question: Powerful and thought provoking film.

numbered reviews: 1. Stunning.
2. Turning into a twisted pretzel, House of Sand and Fog becomes a melodrama straining to make its point.
3. ... a movie about the perils of real estate speculation.
4. Perelman ... has a distinct and shadowy style that gives each scene an edge of menace, but he does not exploit style or draw attention to it.
5. Partially successful.
6. House of Sand and Fog is an intense, thought- provoking movie experience
7. Devastatingly dark and painfully honest, it paints a different side of the immigrant experience while showcasing two phenomenal performances.
8. Connelly, who has often mistaken posing for acting, digs deep here; Aghdashloo ... gives us a portrait of a woman who is both dutiful to her husband and ravaged by his iron will. Kingsley is most impressive of all.
9. Who would think a fight over real estate would be so fascinating, so gut wrenching to watch?
10. A pesar de los excesos del libreto, la película atrapa gracias a la notable dirección de Perelman, apoyada sobre todo en la impecable fotografía de Roger Deakins (...)


question: Rachel Getting Married is an engrossing tale of family angst, highlighted by Anne Hathaway's powerful performance and director Jonathan Demme's return to form.

numbered reviews: 1. The plot sounds like a downer, but it culminates in a dreamily exuberant wedding-and-reception scene. By examining the slow and incomplete, but true, power of pure rehabilitative strength and forgiveness, this is one of the very best films of 2008.
2. ... perfectly calibrates the gradual revealing of the family dynamics, while dragging you through a gamut of strong emotions -- not necessarily the most enjoyable experience.
3. Hathaway's Kym strikes like a venomous snake when her demons are provoked, and yet she never lets go of the guilt that makes her believe she deserves the loathing ...
4. The dramatic moments do make an impact, and the tears they draw from you will scald.
5. A sometimes-brilliant film that can barely stand under the weight of its self-inflicted festoonery of doo-daddery.
6. Demme's capturing of the communal spirit of weddings and harsh reunions creates something quite honest and refreshing, with an unusual energy that more films could use.
7. The film succeeds where [Margot at the Wedding] failed for several reasons, most notably a remarkably intimate spirit; a tone that rings true through comedy, tragedy and back again; great, great music from start to finish; and an amazing, career-best perf
8. Ultimately, this is a performance piece, and Demme has brought out the best of his cast of fine actors gaining award-worthy turns.
9. Better to spend some time with Rachel at the wedding than with Margot at the Wedding.
10. Rachel Getting Married is one of the most alive things you'll see all year.


question: Pitch Perfect's plot is formulaic, but the performances are excellent and the musical numbers are toe-tapping as well.

numbered reviews: 1. Though it might sound like a hacky platitude, don't be surprised if "Pitch Perfect" leaves a fair share of its audiences outwardly cheering.
2. There's plenty of reason to doubt it has enough self-awareness to realize how awkward its mesh of cynicism and sincerity is.
3. "Pitch Perfect" totally gets one critical fact: A cappella singing contests are both a little bit amazing and a little bit ridiculous. The tone that the film strikes is a perfect balance between the two extremes.
4. A movie that's made to be obsessed over, seen 50 times, quoted as devoutly as such sacred texts as "Heathers" and "Bring It On."
5. "Pitch Perfect" doesn't take itself any more seriously than it has to, and has plenty of fun both sending up and celebrating its subject matter.
6. Though likable and energetic, the movie is so eager to put a finger on every pulse that it loses the rhythm.
7. A let's-put-on-a-show story so steeped in backlot Hollywood convention it almost embarrasses itself, with the difference being it really doesn't care.
8. Pitch Perfect has enough pleasures to overcome its failings, even if the margin is fairly slim at times. It is worth watching, but prepare to be bothered by how much of its potential goes unrealized.
9. An immensely charming comedy filled with great performances (both acting and musical) that's only slightly hindered by its conventional formula.
10. 'Pitch Perfect' seeks nothing more than to be entertaining, and it is.(Full Content Review for Parents also available)


question: Identity is a film that will divide audiences -- the twists of its plot will either impress or exasperate you.

numbered reviews:
1. The writer gets as tangled in his own explanations as a puppy in a 30-foot leash.
2. The script within "Adaptation" was a joke and it's sad that everyone involved wasn't in on it and dragged the audience to the top of the greatest imaginable rollercoaster only to breakdown before sending us down the hill.
3. Effective, well-crafted chiller.
4. A pretty wild ride if you're willing to leave your brain at the popcorn counter and let Mr. Mangold jolt your spine with every thriller-chiller trick in Hollywood's hefty book.
5. Throughout, the film teeters tantalizingly on the preposterous, but James Mangold's astute direction and Michael Cooney's carefully thought-out script keep it from sliding over the edge.
6. A unique murder-mystery completely ruined by a trailer that gives the whole thing away.
7. Identity doesn't outfox the audience; it just makes us feel like suckers.
8. 80 minutes of cliches, overacting and hackneyed coincidences.
9. keeps viewers guessing, provides several solid jolts, builds to a perfectly acceptable ending -- then can't resist adding on a few more twists that finally push the picture dangerously close to the border of unintentional comedy.
10. Takes the 'nothing is what it seems...' conceit to clever new extremes.