question: Though ambitious and confidently directed by Robert De Niro, The Good Shepherd is ultimately a tedious drama that holds few surprises and succumbs to self-seriousness.

numbered reviews: 1. Stoic, simmering and almost film noir, The Good Shepherd creates a very dangerous and intriguing world
2. The film finally resembles nothing so much as its most persistent symbol: an objet d'art crafted to impress with empty trickery.
3. While [De Niro is] a whiz with actors, he's no Francis Coppola, and his calculated, observant tone grows cold.
4. Unfortunately a heavy pace and an unnecessary time-jumping device mar "The Good Shepherd." That said, the intricate story is blessed with an intelligent script (by Eric Roth) and brilliant performances.
5. The Good Shepherd is not an easily embraceable picture, but the story it tells is simply too compelling to dismiss, even at its ugliest.
6. The Good Shepherd leaves you longing for the other, better political thrillers it evokes.
7. If you think George Tenet's Central Intelligence Agency was a disaster, wait until you see Robert De Niro's torpid, ineffectual movie about the history of the agency, The Good Shepherd.
8. Perhaps it's fitting that a movie about the early CIA be tangled and opaque, but this drama loosely based on the life of uberspook James Angleton verges on incoherence.
9. Matt Damon is so good at action, you wish he'd been given some here. Instead, buttoned up in his company-man suits and snap-brim hats and Clark Kent specs, he's all inwardness, an impenetrable blank.
10. Seems to have been inspired by two of De Niro's more celebrated movies, 'The Godfather Part II' and 'Once Upon a Time in America'; if it lacks the bravura set pieces of those films, it at least unfolds with its own whispery integrity.


question: Catfish may tread the line between real-life drama and crass exploitation a little too unsteadily for some viewers' tastes, but its timely premise and tightly wound mystery make for a gripping documentary.

numbered reviews: 1. Unbelievable filmmaking.
2. You have to see this new film called Catfish. Only problem is, I can't tell you why. Which, admittedly, makes this review useless.
3. Just as you think you're heading towards thriller territory, with street-smart New Yorkers confronting Midwestern loons, the film mutates into a study of benevolence, understanding and forgiveness.
4. Although marketed as some sort of cyber thriller, this is far closer in tone to the sublime doc Capturing The Friedmans by Andrew Jarecki, who just happens to be one of the producers.
5. The real draw of the film is obviously based around the revelations at Abby's farm; but I don't want to spoil the surprise, so just go and watch this film.
6. Catfish will leave you with plenty of nagging questions, but whatever the truth behind the story, this is an extraordinary, provocative film and one that grips like a vice right up to the troubling and moving finale.
7. Starts as a documentary about an offbeat online relationship before warping into something much more interesting.
8. A compulsive, propulsive study of relationships virtual and real.
9. A deftly clever commentary on the nature of identity and how it defines our role in society.
10. Filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, as well as 'star' Nev Schulman, insist the film is a real documentary, I'm only about 50 percent sold on this claim.


question: While not Miyazaki's best film, Ponyo is a visually stunning fairy tale that's a sweetly poetic treat for children of all ages.

numbered reviews: 1. Ponyo is a visually arresting work by an anime master, and both cute enough and suspenseful enough to keep pre-schoolers in their seats.
2. You watch a Miyazaki film with the pie-eyed, gape-mouthed awe of a child being read the most fantastic story and suddenly transported to places previously beyond the limits of imagination. It's quite a trip.
3. Ponyo is memorable for the palpable glee of its protagonist -- a fish out of water who adores the feel of earth beneath her feet and loves her man.
4. Just as stop motion got a bump earlier in the year with Coraline, Ponyo (already global hit, with $165 million box office to date) hopefully will bring back an appreciation for 2-D.
5. Miyazaki's artwork can be lovely -- and the delicate, watery colors of Ponyo are particularly well done -- but he's still a slave to the genre's peculiar traditions.
6. Five minutes into this magical film you'll be making lists of the individuals of every age you can expose to the very special mixture of fantasy and folklore, adventure and affection, that make up the enchanted vision of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki.
7. Trippy in the right way, and wholly enchanting.
8. This exquisite pastel-colored, eye-popping example of hand-drawn animation is still very Japanese, aimed most specifically at children around the world -- but with a storytelling sophistication that adults will savor.
9. Wondrous, weird, and sweetly innocent, Ponyo is a tale bursting with love, which is recommendation enough for the young and the young at heart.
10. you get a psychedelic, visually stunning film with a Japanese flavor, instead of one with pop culture flavor (and no talking dogs or balloons).


question: Its genius escaped many viewers at the time, but in retrospect, The Rules of the Game stands as one of Jean Renoir's -- and cinema's -- finest works.

numbered reviews:
1. Defined a style of filmmaking as surely as Potemkin did. Renoir's lucid style manifests itself in a seemingly effortless craftsmansip still unequalled today.
2. A deeply personal statement of unusual richness and complexity.
3. Snarky, biting, hilarious: Equal parts Calvin Ball and Catch-22.
4. Its art lies in what Renoir chooses to exclude rather than what he includes.
5. One of cinema's most monumental achievements.
6. Even with its immediate contemporary relevance softened, this film alone is enough to seal his reputation, as its playful love games, satirical bite and technical marvels refuse to diminish.
7. A classic cinematic party.
8. Renoir's masterpiece
9. A disaster when initially released, the movie's reputation has only grown since.
10. The digitally restored print showing in theaters is worth seeing. If it doesn't come to your town, then look for it to show up on IFC in its tribute to Janus Films or buy or rent the Criterion Collection DVD. However you see this masterpiece, you absol