The Baader Meinhof Complex (2009)

"A richly detailed, emotionally complex, character-filled examination."

Babel (2006)

"A film that's more to be admired than liked, more to be thought about than felt. It's a good film -- maybe close to a great one -- but one that I have no desire to revisit."

Baby Boom (1987)

"So-so comedy with Keaton still straining to keep up with her post-Woody Allen career."

Babylon A.D. (2008)

"Much mayhem, brawling, dubious CGI, close encounters of the sexual kind and mystical gibberish ensue. Little of it makes sense. Less of it is exciting."

Bachelor Mother (1939)

"Okay comedy that ought to have been great."

Back to School (1986)

"Easily Dangerfield's best movie--for what that's worth"

Back to the Future (1985)

"Too cute, too clever, too damn smug."

Backbeat (1994)

"Very good biopic about the early days of the Beatles"

Bad Boys II (2003)

"Bad Boys II lumbers in and refuses to leave, erupting every few minutes with overblown action set pieces as if they were some kind of cinematic flatulence"

Bad Dreams (1988)

"Almost funny enough to be entertaining, but not quite."

Bad News Bears (2005)

"There has to be a better reason to remake a movie than to drop the word 'the' from its title."

Bad Santa (2003)

"It constantly fascinated me -- albeit not always in a good way. What it did not do is make me laugh."

Bad Taste (1987)

"The ultimare indie horror flick"

Ball of Fire (1941)

"Not as good as legend has it, but pretty funny"

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)

"It's not always easy to tell what's going on in this movie which has all the emotional depth of a video game, and the dramatic coherence we associate with the lesser works of Ed Wood."

The Band Wagon (1953)

"It has its moments and the stars are good, but it's really overrated."

The Banger Sisters (2002)

"There are few more gratifying moments in recent movies than Hawn forthrightly telling Rush, "I'm going to smoke. Endure it," as she plops down into a chair, crosses her legs, and lights up."

The Bank Dick (1940)

"Not Fields' best, but a classic all the same."

Barbarella (1968)

"Great production design and very little else."

Barbary Coast (1935)

"You can't go far wrong with Miriam Hopkins, Eddie G. and Howard Hawks."

Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004)

"Still funny and warm, and blessed with wonderful characters, bright lines and far more perception of the human condition than you generally find in modern-American comedies."

The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)

"It's Fred and Ginger and in color, but the movie's pretty bad."

Baron Muenchhausen (1943)

"Badly constructed, overly talky and sometimes just plain dull. But as a rarely seen artifact of its time, it's invaluable and strangely unsettling. "

Barton Fink (1991)

"One the Coens' finest."

Basic Instinct 2 (2006)

"The final score: Ice Picks 1, Crotch Shots, 0."