Difficult to watch at times, Star Maps is imbued with enough raw humor and emotionalism that the overall result is gripping. [22 Aug 1997, p.3E]

With stingy portions and plenty of filler, Magic Mike XXL is the worst sausage party ever.

The charismatic cast can’t be faulted. Bullock and Blanchett are more than credible as crooks, and Hathaway is delightful as the self-absorbed Daphne. Unfortunately, Ocean’s 8 turns out to be a poor showcase for their talents.

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]

In place of a rousing adventure, Blackthorn is a haunting ode.

Snappy writing, excellent acting and sharp editing make this comedy zing as the Addams family finds love, lust and lichen growing in its midst. [19 Nov 1993, p.3F]

Moore's voice is weak and fuzzy, directed at a choir that should already know the words by heart.

Only a heartfelt performance by Diane Lane rescues the film from abject mediocrity.

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

How you feel about Fast & Furious 6 is a matter of perspective. While a middle-age egghead might note that a series that started out as a harmless cars-and-girls fantasy has devolved into a full-blown assault on human intelligence.

Penn has created a colorful tour guide, but in This Must Be the Place, there's no there there.

The way that Muppets Most Wanted grabs for the green is criminal.

Extract has some flavor, but the comedic kick is diluted by flat characters and a thin story.

The climax is a little jiggy, almost stupid, given how sharp the dialogue and situations are until that point. It's as if Baumbach just ran out of steam. But given how much there is to like about the movie, its flaws are forgivable. Yes, it's a bit slow in places and talky but it's also funny. And much o f the humor is subtle and smart and nicely calibrated. [19 June 1998, p.E3]

It all makes for an appealing blend of flavors and influences, and despite its minor flaws, “Blue Beetle” combines family, history and culture with an upbeat tone to introduce a character who offers an exciting new direction for DC.

When a man whose wife was killed by cultists invites us to laugh at life's absurdities, the particulars are almost incidental.

The wrinkles between reality and illusion soon become irritating.

Anchored by its leads, Coup! is a tasty morsel of social commentary about problems that continue to plague our world.

In getting so many of the Midwestern details wrong, worldly director Bahrani (“Chop Shop”) teaches an inadvertent lesson to aspiring filmmakers who want to follow his footsteps to the festival circuit: Grow where you’re planted.

It bodes well for the future of the franchise that Renner and Weisz share not only a gripping predicament but something more important: chemistry.

This vision of a violent future makes Elysium well worth seeing, even as the conventional violence of the thriller finale makes it a missed opportunity.

THE LAIR of the White Worm is an extremely silly and rather bloody movie. If you are willing to accept it as a tacky spoof of tacky horror movies, you should find it funny - at times, downright hilarious. [3 Feb 1989, p.3G]

The mediocre mushy stuff isn’t alleviated by enough action.

An adequate action film, but it lacks the envelope-pushing artistry of the original.

The kids in the movie, from musicians to marital artists, are unusually skillful, and Smith seems assured of more starring roles. By the end of The Karate Kid, we can't help cheering, even when we know we've been sucker-punched.

Sometimes brilliantly original, at other times dull and formulaic, Mo' Better Blues is well worth seeing - for jazz and Spike Lee fans, it's a must-see - but it often fails to engage us on a deep emotional level. [03 Aug 1990, p.3F]

Kingsman is like a high-speed collision between a Jaguar and a jaywalking soccer hooligan. It’s ridiculously out of balance, and when you’re stuck in the middle, it doesn’t seem so funny.

In the early scenes, Cambridge brilliantly conveys Gerber's obnoxiousness while making him sympathetic. Later, Cambridge imbues the character with a blend of outrage and pride that's breathtaking. [31 Jul 2008, p.8]