Stand by Me (1986)

After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy.

Pleasantly nostalgic boys' coming of age story finely recreates 50s rural atmosphere; the boys' performances are sensationally realistic and credible.

Halliwell*: "Less macabre than its source may suggest, the film is mostly concerned with the friendships and tensions within the group; nostalgia for50s childhood is nicely conveyed."

Maltin***: "Affectionate Americana...Irresistible and wholly believable performances from all four youthful leads. Only complaint: the high volume of four-letter words, decidedly not characteristic of the 1950s."

Mirrors (2008)

An ex-cop and his family are the target of an evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home.

The movie pushes its narrative forward with urgency, but Sutherland's performance is over-the-top, and in the end it's nothing more than another plain old ghost story. 

Maltin**: "Pretty lame attempt at horror bungles what could have been a decent psychological tale of a man in crisis."

Pompeii (2014)

A slave-turned-gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator, and, as Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved as Pompeii crumbles around him.

Below-average historical catastrophe drama full of age-old cliches; one is relieved when the volcano finally erupts.

Maltin**1/2: "Special effects are the star attraction in the kind of sword-and-sandal epic that was once a staple in Hollywood. This is pure, hokey fun for the nondiscerning, even if Sutherland's bad-guy performance is a bit monotonous."

Chicago Joe and the Showgirl (1990)

During World War II, an American serviceman in London decides to impress his English girlfriend by acting as an American gangster, which soon turns deadly.

Ambitious wartime semi-Noir drama that drowns its intentions by staging a true-crime story in entirely artificial settings.

Halliwell (no star): "Based on actual events, but a movie that rarely seems more than a laboured fantasy and one that the public ignored."

Maltin**1/2: "Famed British tabloid fodder gets the low-budget "period" treatment. Mildly interesting account never quite jells, though some of the violence offers surprisingly stylized jolts. Lloyd is a lot more intersting than her costar here."

The Sentinel (2006)

A Secret Service agent is framed as the mole in an assassination attempt on the President.

Standard, but professionally made thriller with a good star cast, which manages to maintain suspense to the end.

Maltin**1/2: "Slick action-thriller is lively and entertaining until a crucial moment three-quarters of the way through, when it goes flat and credibility becomes a serious issue."