question: A beguiling tragicomedy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona charms with beautiful views of the Spanish city and a marvelously well-matched cast.

numbered reviews: 1. Allen seems uninterested in pushing his material beyond impersonally generic, or even in thinking things through.
2. At the end of the dia, the movie's a lovely, empty Spanish travelogue hosted by beautiful people, their problems no more taxing than whether to meet at the amusement park or the marina.
3. Vicky Cristina Barcelona doesn't feel like your standard Woody Allen comedy. And that's just one reason why it's such a joy to behold.
4. A sparklingly funny, meltingly sexy romcom.
5. Taking a leaf out of Pedro Almodovar's book, Woody Allen makes best full use of Penelope Cruz who's inclined to wilt if not placed in her native Spain.
6. It's determinedly silly, and possibly wishful-thinking, in essence. After what we've seen from Allen from Match Point onwards, its sheer entertainment value is a minor miracle.
7. Brilliantly written, beautifully shot and frequently hilarious, this is Woody Allen's best film in a long, long time, thanks to delightful performances from Hall, Johansson, Bardem and Cruz.
8. Woody Allen is back in top form with this sparkling comedydrama. Its highlight is a fabulously funny and passionate performance by Cruz.
9. The erotic roundelays are so witty - Marivaux with sex - that I am now afraid to see a future Allen film. It will either be bad, returning us to the natural order of things, or good like this, demanding a rethink of the universe.
10. Entonces aparece por fin Penélope y la película recién comienza, o al menos se pone más interesante. Lástima que ya han pasado como 50 minutos%u2026


question: A bland, fluffy, and predictable bit of wish fulfillment.

numbered reviews: 1. Paige eventually comes to a self-affirming decision, but the Danish interlude succeeds too well in making us feel her boredom.
2. Something's rotten in Denmark: this movie.
3. This isn't a royal treatment of the Cinderella story - it's just average.
4. Excruciatingly predictable.
5. The Prince & Me proves that the "opposites attract" genre of romantic comedy is an all but dead convention.
6. . . . feels more practical than whimsical, more politically correct than sweep-you-off-your-feet romantic.
7. ... thumbs down for me ...
8. Contrived, unconvincing, and formulaic. Shame.
9. The ending, plain and simple, cheapens all that has come before.
10. The characters lack consistency; they are manipulated like puppets merely to serve the whims of the writers.


question: Pocahontas means well, and has moments of startling beauty, but it's largely a bland, uninspired effort, with uneven plotting and an unfortunate lack of fun.

numbered reviews: 1. As for the songs, they're guaranteed to keep your shoes glued to the floor
2. Both resplendent and restrained.
3. Adult viewers, spoiled by what has come before, may feel that this film, which relates the legendary romance between a chief's daughter and English adventurer John Smith in the New World, is more by-the-numbers than inspired.
4. Disney deserves praise for raising the ante on its ambitions in animation. Next time, though, a little less civics lesson and a little more heart.
5. Disney's 33rd animated feature is so good that it deserves to follow in the beautiful footsteps of Beauty and the Beast and earn an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
6. True to the film's idealized spirit, directors Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg similarly fend off history.
7. Imagine a cult Disney cartoon, for this may be it.
8. An animated movie of incredible beauty.
9. Pocahontas is the best-looking of the modern Disney animated features, and one of the more thoughtful: It is about real issues, even if it treats them with naive idealism.
10. As long as Republicans are in power, the line "You think the only people who are people are the people who look and think like you" will remain relevant.


question: Beautiful cinematography can't prevent Anna and the King from being boring and overly lengthy.

numbered reviews:
1. At heart, this is no more or less than self-consciously old-fashioned entertainment.
2. A simple, no-frills story.
3. Anna and the King satisfies in grand style.
4. Surprisingly engaging.
5. Pictorially splendid, it's largely large, epic and expansive. It's long, pack a lunch.
6. But by writing in so many conspiracy and battle scenes, it almost ceases to be a character-driven romantic comedy.
7. Disappointing.
8. Wonderfully shot in all of its majestical glory, exquisite cinematography, lush locations with plenty of exotic flair and original costumes.
9. Andy Tennant's period drama may only sport a so-so plot, but it shimmers with rich scenery and colorful costumes and has the most charming tour guide imaginable, Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-Fat.
10. This is precisely the kind of "cast of thousands" extravaganza Hollywood rarely produces anymore and the movie's seductive visuals, charismatic performances and glorious scenery make for two and a half hours of immensely pleasurable viewing.