plus 3, Family movie guide - Times Union

Family movie guide - Times Union
"Messenger" Director Eyes Kurt Cobain Movie - ABC News
MOVIE REVIEW: - Torquay Herald Express
Movie News & Gossip - YAHOO!

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 02:06 AM PST

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'VALENTINE'S DAY'

Rating: PG-13 for some sexual material and brief partial nudity

What it's about: Assorted couples and would-be couples try to pull it together in time for "the most romantic day of the year."

The kid attractor factor: An all-star cast that includes Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Bradley Cooper and Oscar winners Jamie Foxx, Kathy Bates and Julia Roberts

Good lessons/bad lessons: Fall in love with your friend. It saves time and heartache.

Violence: None

Language: Quite clean, considering

Sex: Teens plan it, with near nudity played for laughs

Drugs: None

Parents' advisory: A bit risque for tweens, but teens might learn something about love.

'THE WOLFMAN'

Rating: R for bloody horror violence and gore

What it's about: A hairy beast stalks the moors, slaughtering with impunity.

The kid attractor factor: Hairy beasts

Good lessons/bad lessons: Don't blame the Gypsies. And staying at home when the moon is full is never a bad idea.

Violence: Graphic -- beheadings, disembowelings, dismemberments

Language: No profanity

Sex: Partial nudity

Drugs: Lots of needles, a few pints are consumed.

Parents' advisory: Old fashioned in some ways, but nightmarishly graphic in its violence -- not suitable for 14-and-under.

-- Roger Moore, McClatchy

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"Messenger" Director Eyes Kurt Cobain Movie - ABC News

Posted: 17 Feb 2010 10:02 PM PST

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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The rookie director of the Oscar-nominated drama "The Messenger" is in negotiations to rework the screenplay for Universal Pictures' untitled Kurt Cobain project.

Oren Moverman is also set to direct the film about the late frontman of grunge group Nirvana. Screenwriter David Benioff ("Brothers") first took on the project in 2007.

Material on Cobain's life, music and 1994 suicide will come at least partially from Charles R. Cross' 2001 biography, "Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain." Universal originally purchased the life rights of both Cobain and his widow, Courtney Love, who had already optioned the film rights to the Cross book.

In 2005, writer-director Gus Van Sant made the fictional rock-and-roll drama "Last Days," which echoed Cobain's drug-addicted final trajectory. Benioff did first-hand research with Cobain's old friends in Aberdeen and Seattle to inform the drafts of his Universal script.

Moverman and his "Messenger" co-writer Alessandro Camon scored Oscar nominations for their original screenplay. Woody Harrelson also earned a nomination for his supporting role as a soldier who delivers the news of comrades' deaths to their families.

Moverman has also co-written the scripts for "Married Life," "Jesus' Son" and "I'm Not There."

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MOVIE REVIEW: - Torquay Herald Express

Posted: 17 Feb 2010 11:28 PM PST

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IN 2002, a novel came out of nowhere to become a near-instant classic of our times, resonating deeply with readers and critics around the globe.

Alice Sebold's second novel, The Lovely Bones, appeared on the surface to be a dark tale of modern crime about an ordinary suburban child's haunting disappearance and murder.

Narrated from beyond the grave, the story of The Lovely Bones offers a unique and very personal take on the notion of the afterlife.

It is a tale about death that is filled with unexpected light, beauty and hope.

In cinemas from Friday is Peter Jackson's cinematic adaptation of the critically acclaimed bestselling novel by Alice Seabold — The Lovely Bones.

I saw the movie last November and over time have not re-evaluated my opinion on the movie despite negative reviews both here and in the US as well as less than stellar box office figures stateside.

Fans of the book expecting a faithful and slavish retelling of Seabold's dark, bleak and very eerie novel will be, I think, disappointed by Jackson's screenplay — one American critic accused him of "distorting elements to suit his own vision".

Well that's what happens when you acquire the rights to a novel — you get a certain amount of creative freedom to adapt the property for the big screen: unlike for example the relentlessly faithful screen versions of J K Rowling's books by Steve Kloves.

The Lovely Bones is really a rather haunting movie that is beautifully realised by Jackson and his team in a way that cleverly captures Seabold's narrative and adds to it without taking us into the bleaker areas of the novel.

I was really impressed by young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan who delivers a highly assured performance as Susie Salmon and her protagonist George Harvey, played by Stanley Tucci, is a mesmerising portrayal of evil.

The film centres on Susie Salmon, who was just 14 years old when she was murdered in December 1973 on her way home from school.

Following her death she continues to watch over her earthbound family — while her killer remains at large.

Trapped in a wondrous, yet mysterious hereafter, Susie finds she must choose between her desire for vengeance and her yearning to see her loved ones heal and move on.

What begins as a shocking homicide unravels into a suspenseful and visually inventive journey through the bonds of memory, love and hope — towards a surprising and emotional reckoning.

The film's power is wholly derived from the performances by both Ronan and Tucci and it is left to Susan Sarandon to nearly steal the show with her performance as the louche grandmother who is never without a drink or a cigarette — she adds light and shade to the movie.

Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz star as Susie's parents and they are less than effective — but that is my only gripe.

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Movie News & Gossip - YAHOO!

Posted: 17 Feb 2010 10:09 PM PST

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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The rookie director of the Oscar-nominated drama "The Messenger" is in negotiations to rework the screenplay for Universal Pictures' untitled Kurt Cobain project.

Oren Moverman is also set to direct the film about the late frontman of grunge group Nirvana. Screenwriter David Benioff (" Brothers ") first took on the project in 2007.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.