Angels & Demons (2009)

"What happened to reliable old Tom, perennial Oscar nominee? It's like he left the actor part of him on that island in Castaway."

The Anniversary Party (2001)

"Slips into a series of histrionic outbursts and contrived situations."

The Answer Man (2009)

"The movie's many parallels leave it feeling schematic when it isn't focused on Daniels and Graham, who have such good comic timing they overcome all flaws."

Antichrist (2009)

"On the whole, I'd rather be dragged to hell by Sam Raimi."

Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2009)

"The movie is a small wonder, because it's not the work of a practiced filmmaker - Sacha Gervasi is a writer and Anvil fan who shot the movie on a whim, but he has a great eye, and is evidently an editing whiz."

Anywhere But Here (1999)

"The chemistry between Portman and Sarandon is off - they seem more like mismatched roommates than mother and daughter."

Apocalypto (2006)

"You have to hand it to Mel Gibson -- when he makes a visceral film, he gives you the actual viscera."

Ararat (2002)

"Egoyan is known for dense and sometimes inscrutable narratives, but here his abstruse sprawl seems deliberately evasive."

The Aristocrats (2005)

"Interesting and informative."

Around the Bend (2004)

"It feels shaky as a theatrical feature, but could play better as a late-night cable curiosity."

Ashes of Time Redux (1994)

"Redux is a piece of visual poetry without much interest in conventional narrative."

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

"The movie is a loud, vulgar, sub-credible blunt instrument that beats on you for about two hours."

The Astronaut Farmer (2007)

"A movie with a surplus of intriguing ideas but a deficit of credibility. We understand the movie is intended as something of a fable; still, it's a pretty far-fetched premise, and the Polish brothers never really sell us on the reality of the machine."

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

"Lacks a sure-footed narrative, and Disney animators don't seem at ease with the freedom to draw characters in a new way."

August Rush (2007)

"It doesn't really work, and looks especially messy and corny next to a beautifully simple, music-driven romance like Once."

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

"What makes some of this stuff work is not its cruelty but its audaciousness!"

Avatar (2009)

"In Avatar Cameron creates an Oz that's as tactile and tangible as if it were made of real materials and real tissue."

Away From Her (2007)

"Polley, borrowing from a story by Alice Munro, and maybe some of its wisdom, gives us more. Here, time rewards compromises and commitment to a flawed arrangement, and we get a rare portrait of the intimacy that can come with endurance."