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.