It’s Belgian actor Schoenaerts who will leave the target audience atwitter. Seemingly incapable of cracking a smile, he fits securely in the stoic-farmer tradition that stretches from John Wayne in “The Quiet Man” to Russell Crowe in “The Water Diviner.”

Perhaps the larger issue is that we just expect better from the company that gave us so much more originality and smarts in movies such as “WALL-E,” “Toy Story” and “Inside Out.” Enjoy it for what it is.

This hand-drawn French import is fresh evidence that you don’t need computers and singing princesses to make a charming animated movie.

White Boy Rick is good enough, but you keep wanting it to be better.

Based on a true story, The Lady in the Van is a well-acted but somewhat wearying exercise in British whimsy.

A solid remake of Victor Hugo's classic about a man who steals a loaf of bread and the police inspector who hounds him for years because of it, with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush. Director Bille August's focus on the love-story angles blurs the epic messages about freedom, honor and justice. [07 Jun 1998, p.C6]

The film is hilarious, however, and the comic bits are nearly enough to distract audiences from the illogical turns of the screenplay. [19 July 1996, p.3E]

As a tale of a boy, his dog and their battles with bad guys, it's a treasure.

If you’ve been wondering how Washington really works, this film is required viewing.

The iconic actor may be too gruff for sainthood, but Murray still retains a secret stash of soul.

The whining reaches new heights in Husbands and Wives, and it was one of the things that bothered me. Another was the over-jerky camera movement as he tried to give the film the look of a documentary but only made it look like a bad home movie. A third was his use of characters looking straight at the camera and talking to an off-screen person, perhaps a psychiatrist. I think that's a phony device. On the other hand, I found more Allen humor along the way than in several of his recent movies, and he kept it brighter than the depressing tone the subject matter would seem to allow. When he didn't whine, Allen was excellent, and so was Sydney Pollack as his friend Jack. [27 Sept 1992, p.6C]

Washington is surprisingly persuasive as a world-weary blade-wielder, and Oldman makes the most of a not particularly interesting villain. But the film's breakout star may be Kunis, who brings to Solara a blend of sassiness and sexiness that's reminiscent of Michelle Pfeiffer.

With stately surroundings and hissable villains, director Amma Assante imbues the finale with such dramatic resonance that Belle becomes a ringing proclamation of human dignity.

The Jungle Book is, in a sense, a movie for children, but it is one that adults should love as well. [23 Dec 1994, p.3F]

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.

Unlike the benchmark sports documentary "Hoop Dreams," Undefeated doesn't have a deep penetration of poverty and race in its playbook, but it does have enough heart to make substantial forward progress.

An airy comedy that will stimulate the boomers' nostalgic feelings and deliver a few good laughs for the kids who can't reminisce. [22 Aug 1997, p.06E]

The overall direction of the movie may be strongly polemical, but its real strength comes from the resonance of a hundred subtle moments. [04 May 1990, p.3F]

As predictable as a 3-and-0 pitch down the middle, but when it’s baseball season, who wants dark clouds?

In recording the timeless traditions of Jewry, he created a new one: the identity crisis that rides on the back of laughter.

The world-class mechanic is Brad Bird, who applies the pacing and spatial freedom of a 'toon to a live-action thriller.

This isn't just another crime story, and it would be misleading to suggest that it has anything to do with stylish gunplay, exhilarating car chases or brutal fistfights.

For better or worse, the whole exercise in lurid leg-pulling goes out with a bang.

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]

AS cotton-candy, pap movies go, Look Who's Talking Now! offers plenty of smiles, a few laughs and a terrific pair of talking woofers. Not since Mr. Ed have animals with a verbal attitude been so engaging. [5 Nov 1993, p.10E]

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]

You can tell by some loose threads and hurried workmanship that God’s Pocket is a knock-off, but it’s so stuffed with value, it’s an offer you can’t refuse.

The real fun of “Jumanji” lies in the casting. The towering Johnson and scrappy Hart play especially well off each other.