question: Though there are frequent moments of wit and mordant humor, Eagle vs Shark needs more to distinguish itself from other precious, Napoleon Dynamite-ish comedies.

numbered reviews: 1. The tone and tenor of Waititi's effort are quieter, gentler [than Napoleon Dynamite]. This is low-key stuff, but strangely, goofily endearing.
2. It becomes apparent early on that excessive teenage eccentricity and terminal self-delusion isn't quite as cute in the adult male and absent father.
3. ...a perfect example of manufactured tweeness, a film desperate to be quirky and offbeat but which just doesn't get it...
4. [Director] Waititi's obviously a talent, but here he seems to be trying too hard to not try too hard; he's undermining the cleverness of the writing with the thudding hulk of its delivery.
5. Sorely lacks is a genuine sense of humanity.
6. As pure character study, it's a keeper.
7. A disturbing film trying to diguise itself as a quirky romantic comedy. There are indeed some laugh-out-loud moments; unfortunately most of the laughs are aimed at -- not with -- the misfits.
8. If you just can't get enough of watching a waif being mistreated for comic effect, by all means go see Eagle vs. Shark.
9. ...will either leave you beaming or give you hives. I itched a bit at first, but the movie eventually won me over.
10. Floats by on a mood of concerned and puckish good will.


question: It doesn't measure up to Pegg and Frost's best work, but Paul is an amiably entertaining -- albeit uneven -- road trip comedy with an intergalactic twist.

numbered reviews: 1. A decent take on the usual Pegg/Frost bromance, and a welcome return to the level of geekery that plays to their strengths, Paul entertains without excelling.
2. A lazy piece of geeksploitation cinema designed to buttress the Pegg/Frost brand Stateside with Comic Con-courting clichés and groan-inducing movie references.
3. The bromance between Pegg and Frost is still as strong as ever, and Kristen Wiig steals the show with her turn as a religious fanatic freed from her fundamentalist shackles.
4. This isn't one for the ages, but it'll do for a Saturday night.
5. Though it's not on a par with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's best work, it's hard to imagine anybody not enjoying it.
6. If you've ever stood outside on a cloudless night, gazed up at the stars and wondered if there was life on other planets - and if that life would be fun to do bong hits with - this is your movie.
7. Pro-evolution debate aside for now, which is "kind of a buzz kill", on the whole, Paul beams feel-good fun, cheekiness and carefree spirit.
8. Almost every good moment in the film is sandwiched between two bits that aren't nearly as well built.
9. Think of Paul as a love letter to fanboys, especially the variety that knows the standards well enough to hoot along every time a sci-fi hit rings up a reference.
10. Enthusiastically acted and sharply written. A big old lovefest in honor of the classic alien visitation movies that we all hold near and dear.


question: Although its script is uneven, Neil Burger directs Limitless with plenty of visual panache, and Bradley Cooper makes for a charismatic star.

numbered reviews: 1. Here's something unusual - a Hollywood film with fresh ideas.
2. As if we, too, had taken some drug, it's not until we shrug off the visual effects of the film that we realize that the plot is rather silly. But holy hallucinogens, that eye candy can't be beat.
3. Cooper's an able light comic performer as well as a shrewd dramatic actor, and "Limitless" lets him run considerable distances in both directions.
4. Limitless has an intriguing concept - and while it's not explored as deeply as it could have been, the film still delivers a satisfying ride.
5. ...all flash and sizzle, but still delivers; it's equal parts superhero wish fulfillment and cautionary yuppie satire, and it's also a hell of a fun ride.
6. If you want a movie with a sermon, well, look somewhere else. But if you want an adrenaline shot to the heart, look here.
7. Limitless is limited, but intriguing nonetheless.
8. Limitless may not be as brainy as it would like to think it is, but it's a relatively sharp and surprisingly playful head-trip, a satisfyingly novel twist on mindless entertainment.
9. Occasionally skirts greatness and is definitely worth your time. But it could have been much more.
10. Limitless is the sort of B-movie Roger Corman would make 50 years ago, riffing on a studio smash like Inception without the lofty budget or ideas.


question: It lacks the surprising jolt of the first installment, but [REC] 2 almost maintains the original's chilling momentum -- and proves not all horror sequels were made equal.

numbered reviews:
1. The shaky camera work (and explosive gore) can get literally nauseating. But when the characters' cameras run low, and the screen goes black? That's the scariest thing of all.
2. The sequel only adds further gimmicks to the already gimmicky haunted house formula of the original.
3. Unlike so many sequels, [REC] 2 builds nicely on the ideas introduced first time around; in particular, the nature and history of the disease, only touched on in the original, are explored much more fully here to chilling effect.
4. A perfectly respectable horror film, but sometimes it's better to leave a good thing undisturbed.
5. The mayhem, efficiently maintained for a just-right 84 minutes, makes [REC] 2 strictly for horror fans.
6. The new film manages to retain the claustrophobic tension of the original while deftly juggling multiple viewpoints.
7. [REC] 2 smartly picks up right where the first one left off, and takes little time to reestablish momentum.
8. Quibbles aside, [Rec]2's biggest flaw is that it's not [Rec].
9. With this underwhelming sequel, Spain proves it can stand toe to toe with any nation in the manufacture of unnecessary follow-ups.
10. In the end it doesn't fill its sibling's shoes but does compare well to other films out there.