Blends humor with heart for a satisfying, if predictable, experience.

Heads of State is a bomb pop of a summer movie. It works as a fizzy, somewhat kid-friendly throwback to action-packed ‘80s partnerships – think “Tango & Cash” or “Lethal Weapon” – that doesn’t take itself too seriously and, for a starry streaming action flick, thankfully isn’t a lame duck.

Daybreakers is entertaining, though not quite up to the standards of "28 Days Later."

Does “Sleepless in Seattle” slathered in supernatural madness sound like a good time? Then dive into “The Gorge," a Whitman’s Sampler of film genres with a delightfully sweet center that belies its freaky packaging.

Where Paul takes off is in its embrace and knowledge of sci-fi icons.

Sexy, snotty, vulnerable and above all contentious, she's (Winslet) the catalyst in a movie that creates more man-woman electricity than any other movie this year.

The animation sequences -- the movie's best moments -- hurtle by at breakneck speed, while the live-action portions are a bit sluggish.

Too many threads are left dangling and the movie ultimately proves too implausible to put alongside those horror classics.

Fans will appreciate not only that the film is predictably solid and surprisingly sharp but that parts of it are just plain bad.

As a chronicle of the collapse of a marriage, the film is choppy, contrived and cloying.

Imagine: a pseudo-intellectual baseball fantasy loaded up, like a spitter, with seductive sentiment. You can distrust the mix, but still like the movie - and I do. [21 Apr 1989, Life, p.D1]

An unusual walk down the aisle.

Amid the razzle-dazzle, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over is sweetly inspiring.

The Intouchables is an exuberantly charming French buddy comedy that proves an audience will suspend disbelief and follow an unlikely story as long as it's superbly crafted.

Partners is exceedingly well-cast and well-acted, bringing a lightly satirical and witty script to life. Meester and Jacobs have a disarming chemistry, and their conversation is filled with a comfortable shorthand.

Though he looks every inch a brawny Norse god, Hemsworth is not just a hunk. His charisma and charming grin go a long way toward making Thor engaging.

The movie, lacking snap and sarcasm, fails to convey the book's tone. [16 Sep 1998, p.3D]

A tautly paced, well-acted espionage thriller with the requisite explosions and action sequences. Still, it ends up leaving the viewer rather cold.

The potency of the acting is also undercut by leaden pacing and a sense of claustrophobia.

Though it features no battle scenes, The Notebook shines a powerful, unflinching light on the horrors of World War II.

A remake of a 2003 French Canadian movie, The Grand Seduction is more bland than grand and more eccentric than seductive.

A few mildly crude gags help PG-Jam avoid the dreaded G-rating, but this is a kids' pic all the way. Even at its least inspired, it reduces next week's video release of Shaquille O'Neal's Kazaam to even more of a non-event than it was. [15 Nov 1996, p.1D]

A 2 1/2-hour movie with halves that don't quite mesh, it still gives Al Pacino a role that's a perfect fit. [23 Dec 1992 Pg. 01.D]

Little Buddha is strange in the way that only Bernardo Bertolucci movies can be strange, and the strangest thing about it is the fact that Keanu Reeves isn't the strangest thing about it. [25 May 1994, p.5D]

The film is entertaining if contrived. It is not as cleverly structured as Roos' best ensemble comedy, "The Opposite of Sex," which also co-starred Kudrow. But it does have humorous moments.

Melodramatic and gritty Filly Brown marks the debut of a magnetic screen presence in Gina Rodriguez, as well as the final performance of singer Jenni Rivera, who died in a plane crash in December.

Almost by himself, Jackson transforms the film's final chapter into a serviceable view -- faint praise, perhaps, but a crumb to savor, given what has come before. [11 June 1999, Life, p. 6E]

Amusing, charming and pleasantly nostalgic.