Nothing else in "Snake Eyes"' matches the exquisite thrill of Brian De Palma's opening sequence, a sustained prologue reminiscent of Altman and Welles.

The Portrait of a Lady

Funny and sharply observed, "Love and Death on Long Island" is "Lolita"-like in describing the inexorable pull of illicit obsession.

He and his pals chase cars, send kiwis and rutabagas flying, wallow in blood, and generally wreak havoc. What Ronin & Co. don't do is make a whole lot of sense.

Director Todd Holland's "Krippendorf's Tribe" lampoons academics, makes a fool of Richard Dreyfuss, and revels in a burlesque sensibility.

To divert attention from a presidential scandal, two spinmeisters create a fake war in "Wag the Dog," a crass satire that nevertheless gets the details right.

Mamet's clipped chatter captures the con artists' terrain of "The Spanish Prisoner"; the Irish accents of the brilliant "Butcher Boy" nearly foil comprehension.

Nicholas Barker's disturbingly intimate "Unmade Beds" looks and listens intently as four singles search for love in New York City -- and, naturally, come up short.