RogerEbert Headlines

The Twilight Saga: New Moon / * (PG-13)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:25:00

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” (PG-13, 130 minutes). The characters in this movie should be arrested for loitering with intent to moan. The sequel to "Twilight" (1988) is preoccupied with remember that film and setting up the third one. sitting through this experience is like driving a tractor in low gear though a sullen sea of Brylcreem. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson return in their original roles, she dewy and masochistic, he sullen and manacing. Ah, teenage romance! One star

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans / **** (R)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:05:00

"Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans"(R, 107 minutes) Werner Herzog stars Nicolas Cage in a dire portrait of a rapist, murderer, drug addict, corrupt cop and degenerate paranoid who is apprehensive about iguanas. It places this man in a devastated New Orleans not long after Hurricane Katrina. It makes no attempt to show that city of legends in a flattering light. And it gradually reveals itself as a sly comedy about a rather courageous man. Cage and Herzog were born to work together. Four stars

The Messenger / ***1/2 (R)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:44:00

"The Messenger" (R, 107 minutes) Two Army officers draw the hard duty of notifying the next of kin of a death in combat. Woody Harrelson plays the old hand at breaking the news. Ben Foster, plays the new man, wounded in combat in Iraq. He has a tendency to care about the people he's informing. Not Army policy, the veteran explains. You'll lose it if you let yourself care. With Samantha Morton as a new widow and Steve Buscemi as a father whose grief turns to anger. Directed by Oren Moverman, himself a combat veteran in the Israeli army. Three and a half stars

Planet 51 / **1/2 (PG)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:46:00

"Planet 51" (PG, 91 minutes) Although not bowling me over, this is a jolly and good-looking animated feature in glorious 2-D. There's a twist: This time the alien is a human, and he lands on a planet occupied by little green men. On his world everyone speaks English, it's Fabulous Fifties, and the rain is made of rocks. Perfectly pleasant as kiddie entertainment. Two and a half stars

Great Movie: Nosferatu (1922)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:46:00

To watch F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" (1922) is to see the vampire movie before it had really seen itself. Here is the story of Dracula before it was buried alive in cliches, jokes, TV skits, cartoons and more than 30 other films. The film is in awe of its material. It seems to really believe in vampires.

Movie Answer Man: 'Antichrist': The video game that
starts where the movie ends

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:33:00

Q. Given your admiration of "Antichrist" and your distaste for video games, do you have any thoughts on the reported video game sequel, called "Eden."? When you asked me, I said my shot-in-the-dark guess is that it would be a dark, moody, horror-themed game wherein you played some random character trapped in the forest, attempting to survive or escape through solving puzzles and finding the correct "passageways." And then, of course, there's the possibility that the article was just a hoax to start with. Steven Koczak, Rensselaer, NY A. First off, I do not dislike video games. But I'm in hot water for not believing they are likely to evolve into an art form. Wikipedia reports: "According to the Danish newspaper Politiken, a video game called 'Eden,' which is based on the film, is in the works. It will start where the film ends. 'It will be a self-therapeutic journey into your own darkest fears, and will break the boundaries of what you can and can't do in video games,' says video game director Morten Iversen." I'm thinking, "self-therapeutic?"

Commentary: Oprah takes it to another level

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:29:00

If we had the British Constitution, Oprah Winfrey would be our queen. It isn't an elected position. You're born into it. You have no legislative power, but the leaders of both political parties consult with you and advise you of their plans.

Commentary: High-spirited defense
of the artistry of 3-D

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:04:00

by By Peter Debruge Guest Columnist Dear Roger, I value your opinion, but question your reporting on this anti-3-D essay you've written for The Spectator [London]. Movies do earn more in 3-D (I don't have the statistics in front of me, but I know that "Coraline" earned 85% of its box office on 3-D screens, and I suspect that all four of the films you cite did at least half their business in the format). To the best of my knowledge, Pixar does not have technology "that can convert any 2-D movie into 3-D from scratch." And DreamWorks' "Kung Fu Panda" was made and released in 2-D; "Monsters vs. Aliens" was the studio's first in 3-D.