Iraq War Pics Win Fans at Venice Festival

Critics hail 'lacerating' murder probe that lays bare social scars

(NEWSER) - "In The Valley of Elah," a murder mystery with an Iraq war vet veteran as the victim, is “a raw, angry, earnest attempt to grasp the moral consequences of the war,” writes A.O. Scott of the Times. He's one of several critics who hail the film, preferring it to director Paul Haggis’ Oscar-winning "Crash." More»

Film liaisons offer help; some directors see spin

(NEWSER) - War films can help shape public perception, and the Army is trying to guide moviemakers away from negative portrayals of the Iraq conflict like the ones that dominated films about Vietnam. Army liaisons to Hollywood offer equipment, expertise—and script alterations that some filmmakers see as spin. The LA Times looks at an area in which, one military liaison says, "There doesn't seem to be a lot of room for nuance." More»

Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones return for alien flick

(NEWSER) - Sure, no one was that desperate for a Men in Black 3—but it's actually a pretty good summer movie. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back defending the planet from aliens, and this time, Josh Brolin's along for the ride as a young Jones.

• The movie "turns out to be so much fun," writes AO Scott in the New York Times . While it "carefully fulfills its blockbuster imperatives—with chases and explosions and elaborately contrived plot twists—it swerves into some marvelously silly, unexpectedly witty, and genuinely fresh territory."

Pioneering Frenchman directed 50+ films

(NEWSER) - Eric Rohmer, a leading light of the French New Wave and a prolific filmmaker for over 4 decades, died today in Paris. He was 89. Overshadowed early in his career by Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, Rohmer made his mark with his "Six Moral Tales," released from 1963 through 1972. They include My Night at Maud's, for which he received an Oscar nomination, and Claire's Knee. More»

It's unclear if Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones are in

(NEWSER) - The Men in Black are back … at least, Sony hopes they will be. The studio is moving forward with a third installment in the franchise and has tapped Tropic Thunder writer Etan Cohen for the script. Barry Sonnenfeld is willing to return to the director’s chair, sources tell the Hollywood Reporter, but the men themselves, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, are MIA. Neither has committed to the project, though Smith reportedly has come around to the idea. More»