Annie is not a great movie musical — but it’s a fun time at the movies.

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.

While the wilderness vistas are starkly beautiful, there’s no tangible sense of Strayed’s ultimate goal. (Why Oregon?) And the flashbacks, which include scenes of sexual misadventure and heroin use, are too brief to provide answers.

Not Without My Daughter, based on the true story of Betty Mahmoody, presents a strong picture of the struggle of a mother and daughter trying to leave Iran together. The film succeeds very well in creating suspense over their situation without coating it with undue sentimentality. [12 Jan 1991, p.5D]

Most of the credit for this successful effort goes to Miller, who simply pointed a camera at Levitch for hours and stayed out of the way. This laid-back direction helps Miller avoid that self-conscious "documentary" seriousness, edgy shots and editing that tells the audience that this is all so very important. [18 Dec 1998, p.E3]

Because VanDyke wasn’t embedded with the American media, Point and Shoot has some priceless front-line footage, including a chilling scene where he must decide if he’s willing to kill for someone else’s cause. But without a rigorous editor, it’s “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.”

Mostly the movie is about process and perspective. Through the documentary lens, Richter's enigmatic paintings speak to us.

In a movie of murky surfaces and deep loneliness, the redemptive surprise of A Single Man is how it becomes a clear endorsement of the Buddy System.

One of the pleasures of Edge of Seventeen is it makes you nostalgic for high school yet so relieved it’s over.

This jam-packed picture is too zippily scripted and edited to get stuck in message mode, yet the stellar cast achieves a rare harmonic convergence.

We are reminded: War is hell. But at their best, war movies can be cool and beautiful.

The world Nair shows us is, on the whole, an unpleasant one, but there is never any sense of false melodrama or of the camera selecting only shocking or hopeless images. And as a whole, the film documents how difficult it is to defeat the human spirit. [24 Mar 1989, p.3F]

Hot Shots! is packed with enough sight gags and slapstick to keep an audience grinning even when some of the jokes fall flat. This isn't as funny as "Airplane!" but it's not a bad try...Hot Shots! isn't the sort of movie that will set you thinking, but for mindless, summer entertainment it fills the bill nicely. [6 Aug 1991, p.4D]

Ice-T delivers a love letter to hip-hop with Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap.

The dialogue still sparkles, but the story is a bit weaker than the previous editions. [02 Aug 2005, p.E1]

Although the film has elements of a puzzler by Michelangelo Antonioni and a psychodrama by Ingmar Bergman, it never becomes compellingly intellectual or unnervingly emotional.

The larger-than-life actor is as emblematic of his country as Tom Hanks is of ours, and My Afternoons With Margueritte is his "Forrest Gump." Only better.

Like "Gone, Baby, Gone," the French film Polisse succeeds by shifting the focus from the victims to the vigilant protectors.

Garfield (“Hacksaw Ridge”) brings his usual boyish charm to the proceedings while allowing for the occasional burst of precisely calculated angst. Foy (Netflix’s “The Crown”) arguably has the more difficult role, hinting at Diana’s inner doubts while maintaining a sunshiny demeanor.

Although Branagh delivers a film that’s reasonably watchable, the not-so-mysterious truth is that Murder on the Orient Express didn’t need to be remade.

Cunningham's answers to pointed questions about romantic love and religious faith are so open-hearted, we understand that he's bigger than just New York.

A sophisticated comedy about New Yorkers who might easily be mistaken for characters in a Woody Allen movie.

Working from a screenplay by Ed Solomon, director Jon M. Chu is more craftsman than poet, but the charismatic ensemble cast engages in the trickery with style.

The real stars here are Scott's behind-the-curtain crew, who fill every frame with tech-savvy details and take the sets to another dimension with immersive 3-D imagery.

Given the turbulent water of world affairs and sea changes in the media, a follow-up a year from now might be titled "Gray Lady Down" if the Times does not chart a new course.

Highly unconventional in structure and tone, the story is engrossing and exquisitely acted. [17 Jun 1999, p.14]

As popcorn entertainment, it's right on schedule.

This 19th Bond film has all of the required scenes, lines, gags and gadgets to keep Bond fans pleased - as well as a few new twists to update and energize it. [19 Dec 1997, p.E3]