Movie Reviews

(Newser) - Doubt erases any qualms over whether the claustrophobic, Pulitzer Prize-winning play would work on the big screen, say critics. A "frighteningly good" Meryl Streep stars as the hardline principal of a Bronx Catholic school in 1964, Lou Lumenick writes in the New York Post . A game of cat-and-mouse begins when Streep's nun suspects a priest, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, of molesting the school's first African-American student. More »

(Newser) - Mickey Rourke takes the title role of The Wrestler and pins it to the mat in a stunning comeback, say critics. The tragicomic portrait of a washed-up star still hitting the circuit decades past his prime "is not just a comeback performance but something much rarer: a rounded, raddled portrait of a good man," longtime Rourke fan Anthony Lane writes in the New Yorker. More »

(Newser) - Nothing Like the Holidays is much like many other holiday heart-warmers, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, say critics. The "warm but generic family-stressing-for-the-holidays dramedy" tells the tale of an extended Latin clan getting together for Christmas and stars a who's who of Hispanic talent, Roger Moore writes in the Orlando Sentinel . More »

(Newser) - “Kids, dogs, wisecracking old men and well-proportioned female derrières take up a significant portion of screen time in Amarcord ,” writes Andrew O’Hehir in Salon of the newly re-released, semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale from Federico Fellini—but it doesn’t lack gravitas. The color restoration is as “eye-popping” as the topless scene that brings Titta, the desperately horny teenage boy, “up close and personal with the bodacious town tobacconist.” More »

(Newser) - Cadillac Records may play fast and loose with historical fact, but you can't fault the tunes that fuel it, say critics. The "rollicking and insightful celebration of Chicago blues in its hectic golden age" tells the story of Chess Records and bluesmen like Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, writes AO Scott in the New York Times . Of particular note is Beyonce's "volcanic" portrayal of Etta James; she transforms herself into a "real diva of the old school." More »

(Newser) - Quantum of Solace doesn't quite measure up to its predecessor, but that's because the Bond makers set the bar so high with Casino Royale , say critics. Daniel Craig returns for his second outing as the superspy, and his cold-blooded but charismatic performance ensures that his "place as the best Bond since Sean Connery remains secure," Joe Neumaier writes in the New York Daily News. More »

(Newser) - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa brings back the on-the-run New York menagerie, and DreamWorks hasn't monkeyed much with the first movie's winning, if slightly tired, formula, say critics. The celebrity-voiced animals' new adventure "is aimed mostly at children and should score a direct hit," Kirk Honeycutt writes in the Hollywood Reporter . More »

(Newser) - Indie director and slacker king Kevin Smith has made a surprisingly tender film with Zack and Miri Make a Porno , critics say. Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogan star as a pair of "genuinely likable social misfits" whose platonic friendship is put to the test when they decide to make an adult film to pay the bills, Sean Axmaker writes in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer . More »

(Newser) - Pride and Glory has all the ingredients of a great cop thriller, critics say, but they're ingredients that have been recycled a few too many times. Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Noah Emmerich, and Jon Voight turn in fine performances as a family of New York cops, Bill Goodykoontz writes in the Arizona Republic , but they are "cut off at the knees by stilted, clichéd writing." More »