"Green Zone"

There was a time when movies were promoted as being "torn from today's headlines." Although director Paul Greengrass' "Green Zone" can't exactly make that claim, the story it covers remains unresolved, giving the film both a touch of timeliness and a bit of a lingering sting as well. Set in Baghdad in 2003 and 2004, it's compelling and somewhat suspenseful; on the downside, it also leaves you with that sinking feeling of just having found an old bill you forgot to pay.

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"Remember Me"

“Remember Me” is a tearjerker that won’t make you cry. It will, however, make you groan and squirm and possibly snore as it painstakingly details the lackluster love story of a bitter rich-kid-turned-rebel and a sunny social-worker-to-be brought together by police brutality. That may sound a bit peculiar but, as Al Jolson once said, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet.

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"Alice in Wonderland"

Although it may be called “Alice in Wonderland,” director Tim Burton and screenwriter Linda Woolverton (“The Lion King”) have taken substantial liberties with Lewis Carroll’s original stories, a decision that may infuriate purists but one that actually turns out to be somewhat shrewd.

Considering how many times filmmakers have put “Alice” in front of the cameras, it’s surprising how few of the adaptations have worked. The major obstacle is the scattershot structure of Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass”: They’re primarily collections of whimsical anecdotes that don’t necessarily coalesce into a plot. So many screen versions of “Alice” have turned into little more than fanciful variety shows, with Alice meandering from one crazy character to the next.

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"Brooklyn's Finest"

"One-Adam-12. One-Adam-12, see the multiple plotline pile-up at the corner of Desperation and Heartache."

Officers Reed and Malloy never got that call, but then again they were both far too wholesome to be involved in any of the seamy shenanigans that trip up the top cops in the ironically titled "Brooklyn's Finest."

Robbing gangsters, cavorting with drug dealers, partying with prostitutes and double-crossing friends are all in a day's work for Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere), Sal Procida (Ethan Hawke) and Clarence "Tango" Butler (Don Cheadle), each of whom has enough moral conflicts and sordid secrets to fill a squad car.

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"Me and Orson Welles"

Ten years ago, Winona Ryder produced and starred in "Girl, Interrupted," in which she'd play a bright young woman struggling with mental illness and institutionalization. Although she earned an Oscar nomination as Daniel Day-Lewis' quietly calculating bride in "The Age of Innocence," Ryder was still best-known as the winsome ingenue of "Mermaids," "Edward Scissorhands" and "Little Women." Here was her chance to finally dazzle critics and fans in a mature, challenging role.

But then she made one fatal mistake: She cast a semi-unknown named Angelina Jolie as a fellow patient. And once audiences got a look at Jolie, Ryder's star vehicle was officially hijacked. Jolie won a best supporting actress Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award for her electrifying performance; hopefully, she remembered to send Ryder -- who got some favorable reviews for her performance and little else -- a lovely bouquet and a kind thank-you note.

Read the full review here.