Documentarian George Butler ("Pumping Iron") wisely opted to stick to the cold, hard facts of the expedition's tale while layering in warmer material, like interviews with historians and descendants of the crew and narrator Liam Neeson's lilting bedtime-story delivery.

Blue-ribbon acting from both the four- and two-legged performers.

Who'd have thought you'd find yourself caring so much about the fate of a flock of fryers? This chicken has legs -- lots of them.

It's Deneuve, in little more than a cameo, who commands your attention and doesn't release you until she's good and ready.

Witherspoon turns in yet another stellar, nuanced comic performance.

A sassy romantic battle of the sexes with a refreshing African-American slant.

Insightful, Oscar-nominated documentary.

Rapp's snappy, loquacious and catty script gives the predominantly female ensemble plenty to chew on.

The winning cast makes the twist-heavy plot plausible.

Surprisingly cohesive.

A satisfying hatchet job on the spooky -- or as the Wayans see it, kooky -- world of supernatural pictures.

Lawrence -- with the help of Oscar-winning makeup effects artist Greg Cannom ("Mrs. Doubtfire") -- has created yet another prosthetic screen wonder.

It's all surprisingly predictable. As for Sorvino, she can wear the clothes, but they don't necessarily make the man.

What may have looked good on paper across the Atlantic gets lost in the translation to our shores.

Chanteuse Toni Braxton, making her feature film debut as Juanita, a snobbish Slocumb relative, delivers a scene-stealing turn.