One frequent criticism of certain screenwriters is to point out that their characters all sound the same. To some, this phenomenon is a terrible sin; to others, it's simply a matter of style. Though... 
After a freshman season that artistically neared perfection (but dwelled in the ratings basement), Friday Night Lights returned to NBC in fall of 2007 determined to win a larger audience without sacr... 
Time continues to be good to Cheers, the enduringly funny sitcom with a talent for psychological head games and nasty repartee. As dire as the character's frustrations could get, Cheers always mainta... 
Bette Davis was the grande dame Hollywood diva to end them all: physically striking, hugely talented, imperious, and mercurial. 
Like its hero, extraordinary in every way. 
Pleasingly evokes the days when Roddy McDowall frolicked with Flicka and Lassie, [but] it must be said that a CGI pet is not quite so easy to love as a flesh-and-blood performer, animal or human. 
In previews and TV ads, Touchstone Pictures proudly touts Hidalgo as "Based on a True Story," and sure enough, up comes the inscription "Based on the Life of Frank T. Hopkins" at the beginning of the... 
Avuncular in the manner of an eccentric uncle, Snyder was a comfortingly familiar and warm TV personality--modern but never post-modern. 
A bona fide landmark in American film, Bonnie and Clyde stands the test of time the same way its protagonists did: by breaking all the rules. 
Downright hokey...a billboard for a Batman-Superman team-up movie...will elicit more gasps from the fanboys than anything else. 
The film teeters on the balance until arriving at its genuinely moving and depressingly honest final act. 
This brand of unfailing comic timing and expressive physicality is rare, and it's why Pegg, in particular, is a star. 
The most fascinating element of the film is its formal linking of its multiple, no-nonsense protagonists. 
That the picture walks and sometimes crosses the line into the products it parodies is a measure of its zealous thoroughness and also its central pitfall. 
Ripe for reappraisal...the storytelling integrity and thoughtful themes of a good novel. 
While there's little doubt that Man From Plains amounts to hagiography on Demme's part, it's also surprisingly gripping viewing for over two hours. 
With The Wire now off the air, Battlestar Galactica can make a strong case for being the best show on TV. 
For extreme skiers, life on the slopes isn't exactly "live fast, die young," but it's close. Mark Obenhaus' doc about the mortally risky sport of big-mountain skiing will hold most interest for those... 
A sort of teenage Fight Club, complete with daddy issues, Never Back Down is a slight refinement of the sort of picture that was ascendant in the '80s... 
The structure and layered storytelling make Gone Baby Gone richly satisfying. 
A big, bold Hollywood movie that won't be winning any awards for subtlety but can't be denied its popcorn appeal. 
A resonant Pacino...though ultimately a misfire, suggests that there are worse things to call a movie than 'a curiosity.' 
Pacino at the top of his game...[but] the film's lack of faith in its audience is glaringly apparent. 
Abstract art has always had its skeptics, but the documentary
My Kid Could Paint That gives new meaning to "artistic inquiry."
Following a blithely instinctive painter under investigation by
uncon... 
In and of itself, the story offers rich dramatic material that Haggis exploits well, but the writer-director's unsubtle condescension to his audience represents small thinking. 
Markovics expertly projects every craven instinct and heartfelt yearning of the complex protagonist, making The Counterfeiters an experience as satisfying emotionally as intellectually. 
A sort of cinematic comfort food: it's the mac and cheese of the cineplex. 
The film gets a full 'This is a work of fiction' disclaimer, even noting that any resemblance to any person living or dead is unintentional. That tells you something about how much trust to put in these historical CliffsNotes. 
Series creators Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman put a premium on giving every episode at least one major plot twist...generally a satisfyingly suspenseful ride. 
The only real problem with the film is that it isn't long enough...wild story, complex and crammed plot, far-reaching cast of characters, terrific voice work, and sophisticated themes... 
A kid's movie for adults, a charming notion for a time of postmodern ennui. 
A straight-ahead suspense melodrama, complete with villain and a climax with satisfyingly clean lines. But Gilroy constantly elevates the material with surprise gifts. 
Inflated talk of American Gangster as a modern masterpiece--or even an Oscar-worthy picture--ignores the fact that there's not a single memorable setpiece in the film. 
Director Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) join forces for Goya's Ghosts, a reckless historical-ficti... 
Lee provides no such easy comfort, instead keeping audiences constantly off-kilter, purposefully frustrating them with character behavior that's just...wrong. 
The dichotomy of Rickles' customary matador-theme entrance and tongue-in-cheek but true theme song "I'm a Nice Guy" captures Rickles' secret of success: you gotta love him. 
One of the film's prime strengths is its wordless willingness to let the principal characters express themselves through music and mime to overcome cultural barriers. 
Proves that even the studio's halfhearted larks still have life in them, thanks to golden-age animators...tunesmiths...and vocal talent. 
Though it panders shamelessly, it's not entirely unwelcome in a time when the PG movie is an endangered species. 
It's a dicey proposition to reverse-engineer a story, and Across the Universe shows the strain...[nonetheless] a very impressive music-video anthology. 