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2012 Spectacular but Stupid
 2012 Spectacular but Stupid 
MOVIE REVIEW

2012 Spectacular but Stupid

End-of-the-world epic is 'disaster porn' at its finest

(Newser) - Critics agree that world-destroying disaster epic 2012 boasts some stunning special effects, but they're split on whether that makes up for the cheesy script—and the run time of 2 hours, 38 minutes.
  • Director Roland Emmerich's previous destruction-fests Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow "are nothing compared to
...

Sly, Arnie, Willis to Unite Onscreen

The Expendables also stars Rourke, Li

(Newser) - Musclemen Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis are uniting for one last action flick, the Guardian reports. The Expendables, slated for release next year, tells the story of a band of mercenaries in Latin America, and will show the three grizzled stars together for the first time since the...

Overwrought G.I. Joe 'Everything You Could Want'

(Newser) - Most critics—who didn't have access to advance screenings, normally a huge red flag—agree that G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra isn’t anything but a popcorn flick. For some, that’s enough. For others, not so much.
  • "It’s all put together with such verve and
...

Vatican Charmed by Potter

(Newser) - Though rarely a fan of wizards and witches, the Vatican has declared the latest Harry Potter film a positive tale of “friendship, altruism, loyalty" that achieves the "correct balance" in depicting teen romance, reports the Guardian. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, opening today, makes clear that...

This Summer's Top Trailers
 This Summer's Top Trailers 

This Summer's Top Trailers

(Newser) - Summer may not always yield the best movies, but it never fails to deliver the year’s best trailers. Wired celebrates this sacred art by picking out the trailers that managed to throw the most hype onto the screen in 3 minutes or less. We’ve helpfully compiled them in...

Stuntmen's Favorite Films
 Stuntmen's Favorite Films 
OPINION

Stuntmen's Favorite Films

(Newser) - When it comes to movies, nothing wows like an epic action sequence. Which flicks do stunt performers like best? Kevin Conley lists 'em for Slate:
  • The Matrix Trilogy: Legendary kung fu director Yuen Wo-Ping didn't really want the job and issued near-impossible demands—including six months of training for stuntmen—
...

A Tough Guy for Everyone
 A Tough Guy for Everyone 
OPINION

A Tough Guy for Everyone

Why Wolverine has had such lasting appeal

(Newser) - Wolverine has endured. The character has two comic-book series, a new blockbuster movie, and his own exhibit at New York’s comic museum 35 years after being introduced as a sidekick. Why has Wolverine had such long lasting appeal? With a dark, mysterious past, and a “penchant for berserker...

Statham Cracks Skulls, Cracks Up Audiences
Statham Cracks Skulls, Cracks Up Audiences
ANALYSIS

Statham Cracks Skulls, Cracks Up Audiences

Actor's films expertly blend adventure, slapstick

(Newser) - Jason Statham, the hulking British action star specializing in shoot-em-up, kick-em-down movies, owes much to Jackie Chan and Wile E. Coyote, Jody Rosen writes for Slate. After all, Statham trades in “a mix of bionic brute force and slapstick”—delivered with his Everyman charm. It may sound absurd,...

Push All Style, No Coherence
 Push All Style, No Coherence 
MOVIE REVIEW

Push All Style, No Coherence

(Newser) - Push, the latest would-be superhero franchise, “has vibrant cinematography and decent acting,” writes Roger Ebert, “but I’m blasted if I know what it’s about.” Oh, he gets the basics: Movers are telekinetic, Watchers are psychic, and Pushers control minds. There are also Stitchers, Wipers,...

Critics Not So Taken With Taken
 Critics Not So 
 Taken With Taken 
moviE review

Critics Not So Taken With Taken

Plot, lead character 'preposterous'

(Newser) - Critics disagree over whether Bourne-style action flick Taken is a quality picture, but they concur on one thing: Its plot is “preposterous,” as Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times puts it. It’s “a completely unbelievable action picture” in which Liam Neeson’s “sharpshooting, pursuit-driving, pocket-picking,...

A-Team Bound for Theaters
 A-Team Bound for Theaters 

A-Team Bound for Theaters

Joe Carnahan tapped to direct

(Newser) - The A-Team is coming back! Fox has tapped director Joe Carnahan, of Smokin’ Aces fame, to direct a big-budget update of the hugely popular '80s action show, Radar Online reports. Few plot details have emerged, except that it will keep the core story of veterans—now of Iraq, not Vietnam—...

Craig's Bond Saves Solace
 Craig's Bond Saves Solace 
MOVIE REVIEW

Craig's Bond Saves Solace

Daniel Craig shines in superspy sequel but some find Bond brand too diluted

(Newser) - Quantum of Solace doesn't quite measure up to its predecessor, but that's because the Bond makers set the bar so high with Casino Royale, say critics. Daniel Craig returns for his second outing as the superspy, and his cold-blooded but charismatic performance ensures that his "place as the best...

Beyonc&eacute; Wants to Be Wonder Woman
Beyoncé Wants to Be Wonder Woman

Beyoncé Wants to Be Wonder Woman

Aspiring superhero ready to try on Amazon's outfit for size

(Newser) - There’s no film in the works yet, but Beyoncé has made her intentions clear: She wants to be the first big-screen Wonder Woman. The star shared her ambitions with DC Comics and Warner Bros. after being wowed by Linda Carter’s original costume at superhero-themed museum exhibition earlier this...

Bangkok Dangerously Bland
 Bangkok Dangerously Bland 
MOVIE REVIEW

Bangkok Dangerously Bland

Cage-starring remake of Asian hit lacks the spice of the original

(Newser) - The Pang brothers' Hollywood rehash of their 1999 hit Bangkok Dangerous lacks spice despite the exotic locale, say critics. The "rough, Bangkok underworld-set story" has morphed into "a cleaner tourist's take on crime and corruption," Jordan Mintzer writes in Variety, with Nicolas Cage playing a more conventional...

UK Bans Jolie 'Wanted' Posters
 UK Bans Jolie 'Wanted' Posters 

UK Bans Jolie 'Wanted' Posters

Gun-toting ads too violent, promote guns

(Newser) - The UK has banned racy ads featuring a gun-toting Angelina Jolie promoting her action flick Wanted, claiming that they glorify the use of firearms and violence, Reuters reports. Britain's media watchdog said it received complaints that the ads weren't suitable for children, especially during a time in which public opinion...

Time to Wrap Up Mummy
 Time to Wrap Up Mummy  
MOVIE REVIEW

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...

Dark Knight Dazzles
 Dark Knight Dazzles 
MOVIE REVIEW

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...

Hellboy Burns Up the Screen
 Hellboy Burns Up the Screen 
MOVIE REVIEW

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,"...

People Don't Like You, Hancock
 People Don't Like You, Hancock 
movie review

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...

Get Smart Not So Clever
 Get Smart Not So Clever 
movie review

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...

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