Synopsis: Peter Bretter has spent six years idolizing his girlfriend, television star Sarah Marshall. He’s the guy left holding her purse in paparazzi photos and accidentally omitted from acceptance award speeches. But his world is rocked when she dumps him and Peter finds himself alone. After an unsuccessful bout of womanizing and an on-the-job nervous breakdown, he sees that not having Sarah may just ruin his life. To clear his head, Peter takes an impulsive trip to Oahu, where he is confronted by his worst nightmare: his ex and her tragically hip new British-rocker boyfriend, Aldous, are sharing his hotel. But, as he torments himself with the reality of Sarah’s new life, he finds relief in a flirtation with Rachel, a beautiful resort employee whose laid-back approach tempts him to rejoin the world. He also finds relief in several hundred embarrassing, fruity cocktails.

Review: Although it contains plenty of producer Judd Apatow’s signature raunch, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a comedy to remember, a wryly funny, smartly written and acted story from the (broken) heart.

Acting: One of the original regulars of producer Judd Apatow’s short-lived NBC series “Freeks and Geeks” and now co-star of “How I Met Your Mother,” Jason Segel smartly breaks out of the supporting TV mode and proves his worth as a fine comic movie lead in his sharply observed script, inspired by an incident that happened in his own life. Sure to be much discussed and dissected, the hilarious opening scenes in which he boldly goes for laughs displaying his full frontal manhood signals him as a screen actor unafraid to let it all hang out there. That’s just perfect for a character who pretty much wears his vulnerability on his sleeve (when he has one on). As a screenwriter, he has also given his co-stars choice roles to run with as well. Bell, as the vapid TV actress takes what could have been a one-dimensional role and shapes her Sarah Marshall into a believable human being who finally hits a wall in her longtime relationship. Kunis (TV’s “That ’70s Show”) is an enormously appealing and warm screen presence and Brand, as the loopy rocker steals every scene he’s in with one of the year’s most indelible comic creations. As usual, some of Apatow’s stable of regulars turn up here as well with standout bits from Knocked Up and 40 Year-Old Virgin’s Paul Rudd, as a loony surf instructor and Superbad’s Jonah Hill as the fanboy restaurant host.

Direction: Debuting feature director Nicholas Stoller got some early experience on Apatow’s underappreciated series, “Undeclared,” and does a nice job here bringing Segel’s creation to the screen. A mark of a good director is good performances and there isn’t a bad one in the bunch. Not too shabby for a first timer. His achievement, however, is clearly overwhelmed by the imposing shadow of producer Apatow and his star/writer. It’s their show, but Stoller goes light on stylistic touches and doesn’t screw it up, seamlessly letting the actors, the terrific script and the scenery do all the heavy lifting making this Sarah Marshall hard to forget indeed.

Bottom Line: Hollywood.com rating:

Synopsis: An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.

Review: Is this first pairing of marital arts masters Jackie Chan and Jet Li worth the long wait? Yes, but only when their fists of fury are flying. And, thankfully, that happens quite frequently.

Acting: Chan rehashes his Drunken Master shtick, so there’s much humor to be found in his wine-guzzling immortal’s efforts to vanquish his foes while fighting under the influence. And, as usual, Chan makes inventive use of the props that he gets in his hands. He even shows off his aerobatic moves while caked in old-geezer makeup as the owner of the store where Jason finds the staff. As the Monkey King and the Silent Monk, Li throws more punches than he utters lines of dialogue. Li, though, has twice as much fun as Chan with his two different roles. The Silent Monk lives up to his name, but when the action starts, the wushu-trained Li comes across as stronger, swifter and nimbler than the older Chan. Looking very much like Curious George with his pulled-back hair and lengthy sideburns, Jet Li reveals a charming playfulness as the giggling Monkey King that we’ve not seen in his Hollywood-produced bloodbaths. Angarano, though, is bland and boring. He’s Shia LaBeouf without the personality, depth or comic timing. Yifei Liu, as the vengeful Golden Sparrow, proves to be as much a lethal weapon as her male counterparts. Decked out like Halle Berry in X-Men, Li Bingbing is delightfully malicious as Golden Sparrow’s nemesis Ni Chang. She also exudes more menace than the oily Chou.

Direction: So it remains unsettled as to who would emerge victorious if Jackie Chan and Jet Li duked it out for bragging rights (my money’s on Li because his characters possess a killer instinct that Chan’s nice guys lack). But director Rob Minkoff – responsible for The Lion King and Stuart Little – knows what’s important when it comes to The Forbidden Kingdom. It’s all about the big brawls, baby. With the invaluable assistance of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon marital arts choreographer Woo-Ping Yuen, Minkoff ensures that Chan and Li are always busy doing what they do best. He doesn’t reign in Chan and Li – whose easy rapport is evident from the beginning – or cut short the furiously executed skirmishes that boast everything from stick fighting to wire fu. Then again, that’s only appropriate considering The Forbidden Kingdom sets itself up from its funky opening credits as a homage to Hong Kong action cinema. Still, The Forbidden Kingdom does grind to a halt whenever Chan and Li take a breather. The story’s tired and predictable, the dialogue’s grating, and the comedy’s forced – though it’s quite amusing and cathartic to watch Chan and Li knock around the ineffectual Jason. For all its flaws, though, The Forbidden Kingdom offers the priceless spectacle of Chan and Li kung fu fighting. And those cats really are as fast as lightning.

Bottom Line: Hollywood.com rating: 1/2