As star of "First Sunday," Ice Cube earns his name. He has an almost hibernating hum, glowering in his take on the old Brando and Mitchum routines, his aura of boredom radiating cool.   'FIRST SUNDAY' - Ice Cube, left, Katt Williams, back center, and Tracy Morgan star in the comedy 'First Sunday.' CNS Photo courtesy of Tony Rivetti Jr.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS - Mixed. 1 STAR - Poor. ... [full story]

If the genius actor Daniel Day-Lewis didn't actually dig up John Huston (1906-87) for his stunningly dominating role in "There Will Be Blood," he must have tapped some psychic channel.   'THERE WILL BE BLOOD' - Dillion Freasier, left, stars with Daniel Day-Lewis in the drama 'There Will Be Blood.' CNS Photo courtesy of Melinda Sue Gordon.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS - Mixed. 1 STAR - Poor. 0 - Forget ... [full story]

Ed Blum had never directed a feature movie, but he wanted to. So naturally he went to his old schoolmate Aschlin Ditta, who'd never written a movie script, and asked him to work one up. A romantic comedy. Which Ditta did, practically overnight.   'GOOD LUCK CHUCK' - Jessica Alba and Dane Cook star in the romantic comedy 'Good Luck Chuck.' CNS Photo courtesy of Sergei Bachlakov. DVD RATINGS 4 stars: Don't miss: rent it/buy it 3 ... [full story]

You need to be devout about generic chills to really go for "The Orphanage." Spanish director J.A. Bayona, up from shorts and videos, has devotion - but what is the Spanish phrase for "everything but the kitchen sink?"   'THE ORPHANAGE' - Lots of creepy creatures show up in the suspense thriller 'The Orphanage.' CNS Photo courtesy of Picturehouse. RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS - Mixed. 1 STAR - Poor. 0 ... [full story]

Given Hollywood's affection for neat and happy - or at least conclusive - endings, it is a wonder that "Zodiac" (Paramount, 3 stars) got made at all.   'ZODIAC' - Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. star in the crime drama 'Zodiac.' CNS Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.  DVD RATINGS 4 stars: Don't miss: rent it/buy it 3 stars: Worth the risk: rent it 2 stars: On the tipping point: if nothing else is available 1 star: ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES THE ORPHANAGE - You need to be devout about generic chills to really go for "The Orphanage." Spanish director J.A. Bayona, up from shorts and videos, has devotion - but what is the Spanish phrase for "everything but the kitchen sink?" It starts with a childhood game and ends with one from the dark side. Darkness made quite visible is the grand old orphanage near   'THE ORPHANAGE' - Belen Rueda returns to her ... [full story]

You know what's been missing from movies lately? David Lynch. That's right. David Lynch, the iconoclastic writer-director whose movies are the closest thing to a Bob Dylan song (both the good and difficult aspects of that).   DAVID LYNCH - David Lynch is an iconoclastic writer-director who brought us such treats as 'Blue Velvet,' 'The Elephant Man,' 'Dune,' and the TV series 'Twin Peaks.' In his new book, 'Catching the Big Fish,' he reveals his secret ... [full story]

Nicolas Cage looks good in a seersucker suit. That is about the only clear and certain fact to ward off suspicion in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."   'NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS' - A cave in South Dakota lures Nicolas Cage and Diane Kruger to the gold in the adventure film 'National Treasure: Book of Secrets.' CNS Photo courtesy of Disney.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS - Mixed. 1 STAR ... [full story]

Johnny Cash once got the stuffing knocked out of him by an enraged ostrich named Waldo, breaking five ribs. Now a counterfeit Cash comes along to throttle the singer a bit more.   'WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY' - Dewey (John C. Reilly, center) is a rock 'n' roll animal hanging with some wild pals in the comedy 'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.' CNS Photo courtesy of Gemma La Mana.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. ... [full story]

From the moment he stepped on screen in "Eastern Promises" (Universal, 4 stars) I was prepared to despise the Russian hood Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen). His predatory look, his sneer, his cold personality, his Russianness - they should have been painfully out of place on a London street and yet, Nikolai swaggers like he owns the block.   'EASTERN PROMISES' - Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortensen star in the gripping mob thriller 'Eastern Promises.' CNS Photo courtesy ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET - Sweeney Todd is no sweetie pie. The meat pies made from his victims create a mental pungency you can almost smell in theaters showing "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." It's an ugly story given a slick and sickly   'SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET' - Johnny Depp stars in the musical thriller 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet ... [full story]

Sweeney Todd is no sweetie pie. The meat pies made from his victims create a mental pungency you can almost smell in theaters showing "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street."   'SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET' - Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter star in the musical thriller 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.' CNS Photo courtesy of Leah Gallo.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 ... [full story]

With "Charlie Wilson's War" Tom Hanks is a long, fine way from the famous bucket of caramel corn, "Forrest Gump." No Gump or Gumby is this. The movie's energizing strength is intelligence. It is so entertainingly adult.   'CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR' - Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks star in the drama 'Charlie Wilson's War.' CNS Photo courtesy of Francois Duhamel.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS - Mixed. 1 STAR - Poor. ... [full story]