amNewYork's movie reviews

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'Hancock': a superhero with a problem

The makers of "Hancock" began to wonder: What if a superhero existed in the real, imperfect world?

'Wackness' doesn't live up to its hype

"The Wackness" is set in Manhattan, 1994, and not a minute goes by where director/writer Jonathan Levine doesn't whack you over the head with reminders that it's Manhattan, 1994.

Gonzo: Hunter Thompson up close

"Gonzo" and its subject matter is something of a departure for documentarian Alex Gibney.

A slick, surprising 'Wanted'

"Wanted" follows through on all the verbs a blockbuster ought to follow through on: It thrills, it adrenalizes, it makes you laugh.

'Mistress' of all she surveyed

Directed by Catherine Breillat and starring the carnal incarnate Asia Argento, "The Last Mistress" is an absorbing, entertaining period drama.

'WALL-E'

I can admit it: "Wall-E," the new animated film from Pixar, had me a little misty-eyed. Lumpy in the throat, even. Smiling through tears like an audience member at an "Oprah" taping.

Review: 'Finding Amanda' with Matthew Broderick

The broad message of director Peter Tolan's "Finding Amanda" is that a network TV producer could occupy the same moral plateau as a Las Vegas prostitute. While the likely response will be "duh," Matthew Broderick is understatedly funny as Taylor Peters, a writer-producer whose disastrous half-hour sitcom is driving him back to the things he loves best - drinking and playing the horses. When his wife (Maura Tierney) kicks him out, he attempts to redeem himself by finding and rescuing Amanda (Brittany Snow), their niece, who is said to have joined the ranks of the depraved in Vegas.

'Trumbo'

Given Hollywood's congenital negligence toward writers, Dalton Trumbo is far more famous for having been on the House Un-American Activities Committee's blacklist than he would have been for all the scripts he wrote, co-wrote or adapted (among them, "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" "Kitty Foyle" and, under pseudonyms, "Roman Holiday" and "Spartacus"). You might say being persecuted by Congress was a good career move for the screenwriter and novelist ("Johnny Got His Gun").

'Brick Lane' worth a saunter

Despite a derivative, nuance-deprived story, "Brick Lane" can at least rely on a plot with intrinsic allure -- the unhappy housewife who starts a love affair in a quest for her own source of happiness. In this case, the love affair is contexualized by looming themes of home and cultural identity, abstracted from the originating novel by Monica Ali.

'Hulk' is not so incredible

Maybe it's his background. Or maybe it's because he's a large green man, but so far The Hulk has proven himself to be a difficult vehicle for Hollywood.

'Winnipeg' is a gem

In "My Winnipeg," director Guy Maddin perfectly distills that distinct strain of love/hate affection that can only be provoked by one's hometown.

'The Happening'

It's hard to discuss "The Happening" without giving too much away.

'Encounters at the end of the world'

One of the last grand philosophers of film, Werner Herzog can always be depended on for some mind-altering viewing.

'Chris & Don: A Love Story'

Given the threat gay people pose to lasting relationships, it's positively astounding what directors Guido Santi and Tina Mascara reveal in their affectionate nonfiction, "Chris and Don: A Love Story."

'Quid Pro Quo'

It sounds like one of David Cronenberg's yucky fantasies: A wheelchair-bound reporter explores a subculture of able-bodied people who yearn to be paralyzed, crippled, even limbless.

'You Don't Mess With the Zohan'

Adam Sandler's funniest movie in years.

'Kung Fu Panda'

The unlikeliest superhero: a tubby panda

When Did You Last See Your Father?

PLOT As a father lay dying, his son reviews their life together. (PG-13)

The Promotion

"The Promotion" falls into that wobbly category of comedies that are uncomfortably earnest, leaving you in a constantly stunted state of wondering whether the scene you just watched was supposed to be funny or serious.

Dreams With Sharp Teeth

If you're a fan of Harlan Ellison, then "Dreams With Sharp Teeth," a documentary about the notoriously outspoken science-fiction writer, will speak to you.

The Mother of Tears

'Sex' a welcome throwback

Four years after "Sex and the City" came to a close on HBO, the big-screen adaptation has finally arrived in all its pink-trimmed splendor.

'Savage Grace' savage but with little grace

Usually, when a movie plunges into such disturbing, lurid depths as "Savage Grace," it takes a compelling character to convince you his or her story was worth telling.

'Bigger, Stronger, Faster'

The performance-enhancing quality behind this muscular movie is director Chris Bell's willingness to go far beyond the call of duty.

'The Strangers'

The most gripping moments in "The Strangers" come early, when Kristen McKay and James Hoyt ( Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) enter the secluded, woodsy cabin that will soon become their torture chamber.

'Stuck'

Think you're having a bad day? In this fact-based, black-on-black comedy from Stuart ("Re-Animator") Gordon, Tom ( Stephen Rea) has been evicted from a flophouse, jerked around by an employment agency, rousted by a Providence cop and given charity by a smiling vagrant.

'The Foot Fist Way'

More a resumé-builder than a bona fide feature, "The Foot Fist Way" has already served its purpose.

'Indiana Jones' creaks along

" Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" has all the right ingredients for a blockbuster that's sure to please the masses.

The Edge of Heaven

As tiresome as movies about fatefully intertwined lives can be, "The Edge of Heaven" manages to stave off the more annoying trappings of this sub-genre.

'The Children of Huang Shi'

A drama drawn in very broad strokes, Roger Spottiswoode's "The Children of Huang Shi" is based on a real-life adventure.

'War Inc.'

This John Cusack-driven exercise in scorched-earth political comedy is neither as dark nor as timely as intended, and certainly not as funny:

'What Happens in Vegas'

Not so long ago, the abomination in the desert called Las Vegas promoted itself as a family vacation destination.

Speed Racer revs up

"Speed Racer" is a maelstrom of poptastic color and action that sometimes exhilarates but more often discombobulates.

Too much 'Noise'

"Noise" is the kind of movie that isn't necessarily good, but hits so close to home that it's impossible not to develop a soft spot for it.

'Iron Man" is just about perfect

Ever since the announcement was made that Robert Downey Jr. would be starring in "Iron Man," skeptics have wondered whether the actor had the mettle to play the metal hero.

'Made of Honor'

Patrick Dempsey has a lot going for him, including an interestingly distracted quality, as if he can't stop thinking about his patients even when he's not playing a doctor.