Though no film for the ages, it's two grown-up hours to tickle clear, sharp, minds. [27 Jan 1995, p.4D]

If it's a spirit-lifter you want, Rudy is the perfect pep rally for your soul. [13 Oct 1993, p.8D]

Eastern Promises has a compelling story and strong performances to back up what may seem excessive or sensationalistic.

The animation is also top-notch: Bo has a bunch of dazzling scenes as a porcelain warrior, and human characters look better than ever. With the emphasis on Woody’s tale, Buzz and the other returning toys spend much of the movie as side characters, but it turns into a true romp when everyone's plots coincide.

There's also a nice cheekiness to the material written by Robert Towne ("Chinatown"), and the usual cool high-tech toys are deployed.

While the two leads emerge soulless as melodrama hovers around the edges of the tale, the era is convincingly portrayed and the melancholy mood is hauntingly rendered.

The film is, however, almost inevitably wistful for the past, and many of its emotional touches come from juxtaposed then-and-now footage of the participants.

It is a lovely film for the holiday season, as well as afterward, and is reminiscent of "Finding Neverland," without the darker undercurrents.

Both darkly funny and life-affirming, in an offbeat and offhanded way.

Featuring an impressive voice cast, a clever script, an abundance of pig puns and a duck the size of a T. Rex, the film treads familiar ground by pitting a bunch of Davids vs. egotistical Goliaths on the soccer pitch. But it does so in such a supremely quirky and earnestly heartwarming fashion that it’s hard not to be charmed.

In its focus on an ordinary family facing a nightmarish scenario, Snitch is a terrifying but relatable story.

Once this 2 1/4-hour slow-starter finally finds its rhythm, we're reminded of how gripping policy give-and-take around a long rectangular table can be.

It's Barrymore's most ambitious role to date. She proves she is maturing as an actress.

As frothy and smooth as a chilled margarita on a hot Vegas night.

In exploring the complicated nature of family bonds, Brothers is thought-provoking. The wounds inflicted by the cruelty of a troubled parent can prove as painful as battle scars.

Even when there are lulls, the emotions seem authentic.

Yummy yet empty.

While it reaches for the stars, director Christopher Nolan's Interstellar is a flawed masterpiece...The story is ever-ambitious, sometimes riveting and thought-provoking, but also plodding and hokey and not as visionary as its cutting-edge special effects.

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

Oftentimes, the original book is better than its movie version. And while King’s tweetstorm is an infamous Homeric odyssey in the world of 280 characters, Zola is a solid spin, vividly capturing a stripper saga that would have been harrowing to live through, but is fun to sit back and witness.

Their performances may not get touted on many year-end movie lists, but the Kemp brothers - Gary and Martin - are the make-or-break element of the spotty but often gripping The Krays. In this case, happily, it's make. [09 Nov 1990, p.4D]

Sarah's Key is, for the most part, an exercise in reserve. We never see Hitler, never enter battle. Paquet-Brenner (Pretty Things, Walled In), rightly tells his Holocaust story as it now lives: through survivors and descendants.

Fortune is smiling down on veteran filmmaker Robert Altman with Cookie's Fortune.

If you end up cursing, try not to forget The Abyss' spectacular oil-rig collapse, a killer chase scene, two fine leads, and one Oscar-worthy "creature'' special effect midway through. Do forget the rest - unless you really dig Casper, the Friendly Ghost. [9 Aug 1989, Life, p.1D]

Characters are richly drawn and relatable, though at times stories teeter on melodrama. The overall effect, however, is powerful.

At his best, King's most effective creatures are not the ones behind creaking doors, but inside crooked minds.

Worth a look. It's easy to overrate -- but just as easy to undervalue.

Bubble is a haunting film, made all the more intriguing by the use of ordinary people, not actors, in all the roles.