Movies

Released on January 18, 2008

Cloverfield (2008)

“Cloverfield” is nominally a monster movie, but mostly it’s a feature-length gimmick.

27 Dresses (2008)

“27 Dresses” makes the point that modern American weddings are all pretty much alike. The same could be said about modern American romantic comedies.

Taxi to the Dark Side (2008)

If recent American history is ever going to be discussed with the necessary clarity and ethical rigor, “Taxi to the Dark Side” will be essential.

Running With Arnold (2008)

Teeth (2008)

Teenage horror-movie spoof, John Waters parody, No Nukes protest movie, twisted sex-education film, quasi-feminist fable, outrageous stunt: Mitchell Lichtenstein’s clever, crude comedy, “Teeth,” is all these and more.

Still Life (2008)

In “Still Life,” the blood and the sweat run directly into the Yangtze River, where they mingle with more than a few tears.

Cassandra's Dream (2008)

“Cassandra’s Dream,” Woody Allen’s latest excursion to the dark side of human nature, is good enough that you may wonder why he doesn’t just stop making comedies once and for all.

Beaufort (2008)

“Beaufort” may be, strictly speaking, a war movie, but for long stretches it feels more like science fiction.

Summer Palace (2008)

Lou Ye’s “Summer Palace” examines youthful idealism and its unhappy aftermath.

Mad Money (2008)

In the breezy, amoral heist comedy “Mad Money,” “Fun With Dick and Jane” meets “9 to 5” on the way to recession.

Released on January 11, 2008

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (2008)

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (2008)

You don’t have to go far into the press material for “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie” before you hit the phrase “faith-and-values-based property.” It is used to describe this and earlier offerings from the VeggieTales franchise, but the “faith” component of this rather ordinary film for children doesn’t make itself readily apparent.

Times and Winds (2008)

Livestock far outnumber humans in “Times and Winds,” Reha Erdem’s transporting vision of life in a mountain village in northwest Turkey.

In the Name of the King (2008)

Like actors in an amateur stage play, the large, mostly all-star — or has-been star — cast of “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale” look, rather dazedly, to be playing dress-up.

Released on January 10, 2008

First Sunday (2008)

In “First Sunday,” Ice Cube departs a bit from the upright-citizen persona, playing a man driven to crime by desperate circumstances.