| | Published August 14th, 2013
| "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters"
| | By Derek Zemrak |  | | Dionysus (Stanley Tucci) takes Percy (Logan Lerman) under his wing. Photo Murray Close TM and (c) 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. Not for sale or duplication. |
Logan Lerman (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”) reprises his role as Percy Jackson, the modern day son of the ancient Greek god, Poseidon, in the sequel to the 2010 film “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lighting Thief.” In this installment Percy and his friends embark on a journey to hunt for the Golden Fleece at the Sea of Monsters in order to save the dying tree that protects their habitat.
All the main characters return in “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” including Annabeth, played by Alexandra Daddario, Grover portrayed by Brandon T. Jackson and Clarisse, the daughter of Ares, played by the talented young actress Leven Rambin (“Hunger Games”). Added cast members in the film are Tyson (Douglas Smith), Percy’s Cyclops half brother. Also the very talented veteran actor Stanley Tucci co-stars in the role of Dionysus, the god of wine. Tucci is a joy to watch as he brings the young actors to new levels.
“Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” is a fast-paced pre-teen/teen Greek methodical action adventure joy ride that is rated PG. Director Thor Freudenthal (“Hotel of Dogs,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”) keeps the pacing and tone aimed at the younger target audience. Before I realized it, the movie ended. It did not seem like it had a total running time of 106 minutes.
A Hollywood side note: If you are looking for an interesting inside Hollywood novel I recommend “The Ear of the Heart: An Actress’ Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows.” I had the honor of interviewing Mother Dolores Hart, the nun who gave Elvis his first onscreen kiss in the movie “Loving You” in 1957. Hart was on top of Hollywood starring in 10 films and co-starring not only with Elvis twice (“Loving You,” “King Creole”) but also with Anthony Quinn (“Wild Is the Wind”), Montgomery Clift (“Lonely Hearts”) and George Hamilton (“Where the Boys Are”), just to name a few. In 1959, she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress for her role in the play “The Pleasure of His Company” opposite George Peppard. Hart gave up her career in 1963 at the age of 24 to become a Roman Catholic nun when she entered the Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Conn.
Derek Zemrak is a film critic, film producer and founder of the California Independent Film Festival. You can follow Derek on Twitter @zemrak for the latest Hollywood news. Derek can be heard every Friday on KAHI 950AM on the Poppoff Show.
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 | | Derek Zemrak and Mother Dolores Hart Photo provided
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