Movies

`Toy Story 3' doesn't shine quite as brightly

2010-06-18T13:57:27Z

This is what happens when you're good at your job: Everyone expects excellence from you, and anything even slightly short of that feels like a letdown.

"Toy Story 3" is a gorgeous film -- funny, sweet and clever in the tradition of the best Pixar movies -- but because it comes from that studio's nearly flawless tradition, including two "Toy Story" predecessors, the expectations naturally are inflated. Excluding "Cars," Pixar has a perfect track record of animated classics, with the innovative "Toy Story" starting it all in 1995. And so the pressure's on to come up with a tale that makes a sequel worthwhile.

The storytelling in no way is in question; it never is at Pixar, which is the fundamental reason their films are so strong. Neither is the voice cast, led once again by Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack, with formidable newcomers like Ned Beatty thrown into the mix. The details are as vibrant and tactile as ever: the textures and expressions, the use of light, angles and perspective.

And the core concept -- that toys have a rich, complex interior life when people aren't around -- still holds up and resonates all these years later.

If "Toy Story" hadn't come out in 1995 and "Toy Story 2" hadn't followed it in 1999, "Toy Story 3" would stand on its own as a breakthrough. Trouble is, those earlier movies do exist. And by comparison, this third installment doesn't feel quite so fresh.

And then, of course, there is the 3-D -- the trend of the summer, the thing that makes this "Toy Story" different from the first two. It's not intrusive. It doesn't consist of stuff being flung at you and plopped in your laps in gimmicky fashion. But as is so often the case, it's also completely unnecessary.

That's especially true with the kind of strong writing you have here. The script comes from Michael Arndt, an Oscar-winner for "Little Miss Sunshine," based on a story by director Lee Unkrich, Pixar chief John Lasseter and "WALL-E" director Andrew Stanton. The words and the characters pop off the screen just fine on their own.

The premise is compelling: Andy (voiced by John Morris) is no longer a kid playing all day in his room with Woody (Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Allen), cowgirl Jessie (Cusack) and the rest. He's heading off to college, and as he's cleaning out his room, he must decide what to do with his old friends. Mom (Laurie Metcalf) gives him two options: stick them in a box for storage in the attic or throw them in a trash bag for the garbage men.

The toys, including the neurotic dinosaur Rex (Wallace Shawn), know-it-all piggy bank Hamm (John Ratzenberger) and wisecracking Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head (Don Rickles and Estelle Harris), are understandably freaked out by both prospects. Plus, they're just sad to see their friend go and have all the good times end. It raises the kind of deep, existential question you don't often see in a kids movie: If no one acknowledges you, do you still exist?

Through a couple of mix-ups (and some "Mission: Impossible"-style maneuvering), they wind up instead at a day care, which seems awesome: Kids play with you all day! And new kids are constantly coming through, so the toys will never be bored or lonely! It's paradise -- until they're placed in the room with all the wildly grabby toddlers, rather than the older kids who play a little more gently. And the whole place is run with a firm, fuzzy paw by Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear (the excellent Beatty), who's all Southern charm at first but is actually a Machiavellian tyrant. He's like a pink, strawberry-scented Tennessee Williams character.

Among the other new cast members, Timothy Dalton is a total scene-stealer as a hedgehog in leiderhosen named Mr. Pricklepants, a preening British actor, and Michael Keaton is perfect as pretty-boy Ken, who's just as obsessed with clothes as Barbie (Jodi Benson) is. It's some of the best work Keaton's done in years, and a great reminder of how funny he can be.

Unkrich, who was a film editor on "Toy Story" and co-director on "Toy Story 2," plays the petite prison elements of the situation for tons of clever laughs. There's also a beautiful, sepia-toned flashback that explains the origin of Lotso's anger, as well as the back story of his chief enforcer, a creepy doll named Big Baby. But then "Toy Story 3" turns unusually dark as it heads toward its climax -- it might be too intense for littler kids -- before turning heavy-handedly sappy at the absolute end.

Adults in the audience will undoubtedly shed a tear or two. But that's how good the folks at Pixar are: They make you feel genuine emotions for hunks of plastic.

"Toy Story 3," a Disney Pixar release, is rated G. In 3-D and IMAX 3-D. Running time: 98 minutes. Three stars out of four.

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G -- General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG -- Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 -- Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R -- Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 -- No one under 17 admitted.

'Jonah Hex' is short, sugarcoated violence

2010-06-18T13:48:04Z

Critics always gripe that movies are too long and could stand some pruning.

Then you get the occasional movie, like comic-book adaptation "Jonah Hex," that's too short -- so short, and so bad, you cringe at the thought of how awful whatever ended up on the cutting-room floor must be.

Take away the eight minutes of end-credits, a lengthy prologue sequence built around comic-book panels and some repetitive flashbacks of action we've already seen, and there's barely an hour's worth of actual movie in "Jonah Hex." And that's using the term "actual movie" generously.

Part of what's missing is the harder-core violence chopped to get "Jonah Hex" down to a PG-13 rating, the theory being that an R rating scares off customers. That's the same mistake made on Sam Raimi's "Drag Me to Hell" last year.

Raimi's horror tale of a woman consigned to hell by a gypsy curse needed the blood-and-gore elbow room of an R rating, and who knows? If it had not been defanged by the PG-13 rating, maybe people would have shown up to see it.

So too "Jonah Hex," starring Josh Brolin as a disfigured 19th century bounty hunter with his own connections to hell, needed to take the gloves off.

This is a story about a man who watched his wife and son burned alive, communes savagely with the dead and vows unholy vengeance against the man responsible for all his troubles.

The subject matter alone will scare off a sizable chunk of movie-goers, while the PG-13 rating will annoy many fans of the comic book. So the filmmakers have shot off both feet by telling a nasty story then dusting it in sugar.

Brolin's Jonah Hex (people always seem to call him by his full name, as though the extra syllables were needed to fill out the movie's running time) is a Confederate Civil War veteran who turns to hunting down bad guys after his family is immolated by evil-for-the-sake-of-being evil villain Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich).

Turnbull also horribly scars Jonah's face with a branding iron. The whole experience somehow leaves Jonah able to bring the dead back to life momentarily with a touch, so he can interrogate them (this arbitrary superpower comes with its own phony rules that include the dead's ability to see the comings and goings of anyone they knew. Handy trick for a bounty hunter looking for info).

With Turnbull aiming to unleash a doomsday weapon to destroy the United States as it celebrates its centennial, Jonah is enlisted by the federal government to stop the madman.

The action feels choppy and unfinished, continually and jarringly stacking up a colossal body count without showing the killshots that made so many people dead. Such prudishness does not serve a supernatural story set in bloodthirsty pioneer days.

Jimmy Hayward, who directed the animated hit "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" and was an animator on "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo" and other beloved Pixar films, makes his live-action directing debut on "Jonah Hex." That career progression is so puzzling, it's probably best to leave it alone.

The movie's adapted from the DC Comics series by screenwriters Mark Neveldene and Brian Taylor, who wrote and directed Jason Statham's "Crank" action thrillers. That career progression makes sense.

As for the careers of the on-screen players, well, Brolin's had a good run lately, and he does try to bring gravity to Jonah, even if you can't understand a lot of his dialogue because of a speech impediment caused by his facial wound. You can't blame Brolin too much for trying to land his own action franchise.

Megan Fox -- yes, her again -- co-stars as Jonah's love interest, Lilah, a prostitute with a heart of cardiac muscle, and a brain apparently made of the same material. Her role is skimpier than the necklines of her dresses, and she delivers her lines as robotically in the 1870s as she did in the "Transformers" flicks.

There's nothing wrong with Malkovich working for a paycheck, as he's clearly doing here, only he's not working very hard. Turnbull is an utterly forgettable villain who seems to have two modes of speaking, boring and really boring.

Aidan Quinn mucks his way through a few sad moments as President Ulysses S. Grant, while Will Arnett adds some comic tension by doing nothing as a stonily straight-faced military aide. You just expect Arnett, a master of smarm in "Arrested Development," "30 Rock" and other roles, to lose it and burst out laughing at any moment.

Wish he had. "Jonah Hex" could have used some laughs.

"Jonah Hex," a Warner Bros. release, is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, disturbing images and sexual content. Running time: 82 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G -- General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG -- Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 -- Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R -- Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 -- No one under 17 admitted.

Kung-phooey 'Kid'

2010-06-11T17:53:43Z

Fellow children of the '80s: Merely pondering the possibility of a "Karate Kid" remake tears at the very fiber of our adolescence.

No one else needs to say the words "wax on-wax off" ever again. No teen bully could possibly be as slickly menacing as Billy Zabka. And as climactic showdown songs go, nothing could beat the cliched bombast of "You're the Best Around." (Now it'll be stuck in your head the rest of the day, just like it's stuck in mine. You're welcome.)

Sure, John G. Avildsen's original 1984 movie was formulaic, but it was OUR formula. There was no doubt Daniel-San was ever going to lose to rich, arrogant Johnny, leader of the Cobra Kai, in the finals of the big karate tournament. But that was OK. He had heart on his side - and the crane kick. Avildsen also directed "Rocky," so he knew a little something about playing up the underdog theme for maximum emotional impact. We were sucked in despite ourselves.

Nevertheless, a new version of "The Karate Kid" is upon us. Director Harald Zwart ("Agent Cody Banks") hits all the same notes and adheres closely to Robert Mark Kamen's original script, down to a sweep-the-leg moment in the finale. Details have been tweaked in Christopher Murphey's new script, including the setting: Instead of moving from New Jersey to Los Angeles because of his single mom's new job, our young hero moves from Detroit to Beijing, where he promptly incurs the wrath of the local thugs and learns martial arts to protect himself. (And by the way, it's now kung fu.)

But one of the biggest changes of all is the character's age.

Ralph Macchio was what, like, 35 when he played Daniel? But he looked 16, as his character was, so he seemed like a good fit. Now the character, Dre, is 12 - as is the film's star, Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada (both executive producers). But with his pretty face and slight build, Smith looks about 9. It's inescapably distracting. And so neither the fighting nor the romance with a girl who's out of his league - two key components of "The Karate Kid" - makes sense.

Even after the obligatory training montage, Smith is still a tiny, lean kid. Macchio didn't exactly bulk up, but he had an attitude about him, an East Coast swagger, that helped make his transformation into a karate master believable. Plus it's just uncomfortable watching kids this age beat each other up to the point of serious injury; there's no one to root for in that.

Still, we must watch Dre go through the motions of learning from Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), the handyman in the building where he and his mother, Sherry (Taraji P. Henson) now live.

Dre hates it in China - doesn't understand the language, can't use chopsticks, etc. - but when he meets a pretty violinist named Mei Ying in the park, he's smitten. School bully Cheng (Zhenwei Wang) doesn't like this development, though, and goes on a mission to make Dre's life even more hellish than it already was. Enter Mr. Han, who not only fights off Dre's enemies, he heals the boy's injuries and puts him through his own peculiar training regimen.

We all know where this is headed: The Big Tournament. But first, "The Karate Kid" stops at the Great Wall and the Forbidden City - you know, just because they're picturesque - which contribute to the movie's overlong running time. Still, Chan is solid in an extremely different role, one that's much more serious and understated than his well-known, playful persona. All the trademark acrobatics are there, but without the cheerful mugging. After decades on screen, it's refreshing to see Chan shift gears like this.

Functioning in the Mr. Miyagi role, Chan also has decent chemistry with Smith. But things are awkward between Smith and Wenwen Han, the Chinese version of Elisabeth Shue's Ali-with-an-I. Their ages, her shy demeanor, her English (which is sometimes hard to understand) - all these factors conspire against them, and the film.

The ending is still rousing enough to make the film a crowd-pleaser, though. But after this, hopefully some '80s classics like "Sixteen Candles," "Better Off Dead" and "Revenge of the Nerds" will remain off-limits.

"The Karate Kid," a Columbia Pictures release, is rated PG for bullying, martial arts action violence and some mild language. Running time: 135 minutes. Two stars out of four.

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G - General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG - Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 - Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R - Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

'NeverEnding Story' is under the stars

2010-06-11T05:00:00Z

A young boy helps save the land of Fantasia in the film "The NeverEnding Story," part of the "Cinematique Under the Stars" series.

Cinematique, a local film society, will present "The NeverEnding Story" at dusk on June 11 at the Bandshell, behind the Ocean Walk Shoppes, 250 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach. Admission is free but donations will be accepted.

Concessions, including beer, wine, soda, popcorn and hotdogs, will be on sale. Patrons are advised to bring lawn chairs or blankets.

Local musicians will perform before the movie, including singer-guitarist Justin Watson at 6:30 p.m. and members of the reggae-ska band A League Too Long at 7:15 p.m.

The film will start at approximately 8:15 p.m. However, Cinematique president Stephanie Mason-Teague said, "I tell people it's like the old drive-ins -- when it gets dark enough, we start it."

For more information, call Cinematique at 386-252-3778.

The first English-language film by German director Wolfgang Petersen, "The NeverEnding Story" tells the tale of Bastian, a young boy who runs into a bookstore to escape bullies from his school. The shopkeeper warns Bastian to stay away from a certain ancient book, but the boy "borrows" it and begins reading about the land of Fantasia and the warrior Atreyu, who is trying to save his home from attack by the Nothingness.

As Bastian continues reading, he makes a startling discovery: The people of Fantasia seem to be able to see and hear him.

The 1984 film is rated PG.

'A-Team' a guilty pleasure

2010-06-11T04:05:00Z

“Overkill is underrated,” says Hannibal Smith, leader of “The A-Team,” while planning a particularly elaborate and explosive scheme to trap a bad guy.

Director and co-writer Joe Carnahan apparently subscribes to this school of thought, as well.

If you’re looking for subtlety, look elsewhere. Carnahan’s big-screen version of the ’80s TV series is ridiculously over-the-top, full of wild helicopter chases and exploding sport utility vehicles and tumbling cargo containers. At times it feels like little more than a cacophony of automatic gunfire and shattered glass.

Then again, you shouldn’t really expect anything else given the source material and the director’s own filmography. Carnahan previously wrote and directed “Smokin’ Aces” from 2007, a piece of wannabe Guy Ritchie bombast about a Lake Tahoe assassination attempt _ but he also made the tremendous and little-seen drama “Narc” from 2002, starring Ray Liotta and Jason Patric as Detroit cops.

“The A-Team” combines the enormity and stylishness of the former with (some of) the intelligence and character development of the latter _ a surprising amount, given the time of year it’s hitting theaters. But mainly it’s just flat-out fun, with a cheeky sense of humor _ way more enjoyable than you might expect when you consider the ignominious history of movies inspired by TV shows. (“Leave It to Beaver,” anyone?)

Carnahan keeps things moving, making the two-hour running time fly by. The film’s fluid editing is especially noticeable during the big set pieces _ impossibly complex, intricately timed missions that the team makes look easy.

The strength of the cast helps: Liam Neeson as Hannibal, the team’s cigar-chomping mastermind, whom George Peppard played on television; Bradley Cooper, an ideal choice to step into the Dirk Benedict role as charmer Templeton “Face” Peck; and “District 9” star Sharlto Copley bringing equal amounts of humor and danger to the role of “Howlin’ Mad” Murdock. Even mixed martial arts star Quinton “Rampage” Jackson offers a solid presence, filling the intimidating shoes of Mr. T to play B.A. Baracus. One would, in theory, pity the fool asked to do that; Jackson does just fine in his first film role.

The basic details are the same, though the period has shifted to the present day; having said that, it’s also a bit of a prequel to the show’s adventures. Instead of being Vietnam veterans, they’re in the final days of troop withdrawal from Iraq in the script Carnahan co-wrote with Brian Bloom, who has a small but pivotal supporting part.

Still, Hannibal, Face, Murdock and B.A. are former Army Rangers framed for a crime they didn’t commit; “The A-Team” follows their efforts to clear their names and find the real culprits behind a botched attempt at stealing back some U.S. currency plates. Jessica Biel is all business as the Army captain who chases them once they escape and go on the run, and Patrick Wilson’s pretty-boy looks make him ideally smarmy as the CIA operative with mysterious motives and allegiances.

While several of the action sequences flow beautifully and have a great energy about them, others look fake and cheesy, with distractingly cartoony special effects. Still, the pyrotechnics should please the guys in the audience looking for mindless summer fun. And for the women … Cooper has his shirt off early and often. And he’s clearly been to the gym.

“The A-Team,” a 20th Century Fox release, is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence throughout, language and smoking. Running time: 118 minutes. Three stars out of four.

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G _ General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG _ Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 _ Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R _ Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 _ No one under 17 admitted.

Scientists in 'Splice' get an odd lesson in parenthood

2010-06-04T18:42:08Z

The hardest fiction to swallow in Vincenzo Natali's provocative sci-fi thriller "Splice" may well be the youth of the research couple at the center of the story.

Clive and Elsa head a multimillion-dollar research facility. The fact that Wired magazine put the pair, played by Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, on its cover doesn't make it much easier.

The hipster pair seem a little too cool for geek school. How cool? Their research facility goes by the acronym N.E.R.D. They do their work splicing different species' DNA to create new living forms while listening to indie-rock and jazz grooves. They wear black leather to meetings with the pharmaceutical honcho who funds their research (Simona Maicanescu in a suggestive, understated turn). If dragon-tattooed Lisbeth Salander weren't so antisocial, she'd be Elsa and Clive's pal.

Yet, once the leap is made, this tale of good and evil -- and way too much know-how -- keeps you thinking. Not simply pondering the ethics of bioengineering -- that's rather tired -- but also looking at the moral challenges of parenthood in a tweaked context. And because Natali plays with questions -- but doesn't settle on answers -- "Splice" raises uncomfortable gender notions it doesn't resolve.

After successfully engineering a male and female of a species, the cocksure duo get upended when the deep-pocketed corporation wants them to shift their research goals.

No more splicing. Which leads to one more clandestine splice. This time they use human DNA.

When the creature, designated H-50, arrives, she's scary -- not least because Elsa's in the lab alone and can hear something scurrying and we've all seen "Alien."

More telling: The creature is frightened. She tries to flee. She peeks out from toppled shelving. She looks like a trapped, hairless rabbit shaking on baby ostrich legs. Natali and creature-effects guy Howard Berger create a being both unnerving and sympathetic.

Fred and Ginger were the critters that Elsa and Clive initially trotted out for investors. Those gelatinous-looking beings have nothing on "Dren," as Elsa names her.

As she ages, she develops a preternaturally lovely face. Her body suggests not so much an animal amalgam as it does a meeting of angel and demon. Newcomer Delphine Chaneac's approach to the character elicits tenderness and suspicion. Each is deserved.

What makes "Splice" morally compelling isn't the bioethics quandaries it raises so much as the way it delves into parenthood.

Dren grows at such an accelerated rate, Elsa and Clive get a time-lapse lesson in parental bonding, discipline, teen rebellion. Alas, it's not a lesson they should have undertaken.

'Splice'

Three out of four stars

R for disturbing elements including strong sexuality, nudity, sci-fi violence and language.

1 hour, 44 minutes.

Directed by Vincenzo Natali; written by Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant and Doug Taylor; photography by Tetsuo Nagata; starring Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chaneac.

'Marmaduke': Who let this dog out?

2010-06-04T18:34:38Z

Wouldn't it be great if 7-year-olds could drive themselves to the movies? You could give them some money for Junior Mints or whatever, send them on their way, and never have to trouble yourself with tripe like "Marmaduke."

The kids are happy, the parents are happy, it's a win-win.

Sadly, that's not the way it works, and so you're going to have to schlep to the multiplex with your 7-year-old. Because that's who the target audience is for this talking-dog extravaganza, based on the long-running comic strip, and no one else. Adults, meanwhile, will have to endure groan-inducing puns, some seriously cheesy green-screen effects and a hokey, feel-good ending.

Tom Dey ("Shanghai Noon") directs from a script by Tim Rasmussen and Vince Di Meglio, who also wrote the painfully unfunny "License to Wed." We know we're in trouble early when Marmaduke (voiced by Owen Wilson) climbs into bed with his owners, Phil (Lee Pace) and Debbie (Judy Greer), and promptly passes gas, prompting one of many exasperated, sitcommy cries of "Marma-DUKE!" Later on, there is the obligatory who-let-the-dogs-out joke.

But somewhere in there is a clever nugget of an idea: the dog park as a canine version of high school.

Once Marmaduke and his family move from Kansas to Orange County, Calif., for Phil's new job with an organic pet-food company, the 200-pound Great Dane must learn to make friends in a totally different environment. (William H. Macy is wasted in the role of Phil's demanding boss.) Marmaduke and the family cat, Carlos (George Lopez), prepare for their journey by watching an episode of "The O.C." -- and tooling on it appropriately -- which is good for a laugh. The two characters have an amusing camaraderie.

Mazie, a tomboyish Australian shepherd voiced huskily by Emma Stone, becomes Marmaduke's first friend and explains the various cliques to him: the pedigrees, led by an intimidating Beauceron named Bosco (Kiefer Sutherland); the jocks, who enjoy Frisbee and the adoration of bubble-headed Afghan hounds; and the drama geeks who roll over and play dead.

Then there are the mutts, including Mazie, a Dachsund-Cairn terrier mix named Raisin (Steve Coogan) and a skittish Chinese Crested named Giuseppe (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). They're the outcasts, the rescue dogs, and the goofy, gangly Marmaduke fits in with them just fine. But then he dares to have a crush on Jezebel (Fergie), the gorgeous Collie who hangs out with the wealthy dogs and just happens to be Bosco's girlfriend.

It's "The Outsiders," with fur.

Wilson isn't a horrible choice to voice Marmaduke -- he's got that laid-back thing going, which is preferable to having the dog be obnoxiously overeager -- but the script has him talking nearly the entire time, either through narration or dialogue, and a little of that nasally delivery goes a long way.

This also brings us to the small problem that the talking-animal effect -- which takes place throughout the movie -- looks distractingly jerky and fake. Not that cats and dogs are supposed to talk in real life, but in the movie "Cats & Dogs," for example, the movement was seamless.

The 7-year-olds in the audience won't know or care. But they deserve better.

"Marmaduke," a 20th Century Fox release, is rated PG for some rude humor and language. Running time: 93 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

___

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G -- General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG -- Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 -- Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R -- Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 -- No one under 17 admitted.

Get thee to see 'The Greek'

2010-06-04T18:28:13Z

LOS ANGELES -- Finally this summer, a movie that lives up to its hype.

"Get Him to the Greek" is a complete blast, a much-needed breath of fresh air -- well, as much fresh air as you can get in crowded clubs, packed rock shows and trashed hotel suites. But you get the idea. Its energy is what's so refreshing, its lack of pretension or self-seriousness, especially during a season of bloated, boring blockbusters.

Like the 2008 hit "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" which inspired it, and like the other and-out Judd Apatow productions such as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Knocked Up" and "Superbad," "Get Him to the Greek" is primarily here to offer up a good time, with rapid-fire jokes, great pacing and (of course) a litany of clever pop-culture references. But there's always that layer of humanity and sweetness that sneaks in, providing some heart along with the raunchiness.

Russell Brand's performance was one of the funniest, most memorable parts of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and here he reprises the role of preening British rock star Aldous Snow. Brand stole that movie in just a few scenes, and a little of this character would seem to go a long way. Aldous is self-centered, arrogant and condescending. People are disposable to him, and he's incapable of being loyal. He's also flat-out brilliant and verbal, with a quick wit and an arsenal of hilariously off-kilter quips and observations.

But "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" director Nicholas Stoller, who directed and wrote the script this time based on Jason Segel's characters, also shows Aldous' vulnerability, his caring side and even a darkness in expanding the role. "Get Him to the Greek" might actually go to some places that are too uncomfortably dark, its only weakness. But Brand seems comfortable and confident throughout, and the stand-up comic shows he's capable of more than just earning laughs.

When we first see him in "Get Him to the Greek," Aldous has released his latest album, "African Child," to universal critical derision. (The video for the title song opens the film, and it's a scream.) At the same time, he's also just been dumped by his longtime girlfriend and the mother of his son, model/pop star Jackie Q (Rose Byrne in a beautifully deadpan turn as a clueless, vapid musician). So after years of sobriety, he's now numbing the pain with booze, drugs and as many women as he can find: basically living the cliched rock-star life.

But up-and-coming record executive Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) has an idea: stage a 10-year-anniversary concert of Aldous' legendary show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. It'll provide a jolt not just to Aldous' career but his own, and hopefully impress his mercurial, demanding boss, Sergio Roma (Sean Combs, a scene-stealer himself).

Hill is the straight man again, as he was opposite Brand in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," but he's not playing the same character. Both guys share a fawning admiration for Aldous' work. In "Get Him to the Greek," at least, this dynamic will change.

Aaron's assignment is to fly to London and bring Aldous back to Los Angeles for the big comeback show. Naturally, this does not go as planned. There are wild stops in New York and Las Vegas, missed flights and anonymous romps, swigs of absinthe and smuggled drugs. Cameos from celebrities like Pink, MTV's Kurt Loder and "Today" show host Meredith Vieira add a dash of realism.

Part of the charm of "Get Him to the Greek" is that there's a firm deadline -- Aldous has to get there -- but he's taking his time, doing whatever he wants whenever he wants to do it, and Stoller revels in these detours. They also allow Aaron and Aldous to bond, and what's intriguing about their relationship is that the power keeps shifting back and forth between them.

They actually, unexpectedly come close to being friends. And "Get Him to the Greek" comes close to being great.

"Get Him to the Greek," a Universal Pictures release, is rated R for strong sexual content and drug use throughout, and pervasive language. Running time: 107 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

___

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G -- General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG -- Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 -- Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R -- Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 -- No one under 17 admitted.

No 'Sex' appeal in this overindulgent sequel

2010-05-28T13:42:16Z

By CHRISTY LEMIRE
ASSOCIATED PRESS

"Sex and the City 2" is so over-the-top ridiculous, it plays like a parody of what a sequel to the 2008 hit movie would be. You can just imagine how the brainstorming sessions might have gone:

"I know, let's send the ladies to Abu Dhabi! We can dress them in outrageous costumes and put them on camels in the middle of the desert and Charlotte can search frantically for a cell phone signal! Carrie can wear some oversized hat, and Samantha can shock all the Arab men with her signature brand of in-your-face sexuality! And Miranda ... well, we'll find something for her to do."

"Of course, we'll have to play Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' 'Empire State of Mind' at some point. I mean, it's so obvious -- people will be expecting it."

"Doing it right off the top, over the opening titles."

"Perfect. But wait, we need to include Liza Minnelli somehow. Surely we can't ship her out to the Middle East ..."

"How about this: We stage a gay wedding, and not only will Liza officiate the ceremony, she'll also sing Beyonce's 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)' AND do the dance."

"Genius!" (High five!)

Minnelli does indeed sing the song and do the dance, and it's so painful to watch, it will make you want to scratch your eyes out of your head.


It's a perfect example of so much that goes wrong with "Sex and the City 2": It's self-indulgent, way too long and never as clever or funny as it's intended to be.

Writer-director Michael Patrick King and Co. found a balance of substance and style with the long-running, hugely popular HBO series. Even the original "Sex and the City" movie, for all its fashionable splashiness, still managed to be about something: the way the characters adapted as they morphed from single party girls into women building families for themselves. (Except for Samantha, of course, who's always been on the prowl, despite having a more serious boyfriend from time to time.)

But the sequel too often feels like a series of lavish set pieces with sporadic discussions about careers, marriage and babies in between (although one of those talks, between Charlotte and Miranda about the realities of motherhood, is the purest moment in the movie).

Much of the shtick has long since gotten old. Carrie's running voiceover, the structural thread all along, feels intrusive and pat. Charlotte's cutesy prudishness seems an ill fit on a married mother of two. And Samantha's corny puns reach a new low.

For fans of the show, though, the comfort of the familiarity will still be a huge draw -- seeing Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker, who's also a producer), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) on the big screen again. But the story simply isn't there, even with a running time of nearly two and a half hours. (Yes, you read that right.)

Carrie and Big (Chris Noth) have been married for two years now, and they're trying to avoid falling into staid domesticity. Miranda, married to Steve (David Eigenberg) with a son in Brooklyn, has a jerk of a new boss who's making her miserable at the law firm. Charlotte has a comfortable life with husband Harry (Evan Handler) but she's finding being a mother isn't as idyllic as she'd dreamed. And Samantha is trying to fight off menopause by swallowing handfuls of vitamins every day.

But she also gets a gig doing PR for a luxurious resort in Abu Dhabi, so naturally she invites her girlfriends along for the adventure. This is basically an excuse to dress the foursome in exquisite jewel tones (the work of the famous costume designer Patricia Field, as always) and trot them through upscale hotel rooms, restaurants and bars.

(Saying much more would give away spoilers. Let's just say some characters make decisions that are so needlessly self-destructive, they're infuriating.)

Even though it's supposed to be a fantasy, all this excess clangs -- given the current economic climate -- making these women seem out of reach and out of touch. A throwaway line about how Carrie couldn't sell her old apartment feels inadequate: She still owns it, and it's still crammed with a healthy amount of her expensive wardrobe -- at least the dresses, shoes and handbags she hasn't moved into the tony Upper East Side apartment she shares with Big.

The couple does have a serious discussion one night, though, about the kind of marriage they'd like to have. It's a rare moment that comes close to achieving honesty. But then Carrie keeps messing distractingly with her black evening gown the whole time -- and so style wins out after all.

Enjoy 'Invictus' now, 'Alice' later on DVD

2010-05-26T15:55:23Z

Wonder and inspiration, this week at the video store ...

THE FIRST HALF -- Some critics, after seeing Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" asked the question, Where's the wonder?

Lynn asks, Where's the emotional connection?

I ask: With a bandersnatch and jabberwocky and evaporating Cheshire cat, who wouldn't grow curiouser and curiouser?

Fact is, I feel completely at home in Burton's various worlds, magical places that bloom and slither apart from the boredom and falseness of the real world.

In "Alice," which comes out June 1, I was held by wonder and joy the entire time. I connected with the nonsensical sadness of the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the weary wisdom of Absalom the caterpillar (voiced by Alan Rickman), and the lonely wickedness of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter).


Burton and screenwriter Linda Woolverton mix and match Lewis Carroll's works, and update Alice (Mia Wasikowska) to a 19-year-old about to be married to the snootiest, drippiest lord ever to grace Britain's bloodlines. No wonder she chases a rabbit only she can see.

And what a trip it becomes, down the rabbit hole into Jefferson Airplane land. Wonderland is now Underland, no longer the fantasy of youth but a paradise lost to the Red Queen's lust for power, absent any love.

The whimsical remains, but a gloom casts a pall over the land as well, and the March hare, hatter, cat and mouse are discombobulated and bedraggled.

Can Alice restore her dream world? Anything beats that red-haired dweeb who just proposed to her in the real world. Four-and-a-half Hearts.

THE BETTER HALF -- There's no denying Clint Eastwood is one of the finest directors working today. In the past decade alone, he has brought masterpieces to the screen - "Mystic River," "Gran Torino" -- and others that are certainly a cut above the rest - "Million Dollar Baby," "The Changeling."

In other words, even when Eastwood is not at the tip-top of his game, his films are still worth seeing. "Invictus" falls into that category: not great, but a satisfying movie worth renting.

The film is a sports and political drama rolled into one. It focuses on newly-elected Nelson Mandela's (Morgan Freeman) attempt to unify his country after the dark days of apartheid.

Many, including his top advisors, want Mandela to do away with the almost all-white national rugby team, the Springboks. They wear the gold and green colors of the old regime and the apartheid flag.

But Mandela has the wise vision to do the unexpected: He will not eliminate the team that white Afrikaners dearly love and the black majority hate and cheer against. Instead, he will try to get all South Africans behind the team and strive to win the World Cup as a rainbow nation.

To achieve his goal, he enlists the help of team captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), and as the mutual respect grows between the two, it gradually becomes infectious throughout South Africa.

Eastwood is a bit heavy-handed, a rarity for him, in some of the black-white unity symbolism. But overall, "Invictus" is quietly inspiring. Three-and-a-half Hearts.

Until next time, keep veggin' out in front of the DVD ... Married to the Movies.

'MacGruber': No review, and here's why

2010-05-21T05:30:00Z

By Robert W. Butler
McClatchy Newspapers

What is it? Will Forte's "Saturday Night Live" character makes the jump from 90-second skit to 99-minute movie. MacGruber is an adventurer who allegedly can turn common household items into defensive weapons, etc. In the skits, MacGruber always fails to deactivate the bomb and gets blown up . In the movie ...?

Why don't we have a review? Universal Pictures is screening the film late Thursday night across the country, too late for us to get a review in Friday's paper. It's probably a sign the studio doesn't have confidence in the quality.

Why we'd see it: We're fans of familiar "SNL" faces Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, and it might be fun to see what Val Kilmer and Ryan Phillippe can do.

Why we wouldn't: "A Night at the Roxbury." "Stuart Saves His Family." "It's Pat." "Superstar."

It's not easy to be green in 3-D

2010-05-21T05:30:00Z

By CHRISTY LEMIRE
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Given that "Shrek Forever After" is the first film in the franchise in 3-D, it's surprisingly flat -- and we're not just talking about the look of it.

This fourth and allegedly final installment in the series is lifeless, joyless and woefully devoid of the upbeat energy that distinguished the earlier movies -- well, at least the first two. If "Shrek the Third" from 2007 felt tired, "Shrek Forever After" is practically narcoleptic.

Brief bursts of manic energy give way to long, heavy stretches that drag. Most of the hackneyed pop culture references of its predecessors are gone, mercifully, but so is the fun. This time, the big, bad ogre is having a midlife crisis.

As for the animation, presenting it in 3-D doesn't add a whole lot. This is not a deeply immersive experience; more often, it consists of stuff being flung at you in gimmicky fashion.

And the frustrating part is, the "Shrek" movies didn't need an added dimension: They already had an impressive visual scheme all their own. The texture of the surroundings that made the franchise stand out among a slew of animated fare -- the tactile nature of the grass and trees, the water, Donkey's fur -- gets obliterated when rendered in 3-D. And all that's left is the story, but that doesn't reach out and grab us either.

As directed by Mike Mitchell ("Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo," "Sky High") from a script by Josh Klausner and Darren Lemke, "Shrek Forever After" finds the green dude (voiced by Mike Myers) disenchanted with his subdued, family-man existence. The triplets he had with wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are a year old now, and he realizes that each new day is the same as the last (in a sequence straight out of "Groundhog Day").

After being repeatedly tormented at his kids' birthday party to "do the roar" that made him famous -- one of a handful of jokes that are funny the first couple times but get beaten into the ground -- Shrek loses it. He misses the simple pleasures of being a fearsome ogre.

Blinded by his frustration, he enters an ill-advised contract with the obviously evil Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) to revisit his old life for one day. But this sends him to an alternate universe where the land of Far, Far Away, as he knew it, no longer exists. Fiona isn't his wife but rather a warrior princess leading a rebellion; his best friend, Donkey (Eddie Murphy), is still perky and sassy but doesn't know him; and ogres are being hunted in the woods.

So Shrek must befriend Donkey and woo Fiona to make everything right again: basically, repeat all the steps he went through in part one.

An attempt an injecting some novelty with the Rumpelstiltskin character also falls flat: He's tiny but hugely obnoxious. It's one thing to have an over-the-top villain if he's a compelling, well-developed figure. This guy is just off-putting.

Thankfully, Antonio Banderas returns to voice the swashbuckling Puss in Boots -- only in Shrek's weird new world, the kitty has gotten so lazy and overfed as Fiona's pampered pet, he can't even buckle his own belt. Still, Puss remains the most consistent source of comedy in the "Shrek" series. Here's hoping that when the character gets his own movie spin-off, he'll be able to stand on his own two paws without the needless aid of a third dimension.

Film examines roads and wildlife

2010-05-21T05:00:00Z

Filmmaker Eric Bendick says "roads are the largest human artifact on the planet."

Bendrick wrote and directed his film "Division Street" to answer his self-imposed question: "What happens when you leave them behind?"

The documentary, which examines the effects of road-building on wildlife, will be at shown at 6:30 p.m. May 23 at the Athens Theatre, 124 N. Florida Ave., DeLand. Admission is free. For more information, call 386-736-1500.

The movie depicts how roadways fragment wildlife habitats and may challenge the survival of some species. The film focuses on Florida's black bear and panther populations, and how they are affected by human traffic.

Bendick will attend the screening and participate in a panel discussion following the film. Audience members will be able to ask questions about transportation and wildlife issues.

The panel will include professors from the University of Central Florida and Stetson University, staff from Florida state agencies, private-land stewards and representatives from nonprofit organizations.

Saving Private Robin

2010-05-14T19:04:30Z

By CHRISTY LEMIRE, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Darth Vader. Batman. Captain James T. Kirk. Now another legendary figure gets the origin-story treatment in Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood.”

The world probably did not need another version of this famous tale, even though it arrives with outstanding production values and an impeccable pedigree. Besides Scott, the script comes from Oscar-winning “L.A. Confidential” writer Brian Helgeland, and the heavyweight cast is anchored by Russell Crowe as the title character and Cate Blanchett as Marian. (Solid supporting work comes from Mark Strong, William Hurt, Eileen Atkins, Matthew Macfadyen and the excellent Max von Sydow.)

This Robin Hood is not a man in tights and not even robbing from the rich and giving to the poor just yet, but he is rather an expert archer in the crusading army of King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston) at the turn of the 13th century. Working with “Gladiator” director Scott for the fifth time, Crowe is hulking and overly serious, and the same can be said of “Robin Hood” itself. With its sweeping scope and tangible grittiness, it does look great: an old-fashioned epic jazzed up with new technology. Several moments stand out for their imagery, including vast aerial shots and the sight of hundreds of arrows zipping through the air and landing in a thunderous shower.

But then the brawny battle scenes, which set this incarnation apart from its lilting and swashbuckling predecessors, are shot and edited in such a chaotic, choppy way, it is nearly impossible to tell what is happening. They are all frenzied, kinetic energy. The climactic showdown is chock full of cliches, including Robin yelling “Noooo!” in slow motion; meanwhile, other members of his posse magically hit their targets at just the right opportune moment.

Long before that — we do mean long before that — the convoluted plot finds Crowe’s Robin Longstride serving in the king’s army against the French. Once the king dies, Robin returns to England and assumes the identity of one Richard’s noblemen (also dead) in order to bring back the crown, which then goes to the king’s cocky, tax-happy brother, John (Oscar Isaac). The new king’s right-hand man, Godfrey (Strong, always a convincing villain), encourages him but is also in cahoots with the French. “Robin Hood” is not a documentary.

But Robin also visits the dead man’s home in Nottingham to return his sword to his blind and aging father, Sir Walter Loxley, played by von Sydow with exquisite humor and dignity. There he meets Lady Marian, who was married to Loxley’s son for all of a cup of coffee before he went off to battle. This is no delicate damsel but rather a thick-skinned pragmatist who knows her way around a sword; to borrow Tyra Banks’ favorite word, Blanchett is fierce.

Robin also assumes the identity of Marian’s husband to keep up appearances and allow the family to retain its 5,000 acres, and so it is no surprise when they end up falling for each other for real. Crowe and Blanchett’s scenes are compelling primarily because they allow us to watch two bona fide movie stars, ones who can really act, sharing the screen as well as some snappy banter. When the movie feels the need to spell out their emotional connection, however, it turns mundane.

Eventually, Robin assembles a band of men, some of whom are kind of merry, to take on the French invasion Godfrey has helped orchestrate. As they storm the beaches of England, it is all very “Saving Private Ryan.” But bringing to mind the superior epics that “Robin Hood” resembles does not exactly help its cause.

“Robin Hood,” a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content. Running time: 140 minutes. Released in 2-D only. Two and a half stars out of four.

'Babies': A casting coo

2010-05-14T18:59:40Z

A clear line will be drawn in the sand - or the sandbox, if you will - when it comes to the way people respond to “Babies.”

If you’ve never had one or you’re not into them - if the sound of cooing sends chills down your spine and the idea of changing a diaper turns your stomach - then you’re unlikely to be moved by this documentary that follows four babies from around the world, starting with birth and ending with their first steps. Be warned, the cute factor is high.

But if you’re already a mom or dad - or better yet, a new mom, like yours truly - you’ll be moved nearly to tears by the beauty of the film’s universality, by moments that are so artful and intimate, they’ll make you wonder how it’s possible that any family would let a filmmaker in so close to shoot them.

French director Thomas Balmes brings us the daily ins and outs, from mundane moments to milestones, of four infants living disparate lives: Ponijao, a girl from Namibia; Mari, a baby girl in Tokyo; Hattie from San Francisco; and Bayarjargal, the only boy (and the biggest scene-stealer) in Mongolia. Balmes does this without narration, without marking the passage of time or even subtitles to clarify what’s being said; then again, there are very few words. Instead, he roams from one baby to the next as they cry, eat, sleep, play and - eventually - crawl, stand up and walk.

It’s a bold storytelling approach: Balmes runs the risk of alienating his audience members, the vast majority of whom won’t be able to understand what’s being said. “Babies” frequently lacks momentum because there’s no strong narrative drive, just an easy, casual stroll from baby to baby, moment to moment.

Helicopter parenting doesn’t seem to exist in Mongolia, for example, where adorable Bayarjargal crawls out by himself into a scruffy field in the sunshine wearing nothing but a T-shirt and a diaper. Soon he’s surrounded by cattle, all of whom seem to know instinctively to step carefully around this delicate creature, to protect him. When Ponijao bends down to sip water from a stream in the desert, you can almost hear the moms in the audience cringing because it’s not sanitary.

But parents in the United States also will get a kick out of Hattie’s reaction when her mom drags her to a crunchy-granola, mommy-and-me song circle. Her instinct is to run screaming for the door. (Smart cookie. Learning early.) Similarly, Mari has a prolonged and hilarious tantrum when she can’t figure out how to stack a series of blocks in her bedroom. These are little people with big personalities, and Balmes lucked out in finding them; after all, he arranged to film these families while the babies were still in the womb.

3 stars out of 5.