Bees More Honey Than Sting

Movie reviews: Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum can't save amnesia romance

(NEWSER) - In The Vow, Rachel McAdams plays a woman who must learn to love her husband again after amnesia wipes her memory. It's no surprise it was released ahead of Valentine's Day: It's pure mushiness, critics say.

• In the New York Daily News , Elizabeth Weitzman calls the film a "down-the-middle, by-the-numbers fantasy, in which no one is too quirky or interesting or challenging in any way." Still, "there’s no shortage of viewers ready to embrace an old-fashioned, guilty-pleasure romance."

Action flick less than the sum of its all-star parts

(NEWSER) - Sylvester Stallone directed and co-stars, alongside a Magnificent Seven-style roster of action-film legends—Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, and Jason Statham—but critics have some issues with The Expendables.

• James Verniere (and a friend), Boston Herald : "Hulk like Expendables. It SMASH. Guns go BANG-BANG. Things go BOOM. Fire EVERYWHERE. Cars crash and make even MORE FIRE. HA-HA-HA. Hulk no like Rourke, though. Rourke NUTS."

Michael Cera and original storytelling make this a winner

(NEWSER) - Critics generally love the inventive storytelling of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a very modern romance that stars Michael Cera. It's based on a graphic novel, and it shows.

• Joe Neumaier, Daily News : "Plugged into some kind of mental electrical socket by director Edgar Wright, this is a romantic adventure for the ADD age, a pop poem for Millennials that could just as well be titled Scott Pilgrim vs. the Old Ways of Storytelling."
• Eric D. Snider, Film.com : It's "an exuberant mixture of comic books, video games, and hipster romance," tied together with "unconventional filmmaking techniques." It might be the norm in 10 years, but "for now it's almost revolutionary."

Singer and Swizz Beatz are expecting their first child

(NEWSER) - So that's where the celebrities were—Alicia Keys married rap producer Swizz Beatz yesterday in a small ceremony attended by, among others, Bono and Queen Latifah, reports the Daily Mail . Though overshadowed by Chelsea Clinton's blowout in New York's Hudson Valley, the exchange of vows on the French island of Corsica ended days of flying rumors, notes E! . A true one: The couple are expecting their first child in November. "It's a brand new day :)," Beatz tweeted . "I feel like Nas and Diddy song :) love y'all and blessing!" More»

Critics aren't impressed, but most think Zac is great

(NEWSER) - Critics agree on one thing when it comes to Charlie St. Cloud: Tween girls will love it, thanks to the number of times Zac Efron takes off his shirt. Beyond that they’re split, though the majority aren't enthusiastic:

• The movie, about a teen who loses his brother in a car accident, “tries to capture the crushing weight of loss, but between the insipid pop tunes and the repetitive shots cutting away to a lighthouse on a scenic outcropping, it feels more like a film version of a condolence card,” writes Claudia Puig in USA Today .