A scene involving wolves upset by Seal’s singing is worth the price of admission all by itself.

As a critic who complains about painless and brainless action movies, I hoist a glass of mead to the men and maidens of Ironclad.

Certain Women requires patience from the viewer and isn’t for anyone, but it’s a film of quiet and lingering beauty.

Clarke and Claflin both turn in acutely human performances, rounding out their characters and sharing palpable chemistry. At the risk of sounding very British, it’s all lovely.

Overreaching fits of melodrama, occasionally stilted dialogue, and performances by Gooding Jr. and Howard that are mostly a series of serious faces can't keep the shiny Red Tails from taking flight.

It’s an old-fashioned tale of an individual overcoming the odds — only in this case, that individual happens to be a horse.

In the end, children will enjoy Inside Out for the fun colors (each emotion is conveniently color-coded) and entertaining adventure, and will end the movie cheering. Grown-ups are more likely to watch with their own emotions on their sleeves and wind up sniffling.

Proving that the studio should stick with fairy tales and myths instead of literature and history, Hercules is presented as a lively, animated feature with whiplash-quick one-liners and a heavenly score by the inspired team of Alan Mencken and David Zippel. [27 June 1997, p.3E]

In one of the most wickedly funny scenes in sci-fi history, Koba uses monkeyshines to bamboozle some gun-toting yahoos and scuttle the peace treaty.

Until the sci-fi switcheroo, the versatile supporting cast puts Gary in such a ridiculous light that we can’t help laughing at him. Then suddenly this subversive movie challenges us to laugh at our own assumptions.

James makes for a charismatic hero, and former “Saturday Night Live” star Sudeikis is a revelation as the steadfast Snyder.

Much like its main character, The Meddler exudes an irresistible charm.

Superbly acted, and a return to form for Tavernier, who guided jazz legend Dexter Gordon to an Oscar nomination for "'Round Midnight" (1986).

Exotica is a little hard to believe, but if it catches you, it holds on tight. [24 Mar 1995, p.3E]

Succeeds as both advocacy and entertainment by focusing on the family.

To the Wonder teeters between experimentation and incoherence. Does it deserve to be seen? Absolutely. Just be aware of what you’re getting into.

Dope is funny, slick and sharp.

Unsettling yet mesmerizing, The Witch is more of an art film than a horror flick.

Memoirs of an Invisible Man' is a generally entertaining bit of nonsense, a slick blend of suspense, comedy and special effects. [28 Feb 1992, p.3F]

The movie is best enjoyed as a minor-key operatic, not a coherent story. While Law bellows blasphemous poetry, his director orchestrates a noirish light show with a cockeyed rhythm.

Not many science-fiction films can accurately be described as poignant, especially those from the kitschy 1950s. But The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) definitely qualifies. [26 Jun 2008, p.4]

Perry manages to pull it off here, coming off completely likable and real, never insufferable and fake.

Holland, working with a largely English cast, brings a different - European, perhaps - sensibility to the film, and I think it works. [13 Aug 1993, p.3F]

Director Roar Uthaug (“The Wave”) delivers a state-of-the-art popcorn flick that’s at its best when the focus is on the spunky Lara rather than the special effects.

With its mix of true-blood romance and full-moon madness, Let Me In should hasten the twilight of the twerpy pretenders.

What enriches the recipe is that no one is quite as cagey as they seem. Colin is officially thuggish, but he's a blinkered romantic. Archie is a mama's boy, Meredith is gay, Mal is impotent, and Peanut wears dentures.

With its excellent, offbeat cast, its sprightly pacing and its goofy tone, Tremors is the kind of movie that propels you out of the theater with a grin on your face. [26 Jan 1990, p.3F]

I still liked Marshall's movie version of Frankie & Johnny for many of the same reasons I liked his Pretty Woman. Neither one is a big picture, nor particularly realistic, and yet despite their shortcomings - and there are plenty in each - I left the theater feeling good. I also left feeling guilty about feeling good. [17 Oct 1991, p.4E]

For modern moviegoers, the earthy Mr. Turner may seem like slowly steeped tea with an unpleasant aftertaste. But while some are impatiently waiting for the paint to dry, astute viewers will see a cinematic landscape bloom.

Post-Dispatch classical music critic Sarah Bryan Miller told me that Gould's music is as divisive today as it was 50 years ago, when the pianist publicly clashed with conductor Leonard Bernstein over the tempo of a performance.

It's a good if formulaic adventure film that's lifted above the routine by Hopkins and Bart. [26 Sep 1997, p.E03]

Taking potshots at American Sniper is like shooting fish in a barrel. So why should war-weary Americans see it? Because Eastwood remains a masterful action director, and this may be his last hurrah. Because Cooper is one of our best young actors, and he poured a lifetime of craft into stilling his character’s heartbeat.

The Sense of an Ending does not provide easy answers. But it raises intriguing questions.

The inspirational movie named for Robinson’s number is too dignified to throw audiences a curveball, let alone a knockdown pitch, but its solid fundamentals make it a winner.

Two things that the British know that most Americans don't: Michael Sheen is the best actor in the English-speaking world; and soccer is the only football that matters.

Far from being exploitative, Patriots Day honors the Bostonians who responded to terrorism with strength.

A wonderfully acted and stylishly mounted tribute to a screen legend in danger of being forgotten. Unfortunately, the film focuses too much on Grahame’s illness and eventually succumbs to melodrama.

Sensational slanting notwithstanding, Whitney is as powerful and quintessential as it is overwhelming and grueling.

The jump-scares in the fun, funny thrill ride that is “M3GAN” elicit more giggles than groans, but there are also intriguing connections being made on “M3GAN’s” motherboard, behind the glossy surface.

This may not be Scorsese’s best film, but it’s unquestionably his most impassioned.

Mara, perhaps best known for her stint on the Netflix series “House of Cards,” isn’t entirely persuasive as a Marine. But she’s appealing as a young woman who takes control of her life with a little help from an unlikely companion. If you have a soft spot for dogs, this is a love story you’ll find irresistible.

Cenedella may never become a household name, but Art Bastard argues persuasively that fame is overrated.

Perhaps best remembered as a showcase for Stuhlbarg, who delivers a poignantly beautiful monologue that eclipses everything else in the film.

Sometimes macabre and sometimes manipulative, but the way it speaks to the spirit is miraculous.

A gorgeous film that could inspire a whole new crop of astronauts.

The River Wild is an exhilarating thriller, and Streep is memorable as a former whitewater river guide who has to summon up all of her old skills to save her life and the lives of her husband (David Straithairn) and son (Joseph Mazzello). [30 Sep 1994, p.3G]

Foster (“Hell or High Water”), who is best known for portraying unhinged and dangerous characters, is intriguingly enigmatic as Will. And Harcourt McKenzie turns in a hauntingly memorable performance.

It takes awhile for the contemporary moviegoer to adapt to the deliberate pace and the lack of dialogue, but ''Sidewalk Stories'' becomes harder and harder to resist as it goes along, and the ending in a small park filled with homeless people is quite effective. [11 Jan 1990, p.3E]

Three Men and a Little Lady is by no means great comedy, but it is enjoyable nonsense, significantly better than the original movie with its overdose of cutesy-poo gags. [25 Nov 1990, p.7C]

It’s Affleck, as a cop whose skills are criminally underestimated, who makes the biggest impression.

This thriller is both skillfully familiar and chillingly strange.

This deadpan police story produces unexpected chills.

Some may scoff when the boys exhibit traits and interests derived from the biological parents they never knew, but The Other Son is such a disarming feat that cynics will get left at the checkpoint.

An exciting, involving finale, streamlining the complicated end game of Collins’ story without shortchanging the climactic action.

The rich performances from Foster and Gere and the steady direction from Jon Amiel ensure that love is all you need. [09 Feb 1993, p.4D]

A generally effective revenge thriller. [12 Jan 1996, p.3E]

If you’ve been looking for a film that puts a daringly surreal spin on “Cast Away,” you’ll be in paradise.

In a poignant and potentially depressing film, it’s redeeming to see that when they are with their kindred spirits, even the saddest skeletons can dance.

$9.99 may not be entirely successful from a dramatic perspective, and it certainly offers little enlightenment about the meaning of life. But the film is so intriguing in other ways that it's definitely worth a look.

Under Wincer's intelligent direction it is a feel-good family adventure pitting man's bravery and humanity against the vicissitudes of nature and the inhumanity of war. [28 Jul 1995, p.3E]

One man’s mirth is another man’s poison, this critic can only consult his belly as the barometer. On a gut level, Ted 2 is a funny film.

A mention must be given to John Cena, who also appeared in “Trainwreck,” for his comedic talents. Here, he’s a stone-faced drug dealer with a supermarket of goods.

Beirut is a solid political thriller that makes the most of St. Louis native Hamm, who is still best known for his starring role in TV’s “Mad Men.”

While it's satisfying to see fat cats tamed by science and an enraged public, the movie misses the opportunity to sustain the pressure.

If The BFG is unlikely to become a cultural phenomenon of the magnitude of “E.T.,” it’s a film that casts a unique and often mesmerizing spell. But it’s also a bit too talky, particularly in the early going, and Spielberg lets numerous opportunities for humor slip by.

The Secret of Roan Inish glows with a misty, lyrical beauty, helped no little by the cinematography of Haskell Wexler. Once again, writer-director Sayles ("Passion Fish") succeeds in creating a mature, complex film that touches the heart without using any Hollywood tricks. [14 Apr 1995, p.3E]

It comes together with a gruesome though excellent ending that some will find difficult to shake.

Only when the camera is on Vikander does the film transcend its artifice. In one of the year’s best performances, she imbues Gerda with such poignancy and grace that Redmayne all but fades into the background.

There will never be another Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor, but Hollywood may have found a new Lee Remick in Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

Q&A is about 20 minutes too long, and it sometimes gets confusing, but Lumet, who has been making powerful films since Twelve Angry Men in 1957, has not lost his strength. [27 Apr 1990, p.3F]

Goodbye First Love is like a postcard from a lost Eden, a painfully pure oasis where we're not allowed to linger.

Friedel turns in a poignant performance as a man who feels that he has no choice but to act on his principles, regardless of the consequences.

The Big Picture ends perhaps a bit too ambiguously, but there's something refreshing about its faith in the moviegoer's intelligence.

Isn't as memorable or provocative as it might have been. But it's an engaging love story that should appeal to moviegoers with a flair for the offbeat.

Photography — and thus filmmaking — is painting with light. The connection is illuminated in the lovely Renoir, a twilight-years biography of the great French Impressionist.

A VERY Brady Sequel may be the world's first ecologically friendly movie, 90 minutes of recycled situations, dialogue and Day-Glo elevated from the small screen of the '70s to the big screen of today. It's a sunshine day where there is nothing new under the sun. It's also, in the Brady vernacular, far-out fun in a groovy kind of way. [23 Aug 1996, p.6E]

Fortunately, Fish Tank feeds us more than crumbs and leaves us feeling like we've come up for air.

Rock misses the boat in deciding not to relate Good Hair to non African-Americans more.

Director David Fincher, making his feature film debut in strong style, keeps the action fast and furious, though the climactic scenes look an awful lot like the ending of ''Terminator 2.'' It may be just another sequel, but Alien 3 is better than most, and follows nicely after the first two. [22 May 1992, p.3G]

The four leads are entirely engaging including the manic Hart.

Green Zone can't make up its mind whether it's "The Bourne Insurrection" or "Hurt Locker: The Prequel."

Scabrously funny yet essentially gentle, as the main thing that it's probing is our collective ignorance.

What's lacking is a galvanizing performance comparable to that of the Oscar-nominated Catalina Sandino Moreno in "Maria Full of Grace." Still, The Forgiveness of Blood is a memorable portrait of a society and the demands it makes on those caught up in it.

At its heart, this is a compassionate character study. Robbie’s tenderness toward his son and his remorse for a street fight are the raw ingredients of a ripening consciousness.

The central question of Trees Lounge is whether Tommy will ever get wise to himself. The movie does not exactly provide an answer to the question, but Buscemi poses it in an entertaining, insightful and humane way. [24 Oct 1996, p.4G]

FOR about an hour, this movie is like a smooth ride with a good cabbie through the winding streets of deepest lower Manhattan. It's a fascinating, disturbing, at times exhilarating look at the way politics work in a big city, and you better pay attention or you'll miss something...Then, something happens, and it's like being lost on some triple-decker expressway interchange with no idea of how to get home. I think the problem is that there were too many writers with too many different ideas of what they wanted to tell, and the result is it eventually takes a wrong turn into an emotional and intellectual muddle...That first hour is so terrific, with minor exceptions, and the cast is so good, that "City Hall" is still well worth seeing, but ultimately it may leave you with the empty feeling of lost opportunities. [16 Feb 1996, p.3E]

Stölzl blends romance and melancholy in fine style.

On the whole, Flesh and Bone is effectively clean and mean. [05 Nov 1993, p.10E]

Director Garth Davis gets to the heart of the drama without slipping into sentimentality.

A genuinely touching and occasionally powerful film, not least because the boys are so disinclined to pity themselves.

Periodically deviating from its fly-on-the-wall aesthetic, the film does a noticeably better job than the Joan Rivers movie of incorporating old footage and photos to underscore its subject’s importance.

Hotel Artemis is neither a sequel nor a remake, but a film of considerable originality. And that makes it a rarity at the multiplex.

Isn’t a knockout of a film, but it’s light on its feet and throws a lot of good punches.

Porter’s film is a warm biography and depiction of Lewis’ life, but there are moments where one wishes it had a bit more bite.

JOE VERSUS the Volcano starts out like a house afire and simmers along quite adequately until about two-thirds of the way through, when it begins running out of fuel. From there, it sputters fitfully and dies at the end. Despite the problems in the third act, this comic fable is, on the whole, quite enjoyable. [9 Mar 1990, p.3F]

So many of today's children's movies are loud. Loud explosions, loud colors, loud soundtracks, loud humor. The animated The Secret World of Arrietty is the antidote to those films.

Brazenly funny in its own right - until it turns into a goody two-shoes.

Arbitrage is never the nail-biting thriller that it could have been.