Louis Malle’s film based on his own childhood experiences during WWII takes its time and builds slowly to an ending of true emotional power. Because he takes his time and creates real characters, he does not need to resort to melodrama to make us weep, because we are watching events transpire to our friends.

Set during Germany’s occupation of France, Julien Quentin (Gaspard Manesse) is the son of rich parents, who send him off to boarding school against his will. He’s an outgoing popular kid at school with a vein of bully and troublemaker in him. A new kid comes to school named Jean Bonnet (Raphael Fejtö), who is often picked on by the other students. He’s smart and musically talented, but he doesn’t pray like all the other Catholic boys and whenever a German officer is around he gets really nervous.

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There’s a strange pull to this film, because the people in it seem so real. Director/writer Andrew Wagner actually uses his real family to play the lead characters. How much of the story is based off of these people is unknown, but we have to believe they are playing exaggerated versions of themselves.

Allen (Allen Wagner) and Judy (Judy Wagner) are a retired couple who have a bumpy relationship. After he loses money in the stock market, which we learn is something he’s done before, Allen goes out and buys a van — for family trips he says. However, Allen and Judy don’t see much of their kids, two of them living in Los Angeles. Their actress daughter Emily (Emily Wagner, TV’s E.R.) comes to visit from L.A. and with their other actress daughter Maggie (Maggie Wagner, ONE FINE DAY), Judy decides to take a spontaneous trip to L.A. to see their son Andrew (Andrew Wagner).

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This strange thriller presents a world that seems real at first, but becomes more and more unreal as time goes on.

Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor, MOULIN ROGUE!) is a psychologist who is filling in for his sick friend Beth Levy (Janeane Garofalo, THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS & DOGS). Beth’s patient Henry Letham (Ryan Gosling, THE NOTEBOOK) has set his car on fire on the freeway and tells Sam that he intends to kill himself on Saturday. Sam is conflicted on what to do, but he knows he has to try and stop Sam from hurting himself.

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Based on Richard Alfieri’s play, which was based on Anton Chekov’s THE THREE SISTERS, director Arthur Allan Seidelman brings together a talented cast for what amounts to a filmed play.

Olga Prior (Mary Stuart Masterson, FRIED GREEN TOMATOES) is the oldest sister and is called the “serious one.” Marcia (Maria Bello, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE) is the middle sister — the “pretty one” — who has married psychiatrist Dr. Harry Glass (Steven Culp, TV’s DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES), who wed Marcia to “save” her. Irene (Erika Christensen, TRAFFIC) is the youngest sister, who has a dark secret she is keeping from her family. Andrew (Alessandro Nivola, JUNEBUG) is the brother, whose trophy fiancée Nancy (Elizabeth Banks, SLITHER) is not liked at all by the family.

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Director Eli Roth (CABIN FEVER) touches brilliance with this film, but ruins it with some of the vile cynicism that has infested recent horror films.

Paxton (Jay Hernandez, CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL) and Josh (Derek Richardson, DUMB AND DUMBERER) are two American college students who have gone to Europe to have endless nights of drinking, drugs and sexual conquests. They hook up with a wanderer from Iceland named Oli (Eythor Gudjonsson, film debut) who joins them in their debauchery in Amsterdam. Paxton is the definition of obnoxious American while Josh is more sensitive, yet follows Paxton’s every move. Oli is just a wild and crazy guy. They learn of a hostel in Slovakia that has the hottest women in the world, who just live to hook up with an American.

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On some level FIREWALL works like all “family in jeopardy” thrillers work. However, if you’ve seen a few of them then you know what is going to happen.

Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford, PATRIOT GAMES) is the chief security tech at a big bank that is in the process of merging with another big bank. Of course this merger is creating tension between Jack and his right hand man Harry (Robert Forster, JACKIE BROWN) and Gary Mitchell (Robert Patrick, TERMINATOR 2), the man in charge of making the transition from one owner to the other. Jack’s wife Beth (Virginia Madsen, SIDEWAYS) is an architect and that’s about all we know about her. Jack’s kids are Sarah (Carly Schroeder, MEAN CREEK) and Andy (Jimmy Bennett, HOSTAGE), who has a convenient deadly allergy to nuts.

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This modern film noir plays well for its first two acts, but jumps the tracks in the end. It wants to be a film noir, but it wants a happy ending, which is actually vicious when one thinks about it. Moreover, the criminals are so stupid in the end that one cannot believe they would be smart enough to pull off their original crimes in the first place.

Charles Schine (Clive Owen, CLOSER) is an advertising exec, whose daughter, Amy (Addison Timlin, film debut), is suffering from Type 1 diabetes. His wife, Deanna (Melissa George, 2005’s THE AMITYVILLE HORROR), and him worry constantly about their child’s health and the financial strain that it puts on their family. One morning, Charles rides to work on the train and realizes he has no money to pay for his ticket. Sexy stranger Lucinda Harris (Jennifer Aniston, TV’s FRIENDS) offers to pay for him, which Charles feels obligated to pay back.

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Director Michael Haneke (FUNNY GAMES) draws the viewer into the mystery of his new film, which deals with issues of guilt and responsibility.

Georges and Anne Laurent (Daniel Auteuil, GIRL ON THE BRIDGE, & Juliette Binoche, THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING) are being terrorized by videotapes of the front of their house, which having been appearing on the front doorstep. They have no clue who is doing this to them. As the tapes change to more haunting locations and include cryptic drawings, Georges suspects that something from his past may be coming back to haunt him. Anne begins to fear for the safety of their son Pierrot (Lester Makedonsky, film debut) and the secrets of her husband.

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SUPERMAN RETURNS is a somber and ironic return for the Man of Steel and a worthy film to stand alongside Christopher Reeve’s first two films.

Superman (Brandon Routh, big screen debut) has returned after a five-year mission to see the remains of his destroyed home world. On a more cynical Earth, the people have moved on, especially Superman’s main squeeze, star reporter Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth, BEYOND THE SEA), who has had a child, lives with a man and won a Pulitzer for an article titled, “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.” For the man in the red cape that’s gotta sting more than Kryptonite.

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The big surprise of the summer thus far is just how fun MONSTER HOUSE is. Made with honesty and originality, the film is everything one can ask for in great entertainment.

DJ (Mitchel Musso, TV’s AVATAR) has been keeping close eye on his crotchety old neighbor, Nebbercracker (Steve Buscemi, DESPERADO), for some time. The old man is obsessed with keeping everything and everybody off his lawn. He’s a neighborhood legend. When DJ’s immature best friend Chowder (Sam Lerner, ENVY) losses his new basketball onto Nebbercracker’s yard, DJ risks the wrath of the mean man to retrieve it. This event triggers a series of incidents that make DJ believe that Nebbercracker’s house has come alive and has begun eating people.

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