Nearly all of Brakhage's films convey an astonishing blend of abstraction and representation, a hypnotic flow of pure cinema, an orgasmic discovery of the possibilities of the camera and editing technique, a hungry sensuality.

Will eternally be the iconic televisual picture of '50s Americana...Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver was the original adorable sitcom kid...

Curiously and effectively weds the unlikely adventure of a thriller to the plodding realism of daily life...

As moody mysteries go, the courtroom drama Presumed Innocent is among the moodiest.

Thanks to three very strong writers...and the willpower of its leads, Analyze This turns out to be an amusing piffle.

It's very hard not to give in to The Neverending Story's heart-in-the-right-place charms amidst an increasingly anti-literate society.

A truly unique entity in the TV landscape (I know, it's not TV; it's HBO)...fantasy, science fiction horror, Gothic romance, mystery, action, and soap opera.

A fine example of Godard's experimental affronts to cinematic conventions, his exploration of the human condition, and his concern for social issues.

More than any other Robert De Niro film, invites the speculation that the once-revered actor has become the gimmicky comic screenwriter's whipping boy.

There's a TV-movie quality to The Karate Kid Part II, which too often plays like "a very special episode"...

The Karate Kid brought something fresh to the table and proved exceptionally skilled at reaching its adolescent audience.

More tiresome than entertaining, especially with mind-numbing CGI exhaustion setting in early.

Though the attempt is moody and earnest, I can't say that it's smart or memorable.

What saves Shrek Forever After from utter mediocrity isn’t its high-priced superstar voice talent but veteran animator Dohrn, who steals the show by making Rumplestilskin the best oily runt since Danny DeVito last dispatched a taxi.

The color-corrected Life magazine pictorial-style imagery and excessive use of slo-mo are far more annoying than they are easy on the eyes, and the hyperactive editing is unbearable.

Sports pretty much everything one would want in a Western, and though it's not always eminently artful, it is rarely anything less than entertaining.

As expertly headlined by Mel Gibson...Edge of Darkness makes a virtue of its fatalism, while ace mainstream director Martin Campbell compensates well for the script's shortcomings in the credibility department. 

A muddled compromise that likely won’t please history buffs, Robin Hood aficionados, or casual summer-movie viewers.

Showmanship is the order of the day for superhero sequel Iron Man 2, though the flash and dazzle distract from plot machinery that’s more than a little clunky.

Worth seeing—and, yes, in a theater—for its legitimate "wow factor"...a visually intriguing diversion and instant movie history.

Bridges ably does his own guitar playing and singing, another reason Crazy Heart is a gift to those who have long appreciated his talents.

The Secret in Their Eyes doesn’t hedge any bets, offering healthy servings of romance, mystery, prosecutorial tension, social critique...and comic relief.

Though Harryhausen's glory days were past him, he and his team do provide some magical moments.

Rather than simply repeating the successful formula of Yojimbo, which incorporated humor but largely played it straight, Sanjuro flips the script for a largely comic action picture punctuated by a dark, rug-yanking conclusion.

The biggest impression left by Yojimbo is the characterization of Sanjuro, whose iconography of stoic cool (that inspired Clint Eastwood's antiheroic "Man with No Name") is consistently undercut with dashes of comical realism...

This isn't the first time Almodóvar has explored cinema and its power to change lives, but for all its colorful visuals and narrative sophistication, the story feels more insular than ever.

Surely post-recession America will turn out in droves for this cinematic version of a hug. But should they?

Perfectly positioned to take advantage of the health care debate. Unfortunately, the satire doesn’t get any more complex than 'What if the mortgage crisis were over livers instead of houses?'

Greenberg doesn’t amount to much, really, but it’s an enjoyably amusing character study with plenty of little pleasures.

The 3D is justified, mostly by flying sequences that are certain to fuel the dreams of many a child.

The film for anyone who ever doubted that one man can make a difference.

The beautifully hand-drawn The Princess and the Frog keeps up a brisk pace and energy, but only partly achieves the effervescence of a Disney 'classic.'

Wondrous, weird, and sweetly innocent, Ponyo is a tale bursting with love, which is recommendation enough for the young and the young at heart.

Only slightly edgier and no more sensible than a Nicholas Sparks story.

The sort-of picture-perfection of the suburban home...is a tenuous cover for the unpredictability of life, the short distance between the American Dream and the American nightmare.

Conspicuously pointless...an underachieving comedy of awkwardness.

This highly incredible story lives and dies on its leading performances, so it's a damn good thing someone hired Jackson and Spacey to go toe to toe.

Despite its grabber of a premise, Logan's Run flaunts poorly developed plot specifics; as such, it's terminally silly. Nevertheless, as a camp curio, it still has an odd but undeniable staying power.

What to make of short-attention-span artists satirizing a short-attention-span world?

Well-mined comic territory...dutifully—and it must be said, expertly—recreates the rough cinematography, cheesy production design...and incidental music that sounds like chintzy soul crossed with a Quinn-Martin TV score.

Any subtlety or implicit social satire to be found in Joseph Ruben's original went out with the last neighborhood trash pickup. Too bad the service was canceled before it could haul away this waste-of-time remake.

As punchy superhero entertainment for kids goes, this is fairly provocative stuff that should get the young'uns thinking along with their thrills.

Some of the twelve short films are nice enough, some are shaky and a few are outright awful...

A potent mood piece lifted by gorgeous cinematography, resonant performances and, above, all, Spielmann's sensitive filmmaking.

A rather dull and unchallenging account of one woman's ambitious social climb in a man's world...If Chanel's early years were really this boring, why bother with them?

The Notebook with a sci-fi twist...this love story made up of signs and wonders suggests to savor the time you have.

'It's going to get Biblical!'...sets new standards of lunatic plotting as it goes about its smiting.

Graham Greene it's not....Whitaker's striking work aside, The Last King of Scotland is insipid, obvious movieland history.

A dash more authentic--or, at least, more subtle--than its Hollywood spawning and Taylor Hackford's come-on-strong take on [Ray] Charles would seem to predict.

Logan Lerman: Acting’s the hobby...But the art is in filmmaking...My goal in life is to be a good filmmaker.