Anderson hasn’t just delivered his best film in years — he’s also managed to capture the zeitgeist in his own unique way.

Cruise is as watchable as ever, bringing to Hunt a blend of steeliness and vulnerability.

All of the performances are skilled, and yet it's Weaver (a veteran screen, television and stage actress in Australia) who, in a smaller role, creates the character who stays with you.

If you long for a film in the tradition of such grown-up entertainments as “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The English Patient,” this is one to get lost in.

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

Traditional in the best sense.

Maudie is a work of art.

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.

Long before the blood starts spilling, it’s clear the new team has mostly nailed it. The reboot is as good a Carrie remake as possible, though it’s not truly a scary movie; the film takes its time living up to its R rating.

For those who appreciate fiery dialogue delivered by fine actors, August: Osage County is heaven-sent.

Garcia’s performance, which won the best actress award at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival, is a marvel of self-effacing artistry.

Psychological thrillers just don’t get any better than this.

Superior filmmaking. Yes, it runs almost three hours - but you've probably seen 90-minute films that felt a lot longer.

Ajami is neither a puzzle nor a polemic. It's an admirably even-handed portrait of life in an occupied ghetto that is bounded by checkpoints. Everyone we meet is a more or less honorably motivated victim of circumstance. That the circumstances were inscribed centuries ago makes Ajami a tragedy of biblical proportions.

This is a film that's not always easy to watch, but just about impossible to forget.

Sinise's direction is outstanding. The pacing is well-nigh perfect, and even though the story is familiar, it often seems new, and Malkovich obviously thrives on his direction. On second thought, Sinise thrives on it, too. [16 Oct 1992, p.3F]

Builds beautifully from a farcical premise that requires a suspension of disbelief to a musical climax that washes away our cynicism in a wave of honest tears.

Aside from art-house fare, American movies of recent decades have tended to ignore even the most urgent social problems. Despite its lapses into melodrama, 99 Homes is a thought-provoking exception.

Director David O. Russell ("Three Kings") delivers a film of staggering impact.

The film catches the Mozarts' true personalities in a way that Peter Shaffer's "Amadeus" never approaches. In one scene, the siblings playfully improvise musical variations, and then joyfully rush to the clavier to write them down: There is the essence of Mozart.

A sexy, edgily funny suspense film set in a small Western town, could be a symbol of the plight and the tenacity of independent American film makers. [22 July 1994, p.3F]

Portman is eminently watchable as Lena, who slowly realizes that she’s in way over her head. And “Ex Machina” star Isaac virtually redefines creepiness.

Only an artist at the midpoint between the maypole and maturity could concoct a comedy as potent as While We’re Young.

'Back to the Future Part III is somewhat overlong and a little slow in getting started, but on the whole it provides an entertaining and emotionally satisfying conclusion to a memorable series. [25 May 1990, p.3F]

A miniaturist's masterpiece, the ebb and flow of familial love distilled to its essence.

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

In its cross-cultural breadth, director Ridley Scott’s smart and violent film merits comparison to Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic,” but the dialogue delivered by the stellar cast is incomparably McCarthy’s.

As enchanting as it is ambitious.