Every second Helen Mirren is on-screen in The Last Station is a study in peerless talent.

A genuinely surprising film that plays with genre and throws out the now very tired superhero movie formula. It’s an action film, a romantic comedy and a coming-of-age story and a period piece and a war movie all in one. Above all, it’s a hopeful story about humanity.

Much like Annie Hall did for a previous generation, (500) Days of Summer may be the movie that best captures a contemporary romantic sensibility.

There are some notable oddballs in the filmmaking debut of performance artist Miranda July, whose lead performance in this Sundance winner for "originality" is the most appealing thing about it.

It’s a ghost story but also an underdog’s story, a fighter’s story, a mother’s story and, thanks to an Oscar-ready Stewart at the absolute top of her game, one of the very best movies you’ll see this year.

An excellent adaptation of a wonderful work of fiction (The Age of Grief).

The Revenant is the most intense thing you’ll enjoy over the holidays this side of family dinners.

House Party has enough youthful exuberance to shake the rafters. Too bad it has enough plot to fill only a closet. [8 Mar 1990, p.4D]

With Todd Haynes' direction suggesting a Twilight Zone full court press, this uncommonly rigid movie is either bloodlessly objective or so subtly droll that the joke is beyond comprehension. But given that Haynes previously utilized a cast of Barbie dolls in the brazenly daring Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, it's tempting to give him the benefit of the doubt. [21 June 1995, p.7D]

Bottom-line funny, often convulsively so. [2 Dec 1988]

The problem is the movie's comedians, who are, to the last, unfunny.

Despite the sad denouement, it's still the love story of the year.

This thought-provoking documentary addresses the origins of Vermeer's photo-realistic art with all the suspense of a thriller.

Cult director Don Siegel bookended Dirty Harry with this esteemed toughie. [08 Mar 1996]

Nil is harrowing and soul-sapping, a look into the heart of darkness of London's underclass.

Smith brings passion and stubbornness to Richard, a controversial figure in some corners and a devoted dad in others. The movie itself is a rousing if familiar sports drama that takes care of the surface-level narrative but doesn’t delve deeply enough into the meatier stuff, at times seeming to have the wrong focal point.

Impressive in its ambition, mother! doesn’t quite reach the heights of Aronofsky’s Black Swan in terms of bizarre masterpieces, yet endless conversations about what the heck you just saw will surely be born and raised.

Look out for everything, and listen, too, because Suspects is one of the most densely plotted mysteries in memory.

A well-crafted affair by debuting director Dan Trachtenberg that mixes elements of an intimate stage play with the white-knuckled tension of a cracking good Twilight Zone episode.

A Dangerous Method has plenty to say about sex, but it lacks much fire for it.

Profound and superbly acted, with a moving script superbly adapted from David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer-winning play.

It all feels about as spontaneous as a concrete blueprint.

Michael Mann , directs with his standard prejudice toward the sheer physical. The result, almost musical, has only a couple recent movie precedents. [25 Sep 1992, p.1D]

The movie, based on a true story, takes surprising twists and turns right up to its chilling ending and is probably the best gangster crime drama of the year.

The film grows on you, but more substance and less calculated quirks would have been a royal treat.

Endearing and believable, the two actors playing Ellis and Neckbone are pitch-perfect.

Thirty pounds lighter, all cheekbones and bulging eyes, Gyllenhaal plays one of the year's most memorable characters in this dark, provocative drama.

Emperor is like Full Metal Jacket - uneven, fuzzy, imperfect, and one of the reasons the movies were invented. [20 Nov 1987, p.1D]

Crowd-pleasing and compelling, most of all because of its fiery, charismatic heroine.

As the suddenly somber Hickey, the traveling salesman who rudely stops regaling assorted skid-row barflies with flip patter in 1912 New York, Lee Marvin is very good in a role that Jason Robards always owned. Otherwise, the actors are all on a "wow" level. [04 Apr 2003]

Side-splitting laughter, along with some powerful cringing, are likely to be audiences' dominant reactions.

In a possible breakthrough role, Law would seem to be the big winner.

A case of smart and talented people trying to jam a Cold War square into a Gulf War circle. You can feel the chafing, to say nothing of the burden this capably crafted shrug has taken on.

Powerfully honest, insightful and poignant.

Its stylish and gritty authenticity is superbly suited to this murder mystery.

An engaging and exciting family film that at times feels a bit like "The Lord of the Rings Jr."

While the narrative doesn’t totally land, the voice cast is solid and the vibe is consistently joyous.

A model of what a largely talking-heads documentary should be, with on-camera testimonials and lots of film clips that offer layers of context.

As close as anything could be to a light Mamet comedy.

A heartening and poignant affirmation of the transformative power of music.

The result is an odd, occasionally engaging but often cacophonous mishmash.

A clunky-if-earnest comedy about a literal band of misfits led by a singer who never takes off his mascot-size headgear. Ever.

So sobering an example of why crime doesn't pay that it could be shown to petty drug thugs to scare them straight.

It’s an ambitious move, trying to recreate a comedy style so iconic and specific. The cast all commit to the bit with 435% silliness, the old deadpan humor is still there and when the right jokes hit, they’ll leave you in literal tears, even if overall this update doesn’t arrest you as much as it tries hard to make you laugh for 85 minutes straight. (And some folks totally will.)

The result may prove to be too much for even cult horror nuts. This complete 121-minute "director's cut" is tough to follow, so you can see why home viewers were mystified by the early '80s Vestron tape that cut nearly 40 minutes out of the movie and scrambled the order of scenes. [2 June 2000, p.10E]

A horror movie that follows none of the predictable paths of the genre, it offers disturbing psychological drama and nuanced chills rather than outright terror.

Secret isn't the usual romp, but it's Almodovar's most committed work in years. [7 Mar 1996]

Even at its best, Ride never survives its shaky opening hook.

It's rambunctious and unruly, but mesmerizing.

Hopkins and Pryce have sensational chemistry and are rather heavenly inhabiting their character arcs, which power this pious take on “Frost/Nixon.”

Rob Reiner's competent-plus wax job on William Goldman's script is keenly orchestrated manipulation. [30 Nov 1990, p.4D]

The story feels believable as a witty chronicle of human behavior, in contrast with the self-consciously satirical style of some indie films and the far-fetched heroics of big studio fare.

A tiny treasure: grown-up, tight, sexy, suspenseful and with a mildly ambiguous wrap-up that stimulates the mind rather than confusing it.

No, it isn't the slick and unfocused "Anywhere but Here," where mom and daughter choose Beverly Hills. Instead, it's the more modest and in most cases preferable Tumbleweeds.

This being Irving, the story straddles the sweet and the creepy.

Paradis is a most striking subject, but the movie is a winner as well, starting with a story full of black-comic possibilities exploited fully by the great French director Patrice Leconte.

A quagmire that reportedly has undergone multiple edits to reach its current incomprehensible state.

The Crucible shrewdly saves its most potent ammo for the end, audience-friendly showmanship to further signify a bang-up movie. [27 Nov 1996]

Like most anthologies, some segments are better than others but they all highlight different inspirations Anderson’s woven together for a delightful cinematic sampler.

Viewers who like clean storytelling may not be happy. Those who savor ironic wrap-ups will be.

Those looking to get a raucous laugh should say "I do" to Bridesmaids.

A meticulously rendered, tasteful and moving period drama.

Captures the complete exhaustion of parenthood in funny and profound fashion.

A notably undynamic treatment of Protestant Elizabeth I's ascension to the British throne.

More fresh than retro, The Muppets bursts with charm and cheeky humor.

Haunting and inspiring film.

A Hitchcockian chase...A crowd-pleasing airport-pursuit pic. [27 Dec 1995, p.D1]

Just as funny, sweet and engaging as the first film starring the big galoot.

This incarnation is funny, quirky and clever, with some mesmerizing action sequences.

A cool and clinical reportorial remembrance whose very title reminds us who Solanas was. [3 May 1996, p. 10D]

The very definition of charming.

Though the documentary painted a story and highlighted onboard emotions of anxiety, frustration and fear, something was missing: input from health and industry officials.

Feig blends a keen sense of physical comedy and exquisite timing with all the requisite spy-flick tropes, from the trippy and stylish opening credits to surprisingly violent, bone-breaking action scenes that he refrains from playing for laughs.

The soundtrack is mostly Elvis tunes, and Stitch even does an adorable impersonation of the King. As Elvis might put it, you can't help falling in love with Lilo & Stitch.

Night Moves is a thoughtful, clear-eyed and provocative film that raises thorny questions but doesn't offer easy answers.

Brian De Palma's Casualties of War, with a script by playwright David Rabe, is the most overwrought (and likely to be overrated) Vietnam movie since The Deer Hunter. Or maybe since Robert Altman's film of Rabe's Streamers. Or maybe (why split hairs?) ever. [18 Aug 1989, p.4D]

Boldly filmed in black-and-white, Branagh wrings a heartfelt narrative from a superb cast, though the story stumbles somewhat when it strays from its youthful focal point.

Who would have thought a fire-breathing monster could be one of the most adorable on-screen critters since Babe?

Warren Beatty's uproariously rude Bulworth is 90% triumph.

It's a grounded, well-acted ode to the power of journalism and a thought-provoking, visceral fireball of an anti-war movie.

Like a lot of meds, it loses its effectiveness over time, and you'll build a resistance to Effects eventually, particularly when it dissolves into a standard crime flick.

Director Richard Rush's unique moviemaking saga is one of the consummate screen treats of its day, though its offbeat subject matter and tone caused it some problems. [23 Nov 2001, p.8E]

His (Cameron) movie may not be perfect, but visually and viscerally, it pretty well is.

Bruno Coulais' musical score provides an evocative counterpoint to the often dazzling photography. A scene featuring diving sea birds and whales moving in concert with the rhythm of the waves is stunning.

More coming-of-age story than biopic, this Guevara odyssey is a transformative adventure well worth watching.

Little Children maintains much of the power, humor and nuance of Tom Perrotta's wonderful novel, but seems unsure if it's a satire or a serious drama.

Arnie is Arnie. He has all the cute lines ("No problemo," "Hasta la vista, baby''). And he does more with a squint than anyone since Popeye. [3 July 1991, Life, p.1D]

Moviegoers of rarefied sensibilities will easily identify this anti-captain-of-industry as a "typical Eric Stoltz role," just as moviegoers of extremely rarefied sensibilities will pick up on Kicking's "typical Chris Eigeman role." [23 Oct 1995, Pg.06.D]

While it’s not the greatest Marvel effort — that honor goes to the previous Captain America: The Winter Soldier — Civil War does pull outstanding performances from its two franchise faces, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.

Numbers abound ('Round Midnight and Pannonica are just two), and the film addresses the mysterious psychological malady that shortened Monk's career. Has anyone ever been more fun to watch play than Monk? [26 Oct 1990, p.3D]

Nothing is easily resolved in this complex drama, which makes it all the more honestly moving. More than anything, this is a film about a woman on a journey of self-discovery, finding her way gingerly.

Director Dominik Moll knows how to make a gruesome-free thriller and even manages some dark laughs as he turns the screws.

A cautionary tale very well-told.

Just a good time at the movies, but it's still a smarter two hours than most "good times" are.

Such pure, naked joy is utterly contagious.

The final third is slower until a somewhat contrived finale that's still the funniest thing in the movie.

A fresh-slant Vietnam picture in which lead Tom Cruise achieves indisputable greatness, July is otherwise a "more often than not'' achievement. But though it's as full of itself as Stone's watchably windy Talk Radio, the film's roundhouse punches propel you into remote Mike Tyson-land when they connect. [20 Dec 1989, p.1D]

Catch offers mild fun but never as much as its animated '60s-retro opening credits portend. They're the cutest of the year.