Given the dearth of outlets for short, noncommercial animation, fans of the form shouldn't miss this collection.

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.

A modest but finely tuned look at small-town life.

An intriguing mix of the familiar and the alien. DaFoe's distinctly American speech patterns are a little jarring amid a tangle of British inflections (French actor Cassel's accent is justified within the story), but it doesn't spoil the film's overall effect.

It's easy to see why this violent, thrilling tale broke all box-office records in Thailand: Not only does it stir a sense of deep national pride, but Thanit delivers the goods when it comes to action.

But there's a vaguely self-congratulatory tone to the screenplay that's a bit off-putting.

Pryor's direction is better than the script, and singers Eckstine and McRae make nice dramatic debuts under his firm hand.

Fresh-faced leads Muniz and Bynes are charmers, Giamatti makes Wolf into a splendidly loathsome adversary, and the film is refreshingly free of bodily function jokes.

While an impressive production, THE MISSION tries to do so much that little is explored fully. Irons's character is really more an icon than a man, as is De Niro's. Perhaps most distressing is the fact that THE MISSION is yet another film made by Europeans or Americans that, while sympathetic to the plight of South American Indians, portrays them as an indistinguishable mass of childlike innocents just waiting to be exploited by outsiders.

Belvaux is no Douglas Sirk, but the film is an admirable, if uneven, conclusion to an audacious project.

An amiable romantic comedy.

A smartly stylized hoot.

There's something surprisingly sweet at the center of this grim prison drama.

A fun and fanciful comic adventure, based on the novel "The Death of Napoleon" by Simon Leys, that takes a great premise and runs with it.

Hanks is excellent and has a way with funny lines that marks him as one of the better droll comic actors, if given the right material. Here, writers Ken Levine and David Isaacs have provided the actors with solid jokes.

The film is marred by a lackluster narrative, failing to inspire or move us in any way, but there's no denying Bedelia's beautifully nuanced performance.

Yes, it's sappy. It's also silly, utterly unironic, a sketch stretched out to feature length, and, if you're in the right mood, pretty darned cute.

Adults also are more likely than kids to snicker at jokes.

The plot of Gleaming the Cube is far from original, but the skateboarding sequences are exhilarating and add a great deal of excitement to otherwise routine material.

The comedy is cruelly subliterate (powdered deer privates figure prominently), the action -- performed by an aging, dumpy Seagal -- pointless, and the story pieced together from moldy cliches.

The movie races all over the place in a hurry to illuminate the "little people" who live in quiet desperation. It's a bit too noisy for that, and yet there is enough about it to warrant attention.

The film's outstanding beauty is not enough to compensate its slim story, which remains preoccupied with the duellists' insane obsession with military codes of conduct and personal honor.

True to form, Salles' version is an intelligent, brooding ghost story brimming with atmosphere, emotions and, above all else, water, but it's disappointingly short on scares.

Racing fans should love Le Mans' dazzling documentary-like photography, including actual footage from the 1969 and 1970 races, but those who are more interested in an involving story may be disappointed.

The action is reasonably well-staged, but the film is overlong and occasionally draggy.

The plot isn't what makes this movie worth watching anyway -- it's the performances and the ambiance.

As in the first, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, he concentrates upon the figure of Cushing as basically a well-meaning doctor who runs a charity hospital but is the victim of undue prejudice. The gory effects, however, come out the same, with this one surpassed in its shocking effects perhaps only by Warhol's version.

Though it can get laborious, and produces the odd unintended chuckle, The Secret Garden is charming and sometimes chillingly authentic.