With its blend of taut action and profound revelations, The Debt is definitely worth an audience's investment.

It has an elusive, haunting quality, but it's too long at 133 minutes, and there aren't many movies these days that get more involving as they progress.

Gussied-up rodents and inane male antics come together in funny and inspired ways in this screwball farce.

Incorporates a range of genres -- black comedy, thriller, psychological drama -- and emerges more powerful for it.

A film that wins on 'Courage' of its convictions. {12 July 1996, p. D1]

The interwoven stories are haunting, but also darkly funny.

The look of the film is dazzling, even hallucinatory, and the concept is beyond quirky as conceived by Gondry, a talented visual stylist, in his first film based on his own script. The story is compelling, unconventional and diverting in its blurring of reality and fantasy.

It's the kind of feel-good movie whose resolution is evident from the start, being based as it is on a true story. But that doesn't make the journey any less interesting.

Emmerich might have had a masterpiece, but he'll have to settle for what comes close to being a must-see movie today.

No situation could be more human, and it's one the youth-dominated film industry rarely touches.

Johansson gives one of her best performances as the bossy, gum-chewing Jersey girl determined to change Jon into her image of a romantic hero. Tony Danza and Glenne Headly are hilarious as Jon's parents. Gordon-Levitt proves he can act, write and direct with equal dexterity.

Unlike so many big-studio films that pass off models in horn-rimmed glasses as nerds, this little New Zealand gem embraces the inner geek and, just as effectively, celebrates misfit love.

An enjoyable piece of vibrant world building that steps away from the musical bent of recent non-Pixar efforts like “Encanto” and the “Frozen” flicks.

Quaid's return to form is worth cheering. He helps make Flesh a watchable depressant. [05 Nov 1993, p.4D]

Shot in semidocumentary fashion, it builds to a more visceral climax than one initially expects. [26Nov1997 Pg.09.D]

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.

A cautionary tale very well-told.

John Travolta may stand out as a plus-size laundress who is hesitant, drab and retiring, but Hairspray is a consistently flashy, rousing and rambunctious movie spectacle.

No-frills chills are what Paranormal Activity offers in unrelenting supply.

Costner and Russo show they're up to par. [16 August 1996, p.D1]

A satisfying look at young unrequited love, bromances, independence and letting go.

Proof that Allen, who many have dismissed with his last few forgettable films, is still a filmmaking force.

Lie is openhearted, earnest and well-intentioned.

Like a lava lamp turned on high, Joe Versus the Volcano glows with originality. Go bask in it. [9 Mar 1990, p.4D]

While Southpaw doesn’t do anything innovative with the punch-drunk formula — there’s even a rousing final match, leaving you exhausted by the end — Gyllenhaal and Whitaker are real heavyweights who give the feature a winning combo.

The dazzling animation, catchy songs and Broadway-worthy dance numbers give the film even broader appeal.

It all adds up to belly laughs aplenty and a rollicking good time.

Johnny Depp’s drunken Captain Jack Sparrow stumbles into yet another seafaring adventure, which has its rocky moments but also offers an engaging tale with family legacies, above-average swashbuckling and a fantastic new villain courtesy of Javier Bardem