Although the brazen lovers, bellicose ministers and backstabbing handmaidens are familiar elements, the film is so handsomely mounted that we happily endure the ride until the turning of the screws in the tragic last act.

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.

It's one of the funniest and most perceptive films of the year.

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

Credit goes to smart casting of unknowns in the leads, who click uniformly; a packed script that manages not to feel overly long and social commentary that is timeless.

Written and directed by Matt Ross — who is perhaps best known for his role as Alby on the HBO series “Big Love” — the film raises questions not only about what it means to be a responsible parent but also about what constitutes a meaningful life.

An absorbing drama that represents director Ridley Scott (“The Martian”) at his best.

Moviegoers looking for a thrill should go into The Cabin in the Woods knowing as little as possible about the film.

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]

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.

This thriller is both skillfully familiar and chillingly strange.

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

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.

An art film in the classic sense — ambitious, provocative and hard to shake off.

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

A rare summer movie that is both exciting and thought-provoking. [27 July 1990, p.3F]

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

It's not warm and fuzzy, but for kids who comprehended "Coraline" and babysitters who savored "The Corpse Bride," this stop-motion marvel from some of the same animators is like an early Halloween treat.

Unfortunately, Hail, Caesar! comes across as far less than the sum of its parts.

Eccentric enough to get mistaken for an uplifting fantasy, but it's Plaza who belongs in the penthouse.

Star Trek Into Darkness offers much of what the fans expect and not much of what they don't. This character-driven vehicle is a supercharged example of cinematic craftsmanship.

Dope is funny, slick and sharp.

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.”

This affable comedy is a healthy alternative to tearjerkers.

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.

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.

Manages to waste the talents of its strong supporting cast, which includes Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell and Stanley Tucci.

Among recent documentaries, First Position soars to the head of the class.