You know a horror film is effective when it remains creepy even after they explain the unexplained phenomena. On that front, and on many others, “Dark Skies” emerges as a smart little chiller, one that can be read as a metaphor for the American family in crisis during tough economic times or merely as a tense exploration of things that go bump in the night.

We can only wonder what possessed the folks at Dimension Films to hide this movie from critics, thus creating the impression that it was a stinker. On the contrary, it’s that rare film that takes its time ratcheting up the tension without ever feeling...

These are boom times for mainstream, family-friendly animation; over the last year or so, audiences have been treated to smart and visually compelling films like “ParaNorman,” “Frankenweenie,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “The Secret World of Arrietty” and “A Cat in Paris,” to name just a few. Even the generic “Madagascar” series mustered up a smart script and some visual pizzazz for its third entry.

Alas, even in the era of Pixar and Studio Ghibli and Laika, there are still thoroughly forgettable movies, designed to smoothly course through young viewers’...

“Skyfall” gave us a 50th anniversary James Bond who seemed renewed and revitalized for another half-century of adventures, but “A Good Day to Die Hard,” coming in 25 years after the iconic action classic that launched the series, fails to do right by John McClane, the quippy, kvetchy NYPD detective played by Bruce Willis.

This latest caper feels like a real letdown in what has generally been an intelligent and exciting series — where previous criminal plans were twisty and ingenious, this one’s awkward and nonsensical, and while earlier action sequences may have been improbable and over-the-top, they at least made some logical sense within the plot, something the latest screenwriter...

Like so many filmmakers of his generation, writer-director Roman Coppola makes movies that are simply a valentine to other movies. The results, however, tend to be more like installations, where we walk in, look around, admire his ability to recreate specific moments of tone and style, and then leave without having experienced anything close to drama or comedy or human feeling.

Two films in, he’s established himself as a master of simulacra, but his movies are all look and no touch. His 2001 debut feature, “CQ,” paid homage to slick 1960s Euro-flash epics like “Barbarella” and “Danger: Diabolik,” and now Coppola (who...