People Don't Like You, Hancock

Robert Downey Jr. saves flashy sequel, say critics

(NEWSER) - Iron Man 2 is clunkier than its predecessor and its self-destructive hero has succumbed to boozy overconfidence, but Robert Downey Jr. saves the film, not to speak of the world, say critics.

• This movie is "bigger, louder and dumber than its predecessor" but still plenty of fun, writes Bill Goodykoontz at the Arizona Republic , praising Downey's "enormously entertaining" performance as the Marvel Comics superhero.

(NEWSER) - Push, the latest would-be superhero franchise, “has vibrant cinematography and decent acting,” writes Roger Ebert, “but I’m blasted if I know what it’s about.” Oh, he gets the basics: Movers are telekinetic, Watchers are psychic, and Pushers control minds. There are also Stitchers, Wipers, Sniffers, Bleeders, “but alas, no Writers or Filmmakers to speak of,” writes Wesley Morris in the Boston Globe. More»

Heath Ledger's final performance burns in the dark

(NEWSER) - Dark Knight swoops into cinemas tomorrow and critics say the hype is more than justified. "This is not merely a Batman movie," Amy Biancolli writes in the Houston Chronicle. It is one of the year's best films "and far and away the most hypnotic chiller." The bleak Gotham tale is "audacious and unnerving while consistently being fun and entertaining," writes Claudia Puig in USA Today. More»

But Nicolas Cage seems to get it: critics

(NEWSER) - Critics agree: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is ridiculous. But they're divided over whether the silliness of the sequel, once again starring Nicolas Cage as the devilish superhero, is funny or just bad.

• In the Merced Sun-Star , Roger Moore calls the movie "a profoundly silly mash-up of comic book and quasi-religious 'prophecy' about a motorcyclist who sold his soul to the devil." It beats the original: "This time around, Cage and everybody else on board are in on the joke," and that makes it "almost a great bad movie."

Chris Evans stars in Joe Johnston's film

(NEWSER) - Captain America: The First Avenger, starring Chris Evans, isn't exactly deserving of 50 stars, but as far as superhero flicks go, it's an enjoyable, if somewhat enhanced, period piece. Just don’t expect Dark Knight-quality stuff.

• "Captain America, like its unapologetically corny hero, is propelled by unpretentious and plucky ingenuity,” not to mention a “winningly pulpy, jaunty, earnest spirit,” writes AO Scott in the New York Times . “Enjoyably preposterous” and “occasionally touching,” “its goal seems to be refreshment rather than reinvention.”