The holiday season heralds the return of the "Madagascar" gang in "Merry Madagascar," a television special looking to produce a pinch of Christmas cheer to fans, admirers, and all of their patient parents.

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I have never understood the appeal of Jennifer Garner as an action/adventure star. Based on my limited exposure to her work, she's better in comedic or lightly dramatic roles (such as her turn in 13 Going on 30). Nothing that happens in Elektra has changed my mind. Although Garner was arguably the best thing about the lukewarm comic book adaptation of Daredevil, her character had limited screen-time, playing fourth fiddle to Ben Affleck, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Colin Farrell. The translation from supporting character to lead doesn't go smoothly. Garner has difficulty carrying this movie, although the weakness of the script could be part of the reason.


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The problem with X2 is essentially the same one that plagued X-Men: too many characters, resulting in too little screen time for each one. X2 may be the most ambitious superhero motion picture to date, but it doesn't work quite as well as Spider-Man or Superman, both of which are, in some ways, inferior. The reason is simple: in those movies, we get into the skin of the protagonist, whether it's nerdy Peter Parker or bumbling Clark Kent. In X-Men and its sequel, there are simply too many heroes running around. Unless you're a fan of the comic book series, you need a cheat sheet to keep them all straight – and that doesn't count the cameos (Colossus, Kitty Pride, Jubilee, etc.).

To be fair, X2 does a better job than X-Men, primarily because it isn't saddled with the baggage of having to introduce everyone. The only new major mutant is the blue-skinned teleporter Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming); everyone else is a returning player. Nevertheless, most of the X-Men come across as no more three-dimensional than their comic book counterparts. There are a few exceptions, with tough guy Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and telepath Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) leading the way. And one could make a case for teenager Rogue (Anna Paquin) and arch-villain Magneto (Ian McKellan). But there's still a lot of underused talent. Patrick Stewart (as Professor X, who runs the show), for example, is completely wasted, as is Halle Berry (as weather-controlling Storm). James Marsden's Cyclops, with his laserbeam eyes, has about the same amount of paltry screen time as he had in X-Men. Shapeshifter Mystique (Rebecca Romjin-Stamos) gets more exposure, but her personality remains a black hole.



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Before he became the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Che Guevara was an introverted medical student living a sheltered life in Buenos Aires. His life changed in 1952, when, despite almost being done with his degree, he decided to take a break from his studies and join his friend, Alberto Granado, on a trip through South America. Their journey, begun on an old motorcycle and completed on foot, by hitchhiking, and on a raft, took more than seven months and covered 7500 miles. By the time it concluded in Caracas, Guevara was not the same man who started the odyssey. The Motorcycle Diaries, which is based on Guevara's journals and a book written by Granado, is the story of that trek.



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At one point in history, indigenous populations around the globe were evolving slowly and happily, whether in North America, South America, Africa, or Australia. Then, spearheaded by a wave of intrepid explorers, came the Europeans, spreading out across the world like a plague of locusts. Whether a case of social Darwinism or unchecked Imperialist aggression, it didn't take long before the White Man had conquered those lands where they had any interest in establishing a settlement. While the backgrounds of those going to Australia and America were vastly different, the results were similar: native populations diminished and oppressed, then reduced to second-class citizens in the re-shaped lands that were once theirs.




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Eighteen years after the first screenings of The Godfather, the long-awaited third and final chapter reached theaters. That it proved unable to fulfill expectations was a predictable - if somewhat disheartening - result, given the sixteen year buildupThe Godfather Part III is a good movie, with moments of rare power, but it is not a great one - a reason why many fans of the series have voiced their disappointment. Oscar nominations for this film were probably based more on the Godfather name and reputation than on the particular merits of this production. Part III became the first Godfather not to take best picture and, despite a deserving performance, Al Pacino's efforts were not acknowledged. The lack of awards enthusiasm perhaps reflected a general opinion.



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Moonraker is a sort of James Bond meets Star Wars. Released in 1979, the year that saw the arrival of Star Trek on the big screen, Moonraker was the latest film to latch onto the science fiction revival started by George Lucas' 1977 picture. Audiences flocked to see Moonraker, making it the highest grossing 007 movie before Goldeneye. The mixture of escapist action and space shoot-outs found favor with the American public. Indeed, while parts of Moonraker are rather silly (a trend during Roger Moore's tenure), solid special effects, well-executed action sequences, and a strict reliance upon the "Bond Formula" keep this film among Moore's better entries as the British superspy.



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I don’t know who Bob Gale is, but I’ll wager that he’s an old Hollywood hand. He’s probably been around Hollywood films for most of his life, which may explain how he was able to get big name stars like Michael J. Fox, Kurt Russell, Chris Cooper, and Ann-Margaret to play cameos in his small movie, “Interstate 60″. Of the four, only Cooper (“Adaptation”) has a major cameo — which in this cases means he lasts for more than one scene.



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CW Briggs (Woody Allen) is an insurance investigator who is highly successful, owing to his many connections and ability to think like a criminal. His work does not impress Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt), an efficiency expert who butts heads with Briggs over his old-fashioned views. Her advice is usually followed however, because she secretly is in a relationship with her boss, Chris Magruder (Dan Aykroyd), who constantly reassures her that they will be free to pursue their relationship in public once he finalizes his divorce with his wife.



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The twins of Paul Muaddib Atreides become embroiled in the political landscape of Arrakis (Dune) and the rest of the universe.

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Gettin Square is about starting over, keeping clean and going straight. Barry Wirth is fresh out of...

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In 1913, in Carlton, Pennsylvania (shot in Bulgaria), the cruel owner of the Carlton mine exploits poor immigrant children. After an explosion, a large group of the children are buried alive. In the present day, Karen Tunny has just lost her husband after a long period of terminal disease and has inherited her husband's home near the since-abandoned Carlton Mine. She moves to the house with her daughters Sarah, a teenager, and Emma, who is younger.

Sarah meets a couple of teenagers around her age, and mentions to them that she lives up in the hills, and one replies, "Up where the zombies are?"



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While on vacation, a Marine sniper takes on local rebels who have seized control of the hotel where he and his wife, who is now a hostage, have been staying.

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In this nostalgic sequel to the Israeli hit Lemon Popsicle, three teen pals on the brink of manhood look for love, sex and a good time, set to a soundtrack of beloved 1950s rock n roll. Benzi (Yftach Katzur) is the sensitive romantic, Yudale is shy and overweight (Zachi Noy) and Momo (Jonathan Sagall) is the ladies man. Hugely popular in Israel, Going Steady was the first of many Lemon Popsicle sequels, including Hot Bubblegum and Baby Love.

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Cableman Roy Neary is one of several people who experience a close encounter of the first kind, witnessing UFOs flying through the night sky. He is subsequently haunted by a mountainlike image in his head and becomes obsessed with discovering what it represents, putting severe strain on his marriage. Meanwhile, government agents around the world have a close encounter of the second kind, discovering physical evidence of otherworldly visitors in the form of military vehicles that went missing decades ago suddenly appearing in the middle of nowhere. Roy and the agents both follow the clues they have been given to reach a site where they will have a close encounter of the third kind contact.

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The story of the uncompromising artist and fighter for freedom, Domenicos Theotokopoulos, known to the world as El Greco.

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