MLive New Movies Podcast

This week, Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba and pal Cory Olsen cut through the hype in the New Movies Podcast by addressing a big question: Is "Iron Man 2" all that we expect it to be? In addition to what could be the year's biggest movie, they discuss new documentary "Babies" and director Bong Joon-ho's excellent "Mother" (which opens this weekend at the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids).

So, how does the new remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" stack up to the original? That's the topic addressed this week in the New Movies Podcast. Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba and producer pal Cory Olsen tackle Freddy Krueger, new releases "Furry Vengeance," "Greenberg" and "The Art of the Steal," and new DVD titles.

Is Jennifer Lopez's "The Back-up Plan" yet another formulaic romantic comedy? Is Disney's Earth Day doc "Oceans" yet another boring nature documentary? Is the entire "Red Riding" trilogy worth the time and effort? Do we really need to buy "Avatar" on DVD? Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba answers these questions and more in the New Movies Podcast with producer Cory Olsen adding his commentary, too.

So, does "Kick-Ass" live up to its title? Yes. No. Maybe. The critics are divided, and Grand Rapids Press film reviewer John Serba and podcast pal Cory Olsen discuss the more controversial elements of the new teen-superhero satire. Also on the agenda are "Red Riding: 1974," which opens at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts this weekend, "Death at a Funeral" and new DVD releases.

This week's New Movies Podcast is all about dynamic duos: One is comedic, as Steve Carell and Tina Fey have a quip-off in "Date Night." The other is dramatic and musical, as Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart play punk rockers Cherie Currie and Joan Jett in "The Runaways." Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba and producer Cory Olsen discuss the aforementioned in this week's New Movies Podcast. Serba also raves about the pairing of Nicolas Cage and director Werner Herzog in "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," new on DVD.

Does "Clash of the Titans" live up to the hype? Does Miley Cyrus have the chops to handle weepie Nicholas Sparks adaptation "The Last Song"? Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba and podcast producer pal Cory Olsen address these questions -- and peruse new DVD offerings -- in this week's New Movies Podcast.

Dreamworks is almost, but not quite, at Pixar's level when it comes to animated films. So says Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba in this week's New Movies Podcast. He and producer/commentator Cory Olsen also discuss crass comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine," erotic thriller "Chloe," British drama "Fish Tank" and new DVD releases.

A full slate of new releases for this week's New Movies Podcast includes Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler in "The Bounty Hunter," Roman Polanski's latest film "The Ghost Writer," comedy "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," gory thriller "Repo Men" and German adventure "North Face." Notably, one of them is proclaimed the best film of 2010 so far by Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba. He and podcast pal Cory Olsen also mull over new DVDs.

There's an odd conglomeration of new movies in theaters this week: Action with "Green Zone," starring Matt Damon and directed by Paul Greengrass. Romance with "Remember Me," starring "Twilight" hunk Robert Pattinson. And comedy, some more desperate ("Our Family Wedding") than others ("She's Out of My League"). Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba teams up with podcast producer pal Cory Olsen to discuss all of 'em, as well as several new and notable titles on DVD.

Skewed perspectives on a skewed perspective: That's what's going on in this week's New Movies Podcast. Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba and producer/sidekick Cory Olsen discuss oddball director Tim Burton's skewed interpretation of "Alice in Wonderland," which puts Johnny Depp in the Mad Hatter's headgear. They also tackle "Me and Orson Welles," Romanian art film "Police, Adjective," cop drama "Brooklyn's Finest" and new DVDs "Ponyo" and "Where the Wild Things Are."

Filmmaker Kevin Smith takes another stab at the mainstream with "Cop Out," the new buddy comedy starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, which leads the New Movies Podcast discussion this week. Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba and fellow commenter Cory Olsen also tackle period drama "The Last Station," overlooked animated delight "A Town Called Panic," documentary "Lord, Save Us from Your Followers" and new DVDs.

So, "Shutter Island": we've watched the trailers for months, and the anticipation of another Martin Scorsese/Leonardo DiCaprio collaboration kept growing. Does it live up to the hype? Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba answers that question in the New Movies Podcast. He also defers to podcast producer/Robert De Niro expert Cory Olsen during a discussion of Scorsese's work with his two muses. And together they tackle new DVD releases.

Can Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba recite the very long list of principal stars in "Valentine's Day" by memory? (Probably not.) Will the film live up to the hype of the holiday? (Mmmmmaybe.) What argument will Serba and fellow podcaster Cory Olsen get into this time? (Hint: It involves the Coen Brothers.) Give the New Movies Podcast a listen, and find out. They'll also go over new releases "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," "The Wolfman," two new documentaries opening in Grand Rapids and new DVD releases.

So Woody Harrelson and Colin Firth are Oscar nominees for "The Messenger" and "A Single Man" respectively -- are they deserving? Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba addresses the question, with producer Cory Olsen adding commentary, in the New Movies Podcast. Both films open in Grand Rapids this weekend, along with wide releases "Dear John" and "From Paris With Love."

Podcasters weigh in on "Avatar" and Sandra Bullock's Oscar chances.

Does Jeff Bridges deserve all the hype, praise and awards he's received for "Crazy Heart"? That's the focus of conversation from Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba and producer Cory Olsen in this week's New Movies Podcast. Also discussed: New releases "Edge of Darkness," "When in Rome" and "The Yes Men Fix the World."

Things (almost) get nasty in the New Movies Podcast this week. Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba and producer pal Cory Olsen watched "Extraordinary Measures" -- the new drama starring Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford -- and walked out with clashing opinions of the talent on hand. They also mull over kid flick "Tooth Fairy," Pedro Almodovar-Penelope Cruz collaboration "Broken Embraces," top-shelf sports drama "The Damned United" starring Michael Sheen and new faith-based indie drama "To Save a Life." Oh, and Serba makes a must-see recommendation among new DVD releases. Give it a listen:

"The Lovely Bones" doesn't always work, but Peter "Lord of the Rings" Jackson creates an ambitious adaptation of the bestselling Alice Sebold novel. So says John Serba, film critic for The Grand Rapids Press, in this week's New Movies Podcast. He also discusses Denzel Washington thriller "The Book of Eli," Jackie Chan comedy "The Spy next Door," Lars von Trier's controversial "Antichrist" and a slew of new DVD releases, including "The Hurt Locker" and "Moon" -- all with podcast producer extraordinaire Cory Olsen adding commentary.

Michael Cera, Amy Adams and Heath Ledger headline three new movies this week: "Youth in Revolt" (which was filmed in Michigan), "Leap Year" and "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (featuring Ledger's last role), respectively. Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba and producer Cory Olsen discuss these actors' performances in the New Movies Podcast, as well as "Daybreakers" and French film "35 Shots of Rum" (which opens at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts).

Regular listeners of this podcast might have an inkling as to what Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba's favorite, and most hated, films of the year are. Perhaps you've already read his complete list, but he elaborates further -- and, notably, acts out the best movie line of the year -- in a special version of this week's New Movies Podcast, with producer-sidekick Cory Olsen chiming in.

With such a bountiful slate of films opening for the holiday weekend, Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba barely had time to exhale during this week's New Movies Podcast. He and producer Cory Olsen discuss "Up in the Air," "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," "Sherlock Holmes," "Nine," "It's Complicated," "The Young Victoria" and (pant, pant) new DVD releases.

In this special edition of the New Movies Podcast, Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba talks about his top 10 favorite films of the decade (with some honorable mentions thrown in), while producer/sidekick Cory Olsen points out a few that he missed. Serba calls the '00s the decade of comic-book movies, Latino directors, Pixar and The Other Trilogy.

James Cameron maintains his legacy as a groundbreaking director with "Avatar," according to Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba in this week's New Movies Podcast. He and producer/commentator Cory Olsen also tackle the long-awaited adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel "The Road," comedy "Did You Hear About the Morgans?," acclaimed drama "An Education" and new DVD releases, including Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" and "The Hangover."

Old school: That's the best phrase Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba could use to describe new Disney animated musical "The Princess and the Frog." In this week's New Movies Podcast, he says it "might be a classic." Serba and producer-sidekick Cory Olsen also talk about Clint Eastwood's drama "Invictus," starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, two new independent films opening at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, and new DVD releases "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Public Enemies" and "Julie and Julia."

A pair of downbeat dramas open in theaters this week: "Everybody's Fine," starring Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore and Kate Beckinsale, and "Brothers," with Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire. They're the focus of discussion in this week's New Movies Podcast, hosted by Press film critic John Serba and producer/quipster Cory Olsen.

Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba declares the Coen Bros.' "A Serious Man" one of the best movies of 2009 in this week's New Movies Podcast. Sidekick/producer Cory Olsen doesn't quite agree with him, but they discuss it -- as well as "Precious," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "Old Dogs," "Ninja Assasin" and new DVD releases -- in depth.

The burning question this week: Does "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" have anything to offer non-Twi-hards? Grand Rapids Press movie critic John Serba tackles the topic with podcast producer/funny guy Cory Olsen in this week's New Movies Podcast. They also discuss animated feature "Planet 51," Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side," the big buzz surrounding "Precious," "Star Trek" on DVD and more.

The world done blows up real good in Roland Emmerich's latest disaster epic, "2012," starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet and a whole lotta special effects. So, is this the disaster movie to end all disaster movies? Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba addresses the question -- with commentary by jokester-producer Cory Olsen -- in this week's New Movies Podcast. They also discuss "Pirate Radio," "Up" on DVD and more.

Jim Carrey in Robert Zemeckis' 'A Christmas Carol,' George Clooney in 'The Men Who Stare at Goats,' more

Michael Jackson documentary 'This Is It': In some ways, the film isn't exactly what we may be expecting, according to Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba, who discusses it and new DVD releases with sidekick/producer Cory Olsen.

So, does "Paranormal Activity" -- which expands to wide release this week -- live up to the hype? Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba tackles the hottest homemade horror film since "The Blair Witch Project" in this week's New Movie's Podcast. Serba and producer/sidekick Cory Olsen also discuss "Astro Boy" and other new theatrical releases, and new DVDs, including "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

Does "Where the Wild Things Are" live up to the hype and anticipation? Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba and his producer/sidekick Cory Olsen address the issue in this week's New Movies Podcast. They also discuss "Paranormal Activities," "Law Abiding Citizen" and new DVDs "Drag Me to Hell," "The Proposal" and "Land of the Lost."

Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba offers a twist for this week's New Movies Podcast: He and producer Cory Olsen discuss some of the worst movies ever made, including Tommy Wiseau's "The Room." They also touch on "Couples Retreat," "My One and Only" and "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell."

It’s a big week for movies with Michigan ties. “Whip It” — which director Drew Barrymore shot in Detroit last year — and “Capitalism: A Love Story” — the latest from Flint-born filmmaker Michael Moore — are both new in theaters. Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba has good things to say about both of them in this week’s New Movies Podcast, with sidekick/producer Cory Olsen kicking in some commentary as well. They also discuss the 3-D re-release of “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2,” “Zombieland,” “The Invention of Lying,” “Cold Souls,” new DVD releases and more. Give ’em a listen:

'Fame,' Bruce Willis in 'Surrogates,' 'In the Loop,' new DVDs and more

Animated film 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,' Megan Fox in 'Jennifer's Body,' Matt Damon in 'The Informant!', more

New Movies Podcast: Tim Burton-produced animated film '9,' 'Whiteout,' 'Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself,' more

New Movies Podcast: Mike Judge's new comedy 'Extract' starring Jason Bateman, 'Weather Girl,' new DVDs, more

New Movies Podcast: 'Taking Woodstock,' 'The Answer Man' new in theaters, 'Adventureland,' 'Duplicity' on DVD

Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba loves Quentin Tarantino's movies -- so it's no surprise he has good things to say about "Inglourious Basterds" in this week's New Movies Podcast. He also throws in his two cents for "Post Grad" and last weekend's hit, "District 9."

The Peter Jackson-produced "District 9" is this week's buzz flick, and it's among several films being discussed in this week's New Movies Podcast. Tune in as Grand Rapids Press film critic John Serba and podcast producer Cory Olsen discuss the sci-fi movie along with "Bandslam," "Ponyo," "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" and "The Time Traveler's Wife," as well as new DVD releases "I Love You, Man," "The Solosit" and "17 Again."

After this week's quasi-controversy about "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" not being screened for critics, Grand Rapids Press reviewer John Serba had to rush out Friday morning to see it for this week's New Movies Podcast. He and sidekick/producer Cory Olsen then discuss "Julie and Julia," "(500) Days of Summer," "A Perfect Getaway," "The Stoning of Soraya M." and the new-to-DVD "Race to Witch Mountain."

It's really funny, it's about real people... it's Judd Apatow's "Funny People"! So says John Serba, film critic for The Grand Rapids Press, in this week's New Movies Podcast -- and his sidekick-producer Cory Olsen concurs. They also discuss "The Hurt Locker," "The Girlfriend Experience," "Food Inc." and new DVD release "Fast and Furious."

Guinea pigs are super-spies in Disney's new kid flick "G-Force" -- which faces some tough competition at the cineplex in "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." So says John Serba, film critic for The Grand Rapids Press, in this week's New Movies Podcast. He and show producer Cory Olsen also discuss the Katherine Heigl/Gerard Butler romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth," horror-thriller "Orphan" and new DVDs, including "Watchmen" and "Coraline."

New Movies Podcast: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Price," "Anvil: The Story of Anvil"

Will "Bruno" be as big as "Borat"? John Serba, film critic for The Grand Rapids Press, thinks Sacha Baron Cohen's new film will offend more than the last one -- so he says in this week's New Movies Podcast. With podcast producer Cory Olsen providing commentary, he also discusses trippy sci-fi film "Moon," starring Sam Rockwell, Woody Allen's collaboration with Larry David "Whatever Works," new DVDs and more.

Press film critic John Serba ponders the success of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" with a special guest, Press entertainment writer Rachael Recker. Also discussed are "Public Enemies," "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" and new DVD releases.

Two comedies debut this week in theaters: The Sandra Bullock/Ryan Reynolds romance "The Proposal" and "Year One," a yukfest starring funnymen Jack Black and Michael Cera.John Serba, film critic for The Grand Rapids Press, discusses whether these flicks bring the funny or not in the New Movies Podcast, with producer/commentator Cory Olsen in tow.

So, is the faceoff between Denzel Washington and John Travolta in "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" invigorating? Is Eddie Murphy comedy "Imagine That" as forgettable as much of his recent work? Does Mike Tyson biodoc "Tyson" tell a compelling story about the boxer? Well, John Serba, film critic for The Grand Rapids Press, tackles these questions and more in the New Movies Podcast, with new co-host and podcast producer Cory Olsen chiming in.

So, "Land of the Lost": Is this another Will Ferrell classic a la "Anchorman," or a dud like "Blades of Glory"? Listen to John Serba, film critic for The Grand Rapids Press, in the New Movies Podcast, and find out if Ferrell still brings the funny. He and podcast producer Cory Olsen also discuss new releases "The Hangover" and "My Life in Ruins," as well as new-to-DVD titles "Revolutionary Road" and "Defiance."

A new film from animation studio Pixar is usually a time when film critics are enjoying their jobs the most. "Up" is the...