Movie Reviews -
News Sections
Thursday Nov. 19, 2009 2:05 PM ET
Love bites, leaving no pulse in 'New Moon'
Dealing with the undying love of the undead can be a killer, especially in "New Moon," the troubled second chapter in the "Twilight" film series. Full Story
'Precious' offers a journey from despair to hope
Lee Daniels goes for the emotional jugular in "Precious," a tough, inspiring tale about one Harlem teen's journey from despair to hope.
'Bad Lieutenant' returns in a sequel with original's wildness intact
It's post-Katrina New Orleans and there are snakes in the water -- none bigger than Terence McDonagh, a corrupt detective, who slinks through town snorting coke, smoking heroin, harassing women and brandishing a .44 Magnum.
True-story sports flick 'The Blind Side' focuses on the feel-good
The redemption-minded sports flick "The Blind Side" serves its inspiration straight-up with no twist.
New animated sci-fi comedy 'Planet 51' proves unable to support life
It's been a big year for animation, with a great variety of styles. The best you can say of the sci-fi comedy "Planet 51" is that, it too is animated.
'2012' best excess ever in doomsday disaster
Roland Emmerich, Hollywood's master of disaster, pulls out all the stops for his end-of-days epic "2012." Ancient prophecies, volcanic eruptions, deadly tidal waves... and doomsday never looked so good.
'Antichrist' a hellish, pretentious tale of guilt
Lars von Trier's bloody, tortured "Antichrist" might make some call him the king of arthouse cinema. The rest of us just have to ask, "Lars? Have you lost your mind?"
Great tunes keep 'Pirate Radio' afloat
No movie can be all bad when juiced up with a soundtrack of more than 50 classic rock tunes. The best thing to say about Richard Curtis' "Pirate Radio" is that it's all about the music, man.
'Boondock Saints' returns a decade later, but shouldn't have
Cult classics -- like Ed Wood's films and "Showgirls" -- are often defined by their flaws as much as their merits. "Boondock Saints," the 1999 film that achieved cult status on DVD and has now spawned a sequel, certainly had plenty of flaws.
Clooney, McGregor click in 'Men Who Stare at Goats'
George Clooney headlines "The Men Who Stare at Goats," a crazy "tall tale" about the absurdity of war.
Paranormal spirit soars in 'A Christmas Carol'
3-D effects and Jim Carrey's jaunty showmanship turn "Disney's A Christmas Carol" into a spooky thrill ride.
'Fourth Kind' a mess with cast from 'Unsolved Mystery' acting school
The flat-lining, alien-abduction thriller "The Fourth Kind" offers a close encounter that buries an interesting idea under a barrage of gimmicky, carnivallike hokum.
'The Box' is empty; filmmaker Kelly pushes all the wrong buttons
Cameron Diaz and James Marsden have a terrible moral dilemma in "The Box": Press a button on a mysterious container, they'll get $1 million, and someone they don't know will die.
'Gentlemen Broncos' a lame retread of 'Napoleon Dynamite'
"Gentlemen Broncos" is a comedy so weird, so off, so simply wrong that even freakish hero Napoleon Dynamite would have a hard time lending it his catch word, "Sweet."
Slam-dunk: 'More Than A Game' a knockout sports doc
"More Than A Game," Kristopher Belman's rousing, real-life basketball drama, is 2009's feel-good sports doc to beat.
'This Is It': Michael Jackson's final thriller
"This Is It," Kenny Ortega's electric, eerie tribute documentary to Michael Jackson, grants the King of Pop and his extraordinary talent one final, respectful, in-your-face nod.
Fly-girl Hilary Swank serves up earthbound 'Amelia'
In the new bio-pic "Amelia," Hilary Swank gives a solid turn as flying ace Amelia Earhart. Yet, even that can't ignite our engines and gas this guzzler off the ground.
Carey Mulligan gets 'An Education' from an older man
What makes for a better education -- academics or life experience? That's the question posed by "An Education," about a British teenager who is swept away to Paris by an older man.
Fashion cuts like a knife in 'The September Issue'
"Vogue" editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is a cold customer to like in "The September Issue." Yet, R.J. Cutler's absorbing new documentary thaws Wintour's forbidding frost.
New animated family film 'Astro Boy' never really takes flight
The animated "Astro Boy" is a shiny hodgepodge of "Pinocchio" and "WALL-E." As its own entity, though, it's pretty forgettable.
'Cirque du Freak' is more Frankenstein than vampire
It's getting downright batty trying to keep all these vampires straight.
Less-is-more magic rules in 'Where the Wild Things Are'
Spike Jonze gives moviegoers a daring new take on connecting with our inner wild child in "Where the Wild Things Are."
Coen brothers take new risks with 'A Serious Man'
In the Coen Brothers' latest undertaking, we get a glimpse into a time when "F Troop" was what the kids watched on TV and the Columbia Record Club was still the best way to acquire new music.
'Law Abiding Citizen' a slick tale of injustice, revenge
Brain-teasing kills. Squirm-in-your-seat thrills. Gerard Butler takes down the "good guys" who've wronged him in "Law Abiding Citizen." And, this time it's personal!
Sheen shines as a cocky soccer coach in gritty 'Damned United'
You don't have to be a soccer expert, or even know all that much about the sport, to get sucked into the competing personalities and personal dramas of "The Damned United."
Rock's 'Good Hair' illuminates an old story with humour and insight
What's so funny about so many black women wanting "white" hair? Plenty, it turns out, in Chris Rock's surprisingly insightful documentary, "Good Hair."
'Cairo Time' a masterful look at repressed romance
Indie queen Patricia Clarkson delivers a subtle, flawless look at illicit love in "Cairo Time," the big "R" romance from Canadian director Ruba Nadda.
The sitcommy 'Couples Retreat' isn't exactly a vacation in paradise
"Couples Retreat" suggests what life might have been like if the guys from "Swingers" had grown up, moved to the suburbs and turned into lame, sitcommy cliches.
'Paranormal Activity' gets its eerie power from suggestion
The no-budget ghost story "Paranormal Activity" arrives 10 years after "The Blair Witch Project," and the two horror movies share more than a clever construct and shaky, handheld camerawork.
Gervais spins fool's gold in 'The Invention of Lying'
Ricky Gervais, Hollywood's new king of schlubby shtick, confronts the naked truth of loserdom in "The Invention of Lying."
Michael Moore's still mad about money for nothing
Love him or hate him, moviegoers who watch "Capitalism: A Love Story" will agree on one thing: Michael Moore is madder than hell.
'Whip It' a refreshing whirlwind of girl power
No prior roller derby knowledge is required to have a good time with "Whip It." It's Drew Barrymore's first outing as director but she knows he way around the track.
'Zombieland' is a lively comedy about the undead
You'd be justified in thinking you've visited "Zombieland" before. After all, there has been no shortage of zombies at the movies in recent years, just as there has been no shortage of vampires.
'Bright Star' ignites screen with just a few kisses
"Bright Star's" Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw were the bright young things to watch at Cannes and TIFF. Will the same be true come Oscar night?
'Fame' stays true to spirit and structure of original
The "reinvention" of the 1980 high school musical "Fame" -- please, people, don't call it a remake -- stays faithful to the spirit and structure of Alan Parker's original while sucking out all the raciness.
'Boys Are Back' a refreshingly depiction of death, redemption
The true-life drama "The Boys Are Back" delicately and deftly finds a balance that's hard to strike: It depicts death, and the way a family rebuilds and redefines itself afterward.
'Surrogates' a quality B-movie at its best
"Surrogates" is itself a surrogate, a kind of stand-in for many of the sci-fi movies of the recent past: In it, you'll recognize the ideas of "Blade Runner," "Minority Report" and even "WALL-E."
Appearance is everything in 'Coco Before Chanel'
The young Coco Chanel noticed style everywhere, even in the crisp white and basic black of the nuns' habits at the orphanage where she was raised.
The joke's on us in Soderbergh's comedy 'The Informant!'
The exclamation point in the title is your first clue that Steven Soderbergh's intentions are more than a little askew with "The Informant!"
'Jennifer's Body' not as hot as it should be
"Jennifer's Body," the second screenplay from Diablo Cody following her Oscar-winning debut smash "Juno," is so chock full of her quirky trademarks, it almost plays like a parody of something she'd write.
Eckhart and Aniston have zero chemistry in 'Love Happens'
Love supposedly happens in "Love Happens." We'll have to take their word for it.
'9' shines with machine-age magic
Shane Acker's quirky, animated film "9" and its scrap-heap heroes put hope and humanity into the most unlikely of places.
Not much to laugh about in the flat rom-com 'All About Steve'
There is nothing about Mary that's even vaguely appealing, but the feature debut from director Phil Traill makes it obvious we're meant to find her endearing.
'Extract' is 1 flavour the whole way through, and it's too bland
Mike Judge is back to the daily grind with "Extract," but this time the writer-director tells his wacky working tales from the boss' point of view: that of Jason Bateman's Joel Reynold, owner of a flavor extract factory.
Ang Lee's 'Taking Woodstock' far from far out
Ang Lee's "Taking Woodstock" captures the good vibrations of the 1960s. But the high it delivers won't light any box-office fires.
'The September Issue' offers intimate glimpse inside Vogue
Anna Wintour's eyes are green, we learn from the documentary "The September Issue," in which she actually takes off her trademark, oversized sunglasses and even lets a smile slip loose from time to time.
Goldthwait pushes it in truly twisted dark comedy 'World's Greatest Dad'
This is tricky: How to talk about "World's Greatest Dad," the latest comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait, without giving away all its twists and twisted details?
'Inglourious Basterds' has its glorious moments
If only Quentin Tarantino the director weren't so completely in love with Quentin Tarantino the writer, "Inglourious Basterds" might have been a great movie rather than just a good movie with moments of greatness.
'Post Grad' fails to make the grade
"Post Grad," a comedy about a driven, hardworking college student who's unable to find a job after she graduates, actually might have been relevant. It might have been a satirical and insightful look into how our soured economy has dashed the dreams of a generation.
'Shorts' could use some adult supervision
The basic structure of "Shorts" -- advertised in its title -- might make you think Robert Rodriguez has made the kids equivalent of "Pulp Fiction," the fractured narrative classic by his buddy and frequent collaborator, Quentin Tarantino.
In Theatres
Box Office
North American
| This Week | Last Week | Title | Weekend Gross | Total Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | 2012 | $65237614 | $65237614 |
| 2 | 1 | Disney's A Christmas Carol | $22308913 | $63272757 |
| 3 | 12 | Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire | $5874628 | $8699180 |
| 4 | 3 | The Men Who Stare at Goats | $5861753 | $23038050 |
| 5 | 2 | Michael Jackson's This Is It | $5078920 | $67190296 |
| 6 | 4 | The Fourth Kind | $4605365 | $20449660 |
| 7 | 7 | Couples Retreat | $4164940 | $102045330 |
| 8 | 5 | Paranormal Activity | $4043417 | $103690184 |
| 9 | 8 | Law Abiding Citizen | $3796327 | $67190452 |
| 10 | 6 | The Box | $3158368 | $13179622 |
| 11 | - | Pirate Radio | $2904380 | $2904380 |
| 12 | 9 | Where the Wild Things Are | $2418140 | $73440413 |
| 13 | 10 | Astro Boy | $1702946 | $17965336 |
| 14 | 21 | The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day | $1033639 | $2495119 |
| 15 | 13 | Amelia | $923785 | $13143512 |
| 16 | 14 | The Stepfather | $836327 | $28802131 |
| 17 | 19 | An Education | $661901 | $3218225 |
| 18 | 18 | A Serious Man | $657125 | $6834722 |
| 19 | 20 | Zombieland | $475124 | $74542128 |
| 20 | 11 | Saw VI | $449512 | $27445118 |
Canadian
| This Week | Last Week | Title | Weekend Gross | Total Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | 2012 | $5463820 | $5463820 |
| 2 | 1 | Disney's A Christmas Carol | $2236725 | $5953314 |
| 3 | 3 | The Men Who Stare at Goats | $659238 | $2437932 |
| 4 | 5 | Law Abiding Citizen | $570115 | $8575521 |
| 5 | 2 | Michael Jackson's This Is It | $525289 | $6372260 |
| 6 | 4 | Paranormal Activity | $516466 | $5940696 |
| 7 | 7 | Couples Retreat | $372546 | $10149730 |
| 8 | 6 | The Fourth Kind | $286740 | $1184179 |
| 9 | - | Pirate Radio | $274049 | $274049 |
| 10 | 8 | The Box | $221486 | $944184 |
