MOVIE REVIEWS: LAWLESS

It’s hard to remember a movie that received such divergent reviews as Australian director John Hillcoat’s Lawless, which opens today (Wednesday). That’s how it was at Cannes, when it was screened in competition last May, drawing boos and applause during the closing credits. The film, adapted by rock musician Nick Cave and starring Shia LaBeouf, […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: FOR GREATER GLORY

For Greater Glory, which tells the story of the Christero War, the Mexican government’s purported effort to stamp out the Catholic Church in 1926, has been nearly stamped out by the critics. Mick LaSalle in the San Francisco Chronicle dismisses it as “a scattered mess.” To Robert Abele in the Los Angeles Times, it’s “a […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: SAFE

Safe is expected to bomb at the box office this weekend. If it does, however, it won’t be because of the performance of its star, Jason Statham, which is being praised even by many critics who hate the movie. “There’s nothing terribly original about Safe, but it’s a suitably grimy playground for action cinema’s reigning […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: JACK AND JILL

Adam Sandler may easily be among America’s 1 percent after starring in a record number of films that have grossed more than $100 million. But many critics are betting his latest one, Jack and Jill, won’t make it past that mark. In fact he doesn’t even have 1 percent of the critics on his side. […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN

People either love Rowan Atkinson or hate him. Those among the former amount to a virtual cult in America — although he has a massive following overseas. Those among the latter — well, let’s just say that they represent the vast majority of U.S. moviegoers. Critics in this country are likewise divided over the comedian, […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: SHARK NIGHT 3D

Movie critics finally had a chance to sink their teeth into Shark Night 3D on Friday night, lining up at the box office like everyone else after the studio decided not to show the film to them in advance. Their criticism of the PG-rated horror flick was actually rather subdued. It’s “a movie that isn’t […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: APOLLO 18

Apollo 18 is sort of a Blair Witch Project on the moon. Critics didn’t much care for Blair Witch Project, either, giving it barely a passing grade. That’s mostly the case with the moon movie. Robert Abele in the Los Angeles Times described it as “a low-key and unassuming film of rising tension rather than […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: HOP

Critics aren’t exactly hopping mad about the live-action/animated Hop, but they are firing at it as if they were Elmer Fudd blasting a different rabbit. The main character in the movie is called E.B.; he’s actually the son of the Easter Rabbit. His principal expertise is producing jelly beans — he poops them. Kyle Smith […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: DEVIL

Devil, which was not screened in advance for critics, was ignored by most of the major ones over the weekend, many of whom were winding up their coverage of the Toronto Film Festival. Those in the major markets who did take it in were split fairly equally, with the naysayers having a slight edge. The […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: THE LAST EXORCISM

Compared with the no-budget likes of The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, The Last Exorcism, which cost $2 million to make, is a spendthrift affair. For the most part, critics aren’t impressed. Roger Moore in the Orlando Sentinel calls it “modestly chilling.” Sean O’Connell in the Washington Post describes it as “unnerving.” Other critics […]