Skip to main content

'Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' Movie Reviews

By Adam Keleman (Subscribe to Adam Keleman's posts), Posted Feb 11th 2010 9:00PM
Filed under: Reviews
Based on Rick Riordan's 2005 best-selling children's novel, Chris Columbus's 'Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' follows the daily struggles of Percy Jackson, a dyslexic teenage boy who loves holding his breath under water for long periods of time.

Percy soon discovers, though, that his world may not be what it seemed; he might actually be the son of Poseidon, the mythic Greek god of the seas. When he is accused of stealing Zeus's iconic lightning bolt, Percy sets out on an 'Odyssey'-like adventure to expose the real thief and retrieve his emotionally wrecked mother (who suspiciously vanished) from Hades.

Playing Percy is Logan Lerman, who you might recognize from the acclaimed, short-lived TV series 'Jack & Bobby'; the always reliable, Oscar-nominated actress Catherine Keener stars as his mother. Uma Thurman also pops up as a playfully wicked Medusa, while Pierce Brosnan has a noteworthy role as the paraplegic Mr. Brunner, Percy's teacher who is really half-man, half-horse.

Clearly marketed to the 'Harry Potter' crowd, 'The Lightning Thief' hopes to make bank this weekend sandwiched between more adult-fare like 'Valentine's Day' and 'The Wolfman.' Surprisingly, the critics have mostly been kind to this adventure-fantasy film, with mixed-to-positive reviews; but all agree that Percy Jackson is no Potter. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune even points out that director Columbus might be off his game since his 'Potter' days: "Columbus' casting instincts have let him down here a bit (he certainly got that right with the 'Harry Potter' films)."

Take a look at what the rest of the critics have to say:
Continue Reading

New 'Spider-Man' Movie to Swing in 3D

By Adam Keleman (Subscribe to Adam Keleman's posts), Posted Feb 10th 2010 3:45PM
Filed under: Movie News
The 3D trend continues today with news that the next 'Spider-Man' movie will fly into theaters like never before.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the now-untitled project will be shown in 3D theaters across the country, with a release date now set for July 3, 2012.

Casting for the movie is still ongoing, although we do know that the expected reboot will not star Tobey Maguire, who played Peter Parker in the first three movies.
Continue Reading

Oscar-Nominated Shorts Head to Theaters

By Adam Keleman (Subscribe to Adam Keleman's posts), Posted Feb 1st 2010 5:33PM
Filed under: Oscar News
Tuesday morning's much-anticipated announcement of the 2010 Oscar nominations will make 10 short-filmmakers very happy.

The enviable animated and live-action short film directors will not only have a shot at winning the industry's most prestigious award, they will have a guaranteed theatrical release by Magnolia Pictures and Shorts International.

Beginning Feb. 19, the two distributors will partner to release the Oscar-nominated short films into a limited number of theaters, expanding to 100 cities in the following weeks; you'll even be able to find the short film program screening in Canada and the U.K.
Continue Reading

'Edge of Darkness' Movie Reviews

By Adam Keleman (Subscribe to Adam Keleman's posts), Posted Jan 28th 2010 8:00PM
Filed under: Reviews
After a 6-year disappearing act from motion pictures, Mel Gibson is back.

Given the reviews so far, though, it might not be such a welcome return, as the critics are mostly split on his recent comeback (How many has he had?), the bad-ass, "take no names" thriller 'Edge of Darkness,' directed by 'Casino Royale' helmer Martin Campbell.
Adapted to the screen from Campbell's own 1985 BBC miniseries, 'Edge of Darkness' is about a widowed cop who sadly witnesses the murder of his daughter; Gibson sets off on an investigation into the killer's identity, exposing corruption and villainous agendas along the way.

Take a look at what the critics have to say:
Continue Reading

Warner Bros. May Work 3D Magic on 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'

By Adam Keleman (Subscribe to Adam Keleman's posts), Posted Jan 26th 2010 4:00PM
Filed under: Movie News
Harry Potter, our favorite angst-ridden teenage wizard, will soon becoming to a 3D theater near you.

No official announcement has been made; however, Heat Vision reports that the 'Harry Potter' distributor Warner Bros. is hoping to reap the gargantuan -- and still increasing -- worldwide success of 'Avatar' by converting the upcoming 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I' and 'Part II' into 3D.

This 3D-talk first begin at Warner during the process of converting its Sam Worthington vehicle, and blockbuster-in-waiting, 'Clash of the Titans,' which enters theaters on Apr. 2 (more on that here).
Continue Reading

New 'Jurassic Park' Trilogy on the Way

By Adam Keleman (Subscribe to Adam Keleman's posts), Posted Jan 17th 2010 8:00PM
Filed under: Movie News
It seems like the reboot is here to stay.

In an interview with BoxOffice.com, 'Jurassic Park III' filmmaker Joe Johnston broke news about the possible upcoming sequels/reboots of 'Jurassic Park.' "Well, there is going to be a 'Jurassic Park IV,'" Johnston said. "And it's going to be unlike anything you've seen. It breaks away from the first three -- it's essentially the beginning of the second 'Jurassic Park' trilogy."

This news about another sequel or reboot is not at all surprising in Hollywood these days. With the recent decision by Sony to reboot the 'Spider Man' franchise and start anew, Hollywood is figuring out ways to keep several, run-out-of-steam film series afloat. Johnson also made it clear that the sequel trilogy would be a departure from the first three 'Jurassic': "It's going to be done in a completely different way," he said. "That's pretty much all I can tell you."
Continue Reading

Can 'Daybreakers' Inject Some New Blood Into the Undead Genre?

By Adam Keleman (Subscribe to Adam Keleman's posts), Posted Jan 7th 2010 4:32PM
Filed under: Features, Hot Topic, The Twilight Saga
In the past few years, the vampire film has been in the forefront of our cultural zeitgeist.

With popular, blood-sucking fare like the 'Twilight' films and the top-rated HBO show 'True Blood' heating up your movie and TV screens, one might think that the genre has reached its zenith and that the trend might be on its last legs -- or, more appropriately, has been sucked dry.

Swooping into theaters Friday is 'Daybreakers,' a vampire movie highly touted by fan-boy sites like Cinematical and CHUD as a "smarter, more refreshing take on the vampire genre" and "unique," respectively. The premise of the film is quite simple: Vampires take over as the dominant species in the year 2019, with humans now on the run, fearing that they will be relocated to high-tech, blood-draining farms by the vamps.
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Hot Topics

From Our Partners