Kyle Smith
Swing Vote: An Election-Themed ‘Comedy’
The only thing funny about the new film starring Kevin Costner is that it wants you to believe all politicians are really swell people.
The Dark Knight — Not Just Another Superhero Movie
Who would have guessed that the latest Batman movie would have a conservative point of view?
Mamma Mia: A Movie to Laugh At (Not With)
This is a musical comedy with terrible jokes that is nevertheless hilarious.
A Forgettable Journey to the Center of the Earth
This bland remake of the Jules Verne novel is a grandparents' movie rather than a kids' flick.
Hancock: A Loutish Superhero Saves the Day
The film is a witty defense of America as a rude, sometimes blundering but ultimately invaluable force.
WALL-E: A Gloom-E Satire
Pixar's kid flick is perhaps the most cynical and darkest big-budget Disney movie ever.
Be Smart — Don’t See Get Smart
The latest big-screen adaptation of the 1960s TV spy comedy made me laugh — once.
The Incredible Hulk: A Somber Superhero
Edward Norton's Hulk is the superhero equivalent of the guy who couldn't get a prom date.
The Real Political Message of High Noon
The classic film, which is being reissued on DVD this week, seems like a conservative work today. It's not an anti-McCarthyism allegory, but a warning about the dangers of being soft on crime.
Zohan Fights Terror — Hilariously
You Don't Mess with the Zohan misses no opportunity to make fun of extremist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas — and is the funniest Adam Sandler film since The Waterboy.
Is Obama Channeling a Cult Movie Hero?
Barack Obama has often been compared to JFK. But maybe his primary influence is gang leader Cyrus from the classic film The Warriors.
Indiana Jones 4 Doesn’t Rival Predecessors
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the worst Steven Spielberg popcorn flick since 1941.
What Happens in Vegas Didn’t Stay in Vegas. Unfortunately.
It's obvious that not even Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, the stars of this new comedy, think any of their lines are funny.
Iron Man: Superhero Powered by Super-Shame
The first hour of Jon Favreau's new film is right up there with the best movies of the genre. Too bad the second half sounds like a Ralph Nader lecture on America's responsibility for all the world's wars.
Harold & Kumar Try to Make Gitmo a Laughing Matter
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is not as funny as its predecessor. In fact, there's only one decent political joke in the entire movie.
Where in the World is Morgan Spurlock’s Brain?
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock is looking for Osama Bin Laden. Is it more surprising that he doesn't find him — or that Spurlock's own biases make his film nearly unwatchable?
Smart People Has a Smart Script
Ellen Page does a mean version of Juno in this delightful film about a depressed professor and his too-wise kids.
There Will Be Blood: Conservative in Liberal’s Clothing
It's one of the cleverest left-wing films made in a long time. But apart from its trenchant critiques of capitalism and religion, there's also an underlying theme you wouldn't suspect in a liberal movie.
Leatherheads, a Muddy Snoozefest
George Clooney the director is no help to Clooney the actor in the sis-boom-bad football flick.
‘Funny Games’: Psyche-Shattering Thriller
Michael Haneke's latest offering is one of the most perfect horror films ever made, even if horror is not quite the point, writes Kyle Smith.
‘The Other Boleyn Girl’: Soapy Costume Drama
Kyle Smith writes that the new film starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson "panders shamelessly to its target audience of upscale women by recasting history as a lipstick jungle."
The Pillowman Puts Us to Sleep
In Bruges, the first film by acclaimed Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, is a bit of a disappointment, writes Kyle Smith: a tongue-in-cheek gangster flick with a loose plot unredeemed by lame jokes.
‘Fool’s Gold,’ a Fool’s Errand
By giving it 0.5 out of 4 stars, Kyle Smith makes his opinion clear on the treasure-hunting comedy starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, which opens today. Most interesting question: "Which actor wins what must have been a bad accent contest on the set?"
Planned Parenthood in Bucharest
Winter blues got you down? Then how about a subtitled abortion film set in Ceauşescu's Romania? Kyle Smith can't help but feel that 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, which opens Jan. 25, is a two-hour viewing experience on par with Eastern European Communism itself. Still, he gives this "skillfully realized emotional thriller" 3.5 stars out of 4.
Film Review: U2 in Three Dimensions
The new concert film U2 3D is a fabulous party thrown by the world's biggest band for the price of a movie ticket, writes film critic Kyle Smith. So what if their onstage politics are weird and vague? "Nobody ever comes back from a U2 concert saying, 'Actually, I disagreed with their stance on peace and unity.' "
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