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It's certainly not difficult to see why All Good Things has been languishing on the shelf for a couple of years, as the movie primarily comes off as a tedious, thoroughly pointless piece of work that boasts few attributes designed to capture the viewer's interest. All Good Things follows Ryan Gosling's David and Kirsten Dunst's Katie as they attempt to start a life together in the face of his wealthy family's disapproval, with the film subsequently detailing the various (and increasingly sinister) problems within the couple's relationship. Director Andrew Jarecki instantly finds himself unable to overcome the story's almost eye-rollingly familiar trajectory, as screenwriters Marcus Hinchey and Marc Smerling offer up a culture-clash romance that comes off as a pale imitation of other similarly-themed films (including Gosling's own The Notebook). Jarecki's inability to transform the two central characters into figures worth rooting for and caring about proves disastrous, and there's consequently never a point at which the viewer is able to work up even an ounce of interest in their ongoing exploits. (Not helping matters is Gosling's less-than-enthralling performance, with the actor's surprisingly bland turn exacerbated by his decision to mumble his way through most of the dialogue.) The film does, however, threaten to improve once it becomes clear that there's something not quite right with David, yet Jarecki squanders even this aspect of the proceedings by emphasizing a midsection that couldn't possibly be more tedious (ie it boils down to a repetitive series of sequences in which David acts sinister and Katie attempts to escape from his grasp). By the time the absolutely inexplicable final 20 minutes rolls around (in which David takes to cross-dressing), All Good Things has certainly cemented its place as an utterly misguided piece of work with little worth recommending - which is a shame, really, given the presence of several undeniably talented performers within the supporting cast (Frank Langella, Philip Baker Hall, etc).

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A documentary in the loosest sense of the word, Babies follows four infants from across the globe - Ponijao from Namibia, Bayarjargal from Mongolia, Mari from Tokyo, and Hattie from San Francisco - as they engage in a series of adorable yet thoroughly pointless activities (ie Hattie eats a banana, Mari attempts to stand up, Ponijao squabbles with a sibling, etc, etc). There's little doubt that the experience of watching Babies is all-too-often akin to watching someone else's home movies, as filmmaker Thomas Balmès eschews anything even resembling a narrative and is instead content to just document the four babies living and interacting within their natural environment. The complete and utter lack of context ensures that the film begins to wear out its welcome after just a few minutes, and although Balmès admittedly does pepper the proceedings with a handful of compelling interludes (ie Ponijao repeatedly falls asleep while sitting up), Babies is, for the most part, an absolutely interminable piece of work that seems destined to send most viewers into protracted fits of daydreaming.

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Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, The Tourist follows math teacher Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp) as his European vacation becomes fraught with danger and peril after he meets and befriends a mysterious woman named Elise Clifton-Ward (Angelina Jolie) - with the film subsequently (and primarily) detailing the pair's ongoing efforts at avoiding a variety of pursuing figures (including Paul Bettany's tenacious police officer and Steven Berkoff's nasty gangster). Filmmaker von Donnersmarck does a superb job of capturing the viewer's interest right from the get-go, as The Tourist opens with a thoroughly captivating sequence in which Jolie's character is pursued and watched by cops as she goes about her morning routine. The movie's easygoing vibe is perpetuated by Frank and Elise's first encounter aboard a Venice-bound train, with the chemistry between the two disparate figures initially compensating for a midsection that's decidedly less-than-eventful in its execution. And while it ultimately does become clear that von Donnersmarck is looking to ape the atmosphere and tone of a circa 1960s caper movie, The Tourist suffers from an almost pervasively lighthearted feel that inevitably cements its place as a watchable yet forgettable piece of work - with the inclusion of several engrossing performances and a certain last-minute revelation just barely pushing the proceedings to the positive, rather than negative, side of things.

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An intriguing yet uneven thriller, In My Sleep follows lifelong sleepwalker Marcus (Philip Winchester) as he wakes up one morning covered in blood that may or may not be his - which effectively forces Marcus to figure just what happened before the police catch up to him. It's a compelling premise that's generally employed to lackluster effect by filmmaker Allen Wolf, as the movie boasts a slow-moving sensibility that prevents the viewer from wholeheartedly connecting with either the central character or his increasingly perilous plight. This is despite a fine performance from Winchester, with the actor's strong, predominantly shirtless (?) turn as the befuddled protagonist anchoring the proceedings on a rather consistent basis. The watchable (if far-from-enthralling) atmosphere persists up until around the movie's midsection, after which point Wolf emphasizes the story's mystery-based elements to an extent that quickly becomes oppressive - as the movie is bogged down in flashbacks on an increasingly frequent basis. There is, as a result, little doubt that the eventual explanation of what's going on comes off as thoroughly anti-climactic, which unfortunately cements In My Sleep's place as an almost passable piece of work that seems like it would've been better off as a 15-minute short.

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Shockingly inept from start to finish, The Six Wives of Henry Lefay follows the womanizing title character (Tim Allen) as he attempts to juggle his former and present lovers under the watchful eye of his disapproving daughter (Elisha Cuthbert's Barbara Lefay). It's a workable premise that's employed to consistently underwhelming and flat-out incompetent effect by writer/director Howard Michael Gould, as the filmmaker proves utterly unable to offer up a single compelling (or even remotely authentic) figure - which instantly ensures that one has virtually nothing invested in the various characters' ongoing exploits. There's subsequently little doubt that the film suffers from an almost aggressively pointless atmosphere that only grows more and more oppressive as time progresses, with the total dearth of laughs ensuring that the movie, for the most part, boasts the feel of a hopelessly uneventful, slow moving drama. It is, of course, not surprising to note that the sentimental elements that crop up towards the end fall completely flat, as the viewer has absolutely nothing invested in these characters or their happiness - with the end result a nigh worthless piece of work that manages to waste a fairly impressive cast (ie it takes some effort to drain Allen of his natural charisma).

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