Falls into that middling ground of horror film: neither scary enough to be exciting nor campy enough to be amusing.

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.

What might have seemed like a lively idea -- an all-star roundelay about love in Los Angeles -- is as fossilized as the wooly mammoths in the La Brea Tar Pits.

The beauty of October Country, beside its artful images, is how it compresses the windblown fortunes of working-class America into the fallen leaves of one forlorn family.

Fulfills its mission, which is to be a crowd-pleasing tearjerker.

This deadpan police story produces unexpected chills.

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.

Here most of the punishment is inflicted on the audience, which gets nailed to a cross of boredom.

Director Philipp Stolzl worked in the same dangerous conditions as the original climbers, and we can feel the chill and peril in our bones. It's a shame, then, that the screenwriter, unlike the camera crew and the characters, was afflicted with such timidity.

It's smart, heartfelt, handsome and just mutated enough to sustain interest in a specialized subject.

There's nothing cinematic about this turgid tearjerker except the slumming presence of movie star Harrison Ford.

Although this stylish and ominously paced vehicle starts with a full itinerary, it never makes a vital connection.

The comedy is so lame that the whole enterprise comes across as depressing.

Washington is surprisingly persuasive as a world-weary blade-wielder, and Oldman makes the most of a not particularly interesting villain. But the film's breakout star may be Kunis, who brings to Solara a blend of sassiness and sexiness that's reminiscent of Michelle Pfeiffer.

What enriches the recipe is that no one is quite as cagey as they seem. Colin is officially thuggish, but he's a blinkered romantic. Archie is a mama's boy, Meredith is gay, Mal is impotent, and Peanut wears dentures.

Fortunately, Fish Tank feeds us more than crumbs and leaves us feeling like we've come up for air.

In Hollywood, it’s all about the concept, and some studio executive must have thought it would be fun to watch Adams slogging around in the Irish mud. Unfortunately, there’s no accounting for taste.

Bursting with smart dialogue, surprising situations and humor that springs from richly imagined characters.

A stark, contemplative and hauntingly brilliant film.

The result is only half as hip as hoped. Yes, this Holmes is leaner and meaner, and Watson (Jude Law) is nearly his equal. But there’s still something fussy about the result, as if bobbies had broken up the party at 11:59.

It's funny but (sorry, ladies) unrealistic that Jake continuously sneaks away from his young wife to canoodle with Jane. Baldwin is a blast, but the role requires him to indulge in indignities such as a naked webcam conversation.

Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell do yeoman work on behalf of their late friend and, as usual, Gilliam's film is a feast for the eyes. But all the king's men can't corral the horses running roughshod over basics like plot and character.

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

The excellent animation makes up for a so-so plot, but it really doesn't matter. "The Squeakquel" is for kids.

Given the creator and the cast, "Morgans" is as drearily predictable as a plague of locusts.

Titanic technical achievement.

As much Fosse as Fellini. It’s a shadow of a shadow, refracted through a fun-house mirror. For all the noise and color, it feels like an exercise and not a natural expression.

If not for Blunt's solid performance and good support from Friend and others, The Young Victoria would not be worth the price of the ticket.