The Kingdom begins as a political thriller, then turns into something akin to a cop action flick in a foreign setting or a police procedural. There also is a disturbing jingoistic element intended perhaps to encourage patriotic fervor in the midst of the adrenaline rush. Read more

A kick-butt action thriller that takes a stab — but only one or two — at addressing complex international issues, “The Kingdom” would pack more of a punch if it could decide what kind of movie it really wants to be. < href=http://www.lvrj.com/neon/10103651.html target="new">Read more

If you doubt that we live in complicated times, you need only visit your nearby multiplex, where visceral clapping is likely to burst forth at complicated moments. Read more

Wow, does Taymor ever re-inviograte the movie musical with this eye-popping pop opera. Read more

After Hair, Hairspray and the mass marketing of tie-dye, can the ’60s be shrunk to fit any further? Read more

Innovative theatrical director Julie Taymor (“The Lion King”) turns more than 30 Beatles songs into a lavishly phantasmagorical audio/visual experience. Read more

Julie Taymor’s assemblage of Beatles tunes via vivacious set pieces doesn’t evince much logic, grafting together plot turns via lyrics that spanned decades. But it does pulse with an oddly dynamic nostalgia. Read more

What makes “Across The Universe” stand out (since its basic premise has been done to death, reincarnated, and done to death again) is that it’s one of the most ambitious movie musicals in years. Read more

Highlighting films by and about women Read more

In “Jane Austen Book Club,” based on Karen Joy Fowler’s novel, screenwriter/director Robin Swicord beautifully interweaves themes and circumstances presented in the famous 18th century author’s novels with the needs and circumstances of a cast of contemporary characters’ lives. Translated from page to screen, Austen’s timeless concerns seem particularly timely. Read more