movie review – News Stories About movie review - Page 44

MOVIE REVIEW

Jul 25, 2008 11:59 AM CDT

I Want to Believe Requires True Faith

A great X-Files movie may be out there somewhere, but it's not this one

(Newser) - X-Files: I Want to Believe is strictly for serious fans of Mulder and Scully on the small screen, the critics say. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny's plunge back into the paranormal "gives devoted fans plenty of small moments to swoon over," Brian Lowry writes in Variety, "...

Step Brothers Is Harmless Fun

movie review

Jul 25, 2008 8:24 AM CDT

Step Brothers Is Harmless Fun

But don't expect too much from the 'infantile' flick

(Newser) - Step Brothers is not exactly comedy gold, but it does have some redeeming moments, critics say. While the story of two man-boys forced to live together isn’t always amusing, there are some “funny-gut-busting” scenes spawned from “the comic chemistry of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly,”...

Take a Chance on Mamma Mia!

MOVIE REVIEW

Jul 18, 2008 10:48 AM CDT

Take a Chance on Mamma Mia!

Golden oldies save cheesy musical adaptation from being a stinker

(Newser) - Mamma Mia! doesn't quite pull off the leap from stage to screen, but ABBA fans will find it worth taking a chance on, critics say. The "jukebox musical that strings together 19 ABBA hits on a narrative thread flimsier than dental floss" had Carrie Rickey of the Philadelphia Inquirer ...

Dark Knight Dazzles

MOVIE REVIEW

Jul 17, 2008 11:09 AM CDT

Dark Knight Dazzles

Heath Ledger's final performance burns in the dark

(Newser) - Dark Knight swoops into cinemas tomorrow and critics say the hype is more than justified. "This is not merely a Batman movie," Amy Biancolli writes in the Houston Chronicle. It is one of the year's best films "and far and away the most hypnotic chiller." The...

Ledger's Dad:
Dark Knight 'Very Good'

Jul 15, 2008 9:47 AM CDT

Ledger's Dad: Dark Knight 'Very Good'

Father attends premiere of new Batman movie

(Newser) - Heath Ledger’s parents and older sister turned out for last night’s premiere of The Dark Knight but bypassed the red carpet where the cast paid tribute to the late actor and his performance, People reports. Ledger’s dad, Kim, left the theater giving thumbs up and saying the...

3-D Doesn't Ensure
an Exciting Journey

movie review

Jul 11, 2008 10:47 AM CDT

3-D Doesn't Ensure an Exciting Journey

Generic visual tricks bore critics

(Newser) - The 3-D adventure flick Journey to the Center of the Earth is generating tepid reviews. The Brendan Fraser vehicle is “rambunctious and ridiculous,” though some younger moviegoers might enjoy it, writes Jan Stuart in the LA Times. Aimed at “kids of an age group more conversant with...

Hellboy Burns Up the Screen

MOVIE REVIEW

Jul 11, 2008 8:07 AM CDT

Hellboy Burns Up the Screen

Red-hot sequel showcases del Toro's dazzling imagination

(Newser) - Hades' greatest hero is back in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and most critics agree it's a hell of a ride. Director Guillermo del Toro returns with comic book creator Mike Mignola, ensuring the dynamic sequel is "shot through with the franchise's signature goofiness, sarcasm and good heart,"...

Tell Everyone:
Tell No One Is Great

MOVIE REVIEW

Jul 5, 2008 12:51 PM CDT

Tell Everyone: Tell No One Is Great

France delivers excellent old-style Hollywood thriller

(Newser) - French thriller Tell No One has the critics rushing to tell the world how much they liked it. The fast-paced and thickly plotted adaptation of a novel by American writer Harlan Coben is "hot-blooded, haunting and packed with the pleasures of the unexpected," writes Peter Travers in Rolling ...

Tween Star Shines
in The Wackness

Jul 4, 2008 11:53 AM CDT

Tween Star Shines in The Wackness

Nickelodeon favorite delivers strong performance in dark comedy

(Newser) - Ex-Nickelodeon star Josh Peck shines in The Wackness, a dark comedy set in 1994 Manhattan. Jonathan Levine's coming-of-age film is “both darkly funny and life-affirming, in an offbeat and offhanded way,” writes Claudia Puig of USA Today. Peck as Luke, who’s selling pot out of an Italian...

Gonzo Gets It

movie review

Jul 4, 2008 8:24 AM CDT

Gonzo Gets It

'Mesmerizing' documentary tells story of Hunter S. Thompson

(Newser) - There’s a “fascinating history lesson” in the documentary Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson, “a lively collage of interviews and found materials,” writes A. O. Scott in the New York Times. The film cements the journalist's “place in the great American parade...

People Don't Like You, Hancock

movie review

Jul 1, 2008 11:22 AM CDT

People Don't Like You, Hancock

They all want to, though

(Newser) - Everyone wants to like Hancock. The idea of a slovenly, booze-swilling superhero screwup is undeniably priceless. But “the finished product is so poorly conceived and misguided that even Will Smith… can't save it,” writes Claudia Puig of USA Today. The movie starts out irreverent and fun, then veers...

Gunnin' Sure to Score
With Hoop Fans

Review

Jun 27, 2008 5:25 PM CDT

Gunnin' Sure to Score With Hoop Fans

Beastie Boy produces shallow but pleasing documentary

(Newser) - Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot, the second documentary from Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, is no Hoop Dreams, but critics predict a slam-dunk with roundball and hip-hop aficionados. The film follows eight high school phenoms through a high-profile Harlem pick-up game and “offers a snapshot of the kind of top...

See Wanted, Enjoy the Ride

movie review

Jun 27, 2008 11:18 AM CDT

See Wanted, Enjoy the Ride

Film is a wild ride without much substance

(Newser) - If you're heading out to see the new Angelina Jolie flick Wanted, critics have some advice: Lighten up and enjoy it. "It’s trash, but I love it anyway,” writes Peter Travers in Rolling Stone. The story of a “nobody” office worker who winds up “a...

Pixar's Wall-E Proves Its Mettle

movie review

Jun 27, 2008 9:38 AM CDT

Pixar's Wall-E Proves Its Mettle

Robot love story wins rave reviews from critics

(Newser) - Stunning animation, an endearing love story, and a compelling look at mankind’s future make Pixar’s Wall-E one of the best films of the year, critics agree. “This is getting to sound like a broken record: Pixar Animation Studios has just topped itself. Again,” Kirk Honeycutt writes...

Kit Kittredge is Sweet, Simple

movie review

Jun 20, 2008 4:00 PM CDT

Kit Kittredge is Sweet, Simple

Well-made movie will entertain kids, critics agree

(Newser) - The young girls who love the “American Girl” series are pretty much guaranteed to love Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, critics agree. Rex Reed of the New York Observer calls it “a brisk, beautifully conceived period piece that spells entertainment with a capital E,” though he admits...

Get Smart Not So Clever

movie review

Jun 20, 2008 12:15 PM CDT

Get Smart Not So Clever

Film struggles to balance action and comedy

(Newser) - The film version of the 1960s TV spy parody Get Smart can’t decide if it's an action flick or a comedy, and it shows. It’s “an action comedy that represents the worst of both worlds,” Mick LaSalle writes in the San Francisco Chronicle—“as funny...

Love Guru Is Beyond Help

movie review

Jun 20, 2008 8:40 AM CDT

Love Guru Is Beyond Help

Critics spurn sophomoric Mike Myers comedy

(Newser) - Love isn't the right word to describe how most critics feel about The Love Guru, Mike Myers' first live-action comedy in 5 years. Myers stars as a self-help guru paid to revive the love life of a hockey player, but his mugging isn't enough to salvage "a collection of...

Happening Is No Big Event

movie review

Jun 13, 2008 1:00 PM CDT

Happening Is No Big Event

But slow, silly film has its moments

(Newser) - M. Night Shyamalan’s apocalyptic thriller The Happening is slow-paced and funny at times, leaving critics mixed in their reactions. It’s “too thoughtful for the summer action season, but I appreciate the quietly realistic way Shyamalan” tells his story, writes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times. “It...

Hulk
Packs
a Fun
Punch

movie review

Jun 13, 2008 8:00 AM CDT

Hulk Packs a Fun Punch

Critics say action-packed flick will please the summer movie crowd

(Newser) - It’s no Iron Man, but The Incredible Hulk is a crowd-pleaser that comic book devotees and action fans will appreciate, critics say. The second adaptation of the Marvel comic in five years avoids the missteps of Ang Lee’s 2003 moody bust (Hulk) and “embraces its identity as...

Zohan Sticks to the Lowbrow

movie review

Jun 6, 2008 1:34 PM CDT

Zohan Sticks to the Lowbrow

'Likeable' film doesn't match satirical potential

(Newser) - The Adam Sandler comedy You Don’t Mess With the Zohan may be fun, but it probably won't do much for those outside the usual Sandler audience of teenage boys. The story of an Israeli commando-turned-hairdresser is full of “missed opportunities for sharpening silliness with satire,” writes Peter...