Movies Update

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a 2007 fantasy film directed by Jay Russell. The screenplay, written by screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs, is an adaptation of Dick King-Smith’s children’s novel The Water Horse. It stars Alex Etel as a young boy who discovers a mysterious egg and cares for what hatches out of it: a ‘water horse’ (loosely based on the Celtic water horse) which later becomes the fabled Loch Ness Monster.

The story of a youngster who befriends a mythical beast, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep makes for occasionally magical family entertainment, critics say. Sorta like E.T but with a thicker brogue, The Water Horse tells the story of Angus (Alex Atel), who stumbles upon a mysterious egg that contains a creature that grows up to be the Loch Ness Monster. Pundits say that while it feels familiar and doesn’t stray too from coming-of-age story conventions, The Water Horse is loaded with charm and a sense of majesty, carried by strong CGI work. At 71 percent on the Tomatometer, this Water is safe to wade in for the whole family.

Replace Crusoe with a whale and you have Free Willy. Replace him with a dog and you have Lassie. The Water Horse follows in the tradition of movies like these, in which the bond between a boy and his pet opens the child to new possibilities. Because of Crusoe, Angus is able to overcome his grief over the death of his father and re-connect with his family and those around him. Crusoe gives him a reason to reach out and someone to care for other than himself. The obvious thing that makes this unique is the way in which it weaves one of the world′s most enduring modern-day legends into its text. Take away the Loch Ness Monster aspect of the movie and this would feel less fresh and more familiar.

Star(s) to watch : David Morrissey (”Basic Instinct 2?, “The Reaping”) as Captain Hamilton.

Genre : Adventure, Fantasy, Drama, Adaptation.

Release date : December 25, 2007

Rating : 7/10

Official website : http://www.thewaterhorse.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/the_water_horse_legend_of_the_deep-202𝗬.jpg

Trailer :

The Forbidden Kingdom features the first ever on screen pairing of cinema’s two greatest living martial arts legends: Jet Li and Jackie Chan. That alone makes this movie a must see for anyone and everyone, but screenwriter John Fusco and director Rob Minkoff have done more than simply throw two of kung fu’s most famous faces together in the same picture. They?ve crafted a magical film using both Chan and Li?s legendary reputations as the lynchpins in telling an entertaining, crowd-pleasing, action-fantasy story. 4

Why are the two men fighting? Because the Silent Monk stole a magical staff from a friend of Lu Yan’s. And the fight comes to an end when this friend finally shows up and reclaims the staff. But here’s the part that martial-arts fans probably didn’t expect all those years: The friend in question is an American teenager, and the first film to co-star Jackie Chan and Jet Li casts them both as supporting characters in this teenager’s story. What’s more, the film, directed by former Disney animator Rob Minkoff (The Lion King, Stuart Little), almost feels like it was made for kids.

Star(s) to watch : Jet Li (”Fist of Legend”, “Kiss of the Dragon”, “Hero”, “Fearless”) as The Monkey King/Silent Monk, Jackie Chan (”City Hunter”, “The Armour of God”) as Lu Yan, Collin Chou (”The Matrix Reloaded”, “Fearless”, “DOA: Dead or Alive”) as Jade Warlord, & Michael Angarano (”Sky High”) as Jason Tripitikas.

Genre : Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi.

Release date : April 18, 2008

Rating : 9/10

Official website : http://www.forbiddenkingdommovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/the_forbidden_kingdom-202×300.jpg

Trailer :

Depending on which trailer you watch, you might get the idea that Nim’s Island is a star vehicle for Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler or Abigail Breslin. And even after seeing the movie, that’s a hard question to answer, considering the actors each spend a majority of the movie separate from each other.

Nim (Breslin) is a young girl who imagines an island to be magical, basing its mystic nature on the experiences of her favorite fictional character, Alex Rover (Butler). When Nim’s father (also played by Butler) goes missing on the island, Nim teams up with Alexandra (Foster), the author of the Alex Rover books and Rover himself.
Star(s) to watch : Gerard Butler (”300′, “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life”) as Alex Rover/Jack, &amp Jodie Foster (”The Brave One”, “Flightplan”, “The Silence of the Lambs”) as Alexandra Rover.

Abigail Breslin stars as Nim Rusoe, a girl with her very own tropical island which she shares with her scientist father Jack (300’s Gerard Butler). They live in a way-cool tree house and while the widower Jack makes a living writing about his scientific research, Nim romps about on the endless playground with her animal friends, which include a lizard who caws like a parrot and a pelican more helpful than Lassie if you get in a jam.

Genre : Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adaptation.

Release date : April 4, 2008

Official website : http://www.nimsisland.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/nims_island-202×300.jpg

Trailer :

A fairy tale comes to life in this thoroughly original, new Disney Classic. Drawing inspiration from its classic heritage, Disney creates an inspired story unlike any you′ve experienced before. Filled with excitement, fun, and incredible music from the legendary Alan Menken, Enchanted is the ultimate fish-out-of-water adventure. For princess-to-be Giselle, life is a fairy tale - until she’s banished from the animated land of Andalasia and thrust into the very unmagical, live-action world of modern-day Manhattan. When a cynical, no-nonsense divorce lawyer comes to her aid, little does he realize that this joyful, wide-eyed innocent is about to enchant him. Enchanted - the musical comedy that will have your entire family under its spell.

After all their animated fantasies, true-life adventures, inspirational sports stories, and shaggy dogs, the Disney studios finally took the time to spoof themselves a bit. With tongues firmly set in cheek, screenwriter Bill Kelly (”Blast from the Past”) and director Kevin Lima (”Tarzan,” “102 Dalmatians”) set out to turn the Disney image inside out with a partly animated, partly live-action fairy tale that upsets all the conventions of traditional Disney fairy tales. In this regard, it’s a little like the first “Shrek” movie; if not quite so pointed or caustic, just as amusing. And with the added quality of a really sweet love story thrown in, “Enchanted” is hard to resist.

And then, it morphs into a live action film set in Manhattan that plays like a Disney animation. Enchanted is a romantic musical comedy, a light-hearted satire and a fantasy, but most of all, it’s a fairytale.

Star(s) to watch : James Marsden (”X-Men”, “Superman Returns”, “Disturbing Behavior”) as Prince Edward, Amy Adams (”Serving Sara”, “Catch Me If You Can”) as Giselle, & Patrick Dempsey (”Scream 3?, “Outbreak”) as Robert Phillip.

Genre : Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Animation.

Release date : November 21, 2007

Rating : 8/10

Official website : http://www.enchantedmovie.com/

Poster : http://movies-update.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/enchanteϩ-203×300.jpg

Trailer :