The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare does well with its “Superman and Reacher kill Nazis” vibe before overcomplicating the matter. Yet the biggest issue with director Guy Ritchie’s World War II action comedy is it doesn’t know what kind of movie it wants to be.

Jewel is more like an acting zircon because she just can't project, but at least she looks the part, and her novelty value isn't unwelcome.

This savage parody of the many recent coming-of-age-in-the-ghetto melodramas is rude, crude and outrageous. It's as likely to elicit gasps from the politically correct as chuckles from the impossible-to-shock. [15 Jan 1996, p.4D]

This supernatural yarn is thoroughly engrossing until it loses its way about three-quarters in. It's as if the filmmakers didn't know how to resolve the mayhem, opting for silly over diabolical.

The result may prove to be too much for even cult horror nuts. This complete 121-minute "director's cut" is tough to follow, so you can see why home viewers were mystified by the early '80s Vestron tape that cut nearly 40 minutes out of the movie and scrambled the order of scenes. [2 June 2000, p.10E]

There is a keen intellect behind this devoutly defiant fable.

Fashioning a hybrid of a courtroom drama and a horror film that is suspenseful and scary requires a clear vision and directorial finesse. Rose lacks both. But the performances are topnotch.

There’s a scrappiness to Atlas that pairs well with a human/machine bonding narrative and a fish-out-of-water Lopez trying to figure out how to work a super cool, high-tech armored suit and not die spectacularly.

Despite solid acting, it's a fantasy for those who don't know jack about what really makes for a wonderful life.

A light, sweet romantic comedy and a Manhattan-without-fear setting make Night a charmer, especially for young couples falling in love. But just as falling in love demands a willing suspension of disbelief, so does this tale of revolving roommates. [3 May 1993, p.8D]

Director Jonathan Lynn has had his hits (My Cousin Vinny) and stinkeroos (Greedy). This falls in between. [29 Mar 1996, p.4D]

Actually, as films inspired by Saturday Night Live sketches go, this is pretty good. Count on three big belly laughs if you are over 30, more if you are under 18 and even have a belly. [14 Feb 1994 Pg. 04.D]

A film like, say, all-time weepie cancer tale “Love Story” crescendos toward the eventual waterworks – while it may leave some looking for a tissue, “We Live in Time” ends up thwarting rather than boosting that catharsis.

It's to these Angels' credit that they, like the movie, are at least intermittent fun.

It’s an ambitious move, trying to recreate a comedy style so iconic and specific. The cast all commit to the bit with 435% silliness, the old deadpan humor is still there and when the right jokes hit, they’ll leave you in literal tears, even if overall this update doesn’t arrest you as much as it tries hard to make you laugh for 85 minutes straight. (And some folks totally will.)

The plot progression can be guessed early on, but the film is more about humor and heart than a clever story.

An innovative -- if only moderately entertaining -- spin on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island.

The film barely skims the grimmer realities of growing old - sickness, money problems, loneliness and death. Still, you couldn't think of two better Grinches to spend the holiday with than Lemmon and Matthau. [23 Dec 1993, p.5D]

I Feel Pretty offers aspirational touches that match the "Get it, girl" shirt sported by Schumer's character, but the mostly feel-good cinematic parable often has trouble finding the right balance between goofball humor and earnest message.

It has the best action sequences of all four chapters, though its revolutionary message gets bogged down by a meandering plot and some good old-fashioned overacting.

What might have made Bless Me, Ultima more powerful would have been additional scenes with its mystical title character.

Forget "Twilight." Fans of vampire movies are not likely to see anything more graphic, extreme or twisted than Thirst.

Its premise is so promising that you long for more than Arteta's low-key approach can deliver.

The 15-minute squall is spectacular and the movie's partial redeemer - the minimum you'd hope for in a movie called White Squall, don't you think? [02 Feb 1996]

It wallows queasily in its high-tech violence and is woefully anti-climactic; if you think director Kathryn Bigelow doesn't know when to quit, just think back to her sky-diving folly Point Break. The audio-visual ka-boom here befits James Cameron's producing-writing co-credits, but little else justifies Days' prime Saturday-Sunday slot in the New York Film Festival. [6 Oct 1995, p.4D]

Elle Fanning is wondrous in Phoebe in Wonderland. But the movie is an uneven, unfocused amalgamation of ideas and moods that is at times deeply moving nonetheless.

Mildly entertaining, though the best performances come not from the stars, but the supporting players.

Until its roaring-semis climax, there is no genuine excitement here. Only 133 characteristically overlong minutes of painlessly watchable bubble bath. [14 July 1989, p.1D]