The Machinist (2004)

"A generic Twilight Zone-type thriller"

Mad Money (2008)

"[It] may not be awful enough to merit shredding but which evaporates from memory the minute the lights come up."

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)

"Kids will undoubtedly love it. And thanks to those undercurrents of nihilist hilarity, adults can have fun, too."

Made of Honor (2008)

"It’s hard to sympathize with characters who bear no resemblance to any existing member of the human species, although, as is typical with this kind of movie, the cast brings a commitment the material doesn’t deserve."

The Magdalene Sisters (2003)

"Magdalene Sisters isn't what you'd call a fun night at the movies. It's more of a kick in the stomach."

Mail Order Wife (2005)

"More an exercise in sustaining a style than a satisfying emotional experience. The men are all self-centered boors, and the women, it turns out, aren't much better. There's nobody in this movie to root for or care about."

Maléna (2000)

"Absolutely beautiful to behold."

Mamma Mia! (2008)

"In bringing her stage production to the screen, first-time film director Phyllida Lloyd has retained the show’s goofy charm and mostly breathless pacing."

The Man from Elysian Fields (2002)

"Everything about the production is tasteful and carefully modulated -- but there's no spunk here."

Man on Fire (2004)

"For all of its 2 1/2 -hour running time, Man on Fire plays more like Man on Low Simmer."

Man On Wire (2008)

"If Man on Wire were fiction it would be hailed as a terrific suspense film, a fascinating character study and an awesome spectacle. But it’s true, which makes it all the more remarkable."

The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)

"Kind of funny...but not enough to recommend."

Management (2009)

"Gentle, goofy and never mean, Management isn’t earth-shaking. But it’s a fuzzy warm blanket of a movie."

Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

"A deft blend of humor and suspence. It's almost as if Allen missed his calling to direct thrillers."

Margot at the Wedding (2007)

"Margot at the Wedding is a good film that’s painful to sit through, and Margot is a protagonist who’s virtually sympathy-free."

Marie Antoinette (2006)

"By film’s end when the royal family is forced to evacuate the besieged Versailles (no guillotine in this retelling), this Marie has achieved something like genuine nobility. When the chips are down she takes her queenly role seriously."

Marley & Me (2008)

"It has some funny moments, a lot of tears and way too much dead time in between."

Martian Child (2007)

"Heavy-handed sentimentality."

Marty (1955)

"Loaded with believably endearing characters, Marty is charming, if stagebound,"

Masculin Feminin (1966)

"There's a seductive immediacy to all this… despite the film's obvious satiric touches, you come away from it with a vivid impression of a time and place and the people who inhabited it."

The Master of Disguise (2002)

"Master of Disguise runs for only 71 minutes and feels like three hours."

Match Point (2005)

"The film is very well acted, but top honors go to Johansson, who’s just about perfect as the pouty-lipped temptress whom we come to both pity and hate."

Matchstick Men (2003)

"The story's a bit on the traditional side (it could be pitched as "Catch Me If You Can" meets "Ocean's 11"), but the three leads make it an enticing and tense caper flick."

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

"An unmitigated disaster."

The Mayor of the Sunset Strip (2003)

"By the time George Hickenlooper's Mayor of the Sunset Strip is over, you won't know whether to envy or pity the subject of this oddly compelling documentary."