Movie Reviews and News

That “Hairspray” is good-hearted is no surprise. The surprise may be that this “Hairspray,” stuffed with shiny showstoppers, is actually good.

PENELOPE is the story of a young woman, Penelope Wilhern Christina Ricci, born to wealthy socialites Richard E. Grant and Catherine OHara. Penelope is afflicted by a secret family curse that can only be broken when she is loved by one of her own kind. Hidden away in the familys majestic home, she is subjected to meeting a string of blue-bloods through her parents futile attempt to marry her off and break the curse. Each suitor is instantly enamored with Penelope and her sizable dowry until the curse is revealed.

Paul, depressed from his recent break-up with Anna, returns home to Paris and moves back in with his divorced father and amorous younger brother, Jonathan. While his carefree sibling and doting father try in vain to cheer him up, a visit from his mother seems to be the only thing that brings him joy. When Paul is then left in the house to brood and talk to one of his brothers girlfriends, he begins to realize that while things havent gone according to plan, one can always find something to live for.

Its 1983 and school is out. Twelve-year-old Shaun is a lonely boy growing up in a grim coastal town in northern England, whose father died fighting in the Falklands War. Over the course of the summer holiday he befriends a group of local skinheads. With his pent-up rage and frustration, Shaun finds exactly what he needs in the gang-mischief, mayhem and brotherhood. He also meets the volatile and boorish Combo, an older skinhead who sees himself in Shaun. Adopting Shaun as his protege, Combo leads the gang down a hate spewing path that culminates in an irreversible act of violence.

After an accident in the mysterious lab of maniacal scientist Dr. Simon Barsinister Peter Dinklage, an ordinary beagle unexpectedly finds himself with unimaginable powers and the ability to speak. Armed with a fetching superhero costume, Underdog vows to protect the beleaguered citizens of Capitol City and, in particular, one beautiful spaniel named Polly Purebread voiced by Academy Award nominee Amy Adams. When a sinister plot by Barsinister and his overgrown henchman Cad Patrick Wharburton threatens to destroy Capitol City only Underdog can save the day.