Starts off an aggressively derivative sci-fi thriller, then morphs into an above-average chase melodrama.

Many moments of laugh-out-loud comedy. But somehow those moments never add up to a fully satisfying viewing experience.

An examination of a sexual relationship that's about as viscerally explicit as hardcore can get...But as satisfying viewing experiences go, the film comes up mighty short in terms of story, interesting characters and technical prowess.

That rare beast, a terrific movie that boasts intelligent wit, expert storytelling, delightful characters and grown-up dialogue plus suspense and a wicked surprise ending.

Yet music, the one thing that might have given the film some kick, is de-emphasized, with only two songs sneaking into the picture.

Benjamin Brand's script never levels with a viewer.

An embarrassingly meager comedy.

Doesn't quite manage to elevate its subject to a sufficiently interesting level for anyone who isn't already one of its frequent visitors. A good stroll inside your nearest city park would provide a more edifying experience.

Here's a film about kids and for kids that has not lost touch with what it is like to actually be a kid.

The two key roles are wonderfully cast with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn and the gross-but-not-too-gross humor will score with young moviegoers. But Wedding Crashers is still a letdown. The film never quite lives up to the promise of its premise.

A real audience pleaser, so long as that audience is mentally agile and adult, for it comes at you from odd angles and features three distinct story lines and 10 main characters.

Although The Reception boasts some moments of emotional truth, its small scale and claustrophobic atmosphere make it a tough sit despite its brief time.

The plot is simple to the point of being simplistic, and the characterizations are never more than rudimentary.

A compelling albeit highly discouraging portrait.

Ultimately fails to illuminate its subject, though it does offer some evocative moments and terrific music along the way.

With his stirring visual sense very much intact here, Salles sets the creepy mood eloquently, but the picture -- ultimately fails to reward all the little shivers with any satisfying jolts.

A colossal snore.

The film achieves its power through a careful gathering of crucial details, in wordless glances, cruelties of nature and of man and the relentless determination to gain the promised land.

If ultimately the highly talky Saraband comes across as a minor entry in the canon, it nonetheless marks a dignified farewell for one of cinema's greatest directors.

A crackling good suspense thriller.

Predictable yet passably entertaining.

Beat has a moody, furtive quality that jibes perfectly with the perplexed life of a pianist-gangster.

The over-the-top tone gets stale awfully quickly -- especially once it becomes clear that it's all wacky style over any real attempt at substance.

It's a splendid microcosm of contemporary China's aspirations and shortcomings.

Riveting.

Might be too realistic for its own good: The film takes perhaps a little too much glee in its abilities to manufacture mayhem. That being said, the ride is extraordinary.

Certainly for most audiences the viewing experience will prove not only tedious but bewildering.

Politically charged docu-drama is uneven but delivers powerful message.