Filmed and released in England in 1976 as FULL CIRCLE, this movie flopped badly and went unreleased Stateside until 1981, when it was unveiled under a new title and still failed to find its audience.

Director Weir and cinematographer Russell Boyd's re-creation of the invasion and battle action is stunning, but what makes Gallipoli such an affecting film is its intimate presentation of the friendship between Archy and Frank (wonderfully essayed by Lee and Gibson).

An excellent crime drama in the style of Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, and Dashiell Hammett.

While the basics are pretty familiar, director Tom DeSimone does manage to create a few effective moments.

Audiences flocked to see Kristel bare it all in an R-rated film, but "stunt" double Judy Heldon actually does the dirty work.

Williams gives a fine performance, the rest of the cast is also excellent, and director Sidney Lumet's eye for detail is sure throughout this authentic look at the dirtier side of police work.

While Rick Baker's special effects work is remarkable (and won the first competitive Oscar for makeup), Landis seems content to simply showcase it, shooting it in close-ups and bright lighting without any attempt to build any emotion into the sequence.

Breezy and carefree, THEY ALL LAUGHED suffers from a weak, hard-to-grasp structure. As lovable as the characters and their situations are, one is never quite sure where the film is leading.

Craven builds an interesting premise, but the ending is lame and unsatisfying. Outstanding cinematography and a good musical score enhance the film's mood greatly.

If you've seen one of these, you've seen them all.

It's a mixed bag, but successful in a mindless, adolescent way. The spirited, energetic music is contributed by a variety of rock performers, including Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath and Nazareth.

The film attempts to mock both slasher movies and the mentality that produces them, but its humor is so sophomoric that it's a little like the pot calling the kettle stupid

The film is pleasant but too hackneyed and heavy-handed to work well.

Part The Great Escape, part standard sports movie, Huston's Victory limps along until hitting full stride with a brilliantly staged soccer sequence that provides the film's climax.

Although occasionally preachy, it is a fascinating horror tale that is as engrossing as it is horrifying.

Just painfully dull.

A gripping, old-fashioned WWII spy thriller.

Travolta gives a sensitive performance, as does the director's then-wife Nancy Allen. The film's emphasis on the role of sound technology in movie-making is unusual and instructive.

The highly polished production is well paced and imaginatively directed, although the happy union of prince and pauper is harder to swallow in 1981 than it would have been in 1931, when cinematic escapism brought relief to depression-era audiences.

Scott Spencer's intelligent, rather lurid novel of youthful angst is here watered down to stock teen romance. Most notably, the graphic sex scenes at the core of the book are reduced to picture-perfect set pieces, and the film is soporifically slow-moving.

This one-joke film beats its punch line to death, playing its gay character for big laughs with generally predictable and boring results. Hamilton (who coproduced) chews up the scenery with relish, and the bland supporting performances yield to his campy caricature, But the subtle element of self-parody that distinguished the best of the Zorro films is absent, and the gay stereotype is more offensive than comical.

A generally gripping actioner, the film can also be read as a percipient satire of a society irreparably split along lines of class and race.

The animation here is better than average, though not quite up to the quality of Disney Studios in its heyday. Still, this film has a lot of heart and is wonderful entertainment for both kids and their parents.

Creatively edited and as insightful as any film can be about the lowest rungs of the music scene, this overview expertly captures the time and place. Still, the movie lacks the crossover potential to appeal to non-punk viewers.

This satirical attack on Hollywood and the film industry, however, lacks the biting edge and fresh characters necessary to make it work.

The success of this picture (perhaps Moore's best in the Bond series) can be attributed to the marvelous direction of Glen, who had previously worked as a second-unit director on earlier Bond movies. Not surprisingly, the stunts are some of the best in the series.

Though it's occasionally tasteless and eventually crumbles, STRIPES is an often hilarious film that provided Bill Murray with a perfect opportunity in which to display his comedic skills.

The giant computerized dragon alone is worth viewing. But Dragonslayer profits from spirited direction and camera work plus the expert Richardson at its nucleus.

The film boasts fewer guest-star cameo appearances than the first time around but those who are here do a good job, and Miss Piggy's Busby Berkeley-type dance and the water ballet are fun to watch.

Poking fun at its American mythos, but never descending into camp comedy, this sequel makes for a wonderful time.

With a plot stolen from THE GUMBALL RALLY (1976) and CANNONBALL (1976), this wholly derivative car-chase movie provides a flimsy excuse for good ol' boy Burt Reynolds to cavort on-screen with a cast that's chock-full of familiar faces.

Ford's performance is an underrated but remarkable achievement; he succeeds in fully embodying a comic-book style hero without ever descending into camp.

Despite cameos by many superior comic actors and well-known celebrities, this episodic would-be laughfest comes up wanting as many of Brooks' elaborate gags fall flat.

The title duo serves up more idiocy, this time by dispensing drugs from an ice-cream truck--a concept that will appeal to few these days. The failure to come up with a strong script, character development, plot, authentic humor, or basic entertainment doesn't improve matters any.

Ho-hum country-music saga stars Quaid as an aspiring singer and McNichol as his pesky, ambitious younger sister, who drags him kicking and screaming (for what seems interminably longer than 110 minutes) to fame and fortune in Nashville.

The biting satire and absurd situations in Waters' movies always dwell self-consciously on how media images and stereotypes affect viewers' notions of reality. Polyester is much more cliche-ridden than his other films, however, and so is less successful as satire.

Although the two veteran performers present themselves well, the concept of a monster disco is merely silly, and the terribly cheap masks on the various creatures make the whole thing look like a home-movie shot in his basement by 12-year-old with a camera.

Pryor--whose customary profanity cuts into the story's essentially sentimental nature--is able to energize the material, but in the end Bustin' Loose remains a minor effort from a major talent.

Alda's debut as a director is nevertheless impressive, even if he clearly doesn't know what to do with the camera.

Connery and Boyle are fine, but the wholesale lifting of High Noon's plot (there's even an on-screen digital readout periodically displayed, counting down the minutes until the big confrontation) certainly undermines interest. 

A few moments of good, visual storytelling aren't enough to save this frustrating film.

Another dull slasher movie (this one less gory than most).

This Ashby-directed film suffers most from its too-simple plot, but the often-indecipherable Texas accents that Blake and Harris lay on don't help matters much.

A few effectively directed sequences and special makeup effects by Tom Savini (most of which were cut to avoid an "X" rating) are the only reasons to sit through this terribly familiar material.

Somehow, this one's even worse than the first. Called a sequel, it's basically the same movie, except that this time a different cast of teenagers gets killed in the usual, very graphic manner.

Between the stereotypes and endless tire screeching, there isn't much to care about here.

A real bore, with the director seemingly incapable of creating suspense.

Ferrara's gritty and powerful style makes Ms. 45 a standout.

Don't expect many answers from the movie, for Stone hedges his bets toward the end and vacillates, leaving the whole thing infuriatingly ambiguous.

Relying mostly on slapstick visual humor (only 15 words are spoken, otherwise the dialog is all grunts and groans), the action quickly becomes madcap.

Knightriders is overlong and at times fairly undramatic, but for viewers who stick with it and accept the premise, there is much of interest to be found here.

Excalibur is a grand, clanky, brooding fantasy.

This very effective thriller features a chilling performance by Hauer as the emotionless killing machine. Stallone and Williams are also credible, and the film makes good use of its New York locations.

A must-see for horror fans, with more than one viewing recommended.

At times it is fascinating, at other times pure Memphis cornpone.

Aided by a superb script from playwright John Guare, director Louis Malle pulls off a minor coup here, celebrating his wounded characters even as he mercilessly reveals their dreams for the hopeless illusions they really are.

The film does, however, feature revealing performances from its leads, authentic production design, and atmospheric photography by Sven Nykvist.

A dumb end to a dumb series of movies that, in retrospect, play like the paranoid ramblings of a religious fundamentalist who sees unholy anti-Christian conspiracies behind every world event.

A fiercely powerful film... An inspiring film, it is constructed like a thriller; but instead of reaching for thrills, it leaves them in the background and concentrates on the complexities of its characters.

While certainly not as interesting or accomplished as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Funhouse is a cut above the average slasher film.

Ritt and Field seem to have been trying to capitalize on the southern backwoods setting that served them so well in Norma Rae, but this time around they didn't have nearly as engaging a story with which to work.

The film presents its characters in a series of vignettes rather than in a traditional story. While it gives evidence of cinematic skill, it has a tendency to draw attention to its film-school parentage.

The film leaves the viewer feeling violated and ashamed. Avoid.

Exceedingly well-shot (by Jack Cardiff) action film that will evaporate from the memory shortly after the end credits roll.

Low production values, an artless script, and an unconvincing view of history don't add up to much in the way of entertainment.

Director Peter Yates takes Tesich's basically wobbly story and makes much more out of it, driving the tale and the characters at a hectic pace and providing some truly unnerving moments.

Although the body count averages one murder every 7 1/2 minutes--which will undoubtedly please the gorehounds it was intended for--this film is slightly better than most slice-and-dice efforts and contains several genuine surprises.

Edward Asner is good as the tough cop who takes over the besieged precinct, Aiello is appropriately sleazy, but Newman is still left to carry this rather predictable film wholly on his shoulders. The script is sharp and witty, but there's no central theme to hold it all together.

Scanners is a memorable and absorbing genre entertainment.

This strictly paint-by-numbers effort is further sabotaged by the grating, so-called punk rock performances--actually heavy metal--that pad out the running time.

Essentially a big-budget, modern-day version of a 1960s acid-trip film, ALTERED STATES was helmed by flamboyant, talented, but frequently self-indulgent director Ken Russell, who takes a confusing Paddy Chayefsky story and wraps it in a pretty package, but fails to bring any clarity to the silly affair.

Lots of laughs, little sense, and pure fantasy. Produced by Fonda's company, NINE TO FIVE is an amusing way to spend 110 minutes, but hardly memorable.

A thin plot heavily laden with many of Neil Simon's best one-liners makes this a pleasant way to spend 102 minutes. Chase contributes a somewhat frantic turn, and Hawn does her cute thing. Some nice work from the secondary players--including Harold Gould, Robert Guillaume, and Yvonne Wilder--adds to the fun.

Neil Diamond (who even reverts to Al Jolson's blackface for one sequence) is wholly unbelievable as the cantor's son who forsakes the synagogue for the bright lights of pop music.

Despite a predictable plot and an abundance of stereotypes--the product of a surprisingly clunky script by Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin--this is a well-meaning film with strong performances all around.

It's an undisguised star vehicle for the likeable Chan and his incredible acrobatic skills, and even viewers who couldn't care less about which fighting style the combatants are using will enjoy watching him be put through his paces.

Not as good as other Christie adaptations such as MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS or DEATH ON THE NILE, but still fun.

A much gentler follow-up to the original film, Any Which Way You Can takes the time to humanize the characters, and shows them as passionate human beings instead of the fighting machines they were in the first film. Among the film's many funny moments is a parallel seduction sequence showing Philo and Lynne in one motel room, while Clyde puts the moves on a female orangutan next door.

The film's real star is its magnificent set (filmed and constructed in Malta), though Williams manages to screw up his face and eye in a credible imitation of the drawings, and Duvall is perfect as the gangly Olive Oyl.

Visually, Tess is a masterpiece, capturing in amazing detail the scenery and atmosphere of the England of yore. The film's chief drawback, however, is its lack of vitality. Instead of Hardy's passionate tale of ruin and disenchantment, Tess is cautious and reserved.

The only good thing about this would-be camp version of the classic 1936 serial is the impressive production design by Danilo Donati.

Shot in Berlin and set in the far-off future of 1994, The Apple was clearly designed to duplicate the success of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and failed dismally, in large part because the music is so stupendously banal.

This beautiful but notoriously disappointing film is one of the most overblown epic Westerns of any decade.

One of the most powerful boxing films ever made.

All in all, a fine example of what a sense of humor can do with a low budget and an old idea.

THE IDOLMAKER takes itself too seriously, but is nonetheless one of the best and most energetic film treatments of the early days of rock 'n' roll and a fine depiction of how performers are groomed for stardom (far superior to THE ROSE).

MOTEL HELL could have been a great black comedy, but the uneasy direction of Kevin Connor fails to get most of the picture off the ground.

Capably directed by Australian Bruce Beresford and well acted, Breaker Morant is a fascinating and satisfying experience.

Boasting an inventive concept, with a nicely nuanced performance from Breaking Away's Christopher, Fade To Black is a creepy little film that, perhaps, doesn't go quite far enough.

Hawn makes the most of the script, written by Nancy Meyers, Charles Shyer, and Harvey Miller, providing many funny moments in her performance.

Hurt gives a tour de force performance, masterfully conveying emotions while unable to use his face or even much of his voice.

The massive battle scenes rank with the director's best, using brilliant color, contrasting light, and the enormous cast to great advantage. Kurosawa also alternates compelling scenes of near hypnotic stillness with scenes of rousing action.

Jeannot Szwarc does well in the director's chair, and Jean-Pierre Dorleac deserves special commendation for his costumes. But Seymour is given too little to do, and Reeve does too much.

The picture is very talky, and the gags all fall flat. Director Gilbert Cates was responsible for a number of fine and sensitive films, including I Never Sang for my Father, but stumbles here.

Better than most in the slice-and-dice genre, Terror Train has a couple of decent performances from Ben Johnson and Jamie Lee Curtis, great photography from John Alcott (Barry Lyndon; The Shining), and some atmospheric direction from Roger Spottiswoode (Under Fire).

Under the masterful direction of husband John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands delivers a gutsy, spellbinding performance in this excellent crime film.

This is a heartwarming film, superbly directed by ex-actor Tony Bill. Makepeace is excellent as the slight protagonist, and Baldwin is perfect as the brooding, misunderstood mammoth. Dave Grusin's score adds immeasurably to the tone.

This rancid horror film suffers from pretensions of social significance.