movie review

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Museum Cluttered But Fun
 Museum Cluttered But Fun 
MOVIE REVIEW
May 22, 2009 7:51 AM CDT

Museum Cluttered But Fun

Madcap sequel to kids' comedy crams in the characters

(Newser) - Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian is a lively improvement on its predecessor, even if it suffers a bit from information overload, say critics.
  •  Betsey Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: With its legions of museum exhibit-come-to life characters, the sequel resembles "not so much a movie as
...

Terminator Splits Critics
 Terminator Splits Critics 
movie review
May 21, 2009 10:28 AM CDT

Terminator Splits Critics

Opinion divided over 'heavy-metal' flick

(Newser) - Critics agree on one thing about Terminator Salvation: It’s loud. As to whether quality matches volume, opinion runs the gamut:
  • AO Scott, in the New York Times, praises director McG’s “efficient, reasonably swift storytelling” and “mastery of the vernacular of chases, fights, explosions and crashes.”
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Management Just Middling
 Management Just Middling 
Movie Review
May 15, 2009 12:22 PM CDT

Management Just Middling

Oddball rom-com brings mixed reviews

(Newser) - Management isn’t your typical Hollywood fare, and it’s got critics divided. It tells of a quasi-creepy loser (Steve Zahn) pursuing a sales rep (Jennifer Aniston) with a solo life, and somehow holding her attention.
  • It’s “the rare romantic comedy to use good works, recycling and life-improving
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Summer Hours a Bittersweet Time
 Summer Hours 
 a Bittersweet Time 
movie review
May 15, 2009 10:28 AM CDT

Summer Hours a Bittersweet Time

Critics charmed by simple piece

(Newser) - Critics are enchanted by Summer Hours, a French story of three siblings (including a splendid Juliette Binoche) weighing what to do with their mother’s estate in a simple yet thought-provoking tale:
  • Don’t be fooled by the apparent modesty of its ambitions, writes AO Scott in the New York
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Angels &amp; Demons Has Wings
 Angels & Demons Has Wings  
MOVIE REVIEW
May 15, 2009 7:54 AM CDT

Angels & Demons Has Wings

Da Vinci Code follow-up barrels its way through Dan Brown's brand of hokum

(Newser) - Da Vinci Code sequel Angels & Demons is a fast-paced improvement on its sluggish predecessor, say critics, although filmgoers without a high tolerance for hooey are advised to steer clear.
  • Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: The "ticking-bomb thriller tightly wrapped in a papal plot and cinched with the ribbons of
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Next Day Air Arrives on Time
 Next Day Air Arrives on Time 
Movie review
May 8, 2009 11:23 AM CDT

Next Day Air Arrives on Time

Critics applaud drug-shipping comedy

(Newser) - Next Day Air, a laugher about a drug shipment that arrives at the wrong destination, hasn’t missed its mark with critics:
  • “Good things come in strange packages,” writes Nathan Lee in the New York Times, citing “a script that snaps, characters that pop, a blaze of
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Trek Lives Well, Should Prosper
 Trek Lives Well, Should Prosper 
MOVIE REVIEW
May 8, 2009 7:12 AM CDT

Trek Lives Well, Should Prosper

Abrams' bold reinvention of franchise will please both longtime fans and newbies

(Newser) - JJ Abrams has boldly pulled off the almost impossible with his stellar reinvention of Star Trek and made a movie that will wow both newcomers and hardcore Trekkies, critics say.
  • Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: The prequel "is more exciting than the last four ST pictures put together, more
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Critics Split on Battle for Terra
 Critics Split on Battle for Terra 
Movie Review
May 1, 2009 12:18 PM CDT

Critics Split on Battle for Terra

(Newser) - Battle for Terra has a nifty twist of a premise—it’s an alien movie in which humans are the evil invaders—but critics are split on how well it works. Here’s what they’re saying:
  • It’s a “work of art,” writes John Anderson in Variety,
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Let This Girlfriend Get Away
 Let This Girlfriend Get Away 
movie review
May 1, 2009 9:51 AM CDT

Let This Girlfriend Get Away

Critics mixed on McConaughey rom-com

(Newser) - The latest Matthew McConaughey romantic comedy, which tells the story of an aging womanizer revisiting his past, is drawing a mix of mild appreciation and hearty derision from critics:
  • Ghosts of Girlfriends Past "is cheesy, tacky, and gimmicky,” writes Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly. “But as directed
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Wolverine Lacks Claws
 Wolverine Lacks Claws 
MOVIE REVIEW
May 1, 2009 7:44 AM CDT

Wolverine Lacks Claws

Sharp performance from Jackman saves stale X-Men spinoff from total mediocrity

(Newser) - A charismatic Hugh Jackman gamely slashes his way through X:Men Origins: Wolverine, say critics, but he's let down by a stale script and effects that fail to lift the movie above generic superhero fare.
  • Hollywood.com: The "action-filled spinoff delivers on the brawn but not the soul of
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Tyson Doc Scores a Knockout
 Tyson Doc Scores a Knockout 
Movie Review
Apr 24, 2009 1:05 PM CDT

Tyson Doc Scores a Knockout

(Newser) - James Toback’s Mike Tyson documentary—a nearly uninterrupted monologue from the infamous boxer—has sent critics reeling in adoration. A sample of what they’re saying:
  • “You won’t know what hit you,” raves Peter Travers in Rolling Stone, calling it “one of the best movies
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Fighting Beats Expectations

 Fighting Beats Expectations 
Movie review
Apr 24, 2009 11:39 AM CDT

Fighting Beats Expectations

Rises above its own clichés

(Newser) - Fighting, the story of a Southerner who battles through New York’s underground fight scene, isn’t exactly full of surprises—but it works anyway, critics say.
  • AO Scott was “unexpectedly delighted” by the film, which swims “through seas of cliché” but emerges “sparkling and fresh,
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Foxx, Downey Lift Soloist
 Foxx, Downey Lift Soloist 
MOVIE REVIEW
Apr 24, 2009 9:33 AM CDT

Foxx, Downey Lift Soloist

Stars make based-on-true-story tearjerker worthwhile despite some bum notes

(Newser) - The Soloist—an adaptation of a LA Times reporter's memoir of his friendship with a homeless man—may not hit all the right notes with critics, but powerful performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx save the day.
  • Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: The pair are "both charismatic as
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Grey Gardens a Grim Retelling of Odd Duo's Life

Latest incarnation has its 'flaws'

(Newser) - The riches-to-rags story of an eccentric mother and daughter—relatives of Jackie O, no less—who gained fame for their destitute existence in a 1975 documentary gets another retelling in HBO's Grey Gardens. Critics aren't overly excited:
  • The movie "fills in bittersweet blanks” left by the original documentary, writes
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State of Play an Ink-Stained Thriller
 State of Play an 
 Ink-Stained Thriller 
Movie Review
Apr 17, 2009 10:07 AM CDT

State of Play an Ink-Stained Thriller

(Newser) - Is it any wonder that State of Play, a taut suspense film about politics, murder, and above all newspapers, is a hit with critics? Here’s what they’re saying:  
  • Roger Ebert calls it a “smart, ingenious thriller” with twists and turns that “genuinely fooled me a
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Efron's Charm Helps Unoriginal 17 Again
 Efron's Charm 
 Helps Unoriginal 
 17 Again 
MOVIE REVIEW
Apr 17, 2009 8:34 AM CDT

Efron's Charm Helps Unoriginal 17 Again

High School Musical star adds life to age-old body-swap concept

(Newser) - The doing-your-life-over-again movie 17 Again does what its many predecessors have done over and over again, say critics, but Zac Efron runs through the clichés with charismatic charm.
  • Claudia Puig, USA Today: "Though not as clever as 13 Going on 30 or Freaky Friday, it's also not
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Observe and Report Just Plain Nasty
 Observe  
 and Report  
 Just Plain Nasty 
movie review
Apr 10, 2009 12:29 PM CDT

Observe and Report Just Plain Nasty

Mall-cop flick soaked with sadism, critics say

(Newser) - Critics have observed, and they’re reporting that the latest mall-cop movie is brutal and sadistic with little cause: Seth Rogen's character is no Paul Blart.
  • "If you thought Abu Ghraib was a laugh riot then you might love Observe and Report," writes Manohla Dargis in the New
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Hannah Plays It Safe
 Hannah Plays It Safe 
movie review
Apr 10, 2009 11:22 AM CDT

Hannah Plays It Safe

Big-screen version of Disney Channel hit canters over familiar ground

(Newser) - Hannah Montana: The Movie slickly translates the Disney Channel tween smash onto the big screen, say critics, but those who aren't already fans can safely sit this one out.
  • Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: The movie "is an excuse for some generically catchy songs and a showcase for Miley
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Sugar Pitches a Perfect Game
 Sugar Pitches a Perfect Game 
Movie Review
Apr 3, 2009 12:14 PM CDT

Sugar Pitches a Perfect Game

(Newser) - Sugar, the tale of a Dominican pitcher’s run at stardom, is absolutely mowing down critics. Here’s a sample what they’re saying:
  • Writing/directing team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson) “are exceptional talents who refuse to sweeten Sugar for mass consumption,” writes Peter Travers in
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Fast &amp; Furious Fast, Furious

 Fast & Furious 
 Fast, Furious 
movie review
Apr 3, 2009 10:46 AM CDT

Fast & Furious Fast, Furious

Fourth installment just what you expect

(Newser) - Fast & Furious, the fourth installment in the series that made Vin Diesel a star, is “exactly and precisely what you'd expect,” writes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times—and his fellow critics agree:
  • “If you're in the mood for a lot of vroom, vroom, thump, thump,
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