at a movie that includes a revisionist explanation of the JFK assassination, a football stadium floating over the White House and the sight of Richard Nixon firing a .45 at a villain in a Christ-figure pose?

Littman avoids excess, just as she does throughout this gripping, moving, terribly unpleasant--and yet valuable--motion pictures. [25 Nov 1983, p.5E]

An engaging comedy-drama that avoids becoming too much of a tearjerker.

The Messenger is the debut film of writer and director Oren Moverman, but it's worldly wise, with two well-rounded characters.

The been-there, done-that nature of the plot doesn't take away from the undeniable sweetness found in Just Wright.

Gibney is as dramatic a storyteller as the Hollywood directors with whom he competes for our attention, and he employs a big bag of tricks.

A fanciful French cousin to Allen's "Zelig" and "The Purple Rose of Cairo," yet the fulfilled wish for a better life is high-concept absurdity without high-anxiety guffaws.

Just when this black-and-white, microbudget movie seems poised to spring an indictment of the Dickensian social order, it ends, but in a redemptive ray of color.

As the climactic scenes approach, the audience must find a way through a number of large plot holes and suspend disbelief, but The Vanishing remains a strong, entertaining movie. [05 Feb 1993, p.3G]

Although there's a skeletal story, A Cat in Paris evokes a mood instead of a moral. Like a cat nap, it gives us a brief, refreshing dream with little to remember.

Neither as magic nor as trippy as the culture quake that it documents, but it's a valuable flashback and a pleasurable contact high.

This debut film is fun, and everyone involved can proudly declare, “Honey, I shrunk the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

It's simply an opportunity to spend time with characters who may lack depth but are fun to watch.

The campus comedy Pitch Perfect harmonizes high-end performance with low-brow spoofery. It's like a National Lampoon parody where the targets write the jokes.

If you want to see a great movie about a political campaign, starring the smartest heartthrob of his era, rent "The Candidate." If you want see a very good one, buy a ticket for The Ides of March.

IF you can accept the notion of a sympathetic character who is also a hit man - in other words, if you went along with the game in "Pulp Fiction" and "Bulletproof Heart" - you should enjoy 2 Days in the Valley, a fast-moving, sometimes violent, sometimes sexy, sometimes surprisingly funny story of crime and romance in the San Fernando Valley. [27 Sept 1996, p.3E]

The film’s greatest asset is Reynolds, who in Deadpool finally found the role of his dreams. Reynolds totally sells the character’s blend of reckless self-absorption and reluctant heroics.

Anchored by its leads, Coup! is a tasty morsel of social commentary about problems that continue to plague our world.

While director Michael Roskam lays the groundwork for a heist thriller, The Drop is fueled by character, not plot.

If all you want from a movie are generous doses of laughs and some tender moments, She's Out Of My League should be right up your alley.

Willard Carroll's poignant, witty script and graceful direction make up for some soap-opera moments. [24 Jan 1999, p.D8]

Suarez and Ugarte complement each other beautifully, lending Julieta a multidimensional gravitas. And Grandinetti is fine as a man who has no choice but to go with her flow.

The Immigrant is not unlike a Prohibition-era “Taxi Driver,” with Cotillard as the apprentice hooker, Phoenix as the sweet-talking pimp and Jeremy Renner (playing the theater’s magician, Orlando) as the would-be savior.

Aiming for a middle path between drama and comedy, The Way Way Back is so overloaded with jokes that it could sink in the water hazard, but on the final scorecard, sure enough, it’s in the hole.

Gleeson is great as the troubled, conscientious priest, but until an abruptly shocking finale, his fatalism turns the ticking clock into a congested hourglass.

A well-made, strong three-generation saga that deals with a number of interesting - and sometimes uncomfortable - topics. [27 Oct 1989, p.3F]

Perhaps best known for the HBO series “Sex and the City,” Nixon deftly balances wit and melancholy. And Ehle is empathy personified. This is a film of subtle beauty.

What Barrymore brings is good-natured, girl-powered subversion, a sense of when to flaunt clichés and when to flip them over the rails.

The acting is first-rate. Gosling masterfully fills in Luke’s motivational blanks, and Cooper nicely handles Avery’s evolution from idealist to manipulator.

The Well-Digger's Daughter is perhaps a bit too sentimental. But the performances are so heartfelt that its occasional excesses are easily forgiven. In a movie summer too often obsessed with things that go boom, this film is all about romance.

The movie is not great, but it is sincere and has enough powerful segments and raw energy to keep it exciting and provocative. [13 Dec 1998, p.D8]

Sticks to the syllabus of a decidedly minor movie, but its humanities faculty is first-rate.

Even with a large cast, groovy clothes and cool pop songs, Hawkins holds our attention with a combination of modesty and moral strength.

The sharp writing and tag-team antics lift 22 Jump Street to a high level.

A minor revelation.

Teller turns in one of his best performances as the contemplative Adam, who’s haunted by the choices he made on the battlefield. And Koale brings a poignant vulnerability to Solo.

The acting is quite good, and Marshall keeps suspense as high as possible, considering we all know the eventual conclusion. [15 Jan 1993, p.3E]

It’s a measure of the movie’s success that we never stop to question how or when the trickery is employed.

Thankfully, all of the voice actors from the original return, including Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill and Craig Ferguson, and keep lightening the mood.

Schepisi, with his camera always moving, has the knack of keeping the viewer as slightly off balance as Guare's story does, and the result is a fascinating motion picture. [21 Jan 1994, p.3F]

If you think foreign films can’t compete with Hollywood when it comes to delivering popcorn entertainment, prepare to be carried away by The Wave.

Sometimes the zaniness borders on stupidity, but more often it hits the jovial farce mark, which is largely because of writer Andrew Bergman's clever screenplay, Michael Hoffman's tight direction and a generally first-rate ensemble cast. [31 May 1991, p.3F]

In steering a course between the rock of rude humor and the hard place of perilous drama, How to Train Your Dragon flies high.

This well-executed sequel is sneaky. While it distracts us with Chinese backdrops and buffoonish humor, it sucker punches us with a message about belonging.

More benevolent than Bill Maher's snarky flick "Religulous" and a heaven-sent affirmation of our common humanity.

Within the bloodshot-eye perspective of their other stoner comedies, it’s bluntly funny and ever-so-slightly sweet.

Suburbicon is a flawed attempt at dark comedy, but it’s hardly the disaster that critical buzz would have you believe.

Although it starts slowly, the accumulated tension and thematic resonance leaves us breathless.

A tamer tale of supernatural shenanigans that is far more appropriate for young children than the sometimes too-scary scenes from J.K. Rowling's stories.

The rare film that flows from a wellspring of ideas.

Doesn't rise to classic status, but it's an intriguing mood piece.

The movie falters once in a while, but Williams, whose frenetic pace had to drive the cinematographers crazy, is again impressive. There are serious moments in and around the comedy, and the comedy is delightful. [18 May 1990, p.3F]

Indeed, most of the famous faces are surprisingly adept at singing. Even when the actors are not lip-syncing (which seems to be about half the time), the dense, clever lyrics are intelligible.

Perhaps the spookiest thing in this slyly scary movie is the word-for-word way that Patrick's followers regurgitate his pablum.

The sequel has the same tone as the original but is livelier and funnier, mostly due to Hugh Grant, who gleams as the bad guy.

Like "The Squid and the Whale," this character study pushes the definition of comedy to the breaking point, and unlike the far less successful "Margot at the Wedding," it leaves us faintly smiling after the workout.

The debut creation of director Ritesh Batra, it’s a lovely little film from a place where the little things linger.

These wars being fought in our name may be dirty, but this courageous film reminds us that as long as we have a free press, they don’t have to be secret.

Like black coffee that's flung in our face, The Killer Inside Me silences the question of whether it's good or bad. But for darn sure, it's strong.

Ruby in Paradise is a fine, quietly moving look at a young woman's voyage of discovery. It is most memorable for the feature-film debut of Ashley Judd in the title role, but the rest of the cast is excellent, as well, and Gregory Nunez (Gal Young 'Un) directs from his own script with heartfelt clarity. [26 Nov 1993, p.3F]

With a greater emphasis on sex than violence, Spring Breakers is a more enjoyable guilty pleasure than “Natural Born Killers” and just as acute about our cultural devolution. For all its seeming stupidity, its masterstroke is making us complicit in the corruption of its young stars (who include the director’s own wife).

In telling a true story about hapless thugs who are the embodiment of Michael Bay fans, the director has made the most fiendishly enjoyable movie of his career.

It honors the original throughout, including a memorable nightclub scene and a surprise cameo that's a huge crowd-pleaser, while at the same time giving updates to make it fresher and better than ever.

The Women on the 6th Floor shouldn't work, but this efficient flick whisks away our cynicism.

Streep is astonishing, conveying Child's gusto, her quavering voice, even her height.

The edginess here isn't merely facile. Goldthwait's movies, including the under-appreciated "Shakes the Clown," are about reclaiming dignity from the dung heap. And he's found a fitting collaborator.

Among the pleasures of "Ghosts of Mississippi" is the rare chance to see Goldberg, who is such a fine actress, in a serious role. [03 Jan 1997, p.E03]