Movie Review: “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”

Seen on: February 9, 2010

The players: Director: Chris Columbus, Writer: Craig Titley, Cast: Logan Lerman, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario

Facts of interest: Chris Columbus also directed the first two "Harry Potter" films.

The plot: Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, must embark on a journey to prevent the gods from starting a nasty war that will destroy Earth.

Our thoughts: Filmmaker Chris Columbus returns to the adventure genre with the big-screen adaptation of “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” and the result is a pretty straightforward family flick that plays it by the book and doesn’t take any risks when it comes to following a group of special teenagers embarking on a perilous quest to save the world.

Click to read more ...

Brand-new 'Percy Jackson' trailer hits

There's a new trailer for Chris Columbus' upcoming adventure "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" out on the Web, and you can check it out after the jump. It failed to blow me away, although I admit Pierce Brosnan looks great with his crazy hair and beard.

Based on Rick Riordan's children's book, "The Lightning Thief" follows Poseidon's half-human son Percy (Logan Lerman), who sets out to prevent a war between gods in modern America.

Click to read more ...

Teaser for 'Percy Jackson & the Olympians' is online!

The very first teaser trailer for Chris Columbus' upcoming adventure "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" has just debuted online, and you should definitely check it out below.

Based on Rick Riordan's children's book, the story follows Poseidon's half-human son Percy (Logan Lerman), who sets out to prevent a war between gods in modern America.

Alexandra Daddario plays Athena's daughter Annabeth. Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Sean Bean and Pierce Brosnan co-star.

"The Lightning Thief," the first film in what may develop into a big-screen franchise, is set to open Feb. 12, 2010. Feel free to share your thoughts anout this teaser below. Looks pretty good to me at this stage.

Click to read more ...

'I Love You, Beth Cooper' web reviews

Chris Columbus returns to the big screen with a raunchy comedy entitled "I Love You, Beth Cooper," starring Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust and Jack Carpenter. Story follows a hot chick showing a nerd the night of his life. Here is what some of the Web's critics have to say:

• CinemaBlend's Katey Rich: "Poor 'Beth Cooper', so unloved, so ditched on a weekend when it's sure to be crushed by 'Bruno,' so uninteresting even to the people who created it."

• RopeOfSilicon's Brad Brevet: "I haven't been this annoyed at a movie in a long time and the film is so full of flaws pegging something down specifically wasn't easy."

• Collider's Matt Goldberg: "'Beth Cooper' is not a disaster and if nothing else, Paul Rust’s lead performance made it worth my time."

• Kevin Carr at FilmSchoolRejects: "Hayden Panettiere is given a chance to headline a movie, but she’s woefully miscast."

• Joblo's Chris Cumbray: "All in all, I did not love 'BETH COOPER.' In fact; I downright loathed it at times."

Movie Review: “I Love You, Beth Cooper”

Seen on: July 6, 2009

The players: Director: Chris Columbus, Writer: Larry Doyle, Cast: Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Lauren Storm, Jack T. Carpenter

Facts of interest: Based on Larry Doyle's book.

The plot: A high school's hottest chick shows a nerd the best time of his life after he publicly declares his love for her.

Our thoughts: Chris Columbus goes all raunchy on us in his latest comedy “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” an occasionally amusing film that lacks big laughs and surprises but can still be fairly enjoyable to watch. Columbus is a well-known filmmaker with some high-profile titles under his belt, but I don’t expect this one to pull large audiences.

Click to read more ...

This week's new movie releases - July 10, 2009

This week, we're looking at two wide releases: Larry Charles' anticipated comedy "Brüno" with Sacha Baron Cohen; and Chris Columbus' comedy "I Love You, Beth Cooper" with Hayden Panettiere and Paul Rust:

BRUNO

Synopsis: From the creators of "Borat" comes "Brüno," a provocative comedy following a flamboyant gay Austrian fashionista (Sacha Baron Cohen) as he takes his show to America and around the world.

First thoughts: What can I say? "Brüno" is definitely one of only a few films I am really looking forward to this summer, and from what I've heard, the film delivers tons of laughs.

Click to read more ...

Rosario Dawson, Steve Coogan board 'Percy Jackson'

Rosario Dawson and Steve Coogan are the latest to join Chris Columbus' upcoming adventure "Percy Jackson." Based on the first of five children's books by Rick Riordan, the film follows the story of Poseidon's half-human son Percy, who sets out to prevent a war between gods in modern America. The Hollywood Reporter says Coogan is playing Hades, while Dawson is set to portray Persephone. Columbus, who also helmed two "Harry Potter" films, wrote the screenplay with Craig Titley.

Also starring in "Jackson" are Catherine Keener, Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd, Melina Kanakaredes, Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson. Coogan recently starred in "Hamlet 2" and will be back on the big screen in "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." As for Dawson, she last starred alongside Will Smith in "Seven Pounds."

Trailer radar: 'I Love You, Beth Cooper'

Here's the international trailer for Chris Columbus' (yes, that Columbus) upcoming comedy "I Love You, Beth Cooper," which opens in theaters July 10, 2009. In the film, a nerdy valedictorian proclaims his love for most popular girl in school – Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere) – during his graduation speech. Much to his surprise, Beth shows up at his door that very night and decides to show him the best night of his life.

As you can see after the jump, this international version is almost the same as the domestic. While it certainly looks like a brainless teen comedy, I must admit it also looks way funnier than some of these other embarrassingly bad comedies I've seen over the past years (no need to name them). I certainly believe in Columbus' directorial abilities, and I hope he took this idea and turned it into a refreshing summer flick packed with laughs.

Click to read more ...

Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan join 'Percy Jackson'

Fox 2000 is definitely fast-tracking its upcoming fantasy adventure "Percy Jackson," recruiting Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan and Sean Bean to star in the big-screen adaptation of Rick Riordan's children's book series.

The story follows Poseidon's 12-year-old half-human son Percy (Logan Lerman), who sets out to save his mother and prevent a war between gods in modern America.

According to Variety, Thurman is set to play Medusa, while Brosnan stars as Chiron. Bean is playing Zeus. Other recent castings include Kevin McKidd, who plays Poseidon, and Melina Kanakerides, who's set to star as Athena.

Just a couple of days ago, Alexandra Daddario also joined the project, which Chris Columbus is ready to direct. Columbus wrote the screenplay with Craig Titley.

Thurman was last seen in "The Life Before Her Eyes." She will also soon star in "Motherhood." Brosnan, one of the stars's of "Mamma Mia!," has "The Ghost" coming up. As for Bean, he recently appeared in a few "Crusoe" episodes.

Alexandra Daddario scores role in 'Percy Jackson'

Alexandra Daddario has signed on to star in Chris Columbus' upcoming adventure "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief."

The Hollywood Reporter says Daddario joins Logan Lerman and Brandon T. Jackson. The project is based on Rick Riordan's children's book; the first of five novels.

The story follows Poseidon's half-human son Percy, who sets out to prevent a war between gods in modern America. The trade says Daddario plays Athena's daughter Annabeth.

Columbus, who also helmed two of the "Harry Potter" films, wrote the screenplay with Craig Titley.

Daddario's acting credits include "The Squid and the Whale" (a film I loved) and "The Hottest State" (a film I mildly enjoyed).