movie review

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Tyson Doc Scores a Knockout
 Tyson Doc Scores a Knockout 
Movie Review
Apr 24, 2009 1:05 PM CDT

Tyson Doc Scores a Knockout

(Newser) - James Toback’s Mike Tyson documentary—a nearly uninterrupted monologue from the infamous boxer—has sent critics reeling in adoration. A sample of what they’re saying:
  • “You won’t know what hit you,” raves Peter Travers in Rolling Stone, calling it “one of the best movies
...

Fighting Beats Expectations

 Fighting Beats Expectations 
Movie review
Apr 24, 2009 11:39 AM CDT

Fighting Beats Expectations

Rises above its own clichés

(Newser) - Fighting, the story of a Southerner who battles through New York’s underground fight scene, isn’t exactly full of surprises—but it works anyway, critics say.
  • AO Scott was “unexpectedly delighted” by the film, which swims “through seas of cliché” but emerges “sparkling and fresh,
...

Foxx, Downey Lift Soloist
 Foxx, Downey Lift Soloist 
MOVIE REVIEW
Apr 24, 2009 9:33 AM CDT

Foxx, Downey Lift Soloist

Stars make based-on-true-story tearjerker worthwhile despite some bum notes

(Newser) - The Soloist—an adaptation of a LA Times reporter's memoir of his friendship with a homeless man—may not hit all the right notes with critics, but powerful performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx save the day.
  • Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: The pair are "both charismatic as
...

Grey Gardens a Grim Retelling of Odd Duo's Life

Latest incarnation has its 'flaws'

(Newser) - The riches-to-rags story of an eccentric mother and daughter—relatives of Jackie O, no less—who gained fame for their destitute existence in a 1975 documentary gets another retelling in HBO's Grey Gardens. Critics aren't overly excited:
  • The movie "fills in bittersweet blanks” left by the original documentary, writes
...

State of Play an Ink-Stained Thriller
 State of Play an 
 Ink-Stained Thriller 
Movie Review
Apr 17, 2009 10:07 AM CDT

State of Play an Ink-Stained Thriller

(Newser) - Is it any wonder that State of Play, a taut suspense film about politics, murder, and above all newspapers, is a hit with critics? Here’s what they’re saying:  
  • Roger Ebert calls it a “smart, ingenious thriller” with twists and turns that “genuinely fooled me a
...

Efron's Charm Helps Unoriginal 17 Again
 Efron's Charm 
 Helps Unoriginal 
 17 Again 
MOVIE REVIEW
Apr 17, 2009 8:34 AM CDT

Efron's Charm Helps Unoriginal 17 Again

High School Musical star adds life to age-old body-swap concept

(Newser) - The doing-your-life-over-again movie 17 Again does what its many predecessors have done over and over again, say critics, but Zac Efron runs through the clichés with charismatic charm.
  • Claudia Puig, USA Today: "Though not as clever as 13 Going on 30 or Freaky Friday, it's also not
...

Observe and Report Just Plain Nasty
 Observe  
 and Report  
 Just Plain Nasty 
movie review
Apr 10, 2009 12:29 PM CDT

Observe and Report Just Plain Nasty

Mall-cop flick soaked with sadism, critics say

(Newser) - Critics have observed, and they’re reporting that the latest mall-cop movie is brutal and sadistic with little cause: Seth Rogen's character is no Paul Blart.
  • "If you thought Abu Ghraib was a laugh riot then you might love Observe and Report," writes Manohla Dargis in the New
...

Hannah Plays It Safe
 Hannah Plays It Safe 
movie review
Apr 10, 2009 11:22 AM CDT

Hannah Plays It Safe

Big-screen version of Disney Channel hit canters over familiar ground

(Newser) - Hannah Montana: The Movie slickly translates the Disney Channel tween smash onto the big screen, say critics, but those who aren't already fans can safely sit this one out.
  • Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: The movie "is an excuse for some generically catchy songs and a showcase for Miley
...

Sugar Pitches a Perfect Game
 Sugar Pitches a Perfect Game 
Movie Review
Apr 3, 2009 12:14 PM CDT

Sugar Pitches a Perfect Game

(Newser) - Sugar, the tale of a Dominican pitcher’s run at stardom, is absolutely mowing down critics. Here’s a sample what they’re saying:
  • Writing/directing team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson) “are exceptional talents who refuse to sweeten Sugar for mass consumption,” writes Peter Travers in
...

Fast &amp; Furious Fast, Furious

 Fast & Furious 
 Fast, Furious 
movie review
Apr 3, 2009 10:46 AM CDT

Fast & Furious Fast, Furious

Fourth installment just what you expect

(Newser) - Fast & Furious, the fourth installment in the series that made Vin Diesel a star, is “exactly and precisely what you'd expect,” writes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times—and his fellow critics agree:
  • “If you're in the mood for a lot of vroom, vroom, thump, thump,
...

Adventureland Is a Sweet Ride
 Adventureland Is a Sweet Ride 
MOVIE REVIEW
Apr 3, 2009 8:35 AM CDT

Adventureland Is a Sweet Ride

Retro coming-of-age movie will touch nostalgic hearts

(Newser) - Coming-of-age romance Adventureland isn't a rollercoaster of surprises, critics say, but it's still honest and poignant enough to be touching—especially if you grew up in the '80s.
  • Todd McCarthy, Variety: "A rather ordinary account of youthful summer misadventures that goes down easily thanks to a sparky cast, more
...

Haunting Is Nothing New
 Haunting Is Nothing New 
movie review
Mar 27, 2009 10:23 AM CDT

Haunting Is Nothing New

Decent scare flick says it's based on a true story

(Newser) - Based on a supposedly-true story, The Haunting in Connecticut is nothing groundbreaking—but it’s good for a few screams, critics say. A few takes:
  • “A technically proficient horror movie and well acted. We have here no stock characters,” Roger Ebert observes in the Chicago Sun-Times. But “
...

Monsters Looks Great, Lacks Oomph
 Monsters Looks 
 Great, Lacks Oomph 
movie review
Mar 27, 2009 8:21 AM CDT

Monsters Looks Great, Lacks Oomph

Dreamworks' 3-D stunner stuck with one-dimensional storyline

(Newser) - Monsters Vs. Aliens looks amazing on screen, but grownups may find the thin jokes and the storyline of Dreamworks' animated spoof of '50s flicks a little grating, say critics.
  • James Rocchi, Redbox: The movie "has amazing 3D, solid gags, wacky concepts and great animation; I just wish that at
...

It's No Lie: Duplicity Scores
 It's No Lie: Duplicity Scores 
NEW RELEASE
Mar 20, 2009 2:18 PM CDT

It's No Lie: Duplicity Scores

Spy film gets wide, warm reception

(Newser) - Critics aren’t hiding their love for the twists and turns of Duplicity, a combination “caper movie,” “love story,” and “extra-dry corporate satire,” AO Scott notes in the New York Times. The buzz on the Julia Roberts-Clive Owen flick:
  • "Attempts—and to a
...

Knowing Doesn't Add Up
 Knowing Doesn't Add Up 
Movie Review
Mar 20, 2009 12:52 PM CDT

Knowing Doesn't Add Up

(Newser) - The reviews are in, and it doesn’t look good for Knowing, Nicolas Cage’s predestination-driven sci-fi epic. Here’s what critics are saying:
  • It’s “laughably bad,” says Joe Neumanier of the New York Daily News, a pseudo-philosophical mess that “reaches for sci-fi relevance, but just
...

I Love You, Man : Bromance at Its Best
 I Love You, Man: 
 Bromance at Its Best 
MOVIE REVIEW
Mar 20, 2009 10:23 AM CDT

I Love You, Man: Bromance at Its Best

Stars keep formulaic satire on male friendship fresh

(Newser) - I Love You Man's tale of a guy searching for a best friend rolls out every buddy movie cliché from the Odd Couple onward but stays likable, thanks to its stars, say critics.
  • Rossiter Drake, San Francisco Examiner: Paul Rudd and Jason Segel "take what might have been a
...

Witch Mountain a Fun Ride
 Witch Mountain a Fun Ride 
movie review
Mar 13, 2009 1:19 PM CDT

Witch Mountain a Fun Ride

The onetime Rock is well-cast

(Newser) - Kids’ adventure flick Race to Witch Mountain—the story of a pair of alien teens who meet Dwayne (don't call him the Rock) Johnson and try to save Earth—is good fun, critics say. Here's a rundown:
  • "Thoroughly modern in every way, Race to Witch Mountain bears little resemblance
...

Sunshine Cleaning a Delightful Mess
 Sunshine Cleaning 
 a Delightful Mess 
MOVIE REVIEW
Mar 13, 2009 11:00 AM CDT

Sunshine Cleaning a Delightful Mess

Poignant comedy manages to scrub past the indie film clichés

(Newser) - Humor and poignancy don't merge that neatly in Sunshine Cleaning, but its offbeat charm managed to win over most critics. The story of sisters from a troubled family who go into the crime-scene cleanup business delves deep into emotional issues but remains a comedy, Kirk Honeycutt writes in the Hollywood ...

Watchmen Just Watchable

 Watchmen Just Watchable 
NEW RELEASE
Mar 5, 2009 10:54 AM CST

Watchmen Just Watchable

Film 'bites off more than it can chew'

(Newser) - The task of putting graphic-novel classic Watchmen onscreen may be more than any filmmaker can handle, critics say—though director Zack Snyder did win over Roger Ebert. Some impressions:
  • "Stumbles and sometimes falls on its top-heavy ambitions. But there are also flashes of visual brilliance and performances that drill
...

3D Concert Strictly for Jonas Junkies
 3D Concert Strictly 
 for Jonas Junkies 
MOVIE REVIEW
Feb 27, 2009 10:15 AM CST

3D Concert Strictly for Jonas Junkies

Bubblegum rockumentary only works in fans' dimension

(Newser) - The band's tweener fans will swoon for the new Jonas Brothers concert movie, say critics, but Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience has little to offer the uninitiated.
  • Mark Olsen, Chicago Tribune: The movie is "awkwardly stitched together from candy-gloss arena concert footage and somewhat grimier-looking backstage/limo/hotel room moments,
...

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