It's the rare action picture whose adrenaline-driven thrills neither overshadow the characters nor degenerate into cartoonish preposterousness.

Beautifully acted, minutely observed story.

Polanski's film is an unqualified success both dramatically and artistically.

Homelessness is all too familiar to many inhabitants of the world's wealthiest cities, but rarely has the situation seemed so hopeless, or its victims so desperate.

A film such as this, which is essentially a series of comic vignettes without a plot, depends upon its performances, and both Gould and Segal are in top form, providing an example of impov at its best.

Akin achieves a peaceful balance here –- alongside the death and seemingly senseless tragedy, there’s also a kind of reassuring equilibrium.

The Savages is funny in the if-you-didn't-laugh-you'd-cry way and superbly acted by all involved, including the supporting cast of home-care attendants, nurses, hospital administrators, intake personnel and nursing-home staff.

Documentarian George Butler ("Pumping Iron") wisely opted to stick to the cold, hard facts of the expedition's tale while layering in warmer material, like interviews with historians and descendants of the crew and narrator Liam Neeson's lilting bedtime-story delivery.

This quintessential film noir catapulted contract player Robert Mitchum into superstardom and set the standard for the genre for years to come.

A mighty strange movie, one that updates Chaucer's story to wartime Britain.

The kind of brainy human comedy that only this formidable French auteur seems capable of making.

The atmosphere is Southern Gothic pure enough to do Carson McCullers proud -- grotesque, sentimental and dankly nasty -- and Thornton manages not to undermine his own writing.

Poignant and sometimes downright hilarious, much of the film unfolds in the small area outside the arena -- an "offside" penalty box for women who just won't behave.

Deliberately eschewing the fast pace, strenuous action, frenzied special effects and wall-to-wall songs of the standard Disney animated feature, the film allows the audience to get to know the character of Kiki and feel the emotional highs and lows she undergoes in the course of her year in training.

Sly, leisurely-paced western from Howard Hawks, with a script by Leigh Brackett ensuring a few laughs.

The attention to movement and detail is stunning, with multiple layers of action filling the frame. The highlight of the film, the fight with the dragon, is terrifying, exciting, and brilliantly executed, though some youngsters may find it a bit too scary.

MONA LISA is a detailed, thoughtful film that sensitively explores the emotions within its seedy, exploitative milieu.

A finely observed film but insufficiently developed as a satire of middle America. [Review of re-release]

Apatow's clever comedy is a romance in reverse, and it works.

The wonderful performances by Ford's stock company in these roles help make THE QUIET MAN an utterly moving and fascinating portrait of rural life in Ireland.

Ghobadi has little use for sentimentality, and never flinches from the fate of these children.

A thrilling return to form.

Exquisitely crafted drama.

The result is a vivid record of live acts whose rough-edged immediacy is an integral part of their appeal.

Superb drama from New York-based filmmakers Ryan Flek and Anna Boden.

A haunting and subtle film, filled with desires gone awry and everyday settings turned inexplicably nightmarish.

Though full of atmosphere, mood, and attitude, THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS is all dressed up with no place to go.

An exciting dramatization of the strange events that marked the turning of the legal tide against Big Tobacco, and a particularly dark moment in the annals of CBS News.