Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Cirque du Freak a Bloodless Bore

Vampire's Assistant has an identity crisis

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 23, 2009 11:38 AM CDT

(Newser) – Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant isn't particularly freaky, and it sure could use some assistance. Some critics' takes:

Peter Travers doesn't deign to explain the film's loose ends. "All you need to know is that the movie is a setup for sequels that

... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

3 comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

'Serpent Pastor' Dies of Snake Bite

Oosp: Romney's New App Misspells 'America'

Rotten Tomatoes (Source Grid »)
Rolling Stone (Source Grid »)
USA Today (Source Grid »)
Toronto Star (Canada) (Source Grid »)

The film reviewed in the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle

Entertainment

entertainment • Harry Potter • film • movie review • John C. Reilly • Salma Hayek • vampire • Twilight • Michael Cerveris • Cirque du Freak • Chris Massogli

More Newser Stories

Percy Jackson Lacks Spark

Harry Potter clone falls short of Olympian ambitions

(NEWSER) - Critics are pretty disappointed with Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. The Harry Potter-esque romp, directed by Chris Columbus, follows a boy who discovers not just that he has powers, but that the Greek gods are alive in America.

The film "has no real pep to it as Columbus moves from one special-effects sequence to the next, and as an effects film it is perhaps the first clear casualty in a post-Avatar world: Everything looks somewhat cheesy," writes Tom Long for the Detroit News .

Men in Black 3 : Better Than the First?

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."

Five-Year Engagement a Bit Drawn Out

Jason Segel, Emily Blunt star in truthful romantic comedy

(NEWSER) - The Five-Year Engagement clocks in at over two hours, which is a bit too long for many critics. But its honesty about relationships makes the Jason Segel-Emily Blunt rom-com stand out from the pack.

"Because it's so willing to drill down into Tom and Violet's misery, The Five-Year Engagement involves a higher grim-to-grin ratio than its fluffier brethren," writes Ann Hornaday in the Washington Post . "But there's an unmistakable ring of truth to the couple's conflicts and mixed feelings."

Cabin in the Woods Is Scary Good

Joss Whedon-produced horror-comedy defies convention

(NEWSER) - Critics are applauding Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods for its delectable mixture of horror and humor. From a familiar premise—five college students alone in the forest—come all kinds of surprises.

"A fiendishly clever brand of meta-level genius propels The Cabin in the Woods," writes Ann Hornaday in the Washington Post . It's "a pulpy, deceivingly insightful send-up of horror movies that elicits just as many knowing chuckles as horrified gasps."

Mirror Mirror Looks Great, Feels Flat

Julia Roberts stars as evil queen in Snow White spectacle

(NEWSER) - The latest retelling of Snow White (before June's Snow White and the Huntsman) is a lot like its vain queen: visually stunning, but kind of shallow. Critics aren't particularly impressed with Mirror Mirror:

Though director Tarsem Singh "knows how to make performers and sets look good, he has trouble putting them into vibrant, kinetic, meaningful play," notes Manohla Dargis in the New York Times . That "effectively means that he’s a better window dresser than a movie director."

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Cirque du Freak a Bloodless Bore

Vampire's Assistant has an identity crisis

entertainment • Harry Potter • film • movie review • John C. Reilly • Salma Hayek • vampire • Twilight • Michael Cerveris • Cirque du Freak • Chris Massogli

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Percy Jackson Lacks Spark

Harry Potter clone falls short of Olympian ambitions

Men in Black 3 : Better Than the First?

Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones return for alien flick

Five-Year Engagement a Bit Drawn Out

Jason Segel, Emily Blunt star in truthful romantic comedy

Cabin in the Woods Is Scary Good

Joss Whedon-produced horror-comedy defies convention

Mirror Mirror Looks Great, Feels Flat

Julia Roberts stars as evil queen in Snow White spectacle

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?