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Critics Weigh In: What Movie to See This Weekend?

reviews

Dec 26, 2014 11:33 AM CST

Critics Weigh In: What Movie to See This Weekend?

In other words, is 'The Interview' worth it or should you see 'Into the Woods' instead?

(Newser) - Trying to decide which of the many new releases you should see this weekend? A smattering of critical thoughts on the biggest of them:

The Interview: Now that it's available to watch, is it worth it? Well, it has a not-awful-but-also-not-great 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes , and a similarly

...

Jolie's Unbroken
Comes Up Short

movie review

Dec 25, 2014 10:04 AM CST

Jolie's Unbroken Comes Up Short

It's a 'grand' effort, but less than satisfying: critics

(Newser) - Angelina Jolie's second directorial effort is Unbroken, a much-hyped adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand's bestselling book . It tells the story of Louis Zamperini, an Italian-American who, as Richard Corliss writes in Time , "lived three lives before he was 30": He competed in the 1936 Olympics, was stranded on...

Hobbit Trilogy
Ends With a Bang

MOVIE REVIEW

Dec 19, 2014 12:08 PM CST

Hobbit Trilogy Ends With a Bang

Critics mainly happy with Peter Jackson's finale (and happy it's all over)

(Newser) - The last of the Hobbit films is now playing in theaters, bringing with it an end to Peter Jackson's long foray through JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth (at least for now). How does the finale of the second trilogy compare to its predecessors? Here's what critics are saying about...

Lengthy
Inherent Vice
Is 'Offbeat'

MOVIE REVIEW

Dec 12, 2014 11:22 AM CST

Lengthy Inherent Vice Is 'Offbeat'

Critics take on Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of novel

(Newser) - How many stars can you pack in a movie? When it comes to Inherent Vice, based on a 2009 novel by Thomas Pynchon, a lot. Alongside Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Martin Short, and Josh Brolin, Joaquin Phoenix stars as a stoner helping out his ex-girlfriend in 1970s California. Here's...

'Terrific'
Witherspoon
Carries Wild

MOVIE REVIEW

Dec 5, 2014 10:06 AM CST

'Terrific' Witherspoon Carries Wild

Flick based on Cheryl Strayed's memoir is 'captivating,' but with 'interruptions'

(Newser) - It looks like Reese Witherspoon's hard work paid off. Critics and audiences alike are raving about Wild, a flick based on Cheryl Strayed's bestselling memoir about hiking 1,100 miles after the death of her mother and collapse of her marriage. Should Witherspoon prepare an Oscar speech? What...

You'll Leave
Mockingjay
'Still Waiting'

MOVIE REVIEW

Nov 21, 2014 11:45 AM CST

You'll Leave Mockingjay 'Still Waiting'

It sets up the finale, but that's largely all: critics

(Newser) - Katniss Everdeen is back and ready to wage war in the first part of what is touted to be an epic Hunger Games finale. But does this flick, with a star-studded cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, stand above the rest? Here'...

Dumb and Dumber To
Is Too Dumb for Critics

MOVIE REVIEW

Nov 14, 2014 9:20 AM CST

Dumb and Dumber To Is Too Dumb for Critics

Jim Carrey does well, but this flick is stuck in the past

(Newser) - If you've been waiting two decades for Dumb and Dumber To, the sequel to 1994's cult classic Dumb and Dumber, well, let's hope you aren't as disappointed as critics. The flick starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels has just a 28% approval rating from critics on...

Critics Split on
Nolan's Interstellar

MOVIE REVIEW

Nov 7, 2014 1:04 PM CST

Critics Split on Nolan's Interstellar

Matthew McConaughey's latest is both 'remarkable' and a 'disaster'

(Newser) - Should we save Earth, or leave it? That's the question at the heart of Interstellar, which sees Matthew McConaughey suit up as an astronaut hoping to find other planets capable of hosting human life. Make sure to use the bathroom on your way in: This flick is a long...

Gyllenhaal at His
Best in Creepy
Nightcrawler

MOVIE REVIEW

Oct 31, 2014 10:32 AM CDT

Gyllenhaal at His Best in Creepy Nightcrawler

Actor gives a 'brilliant' performance alongside Rene Russo

(Newser) - Just about everyone is raving about Nightcrawler, a dark thriller from first-time director Dan Gilroy that currently has a 95% and 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and audiences, respectively. Jake Gyllenhaal shines as Lou Bloom, a freelance TV cameraman who finds himself immersed in crime journalism in...

Keanu Reeves
Back on Top
in John Wick

MOVIE REVIEW

Oct 24, 2014 10:41 AM CDT

Keanu Reeves Back on Top in John Wick

It's your typical action movie but it's awesome anyway: critics

(Newser) - An ex-hitman gets back to business after losing his wife and his dog in John Wick. The flick starring Keanu Reeves, Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist, and Game of Thrones' Alfie Allen is much like your typical action movie, but with a few surprises. (And a neat side note: First-time director...

Michael Keaton
Takes Flight
in Birdman

movie review

Oct 17, 2014 9:40 AM CDT

Michael Keaton Takes Flight in Birdman

Actor called 'tour de force' in comeback role

(Newser) - Chatter about a Michael Keaton comeback was inevitable when early press started trickling out about Birdman , but he's surpassed expectations and "soars" in the role (as more than one media outlet describes his performance). The surreal movie by Alejandro González Iñárritu, which documents washed-up actor...

There's Too Much
Junk in The Judge

MOVIE REVIEW

Oct 10, 2014 12:17 PM CDT

There's Too Much Junk in The Judge

Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall are great, but no fireworks

(Newser) - If you thought Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall would create magic on screen, critics might be about to burst your bubble. The Judge, in which Downey Jr. stars as a hotshot lawyer representing his judge-turned-murder-suspect dad Duvall, doesn't live up to some expectations. Here's what critics are...

Gone Girl a Mostly
Thrilling Thriller

movie review

Oct 3, 2014 9:25 AM CDT

Gone Girl a Mostly Thrilling Thriller

Film based on popular Gillian Flynn novel will leave viewers unsettled

(Newser) - "Chilling," "unsettling," and "manipulative" is what critics are saying about Gone Girl, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as Nick and Amy, a husband and wife trying to make it in a small town in Missouri—just the type of descriptors you probably want for...

Even With Few Tunes,
Jimi Hendrix Biopic Works

MOVIE REVIEW

Sep 26, 2014 10:27 AM CDT

Even With Few Tunes, Jimi Hendrix Biopic Works

Critics praise Andre 3000 of Outkast in 'Jimi: All Is By My Side'

(Newser) - Writer and director John Ridley takes audiences back to 1966 and '67, before Jimi Hendrix was a rock god, in Jimi: All Is by My Side. The new flick starring Outkast's Andre 3000, also known as Andre Benjamin, has been called "fascinating," yet also downright weird....

You May Want to Leave
This Is Where I Leave You

MOVIE REVIEW

Sep 19, 2014 10:02 AM CDT

You May Want to Leave This Is Where I Leave You

Despite a strong cast, critics say this flick falls flat

(Newser) - Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, and Jane Fonda team up in This Is Where I Leave You, a film about siblings brought together by their father's death. Though audiences are somewhat pleased, according to Rotten Tomatoes , critics are instead ready to throw tomatoes. Here's what they're saying:

Director

...

Wiig, Hader Transform
in Skeleton Twins

MOVIE REVIEW

Sep 12, 2014 11:40 AM CDT

Wiig, Hader Transform in Skeleton Twins

Critics call it 'one of the better movies' of the year

(Newser) - Audiences are raving about The Skeleton Twins almost as much as critics. The drama starring Saturday Night Live alums Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader has nabbed a thumbs-up from 83% of viewers and 88% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes . What's to love?

Betsy Sharkey at the Los Angeles Times

...

If I Stay Offers
Tears, Little Else

movie review

Aug 22, 2014 10:26 AM CDT

If I Stay Offers Tears, Little Else

Critics mixed on emotional teen flick

(Newser) - If I Stay tells the story of a teen girl with a big future who's nearly killed in a car crash. Informed by out-of-body experiences, she must decide whether to stick around on Earth or head to Heaven. It'll make you cry, but it doesn't offer much...

Sorry Bookworms,
The Giver Offers Little

MOVIE REVIEW

Aug 15, 2014 11:51 AM CDT

Sorry Bookworms, The Giver Offers Little

Critics aren't impressed with this 'same old' story

(Newser) - Excited to head back to your school reading days with the new flick The Giver? You may not be after reading what the critics have to say. Despite big names like Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges, the film adaptation of Lois Lowry's classic 1993 novel has just a 29%...

Guardians of the Galaxy
Is 'Shamelessly' Fun

movie review

Aug 1, 2014 11:48 AM CDT

Guardians of the Galaxy Is 'Shamelessly' Fun

Latest Marvel installation

(Newser) - Guardians of the Galaxy—what the AP describes as a "3-D space opera" starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and the voices of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper—opens today, and reviewers seem happy. As of this writing, 91% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes approve of the Marvel flick, mainly...

Lucy Definitely
Not Boring

MOVIE REVIEW

Jul 25, 2014 8:56 AM CDT

Lucy Definitely Not Boring

Critics say sci-fi action flick with Scarlett Johansson is 'completely nuts'

(Newser) - Scarlett Johansson's character ingests designer drugs that enable her to use 100% of her brain in Luc Besson's latest picture, which boasts a neat premise even if it isn't scientifically accurate . But do the critics like it? Mostly, with a 62% rating at Rotten Tomatoes . Here's...