Though Weaver is by all accounts (mine included) in the real-life “none-nicer'” class, I've always suspected she might be great as a shrew. She is. [21 Dec 1988, Life, p.1D]

May be far more ragtag than swashbuckling, but the film is sure-footed, witty and zany fun.

The match winners and losers may be preordained, but these modern-day gladiators bleed plenty of real blood.

The movie itself IS dull, however. The characters never engage our interest, and the relentless violence grows monotonous.

Preposterous to the extreme.

The magic of Homecoming is that it belongs more to the John Hughes cinematic universe than the Avengers’.

This sweetly eccentric and low-key buddy picture/bromance bears little resemblance to more well-known examples of the genre, such as "Lethal Weapon" or "Pineapple Express."

Jenny Wingfield's script is ripe enough to include icky man-in-the-moon allusions; mom Tess Harper's pregnancy seems tacked-on; and the climax is pat melodramatic sap. But Sam Waterston (as dad) has his moments. [04 Oct 1991, p.6D]

An historical opus that is equal parts ballet and biography, though the second component pales in comparison with the first.

Earnest and understated, Gran Torino is an unflinching examination of themes that have fascinated Eastwood in most of his recent films: family, war, loss, faith and unexpected human connection.

As stylish and cool as the director’s other high-class cinematic efforts, the pulpy goodness of The Killer is straight up more fun than a lot of Fincher outings, thanks to a dark sense of humor and Michael Fassbender's enjoyably droll assassin.

This breezy farce has lost just enough of its luster to seem no longer disproportionately funnier than its oft-televised Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis remake You're Never Too Young. [29 May 1998]

Cars is a classic American tale firing on all cylinders and fueled by organic emotion and a lively sense of adventure.

A first-rate office comedy of prickly exchanges.

Mostly, it's just wicked fun.

Think "Animal Farm" redone as Ant Farm. [2 October 1998, p. 11E]

Rarely does a first-time director make as auspicious a debut as Scott Frank has done with the haunting, engrossing and intelligent thriller The Lookout.

The palpable chemistry between Hanks and Zengel helps the odd friendship to blossom on screen. Hanks exudes the vibe of steady grownup in a crisis and Zengel holds her own with a Hollywood icon by imbuing her character with a wild-child manner that ultimately cracks to show the innocence underneath.

Unpretentious as it is, Big takes you beyond laughter, to where you live. And there's nothing small about that. [3 Jun 1988, p.1D]

Director Todd Phillips (Old School) has a knack for extreme scenarios and outside-the-box casting. He has made a movie that is consistently funny from start to finish.

Battle of the Sexes is less an issues movie and more an entertaining history lesson, with Stone and Carell proving they're a winning match.

Oscar-winning animator Brad Bird seems to have accomplished the impossible with the fourth Mission: Impossible installment by injecting the 15-year-old series with newfound, breathtaking energy.

July is solid throwback storytelling, a crime yarn that may not blow you away but can cut to the bone.

Ray could not have been made without star Jamie Foxx.

There's a lot here to feed crime-fiction enthusiasts.

Sci- fi classic. [20 Dec 1991, p.3D]

A mesmerizing look at the mythic quality and anarchic spirit of the irreverent and rabble-rousing journalist.

All three actors give it their all, but Monaghan stands out with a sexy yet oddly down-to-earth variation on the Midwest girl gone wrong, thanks partly to a dark dysfunctional family secret.