Jackie Chan and Jet Li proved that their debut pairing could draw an audience, as The Forbidden Kingdom climbed to the top of the hill. The film is a mash-up of coming-of-age fantasy and wild martial arts action. The end result is a highly entertaining, if slightly shallow, entry into martial arts cinema. Hopefully it will lead to a future pairing of the two martial arts legends. The movie may be rated PG-13, but it is very family friendly — the violence is mostly fantasy-based and bloodless. Do yourself a favor; while it may not be what longtime fans wanted, it still provides an exciting trip to the cinema.
Following the martial arts film is the latest comedy from Team Apatow, a camp that seems to be rivaling Hollywood's penchant for Asian remakes in terms of volume. It seems that every month we get a new one with Apatow's name in the credits. The funny thing is that, at least for me, he has not really had a miss yet. Not all of them have been box office smashes, but they all have a consistent level of quality in writing and acting. This one is called Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and stars Jason Segel (who also wrote), Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Russell Brand, along with a few other Apatow regulars. At first glance it's a one-note film, but it proves to be much more. It's laugh out loud funny, touching, daring, and just truly works. Hopefully, the R-rated comedy will find an audience and leg out a good theatrical run.
Two other new releases made it to the top ten this week. First up is the fourth place film, 88 Minutes. Here is a movie that fails to achieve its potential. Still, this Al Pacino thriller does provide some goofy entertainment, although it could just as easily induce a migraine. The other new release just squeaked in at number ten — Ben Stein's Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, a documentary that seems to be ruffling some feathers.
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