entertainment » movies
"Trek" boldly goes
By David Tao | May 11, 2009, midnight | In Movies »
Every now and then, an age-old series will need a little something to keep it going. In 2005, Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan resurrected Batman. Daniel Craig electrified the screen in 2006's "Casino Royale," rocketing the 007 franchise back to the top of the box office. Now, J.J. Abrams and an ensemble cast of unknowns accelerate the 60s-era "Star Trek" franchise back to warp speed.
Golden boy still "17"
By Monica Wei | April 22, 2009, midnight | In Movies »
If anyone has ever wondered what "High School Musical" would be like without the musical part, the answer has arrived. "17 Again," starring the golden Zac Efron and sour-looking Matthew Perry (it's been a while since "Friends") is just another high school flick, but incorporates the age-old movie mantra of reliving the past. The idea is cliché, but "17 Again" has enough cringe-worthy moments and smooth acting to make the movie a simple tween flick.
"Adventureland" worth the ride
By Sophia Deng | April 6, 2009, midnight | In Movies »
First came "Superbad." Now, director Greg Mottola is back with "Adventureland," a comedy that is not as outrageously funny as his previous hit, but certainly more charming and soulful. "Adventureland" is not just mindless comedy. The quirky characters, solid acting and wry yet touching script make the film surpass unoriginal coming-of-age movies.
A dozen duds
By Julia Wynn | March 30, 2009, midnight | In Movies »
What will one man endure to save the life of his significant other? The answer, according to "12 Rounds," is excessive explosions, the deaths of innocent bystanders and abuse from a criminal. But without the clever plot that makes a great action film (think "The Bourne" series), "12 Rounds" is merely a sequence of action needing special effects and camerawork to move it along.
Frights fall flat in a hollow "Haunting in Connecticut"
By Fran Djoukeng | March 30, 2009, midnight | In Movies »
Hide-and-go-seek is a classic game of finding hidden people in a happy house. Then again, you might seek out moldy maggot-infested trinkets from the twisted séances of a fanatic mortician in a haunted attic. If that's your idea of a discovery, there's more hidden trauma to be found watching "The Haunting in Connecticut," a creepy spectacle combining ancient bodies and supernatural history. "Haunting" is edgy, but with too many shocks and slacking suspense moments, it loses intensity.
You'll love it, man
By Katie Sint | March 23, 2009, midnight | In Movies »
Anyone who's had an uncomfortable situation while meeting new people can appreciate the sheer awkwardness of "I love you, man." The realistic, palpable tension and uneasy interactions between characters will have audiences laughing and wincing.
Double the fun in "Duplicity"
By Deepa Chellappa | March 23, 2009, midnight | In Movies »
"Duplicity" is a film of double-crosses, double-entendres and double the charm of traditional spy thrillers. With more plot twists than a pretzel, this ultra-sophisticated love story is smart, droll and dazzling. Although at times keeping up with director Tony Gilroy's Rubik's Cube of a story line can become truly exhausting, the excellent casting and clever satire make the film truly superior entertainment.
"Fired Up" goes down in flames
By Sophia Deng | Feb. 23, 2009, 5:11 p.m. | In Movies »
"Two guys. 300 girls. You know what happens." That's the sad premise of director Will Gluck's "Fired Up," a teen comedy that tries too hard to be another "Wedding Crashers." Whereas "Wedding Crashers" was actually funny, "Fired Up" only offers lame jokes and clichés - already seen, already done.
Silver thinks gold: Oscar predictions 2009
By Julia Wynn, Lucas Alvarado-Farrar, Monica Wei | Feb. 20, 2009, 4:42 p.m. | In Movies »
With only a few days until the 81st Annual Academy Awards, Mr. Oscar is busy tidying up to look his finest for Sunday night's show. Meanwhile, the rest of us gabber in grocery lines, make clamor in the classroom and raise hullabaloo in the hallways over who will take home the bronze statues. Will "Slumdog Millionaire" have the Oscar shocker its producers are praying for? Can the late Heath Ledger even win an Oscar? And exactly how curious will this case of "Benjamin Button" get?
"Shopaholic" is a fashion faux pas
By Deepa Chellappa | Feb. 18, 2009, 1:18 p.m. | In Movies »
Lacking the wit of "Sex and the City" and the charm of "Legally Blonde," "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is just so last season. Though it tries mightily to live up to its cute title and premise, the movie largely registers as an overdone story of female self-improvement without the glamour and refined taste that made similar films timeless hits.
The "International" needs a bailout
By David Tao | Feb. 18, 2009, midnight | In Movies »
Hollywood has a knack for trying to make money off of the latest real-world crises, the theory apparently being that factual adversity makes for timelier, more believable fiction. Now, as hunched-over, defeated banking executives testify about our broken economy before Congress, the studios have brought for our consideration "The International," a faux-intellectual semi-thriller that ditches the time-tested machinations of a human villain for (drumroll…) the evil practices of a big mean bank.
Mediocre "Push" still pulls audience in
By Lauren Kestner | Feb. 11, 2009, 8:53 p.m. | In Movies »
"Jumper." "Wanted." "The Incredible Hulk." Although "Push" may appear to share a storyline with these lamentable box office flops – all of which involve genetically enhanced super-humans fighting against a corrupt secret organization – this riveting sci-fi thriller is founded on a novel premise: Nazi experiments during World War II caused genetic mutations, creating a race blessed with supernatural powers. Despite needlessly complicating the plot, the directors of "Push" succeed in transporting the viewer to an engaging fantasy world filled with intrigue and deceit.
"The Uninvited" comedy amuses
By Jenna Bushnell | Feb. 5, 2009, 11:57 p.m. | In Movies »
For those looking for a good laugh at the movies, look no further than "The Uninvited." Don't let the trailer or advertisements for this cinematic rubbish fool you, the only thing scary about this movie is the fact that it costs money to see it.
"New" in humor, old in plot
By Rose Wynn | Feb. 3, 2009, 1:52 p.m. | In Movies »
Four-inch stilettos and a stubborn attitude are hardly compatible with the unrelenting wintry snowstorms of places like Minnesota (think Cameron Diaz in "The Holiday"), but the slapstick-prone combination can offer the occasional chuckle. Amid an unoriginal plot and grating Minnesotan accents comes "New in Town," a surprisingly heartwarming tale of community commitment, strong friendships and love.
There's no "I do" to "Bride Wars"
By Emily Hsiao | Jan. 12, 2009, midnight | In Movies »
Most chick flicks are predictable stories ending with a typical Disney-styled happily-ever-after, but what distinguish the good from the horrible are originality and a unique moral. "Bride Wars" lacks both, and even the queens of romantic comedies, Kate Hudson ("How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days") and Anne Hathaway ("Princess Diaries"), can't save the movie from its mundane and sexist plot.
"Nixon" at his finest
By David Tao | Dec. 29, 2008, midnight | In Movies »
Here's a premise: a comedic British television personality with absolutely no political experience attempts to squeeze confessions out of a disgraced American president in four unprecedented interview sessions. It sounds dull and tedious, more at home in a history class than a movie theater. Yet screenwriter Peter Morgan manages to spin this thin material into "Frost/Nixon," an entertaining and enjoyable work of art.
Masterful "Button" tells a mesmerizing and universal tale
By Monica Wei | Dec. 29, 2008, midnight | In Movies »
F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was a lighthearted tale, meant to be a humorous "what if?" But screenwriter Eric Roth ("Forrest Gump") enriches this tale of a man born old, living life in the opposite direction to everyone around him, and dying an infant – transforming a simple narrative into a mesmerizing and timeless chronicle of emotion, humanity and magic.
A menacing "Marley" has a meager tale
By Fran Djoukeng | Dec. 29, 2008, midnight | In Movies »
The old saying goes that a dog is a man's best friend. That's hard to swallow when the furry, four-legged Labrador retriever has a ferocious temperament and a habitual routine of ruining anything in sight. Nevertheless, Marley is the canine companion in a simple story of the joys and challenges of life that teaches a time-honored message of unconditional love and family bonds.
Lacks a soul, lacks a "Spirit"
By Sophia Deng | Dec. 28, 2008, midnight | In Movies »
From acclaimed director Frank Miller comes "The Spirit" – visually stunning but heartbreakingly disappointing. The jumbled plot, coupled with bad acting and corniness, prevents "The Spirit" from getting the boost needed to propel it to the acclaim of Miller's own "300" and "Sin City."
"Stories" for all of us
By Katie Sint | Dec. 26, 2008, midnight | In Movies »
Sometimes all you want from a movie are some corny, feel-good laughs. The newest Adam Sandler family flick, "Bedtime Stories," provides all that and more. With a creative storyline, great onscreen talent and wonderfully cheesy dialogue, this family film will please all audiences, regardless of age.
An earful and eyeful of fun
By Poorna Natarajan | Dec. 22, 2008, midnight | In Movies »
With sweet rodents and much sought after soup, the animated feature "The Tale of Desperaux" may be reminiscent of Pixar's "Ratatouille." However, this fairytale focuses less on culinary success but rather on longing and hope – feelings that are all-too familiar in the literary world and even amidst the economic turmoil of today.
"Twilight" transfixes
By Lauren Kestner | Nov. 24, 2008, midnight | In Movies »
Arguably one of the most eagerly anticipated film adaptations since the "Harry Potter" series, "Twilight" is a thrilling journey into the twisted romance shared by the unlikeliest of lovers: a lonely human girl and a bloodthirsty vampire. The film is a poignant reminder of the enduring resiliency of love, and will resonate well with die-hard fans of the book.
A "Bolt" of cute humor
By Rose Wynn | Nov. 24, 2008, midnight | In Movies »
We can always count on Disney to produce a sweetly unique storyline complete with lovable and funny characters. In this bolt of delightful comedy, directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard take audiences on a fun adventure complemented by tender friendships, life lessons and a simplistic charm that is sure to light up movie goers everywhere.
No "Solace" for audiences
By Monica Wei | Nov. 17, 2008, midnight | In Movies »
Dark, twisted and conflicted seem to be the new fad for leading men these days. After the somber Bruce Wayne and the brooding Bruce Banner of the summer, Daniel Craig's rugged James Bond is back, this time vengeful and sleepless after the death of his lover Vesper in "Casino Royale." Stripped of his fun gadgets and good humor, this Bond has different charms, even if they make him no different from all the other lone avengers at the box office.
"Madagascar 2" roars past its predecessor
By Deepa Chellappa | Nov. 10, 2008, midnight | In Movies »
More often than not, sequels to animated films are stale and uninspired. For every magical "Toy Story 2," we must endure atrocities like "Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2." But "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" is an uproariously funny movie that is emotionally and visually richer than its 2005 original. With sharp, breathtaking animation, "Madagascar 2" delivers lessons in friendship, individuality and community while boasting a plethora of boogieing animal tushies to keep kids hooked.
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