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movie review

Aug 22, 2008 8:50 AM CDT

The Longshots Scores

True story is no 'touchdown'--but it's genuine

(Newser) - The Longshots, a movie based on the true story of a girl who becomes a local football star, is “not nearly a touchdown—but not a fumble either,” writes Gary Goldstein in the Los Angeles Times. The film “is a likable enough Cinderella story, one whose heart...

Rocker Sinks Like a Stone

MOVIE REVIEW

Aug 20, 2008 12:11 PM CDT

Rocker Sinks Like a Stone

Comedy recycles ideas from funnier films

(Newser) - We’ve seen The Rocker before: It was called School of Rock, and it was funnier, critics agree. “The only brazen thing about the film is how shamelessly it rips off School of Rock, recycling its flaky-educator loser-of-the-gods premise, only this time in high school,” writes Owen Gleiberman...

Force is Weak in Clone Wars

MOVIE REVIEW

Aug 15, 2008 1:45 PM CDT

Force is Weak in Clone Wars

Animated Star Wars feature doesn't quite replicate the feel of the real thing

(Newser) - Star Wars: The Clone Wars fills a gap in the saga's chronology, and although the animated feature may give devoted Lucasfilm fans their fix before the TV series launches this fall, the oddly lifeless movie "isn't the Star Wars we've known and loved, Todd McCarthy writes in Variety.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Dazzles, Disappoints

movie review

Aug 15, 2008 11:19 AM CDT

Vicky Cristina Barcelona Dazzles, Disappoints

Allen's latest tragicomedy splits critics

(Newser) - Critics are sharply divided over Woody Allen’s latest flick, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The story of two women’s romantic adventures in Spain—“as much a tragedy as a comedy,” Mahnola Dargis writes for the New York Times—carries “a sun-drenched splendor that never falters,” David...

Tropic Thunder
Declares Comedy War

MOVIE REVIEW

Aug 13, 2008 11:00 AM CDT

Tropic Thunder Declares Comedy War

No targets are safe in Ben Stiller's gross-out war comedy

(Newser) - The action comedy Tropic Thunder, a send-up of Vietnam War movies, crosses some lines—intentionally. In fact, Peter Hartlaub writes in the San Francisco Chronicle, "if you're not offended by at least one aspect of this film, then you're probably not getting out enough." But it has a...

Traveling Pants
Fits Its Audience

Aug 6, 2008 12:57 PM CDT

Traveling Pants Fits Its Audience

Film is better than average at depicting female friendships

(Newser) - The continuing story of four friends who share a tight bond and comfortable jeans, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 is nothing “revolutionary,” critics agree. But it has something to offer for “tweens and teens,” they note. The film is “the equivalent of being patted...

All Aboard Pineapple Express

movie review

Aug 6, 2008 11:09 AM CDT

All Aboard Pineapple Express

Gory comedy could be a summer hit

(Newser) - A stoner comedy and action flick rolled into one, Judd Apatow’s Pineapple Express will entertain audiences looking for more of the good stuff from the Superbad crew, critics agree. “You don't have to be in an altered state to appreciate the ludicrous humor,” Claudia Puig writes in...

Man on Wire a Thrilling Act

movie review

Aug 2, 2008 5:57 PM CDT

Man on Wire a Thrilling Act

Reliving a time when the Towers weren't depressing

(Newser) - A Frenchman's daring high-wire walk between the Twin Towers nearly 35 years ago is chronicled in a documentary that feels "like a real-life heist picture," Dana Stevens writes in Slate. Man on Wire recounts Philippe Petit's 6-plus years of planning, his procurement of equipment and fake IDs, and...

Time to Wrap Up Mummy

MOVIE REVIEW

Aug 1, 2008 11:52 AM CDT

Time to Wrap Up Mummy

Franchise feels distinctly creaky

(Newser) - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is more than a little musty. The third movie in the cycle features "more ancient corpses come to life amid digital effects laid on with a trowel," Jane Horwitz writes in the Washington Post, but the "tiresome and messy" result...

Swing Vote Mostly Falls Short

movie review

Aug 1, 2008 8:05 AM CDT

Swing Vote Mostly Falls Short

Political comedy likeable but 'generic'

(Newser) - Swing Vote, the story of a beer-drinking slacker whose vote will decide the presidential election, is “a mainstream, eager-to-please, relatively generic endeavor,” writes Manohla Dargis in the New York Times. At the same time, she notes, it’s “one of the most surprising, politically suggestive movies to...

I Want to Believe
Requires True Faith

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...