News From Terre Haute, Indiana At the Movies

Mel Gibson returns in 'Edge of Darkness'

2010-01-27T17:57:00-05:00

It's been seven years since his last film, but Mel Gibson is still playing martyr. One might fairly call Gibson "The Crusader," and not just because of his widely known religious views or because he directed "The Passion of the Christ."

'Saint John of Las Vegas' no divine comedy

2010-01-27T17:53:00-05:00

The deadpan comedy "Saint John of Las Vegas" opens with Steve Buscemi walking into a Vegas convenience store, plopping down an envelope full of cash and asking for a thousand lottery tickets. "Why not?" he asks with a mixture of defiance and despair.

FILM REVIEW: 'Tooth Fairy' full of smiles, clichés

2010-01-20T19:26:00-05:00

Just weeks after something dubbed a "squeakquel," we have a movie advertised with the tagline: "You can't handle the tooth." One quakes for the marketing that awaits us for "Marmaduke."

Vampire thriller 'Daybreakers' is DOA

2010-01-11T15:45:00-05:00

The only lesson to take away from Ethan Hawke's horror-action tale "Daybreakers" is that vampires cannot run the world's affairs any better than we tasty humans can.

Effects wow but story limps in 'Avatar'

2009-12-13T16:36:00-05:00

When a film brashly asserts that it will change moviemaking forever, one feels the urge to either take its "king of the world" arrogance down a notch or hail it as the masterpiece it claims to be.

'Ninja Assassin' sports a dull blade

2009-11-27T16:28:00-05:00

When considering the meager merits of the bone-snapping, blood-splattered "Ninja Assassin," it's best to remember the words of John Goodman's PC-challenged character in "The Big Lebowski": "The man in the black pajamas, Dude. Worthy ... adversary."

‘Princess and the Frog’ is a hearty hop

2009-11-25T20:38:00-05:00

The spirit of animation maestro Walt Disney lives on. The studio has gone back to its roots with a fresh, funny retelling of a classic fairy tale in “The Princess and the Frog,” Disney’s return to hand-drawn animation after a five-year hiatus.

Wildness intact, ‘Bad Lieutenant’ returns

2009-11-18T18:54:00-05:00

It’s post-Katrina New Orleans and there are snakes in the water — none bigger than Terence McDonagh, an exceptionally corrupt detective, who slinks through town snorting coke, smoking heroin, harassing women and brandishing a .44 Magnum stuffed in the front of his pants.

‘Planet 51’ proves unable to support intelligent life

2009-11-18T18:47:00-05:00

It’s been a big year for animation, with a great variety of styles represented by “Up,” “Monsters vs. Aliens,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and the upcoming “The Princess and the Frog.”

'The Blind Side' focuses on the feel-good

2009-11-18T15:44:00-05:00

The redemption-minded sports flick "The Blind Side" serves its inspiration straight-up with no twist. Writer-director John Lee Hancock wisely lets the true story of Michael Oher — the African-American teen who found a home and, eventually, football stardom, after being adopted by a wealthy Memphis family — speak for itself.