A slow meander through the mostly stagnant life of a character hardly worth the bother.

Bright Star may not be a joy forever but it will do until the next joy comes along.

Claire Denis, not always an easy director, is in top form here directing an almost all-black cast with grace and delicacy. For the happy few, this is French art house cinema at its unpretentious best.

Offers a brisk and eye-opening approach to recent history. The title, by the way, comes from Henry Kissinger.

Part musical, part love story, part family melodrama, part inspirational treacle, Tyler Perry's latest movie, I Can Do Bad All by Myself is something of an unholy mess. Alternately stupefying and entertaining, the film does benefit from a strong cast.

The lack of charisma exhibited by leads Jesse Metcalfe and Amber Tamblyn doesn't help matters, and not even the stalwart presence of Michael Douglas fails to provide the proceedings with sufficient gravitas.

The cast sparkles especially Simon Baker, a sturdy leading-man type, who is primed to break through any day now, and Paz Vega, already a star in Latin market.

Gabbert and Schein keep the focus on their subjects, interpreting their struggles through the ups and downs in the couple's relationship as they grapple with increasingly difficult issues. This character-driven approach draws viewers into the couple's struggle and prompts consideration of similar lifestyle changes.

There's little to distinguish this from the rest of the entries coming down the horror film assembly line, though the presence of Carrie Fisher as a shotgun-toting housemother who taunts the killer by shouting "Come to mama!" offers some camp value.

Do Quentin and Antoine represent ego and alter-ego? Or two warring desires inside the individual? This is the kind of hazy film open to almost any interpretation.

Seldom has such great star power been marshaled in the service of a sillier movie than The Other Man.

Yet for all the complex symbolism and visual brilliance, Blind Pig ultimately is an extended short.

9 never adds up to much. It's a dark adult film that gives itself over to the chases and frights of a kiddie movie.

Minor flaws and all, Crude represents a crucial document as much as any evidence put forward in the courtroom itself.

The technical barrage of visual and digital effects, quick cuts and strobe lighting does produce something akin to the sensation of playing a video game. So why, one wonders, don't potential viewers simply play one instead of watching this pale imitation?

A viewer is challenged to guess what the filmmakers thought they were doing. A 1930s screwball comedy with a modern sensibility? A misguided valentine to those who march to the beat of a different drummer?

Even if it's a one-joke movie that runs out of steam, director Scott Sanders manages to keep the gag going for 90 minutes.

Not a single person in this ensemble comedy doesn't suffer from colossal stupidity.

Dabis, a Palestinian-American, has thoroughly re-energized the genre with refreshing wit, honest emotions, incisive observations and a perfect cast.

Leo should satisfy serious older filmgoers, even if it suffers from wobbly storytelling.

More atmospheric than compelling.

The new gimmick here is that all the flying body parts and absurd impalements come in 3D. And that's about as inspired as anything gets in this edition. Story and character get chucked to the sidelines as the arena has room for only death scenes.

A dreary dramedy of a road film that starts off ploddingly and proceeds to only grow more so as it crawls along.

Consistent with her ice queen reputation, Wintour is often disconcertingly direct and frequently unfeeling, though not without a dry sense of humor.

Remaking eccentric English comedies is seldom a good idea, especially the ones from Ealing Studios with all those wonderful character actors. But against all odds, the new version of St. Trinian's almost pulls it off.

It's an unsettling, "Taxi Driver"-like character study that shows the underside to hero worship and the primal world of professional football.

The film may attract older moviegoers curious to see their generation represented onscreen doing what comes naturally for once. It's doubtful that the general audience will be so inclined.

Undeniably offers cheap laughs, its most receptive audiences will likely be found in retirement-community auditoriums.