question: As successful as it is ambitious, Russian Ark condenses three centuries of Russian history into a single, uninterrupted, 87-minute take.

numbered reviews: 1. Even before it builds up to its insanely staged ballroom scene, in which 3000 actors appear in full regalia, it's waltzed itself into the art film pantheon.
2. A fascinating if unlikely ghost story.
3. An enchanting film that presents an audacious tour of the past and takes within its warm embrace the bounties of cultural artifacts inside St.Petersburg's Hermitage Museum.
4. As an autocritique of how to celebrate a rich yet troubled cultural heritage, Russian Ark poses interesting questions in a dreamlike fashion that is indeed cinematic.
5. This movie in a single breath goes to the very heart of the Russian experience.
6. A mature, deeply felt fantasy of a director's travel through 300 years of Russian history.
7. Sokurov's high-tech trick is also a beautifully fluid examination of Russian history and culture, and the most gorgeous museum tour you could imagine.
8. A landmark achievement in the technical aspect of film and can be considered a worthwhile hour and a half.
9. Awash in nostalgia and dreamlike passiveness, reflecting the lack of a clear way forward for contemporary Russia.
10. The material is rather heady, but one needn't digest it in a single viewing. Even if you don't know much about Russian history, the work is breathtaking as a sort of cinematic ballet.


question: Cool Runnings rises above its formulaic sports-movie themes with charming performances, light humor, and uplifting tone.

numbered reviews: 1. The setting and characters were so unique that the film quickly overcame its shortcomings to become a very satisfying piece of movie entertainment.
2. Entirely mediocre and forgettable
3. The ghost of Stepin Fetchit is hovering in the tropical ether.
4. Often silly but almost never funny.
5. A wholesome, engaging, frequently hilarious, ultimately inspirational film.
6. Better than it looks. I know, it shocked me too.
7. A cute, buoyant sports fantasy, jolted along by a reggae soundtrack and playfully acted by an appealing cast.
8. In the tradition of Mighty Ducks, here's another great Rocky story from Disney.
9. It's a film about success coming from hard work and determination, and it's a film I would be glad to take a family to see. That's a rarity, and it's worth praise on its own level.
10. The considerable warmth, humour and persistence of the cast soon have you rooting for these underdogs.


question: National Treasure is no treasure, but it's a fun ride for those who can forgive its highly improbable plot.

numbered reviews: 1. A smart, entertaining little adventure through American history.
2. National Treasure is not so much a no-brainer as a brain-stunner, so audaciously ridiculous you are initially intrigued, then soon irritated by its incoherence.
3. Cage . . . all but sleepwalks through the film with an expression and body language that could be the result of his jockeys being just a scooch binding
4. Safe, simplistic and stylistically inert film fodder meant only for the least discerning multiplex zombies.
5. A witty comedy caper.
6. Great escapism.
7. Despite its superficiality, National Treasure is undeniably enjoyable.
8. None of this should work, but in the best Bruckheimer tradition, it does.
9. Nicolas Cage usually brims with personality, but you wouldn't know it from this pedestrian ripoff of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
10. Interminable and riddled with plot holes you could drive a humvee through.


question: Emma Thompson's second labor of love with the Nanny McPhee character actually improves on the first, delivering charming family fare with an excellent cast.

numbered reviews:
1. It's a touch ragged in parts, but a real charmer.
2. The movie punches out broad entertainment for little kids effectively, and I predict excellent returns. But the only spark of real comedy was Bill Bailey's relaxed cameo as a local farmer with a reverence for the intellect of pigs.
3. The Big Bang will remind adults of all the films they used to devour when they were the sort of children to whom this will appeal to now.
4. Nanny McPhee is back -- and she still knows best.
5. Despite its predictability, it's still a rather lovely, gentle kiddie romp.
6. Writer/producer/star Emma Thompson resurrects the titular, magic-practising child-carer of her 2005 Mary Poppins-riffing hit for yet more old-fashioned, family-centric fun in this slightly improved sequel.
7. This is smart, witty and beautifully crafted -- exactly what you want from a family film.
8. I found it utterly charming.
9. Hardly any films are made that can be enjoyed whether you're three or 93. Sequels superior to the original are another rarity.
10. It's hard to feel ill-disposed towards a family film that treats the children in the audience as intelligent citizens rather than just young consumers, and presents its child characters as complex people with contradictions, nuances and surprising traits.