Chan-Li Vehicle Stuck in Neutral

Kingdom takes first, but audiences fall for Sarah Marshall

(NEWSER) - Jackie Chan and Jet Li KO’d the competition at this weekend's box office, Entertainment Weekly reports. The Forbidden Kingdom finished first with $20.9 million, kicking raunchy romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall to second with $17.3 million. Other debuts stirred up little action: The Al Pacino thriller 88 Minutes ranked fourth with $6.8 million, and Ben Stein’s Expelled took ninth, banking $3.2 million. More»

CGI wizardry doesn't sustain 10,000 B.C.

(NEWSER) - The prehistoric adventure 10,000 B.C. isn't just a spectacle of cutting-edge effects, it's "a tedious bore in which grubby people stand around muttering in a variety of badly chosen accents," writes Josh Tyler in Cinema Blend. Unfortunately for writer/director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow), most other critics seem to agree. More»

Chan, 58, says new goal is to be 'Asian Robert De Niro'

(NEWSER) - The Kung Fu superstar is hanging up his black belt. Jackie Chan says he's done making action movies, reports US Weekly . Chan revealed his decision at the Cannes film festival, where he was promoting his 100th film—Chinese Zodiac. "This will be my last action movie," said Chan, 58. "I will ask my body how long I can go. ... I tell you, I am not young any more. I'm really, really tired." More»

Action flick less than the sum of its all-star parts

(NEWSER) - Sylvester Stallone directed and co-stars, alongside a Magnificent Seven-style roster of action-film legends—Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, and Jason Statham—but critics have some issues with The Expendables.

• James Verniere (and a friend), Boston Herald : "Hulk like Expendables. It SMASH. Guns go BANG-BANG. Things go BOOM. Fire EVERYWHERE. Cars crash and make even MORE FIRE. HA-HA-HA. Hulk no like Rourke, though. Rourke NUTS."

Not even an action star can save this flick

(NEWSER) - An ex-spy corralling a crew of unruly munchkins seems like a recipe for PG fun, especially when that spy is Jackie Chan. But critics agree—The Spy Next Door just ain't funny.

• This is True Lies without the striptease or Arab-maiming," writes Michael Phillips for the Chicago Tribune. "It’s hard to imagine anyone being offended, except fans of good comedy."