Uneven teen drama "Norman"redeemed by sharp acting (Reuters)
Reuters - "Norman"delivers a fresh twist on the old coming-of-age genre: The alienated adolescent of the title, a goodhearted smart aleck of a nerd, fakes having cancer and is left to reconcile his rising social stock with a guilty conscience.

Capsule reviews: `The American,'`Machete'(AP)
AP - Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

Review: Drew Barrymore's 'Going the Distance'(AP)

AP - In "Going the Distance,"Drew Barrymore plays a quick-to-laugh, ambitious young hipster who loves cool indie bands, "Shawshank Redemption"and playing the old arcade games in bars. Jason Long, on the other hand, plays a quick-to-laugh, ambitious young hipster who loves cool indie bands, "Shawshank Redemption"and playing old arcade games in bars.

Natalie Portman takes a dark turn in Venice film (Reuters)

Reuters - The Venice film festival opened on Wednesday with "Black Swan,"a dark psychological drama starring Natalie Portman as a ballerina who finally lands the lead role but loses her grip on reality as the pressure builds.

Review: 'Machete'serves relentless, bloody action (AP)

AP - Certainly, "Machete"is the best feature-length extension of a fake movie trailer in Hollywood history.

`Brazil on the Rise'says future has arrived (AP)

AP - "Brazil on the Rise"(Palgrave Macmillan, $27) by Larry Rohter: When Larry Rohter stepped down as The New York Times'Brazil bureau chief in 2008, he was easily the most reviled foreign correspondent in the country.

Tony Blair: 'I cried for Iraq war victims'(AP)

AP - Tony Blair regrets banning fox hunting, but not invading Iraq. He was captivated by Princess Diana, intimidated by Queen Elizabeth II. He heaps praise on President George W. Bush but calls his close colleague Gordon Brown a man of "zero"emotional intelligence. He acknowledges that some find him delusional, and says he possibly drank a bit too much.

Madness changes brothers in 'An Error of the Moon'(AP)

AP - What can you do when your younger brother shoots his way into the history books for all the wrong reasons?

New `Metroid'game strong on plot, short on action (AP)

AP - Followers of the "Metroid"game series from Nintendo are bound to covet the latest offering, "Metroid: Other M,"while those new to the series will likely find it a bit stale.

"Machete"an ultraviolent blast of hilarity (Reuters)
Reuters - It took three years, but "Machete,"whose mock trailer was lovingly showcased in the B-picture homage "Grindhouse,"finally hits theaters Friday.

Marsalis jazz score a treat in "Louis"(Reuters)
Reuters - A faux black-and-white silent film that will gain immeasurably from its road show presentations, "Louis"is more of a novelty than a satisfying cinematic experience.

Former African child soldier helps Americans get fit (Reuters)

Reuters - For most of his life, Tchicaya Missamou's warrior training made him into a killing machine. Now, he is using his skills to help Americans get fit.

Don't make "Plans"to see French comedy (Reuters)
Reuters - The next time you're invited to a French dinner party, you might want to give it a pass, if the tedious proceedings in "Change of Plans"are any indication.

Billboard CD reviews: Robert Plant, Brian Wilson (Reuters)
Reuters - Robert Plant may seem an unlikely Americana artist.

Review: George Clooney in the bleak `The American'(AP)

AP - Hidden from critics until just before its release, the dirty secret about "The American"turns out to be that it's an "art film."Heavens, no!

French film plays cancer for laughs, successfully (Reuters)
Reuters - More brazen than Showtime's "The Big C,"where the word cancer is even avoided for a while, "The Clink of Ice,"by Bertrand Blier, France's self-confessed misanthropist, pessimist and alleged -- he denies the charge -- misogynist, is a defiantly upbeat tragi-buffoonery about one of mankind's greatest scourges.

'You Lost Me There'pieces together lost marriage (AP)

AP - "You Lost Me There"(Riverhead Books, $25.95), by Rosecrans Baldwin: There's a saying that there are three sides to every story: Yours, mine and the truth. Rosecrans Baldwin's new novel could be an illustration of that idea.

Steve Zahn shines in low-key gem "Calvin Marshall"(Reuters)
Reuters - The sort of quirky little gem inevitably destined for video store shelves, "Calvin Marshall"represents a career-best performance by Steve Zahn as an alcoholic junior college baseball coach bitter over his failure to make it into the major leagues.

`The Last Lie'is slow-moving story of deceit (AP)

AP - "The Last Lie"(Dutton, $26.95), by Stephen White: Stephen White has a story to tell. But he's not going to tell you until you spend hours listening to how he got there.

Engrossing "Last Exorcism"stumbles at end (Reuters)
Reuters - Demonic possession goes the shaky, hand-held camera route in "The Last Exorcism,"a backwoods psychological thriller delivered faux-documentary-style, with mixed results. Call it the Linda Blair Witch Project.