Rock of Ages (2012)
Grade: C+
Starring: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bryan Cranston, Malin Akerman and Mary J. Blige
PREMISE: Rock icon Stacee Jaxx prepares to launch his solo career by performing at the Bourboun Room, the Los Angeles music club where he got his big break. There, his path intersects with those of the broke bar owners, a cocky journalist, a rock-star-in-waiting and a small town girl looking for her calling.
Rated PG-13 for strong sexual content (including partial nudity, sexuality and suggestive references), language and alcohol use
Like the Western, the Movie Musical is a genre that was once popular but fell out of the limelight as audiences demanded grittier, more realistic fare. It has been fighting for a second wind ever since. At the beginning of the 2000s, it caught a break, when Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge (2001) became a bonafide hit, and, the very next year, the big-screen adaptation of Chicago won 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Heck, the musical even gained some serious small-screen cred in 2005, when the Disney Channel's High School Musical became a teen super-phenomenon. But other musical adaptations have been largely hit or miss, with some, like 2006's Dreamgirls, finding actual commercial success, while others, like 2004's The Phantom of the Opera, gathered mostly cult followings. And Rock of Ages, despite its big-name cast and its list of I-Love-That-Song '80s superhits, may just be 2012's mere musical appetizer, with a big-screen adaptation of Les Miserables due this holiday season.
So, we'll see what happens. For now, we have Rock of Ages, the movie version of the rockalicious musical of the same name (named for a Guns 'n' Roses song) that began a successful off-Broadway run in 2006 before reaching the big-time in '09. Starring a few actual singers (country soloist Julianne Hough, R&B diva Mary J. Blige), a few actors trying something new (ever heard of Tom Cruise?), and even featuring an actress who copped an Oscar for her role in Chicago a full decade ago (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Rock is a nosedive into the '80s subculture described, by Zeta-Jones' character at one point, as "Sex, hateful music, and sex". Or, in slightly earthier tones, according to Alec Baldwin's seedy bar owner: "sweat, ear-shattering music, and puke". Take your pick.
Plot: Rock features several different storylines that all intersect at The Bourboun Room, a famed music club on LA's Strip, in 1987. There's Sherrie Christian (Hough), a former choir girl from Tulsa with a pretty face and a pristine voice, who, upon entering LA, almost immediately meets hunky dreamer Drew (a starmaking performance by Diego Boneta), who tends bar at the Bourboun but dreams of being a headliner. After Drew gets Sherrie a job, they fall quickly and deeply in love, with their primary shared passion an obvious one: music. They both work for Dennis Dupree (Baldwin), the Bourbon's owner, who worries about being behind on his taxes but is distracted constantly by the alcohol, the music, and even his fiesty right-hand man Lonny (Russell Brand), with whom he may share a secret more-than-friends connection. The Bourbon is also the center of the local societal maelstrom, in which worried mothers and church groups look to free their children from the grip of Rock 'n' Roll, AKA "The Devil's Music". They're led in their ongoing crusade by Patricia (Zeta-Jones), the fire-breathing wife of the windbag mayor (Bryan Cranston), who has a particularly wrathful hatred of one Stacee Jaxx (Cruise), a rocker famous for hits like "Paradise City", "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me". Jaxx, however, is not all he seems--off the stage, he wallows in a near-comatose daily ritual of sex, booze, more sex, and the companionship of a baboon. In fact, outside the notice of his money-grubbing manager (Paul Giamatti), Jaxx is not happy, or even really interested in life. However, something inside him is reawakened by a no-nonsense sparkplug of a Rolling Stone reporter (Malin Akerman) who tells the 'rock god', to his face, that she thinks he's washed up and living off his reputation.
What Works?
You don't really even need to see the movie: get the soundtrack. I bought it and familiarized myself with it a few weeks before seeing the movie, and it's fantastic. All the actors-even those you've never heard sing before, like Baldwin, Cruise and Giamatti-sing at least a little, and, for the most part, they sound terrific. Of course, these songs are all super famous (some of the instantly-catchy numbers include David Lee Roth's "Just Like Paradise", Starship's "We Built This City", Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock", and, of course, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"), but it's exciting to hear famous names with fresh voices sing them (Cruise, who sings three solo numbers and several duets, is outstanding). The movie is, of course, dominated by the songs (the ratio of music to dialogue is at least 3-1), but many of the actors give solid contributions. Hough is gorgeous, with an expressive face and a clear voice, and she's easy to like. Boneta's career ought to take off from here: he's a terrific singer who also has some pretty decent acting chops. Brand is in his element here, and he's a riot (watch him rub a reporter's microphone on his crotch while dismissing the rock-is-the-devil's-music crowd). He and Baldwin, who has many of the script's best lines, are an entertaining tag team. And Zeta-Jones, ten years removed from her heralded, award-winning turn in Chicago, is solid in a much smaller part--you don't doubt, for a second, that she's got the pipes or the attitude for a movie like this.
Basically, like most musicals, there are moments of almost giddy entertainment that make you feel like you wouldn't rather be anywhere else.
What Doesn't Work?
That said, Rock is uncomfortably tawdry, and it ruins an interesting career move by Cruise. After hearing his prowess on the soundtrack (his cover of 'Paradise City' is now one of my favorites on my iPod), I was extremely disappointed to see him slumming through such a lame, raunchy part with little depth. I also wonder if it was the best move for the actor, whose off-screen reputation is just starting to recover from everyone thinking he's a wacko. Akerman, who only ever appears opposite Cruise in three different scenes, is tarred with the same brush (apparently, her character is unable to resist Jaxx's sensual charms); together, the two mangle Foreigner's classic "I Wanna Know What Love Is"--not because their singing is poor, but because they sing such a heartfelt song while half-naked and groping with each other.
Meanwhile, Giamatti is stuck in a Giamatti role-a blood-sucking parasite in sheep's clothing-Blige (who probably has the best pure voice of anyone in the cast) is wasted in a tiny earth-mother role, and, in another problem most musicals have, the narrative staggers along, and the character development is pretty much nil, because the music is king here.
Content: Like I said, this ain't no Disney Channel High School Musical. Rock is a sea of intertwining tongues and bodies, with scenes taking place inside strip clubs and other scenes featuring groupies simulating sex with various musicians (Cruise's character also wears a dragon-head codpiece that attracts a lot of attention). There's a little cussing, and a lot of alcohol-related content, but what you'll remember is the unending smuttiness (this is a heavy PG-13 in that regard). Parents, leave the kids at home.
Bottom Line (I Promise): It features great music, real laughs and some moments of rollicking entertainment, but Rock, besides being, as my brother said, "soft-core porn shown at a movie theater", is also over-long, disjointed, overstuffed, and features a classic example of how to waste a greatly talented actor.
Rock of Ages (2012)
Directed by Adam Shankman
Written by Justin Theroux, Chris d'Arienzo, and Allan Loeb; based on the musical/musical book by Chris d'Arienzo
Rated PG-13
Length: 123 minutes
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
BRAVE
Brave (2012)
Grade: A-
Featuring the Voices Of: KELLY MACDONALD, EMMA THOMPSON, BILLY CONNOLLY, JULIE WALTERS, ROBBIE COLTRANE, KEVIN MCKIDD and CRAIG FERGUSON
PREMISE: A strong-willed princess determined to live her own life makes a reckless decision that endangers her family and her kingdom.
RATED PG (contains intense action, some scary moments, intense emotional content and some rude humor)
Well, Pixar's done it again. The animation studio that began its incredibly-successful run with 1995's Toy Story and has delivered nothing but hits ever since (yes, even 2011's so-so Cars 2 was a success at the box office) hits another home run with Brave, which is, in many ways, its least Pixar-ish film to date. Only the second Pixar film to 'star' humans (after 2009's wonderful Up), it's also the fiercest, the most unapologetic, and, possibly, the most moving. Will it become a bonafide classic, in the vein of Toy Story, Monsters Inc., or Finding Nemo? Time will tell. But, for now, the animation team has scored another huge hit with a movie that will entertain kids but will really grab adults.
Plot: Born into a backwoods Irish family presided over by "The Bear King", Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly), Princess Merida (voice of Kelly MacDonald) has lived her life in the shadow, and under the thumb, of her strong, mannered mother (voice of Emma Thompson). Her mother has, of course, sought to prepare her for the day when a prince will come calling and make her his bride, eventually elevating her to the status of queen. However, from a young age, Merida has shown she'd rather run wild like her devilish little triplet brothers. She loves archery, she loves exploring, she loves to ride her faithful horse, Angus, bareback, and she yearns for adventure and fulfillment. When she finds out her mother and father have arranged a tournament-in which the heirs to the thrones of three neighboring clans will compete for her hand in marriage-she recoils, seeking some of the land's rumored mystical powers for help. When she finds a spell that can transform her controlling mother, she gladly uses it, but is alarmed by the consequences. With her clan on the brink of war and her gregarious father in a poor position to truly lead the group, Merida must hurry to undo the spell and get her mother back, even if it means possibly submitting her will to her mother's wishes.
What Works?
Oh, you know, darn near everything: the animation is incredible (I mean, some images look real, it's so good), the soundtrack is wonderful and hits all the right notes, the mysteries intrigue and the laughs are frequent and hearty. But, as is usually the case with Pixar, all that is just an appetizer to the story's key component, in this case the clashing personalities of mother and daughter, a dynamic that will hit many viewers between the eyes. Where Wall-E was about love and Up about loss, Toy Story 3 about moving on and Ratatouille about being who you are, Brave is about that arguably most important of relationships, one that will make you or break you, but, ultimately, will, in some way, make you. Voiced with power and gumption by MacDonald and Thompson, Merida and her mother instantly join the canon of wonderful Pixar characters. Having the Scottish MacDonald speak in what must be close to her naturally-accented tones was both a blessing and a risk-the kiddies will likely have a hard time making out all her words. But most of Brave works in spades, from the main protagonists' bonding to the humor to the scary moments, well enough to bring a tear to many viewers' eyes.
What Doesn't Work?
Here I go, being a Grinch. I thought some of the broader humor-such as a witch having a 'voicemail' system in a cauldron-were a little lame, and Merida's triplet brothers' antics ultimately got rather annoying. Okay, so, if you loved Brave, you just tuned out on me; these are little things, but just the quibbles of a critic. All of the story's main facets are wildly successful.
Content: As hinted in the trailers, Brave is curiously rough for a Pixar movie, as moments involving a demon bear that stalks the lands might terrify younger viewers. There's also a running gag of low-key suggestive humor that's new for Pixar. That said, like Tangled and How to Train Your Dragon, similarly-adventurous movies, Brave is the kind of movie that will work, in some way, for everyone in the family.
Bottom Line (I Promise): As funny as any Pixar effort before it, and nearly as moving, Brave is a bravely grown-up and adventurous film that, like its predecessors from the animated studio geniuses, will entertain and satisfy the whole family for years to come. Oh, and bring your mom.
Brave (2012)
Directed by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, and Brenda Chapman
Written by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, and Irene Mecchi
Length: 100 minutes
Rated PG
Grade: A-
Featuring the Voices Of: KELLY MACDONALD, EMMA THOMPSON, BILLY CONNOLLY, JULIE WALTERS, ROBBIE COLTRANE, KEVIN MCKIDD and CRAIG FERGUSON
PREMISE: A strong-willed princess determined to live her own life makes a reckless decision that endangers her family and her kingdom.
RATED PG (contains intense action, some scary moments, intense emotional content and some rude humor)
Well, Pixar's done it again. The animation studio that began its incredibly-successful run with 1995's Toy Story and has delivered nothing but hits ever since (yes, even 2011's so-so Cars 2 was a success at the box office) hits another home run with Brave, which is, in many ways, its least Pixar-ish film to date. Only the second Pixar film to 'star' humans (after 2009's wonderful Up), it's also the fiercest, the most unapologetic, and, possibly, the most moving. Will it become a bonafide classic, in the vein of Toy Story, Monsters Inc., or Finding Nemo? Time will tell. But, for now, the animation team has scored another huge hit with a movie that will entertain kids but will really grab adults.
Plot: Born into a backwoods Irish family presided over by "The Bear King", Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly), Princess Merida (voice of Kelly MacDonald) has lived her life in the shadow, and under the thumb, of her strong, mannered mother (voice of Emma Thompson). Her mother has, of course, sought to prepare her for the day when a prince will come calling and make her his bride, eventually elevating her to the status of queen. However, from a young age, Merida has shown she'd rather run wild like her devilish little triplet brothers. She loves archery, she loves exploring, she loves to ride her faithful horse, Angus, bareback, and she yearns for adventure and fulfillment. When she finds out her mother and father have arranged a tournament-in which the heirs to the thrones of three neighboring clans will compete for her hand in marriage-she recoils, seeking some of the land's rumored mystical powers for help. When she finds a spell that can transform her controlling mother, she gladly uses it, but is alarmed by the consequences. With her clan on the brink of war and her gregarious father in a poor position to truly lead the group, Merida must hurry to undo the spell and get her mother back, even if it means possibly submitting her will to her mother's wishes.
What Works?
Oh, you know, darn near everything: the animation is incredible (I mean, some images look real, it's so good), the soundtrack is wonderful and hits all the right notes, the mysteries intrigue and the laughs are frequent and hearty. But, as is usually the case with Pixar, all that is just an appetizer to the story's key component, in this case the clashing personalities of mother and daughter, a dynamic that will hit many viewers between the eyes. Where Wall-E was about love and Up about loss, Toy Story 3 about moving on and Ratatouille about being who you are, Brave is about that arguably most important of relationships, one that will make you or break you, but, ultimately, will, in some way, make you. Voiced with power and gumption by MacDonald and Thompson, Merida and her mother instantly join the canon of wonderful Pixar characters. Having the Scottish MacDonald speak in what must be close to her naturally-accented tones was both a blessing and a risk-the kiddies will likely have a hard time making out all her words. But most of Brave works in spades, from the main protagonists' bonding to the humor to the scary moments, well enough to bring a tear to many viewers' eyes.
What Doesn't Work?
Here I go, being a Grinch. I thought some of the broader humor-such as a witch having a 'voicemail' system in a cauldron-were a little lame, and Merida's triplet brothers' antics ultimately got rather annoying. Okay, so, if you loved Brave, you just tuned out on me; these are little things, but just the quibbles of a critic. All of the story's main facets are wildly successful.
Content: As hinted in the trailers, Brave is curiously rough for a Pixar movie, as moments involving a demon bear that stalks the lands might terrify younger viewers. There's also a running gag of low-key suggestive humor that's new for Pixar. That said, like Tangled and How to Train Your Dragon, similarly-adventurous movies, Brave is the kind of movie that will work, in some way, for everyone in the family.
Bottom Line (I Promise): As funny as any Pixar effort before it, and nearly as moving, Brave is a bravely grown-up and adventurous film that, like its predecessors from the animated studio geniuses, will entertain and satisfy the whole family for years to come. Oh, and bring your mom.
Brave (2012)
Directed by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, and Brenda Chapman
Written by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, and Irene Mecchi
Length: 100 minutes
Rated PG
Monday, June 25, 2012
PROMETHEUS
Prometheus (2012)
Grade: B
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Idris Elba
PREMISE: A team of scientists looking to solve an ancient riddle about humanity's origins comes into contact with more than one potentially-lethal alien species.
RATED R for blood, gore and creature violence, sequences of terror, disturbing images, language and brief sexual content
Love the Alien movies? Want to see another movie set in the world(s) of facehuggers and chestbursters and extra terrestrial beings that have incinerating acid for blood? Then this might just be the movie for you. Directed by Ridley Scott, the Oscar-nominated maestro of the classic, original Alien (1979), Prometheus has moments of magic that will greatly appeal to anyone (like me) who obsessed over Alien and its five sequels (yes, I'm counting the sub-par Alien vs. Predator movies in that count). However, it's also unnecessarily convoluted, appearing, by film's end, to introduce about five different alien species and even some primitive (or is it advanced?) sub-humans that may or may not be working for the aliens. Named for the Greek demi-god who brought fire to humans and was punished for it, Prometheus is a film that doesn't answer every question but still registers as a heck of an entertainment.
Plot: After finding yet another millenia-old cave drawing suggesting early human civilizations were assisted, or, even, created, by extraterrestrial species, paleontologist sweethearts Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) find themselves spearheading an expedition to a distant, potentionally life-sustaining planet near the end of the 21st century. Their "find our creators" agenda is considered hogwash by Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), a tough-as-nails government employee overseeing the crew of 14 other humans and an android, the infallible David (Michael Fassbender). But once their ship (the Prometheus) touches down on the targeted planet, they begin investigating a series of domelike structures that practically have Intelligent Design written all over them. Within hours, they find hieroglyphics, statues, hologram recordings, and even a decapitated alien corpse. But when their team is split up during a devastating interstellar storm, a few of them encounter some unfriendly critters. Another is infected by alien bacteria, and the statues and hieroglyphics begin stirring, yielding some real, monstrous creatures. With the body count mounting, the crew's survivors are forced to look to David, and his advanced, non-human intellect, to save them.
What Works?
Any movie fan worth their salt knows that Scott's original Alien-as well as the first sequel, James Cameron's Aliens (1986)-are considered masterpieces of suspense and pacing, allowing you get to know the characters and their agendas but also delivering the goods in the way of action and horror. That's certainly the case here, as the first hour, while effective, is mostly setting the table for what is to come. Rapace, Fassbender, and Marshall-Green are all great, giving us characters we care about, and, in some cases, fear. Rapace (Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish version of the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series) is rock-solid as the soulful heart of the film, going through a wrenching crisis of faith and bearing witness to a spectacular dissection in what ought to go down as one of the most vividly terrifying and original scenes in movie history. Fassbender, with his lightly chiseled face and calm voice, is perfect as David, making the mixed-motive android his own while also evoking Ian Holm's Ash from the original. The special effects are all great, the most important action is not filmed in shaky-cam or unnecessarily-dark styles, and the story keeps you in your seat from beginning to end.
What Doesn't Work?
As I mentioned earlier in this review, Prometheus doesn't answer every question the audience will have. Not even close. A vivid, wordless prologue that sets the tone for the story is never explained, and neither are a number of other things, such as: how many aliens are there, what are the space jockey's motives (check Google for an explanation of what the "space jockey" is), what relation do these aliens have to early humans, and how did the scientists find out about this particular planet in the first place? It's frustrating, because, while the movie pulls you in and holds your interest, questions start arising in your mind, and, afterward, you can list things on your fingers that weren't adequately explained. Also, proven talents Theron and Elba (as the ship's captain) are largely wasted, and Guy Pearce is shoehorned in late in an unlikely cameo. And, in a development that's always hard for these sorts of movies to avoid, many of the deaths (by characters both important and non) are pretty obviously foreshadowed.
Content: Remember the Alien movies? There's profanity, blood, gore, guts, dismemberment, severed limbs, and screaming bloody murder. Very rated R and sure to unsettle more than a few adults, Prometheus is a tense, dark exercise.
Bottom Line (I Promise): There are plenty of plot holes and cliche developments, but the ending leaves you wanting more: Prometheus is a generally smart and satisfying summer entertainment that sci-fi fans should love.
Prometheus (2012)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindleof
Length: 124 minutes
Rated R
Grade: B
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Idris Elba
PREMISE: A team of scientists looking to solve an ancient riddle about humanity's origins comes into contact with more than one potentially-lethal alien species.
RATED R for blood, gore and creature violence, sequences of terror, disturbing images, language and brief sexual content
Love the Alien movies? Want to see another movie set in the world(s) of facehuggers and chestbursters and extra terrestrial beings that have incinerating acid for blood? Then this might just be the movie for you. Directed by Ridley Scott, the Oscar-nominated maestro of the classic, original Alien (1979), Prometheus has moments of magic that will greatly appeal to anyone (like me) who obsessed over Alien and its five sequels (yes, I'm counting the sub-par Alien vs. Predator movies in that count). However, it's also unnecessarily convoluted, appearing, by film's end, to introduce about five different alien species and even some primitive (or is it advanced?) sub-humans that may or may not be working for the aliens. Named for the Greek demi-god who brought fire to humans and was punished for it, Prometheus is a film that doesn't answer every question but still registers as a heck of an entertainment.
Plot: After finding yet another millenia-old cave drawing suggesting early human civilizations were assisted, or, even, created, by extraterrestrial species, paleontologist sweethearts Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) find themselves spearheading an expedition to a distant, potentionally life-sustaining planet near the end of the 21st century. Their "find our creators" agenda is considered hogwash by Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), a tough-as-nails government employee overseeing the crew of 14 other humans and an android, the infallible David (Michael Fassbender). But once their ship (the Prometheus) touches down on the targeted planet, they begin investigating a series of domelike structures that practically have Intelligent Design written all over them. Within hours, they find hieroglyphics, statues, hologram recordings, and even a decapitated alien corpse. But when their team is split up during a devastating interstellar storm, a few of them encounter some unfriendly critters. Another is infected by alien bacteria, and the statues and hieroglyphics begin stirring, yielding some real, monstrous creatures. With the body count mounting, the crew's survivors are forced to look to David, and his advanced, non-human intellect, to save them.
What Works?
Any movie fan worth their salt knows that Scott's original Alien-as well as the first sequel, James Cameron's Aliens (1986)-are considered masterpieces of suspense and pacing, allowing you get to know the characters and their agendas but also delivering the goods in the way of action and horror. That's certainly the case here, as the first hour, while effective, is mostly setting the table for what is to come. Rapace, Fassbender, and Marshall-Green are all great, giving us characters we care about, and, in some cases, fear. Rapace (Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish version of the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series) is rock-solid as the soulful heart of the film, going through a wrenching crisis of faith and bearing witness to a spectacular dissection in what ought to go down as one of the most vividly terrifying and original scenes in movie history. Fassbender, with his lightly chiseled face and calm voice, is perfect as David, making the mixed-motive android his own while also evoking Ian Holm's Ash from the original. The special effects are all great, the most important action is not filmed in shaky-cam or unnecessarily-dark styles, and the story keeps you in your seat from beginning to end.
What Doesn't Work?
As I mentioned earlier in this review, Prometheus doesn't answer every question the audience will have. Not even close. A vivid, wordless prologue that sets the tone for the story is never explained, and neither are a number of other things, such as: how many aliens are there, what are the space jockey's motives (check Google for an explanation of what the "space jockey" is), what relation do these aliens have to early humans, and how did the scientists find out about this particular planet in the first place? It's frustrating, because, while the movie pulls you in and holds your interest, questions start arising in your mind, and, afterward, you can list things on your fingers that weren't adequately explained. Also, proven talents Theron and Elba (as the ship's captain) are largely wasted, and Guy Pearce is shoehorned in late in an unlikely cameo. And, in a development that's always hard for these sorts of movies to avoid, many of the deaths (by characters both important and non) are pretty obviously foreshadowed.
Content: Remember the Alien movies? There's profanity, blood, gore, guts, dismemberment, severed limbs, and screaming bloody murder. Very rated R and sure to unsettle more than a few adults, Prometheus is a tense, dark exercise.
Bottom Line (I Promise): There are plenty of plot holes and cliche developments, but the ending leaves you wanting more: Prometheus is a generally smart and satisfying summer entertainment that sci-fi fans should love.
Prometheus (2012)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindleof
Length: 124 minutes
Rated R
Sunday, June 10, 2012
MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE'S MOST WANTED
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
Grade: B-
Featuring the Voices Of: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Tom McGrath, Martin Short, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, and Frances McDormand
PREMISE: Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo join a traveling circus to try and get back to their native New York and to evade capture by local authorities.
RATED PG (contains action, comic mischief and some crude humor)
Okay, so, let's get something straight here: no matter how much I may quibble about a movie like Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted-the second sequel to 2005's Madagascar-it won't make a fig of difference in most people's opinion of the movie. The film has already reeled in $60 million worth of opening weekend revenue, and will undoubtedly receive more. Most children-and many older kids and adults-will laugh their heads off and get exactly what they consider to be their money's worth. So the fact that I'm a critic, and take movies seriously, may make me seem like a killjoy--I won't deny it. But, though I laughed a good bit during the third Madagascar, I have plenty to gripe about.
I think I can sum it all up by reminding you, reader, of the concept of too much of a good thing. One need look no farther than that when reviewing Europe's Most Wanted. In an age when most of the most popular, talked-about movies in our society are five minutes long or less, receive millions of views per day on Youtube and leave people quoting them for years to come, the makers of Madagascar and its sequel, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, clearly reviewed their previous films' popularity and success and thought: more of the same. Thus, Europe's Most Wanted, though it does have a narrative thread, plays mostly like a series of broad comic skits strung together in a brisk, hour-and-a-half movie. New characters are introduced and dilemmas occur and action sequences blaze across the screen, but the real money scenes are obvious: the classics, be it the primping/acting of self-absorbed lion Alex, the do-anything nuttiness of zebra Marty, the constant awkardness of Melman the giraffe, the ongoing adventures of the supersmart and curiously-militant quartet of penguins, and, of course, the randy, self-centered Julien, King of the lemurs, voiced by the irrepressible Sacha Baron Cohen. Don't get me wrong: I laughed a lot, and not just because I'm a big fan of both the previous films (particularly the original). But the movie critic in me died a little bit each time a new crazier, out-of-left field gag splattered across the screen.
Plot: First they were stranded on the island of Madagascar. Then they reached the African mainland. But no matter how interesting the main foursome's adventures get, showman Alex (voice of Stiller) wants to go back to New York, where he was popular, safe, and loved. When their fellow zoo escapees, the penguins, take their makeshift plane to Monte Carlo, Alex, Marty (voice of Rock), Gloria (Pinkett Smith) and Melman (Schwimmer), and the two chimpanzees who've been in all three movies go after them, meaning to commandeer the plane to get back to their beloved NYC. Their attempt to locate the penguins doesn't go as planned, however, and it lands them squarely in the crosshairs (literally) of French animal control vamp Chantel DuBois (series newcomer Frances McDormand). To escape the relentless DuBois, who wants Alex's head on her wall, the group is forced to board a train of circus animals, whose primary inhabitants are a juggling sea lion (the vocally-diverse Martin Short), an jaguar acrobat (Jessica Chastain) and a world weary, hoop-jumping tiger (Bryan Cranston). When they find out an American circus critic will be overseeing the show in London, the main foursome vow to impress him, even it means buying out the circus owner and running it themselves. The problem? The circus's old-fashioned act has long gone stale. So it's up to the main foursome to use their knacks for showmanship (Alex), adventure (Marty), and awkward but earnest sensitivity (Melman and Gloria) to enliven the show enough to impress the critic, to buy them a ticket to America and home. Oh, and the daffy King Julien has fallen head-over-heels in love with another circus performer, Sonya, a tricycle-riding bear.
What Works?
Even a snobbish, high-minded critic like me can't fail to be entertained by this bunch. Stiller's awkwardness, Rock's energy, Cohen's irreverent kiddie-naughtiness and even the farcicial humor of the penguins still remain entertaining, though it doesn't hurt a bit to add to that Short's flamboyance and Chastain's endearing, down-to-earth gameness. Cranston's tiger, a tough Russkie, might be the best of the bunch with his talent for jumping through hoops (and much, much smaller spaces) with little visible effort. The animation is, of course, dazzling, the energy level is high and, even in a movie like this-that doesn't even know what planet concepts like "subtle" or "modest" exist on-it's the little things that you'll remember, like two big cats (the lion and the tiger) play-fighting briefly with a ball of yarn, or the likeable jaguar's mimicking Alex's trapese moves, even as the out-of-his-depth lion badly botches them.
What Doesn't Work?
How much is too much? Another one of those commonly-heard questions the filmmakers might want to ask themselves. This movie functions much less as a narrative then a random collection of jokes and funny scenes and stunts, particularly as it includes the ludicrously-relentless Captain DuBois. Even for a movie like this, the makers go out of their way to top every hijink with something bigger, something that, if you're looking for a serious movie, gets a little numbing after a while. It's not that it's not fun. It's just crazy.
Content:
Please. These movies have always had a lot of mischief, which here extends to a woman (DuBois) being run over by a motorcycle and the same woman running straight through the walls of an office building while in hot pursuit of our havoc-wreaking heroes, and may even include some gender-confused circus dogs, but there's nothing legitimately harmful. It's edgy enough that teens and adults won't go to sleep, but nothing obviously over-the-line that kids will pick up.
Bottom Line (I Promise):
Randy, random, and spectacularly silly. If that sounds like your kind of movie, run to the theater to see Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. Most of the fresh gags that made the first two movies so clever are getting a little long in the tooth, but great animation, unbelievable energy and some very inventive stunts make this a decent escape entertainment.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
Directed by Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, and Conrad Vernon
Written by Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach
Rated PG
Length: 85 Minutes
Grade: B-
Featuring the Voices Of: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Tom McGrath, Martin Short, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, and Frances McDormand
PREMISE: Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo join a traveling circus to try and get back to their native New York and to evade capture by local authorities.
RATED PG (contains action, comic mischief and some crude humor)
Okay, so, let's get something straight here: no matter how much I may quibble about a movie like Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted-the second sequel to 2005's Madagascar-it won't make a fig of difference in most people's opinion of the movie. The film has already reeled in $60 million worth of opening weekend revenue, and will undoubtedly receive more. Most children-and many older kids and adults-will laugh their heads off and get exactly what they consider to be their money's worth. So the fact that I'm a critic, and take movies seriously, may make me seem like a killjoy--I won't deny it. But, though I laughed a good bit during the third Madagascar, I have plenty to gripe about.
I think I can sum it all up by reminding you, reader, of the concept of too much of a good thing. One need look no farther than that when reviewing Europe's Most Wanted. In an age when most of the most popular, talked-about movies in our society are five minutes long or less, receive millions of views per day on Youtube and leave people quoting them for years to come, the makers of Madagascar and its sequel, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, clearly reviewed their previous films' popularity and success and thought: more of the same. Thus, Europe's Most Wanted, though it does have a narrative thread, plays mostly like a series of broad comic skits strung together in a brisk, hour-and-a-half movie. New characters are introduced and dilemmas occur and action sequences blaze across the screen, but the real money scenes are obvious: the classics, be it the primping/acting of self-absorbed lion Alex, the do-anything nuttiness of zebra Marty, the constant awkardness of Melman the giraffe, the ongoing adventures of the supersmart and curiously-militant quartet of penguins, and, of course, the randy, self-centered Julien, King of the lemurs, voiced by the irrepressible Sacha Baron Cohen. Don't get me wrong: I laughed a lot, and not just because I'm a big fan of both the previous films (particularly the original). But the movie critic in me died a little bit each time a new crazier, out-of-left field gag splattered across the screen.
Plot: First they were stranded on the island of Madagascar. Then they reached the African mainland. But no matter how interesting the main foursome's adventures get, showman Alex (voice of Stiller) wants to go back to New York, where he was popular, safe, and loved. When their fellow zoo escapees, the penguins, take their makeshift plane to Monte Carlo, Alex, Marty (voice of Rock), Gloria (Pinkett Smith) and Melman (Schwimmer), and the two chimpanzees who've been in all three movies go after them, meaning to commandeer the plane to get back to their beloved NYC. Their attempt to locate the penguins doesn't go as planned, however, and it lands them squarely in the crosshairs (literally) of French animal control vamp Chantel DuBois (series newcomer Frances McDormand). To escape the relentless DuBois, who wants Alex's head on her wall, the group is forced to board a train of circus animals, whose primary inhabitants are a juggling sea lion (the vocally-diverse Martin Short), an jaguar acrobat (Jessica Chastain) and a world weary, hoop-jumping tiger (Bryan Cranston). When they find out an American circus critic will be overseeing the show in London, the main foursome vow to impress him, even it means buying out the circus owner and running it themselves. The problem? The circus's old-fashioned act has long gone stale. So it's up to the main foursome to use their knacks for showmanship (Alex), adventure (Marty), and awkward but earnest sensitivity (Melman and Gloria) to enliven the show enough to impress the critic, to buy them a ticket to America and home. Oh, and the daffy King Julien has fallen head-over-heels in love with another circus performer, Sonya, a tricycle-riding bear.
What Works?
Even a snobbish, high-minded critic like me can't fail to be entertained by this bunch. Stiller's awkwardness, Rock's energy, Cohen's irreverent kiddie-naughtiness and even the farcicial humor of the penguins still remain entertaining, though it doesn't hurt a bit to add to that Short's flamboyance and Chastain's endearing, down-to-earth gameness. Cranston's tiger, a tough Russkie, might be the best of the bunch with his talent for jumping through hoops (and much, much smaller spaces) with little visible effort. The animation is, of course, dazzling, the energy level is high and, even in a movie like this-that doesn't even know what planet concepts like "subtle" or "modest" exist on-it's the little things that you'll remember, like two big cats (the lion and the tiger) play-fighting briefly with a ball of yarn, or the likeable jaguar's mimicking Alex's trapese moves, even as the out-of-his-depth lion badly botches them.
What Doesn't Work?
How much is too much? Another one of those commonly-heard questions the filmmakers might want to ask themselves. This movie functions much less as a narrative then a random collection of jokes and funny scenes and stunts, particularly as it includes the ludicrously-relentless Captain DuBois. Even for a movie like this, the makers go out of their way to top every hijink with something bigger, something that, if you're looking for a serious movie, gets a little numbing after a while. It's not that it's not fun. It's just crazy.
Content:
Please. These movies have always had a lot of mischief, which here extends to a woman (DuBois) being run over by a motorcycle and the same woman running straight through the walls of an office building while in hot pursuit of our havoc-wreaking heroes, and may even include some gender-confused circus dogs, but there's nothing legitimately harmful. It's edgy enough that teens and adults won't go to sleep, but nothing obviously over-the-line that kids will pick up.
Bottom Line (I Promise):
Randy, random, and spectacularly silly. If that sounds like your kind of movie, run to the theater to see Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. Most of the fresh gags that made the first two movies so clever are getting a little long in the tooth, but great animation, unbelievable energy and some very inventive stunts make this a decent escape entertainment.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
Directed by Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, and Conrad Vernon
Written by Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach
Rated PG
Length: 85 Minutes
Sunday, June 3, 2012
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Grade: B-
Starring: Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Sam Spruell, Ian McShane, Toby Jones, Vincent Regan and Noah Huntley
PREMISE: While running from the evil queen who killed her parents, Snow White decides she must aid hidden rebel forces throughout the kingdom and fight.
RATED PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, blood and brief sexual content
The first thing I can do when reviewing Snow White and the Huntsman-a new, grungy take on the popular Snow White fairy tale-is sigh. That's right: siiiigh. Here's a movie with an embarrassment of riches--a well-known, intriguing story, two high-energy performers (Oscar-winner Charlize Theron and Thor's Chris Hemsworth), some superb special effects, an effective visual style, and even a legitimately-interesting love triangle--that woos the audience, carries them along, dares to entertain them, then falls FLAT on its face. Does part of the blame fall on the shoulders of superstar actress Kristen Stewart (of Twilight fame), who struggles to give her titular character a personality? Yes. But the rest, I believe, falls squarely at the feet of the three credited screenwriters (Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini), who fail to give the film a satisfying ending--in fact, they fail to give it much of an ending at all.
The sad/frustrating thing is: they had me. I liked the visual style, the actors, liked the direction it was taking, was ready to give it high and hefty praise, and then....sigh...
Plot: So, you know the basic stuff by now: girl with white skin, red lips, black hair, really nice, lacks parents, is kept locked in a secluded tower by an evil queen stepmother with supernatural powers who repeatedly asks her equally supernaturally powerful mirror if she is the fairest woman in the kingdom. In this case, the apparently immortal queen is Ravenna (Theron), the gorgeous widow of the late king. She rules the kingdom with her pale, slimy brother Finn (Sam Spruell) doing her bidding. She's so evil that, an early voiceover tells us, once she began her rule, "nature turned on itself and died", leaving the kingdom stuck in endless winter and the common people dirt poor. Locked in the tower, Snow White (Stewart) is all but forgotten until the magic mirror tells Ravenna she need only consume Snow's still-beating heart to become immortal and, officially, Fairest of them all. Learning of this plot, Snow escapes, fleeing into the dark, enchanted forest on the kingdom's border. Learning of this, the queen has her brother find someone who can navigate his way in the forest and find the girl. He provides her with a Huntsman (Hemsworth), whom the queen bribes with an unimaginable reward. The Huntsman finds Snow soon enough, but, enchanted by her kindness and her bravery (even if it's of the slightly feeble kind), he decides not to kill her. Together, they learn that some of the kingdom's nobles have amassed an army, and Snow could be the symbol that truly inspires them to fight to overtake the queen. And that's important, since she, of course, is the only one who can kill the queen.
What About Kristen Stewart?
I recently reviewed Catch That Kid, a low-rent spy caper Stewart starred in when she was 13. In my review of that film, I wrote that "she's not a particularly expressive actress. If you're looking for animation, look elsewhere". I stand by that comment after her performance in Huntsman. She knows how to show emotion, and she's clearly willing to try anything, but I'd be willing to bet she hasn't had a lick of classical acting training. I mean, like, no school plays--nothing. She can be very bland and unexpressive. However, it must be said, in this film, the screenwriters give her astonishingly little to work with. I mean, she's playing Snow White in a Snow White movie, wanna give her more than one page's worth of dialogue? You get that she's nice, and you get...oh, wait, that's it. It's a shame, especially considering Stewart has a moment during a rallying speech where she seems to tap into a strong, raw energy, a spark that's very different from her duller portrayals. It's surprising, and it makes you wish, both before and after that moment, they just gave her more to do. Maybe the key is for her to stop playing characters that everybody and their brother has heard of (like Snow White and Bella Swan), and has expectations for, so she can create a character on her own. Just a thought. Anyway, I don't think Stewart stinks up this movie; I think the screenwriters do.
What Works?
The film's other stars, Theron and Hemsworth, don't suffer from Stewart's semi-comatosery. Theron really gives it her all; she's a terrifying force of nature when she's glaring, screaming, cursing, killing... I don't think anyone doubts that, in a late duel between Snow and Ravenna, if Snow wasn't supposed to win (since the movie's about her), the queen, as played by Theron, would rip her apart. Theron is the only principle actor in the film who is really given their due, dialogue-wise. Like Stewart, Hemsworth really isn't given that much to do, but he's a sturdy, likeable screen presence and he nails his character's big emotional moment. Anyway, the actors are all credible, but the visual style is really the winner here. A troll the titular characters encounter is a spectacular creation-something out of Guillermo Del Toro-and even a slightly silly sequence involving fairies and other woodland creatures looks gorgeous. There's also this live-action-flick's redoing of the famous Disney scene in which Snow, overcome by the terrifying spectre of the forest, collapses; it's effective. Theron's aging makeup/effects are all impressive, her costumes sumptuous; if it was released later in the year, this movie would likely dive-bomb the technical categories (costumes, makeup, art direction) at the Oscars.
What Doesn't Work?
Well, that ending, which I will say no more about after I simply state that it is very underwhelming (people in the row behind me were going "What? Really?" as was I). Like I said, it's barely even an ending. The screenwriters also fail to give Stewart and Hemsworth any room to develop chemistry. Sure, you can see that they like each other (as in, tolerate each other), but for him to be in love with her by the time he says he is--what the heck do they know about each other? They don't really have any intimate conversations or anything. Nothing that would warrant, say, True Love's Kiss. A lot of the movie has that feeling of disconnect, though: a reappearance by a character thought to be dead draws nothing but vague enthusiasm from other cast members, and the climactic battle barely raises the pulse. Basically, Huntsman looks so good and starts out so promisingly it takes a while for you to realize it's not as good as it seems (and then the non-ending happens). Remember that March's Mirror Mirror, 2012's first Snow White movie, had so many things going for it I thought it ended up a little over-indulgent and silly.
Content:
This is a dark PG-13, foregoing cuss words and sex but containing a lot of evil, unsettling deeds (almost all of them done by Theron). Characters are poisoned, people get shot with arrows, people are bludgeoned, people get their souls sucked out...It's the film's mood that might make this questionable for younger viewers, more than anything else--the violence is all done shaky-cam style, so you don't really see much.
Bottom Line (I Promise):
I really, really enjoyed a lot of Snow White and the Huntsman, but I waited for a stand-out moment that would elevate it from good to great. It never came. Theron and Hemsworth are good, and Stewart's not bad, but, while this movie was solid, I'd ultimately say Mirror Mirror was the more entertaining Snow White adaptation this year.
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Directed by Rupert Sanders
Written by Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini
Rated PG-13
Length: 127 minutes
Grade: B-
Starring: Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Sam Spruell, Ian McShane, Toby Jones, Vincent Regan and Noah Huntley
PREMISE: While running from the evil queen who killed her parents, Snow White decides she must aid hidden rebel forces throughout the kingdom and fight.
RATED PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, blood and brief sexual content
The first thing I can do when reviewing Snow White and the Huntsman-a new, grungy take on the popular Snow White fairy tale-is sigh. That's right: siiiigh. Here's a movie with an embarrassment of riches--a well-known, intriguing story, two high-energy performers (Oscar-winner Charlize Theron and Thor's Chris Hemsworth), some superb special effects, an effective visual style, and even a legitimately-interesting love triangle--that woos the audience, carries them along, dares to entertain them, then falls FLAT on its face. Does part of the blame fall on the shoulders of superstar actress Kristen Stewart (of Twilight fame), who struggles to give her titular character a personality? Yes. But the rest, I believe, falls squarely at the feet of the three credited screenwriters (Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini), who fail to give the film a satisfying ending--in fact, they fail to give it much of an ending at all.
The sad/frustrating thing is: they had me. I liked the visual style, the actors, liked the direction it was taking, was ready to give it high and hefty praise, and then....sigh...
Plot: So, you know the basic stuff by now: girl with white skin, red lips, black hair, really nice, lacks parents, is kept locked in a secluded tower by an evil queen stepmother with supernatural powers who repeatedly asks her equally supernaturally powerful mirror if she is the fairest woman in the kingdom. In this case, the apparently immortal queen is Ravenna (Theron), the gorgeous widow of the late king. She rules the kingdom with her pale, slimy brother Finn (Sam Spruell) doing her bidding. She's so evil that, an early voiceover tells us, once she began her rule, "nature turned on itself and died", leaving the kingdom stuck in endless winter and the common people dirt poor. Locked in the tower, Snow White (Stewart) is all but forgotten until the magic mirror tells Ravenna she need only consume Snow's still-beating heart to become immortal and, officially, Fairest of them all. Learning of this plot, Snow escapes, fleeing into the dark, enchanted forest on the kingdom's border. Learning of this, the queen has her brother find someone who can navigate his way in the forest and find the girl. He provides her with a Huntsman (Hemsworth), whom the queen bribes with an unimaginable reward. The Huntsman finds Snow soon enough, but, enchanted by her kindness and her bravery (even if it's of the slightly feeble kind), he decides not to kill her. Together, they learn that some of the kingdom's nobles have amassed an army, and Snow could be the symbol that truly inspires them to fight to overtake the queen. And that's important, since she, of course, is the only one who can kill the queen.
What About Kristen Stewart?
I recently reviewed Catch That Kid, a low-rent spy caper Stewart starred in when she was 13. In my review of that film, I wrote that "she's not a particularly expressive actress. If you're looking for animation, look elsewhere". I stand by that comment after her performance in Huntsman. She knows how to show emotion, and she's clearly willing to try anything, but I'd be willing to bet she hasn't had a lick of classical acting training. I mean, like, no school plays--nothing. She can be very bland and unexpressive. However, it must be said, in this film, the screenwriters give her astonishingly little to work with. I mean, she's playing Snow White in a Snow White movie, wanna give her more than one page's worth of dialogue? You get that she's nice, and you get...oh, wait, that's it. It's a shame, especially considering Stewart has a moment during a rallying speech where she seems to tap into a strong, raw energy, a spark that's very different from her duller portrayals. It's surprising, and it makes you wish, both before and after that moment, they just gave her more to do. Maybe the key is for her to stop playing characters that everybody and their brother has heard of (like Snow White and Bella Swan), and has expectations for, so she can create a character on her own. Just a thought. Anyway, I don't think Stewart stinks up this movie; I think the screenwriters do.
What Works?
The film's other stars, Theron and Hemsworth, don't suffer from Stewart's semi-comatosery. Theron really gives it her all; she's a terrifying force of nature when she's glaring, screaming, cursing, killing... I don't think anyone doubts that, in a late duel between Snow and Ravenna, if Snow wasn't supposed to win (since the movie's about her), the queen, as played by Theron, would rip her apart. Theron is the only principle actor in the film who is really given their due, dialogue-wise. Like Stewart, Hemsworth really isn't given that much to do, but he's a sturdy, likeable screen presence and he nails his character's big emotional moment. Anyway, the actors are all credible, but the visual style is really the winner here. A troll the titular characters encounter is a spectacular creation-something out of Guillermo Del Toro-and even a slightly silly sequence involving fairies and other woodland creatures looks gorgeous. There's also this live-action-flick's redoing of the famous Disney scene in which Snow, overcome by the terrifying spectre of the forest, collapses; it's effective. Theron's aging makeup/effects are all impressive, her costumes sumptuous; if it was released later in the year, this movie would likely dive-bomb the technical categories (costumes, makeup, art direction) at the Oscars.
What Doesn't Work?
Well, that ending, which I will say no more about after I simply state that it is very underwhelming (people in the row behind me were going "What? Really?" as was I). Like I said, it's barely even an ending. The screenwriters also fail to give Stewart and Hemsworth any room to develop chemistry. Sure, you can see that they like each other (as in, tolerate each other), but for him to be in love with her by the time he says he is--what the heck do they know about each other? They don't really have any intimate conversations or anything. Nothing that would warrant, say, True Love's Kiss. A lot of the movie has that feeling of disconnect, though: a reappearance by a character thought to be dead draws nothing but vague enthusiasm from other cast members, and the climactic battle barely raises the pulse. Basically, Huntsman looks so good and starts out so promisingly it takes a while for you to realize it's not as good as it seems (and then the non-ending happens). Remember that March's Mirror Mirror, 2012's first Snow White movie, had so many things going for it I thought it ended up a little over-indulgent and silly.
Content:
This is a dark PG-13, foregoing cuss words and sex but containing a lot of evil, unsettling deeds (almost all of them done by Theron). Characters are poisoned, people get shot with arrows, people are bludgeoned, people get their souls sucked out...It's the film's mood that might make this questionable for younger viewers, more than anything else--the violence is all done shaky-cam style, so you don't really see much.
Bottom Line (I Promise):
I really, really enjoyed a lot of Snow White and the Huntsman, but I waited for a stand-out moment that would elevate it from good to great. It never came. Theron and Hemsworth are good, and Stewart's not bad, but, while this movie was solid, I'd ultimately say Mirror Mirror was the more entertaining Snow White adaptation this year.
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Directed by Rupert Sanders
Written by Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini
Rated PG-13
Length: 127 minutes
BATMAN RETURNS
Batman Returns (1992)
Grade: B
Directed by TIM BURTON
Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Michael Murphy, and Cristi Conaway
PREMISE: Batman struggles to protect Gotham city from a trio of miscreants, including a corrupt businessman, a deranged secretary, and a sadistic cripple who calls himself Penguin
RATED PG-13 for blood and violence, disturbing images and some strong sexual content
WOW. Two weeks after being underwhelmed upon my first viewing of the original Batman, I'm truly impressed by the gumption of the script, filmmakers, and actors in the first sequel, 1992's Batman Returns. Adding Batman icons Penguin and Selina Kyle, this is not only a more complete and more engaging movie than the original, but, given the depth of Penguin's fury/hatred/sadism and the darkness of some of his schemes, this movie actually seems kin to 2008's The Dark Knight, the current (and, possibly, eternal) measuring stick for not only Batman movies but superhero movies in general. While a lot of the action is still rather subpar, the characters etched are top-notch, the jokes are funny, and some of the schemes are impressively frightening. Built around an unforgettable performance by Danny DeVito, Returns is an impressive piece of entertainment that, despite some cheesy touches, maintains high entertainment value right up to a shocking and slightly off-kilter last ten minutes.
Plot: Thrown into the sewer by his parents as an infant, the disfigured man who calls himself Penguin (DeVito, in a towering performance) has already made his presence known to the citizens of Gotham. In fact, constantly circulating throughout papers is the question of whether or not the Penguin is a good guy, the same question that is ever being asked about the Batman (Michael Keaton). Penguin would be fine with just being a terrorist, but when he meets a local billionaire business tycoon (Christopher Walken), they come up with a plan. They arrange for Penguin to 'save' the mayor's baby from a kidnapper in public, thus painting a picture of him as a humane white knight. Soon, Penguin (whose real name is Oswald Cobblepot) is running for mayor of Gotham, if only so that, if elected, Walken's Max Shreck can have his environmental enemies eliminated, and Penguin can have Batman eliminated. As his popularity grows, Penguin finds ways to portray Batman to the citizens of Gotham as a murderer and a terrorist, forcing him into hiding. But there's someone else after Shreck, someone who might just be an ally for Batman: Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), a slinky crime fighter whose real-life alter ego might be falling for Bruce Wayne.
What Works?
The key to Returns is DeVito's fantastic performance as Oswald/Penguin. Having disguised his easily-recognizable face, voice, and body, DeVito makes Penguin an unholy terror, a bosom buddy of sorts to Heath Ledger's anarchist Joker in Dark Knight. By turns cunning, perverted, playful, and just plain old nasty, Penguin is a villain for the ages. He cares about no one, he's up for anything, and he's driven, all the time, by the memory of his abandonment by his now-deceased parents, a relationship he can never rectify.
DeVito dominates the film, but Keaton and Michael Gough (as Alfred) continue to prove effective in their mix of gathering wisdom and low-key wit, and Burton's camera proves absolutely brilliant--one early sweeping sequence plays like a theme-park ride, recalling great cinematography before CGI became such a big part of the trade. And the plot is genuinely interesting. Bringing in real-life angles like committees who went Shreck and his poison-spewing power plants out of business, and the public's fascination with a decidedly-different sort of character in Oswald. Not to mention a funny scene in which a pair of image consultants try to give Penguin professional advice on how to more effectively campaign for the office of mayor ("research shows our voters prefers fingers to flippers, so...").
What Doesn't Work?
Well, first of all, I want to know what's portrayed in the comics about the ends of Selina Kyle, Max Shreck, Penguin, etc..., because what's presented is just shy of a train wreck. Punting entertainment value out the window going the uber-sadistic route, Returns falls flat on its face in the last ten minutes after building up quite a head of steam over the previous hour-forty-five. And, like its predecessor, Returns has Batman equipped to handle anything-his car has a gadget specifically meant to knock out people on stilts, and he carries around handheld napalm explosives-which strains credulity if, like me, you forgot to suspend disbelief at the door. Also, Walken is in full-on sleep mode here, and I'm just not sure what to make of Pfeiffer. She makes Selina/Catwoman intriguing, but she plays it so utterly deranged (both as costumed vigilante and elsewhere) its hard to take seriously.
Content: Returns has the same dark spirit as its predecessor, but it gets a little darker here. People falling to their deaths, people being electrocuted, blood spewing from a bloodied nose, the violence and mayhem is dark and sometimes unsettling. Also surprising is the amount of straight-up suggestive verbal interplay by Catwoman and the Penguin in one peculiar scene. Again, it's nothing the modern action fan hasn't scene, but it's enough to make parents consider watching this one before they let their young kids watch.
Bottom Line (I Promise):
As played by an unrecognizable Danny DeVito, Penguin immediately joins the supervillain Hall-of-Fame with a brilliant showing, one that makes this film more akin to Nolan's gritter Batman films. Dark, funny, sexy, this iconic sequel to the original Batman isn't without flaws but is a rich, rewarding experience.
Batman Returns (1992)
Directed by Tim Burton
Based on Batman characters created by Bob Kane
Written by Sam Hamm and Daniel Waters
Rated PG-13
Length: 126 minutes
Grade: B
Directed by TIM BURTON
Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Michael Murphy, and Cristi Conaway
PREMISE: Batman struggles to protect Gotham city from a trio of miscreants, including a corrupt businessman, a deranged secretary, and a sadistic cripple who calls himself Penguin
RATED PG-13 for blood and violence, disturbing images and some strong sexual content
WOW. Two weeks after being underwhelmed upon my first viewing of the original Batman, I'm truly impressed by the gumption of the script, filmmakers, and actors in the first sequel, 1992's Batman Returns. Adding Batman icons Penguin and Selina Kyle, this is not only a more complete and more engaging movie than the original, but, given the depth of Penguin's fury/hatred/sadism and the darkness of some of his schemes, this movie actually seems kin to 2008's The Dark Knight, the current (and, possibly, eternal) measuring stick for not only Batman movies but superhero movies in general. While a lot of the action is still rather subpar, the characters etched are top-notch, the jokes are funny, and some of the schemes are impressively frightening. Built around an unforgettable performance by Danny DeVito, Returns is an impressive piece of entertainment that, despite some cheesy touches, maintains high entertainment value right up to a shocking and slightly off-kilter last ten minutes.
Plot: Thrown into the sewer by his parents as an infant, the disfigured man who calls himself Penguin (DeVito, in a towering performance) has already made his presence known to the citizens of Gotham. In fact, constantly circulating throughout papers is the question of whether or not the Penguin is a good guy, the same question that is ever being asked about the Batman (Michael Keaton). Penguin would be fine with just being a terrorist, but when he meets a local billionaire business tycoon (Christopher Walken), they come up with a plan. They arrange for Penguin to 'save' the mayor's baby from a kidnapper in public, thus painting a picture of him as a humane white knight. Soon, Penguin (whose real name is Oswald Cobblepot) is running for mayor of Gotham, if only so that, if elected, Walken's Max Shreck can have his environmental enemies eliminated, and Penguin can have Batman eliminated. As his popularity grows, Penguin finds ways to portray Batman to the citizens of Gotham as a murderer and a terrorist, forcing him into hiding. But there's someone else after Shreck, someone who might just be an ally for Batman: Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), a slinky crime fighter whose real-life alter ego might be falling for Bruce Wayne.
What Works?
The key to Returns is DeVito's fantastic performance as Oswald/Penguin. Having disguised his easily-recognizable face, voice, and body, DeVito makes Penguin an unholy terror, a bosom buddy of sorts to Heath Ledger's anarchist Joker in Dark Knight. By turns cunning, perverted, playful, and just plain old nasty, Penguin is a villain for the ages. He cares about no one, he's up for anything, and he's driven, all the time, by the memory of his abandonment by his now-deceased parents, a relationship he can never rectify.
DeVito dominates the film, but Keaton and Michael Gough (as Alfred) continue to prove effective in their mix of gathering wisdom and low-key wit, and Burton's camera proves absolutely brilliant--one early sweeping sequence plays like a theme-park ride, recalling great cinematography before CGI became such a big part of the trade. And the plot is genuinely interesting. Bringing in real-life angles like committees who went Shreck and his poison-spewing power plants out of business, and the public's fascination with a decidedly-different sort of character in Oswald. Not to mention a funny scene in which a pair of image consultants try to give Penguin professional advice on how to more effectively campaign for the office of mayor ("research shows our voters prefers fingers to flippers, so...").
What Doesn't Work?
Well, first of all, I want to know what's portrayed in the comics about the ends of Selina Kyle, Max Shreck, Penguin, etc..., because what's presented is just shy of a train wreck. Punting entertainment value out the window going the uber-sadistic route, Returns falls flat on its face in the last ten minutes after building up quite a head of steam over the previous hour-forty-five. And, like its predecessor, Returns has Batman equipped to handle anything-his car has a gadget specifically meant to knock out people on stilts, and he carries around handheld napalm explosives-which strains credulity if, like me, you forgot to suspend disbelief at the door. Also, Walken is in full-on sleep mode here, and I'm just not sure what to make of Pfeiffer. She makes Selina/Catwoman intriguing, but she plays it so utterly deranged (both as costumed vigilante and elsewhere) its hard to take seriously.
Content: Returns has the same dark spirit as its predecessor, but it gets a little darker here. People falling to their deaths, people being electrocuted, blood spewing from a bloodied nose, the violence and mayhem is dark and sometimes unsettling. Also surprising is the amount of straight-up suggestive verbal interplay by Catwoman and the Penguin in one peculiar scene. Again, it's nothing the modern action fan hasn't scene, but it's enough to make parents consider watching this one before they let their young kids watch.
Bottom Line (I Promise):
As played by an unrecognizable Danny DeVito, Penguin immediately joins the supervillain Hall-of-Fame with a brilliant showing, one that makes this film more akin to Nolan's gritter Batman films. Dark, funny, sexy, this iconic sequel to the original Batman isn't without flaws but is a rich, rewarding experience.
Batman Returns (1992)
Directed by Tim Burton
Based on Batman characters created by Bob Kane
Written by Sam Hamm and Daniel Waters
Rated PG-13
Length: 126 minutes
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