An adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s story, where Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world–a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler. The star cast in the movie are Max Records, Catherine Keener , Steve Mouzakis, Mark Ruffalo, Max Pfeifer , Madeleine Greaves.

Is there any film more cute than those featuring dogs that lead their masters in a hard and complicated life? Probably not. It is this proven formula that decides to take “Marley & Me.” Why break your head this time of year?

Rating: 2.5/5
Cast: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, Alan Arkin, Nathan Gamble, Haley Bennett, Clarke Peters
Directed By: David Frankel

John Grogan (Owen Wilson) and Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) just get married. To avoid the row, stable employment, the house in the suburbs and children cavort everywhere, Mr. journalist offers his new wife a small Labrador responding on the behalf of Marley. He quickly becomes intolerable, destroying everything in its path and screaming to death at the slightest rumble of thunder. This new family member does not prevent Grogan to join a daily increasingly repetitive and stupefying that does not seem to please everyone.

This adaptation of the bestselling novel by a certain John Grogan (what a big coincidence) does not shine by its originality. Directed anonymously with evident expertise by David Frankel (”The Devil Wears Prada”), the story is split into two parts. The most interesting however is the least developed. There’s this couple to drift, this family that implodes from the inside and the male character who seeks to escape the treadmill of everyday life. It does not escape the powder as in “great departure” and other films of this kind. He multiplies the efforts in trying to change his fate, some more dramatic is almost completely evacuated, entertainment Christmas oblige.

The lion’s share is rather the dog too sympathetic and touching, a real tornado to make jealous “Beethoven” and “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.” Everything revolves around the handsome blond Labrador and it is not surprising that his game eclipse those of its human partners. In addition to the canine friend, Owen Wilson actually tons and Jennifer Aniston is also turned on a rock. Fortunately, there is Eric Dane in single friend who brings humor, and the always tasty Alan Arkin playing the unpredictable boss.

Marley covers the subject so that the strings are guessing miles in advance. It’s a dog’s life with a beautiful youth, a successful transition to adulthood and, inevitably, a sad end. The perfect opportunity to get out the violins, unleash emotions, to preach to children and sink even more deeply dependent on the importance of a stable family with a big house, children and a four being legs. The American dream, isn’t it?

The exercise is not yet too savored of reluctant. With the Labrador that would melt any sensitive heart. With such a look, no need for a scenario. And it is precisely the case of “Marley & Me” which, instead of using the animal with charm like the irresistible “The Truth about Cats & Dog,” applies in the first degree. Hoping that the episode of “101 Dalmatians” is not repeated. After the success this opus in 1996, sales of dogs have increased during the holiday season… while the best friends of man were returning to the facility earlier this year!

Movie Stills

A college grad lands a job as a financial journalist in New York City to support where she nurtures her shopping addiction and falls for a wealthy entrepreneur. Based on the novel “Confessions of a Shopaholic” by Sophie Kinsella. The Star cast in the movie are Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, Mike Agresta, Almudena Alcazar, Anjali Bhimani, Leslie Bibb , Robert Bizik, Anthony C. Brown, Brandi Burkhardt .

Insp. Jacques Clouseau teams up with a squad of International detectives who are just as bumbling as he is. Their mission: Stop a globe-trotting thief who specializes in stealing historical artifacts. The Star Cast in the movie are Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, Yuki Matsuzaki, Alfred Molina, John Cleese, Aishwarya Rai.

A young girl (Fanning) walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life – only much better. But when her adventure turns dangerous, and her counterfeit parents (including Other Mother [Hatcher]) try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home – and save her family. The Voice of the characters in the movie are Keith David, Dakota Fanning, Dawn French, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman, Ian McShane, Jennifer Saunders.

Just when you thought that Madagascar was a roller coaster ride with Alex (the lion) and his bunch of friends entertaining everyone by dancing and doing a rock n roll, DreamWorks got you Madagascar 2- Escape to Africa. We give a brief idea for people who (unfortunately) haven’t seen Madagascar

1. The movie saw these four animals (lion, giraffe, hippo and a zebra) spoiled by their upbringing with no idea what real life looks like. The four of them escape from Central Zoo, New York, smartly assisted by four absconding penguins, and find themselves in Madagascar among a bunch of merry lemurs which leaves the story in Madagascar itself paving its way for Madagascar 2- Escape to Africa.

Director: Eric Darnell, Tom Mc Grath
Cast: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schuwimmer, Jade Smith playing the voice of lion, zebra, giraffe, hippo
Rating: 4/5

The movie kick starts with Alex and his friends taken for a ride on the plane by (again the absconding penguins) and end up crash landing in the continent of Africa. Africa, the den of the wild where Alex and his friends actually discover what life is beyond the Central Park Zoo, New York.

Coincidently, Alex meets his parents in Africa and becomes popular as the ‘The King of New York’ there. Unfortunately, Alex’s increasing popularity and fame is not well digested by a fellow lion (Makunga), who has his eyes on capturing the alpha throne. He outsmarts Alex and henceforth becomes the new king of the jungle.

Everything then goes gala-gala where Alex and his troop have a ball of time. Everyone has his share of peace and fun; Melmen enjoying his new job as a doctor, Gloria getting all possible attention from the male hippos, Marty with all his fellow zebras racing away here and there and Alex getting all the pampering he required from his parents.

The penguins too aren’t left much behind. They manage too fool (again, what’s new) few people who came to enjoy the wild nature. The penguin with the help of monkey try to fix in their plane so that they could go home.

The movie then takes a turn and a series of events and mishaps happens like Alex being banished after being fooled by Makunga, Melman (giraffe) left heart broken by Gloria (hippo) who fell for Moto Moto (a big size male hippo), who boasts about his name (Moto Moto) saying, “the name is so nice, that you feel like saying it twice”. Next in turn is Marty (zebra) who feels that Alex and his friendship are fading away, because Alex never gives Marty a chance to say about his side of problems.

Now comes a situation where Alex could prove himself. The jungle has started drying up, the animals are almost on the verge of dying and at that moment they remember their kind former king, Zuba (Alex’s father). When Alex comes to know about the drought he decides to go off the reserve in search of water, which was the only way to prove himself. The lemur (King Julien XIII) as he is called (with a strange ascent) suggests that a sacrifice should be made for the Gods in the volcano, so that they will be happy and bestow water for everyone.

Alex, later joined by his father find them selves trapped amidst few people, lead by an old (but strong) lady who felt like having a lion for supper. Alex then delivers a mind blowing dance performance, shaking his booty, saying that this is the only thing he is good in. The father and son manage to woo their audience and ultimately succeed in escaping as well as bringing water from there for their jungle and henceforth Alex once again proclaims his title as ‘The King of New York’.

The movie ends in a ‘happy ending’ way, with Marty and Alex becoming best buddies again, while this time (for a change), Gloria realizes her love for Melmen and also saves him from becoming a sacrifice to the Gods in volcano. Zuba once again is proclaimed the pride’s alpha lion throne. The Adelie penguin finally gets married to his doll (irritating) and leaves Africa, in a half constructed plane.

The movie is picturized in a very beautiful way showing the wild side of Africa. All the characters, needless to say where mind blowing. The penguins got a better role this time (their leader is worth watching). The lemur or in a better way, King Julien X III was someone whom you will feel like watching a thousand time (do note his ascent).

Director Eric Darnell and Tom Mc Grath have done a terrific job. The voice lenders, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schuwimmer, Jade Smith and others have simply been outstanding.

The movie is better than the original as the fun mania has been doubled this time. So enjoy this amazing stuff delivered by Alex and his team who have entertained us right from the Central Park, to Madagascar, to Africa. A must, must watch.

-Pratik Maheshwari

Morgan Roberts, a middle aged adult in crisis, reunites with his best friend when he returns to the summer camp of his youth. His troubles seem to magnify when he is joined by a rag-tag group of 10 year old campers. Through their struggles they collectively overcome their personal problems and exchange them for one of the best summers of their lives. The Star Cast in the movie are David James Elliott, Grayson Russell, Ed Quinn, Julie Ann Emery, Rebecca Mader, Noah Munck, Taylor Boggan, Dalton O’Dell, Stephen Tobolowsky, Aidan Gould, Gabriel Mann

Mo has the special talent to bring characters out of books. One night he brings out three characters from Inkheart, a story set in medieval times and filled with magical beings. Capricorn and Basta, two villains, and Dustfinger, a fire-eater. Now, 10 years later Meggie discovers the truth and it’s up to her to escape Capricorn’s evil grasp. The Star Cast in the movie are Brendan Fraser, Sienna Guillory, Eliza Hope Bennett, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Matt King, Steve Speirs, Andy Serkis, Tereza Srbova

A family comedy about a hotel handyman whose life changes when the lavish bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to magically come true. The Star cast in the movie are Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Courteney Cox, Teresa Palmer, Annalise Basso, Veronica Bennett

The tale of three unlikely heroes – a misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them, an unhappy rat who schemes to leave the darkness of the dungeon, and a bumbling servant girl with cauliflower ears – whose fates are intertwined with that of the castle’s princess. The Voices behind the animated characters are Emma Watson, Dustin Hoffman, William H. Macy

WALL-E is one of the best animated movies to be released in a very long time. At times it manages to be almost poetic and lyrically beautiful in its exploration of the all too familiar subject of love. As expected from Pixar Animation Studios, the movie is dazzlingly beautiful in its animation, but it’s also sublimely anchored in the central love story. The emotional arc of the story unfolds as gently as flower petals.

Film: WALL-E
Director: Andrew Stanton
Voices: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, MacInTalk, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy and Sigourney Weaver
Rating: 4/5

Despite being a children’s film, it has the audacity to have virtually no dialogue at all for almost the first third of the movie. The robot Wall-E and his cockroach friend communicate through sounds and tics that are not quite words.

Wall-E is a robot left behind by humans to clean up earth in the far future where there is no life at all. Wall-E goes about the task of meticulously arranging the heaps of scraps in the shape of skyscrapers. He also collects remnants of the life lived by humans and tries to make some emotional connection with all that has been long lost. But his life changes entirely when a sleek, more advanced female robot named Eve is assigned to search for life on earth.

Pixar manages to dazzle with some cutting edge graphics and at times gets carried away. The plot doesn’t necessarily require loud chases but seem to be thrown in there to amuse the kids. The movie seems to be afraid to be too adult.

The first half of the movie is audacious in its melancholy. The genius of the movie is its emotional core. It manages to make a connection with the youngest of children to the eldest of adults. The love has a soft glow that warms even in the midst of cold metal and high-tech wizardry.

Director Andrew Stanton, who also worked on “Finding Nemo”, and his team succeed because they understand the importance of putting the story and emotions ahead of computer gimmickry. The movie also makes some poignant comments on humanity in general. Humans and their dependence on technology is mocked. The power of love to transcend even the limitations of humanity is respected.

Pixar racks up another achievement and their repertoire is one of the most impressive in movie history. “Wall-E” fits majestically in that canon. Children are going to be attuned and adults are going to see deeper themes explored. The eyes and the heart of all are satiated.

The only flaw of the movie is the way it swerves awkwardly into a neat, fuzzy idea of a happy ending. It started off bravely with its slightly cynical view of humanity. For half the movie it looked like it would push towards an unsettling end. But the film makers strive to please audiences and not disturb too much.

All age groups will find something to like in “Wall-E.”

Film: JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Bremin
Director: Eric Brevig
Rating: 2/5

He is accompanied by his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) who soon after going to Iceland meets a tour guide named Hanna (Anita Briem). Together they find themselves lost in the magical ‘world within a world’ but must soon find a way to escape before the place heats up to melting point.

The movie’s plot line is incredibly simple. The are no unnecessary twists and turns to annoy the viewer. The pacing doesn’t lag and is punctuated timely with some nifty action sequences. The only disappointment is that once they get to this magical world they don’t spend enough time there. We don’t get to soak in the magic. As soon as they reach this place, they have to begin to escape. But while there, we are introduced to some glowing birds, menacing fish and even a predatory dinosaur. It is clear that the film makers took full liberty with the computer generated imagery.

Fraser is a fine actor and he does well here. His comic timing is impeccable. But he suffers from a poor script. The one-liners are limp and fall flat occasionally. Josh Hutcherson does a commendable job. Anita Briem complements the men well by playing a no-nonsense woman who is independent and brave.

The director Eric Brevig allows too much dialogue in the initial parts of the film but manages to transition well when it comes to the action. A lot of space is given for the viewer to construct in their own imagination as they enter this magical world.

Adults may not find enough to admire in this movie since it seems to be designed for 10-year-old boys. But for children who are familiar with the Jules Verne book, this movie should meet their expectations. For those not introduced to Verne, this movie might just whet the appetite.

For clean wholesome family fun, and a few scares, this movie is a nice experience even as it strives to not blow us away, but just thrill.

– By Sevanand Gaddala

The expectations were not false, the pair has a lot of fresh ideas that give us new frontiers in film making, so when you watch Speed Racer, you see these ideas flying around but when you put them into a sequence and watch them as a whole they do not impress you. Simply because, each idea put in here is a separate entity with an individualistic character of its own that fails to gel well with the rests. The only pat on the shoulder of the animation with the Wachowski brothers breathe life and heart into an animated superficial atmosphere. The film does have a story to tell and has its own human charm with certain emotional moments that put you in a spell, but that soon dispels and you wake up soon bewildered at yourself.

Rating: 2.5/5

Your journey inside out a computer generated world is more than you can afford. The bright colors presented in a bacchanalian feast to stupefy your senses, start hurting your eyes. The experimentation with the animation, the effort to create a visual eye candy, the modernistic ideas are so much that you are left paralyzed with the effect rather than feeling refreshed.

Check out the stills of Speed Racer

Every thing looks beautiful in the movie, not only Christina Ricci but even a jar of peanut butter looks astoundingly eye-catching. Now, we are not used to having everything look so beautiful and when a big tragedy keeps peeking in and out of the marvelously closed knotted Turkish carpet, you are not sure how to react. There are extreme racing scenes, with a cartoonish background and cars with the wheels are armed with shields and swords are flying and zipping past while drivers are busy chatting do give ideas to new age drivers and automobile manufacturers.

The writer-director duo Larry and Andy Wachowski create Speed Racer based on the 1960s famous Japanese animation series. Thought they try to create a movie aimed at a broader audience with a G-rating, PG-13 only makes sense as these days, even kids can make out which are special effects and which are real.

Coming to the story part, Speed (Emille Hirsch) has special abilities from early childhood and he hangs around big brother Rex (Scott Porter) more than spending his time in school. His auto inventor father Pops Racer (John Goodman), a true strong patriarch and Mom (Susan Sarandon), a great support and younger brother Spritle(Paulie Litt, a true Goodman look alike) and his prankie monkey ChimChim are all happy in a family. Speed completely idolizes Rex and when Rex dies in a racing pile, he leaves behind a crack that is hard to fill. Speed takes up racing and turns out to be extremely good at it.

A racing business tycoon Royalton (Roger Allam) wants him to join his team of best drivers, for whome every race is just a money making machine. This offer is turned down by Speed creating a rift between him and Royalto, who swears to blacken Speed’s racing future. The mystery behind the death of Speed’s racer brother Rex needs to be investigated and when Royalton turns nasty, Speed’s beautiful leggy girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) gives a green signal to Speed to go and get them.

The racer family gets into lot of hitches of match fixers and cons and there comes a mystifying masked man Racer X (Matthew Fox) to counsel and a precautious Inspector detector (Benno Furmann) to investigate. Pop racer and his engineer help Sparky (Kick Gurry) build a March 5 Grand Prix car for him to race with Japanese rival driver Taejo (Korean pop singer Rain), his girl Horuko (Yu Nan) and in a way take on Royalton.

This racing scenes take most of the footage from the screen time from this relatively longer film that goes on for about 129. The film’s good points include the orchestral score given by Michael Giacchino. The animation is top of the line and kids will enjoy it. So, let the kids have a all racey summer with Speed Racer.

Rating: 2.5/5

ABOUT THE FILM

In “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” the four Pevensie children – Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edward (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley) – are summoned back to the magical land of talking animals and mythical creatures, where they discover that more than a thousand Narnian years have passed since their last adventure and much has changed. The White Witch may be dead, but Narnia is under the sway of a tyrannical new ruler, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), and the Pevensies must unite with the young Prince Caspian (played by British actor Ben Barnes) in an attempt to restore peace and harmony to the once happy land.

The four children will soon meet an intriguing new character: Narnia’s rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian, who has been forced into hiding as his uncle Miraz plots to kill him in order to place his own newborn son on the throne. With the help of the kindly dwarf, a courageous talking mouse named Reepicheep, a badger named Trufflehunter and a Black Dwarf, Nikabrik, the Narnians, led by the mighty knights Peter and Caspian, embark on a remarkable journey to find Aslan, rescue Narnia from Miraz’s tyrannical hold, and restore magic and glory to the land.

The new film reunites the original creative team behind the blockbuster first film including veteran director / screenwriter / producer Andrew Adamson, screenwriters Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and producers Mark Johnson and Philip Steuer. “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is the second installment of the seven book series. The film opens worldwide in May 2008.

SOME FACTS

The first instalment, called Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, grossed a huge $ 745 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful films of all time, in terms of boxoffice.

The Chronicles of Narnia books / series have sold more than 100,000,000 to date and have been translated into 35 different languages.

The cast and crew of Prince Caspian came from 15 different countries, including the Czech Republic, New Zealand, the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Mexico, Italy and France. More than 9 different languages were spoken on set.

Director Andrew Adamson spent more than a year searching for the right actor to play the title role in Prince Caspian but cast 26-year-old British actor Ben Barnes for the career-making part just 3½ weeks before shooting began.

- flaMbe entertainment

(Stills) Comedy is definitely not enjoying the greatest heights today. And even if we do have splashes of comedy, they are primarily built on situational or contextual podiums that do not feature a perfect comedy of errors or comedy of manners. Judging a movie in a comedy scale makes one get anxious. Fine, no apprehensions, the audience does laugh, but that is definitely not an answer to the all-pervasive question, was it comic enough? This is when you rate a movie average, answerable for the fact that you are in a superb fix. So, when Walt Disney decided to take a break from its trademark fairytales and go for a pure comedy, it turned out to be a farce, a mere slapstick opera. Created for a teen audience, College Road Trip can not be tagged as a masterpiece, though it does take you for a light hearted family trip with the drizzle of laughter that occasionally takes the shape of a tropical thunder storm. Director Roger Kumble has given us a G-rated movie that deals with or rather showcases the good-natured clash between an over-protective father and freedom-loving daughter. Keeping this storyline everything goes for a pure surprise-free comedy. We expect a complete menace and we do get one by and by.

Rating: 2.5/5

Roger Kumble is a typical product of the Hollywood, born and brought up precisely at the very sets where dreams are born and bred. So, I really don’t blame him for a movie that aspired to be commonly uncommon. He belongs to that class of people to whom another flop would not really matter more than a wink. The other factor which has everything to do with the movie’s present fascia is the fact that this movie is the embodiment of a higher aspiration to jump to the bigger screen for Raven-Symoné (of That’s So Raven fame!). After making a whole generation of teenagers raving about her, obviously, as she is eyeing at a wider and more intelligent audience while trying to be honorable to those who made her a star. She seems more mature and sure of herself for a teenager and when you get to serve as an executive producer for the movie, then why not?

Martin Lawrence, Raven-Symoné in College Road Trip

College Road Trip revolves around a hilarious father and daughter duo, quite expectedly belonging to the precocious suburban upper middle-class on the look out for the best college for the latter to take up for further education. Martin Lawrence plays the control-freak police chief father James Porter who wants to protect his daughter Melanie from every possible invasion, be it boys or a decision to go for a college in Georgetown. He is hell bent on making her choose the Northwestern University, while Melanie is an ambitious, self-assured and confident girl who wishes to become an attorney. Melanie wishes to accompany her best pals Katie (Margo Harshman) and Nancy (played by Brenda Song, if you are a regular Disney watcher then there needs no explanation of her being there in the film!) for the imminent interview that is crucial for her selection in Georgetown University. When the threesome hope for a three times more fun, the dear dad puts his nose through by completely dismissing the idea and offering to drive Melanie here himself. The mom played by Kym E. Whitley proves a mere onlooker while the dad is trying to try out his radical control terms at the household. That too in a police van, which cries danger, danger and gives a ‘don’t mess with my daughter’ look! In this mayhem that occurs after this, includes a most precocious younger brother Trey (Eshaya Draper) trying very hard not to miss the fun by hiding in the car along with his cute Piggy pet. There is no need to explain what comes tumbling after as the whole scene is set for an anticipated roller coater ride. While caught between their dreams and not disrespecting each other’s wishes, the duo create a completely outrageous parody. College Road Trip can be a saga for a journey of a self-realization taking place in the father that his daughter is a little person in herself and is ready to stride along the big bad world at her own pace to live her dreams and the daughter proving her strengths and growing up from the little girl age.

Martin Lawrence, Kym Whitley in College Road Trip

Martin Lawrence quits his robust and loud kind of humor to fit in a g-rated movie. Though he doesn’t actually need to do more than acting as a tyrannical over-protective father and befool himself that usually requires a distinctive whimsical touch. The movie also casts Donny Osmond as a bright member of the overprotective father club. Donny Osmond has returned to the big screen after quite a while to relive his white man persona that befits him. With everything ready and in for a blast, all Roger Kumble needed to do was to let the actors take their own whims rather than keeping the reins in his hand. There is absolutely no strength in the screenplay or cinematography.

Margo Harshman, Raven-Symoné, Brenda Song in College Road Trip

May be Roger Kumble was in a fix of what he wanted to make, a pure comedy or a family drama. The movie gives you some punches though in terms of sentimental scenes between the father daughter pair, trying to rationalize each other’s characters. But did we really need rationalizing when we are looking for a comedy, some thing for you to chew along with pop corn while watching College Road Trip.

Rating: 2.5/5