David Rooney: Last News

Netflix’s Back In Action, the first film starring Cameron Diaz since 2014, has received a mixed reception from critics after its debut on the service.Reviews have mostly praised the chemistry between the Charlie’s Angels actor and co-star Jamie Foxx, but criticise the lacklustre storytelling.The pair star as two former CIA spies drawn back into their old ways when their identities are revealed. On the day of the film’s release (January 17), the film has a score of 50 on review aggregator Metacritic (indicating “Mixed or Average” reviews), while on Rotten Tomatoes is has a “Rotten” score of 26 per cent from 23 reviews.Paste Magazine’s review described it as “a dated and unambitious, but technically proficient action flick with decent leads but not a ton for them to do”.

Marvel’s latest outing, Deadpool and Wolverine are in – and the film has divided critics.The latest movie in the franchise sees Ryan Reynolds resume the role of Deadpool while being joined by Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The film is directed by Shawn Levy and is released in UK cinemas later this week (July 26).At the time of writing, the film is scoring a mediocre average of 54 on Metacritic from 45 reviews but is faring better on Rotten Tomatoes where the score is a higher 80 per cent from 140 reviews.In a middling review, The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw gave the film three stars.

Kevin Costner’s self-financed Western Horizon: An American Saga has bombed at the box office.The movie is the first of four planned chapters, which tells a number of stories over the course of 12 years in the American West.The first instalment, which also stars Sienna Miller, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sam Worthington, Ella Hunt, Isabelle Fuhrman and Jena Malone, was mostly financed by Costner himself, with the actor spending over $98million (£77million) of his own money on the project.Now, the film has opened to poor box office sales, making just $11million (£8.6million) in the US (per Slash film). Following its premiere at Cannes in May, Horizon was largely panned by critics, with The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney describing the film as a “a clumsy slog beyond saving.”Peter Bradshaw gave the film just two stars in his review for The Guardian. He wrote: “The film moseys blankly along and, aside from some mildly diverting moments, it spends 180 keeping you guessing as to when and whether it is going to be interesting.”In a more positive review, however, The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin awarded it four stars and wrote: “The film is earnest yet hopeful, with crisply drawn characters – but perhaps its full grandeur won’t be fully realised until part two.”Despite the mostly negative reviews, the film did receive a lengthy, seven-minute standing ovation at Cannes, leaving Costner visibly emotional.Recently, Costner also hit back at critics who complained about the representation of Native Americans in the film.

Kevin Costner’s new movie, which he has largely financed himself, has been panned by critics in its first-look reviews at Cannes.The film – which Costner has directed, co-written and stars in – is a four-part Western drama that takes place over 15 years of the American Civil War. Costner has spent over $98million (£77million) of his own money on the project.The film, which premiered at Cannes on Sunday (May 19) also stars Sienna Miller, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sam Worthington, Ella Hunt, Isabelle Fuhrman and Jena Malone.After the premiere, the first-look reviews for the project were largely negative.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Iranian drama film “Empty Nets” was Monday named winner of the AFF Feature Fiction Award at the Adelaide Film Festival. Directed by Behrooz Karamizade, it collected an A$10,000 ($6,320) cash prize.

Amsterdam.” It’s a film from established auteur David O. Russell, whose reputation for delivering the goods allowed him to attract a murderer’s row of talent that includes Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Taylor Swift and Robert De Niro. And yet, the film, bolstering more stars than in the heavens, to quote an old line — and a budget that’s upwards of $80 million — is arriving in theaters having been pulverized by the critics who have published so far and hoping to rescue its investment by overcoming the reviews to be a commercial success.

David Leitch's action comedy Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt doesn't hit UK theaters until Wednesday and US theaters until Friday, but critics are not exactly loving the 'high-octane bore.'Many reviewers singled out their praise for the 58-year-old Oscar winner, the fight sequences, and performances from Hiroyuki Sanada, Brian Tyree Henry, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson - but not much else.THR's David Rooney called the Japan-set two-hour flick 'soulless' and wrote it was 'so busy delivering violent action with a self-satisfied wink that its contorted plotting and one-note characters get real tedious real fast.' Reviews are in! David Leitch's action comedy Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt (R) doesn't hit UK theaters until Wednesday and US theaters until Friday, but critics are not exactly loving the 'high-octane bore'Rooney added: 'It's dispiriting to see so many capable actors put to such poor use...We don't care about who gets pounded to a pulp or shot to pieces because there are no characters to root for - good guys or bad.'Variety's Peter Debruge called Bullet Train 'a Kill Bill-like mix of martial arts, manga, and gabby hitman movie influences, minus the vision or wit that implies.' 'It's essentially a live-action cartoon, with high-profile cameos sprinkled in for added laughs,' Debruge noted.'Stylistically, Leitch is trying his darnedest to channel the likes of Tarantino and Ritchie, even if the dialogue and mock-British accents aren't nearly strong enough to earn such comparisons.' Standouts: Many reviewers singled out their praise for the 58-year-old Oscar winner, the fight sequences, and performances from Hiroyuki Sanada (pictured), Brian Tyree Henry, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson - but not much else 'There are no characters

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticReading the reviews of Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” one would be forgiven for thinking that it must be some madly baroque spectacle of exquisite excess, the sort of thing that makes people roll their eyes — or that makes the eyes of others widen with delight — when they hear the name “Baz Luhrmann.”In The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney writes, “How you feel about Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ will depend largely on how you feel about Baz Lurhmann’s brash, glitter-bomb maximalism.” In Rolling Stone, K. Austin Collins calls the film “a brash, overwhelming experience.