'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian': A royal dud
Special effects can't hide the tepid story, ordinary direction and drama-starved battle scenes
By Roger Moore The Orlando Sentinel
Those nagging ”minor“ problems that burdened The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe take center stage in Prince Caspian, the second of seven Chronicles of Narnia installments to make it to the big screen. The kid actors are bland. The direction is pedestrian. It's darker, literally, with an underlit opening and one of the two big set-piece battles taking place at night. And the villains are dull and lacking in menace.
If you ever wondered what The Lord of the Rings would have been like had Disney made it on the cheap, tossing the cast of Hannah Montana into Middle-earth, here it is.Family reviews
Parents' guide to new movie releases:
'The Life Before Her Eyes': Beyond survivor's guilt
By Roger Moore The Orlando Sentinel
Diana is the quintessential ”bad girl,“ the unhappy teenage rebel, acting out her frustrations at the world with her temper and her sexuality. Maureen is her odd choice for a best friend, a more soulful teen, a member of a Pentecostal church who, to enjoy her walk on the wild side with Diana, has to endure her pal's ”virgin“ teasing, her ”waiting for the Rapture“ jokes. ”Anybody speak in tongues today?“ Then, Columbine comes to Hillview High School. And what happens to these friends, trapped in a restroom while a madman guns down classmates and teachers, will eat at one of them for the rest of her days.
'Young@Heart': Geriatric singers rock out
By Roger Moore The Orlando Sentinel
Young@Heart is nothing less than an ode to joy. Stephen Walker's British TV documentary about American octogenarians singing in a chorus manipulates, sure. It pushes familiar buttons. Still, it's a deft blend of the sweetly sublime and the patently ridiculous.
- 'Speed Racer': Bright, fun, mildly edgy
- 'My Blueberry Nights': Norah Jones doesn't cook
- 'Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?': Good luck hunting
- 'What Happens in Vegas': Mediocrity happens
- 'The Visitor': Drumming up a bittersweet story
- 'Redbelt': Mamet misses the mark completely
- Family reviews: "Speed Racer, "What Happens in Vegas ...'
- 'Girls Rock': Raucous, inspiring but incomplete
- Summer Movie Preview schedule
- Summer Movie Preview: Warm up the popper
- Gwyneth Paltrow interrupts motherhood to appear in 'Iron Man'
- Family reviews: 'Iron Man,' 'Made of Honor'
- 'Iron Man': Downey handles humor and message with ease
- Gay bishop, his parents are featured in "For the Bible Tells Me So'
- 'Baby Mama': Pleasant but predictable
- 20 questions for Bruce Campbell
- Family reviews: "Baby Mama'
- 'Harold and Kumar' movies managed to elude studio meddling
- 'Deception': Jackman turns on the charm
- 'Flawless': Diamond-heist caper's a decent thriller
- Allen talks of Spain and threesomes at Cannes
- What's Indy up to? Secrecy shrouds 'Crystal Skull'
- MOVIE REVIEW: 'How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Vacation'
- Cannes has a big place in Aishwarya Rai's heart
- Cannes balances glamor with `Blindness'
- Screen Actors Guild agrees to renew contract talks
- Sarah Jessica Parker: She's not a slave to fashion
- Moore: 'Fahrenheit 9/11' follow-up is not a sequel
- Fur flies at 'Kung Fu Panda' premiere at Cannes
- Who is Indiana Jones? What we know (so far …)
New movies + trailers
Check out the new movies released this month. This feature includes the movie start date, a movie synopsis, who stars in the film and a movie trailer. » Click here
THE MOVIE MASOCHIST: A jerk's progress
It may seem pointless to complain that most romantic comedies are too formulaic, but one can always try.
Featured Audio:
• Tori Spelling covered up growing belly to star in "Kiss the Bride"• Jason Segel had naked break-up like in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"
• Uma Thurman and Brett Cullen in scene from "The Life Before Her Eyes"
• Richard Jenkins comes out of isolation in "The Visitor"
• Actor-playwright Harvey Fierstein talks about "A Catered Affair"
• Keyboardist Geoff Downes says new album "Phoenix" sounds like their first
• Al Pacino and an unidentified voice on telephone in scene from "88 Minutes"
• One of Roger Corman's so-called "scream queens" has died at age 82
• James Kyson Lee and Rachael Taylor in "Shutter"
• Writer, director and actor Tyler Perry's popularity
• Anthony Minghella has died at the age of 54
• Rick Fox and Angela Bassett in "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns"
• Eve Best talks about starring in "The Homecoming"
• Now that Halle Berry's career after giving birth
• "Snow Angels" star Kate Beckinsale's insecurity