Working from a self-penned screenplay, Tarantino has come up with one of the wordiest Westerns on record, and even some of his most diehard fans may grimace at the film’s occasionally slow pace. But The Hateful Eight more than compensates through its intriguing characters, ominous atmosphere and palpable suspense.

Working from a screenplay that he co-wrote with Christopher Rouse, director Paul Greengrass has come up with a post-Snowden film that delivers nonstop thrills.

Iowa-native Gurira has had roles in TV’s “Treme” and “The Walking Dead,” but Mother of George should be the birth of a brilliant film career.

An emotionally involving drama that deftly sidesteps mawkishness.

True Grit is just a couple bloody gunfights removed from an old-fashioned Disney yarn. Yet it's still unmistakably a Coen brothers movie, from the stray weirdness of a bearskin-clad dentist to the bulls-eye delights of the dialogue.

Wysocki is perfectly cast as a teen who's at odds with both his environment and himself. It's a terrific performance. And as the empathetic Fitzgerald, Reilly is at his quirky best.

What makes it special is Eastwood's ability to artfully and concisely tell a story, and Morgan Freeman's wonderfully understated turn as South African President Nelson Mandela.

Once you’re on its wavelength, the film is a mesmerizing experience.

If there is a criticism of this generally superb documentary, it would be that it focuses a little too much on Monk's mental condition and could have devoted more of that time to exploring his highly innovative music. But if ''Straight, No Chaser'' succeeds through its psycho-biographical focus in interesting more people in the music of this brilliant man, then I cannot really quibble with the approach. [27 Apr 1990, p.3F]

Needful Things is the best Stephen King movie in years. It is, in a sense, a black comedy, but you have to be a little sick to laugh. I laughed. [27 Aug 1993, p.3F]

An intense, provocative drama about religion and its impact on those who embrace it as essential to their lives.

The colorful visuals are matched with lively music, especially de la Cruz’s signature song, “Remember Me.”

Directors Ron Clements and John Musker use the island setting to create an authentic, vibrant world. They also make earnest efforts to be culturally sensitive to Pacific Islanders’ heritage, incorporating Maui’s storytelling tattoos and his wayfaring skills

A Dry White Season is a powerful movie. It is sometimes horrifying and hard to take, although there also is considerable ironic humor in the Clarence Darrow-like trial tactics of the lawyer. The cast, clearly dedicated to the project, is uniformly excellent, and there is no sense in the skillfully built, suspenseful flow of the story that this is Palcy's first major feature. [06 Oct 1989, p.3E]

The rare film that will remain on your mind long after you’ve left the theater.

Soul Power is both a funk-tastic time capsule and a timeless celebration of the human spirit.

A very unsettling black comedy....although by the end, you might feel as if you have been assaulted by a combination of ''Blue Velvet'' and ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.'' This is a very impressive directorial debut for Bob Balaban, working from a chilling (and eventually cutting and slashing) script by Christopher Hawthorne. [28 Apr 1989, p.6F]

Our Idiot Brother is smart entertainment.

Particularly impressive is Ashkenazi (“7 Days in Entebbe”), who brings to Michael a soulful but volatile insecurity. It’s a hauntingly realized performance. This is a different kind of war film — and a brilliant one.

Director Lindholm is a graduate of the Dogma school, and he is able to maintain tension with a documentary camera technique, virtually no music and minimal on-screen theatrics.

Like the previous seven movies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 obliviates the line between art and craft, but the witchcraft conjured for this satisfying finale is uniquely generous.

Although it's sly and sardonic, Police, Adjective is as rigorous as a tea ceremony -- or a Stalinist re-education camp.

With an incredible eye for nature, both its landscape and its particulars, and a wonderful script, Ballard has crafted a movie that dignifies the lowly goose and tells a remarkable story about family at the same time. [13 Sep 1996, p.3E]

A provocative mood piece. Nichols, who had an art-house hit in 2011 with “Take Shelter,” has a gift for creating characters of unusual depth, and for eliciting performances of emotional resonance. With Mud, he seems to be edging closer to the mainstream, but his skills are as sharp as ever.

To ensure customer loyalty, Hollywood should promote more movies about workaday life in the provinces, but until there's a new wave of midcoast comedies, Cedar Rapids is the big kahuna.

One of the freshest and most entertaining films of the year.

A rare summer movie that is both exciting and thought-provoking. [27 July 1990, p.3F]

Near the two-minute warning, Big Fan becomes chillingly unpredictable.