The men in the Alexandria Police Band are way, way out of their element. Having arrived in Israel to play at the opening of an Arab cultural center, they've taken a bus in exactly the wrong direction and now find themselves stranded outside a small desert town.   'THE BAND'S VISIT' - Fresh from Egypt, the Alexandria Police Band finds itself stranded in Isreal's Negev desert in the comedy 'The Band's Visit.' CNS Photo courtesy of ... [full story]

A film of brutal, breathtaking intelligence, a work of pellucid, shimmering art without a scintilla of compromise, "4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days" is surely one of the very best films of the year. And you can pick the year.   '4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, AND 2 DAYS' - Anamaria Marinca stars in the drama '4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days.' CNS Photo courtesy of Mobra Films.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, AND 2 DAYS - A film of brutal, breathtaking intelligence, a work of pellucid, shimmering art without a scintilla of compromise, "4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days" is surely one of the very best films of the year. And you can pick the year. Romania, 1987. The communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu will collapse in two years, but of course no one knows that. Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) and ... [full story]

"This has nothing to do with the 'Beowulf' you were forced to read in high school." On this matter, director Robert Zemeckis is emphatic when he's speaking on the DVD extras.   'BEOWULF' - Beowulf confronts Grendel the monster's mother, a water demon played by Angelina Jolie, in the fantasy movie 'Beowulf.' CNS Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.  DVD RATINGS 4 stars: Don't miss: rent it/buy it 3 stars: Worth the risk: rent it 2 stars: On ... [full story]

There are certain people with a talent for making other people's problems go away. In one of the hottest movies in Oscar contention this year, "Michael Clayton" (Warner Home Video, 3 stars), that is exactly what the title character does.   'MICHAEL CLAYTON' - George Clooney and Sydney Pollack star in the legal thriller 'Michael Clayton.' CNS Photo courtesy of Myles Aronowitz.  DVD RATINGS 4 stars: Don't miss: rent it/buy it 3 stars: Worth the risk: rent ... [full story]

Goblins and ogres and sylphs, oh no! When the recently split-up Grace family - dad has flown - arrives at the creepy, isolated old mansion that belonged to Aunt Lucinda before she was taken to the asylum. ... (See first sentence.)    'THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES' - Hogsqueal (voiced by Seth Rogen) helps Jared Grace (Freddie Highmore) spy on the wicked creatures trying to get their hands on Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES - Goblins and ogres and sylphs, oh no! When the recently split-up Grace family - dad has flown - arrives at the creepy, isolated old mansion that belonged to Aunt Lucinda before she was taken to the asylum. ... (See first sentence.) And why are goblins, et al., about? Eighty years ago, Lucinda's (Joan Plowright) slightly unhinged father,   'THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES' - Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and her brothers Jared and ... [full story]

Dilawar picked up the wrong fare. On Dec. 5, 2002, the young Afghani taxi driver gave a ride to four men. Afghani forces stopped the car at a roadblock, detained Dilawar and his passengers and turned them over to the Americans, citing suspicious material they claim to have found in the trunk.   ‘TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE’ was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS ... [full story]

If movies best serve when they raise difficult questions and bring discomfort to the complacent, then "Gone Baby Gone" (Walt Disney, 4 stars) was one of the best serving movies of 2007.   'GONE BABY GONE' - John Ashton, Amy Ryan and Ed Harris star in the gritty thriller from Ben Affleck, 'Gone Baby Gone.' CNS Photo courtesy of Claire Folger.  DVD RATINGS 4 stars: Don't miss: rent it/buy it 3 stars: Worth the risk: rent it ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES 'VINCE VAUGHN'S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW - 30 DAYS AND 30 NIGHTS, HOLLYWOOD TO THE HEARTLAND' - 'Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show - 30 Days and 30 Nights, Hollywood to the Heartland" is a surprisingly moving, often hilarious account of five men on the road - four talented comedians and a movie star. Onstage and off, they weave stories   'VINCE VAUGHN'S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW' - Vince Vaughn gets under your skin ... [full story]

'Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show - 30 Days and 30 Nights, Hollywood to the Heartland" is a surprisingly moving, often hilarious account of five men on the road - four talented comedians and a movie star.   'VINCE VAUGHN'S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW' - Justin Long and Vince Vaughn lead an ensemble cast of stand-up performers in 'Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show -- 30 Days and 30 Nights, Hollywood to the Heartland.' CNS Photo ... [full story]

I've been trying to articulate just how I feel about Julie Taymor's Beatles-based musical "Across the Universe" (Sony, 4 stars). My first feeling after watching the movie was: "If I'd known there would be a Julie Taymor, I would have pursued a career in movies just so I could one day work with her.   'ACROSS THE UNIVERSE' - Jim Sturgess, left, and Evan Rachel Wood lead a hip ensemble in the Beatles-based musical 'Across the ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES OVER HER DEAD BODY - Filmed on the aesthetic principle that viewers want lots of sunlight (which won't hurt it later on TV), "Over Her Dead Body" is about a control freak (superbly tanned Eva Longoria Parker) who is killed by an ice statue on her wedding day. As a ghost, she haunts and   OVER HER DEAD BODY' - Eva Longoria Parker and Paul Rudd star in the comedy 'Over Her Dead Body.' ... [full story]