1970s

• Argent de Poche, L' [Small Change] directed by François Truffaut (1976)

  [7/10]

  "François Truffaut returns to filming a classroom full of children with the theme that children exist in a state of grace -- they pass untouched through dangers that would destroy an adult."

• Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, The by Chris Fuhrman (1994)

  [7/10]

  "Fuhrman does an excellent job at recalling the emotional states and physical feelings of first love. He also uses the racial tensions of the 1970s to good effect to show that racial politics affected even eight graders' relationships with their schoolmates."

• Dreamgirls directed by Bill Condon (2006)

  [7/10]

  "Dreamgirls provides a fun, musical and visual experience without a whole lot of character depth. Tap your toe, enjoy the fun, but don't look too deeply into the storyline."

• Ice Storm, The directed by Ang Lee (1997)

  [5/10]

  "Director Ang Lee skillfully creates the bleak mood of The Ice Storm through carefully crafted scenes and an excellent cast that easily portray the film's hollow characters."

• Zodiac, The directed by Alexander Bulkley (2006)

  [5/10]

  "The Zodiac tries to capture the zeitgeist of the San Francisco Bay area while the Zodiac serial killer actively killed victims and corresponded with the local press."

  Average score: 6.20