About a Boy (2002)

"The summer movie season has barely begun, and already we have its first big surprise."

Across the Universe (2007)

"Across the Universe can't achieve the transcendence and exhilaration musicals strive for, but it often generates a singular kind of magic you've never experienced before."

Adaptation (2002)

"With Adaptation, Kaufman has found an entirely new way of telling a story, belying the old credo that there's nothing left that's new for the movies to show us."

The Adventures Of Elmo In Grouchland (1999)

"It's difficult for even the cynic in the audience to resist giggling at the sight of a grown man and a tiny-voiced Muppet arguing whether or not the Blanket an entire film has been built around should be called "Wubby" instead."

Afghan Star (2009)

"Afghan Star reveals that the Afghan people strongly crave to make up for years lost to Taliban repression and catch up with the 21st century."

After The Wedding (2007)

"After the Wedding ends up feeling far weightier than it first appears, with its plot contrivances and unlikely coincidences generating such a messy range of emotions, they end up feeling a lot like real life."

The Agronomist (2004)

"Reminds us of previous events in the country's history, as told by a Haitian who impresses us as someone honestly looking for nothing more than peace."

AKA (2002)

"Coupling the plot with the presentation -- and the appealing cinematography -- makes AKA a film not to miss."

Alexander (2004)

"Often skates dangerously close to camp (less forgiving viewers will find the movie hysterical), but the director's daringness to play things so boldly has a grand appeal of its own."

Alice's House (2007)

"First-time director Chico Teixeira, an accomplished maker of documentaries in Brazil, brings a similar nonfiction feel to this melodramatic milieu, which is kick-started when Alice contemplates having an affair of her own with a former sweetheart."

All or Nothing (2002)

"The film feels uncomfortably real, its language and locations bearing the unmistakable stamp of authority."

Almost Famous (2000)

"A rich, marvelous movie -- the kind that enchants on so many different levels, it leaves you feeling giddy."

Amelie (2001)

"A blast of pure movie bliss, a hilarious, imaginative and exhilarating love letter to the romantic in all of us."

American Beauty (1999)

"The real star of the film is Alan Ball's exceptional script, which continually reveals new, surprising layers in characters that initially seem like cartoonish types."

American Psycho (2000)

"The movie has the feverish intensity of a bad dream, leavened with a subversive sense of humor that is both sophisticated and cracked."

American Teen (2008)

"American Teen finds the truth in the trite and the cliched: It's a wonderful look at why growing up is so hard to do."

Amores Perros (2001)

"Has the feel of an instant classic, a melodrama with an exacting precision and a visceral, propulsive energy."

An Education (2009)

"An Education argues that life -- and the human heart -- are far too complicated merely to be studied. They need to be experienced."

The Ant Bully (2006)

"... The Ant Bully is just a great ride, but all that moralizing diminishes the fun of feeling ant-sized yourself and being immersed in Lucas's incredible adventures."

Antwone Fisher (2002)

"The acting helps push the movie past its familiarity into something that rings earnest and true."

Anywhere But Here (1999)

"A wryly observed mother-daughter drama that earns its laughs -- and tears -- the old-fashioned way."

Appaloosa (2008)

"Appaloosa takes the traditional notion of a lone lawman fighting injustice and turns it successfully on its head."

Apt Pupil (1998)

"Apt Pupil is a welcome attempt to reclaim the horror film genre from teen-driven slasher flick formulas!"

The Aristocrats (2005)

"The joke itself is not very funny: It's the delivery, the invention and grossness each comedian brings to it that makes it funny."

Ashes of Time Redux (1994)

"Ashes of Time Redux is primarily a sensory experience that deserves to be seen on as big a screen as possible."