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 |
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C |
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10,000 B.C. (2008) |
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"If you are ten years old fan of video games with a short attention span and no knowledge of history, you will love this movie. The further you stray from these core qualifications, the less you will love it." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
-- |
|
21 (2008) |
|
"Interview with Jim Sturgess and Jeff Ma of "21"" | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B |
|
27 Dresses (2008) |
|
"Watching this film is like hoping to be tossed a bride's bouquet." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
C |
|
Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) |
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"It becomes a little difficult to distinguish exploitive "Uncle Ian" from the folks trying very hard to keep this fragile idea alive and making money. The big difference is that Uncle Ian wears out the Chipmunks and this movie wears out its welcome." | |
Nell Minow | |
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|
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B |
|
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) |
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"It is a broody psychological Western, a lot of peering out into endless prairie landscapes, as much Ingmar Bergman as John Ford, with a little bit of Heathcliff thrown in." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
A- |
|
Atonement (2007) |
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"Wright's direction and the highly literary adaption of Ian McEwan's award-winning novel by Christopher Hampton give this story an epic sweep." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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| |
B |
|
August Rush (2007) |
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"Those who are willing to open their hearts to this urban fairy tale will find its pleasures, as long as they they don't think about it too hard." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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|
| |
B+ |
|
Baby Mama (2008) |
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""Baby Mama" is not just smart, warm, funny, and romantic, it is an especially welcome dose of XX chromosome humor in an Apatow-flooded XY era." | |
Nell Minow | |
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|
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-- |
|
The Band's Visit (2007) |
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"Was there a true story that inspired this movie? No, not at all. It began with the image of the main character, dressed in a very strict police uniform singing an Arabic song." | |
Nell Minow | |
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B+ |
|
The Bank Job (2008) |
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"Stylish direction from Roger Donaldson and British understatement balance the tension with sly and often-outrageous humor." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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B+ |
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Be Kind Rewind (2008) |
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"This charming little fairy tale is more than a sweet and heart-warming story; it is a thoughtful exploration of the power of stories, why we are enthralled byhearing and watching them and why we are even more captivated by telling them." | |
Nell Minow | |
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B- |
|
Bee Movie (2007) |
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"Seinfeld's observational humor is relegated to the edges of a lightweight story." | |
Nell Minow | |
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B |
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Beowulf (2007) |
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"One of the oldest surviving stories is retold through one of the most modern of technologies in a thrilling 3-D adventure from director Robert Zemeckis." | |
Nell Minow | |
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|
| |
-- |
|
Blindsight (2008) |
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"Tenberken discusses conflicts about how to define "success" for the expedition and Weihenmeyer talks about what inspired him about the teenagers." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
C |
|
The Bucket List (2007) |
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"Dying just seems an excuse for a geriatric, spend-it-all Spring Break." | |
Nell Minow | |
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B- |
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Charlie Bartlett (2007) |
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"The film's message about the way that listening and being listened to are essential and life-changing is honest and touching. But it runs out of ideas and the conclusion feels rushed. Like the main character, the film should have had more faith in itself." | |
Nell Minow | |
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|
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A- |
|
Charlie Wilson's War (2007) |
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"Sorkin's fast, smart talk perfectly captures the smart, self-aware characters who like to pretend they can hide how much they care." | |
Nell Minow | |
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B+ |
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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) |
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"A grand and visually stunning epic with thrilling battle scenes and powerful themes." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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|
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B+ |
|
Cloverfield (2008) |
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"A clever premise keeps the audience literally off-balance." | |
Nell Minow | |
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|
| |
D |
|
College Road Trip (2008) |
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"[The] plot would make even the lightweight storylines of "That's So Raven" seem literary. It would make the lightweight storylines of a Bazooka Joe comic strip seem literary." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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|
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D |
|
Daddy Day Camp (2007) |
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"A lot of wet stuff flies toward the screen and there are many, many intended-to-be-hilarious gags (in both senses of the word) about things that smell bad." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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|
| |
B+ |
|
Dan in Real Life (2007) |
|
"Carell brings depth and sweetness to the role, showing us Dan's longing before Dan can acknowledge it himself." | |
Nell Minow | |
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|
| |
-- |
|
Darkon (2007) |
|
"Interview with directors Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer" | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B- |
|
Definitely, Maybe (2008) |
|
"Halfway through Kevin Kline shows up in a performance of such vitality and honesty that it shows how two-dimensional the rest of the movie is." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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A- |
|
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008) |
|
"They finally got Dr. Seuss right in this warm-hearted and heart-warming story of the elephant who is "faithful 100 percent" and the world on a little speck of dust that he rescues." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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|
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C |
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Drillbit Taylor (2008) |
|
"The two leads here are not nearly as desperate for Drillbit to come through as the script is, but it never happens." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B+ |
|
Enchanted (2007) |
|
"No air quotes or winks at the audience, just a fresh, sweet story. And that's movie magic." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
-- |
|
First Sunday (2008) |
|
"Interview with Regina Hall" | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
C |
|
Fool's Gold (2008) |
|
"Like its namesake, this one is all glitter." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B- |
|
The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) |
|
"It does not take itself too seriously but it does take the action scenes seriously." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B- |
|
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) |
|
"Segal writes some hilarious lines, and there is a deliriously random detour into vampire musical theater puppetry. But the film's happiest surprise is Russell Brand." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B- |
|
Fred Claus (2007) |
|
"Vaughn is marvelous dancing with the elves, but plot digressions that take much too long to resolve and mangled special effects are a distraction and a nuisance." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B- |
|
The Game Plan (2007) |
|
"Some audiences will find it as sugary as a fruit-scented princess pony sticker book, but its intended viewers will be delighted." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B+ |
|
Get Smart (2008) |
|
"It shrewdly tweaks the original, making Smart smarter and more capable and ramping up the action, and the result is a refreshingly entertaining summer popcorn movie." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B+ |
|
The Golden Compass (2007) |
|
"Sweeping, imaginative, epic, thrilling." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B+ |
|
The Great Debaters (2007) |
|
"Ultimately, as it should be, what carries the day is the power of the arguments and our recognition that it is forming these positions that will lead to the foundation of the civil rights era." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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|
| |
B- |
|
Hancock (2008) |
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"A promising idea about a superhero with an existential crisis wobbles through wildly misjudged moments and then has something of an existential crisis of its own." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B- |
|
The Happening (2008) |
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"M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most talented film-makers working today. But he seems to be running out of ideas." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B- |
|
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) |
|
"Cheerfully offensive, cheekily raunchy, happily outrageous, and often just plain disgusting, the movie avoids the usual sophomore slump by ramping up the political jabs while keeping it all unpretentious and moving quickly." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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|
| |
B+ |
|
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) |
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"Wonderfully imagined and intricately constructed, it often reflects the sensibility of a steampunk cracked version of "Lord of the Rings."" | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B- |
|
How She Move (2008) |
|
"The thin and predictable plot benefits from likable performances by Wesley, Armstrong, and the rest of the cast, from some distinctive detail about the Caribbean immigrant population and their community, and from some smokin' dance moves." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B+ |
|
I Am Legend (2007) |
|
"Smith goes deeper here than he ever has on screen to show us the desperation and devastation that are attacking the infratructure of his rational mind like the grass is overtaking the city streets." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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|
| |
B |
|
The Incredible Hulk (2008) |
|
"There are some terrific action sequences. I particularly liked it when the Hulk used a car broken in two as boxing gloves." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
C |
|
The Invasion (2007) |
|
"Someone should check the basement of the studio for pods." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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|
| |
B+ |
|
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) |
|
"Part thrill ride, part video game, part virtual reality, it is a lively and satisfying update of a good old-fashioned Saturday afternoon serial adventure saga." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
C |
|
Jumper (2008) |
|
"This movie is paced for an audience that grew up multi-tasking and its aesthetic sensibility and depth of story-telling is equivalent to a beer commercial." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B+ |
|
Juno (2007) |
|
"Cody's script is filled with smart, funny, very specific lines that define the characters and tell the story." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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|
| |
-- |
|
Juno (2007) |
|
"Diablo Cody and Ellen Page of "Juno" talk about Kimya Dawson, making the movie, and being "the proud not-owner of a television"" | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B+ |
|
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) |
|
"Three cheers for Kit and for producer Julia Roberts for making this movie everything the devoted fans of the American Girls series hope for." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
|
|
| |
B+ |
|
The Kite Runner (2007) |
|
"An absorbing story in a setting that is both exotic and universal." | |
Nell Minow | |
|
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