Comaland
By Lisa Miller
ZOMBIELAND (2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Amber Heard, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray
Sony-Rated R-Horror, Comedy-87 min
In a world overrun by zombies, the unzombified main characters take the names of places in order to avoid becoming too attached to one another. Nerdy teen Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is only too pleased when the first non-zombie he has seen in days turns out to be well-armed redneck Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson). The two decide to join forces and embark on a cross-country drive.
En route the boy has cause to doubt the wisdom of his new alliance when Tallahassee risks both their lives to forage through a grocery store in search of Twinkies, his favorite snack food. As Columbus watches, mouth agape, Tallahassee brains fat zombies with the banjo on which he's been plucking the theme from "Deliverance." The grocery store's florescent lights emphasize the black-blooded zombie splatter that Tallahassee likes seeing better than a John Wayne movie. It's a fun set up, but it's also the sum total of Tallahassee's underwritten character.
Soon the unlikely duo stumble upon Wichita (Emma Stone) and her younger sister, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). Columbus, possibly the last teen boy on earth, hopes to lose his virginity to Wichita, possibly the last teen girl on earth. However, since the girls are habitual grifters, they are unable to resist besting their male companions, leaving the lad's fantasy twisting in the wind. This is the one joke that actually improves with each repetition.
The story, a tale about coming of age under difficult circumstances, seems unable to get wherever it's going. A few of its meandering turns, such as one landing the gang at Bill Murray's Beverly Hills mansion, hold promise. Murray briefly appears in zombie make-up, but his chapter ends abruptly, and in a manner that assures us we'd be fools to give a fig for any of the players.
Aiming no higher and a good bit lower than many teen romantic comedies, "Zombieland's" zombies are contrivances meant to create atmospheric humor. However, when some of us find ourselves becoming more interested in the zombies than we are in whether the leads will survive the zombie assault, then "Houston, we've got a problem."
Whip It (2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Drew Barrymore
Starring Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern, Alia Shawcat, Eve, Zoe Bell
Fox Searchlight-Rated PG-13-Comedy-111 min
In her first role since "Juno" Ellen Page appears as Bliss Cavendar, an indie-rock-loving Texan stuck in a small town, but longing for big city excitement. Her mail-carrier mother (Harden) expects Bliss to compete in local beauty pageants, but the girl secretly journeys to Austin where she auditions for the all-girl roller derby team under the moniker of Babe Ruthless. Accepted onto the team, Bliss learns the ropes and feels sufficiently empowered to redefine her closest relationships. In her directorial debut, Drew Barrymore also appears as one of the derby gals in one of the year's most original comedies.
The Invention of Lying (2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Starring Ricky Gervais
Warner-Rated PG-13-Comedy-100 min
Pudgy Brit comedian, Ricky Gervais, pens and co-directs a comedy about the importance of lying. He shows us an alternate reality seen through the eyes of historical writer Mark Bellison (Gervais). Anna (Garner), the willowy woman Mark hankers for, is incapable of treating him respectfully. After getting his feelings stomped, Bellison is fired from his job and subsequently evicted from his apartment. This leads to Mark's big break, when under great duress, he develops the surprising ability to lie and single-handedly invents religion. Funny in an off-kilter way, "The Invention of Lying" asks, Would we want to go through a day without lying?
Pandorum (2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Christian Alvart
Starring Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Antje Traue, Cung Le, Norman Reedus, Cam Gigandet
Overture-Rated R-Sci-Fi, Fantasy-108 min
Two crewmen awaken alone from hyper-sleep aboard a spacecraft meant to transport tens of thousands. With incomplete memories and malfunctioning equipment, the crew search for the source of strange sounds emanating from the ship's bowels. Before long they discover a band of survivors hunted by warriors intent on killing everyone aboard. Soon it becomes clear that the survival of mankind hinges on the crew's actions. As for the cause of this calamity? My money is on a viral infection due to the involvement of zombie king, Paul W.S. Anderson, as a producer. The enormous spaceship provides both plenty of room for gun-toting confrontations, and a claustrophobic setting reminiscent of the underground labyrinth from Anderson's first two "Resident Evil" films.
Fame (2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Kevin Tancharoen
Starring Kelsey Grammar, Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Megan Mullally, Kay Panabaker, Bebe Neuwirth, Naturi Naughton, Asher Book, Kristy Flores, Paul Iacono, Paul McGill
MGM-Rated PG-Musical-107 min
Betting that an update of the 1980 film is ripe for a new generation, the setting for this version remains NYC's prestigious High School for the Performing Arts. Kelsey Grammar, Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, and Bebe Neuwirth appear as instructors and administrators of the school, founded in 1948, to fulfill academic requirements while training promising students in dance, music and drama. Emphasis on drama, since plenty of high school melodrama ensues. The question is, given the numerous films covering teens as they train for fame released in the years since 1980, will the remake get much notice? At worst, it functions as a showcase of young talent that you may not see on "American Idol."
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
* * * (Grade B-)
Directed by Phil Lord Chris Miller
Voiced by Anna Faris, Bill Hader, Bruce Campbell, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Mr. T, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris, Al Roker, Lauren Graham
Sony-Rated PG-Animated, Family-90 min
Based on a popular, but slim children's book, the story is expanded and outfitted with new characters for its feature film adaptation. Most residents of an impoverished seaside town are only eating the sardines that are canned there, until Flint Lockwood (Hader) invents a machine that turns water into food. Soon, Hamburgers, pancakes, spaghetti and pizza rain from the sky three times a day. However, in a complication Flint could not foresee, both his machine and the food grow inordinately large. Though fixing the problem sounds as easy as turning off the machine, Mayor Shelbourne (Campbell) insists it be left on to satisfy tourists stuffing the town's coffers. The first animated film from Sony since "Surf's Up," parents are advised to feed the kiddies before bombarding them with realistic depictions of all their favorite edibles.
Love Happens (2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Brandon Camp
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Aaron Eckhart, Sasha Alexander, Martin Sheen, Dan Fogler, Judy Greer
Universal-Rated PG-13-Drama
Jennifer Aniston pairs with Aaron Eckhart for a romantic dramadey set in Seattle. Dr. Burke Ryan (Eckhart) has written a hugely successful self-help book for those confronting pain and loss. However, secretly the doctor has been unable to get past the death of his wife. Attending Ryan's Seattle seminar, Eloise Chandler (Aniston) wants to let go of her own painful past in order to embrace her budding floral shop business. When the pair meet, romantic sparks fly, but both are unprepared to take a chance. Stuck in an implausible storyline, this admittedly cute coupling ought to attract a following from the over-30 chick-flick crowd. Perhaps due to the success of "Sex and the City," Universal hopes female patrons will come out in sufficient numbers to put this film in the black.
Showing posts with label Box Office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Box Office. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Sept 3, 2009
District 9 (2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Starring Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Vanessa Haywood, Louis Minnaar
TriStar Pictures-Rated R-Science Fiction-152 min
Most alien invasion films envision an advanced race poised to conquer mankind, “District 9” imagines that given a chance, we will mistreat displaced extraterrestrials. This scenario gains credibility once we meet the "prawns," via pseudo-newsreel and documentary footage.
Arriving in a malfunctioning mothership, they look like an insect-lobster hybrid, stronger and are larger than humans. They speak in whirs and clicks through fluttering tentacles resembling a billowing mustache dangling over their mouthparts. These are not cuddly, endearing, nor even vaguely humanoid creatures.
The story begins 20 years after the prawn ship becomes marooned over Johannesburg, South Africa. A million prawns disembark at gunpoint to be interred in a miserable refugee camp called "District 9." Despite the camp's squalid conditions, the prawns double in number over the following two decades, causing unrest in the camp and provoking fear amongst Johannesburg's residents who want the camp relocated further from their city.
The film stereotypes the aliens as shiftless and violent, contained in camps where they can be controlled. The parallels to Nazi concentration camps or to Apartheid are obvious. Initially settling the camp on a garbage dump, the increasing value of this real estate constitutes the real motivation to relocate the aliens to a smaller, more isolated location.
The care and feeding of these creatures is contracted to the Multi-National United Corporation known as M.N.U. The movie plays into our notion that all big corporations are greedy and corrupt with hidden agendas of their own. The company's legal team insists that each prawn household must be served with an eviction notice 24 hours prior to moving to the camp. District 9's lawless conditions are worsened by gun-toting Nigerian gangsters selling goods at outrageous prices.
The daunting task of serving eviction notices falls to Wikus (Sharlto Copley), a somewhat naive, but gung-ho son-in-law of the region's M.N.U. overseer. Anything can and does go wrong when Wikus and dozens of heavily armed soldiers begin knocking on prawn doors. It's only fair to warn viewers that the film's violence is off the charts. Death by exploding bullet is a riot of blood and slime set against the muddied camp and pushing the squeamish factor through the roof.
Occurring in the present day, the developing plot sees Wikus targeted by his own company, but it was difficult to focus on his dilemma because my mind kept replaying the inhumane treatment of the prawns. Where was Amnesty International, Africa Rights, Advocates International, or Better World Campaign? Why didn't the Red Cross step up? Was there no underground movement on behalf of the prawns?
Though unbalanced by its one-sided perspective, the straight ahead storytelling is somewhat rescued by fascinating aliens, and by the humor and irony of Wikus' predicament. "District 9" succeeds as satire in an era ripe for spoofs masquerading as science fiction.
Inglourious Bastards (2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph, Daniel Bruhl, Til Schweiger, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger
Weinstein Co.-Rated R-Drama-153 min
A small group of American soldiers, commanded by Aldo Raine (Pitt), plot to terrorize Nazi soldiers in Occupied France. Though Tarantino worked on his script for more than a decade, this rather conventional war movie is lacking his trademark rapier wit. Tension mounts when Hitler's SS plans a Paris film premiere to celebrate the exploits of their best sniper, Fredrick Zoller (Bruhl). A British lieutenant (Fassbender) organizes an Allied group known as the Bastards to blow up the theater. However, the cinema's owner (Laurent), has an even better idea. With spies everywhere, the Nazis come perilously close to uncovering both schemes. Expect an old-fashioned WWII drama and enjoy the film for Tarantino's expert technical construction.
Post Grad (2009)
* * (Grade C-)
Directed by Vicky Jenson
Starring Alexis Bledel, Catherine Reitman, Jane Lynch, Michael Keaton, Carol Burnett, Bobby Coleman, Zach Gilford, Rodrigo Santoro
Fox Searchlight-Rated PG-13-Comedy-89 min
Cute-as-a-button college grad Ryden Malby (Bledel), is compelled to move back home with her quirky family (Keaton, Lynch, Burnett and Coleman) because even her college fails to land her a good job. Between romantic misfires, domestic drama, and a series of humiliating, low-paying jobs, Ryden's path to independence remains elusive. Sadly, what begins as an effort to voice the frustrations of unemployed grads becomes a happy sappy romantic comedy. Lacking unique content, this film may quickly join the ranks of the unwatched.
The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Robert Schwentke
Starring Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston, Jane McLean, Arliss Howard, Hailey McCann, Brooklynn Proulx
New Line Cinema-Rated PG-13-Drama, Science Fiction-147 min
This weepy drama is adapted from Audrey Niffenegger's novel positioning Henry (Bana) as a time-traveling librarian. Henry, stricken by a genetic "anomaly," lives his life in random order, disappearing into the past or future with no control over where or when, but he always returns to the beautiful Clare (McAdams) who first met a handsome adult version of Henry while still a child. She anxiously wants to grow up so Henry can fulfill his promise to marry her, but domestic bliss proves to be a fantasy since Henry frequently disappears, only to reappear days, weeks or months later. For every element of the wondrous "Benjamin Button," there's a chunk of the weepy "Notebook," meant to stir romantic notions into a tearful potboiler.
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Neal Brennan
Starring Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, David Koechner
Paramount Vantage-Rated R-Comedy-90 min
The second project from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions, (the first being "The Foot Fist Way"), "The Goods" smartly relies on a maniacal Jeremy Piven to deliver the laughs. As Don Ready, a used-car liquidator, Piven's character is hired to turn a troubled car dealer's Fourth of July event into a money-maker. Colorful characters are played by Ving Rhames and David Koechner, while director Neal Brennan, known for his involvement on the hit, "Chappelle's Show," comes on board to synchronize the film's fireworks.
Ponyo (2008)
* * *1/2 (Grade A-)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, John Lasseter, Brad Lewis, Peter Sohn
Voiced by Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Noah Lindsey Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, Betty White
Disney-Rated G-Animated, Family-100 min
Hayao Miyazaki's latest family film is rendered in traditional 2-D animation and retrofitted with an all-star English voice cast for its American release. The story, loosely based on "The Little Mermaid," finds young fish princess Ponyo (voiced by Cyrus) longing to become human after being pulled from the sea by a 5-year-old boy named Sosuke (Jonas). The children must prove the power of their love by using it to realign a precariously unbalanced natural world. Liam Neeson intones Ponyo's overprotective father -- once a man who transformed himself into a fish king while Cate Blanchett voices Ponyo's mother. In Miyazaki's imaginative vision, all animate and inanimate objects are changelings, a concept easily understood by children everywhere.
Bandslam (2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Todd Graff
Starring Alyson Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell, Lisa Kudrow
Summit Entertainment-Rated PG-Drama-151 min
Another year, another tweeny performance-centric drama set against the backdrop of high school. A girl-meets-boy romance evolves when the school's popular Charlotte (Michalka) persuades the school outcast Will (Connell) and his friend Sa5m played by Hudgens (the 5 is silent, hee hee) to help form a rock band for an upcoming competition known as "Bandslam." Lisa Kudrow appears as Will's mom in this original screenplay, unusual because it doesn't rely on previously established Disney or Nickelodeon Channel characters, but takes its chances on the tween movie-going wave that has made productions of this ilk both popular and profitable.
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Starring Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Vanessa Haywood, Louis Minnaar
TriStar Pictures-Rated R-Science Fiction-152 min
Most alien invasion films envision an advanced race poised to conquer mankind, “District 9” imagines that given a chance, we will mistreat displaced extraterrestrials. This scenario gains credibility once we meet the "prawns," via pseudo-newsreel and documentary footage.
Arriving in a malfunctioning mothership, they look like an insect-lobster hybrid, stronger and are larger than humans. They speak in whirs and clicks through fluttering tentacles resembling a billowing mustache dangling over their mouthparts. These are not cuddly, endearing, nor even vaguely humanoid creatures.
The story begins 20 years after the prawn ship becomes marooned over Johannesburg, South Africa. A million prawns disembark at gunpoint to be interred in a miserable refugee camp called "District 9." Despite the camp's squalid conditions, the prawns double in number over the following two decades, causing unrest in the camp and provoking fear amongst Johannesburg's residents who want the camp relocated further from their city.
The film stereotypes the aliens as shiftless and violent, contained in camps where they can be controlled. The parallels to Nazi concentration camps or to Apartheid are obvious. Initially settling the camp on a garbage dump, the increasing value of this real estate constitutes the real motivation to relocate the aliens to a smaller, more isolated location.
The care and feeding of these creatures is contracted to the Multi-National United Corporation known as M.N.U. The movie plays into our notion that all big corporations are greedy and corrupt with hidden agendas of their own. The company's legal team insists that each prawn household must be served with an eviction notice 24 hours prior to moving to the camp. District 9's lawless conditions are worsened by gun-toting Nigerian gangsters selling goods at outrageous prices.
The daunting task of serving eviction notices falls to Wikus (Sharlto Copley), a somewhat naive, but gung-ho son-in-law of the region's M.N.U. overseer. Anything can and does go wrong when Wikus and dozens of heavily armed soldiers begin knocking on prawn doors. It's only fair to warn viewers that the film's violence is off the charts. Death by exploding bullet is a riot of blood and slime set against the muddied camp and pushing the squeamish factor through the roof.
Occurring in the present day, the developing plot sees Wikus targeted by his own company, but it was difficult to focus on his dilemma because my mind kept replaying the inhumane treatment of the prawns. Where was Amnesty International, Africa Rights, Advocates International, or Better World Campaign? Why didn't the Red Cross step up? Was there no underground movement on behalf of the prawns?
Though unbalanced by its one-sided perspective, the straight ahead storytelling is somewhat rescued by fascinating aliens, and by the humor and irony of Wikus' predicament. "District 9" succeeds as satire in an era ripe for spoofs masquerading as science fiction.
Inglourious Bastards (2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph, Daniel Bruhl, Til Schweiger, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger
Weinstein Co.-Rated R-Drama-153 min
A small group of American soldiers, commanded by Aldo Raine (Pitt), plot to terrorize Nazi soldiers in Occupied France. Though Tarantino worked on his script for more than a decade, this rather conventional war movie is lacking his trademark rapier wit. Tension mounts when Hitler's SS plans a Paris film premiere to celebrate the exploits of their best sniper, Fredrick Zoller (Bruhl). A British lieutenant (Fassbender) organizes an Allied group known as the Bastards to blow up the theater. However, the cinema's owner (Laurent), has an even better idea. With spies everywhere, the Nazis come perilously close to uncovering both schemes. Expect an old-fashioned WWII drama and enjoy the film for Tarantino's expert technical construction.
Post Grad (2009)
* * (Grade C-)
Directed by Vicky Jenson
Starring Alexis Bledel, Catherine Reitman, Jane Lynch, Michael Keaton, Carol Burnett, Bobby Coleman, Zach Gilford, Rodrigo Santoro
Fox Searchlight-Rated PG-13-Comedy-89 min
Cute-as-a-button college grad Ryden Malby (Bledel), is compelled to move back home with her quirky family (Keaton, Lynch, Burnett and Coleman) because even her college fails to land her a good job. Between romantic misfires, domestic drama, and a series of humiliating, low-paying jobs, Ryden's path to independence remains elusive. Sadly, what begins as an effort to voice the frustrations of unemployed grads becomes a happy sappy romantic comedy. Lacking unique content, this film may quickly join the ranks of the unwatched.
The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Robert Schwentke
Starring Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston, Jane McLean, Arliss Howard, Hailey McCann, Brooklynn Proulx
New Line Cinema-Rated PG-13-Drama, Science Fiction-147 min
This weepy drama is adapted from Audrey Niffenegger's novel positioning Henry (Bana) as a time-traveling librarian. Henry, stricken by a genetic "anomaly," lives his life in random order, disappearing into the past or future with no control over where or when, but he always returns to the beautiful Clare (McAdams) who first met a handsome adult version of Henry while still a child. She anxiously wants to grow up so Henry can fulfill his promise to marry her, but domestic bliss proves to be a fantasy since Henry frequently disappears, only to reappear days, weeks or months later. For every element of the wondrous "Benjamin Button," there's a chunk of the weepy "Notebook," meant to stir romantic notions into a tearful potboiler.
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Neal Brennan
Starring Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, David Koechner
Paramount Vantage-Rated R-Comedy-90 min
The second project from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions, (the first being "The Foot Fist Way"), "The Goods" smartly relies on a maniacal Jeremy Piven to deliver the laughs. As Don Ready, a used-car liquidator, Piven's character is hired to turn a troubled car dealer's Fourth of July event into a money-maker. Colorful characters are played by Ving Rhames and David Koechner, while director Neal Brennan, known for his involvement on the hit, "Chappelle's Show," comes on board to synchronize the film's fireworks.
Ponyo (2008)
* * *1/2 (Grade A-)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, John Lasseter, Brad Lewis, Peter Sohn
Voiced by Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Noah Lindsey Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, Betty White
Disney-Rated G-Animated, Family-100 min
Hayao Miyazaki's latest family film is rendered in traditional 2-D animation and retrofitted with an all-star English voice cast for its American release. The story, loosely based on "The Little Mermaid," finds young fish princess Ponyo (voiced by Cyrus) longing to become human after being pulled from the sea by a 5-year-old boy named Sosuke (Jonas). The children must prove the power of their love by using it to realign a precariously unbalanced natural world. Liam Neeson intones Ponyo's overprotective father -- once a man who transformed himself into a fish king while Cate Blanchett voices Ponyo's mother. In Miyazaki's imaginative vision, all animate and inanimate objects are changelings, a concept easily understood by children everywhere.
Bandslam (2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Todd Graff
Starring Alyson Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell, Lisa Kudrow
Summit Entertainment-Rated PG-Drama-151 min
Another year, another tweeny performance-centric drama set against the backdrop of high school. A girl-meets-boy romance evolves when the school's popular Charlotte (Michalka) persuades the school outcast Will (Connell) and his friend Sa5m played by Hudgens (the 5 is silent, hee hee) to help form a rock band for an upcoming competition known as "Bandslam." Lisa Kudrow appears as Will's mom in this original screenplay, unusual because it doesn't rely on previously established Disney or Nickelodeon Channel characters, but takes its chances on the tween movie-going wave that has made productions of this ilk both popular and profitable.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
August 20
Kids Save the World Yet Again
By Lisa Miller
Aliens In The Attic
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by John Schultz
Starring Robert Hoffman, Carter Jenkins, Ashley Boettcher, Doris Roberts, Ashley Tisdale, Kevin Nealon, Henri and Regan Young, Austin Butler, Andy Richter, Gillian Vigman, Tim Meadows
Voices of Thomas Haden Church, Josh Peck, J.K. Simmons, Kari Wahlgren
Fox—Rated PG—Sci-Fi—85 min
An attempt by tiny aliens to invade Earth is thwarted thanks to teens and their siblings in this kid-friendly sci-fi. Presumably because both are small and reptilian, some have compared these aliens to the critters from "Gremlins," but it is the filmmakers' approach to the humorous action and comical extraterrestrial creatures that is the most similar feature of the two movies.
Kevin Nealon and Andy Richter play Stuart and Nathan Pearson, two adult brothers gathering up Granny (Doris Roberts) and the kids for a family-bonding vacation at a Michigan lake house (picturesque New Zealand stands in for Michigan). Stuart's kids consist of a brainiac teen (Carter Jenkins), a young daughter (Ashley Boettcher), and a hormonally motivated older daughter (Ashley Tisdale), the latter in danger of falling prey to the creepy intentions her tagalong boyfriend (Robert Hoffman). Nathan is father to a bullying, but dreamy alpha teen (Austin Butler), and a pair of long-haired, 12-year-old identical twins (Henri and Regan Young).
Soon after they arrive, the kids discover that a meteor shower is actually a sign that tiny aliens have descended from the sky and infiltrated their attic. These small, green CGI creatures are commander Skip (voiced by J.K. Simmons), female warrior Razor (Kari Wahlgren), hulky Tazer (Thomas Haden Church) and Sparks (Josh Peek), a four-armed techno-genius from a race enslaved by the others—and who is only to happy to help the kids prevent the invasion.
The warlike aliens count on high tech gadgets to overpower larger humans. They immediately fire a mind control unit into Ricky (the pesky boyfriend), using a joystick and a bluetooth headset to make him say and do whatever suits their needs. Before too long, the same fate befalls Granny, but the kids appropriate her remote control and reprogram Grans to fend off Ricky's Kung-Fooey attacks move-for-move.
The kids, who defend against the alien incursion using a paintball gun, a spud launcher, and other items from their homemade arsenal, discover the aliens have hidden a machine beneath the house that they must not be allowed to retrieve.
The nonstop action remains perfectly coherent throughout while the story arc is a family comedy best serving parents and the under-12 crowd. A nice addition to the burgeoning genre of family-friendly science fiction and fantasy, the film makes little pretense at achieving plausibility, relying instead on comical family dynamics, particularly between teen males, to save its bacon.
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra
(2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Starring Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christopher Eccleston, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols
Paramount—Rated PG-13—Action, Fantasy—113 min
After the success of the first "Transformers," Paramount studios was itching to make another film based on a famous line of toys. "G.I. Joe" fit the bill, though a number of script revisions, character additions and subtractions, were necessary before both fans and the studio powers were content. Director Stephen Sommers made his G.I. Joes futuristic, claiming that "almost 100 percent of the technology depicted will be available within 20 years." Whether he's correct about that or not the result is wall-to-wall action, consisting of dozens of chase scenes and battles that rely on flying soldiers wearing suits described as NFL superhero outfits. The PG-13 rating is retained by having the worst damage, and untold deaths occurring off-screen. The production designers modeled the interior of a private submarine on a Handley Page Jetstream, a piece of machinery that appears to fly through the water. Critics complain that some of the special effects are blurry, but acknowledge the film is every young gamers’ fantasy come true.
Julie & Julia
(2009)
* * (Grade B-)
Directed by Nora Ephron
Starring Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Chris Messina, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Linda Emond, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jane Lynch, Helen Carey, Frances Sternhagen
Columbia Pictures—Rated PG-13—Comedy—122 min
Julia and Julie each have a story to tell, but while one has meat on its bones, the other is slim pickings. Back in 1949, Streep portrays Child's adventures at the French Cordon Bleu Cooking School and her subsequent efforts to write a cookbook explaining French technique to Americans. In the present day, blogger Julie Powell (Adams) is an American secretary trying to cook her way through Child's 524-page cookbook while blogging about her culinary successes and failures. Child's quirky personality is treasured by Streep's surefooted portrayal, but writer-director Nora Ephron pushes Powell's efforts to the foreground—and the film suffers for it.
Shorts
(2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Starring Jimmy Bennett, James Spader, Kat Dennings, Jon Cryer, William H. Macy
Warner—Rated PG—Science-Fiction, Fantasy—89 min
After a rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky and hits young Toe Thompson on the head, the lad and his friends discover that the rock grants the wish of anyone holding it. Though the idea seems wonderful the kids soon learn the rock's diabolical wish fulfillment is anything but. After just a few wishes their suburban town of Black Falls becomes overrun with tiny spaceships, crocodile armies, and giant boogers. Though the kids' wishes have been problematic, the real trouble begins when know-it-all adults appropriate Toe's wishing rock for themselves, certain they can overcome its wish fulfillment defects. Directed and written by Robert Rodriguez of "Spy Kids" fame, the imaginative "Shorts" should be families “movie wish” come true.
A Perfect Getaway
(2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by David Twohy
Starring Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Kiele Sanchez, Chris Hemsworth, Marley Shelton
Universal—Rated R—Action—97 min
Cliff and Cydney (Zahn and Jovovich) are backpacking to an isolated, remote Hawaiian beach when they are joined by two other couples (Olyphant, Sanchez, Hemsworth and Shelton) they've only just met. While making friendly chitchat, Cliff and Cydney learn that recently others have been mysteriously murdered on this very path. Uncertain of whom they can trust, soon Cliff and Cydney are fighting for their lives in a fast-paced thriller sure to leave you shivering despite its tropical setting. Shot in just over a month, a heart-pounding sequence occurring in a sea cave has caused a tide of Internet buzz.
Funny People
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Judd Apatow
Starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jonathan Hill, Eric Bana, Leslie Mann, Jason Schwartzman, Begonya Plaza, Maude Apatow
Universal—Rated R—Comedy—146 min
When superstar comic George (Sandler) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he reevaluates his life and finds it wanting because his self-centered ways have prevented him from maintaining close relationships. Needing help, George hires struggling young comedian Ira (Rogen) as his assistant and in turn George assists the young man to achieve stand-up comedy success. This nicer version of George looks up old flame Laura (Mann), and rekindles their romance. Then George gets the startling news that he may be recovering, and immediately reverts to his old ways. While Apatow's writing has matured, it's a mixed blessing since most of the fun goes MIA during the film's final act.
The Ugly Truth
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Robert Luketic
Starring Gerard Butler, Katherine Heigl, Cheryl Hines, Bonnie Somerville, Bree Turner, Vicki Lewis
Columbia Pictures—Rated R—Comedy—101 min
When Abby (Heigl), a Sacramento morning show producer is forced to work with Mike (Butler), the station's popular, but offensive late-night, love-coach, emotional daggers fly. Then Mike presents Abby with a challenge. If she follows Mike's advice to the tee, and still can't win the heart of her handsome doctor neighbor, Mike pledges to quit TV for good. Abby eagerly accepts, and then is shocked to find Mike's advice has merit. The pairing of Butler and Heigl manages to ignite a few romantic sparks though ramping up the laughs could have taken this one beyond merely competent. Lacking competition, "The Ugly Truth" should turn a pretty buck from the dating set and girls' night out.
G-Force
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Hoyt Yeatman
Starring Will Arnett, Penelope Cruz, Zach Galifianakis, Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan
Disney—Rated PG—Family, Animated
Disney teams with producer Jerry Bruckheimer for this film centered on a team of biologically engineered, brainiac guinea pigs trained in espionage. Tapped by the US government to stop a diabolical billionaire from taking over the world, the rodents are outfitted with tiny high-tech gear. Team members include squad leader Darwin (Rockwell), weapons expert Blaster (Morgan), and sexy martial arts master Juarez (Cruz)—"sexy" as per Disney's literature! The team's reconnaissance expert is a housefly, and for the dirtiest jobs they've recruited Speckles (Cage), a star-nosed mole. Presented in 3-D, this one's likely to benefit the pet store industry as g-pigs get wish-listed by 5 to 8 year olds everywhere.
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by David Yates
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Tom Felton, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, David Bradley, Robbie Coltrane, Helena Bonham Carter, Warwick Davis, Maggie Smith
Warner—Rated PG—Fantasy—153 min
In chapter six the dark forces are gathering to attack the nonwizarding muggle world. Professor Dumbledore (Gambon) encourages Harry (Radcliffe) to pick professor Horace Slughorn's (Broadbent) mind for Voldemort's secrets. As Harry, Ron (Grint) and Hermione (Watson) are distracted by their romantic attractions and misfires, Voldemort grows stronger, recruiting Harry's longtime nemesis Draco Malfoy (Felton) on a covert mission. Professor Severus Snape (Rickman) appears to have chosen the other side and is gearing up for a confrontation of grave proportions. The gloomy tone continues to push PG-Rating, but the film is more "Twilight" than frightening. The major plot points of Rowling's sixth book barely make sense. Rather than continue this trend, the seventh and final book will be split into two, hopefully creating less frenetic films.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Carlos Saldanha
Voiced by: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Chris Wedge, Karen Disher
Fox—Rated PG—Animated—87 min
Prehistoric mammals and dinosaurs collide when Sid the sloth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger, Scrat the squirrel and woolly mammoth couple Manny and Ellie, become trapped in an underground Jurassic world. Simon Pegg is also new as a dinosaur-hunting weasel seeking revenge on a Jurassic version of "Moby Dick." The good news is that acorn-obsessed squirrel Scrat and his new girlfriend provide regular breaks from otherwise predictable fare. The film is playing in both 2D and 3D, the latter costing several extra dollars per ticket.
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Rainn Wilson, Jon Voight
Paramount—Rated PG—Fantasy—147 min
"Transformers" meets "Indiana Jones" and "The Mummy" in what feels like a hybrid of not-so-hot recent movies and LaBeouf's own screen roles. In order to save mankind from marauding Decepticon aliens, Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) and his galpal Mikaela (Fox) travel to the Egyptian ruins where they hope to find a key capable of reactivating the good-guy Autobot Transformers. Ships, tanks, planes, rockets and giant shape-shifting machines battle for audience attention in this $200 million dollar special-effects bonanza. John Turturro, Rainn Wilson and Jon Voight rush to get in on the frenetic action of this video game movie—minus the joystick.
The Proposal
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Anne Fletcher
Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O'Hare, Malin Akerman
Disney—Rated PG-13—Comedy—107 min
In this chick flick banking on Bullock's wholesome appeal, the actress appears as cutthroat New York City book editor, Margaret Tate. Facing deportation to Canada, Margaret conspires to marry her young assistant Andrew (Reynolds) whom she knows nothing about. She finds herself succumbing to his charms during a trip to Alaska to meet Andrew's quirky family. A safe, non-offensive offering, 45-year-old Bullock and 33-year-old Reynolds make a cute pair, but never persuade as a couple. They aren't helped by a script lacking both an "aha" moment and evidence of their blossoming love.
The Hangover
(2009)
* * *1/2 (Grade A-)
Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson
Warner—Rated R—Comedy—100 min
Phil, Stu and Alan (Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis) take their soon-to-be-married buddy (Bartha) to Vegas for a bachelor blowout that quickly spins out of control. The following morning, Phil, Stu and Alan awaken in a luxury casino suite where they've somehow acquired both a human baby and full-grown tiger. Though questions abound, the trio's biggest problem is that they've misplaced the groom. Unable to remember events of the previous night, the three attempt to retrace their steps. Clues lead them first to the ER, then to Mike Tyson, and finally reveal that one of them has married a stripper. Using a second-tier cast, director Todd Phillips hits pay-dirt with marvelous comic performances from Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, longtime supporting players earning their break out roles. Pumping its Vegas locale for everything its worth, the tale's zany humor combines with a crazy detective story to hit the comedy jackpot.
By Lisa Miller
Aliens In The Attic
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by John Schultz
Starring Robert Hoffman, Carter Jenkins, Ashley Boettcher, Doris Roberts, Ashley Tisdale, Kevin Nealon, Henri and Regan Young, Austin Butler, Andy Richter, Gillian Vigman, Tim Meadows
Voices of Thomas Haden Church, Josh Peck, J.K. Simmons, Kari Wahlgren
Fox—Rated PG—Sci-Fi—85 min
An attempt by tiny aliens to invade Earth is thwarted thanks to teens and their siblings in this kid-friendly sci-fi. Presumably because both are small and reptilian, some have compared these aliens to the critters from "Gremlins," but it is the filmmakers' approach to the humorous action and comical extraterrestrial creatures that is the most similar feature of the two movies.
Kevin Nealon and Andy Richter play Stuart and Nathan Pearson, two adult brothers gathering up Granny (Doris Roberts) and the kids for a family-bonding vacation at a Michigan lake house (picturesque New Zealand stands in for Michigan). Stuart's kids consist of a brainiac teen (Carter Jenkins), a young daughter (Ashley Boettcher), and a hormonally motivated older daughter (Ashley Tisdale), the latter in danger of falling prey to the creepy intentions her tagalong boyfriend (Robert Hoffman). Nathan is father to a bullying, but dreamy alpha teen (Austin Butler), and a pair of long-haired, 12-year-old identical twins (Henri and Regan Young).
Soon after they arrive, the kids discover that a meteor shower is actually a sign that tiny aliens have descended from the sky and infiltrated their attic. These small, green CGI creatures are commander Skip (voiced by J.K. Simmons), female warrior Razor (Kari Wahlgren), hulky Tazer (Thomas Haden Church) and Sparks (Josh Peek), a four-armed techno-genius from a race enslaved by the others—and who is only to happy to help the kids prevent the invasion.
The warlike aliens count on high tech gadgets to overpower larger humans. They immediately fire a mind control unit into Ricky (the pesky boyfriend), using a joystick and a bluetooth headset to make him say and do whatever suits their needs. Before too long, the same fate befalls Granny, but the kids appropriate her remote control and reprogram Grans to fend off Ricky's Kung-Fooey attacks move-for-move.
The kids, who defend against the alien incursion using a paintball gun, a spud launcher, and other items from their homemade arsenal, discover the aliens have hidden a machine beneath the house that they must not be allowed to retrieve.
The nonstop action remains perfectly coherent throughout while the story arc is a family comedy best serving parents and the under-12 crowd. A nice addition to the burgeoning genre of family-friendly science fiction and fantasy, the film makes little pretense at achieving plausibility, relying instead on comical family dynamics, particularly between teen males, to save its bacon.
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra
(2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Starring Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christopher Eccleston, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols
Paramount—Rated PG-13—Action, Fantasy—113 min
After the success of the first "Transformers," Paramount studios was itching to make another film based on a famous line of toys. "G.I. Joe" fit the bill, though a number of script revisions, character additions and subtractions, were necessary before both fans and the studio powers were content. Director Stephen Sommers made his G.I. Joes futuristic, claiming that "almost 100 percent of the technology depicted will be available within 20 years." Whether he's correct about that or not the result is wall-to-wall action, consisting of dozens of chase scenes and battles that rely on flying soldiers wearing suits described as NFL superhero outfits. The PG-13 rating is retained by having the worst damage, and untold deaths occurring off-screen. The production designers modeled the interior of a private submarine on a Handley Page Jetstream, a piece of machinery that appears to fly through the water. Critics complain that some of the special effects are blurry, but acknowledge the film is every young gamers’ fantasy come true.
Julie & Julia
(2009)
* * (Grade B-)
Directed by Nora Ephron
Starring Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Chris Messina, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Linda Emond, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jane Lynch, Helen Carey, Frances Sternhagen
Columbia Pictures—Rated PG-13—Comedy—122 min
Julia and Julie each have a story to tell, but while one has meat on its bones, the other is slim pickings. Back in 1949, Streep portrays Child's adventures at the French Cordon Bleu Cooking School and her subsequent efforts to write a cookbook explaining French technique to Americans. In the present day, blogger Julie Powell (Adams) is an American secretary trying to cook her way through Child's 524-page cookbook while blogging about her culinary successes and failures. Child's quirky personality is treasured by Streep's surefooted portrayal, but writer-director Nora Ephron pushes Powell's efforts to the foreground—and the film suffers for it.
Shorts
(2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Starring Jimmy Bennett, James Spader, Kat Dennings, Jon Cryer, William H. Macy
Warner—Rated PG—Science-Fiction, Fantasy—89 min
After a rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky and hits young Toe Thompson on the head, the lad and his friends discover that the rock grants the wish of anyone holding it. Though the idea seems wonderful the kids soon learn the rock's diabolical wish fulfillment is anything but. After just a few wishes their suburban town of Black Falls becomes overrun with tiny spaceships, crocodile armies, and giant boogers. Though the kids' wishes have been problematic, the real trouble begins when know-it-all adults appropriate Toe's wishing rock for themselves, certain they can overcome its wish fulfillment defects. Directed and written by Robert Rodriguez of "Spy Kids" fame, the imaginative "Shorts" should be families “movie wish” come true.
A Perfect Getaway
(2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by David Twohy
Starring Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Kiele Sanchez, Chris Hemsworth, Marley Shelton
Universal—Rated R—Action—97 min
Cliff and Cydney (Zahn and Jovovich) are backpacking to an isolated, remote Hawaiian beach when they are joined by two other couples (Olyphant, Sanchez, Hemsworth and Shelton) they've only just met. While making friendly chitchat, Cliff and Cydney learn that recently others have been mysteriously murdered on this very path. Uncertain of whom they can trust, soon Cliff and Cydney are fighting for their lives in a fast-paced thriller sure to leave you shivering despite its tropical setting. Shot in just over a month, a heart-pounding sequence occurring in a sea cave has caused a tide of Internet buzz.
Funny People
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Judd Apatow
Starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jonathan Hill, Eric Bana, Leslie Mann, Jason Schwartzman, Begonya Plaza, Maude Apatow
Universal—Rated R—Comedy—146 min
When superstar comic George (Sandler) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he reevaluates his life and finds it wanting because his self-centered ways have prevented him from maintaining close relationships. Needing help, George hires struggling young comedian Ira (Rogen) as his assistant and in turn George assists the young man to achieve stand-up comedy success. This nicer version of George looks up old flame Laura (Mann), and rekindles their romance. Then George gets the startling news that he may be recovering, and immediately reverts to his old ways. While Apatow's writing has matured, it's a mixed blessing since most of the fun goes MIA during the film's final act.
The Ugly Truth
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Robert Luketic
Starring Gerard Butler, Katherine Heigl, Cheryl Hines, Bonnie Somerville, Bree Turner, Vicki Lewis
Columbia Pictures—Rated R—Comedy—101 min
When Abby (Heigl), a Sacramento morning show producer is forced to work with Mike (Butler), the station's popular, but offensive late-night, love-coach, emotional daggers fly. Then Mike presents Abby with a challenge. If she follows Mike's advice to the tee, and still can't win the heart of her handsome doctor neighbor, Mike pledges to quit TV for good. Abby eagerly accepts, and then is shocked to find Mike's advice has merit. The pairing of Butler and Heigl manages to ignite a few romantic sparks though ramping up the laughs could have taken this one beyond merely competent. Lacking competition, "The Ugly Truth" should turn a pretty buck from the dating set and girls' night out.
G-Force
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Hoyt Yeatman
Starring Will Arnett, Penelope Cruz, Zach Galifianakis, Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan
Disney—Rated PG—Family, Animated
Disney teams with producer Jerry Bruckheimer for this film centered on a team of biologically engineered, brainiac guinea pigs trained in espionage. Tapped by the US government to stop a diabolical billionaire from taking over the world, the rodents are outfitted with tiny high-tech gear. Team members include squad leader Darwin (Rockwell), weapons expert Blaster (Morgan), and sexy martial arts master Juarez (Cruz)—"sexy" as per Disney's literature! The team's reconnaissance expert is a housefly, and for the dirtiest jobs they've recruited Speckles (Cage), a star-nosed mole. Presented in 3-D, this one's likely to benefit the pet store industry as g-pigs get wish-listed by 5 to 8 year olds everywhere.
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by David Yates
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Tom Felton, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, David Bradley, Robbie Coltrane, Helena Bonham Carter, Warwick Davis, Maggie Smith
Warner—Rated PG—Fantasy—153 min
In chapter six the dark forces are gathering to attack the nonwizarding muggle world. Professor Dumbledore (Gambon) encourages Harry (Radcliffe) to pick professor Horace Slughorn's (Broadbent) mind for Voldemort's secrets. As Harry, Ron (Grint) and Hermione (Watson) are distracted by their romantic attractions and misfires, Voldemort grows stronger, recruiting Harry's longtime nemesis Draco Malfoy (Felton) on a covert mission. Professor Severus Snape (Rickman) appears to have chosen the other side and is gearing up for a confrontation of grave proportions. The gloomy tone continues to push PG-Rating, but the film is more "Twilight" than frightening. The major plot points of Rowling's sixth book barely make sense. Rather than continue this trend, the seventh and final book will be split into two, hopefully creating less frenetic films.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Carlos Saldanha
Voiced by: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Chris Wedge, Karen Disher
Fox—Rated PG—Animated—87 min
Prehistoric mammals and dinosaurs collide when Sid the sloth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger, Scrat the squirrel and woolly mammoth couple Manny and Ellie, become trapped in an underground Jurassic world. Simon Pegg is also new as a dinosaur-hunting weasel seeking revenge on a Jurassic version of "Moby Dick." The good news is that acorn-obsessed squirrel Scrat and his new girlfriend provide regular breaks from otherwise predictable fare. The film is playing in both 2D and 3D, the latter costing several extra dollars per ticket.
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Rainn Wilson, Jon Voight
Paramount—Rated PG—Fantasy—147 min
"Transformers" meets "Indiana Jones" and "The Mummy" in what feels like a hybrid of not-so-hot recent movies and LaBeouf's own screen roles. In order to save mankind from marauding Decepticon aliens, Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) and his galpal Mikaela (Fox) travel to the Egyptian ruins where they hope to find a key capable of reactivating the good-guy Autobot Transformers. Ships, tanks, planes, rockets and giant shape-shifting machines battle for audience attention in this $200 million dollar special-effects bonanza. John Turturro, Rainn Wilson and Jon Voight rush to get in on the frenetic action of this video game movie—minus the joystick.
The Proposal
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Anne Fletcher
Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O'Hare, Malin Akerman
Disney—Rated PG-13—Comedy—107 min
In this chick flick banking on Bullock's wholesome appeal, the actress appears as cutthroat New York City book editor, Margaret Tate. Facing deportation to Canada, Margaret conspires to marry her young assistant Andrew (Reynolds) whom she knows nothing about. She finds herself succumbing to his charms during a trip to Alaska to meet Andrew's quirky family. A safe, non-offensive offering, 45-year-old Bullock and 33-year-old Reynolds make a cute pair, but never persuade as a couple. They aren't helped by a script lacking both an "aha" moment and evidence of their blossoming love.
The Hangover
(2009)
* * *1/2 (Grade A-)
Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson
Warner—Rated R—Comedy—100 min
Phil, Stu and Alan (Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis) take their soon-to-be-married buddy (Bartha) to Vegas for a bachelor blowout that quickly spins out of control. The following morning, Phil, Stu and Alan awaken in a luxury casino suite where they've somehow acquired both a human baby and full-grown tiger. Though questions abound, the trio's biggest problem is that they've misplaced the groom. Unable to remember events of the previous night, the three attempt to retrace their steps. Clues lead them first to the ER, then to Mike Tyson, and finally reveal that one of them has married a stripper. Using a second-tier cast, director Todd Phillips hits pay-dirt with marvelous comic performances from Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, longtime supporting players earning their break out roles. Pumping its Vegas locale for everything its worth, the tale's zany humor combines with a crazy detective story to hit the comedy jackpot.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
August 6, 2009
Another Hairy Year for Harry—A review of HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
By Lisa Miller
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
(2009)
Directed by David Yates
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Tom Felton, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, David Bradley, Robbie Coltrane, Helena Bonham Carter, Warwick Davis, Maggie Smith
Warner—Rated PG—Fantasy—153 min
It is well-known that JK Rowling wrote seven books in her Harry Potter series, but Warner Brothers, surely loathing to see the most profitable film series in history come to an end, plans to release a total of eight films. While agents are busily hounding Rowling for more HP, many readers have found this chapter, with sales topping $65 million and clocking in at an astounding 652 pages, to be the most engrossing of the series. It's worth noting that nine million copies of the book were sold in its first 24 hours of release, a record shattered only by its sequel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
To achieve a running time of two-and-a-half hours, director David Yates has pared Rowling's characters and subplots. The story, set during the 1996-97 term at Hogwarts School for Wizards, finds Harry and friends, Ron and Hermione, noticeably matured and searching for teen love while Voldemort's death eaters attack the fragile muggle world. The film, shot in 2007, sees Daniel Radcliffe's Harry lingering at 5' 6", best pals Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) tower over him. All three exhibit the angular facial features suggesting impending adulthood. Hermione eyes Ron as he dates Lavender Brown. Further complicating the threesome's love-matches, Harry develops a powerful crush on Ron's little sister Ginny.
During the school year Harry, who has failed to purchase a potions text book, receives an old text from his instructor, Professor Slughorn played by Jim Broadbent. Harry's book contains instructions scribbled in its margins, and it isn't long before Harry discovers that following the notations yields better results than those on the printed lines of his book, ominously inscribed as previously owned by the "Half-Blood Prince." Through the memories of Professor Slughorn, once a student with Voldemort, Harry learns that the dark wizard committed six murders, splintering his soul into six fragments embedded in objects, while leaving a seventh piece in Voldemort's body. As long as any of the fragment-containing objects exist, Voldemort cannot be extinguished.
As noted by film critic David Edelstein, the tone of this PG-Rated installment is pure English horror. Where past Harry Potters received PG-13-Ratings, the MPAA board appears to have loosened its grip. Parents may wish to view the trailer, available online at "YouTube," "The Internet Movie Database," "Rotten Tomatoes" and "MovieWeb," to name just a few sites, before purchasing tickets for their younger children.
According to film critic Todd McCarthy of Variety Magazine, Director David Yates also appears to have matured into the series, producing a film that is less eager to please, and less hamstrung by Rowling's source material, than previous chapters. The director's $250 million dollar budget yields seamless special effects and omnipresent cameras that seem to fly over cities and through the hallowed halls of a grayer Medieval Hogwarts. Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes have compiled critics' ratings, the mean score being well into the 80s out of a perfect 100. This may not be your older brother's Harry Potter, but this Harry is an apt metaphor for these tumultuous times.
The Ugly Truth
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Robert Luketic
Starring Gerard Butler, Katherine Heigl, Cheryl Hines, Bonnie Somerville, Bree Turner, Vicki Lewis
Columbia Pictures—Rated R—Comedy—101 min
When Abby (Heigl), a Sacramento morning show producer is forced to work with Mike (Butler), the station's popular, but offensive late-night, love-coach, emotional daggers fly. Then Mike presents Abby with a challenge. If she follows Mike's advice to the tee, and still can't win the heart of her handsome doctor neighbor, Mike pledges to quit TV for good. Abby eagerly accepts, then is shocked to find Mike's advice has merit. The pairing of Butler and Heigl manages to ignite a few romantic sparks though ramping up the laughs could have taken this one beyond merely competent. Lacking competition, "The Ugly Truth" should turn a pretty buck from the dating set and girls' night out.
G-Force
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Hoyt Yeatman
Starring Will Arnett, Penelope Cruz, Zach Galifianakis, Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan
Disney—Rated PG—Family, Animated
Disney teams with producer Jerry Bruckheimer for this film centered on a team of biologically engineered, brainiac guinea pigs trained in espionage. Tapped by the US government to stop a diabolical billionaire from taking over the world, the rodents are outfitted with tiny high-tech gear. Team members include squad leader Darwin (Rockwell), weapons expert Blaster (Morgan), and sexy martial arts master Juarez (Cruz)—"sexy" as per Disney's literature! The team's reconnaissance expert is a housefly, and for the dirtiest jobs they've recruited Speckles (Cage), a star-nosed mole. Presented in 3-D, this one's likely to benefit the pet store industry as g-pigs get wish-listed by 5 to 8 year olds everywhere.
Orphan
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett
Warner—Rated R—Horror—123 min
John & Kate Plus Orphan? No, it isn't the latest reality TV show, but rather it's the latest demonic-kid horror with unfortunately, no-named leads. Devastated after losing her unborn child, Kate (Farmiga) wants something good to come out of their loss. She and husband John (Sarsgaard) visit an orphanage where they are drawn to precocious 9-year-old Esther (Fuhrman). But, after bringing Esther home, things go terribly wrong for the family and friends. Kate soon discovers Esther isn't the sweet child she appears to be. The film is precisely what you'd expect: one more variation on "The Bad Seed."
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Carlos Saldanha
Voiced by: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Chris Wedge, Karen Disher
Fox//Rated PG//Animated//87 min
Prehistoric mammals and dinosaurs collide when Sid the sloth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger, Scrat the squirrel and woolly mammoth couple Manny and Ellie, become trapped in an underground Jurassic world. Simon Pegg is also new as a dinosaur-hunting weasel seeking revenge on a Jurassic version of "Moby Dick." The good news is that acorn-obsessed squirrel Scrat and his new girlfriend provide regular breaks from otherwise predictable fare. The film is playing in both 2D and 3D, the latter costing several extra dollars per ticket.
Imagine That
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Karey Kirkpatrick
Starring Eddie Murphy, Yara Shahidi, Thomas Haden Church, Nicole Ari Parker, Ronny Cox, Martin Sheen
Paramount—Rated PG—Comedy—min
It isn't hard to imagine Murphy suiting up for another dumb comedy, but this time he isn't the cutest kid on the block. That distinction belongs to Yara Shahidi, playing Olivia, the precocious 7-year-old daughter of Evan (Murphy), a busy exec prone to ignore his adorable child. Just when Evan feels the pressure to produce at the office, he discovers that Olivia's stories—emanating from her imaginary world—reveal business secrets he can use to his advantage. Quicker than you can say Etch-A-Sketch, Murphy's pumping the little doll for tidbits to revive his sagging career. Oh Eddie, if only it were that easy.
I Love You, Beth Cooper
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Starring Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Jack T. Carpenter, Lauren London, Alan Ruck, Cynthia Stevenson
Fox Atomic—Rated PG-13—Comedy
Fox Studios rushes to capitalize on Hayden Panettiere while she's still famous enough to turn "Heroes" fanboys into movie ticket buyers. After nerdy valedictorian high school senior Denis (Rust), proclaims his crush on popular girl Beth Cooper (Panettiere) during his commencement speech, the teen queen amuses herself by introducing Denis and his geeky friends to her wild-child party scene. Panettiere cheerfully does her part by stripping for a nude scene, so plot problems shouldn't prevent the film from turning a buck. Meanwhile the MPAA's rating system gets a little more questionable every year.
Bruno
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Larry Charles
Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Richard Bey, Ron Paul, Paula Abdul, Domiziano Arcangeli, Emerson Brooks, Alice Evans, Gustaf Hammarsten
Universal—Rated R—Comedy—83 min
Flying high on his "Borat" success, Sacha Baron Cohen gets a new look when he becomes a bleached blonde (with highly arched eyebrows) for his latest mockumentary. This time Cohen plays Bruno, a gay, Austrian fashionista spending his exile in Hollywood where Bruno—his lovelorn assistant Lutz (Hammarsten) in tow—seeks stardom. Though a large portion of the humor is insulting and distasteful, the "Punk'd" scenes that depict Bruno offending the very celebrities he hopes to befriend, appear staged. Watch for male frontal nudity and numerous shots featuring skin-and-bones Cohen wearing nothing but itty bitty briefs.
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Rainn Wilson, Jon Voight
Paramount—Rated PG—Fantasy—147 min
"Transformers" meets "Indiana Jones" and "The Mummy" in what feels like a hybrid of not-so-hot recent movies and LaBeouf's own screen roles. In order to save mankind from marauding Decepticon aliens, Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) and his galpal Mikaela (Fox) travel to the Egyptian ruins where they hope to find a key capable of reactivating the good-guy Autobot Transformers. Ships, tanks, planes, rockets and giant shape-shifting machines battle for audience attention in this $200 million dollar special-effects bonanza. John Turturro, Rainn Wilson and Jon Voight rush to get in on the frenetic action of this video game movie—minus the joystick.
Year One
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Harold Ramis
Starring Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Vinnie Jones, Hank Azaria, Paul Rudd, Juno Temple, Oliver Platt, David Cross
Sony—Rated PG-13—Comedy
Jack Black and Michael Cera play Zed and Oh, friends and lazy members of a primitive tribe in the year one. The pair are exiled after Zed eats the forbidden fruit. Oh joins Zed on a biblical journey that leads them to Cain and Abel, Abraham and Isaac, and the lovely people of Sodom. Unfamiliar with the rules of this new world, Zed and Oh are pressed into military service, thrown out and threatened with execution. At one point the pair are enslaved. Oh is stripped nearly naked, painted gold, and made to rub a hairy priest's chest (Platt) with warm oil. Poorly organized storytelling is one problem; the other is gross out humor that rarely hits the funny bone.
Public Enemies
(2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Jason Clarke, Rory Cochrane, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, and Stephen Lang
Universal—Rated R—130 min
Virtuoso style and cinematic bravado flesh out the retelling of John Dillinger's saga. After escaping from prison in 1933, Dillinger (Depp) goes on a bank-robbing spree that gains him public admiration in an era of failing banks and first place on J. Edgar Hoover's (Crudup) Public Enemies list. Dillinger breaks his own rules when he woos and wins the heart of coat-check girl Billie Frechette (Cotillard). Knowing their romance can not last, the pair make every moment count. As FBI Agent Melvin Purvis, Christian Bale uses his intensity, rather than his underwritten character, to convey the agent's determination to bring Dillinger down by any means necessary.
My Sister’s Keeper
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Nick Cassavetes
Starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Sofia Vassilieva, Joan Cusack, Jason Patric, Thomas Dekker, Emily Deschanel, Lin Shaye
Warner—Rated PG-13—Drama—109 min
Abigail Breslin headlines a drama exploring complex ethical and familial issues. She plays 11-year-old Anna Fitzgerald, conceived by her parents (Diaz and Patric) to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate (Vassilieva) stay alive. During her short life Anna has happily donated blood and bone marrow numerous times, but when Kate needs one of Anna's kidneys, the younger girl hires an attorney (Baldwin) to secure Anna's medical emancipation from her parents. A cozy plot twist has Anna's mom resume her legal career in order to oppose Anna’s petition to the court. Despite all the squabbling, the Fitzgerald's are a loving family doing the best they can. From Jodi Picoult's novel, the film is sufficiently well-executed to assure there won't be a dry eye left in the house.
The Proposal
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Anne Fletcher
Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O'Hare, Malin Akerman
Disney—Rated PG-13—Comedy—107 min
In this chick flick banking on Bullock's wholesome appeal, the actress appears as cutthroat New York City book editor, Margaret Tate. Facing deportation to Canada, Margaret conspires to marry her young assistant Andrew (Reynolds) whom she knows nothing about. She finds herself succumbing to his charms during a trip to Alaska to meet Andrew's quirky family. A safe, non-offensive offering, 45-year-old Bullock and 33-year-old Reynolds make a cute pair, but never persuade as a couple. They aren't helped by a script lacking both an "aha" moment and evidence of their blossoming love.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli, James Gandolfini
Sony—Rated R—Action—106 min
The 1974 original film was an adrenaline rush casting Robert Shaw as the merciless mastermind behind a crew of hostage takers on a New York City subway. He was matched by Walter Matthau playing Walter Garber, a subway train dispatcher with a very grumpy disposition. Having gained Ryder's trust, Garber tries to keep Ryder calm while city officials plan their next move. This time, Travolta plays the madman demanding $10 million dollars in exchange for the hostages. Washington packs on the pounds for the Garber role, but director Scott has reversed his actors, putting the intense one where the funnyman belongs. It's a slick, passable production, but lacks the one, two, three punch that made the original a knock out.
The Hangover
(2009)
* * *1/2 (Grade A-)
Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson
Warner—Rated R—Comedy—100 min
Phil, Stu and Alan (Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis) take their soon-to-be-married buddy (Bartha) to Vegas for a bachelor blowout that quickly spins out of control. The following morning, Phil, Stu and Alan awaken in a luxury casino suite where they've somehow acquired both a human baby and full-grown tiger. Though questions abound, the trio's biggest problem is that they've misplaced the groom. Unable to remember events of the previous night, the three attempt to retrace their steps. Clues lead them first to the ER, then to Mike Tyson, and finally reveal that one of them has married a stripper. Using a second-tier cast, director Todd Phillips hits pay-dirt with marvelous comic performances from Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, longtime supporting players earning their break out roles. Pumping its Vegas locale for everything its worth, the tale's zany humor combines with a crazy detective story to hit the comedy jackpot.
UP
(2009)
* * * * (Grade A)
Directed by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft, John Ratzenberger, David Kaye, Elie Docter, Jeremy Leary
Buena Vista—Rated PG—Animated, Family—96 min
Another Pixar story, this one takes to the skies in a big way. When curmudgeon senior citizen, Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Asner), takes off to see a remote range of Venezuelan mountains, he ties thousands of balloons to his house that lift it up, up and away. Comfortably settled inside his flying home, Carl is appalled to discover that a young scout has inadvertently hitched a ride. Animated with spellbinding beauty and vibrance, the film follows the pair's adventures, and eventual meeting with Carl's boyhood hero (Plummer)—a famed explorer. Encountering wondrous animals, as well as with confronting an evil plot, will test the pair's resolve and leave audiences feeling "Up"- beat.
By Lisa Miller
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
(2009)
Directed by David Yates
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Tom Felton, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, David Bradley, Robbie Coltrane, Helena Bonham Carter, Warwick Davis, Maggie Smith
Warner—Rated PG—Fantasy—153 min
It is well-known that JK Rowling wrote seven books in her Harry Potter series, but Warner Brothers, surely loathing to see the most profitable film series in history come to an end, plans to release a total of eight films. While agents are busily hounding Rowling for more HP, many readers have found this chapter, with sales topping $65 million and clocking in at an astounding 652 pages, to be the most engrossing of the series. It's worth noting that nine million copies of the book were sold in its first 24 hours of release, a record shattered only by its sequel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
To achieve a running time of two-and-a-half hours, director David Yates has pared Rowling's characters and subplots. The story, set during the 1996-97 term at Hogwarts School for Wizards, finds Harry and friends, Ron and Hermione, noticeably matured and searching for teen love while Voldemort's death eaters attack the fragile muggle world. The film, shot in 2007, sees Daniel Radcliffe's Harry lingering at 5' 6", best pals Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) tower over him. All three exhibit the angular facial features suggesting impending adulthood. Hermione eyes Ron as he dates Lavender Brown. Further complicating the threesome's love-matches, Harry develops a powerful crush on Ron's little sister Ginny.
During the school year Harry, who has failed to purchase a potions text book, receives an old text from his instructor, Professor Slughorn played by Jim Broadbent. Harry's book contains instructions scribbled in its margins, and it isn't long before Harry discovers that following the notations yields better results than those on the printed lines of his book, ominously inscribed as previously owned by the "Half-Blood Prince." Through the memories of Professor Slughorn, once a student with Voldemort, Harry learns that the dark wizard committed six murders, splintering his soul into six fragments embedded in objects, while leaving a seventh piece in Voldemort's body. As long as any of the fragment-containing objects exist, Voldemort cannot be extinguished.
As noted by film critic David Edelstein, the tone of this PG-Rated installment is pure English horror. Where past Harry Potters received PG-13-Ratings, the MPAA board appears to have loosened its grip. Parents may wish to view the trailer, available online at "YouTube," "The Internet Movie Database," "Rotten Tomatoes" and "MovieWeb," to name just a few sites, before purchasing tickets for their younger children.
According to film critic Todd McCarthy of Variety Magazine, Director David Yates also appears to have matured into the series, producing a film that is less eager to please, and less hamstrung by Rowling's source material, than previous chapters. The director's $250 million dollar budget yields seamless special effects and omnipresent cameras that seem to fly over cities and through the hallowed halls of a grayer Medieval Hogwarts. Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes have compiled critics' ratings, the mean score being well into the 80s out of a perfect 100. This may not be your older brother's Harry Potter, but this Harry is an apt metaphor for these tumultuous times.
The Ugly Truth
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Robert Luketic
Starring Gerard Butler, Katherine Heigl, Cheryl Hines, Bonnie Somerville, Bree Turner, Vicki Lewis
Columbia Pictures—Rated R—Comedy—101 min
When Abby (Heigl), a Sacramento morning show producer is forced to work with Mike (Butler), the station's popular, but offensive late-night, love-coach, emotional daggers fly. Then Mike presents Abby with a challenge. If she follows Mike's advice to the tee, and still can't win the heart of her handsome doctor neighbor, Mike pledges to quit TV for good. Abby eagerly accepts, then is shocked to find Mike's advice has merit. The pairing of Butler and Heigl manages to ignite a few romantic sparks though ramping up the laughs could have taken this one beyond merely competent. Lacking competition, "The Ugly Truth" should turn a pretty buck from the dating set and girls' night out.
G-Force
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Hoyt Yeatman
Starring Will Arnett, Penelope Cruz, Zach Galifianakis, Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan
Disney—Rated PG—Family, Animated
Disney teams with producer Jerry Bruckheimer for this film centered on a team of biologically engineered, brainiac guinea pigs trained in espionage. Tapped by the US government to stop a diabolical billionaire from taking over the world, the rodents are outfitted with tiny high-tech gear. Team members include squad leader Darwin (Rockwell), weapons expert Blaster (Morgan), and sexy martial arts master Juarez (Cruz)—"sexy" as per Disney's literature! The team's reconnaissance expert is a housefly, and for the dirtiest jobs they've recruited Speckles (Cage), a star-nosed mole. Presented in 3-D, this one's likely to benefit the pet store industry as g-pigs get wish-listed by 5 to 8 year olds everywhere.
Orphan
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett
Warner—Rated R—Horror—123 min
John & Kate Plus Orphan? No, it isn't the latest reality TV show, but rather it's the latest demonic-kid horror with unfortunately, no-named leads. Devastated after losing her unborn child, Kate (Farmiga) wants something good to come out of their loss. She and husband John (Sarsgaard) visit an orphanage where they are drawn to precocious 9-year-old Esther (Fuhrman). But, after bringing Esther home, things go terribly wrong for the family and friends. Kate soon discovers Esther isn't the sweet child she appears to be. The film is precisely what you'd expect: one more variation on "The Bad Seed."
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Carlos Saldanha
Voiced by: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Chris Wedge, Karen Disher
Fox//Rated PG//Animated//87 min
Prehistoric mammals and dinosaurs collide when Sid the sloth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger, Scrat the squirrel and woolly mammoth couple Manny and Ellie, become trapped in an underground Jurassic world. Simon Pegg is also new as a dinosaur-hunting weasel seeking revenge on a Jurassic version of "Moby Dick." The good news is that acorn-obsessed squirrel Scrat and his new girlfriend provide regular breaks from otherwise predictable fare. The film is playing in both 2D and 3D, the latter costing several extra dollars per ticket.
Imagine That
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Karey Kirkpatrick
Starring Eddie Murphy, Yara Shahidi, Thomas Haden Church, Nicole Ari Parker, Ronny Cox, Martin Sheen
Paramount—Rated PG—Comedy—min
It isn't hard to imagine Murphy suiting up for another dumb comedy, but this time he isn't the cutest kid on the block. That distinction belongs to Yara Shahidi, playing Olivia, the precocious 7-year-old daughter of Evan (Murphy), a busy exec prone to ignore his adorable child. Just when Evan feels the pressure to produce at the office, he discovers that Olivia's stories—emanating from her imaginary world—reveal business secrets he can use to his advantage. Quicker than you can say Etch-A-Sketch, Murphy's pumping the little doll for tidbits to revive his sagging career. Oh Eddie, if only it were that easy.
I Love You, Beth Cooper
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Starring Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Jack T. Carpenter, Lauren London, Alan Ruck, Cynthia Stevenson
Fox Atomic—Rated PG-13—Comedy
Fox Studios rushes to capitalize on Hayden Panettiere while she's still famous enough to turn "Heroes" fanboys into movie ticket buyers. After nerdy valedictorian high school senior Denis (Rust), proclaims his crush on popular girl Beth Cooper (Panettiere) during his commencement speech, the teen queen amuses herself by introducing Denis and his geeky friends to her wild-child party scene. Panettiere cheerfully does her part by stripping for a nude scene, so plot problems shouldn't prevent the film from turning a buck. Meanwhile the MPAA's rating system gets a little more questionable every year.
Bruno
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Larry Charles
Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Richard Bey, Ron Paul, Paula Abdul, Domiziano Arcangeli, Emerson Brooks, Alice Evans, Gustaf Hammarsten
Universal—Rated R—Comedy—83 min
Flying high on his "Borat" success, Sacha Baron Cohen gets a new look when he becomes a bleached blonde (with highly arched eyebrows) for his latest mockumentary. This time Cohen plays Bruno, a gay, Austrian fashionista spending his exile in Hollywood where Bruno—his lovelorn assistant Lutz (Hammarsten) in tow—seeks stardom. Though a large portion of the humor is insulting and distasteful, the "Punk'd" scenes that depict Bruno offending the very celebrities he hopes to befriend, appear staged. Watch for male frontal nudity and numerous shots featuring skin-and-bones Cohen wearing nothing but itty bitty briefs.
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Rainn Wilson, Jon Voight
Paramount—Rated PG—Fantasy—147 min
"Transformers" meets "Indiana Jones" and "The Mummy" in what feels like a hybrid of not-so-hot recent movies and LaBeouf's own screen roles. In order to save mankind from marauding Decepticon aliens, Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) and his galpal Mikaela (Fox) travel to the Egyptian ruins where they hope to find a key capable of reactivating the good-guy Autobot Transformers. Ships, tanks, planes, rockets and giant shape-shifting machines battle for audience attention in this $200 million dollar special-effects bonanza. John Turturro, Rainn Wilson and Jon Voight rush to get in on the frenetic action of this video game movie—minus the joystick.
Year One
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Harold Ramis
Starring Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Vinnie Jones, Hank Azaria, Paul Rudd, Juno Temple, Oliver Platt, David Cross
Sony—Rated PG-13—Comedy
Jack Black and Michael Cera play Zed and Oh, friends and lazy members of a primitive tribe in the year one. The pair are exiled after Zed eats the forbidden fruit. Oh joins Zed on a biblical journey that leads them to Cain and Abel, Abraham and Isaac, and the lovely people of Sodom. Unfamiliar with the rules of this new world, Zed and Oh are pressed into military service, thrown out and threatened with execution. At one point the pair are enslaved. Oh is stripped nearly naked, painted gold, and made to rub a hairy priest's chest (Platt) with warm oil. Poorly organized storytelling is one problem; the other is gross out humor that rarely hits the funny bone.
Public Enemies
(2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Jason Clarke, Rory Cochrane, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, and Stephen Lang
Universal—Rated R—130 min
Virtuoso style and cinematic bravado flesh out the retelling of John Dillinger's saga. After escaping from prison in 1933, Dillinger (Depp) goes on a bank-robbing spree that gains him public admiration in an era of failing banks and first place on J. Edgar Hoover's (Crudup) Public Enemies list. Dillinger breaks his own rules when he woos and wins the heart of coat-check girl Billie Frechette (Cotillard). Knowing their romance can not last, the pair make every moment count. As FBI Agent Melvin Purvis, Christian Bale uses his intensity, rather than his underwritten character, to convey the agent's determination to bring Dillinger down by any means necessary.
My Sister’s Keeper
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Nick Cassavetes
Starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Sofia Vassilieva, Joan Cusack, Jason Patric, Thomas Dekker, Emily Deschanel, Lin Shaye
Warner—Rated PG-13—Drama—109 min
Abigail Breslin headlines a drama exploring complex ethical and familial issues. She plays 11-year-old Anna Fitzgerald, conceived by her parents (Diaz and Patric) to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate (Vassilieva) stay alive. During her short life Anna has happily donated blood and bone marrow numerous times, but when Kate needs one of Anna's kidneys, the younger girl hires an attorney (Baldwin) to secure Anna's medical emancipation from her parents. A cozy plot twist has Anna's mom resume her legal career in order to oppose Anna’s petition to the court. Despite all the squabbling, the Fitzgerald's are a loving family doing the best they can. From Jodi Picoult's novel, the film is sufficiently well-executed to assure there won't be a dry eye left in the house.
The Proposal
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Anne Fletcher
Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O'Hare, Malin Akerman
Disney—Rated PG-13—Comedy—107 min
In this chick flick banking on Bullock's wholesome appeal, the actress appears as cutthroat New York City book editor, Margaret Tate. Facing deportation to Canada, Margaret conspires to marry her young assistant Andrew (Reynolds) whom she knows nothing about. She finds herself succumbing to his charms during a trip to Alaska to meet Andrew's quirky family. A safe, non-offensive offering, 45-year-old Bullock and 33-year-old Reynolds make a cute pair, but never persuade as a couple. They aren't helped by a script lacking both an "aha" moment and evidence of their blossoming love.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli, James Gandolfini
Sony—Rated R—Action—106 min
The 1974 original film was an adrenaline rush casting Robert Shaw as the merciless mastermind behind a crew of hostage takers on a New York City subway. He was matched by Walter Matthau playing Walter Garber, a subway train dispatcher with a very grumpy disposition. Having gained Ryder's trust, Garber tries to keep Ryder calm while city officials plan their next move. This time, Travolta plays the madman demanding $10 million dollars in exchange for the hostages. Washington packs on the pounds for the Garber role, but director Scott has reversed his actors, putting the intense one where the funnyman belongs. It's a slick, passable production, but lacks the one, two, three punch that made the original a knock out.
The Hangover
(2009)
* * *1/2 (Grade A-)
Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson
Warner—Rated R—Comedy—100 min
Phil, Stu and Alan (Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis) take their soon-to-be-married buddy (Bartha) to Vegas for a bachelor blowout that quickly spins out of control. The following morning, Phil, Stu and Alan awaken in a luxury casino suite where they've somehow acquired both a human baby and full-grown tiger. Though questions abound, the trio's biggest problem is that they've misplaced the groom. Unable to remember events of the previous night, the three attempt to retrace their steps. Clues lead them first to the ER, then to Mike Tyson, and finally reveal that one of them has married a stripper. Using a second-tier cast, director Todd Phillips hits pay-dirt with marvelous comic performances from Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, longtime supporting players earning their break out roles. Pumping its Vegas locale for everything its worth, the tale's zany humor combines with a crazy detective story to hit the comedy jackpot.
UP
(2009)
* * * * (Grade A)
Directed by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft, John Ratzenberger, David Kaye, Elie Docter, Jeremy Leary
Buena Vista—Rated PG—Animated, Family—96 min
Another Pixar story, this one takes to the skies in a big way. When curmudgeon senior citizen, Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Asner), takes off to see a remote range of Venezuelan mountains, he ties thousands of balloons to his house that lift it up, up and away. Comfortably settled inside his flying home, Carl is appalled to discover that a young scout has inadvertently hitched a ride. Animated with spellbinding beauty and vibrance, the film follows the pair's adventures, and eventual meeting with Carl's boyhood hero (Plummer)—a famed explorer. Encountering wondrous animals, as well as with confronting an evil plot, will test the pair's resolve and leave audiences feeling "Up"- beat.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
July 23, 2009
On Thin Ice
By Lisa Miller
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Carlos Saldanha
Voiced by: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Chris Wedge, Karen Disher
Fox—Rated PG—Animated—87 min
The "Ice Age" franchise attempts to defrost its overexposed prehistoric characters by stealing from other movies. As the third chapter opens we find woolly mammoth couple Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) preparing for the arrival of their first born. The couple's nesting activities prompt severe reactions from their best friends. Saber-toothed tiger Diego (Denis Leary) believes the pair's domesticity is dulling his predatory edge. Sloth Sid (John Leguizamo) worries he will be abandoned by the others and left alone.
Then Sid discovers a clutch of three enormous eggs in a subterranean labyrinth beneath the ice. He carts the enormous eggs up top, hilariously losing and recovering them on slippery slopes that serve as abstract illustrations of parental duty. Soon Sid proudly declares himself a "single mother" to three T-Rex hatchlings. Mama T-Rex comes looking for her babies and after wreaking havoc on the company's home turf, she scoops up her brood and Sid, for the journey back to her tropical dinotopia.
Manny, Ellie, Diego and a pair of sidekick opossums (Seann William Scott and Josh Peck), seek to effect a rescue, but they are unable to save a story recycling the highlights of "Jurassic Park" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth." The film might have overcome the stigma had "Land of the Lost" not beat it to the punch, or had the third "Ice Age" been funnier. As it is there's little satisfaction and even less humor to be extracted from problems attributed to the central characters that are distilled to saccharine soundbites.
Hope springs once the company joins up with a dinosaur-hunting weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg), until what appeared to be an original notion proves to be a dumbed-down resetting of the classic "Moby Dick."
Some relief is provided by a parallel story featuring proto-squirrel Scrat's (Chris Wedge) relentless pursuit of a prize acorn. In these dialog-free segments, the acorn plays the Road Runner to Scrat's Wiley Coyote. It's always good for a laugh but the writers give it a twist, introducing Scrat to a comely female squirrel (Karen Disher) who is competing for possession of the nut. The romantic in Scrat considers gifting her the acorn in an act of love, but even as Lou Rawls croons, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" Scrat can't quite bring himself to give up his "Precious." This tug-of-war between the girl and an acorn that refuses to stay put, provides the film's most enchanting entertainment. It also serves as an object lesson to those making children’s movies: It's okay to let 'em see you sweat, but don't ever let them see you being predictable.
I Love You, Beth Cooper
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Starring Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Jack T. Carpenter, Lauren London, Alan Ruck, Cynthia Stevenson
Fox Atomic—Rated PG-13—Comedy
Fox Studios rushes to capitalize on Hayden Panettiere while she's still famous enough to turn "Heroes" fanboys into movie ticket buyers. After nerdy valedictorian high school senior Denis (Rust), proclaims his crush on popular girl Beth Cooper (Panettiere) during his commencement speech, the teen queen amuses herself by introducing Denis and his geeky friends to her wild-child party scene. Panettiere cheerfully does her part by stripping for a nude scene, so plot problems shouldn't prevent the film from turning a buck. Meanwhile the MPAA's rating system gets a little more questionable every year.
Bruno
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Larry Charles
Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Richard Bey, Ron Paul, Paula Abdul, Domiziano Arcangeli, Emerson Brooks, Alice Evans, Gustaf Hammarsten
Universal—Rated R—Comedy—83 min
Flying high on his "Borat" success, Sacha Baron Cohen gets a new look when he becomes a bleached blonde (with highly arched eyebrows) for his latest mockumentary. This time Cohen plays Bruno, a gay, Austrian fashionista spending his exile in Hollywood where Bruno—his lovelorn assistant Lutz (Hammarsten) in tow—seeks stardom. Though a large portion of the humor is insulting and distasteful, the "Punk'd" scenes that depict Bruno offending the very celebrities he hopes to befriend, appear staged. Watch for male frontal nudity and numerous shots featuring skin-and-bones Cohen wearing nothing but itty bitty briefs.
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Rainn Wilson, Jon Voight
Paramount—Rated PG—Fantasy—147 min
"Transformers" meets "Indiana Jones" and "The Mummy" in what feels like a hybrid of not-so-hot recent movies and LaBeouf's own screen roles. In order to save mankind from marauding Decepticon aliens, Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) and his galpal Mikaela (Fox) travel to the Egyptian ruins where they hope to find a key capable of reactivating the good-guy Autobot Transformers. Ships, tanks, planes, rockets and giant shape-shifting machines battle for audience attention in this $200 million dollar special-effects bonanza. John Turturro, Rainn Wilson and Jon Voight rush to get in on the frenetic action of this video game movie—minus the joystick.
Year One
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Harold Ramis
Starring Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Vinnie Jones, Hank Azaria, Paul Rudd, Juno Temple, Oliver Platt, David Cross
Sony—Rated PG-13—Comedy
Jack Black and Michael Cera play Zed and Oh, friends and lazy members of a primitive tribe in the year one. The pair are exiled after Zed eats the forbidden fruit. Oh joins Zed on a biblical journey that leads them to Cain and Abel, Abraham and Isaac, and the lovely people of Sodom. Unfamiliar with the rules of this new world, Zed and Oh are pressed into military service, thrown out and threatened with execution. At one point the pair are enslaved. Oh is stripped nearly naked, painted gold, and made to rub a hairy priest's chest (Platt) with warm oil. Poorly organized storytelling is one problem; the other is gross out humor that rarely hits the funny bone.
Public Enemies
(2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Jason Clarke, Rory Cochrane, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, and Stephen Lang
Universal—Rated R—130 min
Virtuoso style and cinematic bravado flesh out the retelling of John Dillinger's saga. After escaping from prison in 1933, Dillinger (Depp) goes on a bank-robbing spree that gains him public admiration in an era of failing banks and first place on J. Edgar Hoover's (Crudup) Public Enemies list. Dillinger breaks his own rules when he woos and wins the heart of coat-check girl Billie Frechette (Cotillard). Knowing their romance can not last, the pair make every moment count. As FBI Agent Melvin Purvis, Christian Bale uses his intensity, rather than his underwritten character, to convey the agent's determination to bring Dillinger down by any means necessary.
My Sister’s Keeper
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Nick Cassavetes
Starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Sofia Vassilieva, Joan Cusack, Jason Patric, Thomas Dekker, Emily Deschanel, Lin Shaye
Warner—Rated PG-13—Drama—109 min
Abigail Breslin headlines a drama exploring complex ethical and familial issues. She plays 11-year-old Anna Fitzgerald, conceived by her parents (Diaz and Patric) to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate (Vassilieva) stay alive. During her short life Anna has happily donated blood and bone marrow numerous times, but when Kate needs one of Anna's kidneys, the younger girl hires an attorney (Baldwin) to secure Anna's medical emancipation from her parents. A cozy plot twist has Anna's mom resume her legal career in order to oppose Anna’s petition to the court. Despite all the squabbling, the Fitzgerald's are a loving family doing the best they can. From Jodi Picoult's novel, the film is sufficiently well-executed to assure there won't be a dry eye left in the house.
The Proposal
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Anne Fletcher
Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O'Hare, Malin Akerman
Disney—Rated PG-13—Comedy—107 min
In this chick flick banking on Bullock's wholesome appeal, the actress appears as cutthroat New York City book editor, Margaret Tate. Facing deportation to Canada, Margaret conspires to marry her young assistant Andrew (Reynolds) whom she knows nothing about. She finds herself succumbing to his charms during a trip to Alaska to meet Andrew's quirky family. A safe, non-offensive offering, 45-year-old Bullock and 33-year-old Reynolds make a cute pair, but never persuade as a couple. They aren't helped by a script lacking both an "aha" moment and evidence of their blossoming love.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli, James Gandolfini
Sony—Rated R—Action—106 min
The 1974 original film was an adrenaline rush casting Robert Shaw as the merciless mastermind behind a crew of hostage takers on a New York City subway. He was matched by Walter Matthau playing Walter Garber, a subway train dispatcher with a very grumpy disposition. Having gained Ryder's trust, Garber tries to keep Ryder calm while city officials plan their next move. This time, Travolta plays the madman demanding $10 million dollars in exchange for the hostages. Washington packs on the pounds for the Garber role, but director Scott has reversed his actors, putting the intense one where the funnyman belongs. It's a slick, passable production, but lacks the one, two, three punch that made the original a knock out.
The Hangover
(2009)
* * *1/2 (Grade A-)
Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson
Warner—Rated R—Comedy—100 min
Phil, Stu and Alan (Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis) take their soon-to-be-married buddy (Bartha) to Vegas for a bachelor blowout that quickly spins out of control. The following morning, Phil, Stu and Alan awaken in a luxury casino suite where they've somehow acquired both a human baby and full-grown tiger. Though questions abound, the trio's biggest problem is that they've misplaced the groom. Unable to remember events of the previous night, the three attempt to retrace their steps. Clues lead them first to the ER, then to Mike Tyson, and finally reveal that one of them has married a stripper. Using a second-tier cast, director Todd Phillips hits pay-dirt with marvelous comic performances from Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, longtime supporting players earning their break out roles. Pumping its Vegas locale for everything its worth, the tale's zany humor combines with a crazy detective story to hit the comedy jackpot.
UP
(2009)
* * * * (Grade A)
Directed by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft, John Ratzenberger, David Kaye, Elie Docter, Jeremy Leary
Buena Vista—Rated PG—Animated, Family—96 min
Another Pixar story, this one takes to the skies in a big way. When curmudgeon senior citizen, Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Asner), takes off to see a remote range of Venezuelan mountains, he ties thousands of balloons to his house that lift it up, up and away. Comfortably settled inside his flying home, Carl is appalled to discover that a young scout has inadvertently hitched a ride. Animated with spellbinding beauty and vibrance, the film follows the pair's adventures, and eventual meeting with Carl's boyhood hero (Plummer)—a famed explorer. Encountering wondrous animals, as well as with confronting an evil plot, will test the pair's resolve and leave audiences feeling "Up"- beat.
By Lisa Miller
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Carlos Saldanha
Voiced by: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Chris Wedge, Karen Disher
Fox—Rated PG—Animated—87 min
The "Ice Age" franchise attempts to defrost its overexposed prehistoric characters by stealing from other movies. As the third chapter opens we find woolly mammoth couple Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) preparing for the arrival of their first born. The couple's nesting activities prompt severe reactions from their best friends. Saber-toothed tiger Diego (Denis Leary) believes the pair's domesticity is dulling his predatory edge. Sloth Sid (John Leguizamo) worries he will be abandoned by the others and left alone.
Then Sid discovers a clutch of three enormous eggs in a subterranean labyrinth beneath the ice. He carts the enormous eggs up top, hilariously losing and recovering them on slippery slopes that serve as abstract illustrations of parental duty. Soon Sid proudly declares himself a "single mother" to three T-Rex hatchlings. Mama T-Rex comes looking for her babies and after wreaking havoc on the company's home turf, she scoops up her brood and Sid, for the journey back to her tropical dinotopia.
Manny, Ellie, Diego and a pair of sidekick opossums (Seann William Scott and Josh Peck), seek to effect a rescue, but they are unable to save a story recycling the highlights of "Jurassic Park" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth." The film might have overcome the stigma had "Land of the Lost" not beat it to the punch, or had the third "Ice Age" been funnier. As it is there's little satisfaction and even less humor to be extracted from problems attributed to the central characters that are distilled to saccharine soundbites.
Hope springs once the company joins up with a dinosaur-hunting weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg), until what appeared to be an original notion proves to be a dumbed-down resetting of the classic "Moby Dick."
Some relief is provided by a parallel story featuring proto-squirrel Scrat's (Chris Wedge) relentless pursuit of a prize acorn. In these dialog-free segments, the acorn plays the Road Runner to Scrat's Wiley Coyote. It's always good for a laugh but the writers give it a twist, introducing Scrat to a comely female squirrel (Karen Disher) who is competing for possession of the nut. The romantic in Scrat considers gifting her the acorn in an act of love, but even as Lou Rawls croons, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" Scrat can't quite bring himself to give up his "Precious." This tug-of-war between the girl and an acorn that refuses to stay put, provides the film's most enchanting entertainment. It also serves as an object lesson to those making children’s movies: It's okay to let 'em see you sweat, but don't ever let them see you being predictable.
I Love You, Beth Cooper
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Starring Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Jack T. Carpenter, Lauren London, Alan Ruck, Cynthia Stevenson
Fox Atomic—Rated PG-13—Comedy
Fox Studios rushes to capitalize on Hayden Panettiere while she's still famous enough to turn "Heroes" fanboys into movie ticket buyers. After nerdy valedictorian high school senior Denis (Rust), proclaims his crush on popular girl Beth Cooper (Panettiere) during his commencement speech, the teen queen amuses herself by introducing Denis and his geeky friends to her wild-child party scene. Panettiere cheerfully does her part by stripping for a nude scene, so plot problems shouldn't prevent the film from turning a buck. Meanwhile the MPAA's rating system gets a little more questionable every year.
Bruno
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Larry Charles
Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Richard Bey, Ron Paul, Paula Abdul, Domiziano Arcangeli, Emerson Brooks, Alice Evans, Gustaf Hammarsten
Universal—Rated R—Comedy—83 min
Flying high on his "Borat" success, Sacha Baron Cohen gets a new look when he becomes a bleached blonde (with highly arched eyebrows) for his latest mockumentary. This time Cohen plays Bruno, a gay, Austrian fashionista spending his exile in Hollywood where Bruno—his lovelorn assistant Lutz (Hammarsten) in tow—seeks stardom. Though a large portion of the humor is insulting and distasteful, the "Punk'd" scenes that depict Bruno offending the very celebrities he hopes to befriend, appear staged. Watch for male frontal nudity and numerous shots featuring skin-and-bones Cohen wearing nothing but itty bitty briefs.
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Rainn Wilson, Jon Voight
Paramount—Rated PG—Fantasy—147 min
"Transformers" meets "Indiana Jones" and "The Mummy" in what feels like a hybrid of not-so-hot recent movies and LaBeouf's own screen roles. In order to save mankind from marauding Decepticon aliens, Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) and his galpal Mikaela (Fox) travel to the Egyptian ruins where they hope to find a key capable of reactivating the good-guy Autobot Transformers. Ships, tanks, planes, rockets and giant shape-shifting machines battle for audience attention in this $200 million dollar special-effects bonanza. John Turturro, Rainn Wilson and Jon Voight rush to get in on the frenetic action of this video game movie—minus the joystick.
Year One
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Harold Ramis
Starring Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Vinnie Jones, Hank Azaria, Paul Rudd, Juno Temple, Oliver Platt, David Cross
Sony—Rated PG-13—Comedy
Jack Black and Michael Cera play Zed and Oh, friends and lazy members of a primitive tribe in the year one. The pair are exiled after Zed eats the forbidden fruit. Oh joins Zed on a biblical journey that leads them to Cain and Abel, Abraham and Isaac, and the lovely people of Sodom. Unfamiliar with the rules of this new world, Zed and Oh are pressed into military service, thrown out and threatened with execution. At one point the pair are enslaved. Oh is stripped nearly naked, painted gold, and made to rub a hairy priest's chest (Platt) with warm oil. Poorly organized storytelling is one problem; the other is gross out humor that rarely hits the funny bone.
Public Enemies
(2009)
* * * (Grade B)
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Jason Clarke, Rory Cochrane, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, and Stephen Lang
Universal—Rated R—130 min
Virtuoso style and cinematic bravado flesh out the retelling of John Dillinger's saga. After escaping from prison in 1933, Dillinger (Depp) goes on a bank-robbing spree that gains him public admiration in an era of failing banks and first place on J. Edgar Hoover's (Crudup) Public Enemies list. Dillinger breaks his own rules when he woos and wins the heart of coat-check girl Billie Frechette (Cotillard). Knowing their romance can not last, the pair make every moment count. As FBI Agent Melvin Purvis, Christian Bale uses his intensity, rather than his underwritten character, to convey the agent's determination to bring Dillinger down by any means necessary.
My Sister’s Keeper
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Nick Cassavetes
Starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Sofia Vassilieva, Joan Cusack, Jason Patric, Thomas Dekker, Emily Deschanel, Lin Shaye
Warner—Rated PG-13—Drama—109 min
Abigail Breslin headlines a drama exploring complex ethical and familial issues. She plays 11-year-old Anna Fitzgerald, conceived by her parents (Diaz and Patric) to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate (Vassilieva) stay alive. During her short life Anna has happily donated blood and bone marrow numerous times, but when Kate needs one of Anna's kidneys, the younger girl hires an attorney (Baldwin) to secure Anna's medical emancipation from her parents. A cozy plot twist has Anna's mom resume her legal career in order to oppose Anna’s petition to the court. Despite all the squabbling, the Fitzgerald's are a loving family doing the best they can. From Jodi Picoult's novel, the film is sufficiently well-executed to assure there won't be a dry eye left in the house.
The Proposal
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Anne Fletcher
Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O'Hare, Malin Akerman
Disney—Rated PG-13—Comedy—107 min
In this chick flick banking on Bullock's wholesome appeal, the actress appears as cutthroat New York City book editor, Margaret Tate. Facing deportation to Canada, Margaret conspires to marry her young assistant Andrew (Reynolds) whom she knows nothing about. She finds herself succumbing to his charms during a trip to Alaska to meet Andrew's quirky family. A safe, non-offensive offering, 45-year-old Bullock and 33-year-old Reynolds make a cute pair, but never persuade as a couple. They aren't helped by a script lacking both an "aha" moment and evidence of their blossoming love.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli, James Gandolfini
Sony—Rated R—Action—106 min
The 1974 original film was an adrenaline rush casting Robert Shaw as the merciless mastermind behind a crew of hostage takers on a New York City subway. He was matched by Walter Matthau playing Walter Garber, a subway train dispatcher with a very grumpy disposition. Having gained Ryder's trust, Garber tries to keep Ryder calm while city officials plan their next move. This time, Travolta plays the madman demanding $10 million dollars in exchange for the hostages. Washington packs on the pounds for the Garber role, but director Scott has reversed his actors, putting the intense one where the funnyman belongs. It's a slick, passable production, but lacks the one, two, three punch that made the original a knock out.
The Hangover
(2009)
* * *1/2 (Grade A-)
Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson
Warner—Rated R—Comedy—100 min
Phil, Stu and Alan (Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis) take their soon-to-be-married buddy (Bartha) to Vegas for a bachelor blowout that quickly spins out of control. The following morning, Phil, Stu and Alan awaken in a luxury casino suite where they've somehow acquired both a human baby and full-grown tiger. Though questions abound, the trio's biggest problem is that they've misplaced the groom. Unable to remember events of the previous night, the three attempt to retrace their steps. Clues lead them first to the ER, then to Mike Tyson, and finally reveal that one of them has married a stripper. Using a second-tier cast, director Todd Phillips hits pay-dirt with marvelous comic performances from Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, longtime supporting players earning their break out roles. Pumping its Vegas locale for everything its worth, the tale's zany humor combines with a crazy detective story to hit the comedy jackpot.
UP
(2009)
* * * * (Grade A)
Directed by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft, John Ratzenberger, David Kaye, Elie Docter, Jeremy Leary
Buena Vista—Rated PG—Animated, Family—96 min
Another Pixar story, this one takes to the skies in a big way. When curmudgeon senior citizen, Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Asner), takes off to see a remote range of Venezuelan mountains, he ties thousands of balloons to his house that lift it up, up and away. Comfortably settled inside his flying home, Carl is appalled to discover that a young scout has inadvertently hitched a ride. Animated with spellbinding beauty and vibrance, the film follows the pair's adventures, and eventual meeting with Carl's boyhood hero (Plummer)—a famed explorer. Encountering wondrous animals, as well as with confronting an evil plot, will test the pair's resolve and leave audiences feeling "Up"- beat.
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