Broken Embraces 'Gorgeous and Seductive'

Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz star in Rob Marshall's film

(NEWSER) - The latest Pirates of the Caribbean is more of the same, and it’s getting stale—but Captain Jack Sparrow remains somewhat compelling, critics say.

• It’s “exactly like what you'd expect: overlong (two hours and 20 minutes), overstuffed (with at least four separate beats that could count as endings), and extremely loud,” writes Dana Stevens in Slate . Plus, “I liked these movies better when you thought Capt. Jack Sparrow was gay.”

But if you like the style and the stars, then just eat the ice cream

(NEWSER) - Critics agree: Nine is no 8½. Some enjoy a star-studded song-and-dance, but most don't like the song part, and they find the stars misused at best. Some opinions:

• "Step right up, pay $10, and you can see eight superstars, six of whom have won Oscars, singing songs in sparkly costumes." If that sounds good, cautions Dana Stevens of Slate , know that "the songs range from mediocre to actively unlistenable and that few of these actors know how to put over a song."

Acclaimed French film makes US debut

(NEWSER) - Ursula Meier’s acclaimed Home, in which a family is driven insane by the new highway running past their idyllic country house, is opening in the US. Should you be excited? Critics say yes:

• This is a “bewitching dream of a film,” says Sukhdev Sandhu of the Daily Telegraph . Leading lady Isabella Huppert “has such mesmerizing presence that I would happily pay to watch her paint a wall for 90 minutes.”

And no, she's not pregnant it seems—but she does have two major new films

(NEWSER) - Penélope Cruz found herself suffering a panic attack after filming the scene in Broken Embraces when her character decides to try acting. “I don’t know what happened to me that day, but before and after we filmed I could not breathe,” she says—perhaps because the character recalls Cruz’s own beginnings, which she discusses (along with her first meeting with Tom Cruise, but not her relationship with Javier Bardem) in a broad-ranging interview with Vanity Fair. More»

(NEWSER) - The Cannes Film Festival unveiled this year’s roster today, and it’s packed with regulars like Ang Lee, Pedro Almodovar, and Terry Gilliam, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Among the most buzzed-about selections is Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino’s violent World War II pic. Anticipation is also high for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; Heath Ledger’s last film, directed by Gilliam, will screen out of competition. More»