The best-ever adaptation of a Faulkner novel for the screen, directed with passion and perception by Sirk.

A deeply moving film.

Dryly funny, deceptively simple road movie that quietly reveals the state of contemporary Romanian life.

The extensive CGI work is well used and the children are exceptionally well cast, especially the girls.

This is Leone's gangster film to end all gangster films, a work of tremendous intellectual depth and emotional range.

Straw Dogs is one of Sam Peckinpah's finest films, a relentless study in violence and machismo that is shocking, not only for its explicit gore, but for the degree to which it manipulates "civilized" audiences. Even the most passive viewer may find himself silently cheering on the carnage at the film's climax--an act that, in retrospect, gives much cause for discomfort.

An offbeat, existential crime drama buoyed by fine performances; nicely turned dialogue; and an evocative soundtrack and theme song from Paco di Lucia and Eric Clapton, respectively.

Seltzer's characters are real; and Haim, Green, and Sheen play them wonderfully. As a result LUCAS is not just a film for teenagers but for anyone who has ever been a teenager.

Inherit The Wind acutely captures the farcical Monkey Trial and offers the awesome talents of two double-Oscar winners, Tracy and March, in their only film together.

A fine, straightforward tribute to a sports giant who faced blatant prejudice and paved away for the likes Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and other minorities who dared make a place for themselves as heroes of America's greatest pastime.

A well-crafted potboiler from start to finish.

The audacious finale, which plays out in a wholly symbolic realm, will leave even the most adventurous moviegoers scratching their heads. See it with a friend; you'll appreciate the second opinion.

"We're not that different, but we're different from what you think we are," says 16-year-old Ebony, and no playwright could have said it better.

Mamet's jabs at Tinseltown's silken ruthlessness are quietly pointed, and the ensemble cast -- even the brittle and sometimes annoying Pidgeon (Mamet's wife) -- is brilliant.

Europa Europa is a compelling story told with intelligence and wit. Holland's direction, and the acting by the ensemble cast, are superb.

The film collapses midway--because of unsure and sloppy direction, splintered story continuity, and the overacting of Adams, Cartwright, and others. The battle between Sutherland and the aliens in the "pod factory" at the end is simply absurd and sophomoric.

Though much of the plot action is downright silly, Dreyfuss, DeVito, and Hershey offer wonderful performances, and director Levinson keeps things moving with some nice comic touches. As he did in his first film, Diner, Levinson again effectively uses a diner setting in which his characters are allowed to engage in some rambling but very funny dialogue.

Features phenomenally beautiful background animation and complex characterizations, and offers glimpses of a poverty-stricken Tokyo underclass that's rarely featured -- let alone portrayed sympathetically -- in mainstream Japanese films.

A sleek and sublimely deadpan comedy of Japanese corporate manners.

The excellently translated subtitles retain the wit and flavor of the brisk, at times even hardboiled, dialogue.

There's enough information packed into Paul Devlin's documentary about the woes besieging the former Soviet republic of Georgia for two movies.

Beautifully photographed in the wilds of Utah, this film unfortunately doesn't know when to stop; it feels consumed by a self-concious desire to be arty, and offers a treatment too cool for its subject matter. The dialogue, by John Milius and Edward Anhalt, is full of homespun homilies that undercut the attempted seriousness.

Carefully constructing Power's rise and fall, director Goulding is merciless in his inspection of a character who is rotten through and through

An enormous number of symbols--sexual, religious, and political--collide randomly in this pretentious, incoherent horror story.

Director-writer Jarmusch's characters are insignificant antiheroes adrift in an America that is both sad and beautiful. Jarmusch has a powerful visual sense, but he is weaker in the realm of content. The jazzy relationship between Lurie and Waits never quite clicks. As a result Down By Law merely reiterates the ideas about people and American life that Jarmusch had already stated more richly in Stranger Than Paradise.

Director John Crowley and screenwriter Mark O'Rowe's follow-up to their feature film debut "Intermission" may follow an all-too schematic flashback structure, but the film is too brilliantly acted for that to really matter much.

This is one of Wayne's finest performances, earning him an Oscar nomination.

The performances are uniformly strong, with Gere offering some of his best work - though it pales in comparison with Gossett's tour de force as the tough, principled Sgt. Foley.

Although a passable war film, Flying Leathernecks must be considered something of a disappointment for fans of Wayne, Ryan, and director Nick Ray.

A woman's picture with a few - precious few - contemporary flourishes.

Warm, funny and often brutally honest profile of an aging divorcee and her three very different daughters.

The sequel-ready twist at the end is a letdown, but until then this is a neatly constructed nail-biter.

If Israel needs a Mike Leigh to capture the angst of its silently suffering working class, it could do far worse than Nir Bergman.

The music continues to speak for itself. Play loud.

Smart, stylish, and cynical about the values of its time, this movie aspires to be The Graduate for its generation and it comes pretty close.

Neat little chiller with Polanski honing his abilities as a director and standout performances from Pleasence, Stander, and Dorleac.

Schroeder's film is a fascinating character study in contradictions and in the end Verges remains loathsome, oddly charismatic and willfully enigmatic.

Mark Orton's overused fiddly score is nice enough, but can't disguise the essential emptiness of overlong scenes.

Price is wonderful as the spooky owner, but the other three players are merely adequate. But still a superlative Corman/AIP effort and a great beginning to a varying but always interesting series of horror films.

The film offers some fine performances, and Ashby's quirky but skillful direction allows the individual personalities of the characters to shine through. The script has a few uneven moments, none of which damage the overall quality of the film, and Willis captures the atmosphere of both rich and poor New York lifestyles with an impressive visual style.

In the Kill the Bitch tradition of FATAL ATTRACTION, this adaptation of Stephen King's misogynist fable about a serious (male) author trapped by his own frivolous (female) commercial creation isn't quite satisfying either as a flat-out horror screamer or a psychological thriller.

A small slice of a suspended life, intimate and filled with the mundane details most people forget when the waiting is over and their real lives begin.

Cheung gives a revelatory performance.

Innovative sounds and striking visuals combine to form an exquisite cinematic work.

The film fires off too many intriguing plot possibilities that remain nothing more than that.

This far more modest production is a much more interesting film (than "Anywhere But Here").

Hallstrom's leisurely adaptation of John Irving's unconventional coming-of-age novel is so well crafted and intelligent that it feels churlish to point out that it's easier to admire than actually like.

This rather obvious parable about soul mates benefits from luminous B&W cinematography, Paradis and Auteuil's luminous performances and the picturesque carny atmosphere.

The sheer size of the production dwarfs the human drama.

It's a defining true crime story for the Internet age.

Joan Allen -- playing goody-two-shoes Elizabeth Proctor -- is the standout: She gives Proctor both spine and a desperate, late-blooming awareness that her own unyielding righteousness has helped bring about her family's destruction. Her performance is so true it's almost painful.

The film should be required viewing for all aspiring filmmakers, but the story's road-accident appeal is universal.

It should come as no surprise that there's an American remake in the works, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon and directed by Martin Scorsese.

The third, and best, in the "Road" series, Road to Morocco has everything going for it. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby were not yet tired of the formula, and their breezy acting wafts the picture along in a melange of gags, songs, thrills, and calculated absurdities.

An effective and moving drama about the strength of the human spirit and the will to survive.

Rather than rage, Peosay's film radiates sadness over a singular way of life in danger of imminent obliteration.

The conspicuous lack of emotional resonance makes this film "Queen Margot's" poor cold English cousin.

Gore looks as energized and purposeful as Mother Earth looks sickly and mad as hell, which is no doubt why many commentators suggested it was less an environmental action statement than a test balloon for future political ambitions.

It lacks "Fingers" searing, explosive vitality.

That Terry Gilliam managed to make Twelve Monkeys into a clever, complex, and poignant success is as astonishing as it is satisfying.

Perhaps more than any war film in recent memory, Kippur is about the actual work of combat.

Despite its leisurely pace, this unpretentious, character-driven picture is a low-key charmer.

The film draws careful parallels between orthodoxies and in his own quiet way, Masud, a devout Muslim, level his critique at repressive political regimes and religious doctrines, and those who dangerously confuse one with the other.

Awash in pop-culture jokes that will fly over the heads of tots and delight their parents, this vividly colored romp is a worthy sequel to the 1991 Oscar winner.

A bravura tap-dancing finale as exhilarating as it is bizarre.

The film does nothing to demythologize the '60s; rather, it uses prevailing myths as a substitute for critical thinking.

It concludes Park's trilogy on a dual note of circular tragedy and fragile hope, while working equally well as an introduction to his universe of retribution and repentance or as a stand-alone thriller with a darkly feminist twist.

Special kudos to Adams, who nails the distinctive body language of Disney's spunky good girls and manages to make Giselle's relentless optimism seem charming rather than a sign of mental deficiency.

Violent tale of a man who comes into a town run by rival gangs--this time it's the Ku Klux Klan and Mexican bandits.

A truly adventuresome, action-filled film that is played more for thrills than for conveying a story, The Professionals offers a field day for Lancaster, Ryan, Marvin, and Strode.

This is a zanily inventive piece of work, with delightful special effects, which set the style for a long series of live-action Disney films.

Noted French filmmaker Demy's wife Agnes Varda helmed this intensely personal tribute to her late husband. It is her third such tribute and is the only one to look deeply into Demy's vision as a director and his filmmaking techniques.

A pure, personal poem from one of the greats, THE TESTAMENT OF ORPHEUS allows Cocteau to live on forever.

It's quite an achievement and makes a strong argument in favor of traditional animation — this is the first Disney feature since "Dumbo" (1941) to feature watercolor backgrounds, and they're beautiful. But beautiful illustrations and a funny premise can't save this well-meaning kid flick from its dully plotted story.

Skrovan swears that during two years of filming, Nader's only demand was, "Make sure you talk to people who oppose me."

Often hypnotic and perversely gripping, but falls apart during its final reel.

Techine's unwillingness to soften his characters reflects a rare honesty about human nature that's rarely seen in movies, particularly movies about fatal illnesses, and his film is an engaging and particularly French character study.

Beatty's contribution to the ranks of recent political satire is bold, merciless and frequently very funny, and his performance is just plain fearless.

Lawrence B. Marcus's script, which pits real life against reel life, offers plenty of wit, with most of the bons mots handed to O'Toole.

It's both the shortest 3 1/2 hours you'll ever spend at the movies and spectacle of such magnitude that it's hard to imagine feeling you didn't get your time and money's worth.

Close to perfect. A magical blend of the right story, a great score, and the astonishing choreography of Michael Kidd, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of the big screen's most entertaining musicals.

Musically it's often breathtaking.

The look is utterly faithful to Tezuka's aesthetic -- he loved classic Disney animation, especially "Bambi" (1942) -- but it's hard to empathize with the angst of a character who looks like a Super Mario Brother.

The film works best when it doesn't try so hard, when Salles simply allows his excellent actors and his beautiful images to work their magic.

Once again, Field has crafted and grown-up movie that grabs you by the throat, drags you in and doesn't let you go until the very bitter end.

Trend-setting visuals compensate for a plot that lacks the imagination and edge of the 1984 original.

Unfortunately, the film never really catches fire, despite uniformly high-caliber performances; Day-Lewis, surely one the finest actors of his generation, is excellent.

Remarkable film.

First-time director Noah Baumbach seems to have learned everything he knows about the world from MTV, and his style suggests that he's taken a lot of notes at Whit Stillman and Hal Hartley pictures.

In its understanding of Monk and its intelligent handling of the Blackwood footage, STRAIGHT NO CHASER really does succeed in presenting Monk in a straight, potent, and undiluted fashion.

Fans of the genre are in for a wickedly entertaining treat.

The story of the business is historically interesting, but the story of a friendship tested to the breaking point is timeless.

Levinson brings it all back home to Baltimore and delivers his funniest and most heartfelt film since "Diner."

An enjoyable, ultimately inconsequential crowd-pleaser.

Campbell Scott's fiendishly mercurial performance as razor-tongued womanizer Roger is a revelation but it's only one of this nimble film's pleasures.

The result is a snazzy kick -- it's never less than hugely entertaining -- that should in no way be mistaken for an unbiased account. But then, Evans is the quintessential Hollywood character.

Hamer perfectly captures that post-WWII spirit of better living through science by positioning streamlined Swedish cars and hump-backed trailers against the timeless Norwegian landscape.

It never fails to come as a shock to find how profoundly moving it all is when these gentle films draw to their graceful conclusions.