Saturday Matinee: Weekend Movie Picks
Between Passover and Easter, this is a weekend for spending time with family. If going to the movies is part of the plan, you'll have some new releases to choose from. The Saturday Early Show entertainment contributor Jess Cagle, who is also People magazine's editor-at-large, has a look at the latest in cinema. For families who prefer to watch from home, he also brings DVD picks for your home theater.
IN THEATERS
"Scary Movie 4"
Rated PG 13; in theaters on April 14
The latest installment in the blockbuster "Scary Movie" comedy franchise, this one spoofs everything from "War of the Worlds" to "Million-Dollar Baby." Director David Zucker and producer Bob Weiss reunite to take aim at fright films, box office hits, music, current events, pop culture, and your favorite celebrities.
Cast includes Carmen Electra, Anna Faris and Regina Hall, with cameos by Shaquille O'Neal, Dr. Phil, and Leslie Nielsen, among others.
"The Wild"
Rated G; in theaters on April 14
A computer-animated comedy-adventure, this movie features an odd assortment of animals from a New York zoo, including a lion, giraffe, anaconda, koala, and squirrel. They discover what a jungle the city can be when one of their own is mistakenly shipped to the wild and they embark on a dangerous mission to rescue him.
Vocals feature Kiefer Sutherland, Greg Cipes, Jim Belushi, Janeane Garofalo, and William Shatner, among others.
"Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Rated PG; already in theaters
The sub-zero heroes from the worldwide blockbuster "Ice Age" are back: Manny the woolly mammoth, Sid the sloth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger, and the hapless prehistoric squirrel/rat known as Scrat. In the sequel, the Ice Age is coming to an end, and the animals are delighting in the melting paradise that is their new world.
Featuring the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary as Manny, Sid, and Diego. New cast members include Queen Latifah ("Chicago"), Seann William Scott (the "American Pie" trilogy), late night talk show king Jay Leno, Will Arnett ("Arrested Development") and Josh Peck ("Drake and Josh").
ON DVD
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Rated PG
Based on the C.S. Lewis classic, this was the first big-screen adaptation of the book that has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.
Four young adventurers playing hide-and-seek in the country home of an old professor stumble upon an enchanted wardrobe that will take them places they never dreamed. Stepping through the wardrobe door, they are whisked out of World War II London into the spectacular parallel universe known as Narnia, a fairy-tale realm of magical proportions where woodland animals talk and mythological creatures roam the hills. But Narnia has fallen under the icy spell of a mad sorceress, cursed to suffer through a winter that never ends by the White Witch Jadis. Now, aided by Narnia's rightful leader, the wise and mystical lion Aslan, the four Pevensie children will discover their own strength and lead Narnia into a spectacular battle to be free of the Witch's glacial enslavement forever.
King Kong
Rated PG 13
Peter Jackson's latest remake of this Hollywood classic stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Cagle points out that some parts can be scary; he recommends it for older children.
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Rated G
A 50th-anniversary edition of this family classic was released last month. Starring Charlton Heston, this was the last film directed by the legendary Cecil B. DeMille. The story relates the life of Moses, from the time he was discovered by the pharaoh's daughter, to his long struggle to free the Hebrews from their slavery at the hands of the Egyptians.