Merle Bertrand

A heartwarming, cleansing film that's simply good for the soul.

The film reveals a man whose wiry build, relentless passion, fearless guile, and bravery made him a beloved human rights activist in his strife-ridden country.

While Intoxicating is far from a perfect film, it is nonetheless a highly effective -- and affecting -- clash of two fiercely independent talents, Kirk Harris and Mark David.

The greatest accomplishment of Occupation: Dreamland is showing those of us on the home front that it really is possible, Republican howling to the contrary aside, to support our troops without supporting the war itself.

With Manito's raw portrayal of its characters and stripped-down cinematography, the undercurrent of impending tragedy is palpable.

War is chaos and confusion even under the best of circumstances, of which this current fiasco clearly ain’t. The Prisoner… underscores this fact, as well as muddying up the waters on such commonly accepted platitudes as "Support the Troops."

Makes for an interesting close-up on an art form whose intricacies could all too easily go unnoticed.

Believe it or not, most of the empathy here is with Wand Jean's legal team. Yes, the lawyers.

Eisenstadt does an excellent job bringing the story of an ambitious young woman setting out to fulfill a dream full circle.

A creepy, if disjointed exploration of the nature of evil. But compared to its predecessor, it's also a bit of a disappointment.

About as exciting as meatloaf.

The best thing about The Slaughter Rule -- is that the film refuses to succumb to the temptation of a glorious Hollywood feel-good happy ending.

By turns infuriating, charming, wistful and annoying, Kwik Stop winds up a touching, if frustrating film.

For the most part, Gerry is a lot of self-indulgent baloney.

While certainly an entertaining and intriguing film, one simply can't get past the notion that we're watching semi-famous actors pretending to be their more famous characters.

Definitely designed to tug on its audience's heartstrings, a task at which it completely succeeds, In America is ultimately a solid, if unspectacular family film.

There's just something maddeningly upbeat about this film's shameless hokiness. Combine that with the film's colorful art and wardrobe designs, spiffy choreography, the joy of seeing some veteran faces on screen for the first time in a while, and a soundtrack that'll make even the dead tap their toes, and Swing simply makes for some serious jump-jivin' fun.

The appeal of The Burial Society lays in its unusual and obscure take on an otherwise mundane tale of greed, treachery and double-cross.

Death and comedy rarely mix, and this tedious and painfully un-funny effort by director Darren Stein is no exception.

Gleaming like a well-polished magic lamp on a vibrant Persian rug, The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam showcases Arabian/Muslim culture at its best and brightest.

An unusual angle on the age-old coming of age story. Filled with solid performances by veteran actors Ivey and Raymond, as well as a captivating performance by newcomer Grace.

Madame Sata may be based on real events, but it's certainly not a very pleasant introduction to Rio's bohemian scene, circa 1931. Nor is it a very pleasant movie to endure in its own right.

Hard-headed to the end, the three women in Face prove that if nothing else, stubborness and inflexibilty run in the family.

Ultimately sinks beneath the waves of the Caspian Sea.

Rife with predictability and lacking any originality whatsoever, the lackluster Laurel Canyon demonstrates about as much depth as one of Ian's pop songs.

Though this rude and crude film does deliver a few gut-busting laughs, its digs at modern society are all things we've seen before.

A tedious, snail-paced mess.

If you liked "Magnolia," you'll also like Mind the Gap.