Sci-fi flick Jumper was number-one at the box office this weekend, but the real story was the disappointing turnout for Definitely, Maybe, which was supposed to be a romantic comedy. Was it the annoying title? Maybe they should have referred to an old '80s TV show and called it My Three Moms instead. Maybe moviegoers aren't feeling Ryan Reynolds. Ty Burr blew kisses at Maybe co-star Isla Fisher, but he blew a raspberry at Reynolds:......

Audiences went for the light and frothy this weekend. Fool's Gold, with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, triumphed at the box office, followed up by the Martin Lawrence vehicle Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins. Neither of the top two movies made local critics very happy. James Verniere dismissed Fool's Gold as "a 110-minute advertisement for celebrity lifestyles you cannot afford. You can’t afford the boats, the bodies, the hair, the clothes. You can’t afford one of......

Okay, it seems that we have a hangup on Alvin and the Chipmunks, but the success of that movie suggests that children are more in charge of their parents' dollars than ever. We're not talking teenagers controlling the box office--we're talking the little critters. Further proof of that was provided when Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour was number one at the box office. If teenagers controlled the world, the horror remake......

Nicolas Cage mopped up the competition this weekend with the National Treasure sequel, which looked a lot like a remake of the first one. It's basically expensive kids' movie stuff. However, a friend of ours who paid to see it pointed out that those who like the ladies will see a lot of Diane Kruger in skimpy, damp clothes. Julia Roberts is probably wishing she could beat a chipmunk with her Oscar right about now.......

I Am Legend raked in the money, as expected. The public loves Will Smith, they love special effects, they love cute dogs, and I Am Legend gave audiences what they wanted. Peter Keough at the Phoenix went so far as to say that the dog in I Am Legend was his "favorite animal character of the year." As a result, the movie made an obscene $76.5 million on its opening weekend. Believe it or not,......

How did The Golden Compass, Juno, and Atonement do critically and commercially? Of Compass and its controversy, the Dig's David Wildman said, "So screw the religious nuts, there's no reason not to see this fun little flick." James Verniere at the Herald disagreed, finding it a "long and often tedious slog." Unless you're a sci-fi fan or want to stick it to The Man, you might want to stay away. The movie opened at Number......

"Traditional," "evolving," "models," and "criticism" are all words that might have turned most people off already, but bear with us here: today's 2.5-hour (longer than most movies!) panel discussion on the nature of film criticism at the Coolidge Corner Theater was actually at least as enlightening as annoying, if not more so. Moderators Cynthia Lucia and Richard Porton led panelists Phillip Lopate, Scott Foundas, Glenn Kenny, David Sterritt, Owen Gleiberman, and Ty Burr in......

Introduction to the Current State of Film Criticism Wednesday, October 17, 7:00pm Traditional and Evolving Models of Film Criticism Thursday, October 18, 10:30am Outlook for U.S. Film Criticism Thursday, October 18, 2:00pm All events are $9.75 and are at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. When it's good, movie criticism is as much of an art as filmmaking itself. Read the works of the late, great Pauline Kael to discover that. Beyond art, movie critics can help......

Okay, everyone, today's the day when we find out if all the ruckus caused by the Aqua Teen Hunger Force lite brites was worth it. Will the "guerrilla marketing" campaign devised by Interference Inc. and the media's subsequent coverage of the bag of fries, shake, and "meat wad" actually bring people to theaters? We'll see. If the critics' reaction is any judge, don't bet on it. We haven't seen it yet, although we are......