Without question. Vertigo is one of the best movies ever made by one of the best directors. [Restored version; 7 Dec 1996, p.41]

The performances are spot-on. Ali brings depths of feeling to Juan, giving us a drug dealer we haven’t seen before. Harris (Miss Moneypenny in the recent Bond films) is uncomfortably authentic as an ultimately repentant junkie.

Simultaneously enigmatic and painfully direct, melodramatic yet subtle, playful yet tragic, Au Hasard Balthazar is a deeply moving portrait of the sins and mercies of mankind as seen and suffered by an ass. [30 Jul 2004, p.E03]

As good as the story is, and as brilliant as director Jim Sheridan is in his first feature, it is Daniel Day-Lewis who is transcendent as Brown. [2 Feb 1990, p.3F]

Greene's wonderful dialogue, often oddly contradictory, adds to that tantalizing sense of imbalance. [5 Aug 1999, p.G3]

Former TV director Sidney Lumet's solid success is achieved without even once resorting to flashbacks or other standard procedures of the film trade. The secret rests in spirited dialogue, realistic setting and, of course, the excellent cast of outstanding character actors that make up the jury. [21 Apr 1957, p.106]

Ultimately hopeful, but uncompromising in its commitment to exposing a tragic chapter in history.

With Manchester by the Sea writer-director Kenneth Lonergan (“You Can Count on Me”) confirms his status as a major American filmmaker.

It's shocking that Grant wasn't even nominated for an Oscar. [1 March 2005, p.E01]

Even as it looks to the heavens, Gravity is bound to earth, where the beauty is in the details.

Like those other one-in-a-million films (E.T., for example), Fantasia is truly entertainment for kids of all ages. [31 Oct 1991, p.4E]

A film that's at once timely and timeless.

Brilliantly blending archival material, including clips of Baldwin on television and in public appearances, with narration by Samuel L. Jackson, Peck makes intriguing connections between the 20th century civil rights movement and the contemporary activism of Black Lives Matter.

The story is so masterfully told that one can't help but be enthralled.

At once an unforgettable war film and a brilliant character study.

Unlike too many films these days, Zero Dark Thirty dares to embrace complexity. And that makes it not just state-of-the-art entertainment, but a great film.

Although it's slow to unfold, this courtroom drama is so timelessly humane and even-handed it feels like it came from the dockets of Solomon - by way of Sidney Lumet.

At its heart, Carol deals with the rules that society imposes on individuals, and the courage necessary to throw those rules out the window.

Seldom has a film so eloquently captured the craziness, brutality and arbitrariness of war. Dunkirk just might be Nolan’s masterpiece.

Daringly unsentimental, 45 Years makes a persuasive case that marriage demands not only patience, but guts.

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.

Film classic about a doctor and his efforts to break through to a young boy (Jean-Pierre Cargol) who has grown up in the woods. [15 Feb 2009, p.F6]

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.

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]

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

Gosling is terrific as the coolly introspective yet disarmingly charming Sebastian. And Stone is deservedly generating Oscar buzz for her portrayal of an artist who can’t quite believe she’ll ever be anything other than a barista.

Lady Bird might finally be the role that earns Ronan (“Brooklyn”) an Oscar. As a young woman at odds with the world, and herself, she illuminates the film. Also worthy of Academy attention is Metcalf, who is sheer perfection as the quintessential stressed-out mom.

The film is perhaps best appreciated as a showcase for the gifted Simonischek, whose portrayal of Winfried/Toni is one for the ages.

What Inside Llewyn Davis is all about: the passion, and the pain, of being an artist.

Keaton, who deserved an Oscar for his performance in “Birdman,” brings to Robinson a bracing blend of humor and authority. Ruffalo is the essence of the newsman who just won’t quit, and McAdams is just as effective as his more low-key colleague.

Involves the gradual revelation of the hopes, fears and insecurities of well-observed characters.

The movie Timbuktu is as fresh as today’s headlines, but it’s paced and photographed like a timeless slice of life. It’s an exquisite, wise and even funny film, easily the best of the year.

It's a well-earned curtain call for some of the most beloved characters in one of the best-sustained feats of recent cinema.

Her may be the most technologically astute movie since Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: a Space Odyssey.” And as the friendly ghost in the machine, Samantha is a more inviting companion for the great leap forward than HAL9000 could ever dream of being.

This is the kind of film that benefits from being experienced with as little prior knowledge as possible. As one watches it, certain questions may arise. But don’t worry — the answers are fascinating.

A one-of-a-kind concoction. [1 June 1989, p.4E]

Although The Gatekeepers lacks the stylistic inventiveness of “Fog,” it is nonetheless a compelling account of what can go wrong when power is unrestrained.

This is analog filmmaking at its most daring.

Winter's Bone is the best film of the year.

One of the best films of the year, Gett: the Trial of Viviane Amsalem is bound to be compared to the Oscar-winning Iranian drama “A Separation”; but if anything, Gett is an even more artful evocation of a bureaucratic nightmare.

I’m pretty sure it would still be one of the best films of the year if the explicit lesbian sex scenes were censored, but it wouldn’t earn a penny in Peoria.

Acting opposite Day-Lewis must give even the most confident actor pause, but Krieps proves to be up to the challenge. And Manville, perhaps best known for her work with director Mike Leigh, is spellbinding. This film will haunt you.

Essential viewing for art-film buffs and crime-flick fans, but also for anyone who's looking for a great story, terrific acting and masterful filmmaking.

It’s a perfect vehicle for Driver, who endearingly captures the hangdog humility of his character. It’s a portrayal that might encourage more people to write poetry. And as the quirky but cheerful Laura, Farahani is just right.

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

As much as anything, the wildly entertaining ’70s flashback American Hustle is a triumph of style.

Great works of literature seldom become great movies, as witness the competent but plodding recent screen adaptation of Wharton's "Ethan Frome." The Age of Innocence is a brilliant exception. [17 Sept 1993, p.3F]

In a stunning performance, Teller resists the impulse to sugarcoat Andrew’s egocentricity. Simmons is equally impressive, lending Fletcher just enough humanity to render his monstrousness all the more shocking.

Cotillard gets so persuasively inside Sandra’s skin that it’s not at all surprising that this performance has earned her another Oscar nomination. And she does so without resorting to shameless, award-baiting grandstanding.

One of the best films of the year.

A miniaturist's masterpiece, the ebb and flow of familial love distilled to its essence.

May be too cute to qualify as high art, but it's highly entertaining.

With spot-on vocal performances from Thewlis, Leigh and Tom Noonan, the film is nothing less than mesmerizing — and must viewing for serious cinephiles.

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.

A comedy of discomfort -- and one of their (Coen brothers) best, most insightful and most provocative films.

Although the film is frequently brilliant, it’s not quite as clever as it thinks it is. The cast, however, is terrific. Particularly good is Buscemi, who’s engagingly cranky as Khrushchev.

Entertaining in a way that’s practically unheard of these days. It’s about the sheer exhilaration of expressing yourself, no matter what anybody thinks.

After feeding on this sweet buffet, sated cinephiles will want to call the front desk to extend their stay.

The message of the movie is as clear as Siberian ice: Whether you’re a Tea Partier, an Occupier or just an ordinary Joe, you might be the next citizen who’s stranded in limbo.

Particularly impressive is Ashkenazi (“7 Days in Entebbe”), who brings to Michael a soulful but volatile insecurity. It’s a hauntingly realized performance. This is a different kind of war film — and a brilliant one.

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.

The King's Speech is the epitome of prestige cinema, an impeccably crafted and emotionally compelling drama that deserves the many laurels it surely will receive.

The year’s most exhilarating film.

Believe the hype: Black Panther transcends its comic-book origins, achieving a mythic grandeur that’s nothing short of exhilarating.

If you think they don’t make movies like they used to, Brooklyn is glorious proof to the contrary.

Beauty comes to us unexpectedly. That's the message of Poetry, a Korean movie about an aging housemaid that turns out to be one of the best films of the year.

Lots of films claim to be different. Birdman is.

The film is interesting, although it does become a bit monotonous in its endless shots of the seedy side of Paris. [23 Nov 1962, p.48]

Films often fail to capture the turmoil of being a teenager — but not this one.

For his complex portrayal, Day-Lewis is likely to have roses thrown at his feet, but for the dreadful film in which he's enslaved, emancipated onlookers will reach for the grapes of wrath.

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.

The film’s true scene-stealer is Bennett, who brilliantly portrays Sir James as a case study in cluelessness.

The first 10 or 15 minutes of The Fugitive are so skillfully assembled they should be taught in film school. [6 Aug 1993, p.3E]

This is a film that's not always easy to watch, but just about impossible to forget.

A strange but compelling documentary. [08 Nov 1996, p.4E]

Directed by Steve James, whose “Hoop Dreams” Ebert hailed as the best film of the 1990s, it’s the kind of documentary the dying man wanted — honest, humane and inclusive.

One of the best films of the year.

Although you don't have to be a sports fan to enjoy it, Moneyball is one of the best baseball movies imaginable.

Director John Boorman (Deliverance, Hope and Glory) stretched the limits of 1960s cinematic storytelling with his nonlinear plot construction, experimental camera angles and psychedelic flashbacks. While some of it seems a bit trite by today's standards, it was rather innovative at the time. [05 Jul 2005, p.D1]

Although the story of Sin-Dee and Alexandra might have benefited from a bit more structure, it’s a window into a world of which many people are unaware — but a world that has its share of dreamers.

With visual and psychological precision, Abrahamson brilliantly evokes the experience of living outside of everyday reality. And he does so without resorting to either creepiness or sentimentality.

A co-star deserving special mention is Nebraska itself, which Payne films in black-and-white to mirror the austerity of life on the de-populated prairie. These corners of the Cornhusker State are as empty as the promise of a sweepstakes prize. In this land of ghosts, one old pioneer tries to grab his stake before he becomes another windblown husk.

Arau gives the northern Mexican landscape a strange beauty, and the acting is sensual and effective, though there are periods when the dialogue becomes heavy-handed and the pace too slow. [07 May 1993, p.3G]

A breathlessly beautiful achievement not just in animation but also comic book movie storytelling, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is willing to shred the lore from top to bottom and weave it back together again in new, surprising and wildly entertaining ways. It’s simply spectacular.

Richard III is a movie, and a marvelously entertaining one. McKellen calls it a "translation." It is also a homage to Shakespeare, and to the enduring power and universality of his unrivaled genius. [02 Feb 1996, p.1E]

The Kids Are All Right probably could have used a few more scenes to come to an even more satisfying conclusion. But it's a terrific film anyway.

Imagine an opulent movie palace that was 30,000 years old, with posters preserved on the curving walls and the bones of the Stone Age patrons peacefully sleeping in the fairy dust. That's essentially what archeologists found in a French canyon in 1994 and what Werner Herzog brings back to life in the extraordinary documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams.

There are no false Hollywood dramatics, no musical cues telling us how we should feel about this boy's battle for dignity and a place in the world. The director lets complex emotions flow naturally out of believable action and dialogue in this very faithful adaptation of a fascinating memoir. [20 August 1993, p.3F]

Once you’re on its wavelength, the film is a mesmerizing experience.

These days, every other film seems to be an audition to make a Marvel movie — but not Loveless. This is cinema of the first order.

Usually, the plot of a romantic comedy revolved around two people wanting to marry each other. With Powell and Loy, with their charm, warmth and sex appeal, the story became about two people who were married -- and liked it. [02 Aug 2005, p.E1]

Benton and novelist Russo are particularly good at bringing out the grit and grace of small towns, where concern for one's neighbors and sheer nosiness are two sides of the same coin. But above all, Nobody's Fool is another triumph for one of our greatest and most enduring movie actors. [13 Jan 1995, p.3E]

For the many mavens who aren't familiar with Varda, this autobiographical documentary will be puzzling, in the best and most literal sense.

The Big Sick has a lot of charm. Just don’t expect the revolution in romantic comedy that its aggressive hype would suggest.

Before it turns into a great escape flick, Argo is an amusing spoof of the movie biz.

The Master is not a schematic attack on a particular religion. It is a brilliantly conceived and powerfully realized work of art, with complex characters, exquisite images and ambiguously big ideas.

I found Davies' rehashed experiences to range from boring to depressing, and felt that the two devices mentioned above were not sufficient to raise it to the level where art transcends experience. [29 Sep 1989, p.3F]

Director Matthew Heineman (“Cartel Land”) sticks with the group as it moves from strategy meetings to safe houses, documenting not only its political commitment but also intimate moments of reflection.