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.

PRESUMABLY this zombie flick is supposed to be funny, since it's about as scary as "Little Women." [18 Jan 1995, p.6F]

Director Melanie Mayron (Melissa of thirtysomething) has created a relatively winsome movie specifically targeted to a long-neglected group of youngsters. That said, Baby-sitters isn't great stuff, and adults might find themselves annoyed at the obvious plot holes and questions. [18 Aug 1995, p.3E]

Without the kindling of character development, Planes: Fire and Rescue is no smoldering success, but if Disney’s flight plan is to share Pixar’s airspace, it’s getting warmer.

This true-ish story adds a romantic subplot to the prosecution of Japanese war criminals by American general Douglas MacArthur, but neither the love nor the war are completely baked.

Director Roar Uthaug (“The Wave”) delivers a state-of-the-art popcorn flick that’s at its best when the focus is on the spunky Lara rather than the special effects.

The script is standard sports movie fare without much subtext — in the mouth of anyone other than Harbour, some of these motivational lines would be real clangers, but he sells the material with his rugged soulfulness, and there’s true chemistry between him and Madekwe, as the unlikely sports star and his demanding coach.

Memoirs of an Invisible Man' is a generally entertaining bit of nonsense, a slick blend of suspense, comedy and special effects. [28 Feb 1992, p.3F]

Ronald Bass' predictable screenplay gives Roberts no brains at all, which is an injustice. [08 Feb 1991, p.3F]

This is a brutal and stupid movie.

Imagine if the "Godfather" saga had been told from the point of view of Talia Shire's character. The perspective of a don's daughter could produce a compelling movie, but The Sicilian Girl isn't it.

The movie is generally entertaining, although toward the end director Arne Glimcher and a couple of screenwriters try so hard to make everything fit neatly together in a formulaic package that they end up losing credibility. [17 Feb 1995, p.7E]

Under Wincer's intelligent direction it is a feel-good family adventure pitting man's bravery and humanity against the vicissitudes of nature and the inhumanity of war. [28 Jul 1995, p.3E]

Whether true or a hoax, I'm Still Here represents real risk-taking that I can only applaud.

A taut psychological thriller, just as tense for those who already know its conclusion.

One Day fails to make us care about the young couple at its center.

Admission is one film you may not want to get into.

Araki does manage to make the movie interesting and somehow, believable. He taps so effectively into the culture of teens with nothing to do that the subsequent action - the hyper-violence and the gore - isn't so hard to accept. [22 Nov 1995, p.7E]

I Feel Pretty takes a while to get going, but it eventually finds its groove and proves to be an amusing showcase for Schumer’s talents.

Winslet deftly balances spunkiness and vulnerability, and Elba (still fondly remembered as a surprisingly erudite criminal on HBO’s “The Wire”) exudes brooding masculinity.

Count Black Nativity as a more noble than notable effort.

Nothing in the film is particularly memorable either, including the music that changes Bodi’s life.

First Kid is filled with slapstick and predictable jokes. The kids in the preview audience seemed to enjoy it, despite the commendable fact that it generally avoids bathroom humor and age-inappropriate gags about children's sexuality. [30 Aug 1996, p.3E]

The CGI effects are a familiar sort and so is the heroic-quest motif. The principal virtue in this modest entertainment is that the young characters act like real teenagers.

The biography Chaplin, directed by Richard Attenborough, may not qualify as a completely successful film, but there are enough good moments about the great entertainer to make it worth watching. [12 Jan 1993, p.4D]

Would have benefited from the kind of objectivity that Bass -- as Sar's well-heeled sponsor -- was hardly in a position to deliver.

Red 2 is not just a bad movie, it’s bad karma. And the target audience of adult moviegoers who respect the names in its once-vital cast have a bull’s-eye on their collective cranium.

The special effects remain good, but the jokes are creaky, the sentiments are forced and the pop-historical lessons are obligatory.