Sparkle is a turgid slog of clichés, facile melodrama and missed opportunities.

There is magic happening here, maybe just enough to make The Odd Life of Timothy Green a motion picture I’ll revisit in the future and think even better of the second time around.

Farewell, My Queen presents a side of the French Revolution I’ve never thought to ponder, this look behind the gates of Versailles oftentimes fascinating.

You get what you pay for with Step Up Revolution, and if one is willing to purchase a ticket, probably in 3D, chances are they won’t be disappointed.

There is no closure to Beasts of the Southern Wild, nothing to hold on to that I felt was satisfying. I love the fire and the passion it must have taken for Zeitlin and Alibar to bring the film to life, but that wasn’t enough as far as I was concerned.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a movie I’m going to be treasuring for a very long time.

To Rome with Love is overstuffed yet also oddly vague, and while the better bits are wonderful the lesser ones irritated me so much they made the final product a disappointing afterthought in the career of a justifiably lauded filmmaker we all know is capable of better.

Magic Mike is an emotionally complex rollercoaster ride overflowing in raucously euphoric highs. So many of them, in fact, I can guarantee this is one title I’m going to be talking about for the remainder of the year.

Banks is incredible, her performance the anchor that holds People Like Us together.