Like a Fishbone show or an LA weather forecast, the dark curtain rises, and there's a promise of more sunshine.

Although the story is mournful, the movie is buoyed by a heaven-scented surrealism.

Perhaps best appreciated as a character study -- about a character some moviegoers might prefer to avoid. Still, it's a smart, funny film that flirts with the edge.

Placed under the microscope, The Birth of a Nation lacks some originality of thought, but it nonetheless offers the opportunity for necessary discussion as we continue to wrestle with the racist history of this nation and its continuing effects.

Europeans have a taste for both the mechanics of trickery and the machinations of power, and the politically astute Spanish film "Even the Rain" belongs in the same conversation with Francois Truffaut's "Day for Night" and Pedro Almodovar's "Bad Education."

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

This movie is so tone-deaf it would only make sense in Vincent van Gogh’s missing ear.

This showcase for Wiig is sufficiently absurd to make real-world parallels laughable.

He's not in Mark Wahlberg's league, and 21 Jump Street isn't quite as funny as "The Other Guys," but by lampooning himself here, Tatum has bought himself a grace period to grow in.

For a nation at war with its own values, Fair Game is a compelling, pertinent and scrupulously true political thriller in the honorable tradition of "All the President's Men."

FALLING FROM GRACE, the acting and directing debut of rock singer John Mellencamp, may not quite be solid gold - but it is a solid first effort. [21 May 1992, p.3E]

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.

Tamra Davis, directing her first feature, is so caught up in the sex-and-violence aspects, and bolstering the body count, that she forgets to keep her story at all credible, and lets gunshots take the place of conversation. [19 Feb 1993, p.3G]

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

As a drama about coping with hard times, The Company Men doesn't come close to being as sharp or entertaining as "Up in the Air" - which starred Wells' "ER" associate George Clooney.

There's a running joke that this epic of also-ran heroism is set in eternally modest Toronto; but its real locale is an alternate universe without parents or the unhip.

Is briefly entertaining but shows mainly that sports films featuring women are no better than those featuring men. Much of the problem belongs to director Penny Marshall, who reaches for the cliche, and for the easy way out, each time the movie seems to be about to make a serious statement about women or about baseball. [3 July 1992, p.3G]

Zobel's unsparing approach is justified. This film should be hard to watch - and it is. But it's also hard to forget.

A Dry White Season is a powerful movie. It is sometimes horrifying and hard to take, although there also is considerable ironic humor in the Clarence Darrow-like trial tactics of the lawyer. The cast, clearly dedicated to the project, is uniformly excellent, and there is no sense in the skillfully built, suspenseful flow of the story that this is Palcy's first major feature. [06 Oct 1989, p.3E]

Pine brings a measured but engaging heroism to Kirk. Quinto is perfect as the logical but charismatic Spock. Urban lends the proceedings a much appreciated dose of humor. And even with his famously expressive face obscured by makeup, Elba elevates Krall to something more than a cardboard villain.

A beautifully realized drama that gets to the essence of what it's like to be young, confused and in love.

The Hunger Games is dressed as a dark satire of soulless entertainment, but like Katniss' adversaries in the PG-13 hunting scenes, it doesn't have a distinctive identity or go-for-the-throat.

Unexpectedly poignant.

Skarsgard, who is perhaps best known for "Good Will Hunting" and "Breaking the Waves," makes the most of his rich role, imbuing Ulrik with a knockabout charm.

Its main pluses are that it's imaginative and, at times, very funny. Its main drawbacks are too many humans and an overall tone that is much too dark and edgy for very young audiences. [27 Nov 1998, p.B3]

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

Directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra were weaned on earthy comedies like "Bad Santa," and every moment of mature insight in Crazy, Stupid, Love is answered by a scene of formulaic farce.

This is very much an ensemble film, with Wahlberg, Hudson and Russell turning in performances that get the job done without begging for attention.