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moviE review

Jan 30, 2009 11:09 AM CST

Critics Not So Taken With Taken

Plot, lead character 'preposterous'

(Newser) - Critics disagree over whether Bourne-style action flick Taken is a quality picture, but they concur on one thing: Its plot is “preposterous,” as Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times puts it. It’s “a completely unbelievable action picture” in which Liam Neeson’s “sharpshooting, pursuit-driving, pocket-picking,...

Not Much New in This Town

MOVIE REVIEW

Jan 30, 2009 10:30 AM CST

Not Much New in This Town

Bland rom-com fails to rise above heap of clichés

(Newser) - Fish-out-of-water romantic comedy New In Town takes an old recipe and follows it to the letter, say critics. That's not a good thing. Renee Zellweger stars as a cynical Miami exec sent to cut jobs in an icy Minnesota hamlet full of warm-hearted folks, with results you can see coming...

What to See From Sundance

OPINION

Jan 26, 2009 10:45 AM CST

What to See From Sundance

Film festival spawns potential hits

(Newser) - This year’s indie love-fest Sundance spawned several movies that have a shot at real commercial success, with a roster of films showcasing “more old-fashioned storytelling,” writes Andrew O’Hehir in Salon. Jury prizes went to Push and We Live in Public, but here’s a sampling of...

Inkheart Better on the Page

MOVIE REVIEW

Jan 23, 2009 10:33 AM CST

Inkheart Better on the Page

Kids' movie about bringing books to life struggles to bring book to life

(Newser) - When it comes to the kids-lit adaptation Inkheart, fans are probably better off sticking to the book, say critics. Brendan Fraser stars as a father with the power to bring characters off the page to life, but the special-effects-driven movie fails to capture the "dark whimsy" of the...

Hotel for Dogs
a Tail-Wagger

movie review

Jan 16, 2009 12:24 PM CST

Hotel for Dogs a Tail-Wagger

A 'pleasant,' if not ground-breaking, film

(Newser) - For what it is—a family flick about smart kids running a secret dog inn—Hotel for Dogs is actually an enjoyable film, critics say. There’s “lots of sneaking around, very cool gadgets, excellent stunts and some clever kids,” writes Betsy Sharkey in the Los Angeles Times....

Notorious Aims Too Small

MOVIE REVIEW

Jan 16, 2009 9:33 AM CST

Notorious Aims Too Small

By-the-numbers rap biopic fails to bring Biggie's world to life

(Newser) - The Biggie Smalls biopic Notorious efficiently recaps the murdered rapper's short life, but it's not a movie significant enough for one of rap's greats, say critics. Brooklyn rapper Jamal Woodard turns in a convincing performance, Chris Richards writes in the Washington Post, but he's rapping to a script that seems...

You May Kiss Off Bride Wars

MOVIE REVIEW

Jan 9, 2009 10:37 AM CST

You May Kiss Off Bride Wars

Lame rom-com makes Bride of Chucky look like Dr. Zhivago

(Newser) - It's only January, but Bride Wars looks like a perfect match for the Worst Film of 2009 title, say critics. It's a "synthetic chick-flick-rom-com-formulaic-retread," writes Ann Hornaday in the Washington Post. Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway star as a best friends who become fierce enemies when their weddings...

Leo, Kate
Pave Way for
Revolutionary Road

MOVIE REVIEW

Dec 26, 2008 10:30 AM CST

Leo, Kate Pave Way for Revolutionary Road

Actors overcome 'dated' feel

(Newser) - Revolutionary Road, a 1950s-era drama about marriage, love, and angst, has its flaws, but ultimately it works, writes Kenneth Turhan in the Los Angeles Times. That’s largely thanks to stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio and director Sam Mendes, who overcome a storyline that seems “as dated as...

Best 2008 Movies You Probably Missed

OPINION

Dec 25, 2008 5:18 PM CST

Best 2008 Movies You Probably Missed

Salon's critic's favorite flicks are an eclectic bunch

(Newser) - Behold: a top 10 movies list that doesn't include The Dark Knight. In a year that's hard to sum up, Stephanie Zarachek pulls together an eclectic mix of great flicks for Salon:

Even repeated viewings don't betray any flaws in Happy-Go-Lucky, a "luminous" tale of a London school

...

Doubt Overcomes Misgivings

MOVIE REVIEW

Dec 25, 2008 9:00 AM CST

Doubt Overcomes Misgivings

Top-notch performances make prize-winning play work as a movie

(Newser) - Doubt erases any qualms over whether the claustrophobic, Pulitzer Prize-winning play would work on the big screen, say critics. A "frighteningly good" Meryl Streep stars as the hardline principal of a Bronx Catholic school in 1964, Lou Lumenick writes in the New York Post. A game of cat-and-mouse begins...

Bring Tissues
for Marley & Me

movie review

Dec 24, 2008 6:10 PM CST

Bring Tissues for Marley & Me

Critics concede it's a family film, but little more

(Newser) - Walk into Marley & Me not expecting to be wowed, and it’s an easy film to watch, Claudia Puig writes in USA Today. Unfortunately, “it’s just as easy to forget.” The writers deftly pull dog-lovers’ heartstrings, but the story itself is ordinary and chemistry lacking between...

Button Looks Great, Less Filling

MOVIE REVIEW

Dec 24, 2008 3:47 PM CST

Button Looks Great, Less Filling

Brad Pitt ages in reverse thanks to a special-effects miracle

(Newser) - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is enjoyable and visually striking, but many critics feel David Fincher and Brad Pitt fail to mine the story of a man who ages in reverse for moments of real emotional depth. Pitt “gives you no hint what his character makes of the...

Cruise Makes
Valkyrie
Bumpy Ride

MOVIE REVIEW

Dec 24, 2008 2:01 PM CST

Cruise Makes Valkyrie Bumpy Ride

Supporting cast shines, but film not exactly sharp on historical details

(Newser) - Valkyrie isn’t that good—and surely not Oscar-worthy, Peter Travers writes in Rolling Stone. “And the sooner you accept it, the more fun you’ll have at this satisfying B movie.” The supporting cast is fantastic, and Tom Cruise’s presence just serves to make “you...

Despereaux a Beautiful Mess

Movie Review

Dec 19, 2008 3:20 PM CST

Despereaux a Beautiful Mess

Too many subplots in Mouse's tale

(Newser) - The Tale of Despereaux is a beautiful movie. It looks “like an illuminated manuscript come to life,” writes Adam Markovitz in Entertainment Weekly, its visuals obviously inspired by Flemish artists. “Too bad the story’s such a mess.” At the heart of the story is the...

Yes Man? No, Thanks

movie review

Dec 19, 2008 12:55 PM CST

Yes Man? No, Thanks

Familiar Carrey antics seem tired in positivity flick

(Newser) - Yes Man, a Jim Carrey comedy about a guy who can’t say no, is “too sluggish and slapdash a vehicle for its star’s prodigious wackiness,” writes AO Scott in the New York Times. “Carrey looks too grown up, too tired to plunge into the reckless...

Seven Pounds
Heavy on Heart,
Light on Logic

MOVIE REVIEW

Dec 19, 2008 10:43 AM CST

Seven Pounds Heavy on Heart, Light on Logic

Cryptic Smith film confounds critics with feel-good melancholy

(Newser) - The less you know about this movie before you see it, the more you'll like it, caution critics weighing the new Will Smith vehicle Seven Pounds. One thing not to expect in the "darker and more oblique" spiritual successor to Smith's Pursuit of Happyness is chuckles, Mick LaSalle writes...

Rourke Clinches Wrestler

MOVIE REVIEW

Dec 18, 2008 10:55 AM CST

Rourke Clinches Wrestler

Actor makes a bodyslam of a comeback with portrait of a has-been

(Newser) - Mickey Rourke takes the title role of The Wrestler and pins it to the mat in a stunning comeback, say critics. The tragicomic portrait of a washed-up star still hitting the circuit decades past his prime "is not just a comeback performance but something much rarer: a rounded, raddled...

Gran Torino is Vintage Eastwood

Movie Review

Dec 12, 2008 3:57 PM CST

Gran Torino is Vintage Eastwood

(Newser) - Clint Eastwood has hinted that Gran Torino might be his last gig in front of the camera, and “it is a humdinger of a valedictory,” writes Peter Travers in Rolling Stone. The movie, which tells the tale of a bigoted Korean War vet’s redemptive attempt to clean...

The Day the Earth Got Silly

movie review

Dec 12, 2008 1:50 PM CST

The Day the Earth Got Silly

'Philosophical' meets 'camp' in sci-fi remake

(Newser) - The Day the Earth Stood Still brings “stone-faced silliness” to what’s intended to be a “philosophical discussion” of humankind’s foibles, writes Joe Neumaier in the New York Daily News. The human-extinction sci-fi remake's “major action sequences are never exciting,” and its attempt to make...

Holidays Is Familiar, Charming

MOVIE REVIEW

Dec 12, 2008 10:08 AM CST

Holidays Is Familiar, Charming

Movie adds a little Latin spice to the usual holiday movie recipe

(Newser) - Nothing Like the Holidays is much like many other holiday heart-warmers, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, say critics. The "warm but generic family-stressing-for-the-holidays dramedy" tells the tale of an extended Latin clan getting together for Christmas and stars a who's who of Hispanic talent, Roger Moore writes...