Talking Pictures: How to Watch Movies

A veteran film critic offers a lively, opinionated guide to thinking and talking about movies -- from Casablanca to Clueless

Whether we are trying to impress a date after an art house film screening or discussing Oscar nominations among friends, we all need ways to look at and talk about movies. But with so much variety between an Alfred Hitchcock thriller and a Nora Ephron romantic comedy, how can everyday viewers determine what makes a good movie?

In Talking Pictures, veteran film critic...