Hallmark isn't the only one capitalizing on the L-word today, Hollywood has a stake in your heart as well -- invading the big screen with yet another Valentine's Day release. This time Little Miss Sunshine, Abigail Breslin, and soon-to-be Mr. Scarlett Johansson (?), Ryan Reynolds, team up for a tour de force of l-o-v-e in Definitely, Maybe (a nod to Oasis's debut album?).
Definitely, Maybe Spending V-Day at the Movies?
New York Critics Swat Cloverfield
Say, did you hear anything about this movie that opens today, Cloverfield? No? Yeah, it’s kind of a [Spoiler Alert!] obscure art-house thing, all shot with a camcorder from the perspective of a few friends fleeing a massive monster smashing Manhattan. We attended a screening earlier in the week and deemed it top-shelf disaster porn; though the main characters are rather annoying and the apocalypse takes a little too long to blast off, “by the time that massive beast slouches toward lower Manhattan, bowling the head of the Lady Liberty with a nonchalance befitting the Bush administration, you’ll be almost as bloodthirsty as the monster.” And blood you’ll get, along with spectacular special effects and almost relentless suspense.
Big Holiday Movies Get Lukewarm Reception
The reviews are in for the $180 million production of The Golden Compass, and they’re lackluster at best, which is a pity not just for fans of the novel from which it’s adapted but for New Line Cinema, which was banking on another Lord of the Rings cash cow. Times critic Manohla Dargis calls it flawed and cluttered, although her description of Nicole Kidman ought to sway any dudes reluctant to see a movie starring...
Video of the Day: "Enchanted" in Central Park
Thanksgiving officially marks the start of the holiday movie season, and this weekend, one film seems poised to make a run for the box office crown. Enchanted, the Disney film that mixes animation and live-action to spoof its classic fairy tales, received some pretty stellar reviews. It's 92% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and most reviews are calling this the star-making performance of Amy Adams, who was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for Junebug...
I’m Not There Finally Here
The Todd Haynes Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There has gotten so much press for so long we kept forgetting it wasn't actually released until today! The high-concept Oscar contender, for those who haven’t heard a million times already, features six different actors portraying a Dylan-type character at different stages of his career. It opens today at select theaters but film buffs have been cultivating opinions about the polarizing film since it first screened...
Will American Gangster Whack Bee Movie?
Two movies set in New York are coming out today, and both are getting a lot of press, promo and opined upon.
Hungering For Harry Potter
Okay, who went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at 12:01AM? Was it good? Is it better when you draw a lightning bolt on your forehead or wear a Hogwarts scarf? The movie has a 77% Freshness rating, as per Rotten Tomatoes (though it may go up or down as more reviews come in), and offers Harry Potters devotees another way to bide time until the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is released on Saturday, July 21 at 12:01AM.
Oliver Stone's New Flick: Lousy or Cathartic?
. She had this to say on Friday in her column (after offering the caveat that she's not a film critic): "It's lousy. Slow-moving and formulaic....New Yorkers infuse such pain and emotion into 9/11 that, for now, absolutely nothing could project onto a screen what still rips at our entrails. I hoped to speak about this with Oliver, who has always seemed a brilliant moviemaker, but his handlers are moving him around with a tweezer. Must be, like on that actual day itself, they, too, can smell death." Ouch!
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
The NY Times' A.O. Scott wrote about how Harold & Kumar "revitalizes" slacker comedy while also "persuasively, and intelligently, [engaging] the social realities of contemporary multicultural America." Okay. Rotten Tomatoes says it's pretty fresh and Roger Ebert gives it three stars. And Karen at Gothamist Arts & Events saw the film and gives her thoughts (it's fun).
Spider-Man 2 Opens Today
Are you seeing Spider-Man 2 today or this week? Rotten Tomatoes says Spider-Man 2 is fresh fresh fresh! And Gothamist's favorite Spider-Man 2 license: The Crest spin brush - it's so crazy looking.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Opens
The official Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban site. And it's 87% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (so far).
Gothamist's Favorite The Day After Tomorrow Cliches
Rotten Tomatoes on The Day After Tomorrow. And someone on RT's boards has a great list of disaster movie cliches.
The Passion for the Homer
Rotten Tomatoes on The Passion of the Christ: So far, rotten. But Roger Ebert gives it 4 stars, calling it "the most violent film I have ever seen." Hey, Newmarket Films, there's your blurb to get the teenage boys in the doors!

