Imax, Disney in deal for 3 movies in 3D

Imax Corp. and Walt Disney Studios said Wednesday that they have agreed on a deal to release three more 3D movies to Imax theaters next year. The movies are "Mars Needs Moms," which is scheduled to be released next March; "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," set for release in May; and "Cars 2," which is scheduled to be released next June.

Disney had previously agreed to release five 3D films with Imax. Many moviegoers experienced Imax for the first time when they saw "Avatar," which in turn boosted both the number of the company's new repeat customers and demand for 3D films in huge-screen format. Imax shares fell 14 cents to $16.16 in afternoon trading, while shares of Walt Disney Co. rose 2 cents to $34.37.

Read Full Entry

Movie Review The Karate Kid (2010)

It's a sign of our times. The reboot of the 1984 classic that pitted underdog Daniel Larusso against merciless bullies offers the same crowd-pleasing charm but with a contemporary twist.

"The Karate Kid" reflects both globalization and bone-crunching stylistics, packaging dislocation and violence as picture-postcard entertainment stamped in China.

Will the PG crowd enjoy the retread? Absolutely. Will parents feel conflicted about mixed messages? Probably.

Teaching children to adapt, face their fears, learn to respect others and strive for peaceful solutions are noble goals. But director Harald Zwart ("Agent Cody Banks") and screenwriter Christopher Murphey (story for "The Unsaid") litter the road to enlightenment with brutal facial bruises, kicks and snapping bones. The mantra of "No weakness! No pain! No mercy!" may overpower the movie's more admirable life lessons.

Instead of relocating from New Jersey to California, this protagonist (Jaden Smith of "The Pursuit of Happyness") and his widowed mother (Taraji P. Henson of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") move from Detroit to China. Twelve-year-old Dre's sense of loss is palpable. Clutching a skateboard like a teddy bear, the cool kid with the cornrow braids hates his new home. He doesn't understand the culture or the language, and as seemingly the only African-American kid in Beijing, he's certainly positioned as "The Other." Dre engenders sympathy even though he's got attitude and Smith often mumbles his lines or delivers them unconvincingly.

Following the original movie's narrative formula, boy meets girl (Wenwen Han in a charming debut). Boy repeatedly gets beaten up by a gang of bullies (led by Wang Zhenwei). Enter the apartment maintenance man and latent grand master of martial arts (Jackie Chan) to mentor Dre for an approaching tournament, where the underdog can face his opponents on a level kung-fu mat. Dre puts the relationship into perspective: "You're Yoda, and I'm like a Jedi."

Chan plays Mr. Han as a slouched and broken man who snaps back to life on an as-needed basis. Similar to the iconic Mr. Miyagi, he puts Dre through repetitive exercises that the student doesn't understand. Jacket on. Jacket off. Jacket on. Jacket off. Just when you're tiring of the routine, and praying that fence painting isn't up next, Han shows Dre that hanging up a jacket and kung fu are one and the same.

Lenser Roger Pratt takes the armchair tourist on a visually breathtaking journey to the Forbidden City, Wudang Mountains and Great Wall of China. He provides glimpses of ancient architecture juxtaposed with statues of Mao, bustling streets and markets, and Chinese people of all ages enjoying the outdoors.

Zwart directs the key action sequences of the climactic tournament in slow motion and with ear-splitting sound effects. Feel-the-blow violence gets star treatment -- and then instantly replayed on the venue's big screens. Only you can decide if rooting for Dre to deliver vicious strikes, kicks and throws undercuts the philosophy of kung fu or constitutes harmless entertainment. Rated PG for bullying, martial-arts action violence and mild language. In English and Mandarin with English subtitles. 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Read Full Entry

Disney Pixar Toy Story 3 Stills

New stills have been released from the upcoming Disney/Pixar movie “Toy Story 3,” which is set to hit theaters on June 18, 2010.

In the stills you can see all of your favorite Toy Story characters who have been with us ever since the first movie, and you can meet a ton of new characters from the third and upcoming movie. Who’s excited for Toy Story 3?

Read Full Entry

Movie review - Marmaduke dog doesnt deserve to be let out

Wouldn’t it be great if 7-year-olds could drive themselves to the movies? You could give them some money for Junior Mints or whatever, send them on their way, and never have to trouble yourself with tripe like “Marmaduke.” The kids are happy, the parents are happy, it’s a win-win.

Sadly, that’s not the way it works, and so you’re going to have to schlep to the multiplex with your 7-year-old. Because that’s who the target audience is for this talking-dog extravaganza, based on the long-running comic strip, and no one else. Adults, meanwhile, will have to endure groan-inducing puns, some seriously cheesy green-screen effects and a hokey, feel-good ending.

Tom Dey (“Shanghai Noon”) directs from a script by Tim Rasmussen and Vince Di Meglio, who also wrote the painfully unfunny “License to Wed.” We know we’re in trouble early when Marmaduke (voiced by Owen Wilson) climbs into bed with his owners, Phil (Lee Pace) and Debbie (Judy Greer), and promptly passes gas, prompting one of many exasperated, sitcommy cries of “Marma-DUKE!” Later on, there is the obligatory who-let-the-dogs-out joke.

But somewhere in there is a clever nugget of an idea: the dog park as a canine version of high school.

Once Marmaduke and his family move from Kansas to Orange County, Calif., for Phil’s new job with an organic pet-food company, the 200-pound Great Dane must learn to make friends in a totally different environment. (William H. Macy is wasted in the role of Phil’s demanding boss.) Marmaduke and the family cat, Carlos (George Lopez), prepare for their journey by watching an episode of “The O.C.” — and tooling on it appropriately — which is good for a laugh. The two characters have an amusing camaraderie.

Mazie, a tomboyish Australian shepherd voiced huskily by Emma Stone, becomes Marmaduke’s first friend and explains the various cliques to him: the pedigrees, led by an intimidating Beauceron named Bosco (Kiefer Sutherland); and the drama geeks who roll over and play dead.

Then there are the mutts, including Mazie, a Dachsund-Cairn terrier mix named Raisin (Steve Coogan) and a skittish Chinese Crested named Giuseppe (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). They’re the outcasts, the rescue dogs, and the goofy, gangly Marmaduke fits in with them just fine. But then he dares to have a crush on Jezebel, the gorgeous Collie who hangs out with the wealthy dogs and just happens to be Bosco’s girlfriend.

Wilson isn’t a horrible choice to voice Marmaduke — he’s got that laid-back thing going, which is preferable to having the dog be obnoxiously overeager — but the script has him talking nearly the entire time.

This also brings us to the small problem that the talking-animal effect — which takes place throughout the movie — looks distractingly jerky and fake. Not that cats and dogs are supposed to talk in real life, but in the movie “Cats & Dogs,” for example, the movement was seamless.

The 7-year-olds in the audience won’t know or care. But they deserve better.

Read Full Entry