movie review

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Thirst Is the 'Anti- Twilight '
 Thirst Is the 'Anti-Twilight' 
movie review
Nov 11, 2009 10:37 PM CST

Thirst Is the 'Anti-Twilight'

This is a vampire flick for adults

(Newser) - The Twilight series found its remarkable success in subverting the traditional vampire story, turning the monsters of legend into symbols of teenage narcissism and self-pity—another “youth tribe” like jocks and geeks, writes Brendan O’Neill at Spiked. If that treatment leaves you well, cold, check out the "...

Fourth Kind : Not Real, Not Scary
 Fourth Kind: Not Real, Not Scary
movie review
Nov 6, 2009 2:30 PM CST

Fourth Kind: Not Real, Not Scary

Alien-abduction mock-doc delivers lame premise with laughable framing device

(Newser) - The Fourth Kind attempts to combine dramatization of true events and fake-documentary alien abductions in Alaska, and falls horribly flat. Here's what critics are saying:
  • The ludicrousness of the grainy archival footage, presented as "real," and a lousy performance by Milla Jovovich, whose "notion of serious acting
...

Motion-Capture Christmas Carol Hits Wrong Notes

Spirit's there, but critics split on wow-factor of evolving tech

(Newser) - Most critics express a hearty "humbug" for Robert Zemeckis' motion-capture version of A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey. A sampling:
  • "It's a heartwarmer that doesn't have much of a heart itself," Michael O'Sullivan writes in the Washington Post, "populated by figures that are halfway between Wii
...

Inside The Box , a Muddled Surprise
 Inside The Box, 
 a Muddled Surprise 
MOVIE REVIEW
Nov 6, 2009 12:11 PM CST

Inside The Box, a Muddled Surprise

Film is wayward, most critics agree, but for some it's interesting

(Newser) - Critics are split on The Box, the new film from writer-director Richard Kelly, known for the much-loved Donnie Darko and the reviled Southland Tales. Some takes on the flick about a box with a mysterious, life-changing button:
  • Pass, writes writes Elizabeth Weitzman in the New York Daily News. Don't "
...

Precious : Gritty Candor or 'Poverty Porn'?
 Precious: Gritty Candor 
 or 'Poverty Porn'? 
MOVIE REVIEW
Nov 6, 2009 8:52 AM CST

Precious: Gritty Candor or 'Poverty Porn'?

Harlem drama brutally honest, some say manipulative

(Newser) - Precious packs a strong emotional punch with its story of an abused, illiterate teen in '80s Harlem, but where some critics see candid greatness, others see "poverty porn."
  • Precious is "a great American film," writes Roger Ebert at the Chicago Sun-Times, that finds a believable way
...

Goats Fun But Unfocused
 Goats Fun But Unfocused 

MOVIE REVIEW
Nov 6, 2009 8:11 AM CST

Goats Fun But Unfocused

Clooney turns in top performance in military farce

(Newser) - The Men Who Stare at Goats, a farce loosely based on a non-fiction book about the US military's '80s effort to form a psychic unit, is wildly uneven but often hilarious, say critics.
  • The "over-the-top, absurdist satire" will be "inevitably likened to Dr. Strangelove," Owen Gleiberman writes
...

By the People Has Access, Little Else
 By the People Has 
 Access, Little Else 
MOVIE REVIEW
Nov 3, 2009 12:12 PM CST

By the People Has Access, Little Else

Critics split on virtues of Obama doc with little dish

(Newser) - Critics agree the HBO's By the People, a record of the Obama campaign produced by Edward Norton, offers behind-the-scenes access but no real scoops. But what some see as a heartwarming tale of triumph, others find fawning. A sampling:
  • The naivete of the filmmakers shows through for Hank Stuever . "
...

Turning Green Shines, Mostly
 Turning Green Shines, Mostly 
MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 30, 2009 1:55 PM CDT

Turning Green Shines, Mostly

Film on black-market porn in Ireland sways most critics

(Newser) - Project Greenlight runner-up Turning Green —about a teen in Ireland who tries to make a buck selling porn—leaves most critics pleased.
  • It mixes a “generally jolly, frisky tone” with “more threatening moods,” including “an astounding left turn” from Alessandro Nivola, writes Robert Koehler in
...

Gentlemen Broncos Falls Flat
 Gentlemen 
 Broncos 
 Falls Flat 
movie review
Oct 30, 2009 12:09 PM CDT

Gentlemen Broncos Falls Flat

No magic this time from Napoleon Dynamite director

(Newser) - Director Jared Hess became a critics' darling with Napoleon Dynamite. Safe to say he's a darling no more thanks to Gentlemen Broncos , a farce about a teen sci-fi writer.
  • Sean O'Neal , AV Club: "Every frame of Hess’ new film—the wood-paneled walls coated with winking unicorn posters, its characters’
...

Skin Has 'Poignant Power'
 Skin Has 'Poignant Power' 
MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 30, 2009 9:59 AM CDT

Skin Has 'Poignant Power'

Tale of black girl born to white parents taps apartheid's madness

(Newser) - A true-life tale of the struggles of a dark-skinned girl born to white Afrikaners in '50s South Africa, Skin scored with critics, though some found it a bit too black-and-white.
  • Skin "serves as a stirring allegory for birthright and the assertion of one's identity in the face of oppression,
...

Stylish Horror Revived in House of the Devil

Homage to old-school horror films builds tension masterfully

(Newser) - Babysitter-in-danger flick House of the Devil does a delicious job of reproducing the atmosphere of classic horror flicks from the '80s, say critics, and its slow-burn tension is a refreshing change from splatter-fests like Saw.
  • Director Ti West has "crafted a film that beautifully reproduces the look and texture
...

This Is It Proves King of Pop Still Rocked
This Is It Proves 
 King of Pop 
 Still Rocked 
REVIEW ROUNDUP
Oct 28, 2009 7:38 AM CDT

This Is It Proves King of Pop Still Rocked

Michael Jackson was in surprisingly good shape in dazzling footage

(Newser) - Michael Jackson didn't live long enough to take the final bow he had planned in London, but critics agree This Is It is a fitting swan song, proof that the King of Pop really did have a comeback in him:
  • "This Is It is quite extraordinary. If there was
...

Saw VI No Match for Original



 Saw VI No Match for Original 
MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 23, 2009 2:09 PM CDT

Saw VI No Match for Original

Critics agree: Whatever you think of the first film, it was better

(Newser) - Most critics find themselves in the tough spot of praising the original Saw to put down the sixth installment. They don't make 'em like they used to. Some opinions:
  • "The film goes all trendy in its selection of victims," opting for the likes of insurance adjusters and bypassing
...

Cirque du Freak a Bloodless Bore
 Cirque du Freak 
 a Bloodless Bore 

MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 23, 2009 11:38 AM CDT

Cirque du Freak a Bloodless Bore

Vampire's Assistant has an identity crisis

(Newser) - Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant isn't particularly freaky, and it sure could use some assistance. Some critics' takes:
  • Peter Travers doesn't deign to explain the film's loose ends. "All you need to know is that the movie is a setup for sequels that I hope never come,"
...

Astro Boy : Lots of Flash, But No Soul
 Astro Boy: 
 Lots of Flash, 
 But No Soul 
movie review
Oct 23, 2009 9:44 AM CDT

Astro Boy: Lots of Flash, But No Soul

Remake of vintage Japanese series fails to impress

(Newser) - Astro Boy, David Bowers’ reboot of Osamu Tezuka’s classic Japanese manga and animé series, is an action-packed movie that tries to appeal to both kids and adults. Critics, however, were more impressed with the machine guns in the main character’s butt than with the film as a whole:...

Brutal Antichrist a Torture-Porn Nightmare
 Brutal Antichrist a 
 Torture-Porn Nightmare 
MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 23, 2009 8:20 AM CDT

Brutal Antichrist a Torture-Porn Nightmare

It's von Trier's masterpiece, or misogynistic tripe

(Newser) - Some critics call it a cinematic masterpiece, others say it's little more than a snuff film. But everyone agrees: Antichrist, the latest from Danish provocateur Lars von Trier, is unforgettable.
  • The film's scenes of brutal sex and violence are "undeniably shocking,"  writes Andrew O'Hehir of Salon,
...

This Amelia Never Takes Off
 This Amelia Never Takes Off 
MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 23, 2009 7:19 AM CDT

This Amelia Never Takes Off

Swank shines as Earhart in largely forgettable biopic

(Newser) - Hilary Swank is superlative as Amelia Earhart, say critics, but the too-conventional movie around her never really engages in what made the aviatrix tick and stays earthbound as a result.
  • Swank is "strangely mesmerizing as Earhart," writes Connie Ogle in the Miami Herald , but director Mira Nair's biopic
...

New Yorkers Hate New York, I Love You
 New Yorkers Hate 
 New York, I Love You  
Movie Review
Oct 16, 2009 3:35 PM CDT

New Yorkers Hate New York, I Love You

Anthology has its moments, but only for generous critics

(Newser) - Not everyone hates New York, I Love You—Roger Ebert, for example, found the anthology a “jumble sale” containing “some nice discoveries.” But the New York-based critics sure weren’t sold. Here’s what they’re saying:
  • Filmmakers had just 2 days to shoot their 6-minute segments.
...

The Maid Cleans Up With Critics
 The Maid Cleans Up With Critics 
MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 16, 2009 1:42 PM CDT

The Maid Cleans Up With Critics

Chilean film has an unexpected ending that's worth waiting for

(Newser) - Sundance darling The Maid, directed by Sebastián Silva, is a Chilean black comedy focusing on a longtime employee’s struggles with her employers and a succession of new maids. Critics say it’s an absorbing character study with an impressive lead performance:
  • “There’s more to Raquel and
...

Step Away From The Stepfather
 Step Away From The Stepfather 
MOVIE REVIEW
Oct 16, 2009 12:49 PM CDT

Step Away From The Stepfather

Remake of cult classic is thoroughly unnecessary, critics agree

(Newser) - Most critics would rather curl up with some popcorn and watch the original 1987 version of The Stepfather than see the remake again. Most would also like to see all prints of the new release, which casts Dylan Walsh as the murderous title character, burned. Some reactions:
  • One high point:
...

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