Monkey See

Thirty-Eight Cliches In 'The Vow' Trailer, Other Than Romantic Amnesia()  

Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams star in The Vow.

February 9, 2012 You might think the amnesia was the only cliche in The Vow, but according to the trailer, there are many others.

Summary

Movie Reviews

A Spy On The Run, But Playing It Too 'Safe'()  

Cold and Calculating: Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), a deadly CIA operative turned one-man army, placidly waits for trouble to come to him in Safe House.

February 9, 2012 In South Africa, a rookie CIA field agent (Ryan Reynolds) shepherds a dangerous rogue operative (Denzel Washington) who's turned himself in to U.S. authorities. Critic Ian Buckwalter says the stars' effective performances can't save this tiresome, by-the-numbers effort.

Summary

Movie Reviews

A Creepy Hotel, And Characters To Spare()  

Phantom Finders: Just as the Yankee Pedlar Inn is about to close, desk clerks Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) break out the AV equipment to investigate the claim that their hotel is haunted.

February 2, 2012 As an old New England inn is about to close, a pair of 20-something desk clerks decide to investigate the claim that the place is haunted. Critic Jeannette Catsoulis says Ti West's slow-burn approach to horror may not always scare, but it does allow the characters to shine.

Summary

Movie Reviews

Cult Horror, Plus Some Hatred On The Homefront()  

Brothers In Arms: Ex-soldier and father Jay (Neil Maskell, right) finds an outlet for his violent tendencies when he teams up with war buddy Gal (Michael Smiley) to earn some extra cash by assassinating three strangers.

February 2, 2012 A hotheaded ex-soldier with a troubled family life gets embroiled in a series of mysterious events when he accepts contracts to assassinate three strangers. Critic Scott Tobias says the unnerving film shows considerable brilliance — before it goes roaring off the rails.

Summary

Movie Reviews

Study In 'Black': By-The-Numbers Horror Still Scares()  

Lumos?: Solicitor Arthur Kipp (Daniel Radcliffe) battles demons within and without when he's sent to assess a secluded marshy estate in The Woman in Black.

February 2, 2012 In his first post-Hogwarts role, Daniel Radcliffe stars as a young lawyer sent to assess a foreboding marshland estate. Critic Bob Mondello says the film, true to its Hammer Films heritage, delivers good old-fashioned scares.

Summary

Movie Reviews

'Big Miracle': A Whale Tale As The Cold War Wanes()  

Arctic Heart-Warmer: Environmental activist Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) reaches out to one of the whales blocked from migrating south in Big Miracle.

February 2, 2012 Based on Thomas Rose's 1989 book, the film follows an Alaska town's real-life struggle to free whales from thickening ice that prevents their migration to a warmer climate. Critic Ella Taylor says the film, like many of its characters, is flawed but amiable.

Summary

Movie Reviews

When A 'Windfall' Isn't Quite What It Seems()  

Quixotic Enterprise? Laura Israel's documentary, Windfall, tracks the impact of a wind farm development on an increasingly reluctant citizenry in rural New York.

February 2, 2012 If you're green-minded, you'd welcome a wind farm near your community, right? Laura Israel's documentary suggests the answer may not be as simple as that.

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