movies – News Stories About movies - Page 55

Dec 19, 2009 10:34 AM CST

YouTube Clip Wins Movie Deal

Panic Attack! will be turned into a $30M feature

(Newser) - A Uruguayan man who spent $300 creating a YouTube video called Panic Attack! has been offered a $30 million contract to make a Hollywood film. "I uploaded on a Thursday and on Monday my inbox was totally full of e-mails from Hollywood studios," the creator tells the BBC...

Streep's Reefer Moment
Hardly R-Rated

OPINION

Dec 18, 2009 1:43 PM CST

Streep's Reefer Moment Hardly R-Rated

It's Complicated spotlights MPAA's wacky marijuana rules

(Newser) - Insiders say the only reason Meryl Streep’s new romantic comedy It’s Complicated has an R rating is a scene in which she smokes marijuana, and that’s causing a “minor ruckus” in Hollywood. A source close to the hearings tells Robert Ablon of the Los Angeles Times...

Top Cultural Game-Changers

decade in review

Dec 7, 2009 2:11 PM CST

Top Cultural Game-Changers

What will we still be talking about next decade? Britney, for one

(Newser) - The ‘00s were full of important contributions to culture, but which ones will we still be talking about in another decade? Here are some of New York ’s picks:

TV: The Sopranos for inventing quality cable, American Idol for changing the music industry, and of course all things

...

Blind Side
Overshadows
New Moon

box office roundup

Dec 6, 2009 2:22 PM CST

Blind Side Overshadows New Moon

Football flick capitalizes on strong Thanksgiving weekend

(Newser) - Building on strong word-of-mouth and an unexpectedly lucrative Thanksgiving weekend, The Blind Side caught and passed New Moon at the weekend box office. The Sandra Bullock vehicle pulled in $20.4 million to $15.7 million for the teen vampire sequel. Both dwarfed Brothers, which underperformed despite stars Natalie Portman,...

It's High Time We Get a New Classic Christmas Movie

no more 'elf,' please

Dec 6, 2009 7:10 AM CST

It's High Time We Get a New Classic Christmas Movie

A critic says 'bah humbug' to another year's worth of mediocre movies

(Newser) - When it comes to films, the Christmas canon is made up of old favorites like It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, and Miracle on 34th Street that are, well, old—and it's high time that changed. The 21st century is the "dark ages" of holiday movie going, writes...

The '00s' Most
Disappointing Movies

decade in review

Dec 5, 2009 8:00 PM CST

The '00s' Most Disappointing Movies

'Tropic Thunder' leads the way

(Newser) - The decade had lots of lousy movies, but 11Points rounds up the most disappointing—those that didn't live up to their promise:

Tropic Thunder (2008): Amazing cast, great premise. Slam dunk, right? Not when "your go-to bit is a retarded joke." Such a lazy waste.
Bruno (2009): Sacha

...

Serious Moonlight a Dim Effort

MOVIE REVIEW

Dec 4, 2009 2:52 PM CST

Serious Moonlight a Dim Effort

Filming slain writer's script a fine sentiment, poorly executed

(Newser) - When Waitress writer-director Adrienne Shelly was murdered, in 2006, she left behind the script for Serious Moonlight. Critics speculate that she might have made it work, but that hasn't happened:

"A wife duct-tapes her husband to a chair and tells him that she will make him fall in love

...

Russia, Georgia
Fund Dueling
War Movies

Dec 4, 2009 1:21 PM CST

Russia, Georgia Fund Dueling War Movies

Propaganda is the better part of valor

(Newser) - More than a year after they stopped shooting at each other, Russia and Georgia are still fighting—on movie screens. Each side is backing high-profile films sympathetic to their take on the war. Russia’s first effort, a documentary entitled Act of Betrayal, fell flat because its claims that Georgia...

Brothers Has Strong
Acting, Weak Heart

movie review

Dec 4, 2009 12:20 PM CST

Brothers Has Strong Acting, Weak Heart

Critics wonder: Why did Jim Sheridan need to do this remake?

(Newser) - Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman, and Jake Gyllenhaal deliver solid performances in Jim Sheridan's war movie Brothers, but the film doesn't measure up to the 2004 Danish original, say critics:

Peter Howell, Toronto Star : "It's still a film worth seeing, if only for the performances, but it seems to be

...

Everybody's Fine?
No, Everybody's Sappy

Movie Review

Dec 4, 2009 11:10 AM CST

Everybody's Fine? No, Everybody's Sappy

De Niro the best part about predictable holiday treacle

(Newser) - Critics are divided on Everybody’s Fine: Some think the family drama is okay because of Robert De Niro, and others think it’s awful despite him. What they’re saying:

It’s “a thoroughly fake movie that is about, of all things, the need for truthfulness,” writes

...

Stern Gives
His SAG Votes Only to Pals
of the Show

Dec 3, 2009 6:52 PM CST

Stern Gives His SAG Votes Only to Pals of the Show

Acting chops? Who cares, host contends

(Newser) - Howard Stern is making waves today for filling out his Screen Actors Guild nominations during his morning radio show—and explaining that his votes are going almost exclusively to actors who appeared on his show. “I'm going to take this seriously and reward our friends. I don’t give...

Entourage Will End With a Film

hollywood buzz

Dec 3, 2009 3:58 PM CST

Entourage Will End With a Film

Walhberg says show might go longer than 2 more seasons

(Newser) - Look for the boys on Entourage to be making the leap to the big screen. Executive producer Mark Wahlberg tells the Hollywood Reporter that plans are in the works for a movie when the HBO series wraps up after two more seasons. Of course, that's if it wraps up after...

New Moon
Eclipses
Blind Side

box office roundup

Nov 29, 2009 1:47 PM CST

New Moon Eclipses Blind Side

Football flick tops vampire saga in Thanksgiving receipts

(Newser) - New Moon extended its domination of the the box office over the Thanksgiving weekend, but The Blind Side showed surprising resilience and even outdrew the vampire picture on the holiday. New Moon raked in $42.5 million in 3 days, bringing its 10-day total to $230.7 million. The Blind ...

Put Down Old Dogs

MOVIE REVIEW

Nov 25, 2009 9:06 AM CST

Put Down Old Dogs

No new tricks in Travolta-Williams turkey

(Newser) - Don't expect new tricks, funny jokes, or much else from the new John Travolta-Robin Williams comedy Old Dogs, say critics in reviews that range from scathing to indifferent.

"It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a turkey," writes Ty Burr at the Boston Globe , and this "pitiful family

...

Carla Bruni to
Star in Woody
Allen Flick

Nov 24, 2009 1:30 PM CST

Carla Bruni to Star in Woody Allen Flick

French first lady returns director's fawning with a 'yes'

(Newser) - French first lady Carla Bruni doesn’t have any delusions about her acting ability—“Perhaps I’ll be completely hopeless”—but when Woody Allen comes a-knocking, you don’t say no. The director has asked the former model to appear in an upcoming movie after meeting her earlier...

New Moon Vamps to $141M Haul

box office roundup

Nov 22, 2009 1:54 PM CST

New Moon Vamps to $141M Haul

Latest 'Twilight' entry enjoys 3rd-biggest weekend ever

(Newser) - In the third-largest weekend debut ever, The Twilight Saga: New Moon rang up $140.7 million, riding records for a midnight opening and a single day to totals trailing only The Dark Knight and Spider-Man. Audiences were four-fifths female, with the remaining 20% mostly teen boys, USA Today reports. The ...

New Moon Breaks
Opening Day Record

Nov 21, 2009 2:09 PM CST

New Moon Breaks Opening Day Record

'Twilight' sequel earns $72.7 million, beating 'Dark Knight'

(Newser) - The Twilight sequel raked in $72.7 million yesterday, making it biggest opening day ever. New Moon earned $26 million in midnight showings alone, helping it trump the previous record of $67.2 million earned by Dark Knight. The feat is all the more remarkable because it's outside the usual...

Bullock Shines in
Crowd-Pleasing Blind Side

movie review

Nov 20, 2009 1:25 PM CST

Bullock Shines in Crowd-Pleasing Blind Side

Football chick flick lacks suspense, delivers happy ending

(Newser) - The Blind Side lacks inherent suspense—it's based on the true story of Michael Oher, a rookie offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. But the tale of a homeless African-American teen adopted by big-hearted white yuppies, at bottom a Sandra Bullock vehicle, goes over big in football country.

Writer-director John

...

New Moon Eclipses
Ticket Records

Nov 19, 2009 6:52 PM CST

New Moon Eclipses Ticket Records

Twilight sequel leaves Potter pre-sale mark in dust

(Newser) - It doesn't open until tomorrow, but the latest Twilight movie already is breaking records. Fandango, AMC, and MovieTickets.com all say that fans are scooping up advance tickets to The Twilight Saga: New Moon in unprecedented numbers. Thousands of shows are sold out around the country, leaving pre-sale records held...

Lauren Bacall
Wins an Oscar

finally

Nov 15, 2009 3:24 PM CST

Lauren Bacall Wins an Oscar

Roger Corman, Gordon Willis, John Calley share the spotlight

(Newser) - A mere 65 years after her unforgettable screen debut, Lauren Bacall has won an Academy Award. The honorary Oscar was a high point of a ceremony last night in Los Angeles that also celebrated the careers of filmmaker Roger Corman, cinematographer Gordon Willis, and producer John Calley. "I can't...