Disney's A Christmas Carol -- Film Review
"Disney's A Christmas Carol" is, in its essence, a product reel, a showy, exuberant demonstration of the glories of motion capture, computer animation and 3D technology. On that level, it's a wow. On any emotional level, it's as cold as Marley's Ghost.
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Something's Gonna Live -- Film Review
Daniel Raim's "Something's Gonna Live" is absolutely infused with profound admiration and respect for the people who can make real or imagined worlds come alive.
First of All, Felicia -- Film Review
With its long takes, quiet realism and fusion of dark humor and poignancy, "First of All, Felicia" bears the hallmarks of recent Romanian cinema.
A Room and a Half -- Film Review
Audrey Khrzhanovsky makes a smooth feature debut with "A Room and a Half," a free-form look at the life of exiled Russian poet and Nobel Laureate Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996).
The City of Your Final Destination -- Film Review
Its appeal naturally will be to book-reading audiences who appreciate films with well-written dialogue, a tony cast (Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg), lush visuals and the triumph of civilized values.
Oceans -- Film Review
What "Winged Migration" did for birds, "Oceans" does for all sorts of strange sea creatures in an ambitious, impressively filmed documentary.
That Evening Sun -- Film Review
Echoing themes from last year's Clint Eastwood starrer "Gran Torino, "That Evening Sun" is a moving if too-leisurely paced effort that benefits immeasurably from the superb performance by its 84-year-old star.
Love Exposure -- Film Review
Every genre is put through the blender in this smorgasbord of Japanese pop culture references and half-baked ideas on Christian guilt, institutional brainwashing, transvestitism, voyeurism, sex and violence.
The Box -- Film Review
As a convoluted yet unconvincing story evolves, metaphorical boxes get pulled out of boxes as the plot winds its way through suspense, psychological thriller, science fiction, conspiracy theory and horror genres.
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet -- Film Review
Frederick Wiseman has been making documentaries for the last 40 years, turning a sharp eye on a huge number of social and cultural institutions. His new film, "La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet," demonstrates that his skills are undiminished.
Everybody's Fine -- Film Review
"Everybody's Fine" glides along a surface of complete inauthenticity. Characters have no depth and all emotions get ladled on via a syrupy score and Robert De Niro's strenuous acting. It's a no-go almost from the start.
The Fourth Kind -- Film Review
Landing closely on the sleeper heels of "Paranormal Activity" comes "The Fourth Kind," an alien-abduction thriller that combines purported raw case-study footage with dramatic "re-creations" to unsuccessful effect.
Every Day is a Holiday -- Film Review
"Every Day Is a Holiday" makes a valiant attempt to capture the disquieting atmosphere of contemporary Lebanon in a surreal story that never really jells.
After -- Film Review
A devastating portrait of alienation in today's Spain, Alberto Rodriguez's "After" leaves the viewer with the bitter after-taste of having watched two hours of ugly truth to pumped-up party music with a hangover in the works.
The Warrior and the Wolf -- Film Review
In this epic wartime romance set in western China 2,000 years ago, the main attractions are the visual pageantry of the landscape and the sexual chemistry between its highly photogenic protagonists.
Brotherhood -- Film Review
Danish director Nicolo Donato makes a memorable feature film debut with "Brotherhood," a film whose solid acting and sensitive direction keep it from being filed away as a gay neo-Nazi romance, in which events unfold exactly as one would expect.
Sons of Cuba -- Film Review
Andrew Lang's "Sons of Cuba," about young Cuban boxers at the prestigious Havana Boxing Academy, is a knockout debut.
Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno -- Film Review
Anyone who believes that directorial self-indulgence is a new phenomenon will find Serge Bromberg's documentary, "Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno," to be a revelation.
Skin -- Film Review
Some true-life tales are better suited to documentaries than fictionalized feature films. That's the case with "Skin," which chronicles the fascinating story of Sandra Laing, an apparent black woman born in '50s-era South Africa whose parents were, in fact, white Afrikaners.
Looking for Palladin -- Film Review
"Looking for Palladin" pits 1960s movie star Jack Palladin (Ben Gazzara), who fled the high life and personal problems for anonymity in Antigua, Guatemala, against eager-beaver Hollywood agent Josh (David Moscow), charged with luring him back home.
Nowhere Boy -- Film Review
A passable look at the early life of John Lennon when he was estranged from his mother and raised by his aunt. Fans hoping to discover more about the source of the prickly Beatle's creativity will not find it here.
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day -- Film Review
This time around, Troy Duffy reveals himself to be a big Francis Ford Coppola fan, but the cartoonish end result plays like "Godfather III" meets the Three Stooges.
Made in China -- Film Review
An audience favorite at the Chicago International Film Festival, "Made in China" is a frothy delight.
Keep Your Head Up -- Film Review
What starts out as one of the better Italian films of recent times is derailed into a melodramatic potpourri by the director Alessandro Angelini's overambitious desire to tell too many stories at once.
The Man Who Will Come -- Film Review
Thoughtfully evoking questions on the nature of violence and survival, without judgment, "The Man Who Will Come's" greater significance lies in its portrayal of what happens when some of the world's richest nations wage war against some of the world's poorest.
Sea Violet -- Film Review
Donatella Maiorca's "Sea Violet" is based on a novel about a practice not uncommon in rural European communities in the past -- women passing as men. It may seem farfetched, but the story works reasonably well thanks to its two leads, Valeria Solarino and Isabella Ragonese.
