The first film by director David Cronenberg, the black and white, hour-long feature Stereo is more self-consciously avant-garde, and less visceral, than his later work. Nevertheless, many of the usual Cronenberg concerns are present: a futuristic setting, bizarre scientific experimentation, and an obsessive exploration of perverse forms of sexuality.

Bearded, burly and even balding, these "bears" are a refreshing change from the depilated, youth-obsessed men of "Queer as Folk."

The characters are two-dimensional types -- the good girl, the tough lesbian, the saintly mother -- but the cast gives its all. Just try not to get too distracted by the echoes of other movies, like DEAD END BOYZ N THE HOOD.

Wavers between being condescending and downright preposterous, but there are redeeming moments.

Their dilemmas are the stuff of dozens of Masterpiece Theater productions, but they're brought to life with a vividness that defies changing mores and cuts to the heart of the ways people justify hurting each other in the name of love.

Beautifully shot against Iceland's frozen landscape, the film is nearly as spellbinding as its strange heroine, whose essential mystery Gudmundsson preserves until the film's final frames.

A bold, painful memoir that finds an innovative middle-ground between conventional documentary and a homemade, home-movie collage.

A cerebral thriller that dares to ask a fundamental question: What, exactly, is love?

And if you never learn much about the man behind the mask, well, that's as Nomi would have wanted it.

Morrison brings an amazingly sure hand to MacLachlan's prickly screenplay.

A charming, technically sensational version of E.B. White's children's classic.

While one could wish the film offered something more original than its strictly formula heroics, it benefits from a generous portion of charm. And most kids attending 3 Ninjas are likely to stand up and cheer the rousing, action-packed finale.

An inconsistent and unsatisfying tale of amour fou and literary ambition.

Running a substantial 140 minutes, the film does, at the very least, give fans a chance to see many of their favorite players hamming it up.

The performances in the film are excellent, and its look is entirely appropriate and mesmerizing--but only for a while. The film's basic flaw is that it's just too painful, too depressing, and too slow to watch.

Director Saks, who won a Tony for his stage direction, works in his typically fish-out-of-water fashion here, trying to put some air into a stagebound work, but much of the spontaneity of the theater version seems to have been supplanted by the mechanics of moviemaking. The acting by a very talented cast is generally quite good, even if Danner doesn't convince as an old-fashioned Jewish mother type. More of a nostalgic piece than a story, the film shows an attention to the specifics of the culture on display which has genuine if modest appeal.

So while the facts of Frank's actual political career tend to fall by the wayside, Everly treats us to an insightful look at a remarkable public figure who first became famous for what he does in private.

Arteta wrings some laughs from their bizarre (and more than a little frightening situation), but they're uncomfortable laughs, emotional protection from the freak show.

Carole Lombard's final film for Paramount was a charming screwball comedy that was entertaining, if lightweight.

White's take on southern life is no more "real" than the stereotypes he's trying to disrupt, just cooler.

Skillfully written by Bloch and boasting an excellent cast, this omnibus is a bit better than most and was the feature debut of television director Peter Duffell.

Although it definitely falls short of The Deer Hunter or Apocalypse Now, the film is not without interest.

Anyone unfamiliar with Chomsky's work may be unsettled by his unblinking critique of the U.S. policy at a time when patriotism is the order of the day, and while he fails to offer any real solutions, his conscientious perspectives on the questions remain invaluable.

Though ultimately something less than the sum of its parts, the film's performances are reason enough to see it.

The subject can sharply divide even the most liberal-minded critics, but it's no secret on which side of the debate filmmakers Bathsheba Ratzkoff and Sut Jhally find themselves.

This big-screen incarnation of the TV kids' adventure show that spawned a marketing empire is no better than it should be, but it's lively enough to fulfill its primary mission -- which is, of course, to sell more toys.

A laser-sharp evocation of the tortured ties that bind sisters, who can love and loathe each other simultaneously and inflict lifelong wounds with chilling expertise.

They're answers that will either earn your respect, or further damn him as the architect of an American nightmare.