Movie: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian * Preview * Official Site	In Theaters: May 22, 2009
Runtime: 105 minutes	Directed by: Shawn Levy
MPAA Rating: PG for mild action and brief language	Gecko Rating:

I’ll say right off the bat that my kids liked "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" better than I did. I LOVED the first "Night at the Museum," and this sequel seems like a throw-away to capitalize on the first movie and showcase all the stuff in the Smithsonian. That said, there are a few things I like about it; namely, Amy Adams as the plucky Amelia Earhart.

Ben Stiller returns as Larry Daley, only instead of working as a night guard at the Museum of Natural History in New York City, he’s running a big corporation now and doing infomercials for all his products, like a glow-in-the-dark flashlight.

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Can Kate Hudson be 30 already? Man, I’m feeling old, considering that I remember when her mom Goldie Hawn was on Laugh-In.

Kate partied at Goldie and Kurt Russell’s house, but Owen Wilson was nowhere in site. Maybe they’re “off-again”? Justin Timberlake was there (sans Jessica Biel), and Matthew McConaughey showed up solo, too. Up next for Hudson: “Big Eyes” and “Nine.”

That crazy little pup known as Marley hit DVD this week. It’s a great movie, but I thought it was too intense for a PG rating and should have been rated PG-13. Do you agree with me?

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

Looks like “Little Fockers” is finally in a go mode. The third installment of the Focker series – including “Meet the Parents” and “Meet the Fockers” – is gaining steam at Universal.

John Hamburg has been brought in to write the screenplay (Larry Stuckey penned an earlier draft). He’s a longtime Ben Stiller collaborator who worked on “Meet the Parents,” “Meet the Fockers,” and “Along Came Polly.” He also wrote and directed “I Love You, Man,” due out next month.

Jay Roach, who directed the first two Focker flicks, will NOT direct this one. No word on his replacement, but Paul Weitz (“About a Boy”), David Wain (“Role Models”), and Peyton Reed (“Yes Man”) are all in the running.

Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, and Owen Wilson are all in talks to star in “Little Fockers.” The story will revolve around the kid(s) of Stiller and his wife, played by Teri Polo – though no word on whether she’s returning. I’m guessing yes.

You know what? I liked the first movie, but the second one, not so much. They could have ended the franchise there, as far as I’m concerned.

Image: Amazon.com

Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson are so cute together, and now it looks like they might be back together. Or maybe they’re just friends hanging out, who knows? CelebTV’s got the scoop … or not!

Jennifer Aniston says she prefers dogs to men, and really, who can blame her? She says a dog’s love is "conditional."

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

Movie: Marley & Me * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: Dec. 25, 2008
Runtime: 120 minutes	Directed by: David Frankel
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic material, some suggestive content and language	Gecko Rating:

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.

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My 11-year-old daughter and I saw "Marley & Me" last night, and I’ll be posting a review on it shortly.

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!

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My daughter and I have a tradition of seeing a movie on Christmas Day (I know, but what do you expect from a movie blogger?), and we’ve already decided to see “Marley and Me,” which opens that day. 

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.