The Hefner we meet here is the likable rogue we already know.

May be too light for vampire purists or fans of the original show, but fresh blood is just what the doctor ordered.

A B comedy so forgettable that although I know I saw it, I was equally sure that Fred MacMurray was in it. (He wasn't.) But over time, movies - particularly Disney comedies - tend to acquire a hazy, nostalgic charm. [10 Nov 1995]

There are a few good jabs at fame, advertising and sexuality along the way. But don't worry, nothing gets too serious in this silly, on-target movie. [15 Apr 1996, p.5D]

Savvy filmgoers will know they are getting a stale product as soon as they see the wrapper: one of those vintage muscle cars that screams “stakeout.”

Working from his own screenplay, director Brian Helgeland clearly has a feel for the Krays’ criminal milieu, but it’s not long before repetition sets in. There’s only so much brutality that even the most bloodthirsty audience can tolerate.

There’s a lot of comic and fantasy potential here, but much of it gets squandered.

Three actors portray the clumsy-but-limber Li in the years of his arduous training, when he is pulled between a teacher who's inspired by Mao and another who's inspired by bootleg videos of Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Although the outcome is as predetermined as a prix-fixe menu, the storytelling is as smooth as goose-liver pate through a pastry nozzle.

Wahlberg is merely OK. Unfortunately, the film’s effectiveness turns on whether we buy into his angst. And Larson has very little to play. But Goodman and Williams are believably menacing, and Lange is perfect as Bennett’s mom of steel.

Because he's the protagonist of the movie and played by the likable Matt Damon, we keep an open mind, but Promised Land is morally ambiguous to a fault.

THANKS to the boys of summer - nine wonderful child actors - and a sweetly nostalgic story well told by writer-director David Mickey Evans, The Sandlot is a winner. [9 Apr 1993, p.3F]

The overall feel is less of a cohesive documentary and more of a slapdash scrapbook of facts, historical information and name-dropping.

Successful in small doses, but the full regimen needed more testing.

Willard Carroll's poignant, witty script and graceful direction make up for some soap-opera moments. [24 Jan 1999, p.D8]

Stölzl blends romance and melancholy in fine style.

Instead of entertaining us, director Robert Redford offers us a handsome history lesson that's as dry as a hardtack biscuit.

It has a game cast, it’s watchable, fun, sick, sad and has to be seen to be believed.

A film that's as much a character study as it is a crime drama. At the heart of it is Caine's hauntingly memorable performance.

Sticks to the syllabus of a decidedly minor movie, but its humanities faculty is first-rate.

Some moviegoers will find the experience frustrating; others will be exhilarated by a film that’s far afield from the usual formulas.

While Black is painfully effective as the dork who drops slangy kudos on his new BFF, Marsden is a revelation.

The spoof of consumerism scores some predictable points, but the tidy ending is a sell-out to the ultimate marketing machine: Hollywood.

Home delivers like a mailman on Valentine’s Day. But when we scratch beneath the sugary surface, there’s something tart inside that’s difficult to digest.

As shaky as the situation it depicts.

The Great Gatsby is both swooningly romantic and giddily energetic.

AFTER the first 10 minutes or so, there are few surprises in The Package. But director Andrew Davis, given a suspense script with little actual suspense in it, keeps this espionage tale moving right along, and Gene Hackman, as usual, is a plus. The result is a moderately entertaining if predictable action film. [25 Aug 1989, p.3F]

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.