May 15, 2008 Film: What Happens in Vegas 'What Happens in Vegas' suffers from the same “desperation and forced cheer” as the city itself, said Kimberley Jones in The Austin Chronicle. Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher want you to believe that they’re having a sinfully good time amid the “bright lights and ersatz glitz.” But this romantic comedy about two strangers who get drunk, get married, and get rich all in one weekend never lets you join in the fun. Director Tom Vaughan and screenwriter Dana Fox lack the courage to “take a gamble,” said Claudia Puig in USA Today. They’ve devised a story that feels “familiar at best, hackneyed at worst.” You can’t exactly blame them, said Carina Chocano in the Los Angeles Times, considering the whole genre is based on . . .

May 15, 2008 Marvel's movies raise cultural questions Following the box-office success of 'Iron Man,' Marvel Studios has set release dates for its next string of comic-book movies, for characters such as Thor, Captain America, and Ant-Man. The extravagant special effects of comic-book movies don't "exactly instill one with a feeling of awe for the magic of moviemaking," said Jack Donaldson in The Huffington Post. Say what you will about blockbuster CGI movies, said Anne Kates Smith on Kiplinger.com, but they're working wonders for . . .

May 12, 2008 Why ‘Speed Racer’ crashed at the box office The Wachowski brother’s latest film 'Speed Racer' opened in second place at the box office this weekend but brought in low numbers and was beat out by 'Iron Man,' which took the number one spot for the second week in a row with $50.5 million. “The summer box office season has seen its first crash,” said Joel Ryan in an E! Online blog. Actually, it’s surprising that 'Speed Racer' didn’t do better, said Richard Corliss in Time.com, because . . .

May 8, 2008 Iron Man “There’s no rust on this baby,” said Peter Travers in Rolling Stone. Iron Man, the latest film based on a Marvel comic-book character and the first produced by newly formed Marvel Studios, “kicks off summer on a blazing high note.” It’s been quite a while since a blockbuster as expensive as this one thrilled audiences the way it was meant to. Spider-Man 3 was a letdown, Transformers a migraine-inducing bore. But this superhero flick, enlivened with a genius cast. . .

May 8, 2008 Redbelt A fight movie by David Mamet? “It sounds like a jarring combination at first,” said Christy Lemire in the Associated Press. But Mamet and martial arts aren’t as incompatible as one would think. The filmmaker and playwright has always been . . .

May 7, 2008 Will Ellen Page make a good Jane Eyre? Ellen Page, the Oscar-nominated star of 'Juno,' has been cast as the lead in BBC Films’ new adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel 'Jane Eyre,' according to Variety. Page is perfect for this part, said Michele Graham in the blog Film School Rejects. Page might be too young looking for the role of Jane, said Kristen Anderson in the blog Snarkerati, which might . . .

May 5, 2008 Do this summer’s blockbusters reflect a misogynist Hollywood? “Iron Man, Batman, Big Angry Green Man,” said Manohla Dargis in The New York Times, “to judge from the new popcorn season it seems as if Hollywood has realized that the best way to deal with its female troubles is to not have any, women, that is.” What about 'Baby Mama'? said Brad Brevet in the blog Rope of Silicon. “Tina Fey is a very big draw right now,” and it’s “because . . .

May 5, 2008 What ‘Iron Man’s big opening means for Hollywood Marvel Studios’ movie 'Iron Man' grossed $201 million worldwide in its first five days of release, said Pamela McClintock in Variety, and “Hollywood couldn’t wish for a better way to start summer 2008.” “The only real challenge” that the “approximately $140-million film” faced at the box office was “Hollywood’s arch nemesis: Mr. Expectations,” said Josh Friedman in the Los Angeles Times. Distributor Paramount . . .

May 1, 2008 Then She Found Me Helen Hunt’s directorial debut proves “you can take the woman out of the sitcom, but you can’t take the sitcom out of the woman,” said David Ansen in Newsweek. 'Then She Found Me,' an adaptation of an Elinor Lipman novel, finds Hunt . . .

May 1, 2008 Baby Mama Even with the potential for “some fertile comedy,” Baby Mama “never fully delivers,” said Michael Rechtshaffen in The Hollywood Reporter. Former Saturday Night Live comedy partners Tina Fey and Amy Poehler make a perfect odd couple, but the film never develops into the “bundle of joy” you’d expect from this generation’s Jane Curtin and Gilda Radner. Fey plays a 37-year-old single career woman who wants a baby. . .

May 1, 2008 Tribeca Film Festival: Something for everyone In its seventh year, the Tribeca Film Festival is only now “settling into its own identity,” said Stephen Holden in The New York Times. The two-week-long smorgasbord of major film debuts and independent films hoping for wider release has never achieved the cachet of other film festivals. Founded in the aftermath of Sept. 11 by New Yorkers Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. . .

Apr 25, 2008 Is ‘Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay’ too offensive? The movie 'Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay' opens this weekend and is expected to make a solid run for the top spot at the box office. The new 'Harold & Kumar' movie is “vulgar, obvious, and not funny,” said Jay Stone in The Vancouver Sun. Actually, the movie’s not offensive enough, said Dana Stevens in Slate. “The sequel takes . . .

Apr 24, 2008 The Forbidden Kingdom The chance to watch Jackie Chan fight Jet Li for the first time is reason enough to see 'The Forbidden Kingdom,' said Ethan Sacks in the New York Daily News. The two masters of martial arts have reigned over Asian cinema for more than 25 years, but never . . .

Apr 24, 2008 Forgetting Sarah Marshall Forgetting Sarah Marshall rides the wave of Judd Apatow’s directorial success, but can’t compare to his best work, said David Ansen in Newsweek. The film is produced by Apatow and written by its star, Jason Segel. As a good protégé should, Segel subscribes to his mentor’s “credo: No pain, no comic gain.” Canny enough to write what he knows, Segel has penned a witty, sweet-natured script about a lovable schlub who gets dumped by his actress girlfriend, flees to Hawaii to heal his battered soul, and, sure enough, runs into the ex and her new boyfriend. . . .

Apr 24, 2008 88 Minutes It takes all of eight minutes to realize 88 Minutes is awful, said Lisa Schwarzbaum in Entertainment Weekly. Even by the low standard of most “watch-and-toss serial-killer” movies, this film doesn’t stand up. In a display of “thespian excess,” Al Pacino plays a playboy professor of forensic psychiatry whose testimony puts a sadistic murderer in the slammer. While in prison, the killer somehow acquires Pacino’s cell phone number and, in a creepy Scream-like voice, warns him that he has only 88 minutes to live. . . .

Apr 24, 2008 New on DVD Juno, War/Dance, A Passage to India

Apr 23, 2008 ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’: Why Apatow is pushing male nudity Judd Apatow launched a mission to put an end to one of "film's last taboos"—frontal male nudity—with his newly released film, 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall,' said Chris Lee in the Sydney Morning Herald. If he's going make us less "squeamish" by showing his blubbery buddies naked, said Sean Chavel in Cinema Confidential, the least he can do is . . .

Apr 21, 2008 Why won’t Soderbergh’s ‘Che Guevara’ films screen at Cannes? Steven Soderbergh’s two-part Che Guevara biopic, starring Benicio del Toro, has missed the deadline for Cannes this year and won’t compete in the festival. This is pretty surprising, said the blog Defamer, especially considering “Soderbergh's lightning-fast methodology." “When you’re dealing with one of the most controversial figures of 20th century counterculture,” said Eric Kohn in the blog Cinematical, “it’s important to take your time and get things right.” And . . .

Apr 18, 2008 Will Christians help ‘Expelled’ beat box office expectations? If “even a fraction of the faith-based crowd” that turned out for the 'Passion of the Christ' see 'Expelled' this weekend, said Josh Friedman in the Los Angeles Times, it could “dwarf” box office predictions. 'Expelled' is nothing more than “a cynical attempt to sucker Christian conservatives into thinking they’re losing the ‘intelligent design’ debate because of academic ‘prejudice,’” said Roger Moore in the Orlando Sentinel. And “when ...

Apr 17, 2008 New on DVD Perry Mason: 50th Anniversary Edition, There Will Be Blood, The 11th Hour

Apr 17, 2008 Street Kings The cop drama Street Kings proves “an arresting ride,” said Joe Neumaier in the New York Daily News. In this “enjoyably tough, blood-spattered” police drama, Keanu Reeves plays an officer framed for his partner’s murder. Rather than opt for a more conventional form of justice, Reeves follows his own amoral code and plans to finish off the perps himself. James Ellroy, the crime novelist behind L.A. Confidential, wrote this script. . . .

Apr 17, 2008 Smart People Not much happens in 'Smart People,' said Carina Chocano in the Los Angeles Times. A seriocomedy about an entire family’s coming-of-age, the film follows a self-absorbed English professor and socially clueless father, played by Dennis Quaid. It’s a smallish picture, but it’s . . .

Apr 17, 2008 The Visitor Good intentions aren’t enough to make a movie, said Scott Foundas in The Village Voice. Writer-director Tom McCarthy “unquestionably means well” with The Visitor, a quietly charming story of a chance encounter between an uptight, aging professor and a young immigrant couple that blossoms into a friendship. His exploration of this “unlikely threesome” has some similarities to his 2003 debut. . .

Apr 11, 2008 Will moviegoers attend ‘Prom Night’? Screen Gems latest horror-thriller 'Prom Night,' a remake of the 1980 film of the same name, is expected to top the box office this weekend. “Even without major stars or reviews from most critics,” said Josh Friedman in the Los Angeles Times, 'Prom Night' “looks to be an easier sell” than last weekend’s box office disappointment, 'Leatherheads.' 'Prom Night' is likely to be nothing more than a “forgettable, one-weekend wonder,” said Brian Orndorf in the blog DVD Talk. “Stop me if you’ve read these ingredients before . . .

Apr 10, 2008 New on DVD Alvin and the Chipmunks, Bette Davis Centenary Celebration Collection, From the Taviani Brothers

Apr 10, 2008 My Blueberry Nights The “cool and cerebral” 'My Blueberry Nights' won’t fare well outside the art house, said Kirk Honeycutt in The Hollywood Reporter. Acclaimed director Wong Kar Wai brings his renowned poetic vision to his first English-language feature, but . . .

Apr 10, 2008 Leatherheads George Clooney’s throwback to the rough-and-tumble first days of professional football “meets its goal,” said Claudia Puig in USA Today. Leatherheads, which marks the third film in his directorial career, aims for the snappy humor and lighthearted gambol of the best screwball comedies of the 1930s. With Clooney leading his team both on- and offscreen. . .