Amarcord Still Sentimental, Sexist ... and Great

If you're not sick of Michael Cera, you'll probably like it

(NEWSER) - Youth in Revolt was shot in early 2008, which, Ty Burr of the Boston Globe notes, was “before some of us started getting tired of watching Michael Cera play Michael Cera.” If you aren’t tired of Cera’s adorably dorky shtick, you’ll find Youth a sharp and funny, if familiar, effort. Here’s what critics are saying:

• Miraculously, Youth “has enough charm to make us feel something for its shy, gangly protagonist,” writes Stephanie Zacharek for Salon , “and enough bite to keep us from wanting to kill him.”

Girls too young, surgery too dangerous

(NEWSER) - Italy is about to pass legislation barring girls under 18 from having breast enhancement and other plastic surgery. A burgeoning number of teens are having the operations, which are frequently a gift from parents. "Far too many adolescent girls are unaware that there are risks with this surgery. We have a Wild West style system of plastic surgery for young women and this must stop," said a government official. The head of a plastic surgery group said teens are "too young" and the risks too great. More»

At the box office, the chaste rule, writer says

(NEWSER) - Remember the old teen sex comedies, where hormones ruled and no one talked about their feelings? Hollywood doesn't, ST VanAirsdale writes in Esquire. Today's sexless blockbusters—think the Harry Potter flicks and Twilight—reflect how "our PG-13 imperative has scrubbed mass culture of its libido." The new leading men's "heroic priorities must supersede their biological urges." And their leading ladies love them for it. More»

(AP) - Director Ron Howard claimed today that the Vatican interfered with efforts to get permits to shoot certain scenes of his Angels & Demons religious thriller in Rome—a charge the Vatican said was purely a publicity stunt. "It was explained to us that through back channels and so forth that the Vatican had exerted some influence," Howard said. The Vatican refused to comment on Howard's allegations. More»

Retro coming-of-age movie will touch nostalgic hearts

(NEWSER) - Coming-of-age romance Adventureland isn't a rollercoaster of surprises, critics say, but it's still honest and poignant enough to be touching—especially if you grew up in the '80s.

• Todd McCarthy, Variety: "A rather ordinary account of youthful summer misadventures that goes down easily thanks to a sparky cast, more than 40 pop tunes that anchor the action in the late '80s, and characters who get high both on and off their jobs at a tacky amusement park."