Borrowing more than its title from the Frank Capra social comedy, this underdog tale is a rough gem.

The only criticism that seems to merit any real discussion is whether directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino actually did make real grindhouse-style fare. To whit, I can easily say: yes, they not only made two on-point grindhouse films, they did them to painful perfection.

Believe the hype, Knocked Up is one of the funniest films of 2007. It's too early in the year to crown it the supreme funniest title, but save for something so funny your head explodes in the theater, I think it'll take the title by year's end. Seth Rogen, we web slackers salute you!

More a celebration of movement and music than a parable for our over-communicative, friend-lite, acquaintance-rich society.

This is one of those films that will either hit it big as an indie crossover like "Little Miss Sunshine,” or just make some money and become a film nerd favorite. Either way I recommend you don’t miss this awkwardly fun gem.

Mangold has time to build sensational, studied characterizations, brilliant pacing (courtesy Mike McCuster, who also edited the director’s previous effort, the Johnny Cash biopic “Walk the Line”), and blistering action.

If nothing else, Into the Wild is a beautiful film. Penn meticulously shot in the actual locations McCandless visited, and Eric Gautier's cinematography is breathtaking, many scenes are framed in such a way as to almost Hirsch entirely, further emphasizing how solitary his trek actually was.

Aside from being a captivating and highly interesting film, Bar-Lev's My Kid Could Paint That is also something extremely rare – a piece of honest journalism.

Everyone involved with the film brings their top talents to the fore, and the result is a touching, heartbreaking and an ultimately honest personal experience.

Bleak, weirdly witty at times and unrelentingly suspenseful, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is the cinematic equivalent of a perfect storm.

Like many of Claypools bands, Electric Apricot is bound to be a cult hit. I’m just hoping it will have the chance to play before a bigger audience as I feel the film is just plain hilarious and I was extremely impressed at the way Claypool pulled it all together in his first directorial effort.

A brilliantly executed film that, like many real-life family reunions, is alternately painful, funny, and moving.

The two actors (Hanks/Seymour Hoffman) have terrific chemistry and riff off one another like partners in a veteran comedy team.

I know a lot of people with no knowledge of Sondheim’s musical (much less Bond’s play) are going to buy tickets for a cute holiday movie starring that handsome Johnny Depp and end up experiencing something else entirely. Bon appétit.

"Taxi” captures the evil that many men do under the guise of American justice. Just as Bardem's menacing Chigurh approaches his targets in "No Country," American military administrators approached Afghan detainees with shackles and convoluted policy in their pockets.

With a deep understanding of his characters, Green has crafted a film that's devastating and uplifting without sounding a false note.

Bell's documentary is an absolute must see for anyone taking part in any kind of debate about steroids.

A thoroughly enjoyable film, and ranks with Pixar's best.

The final act is all but guaranteed to astonish and satisfy. See this movie.

A fresh and rewarding take on cinematic terror.

The Dark Knight may not be a masterpiece, but it easily vaults to the top of any list of "best superhero movies."

Here Breillat directs one of the most thrilling actresses working today, and the latter makes this calculated study into a tale brimming with passion and sorrow.

The July 4th release is fitting, for Thompson was a true patriot. His longstanding association with the counterculture notwithstanding, Thompson loved this country and the things it once stood for, and his voice is sorely missed today, and whether you were a fan of his work or not, you'll find Gonzo well worth your time.

Never has a film captured the spirit of being a teenager better.

Smartly edited, utterly engrossing, and as intelligent an examination of American race relations as I've seen.

A roller coaster of emotions that will have you laughing one moment and gasping in shock the next.

This is what "Nightmare" fans have been waiting fifteen years for.

What they produced is something that is true not just to this place or to these people's lives, or to the lives of poor people or black people, but to the experience of being human.

As successful as this family drama is, Demme proves himself to be quite a multitasker. With the skill of an ethnographer and the passion of a sentimentalist, he celebrates the traditions of marriage in a handful of tender set pieces.

If FrontRunners doesn't teach you something about politics, at least it will entertain you.

The best fairy tales always have so much darkness in them. That's why they resonate so deeply. This is a magnificent film.

The film's overall result is a document of towering, devastating emotional impact.

Exhausting yet invigorating, it's a drama one witnesses more than just views.

On top of the tried-and-true prison genre formula coupled with the misfit gang formula, Rupert Wyatt's "he Escapist flips everything on its ear by playing out in two timelines simultaneously.

From the film's opening moments you won't be able to guess where the whole thing ultimately ends up and that's one of the many endearing qualities of Revanche.

Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker is a grinding, nightmarish machine.

His film captures the wonderment of dreaming - and the reality of waking.

On its own terms, Departures is a thing of rare and remarkable beauty.

Thankfully there's nothing remotely serious about Zombieland. It's just a heck of carnival attraction (Shoot the ducks/Shoot the zombies) on a roller coaster filled with laughs.

Imagination spills across the screen in a bold, undeniable presence.

Cera once again does his "Michael Cera thing." Personally, I love his "thing" but know it’s not for everyone, and I agree that it doesn’t always work contextually. But trust me, here it really works.

A very funny comedy. It’s a very funny comedy that almost made me cry.

A wonderful film, and one with vast appeal. Giving us everything we have come to expect from our fashion-centered programming and more, we are left with the sense that we have uncovered a mystery.

In The Burning Plain, another directorial debut, sensationalism is on order, but it's buttressed by fear, suffering, and desire – the schizo-blend that makes Arriaga's scripts so unique.

Technical elements are among the best this year. Photography, editing, music, production design, and costumes all add seamless period flavor to the puritanical stew that was London almost a half-century ago.

Once you get into the groove of Harmony and Me and realize the film is not only very tightly scripted, hilarious, and quite brilliantly acted, you’ll quickly be won over.

This is a brutal, exhausting, and genuinely horrifying little ghost flick.

Elevates a significant moment in the history of this massively passionate spectator sport.

Halbrook absolutely nails the lead role of Mr. Abner Meecham, the headstrong farmer whose lips can’t form the words “give up.”

There will definitely be a need to see it again after the first time, for the atmosphere, for Hoyle, for the theories, for the case, for everything offered and happily accepted.

Even if you have no idea what French philosopher Jacques Derrida's theories are about, allow your mind the chance to be teased and twisted by the unique new documentary.

Simply a two-hour rave, an acidic, ecstatic trip through the not-too-distant past in a world called Manchester.

This is a good film; strong, honest, strikingly photographed (by Dean Semler) and appropriately devastating.

Easily the funniest and most charming film that has been or will be released in 1999 -- period.

It's brainy and brilliant, but despite amorous overtones and a few good action set pieces, it just doesn't generate the thrills or romance that would have made it a true classic.

See Scratch for the history, see Scratch for the music, see Scratch for a lesson in scratching, but, most of all, see it for the passion.

A great film and an important one.

ZigZag rests heavily on Jones III's sensational turn as the lead character. Capable of drawing empathy without pity from an audience, his ZigZag is the unlikely constant in a world swirling with change and intrigue.

This cult chestnut is more intelligent, scary, humorous and effective than hyped recent genre efforts by Coppola, Jordan and Carpenter.

This soothing, elegantly-crafted film is such a marvelous piece of work.

A wild, rapid-fire collage that's as fiercely funny, original and provocative as anything I've seen on a screen in a good long while.

This is a story about purgatory, though it goes by the name Camp Pendleton.

We need more films like THIS! The filmmaking team of Stephen Kessler and Mike Wilkins join Jerry Stiller and Janeane Garofalo to pay loving tribute to the world of exploitation films.

The final result becomes a search not for a knight in shining armor, but one of acceptance for one's own identity.

Romantic comedies have become something of a tired staple in indie filmmaking, these days. Yet, odd as it may seem, it's the unlikely interracial geriatric chops on display in The Annihilation of Fish that breathe new life into the genre.

Strong performances and moody cinematography make this film worth staying awake for, despite many pensive, hypnotically paced sequences.

Of all the teen films released this year, this one is, by far, the best.

Bulworth has the distinction of being the only summer movie that might make you think and for that, it definitely deserves ample praise.

Thornton's Jacob initially comes across as the love child of Elmer Fudd and Butthead, but ends up as the best role he's ever had.

I don't want to say any more about the plot, it's just too much sick fun.

The funniest buddy movie ever and a generally daffy one at that. It features some of the most genuinely stupid and amusing tough guys in the history of cinema, and a tantalizing slow burn by Deniro.

The portrait drawn by this film is of a man loved and/or respected by nearly all that have known him.

One of those films that makes you walk out muttering dark things about the future of the human race.

Tony Scott steers the movie like a rocket and it never slows down.

Tarzan is a blast for both kids and grownups like myself and gets my recommendation.

This is brilliant filmmaking.

Grade A propaganda of the first order.

The cast is top-notch and I predict there will be plenty of female audience members drooling over Michael Idemoto as Michael.

A romance wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a tale of redemption or something like that. To be honest, I'm not sure what the film really is as far as a genre goes. One thing is for sure, it's a damn fine film.

Confirms that despite all the technical tools at their disposal, one thing counts head and shoulders above razzle-dazzle eye candy (or anything else, for that matter): the story and characters, and Monsters, Inc. introduces worthy additions to the Pixar pantheon.

Aided enormously by Jeremy Renner, his astonishing lead actor, Jacobson has created something we haven’t seen since “The Silence of the Lambs”: a sensitive, non-exploitative serial killer movie.

A mesmerizing documentary that shows the vulnerability -– and brutality -– that emerge when one is showered in recognition, only to have such fame pulled out from under him.

Costner sets course for one of the most stirringly choreographed shootouts in movie history.

An emotional picture that benefits from the extremely powerful performances of its stars.

The movie does an admirable job of juggling political, dramatic and comic elements.

An entertaining and chilling film that will make you question what you believe about myths and the supernatural.

I saw this movie in a room full of San Francisco movie critics, and I haven't heard that much laughter since, well, the piano duet in "Island of Dr. Moreau" (which you must admit, was pretty funny.)

The best movie ever made about baseball, and it's not even really that close... "Major League" was funny, but Bull Durham is funny, literate, romantic, and overwhelmingly adherent to the idiosyncracies of the game.

While the audience has its laughs along the way, the violent tension of war often threatens to erupt, and slowly, subtly gathering force is the film's emotional weight, which is potently felt by the film's indelible (if not exactly unexpected) concluding image.

Does the world need another Holocaust film? When the director is Roman Polanski, the answer is an unequivocal “yes."

I loved it. I'm glad it was made...Film Threat's association with Flynt would sometimes bring gasps of outrage or phones slammed down in disgust. Now, it brings curiosity and even admiration. Kinda weird, huh?

A black-humored, unflinching look at the Ugly American at his psychotic worst. And Tobe Hooper is at his best as a writer and director here.

They should have produced this in 3D for IMAX as Metropolis is the kind of work destined to blow the minds of stoners everywhere.

Sean Penn's scenes are still so stunning...His Jeff Spicoli is an unabashed kick every second he is on the screen.

This is John Hughes' best teen film, and it's a call to arms to everyone in the world who doesn't want to follow society's lame-ass rules at the expense of living a cool life.

Shyamalan’s film blends together elements of humanity, faith, drama, tears, tension, terror, humour and the supernatural and succeeds in being one of the sharpest and most exciting films of the year.

The result is stunning -- both as a narrative film and as a document of the place and time.

Rare vehicle which gives the Palestinian people (rather than their failed, double-talking leadership) an opportunity to speak freely and openly, and that feat in itself makes this one of the most important documentaries of recent times.

This well made, slightly cornball and riotously comical romantic comedy not only extols the old fashioned American dream, but charmingly celebrates the virtues of the great American melting pot as well.

Immerse yourself in two fantastic performers, a polished narrative (by Menno Meyjes) and a “could have happened” scenario. It plays all too real if you ask me.

As much fun as I had with this film, and many others will have with it for years to come, Citizen Toxie is definitely an acquired taste.

Exciting, but not completely original.

This musical epic is unlike anything I (or anyone I know) have ever laid eyes on.

Scene after scene blends masterfully with the work of Ohwon’s paint brush, and the power of images and symbols reveal not only a great artist, but also a pivotal era in Korean history.

Jesus Nebot pulls off the impossible task of not only being the writer, director, producer, and star of the film No Turning Back, but makes it all work into a satisfying and socially conscious film as well.

Stiller is laugh-out-loud funny from start to finish and anyone that may quibble about plot minutiae, is just not ready to have a good time.

Brilliantly scripted and full of a virtual Who's Who of familiar faces, The Big Lebowski is yet another golden hunk of totally unique celluloid from the versatile Brothers Cohen.

Unfortunately, this horror gem won't even receive the same fate as a crappy "Children of the Corn" sequel, that of ending up on the back shelf of the local Blockbuster. This all but guarantees, that some kid won't accidentally come upon it and scare the crap out of himself. And that's just sad.

For the most part, the film is brilliant.

As always, Don Cheadle is fantastic, but the film belongs to Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The real-deal, packed with more excitement, vigor and fortitude than an unfaltering Magnum.

After half a century, does the story hold up? Eh, pretty much. In the end, the story doesn't really matter that much as this is really a vehicle for the amazing visuals.

Dark, disturbing and original throughout. You know that you’re going to see something a little different than your usual studio crap.

Rodriguez knows kids. No doubt kids will be clamoring to get acquainted with Spy Kids 2, the best sequel to emerge from a children’s franchise in the past several years.

Not only the best I've ever seen, but also the Indian film that'd be most accessible to a Western audience.

So immodestly unripe; yet so horrendously tempting you’ll find it hard to resist.

We have an authentic Old Master working in our midst, and Gosford Park will at the very least remind everyone how masterful a helmsman Altman can be.

A powerful no-frills drama. It's a film that never flinches from its colorful, if sometimes cruel namesake neighborhood and the people who populate it.

Patric and Liotta are as tense and great as they've ever been.

Wonderfully effective, funny and yet horrific film.

A gripping experience, and often downright sickening.

Lee gives us cross-section of characters, almost none of whom escape the summer unchanged.

This film takes chances and is abundant with style, seeming to pick-up where "Brown Sugar" left off, introducing editing conventions not normally accustomed to African-American film.

Clones is not a good movie -- but it is an incredibly awesome Star Wars movie! This is far from a perfect film, but the problems are almost dismissable based on the final result.

So well is this film made, written and acted that you’d have to be a pretty big hard ass not to get pulled into the hilarious and even touching exploits of Alan and Tommy as their lives take the most unpredictable of turns. Try it, you’ll like it!

Not unlike its predecessor -– might be hard to swallow, but it’s so delicious you just can’t help but want more. Not unlike one of those gobstoppers you can find in any candy store -- Hard to chew, nice to endure, if you will.

It feels strangely slight for Almodovar, but there's a richness that draws us in -- There's so much going on beneath the surface that you can hardly take it all in.

As a piece of acting, The Quiet American represents a fitting capper to Caine’s illustrious career; his portrait of a jaded sybarite whom history nudges into conscientious action is among the year’s most moving.

A fun time and a must-see.

One of those guilty pleasures of the summer. It’s also one of those action movies that could have been ruined if Jerry Bruckheimer had taken charge of it.

Probably the best comment I could give it is that after sitting through the first two and 1/2 hours, I would have happily sat through another five. How long am I going to have to wait for that DVD Box Set?

A very scary film, well made and lovingly dark, and it illustrates how terrified we are of becoming the victims we see on TV.

The film has a wonderful style and a sense of movement that barely slows down for its two and a half hours.

For those who appreciate movies that capture almost every emotion -- from laughter to tears, suspense to tranquillity -- The Majestic was made for you.

Call it a horror movie, a psychological thriller or a feminist splatterfest, but this sort of story is tough to get right. May gets it more than right.

Worthy of attention. Susman has put together a well-crafted, witty commentary on corporate culture and the deals all of us make with ourselves to come to terms with modern existence.

This could have been an unmitigated disaster, but Hughes' way with the material ensured it a special place in the heart of just about everyone who happened to be in high school while Ronald Reagan was President.

This is a very simple story, but it builds beautifully to an endearing and witty romance.

Will Ferrell is a fearless comedian, and he commits completely to his insanity in the film, and that makes it work.

For those who find that most “life-affirming’ films leave them nauseous and sometimes angry, Man on the Train is a miracle of genuine uplift working with two characters probably fated to die.

What ultimately comes through is an undeniably imaginative work that is a glorious testament to the limitless and largely untapped possibilities of cinema.

I find Soderbergh's Solaris an eminently more satisfying experience than Lem's. This is a film as elegantly directed as any by Kubrick, one which is superbly acted and brilliantly scored, as spellbinding a work of cinema as we're likely to see for some time.

It works because of Anderson's ability to challenge viewer expectations. Instead of making his principal actors change, he manipulates the story and dialogue to match their characters. His exquisite art-house camera shots and sense of pacing set Sandler up to do his usual thing in an almost poetic manner.

One of the funniest films I’ve seen all year.

Infinitely impractical, consistently unique and vastly imaginative.

This is a spacious, robust movie that grabs hold of us and doesn't let go for nearly three hours.

Lock is filled with great writing, great acting, colorful characters, and a tight story. I actually like this film more than "Pulp Fiction".

Is Red Dragon a better film than "Manhunter?" I don’t know. I think it stands on its own, but I wonder how much people who are intimately familiar with "Manhunter" will be shocked by it, although the ending is altogether different and much more realized, I think.

Has an underlying charm that drags its audience, kicking and screaming to have a good time.

Hits an edginess that will keep today’s audiences laughing.

Proved that cheerless, existentially unflinching literature can provide the basis for exhilarating cinema.

This is the film that "Shine" and A Beautiful Mind could not be, a story about schizophrenia that doesn’t neatly resolve its complex subject matter.

It spends little time on exposition, instead quickly getting into the thrust of the movie. For a film like this, it’s advantageous, grabbing the audience almost immediately after the opening credits.

An exciting time at the movies, where you don’t smell something burning and realize it’s your brain cells dying off. During the summer movie season, that’s rather hard to avoid. But this movie has avoided it and it’s time well spent.

The score is appropriately ethereal. From the Paris skyline to the Great Wall of China, the film's locales on every continent are rarely less than breathtaking. Calling the camerawork stunning, of course, is an understatement.

Loaded with tons of personal stories told by both Johns (the two main members of They Might Be Giants) as well as people within the music industry.

This is the kind of film you can watch over and over again on several levels, especially as you mine the script for knowing jokes about the theatre (it's packed with them).

Congratulations to Robb Moss for making such a crowd-pleaser. But more importantly, congratulations to Moss for having such interesting friends.

While Cabin Fever takes its horror very seriously, it still shows that it has a sense of humor.

With this marvelous cast of characters and the comic brilliance of writer/director Greg Pritikin, nary a minute goes by that you're not slapping your knee with laughter.

There isn't another American screen actor who could have given this performance, not one who so deftly could have navigated the razor's edge separating the wiseacre and the wise.

The film has a riveting central narrative, the performances are compelling and, most of all, we need to hear more immigration stories like this.

What DeVito does that makes me consider him a master is that he is able to capture the most horrible and nasty facets of the human condition and present them on the screen with the charm and warmth of an Andy Williams holiday special.

Tom McCarthy’s film is never more than small, and that’s how it should be. It is about treasuring life -– sometimes even cheating death -– and it manages to warm hearts in its own uncompromising way, rarely cheating and never belittling.

Echoes Eastwood’s previous exploration of true-life violence, “Unforgiven,” by tracing how death and depravity stain one’s life for generations, leaving seeds to take root in each branch of a tainted family tree.

Probably the Coen’s funniest movie since “Raising Arizona.”

Would that we could extract the essence of this utterly enjoyable film and distill its creativity, intelligence and originality into a serum which we could then inject into all the tapped-out Hollywood screenwriters and directors out there.

As the debate between digital video and film rages on, Pieces of April proves a point that many people overlook in the DV/film debate. If you have a great story, a great script and a great cast, DV will work as well as film onscreen.

Like “Basic Instinct”, it’s a sexually charged thriller centering around a cop and a sex-mad and slightly perplexing woman.

Both Democrats and Republicans take it on the chin here, although the left-leaning bias is obvious.

Each scene is enticing, draws you in, and tackles the verbal foreplay from the book nicely.

Whilst not an A grade psychological profile by any means, Ray has still crafted a meticulously enjoyable film. It’s as gripping as it is disturbing, and as well performed as it is mysterious.

A gripping example of "You Are There," on the spot journalism, even if it is a little slim when it comes to motives and back stories.

Each and every one of the movie's 125 minutes is a moment of searing truth.

Takes a look at the man’s entire life and grants us an eye-opening look inside his brain. And now that the supposed be-all-end-all documentary has been made, let’s let the guy get some f----- rest, okay?

I love a nice, quiet film. It’s so relaxing and such a nice break from the flashy multiplex fare. I love watching films that you can let just wash over you. The Hungarian film Hukkle provides that comfort, while at the same time coming up with an inventive way to tell a story.

Some of the acting may not be the best and many of the points aren't made with a soft touch, but damn, I can't think of another film about addiction with a more accurate view from the inside.

Rude, crude, gaudy and often hilarious.

If you view life as being full of rainbows and ponies, you'll see this film as a remarkable display of courage and hope. If you wake up to reality, though, you'll see this as a depressing exercise in futility.

An achievement of this magnitude is a stunning and extremely pleasant surprise.

Simultaneously offers priceless insight into the nation's past and a worrisome take on the future.

Jenkins' film ranks as one of the past year's very best. Like "In Cold Blood," "The Onion Field" and "Dead Man Walking" before it, her picture provides a mesmerizing portrait of the human side of evil.

The pacing is perfect and there’s no shortage of interesting revelations, and let’s face it, there aren’t many more subjects under the sun that are more interesting than serial killers. Consider "Aileen" to be an essential viewing companion to its dramatic narrative counterpart.

The film is a stunning piece of visual poetry that will, hopefully, be remembered as one of the most important stories to be told in Australia’s film history.

Suffice it to say that MacDonald has made the finest mountain climbing movie you are likely ever to come across. The cinematography is awesome, the score by Alex Heffes terrific, the reenactments remarkably credible.

Filmmakers Rossi and Novak have done a wonderful job of making all of this entertaining, not just for those interested in the business, but to us ordinary joes as well.

Gallo transcends the medium in a manner I only associate with David Lynch. It's brilliantly spooky.

As corny as it is, there’s a lot of heart to 50 First Dates. But this happens more in spite of Adam Sandler than because of him. The heart comes from Drew Barrymore, really, and some of the supporting cast.

This is a great little thriller with some genuinely creepy moments.

Like all good films, it raises these types of questions, answering some, and leaving some for you to answer yourself.

Let's discuss those extra four minutes for a second, shall we? I found them incredibly distracting. [Special Edition]

If you go in thinking it’s just a stupid teenage sex comedy, it can be pretty funny.

Performances are spot-on from the entire cast; each memorable character is finely detailed and full of eccentricities that are beautifully underplayed.

With A+ voice talent provided by Meg Ryan (Anastasia) and John Cusack (Dimitri), Fox has a winner on its hands.

Has more heart up on the screen than any film I’ve seen in recent years. I mean, we’re talking sappy, sweet, heart wrenching sentimentality.

Has a wacky charm and a feeling like no other Disney film in recent years.

Thoroughly entertaining and will possibly get you thinking about certain choices you've made in your life.

It seems as if all of the new animation competition has lit a fire under Disney's collective ass and they have something to prove again.

Another astute independent comedy shot on a small budget and boasting high laugh-per-minute ratio. But these are good laughs, not your average sitcom laughs.

As entertaining and surprising as the film is, however, nothing can prepare one for its rousing final fight scenes.

Powerful, infuriating, and ultimately sobering. Make an effort to see it.

Eminently successful at portraying the former first lady's flaws because it allows her to describe them herself.