Problem: 1. Here is the problem: If you separate these kids from their characters, if you remove their showtunes from the storylines that make them so dazzling in the fantasy-reality play of the series, then Glee is stripped of its core appeal.
2. Don't be puzzled; just go with it -- that's the Glee spirit.
3. The television hit Glee will inevitably jump the shark - or dance over it - as pop culture phenomena do. A decade from now, people may wonder what all the fuss was about. More folks than Gleeks choose to believe exist are wondering that now.
4. The layers of artifice are many, but they always are; the original show has never aspired to be anything but a cheeky, tuneful and multicultural spin on hoary high school stereotypes.
5. Following in the live-film footsteps of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, Glee: The 3D Concert Movie transposes its flash-in-the-pan teen-pop phenomenon to three-dimensions with mundane, for-fans-only results.
6. You know you want that slushee in your face (in 3D), Gleeks!
7. With touching real-life underdog stories woven through the concert, Glee: 3D hits all the right notes, even if the 3-D was completely unnecessary.
8. 'Greatest hits' show is tame enough for tween Gleeks.
9. A gleeful good time if Glee is your thing.
10. Quite painless, and, what's more, a whole lotta fun, with many moments of pure musical electricity.
What is the consensus?
****
Answer: The unconverted will remain just as perplexed as ever, but for gleeful Gleeks, The 3D Concert Movie delivers exactly what it promises.


Problem: 1. Director Stephen Frears has taken a script based on Nick Hornby's book and made High Fidelity smart, very funny and curiously affecting.
2. There's a lot to enjoy in High Fidelity.
3. Cusack remains a most engaging performer.
4. It all ties back together in the end because it has the flow and feel of real life, rather than the hurried pace of something that has been written to reflect life.
5. Jack Black ... was hysterical, and Todd Louiso's subtle performance was superb, probably the best of all.
6. One of the sharpest and emotionally resonant romantic comedies in what seems like years.
7. Sports one of the best supporting casts you'll ever find in a movie.
8. High Fidelity will work best for those who can see a bit of Rob Gordon in themselves or who may have known a Rob Gordon or two.
9. It's got great music -- and great music trivia -- but a shaky soul.
10. Stephen Frears ... seems on unsteady ground converting an essentially British story (the novel was set in London) to the American idiom.
What is the consensus?
****
Answer: The deft hand of director Stephen Frears and strong performances by the ensemble cast combine to tell an entertaining story with a rock-solid soundtrack.


Problem: 1. Shrill and shallow, 'Bride Wars' would make anyone wince at the thought of matrimony.
2. A paean to friendship and conspicuous consumption that is just simply wrong. On a number of levels.
3. Bride Wars makes Sex and the City seem like Jane Austen.
4. There's a good deal of potential squandered in this strained comedy, which suffers from lazy writing, miscalculated acting, perfunctory directing and general bad timing.
5. You want to see Anne Hathaway in a worthy vehicle? Check out "Rachel Getting Married." You want to see Kate Hudson in a worthy vehicle?Rent a time machine.
6. Often unimaginative, asinine and bland, even if you're willing to check your brain at the door and suspend your disbelief for 90 minutes.
7. A movie best left at the altar.
8. Don't bother to RSVP to Bride Wars.
9. [A] funny, self-consciously frothy piece of good-natured escapism.
10. Eighty-eight minutes and 14 seconds of pure, unadulterated piffle.
What is the consensus?
****
Answer:
Bride Wars takes the already wearisome concept of battling bridezillas, and makes it thoroughly insufferable via a lazy script and wholly detestable characters.