movie review – News Stories About movie review - Page 46

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Feb 29, 2008 1:55 PM CST

Penelope: Charmingly Imperfect

(Newser) - Penelope, a romantic fantasy that casts Christina Ricci as a socialite "princess" cursed with a pig's nose, draws mixed reviews. "First-time director Mark Palansky is trying for a deft, hip, modern fairy-tale feel, but the odd material, sprawling story, and complicated tonal balancing act get away from him,...

Boleyn No History Lesson

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Feb 29, 2008 11:02 AM CST

Boleyn No History Lesson

Historical soap opera adds spice to the Tudor court

(Newser) - The Other Boleyn Girl is anything but a dry history lesson about the 16th century, critics say—don't take it too seriously, and you'll be all right. It "probably shouldn't be the way in which high-school kids learn about Henry VIII and his court, but it's a fun movie,...

Semi-Pro Not Even Semi-Funny

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Feb 29, 2008 8:34 AM CST

Semi-Pro Not Even Semi-Funny

Ferrell's basketball comedy has critics crying foul

(Newser) - Semi-Pro, a comedy set in 1976 that stars Will Ferrell as the owner/coach of and player for a losing professional basketball team, is the cinematic equivalent of an air ball, say critics, who call the film erratic, repetitive, and dull. "If you're on the prowl for a Ferrell yuk-fest,...

Action Makes a Good Point

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Feb 22, 2008 2:20 PM CST

Action Makes a Good Point

Political thriller doesn't have all the answers, but it sure has action

(Newser) - It may lack depth, but critics admit that Vantage Point packs a lot of excitement. The thriller, which begins by showing the same assassination from eight different perspectives, "fails the 'reality test' but maintains a certain intensity for its entire running length," writes James Berardinelli of ReelViews.com....

Bueller, Er, Bartlett Is a Pill

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Feb 22, 2008 12:06 PM CST

Bueller, Er, Bartlett Is a Pill

Charlie Bartlett takes a sophisticated approach to the old teen movie

(Newser) - Charlie Bartlett, about a charming but troubled high school student who dispenses advice and prescription medication to his classmates, is being given mostly passing grades by critics. Sure, the teen film hits the expected themes of "angst, alienation, loneliness, disenchantment, and drug use," writes the Hollywood Reporter's Kirk...

Rewind Spins Out of Control

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Feb 22, 2008 8:13 AM CST

Rewind Spins Out of Control

Jack Black comedy too experimental for its own good, critics say

(Newser) - The Jack Black comedy Be Kind Rewind isn't predictable, but at times it's not coherent either, critics say. The film—about a guy who inadvertently erases a video store's VHS inventory, then, using a camcorder, re-creates popular movies for the store to rent—"never stops experimenting, even when the...

Timberlake
To Take Field in Baseball Flick

Feb 21, 2008 8:21 PM CST

Timberlake To Take Field in Baseball Flick

Pop star will play minor leaguer trying to connect with family

(Newser) - Justin Timberlake will take a swing at minor league ballplaying in the upcoming flick The Open Road, the AP reports. Adding to his Hollywood resume, Timberlake will play Carlton Garrett, a made-up member of the Houston Astros’ farm team, the Corpus Christi Hooks. Timberlake, aiming for authenticity, has attempted—so...

Spiderwick Delivers Thrills

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Feb 15, 2008 2:57 PM CST

Spiderwick Delivers Thrills

It's a kids' fantasy that 'doesn't wimp out,' says Ebert

(Newser) - Critics by and large are enchanted with The Spiderwick Chronicles. It's "a well-crafted family thriller that is truly scary and doesn't wimp out," writes Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times. The fantasy, based on the best-selling books, follows twins (played by Freddie Highmore) and their sister (In America's...

Definitely a Winner

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Feb 15, 2008 1:22 PM CST

Definitely a Winner

Movie about divorced dad rises above usual cliches

(Newser) - Definitely, Maybe, the story of a soon-to-be-divorced dad whose 11-year-old daughter wants to hear how he met her mother, is definitely a cut above most romantic comedies, critics say. "It's a lot fresher and a bit more sophisticated than the ordinary run of maudlin chick flicks," writes Ken...

Jumper Lands With a Thud

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Feb 15, 2008 8:47 AM CST

Jumper Lands With a Thud

Dull plotting, acting undermine high-concept thriller

(Newser) - The concept for Jumper seems promising: An awkward teenage boy who discovers he has the power to instantly teleport himself to anywhere on the globe is targeted for elimination by religious fanatics. And in some respects the film delivers on that promise. "The jumping effect is faultlessly executed,"...

Madonna's Directorial Debut Hits Berlin Festival

Feb 13, 2008 1:25 PM CST

Madonna's Directorial Debut Hits Berlin Festival

Critics give Filth and Wisdom mixed praise

(Newser) - Filth and Wisdom, the Material Girl's first behind-the-camera effort, is set to premiere tonight at the Berlin International Film Festival, Der Spiegel reports. The movie, about three young Londoners juggling various jobs to support their grander ambitions, was also produced and co-written by Madonna—whose husband, Guy Ritchie, is himself...

All That Glitters Isn't Fool's Gold

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Feb 8, 2008 3:29 PM CST

All That Glitters Isn't Fool's Gold

Comedy produces sinking feeling right from the start

(Newser) - Fool's Gold reunites Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, to less-than-golden effect. Playing off the name of their successful 2003 collaboration, Michael Rechtshaffen of the Hollywood Reporter snipes that the "soggy, listless" adventure comedy "could have been called How to Lose an Audience in 10 Minutes."

Stones Shine in Scorsese's Doc

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Feb 8, 2008 1:06 PM CST

Stones Shine in Scorsese's Doc

Berlin Film Festival has satisfying opening

(Newser) - Martin Scorsese doesn’t spare the wrinkles in his latest rock documentary, Shine a Light, which opened the Berlin Film Festival with a bang yesterday. These are the Rolling Stones, after all, and Scorsese’s big point, is that they’re fundamentally the same rockers at 60-plus that they were...

Hottie Is Stone-Cold Awful

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Feb 8, 2008 9:21 AM CST

Hottie Is Stone-Cold Awful

Comedy starring Paris Hilton is idiotic and offensive

(Newser) - Critics are decidedly cool about Paris Hilton's latest movie. The Hottie and the Nottie, in which the hotel heiress plays "The Hottie," is, among many other things, crass, shrill and idiotic, writes Nathan Lee of the Village Voice. In addition, the script, which has Hilton's character trying to...

Over Her Dead Body Lifeless

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Feb 1, 2008 10:26 AM CST

Over Her Dead Body Lifeless

Longoria Parker picture about a vengeful ghost is most disappointing

(Newser) - The screwball comedy Over Her Dead Body isn’t as bad as, say, The Hottie & the Nottie, “this year's gold standard for cinematic awfulness,” writes James Berardinelli of ReelViews.com. Still, it’s ”as mediocre a motion picture as you're likely to find in a multiplex...

Wholesome Hannah a Winner

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Feb 1, 2008 7:29 AM CST

Wholesome Hannah a Winner

Miley Cyrus' uncommon 'poise and presence' elevate concert film

(Newser) - Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds may be a vanilla production, and the songs its tween icon belts out during this big-screen 3D version of her concert are "fizzy" and "forgettable," writes Jan Stewart of Newsday. But those shortcomings are trumped by the...

Critics Like the Way She Move

Jan 25, 2008 1:30 PM CST

Critics Like the Way She Move

Film scores low on originality, high on powerful dance scenes

(Newser) - It's not the most original of plots—a young woman needs to win a step-dancing competition to escape poverty—but strong dance sequences and acting manage to more than save the MTV production of How She Move, critics say. "The story itself is a hodgepodge of devices, conceits, and...

Latest Rambo a Bloody Mess

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Jan 25, 2008 10:55 AM CST

Latest Rambo a Bloody Mess

Stallone's fourth flick about mercenary is ultraviolent and artless

(Newser) - Sylvester Stallone's latest, and last, film about Vietnam vet/mercenary John Rambo isn't short on violence. "Body parts go flying, blood gets applied with a fire hose, spleens decorate the trees," writes Andrew Wright of the Portland-Mercury. Unfortunately, the movie is short on everything else. "One would be...

U2 3D a Virtual Triumph

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Jan 25, 2008 8:26 AM CST

U2 3D a Virtual Triumph

IMAX concert film delivers you-are-there experience without 'parking lot hell'

(Newser) - Sitting through the IMAX feature U2 3D isn't exactly like being at one of the legendary rock band's shows. "In many ways, watching the movie is better," writes Desson Thomson of the Washington Post. The film's incredibly lifelike presentation of U2 "shows how closely technology can match"...

Woody's Cassandra Is So-So

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Jan 18, 2008 6:05 PM CST

Woody's Cassandra Is So-So

Critics say Allen's latest is decent, but not up to his usual snuff

(Newser) - It's pretty good, but Woody Allen's done better. That seems to be the prevailing sentiment of critics reviewing Cassandra's Dream, a tale of two brothers (Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor) who run into trouble and seek help from their not-so-above-board uncle (Tom Wilkinson). "It's not Allen's weakest work …...