Movie Review Just Go With It

Just Go With It (2011) 

Directed by Dennis Dugan 

Written by Alan Loeb, Timothy Dowling 

Starring Adam Sandler, Brooklyn Decker, Jennifer Aniston, Nick Swardson 

Release Date February 11th, 2011 

Published February 11th, 2011 

Adam Sandler has given up. The star of “Just Go With It” simply isn't trying anymore. Having sussed out that his fans will attend any trip he slaps his name on, Sandler is now giving his fans the effort they deserve. If they are not going to ask for anything more than a few moments of him barking like a dog or a friend of his humping something, why should he offer anything more than a minimum effort?

In “Just Go With It” Sandler plays Danny, a plastic surgeon who got dumped on his wedding night some 20 years ago and found out that night that his now useless wedding ring was somehow an aphrodisiac. Thus, he has spent the past two decades wearing the ring, telling stories of being abused by his wife and bedding bimbo after foolish bimbo.

And then Danny met Palmer (Sports Illustrated model Brooklyn Decker), a fourth grade teacher who happens to meet him when he's not wearing his fake ring. The two hit it off but when she accidentally happens upon the ring she wants nothing to do with him. What's Danny to do but lie about getting a divorce in order to win her back? Unfortunately, Palmer insists on meeting the soon to be ex-Mrs. Danny.

With nowhere to turn, Danny calls on his assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) to be the fake wife who will give her blessing to his new relationship. How these three along with Katherine's two kids and Danny's idiot cousin Eddy end up in Hawaii I will leave you to discover should you willingly waste the price of a ticket and nearly two hours of your precious life on “Just Go With It.”

My theory is that when “Grown Ups” became Sandler's highest grossing domestic feature it finally hit him that he no longer had to try. Heck, “Grown Ups” was just him goofing off with his pals and people paid millions to watch, clearly he doesn't have to work hard ever again. To test the theory Sandler along with his pal and favored director Dennis Dugan decided to take a Hawaiian vacation on a studio dime and film it just to see if people would watch him on a vacation.

Are there jokes in “Just Go With It?” Yes, I think they are intended as jokes but just to demonstrate the effort on display twice in the film Sandler simply barks like a dog as a punch line to a scene. TWICE! The old standbys are there as well including vague, shrugged shouldered homophobia and slight bestiality because what would a Sandler movie be without someone humping something.

Jennifer Aniston didn't merely get a vacation out of “Just Go With It,” in one pointless scene she gets a brand new wardrobe, one I wouldn't be surprised went home with her for real and why not the whole production was an excuse for a free trip to Hawaii why shouldn't she get a wardrobe in the deal.

Here's hoping Nicole Kidman, who has an awful cameo as an ex college rival of Aniston's Katherine, got something more out of “Just Go With It” than damage to her Oscar chances a la Eddie Murphy in “Norbit.” Kidman and poor Dave Matthews are saddled with such moronic characters that it’s fair to wonder if Sandler and Dugan really didn’t like them very much.  

Someone once said 'You only get what you give.' You gave Sandler millions just to watch him and his friends pee in a pool in “Grown Ups” so you can't be surprised that all he gives you in “Just Go With It” is a glimpse of his fabulous multimillion dollar Hawaiian vacation with Brooklyn Decker and Jennifer Aniston. Keep it up and his next movie will just be him in his living room watching old episodes of SNL with Scarlett Johansson as the girl who delivers his pizza.

Movie Review Super 8

Super 8 (2011) 

Directed by J.J Abrams

Written by J.J Abrams

Starring Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich 

Release Date June 10th, 2011

Published June 9th, 2011 

The combined imaginations of Steven Speilberg and J.J Abrams come together to create "Super 8" and it's a glorious combination. With Speilberg's childlike wonder and Abrams's taste in movie monsters, Super 8 is a nostalgic feast for those whose inner child carries fond memories of E.T, The Goonies, Stand by Me or any of the best of the cheesy, late night sci-fi movies of the 1950's.

Let's Make a Movie

In a Walt Disney-esque opening we see 12 year old Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) just after his mother has been killed. Joe is left in the care of his distant but protective father Jack (Kyle Chandler) while turning to his young friends for what modest comfort he can find. Part of his comfort is the distraction of making a movie.

Joe along with his visionary director pal Charles (Riley Griffiths), Martin (Gabriel Basso), Preston (Zach Mills) and Cary (Ryan Lee), are making a zombie on Charles's parent Super 8 camera. Charles has also recruited 14 year old Alice (Elle Fanning) to be his lead actress. Alice's father Louis (Ron Eldard) happens to have an unfortunate connection to Joe's mother.

On a late night on train station platform just outside of town the kids are filming a scene when a train rumbles through. As eager Charles sets up to get a shot of the train for the movie, Joe spots something unusual coming from the opposite direction, a truck has jumped onto the tracks and is driving right at the train.

Part Speilberg, Part Abrams

I will leave the rest of "Super 8" for you to discover, my plot description gets you through the first 10 minutes or so, right up until the spectacular train crash that will leave your jaw on the floor. Director J.J Abrams really loves the crashing of metal on metal and once the kids race to safety amidst the flying debris you will need a moment to catch your breath.

You won't have much time for breath catching however as director J.J Abrams delivers thrilling excitement at a brisk pace throughout. Super 8 is a fascinating mix of J.J Abrams taste for action and Steven Speilberg's childlike wonder. The film is equal parts "Cloverfield," which Abrams produced, and "E.T" and part "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" with a dash of the TV mystery "Lost."

Edge of Your Seat Excitement

Therein lies the only problem I foresee for Super 8 in finding audience; it's difficult to say what audience it's aimed at. Little kids, those under 12 will too frightened by Abrams's taste in alien movie scares while teenagers won't want to go to any movie that appeals to the nostalgia of mom and dad as Super 8 very much does.

Pushing aside the box office and marketing stuff, "Super 8" is quite simply a terrific movie. It has humor, suspense, action and scares in classically Speilberg fashion crafted with the modern imagination of J.J Abrams. "Super 8" is very much in the spirit of classic 50's sci fi movies which reminds me of my favorite line about classic sci fi, one that really applies to "Super 8," buy a ticket for a whole seat but you will only need 'THE EDGE!

Movie Review The Big Year

The Big Year (2011)

Directed by David Frankel 

Written by Howard Franklin 

Starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Steve Martin, Rosamund Pike 

Release Date October 14th, 2011

Published October 17th, 2011

I've always longed to be part of a community. I love the idea of a group of likeminded people who share a joyous passion for something. Sure, I have the community of fellow Chicago Cubs fans but we're such an edgy, angst-ridden bunch; it's hard to have a sense of community among people constantly waiting for something bad to happen.

I should consider birding. The wonderful new comedy The Big Year starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson offers a wonderful, angst-free group of people whose passion is so purely beautiful that you can't help but admire and envy it, even if you don't quite understand it.

Birding and Birder Not Bird-watching or Bird-watcher

Brad Harris (Jack Black) has a crappy job and little money but he does have his birds. Brad is a passionate birder and this year he is going to chase his dream, a Big Year. A Big Year is when a birder, bird watcher to us non-birding enthusiasts, spends one year crossing North America trying to see as many bird species as possible.

Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) is the greatest birder in the world. Kenny set the world record with his big year not long ago. Now, with an El Nino weather pattern on the horizon, Kenny knows someone will try to break his record and he's intent on keeping his legacy, even if it strains his marriage to Jessica (Rosamund Pike).

Third Retirement is the Charm

Joining Brad and Kenny on a quest for a Big Year is Stu Preissler (Steve Martin). Stu has just retired for the third time and his Big Year is his best chance to finally make his retirement permanent.

On the surface, The Big Year sounds like a ludicrous idea for a movie; a movie about bird-watching? A movie about bird-watching starring Jack Black? What's that old phrase about judging a book?

Never Judge a Book...

Get past the cover of The Big Year however, and you find a brilliant, sensitive, smart comedy about seeking adventure and chasing a dream that only makes sense to you. There is a pioneer spirit to these crazed men chasing their bird obsession and as directed by David Frankel that spirit is infectious and entertaining.

Jack Black is the heart of The Big Year as Brad. Black provides the voiceover for the film and his sensitivity, humor and passion are as surprising as they are terrifically low-key; it's Jack Black dialed down to a regular human speed and it works.

The Surprising Chemistry of Jack Black and Steve Martin

Jack Black and Steve Martin have surprisingly great chemistry as these two very different men who have only one thing in common, but one really great thing. Martin also sparks wonderfully with his onscreen wife JoBeth Williams, adding another terrifically human level to this well-grounded comedy.

Owen Wilson has the most complex role in The Big Year. Kenny Bostick's passion is less justifiable and closer to madness than is anyone else's. Kenny, we are told, already cost himself one marriage in his pursuit of a Big Year and looks to be on the verge of losing a second.

Owen Wilson The Greatest Birder in the World

Yet, even as his marriage to a woman he clearly cares about, Kenny cannot let go of what he believes will be his legacy. Rosamund Pike is excellent as Kenny's wife, a reasonable and sensitive woman who is a great deal more patient than any one should have to be until she can be patient no longer.

David Frankel is an exceptional mainstream auteur. Frankel tells very mainstream, easily accessible stories that could, in the hands of lesser directors, become wacky and over the top. Under his guidance however, stories like Marley & Me and The Big Year, become sensitive, smart human stories that mine humor from universality and truth.

A Shortcut Here and There

Of course, The Big Year has to take a few shortcuts to get where it's going. A few scenes have an air of convenience to them but that's only because the scenes were required to keep The Big Year from being three to four hours in length.

At the very least, Frankel's shorthand dialogue is neither insulting nor simpleminded. Rather, it's purposeful, well directed and exists only long enough to serve its purpose. A good example is a scene between Owen Wilson and Steve Martin.

The Honor System

There are rumors among the birding community that Kenny Bostick may have cheated to get to his Big Year, abusing the honor system on which the whole of the Big Year concept is based. Thankfully, Stu witnesses Bostick in a moment when Bostick doesn't know he is there earnestly seeking to see a particular bird that he has heard and could technically claim as he has recognized its call.

The moment is convenient for Stu's presence to witness it but the scene is necessary as it establishes Kenny Bostick as an honest man who takes his birding seriously; a point that only makes his home life compromises more poignant and sad.

An Unexpected and Welcome Surprise

The Big Year made me smile repeatedly all the way to the end and sent me home with a giant grin as well. This is a wonderful little human comedy populated by wonderful characters whose crazy adventure is inspiring, invigorating and at times both moving and funny.

The Big Year is the most unexpected and welcome surprise of 2011.

Movie Review The Adventures of Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin (2011) 

Directed by Steven Spielberg 

Written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright

Starring Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg

Release Date December 21st, 2011 

Published December 20th, 2011

The Adventures of Tintin is a remarkable technical achievement. Every moment of The Adventures of Tintin looks like a beautiful comic book come to life. There is no doubting the technical mastery involved in bringing 'Tintin' to the big screen; it does after all have the names Steven Speilberg and Peter Jackson over the title.

So, why am I not completely sold on 'Tintin?'

Who's Tintin?

Tintin (Jamie Bell) is a boyish newspaper reporter with a great nose for a story. Tintin stumbles on what may be the biggest scoop of his career when he buys a model ship at a flea market. The ship is highly coveted and Tintin is warned by one strange man while another man, Ivan Ivanovich (Daniel Craig) offers him a suspicious amount of money for the ship.

Having been intrigued by the warning and the bidding war over the ship, Tintin gets into investigation mode. When he returns home he finds his flat ransacked and the ship missing. After another encounter with Mr. Ivanovich, Tintin stumbles over another important clue; one that Ivanovich will kill to get his hands on.

A Voyage to India

Tintin's clue leads to his kidnapping and a trip to India via ship during which Tintin makes a daring escape with the ship's former Captain, Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis). Haddock's connection to the model ships, there are more than one, is the key to a remarkable adventure that, of course, includes a fabulous treasure.

The Adventures of Tintin is a remarkable technical achievement that delivers fun with terrific visuals and some dazzling adventure scenes. Especially fun is a chase scene set in India involving a crumbling dam, a rocket launcher and an incredibly shrinking motorcycle and sidecar.

Motion Capture Animation

I am very resistant to motion capture animation; I have yet to see it rendered in truly spectacular fashion. Tintin is, in fact, the closest any filmmaker has come to making the form palatable, at least to me. The attempt to make animation look more and more realistic is a fool's errand. Speilberg and Jackson's 'Tintin' teeters on the brink of the 'uncanny valley' , the sweet spot between animated cute and animated creepy.

The adventure of "The Adventure of Tintin" helped me in getting over a little of my resistance to motion capture animation but not completely. 'Tintin' doesn't have that joyous, Pixar quality that inspires me to write love poems about the beauty of modern animation.

Nor does 'Tintin' have the ability to make me care for and worry for the characters; not in the way I might have for a live action character. Take Indiana Jones for instance; you know Indy is in no danger of death but you worry for him nevertheless. There is less worry for Tintin; the animation gives us distance from the characters that live action 'Indy' is able to bridge.

'Worth Seeing if'

That said, I still recommend "The Adventures of Tintin." Kids and parents alike will love the film's bright colors and colorful characters. Tintin as a character is a terrific role model and Captain Haddock's story of redemption from drunk to hero is a terrifically well played arc.

"The Adventures of Tintin" doesn't reach the heights of great animated movies and falls well short of the best live action movies. Instead, "The Adventures of Tintin" rates a 'worth seeing if' rating. It's worth seeing if you have already seen "We Bought a Zoo," "The Muppets," or "Hugo."

Movie Review: Cars 2

Cars 2 (2011) 

Directed by John Lasseter 

Written by Ben Queen

Starring Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer

Release Date June 24th, 2011 

Published June 24th, 2011 

Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) cannot wait for his pal Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) to return to their hometown, Radiator Springs. Mater has a whole summer of fun activities for the best friends to play with. However, when Lightning gets talked into entering a special series of global races their plans will be put on hold while they make new plans to travel the globe.

Leaving Radiator Springs for the first time leaves Mater in awe while his typical antics; those that might be charming back home, cause embarrassment for Lightning in front of his fellow race cars. Eventually, however the fish out of water plot is jettisoned for the real plot, a spy story ala Hitchcock, in which the innocent Mater is mistaken for an American super-spy by a pair of British spies, Finn MacMissile (Michael Caine) and Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer).

Mater, Tow Mater

According to the Brits some super-villain is trying to destroy the market for a new kind of alternative fuel that's being used in Lightning's race and to do so the bad guys are targeting the race cars. It will be up to Mater and the Brit spy cars to stop them.

Under normal circumstances, outside of the world of "Cars," I am no fan of Larry the Cable Guy; I find his redneck shtick grating. However, in the role of Mater, Larry is truly amazing. Larry finds a note in Mater's voice that is pitched perfect. Earnest and honest, hopeful and well meaning and when he's injured, Mater's voice takes on a childlike innocence that is honestly poignant.

That's Funny Right There

Oh, and Mater's pretty funny too. A scene in the men's room of the Tokyo race course that could have been a disastrous bit of bathroom humor becomes honestly, outrageously funny for the clever responses of Larry/Mater to the odd, shall we say, 'customs' of this particularly foreign bathroom.

Is "Cars 2" as good as the original "Cars?" No, the sequel lacks the grace notes of the original, mostly due to the lack of Paul Newman's authoritative voice as Doc Hudson. That said, "Cars 2" has its charms thanks to Mater and a really fun spy homage that runs the gamut from Austin Powers to Hitchcock (mistaken identity, a Hitch staple) to, of course, James Bond.

Too Many 'Car' Chases?

The plot lacks depth but it makes up for it by being exciting, if a tad repetitive. It sounds ridiculous to say that "Cars 2" has a few to many car chases but it actually does overdo it a bit on the number of times cars chase after each other through the foreign streets of Tokyo, Rome and London.

"Cars 2" may not rank among Pixar's finest, and it surely doesn't have the polish of the original, but it finds enough fun and adventure for me to recommend it for all audiences. Kids will love it and mom and dad won't be bored. By the way, be sure to show up on time at the theater; "Cars 2" is preceded by a "Toy Story" short film called "Hawaiian Vacation" that is rolling in the aisles funny. The "Toy Story" gang alone would be worth the price of a ticket to see "Cars 2," even at the 3D prices.

Movie Review Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) 

Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger 

Starring Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman

Release Date May 26th, 2011

Published May 26th, 2011

I long ago discovered that the best thing about the job of film critic is being surprised. It's also the rarest occurrence in the job. Rarely do movies, especially big time, mainstream blockbusters, surprise people whose job it is to write about movies. "Kung Fu Panda 2" surprised me in a big way. The animation, the story and the laughs were each an astonishing improvement over the original.

Roly Poly Kung Fu Master

Jack Black once again provides the voice of Po the panda aka The Dragon Warrior. Now the leader of the vaunted furious five, including Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross) Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Mantis (Seth Rogen), Po is still a roly poly panda but now he's great at kung fu.

There is still much for Po to learn however, as Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) explains; Po now must learn inner peace. Lately, Po has been troubled by nightmares that may actually be memories of his past. Never having known his real parents, Po is suddenly becoming aware of what happened to them and how he ended up in the care of Mr. Ping (James Hong).

A Warrior of Black and White

The key to Po's past happens to coincide deeply with the rise of a new villain in China, a peacock named Shen (Gary Oldman). With his new weapon against Kung Fu, Shen intends to enslave all of China but an old soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh) has predicted his doom at the hands of a warrior of black and white.

Simple Yet Complex

I'll end my plot description there to avoid spoilers. Surprisingly, the creators of "Kung Fu Panda 2" have crafted a plot that requires discretion on the part of critics because the plot has complexity and payoffs that are much more enjoyable the less you know going in. Most kids movies forgo such complications but "Kung Fu Panda 2" writers Jonathan Aibel and Glen Berger along with director Jennifer Yuh have pulled off the remarkably difficult task of crafting a plot that is simple enough for kids to follow yet complex enough to involve adults.

The animation has great depth as well as director Yuh combines modern CG animation with touches of old school, Disney style animation. Avoid the 3D version of "Kung Fu Panda 2" and you will be rewarded with bright, beautiful colors that pop off of the screen in far more dazzling ways than a murky 3D image can deliver.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is Very Funny

I should also mention that "Kung Fu Panda 2" is really funny on top of being an involving story. Jack Black wonderfully inhabits Po and the energy and excitement he brings to each line of dialogue is terrific. What he brings to "Kung Fu Panda 2" that was lacking in the original is a slight touch of sensitivity in his voice that really nails the few really dramatic moments of "Kung Fu Panda 2."

There I go again, selling short comedies. Honestly, "Kung Fu Panda 2" is first and foremost a funny kid's movie. The creators have this time merely added a little sophistication to the storytelling, deepened the character of Po and crafted a back story with real resonance that could sustain yet another sequel.

Dreamworks Animation's Best Movie Yet

"Kung Fu Panda 2" is a wonderful movie. Director Jennifer Yuh and her team have given such careful attention to detail and nuance that they have crafted something far better than you could ever expect of a blockbuster sequel. "Kung Fu Panda 2" is funny and sweet with a big heart and a few honestly moving dramatic moments that recall the best of classic Disney and Pixar animated features and may be the best animated feature thus far crafted by the team at Dreamworks Animation, topping even their delightful "How To Train Your Dragon."

Movie Review Swinging with the Finkels

Swinging with the Finkels (2011) 

Directed by Jonathan Newman

Written by Jonathan Newman

Starring Martin Freeman, Mandy Moore, Jonathan Silverman, Melissa George

Release Date August 26th, 2011

Published September 15th, 2011 

"Swinging with the Finkels" is an odd sort of romantic comedy. The story of a bored married couple who consider Swinging, swapping partners with another married couple, as a way to spice up their spice-free marriage; "Swinging with the Finkels" has moments that are insightful and cute thanks to its pair of appealing leads.

Martin Freeman and Mandy Moore are the titular Finkels, Alvin and Ellie. College sweethearts, Alvin and Ellie have stopped being intimate with one another and Alvin is ready to chalk it up to the typicality of being married for so long. Since the two don't communicate well their uncoordinated attempts to rebuild intimacy fail quite comically.

Finally, after witnessing the seeming end of the marriage of their closest friends, played by Jonathan Silverman and Melissa George, Alvin and Ellie make one last desperate attempt to change their marriage; swinging. An ad on a website brings a very nice couple to Alvin and Ellie's flat and the night seems to go as planned.

Whether or not the swing is the thing to get Alvin and Ellie going again I will leave you to discover. What is unique about writer-director Jonathan Newman's approach to swinging is how anticlimactic the night is. Aside from a very awkward encounter between Alvin and his husband counterpart, it's a relatively peaceful event.

"Swinging with the Finkels" is not about a big, dramatic, central event but rather about smaller, quieter moments as Alvin and Ellie and their closest friends discuss the small events that add up to the bigger dramatic stuff, like the potential end of Alvin and Ellie's marriage.

Martin Freeman is a terrific actor with a very communicative face. His work has generally played off of his ability to be apoplectic; most notably his consistently overwhelmed traveler in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." In "Swinging with the Finkels" however, we see Freeman as an average, intelligent guy earnestly interested in examining how he has arrived at this point in his life and marriage.

Mandy Moore is her usual adorable self, willing to sacrifice her dignity for the laugh; especially in a scene of self pleasure that ends with an elderly man getting hit in the crotch. You will have to see the movie to see how that happened. Moore's performance however, like Freeman's, is about the quiet, thoughtful moments as much as its about the broad, crotch shot humor. 

"Swinging with the Finkels" is, in fact, so much more thoughtful than its title implies. Yes, it has moments or broad or merely awkward humor, but the the story centers strongly on the troubled marriage and how the couple attempts to understand their issues and determine if they can get past them and whether or not swinging or sex with other people may be the answer. 

Movie Review Spy Kids All the Time in the World

Spy Kids All The Time in the World (2011)

Directed by Robert Rodriguez

Written by Robert Rodriguez

Starring Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Rowan Blanchard, Mason Cook, Ricky Gervais

Release Date August 19th, 2011

Published August 21st, 2011 

When it comes to the fourth film in any franchise critical expectations are low and, generally, the movie lives down to those low expectations. Then, on occasion, there are movies like "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World" which exceeds expectations beyond all measure and becomes the most pleasant of surprises.

"Spy Kids: All the Time in the World," presented in 4D Aroma-Scope, more on that later, picks up eight years after the action of "Spy Kids 3D: Game Over." The Spy Kids program has been shuttered but the Organization of Super Spies is still in action with Agent Marissa Wilson (Jessica Alba) as the world's top super spy.

Though nine months pregnant and going into labor, Marissa still manages to chase down the evil mastermind Tick Tock (Jeremy Piven) before meeting her husband Wilbur (Joel McHale) and her step kids, Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (Mason Cook) at the hospital for the birth of a baby girl. Cut to one year later, Marissa is retired and raising the baby while trying hard to connect with the resistant Rebecca and the more welcoming Cecil. Wilbur is now a TV star, host of "Wilbur Wilson: Spy Hunter," though he's never caught a spy and doesn't know that he's married to one.

Tick Tock has escaped with the help of a new mad baddie, The Timekeeper, who has set in motion a plan to speed up time. Soon, Marissa is reactivated to save the world and her step-kids are accidentally activated as the newest Spy Kids. With the help of their mechanical Spy Dog, Argonaut (voice of Ricky Gervais), and some gadgets courtesy of the original Spy Kid, Carmen Cortez (Alex Vega, all grown up), the kids soon become the only kids capable of saving the world.

Just when you think that Robert Rodriguez is cynically cashing in on the known property that is the "Spy Kids" franchise, he surprises you with a brand new, highly inventive, and completely fun new addition to the franchise. "Spy Kids 4" is surprisingly delightful with two terrific new Spy Kids and a game adult cast that both get the joke but go along for the ride just the same.

Ricky Gervais steals the movie as the voice of Argonaut, the Spy Dog. Gervais's constant quipping deflates any sense of importance that the world saving adventure might have and helps keep the light, airy, funny vibe from receding into perfunctory, childish action adventure and 3D explosions.

Gervais is matched scene for stolen scene by Mason Cook as Cecil. This kid is a real find, a terrific young physical comic with the deadpan timing of an old time comedian. Rowan Blanchard has the more complex and far less fun role of the more serious Spy Kid but she doesn't lack for fun, especially with her ingenious love of practical jokes that also happens to be a great asset as a Spy Kid.

So, what of the fourth dimension? Aroma-Scope is the gimmick du jour of "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World" and it is kind of fun. Fans attending "Spy Kids 4" will receive a card with eight numbers on it. Throughout the movie an onscreen prompt instructs when to scratch and sniff the numbers on the card. More often than not I smelled nothing but the cardboard card though there was the strong hint of what I believe was Lucky Charms on one of the numbers and, no surprise, a slightly foul scent on another.

Aroma-Scope is not going to catch on in a big way but for "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World" it is a cute gimmick in keeping with the overall cuteness of the movie. But, ``Spy Kids: All the Time in the World" is even more than merely cute; Robert Rodriguez also includes a healthy message in the movie about time spent with family.

"Spy Kids: All the Time in the World" is a cute, sweet, smart and very funny kid adventure that gives new and clever life to a franchise that had seemed to have run its course. In fact, "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World" is so good, I am ready for the Spy Kids' next adventure.

Movie Review Source Code

Source Code (2011) 

Directed by Duncan Jones

Written by Ben Ripley

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Jeffrey Wright, Vera Farmiga

Release Date April 20th, 2011

Published April 19th, 2011

The less you know going into "Source Code," the more you will enjoy it. "Source Code" is an ingenious sci-fi thriller that delivers surprises that seem nearly impossible in the age of the spoiler alert. Directed by Duncan Jones and starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan, "Source Code" is an early candidate for year end best of lists.

Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a Chicago commuter train disoriented and very confused. The woman in the seat across from him, Christina (Michele Monaghan) looks at him as if she knows who he is but she calls him by a different name. None of the other passengers seem familiar. Finally, when he gets to the mirror in the bathroom he finds a face he does not recognize.

Then, the train explodes and Colter is fired to another reality. Now, he is strapped to a seat inside some kind of pod. Over an unseen intercom a woman's voice begins quizzing him about what he had seen on the train. Slowly, Colter begins to recognize the commands he is being given.

There has been a terrorist attack on a Chicago commuter train and 100 people on board are dead. It is Colter's mission to go back to that train before the bomb goes off and find and identify the bomber and report back to the voice on the intercom, Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) and her boss Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright.)

To tell you more than that, the very basic description of the opening minutes of "Source Code" threatens to rob you of the joys of this terrifically crafted sci-fi thriller. "Source Code" is about plot, it's about confusion and it's about shocking clarifications. Director Duncan Jones and writer Ben Ripley unfold the plot of "Source Code" with the clever twistiness of a young M.Night Shyamalan.

Source Code is a time travel movie and the time travel aspect is a lot of fun. Duncan Jones and his team create their own time travel rules and employ those rules to create nail biting suspense. We and Jake Gyllenhaal's Colter know what the rules are but most of the other characters don't and that creates a terrific tension as the everyday people Colter is trying to rescue become his accidental antagonists. 

Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright commit completely to the notions of "Source Code" and their investment in the plot and in their individual characters sells all of the pseudo science as a believable plot. Either you buy what these actors are selling or you don't. I bought it and I loved "Source Code."

The crafty plotting and terrific cast of "Source Code" create a thrilling and fun movie going experience. Do not let anyone spoil the plot for you and you may love "Source Code" even more than I did and I had far too many clues going in and still was blown away. "Source Code" is an excellent movie.

Movie Review Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer (2011) 

Directed by Sean McNamara

Written by Sean McNamara, Douglas Schwartz, Michael Berk

Starring AnnaSophia Robb, Carrie Underwood, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid

Release Date April 8th, 2011

Published April 8th, 2011

Bethany Hamilton's story is one of courage and perseverance deeply rooted in faith. Bethany's story of becoming a teenage surf champion, losing her arm in a shark attack and coming back to be a surf champion again is remarkable and with so many compelling elements in place it should have easily translated to a moving big screen experience.

Yet, we have "Soul Surfer" , a facile, dull witted take on Bethany's remarkable story. Terrific actors like AnnaSophia Robb, Academy Award winner Helen Hunt and leading man Dennis Quaid wilting in the face of a script so wildly simpleminded that only an amateur actor could have made any of it seem remotely real.

Underwood succeeds where the real actors fail

In fact, one amateur actress in the cast of "Soul Surfer," country music superstar Carrie Underwood, actually makes my point perfectly. Underwood succeeds where the real actors fail by blithely delivering her homily choked dialogue without affect and without the glaring obviousness of discomfort that the real actors are choking on.

AnnaSophia Robb is Bethany Hamilton. At 16 years old Bethany is a champion surfer in a family of surfers. Her father, Tom (Dennis Quaid) is her coach, her brother Noah (Ross Thomas) is her videographer and her mom Cheri is her biggest cheerleader. Bethany's best friend Alana (Lorraine Nicholson) is also her top surfing competitor.

Better as a documentary

Bethany was surfing with Alana, her brother and Alana's dad Holt (Kevin Sorbo) when a shark attacked and tore Bethany's arm off. This sequence of Soul Surfer is moving but once it ends we are thrust back into a story populated by stick figure versions of what we can only imagine are far more complex and interesting real people.

I have no doubt that a documentary about Bethany Hamilton would be thousands of times more interesting than anything in the shallow "Soul Surfer." This simplistic version of Bethany's story insults the audience and the real Bethany by delivering a superficial version of Bethany's extraordinary story.

Sticky, syrupy platitudes

Barely a moment of "Soul Surfer" rings true emotionally. Director Sean McNamara, who also wrote the script with the aid of several other writers, presents Bethany's story with such thick layers of sticky, syrupy platitude that it's a wonder any real emotion escapes the screen.

You could wait for "Soul Surfer" to come out on DVD but a more productive employment of your patience would have you wait for someone to license the footage of the real Bethany used over the closing credits of "Soul Surfer" for a documentary that might give her story the kind of telling it deserves.

Movie Review The Dilemma

The Dilemma (2011) 

Directed by Ron Howard

Written by Allan Loeb

Starring Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly, Channing Tatum

Release Date January 14th, 2011

Published January 14th, 2011 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, my job is to talk about the movie “The Dilemma” but I'm not so much interested in this movie as I am in the fact that Jennifer Connelly, excuse me, OSCAR WINNER JENNIFER CONNELLY, is the fourth lead in a bad romantic comedy. This, I guess, shouldn't be news; she was after all the sixth lead in the far worse romantic crime “He's Just Not That into You,” but the sad trajectory of Connelly's career since her Oscar win for “A Beautiful Mind” is a strong parallel to the struggles of this well meaning but failing movie.

In “The Dilemma” Jennifer Connelly plays a Chef who is living with Vince Vaughn's typical commitment-phobic smooth talker, this time named Ronnie. It is Ms. Connelly's job to look concerned and be constantly confused by Mr. Vaughn's increasingly bizarre actions related possibly to a gambling problem he's had for years. That's what Connelly's Beth thinks anyway. Sadly, Ms. Connelly is introduced and then forced to the sidelines for most of the second act before returning for the third act in an even more diminished and forgettable fashion. 

The reality is that Ronnie has discovered that his best friend's wife, Geneva (Winona Ryder), is sneaking around with a young, tattooed stud (Channing Tatum) . Ronnie discovered the secret but when he confronted Geneva about it she threatened to lie and say Ronnie has been flirting with her. Geneva also has a blackmail secret that she hangs over Ronnie's head but none of this really matters, it's merely a way to keep the plot wheels spinning after the 'Dilemma' of the title is revealed.

Thus Ronnie sets about trying to tell Nick (Kevin James) that Geneva is cheating on him without actually telling him. This leads to a lot of sitcom level shenanigans where Ronnie tries to manufacture a scenario where Nick can catch Geneva in the act, thus relieving him of the burden of this secret. That idea has comic invention to it but it never elicits any laughs. Instead, the turgid direction of Ron Howard and Vince Vaughn's sweaty, shifty performance make the movie feel desperate as it fails to get laugh after laughter and potential laugh. 

Failing to find a tone between comedy and drama, “The Dilemma” flails about between the professional direction of Ron Howard and Vince Vaughn's sad attempts to continue his aging brand of fast talking, Peter Pan Complex humor. Certainly there is a middle ground between Howard and Vaughn but they never find it here and their styles clash like a head on collision.

The styles clash in the career of Jennifer Connelly have come as she has tried to keep one hand in the mainstream in films like “The Hulk” and “Dark Water” and one in the world of serious dramas with roles in “Little Children,” “House of Sand and Fog” and “Reservation Road.” Neither path has worked for Connelly, now she finds herself fourth name down below stars with half her talent.

Maybe it was the decision to suborn herself to the girlfriend role in “The Hulk, thus showing herself willing to accept less than equal billing with male co-stars of lesser star power, or maybe it was the failure of her first solo lead in “Dark Water,” something caused Jennifer Connelly to stop believing in herself and begin believing that she deserves 5th wheel roles like Beth in “The Dilemma.”

Before the release of “The Dilemma” I wrote a piece on the ‘Dilemma’ facing Vince Vaughn as his aging man-boy persona begins to fade. A similar dilemma seems to be afflicting Ms. Connelly except that she seems far more accepting of her sad fate. You can see it in her listless performance in “The Dilemma” and in her acceptance of material that would likely leave any actress a little bored.

Ms. Connelly you are better than this. Stop letting Hollywood dictate to you that you are not strong enough for anything more than the 4th lead in a crappy movie like “The Dilemma.” Flash that hardware around and find some indie movie producer who can give you the kinds of roles that excite you in ways this role clearly does not.

Movie Review The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet (2011) 

Directed by Michel Gondry

Written by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg

Starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Edward James Olmos, Christoph Waltz

Release Date January 14th, 2011

Published Janurary 13th, 2011

Seth Rogen does not exactly cut the figure of a superhero. Luckily, that is kind of the point of this reboot of the old school masked hero “The Green Hornet;” he's not the real hero. Though he wears a mask and rolls around Los Angeles in a seriously pimped out superhero car, “The Green Hornet'' is a make believe hero while his martial artist, super-mechanic pal Kato is the real hero; beating down bad guys with a superhuman fighting sense while the Hornet grabs the glory on the front page.

Faux heroism is played for terrific laughs in the at times uneven but overall entertaining “The Green Hornet 3D.”

Seth Rogen stars in “The Green Hornet” as Britt Reid, a 30 something child of privilege who uses his father's wealth as an excuse to remain a teenager for life. Then, suddenly his father (Tom Wilkinson) is dead and Britt has an empire to run. Dad was the founder and editor of the last family owned newspaper in Los Angeles, The Sentinel and though Britt has never even read a newspaper, it's now his to run.

Meanwhile, Britt meets the man who has made his coffee for the past decade. Kato (Jay Chou) was his father's mechanic and coffee hound, he invented a latte machine, and now he works for Britt. Together, Britt and Kato share a disdain for the late Mr. Reid and a bitch session turns into a night of vandalism and then accidental crime fighting. The night is a life changing moment for both Reid and Kato as after saving a couple from some gang members they get a taste for the rush of the hero biz.

The twist in this hero story however is that instead of being good guys, Britt and Kato will be good guys who pose as bad guys in order to get to the bad guys. Using the editorial power of The Sentinel, Britt creates the persona of “The Green Hornet '' as the ultimate big bad in Los Angeles. Naturally, the current big bad, Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz), is none too happy with some nobody usurping his front page headlines. Chudnofsky has spent the past decade shedding blood and selling drugs to get where he is and he's not about to cede the bad guy spotlight.

That's the table setting of “The Green Hornet,” the meal as prepared by director Michel Gondry is a tweaking of the superhero formula that is both true to the classic adventure hero stories and a sly send up of the same in the casting of comic actor Rogan as the pseudo-hero. Rogen, with writing partner Evan Goldberg, wrote the screenplay for “The Green Hornet” and plays wickedly on his lack of hero traits. Some of the biggest laughs in The Green Hornet come cleverly at the star's expense

and as Rogan and Gondry cleverly twist the hero they give new life to the role of sidekick. Jay Chou's Kato is a rather ingenious invention as he bounces well off of Rogan while being a total badass fighter. Chou is a walking special effect and with Gondry’s artful eye for demonstrating his talent, Chou breaks the mold of not just the sidekick but of Asian American movie stars in Hollywood features. 

Badder than Jackie Chan and more fun than Jet Li, Chou may be a martial artist but he's not so serious about it that he can't bust out a chorus of Coolio's “Gangster's Paradise” prior to whipping out some nunchucks and breaking bad guys faces and limbs. Interesting to note, Chou is a pop star in Asia and has a killer closing rap over the credits. Trust me when I say the song is no mere novelty and even fans who don't speak the language will be hard pressed not to nod along to this groove. 

”The Green Hornet '' is not without issues. Christoph Waltz works hard not to be the same colorful villain he was in his Oscar winning role in “Inglorious Bastards and winds up coming off a little flat for the effort. The final action scene set inside the walls of the newspaper as the bad guys chase the good guys, car and all, through the cubicle lined floors of the newspaper goes on a little too long and doesn't pay off strongly enough. 

That said the good more than outweighs the bad in “The Green Hornet.” Seth Rogen's sense of humor is smartly played against a familiar superhero story turned ever so slightly on its ear. Audiences will have to really like Rogan for much of the movie to work but fans of the “Knocked Up” star will be rewarded with a unique evolution of Rogan's clumsy, good hearted galoot character.

Movie Review: Country Strong

Country Strong (2011) 

Directed by Shana Feste

Written by Shana Feste

Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Garrett Hedlund, Leighton Meester, Tim McGraw

Release Date January 7th, 2011 

Published January 8th, 2011 

Country Strong is a stunningly bad movie. An overwrought tale of addiction, failed romance and country music, Country Strong was written and directed by Shana Feste as two different movies. One version of Country Strong is a straight drama about a falling star and the other is a gritty indie drama about an alcoholic struggling to get clean in the harsh light of fame. Director Feste crashes these two movies into one another and the result is a massive wreck at the corner of Lifetime Movie Network and the Independent Film Channel.

Gwyneth Paltrow stars in Country Strong as Kelly Cantor a country diva who evokes what Taylor Swift might look and sound like in 20 years. As we join the story Kelly is in rehab for some yet to be revealed reason. In treatment she is being romanced by an orderly named Beau (Garrett Hedlund, Tron Legacy) who happens to be a small time country singer. We know there is romance here because of their moony exchanges while Beau tries out a song for the diva in her room.

The rehab idyll is broken up by the arrival of Kelly's husband James (Tim McGraw) who announces that Kelly is leaving rehab early to get back out on the road and reclaim her career. In a fit of bad judgement James is sending his wife back out on the road just 6 months after her breakdown on stage during a concert in Dallas. Moreover, genius James is sending her back to Dallas for her big comeback show at the end of the tour.

Joining Kelly as her opening act is 19 year old Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester) a mousy wannabe Carrie Underwood with the brains of Kellie Pickler. James chose Chiles personally and the sexual tension between the married man and the rising teen diva is yet another of James's brilliant moves that seem orchestrated to drive his already fragile wife over the edge. Thankfully, Kelly has brought Beau along as both a lover and protector.

The creepy love quadrangle is one of the stranger touches of Country Strong as bot James and Beau lust after the teenager while sleeping with Paltrow's troubled 40 year old alcoholic. This is part of the wannabe indie vibe that writer-director Shana Feste wants to make even as most of the movie is a big, glossy, classically showbiz drama.

The dissonant tone of Country Strong clangs and bangs along and Shana Feste matches it with a shooting and editing style as clunky and discordant as the two movies she is banging into one. Scenes begin and end in strange places at odd angles and at times all we in the audience can do is laugh at the oddity of what we are witnessing.

How strange and out of tune is Country Strong? The one actual country music star in the cast doesn't sing until the closing credits. While actors Gwyneth Paltrow, Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester play singers and get on stage, the one person to actually sell a few country records, country superstar Tim McGraw is the one person on the screen called upon just to act.

That's not to say that the music of Country Strong suffers for having actors playing singers; each of the stars actually come off surprisingly well. Gwyneth Paltrow gave fans an earful of her warble in the long forgotten karaoke drama Duets singing alongside Huey Lewis. In Country Strong Gwyneth's voice is stronger and more confident bringing to mind a slightly less engaging Shania Twain.

Garrett Hedlund as Beau is the films one true revelation. Hedlund has a terrific deep drawling voice that fits perfectly the old school, twangy laden country songs that are Beau's forte. Leighton Meester's meek voice is well cast. The Gossip Girl star fits perfectly the role of the pretty pop country star whose best work is created in the studio with the aid of a great producer who can hide her faults.

When Country Strong takes to the stage things get lively and fun. Off of the stage Country Strong is a disaster of high camp melodrama and wannabe indie movie grit. If writer-director Shana Feste had embraced this trainwreck with a bit of irony and humor she might have turned Country Strong into a honky tonk Black Swan with Gwyneth as the cracked diva, Leighton Meester as a ditzy version Mila Kunis's scheming wannabe and McGraw taking on Vincent Cassell's taskmaster with a Tennesse twang replacing the haughty Frenchness.

It would cost the film Hedlund's voice, his character is far too earnest to survive this version of Country Strong, but it would be a better and far more interesting movie and it would free Hedlund to go make a real country record of his own. I know, I have to review the movie that was made and not dream of the movie I wish were made but I had little else to do while I waited out Country Strong's final odd yet somehow conventional twist.

Movie Review Mars Needs Moms

Mars Needs Moms (2011) 

Directed by Simon Wells

Written by Simon Wells

Starring Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Mindy Sterling, Joan Cusack

Release Date March 11th, 2011 

Published March 11th, 2011 

Motion Capture, or MoCap for you nerds out there, seems like a lot of extra work for little extra benefit. Take for instance the new movie “Mars Needs Moms” which employed actor Seth Green to portray the 11 year old protagonist only to realize as production began that Green, even attempting a voice, sounded nothing like an 11 year boy. This came after they hired Green, dressed him in a green screen jumpsuit and digitized his image as he acted out the role.

The lack of a proper voice forced the producers to hire a real 11 year old, actor Seth Robert Dusky, to provide the voice of the young protagonist Milo, meaning that the studio paid a premium for Seth Green to jump around in a digital costume, a price they could have cut in half had they simply hired an 11 year old to begin with or, if the role was too taxing for someone that young, hired a stuntman to simply handle the running, jumping and climbing the role required.

None of this would have been necessary at all had Imagemovers and Disney, the companies behind “Mars Needs Moms,” simply used traditional computer animation like the groundbreakers in Disney's own house at Pixar. Instead, millions of dollars were spent to deliver a movie that feels as disjointed and failing as the attempt to have Seth Green pretend to be 11 years old.

“Mars Needs Moms,” based on the popular children's book by Berkley Breathed, is the story of Milo who, after fighting with his mom, finds aliens in her bedroom as they are scampering out the window with mom as their prisoner. Giving chase, Milo finds himself swept up by the alien ship and eventually finds himself on Mars where the population of mostly women has been abducting Earth moms for years in an attempt to clone their parenting techniques.

After briefly being held prisoner himself, Milo is rescued by Gribble (voice of Dan Fogler, Balls of Fury), an overgrown child who claims to be an astronaut but actually has a story very much like Milo's. Gribble agrees to help Milo and they are soon joined by Ki (voice of Elizabeth Harnois), a Martian with a rebellious streak and a love of “flower power”

Together, these three misfits have to rescue Milo's mom (voice of Joan Cusack) from the nasty Supervisor (Mindy Sterling) before mom's memory is destroyed and implanted into a Martian robot.

There is a terrific story somewhere in “Mars Needs Moms.” The action has a strong motivation and the story plays out with a relatively precise logic. The problem is none of the movies are very entertaining. In attempting to give Mars a little grunge the filmmakers made the planet less interesting to look at; Milo and Gribble spend much time in an alien garbage pile which is as visually enticing as it sounds.

The humor of “Mars Needs Moms” is pitched to the ear of young kids who may chuckle here and there but there is not a memorable gut buster, even for the littlest of little ones, in all of “Mars Needs Moms.” This is a movie with a rather dramatic conceit about a boy losing his mom and fighting to get her back; you need a good sense of humor to pair with that or risk boring your core audience whose eyes and ears are yet to be tuned fully for drama.

Robert Zemecki has been trying to make Motion Capture his niche in the animated business, something to separate his brand from that of Pixar, Blue Sky Studios (“Ice Age”) and Dreamworks Animation (“Shrek,” “How to Train Your Dragon”). Unfortunately, three movies into his deal with Disney his company ImageMovers has been temporarily shuttered.

His “A Christmas Carol” was modestly profitable but at an extravagant cost the film was not a world beater at the box office. Now, “Mars Needs Moms” arrives to poor reviews and first weekend box office results that some say could be the worst cost to profit ratio in Hollywood history, barring a strong international rally.

Zemeckis’s insistence on Motion Capture was likely the death knell for “Mars Needs Moms,” a modest story that needed a more modest production if it needed to be made at all. The story simply doesn’t justify the effort involved and likely could have been produced for less than the reported 135 million dollars without all of the trappings and cost of Motion Capture.

It’s a moot point now of course, the film is out there and it has failed. ImageMovers has closed and Mr. Zemeckis hopes to relaunch it as a home for the adult themed, Beatles remake “Yellow Submarine” in 2012. It will likely be a long time before Disney or anyone else attempts another Motion Capture feature for kids like “Mars Needs Moms” and that is as much a commentary on this overwrought technology as it is on the minor pleasures provided by the story of “Mars Needs Moms.”

Movie Review Rio

Rio (2011) 

Directed by Carlos Saldanha 

Written by Don Rhymer, Jennifer Ventimilia, Sam Harper

Starring Jesse Esenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Jemaine Clement

Release Date April 15th, 2011 

Published April 15th, 2011

With a cast bursting with award winners and the winning team behind the "Ice Age" movies at the helm it can come as no surprise that "Rio" is a delight. Sweet, funny and heartfelt, this coming of age story about a bird learning to fly and falling in love for the first time is a wonderful bit of 3D animated fluff.

"Rio" features the voice of Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network's" socially awkward Mark Zuckerberg, as a socially awkward Blue Macaw named, aptly enough, Blu who lives in, of all places, Minnesota. Blu was poached at a very early age from his tree top home in Brazil. He fell off a truck in Minnesota and has since been raised by Linda (voice of "Knocked Up's" Leslie Mann).

Learning to Fly

Being domesticated left Blu with little need or want to learn how to fly. He's perfectly happy walking and leaping about Linda's house sipping hot chocolate and reading. Of course, Blu is in for a major life change and it comes in the form of Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro), a Zoologist from Brazil who implores Linda to bring Blu to Brazil in order to mate with another Blue Macaw named Jewel (voice of Ann Hathaway).

Once in Rio Blu meets Jewel and finds her less than friendly. Jewel is eager to escape, no matter what happens to the species or Blu but when both she and Blu are captured by poachers, including an evil Cockatoo named Nigel (Flight of the Conchords Jemaine Clement), she finds that she will be stuck with Blu for a while and his lack of flight will make their new unfortunate and unplanned adventure a bit more difficult.

Singing in Support

Rounding out the exceptional voice cast of "Rio" is Jamie Foxx as a soulful voiced Canary named Nico, Black Eyed Peas member Will I. Am as a Samba loving Cardinal named Pedro and George Lopez as Raphael a Toco Toucan who was once the bird king of Carnaval but is now a stay at home dad to 18 kids. Raphael becomes Blu's flying guru and with Nico and Pedro, the cheering section as Blu makes his awkward moves on the stubborn but sweet Jewel.

"Rio" is a gloriously fun, sweet and samba infused adventure that even the darkness of the 3D cannot manage to ruin. Though I imagine that the colors of Rio pop more in 2D and look much better, the 3D print I watched was lively and colorful enough to help me get past most of my reservations about 3D. The creative team behind "Rio," led by director Carlos Saldanha, doesn't overuse the stuff flying toward the screen in 3D effect and instead employ the best of 3D in the scenes soaring over the stunning animated cityscape of "Rio."

Feel that Samba Beat

The music of "Rio '' is like another character in the story with the Samba acting as the film's beating heart. Legendary Brazilian artist Sergio Mendes acted as the film's Executive Music Producer and with Carlinhos Brown crafted a score that is irresistibly danceable. Jamie Foxx and Will I. Am make a sensational musical team on the song "Hot Wings (Wanna Party) but it's Foxx who gets the movie's best musical moment singing the "Rio '' love theme.

"Rio" is a real treat. Bright, colorful, tuneful and funny, kids are going to flip for these terrific bird characters and mom and dad will enjoy the terrific music and the strong message of friendship, love and coming of age. The team behind the "Ice Age" movies, Blue Sky Studios, has another hit on their hands with "Rio."

Movie Review: Abduction

Abduction (2011) 

Directed by John Singleton

Written by Shawn Christensen 

Starring Taylor Lautner, Jason Isaacs, Alfred Molina 

Release Date September 23rd, 2011

Published September 23rd, 2011 

How bad is "Abduction?" I kept trying to imagine the characters from the brilliant "Mystery Science Theater 3000" sitting in the row in front of me making the experience of "Abduction" tolerable through snarky commentary. "Abduction" is mind-blowingly bad from the action to the supposed suspense and especially to star Taylor Lautner who is entirely over-matched by this awful material.

Nathan (Taylor Lautner) is a below average High School teenager who, when we meet him for the first time, is riding on the hood of a speeding truck for fun. Putting aside the complete and utter irresponsibility of such an action, is this the best way to introduce a main character?

Nathan only gets dumber at a party where he gets blitzed and wakes up on someone's lawn. Again, why are we being introduced to our main character this way? Nathan gets picked up from the party by his angry father (Jason Isaacs) and his punishment is a fight, not a screaming match, an actual fight. Dad makes Nathan put on some boxing gloves and box while hung over. What does this have to do with anything? Who knows?

Eventually, the movie does get down to the promised business of Nathan finding his image on a missing children website. The site turns out to be a front for an international terrorist who has apparently been waiting 18 years for one kid to search one of several hundred websites for his own picture.

The terrorist wants to abduct the kid but first he has to find him, kill his parents and fend off some CIA folks who are also tailing the kid; Alfred Molina plays the CIA guy and does what he can to make his character interestingly ambiguous. Sigourney Weaver is less successful as Nathan's shrink with a secret.

Poor Lilly Collins, so interesting in "The Blind Side," so whiny and forgettable in "Abduction." The only way that "Abduction" might have worked is if director John Singleton had switched the genders of the lead characters and had Lilly Collins as the butt-kicking teen abductee and Taylor Lautner as the simpering sidekick/romantic interest.

Ok, there isn't really anything that could have made "Abduction" interesting. Director John Singleton is far too talented for a movie this bad and yet his name is on it. Singleton, who has in the past taken clichéd action stories and turned them into fun exercises in B-Movie cliches in movies like "Four Brothers" and "2 Fast 2 Furious" fails miserably with the same formula in "Abduction."

Taylor Lautner is, I am sure, a very nice kid. Unfortunately, his acting is blank eyed and stony. Lautner has the body of an action hero but the acting instinct of someone not being properly directed. Lautner's eyes are constantly searching for something off camera to reassure him of what he's supposed to be saying or doing.

"Abduction" suffers right along with its star, desperately seeking a direction and finding only one nonsensical situation after another. The plot of "Abduction" relies on more contrivances than your average direct to DVD thriller. Among the humorous low-lights: CIA Agents and bad guys who can always find the good guy no matter where he is or what he does yet act as if they couldn't find their keys with a map.

"Abduction" could be fun just as it is in the hands of Mike Nelson and the "Mystery Science Theater" crew. I am not half the snarky quipster those guys are and I managed to entertain myself thoroughly at the expense of "Abduction." I can only imagine the fun that a trained group of jokers could have watching this hysterically bad movie.

Movie Review Shame

Shame (2011) 

Directed by Steve McQueen

Written by Steve McQueen, Abi Morgan 

Starring Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan

Release Date December 2nd, 2011

Published November 28th, 2011 

In my role as a film critic and member of the Broadcast Film Critics, I am grateful for the opportunity to receive what the industry calls "screeners" of movies that studios want me to consider for our end of the year awards show The Critic's Choice Movie Awards on VH1. It was in this capacity that I was able to see and review the much buzzed about indie movie "Shame," starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan.

"Shame" is the story of an extremely self-involved man and his addiction to porn. Directed by indie darling Steve McQueen and starring rising star Fassbender, "Shame" is a character portrait about a character you're not all that interested in spending time with.

A Severe Addiction to Pornography

Brandon (Fassbender) is a handsome guy who tends to hold people's gazes a little longer than he should. Yes, he's good looking but he has a creepiness in his eyes that has likely contributed to his still being single in his 30s. Well, that and his rather severe addiction to pornography.

So severe is Brandon's addiction to online pornography that one day he arrives at work and his computer is gone, taken after IT found a massive store of porn and viruses in it. Thankfully, Brandon's boss and friend David (James Badge Dale) is convinced that the porn was the work of an intern, not Brandon.

Sister Act

Brandon's less than covert addiction to porn runs into a major obstacle when his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) shows up in his apartment unexpectedly. Sissy is a failed singer who subsists on occasional gigs singing in bars and restaurants. For the most part she sponges off of the men in her life, especially her brother. With Sissy sleeping on his couch and seemingly living in every corner of his life, Brandon's secret addiction is precariously balanced and his "shame" stands to be exposed at any moment to the last significant person in his life.

"Shame"-Less

Fassbender's performance in "Shame" is admirably brave given how often the actor is called on to be nude onscreen. Credit Fassbender for not having so much "shame" when it came to showing all onscreen. That said, there isn't much about Brandon I wanted to see.

Brandon is a bad guy; he's a jerk to his sister, the one person who honestly cares about him. He's allowed his porn addiction to become so severe that actual intimacy with a real person is physically impossible; though emotion-free, bought and paid for hook-ups with prostitutes still get his engine revved.

A Childlike Vulnerability

I get that Brandon is supposed to be a tragic figure but it is Sissy who, for me, was the more interesting tragedy. Carey Mulligan has a face that earns your sympathy with little effort. Her soft, dewy eyes and puffy cheeks give Mulligan a childlike quality that is addictively sympathetic. It's Mulligan's childlike vulnerability that gives her brief nudity more power than Fassbender's frequent nakedness.

Get Away, Creep!

"Shame" is supposed to pack an emotional wallop but I found most of it emotionally inert. Brandon never becomes sympathetic, merely sad and pathetic. I did pity Brandon but, more than anything, I just wanted to get away from him before his next bit of active creepiness. 

"Shame" opens in limited release on Friday, December 2, and will expand as far as its NC-17 rating will allow as the awards season continues.

Movie Review Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (2011) 

Directed by Rob Marshall

Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio

Starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush 

Release Date May 20th, 2011 

Published May 19th, 2011 

In the "Star Wars" spoof "Spaceballs" the brilliant Mel Brooks invited cast and audience back for the sequel "Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money." The fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie is subtitled "On Stranger Tides'' but I believe it is only because Brooks still carries a copyright on the much more apt subtitle.

The Fountain is the prize

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) begins his fourth big screen adventure in London where a failed attempt to rescue his old pal Gibbs (Kevin McNally) leads to Jack being captured himself and being brought before King George (Richard Griffiths, leading a parade of great cameos). The King surprisingly doesn't want to kill Jack but rather to hire him.

The Spanish have found a way to reach the legendary Fountain of Youth and King George wants Jack on a ship leading the way to the Fountain before the Spanish King can drink from it and earn eternal life. Jack has a different plan; though it does involve traveling to the fountain. After an elaborate escape, easily the best scene of the film, Jack finds himself face to face with Jack Sparrow, an imposter hiring a crew under his name.

Blackbeard

The imposter is Angelica (Penelope Cruz) , one of Jack's former flames. After a brief sword fight Jack is scuttled aboard Angelica's ship which happens to be a ship belonging to the legendary bloodthirsty pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Angelica seeks the Fountain of Youth on behalf of Blackbeard and Jack is put in charge of getting them there.

Meanwhile, in the tale of Blackbeard and the Spanish is the Royal Navy sailing under a very unusual command. Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) has gone straight and is now loyal to the crown. Barbossa is also chasing the Fountain and after grabbing Gibbs he has Jack, Angelica and Blackbeard in his sights as well.

A Mermaid, Jack

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" also features a subplot about a young clergyman played by Sam Claflin and a mermaid named Syrena played by Astrid Berges Frisbey. This plot unfortunately is completely superfluous and really should have been cut from the movie. Claflin is a nice enough actor but if this role was going to matter it needed to be played by someone people recognize.

Sadly even with a new director, Academy Award nominee Rob Marshall, stepping in for Gore Verbinski, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" suffers from the same bloating that partially sank "Dead Man's Chest" and mired "At World's End" in murk and boredom. There are a solid 40 minutes that could be cut from "On Stranger Tides" 'nearly 140 minute run time and the tightening would make a far better movie.

As it is, the length renders a pretty good movie as a movie. I liked a good deal of "On Stranger Tides," especially Captain Jack's escape from the King's castle. By the end however, I could not wait for "On Stranger Tides" to be over; it didn't help matters that there is a post credits sequence to help set up the next "Pirates" sequel.

Be sure to stretch your legs

Flaws aside, Captain Jack Sparrow is an iconic creation. Even in less than stellar sequels Johnny Depp is wildly entertaining and he is no less charismatic in "On Stranger Tides." The character hasn't gained much complexity or depth through four movies but he has retained spirit and invention and the little touches that Depp brings to Captain Jack from his wildly swinging walk to his, all limbs flailing run, to the minor inflections on his words, Deep breathes a whole lot of life and fun into this shallow character.

Because Johnny Depp is very funny as Captain Jack Sparrow I cannot completely dismiss "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." Keep your expectations low and your brain turned off and you might just have a good time. Be warned, you might want to get up and take a walk about midway through the movie. "On Stranger Tides" is long enough to make your backside ache if you stay seated for too long.

Movie Review Paranormal Activity 3

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) 

Directed by Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman  

Written by Christopher Landon 

Starring Katie Featherston, Lauren Bittner, Chris Smith 

Release Date October 21st, 2011 

Published October 21st, 2011 

If you have seen one Paranormal Activity movie, you've seen all three Paranormal Activity movies. Yes, the characters are different in each movie but the style and the general set up and execution are pretty much the same.

Paranormal Activity 3 is dressed up as a prequel intended to shed light on how the sister characters from 1 & 2, played by Sprague Graydon and Katie Featherston, ended up as targets of evil spirits but the prequel aspect doesn't really matter much; if you can really tell which sister was in which movie you care much more than I did.

The bottom line is that the set up and execution is the same for each of the movies. Cameras are trained on a home where strange things keep happening. Cameras are pointed at the beds of family members, as well as in the living room and kitchen.

Long stretches of film pass with nothing happening until something seems to move. More time passes and the movements become more noticeable. Finally, a crash is heard and something potentially deathly happens as the audience leaps in their seats.

The set up worked in the first '"Paranormal Activity" movie because of the novelty of director Oren Peli's no budget approach. "Paranormal Activity 2" however, exposed the holes in this premise and added the hoary concept of a child in danger.

"Paranormal Activity 3" wears out the welcome of this once novel approach to horror filmmaking in the first 30 minutes of the movie. Irksome characters standing in for the mother (Lauren Bittner) of the two sisters, Katie and Kristi, from the first two films, played as children by Jessica Tyler Brown and Chloe Csengery, and the mother's boyfriend (Christopher N. Smith), are no different from the characters troubled in the first two films.

The boyfriend carries his camera everywhere he goes for no other reason than the plot requires it. He sets up cameras throughout the house and with no surprise whatsoever causes friction with his girlfriend, even as the cameras clearly capture the ghostly presence that is wreaking havoc throughout the house.

If there is one modest innovation in "Paranormal Activity 3" it is a rotating camera jerry-rigged onto a rotating fan base. As the camera pans between the kitchen and living room we know that it will reveal something terrifying eventually and the slow turn of the camera is an effective piece of suspense until it too wears out its welcome.

"Paranormal Activity 3" is yet another in a long line of cynical cash grabs that don't even have the decency to hide their commercial intentions behind even low rent entertainment. The modest scares of "Paranormal Activity 3" rarely rise to the level of those in the first film, mostly because they're basically reruns.

Movie Review Season of the Witch

Season of the Witch (2011) 

Directed by Dominic Sena 

Written by Bragi F. Schut

Starring Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy, Stephen Graham, Christopher Lee

Release Date January 7th, 2011 

Published January 7th, 2011 

Nicolas Cage has made some seriously awful movies, like Fire Birds, Bangkok Dangerous or Knowing. Despite the quality of his films though, Nicholas Cage has never been boring, until now. Season of the Witch is Nicolas Cage being boring. As a noble, god fearing Knight on a quest to save a village from an allegedly plague inducing witch, Nicolas Cage offers a stalwart hero so tediously heroic that nothing stands out about him.

Behman (Cage) and his loyal pal Felson (Ron Perlman, Hellboy) have been fighting on behalf of the church in the crusades for more than a decade when suddenly killing the innocent loses its taste. Abandoning their duty, the two set off for freedom but are waylaid at a village overcome by the plague. Found guilty of desertion, Behman and Felson are offered a choice; death by hanging or a Knightly quest. Not hard to guess that choice.

The quest has the Knights, along with a priest, a con man, a teenager and a widower, transporting ‘The Girl’ (Claire Foy), who is suspected of being a Witch, to a monastery where she is to be executed. Behman however, pledges that ‘The Girl’ will not be harmed unless she actually is a Witch, something that the priest, the Widower and the Con Man, simply cannot abide. In short order they will try to kill the Witch and face a dastardly fate. But, is it Witchcraft or worse?

The idea of Nicolas Cage, underneath yet another one of his famously odd hairdos, playing a 13th century Knight battling a Witch and a corrupt Church would seem to have potential for some classic Nicolas Cage weirdness yet somehow it never comes. Sure, Cage and Ron Perlman‘s casting alone, along with Dominic Sena‘s ludicrous modern action beats against a 13th Century background, are odd in their own right but Cage plays Behman with such stalwart, heroic intensity that he seems stunningly normal under the circumstances.

Cage plays Behman just as any other actor without Cage’s flair might have played him. Viggo Mortenson or Keanu Reeves could have played Behman and given just the same stolid yet gallant performance. Where is the weirdness? Where is that extra something behind the eye that makes Nicholas Cage unique? It’s shocking and disappointing to watch Nicolas Cage play a hero whose eyes aren’t bugged out and ready to leap from his fiery skull and instead are sleepily focused and determined.

If Season of the Witch wanted to be just another action movie the makers could have hired any other actor. They hired Nicolas Cage to bring the weird. It’s fair, in fact, to wonder if director Dominic Sena, who watched Cage bring the weird to his car junkie action flick Gone in Sixty Seconds, was also waiting for his star to emerge and thus ended up making a dull, straight arrow action movie when he had hoped he was making a Nicholas Cage movie.

Would weirdo Nicolas Cage make Season of the Witch a good movie? Likely not but, Nicolas Cage in a bad movie is at the very least always interesting. There is always so much to see when Nicolas Cage finds that odd beat he wants to play. In Peggy Sue Got Married Cage adopted a voice he compared to Gumby’s pal Pokey and nearly got himself fired because he wouldn’t drop the voice. In other films he channels Elvis Presley for reasons only he understands.

It’s weird and it can ruin a movie but it’s always intriguing as we search Cage’s face and manner for that little inflection, that idea that struck only him and reveals his fascination with a role. Sadly, in Season of the Witch that little flavor of Nicholas Cage, that revealing little tick or inflection, that idea that is solely his never emerges and instead we have a bored Nicolas Cage delivering a boring performance in a boring movie.