Monday, May 30, 2011

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The Hangover Part II »
By MANOHLA DARGIS
The Tree of Life »
By A. O. SCOTT
Kung Fu Panda 2 »
By A. O. SCOTT
Anatomy of a Scene
‘Submarine’ »
Slide Show
Sketching a Panda’s World »
Capturing Life in ‘Beginners’ »

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Coming Soon »

3-D Starts to Fizzle, and Hollywood Frets

By BROOKS BARNES and MICHAEL CIEPLY
The ticket sales for the 3-D version of
DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures

The ticket sales for the 3-D version of "Kung Fu Panda 2" have been disappointing.

The strongest films have benefited from 3-D, but consumers are rejecting middling movies that employ the technology to wring more money from moviegoers.

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When Life Throws Those Curveballs

By DENNIS LIM
Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor in “Beginners.
Focus Features

Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor in “Beginners."

In “Beginners,” an autobiographical film from the writer and director Mike Mills, the main character’s 75-year-old father comes out of the closet.

Growing Funnier Each Serious Minute

By JONAH WEINER
Craig Roberts in “Submarine,” a portrait of a Welsh teenager.
Dean Rogers /The Weinstein Company

Craig Roberts in “Submarine,” a portrait of a Welsh teenager.

With “Submarine” the British writer-director Richard Ayoade displays his flair for humor and empathy.

News & Features
A scene from

Panda vs. Peacock: The Showdown

By MEKADO MURPHY

The filmmakers of “Kung Fu Panda 2” explored more of China for inspiration in scenery and design.

From left: Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph in “Bridesmaids” (co-written by Ms. Wiig), in which the female comic shines.

The Funnywoman, Alive and Well

By A. O. SCOTT

“Bridesmaids” has been hailed as a vindication of the rights and abilities of all women to make jokes, and thus a resounding rebuttal to what is supposedly a widespread assumption otherwise.

Abrams at a recording session for the score of “Super 8.”

Filmmaker J. J. Abrams Is a Crowd Teaser

By FRANK BRUNI

He constructs his movies like magical boxes, full of intriguing mysteries. Of course, eventually he has to let everyone see what’s in there.

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Video
John Wayne in “Rio Lobo” (1970). Fox is releasing Blu-ray editions of two films from Wayne's late-middle period: “The Horse Soldiers” and “The Comancheros.”

The Many Shades of Wayne

By DAVE KEHR

Just in time for Father’s Day, Fox is releasing Blu-ray editions of two films that belong to John Wayne’s late-middle period: “The Horse Soldiers” and “The Comancheros.”

AMERICAN PREMIERE Gisèle Casadesus and Gérard Depardieu in “My Afternoons With Margueritte,” showing June 4 and 5.

Year One of Festival: 65 Films in 5 Days

By KARIN LIPSON

Offerings in the Gold Coast International Film Festival include the documentary “Chasing Madoff” and Gérard Depardieu in “My Afternoons With Margueritte.”

HER LIFE IN FOCUS Farrah Fawcett in 1989. Her final story became the object of a lengthy battle.

The Long Goodbye

By JIM RUTENBERG

When the iconic ’70s actress Farrah Fawcett died in May 2009, the legal fight over how she would be remembered had only just begun.

Owen Wilson, left, is Gil, who travels back in time to 1920s Paris, and Marion Cotillard is Adriana, a fictional mistress of Picasso's who catches Gil's eye.

Decoding Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’

By JOSEPH BERGER

Paris in the 1920s, as portrayed in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris,” was fertile ground for art, literature and complicated relationships, decrypted here.

Movie Reviews
Movie Review | 'The Tree of Life'
Laramie Eppler and Brad Pitt in

Heaven, Texas and the Cosmic Whodunit

By A. O. SCOTT

“The Tree of Life,” directed by Terrence Malick, envisions the origin of the universe and ponders some of life’s deepest questions.

Movie Review | 'The Hangover Part II'
From left, Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms in

3 Men and a Monkey-Baby

By MANOHLA DARGIS

Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms return as buds in trouble before a marriage in sequel to Todd Phillips’s hit.

Movie Review | 'Kung Fu Panda 2'
In “Kung Fu Panda 2,” Po, center, voiced by Jack Black (with Monkey, voiced by Jackie Chan, and Tigress, voiced by Angelina Jolie), faces down the peacock who led a campaign against pandas.

A Noble Panda Takes On a Nightmare Enemy

By A. O. SCOTT

Po, the hero of “Kung Fu Panda 2,” works out his identity crisis and faces Shen, the villainous peacock who has conducted a campaign of genocide against pandas.

More Reviews

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Photos & Video
Slide Show
A Home for ‘Life’

Images of the home featured in “The Tree of Life,” with commentary from the production designer Jack Fisk.

Video
Interview: Mike Mills

Mike Mills, the director of "Beginners," discusses the true events that inspired his fictional film.

Video
Anatomy of a Scene: 'Submarine'

Richard Ayoade, the director of "Submarine," discusses a scene from his film about an awkward teenager and his first love.

Slide Show
Sketching a Panda’s World

A look at some of the production designs for “Kung Fu Panda 2.”

Box Office Welcomes Another ‘Hangover’

May 30, 2011 2:21 PM ET

Tempting Fate and Tolkien Purists, Peter Jackson Adds Orlando Bloom to 'The Hobbit'

May 27, 2011

The Circle of Life: 3-D Movies, Rated G Through XXX

May 26, 2011

More Movies Posts in Artsbeat »

Summer Movies

The critics' take on girls in action movies, Maria Bello's tough dramas, Michael Fassbender on his rise from bit player to leading man and more.

Box Office Top 5

  1. The Hangover Part II
  2. Kung Fu Panda 2
  3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  4. Bridesmaids
  5. Thor
More Box Office Data »
Photos & Video
Video
Critics' Picks: 'Withnail and I'

A. O. Scott examines the aesthetics of failure in Bruce Robinson's film about two young actors in 1969 London.

Interactive Feature
The Notes Behind 'Network'

View the letters, notes, screenplay excerpts and ideas that helped Paddy Chayefsky shape “Network.”

Interactive Feature
Anatomy of a Scene

In this series, directors discuss ideas and techniques behind moments in their films.

Times Pulse

The most popular movies among NYTimes.com readers.
  1. The Tree of Life
  2. The Hangover Part II
  3. Midnight in Paris
  4. Bridesmaids
  5. Kung Fu Panda 2
Expanded List » | What's This?
The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made

This guide includes links to the original reviews from the archives of The New York Times.

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