Jean Oppenheimer

Disappointingly mediocre.

Offers both a gentle humor and a sly but unmistakable optimism about what life in Iran might one day be.

Despite its two-and-a-half hour running time, the movie flies by, so absorbing are its story, songs and stars.

The digital computer work is smooth and convincing; the animals look as if they are talking. But their voices are either devoid of personality or grating and annoying.

It's the best thing Wong has done in years--perhaps ever.

Although frustratingly confusing -- often the viewer can't be sure who is on which side or why -- the film brims with physical grandeur, exquisite costumes, and a captivating performance by Blanchett.

The fact that Romance was written and directed by a woman doesn't make the film any better; it simply makes it objectionable on other grounds.

Far more than a mere visual feast.

Does a masterful job of combining digital imagery and voice performance to create totally believable animal characters.

The acting is remarkable across the board, undoubtedly a combination of a strong script, gifted actors and exceptional direction.

No matter how restrained the direction or unsentimental the performances -- and White Oleander scores points for both -- there is no escaping the semi-trashy but oh-so-life-affirming ring of the plot.

This intriguing jigsaw puzzle is visually arresting, narratively inventive, and psychologically enigmatic.

Filled with so much religious righteousness--endless Bible-readings...that the film feels more like a recruitment tool for Soldiers for Christ than a look at the bloody four-year conflict that tore this nation apart.

This brutal film borders on the brilliant. Beautifully structured and edited, with a chilling central performance by Ian McKellen and an exceptional score by John Ottman, who also edited the picture, it churns up emotions and leaves the viewer feeling stunned and depleted.

Tanovic describes it as "a very serious film with a sense of humor." It is an apt description for a very remarkable film, one of the best of the year.

A disarmingly funny, clear-eyed, and affectionate memory piece.

Don Cheadle is wonderful, as always, as the former drug-addict-turned-psychiatrist who worries it's all hopeless but refuses to stop trying. Sounds clichéd, perhaps, but for the most part it works, thanks to piercingly authentic performances.

Nominal comedy has a few bright spots but never seems to find its rhythm.

A charming little film, filled with eccentric characters and ingratiating performances.

Farmanara, the actor, brings a real poignancy to the role and, thus, to the story that seems, more than anything, the tale of a man coming to terms with his life.

Viewers with a low tolerance for sentiment may balk, but the emotions are so true and the characters so appealing that the film should completely win you over.

On one level it is highly intimate, yet it is also universal, a modern metaphor for the human condition and the precariousness of life itself.

It's like an amateur theater production. Reiner rushes through the setup in such a mad dash that it feels like a cartoon.

Although meant as a light comedy-drama in which both characters are sympathetic, The Housekeeper instead proves irritating.

Be forewarned: Scenes of the protagonist learning to swallow the drug pellets will make many viewers queasy. Rarely has the power of suggestion been so unsettling.

Schultze has a spare style, deliberately slow pace, and so little dialogue that to say it's in German with English subtitles seems to be stretching the truth.

Nothing, however, can diminish the sense of horror we feel at what happened that day in September, while Macdonald's revelations and the candid comments he elicits more than make up for the film's less successful elements.

Sly and corrosively funny political black comedy.