Movie Review Bedtime Stories

Bedtime Stories (2008) 

Directed by Adam Shankman

Written by Tim Herlihy, Matt Lopez

Starring Adam Sandler, Courtney Cox, Guy Pearce, Russell Brand, Jonathan Pryce

Release Date December 25th, 2008

Published Decemer 24th, 2008

Oh what a shock! Sean hates an Adam Sandler movie. Stop the presses. Well, now wait a second. I was developing a grudging affinity for the former SNL star. I liked Punch Drunk Love. I thought he was tremendous in the terribly flawed movie Reign Over Me. And, I even liked You Don't Mess With The Zohan for the sheer glee of its offensiveness.

I honestly thought that Sandler was maturing and recognizing that even the most outlandish story, such as Zohan, needed some dramatic parameters. I thought maybe that he was developing a knowledge of how to build believable characters and motivations. And I thought maybe his juvenilia was evolving a little.

Oh how wrong I was. Bedtime Stories is the lowest piece of garbage that Sandler has crafted since Billy Madison. Insulting, stupid, beyond juvenile, this alleged 'family' movie from Disney of all places, ranks among the lowest moments of Sandler's already low career.

Bedtime Stories stars Sandler as Skeeter, a hotel handyman who had grown up in the hotel business. His father played by Jonathan Pryce, who also narrates the movie, once owned the hotel and lived their with his son and his daughter played by Courtney Cox.

Dad passed away not long after he had sold the hotel to a hotelier played by Richard Griffiths. He turned the tiny hotel into a massive hotel palace and kept Skeeter on as a handyman for some 20 years. Now he is about to open a new hotel and Skeeter hopes to run it.

Meanwhile, Skeeter's sis has lost her job and must travel out of state for a job interview. She needs little brother to watch her two kids for a week despite his having not seen them in four years. Nevertheless, he accepts. Each night at bedtime they require a story and for some unknown reason portions of the stories come to life the following day.

The script for Bedtime Stories was apparently penned on the back of a cocktail napkin. It read "Children's Bedtime stories come to life starring Adam Sandler". The rest of the production involved hiring a cast and director who would simply make up everything else that happens.

Nevermind if any of it connects into some coherent story or if the characters motivation or even their dialogue makes a lick of sense, we've got Adam Sandler and a premise, that's all the filmmakers felt they needed. Oh, how wrong they were.

What the cast and director Adam Shankman invented around this premise was brutal, unending stupidity. True garbage. None of the characters make any sense. Plot strands arrive and then are shoved off screen maybe to be revisited later. Characters are introduced and quickly dispatched without making a lick of difference to the story.

I realize that I am not supposed to care whether Skeeter would be at all qualified to run a hotel, it's not necessary information, but as presented I would not allow Skeeter to run a gas pump. Kids will not care that they are being insulted by such plot insinuations but I was endlessly irritated with the lack of care that anyone from Sandler to the director to the producers took with this plot construction.

But again, this is a kids movie you say. Why does it matter. The kids will love the bright colors and the googly eyed, farting guinea pig. They'll eat it up. Well, I will tell you why it matters. Because kids should not eat this up. Kids should not be subjected to such shoddy work.

Director Shankman's work is sloppy at best and Sandler hasn't been this lazy on screen since Mr. Deeds. Kids deserve better. They may not know it but they deserve better than to simply have their senses tickled. They deserve better than bright colors and fart jokes from a slipshod director and lazy superstar who do their jobs on autopilot why? Because it's just a kiddie flick.

No, kids deserve better. Kids deserve movies that don't patronize and appeal to their lower minds. Kids deserve movies that challenge them to think and imagine. They need and I believe they crave movies that expand their minds and make them think of bigger and better things.

Movies like Wall-E and Horton Hears A Who and Kung Fu Panda have been released this year and each of these animated features have entertained kids and caused their imaginations and intellects to expand. Kids came out of those movies laughing and smiling and best of all dreaming.

Bedtime Stories may occasionally make them laugh or smile but it won't make them dream. It will stifle them. They may not know it or show it but they will feel short changed. They will instinctively know that their time and their imagination has been wasted and the long term effect will be for them to expect less of movies.

The long term effect will be felt when years later they expect nothing of the movies and of art but the base visceral need for a distraction from daily life and that is a sad end. I know you will say I am overreacting and that Bedtime Stories is a mere trifle of a movie that will be long forgotten by most in less than a week but I am telling you, your wrong.

Bedtime Stories is an affliction. It is a long term damaging of the psyche. A movie whose future effect will be to lower the standards of what children expect of art and what they think is expected of them as people. If you care so little what you use to stimulate your child they will come to expect less of their own stimulation.

Bedtime Stories is the worst movie of 2008.

Movie Review: Wanted

Wanted (2008) 

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov

Written by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Chris Morgan

Starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terrence Stamp, Common, Chris Pratt

Release Date June 27th, 2008

Published June 27th, 2008 

For years Angelina Jolie has been a lot of flash and little cash at the box office. It seemed she was a bigger draw in the gossip columns than she was at the box office, her star power better suited to selling People and Us Weekly than her movies. With the release of the new ultra-violent action flick Wanted however, things have definitely changed.

Though Wanted is ostensibly about James McAvoy's rookie assassin, the ad campaign made quite clear that Ms. Jolie's killer pout and outstanding derriere were the real draws of this summer mind melter.

Wanted stars James McAvoy as a sadsack cubicle drone who finds himself the target of the world's greatest assassin. It seems that McAvoy's Wesley Gibson just happens to be the progeny of another of the world's greatest assassins and that the ability to kill with precision is a genetic trait that doesn't skip a generation.

Helping to hone Wesley's heretofore unknown talents is an elite group of assassins known as The Fraternity. Lead by Sloan (Morgan Freeman), The Fraternity of assassins dedicated to meting out fate as delivered to them by an ancient loom that can see the future. No, I'm NOT KIDDING! With the help of his trainer, Fox (Jolie), Wesley is to be trained to track down the man who killed his father, Mr X (David O'Hara).

Russian born director Timur Bekmambetov became a world wide sensation everywhere except in America with his series of Russian vampire series Nightwatch, Daywatch and the upcoming Twilight Watch. These stylish, high impact action flicks are on the cutting edge of special effects and likely would have been major hits were it not for the subtitles.

Taking elements of The Matrix and creating a killer trilogy mythology, BekMambetov has set box office records in his home country. For his American debut Bekmambetov brought along his talent for bombast and left behind his talent for mythology and grand storytelling. That may be due to him having left the screenplay duties to Americans Derek Haas and Michael Brandt.

These junk food junkie Americans cram a candy bar full of action and effects into Wanted and neglect anything close to a meal in terms of storytelling. This is brain free American entertainment of the most outrageous level and that it works is a testament for our love of true junk. As bad romantic comedies can be well equated with chocolate, Wanted is the Red Bull of movies, all caffeine.

Angelina Jolie has always dripped with sexuality but few films have played that aspect of Ms. Jolie as well as Wanted. Rather than be merely offensive with it's obvious objectification of Ms. Jolie, Wanted makes it the central preoccupation of Wesley, our hero. With Wesley focused on Ms. Jolie's assets (ahem) so are we. The forced perspective has a way of turning the objectification into a form of worship rather than something entirely sleezy.

So what of Mr. McAvoy? He is actually the perfect choice for a role such as this. A bigger star would be less 'believable', in terms of this movie, not believable in any real sense of the word, (CONTEXT PEOPLE!). Because McAvoy has never played a role such as this we have few expectations of him. He exceeds any and all expectations  by miles and we can't help but be roped into his world and his experiences as he seems to react as an average person might and not just a movie character.

That said, as good as Ms. Jolie and Mr. McAvoy are, Wanted is a relatively dull witted picture. Bouncing as it does from one overly loud set piece to the next, Wanted is not a film to attend if one is searching for the deep and meaningful. Like last year's Shoot'Em Up, a slightly more entertaining version of the same Red Bull style action movie, Wanted is all about the quick shot of adrenaline and little else.

This style is entertaining while your watching it but unless you take notes as I do, it's forgotten by the time you get to your car. Wanted is pure brain free entertainment for the videogame and energy drink crowd. Skip it if you like your movies with a little more meat on their  bones. If however, you are searching for a movie that will be in and out of your consciousness like a freight train, Wanted is the movie for you.

Movie Review: Wall-E

Wall-E (2008) 

Directed by Andrew Stanton

Written by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon

Starring Zooey Deschanel, Ben Burtt, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Sigourney Weaver

Release Date June 27th, 2008

Published June 26th, 2008

Pixar has long been at the cutting edge of computer animation. The key to keeping that edge has as much to do with the latest in technology as with maintaining strong relationships with the most creative minds in the animation biz. People like Finding Nemo creator Andrew Stanton. It was Stanton who dedicated years to the story of a father and son fish who got seperated and had to find each other.

And it is Stanton who returned to work as soon as he wrapped Finding Nemo, on the story of a lonely robot who falls in love. The result of another 5 years of hard work is Wall-E the latest masterpiece from the company that has revolutionized the way we view animation.

It is the year 2700 and humans are long gone from earth. No they weren't wiped out by a nuke or anything post-apocalyptic like. Rather, humanity abandoned it's garbage overflowing planet in favor of a giant, corporate owned space ship while they wait for earth to be cleaned up. The clean up of the planet was left to robots called Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth Class or WALL-E units.

Several hundred years after the first WALL-E units were put to work only one remains. WALL-E has, in his years alone, evolved. He has a personality. His childlike curiosity leads him to collect items of the garbage he busily compacts into cubes for stacking, and keep them in his little home that he has built for himself. 

WALL-E even has a friend, a cockroach who follows him everywhere. WALL-E's tranquility is upended one day by the arrival of a spaceship and a beautiful modern robot that we soon learn is called EVE. It is is Eve's job to search earth for plant life and report back to the spaceship. If she finds something alive, humans may be able to return to earth.

For WALL-E seeing Eve inspires love at first sight and eventually he wins her over. When Eve is called back to the spaceship WALL-E tags along and a whole new adventure begins.

The script for WALL-E has a number of wonderful twists and turns and a central romance between WALL-E and Eve that is more touching than 99% of the romantic comedies we've been subjected to over the past decade. Writer-director Andrew Stanton's wondrous sense of detail applies not merely to the cutting edge animation but also to the characters who are rich, elegant studies of romantic and even science fiction heroes.

The key to WALL-E is it's abundance of heart. If you can watch WALL-E and not be moved by this sweet, sensitive, smart story then you need to see a shrink. This is some of the finest character work we have seen in any movie in years. WALL-E, Eve and the humans aboard the forever orbiting spaceship, especially the captain wonderfully voiced by comic Jeff Garlin, have these rich inner lives that are delicately revealed in smart, sensible doses.

On top of the terrific characters and the romance is a smart sci fi story that goes as far as to adhere to Asimov's 3 rules for robot behavior. The three rules, do no harm, obey commands and protect itself, are played out in important and exciting fashion. I cannot stress enough the extraordinary attention to detail in this script that combines terrific sci fi, a little mystery, a great romance and even a big dance number..

WALL-E truly has it all.

Pixar has done it again. I love, love, love, love this movie. Andrew Stanton, Brad Bird and John Lasseter working under the Pixar banner have delivered the most consistent quality product of any studio in the business. Even as that business tries to limit them by labeling animation a kids genre, these brilliant artists have done more to advance the artform of feature length film than any group of directors you can name.

When Oscar comes around next year it will be a herculean effort for the academy to limit WALL-E to the mere animation Oscar category. WALL-E is a serious, undeniable candidate for the big prize and don't be surprised when it becomes the first Pixar film to break the ranks of live action domination of Best Picture.

WALL-E is just that good. 

Movie Review Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Panda (2008) 

Directed by John Stevenson, Mark Osborne

Written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger 

Starring Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross

Release Date June 6th, 2008

Published June 6th, 2008

With his mischievous eyes and roli poli-ness, Jack Black is like a super cute cartoon character come to life. Real fans know there is an edge to Jables, especially teamed with his pal Kay Gee, but for the little one who knows him from School of Rock and his voicework as the wimpy shark in A Shark's Tale, he is a figure of comic cuddliness.

Who better than to play a giant, cuddly furball who dreams of kung fu glory. In Kung Fu Panda Jack Black stars as Po. As a panda he is not the most likely kung fu master. Nevertheless, when a legendary kung fu master declares that he will, after decades of wait, name the dragon warrior, the master who brings peace to all of China, it is no mistake that Po somehow is the panda for the job.

This despite the presence of the Furious Five, a collection of the greatest warriors in all of China, all trained endlessly for decades by the legendary master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). Surely Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Snake (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross) or Mantis (Seth Rogan), should be the dragon master.

But no, it's Po and his first great challenge is just days away. The evil Tai Lung (Ian McShane) has escaped from prison and is coming for the dragon warrior. Can Po learn decades worth of Kung Fu in a couple of days or will he give in to his usual laziness and leave the fighting to the Furious Five? You now the answer to that question. Luckily, Kung Fu Panda has other virtues to make it appealing beyond the predictable story. Filled with terrific cartoon slapstick and a terrific all star voice cast Kung Fu Panda is breezy, good natured fun.

Yes, it lacks the kind of intellectual and emotional undercurrents that make the Pixar films so wonderfully memorable and it doesn't have the strong social conscience of March's Horton Hears A Who. What Kung Fu Panda lacks in depth and intellect it nearly makes up for in sweet, child-like good nature.

You and your kids aren't likely to remember Kung Fu Panda long after you see it but while it's on it's a pleasant distraction; perfect for a lazy Saturday afternoon matinee.

Movie Review: The Strangers

The Strangers (2008) 

Directed by Bryan Bertino 

Written by Bryan Bertino

Starring Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler

Release Date May 30th, 2008

Published June 4th, 2008

Sociopathic thrill killing is a real thing. Real sociopaths have stalked complete strangers and taken their lives simply for the thrill of exercising the power of life and death. It's incomprehensible to anyone with a moral compass but some people have the ability to look at another person and take their life without so much as a scruple. That is the basic premise of the new horror flick The Strangers. A young couple returns home to their cabin on the outskirts of some nameless town and are then terrorized by three people in Halloween masks. The harassment goes from merely irritating to terrifyingly violent in short order, whether the young couple survives remains a mystery to the very end.

Kristen and James have just arrived home after attending a friends wedding. James had thought it was a good opportunity to ask Kristen to marry him but as we can tell from his hangdog expression and the tears in her eyes, it didn't go down as he had hoped. Nevertheless, they are together for the weekend, out of town guests at James's father's cabin. There is tension but mostly sadness between them as the love they thought they shared is reflected throughout the cabin where James had planned romance to follow his popping the question.

The sadness is broken up by a 4 Am knock on the door. An odd young woman asks if Tammy is home. Assured that no one named Tammy had ever lived in the cabin the girl leaves. However, she isn't gone long and as James makes a cigarrette run, the girl returns, again searching for Tammy. Here is where my feelings about The Strangers diverge from my appreciation for the craftsmanship of The Strangers. I did not believe the reaction of Liv Tyler or Scott Speedman's characters to this intrusion. They are far too polite to someone who visits at 4 IN THE MORNING!

Not an angry word? No, hey it's 4 go home! Nothing. This facile politeness continues even as the visit from the strangers go from merely irritating to dangerously violent. Take for instance James who finds his car with tires slashed and the windshield broken. His reaction is to ask far too calmly why they had destroyed his car? From there he makes use of the films PG-13 allotment of F-words. The MPAA allows a PG -13 movie only one F-word per script, any more than that gets an R. Whoever spent time coming up with that standard of protecting the fragile ears of our teens.

Speedman, who I loved on TV's Felicity, has evolved into a Hugh Jackman clone, handsome and weepy. Watch the Underworld movies and he has his moments of cool but mostly he's dewy eyed and whiny. In The Strangers he plays one of the most notable wussies on film. As he and his girl are terrorized by nutballs in halloween masks, Speedman's James is endlessly polite and even after there is a death, remains deferential when it comes to the use of violence. At one point he gets his hands on a shotgun and gets the opportunity to use it on the masked wackos. He fails because he's too much of a wuss to pull the trigger.

For her part Liv Tyler exists to be Liv Tyler. We know Liv Tyler well enough to emapthize with her with little effort. We can't imagine Liv being the victim of psycho killers even if we can't really imagine her going badass in her defense. She being Liv Tyler, an actress we have know for more than a decade, we know that someone will come to save her. We know that. Right? If The Strangers gets one thing right it's convincing us that Liv Tyler might not survive this even as the logic of the recognizable female damsel in distress, tells us otherwise.

Director Brian Bertino has a talent for telling a tight, compact story with skill and precision. His weakness is crafting believable characters to drop into the intriguing scenario. Bertino wrote the script for The Strangers and thus it's his fault that Speedman's James is weak hero and that the killers take on a supernatural quality at odd with the down to earth scenario. The killers are irritating because they aren't meant to be ghosts yet they take on some modestly supernatural abilities. They have the ability to be two steps ahead of their victims at all times. They can appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. These killers seem to be perfect in every way because they are indestructible, unflappable and always out in front of our weak in the knees heroes.

Without believable characters it's difficult to become to involved in The Strangers. You feel for the young couple on a human, emotional level but as characters in an entertainment you are left with a who cares feeling. Wussy hero vs perfect killer equals uninvolving, unengaging action. I was never frightened or moved by The Strangers. It engenders in the end only a shrug of indifference.

"Hey Sean what did you think of The Strangers?"

"Meh" Shrug.

Movie Review: War Inc

War Inc (2008) 

Directed by Joshua Seftel

Written by John Cusack, Mark Leyner, Jeremy Pikser

Starring John Cusack, Hillary Duff, Marisa Tomei, Dan Akroyd

Release Date May 23rd, 2008

Published November 12th, 2008

Mention the plot of War, Inc. and inevitably people flash back to the cult classic Grosse Point Blank. That was the last time that John Cusack played a black clad hetmans who is re-humanized by falling in love. War, Inc. finds Cusack once again as a black clad hit man, cold blooded when we meet him but neurotic enough that a good woman could straighten him out and make him  a better man. So why does Grosse Point Blank work so very well and War, Inc. fail? Read on dear reader.

In War, Inc. John Cusack plays Brand Hauser, a hit man on hire by corporations for military assassinations. You see, in this future world there are no more countries or states of power, only corporations with their own agendas and military arms. One of these unnamed corporations is run by a former Vice President (Dan Akroyd) who looks strangely familiar with his thinning white hair and sailor talk.

The former VP has hired Brand to go to one of the -Istan countries where war has brought peace and hardcore capitalism, at least within the safety of the countries largest city. Outside that safe zone the strife and death is rather horrifying. Brand is sent in to kill a leader of a different country who wants to build an oil pipeline without the aid of the corporation.

Brand's cover is that he is a producer behind a huge international trade show meant to show the world the importance of capitalism and corporate branding. The signature event of the show will be a western style marriage for the countries top pop star Yonica Babyyeah (Hillary Duff). Hauser is to kill his target and make sure the wedding comes off without a hitch, but why does the pop star freak him out so much?

Meanwhile, Hauser becomes infatuated with a crusading journalist who wants to expose what is happening beyond the safety of the so called Emerald Zone. She is Natalie (Marisa Tomei) and though she suspects Hauser is just playing her off to keep her from writing what she wants she eventually see's the wounded man-child he truly is, as well as his darker side.

War, Inc. is the brainchild of writers Mark Leyner and Jeremy Pikser and director Joshua Seftel who envision a future not entirely unlike the imaginings of a William Gibson or Phillip K. Dick. The movie has all of the paranoia and subtext of classic sci fi without the actual sci-fi. It's a deeply cynical, dyspeptic take on our current government and it's approach to the middle east without the subtlety that made Gibson or Dick so brilliant.

All of the punches thrown by War, Inc. in the direction of the Bush Administration foreign policy are obvious and relatively unfunny. Even if you agree that corporate greed and our current foreign policy are scary, the shots taken at them in War, Inc. are too obvious and heavy handed to draw anything more than a smile of recognition. 

John Cusack is both a clear choice for this role and a strange one. He fits the role like a glove but it's because he's played it before and far better than this. What is there to differentiate this hit man from his Grosse Point Blank hit man? A name? They have the same philosophy, killing without the interference of state or ideology.

They have the same neuroses as well, Martin deals with his in therapy, Brand with long talks with his On Star rep in his Humvee. Brand does have the quirk of drinking hot sauce but most of the major differences don't work in this movies favor. Where Grosse Point Blank was sly and stylish with a kickass soundtrack, War, Inc. is lumbering, predictable and heavy-handed.

War, Inc. wants to be edgy, violent satire. Instead we get a cynical, predictable trip through the muck of a muddy satire taking obvious shots at broad as a barn topics and missing as often as it hits. John Cusack remains a charismatic presence and Hillary Duff has never been this good but they are lost and adrift in this smug, wannabe satire.

Why rent this John Cusack hit man movie when you could get Grosse Point Blank?

Movie Review The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian (2008)

Directed by Andrew Adamson

Written by Andrew Adamson

Starring Ben Barnes, Sergio Castellito, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Hensley, Anna Popplewell, William Moseley 

Release Date May 16th, 2008

Published May 15th, 2008

With allusions to christian legend and shakespearean drama, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a deeper, more soulful take on the work of C.S Lewis even as it manages to be less talky and more action packed than its predecessor The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe. Ben Barnes, a young English theater actor, takes on the role of Prince Caspian, a Hamlet-esque character, heir to the throne of the Telmarines. Early on we see that men are conspiring to kill Caspian and the crafty Prince makes a deft escape. 

Caspian's uncle Miraz (Sergio Castellito) has chosen now to seek to take his nephew's throne. Having just had a son, Miraz can set a new royal bloodline should Prince Caspian meet his end. What Caspian does not yet know is that Miraz was also responsible for the death of his father. Escaping into the forest, Caspian finds something unexpected: Narnians. Meanwhile in England, Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy have waited a year to hear from Aslan about when they can return to Narnia. 

Returned to their youthful teenage present, each misses the days when they were kings of the paradise of Narnia after the defeat of the White Witch. When the call comes and our four heroes are returned they find a Narnia entirely unlike the one they left behind. Aslan is nowhere to be found and Narnians are scarce in number. The Telmarines are set to crush what few Narnians remain. Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy now must team with Prince Caspian to fight against overwhelming odds to once again bring peace to the former paradise.

Written and directed once again by Andrew Adamson, The Chronicles of Narnia has become a richer, more thoughtful epic. Where Lord of the Rings became bogged down by a slavish devotion to technology, Andrew Adamson's Narnia is a near perfect balance of CGI and humanity. Adamson takes great care to bring a human, emotional connection to every aspect of his production. Though still a relatively young director, Adamson shows the control and confidence of a veteran. His confidence is well displayed in how quickly Adamson thrusts his audience back into the story of Narnia without getting detoured by reintroductions.

With delicate balance Adamson initiates new audiences without boring the returnees with information we already have. Adamson seamlessly integrates new characters without causing too much confusion for fans seeking the familiar, most of which is lost in the story's shift in time. 

That said, the production is not without issues. As much skill as Adamson shows as a storyteller, his visual style can be a tad hectic and confusing. Early scenes feature unnecessarily shaky camera work and too quick edits. The technique improves throughout, the early clumsiness the only betrayal of the fact that Prince Caspian is only Adamson's second live action feature.

Our terrific heroes return with newfound confidence and star presence. The standout remains Georgie Henley's Lucy who remains impishly cute and yet brings layers of new experience to 11 year old Lucy. William Mosely strikes a kingly pose as Peter the oldest and the leader.

Anna Popplewell is a young actress who can do more with a tilt of her head than many of her contemporaries can with pages of dialogue. Finally Skandar Keynes as Edmund, who struggled through a whiny, weakling performance in Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, shows great improvement in Prince Caspian. Edmund takes a more prominent role in the next Narnia chapter and Keynes looks ready for a breakthrough.

Finally there is Ben Barnes. Saddled with the title role this young actor begins at a disadvantage with all eyes on him but it does not take long for the young stage veteran to show why producers felt so much confidence in this film novice. Barnes is a handsome young man but more than that, he has a strong conflicted presence that fits a character so heavily based on Shakespeare's Hamlet.

An epic work of adventure and excitement, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a tremendous piece of work, the rare sequel to surpass the creative heights of the original. It helps that the source material is stronger. What helps more is a talented returning team of behind the scenes pros and rising before the camera stars.

Movie Review Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) 

Directed Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg

Written by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg

Starring John Cho, Kal Penn, Rob Corddry, Neil Patrick Harris

Release Date April 25th, 2008

Published April 25th, 2008

Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle was a harmless little stoner comedy with two likable if not all that well known stars. That same description still fits as Harold and Kumar get sequelized in Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. John Cho and Kal Penn are becoming better known and they have a lovable chemistry but saddled with gags that likely will not age well in the years to come, they come up short in Escape from Guantanamo Bay. 

Picking up where the original film left off, Harold and Kumar are just an hour away from boarding a flight to Amsterdam where Harold (John Cho) hopes to win the heart of Maria (Paula Garces). Kumar is supporting his buddy but the opportunity for some legalized weed smoking in the sin capital of Europe holds just as much appeal for him.

Unfortunately for Harold, Kumar cannot wait to get to Amsterdam before he gets high again. Fashioning a device he claims is a smokeless bong, Kumar intends to get high in the airplane bathroom when his bong is glimpsed by another passenger and he is mistaken as a terrorist with a bomb. Coming to his aid, Harold too is called a terrorist and the plane is sent home so our heroes can be arrested.

Confronted by an overzealous homeland security agent (Rob Corddry), Harold and Kumar wind up at the terrorist holding facility at Guantanamo Bay desperate to escape. They hope to reach Texas where a well connected friend might get them out of trouble. That friend happens to be marrying Kumar's ex Vanessa (Daneel Harris) adding some tension to the situation.

That plot gives Harold and Kumar a little motivation. The crux of Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay however is lowbrow gross out humor (two characters get peed on, amongst other gross out gags), a whole lot of drug humor, and some daring if clumsy racial humor. Race played a small but pivotal role in the original film as H & K faced off with a number of racists and stereotypes.

In Escape From Guantanamo Bay the racial component of the story becomes far more prominent. Kumar's skin color gets him pulled out line for extra security checks at the airport. On the plane an old woman is horrified to be on the flight with Kumar, imagining him as a terrorist. Finally, Rob Corddry's Homeland Security agent engages in every imaginable stereotype as he investigates Harold and Kumar's escape.

Equal opportunity offenders, Harold and Kumar themselves judge books by their cover especially in a detour through Alabama and an encounter with a backwoods resident with a number of surprises in store. As I said, the racial humor of Harold and Kumar is clumsy at best. It has the wit of one of those drunken college parties meant to protest political correctness but is really just mildly racist.

Most damaging however is that Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay is not nearly as funny as it thinks it is. Many scenes show Harold and Kumar and their supporting cast delighting in their antics to a degree of joy and humor well beyond anything the audience is feeling. I'm glad they had a good time, I just wish I had had a better time watching.

Movie Review: Baby Mama

Baby Mama (2008) 

Directed by Michael McCullers

Written by Michael McCullers

Starring Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Romany Malco, Maura Tierney, Sigourney Weaver

Release Date April 25th, 2008

Published April 24th, 2008

When Kate (Tina Fey) is told she has a one in a million chance of having a baby she first considers adoption. Unfortunately, being single her wait for a baby could be five or six years. Her only other option is a surrogate mom. A high end company, run by the glorious Sigourney Weaver, sets Kate up with Angie (Amy Poehler).

Kate and Angie could not be more different. Where Kate is successful, smart and focused, Angie is dull witted, messy and hooked up with a loser boyfriend/common law husband Carl (Dax Shepard). Nevertheless, Kate needs a baby mama and Angie is willing so the two strike a deal. Later, when Angie breaks up with Carl she ends up living with Kate while Kate finds herself romanced by Rob (Greg Kinnear) who knows noting of her baby ambitions.

Baby Mama was written and directed by Michael McCullers whose most high profile credit is the script for the most recent Austin Powers outing. He has a talent for outsized, broad comedy and he brings some of that to Baby Mama. Unfortunately, the mixture of McCullers broad comedy clashes with the straight laced character based comedy of Tina Fey and the two fail to mix.

Where Poehler is playing a very broad character, married for seven years, never having gotten pregnant yet hired as a surrogate? Fey plays Kate as straight as an arrow. Given a romance with Greg Kinnear, Fey shines and we see a glimpse of the movie that Baby Mama might have been with a different comic vision.

The odd couple bits between Fey and Poehler feels more like the forced concoction of marketers rather than the organic growth of a comic idea. Reteaming the SNL gal pals holds some appeal with younger audiences, there is no doubt of that, but in Baby Mama the reteaming happens at the expense of a story that had great potential as a romantic comedy.

Greg Kinnear, hidden entirely in the films commercials and trailers, drops in to show exactly what kind of movie Baby Mama might have been. As a juice bar owner who flirts up a storm with Fey before falling for her, without knowing of her baby fever, Kinnear shines with an easy smile and quick witted charm. When he and Tina Fey are together onscreen you want more of them and less of the broader, less believable antics of Poehler.

In essence Baby Mama wants to be a smart, funny romantic comedy but the distraction of Fey reteaming with Poehler prevented that and lead to this lame odd couple knock off despite numerous, obvious, pitfalls. Tina Fey remains somehow above even the lowest of the low moments of Baby Mama and thus the film isn't so bad as to be unwatchable but not quite good enough for me to recommend Baby Mama,.

Movie Review: What Happens in Vegas

What Happens in Vegas (2008)

Directed by Tom Vaughan

Written by Dana Fox 

Starring Ashton Kutcher, Cameron Diaz, Lake Bell, Rob Corddry

Release Date May 9th, 2008 

Published May 9th, 2008

Only in Vegas can two strangers from New York get drunk, married and rich in under 24 hours. Or so the Las Vegas Tourism board would have you believe. That is the beginning of the story in the new comedy What Happens In Vegas, a predictable new romantic comedy from stars Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. Kutcher is Jack and Diaz is Joy and they meet in Vegas after a hotel mix up.

They party together and end up married. The following day a nasty break up leads to Jack stealing a quarter from Joy and winning 3 million dollars. Because Joy claims that Jack stole her quarter she claims that have the winnings belong to her leading to a fight in court. Returning to New York the couple find themselves in the court of an eccentric judge (Dennis Miller) who sentences them to 6 months hard marriage. Should either decide to end the marriage before the 6 months is up, they are out their share of the 3 million. This sets up a War of the Roses scenario with each trying to get the other to give up.

What Happens In Vegas is not a terrible film. Rather, it is just a terribly predictable one. Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz strike a pretty good romantic chemistry and have moments together that show the potential that is squandered in What Happens In Vegas. Throughout the movie there are good scenes that are undone by a strict adherence to the typical.

Like last weeks Made of Honor, What Happens In Vegas is locked into the very particular structure of the romantic comedy. That will include a false crisis and a false dawn, followed by a real crisis and a real dawn, as if the legendary screenwriting teacher Robert McKey had written the movie himself. The protagonists hate each other then love each other and then hate each other once more before things play out as you expect.

What stinks about What Happens In Vegas is the potential for something smarter and funnier that is hinted at throughout the movie but not explored. Scenes of strong emotion or any scenes that might deepen our connection to these characters are glossed over in order to get to some ugly slapstick and the clichés of a typical romantic comedy. It's obvious that Kutcher and Diaz could give us more but the filmmakers appear determined not to allow anything into the movie that hasn't been done in several dozen other, similar movies. 

What a shame. 

Movie Review Speed Racer

Speed Racer (2008) 

Directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski

Written by Lilly and Lana Wachowski 

Starring Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Roger Allam

Release Date May 9th, 2008 

Published May 8th, 2008 

The team behind The Matrix, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, are back behind the camera for the first time since the last Matrix sequel lumbered into theaters 4 years ago. They are back with a big budget bang, adapting the boomer anime retro strip Speed Racer into an eye popping effects extravaganza. This candy colored action-racing smorgasbord is a feast for the eyes and a triumph for modern special effects. 

Emile Hirsch stars as Speed Racer, the hottest young driver on the world racing league tour. Coming off a big win, Speed is being pursued by every corporate entity on the globe, but especially by the smarmy head of Royalton International (Roger Allam). Royalton wants Speed on his team and dazzles him with his sprawling car plant.

Speed however, he cannot be bought. With the support of his family, Speed sees no need to take the corporate money. This means Royalton will have to destroy Speed as well as Racer Motors, the independent team run by Pops (John Goodman) and Mom (Susan Surandon) Racer, Speed's parents. The team includes Speed's gal Trixie (Christina Ricci) and his lead mechanic Sparky (Kick Gurry).

Always along for the ride are Speed's little brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) and his pet monkey Chim Chim. Rounding out the cast is the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) who has a reputation for causing crashes but more often than not he comes out on the side of good. Fox's performance as Racer X is far more key to the plot and to what is so good about Speed Racer than he first 

From a technological standpoint, Speed Racer is a leap forward in the way computers and movies intertwine. The virtual world that Wachowski's craft for Speed Racer is one of the most impressive visuals ever brought to the screen. Some will complain that it is all too busy and jolting, top video game-esque but those are people who are showing their age.

Speed Racer is a movie made specifically for boys 10 to 14 years old. The humor, the videogame visual style and even the cardboard cut out characters are aimed at a younger, less discriminating audience. Where adults may find the flat performances and flabby script slightly tedious, kids will be taken with the film's quick cuts, candy colors and juvenile humor.

Then there is Matthew Fox as Racer X who could be this generation's Han Solo. A taciturn bad boy with ambiguous intentions, Racer X is the big brother every kid would love to have and fills the same role for the earnest young Speed who evokes Luke Skywalker with great ease. I don't make the Star Wars allusions, lightly, I genuinely believe that Speed Racer has that kind of youth defining appeal. 

Though it was made for the kids, all audiences will be dazzled by the technology of Speed Racer. The extraordinary visuals, the exceptional way real actors are integrated into digital backgrounds, and the exciting action scenes crafted almost entirely with computers are some of the most striking and breathtaking visuals in film history.

As film technology improves Speed Racer will be remembered as a historic leap forward. The visionary Lilly and Lana Wachowski have expanded our collective movie imagination and while many will find the experience jarring, I expect that many more will be blown away. Myself, I was immersed in the visual splendor and overjoyed by the fun and excitement of Speed Racer. The movie may rely on technology to a ludicrous degree but it's so skillful in that use of technology that I really didn't mind. 

As Star Wars was a watershed for my generation, Speed Racer may be for a generation of 10 to 14 year old boys who will no doubt begin a lifelong love of movies thanks to the remarkable work of Lilly and Lana Wachowski. Circumstance may conspire to keep Speed Racer from becoming a true world wide blockbuster but history will recall Speed Racer as a historic stride in the history of film technology. On that alone I can recommend Speed Racer.

Movie Review The Duchess

The Duchess (2008) 

Directed by Saul Dibb

Written by Jeffrey Hatcher, Saul Dibb, Anders Thomas Jensen 

Starring Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell

Release Date September 5th, 2008 

Published October 25th, 2008

Georgiana Spencer is a long time relative of Lady Diana Spencer who went on to become Princess Diana. They were destined to be related. The Duchess of Devonshire was the Diana of her time, a celebrity diva with the eyes of a nation following her every move and copying her every dress and hairstyle. They had even more in common in private where the Duchess and the Princess lived with cold hearted husbands whose dalliances were humiliating blows especially as any challenge to that behavior were so hypocritically decried.

Keira Knightley stars in The Duchess as the legendary Georgiana. At 16 she was married off to the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes). They had only met twice but when assured by her mother that she would produce a make heir, the Duke snapped her up. The wedding was elaborate and celebrated across London. Georgiana was blown away by the opulence suddenly thrust upon her but her wonderment didn't last. Soon she finds her husband taking the help to his bed. When he finally takes Georgiana the moment is awkward and workmanlike.

Her role in his life is nothing more than broodmare and when she doesn't immediately offer a male heir, the duke becomes cruel and reviled. With a maid he fathered a daughter, Charlotte who then becomes Georgiana's responsibility. Her first two children are girls and the tension in the house is ever worsening. Then Georgiana is blessed with a friend named Bess. She has just been abandoned by her husband who has taken her two sons. Georgiana offers to let Bess stay with her while she fights for her boys, in the meantime Bess is convinced to sleep with William in exchange for his help, the humiliation drives a wedge between the women that is nearly irresolvable.

Soon the Duchess herself has found someone else. His name is Charles Gray and he happens to be a candidate for Prime Minister and a childhood friend of Georgiana. She offers to help his political career, with her awesome ability to draw a crowd but his interest goes far beyond her useful celebrity. He has loved her since before she was married and hopes that he can run away with her one day. The love story is a little rushed and forced but it's not bad. 

The Duchess was directed by Saul Dibb an heretofore unknown director who also co-wrote the script based on Amanda Foreman's novel. Dibb has a strong sense of the period, the hot house melodrama of the Duke and Duchess's home and an ear for the way these characters may have talked. I thoroughly  enjoyed the presence of Mr. Fox and his obvious lover Mr. Doyle. Together they are the perfect gay best friends for the Duchess though she longs for a real girlfriend. She had found it with Bess but the relationship ended badly, as did most of Georgiana's relationship.

So what of the Oscar buzz for Keira Knightley? Much deserved. Ms. Knightley is feisty and pouty and sexy and glamorous, everything we need in a grand, mid-centuries celebrity. Even as she indulges, the Duchess has a deeper intellect than the men in her life give her credit for. She earns the respect of her friend Mr. Fox by questioning his take on freedom, a line that will become ironic in her own life, "Freedom is an absolute, you either are or you are not".The publicity for The Duchess plays up a reputation for her being a great conversationalist. That example is not in The Duchess. Aside from her thoughts on freedom, the Duchess is not demonstrated as a great thinker.

Quick on her feet? Street smart? Yes, but no Nobel Prize winner.

A strong performance from Keira Knightley is the life blood of The Duchess but beyond her the film relies on the conventions of the period piece. There is nothing in Georgiana Spencer's life that is as compelling as Eliza Bennett of Pride and Prejudice, a demonstrably witty and intelligent character. A better correlative of The Duchess would be Marie Antoinette from Sophia Coppola's biography. The Duchess has a lot more juice than that overwrought melange of pop music and pop history. The juice comes from Knightly and the immaculate period setting. Set your expectations for the movie as a whole low and you will find yourself satisfied with The Duchess.

Movie Review: The Forbidden Kingdom

The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) 

Directed by Rob Minkoff 

Written by John Fusco 

Starring Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Michael Angarano

Release Date April 18th, 2008 

Published April 19th, 2008

The first teaming of Jackie Chan and Jet Li delivers one solid fight scene. In a monastery the two masters face each other down and neither can capture a full advantage. It's an alright scene, a good fight but with both Chan and Li playing good guys in The Forbidden Kingdom it is a brief fight and the better man is never close to decided.

In The Forbidden Kingdom Michael Angarano stars as  Jason, a Boston teenager with a love of kung fu movies. One day, when visiting his favorite Chinatown pawn shop, run by his friend, the kindly old Hop (Jackie Chan), he comes across a beautiful golden staff. Hop tells Jason that the staff must be returned to it's rightful owner and keeps Jason away from it.

Later, when Jason is attacked by local bullies they take him back to Hop's shop where they plan on his help robbing the old shop keep. In the ensuing chaos, Jason is given the staff by Hop and told to take it to it's rightful owner. Soon, Jason is unconscious and when he awakens his somewhere in China and somewhere in the past.

Taken in by martial arts master Lu Yang (Jackie Chan, again), Jason explains his extraordinary journey and Lu Yang tells Jason the story of the staff. It belonged to the Monkey King who was an immortal master, beloved by the gods but envied by the Jade Emporer (Colin Chou). Seeing the Monkey King as a threat to his power he tricks him and encases him in Jade, not before the Monkey King delivered his staff into the future.

Jason and Lu Yang must return the staff to the five elements mountain where the statue of the Monkey King resides and release him if Jason is to be returned home. Along the way they are joined by Golden Sparrow who is seeking revenge on the Jade Emporer and the Silent Monk (Jet Li) whose connection to the Monkey King is will be recognizable to the most observant viewers.

The Forbidden Kingdom succeeds when keeping things light and high off the ground. When Jackie Chan, Jet Li and the rest are flying around as if gravity were merely a choice, Forbidden Kingdom is alot of fun. However, when grounded and spouting about Monkey King's, the gods, the elements and what not, it grows tired quickly.

Director Rob Minkoff (Haunted Mansion) has a good eye for the kung fu and high wire acts but a tin ear for character and dialogue. The thudding plot doesn't too often get in the way of Chan and Li flying with the greatest of ease, but it does get in the way enough for the plot to trip along the way. Things are not helped by young Michael Angarano who looks like Ralph Macchio minus the appealing personality.

The Forbidden Kingdom doesn't exactly hit a home run for the first teaming of Jackie Chan and Jet Li. However, with these two kung fu masters getting up there in age we really cannot expect much more. We get one good face off and a number of good fights where they are on the same side. Would I liked to have seen them head to head a little more? Sure, who wouldn't but that is a different movie.

The Forbidden Kingdom is a family movie with some kung fu not a kung fu movie. Judging the intent, it's not a bad family movie. A little clunky and disposable. But not bad.

Movie Review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008 

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

Written by Jason Segal

Starring Jason Segal, Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, Jack McBrayer

Release Date April 18th, 2008

Published April 17th, 2008

The golden touch of writer/director/producer Judd Apatow had become King Midas in reverse on his last two efforts. the brutal spoof Walk Hard and the forgettable Drillbit Taylor. Thankfully, the golden touch is back in the new romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Starring Apatow's long time friend, part of the apatow repertory players from TV and the movies, Jason Segal, Forgetting Sarah Marshall returns to the Apatow gang's comfort zone of awkward, R-Rated romance and mines it for humor of great discomfort, humanity, truth and penis jokes.

Peter Bretter (Segal) has been in love with Sarah Marshall for five years since they met on the set of her hit show Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime. Peter performs all of the music on the show. All seemed warm and cozy until Sarah decided to break up with him. Devastated, Peter drifts into a series of random sexual encounters before his brother Dave (Bill Hader) convinces him to get away for awhile.

Deciding on a Hawaiian getaway, Peter is stunned to find Sarah Marshall already on the island when he arrives and she's attached at the lips to her new rock star boyfriend, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). On the bright side, a beautiful young hotel worker named Rachel (Mila Kunis) takes pity on him and decides to help him get his mind off his ex.

Jason Segal not only stars here, he wrote the smart, offbeat screenplay for Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the care he takes to avoid typical romantic comedy moments bring depth and brains to a film that could have been just another collection of broad gags. Segal crafts terrific characters, creates believable conflicts and wrings big laughs from moments that most anyone will be able to relate to.

Among the many things I loved about this terrific comedy romance is how director Nicholas Stoller and  Jason Segal balance Peter's flaws with Sarah's and avoids making her into a villain. The same can be said of Brand's airhead rocker who, though his quite shallow, proves to be something slightly more than just a walking gag.

Mila Kunis shines in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Bringing a dash of crazy, foul mouthed hussy to an idealized version of a dreamgirl, Kunis shows bravery and chops hanging with the Apatow crew's brand of sweet offensiveness. From her girl's gone wild moment to her foul mouthed tirades, she surprises at every turn, and proves to be more than the equal of her male counterparts.

On top of the strong central story Segal, director Nicolas Stoller and producer Apatow also find room for terrific supporting players like Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd and Jack McBrayer. Best of all however, in the briefest of roles, in William Baldwin. In a pitch perfect send up of David Caruso's CSI Miami cop, Baldwin is a hilarious scene stealer. Really, just about everything works in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. If you can get past multiple scenes of male nudity, you will have a great time with this terrific little movie.

Documentary Review: Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? (2008) 

Directed by Morgan Spurlock 

Written by Documentary 

Starring Morgan Spurlock 

Release Date April 18th, 2008

Published April 25th, 2008 

Morgan Spurlock is funny, thoughtful and charming. You have to appreciate the career he has crafted for himself off of one rather thin idea. Super Size Me was an ingenious bit of zeitgeist grabbing and self promotion. You can argue the films overall value as a documentary but it was undeniably clever. His latest effort is entirely different in topic but not tone. Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? is a jokey exploration of the post 9/11 mind in both the middle east and in the mind of a Brooklyn filmmaker with a baby on the way.

With his wife Alexandria about to give birth to their first child, Morgan Spurlock is seized with the idea of the world he is bringing his baby into. With so much turmoil in the middle east what can one documentary filmmaker do to make the world safe for his wife and child. Morgan Spurlock's idea? Find the world's most well known terrorist.

Traveling to the middle east, Spurlock first travels to Egypt to gauge the mindset of alleged American allies. He finds a thoughtful cast of people on the streets who have nice things to say about the American people but hate American policy. The trip to Egypt is revealing in how though Egypt is our ally and is seen as a progressive state their President Mubarek doesn't have trouble being reelected year after year, mostly because like many leaders in the area he uses the state to quiet dissent.

From Egypt he travels to Israel and Palestine and spends a few harrowing moments visiting the Gaza strip and coming close to actual bombs falling followed by a trip to where the bombs actually landed, an empty schoolhouse. From there it's off to Afghanistan and Pakistan and ever more enlightening and dangerous journey.

The true subject of Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden is not the world's only celebrity terrorist, but rather the interviews with real middle east residents and scholars and religious leaders which reveal people with the same concerns, hopes and feelings as the average American. People who Morgan Spurlock spoke to didn't support Osama. Even the ones who are no fans of America were not necessarily fans of Bin Laden.

Some of the most fascinating conversations in WITWIOBL comes from an Egyptian professor who says Osama Bin Laden did the American right wing a favor, he gave them a reason to be in the middle east. Without the attack on 9/11, American foreign policy could not justify a large American presence in the middle east. After the attacks, even some in the middle east were forced to accept America in their backyard.

It sounds like conspiracy theory but the professor does not claim that the Bush administration or anyone planned 9/11 or let it happen to give America a reason to go to war. Her point was only that America would not be in the middle east in the way they are today without the actions of Osama Bin Laden. It's a fair point. 

All throughout Where In The World is Osama Bin Laden I could not shake the thought, why isn't Spurlock at home with his wife? She's pregnant. When he leaves he has six weeks till she is expected to give birth. As bombs go off and bullets fly, you can't help but think go home! Yes, the documentary is entertaining and has some insight but would it have been worth it if he was killed weeks before the birth of his first child?

Spurlock confronts this question near the end and the scene is a cathartic close to the film. Of course you know already he survived but the journey is nevertheless compelling and especially in his final scenes arguably within miles of Osama, if you believe the most recent rumors.

For all his self promotion and reckless personal decision making, Spurlock knows well how to engage an audience. Intelligent, funny and compelling, I was often irritated by Spurlock and his persistent need to risk his life while his wife waited, scared at home with their child on the way, but the result is somehow worth it. This is a terrific bit of filmmaking and conversation starting.

Movie Review Life Before Your Eyes

The Life Before Your Eyes (2008) 

Directed by Vadim Perelman 

Written by Emil Stern 

Starring Uma Thurman, Ava Murri, Evan Rachel Wood, Brett Cullen

Release Date April 18th, 2008

Published May 10th, 2008 

Director Vadim Perelman loves a good tragic novel. In 2002 he adapted Andre Dubus' small scale tragedy House of Sand and Fog. Though a first time feature director, Perelman exhibited the sure hand and classical eye of a veteran director. His latest feature, The Life Before Her Eyes is another adaptation of a tragedy on an even grander scale. Set against the backdrop of a bloody school shooting, The Life Before Her Eyes is an examination of the guilt of survivors. And while it is an often moving and reflective drama, there is a device employed throughout that negates some of what is very good about the rest of the film.

Two girls are chatting away in a high school ladies room. In the distance we hear screams and what sounds like gunfire. Dianna (Evan Rachel Wood) believes it's just a prank, Maureen (Ava Murri) doesn't think so. As it gets closer, the sound of screams and gunfire is unmistakable and soon the door opens. In walks the killer, a fellow student, offering a horrifying choice. The girls are to choose which of them will die.

15 years later, we know who lived. Dianna (Uma Thurman) is now in her early 30's. She has married a college philosophy professor (Brett Cullen) and has a beautiful 8 year old daughter named Emma (Gabrielle Brennan) who has the same rebellious streak her mom always had. Dianna herself is now a teacher, she teaches art and has a particular affinity for Gaugin.

Of course, not all is as it appears. As the 15th anniversary of the school shooting approaches, Dianna's survivor guilt is causing her to have visions. She sees what she thinks is her favorite teacher who was killed that day. She sees her friend Maureen. She even see's the killer. The visions don't necessarily lead anywhere.

Throughout The Life Before Her Eyes we cut back to 15 years ago and the days leading up to the killings. Dianna was not a great student. A free spirit, she preferred smoking pot and experimenting sexually with older men to school. Maureen on the other hand is a devout christian and a good student with a bright future.

The table is set for the tragedy but director Vadim Perelman dawdles ever so slightly. Watch as he obsesses about details like the rain, thunder, philosophy, the conscience, the imagination, the paintings of Gaugin. Worthy topics but why are we being distracted from the central story. The dialogue about weather and the mind and paintings is not bad but you can sense a pattern developing and you shouldn't if the movie were working.

Evan Rachel Wood is a wonderfully expressive young actress who can tell a whole story with her face. Her soulful eyes carry sadness beyond her years while her lips are far too inviting for someone so young. Her work in The Life Before Your Eyes goes a long way toward overcoming the problems of the script and the plot devices.

Uma Thurman is an ethereal beauty with talent to spare. It's a shame she isn't given more to work with. We want to connect with her guilt, her sadness. Her conflict is compelling. She has the life of her dreams and it came at the expense of a best friend who was killed instead of her. It is a compelling drama. Unfortunately, in the few moments we seem to connect with Thurman we are sent back in time for another flashback. At a mere 88 minutes, there isn't enough time for both of these terrific actresses.

Then there is that annoying plot device that in the end takes away the pay off and catharsis we long for. It's not a devastating device, the performances of these two amazing actresses are far too good for me not to partially recommend The Life Before Her Eyes, but this could have been a far more emotionally satisfying film.

Movie Review The Grand

The Grand (2008) 

Directed by Zak Penn

Written by Zak Penn

Starring Cheryl Hines, David Cross, Richard Kind, Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano 

Release Date March 21st, 2008 

Published May 5th, 2008 

Zak Penn crafted the detailed and clever scripts for the X-Men flick directed by Brett Ratner. A comic book nut, Penn was in his element and will hopefully show the same talent in his script for the upcoming Incredible Hulk redux. Moving into the realm of directing, his talent seems somewhat less pronounced. The new comedy The Grand features an exceptional comic cast but too often feels like something Christopher Guest thought of and cast aside.

The Grand is a mockumentary that follows the progress of several different players in a 10 million dollar Las Vegas poker tournament called The Grand. Jack Faro (Woody Harrelson) is a legend on the Vegas Strip. Not for his card playing or the fact that he owns a casino, the Rabbit's Foot, but rather for his copious consumption of drugs and alcohol.

Oh and I neglect to mention Jack's 75 ex-wives. Sprung free from a two year stint in rehab, Jack needs 7 million dollars or he loses his casino to mogul Steve Lavish, an eccentric billionaire played by Chris Guest regular Michael McKean.

Facing off with Jack in the tournament are a collection of veterans, sharks and internet novices with their own unique histories and agendas. Lainie Schwartzman (Cheryl Hines) is a champion player looking to win The Grand for the first time. With her nebbish husband Fred (Ray Romano) and their three kids in tow, Lainie is a favorite to win. As is Lainie's brother Larry (David Cross). Though Lainie has more often than not beaten her brother, he remains a top player. Together they have weathered the creepy, intense competitiveness of their father (Gabe "Mr. Kotter" Kaplan) that has left them both a little emotionally crippled but great card players.

Then there are the legends. Dennis Farina looks every bit the Vegas veteran who longs for the days when mobsters busted knee caps and poker victories came with complimentary hookers. His old friend, The German (Werner Herzog, yes THE Werner Herzog) is an equally ruthless player who travels with a cadre of small animals, one of which he murders everyday to keep his instincts sharp. The wildcards in this multi-million dollar tourney are an internet poker amateur named Andy Andrews (Richard Kind) and a socially inert savant named Harold (Chris Parnell).

6 of these players will be at the final table playing for the big prize and we are told by director Zak Penn that the game being played is for real. The Grand is credited as written by Penn and pal Matt Bierman but according to Penn the actors improvised all of their dialogue based on character sketches and a barebones plot. The final card game is in fact a real game with the outcome determined by actual hands of cards between the actors. Each of the actors then delivers on whatever is expected of their character according to what the cards do for them. It's a unique idea and lends a bit of suspense to scenes that could have been quite predictable.

Other than that final hand however, The Grand remains nothing more than a clone of Christopher Guest only slightly more subdued. A talented crew of comics and actors fumble their way toward jokes, occasionally finding them, more often earning a laugh for the fumble as for the found humor. The Grand isn't bad really. The actors are fun and the poker setting is strong even as the competitive poker trend ticks down its 15 minutes of fame. I can give it a partial recommendation on the strength of a really good cast but keep your bets low on this hand.

Movie Review: Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns

Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (2008)

Directed by Tyler Perry 

Written by Tyler Perry 

Starring Angela Bassett, Rick Fox, Lance Gross

Release Date March 21st, 2008

Published March 22nd, 2008 

In Diary of A Mad Black Woman a brave dramatic performance by actress Kimberly Elise. as an abused wife of privelege forced to start over from scratch was undermined by writer-director Tyler Perry and his indulgent alter-ego Madea character who literally takes a chainsaw to the movie and destroys everything in his/her path. In Madea’s Family Reunion Perry’s call for social change and understanding amongst African Americans is once again undermined by broad comic moments between Madea and Perry’s other alter-ego old Joe.

It seemed that Perry simply couldn’t get out of his own way. Then came Why Did I Get Married? A complete departure from Perry’s first two movies and I had hoped it was a sign that Perry had matured enough to bring his honest messages of love, community, social change and humor with style and filmmaking substance. Meet The Browns squashes that maturity in the first act.

Oscar nominee Angela Bassett stars in Meet The Brown’s as Brenda, a single mom of three kids, by three different fathers, living in inner city Chicago. Things are tough and getting tougher when she loses her job. With the lights turned out and her baby daddies nowhere to be found, Brenda finds that her own father has passed away. His name was Pop Brown and he lived in a small town in Georgia where he may have left Brenda something in his will that might help her out. Traveling to the small southern town Brenda is immediately greeted by her new family.

LeRoy Brown (David Mann) is a polyester wearing, bald headed clown with a heart of gold. Though he says inappropriate things and is prone to wild, inhuman swings of mood, from wild laughter to tears, no real anger, LeRoy is a big loving teddy bear as he takes these strangers right to the Brown family home. There Brenda and the kids meet LB (Frankie Faison), his loving wife Mildred (Irma P. Hall) and Vera (Jennifer Lewis) a drunk witch whose claws come out when it comes to protecting what might be in her daddy’s will. Ultimately, Vera is harmless but she is a terrible bother throughout, functioning as the agitating force of the last third of the film.

Brenda’s son Michael (Lance Gross) is a basketball prodigy and down south he catches the eye of a scout/coach and former NBA star named Harry (Rick Fox). Actually, it’s the lovely Brenda that caught Harry’s eye but helping Michael develop his talent and deal with agents and NBA scouts that begin snooping around is a good excuse to be around Brenda. Her experience with men causes her to keep him at a distance but the romance is inevitable.

It is as if there are two movies happening in Meet The Brown’s. In one Angela Bassett is giving a pro level dramatic performance as a loving, struggling mother who discovers she can still find a good man in Rick Fox’s Harry. In the other movie are the broad, over the top and often terribly unfunny Brown family who act as ludicrous filler material distracting from the earnest, socially relevant drama happening in the other movie. Where Bassett does yeoman's work to dramatize Brenda’s struggles, the Brown’s blow into the movie, screaming and yelling, splitting their pants and ranting about pimps, ho’s and money.

Perry has a filmmakers version of multiple personality disorder. On the one hand you have an eloquent social activist with a genuine talent for telling relevant truths with great heart and humor. Then you have the A.D.D comedian Tyler Perry who nervously inserts broadly written comic moments into the drama because he doesn’t trust to stay with him when things get serious. Somehow, he overcame that nervousness in Why Did I Get Married but the jittery comic is back, to his great detriment in Meet The Brown’s.

Movie Review: Drillbit Taylor

Drillbit Taylor (2008) 

Directed by Steven Brill

Written by Seth Rogen

Starring Owen Wilson, Leslie Mann, Danny McBride 

Release Date March 21st, 2008

Published March 21st, 2008

There are three different movies going amidst the chaos of the new comedy Drillbit Taylor. One is a retreaming of producer Judd Apatow and his writer pal Seth Rogan and their style of raunchy, genital based humor. Another is an Owen Wilson movie starring Wilson in his usual charming rogue comic persona. The last is the most distasterous, an Adam Sandler movie. Stephen Brill, Adam Sandler’s pal and director of Little Nicky and Mr. Deeds, attempts to force the disparate work of Apatow/Rogan, Owen Wilson and Brill’s brand of the Sandler schtick, sans Sandler, into Drillbit Taylor and the result is utterly brutal.

Owen Wilson stars as the title character in Drillbit Taylor, a homeless criminal who accepts a position as a bodyguard for three nerdy High School freshman being bullied by a nasty senior. Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile and David Dorfman play the desperate nerds Wade, Ryan and Emmit who need protection from Filkins (Alex Frost) who has decided to make their lives hell. Offering their whole allowances week after week in exchange protection, the best bodyguard they could afford is Drillbit who claims to be an ex-military ranger and hides his homelessness.

Initially, Drillbit just wants to rob the boys and sets about stealing their stuff under the guise of helping them. Eventually however, after seeing the boys get brutalized, he decides to train them to take care of themselves. His methods are a joke but damned if they don’t give the boys the confidence to stand up to Frost leading to an inevitable final confrontation.

As often is the case my description brings order to a plot where little order exists. Drillbit Taylor stops and starts and sputters through nearly two hours of unfunny violence and cruelty. The script by Seth Rogan and Kristofer Brown plays as if half finished, filled as it is with cliches like the clueless parents and uncaring teachers, just the kinds of characters Rogan and his co-writer pal Evan Goldberg avoided like the plague in his brilliant script for Superbad. Writing with another Apatow protege Kristofer Brown, with an alleged touch up by the legendary John Hughes, the script for Drillbit Taylor features strongly sympathetic kid characters who unfortunately are transported to the Adam Sandler movie world and are repeatedly abused until we just can’t watch, let alone laugh.

Stephen Brill’s direction has the subtlety and grace of an elephant on a frozen lake bed. Scenes slam into and bang off one another in a nearly random order early on as our heroes are kept from meeting Drillbit till the beginning of the films second act. More diversions keep Drillbit out of the school, where Wilson’s charming con man thrives ever so briefly as he romances Leslie Mann’s clueless teacher, until the third act. The third act which then takes forever to play out to a stunningly violent tet still predictable conclusion. .

What director Brill thinks is funny about the abuse he puts these poor kids through is an absolute puzzle. The film lingers on scenes of violence so ugly and scarring that that the movie loses touch with any sort of reality. Drillbit Taylor becomes merely a blunt instrument attempting to bludgeon audiences into submission. Meanwhile, as Steve Brill tries to bend Rogan and Brown’s characters and Wilson’s act to fit his Sandler movie mold it is as if Brill were bullying them into his movie.

Oddly enough dear reader, if Drillbit Taylor had starred Adam Sandler and not Owen Wilson, it might actually have come out better. Wilson simply isn’t cut out to play Drillbit who is called on to be a rude, uncaring, brute who learns to care. Wilson is better suited to playing con men with a heart of gold who can only be redeemed by a good woman as he was in Wedding Crashers or The Big Bounce (not a great movie, but not bad either). No, Drillbit is perfectly suited to Sandler’s manchild, raging id persona who can be believable as an uncaring jerk, as a brutish enforcer and as the teddy bear who learned a valuable lesson.

That is likely due to the direction of Brill who has only really known how to direct Sandler. He was at a loss trying to find a Sandler-esque character in the dismal 2005 comedy Without A Paddle and he is further at a loss in trying to turn Drillbit Taylor into a Sandler movie without Sandler. What you get when he attempts to bend Rogan, Apatow and Wilson to his will is a trainwreck of slapstick violence, low key deadpan and genital based character humor. Oh what an ugly wreck it is.

Movie Review: Doomsday

Doomsday (2008) 

Directed by Neil Marshall

Written by Neil Marshall

Starring Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Adrian Lester 

Release Date March 14th, 2008

Published June 12th, 2008 

Director Neil Marshall is a talented scenarist with a flair for hardcore violence. His The Descent is one of the best horror films of the decade. For his latest effort Doomsday, Marshal tries his hand at post-apocalyptic sci fi and finds he has little new to add to this aggressive sub-genre. Though Doomsday is skilled in its violence and has a strong visual sense, the story is beyond laughable, the characters wooden and forgettable.

In some not so distant future a virus dubbed 'Reaper' has devastated much of Scotland. The blood borne, possibly airborn disease has who of the Isle terrified and left London with a damnable decision. Sentencing millions to die horrifying deaths, the government built an 18 mile wall encompassing the whole border between England and Scotland.

Years later drug enforcement cops stumble on a cache of disease victims. The reaper virus is back and another horrible decision must be made. There is however a sliver of hope. Satellites have picked up movement in Glasgow, survivors. The thought is that the legendary Dr. Kane (Malcolm McDowell may have developed a cure.

The government throws together an elite fighting force to go into the infected area, find Kane and the possible cure. Major Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra) is charged with leading this force into battle. What she finds are a loose confederacy of survivors for whom violence, human sacrifice and cannibalism are the order of the day.

The skill of Neil Marshall's direction in Doomsday is undeniable. What is lacking is any good sense in the storytelling. Doomsday unfolds in anarchic fashion but lacking a truly anarchic spirit. Marshall can't seem to decide whether he is going for the hardcore cool of 28 Days Later or the ironic, distanced, black humor of Mad Max.

What comes of Doomsday is a failed melange of the darkly comic and the attempted tragic.

Star Rhona Mitra has the physicality and good looks necessary for this role but she is at times far too sullen and lacking in the badass cool that might turn Doomsday from gloomy to just goofy enough for guilty pleasure. I wanted to revel more in her  badassery but Mitra just won't let us in. We admire her stunt work and occasionally smirk at her attempts at humor but the performance is too flat to inspire anything more than modest admiration.

If you like bizarre you may admire Neil Marshall's use of music in Doomsday. Fine Young Cannibals, Siouxie and the Banshees and Frankie Goes To Hollywood each receive prominent placement in Doomsday in some bizarre, overly ironic tribute to the 1980's.

There was potential for Doomsday to be the kind of badass action movie that combined the spirit of Big Trouble in Little China with the horror aesthete of 28 Days Later. Unfortunately, Marshall can't quite get the mix right. His visual style is impeccable but for all the attention paid to stunts and effects, the story falters and Doomsday disappoints.