Movie Reviews (Page 17)

Having just featured an interview with How She Move Star, Tre Armstrong, we figure it was time to focus on the movie itself.

How are critics reacting to the MTV production? Here are a few viewpoints...

- The story itself is a hodgepodge of devices, conceits and half-baked motives, but amid the dissing and the dancing are affecting moments, usually quieter ones, between people at war who shouldn't be. -- The Washington Post

- It's a little bit earnest, it's a little bit afterschool-special-y, but its young newcomer cast is highly appealing, its spirit is honest and affecting. -- Flick Filosopher

- A grittier, slightly more real-world version of movies like Step Up, Stomp the Yard, and Save the Last Dance. -- The Boston Globe

- Honestly, this is a carbon copy of every other 'gotta dance' flick ever made, down to the cheesy emcees who host the big dance-off (it's in Detroit!) and the wannabe heart-tugging conclusion. -- The Detroit News

Stop us if you've heard this before: Sylvester Stallone is resurrecting a character that made him famous for yet another version of an ancient franchise.

This time, however, it's not Rocky Balboa.

Indeed, John Rambo is back in the aptly title movie, Rambo. Let's find out if critics feel like Stallone made the right move in bringing this action hero back to the big screen...

- It's confusing. Rambo makes you root for the wrong things. -- The Arizona Republic

- The action here is repetitive, derivative, and clunky. Then there's the subtext, which embodies enough jingoistic Imperialism to make Kipling puff up his chest with pride. -- Killer Movie Reviews

- Has the gritty realism of the first film and a sadder mood for our hero but still continues Rambo as a soldier for hire involved in a standard plot. -- Mark's Movie Reviews

- Stallone (who looks fit but mostly keeps his shirt on) has no intention of bogging the action down, but it's still a notably cheerless exercise, without knowing winks or stabs (pardon the expression) at humor. -- Variety

For many, just knowing that Untraceable stars Diane Lane might be enough to inspire them to purchase a ticket for this movie. That group would probably be made up entirely of males.

Others, however, are curious about how critics feel. Considering Untraceable comes out this weekend, let's take a look at their opinions now...

- Untraceable engenders a reaction that is one part fascination, one part disappointment, and two parts frustration. -- Reel Views

- This taut, savvy cyber-thriller makes for one of the better net flicks. -- The Hollywood Reporter

- Untraceable has flaws, but this cat-and-mouse team is so hypnotic that all you do is sit there waiting while they deliver one big shock after another. -- The New York Observer

- Talk about your pious frauds. I've got a better way to show your disgust for Internet scum: Don't see Untraceable. -- Rolling Stone

Renting Good Luck Chuck tonight? It comes out on DVD this week.

If so, we just wanted to wish you the very best of luck in your attempt to enjoy this Jessica Alba/Dane Cook train wreck. Just look at what a series of movie critics have to say about this comedy disaster...

- A lot of the humor comes from taking clichéd dirty jokes and bringing them to life, but it will make you laugh. -- Smart Cine

- Good Luck Chuck aims for laughs with pratfalls and gross-out humor, but viewers looking for funny are out of luck. -- Entertainment Weekly

- Overweight people in lingerie. Overweight people in swim suits. Overweight people in general. Barbershop quartets performing pop singles. Chipped teeth. If these things - in and of themselves, without any attachment to plot or character or elegant construction or witty execution - are funny to you, you'll love Good Luck Chuck. And may God have mercy on your soul. -- Cinematical

- Good Luck Chuck is one of those supposed comedies where I (and hopefully others) left the theatre shaking my head wondering who the hell could possibly think this movie is funny. -- Empire Movies

J.J. Abrams! A monster! All that mystery!

For months and months, movie fans have been teased about the upcoming horror/suspense film, Cloverfield. But does the flick live up to the hype? Let's see how a handful of critics feel about it...

- Cloverfield is a fun movie. Plain and simple. It's sit back, relax and go. It's a roller coaster ride. -- Slash Film

- A combination of unpleasantness and stupidity that would be difficult to match, unless you were stuck in bed with the flu while being forced to watch Lou Dobbs. -- Kyle Smith

- A robust 80-minute burst of barely-controlled mayhem. Monster fans will love it. -- Fearnet.com

- Will grab you in its jaws, toss you around like a chew toy for a rollicking 80 minutes (yes, it's a short â€" but oh so sweet â€" flick) and still leave you panting for more. -- IGN

It appears as though Katie Holmes has released herself from Tom Cruise's clutches long enough to film a new movie.

Indeed, Mad Money opens on January 18. Here are a few reviews of it from various movie critics and fans:

- The story seems awkward and the characters are little more than forced stereotypes. -- Cinema Blend

- This strained heist comedy about three cash-strapped femmes is watchable enough for a few reels, but lacks the requisite wit and amoral energy to capitalize on its get-rich-quick premise. -- Variety

- [An] improbable and generally unfunny comedy. -- The Hollywood Reporter

- An Ocean's Eleven for the female set, Khouri's multi-generational, multi-racial comedy is in synch with the thought processes of its down-on-their-luck femmes, who contrive ingenious way of ripping off a bank, before running out of steam. -- Emanuel Levy

Considering it's directed by Woody Allen, Cassandra's Dream has gone surprisingly under the radar during this movie season.

Does that mean the Colin Farrell/Ewan McGregor vehicle stinks? Not completely, according to various film critics...

- An exceedingly well acted and sporadically electrifying little thriller. -- Reel Film

- This is archly contrived nail-biter territory and an almost giddy strain on our nerves as Allen moves his hapless heroes from bad to far worse. -- Cinema Signals

- What the hell was Woody Allen thinking? -- New York Magazine

- Like a tragic overture played at the wrong tempo and slightly off-key, Woody Allen's London-set Cassandra's Dream sends out more mixed signals than an inebriated telegraphist. -- Variety

While First Sunday looks like a fairly generic comedy, it may attract a large audience simply due to Tracy Morgan's presence in the film.

His role will certainly make all 30 Rock fans curious about the film. So, let's take a look at what critics around the country think of it...

- As if Tyler Perry's own films weren't bad enough, now we have to contend with ill-begotten rip-offs of them? Heaven help us. -- Eric D. Snyder

- This anemic vehicle for Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan to mug and jive through is just weak, weak stuff. -- The Philadelphia Inquirer

- Has more bathroom humor than an elementary school cafeteria and so many stereotypes up the wazoo that the wazoo is officially full. -- Metro Mix

- A near-claustrophobic comedy that manages to be both predictable and preachy. -- Variety

As There Will Be Blood continues to pick up awards, many are wondering if we're looking at the winner of this year's Best Picture at the Oscars.

If that's not enough to entice people to check out the Daniel Day-Lewis vehicle, here are a series of reviews from America's top critics:

- There Will Be Blood strives for boldness, instead of just being bold. It doesn't cut, and it doesn't bleed. -- Salon.com

- There Will Be Blood, the joint venture between actor Daniel Day-Lewis and director Paul Thomas Anderson, might be the most incendiary combination since the Molotov cocktail. -- Los Angeles Times

- For bleakness, the movie can't be beat -- nor for brilliance. -- Entertainment Weekly

- Paul Thomas Anderson's loose adaptation of Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil! finds the director exhibiting newfound maturity and restraint without sacrificing any measure of artistry. -- Slant Magazine

The Kite Runner is a well-known, well-respected, best-selling book.

But what about the film version? Here's what critics are saying about it...

- [Director Marc Forster']s mix of topicality and sensationalism makes The Kite Runner sentimental, not profound. -- New York Press

- I won't deny that the film is sometimes rushed, oversimplified and skimpy on the details of Afghan culture that informed the book. But the tale still takes hold. -- Rolling Stone

- A dark tale of gnawing lament and an all-consuming yearning to atone for lifelong shortcomings. -- Arizona Daily Star

- The young actors are quite good, as is Homayoun Ershadi as Amir's intellectual father. -- Philadelphia Daily News