How the critics rated the new movies uggsuggboots.com

A silent film has critics shouting their praises in its opening weekend. The black-and-white "The Artist" was the best-reviewed new movie of the crowded Thanksgiving holiday. French director Michel Hazanavicius' nearly wordless homage to the end of silent pictures stars Jean Dujardin as an actor who sees his career dwindle as the talkies become popular. AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle gave the movie three stars outugg new orleans ugg boots seattle ugg boots ottawa of four, calling it "a loving, irresistibly charming ode to a long-ago movie era that not only summons the dormant conventions of silent moviemaking, but makes them dance again." Another tribute to classic cinema, Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," was also earning strong reviews. Scorsese's first film in 3-D, the family friendly adventure stars Asa Butterfield as an orphan who secretly lives inside the walls of a 1930s Paris train station and keeps all the clocks running on time. AP Movie Critic Christy Lemire gave the film three stars, saying: "Scorsese doesn't just tinker with this newfangled technology, he embraces it fully. This is the most dazzling use of 3-D yet — more so than the vaunted `Avatar.'" Families could also enjoy "The Muppets," which reunites Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the gang for their first movie in over a decade. Jason Segel co-wrote the script and stars as a human who helps the Muppets get back ugg boots maryland ugg boots indianapolis ugg boots in seattletogether to restore their old theater. AP Movie Writer David Germain wrote: "From start to finish, the movie is a healthy, dizzy dose of childlike bliss, the songs campy but catchy, the humor corny but clever, the cast — both human and Muppet — one of the most lovable gangs you'll ever spend time with at the pictures." He gave it three stars out of four. Here's a look at how these movies and others fared on the top review websites as of ugg boots in ottawa ugg bangkok uggs outlet torontoFriday afternoon. Each score is the percentage of positive reviews for the film: _ "The Artist": Metacritic, 87; Movie Review Intelligence, 90.9; Rotten Tomatoes, 97. Average: 91.6 _ "Hugo": Metacritic, 85; Movie Review Intelligence, 81.2; Rotten Tomatoes, 97. Average: 87.7. _ "The Muppets": Metacritic, 76; Movie Review Intelligence, 78.8; Rotten Tomatoes, 97. Average: 83.9. _ "Arthur Christmas": Metacritic, 68; Movie Review Intelligence, 76.6; Rotten Tomatoes, 91. Average: 78.5. _ "A Dangerous Method": Metacritic, 74; Movie Review Intelligence, 74; Rotten Tomatoes, 80. Average: 76. _ "My Week With Marilyn": Metacritic, 66; Movie Review Intelligence, 68.1; Rotten Tomatoes, 82. Average: 72.

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Hugo' too long, but a delight for the eyes and film buffs Read more: cheapugg-aus.com

It's a charming and quite gorgeous exercise in the few corners of the medium where the Oscar-winning filmmaker has next to no experience ----- children's stories, comedy and 3-D. And even though it is too long and ugg boots in miami ugg boots in buffalo ugg boots buffalothe master has yet to develop much of a comic touch, this adaptation of Brian Selznick's "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" is a stunning exercise in 3-D and a delightful celebration of Scorsese's lifelong love of the movies ---- something he, like Hugo, developed in childhood. Hugo (Asa Butterfield) lives in the bowels of a Paris train station between the World Wars. He is an orphan who hides out, carrying on the job a drunken uncle left him with ---- servicing the huge clocks there. He slips in and out of the station, getting by on stolen food and drink, hoping not to be noticed by the station inspector, Gustav (Sacha Baron Cohen). Hugo's a tinkerer, something he picked up from his late father (Jude Law). His favorite project is an old clockwork automaton, a wind-up man he tries to fix with parts stolen from the toy shop run by a cranky old man played by the great Benuggs in minnesota uggs in maine uggs boots in miami Kingsley. When the old man catches Hugo, he seizes the boy's notebook, full of his father's drawings and fixes for the automaton. Hugo must work in the shop to win the notebook back, and even then, the mean old man may turn him in to the meaner wounded war vet Gustav, who patrols the station with a Doberman. Isabel (Chloe Moretz) calls the old man "Pappa Georges," and even she finds Hugo dubious company, an excuse to try out her burgeoning vocabulary: "You're nothing but a ---- reprobate!" Hugo must win her over (he takes her to the movies to see Harold Lloyd in "Safety Last"), elude Gustav and get back that notebook ---- his last tie to his dead father. Scorsese uses this vintage Paris railway station set to stage marvelous 3-D chases, on foot ---- his camera following Hugo up ladders, down alleys, weaving through crowds. "Hugo" is the best looking 3-D movie since "Alice in Wonderland." The director peoples the set with character players (Richard Griffiths, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee), and sets in motion subplots about the lonely Gustav, the fate of Hugo's drunken uncle (Ray Winstone of "The Departed") and clues to the automaton's and Pappa Georges' past. Moretz, slinging an English accent, is her usual delightful self, showing Isabel'sugg maryland uggs in winnipeg uggs in ottawa love of words ---- "I think we have to be very clan-DES-tine!" It takes Cohen a number of scenes to make any sort of comic impression. And Kingsley makes the journey from ogre to charmer in his usual winning fashion. But the story ---- period details and mysteries notwithstanding ---- is too slight to support this length. It's an 80-minute bonbon struggling to break out of a 2 hour and 10 minute souffle. Still, movie buffs, especially fans of early cinema history, will be transfixed by scenes in the latter acts ---- movie-making, as it was being invented. It's why Scorsese chose to make the film and it's where his heart truly is with this material. And it's no surprise that this corner of his wondrous little picture is where he chose to make a cameo, immortalizing himself in the history of the medium he grew up loving and mastering.

Ngata and the top 10 defensive tackles of 2011 uggsuggboots.com

Exhibit A is listed at 6-4, 350 pounds —before dinner. Another one, with nifty feet, purportedly measures 6-2, 337. A relatively short, squatty version, with legs like tree stumps, is officially 6-1, 325. PHOTOS: The top 10 defensive tackles He knows you know his weight is, well, an estimate. They are defensive tackles, typically the biggest fellas in a big-man's sport. The best ones stuff the run, dismantle the designs of X's and O's as human wrecking balls, make teammates markedly better and consistently collapse the pocket with their quick, powerful rushes up the middle. They tie up multiple blockers and block out cracks of daylight, ugg philadelphia ugg texas uggs in houstonif not the entire sun. The D-tackles ranked by a USA TODAY panel as the top 10 in the NFL? Combined, they weigh (at least) 3,145 pounds. Every team needs these huge bodies in the middle of the defense. In most cases, they get little glory and few eye-popping statistics. Their effectiveness often is demonstrated at the bottom of a pile, while the sleek defensive ends ring up the gaudy sack numbers and the athletic linebackers clean up with double-digit tackles. William "The Refrigerator" Perry was a defensive tackle. And over the years, uggs in texas ugg boots los angeles ugg boots in miamiothers have carried handles — such as "Danimal," "Manster," "Mean" Joe and "Bruiser" — that illuminated the girth, strength, mentality or combination thereof essential for the job. "I was watching the World's Strongest Man show, and some guy from Sweden won the competition," says Dave Razzano, a former NFL scout who serves as an analyst for PlaymakerMobile.com. "This was a giant, strong as an ox.ugg boots in los angeles uggs in seattle ugg minnesota He was 6-4, 330. I'm thinking, 'Why can't this man be a nose tackle?'" Razzano, who scouted for more than 20 years with three teams, knew the answer.

Spur-n all talk of a Tottenham title: it's not going to happen cheapugg-aus.com

In my latest column from The Sun-Herald, I explain why Spurs won't win the Premier League title or qualify for the Champions League. Talk of Spurs winning the Premier League title is nonsense. They are simply not good enough. I can't even see them finishing in the top four. Spurs fans should make the most of their time in the Champions League, because their team won't be there next season. It'll be fifth place at best for Harry Redknapp's men come May. Spurs are a better team than they were in uggs outlet los angeles uggs outlet in los angeles uggs outlet in illinois2009-10. There's no doubt about that. The problem for the Londoners, though, is Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea are just that little bit better. Advertisement: Story continues below Tottenham have played reasonably well against some of those sides. One win, three draws and one defeat in the league so far is a decent return. But the odd good result doesn't win you the title, or qualify you for the Champions League. The top sides grind out victories when they are playing badly, but Spurs don't do it enough. They haven't won more than three games on the bounce in the league all season. They can beat any side on their day, but they are just not consistent. Take earlier this season. It was all well and good beating Arsenal away and then Liverpool at home, but to follow those wins with a dismal draw at Birmingham was not good enough. Spurs need to consistently win matches against weaker teams if they want to be taken seriously. Redknapp has fashioned a sense of belief hitherto unseen in years at White Hart Lane. The players believe they can compete with the best. But when they have competed against this season's best, United, they have fallen short - twice. At White Hart Lane last Sunday, Spurs stretched the Red Devils, but weren't good enough to break them down. Luka Modric was class, but other star players Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Rafael van der Vaart fell short. Spurs needed all their leading lights to fire. Even when United were down to 10 men it is hard to recall keeper Edwin van der Sar making a save. Spurs did not have the killer instinct; they did not expose United. It was a chance for them to lay down a marker - but uggs outlet illinois ugg tucson ugg outlet miamithey blew it. And the same was true at Old Trafford, where United won 2-0. Spurs were not intimidated, passed it around and tried to win. But once United took the lead, there was an inevitability about which team would win. Spurs lacked a cutting edge and had no end product, while Bale and Lennon again struggled to impose themselves. It was the same old Spurs - nice to watch, neat and tidy, but no real bite. Redknapp's team is on an upward curve - he has plenty of players whom rival managers would love to have - but the club needs another season or two of consolidation. That's because Spurs are still naive. They play with plenty of vim and attacking intent, but their gung-ho style does not offer enough protection to the defence. They had only kept four clean sheets in the league all season going into their match this morning (Sydney time) against Newcastle. A miserable record. Compare that to United's nine, City's 11, Arsenal's seven and Chelsea's 10 and it's clear Spurs have a long way to go before they can make the step up to title challengers and Champions League regulars. Up front their record is not much better. Spurs struggle to break down resilientugg outlet illinois ugg memphis ugg kansas city opponents and don't score enough goals. A tally of 31 before this weekend's fixtures was significantly lower than all the teams above them in the league. The Lilywhites' limitations are striking. Redknapp has delved into the January transfer market in an attempt to cure his team's ills. Deeper squad or not, Spurs are inexperienced at managing the workload of playing at the highest level in Europe while at the same time pushing hard in the league. It will be very hard for them to keep winning regularly and they will continue to be pretenders, not contenders.

Turnover turns the tide in Denver uggstore-aus.com

At a time when the NFL is ugg boots in houston ugg boots houston ugg arizonaobsessed with the question of whether Tim Tebow ever will be a real NFL quarterback, it’s easy to forget that the jury is still out on whether Mark Sanchez deserves that title, either. Sanchez is looking rough on Thursday ugg boots colorado ugg outlet los angeles ugg outlet buffalonight, with a pick six moments ago allowing the Broncos to tie the game at 10, late in the third quarter. Though Sanchez has completed 18 of 25 passes, some of his misses have been ugly, including an early misfire in the red zone that should have been a walk-in score for Santonio Holmes. The Jets can still win this one. And Sanchez can be ugg milwaukee ugg boots minnesota ugg boots in minnesotathe catalyst. But if they lose and fall to 5-5 with six to play, it will be difficult to get to the postseason. If the Jets can’t get to the postseason, it could be time to start thinking about other alternatives at quarterback.

Energy Dept. pushed firm to keep layoffs quiet until after midterms uggstore-aus.com

The Obama administration, which gave the solar company Solyndra a half-billion-dollar loan to help create jobs, asked the company to delay announcing it would lay off workers until after the hotly contested November 2010 midterm elections that imperiled Democratic control of Congress, newly released e-mails show.

The announcement could have been politically damaging because President Obama and others in the administration had held up Solyndra as a poster child of its clean-energy initiative, saying the company’s new factory, built with the help of stimulus money, could create 1,000 jobs. Six months before the midterm elections, Obama visited Solyndra’s California plant to praise its success, even though outside auditors had questioned whether the operation might collapse in debt.

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President Obama has put a special spotlight on clean technologyugg maine ugg in seattle ugg brooklyn during his time in the White House, personally visiting and praising 22 companies for their work on energy innovation and efficiency in high-profile trips. These visits made up more than half of Obama's out-of-town travel to businesses.

President Obama has put a special spotlight on clean technology during his time in the White House, personally visiting and praising 22 companies for their work on energy innovation and efficiency in high-profile trips. These visits made up more than half of Obama's out-of-town travel to businesses.

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As the contentious 2010 elections approached, Solyndra found itself foundering, and it warned the Energy Department that it would need an emergency cash infusion. A Solyndra investment adviser wrote in an Oct. 30, 2010, e-mail — without explaining the reason — that Energy Department officials were pushing “very hard” to delay making the layoffs public until the day after the elections.

The announcement ultimately was made on Nov. 3, 2010 — immediately following the Nov. 2 vote.

E-mails describing the events were released Tuesday as part of a Houseugg boots nj ugg boots miami ugg boots in nj Energy and Commerce Committee memo, provided in advance of Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s scheduled testimony before the committee’s investigative panel on Thursday. As a result of the 2010 elections, that committee is now controlled by Republicans, whose aggressive nine-month investigation into Solyndra has focused partly on whether politics played a role in the company’s selection to receive a federal loan.

Amid the fallout from the company’s shutdown in August, the White House has said tough scrutiny of the department’s oversight efforts is warranted and it has begun its own independent review of the loan program. Although the president has publicly supported Chu, senior White House officials in February circulated an outside adviser’s recommendation that Chu be replaced because of anticipated political controversy over the energy loans.

On Tuesday, Energy Department spokesman Damien LaVera declined to confirm events described in the e-mails or to identify who at the department may have urged the delay in the layoff announcement. He stressed, however, that “decisions about this loan were made on the merits.” In an interview aired Tuesday on NPR, Chu said that politics did not enter into any decisions he or his staff made regarding Solyndra and that there was no way to foresee the company’s demise.

The White House declined to comment Tuesday on whether senior White House officialsugg boots in buffalo ugg boots buffalo uggs in minnesota attempted to influence the timing of the layoff announcement. “These e-mails, again cherry-picked by House Republicans, reflect nothing more than the White House being given a heads-up about an upcoming press release from Solyndra,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said.