Past the Popcorn film roundup—Walden Media scores again
Each Friday, Past the Popcorn offers a thorough look at the latest round of films opening on big screens.
A double-whammy in one week: the DVD release of Amazing Grace, and the theatrical release of Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. What will these guys pull off next? Kathy Bledsoe calls Magorium—a G-rated family-pleaser—a “beautifully written, multi-layered masterpiece.” From the acting of Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, and a solid supporting cast to the production design, everything hums. Plus, says Kathy, the film is “refreshingly full of quality material to discuss with children.”
The other major release this week is Beowulf, the much-anticipated motion-capture-animation action film from Robert Zemeckis. But Mike Brunk finds it very uneven. “Sometimes it wants to be taken seriously; sometimes it seems to aspire to be little more than a cartoon,” he says. Still, if you’re looking for a big dragon battle, Beowulf scores there. But be aware that the PG-13 rating is serious—maybe even on the light side given animated nudity.
In other releases, Greg Wright has a hard time living with Love in the Time of Cholera; Mike Brunk finds Southland Tales intriguing but tedious; and Jeff Walls finds Alison Eastwood’s directing debut a trial.
