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New Moon So Bad It's Funny
 New Moon So Bad It's Funny  
Movie Reviews
Nov 20, 2009 8:19 AM CST

New Moon So Bad It's Funny

Sequel lacks thrills, sense of humor of first 'Twilight '

(Newser) - The Twilight Saga: New Moon is guaranteed to be a hit, but no one but its die-hard teen devotees should sit through it, critics say. Some reviews:
  • It’s “an anemic comedown after the full-blooded swoon of Twilight,” writes Ty Burr of the Boston Globe . Kristen Stewart is
...

Broken Embraces 'Gorgeous and Seductive'
 Broken Embraces  
 'Gorgeous and 
 Seductive' 

MOVIE REVIEWs
Nov 20, 2009 8:06 AM CST

Broken Embraces 'Gorgeous and Seductive'

Almodovar's latest mixes noir with melodrama

(Newser) - Broken Embraces isn't quite up there with Pedro Almodovar's finest work, say critics, but the noirish tribute to '50s Hollywood looks fantastic and tells a compelling story.
  • "While it may not elicit the affection reserved for some of Almodovar's more heartfelt films," writes Claudia Puig in USA Today
...

Look Out, Pixar: Mr. Fox Is Fantastic
 Look Out, Pixar: 
 Mr. Fox Is Fantastic 
MOVIE REVIEW
Nov 13, 2009 12:27 PM CST

Look Out, Pixar: Mr. Fox Is Fantastic

Is it a film for kids? Who cares! gush critics

(Newser) - Wes Anderson is winning raves for his stop-motion take on Roald Dahl's classic Fantastic Mr. Fox, with voices by a raft of stars including Meryl Streep and George Clooney:
  • It's so good, David Edelstein forgot himself. When the flick ended, he writes in New York , he wished "the whole
...

Pirate Radio Rocks on Good Tunes, Cast
 Pirate Radio Rocks 
 on Good Tunes, Cast 
MOVIE REVIEW
Nov 13, 2009 8:56 AM CST

Pirate Radio Rocks on Good Tunes, Cast

Playful 60s love/music comedy is more party than plot

(Newser) - Critics agree that the soundtrack of Pirate Radio can't be beat, and the top-notch cast is a joy. So when it comes to the shaky plot and pacing, some can turn a blind eye:
  • "There’s no denying the comic energy of the cast," Peter Travers writes in
...

2012 Spectacular but Stupid
 2012 Spectacular but Stupid 
MOVIE REVIEW
Nov 13, 2009 6:50 AM CST

2012 Spectacular but Stupid

End-of-the-world epic is 'disaster porn' at its finest

(Newser) - Critics agree that world-destroying disaster epic 2012 boasts some stunning special effects, but they're split on whether that makes up for the cheesy script—and the run time of 2 hours, 38 minutes.
  • Director Roland Emmerich's previous destruction-fests Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow "are nothing compared to
...

Thirst Is the 'Anti- Twilight '
 Thirst Is the 'Anti-Twilight' 
movie review
Nov 11, 2009 10:37 PM CST

Thirst Is the 'Anti-Twilight'

This is a vampire flick for adults

(Newser) - The Twilight series found its remarkable success in subverting the traditional vampire story, turning the monsters of legend into symbols of teenage narcissism and self-pity—another “youth tribe” like jocks and geeks, writes Brendan O’Neill at Spiked. If that treatment leaves you well, cold, check out the "...

Fourth Kind : Not Real, Not Scary
 Fourth Kind: Not Real, Not Scary
movie review
Nov 6, 2009 2:30 PM CST

Fourth Kind: Not Real, Not Scary

Alien-abduction mock-doc delivers lame premise with laughable framing device

(Newser) - The Fourth Kind attempts to combine dramatization of true events and fake-documentary alien abductions in Alaska, and falls horribly flat. Here's what critics are saying:
  • The ludicrousness of the grainy archival footage, presented as "real," and a lousy performance by Milla Jovovich, whose "notion of serious acting
...

Motion-Capture Christmas Carol Hits Wrong Notes

Spirit's there, but critics split on wow-factor of evolving tech

(Newser) - Most critics express a hearty "humbug" for Robert Zemeckis' motion-capture version of A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey. A sampling:
  • "It's a heartwarmer that doesn't have much of a heart itself," Michael O'Sullivan writes in the Washington Post, "populated by figures that are halfway between Wii
...

Inside The Box , a Muddled Surprise
 Inside The Box, 
 a Muddled Surprise 
MOVIE REVIEW
Nov 6, 2009 12:11 PM CST

Inside The Box, a Muddled Surprise

Film is wayward, most critics agree, but for some it's interesting

(Newser) - Critics are split on The Box, the new film from writer-director Richard Kelly, known for the much-loved Donnie Darko and the reviled Southland Tales. Some takes on the flick about a box with a mysterious, life-changing button:
  • Pass, writes writes Elizabeth Weitzman in the New York Daily News. Don't "
...

Precious : Gritty Candor or 'Poverty Porn'?
 Precious: Gritty Candor 
 or 'Poverty Porn'? 
MOVIE REVIEW
Nov 6, 2009 8:52 AM CST

Precious: Gritty Candor or 'Poverty Porn'?

Harlem drama brutally honest, some say manipulative

(Newser) - Precious packs a strong emotional punch with its story of an abused, illiterate teen in '80s Harlem, but where some critics see candid greatness, others see "poverty porn."
  • Precious is "a great American film," writes Roger Ebert at the Chicago Sun-Times, that finds a believable way
...

Goats Fun But Unfocused
 Goats Fun But Unfocused 

MOVIE REVIEW
Nov 6, 2009 8:11 AM CST

Goats Fun But Unfocused

Clooney turns in top performance in military farce

(Newser) - The Men Who Stare at Goats, a farce loosely based on a non-fiction book about the US military's '80s effort to form a psychic unit, is wildly uneven but often hilarious, say critics.
  • The "over-the-top, absurdist satire" will be "inevitably likened to Dr. Strangelove," Owen Gleiberman writes
...

By the People Has Access, Little Else
 By the People Has 
 Access, Little Else 
MOVIE REVIEW
Nov 3, 2009 12:12 PM CST

By the People Has Access, Little Else

Critics split on virtues of Obama doc with little dish

(Newser) - Critics agree the HBO's By the People, a record of the Obama campaign produced by Edward Norton, offers behind-the-scenes access but no real scoops. But what some see as a heartwarming tale of triumph, others find fawning. A sampling:
  • The naivete of the filmmakers shows through for Hank Stuever . "
...

Turning Green Shines, Mostly
 Turning Green Shines, Mostly 
MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 30, 2009 1:55 PM CDT

Turning Green Shines, Mostly

Film on black-market porn in Ireland sways most critics

(Newser) - Project Greenlight runner-up Turning Green —about a teen in Ireland who tries to make a buck selling porn—leaves most critics pleased.
  • It mixes a “generally jolly, frisky tone” with “more threatening moods,” including “an astounding left turn” from Alessandro Nivola, writes Robert Koehler in
...

Gentlemen Broncos Falls Flat
 Gentlemen 
 Broncos 
 Falls Flat 
movie review
Oct 30, 2009 12:09 PM CDT

Gentlemen Broncos Falls Flat

No magic this time from Napoleon Dynamite director

(Newser) - Director Jared Hess became a critics' darling with Napoleon Dynamite. Safe to say he's a darling no more thanks to Gentlemen Broncos , a farce about a teen sci-fi writer.
  • Sean O'Neal , AV Club: "Every frame of Hess’ new film—the wood-paneled walls coated with winking unicorn posters, its characters’
...

Skin Has 'Poignant Power'
 Skin Has 'Poignant Power' 
MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 30, 2009 9:59 AM CDT

Skin Has 'Poignant Power'

Tale of black girl born to white parents taps apartheid's madness

(Newser) - A true-life tale of the struggles of a dark-skinned girl born to white Afrikaners in '50s South Africa, Skin scored with critics, though some found it a bit too black-and-white.
  • Skin "serves as a stirring allegory for birthright and the assertion of one's identity in the face of oppression,
...

Stylish Horror Revived in House of the Devil

Homage to old-school horror films builds tension masterfully

(Newser) - Babysitter-in-danger flick House of the Devil does a delicious job of reproducing the atmosphere of classic horror flicks from the '80s, say critics, and its slow-burn tension is a refreshing change from splatter-fests like Saw.
  • Director Ti West has "crafted a film that beautifully reproduces the look and texture
...

This Is It Proves King of Pop Still Rocked
This Is It Proves 
 King of Pop 
 Still Rocked 
REVIEW ROUNDUP
Oct 28, 2009 7:38 AM CDT

This Is It Proves King of Pop Still Rocked

Michael Jackson was in surprisingly good shape in dazzling footage

(Newser) - Michael Jackson didn't live long enough to take the final bow he had planned in London, but critics agree This Is It is a fitting swan song, proof that the King of Pop really did have a comeback in him:
  • "This Is It is quite extraordinary. If there was
...

Saw VI No Match for Original



 Saw VI No Match for Original 
MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 23, 2009 2:09 PM CDT

Saw VI No Match for Original

Critics agree: Whatever you think of the first film, it was better

(Newser) - Most critics find themselves in the tough spot of praising the original Saw to put down the sixth installment. They don't make 'em like they used to. Some opinions:
  • "The film goes all trendy in its selection of victims," opting for the likes of insurance adjusters and bypassing
...

Cirque du Freak a Bloodless Bore
 Cirque du Freak 
 a Bloodless Bore 

MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 23, 2009 11:38 AM CDT

Cirque du Freak a Bloodless Bore

Vampire's Assistant has an identity crisis

(Newser) - Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant isn't particularly freaky, and it sure could use some assistance. Some critics' takes:
  • Peter Travers doesn't deign to explain the film's loose ends. "All you need to know is that the movie is a setup for sequels that I hope never come,"
...

Astro Boy : Lots of Flash, But No Soul
 Astro Boy: 
 Lots of Flash, 
 But No Soul 
movie review
Oct 23, 2009 9:44 AM CDT

Astro Boy: Lots of Flash, But No Soul

Remake of vintage Japanese series fails to impress

(Newser) - Astro Boy, David Bowers’ reboot of Osamu Tezuka’s classic Japanese manga and animé series, is an action-packed movie that tries to appeal to both kids and adults. Critics, however, were more impressed with the machine guns in the main character’s butt than with the film as a whole:...

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