The sprawling fantasy epic The Golden Compass storms into theaters this weekend, accompanied by a gaggle of smaller releases, including the highly buzzworthy flicks Juno, Atonement and Grace is Gone.
A rundown of our reviews of this weekend's new releases:
The Golden Compass 
"No amount of CGI wizardry or bear-on-bear action can save this movie from collapsing under the weight of its many structural flaws." [Full Review]
Atonement 
"An epic war-time love story...as beautiful as it is thought-provoking and soulful, Atonement is a December must-see." [Full Review]
Revolver 
"Guy Ritchie's latest is a mind-numbing, sanity-challenging debacle." [Full Review]
Juno
"A charming and sweetly sardonic tale of teen pregnancy...one of 2007's best and most enjoyable films." [Full Review]
Grace is Gone 
"There were times when it felt almost too indie to me...but it's still a noteworthy effort." [Full Review]
The Amateurs 
"Despite a great cast and amusing plotline, The Amateurs falls flat." [Full Review]
Also opening: Noelle, Strength and Honor, Timber Falls and The Walker.
Posted 12.07.07 by reelz 
In town to promote his trippy new gangster flick Revolver, UK filmmaker Guy Ritchie (you know, the dude who's married to Madonna) gave us a glimpse of his next project, RocknRolla:
"That's not such cerebral stuff -- that's fun," described Ritchie, contrasting RocknRolla's tone with the brainier Revolver. "It's kind of a commentary on how London is now. It's all to do with Russian oligarchs buying up the city and stuff and then the shenanigans that take place in the underworld because of that."
Oil-rich Russian oligarchs have flocked to London in recent years, riling some native Brits with their extravagant spending habits. "There is a particular oligarch in the film who builds soccer stadiums," Ritchie hinted, most likely referencing Roman Abramovich, the billionaire Russian oil baron who stirred up much controversy in the UK when he purchased England's fabled Chelsea Football Club in 2003.
Posted 10.27.07 by reelz