He's a funny man, and his quick wit and observations are satisfying. But underlying his mirth is a clear desire to understand, to have a reasoned, intelligent discourse on the topic.

The film itself often feels like a mawkish, mid-90s romantic comedy but the thing that elevates it from a standard but well-executed programmer to a howlingly funny film: Ricky Gervais.

Hitchcock once made the claim that bad books made good movies, but while the French movie Tell No One has its good moments, overall it's clunky and proves Hitchcock wrong.

Redbelt provides an honest look at a small corner of the world and tests its main character's ideology in a taut, efficient framework. It makes me wonder why all movies aren't this good.

Tropic Thunder takes some very good comedic actors and puts them in some great moments at the service of a clever, funny plot. The laughs are good, respectable and intelligent.

The Pineapple Express is a mid-'80s buddy action film as filtered through a haze of pot smoke. There are some very, very funny high points, but it is mainly clunky and disappointing.

The Ruins keeps the bar low for the scary movie genre. There's no sense of building action or increasing horror, just a steady drone of people screaming at random horrors.

If In Bruges has a flaw, it's only in its immaculate structure. The drama is nice, tidy, and economical. It is a wonderful film that unearths a surprising amount of hitman humanity.

It's easy to get swept away by The Dark Knight, but despite the magnificent, handsome production and Heath Ledger's classic performance, the movie only works in fits and starts.

While it fizzles out at the end, Hancock manages to be both a solid comic book story and a funny lampoon on the whole genre.

Wall-E is pretty much a perfect film, one that accomplishes everything it sets out to do. It scrapes the surface of greatness at times, but it never quite achieves this.