Nicolas Cage, Critics Consensus | featured news

This week at the movies, we've got a mind-bending dreamworld (Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page) and a modern-day fantasia (The Sorcerer's Apprentice, starring Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel). What do the critics have to say? Christopher Nolan is on a roll. He took the superhero movie to new heights with The Dark Knight, and now he's back with Inception, which critics are calling an ambitious, dreamy sci-fi heist movie that's quite a mind bender. For those who can't wait for the next Harry Potter installment, The Sorcerer's Apprentice provides plenty of wizards and sorcery.

This week at the movies, we've got hapless heroes (Kick-Ass, starring Aaron Johnson and Nicolas Cage), and madcap mourners (Death at a Funeral, starring Chris Rock and Tracy Morgan). What do the critics have to say? Given the recent glut of superheroes on the big screen, it was inevitable that we'd get a film that both relishes and satirizes the genre (sorry, Superhero Movie, you don't count). Critics say Matthew Vaughn's hotly-anticipated Kick-Ass largely lives up to its name, even if some find its ambitious approach a bit scattershot.

This week at the movies, we've got an anime hero (Astro Boy, with voice work from Kristen Bell and Nicolas Cage); a vampire war ( Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, starring Chris Massoglia and John C. Reilly); an aviation pioneer (Amelia, starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere); and gore galore (Saw Vi, starring Costas Mandylor and Mark Rolston). What do the critics have to say? Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy is one of anime's most iconic and venerable characters. Now he's getting the big-screen CGI treatment, and the result, critics say, is an energetic but derivative affair.