Ruben R (filmbuffmia)

It's not the thrill-ride aesthetic that ruins this visually arresting retelling of Dickens's Yuletide chestnut. Rather, it's the film's whiplash-inducing schizoid tone that turns what starts out as a genuinely creepy ghost story into yet another piece of Disney product, one that falls considerably short of its potential. At its best when conveying the hardships of living in Industrial-Age London, rendered here in stunning, though nearly soot-free, photorealistic detail. Don't blame Carrey; Ebenezer Scrooge becomes bitterness incarnate in his capable hands...until he gets all loosey-goosey in the end.

Understated, deeply felt tale of a father and daughter of African descent living in Paris captures that moment when he realizes, a) she's a mature, independent woman and, b) their close relationship needs to evolve in order to survive. BEAU TRAVAIL director Claire Denis is in no hurry to peel off the layers of this complex, lovingly rendered familial bond, but her naturalistic --and, to her detractors, navel-gazing -- approach results in a film of rare delicacy and beauty. One of the year's best.