David Edelstein

The sci-fi Western Cowboys & Aliens and the low-budget British film Attack the Block both open this weekend. Critic David Edelstein says both movies bring people together from different walks of life — but only one is really worth seeing.

The latest Marvel Comics superhero movie stars Chris Evans as the 98-pound weakling who transforms into Captain America. Critic David Edelstein says the film "has an easy, classical pace and a lot of good, old-fashioned craftsmanship."

The Boy Who Lived takes his final bow, in what proves to be a majestic, engrossing, proper fantasy conclusion. Critic David Edelstein approves of the film's steady aura of doom and will be sad to see the now-grown boy wizard hang up his wand for good.

Documentary filmmaker James Marsh recounts the efforts of a Columbia University psychology professor to teach a chimp sign language in Project Nim. Critic David Edelstein says the brilliant documentary reveals more about humans than it does about the animal kingdom.

One humble, one humongous, these movies couldn't be more different. Larry Crowne is low-tech with human-scaled characters. Transformers: Dark of the Moon is like War of the Worlds on steroids. But in their own way, each one is perfect for the holiday weekend, says critic David Edelstein.

How bad is this teacher? Director Jake Kasdan stuffs ineptness and inappropriateness into the lesson plan in equal measure. But critic David Edelstein says that the film's moral turpitude is also the source of its charm.

Cindy Meehl's documentary Buck tells the story of the horse trainer who overcame years of abuse to become the inspiration for the book and movie The Horse Whisperer. Critic David Edelstein says he's never seen a film that so vividly depicts the "link between a trauma and its transmutation."

J.J. Abrams' science-fiction thriller Super 8 was inspired, in part, by Steven Spielberg's earliest works. Critic David Edelstein says the film hits home in a way more impersonal franchise pictures don't.

Ewan McGregor stars in Mike Mills' film about a young man who learns that his 75-year-old father (Christopher Plummer) is gay. Critic David Edelstein says the movie, based on Mills' own life puts the filmmaker in a category alongside Woody Allen and Charlie Kaufman.

Terrence Malick's film, part creation epic and part Oedipal family drama, recently won the Palme d'Or -- the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Critic David Edelstein says reaction to the film has been mixed, but he "recommends the experience unreservedly."