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"All the King's Men": royally lame

By Madeline Raskulinecz | Sept. 25, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

Fall has arrived, and with it, the onslaught of "serious" movies vying for that ultimate in film recognition: the Oscar. But one of the first and most promising-looking of this season's offerings, Steve Zaillian's "All the King's Men," is far from Oscar-worthy; with its convoluted storyline and disappointing cast, it's a royal mess.


"Fearless" fails

By Simon Kanter | Sept. 25, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

Jet Li is truly fearless. He has faced every kind of opponent and defeated them soundly, conquering not only his enemies but himself. But for some reason, in his latest and last film, he seems to have a strange phobia: plo


"The Black Dahlia" wilts

By Cassie Cummins | Sept. 21, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

If "The Black Dahlia" were indeed a blooming Dahlia, its petals would begin to droop as soon as the poor acting kicked in. Then, after some confusing plot twists, its leaves would start to turn brown. And eventually, after being neglected by bored viewers, it would soon shrivel up into nothingness. Essentially, that's the withering tale of this Dahlia.


"The Last Kiss" is a can't-miss

By Elsi Wu | Sept. 21, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

Almost everyone has been in loveâ€"and fallen out of it. It just all depends on how hard one falls. Surprisingly, there are more ways of hitting rock bottom than most have imaginedâ€"infidelity, neglect, strifeâ€"and that's just after age 30. In this major motion picture just oozing with indie vibes, love is about more than just feelings.


A noble and notable "Nobelity” is the change we wish to see

By Amanda Pollak | Sept. 21, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

As director Turk Pipken declares throughout his new, globally conscious documentary, "Nobelity," fixing the problems of the world may be simple, but it's not going to be easy. Likewise, buying tickets to his film may seem simple, but sitting through and fully comprehending the message of "Nobelity" is anything but easy. Nonetheless, it is not a film to miss.


A "Gang" worth joining

By Andrew Kung | Sept. 21, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

With any movie starring The Rock, one can expect a healthy dose of shooting, shouting, and his signature angry, bewildered stare. "Gridiron Gang," the latest from director Phil Joanou, provides the aforementioned, but packs some surprisingly emotional performances as well. Although it may seem at times to be overdramatic and sensationalized, Joanou successfully turns a beautiful story into a decent movie.


"Gridiron" falls short of touchdown

By Cate McCraw | Sept. 20, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

"Gridiron Gang" chronicles the transformation of troubled teens a Los Angeles juvenile detention center into young football stars, thanks to the guidance and determination of their coach, Sean Porter (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson). While the story is heartrending and poignant, the plot follows the average template for an inspirational sports film.


A forgettable "Last Kiss"

By Lingfeng Li | Sept. 20, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

Everything seems to be getting smaller these days: MP3 players, waistlines—the age at which a person is expected to have a midlife crisis. In "The Last Kiss," Michael (Zach Braff) is an almost thirty-something with a ubiquitous crisis, crises if you will. He has a beautiful girlfriend, Jenna (Jacinda Barrett), a promising career in architecture and loyal friends he's known since childhood.


"The Black Dahlia" is a cure for insomnia

By Caitlin Schneiderhan | Sept. 19, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

"They tell me I'm very photogenic," says Elizabeth Short, the infamously murdered Black Dahlia. Photogenic, "The Black Dahlia," isn't. Ten minutes into the film, a man in the audience was already asleep, befuddled by all the confusing and unrelated plotlines that the scriptwriters seemed to enjoy throwing in and amazed that actors as talented as Scarlett Johannson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank could be so terrible. And the less said about Josh Hartnett and his suspenders the better.


"The Last Kiss" is more than a peck on the cheek

By Sarah Kinter | Sept. 19, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

There is an old saying that "women remember the first kiss; men remember the last." While this may be true, "The Last Kiss" will certainly be remembered by both men and women as the first good relationship movie in a long time.


The Bleak Dahlia

By Pia Nargundkar | Sept. 19, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

Some movies are great, some are decent, some are funny and some are touching. And then there are movies that make you cry for your two hours and $10. "The Black Dahlia," directed by Brian De Palma ("Scarface," "Mission Impossible"), based on the book by James Ellroy ("L.A. Confidential") and featuring a host of stars, has the right amount of talent to be great, but falls far short.


Three strikes, "Everyone's Hero" is out

By Jason Meer | Sept. 19, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

The story behind "Everyone's Hero" is hard to top. Directed by the late Christopher Reeve, the film was originally planned to be an animated pet project for his son Will, with wife Dana Reeve at the helm as a prominent voice actress. But with the deaths of both of parents in the past two years, it is too bad that the last Reeve family project has so little to offer. Uneven animation and a ridiculous storyline unfortunately bring down this potential home run of a movie at the warning track.


"An Inconvenient Truth" presents more bias than fact

By Josie Callahan | Sept. 14, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

From the riveting previews for Al Gore's documentary on global warming, one could expect "An Inconvenient Truth" to be frightening, fascinating, compelling and inspiring. The film, however did not fully succeed on any one of these measures, and proved to be 1 hour and 40 minutes of political propaganda. The travesty of global warming is overshadowed by an overview of the noble life of Al Gore, as the movie focuses on his many contributions to the U.S. government and efforts to change environmental policies, scattered with dry details of the upcoming devastation of the world.


A super "Hollywoodland"

By Poorva Singal | Sept. 14, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

He was faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, but the actor now lies dead on the floor. The Man of Steel, every child's favorite superhero, is no more. It is ruled a suicide, but could the invincible Superman really take his own life? Some are not so sure. Allen Coulter's 'Hollywoodland,' inspired by the real-life mystery behind the death of "Superman" TV star George Reeves (Ben Affleck), keeps viewers absorbed as they attempt to form their own conclusions about what really happened 50 years ago.


"The Protector" kicks butt

By Daniel Klein | Sept. 13, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

Prachya Pinkaew, a famous martial arts director in Thailand, is not known for making buddy pictures. However, after ten minutes of the follow-up to "Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior," you might feel like you've walked into the wrong theater. The movie in those first few minutes consist of the following: boy plays with grown elephant, elephant has a baby elephant, and boy and baby elephant grow up together. The cuteness even draws an "Aww" out of the audience, and if only Pinkaew had replaced the elephant with a golden retriever, the movie would be like a million other G-rated family films. But then the movie gets back on its projected track when the elephant is captured. And unlike buddy films you've seen before, in "The Protector," when your buddy is stolen, you snap as many arms as it takes to get him back.


"Hollywoodland" doesn't have a clue

By April DalBello | Sept. 13, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

"Hollywoodland" wants to be an extremely suspenseful film that weaves a dark tale about the life and death of a glamorous but troubled actor. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite get there.


"Crank" down the volume on this tacky thriller

By Julia Mazerov | Sept. 8, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

Action-seekers, welcome to 87 minutes of your wildest dreams, but if chick flicks are more your thing, you may as well avoid this one all together. In Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor's "Crank," Jason Statham is Chev Chelios, and this British brute is back with even more of a violent, no-nonsense persona than he brought you in "Cellular" and "The Transporter."


Cross "Crossover" off your list

By Kate Harter | Sept. 7, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

There have been great basketball movies in that past that work to include a well-written story, high-quality acting, first-class moves and fast paced, energizing music. Preston A. Whitmoore II's "Crossover" just isn't among them.


A wooden "Wicker Man"

By Jasleen Salwan | Sept. 6, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

Some thrillers are so intrinsically crafted and innately eerie, they rob their audiences out of a week's worth of sleep. Other less noteworthy ones at least creep viewers out a bit, perhaps with their intricate plotlines. But "The Wicker Man," with a stale execution of what could have been a decent storyline, accomplishes neither, making audiences feel cheated instead.


"Crossover" to another theater

By Christina Mullen | Sept. 6, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

As one of several sports-themed movies coming out this fall, "Crossover" is supposedly unique in that it covers the growing phenomena of street-ball, a style of underground basketball with few rules, just "good, clean fun." But with outdated Wayne Brady as the marquee actor and only several minutes of real basketball, "Crossover" becomes just another cliché.


"Crank" offers the worst in typical action

By Jonas Shaffer | Sept. 6, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

In its title screen sequence, "Crank" is introduced with a series of splashy video game and three-dimensional graphics culminating in a display of the movie's title in a font reminiscent of 1980s arcade favorite "Pac-Man."


Don't expect peace from "The Quiet"

By Laura Mirviss | Sept. 6, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

Nina Deer (Elisha Cuthbert) appears to lead the perfect life. She is a popular, gorgeous blond on her high school cheerleading team. But Nina has a secret, so explosive and so personal, that only her father knows its depths. Because each night, it is Nina's father (Martin Donovan) who slips into her bedroom to have sex with her. It is around this jarring premise that director Jamie Babbit molds her film. Reminiscent of 1999's "American Beauty," "The Quiet" details the horror and tragedy of child molestation.


"Queens" – royally clever

By Cassie Cummins | Sept. 6, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

In every movie with a wedding, there of course must also be havoc — wreaked by weird in-laws or inconvenient love affairs. But this time, "Queens" adds to all the typical hubbub, by throwing sexuality into the mix. It is the first gay wedding, en masse, to take place in Spain, a very Catholic country that only recently recognized gay marriage. The result is a hilarious, if sometimes unclear tangle of human relationships.


An acceptable "Accepted"

By David Jia | Aug. 23, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

During the high school years, not a single student has gone by without envisioning his or her college experience. And most students get into at least one college (some better some worse, but at least they get in). Then what happens when a student doesn't get into college? In any normal circumstances, he or she would try to find a job and perhaps try again next year. But, as Steve Pink's "Accepted" shows, there are other "loopholes" that can be taken to advantage.


A stomping good story

By Clement Yang | Aug. 2, 2006, midnight | In Movies »

"What goes around comes around." This tenet of wisdom proved especially true for Lucas Nickle (voiced by Zach Tyler), the protagonist in Warner Brother's fabulous new computer-generated flick, "Ant Bully."

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