New on DVD this week:

Marley and Me (single-disc and 2-Disc Bad Boy Edition). Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star in this real-life story about a couple and their unruly dog. [Film Gecko Review] [Trailer] [Official Site] [Buy Single-Disc] [Buy 2-Disc]

Seven Pounds. Will Smith stars in this mysterious movie about a guy who grants strangers wishes in order to atone for a past mistake. But when he falls in love with a woman with heart problems (Rosario Dawson), his plan starts to unravel. [Trailer] [Official Site] [Buy It]

Slumdog Millionaire. Danny Boyle directed this touching story about an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai who’s competing on India’s "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" Amazon is running a note that some of the DVDs are missing the special features. So if yours doesn’t include special features, call their hotline at (888) 223-4FOX to receive a replacement DVD. [Trailer] [Official Site] [Buy DVD] [Buy Video on Demand ($14.99)]

Image: Amazon.com

Post from: Film Gecko

1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop, $39.23M
2. Gran Torino, $25.60M
3. My Bloody Valentine 3D, $24.10M
4. Notorious, $23.39M
5. Hotel for Dogs, $22.86M
6. Bride Wars, $13.87M
7. The Unborn, $10.54M
8. Defiance, $10.51M
9. Marley & Me, $7.51M
10. Slumdog Millionaire, $7.02M

Image: Sony Pictures, 2009

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Jennifer Aniston

Sure, Aniston is currently dating rocker John Mayer, but it’s her two pooches, Norman and Dolly, who really hold the key to her heart.

"Men come and go, but there really is no relationship like the one you have with a dog, and then they don’t live as long as they should. You have to say goodbye way too soon. It’s just so sad. It makes me so sad. But their love is unconditional, and I love that."

See Aniston and Owen Wilson in "Marley & Me," currently in theaters. Talk about sad!

Image: Jennifer Aniston, Marley & Me, 20th Century-Fox Film Corp., 2008

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"Marley & Me"

1. Marley & Me, $36.35M
2. Bedtime Stories, $27.45M
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, $26.85M
4. Valkyrie, $21.02M
5. Yes Man, $16.65M
6. Seven Pounds, $13.20M
7. The Tale of Despereaux, $8.93M
8. The Day the Earth Stood Still, $7.69M
9. The Spirit, $6.46M
10. Doubt, $5.33M

Image: Marley & Me, 20th Century Fox Film Corp., 2008

Post from: Film Gecko

My 11-year-old daughter and I had planned to see "Marley & Me" on Christmas Day, and I’m really glad it happened to be sold out. We ended up seeing it a few days later, and it was so emotional and sad (especially the ending) that it would have put a serious damper on our Christmas festivities.

That’s not to say it’s a bad movie. Just the opposite, in fact. I was so drawn into it from beginning to end that I completely forgot about everything else in the world for those two hours. Great storytelling, and Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston are great together.

"Marley & Me" is based on the real-life story of writer John Grogan (Wilson), who marries his sweetheart, Jenny (Aniston), and moves from cold Michigan to sunny Florida, where they both secure jobs as journalists on competing newspapers. While John dreams of becoming a hard-nosed news reporter like his pal Sebastian (Eric Dane), his editor Arnie (Alan Arkin) asks him to write a slice-of-life column.

John ends up using the column to write about all the goings-on in his life, including he and Jenny’s adoption of a rambunctious dog they name Marley. The high-spirited Golden Lab makes their life miserable, eating everything in sight and escaping off the leash at every opportunity.

Marley is meant to be a replacement for a baby; when John tells Sebastian he’s not sure about having kids, his friend tells him to get Jenny a puppy instead. But John and Jenny go on to have three kids anyway, with Marley there every step of the way.

"Marley & Me" is not only a story about a man and his dog, it’s also a poignant look at family life with all its ups and downs. But while the movie is rated PG and being billed as a "family movie," it’s by no means appropriate for young kids. Marley is cute and wild and everything a puppy should be, but along with his out-of-control behavior, we’ve got some serious life issues in this movie: making babies (no sex is shown, but the couple is seen in bed, once with a creaky mattress in an Irish inn), lots of home pregnancy tests, and a crime-ridden neighborhood that puts a neighbor’s life in peril.

But the worst part is the ending. I hadn’t read the book, but you pretty much know how things are going to turn out. Marley can’t live forever, after all. But I wasn’t prepared for how heart-wrenching the ending would be – and they really milk every last drop of emotion out of moviegoers! I wrote more about this, including a few spoilers, in my post, "Should Marley & Me be rated PG-13?" Suffice to say, I think it should be.

That said, it’s still getting 4 out of 5 Geckos from me, because it’s a beautiful story about the bond that develops between people and dogs, even "the world’s worst dog." Owen Wilson is one of my favorite actors, and he pulls off the curious-about-life writer character well. He and Jennifer Aniston have great chemistry, and you believe that these are two people who would make a life together through thick and thin.

Notable is an appearance by Kathleen Turner as a dog trainer. She looks nothing like the last time you may have seen her in a movie, but that’s ok. She’s still here and still making movies, despite suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. I hope she continues to make more movies.

I really wish "Marley & Me" had been a little more lighthearted, because I think that would have made for some fun holiday fare. That said, it’s still a great movie for kids 13 and older; just be prepared for the ending, and bring lots of Kleenex!

Images: Marley & Me, 20th Century-Fox Film Corp., 2008

Post from: Film Gecko

It’s based on the true story of writer John Grogan (Owen Wilson) and his wife, Jenny (Jennifer Aniston), following their life together as they move to Florida, have three kids, and adopt a rambunctious dog named Marley who completely disrupts their lives. John calls him "the world’s worst dog," but they love him anyway. 

"Marley & Me" is billed as a family movie, but there’s a lot of content that, in my view, pushes it from a PG rating to a PG-13 rating.

For those who don’t want to know any spoilers about the movie, I’ll continue my commentary after the jump…

So be warned – SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP!

Included in the storyline:

Marley dies. Albeit, he lives a long life first, but the last 20 minutes are gut-wrenching, both for the Grogan family and for moviegoers. The plot includes kids writing sad notes to Marley and laying them in the dog’s grave, on top of his body covered up in a blanket. We also see the dad take Marley to the vet and sit with him while he’s put to sleep. We see the injection going into Marley, and him closing his eyes and drifting off, as the dad weeps.

A girl gets stabbed. The Grogans live in a neighborhood in Florida with a high crime rate. A young neighbor-girl (presumably a teenager) gets stabbed as she’s coming home one night, and her parents aren’t there. The Grogans hear her screams, and John goes next door to find her bleeding in the driveway, while Jenny calls 911. The way it’s played out, it’s also a little unclear whether the girl’s been raped or not.

Sex is implied. Much of the story involves the Grogan family trying to have babies. While we don’t see any sexual activity, there’s some pre-sex scenes (the couple in bed at home, in a creaky bed at an Irish inn), Jenny takes multiple pregnancy tests, suffers a miscarriage, and swims seductively in the nude in a pool, telling John to dive in and collect his "birthday present." Also, John’s best friend (Eric Dane) is a lecherous guy who has all sorts of girlfriends and uses John’s dog – and later, his baby – to get girls’ attention.

Jenny Grogan loses it while staying home with the kids. She decides to quit her reporter job and stay home to raise the kids. But while the babies are small, she has a bit of a breakdown, gets angry at Marley for being rambunctious in the house, and tells John to "get rid of that dog!"

None of the above seems appropriate for young kids – OR a PG rating. My friend, Pamela Oldham, who writes on a variety of topics, including family and child issues, has some good thoughts to say on the matter:

"The industry just keeps lowering the standards for PG, not because the movies are appropriate for that age group, but because that’s the financial sweet spot. Animals dying and girls getting stabbed deeply affect children, even if the impact is not immediately apparent."

Pam says she doesn’t buy into the notion that kids are more sophisticated these days, nor that they seem to take previously objectionable scenes in stride.

"Those brain cells are in the midst of development, and the stuff kids are exposed to at a young age, even when we think the concepts are too complex for their understanding, shapes them far more than we realize. Although brain development continues through age 25, the greatest amount of brain development occurs before the age of 10, and that’s why kids in the G to PG age range are especially vulnerable."

Also, my friend, Jen Singer of MommaSaid.net, blogged on her Good Housekeeping blog that movies intended for young kids are TOO SCARY for young kids. She writes, in particular, about the upcoming "Coraline." Read Jen’s Good Housekeeping blog here. 

What do you think? Is "Marley & Me" too intense for kids under the age of 13?

Images: Marley & Me, 20th Century-Fox Film Corp., 2008

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Part 1:

Part 2 after the jump…

Part 2:

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It stars Jen Aniston and Owen Wilson as a couple who, from the trailer, are having some growing pains within their little family. Jen’s character wants kids and Owen’s doesn’t. So they get a dog, who ends up probably being more of a handful than any kid. I think the trailer looks ultra-cute. It’s rated PG for thematic material, some suggestive content and language.

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It stars Brad Pitt as a guy who’s born old and ages backwards. I don’t know what happens at the end. I guess he evaporates into a puddle of … something. It’s rated PG-13 for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking. I’m sure I’ll see it at some point.

Anyway, my daughter and I have a tradition of seeing a movie on Christmas Day – when “Benjamin” comes out – and we’ve already decided we’re going to see “Marley & Me,” which looks very cute.

Post from: Film Gecko