In the spirit of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films transport you to the mystical lands of Persia for this wildly entertaining, epic action-adventure. It’s a race against time when a rogue prince (Jake Gyllenhaal) reluctantly teams up with a rival princess (Gemma Arterton) to safeguard a magical dagger that gives its possessor the power to reverse time and rule the world. Filled with death-defying escapes and unexpected twists at every turn – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a fun-filled adventure that will keep your pulse pounding long after the credits end.

I have to admit, before watching Prince of Persia, I was a bit skeptical of Jake Gyllenhaal in a historical flick – and with an accent, no less. After watching it, though, I admit that he did an adequate job with the accent, looks good with the hair (and muscles), and all-around, the movie was an enjoyable adventure flick. Plus, it has Alfred Molina, a British actor, who will always epitomize Levin from Anna Karenina for me.

The best thing about movies like this one, though, is the fact that I can enjoy them with my boys. Noah (age 12), Jonathan (10), and Josiah (8) all loved this movie – terrific sword and whip fights, some humor, racing ostriches, and a magic dagger – it had pretty much everything they love about a movie. They are already hoping for a sequel.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will be available on DVD on September 14th. The special features include deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, and more.

(Disclosure: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review. Many of the links on my site are Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one of those links and subsequently purchase anything, I will receive a small percentage in commission.)

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Miley Cyrus shines as the star of this heartwarming coming-of-age movie that will strike your emotional chords. Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks (Dear John, The Notebook), The Last Song follows Ronnie (Cyrus) and her estranged father as he tries to restore the loving relationship they once had. But reconnecting with his rebellious daughter isn’t easy, so he chooses the one thing they still have in common – music. Complete with not-to-be-missed bonus features – the Miley Cyrus music video “When I Look At You,” exclusive interviews with the actress and more – this uplifting and touching drama about family, first loves and second chances is a heartfelt story you won’t soon forget.

Yes, I watched a Nicholas Sparks movie. Sigh. My daughter really wanted to see this, and so when I was offered a copy for review, I couldn’t say no. And it honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought. Yes, it was emotionally manipulative, and, no, Cyrus wasn’t without flaw, but it made a good movie to share with my daughter and gave me a reason to have a good long cry that I’d needed for a long time.

The rest of the cast helped make the film worth watching, including Greg Kinnear, who I consider completely under-rated as an actor. Bobby Coleman, the young actor who played Ronnie’s younger brother, was also exceptional.

When we finished the film, Natalie turned to me and said, “She’s much better than she was in Hannah Montana, but she’s still not as good as she could be.” I started thinking about the reasons for this – because she can deliver a line and she can emote when she has to. But it’s the in-between times, the transitions, the times when she’s listening to another actor, that don’t feel natural. It’s something that the actors we call brilliant do completely naturally, and it’s the reason why they don’t appear to be “acting.” I hope she can get some good coaching in that area to help her take that final step from competent to good.

The Last Song (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) is available now. The special features include an alternate opening, deleted scenes, a music video, and more.

(Disclosure: The Last Song was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review. Many of the links on my site are Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one of those links and subsequently purchase anything, I will receive a small percentage in commission.)

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Yesterday, Variety had the news that The View‘s Sherri Shepherd has been cast in dual roles for the film. Both characters are described as “prostitutes with hearts of gold.”

While I’m a bit confused about the “dual roles” part, I can only assume that one of the roles must be Lula.

According to the movie’s IMDB page, they have also cast Patrick Fischler as Vincent Plum (though it is listed as “Vinnie”) and Cristina Aloe as Connie.

I recognize Patrick Fischler; I think he’ll be a good Vincent. I haven’t seen Cristina Aloe before, but she’s got the right look for Connie.

What do you think of the latest casting news?

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Discussion starters:

~ The Bumbles Blog: Never apologize for what you read

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ Crossing to Safety by Wallace Earl Stegner, reviewed by Carol at Magistramater.

~ Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen, reviewed by Susan at Bloggin’ ’bout Books.

~ The Quickening by Michelle Hoover, reviewed by Wendy at Caribousmom.

~ 100 Poems by 100 Poets: An Anthology, reviewed by Avid Reader.

~ The Great Lover by Jill Dawson, reviewed by Vasilly at 1330v.

~ The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst, reviewed by Jen at Devourer of Books – I already ordered this one!

~ Firespell by Chloe Neill, reviewed by Pam at Bookalicious.

~ The Boneshaker by Kate Milford and Andrea Offermann, reviewed by Amanda at A Patchwork of Books.

~ Twenty-Six by Leo McKay Jr., reviewed by Heather at Book Addiction.

~ Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons, reviewed by Staci at Life in the Thumb.

Book to movie news:

~ Daniel Radcliffe to star in a film version of All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.

~ Jude Law to star in the film version of The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

Other bookish links:

~ The New Yorker: Fresh Hell – what’s behind the boom in dystopian fiction for young readers?

~ Los Angeles Times: Book bloggers catch on with publishers – featuring Trish, Amy, and Rebecca.

~ Jill at Fizzy Thoughts is hosting a group read of The Brothers Karamazov – I’m thinking about joining.

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Post tags: blogging, book to film, dystopian fiction, poetry, science fiction, TBR list, YA fiction

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Bring home the must-own romantic comedy of the year, filled with wildly funny twists and turns! When Beth, an unlucky-in-love New York curator (Kristen Bell), takes a whirlwind trip to Rome for her sister’s wedding, an unexpected crush takes her by surprise. Quickly let down, she defiantly plucks coins from the Fontana de Amore, magically igniting the passions of some comically unsuitable suitors. As a charming reporter (Josh Duhamel) becomes zealously smitten, Beth is skeptical that he’s the real deal. Don’t miss hilarious performances from an all-star cast you’ll want to see again and again.

I am a sucker for romantic comedies – and they don’t even have to be really good ones. Of course, there are the A-list of rom-coms: When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, etc. Then you have your more generic ones, the ones that aren’t outstanding, but still are a pleasant way to spend an evening. When in Rome fits into that category.

I’ve never watched Veronica Mars, so I don’t have much history with Kristen Bell to go on, but I found her likable enough. She doesn’t have the natural rom-com chops of Sandra Bullock or Meg Ryan, but she was still good, and Josh Duhamel is charming and extremely good-looking, so fits the bill for this type of movie. While much of the comedy is a bit silly, there is enough there to enjoy to make it worth renting.

When in Rome is available now on DVD. The DVD special features include bloopers, deleted scenes, and music videos.

(Disclosure: When in Rome was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review. Many of the links on my site are Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one of those links and subsequently purchase anything, I will receive a small percentage in commission.)

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Experience the ultimate music sensation with the StarStruck: Extended Edition – featuring an exclusive “Got To Believe” extended music scene, plus a Rock-Along bonus feature and three full-length music videos – available only on Disney DVD!

Get StarStruck with hunky young pop star Christopher Wick (Sterling Knight), as he gets tangled up through a chance meeting with small-town girl Jessica Olson (Danielle Campbell), and experience their hilarious adventures set against the backdrop of Hollywood. Your whole family will love this music-filled Disney Original Movie, complete with music videos and never-before-seen footage. You’ve “Got To Believe” in StarStruck!

I enlisted my 13-year-old daughter Natalie to write the review for StarStruck, since she belongs to the intended audience. Here’s what she had to say:

I really liked this movie and the acting was good. But I think this movie would have been a lot better, if they had made it more realistic. In once scene, Jessica, the main girl, and Christopher sink Jessica’s grandmother’s car, but she doesn’t get in trouble for it. I wish they would have showed a scene were she told her parents and grandmother that she sunk the car in quick sand.

Other then all of this, the acting was great and so was the singing. Sterling Knight, who plays Christopher Wilde, has a great voice in my opinion.

Disclosure: StarStruck: Got to Believe Extended Edition DVD/CD was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review. Many of the links on my site are Amazon affiliate links. If you click on any of these links and subsequently purchase anything, I will receive a small percentage in commission.)

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Invictus: The true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team, Francois Pienaar, to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match. (Plot synopsis from Yahoo! Movies.

There are sports movies, and then there are movies like Invictus, where sports becomes a backdrop upon which larger themes are worked out. In this film, rugby becomes more than a sport – it is one of the ways that Nelson Mandela brings his country together into the Rainbow Nation.

After spending 27 years in prison for working against apartheid, Nelson Mandela is elected as president in the first completely democratic South African election. He is faced with the impossible challenge of bringing together the blacks and whites of the country, people who have been raised and fed on hatred, fear, and bigotry. The blacks have much reason to hate the whites and to want to celebrate Mandela’s election as revenge. Mandela, however, will not allow that.

He comes into office with a goal of reconciliation, which starts with forgiveness. Can you imagine? He offers jobs to all the staffers of the previous administration, even though some of these staffers were working with a president who imprisoned him! The depth of his forgiveness and grace and mercy is simply unfathomable.

To the blacks of South Africa, rugby, and their national team, the Springboks, are symbols of apartheid. The newly elected sports administration wants to simply disband the team and start over, but Mandela knows that this will do more to tear the country apart than fix the wounds of the past. With his encouragement, the Springboks continued as the country’s team, and under the president’s instruction, they embark on a tour of coaching clinics in villages all over the country. Soon, rugby is the national sport, not simply the white man’s sport. When South Africa makes it to the 1995 World Cup, their ability to beat the New Zealand team is doubtful – but the entire country is cheering them on.

Invictus is brilliantly directed by Clint Eastwood, and stars the inestimable Morgan Freeman as Mandela. Matt Damon costars as Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks. (On a side note: I am continually amazed at the versatility and talent displayed by Damon, especially as we recently watched The Informant!, in which he plays a completely different character, and does so to an equal degree of believability.)

This truly is a must-see movie.

If you would like to read the text of the poem that inspired the title, the poem that kept Mandela determined to prevail through all those years in prison, you can read it here.

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Amber Tamblyn as Stephanie

Chris Evans as Joe Morelli

Cristian de la Fuente as Ranger

Cloris Leachman as Grandma Mazur

Queen Latifah as Lula

Steve Buscemi as Vinnie

Those are my choices – what do you think?

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A reluctant hero. An epic journey. A choice between the life he left behind and the incredible new world he’s learned to call home. Return to James Cameron’s Avatar – the greatest adventure of all time.

“The greatest adventure of all time.” That’s what it says on the back of this DVD. And yes, Avatar is a visually beautiful and amazing movie, but I can think of a bunch of action-adventure movies that I think were better.

I will admit, though, that Cameron has done things with the special effects that I never thought I’d see in a movie. The planet of Pandora is gorgeous. The story, however, is nothing new. It’s like a cross between Dances With Wolves and the Disney version of Pocahontas, with really good actors and mind-blowing visuals thrown in.

I don’t want to sound completely negative – I did enjoy watching this film. For one thing, the casting is terrific: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi. The soundtrack is gorgeous, and the action kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt like the actors basically did the best they could with what they had – plot and characters that never quite go further than skin deep.

Of course, this is the new “absolute most-est favorite” movie of my three sons. So what do I know?

(Disclosure: Avatar was provided to me on DVD by Click Communications for the purpose of review. Many of the links on my site are Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one of those links and subsequently purchase anything, I will receive a small percentage in commission.)

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Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Jason O’Mara – loved him in Monarch of the Glen and in Life on Mars, but he’s not Italian, or even Italian-looking. I don’t hate this casting quite as much as Heigl, though, and I think he can probably pull it off.

As for their choice of Ranger, he has the right look:

I’ve never heard of Daniel Sunjata before, or seen him act, so the jury’s still out on this one.

What do you think?

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