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Novocaine meaningfully shows the extent you would go to save who you care about. It's filled with hopes, amid lots of action that could easily annihilate the underdog at any moment. There's some romance, more violence, and much more audience concern for the wellbeing of the intended rescuer. As part of displaying heartless crime, be forewarned that Novacaine lacks positive humor. The twists and reveals are nicely unpredictable, though.

Best seen with others for how many challenges and opportunities are dramatized. It's less about guessing what's next, and more about relating and somehow surviving, with the main character's hopes and standards intact.

This fictional story's levels of hope are continually overpowered by the political terror that much of the world actually encountered in the early 1940s. It's core message, therefore, is more along the lines of good coming from you holding onto virtues in a world where people primarily protect themselves. That makes it similar to faith-based movies, but without the pressures of praying, reading the scriptures, and committing to a religious lifestyle.

Written French has subtitles, while the occasionally spoken French word or sentence remains entirely untranslated.

Plenty of tense moments. Good acting and flow, but only slightly entertaining.

"Showgirls" is an exotic dancer's fantasy of making it big in Las Vegas. It's not like the imagined talent and fame in "Chicago (2002)." It's more like the climb in "Black Swan (2010)," but with the "who you know" angle rather than mere skill.

The most notable aspect of this movie is its female-centered erotica throughout. While movies such as "In the Realm of the Senses (1976)" are much more revealing toward sex acts, "Showgirls" emphasizes nudity; and keen remote-control handlers can easily verify what they thought they just saw. Such daring is a plus, even though this movie is surprisingly lacking in extreme close-ups. (They seem to angle it more towards sexual dance.)

What makes this movie unique is the main character's defensiveness. She refuses to be taken advantage of. The tricky part for the prophesying viewer is that Nomi reacts in ever-different ways (which are often extreme), with perceptions of people's motives that don't always jive with YOUR perceptions. Her moods may easily be seen as random, as if the scriptwriter couldn't draft a consistent personality. Anyway, it's a minus for those few consumers who watch it for the story — which is a bit long (video: 2 hours 11 minutes).

Although it's not a tragedy, it includes bad things happening to good people, further lowering the entertainment value.