The James Logan Courier

By Roger Moore
The Orlando Sentinel (MCT)

This "Dark Knight" is much more than simply "Batman 2.0." It's a re-tooling, a re-load of the franchise Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale revived three summers ago.

It is crammed with great actors, with a delicious and bittersweet farewell from the late Heath Ledger, sturdy work by the returning players, some chewy bit turns by worthies from Eric Roberts and William Fichtner to Anthony Michael Hall.

And Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes as the Batman's bittersweet love interest, the assistant direct attorney Rachel Dawes. Now that's an upgrade.

It's still too long, especially for a comic-book movie. But with Ledger's last performance director Nolan was blessed with the gift of light. As dark as "The Dark Knight" inevitably is, this is a Batman who isn't afraid to strut his stuff in broad daylight. And this is a Joker who isn't afraid to have a few laughs, in between murders, torturing, kidnapping and robberies.

By Colin Covert
Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT)

Sunny as its Greek island locations and its attitude, "Mamma Mia!" earns its exclamation point. The adaptation of the long-running stage hit is a crowd-pleasing gusher of escapism, not the least of which is respite from summertime teen action fare.

How refreshing to find a cast in their 50s kicking up their heels, belting out corny Europop and reveling in every campy moment. The ABBA songbook gives me hives, but in a context this joyous, there's no resisting it.

Meryl Streep plays Donna, a onetime singer/single mom who runs a B&B on the Greek island of Kalokairi with her 20-year-old daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried). Sophie, who has never known her father, searches Donna's diary for clues and learns of three men who might qualify.

By Colin Covert
Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT)

Is computer animation still such a novelty that it will pull moviegoers into theaters? Do wisecracking critters still push children's joy buttons? Is "Space Chimps" really necessary?

It's the latest in a long line of animated comedies that are family friendly, vaguely amusing and typically impervious to negative reviews. Although it's executed at a workmanlike level of craft, its entertainment value resides entirely in the so-so quality of its gags (yes, there are slipping-on-banana-peel jokes).

The film's creators haven't learned the Pixar strategy of creating a resonant story as the foundation of a film. So we get a formulaic tale of a lazy nonconformist who learns to take his responsibilities seriously and saves the day. Pretty much like the story of "Kung Fu Panda."

Only in space.

With monkeys.

And not as funny.

From wikipedia:
Matthew "Mack" Robinson (July 18, 1912 – March 12, 2000) was an American athlete, setting a world record and winning a silver medal in the Olympics. He was the older brother of Baseball Hall of Fame member Jackie Robinson.

He was born in Cairo, Georgia, in 1912. He and his siblings were left fatherless at an early age, leaving their mother, Mallie Robinson, as the sole support of the children. She performed in a variety of manual labour tasks, and moved with her children to Pasadena, California, while the children were still young. Mack remained in town for school, and set national junior college records in the 100 meter, 200 meter, and long jump at Pasadena City College.

Read Rep. Adam Schiff's (D-Pasadena) speech honoring Mack Robinson.