Q: 1. Nathan Lane, I would personally like to send you a big, fat kiss of admiration.
2. An American remake with plenty of new pizazz.
3. Far less plastic than most cross-dressing comedies.
4. It's a rare event when a remake of a film rivals the greatness of the original.
5. The beauty of The Birdcage is that its jokes and its message are one and the same. These characters couldn't change themselves if they tried. And only a fool would want them to.
6. Birdcage does a remarkably good job of delivering a movie that puts its own decided spin on the tale.
7. [Not] nearly as funny as it has been made out to be.
8. Pretty funny comedy from the days when Williams didn't feel he had to be either A. TOTALLY CHARMING or B. ABSOLUTELY EVIL.
9. It is not the Broadway classic, but it's ok. Just for fun.
10. Shows no reason why it had to be made again.
Based on these individual reviews, what is the critic consensus?

A: Consensus: Mike Nichols wrangles agreeably amusing performances from Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in this fun, if not quite essential, remake of the French comedy La Cage aux Folles.


Q: 1. Jones admirably steers clear of the pitfalls of what could potentially be a preposterous (and borderline offensive) character.
2. A mixed-genre mutt that cribs liberally from John Ford to fashion a tale of families battling the elements, the frontier, and each other.
3. The movie often works against its own best interests.
4. Where The Searchers challenged assumptions and attitudes still current in 1956, Howard's film embraces, if not panders to, politically correct current attitudes
5. The film will resonate deeply not only with parents, but with all of us who followed the Elizabeth Smart case and, sadly, dozens more like it.
6. There's a pretty good Western hidden somewhere amid the extraneous scenes, unnecessary characters and adoring shots of the New Mexico wilderness, but Howard didn't have the heart to cut his movie.
7. A movie is only as good as its villain, so they say, and the new film The Missing has a particularly lousy one.
8. The elements of popular entertainment are in place, but there's frustration in the failure of the script to delve further into issues it raises, but never really explores.
9. Ron Howard's answer to 'The Searchers' is a tone poem -- whose tone has gone disastrously, horribly wrong.
10. It's an entertaining and gripping film, with stunning production values and magnetic performances. And yet the script's continual pandering to Hollywood cliches lets it down.
Based on these individual reviews, what is the critic consensus?

A: Consensus: An expertly acted and directed Western. But like other Ron Howard features, the movie is hardly subtle.


Q: 1. As the eponymous terrorist, Cheadle makes a big impact without too much noise.
2. Traitor is undeniably an intelligent, watchable thriller that wisely steers clear of racial stereotyping, yet manages to fall short of delivering a wholly satisfying cerebral or visceral experience.
3. Other than Samir, most of the characters are oversimplified placeholders with little depth, but Cheadle gives you someone to latch onto and care for. You also sort of despise him, because he may well be doing more harm than good.
4. Simmers down into a reasonably smart little thriller with a moral conscience, yet.
5. If it doesn't succeed in challenging you perception of the war on terror, it might challenge your view on Steve Martin.
6. Surprisingly, Steve Martin created this story. In a decade of wild and crazy fictional terrorism, his was the most horrifyingly plausible - one that spun terrorism as drama into uncomfortable community theater, striking the country's friendliest corners.
7. We watch for the sake of the chase, and while it's a chase that certainly proves better than most, it's also one that is good enough to have been even better than that.
8. As a thriller, Traitor excels and feels especially relevant, considering the subject matter.
9. The action scenes will grab you, but there's an actual story here, too.
10. Much harder to see coming is the film's denouement, but that's only because of its extreme silliness.
Based on these individual reviews, what is the critic consensus?

A: Consensus: Despite another reliable performance from Don Cheadle, Traitor suffers from too many cliches and an unfocused narrative.


Q: 1. The film maintains an optimistic tone without succumbing to nostalgia, and as always with Studio Ghibli, the company Miyazaki cofounded in the 80s, the hand-drawn animation is gorgeous.
2. The film has charm but overall is a little slight.
3. Inspiring, romantic coming-of-age tale about '60s teens.
4. it's a gem of classical 2D imagery that stands out in a world turned upside down by the digital revolution.
5. The jury's still out on whether Goro Miyazaki can sustain his father's legacy as storyteller, though with its beautiful visuals and songs, Poppy Hill finds a deserving, if modest, place among its Studio Ghibli peers.
6. Those gorgeous, hand-drawn images bring lightness and grace to a story that might seem drab and pedestrian in the real world.
7. Soft, warm animation and resonant reflections on death, moving on and growing up can't fully overcome slighter plot points and erratic music choices.
8. The artistry is peaceful and comforting to the eyes but not especially stirring. Given the pictorial extremes that Studio Ghibli has gone to in the past, "Up on Poppy Hill" is weak tea.
9. "From Up on Poppy Hill" is frankly stunning, as beautiful a hand-drawn animated feature as you are likely to see.
10. The charming and nostalgic "From Up on Poppy Hill" is as lushly illustrated and vividly realized as memory itself.
Based on these individual reviews, what is the critic consensus?

A:
Consensus: Gentle and nostalgic, From Up on Poppy Hill is one of Studio Ghibli's sweeter efforts -- and if it doesn't push the boundaries of the genre, it remains as engagingly lovely as Ghibli fans have come to expect.