Adam Shankman

CHICAGO – How can the same man who made one of the most lovable movie musicals of the last decade go on to make one of the most hatable? Adam Shankman’s bouncy, broad approach was a splendid fit for the playful “Hairspray,” but it is all wrong for Chris D’Arienzo’s raunchy, melodramatic ode to ’80s rock. His show, “Rock of Ages,” may have been a hit on Broadway, but it was a complete flop with moviegoers and critics alike.

CHICAGO – Although the jukebox musical needs an available pasture to be put out onto, the new film “Rock of Ages” – based on the Broadway stage play – improves on that genre by having a little fun and lots of tongue-in-cheek. Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand rock the cashbox.

CHICAGO – “Step Up 3” is not a film so much as a slickly photographed collage of superbly performed dance sequences. Its structure harkens back to the golden age of screen musicals where the plot merely functioned as an intermission between numbers. There’s no need to visit the previous “Step Up” installments before stepping into this one, since their plots are more or less identical.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Adam Shankman’s “Bedtime Stories” is far from perfect but it also was undeservedly lambasted by critics. Is this great family fare? Heck no, but I’d still take this variation of Sandler’s persona over his cartoonish characters in most of his silly comedies and the movie has an easy-going likability that’s hard to deny. The Blu-Ray leaves a lot to be desired but the movie itself is probably better than you think.

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CHICAGO – This 16-image slideshow contains official press images for Disney’s “Bedtime Stories,” which stars Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Teresa Palmer, Richard Griffiths, Lucy Lawless, and Courtney Cox from writers Matt Lopez and Tim Herlihy and directed by Adam Shankman. The film opens on Dec. 25, 2008.