Q: 1. Suffused with clear-eyed affection for its subject and times, this is not your little brother's punk documentary.
2. Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is a film for fans -- really big fans. More-casual admirers, perhaps those whose only Strummer CD is the Clash's "London Calling," should probably stay away.
3. A remarkably well-detailed doc that proves 'Rock The Casbah' is not just that song from the cell phone commercials.
4. The end result is a documentary that feels very insider and exclusive... it's probably best suited to those who are already fans.
5. Julien Temple has assembled a complex portrait of a human being and the times in which he lived.
6. Temple's film offers a rich, detailed portrait of a commanding but idealistic Strummer against the backdrop of the do-it-yourself punk ethos of the late '70s.
7. The Future Is Unwritten does an ample job of capturing the many facets of Strummer, who was simultaneously self-effacing and and heroic, devoted and calculating, sensitive and brazen.
8. The Future Is Written is a loving testimonial to one of rock's true originals.
9. Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is that rarest of movie biographies: a warts-and-all exploration of the life and times of its subject.
10. Julian Temple has done cinematic justice to the punk humanist born John Graham Mellor.
Based on these individual reviews, what is the critic consensus?

A: Consensus: Displaying Joe Strummer warts and all, The Future is Unwritten succeeds as both an engrossing documentary and a comprehensive examination of one of music's most legendary figures.


Q: 1. Here's one of those unfolding documentaries where unforeseen events and deeds make the subject more appealing than even the filmmaker expected.Hope, pride, personal identity and an air of fierce competition underlie the enjoyable action.
2. [The King of Kong] would play like dark comedy were there not such honest-to-God cruelty at its core.
3. Who would have guessed that a documentary about gamers obsessed with scoring a world record at Donkey Kong would not only be roaringly funny but serve as a metaphor for the decline of Western civilization?
4. The subtitle of the film is actually an unneeded addition since what the film highlights with piercing exactitude are the lengths grown men won't go to in the long run to prove themselves.
5. Not unlike the sleeper hit Little Miss Sunshine, this breezy and engaging documentary has a great deal to say about the American fixation on winning and losing.
6. You don't have to be an '80s kid to see The King of Kong as a metaphor for life itself.
7. Documentaries can make you concerned for the environment or fascinated by penguins. And now, they can make you cheer for a guy who plays arcade games in his garage.
8. A clever structure by director Seth Gordon means that The King of Kong ends up more engrossing than its bunch of geeky characters initially suggest.
9. Hollywood may find it difficult to cast two big-name stars willing to play it as broadly as the real-life hero and villain of this tale. Nor would many self-respecting scriptwriters dare to match the sheer improbability of these actual happenings.
10. Up there with some of the greastest sports docs in that it truly allows the viewer to experience the thrill of competition and agony of defeat.
Based on these individual reviews, what is the critic consensus?

A: Consensus: The King of Kong is funny and compelling with more than a few poignant insights into human behavior. Director Seth Gordon presents the dueling King Kong players in all their obsessive complexity and with perfectly al dente observations.


Q: 1. Some of the wittiest dialogue to trip an adolescent tongue since Clueless.
2. It brings on jokes, it brings on cheerleading routines, it brings on the love story and does the best that it can do with the material.
3. Funnier, more entertaining and less exploitative than you might expect.
4. The film is infectious, like one of its many original titles, Cheer Fever. It grows on you.
5. The tart, taut script by first-time screenwriter Jessica Bendinger is stuffed with such deliciously mean dialogue.
6. Showcases a trio of talented young actresses, captures the exuberant athleticism of competitive cheerleading and positively exudes good-hearted charisma.
7. Crackling good script, sharply directed.
8. Maintains a certain freshness due to the high-spirited cheerleading choreography, the novelty of presenting cheerleading as a coed competition sport and the appeal of its cast.
9. Bring It On is no more than a trifle. But it moves along entertainingly right through to the end credit sequence, and its heart is in just the right place.
10. What's good are the routines, which are thrilling.
Based on these individual reviews, what is the critic consensus?

A: Consensus: Despite the formulaic, fluffy storyline, this movie is surprisingly fun to watch, mostly due to its high energy and how it humorously spoofs cheerleading instead of taking itself too seriously.


Q: 1. The talented cast keeps Chaos (Cesar-nominated for Best Film) absorbing throughout its different directions.
2. Worth watching for its good-humored energy, exposure of social ills, and acting by impeccable pros along with a fabulous newcomer.
3. In a picture without a single sympathetic male character, Coline Serreau bitingly chastises the cultures of North Africa and her own France.
4. Even if Chaos is hampered by a desire to be all things to all people, Serreau's nimble touch bestows this schizophrenic genre pastiche with an infectiously zany verve.
5. Remarkable in that it approaches its assortment of characters with an even hand, regardless of their behavior--until the final third, that is.
6. The tone's all over the place and side-plots are piled up a bit thick, but eventually it all converges towards a surprisingly satisfying and touching ending.
7. Whether or not you dig the message, you'll probably like the film.
8. Energetic pastiche of social commentary, revenge thriller and broad farce.
9. Fast-paced feminist thriller and witty black comedy.
10. A delicious antidote to moviedom's typical characterization of women as simpering victims.
Based on these individual reviews, what is the critic consensus?

A:
Consensus: Anything but chaotic, Chaos makes a high-energy and award-worthy stab at bourgeois apathy and racial tensions in France, while musing on chance.