Wolverine Lacks Claws

(NEWSER) - Wolverine tore the box office apart this weekend, clawing in $87 million, USA Today reports. Though that’s less than the debuts of last summer’s opener (Iron Man, $98.6 million) and the top-grossing X-Men film (The Last Stand, $102 million), it still bodes well for a blockbuster season. Romcom Ghost of Girlfriends Past opened with a weak $15.3 million, while Obsessed ($12.2 million), 17 Again ($6.4 million), and Monsters vs. Aliens ($5.8 million) rounded out the top five. 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."

James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender star in Matthew Vaughn's film

(NEWSER) - Critics are largely impressed with the latest installment in the X-Men series: X-Men: First Class is certainly an improvement over the last few. A sampling of reviews:

• “After a close call with franchise death, the X-Men film series has bounced back to life with its fifth installment, rescued with a straight injection of pop,” writes Manohla Dargis in the New York Times . The film “indulges in period nostalgia as it gazes into the future, using the backdrop of the cold war to explore how the past informs the present (while also blowing stuff up).”

Actor steps out of character to confront audience member

(NEWSER) - Don't mess with the wolverine. Miffed Hugh Jackman stopped his Broadway play in its tracks to tell an audience member to turn off his cell phone. Jackman suddenly pulled out of character and asked the errant cell-phone user: "Do you want to get that?" while the the gadget rang. "Just turn it off. We can wait," he added while the rest of the audience applauded. The phone, mercifully, finally stopped after several rings. Jackman, 40, is starring with Daniel Craig in A Steady Rain, a play about Chicago cops. More»

Abrams' bold reinvention of franchise will please both longtime fans and newbies

(NEWSER) - JJ Abrams has boldly pulled off the almost impossible with his stellar reinvention of Star Trek and made a movie that will wow both newcomers and hardcore Trekkies, critics say.

• Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: The prequel "is more exciting than the last four ST pictures put together, more fun than a barrel of Tribbles, and the most satisfying action-adventure since last year's Iron Man."