A compelling and uplifting tale that exposes the viewer to an unfamiliar, fascinating culture and a family dynamic that is recognizable and nuanced.

The casting falters on every level compared with Queens.

Well acted by an ensemble that leans toward equality for all, Mile carries its long running time extremely well.

This is Austen lite, but pleasantly so. You can hardly fault a movie that fashions itself around a consummate writer whose keen sense of humor and gift for fully realized characters have resulted in countless screen adaptations.

This Hulk is more viscerally angry and packs a bigger wallop than Ang Lee's talkier, more introspective version. But it's hardly the best superhero movie around. "Iron Man" was wittier and more fun.

You’ve heard of an October surprise. This is a November disappointment.

Fighting seriously lacks punch.

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.

A family movie with a heart and a brain. And if you aren't moved to tears, you might need an organ transplant.

A suspense thriller that intelligently explores the ideal of lasting love.

While the talented quartet play these hypocritical sorts with finesse, the story grows tiresome, its cynical point made early and often.

The movie is what it is, a deadeningly literal look at ozone spiritualists and s-&-m purveyors (possibly one and the same) who toss some very spirited pool parties. A better title than the current marquee anonymity might be Naked Brunch. [16 Sept 1994, p.5D]

The visionary filmmaker's psychological thriller weaves a too-complicated tapestry.

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.

Yes, it's loud, explosive and silly, but it also perfectly embodies the concept of a summer blockbuster with its simple good-guys-vs.-bad-guys plot, cheeky humor and flawless special effects.

It's amusing, but also rather silly - offering still more evidence that Wenders seems to have seen a few hundred Hollywood genre pics too many. [30 Dec 1993, p.4D]

Has added virtually nothing to two cinema genres with their own prodigious histories: ensemble and black.

Given its complete lack of suspense, eroticism, ensemble acting, and other mere tangibles, Paul Schrader's The Comfort of Strangers (with a Harold Pinter script) is destined to wind up lacking even a modest theatrical run. [29 Mar 1991, p.5D]

Not for everyone. It is darkly funny, intellectually challenging and obliquely didactic. It also grows bleaker over the course of its nearly three-hour running time.

This “Scream” is neither king of the hill nor top of the heap, but you can’t be too mad at a picture that makes a cathartic treat out of a plunged knife in the eye.

This latest Bourne doesn't send adrenaline surging the way "Ultimatum" did, but it's still a tense, well-acted thrill ride.

Decidedly more thought-provoking than most big-studio summer fare.

Give Anderson credit for at least sustaining a mood. This is the kind of all-or-nothing movie in which a filmmaker probably can't waver from his tone.

An intermittently exciting action film anchored by a strong performance by Jackman, who embodies Wolverine like no one else could.

There’s also a relentless darkness in "Soldado" that some fans of the original will love, but the inherent idealism of Blunt’s Macer is missed: When everybody's a shade of bad, it begs for any sort of normal protagonist.

Solidly entertaining.

This time, Lee fails to do the right thing, but he may have come up with a cult film. And compared to too much of this summer's sludge, that's almost mo' better enough. [03 Aug 1990]

Mashing up satire, subtle social commentary, clever gadgetry, keen wit and high-octane style, this spy saga — based on the comic book series The Secret Service — is bolstered by a terrific cast.