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]

It's rare for an old master to be young again. Orson Welles did with "F for Fake," and now, with a similar dance of invention, Francis Ford Coppola in "Youth Without Youth."   'YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH' - Dominic Matei (Tim Roth) finds that youth, even if middle-aged, sure beats dying in Francis Ford Coppola's bold, dreamy 'Youth Without Youth.' CNS Photo courtesy of Cos Aelenei/Sony Pictures Classics.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 ... [full story]

Afghanistan is a nation tortured by history, but the core feeling in "The Kite Runner" is heartburning love of the place, its proud people and dusty, rugged beauty.   'THE KITE RUNNER' - Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmouodzada) and Amir (Zekiria Ebrahmi) have no idea that their kite of dreams will be blown apart by Afghan history in the reality movie 'The Kite Runner.' CNS Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - ... [full story]

Most of us get old. We all die. And some, before the end, draw the extra penalty card: senility requiring round-the-clock care.   'THE SAVAGES' - Old Lenny (Philip Bosco, center) poses a big set of problems for offspring Wendy (Laura Linney) and Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman) in the drama 'The Savages.' CNS Photo courtesy of Andrew Schwartz/Fox Searchlight.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS - Mixed. 1 STAR - Poor. 0 ... [full story]

Nearly a decade ago, in an infamous traffic stop on the New Jersey Turnpike, two state troopers fired 11 shots upon a van containing four black and Hispanic athletes from the Bronx. They later admitted that they had pulled the vehicle over because of its occupants' skin color and were trained to use race and ethnicity when making such decisions because their supervisors told them that minorities were more likely to be drug traffickers than ... [full story]

Armando Rodriguez lives on a quiet street in El Cajon, Calif. Seldom does anyone suggest that he go back where he came from. Matter of fact, few Americans ever heard of the place he came from - Gomez Palacio, in Mexico's central valley. Now retired at age 86, however, Rodriguez finds quiet amusement in the beef Hispanics hear so often - that they swipe jobs that might otherwise be filled by willing Americans. Some of ... [full story]

Expect the unexpected is fast becoming the operative axiom for the 2008 presidential race. It's already scrambling the presidential fields for both Democrats and Republicans. There is, however, an ominous catch for the Dems: In an election cycle that should overwhelmingly favor them, their leading candidates have by far the more serious problems. Ridiculous, you say? Examine the scenarios now unfolding. Hillary Clinton was so far ahead of Barack Obama for most of 2007 that ... [full story]

Although the next presidential election won't take place until November 2008, and the nominating conventions won't convene until next August and September, the media have been covering the candidates all through 2007 as though they were running a horse race. What is it about presidential politics that evokes horse-race metaphors? The media have designated and re-designated the Republican "front-runner": John McCain, then Mitt Romney, then Rudy Giuliani, then Mike Huckabee. The media are also speculating ... [full story]