Movie Reviews (Page 12)

Not everyone wants to deal with the pressures of sex (and the city).

Nor do they need the dizzying action of an iron man or an aging archaeologist.

Therefore, for those seeking lighter fare this summer movie season, there's Kung Fu Panda. The animated film features the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and Angelina Jolie. Here's a summary of its recent reviews...

- I'm no fan of casting big movie stars as voices in animated films, but Black and Hoffman have great fun taking their characters from exasperated adversaries to bedgrudging comrades... -- MSNBC

- This is a solid family film material, although one suspects the children will get a little more out of it than their parents... -- ReelViews

- Kung Fu Panda may be on the higher edge of the middle rank of computer-animated films, but it'll still provide your kids with a fairly respectable mix of action, amazement and amusement... -- Cinematical

- Though aimed primarily at youngsters, Kung Fu Panda embraces humor that plays well across age groups and nationalities... -- Hollywood Reporter

Cassandra's Dream certainly wasn't one of Woody Allen's highest grossing movies of all-time. But is it worth a rental?

With the movie coming out on DVD tomorrow, we posed that question to a number of film critics. Their answers are below...

- Cassandra's Dream lacks energy and spark. Monotonous and simplistic, it is definitely not worthy of Woody Allen... -- Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

- Allen, who stays behind the camera, brings too little wit and too much contrivance to material that quickly dissolves into warmed-over Dostoevski... -- Rolling Stone

- Cassandra's Dream is second-rate Allen, but it's still compelling thanks to its magnetic co-stars... -- The Washington Times

- Farrell and McGregor deliver remarkably nuanced performances in and through their mundane one-dimensionality, taking average Joes and give them average strengths and weaknesses... -- Christianity Today

You may know about Iron Man, Indiana Jones and Hancock, but a small comedy is earning its own wave of rave reviews this summer.

For those that haven't heard of The Foot Fist Way, check out the following remarks by film critics. And leave a couple hours free on your schedule next month for it...

- Stays doggedly true to its idiosyncratic off-kilter vibe... -- Slant Magazine

- The film's funniest moment caught me at a loss of breath, and at its best has other moments providing extended laughs, if not of the breathtaking variety... -- eFilmCritic

- This is a really small film, shot in 19 days, and it's a little rough around the edges, but it's got a huge comic heart that's undeniable... -- Film Threat

- For a low budget, independent comedy made in 19 days, "The Foot Fist Way" is a clever and surprisingly satisfying effort from first-time director and co-writer Jody Hill... -- Cole Smithey

There's little doubt you can pencil in Sex and the City: The Movie at the top of the box office rankings for next week. But does this mean the film is actually any good?

While many viewers may not even care - they'll be more focused on Carrie and company's fashion choices - we asked a handful of critics for their take on this anticipated remake...

- Will give female audiences a jolt of excitement in the same way that seeing Indiana Jones back in action will thrill male audiences this summer... -- Boxoffice Magazine

- For a series so steeped in romance, the eagerly awaited Sex and the City movie feels a trifle half-hearted... -- Variety

- Yes, it's good to see the Fab Four together again. You just wish they were in a funnier and wittier film than this indulgent and essentially middlebrow saga that feels like six TV episodes glued together, with a running time of two and a half hours... -- Emanuel Levy

- One thing's for sure: fans of the series will lap this film up... -- The Daily Telegraph

A certain movie about a certain adventurous archaeologist comes out this week. Perhaps you've heard of it: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

While the opinion of critics is unlikely to affect this film's box office take, it's still worth noting their view on Harrison Ford's foray back into the most famous hat and whip combination in the world. To wit:

- In spite of an over reliance on CG, and one too many obvious moments of George Lucas-involved tomfoolery, this is a great piece of studio-produced escapist entertainment... -- Dark Horizons

- One of the most eagerly and long-awaited series follow-ups in screen history delivers the goods -- not those of the still first-rate original, 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but those of its uneven two successors... -- Variety

- I can say that if you liked the other Indiana Jones movies, you will like this one, and that if you did not, there is no talking to you... --  Roger Ebert

- Even with the ponderous dialogue, there is considerable fun, and it's good to see that Indy, though slightly weary, still has the goods... -- USA Today

With The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian set to hit theaters Friday, those behind the follow-up to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe must be wondering:

Will this follow the successful path of Iron Man, or the doomed path of Speed Racer?

So far, critics seem to be leaning toward the former. Here are a few of their views on Prince Caspian...

- A bit darker, more conventional and more crisply made than its 2005 predecessor... -- Variety

- A far superior film in terms of the quality on every level, but one that suffers from the weaker source material... -- ComingSoon.net

- A worthy if somewhat less wondrous successor to that 2005 phenomenon... -- The Hollywood Reporter

- The second chapter of the Narnia saga is bigger and "more epic" yet lacks the dramatic energy and narrative involvement of the first, problems that also exist in the literary source (Lewis' book), but it signals the birth of a new star, Brit Ben Barnes... -- Emanuel Levy

What Happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas this weekend. It comes to a movie theater near you!

Is this Ashton Kutcher/Cameron Diaz comedy worth your time and money, though? Let's find out what a number of film critics thought of it...

- Sadly, about the nicest thing I can say about What Happens in Vegas is that I didn't hate it -- although I suppose that's something... -- Reel Views

- Though utterly contrived, predictable, and disposable, this counter-proragmming date flick has a certain charm, due to Cameron Diaz's sex appeal and ease with slapstick and her onscreen chemistry with lead man Ashton Kutcher... -- Emanuel Levy

- This tone-deaf flick from hack screenwriter Dana Fox, is an example of a Hollywood formula romantic comedy where the author never properly learned the recipe... -- Cole Smithey

- The film delivers what it promises as a freewheeling, bitchy-mouthed romantic comedy, so it's a good date movie... -- Urban Cinefile

It's the next big movie on the summer film docket.

But will Speed Racer follow in the record-breaking footsteps of Iron Man? The following reviews might go a long way toward determining that...

- The Wachowskis have created a blast of pure pop family fun; Speed Racer's a bright, bold visual spectacle designed for kids... -- Cinematical

- Unlike a Pixar cartoon that embraces as wide an audience as possible, Speed Racer proudly denies entry into its ultra-bright world to all but gamers, fanboys and anime enthusiasts... -- The Hollywood Reporter

- Imagine someone pouring hot, melted Starburst candies into your corneas, and you just begin to approximate the experience of Speed Racer, an ice-cream headache of a movie that just keeps piling on the unnatural colors... -- MSNBC

- Pure cotton candy -- entirely non-nutritious but too sweet and pretty for young people to resist... -- Variety

With Iron Man coming out tomorrow, there's a good chance the unknown comedy Son of Rambow gets overlooked by movie-goers.

But it sounds like film critics think this would be a mistake on your part. Here's what they have to say about the flick...

- Full of quirk, slapstick and dry British humor, Son of Rambow is a delight, but too often forgets to stay true to its heart... -- E! Online

- The team who made The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy display plenty of whirligig energy, if not much control or lightness of touch... -- Entertainment Weekly

- Son of Rambow evokes the rush of discovery that turns budding cinephiles into lifers -- that delight in finding a film that seems to express or coalesce some inchoate yearning, including a yen to share... -- Village Voice

- This is a joyous film. It's about making friends, making movies and having a great time; a movie for anybody and everybody, especially those with a love of the '80s... -- IGN Movies

Is Made of Honor as tiresome as its plot suggests? Or as cheesy as its title suggests?

You can tell what our opinion of this Patrick Dempsey movie just from those opening sentences. But do critics around the country agree? Let's find out...

- How do I loathe the soul-crushingly predictable Made of Honor? Let me count the ways... -- Slant Magazine

- A strong opening, bursting with wit and vigour, gives way to a predictable, patronising and immensely lazy second half. Could have been so much more... -- Empire Magazine

- An amusing, smartly cast romantic comedy told from a guy's perspective... -- The Hollywood Reporter

- Director Paul Weiland and the three (!) screenwriters it took to boil down thousands of bad movies into 101 minutes haven't provided this one with a single original thought... -- Village Voice