Fright is way too quick on its feet to be slowed by clichés. David Tennant seizes McDowall's role as Peter Vincent, now a Criss Angel-style clown vampire slayer. Christopher Mintz-Plasse was born to play a high school nerd.

A spiritual quest can take many forms. One could argue that all of director Wes Anderson's movies focus on a sense of personal melancholy and directionlessness that often fuels such an odyssey. And they do so with a dark and offbeat wit.

Fassbender's portrayal is truly haunting, and when he sobs, dramatically unraveling, it's clear he's imprisoned by his physical urges.

Imagine a blend of "Snatch," "Ocean's 11" and "The Italian Job." Then juxtapose the staples of the caper genre with real events involving national security and high-level corruption, and the result is The Bank Job.

Worth seeing just for the superb prosthetic makeup and seamless computer-generated effects in which Pitt's head is digitally imposed onto older bodies.

You won’t be able to tear your eyes off the screen, both because of the physically magnetic performances and also because it’s hard to fathom what madness exactly is going on at times.

Joaquin Phoenix gives a superbly raw and excruciatingly vulnerable performance.

Dazzling colors, winning characters and energetic visual effects all work in concert, with the 3-D animation serving to intensify the experience.

Spiced with plenty of humor and affection.

Classic rock enthusiasts will want to stick around through the end credit sequence, which features an array of album covers.

Jennifer Hudson is the heart and soul of Dreamgirls. When she's on the screen, the movie shines. When she's not, the whole endeavor suffers.

There are elements borrowed from B-movie horror flicks, crime dramas, Broadway musicals and love stories, mashed together in bold and bizarre strokes. And while imperfections exist in the violent, genre-defying romance, they don’t dim Gyllenhaal’s clear-eyed passion, grand ideas and big swings spattered on the screen.

“Black Messiah” satisfies both as tense thriller and insightful period piece featuring two of the most captivating actors in Hollywood, Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield.

This is a movie to be knocked, chewed and gummed, but not dismissed. It's the first 2001 release I've rushed to see twice.

Amid the style, sass and sexiness is plenty of sentimentality, especially at the satisfying conclusion.

Not for kids, silly. The little devils will devour this deviously delicious assault on abusive authority figures like the cake gobbled by the story's gluttonous schoolboy. [02 Aug 1996, p.1D]

Lego Ninjago sparkles with humor and kung fu style, yet it’s a few pieces short of greatness.

Even though there are a bunch of interesting personalities (like Ron Perlman’s strongman Bruno), Nightmare Alley lacks the human connections that not only made del Toro’s last effort, best picture winner The Shape of Water, so entrancing but also populate the 1947 adaptation of Gresham’s book.

Jolie’s magnetism, plus the way she toes the line between being a fairy version of Batman and a menacing mistress of not-quite-evil-but-pretty-close, is why these “Maleficent” movies work. She fits the character as well as her endless cycle of evolving costumes.

Race makes its title's double meaning all too clear, and at a time when the Oscars and movies, in general, struggle with finding racial balance, two guys of different skin colors coming together for some sports-movie magic is a fitting and truly welcoming lapping of the competition.

It took three “Thor” films for Chris Hemsworth’s thunder god to find his groove. Although Larson’s heroine is still a work in progress, Captain Marvel lays a solid foundation to follow her wherever she flies next.

A visually sumptuous effort with wondrous sights, though its character development falls short of those same heights.

Brüno offers more shock value for your moviegoing dollar than any other movie this year.

Once you're onto its wavelength (it doesn't take long), Linklater's passing parade starts to ring true. [15 Aug. 1991, p. 5D]

Amid seriously high stakes, Craig makes you root for Bond like never before in a swan song that’ll leave die-hards shaken, if not stirred.

Does Part of Me plumb the depths of her soul? Hardly. As billed, it's a part of Perry she's willing to share.

Though this is a tough movie to dislike, it plays more like a second draft than a final product.

Hide your mirrors and look out for bees: Candyman has returned, more relevant and terrifying than ever.

The History Boys is an erudite, sharply written film with consummate performances, but its origins on the stage are all too obvious.

The movie makes some missteps, most of them in pacing and length, and the story veers occasionally into melodrama, but it is saved by the powerful performance of Benicio Del Toro.

Often a cinematic marvel and often the year's most pungent movie medicine, Beloved always feels as if it's carrying the world's weight, and maybe it is. [16 October 1998, p. 7E]

Rudo y Cursi (which roughly translates to tough and corny) is more raucous and slight than the contemplative "Y Tu Mama," but it is an undeniably entertaining rags-to-riches-to-rags comedy.

Wilder remains the gold standard of Wonka-dom. Yet there’s little connective tissue between his mad genius ― which featured a snarky edge and a hint of darkness ― and Chalamet’s version, who likely would never let a child blow up into a ginormous blueberry.

Peter Hyams, who merely wrote, directed and photographed this loose remake, has refined (and in many ways, improved) the material by adding a helicopter-car pursuit and other nifty boondocks action. But mostly, it's Choo Choo Ch'Boogie - just as it is in the punchy RKO original, a 70-minute staple of cable TV. [21 Sep 1990, p.6D]

Free Guy is a big, warm hug of a movie with plenty to love, even if you’re not super into bubble gum ice cream, swing sets and vintage Mariah Carey like Ryan Reynolds' goodhearted title character.

Little ones may squirm during the more literary parts, but the sappy tunes by Paul Williams make fine potty breaks. Adults will enjoy the gently mocking tone - Rizzo asks whether the ghostly goings-on will scare kids. ''Nah,'' replies Gonzo. ''This is culture.'' As for the Muppets, it's great to see them together again on the big screen. God bless them, every one. [11 Dec 1992, p.4D]

Although they haven’t collaborated in a while, this teaming of old friends Lee and Washington soars once it gets cooking.

The film doesn't preach against the government in Rock's behalf, but does sympathize with her plight - a genuinely loving mother and former child-abuse victim who probably is unable to live up to her maternal aspirations. [09 Dec 1994, p.8D]

The film is about a half hour too long. The third act drags and an extended high-stakes poker game doesn't always keep our attention. But this is a superior Bond.

Though slightly lacking in the warmth of the first, should no doubt please audiences.

A good little movie dominated by a great central performance that's likely to endure. [30 Jan 1998, p.D2]

Engrosses if it doesn't fully convince. [18 October 1996, p.1D]

Against sizable odds -- a sense that the franchise is played out and its star over-exposed -- Mission: Impossible III delivers.

Danny Trejo plays the long-haired, craggy-faced titular Machete with a combination of swift ferocity and baleful kindliness. And the ladies love it.

It energetically captures the frenzied pace of contemporary existence, the complexities of life in a multicultural world, the rootless joys of living in a foreign city and the heady world of possibilities one envisions while in college.

Once you get past the fact that lovely Emily Blunt doesn't look anything like the dour historical pictures of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, The Young Victoria is an appealing and well-crafted, if staid, portrait of a fascinating ruler.

Narrated by Johnny Depp, a portrait emerges of an anarchic, humble spirit who now fears becoming "a visual polluter."

It'll never be fast food, which is probably both its virtue and limitation. [26 June 2009, p.12D]

His [Tarantino's] vision of 1969 Hollywood feels authentic and alive, with a lot of that electricity running through leads Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, plus an inspired, understated performance by Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate.

I hated the original, but like this easygoing sequel. And unlike Home Alone, the filmmakers don't have to wreck real estate to earn some holiday- movie smiles. [21 Nov 1990, p.2D]

While the movie on the whole isn’t quite the caliber of the last two missions (“Ghost Protocol” and “Rogue Nation”), director Christopher McQuarrie’s action-packed “Fallout” set pieces are outstanding, finding great character moments in the middle of the explosiveness

The five stories in The Five Senses flawlessly and even artfully create a unified mood.

Engagingly offbeat. [4 December 1998, Life, p.13E]

This fun-loving genre-bender, inspired by "Smokey and the Bandit," opens languidly, then picks up the pace. Even in the midst of cars racing, it's funny and endearing.

The third installment of director David Yates’ “Harry Potter” period prequel series still is overstuffed with characters and subplots, yet polishes a few missteps from previous films. There’s a renewed emphasis on magical creatures and another decidedly political bent to the franchise as it digs into dark themes and offers a bewitching goofy side.

It’s a nifty change of pace for a main character’s superteam to include his parents and grandma instead of Batman and Wonder Woman.

Writer/director Frank LaLoggia's chiller about the dark underbelly of an idyllic small town is so effectively heartfelt yet also creepy that it's surprising he couldn't parlay it into more assignments.

Your mileage may vary when it comes to the over-the-top carnage and in-your-face machismo, but it’s impressive just how bonkers Fate is, like a litter of kittens hopped up on grade-A catnip.

A well-crafted, albeit entirely bleak exploration of paranoia and fear.

It’s a gorgeous and stunning thing to look at, with awesome sights of underwater fauna, and the new movie is an emotionally charged outing that again dips into themes of colonization while adding environmental issues and relatable family drama.

Lean, mean and mordant black comedy.

The romance, which commences rather gradually, is tender, but not graphic. Humor is interspersed throughout, but there also is sadness, handled seriously. Actually, it is as much a family saga as it is a romantic comedy.

Isn't always perfect. But it fills an empty spot in the hearts of girls of all ages who have been pining all summer for a movie like this.

Some could find the story verging on self-indulgence, and indeed there are patches that teeter perilously close. But we care about the two main characters, and we root for them to reconnect as father and daughter.

Paul Giamatti brings just the right blend of irascible charm and caustic intelligence to the role of Barney.

Blowing this small-screen cyber horror tale out to the big screen makes for fresh and fearsome fun.

Humphrey Bogart went out with one of the best swan songs a major star ever had in this anti-boxing screed, from a novel by On the Waterfront scripter Budd Schulberg. [12 Jul 2004]

Though not as far-reaching as the book from which it was adapted, Everything Is Illuminated is a movie with wit, warmth and unabashed emotion.

Claustrophobic, compelling and suspenseful.

It's an intriguing match of material and filmmaker. Dahl's distinctive, edgy storytelling seems to fit well with Anderson's idiosyncratic worldview and visuals.

Potty humor to spare. [26 July 1996, p. D4]

Though the film will undoubtedly please the young viewers who flock to it, ultimately many of the book's readers may wish for a more magical incarnation.

August Strindberg's psychological drama of erotic class conflict gets a bracing, claustrophobic workout from director Mike Figgis.

It has lighthearted moments, but is also suspenseful at the right times.

But reserve dampens the passion in Lust, Caution, his beautifully mounted but rather unmoving film. It feels surprisingly cold, despite this erotic thriller's ultra-explicit sex scenes.

Though unlikely to have the lasting quality of "The Graduate," it feels a bit like that seminal film for today's generation.

While it unabashedly leans into its chick-flick nature, returning director Sharon Maguire — who helmed 2001’s franchise-starter "Bridget Jones’s Diary" — manages to craft the strongest and funniest film of the series.

Don't underestimate the appeal of a heart-tugger that's this well mounted.

Drag Me to Hell is unlike any scary thriller in a while: frightening, frenzied and fun.

The movie is a unicorn of sorts, a pure and perfect action flick with post-apocalyptic hot rods, gorgeous demolition-derby carnage and demented confidence.

(Craven) and his Scream dream team have done a frightfully good job of killing off and wrapping up the popular horror series.

Director David Frankel’s comedy is honest and clear-eyed as it digs into a media world where story clicks increasingly matter more than quality.

And that's Fed Up's ultimate, if not fatal, weakness: The movie seems to acquit consumers of any culpability in our health crisis.

Yearning for an old-fashioned movie with a well-told, uplifting message? Music of the Heart is playing your song.

What resonates more is his more subtle exploration of how people deal differently with trauma and the power of connection. That message — and a captivating McAvoy — will stick with you long past the thrills of a cool twist.

With its focus on integrity, creativity and identity, Beyond the Lights is a rare intelligent romantic drama.

Contrived or not, this suspect premise is made acceptable by four perfect leads, as well as by other nicely modulated performances further down the cast. Boyle is as good as he's ever been, Lloyd perhaps the best he's been, and if Keaton is the star, he wisely blends in, as Jack Nicholson has always been willing to do. Which may be why, like Nicholson, Keaton just keeps getting better. [07 Apr 1989, p.1D]

While Ant-Man's technically “the star,” this is most definitely the Wasp’s movie to own, and the smirking, enjoyably no-nonsense role fits Lilly well.

Obviously armed with more gangster-of-love opportunities playing Pablo Picasso than he had playing Richard Nixon, Anthony Hopkins ends up opting here for wit over full-blooded passion, but it proves to be enough. [23 Sep 1996]

The Drama is a moral thought experiment conducted amid a disaster-filled deconstruction of the romantic comedy. And given the plot's somewhat jaw-dropping twist, it’s also one of the boldest, brashest movies in some time.

Though it seems even spottier today than it did in '68, Cassavetes' most acclaimed work rebounds impressively after a near-unbearable opening half-hour. [29 Mar 1996]

Scott paces the film like its mechanized star: deliberately and, ultimately, with enough speed to keep its passengers satisfied.

The series has thankfully, found its way out of the doldrums of the Michael Bay era and discovered a satisfying groove of nostalgic bliss. It’s still a whole lot of earnest diatribes, hokey zingers and assorted nonsense but it’s at least crowd-pleasing, candy-in-your-popcorn nonsense.

A Little Princess is the first of its progeny to blend brains with entertainment. This stylish sleeper easily outpaces the studio's starchy updates of "Black Beauty" and "The Secret Garden", and even betters Shirley Temple's 1939 take on Frances Hodgson Burnett's Princess perennial. [18 May 1995, 12D.]

Exceedingly well cast and assembled with flashy visuals and pacing by Harron, this period piece is diminished by its relative pointlessness.

The stars make this political drama engrossing, despite its few missteps.

An occasionally schmaltzy but likable story of healing and redemption.

There is a certain jittery edginess to Keaton’s Kroc but the actor imbues his character with such folksy likability that it’s a subtle turn from working-class go-getter to greedy bad guy.