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Major Releases
Film Review: Chronicle
This tale of three teenage boys who bond and cavort after being suddenly invested with supernatural powers is quite effective. The only thing is, it’s not really scary. Revenge, yes. Chills and thrills, no. More »
Film Review: The Woman in Black
The unimaginative approach of both director and screenwriter make this attempt at classy horror singularly uninvolving and lacking in the essential element of surprise. More »
Film Review: Big Miracle
Fictional treatment of the 1988 effort to rescue three whales trapped under Alaskan ice features a wide-ranging cast of characters and offers solid family entertainment. More »
Film Review: One for the Money
Janet Evanovich’s best-selling Stephanie Plum series deserved better than this woefully executed, stillborn attempt at a franchise. More »
Film Review: Man on a Ledge
Action star Sam Worthington plays a disgraced cop threatening suicide from atop a hotel ledge, but we rapidly lose interest. More »
Film Review: The Grey
Less rollicking man-vs.-beast romp than an existential death march, Joe Carnahan's ultimate survival movie pits a handful of wounded plane-crash survivors against a pack of wolves, extreme weather and their own natures. Too bad about the animatronic and CGI wolves, though; if the performances weren't so good, they'd be deal-killers. More »
Film Review: Underworld: Awakening
Sleep-inducing is a better description for this by-the-numbers sequel. More »
Film Review: Red Tails
Much of this action-adventure inspired by the exploits of the legendary black World War II flyers in America’s then-controversial Tuskegee Program is formulaic. But highly serviceable script, emotionally charged performances and Lucasfilm’s dazzling airborne dogfight sequences provide a great cinematic ride. More »
Film Review: Haywire
Nifty spy actioner featuring impressive big-screen newcomer and martial-arts expert Gina Carano as a high-level, high-kickin’ intel operative for hire but not to mess with. Strong dramatic component, twisty plot and fresh global locales may even kick butt with older non-action crowd. More »
Film Review: Contraband
New Orleans smuggler forced to pay off an in-law's debts must outwit a rival gang when he is double-crossed. Sturdy remake of the Icelandic thriller Reykjavik-Rotterdam. More »
Film Review: Joyful Noise
For all of its commercial clichés, this joyously populated new gospel musical lives up to its title: It’s rousing fun and, in the person of Jeremy Jordan, a true star is born. More »
Film Review: The Devil Inside
This demonically derivative faux documentary scares up phony hysterics. More »
Film Review: The Iron Lady
Margaret Thatcher as you’ve never seen her… This imaginative, entertaining biopic is as unconventional as its subject, and as clever as the actress who plays her. More »
Film Review: The Darkest Hour
Russia-set invasion of electricity-sucking aliens has no juice. More »
Film Review: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Powerful, somewhat flawed drama about a brilliant but strangely afflicted 11-year-old on a mission to find a lock that fits the key his father left behind after dying in the 9/11 attack is packed with important themes, fine acting and emotional tugs. These virtues and director Stephen Daldry’s showy handling help counter elements that strain credibility. More »
Film Review: War Horse
Impeccably crafted, epic tale of a boy and his horse, and the terrible war that separates them. Animal lovers and younger viewers should be entranced. More »
Film Review: We Bought a Zoo
Facilely obvious, cartoon-like “fun” for the entire family might well have worked better in a truly animated version. More »
Film Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Highly satisfying and smart thriller, which should quiet all the naysayers who might have thought this much-anticipated zeitgeist remake project wholly unnecessary. More »
Film Review: The Adventures of Tintin
The less serious of Steven Spielberg’s two 2011 holiday films is a splashy animated adventure that shows the director returning to the kicky period thrills of Raiders of the Lost Ark. More »
Film Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
The animated chipmunk singing group creates generic funny-animal antics on a tropical island. After two critically lambasted but huge hits, why make any effort at imagination or originality? More »
Film Review: Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol
Fourth installment in the series returns to the basics as secret agent Ethan Hunt tries to prevent nuclear war. More »
Film Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Hyperkinetic sequel to the blockbuster hit follows detective Sherlock Holmes as he battles a plot by his nemesis Professor Moriarty to start a world war. More »
Film Review: The Sitter
Warning! Though The Sitter obliges with all the elements crowd-pleasing filmmakers think they need these days—oral sex, flatulence, drugs, car smash-ups, guns ’n violence, crooked cops, a jewel heist, hints of S&M, twisted adolescents, adultery—it’s a sweet-natured film in disguise, with moral lessons about honesty, sticking up for yourself, and family values. More »
Film Review: New Year's Eve
Well, the photography is nice, and Hilary Swank, Michelle Pfeiffer and Til Schweiger manage to rise above the morass of plastic in this shameless, would-be holiday heartwarmer. More »
Film Review: Young Adult
Charlize Theron proves her comedic chops as a narcissistic writer out to break up her old boyfriend’s marriage in this entertaining new collaboration between Juno writer Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman. More »
Film Review: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Devotees of le Carré and the renowned 1979 BBC miniseries will admire this atmospheric and beautifully lensed feature adaptation of the novelist’s classic Cold War thriller, but viewers unfamiliar with the story and characters should be prepared to pay close attention. More »
Film Review: Hugo
Visually dazzling fantasy is both a 3D landmark and a warm personal tribute by Martin Scorsese to early movie pioneer Georges Méliès. More »
Film Review: The Muppets
Sweet musical comedy for Muppet fans and toddlers susceptible to the franchise is as relentlessly juvenile as it is eager to please. Nostalgia aplenty for early and pre-boomer fans willing to put their brains on pause for a heap o’ feel-good, wholesome, splashy fun. More »
Film Review: Arthur Christmas
A charming and inventive exploration of the mysterious workings of Santa, his sons and his elves. This animated tale is sure to be popular for Christmases to come. More »
Film Review: My Week with Marilyn
A triumphantly entertaining examination of the ultimate movie icon, miraculously embodied by Michelle Williams. More »
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News
Single screens struggle as Europe converts to digital
A new report from the European Audiovisual Observatory and MEDIA Salles shows that around 18,500 digital screens had been installed in Europe by the end of 2011. More »
Academy Nominates 9 Films for Best Picture
"Hugo" led with 11 nominations, followed by "The Artist" with 10. More »
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