New releases: 3D, action and rom-coms hit theatres

There are lots of options from Hollywood this weekend including romantic comedy Did you hear about the Morgans? featuring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker and Jackie Chan's action flick The spy next door.  Bollywood has a solo major release: Shahid Kapoor and Genelia D'Souza starrer Chance pe Dance. Take your pick.

Hollywood

Did you hear about the Morgans?

The only novelty about this jaded script about a squabbling uptown couple who fall back in love is the emergence of a brand new character on Hollywood's screen. The Times of India


Where the film does succeed is with the pitch-perfect casting of Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen as the US marshals who are assigned to look after the Morgans and give the film a much-needed heart in amongst the moaning of the Morgans. Mirror


In what ranks as a halfway decent scene in Did You Hear About the Morgans?, the pair radiate all the warmth, charm and interest of amnesiacs meeting for the first time. Herald Sun
 

View the trailer here

The Spy next door

Kids between 8 and 12 may get some enjoyment from the mix of slapstick and derring-do in "The Spy Next Door," but it may be a painful experience for the adults accompanying them. Washington Post


A dreary, ill-advised production that frequently looks cheap and features a largely unappealing cast (Billy Ray Cyrus as an intelligence officer — somebody shoot me), "Spy" taxes one's patience from its opening scenes. Seattle Times



The Spy Next Door, then, is the introduction of a prospective new career, one that has crept up on many a star: the over-the-hill action hero as butt of children’s violence. Vancouver Sun
 

Watch the trailer here

Toy Story and Toy Story  2

Coming back to Toy Story and Toy Story 2, nothing has been changed in terms of the story. Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is still the lovable hero who makes mistakes just humans while Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) is still the oblivious toy who keeps overrating his powers. The Times of India


Watched back-to-back you can see how it surpasses "Toy Story" in technical excellence (leaves, dogs, and humans are all more lifelike) but what has been improved upon hardly seemed to matter in the original. BBC



It takes a simple, familiar idea – that kiddies’ playthings spring to life when nobody’s peeking – and develops it into a wise-crack-packed adventure story to rival any adventure story. Movie Gazette
www.movie-gazette.com/375/toy-story

View the trailer here

Case 39

What surprises you about the film is that in spite of the story being a tad too predictable it never fails to scare you. The Times of India
 

 View the trailer here

Bollywood

Chance pe Dance

The dance sequences in the film are lively but they are undermined by Adnan Sami’s absolutely uninspired music. This is a dance film without one memorable dance track. NDTV


The film may not have the emotional quotient of Ishq Vishq, Shahid and Ken's first film that set the box office on fire, yet it does have its moments. The Times of India


Had the story remained faithful to the main plot - the struggles of an aspirant - it may've cut ice with the viewer. But the track of a dance teacher doesn't work. Taran Adarsh

View the trailer here

And for all you lazy people, here is the DVD recommendation from Stuff India

The movie to catch on DVD this weekend is Taken

Liam Neeson plays an ex spy in pursuit of seizing his daughter back from the clutches of her kidnappers. And when Neeson delivers the standout baritone on the phone to the bad guy, you begin to get that feeling, of breakneck action, thats on its way. And boy does it come in scene after scene, with the tension mounting all the way till the last shot. I promise, Pierre Morel's poetic direction will make sure you won't even get up relieve yourself until the end credits roll. (Recommendation by Yatish Suvarna, technical editor, Stuff India)

Watch the trailer here