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Movie Reviews by
the U.S. Bishops'
Office for Film & Broadcasting
The Woman in Black
NEW YORK (CNS) -- Reputed to be one of the most frightening ghost stories ever written, Susan Hill's 1983 novel "The Woman in Black" must certainly count as one of the sturdiest: It has been adapted both for British radio and U.K. television, while the 22-year-long -- and still ongoing -- run of its London stage version makes that property one of the longest-lived nonmusicals in West End history.
Big Miracle
NEW YORK (CNS) -- "Free Willy," the 1993 whale rescue film, looks like child's play when compared to "Big Miracle" (Universal), in which not one but three giant mammals are trapped in Arctic ice, and it takes a whole lot more than a sleepy Alaskan town to save them.
One for the Money
NEW YORK (CNS) -- The title of the forgettable fish-out-of-water comedy "One for the Money" (Lionsgate) recalls Carl Perkins' seminal hit, "Blue Suede Shoes," a song covered most famously, of course, by Elvis Presley. While this lukewarm cinematic offering won't knock you down or step in your face, its surfeit of profane dialogue does slander God's name all over the place.
Man on a Ledge
NEW YORK (CNS) -- When an ex-cop is falsely convicted of stealing a multimillion-dollar diamond and sentenced to 25 years in jail, there's just one course for him to follow: Break out of prison, check in to Manhattan's landmark Roosevelt Hotel, order lobster -- then clamber out onto a cornice hundreds of feet above street level.
The Grey
NEW YORK (CNS) -- "The Grey" (Open Road) respectfully obeys the immutable law of all story lines in which an aircraft crashes in the Arctic: Some folks are bound to get eaten.
The Iron Lady
NEW YORK (CNS) -- The British market a brand of yeast spread called Marmite. Due to its overwhelmingly strong taste, its label carries the slogan "Love it or Hate it."
Underworld: Awakening
NEW YORK (CNS) -- Kate Beckinsale squeezes into the black vinyl tights again as Selene, avenging warrior of the underground Vampire clan, and battles Lycans (werewolves) and predatory human scientists for "Underworld: Awakening" (Screen Gems), the fourth installment in the horror-fantasy series.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
NEW YORK (CNS) -- Few events in recent history have exerted as deeply personal an impact on the lives of millions of Americans, and of people across the globe, as the attacks of 9/11.
Red Tails
NEW YORK (CNS) -- The last time audiences watched flag-waving hokum on the order of "Red Tails" (Fox), the show may have included a cartoon and a newsreel, and war bonds may have been for sale in the lobby. Patriotic corn, it seems, is not a staple that ages especially well.
Haywire
NEW YORK (CNS) -- With the fairly suspenseful but frequently brutal thriller "Haywire" (Relativity), filmmaker Steven Soderbergh tries his hand at action-oriented espionage. Stylish and spare, the result plays like the work of a talented yet restless director ticking another genre off his list.
The Artist
NEW YORK (CNS) -- At a time when Hollywood movies tend to get louder and more offensive, "The Artist" (Weinstein) is a breath of fresh air -- without uttering a word. Who knew a modern-made silent movie could be so charming and entertaining?
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
NEW YORK (CNS) -- There's a double agent on the loose, and seemingly no one can be trusted in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (Focus), a faithful adaptation of John le Carre's best-selling 1974 novel.
Contraband
NEW YORK (CNS) -- Movies set in criminal milieus are often less than life-affirming because of the nature of the felonious activity being depicted. Yet there's something especially dispiriting about a crime thriller that only succeeds in being gritty on the surface because it doesn't follow through on its own logic.
The Devil Inside
NEW YORK (CNS) -- "The Devil Inside" (Paramount), so we're told, is a film the Vatican doesn't want you to see. If so, perhaps there's a "Da Vinci Code"-like conspiracy afoot intended to save you 12 of your hard-earned, economic-downturn dollars.
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