PHOTOS
Jeff Boam
Opening This Weekend
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Voices of Ray Romano, Queen Latifah
In 2002, 20th Century Fox had a mammoth hit on its hands with the family ‘toon Ice Age. 2006’s Ice Age 2: Meltdown gave audiences more of the same but did even better for its parent studio, nearly breaking the $200 million mark in the U.S. Now, Fox is hoping for a three-peat when Manny the Mammoth and friends step back into theaters this summer — and in three dimensions, no less! In this third installment of the animated Ice Age series (available in 2- or 3-D), Manny (Romano), Sid (John Leguizamo), Diego (Denis Leary) and Ellie (Latifah) return to face their new pre-hysteric neighbors. The Plus: The players. Joining Romano (whose been around since the beginning) and Latifah (a holdover from Meltdown) are Leary (TV’s Rescue Me), Leguizamo (Righteous Kill), Seann William Scott (Role Models) and Simon Pegg (Star Trek). The Minus: The odds. Both Ice Age and Meltdown opened in the cool days of March when the box office competition was not nearly as hot as in the summer months.
Public Enemies
Johnny Depp, Christian Bale
Though Bryan Burroughs’s hard-hitting book Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the F.B.I., 1933-34 is cited as this film’s source material, director Michael Mann reportedly first took a stab at scripting the adventures of legendary bank robber and lothario John Dillinger soon after directing his breakout 1981 hit Thief. As with many H’wood projects, it got pushed to the backburner. In the meantime, however Mann went on to direct Heat, Collateral and Miami Vice, so there is no doubting his credentials as to crafting crime thrillers like Public Enemies … and just to prove it, he is also credited as one of the screenwriters. In this R-rated true crime drama from Mann, Dillinger and his gang blaze a trail through the American heartland with G-Man Melvis Purvis (Bale) hot on his trail. The Plus: The players. Mann is a tour-de-force filmmaker with a specialty for crime (modern classic Heat ends all arguments). His handpicked cast, however, includes Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean), Bale (The Dark Knight), Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard (En Vie en Rose) and Channing Tatum (Step Up). The Minus: The material. Bio-pics of this ire usually pop up in the fall when H’wood is rolling out its award-baiting fare — not the popcorn blockbuster months.
Now Playing
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox
In the mind of John Q. Filmgoer, the first Transformers was really only obligated to show audiences one thing to be successful: robots from outer space kicking the ever-living crap out of each other … and truthfully, that overblown talky spectacle mostly delivered the goods. Well, the good news is that Fallen upholds the end of the bargain held by its predecessor. The bad news is that this sequel about robots from outer space kicking the ever-living crap out of each other also manages to be utterly boring. While such an accomplishment seems wholly impossible, overly long, surprisingly offensive and ultimately irrelevant sequel actually transforms into an abortion before filmgoers’ eyes. As with the first go-round, there is a concentration on character. In Transformers, this concentration was laudable but in Fallen, this concentration results in a lot of needless scenes that should have ended up as deleted scenes on the inevitable DVD release.
In this PG-13-rated sequel, Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) and girlfriend Mikaela (Fox) re-team with friendly Autobots for a battle against the evil Decepticons and a gi-normous baddie called The Fallen.
There are some fetching sequences (one involving a stunning femme-bot played by Isabel Lucas) but, for every winner there are countless cutting room floor contenders (anything involving Witwicky’s college roommate, robot testicles and minstrel show Autobots — just for starters). Worse, effects wizards worked overtime to bring audiences a cavalcade of robots that convincingly transform from ordinary vehicles into Rock-’Em-Sock-’Em warriors … and then rush through the shots so that said wizardry gets lost like a machine fart in the wind. Bottom Line: More than meets the ire.
My Sister’s Keeper
Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin
My Sister’s Keeper has been genetically engineered to make filmgoers bawl as loudly and uncontrollably as Nancy Kerrigan. While the 3,000-hanky drama succeeds to this end, its many cracks betray the telltale signs of such H’wood engineering. Some actors expertly fit the bill while others quickly give the audience their fill. Some scenes perfectly hit their mark while others leave the audience in the dark. It proves to be a precarious tightrope walk for director Nick Cassavetes, who strays the balance between believability and Hallmark card hokum with only some success. Saddled with needless narration, his maudlin pill serves as a reminder that this story was probably a lot more interesting between two covers.
In this PG-13-rated adaptation of the Jodi Picoult novel, a young girl (Breslin) conceived to provide a donor match for her leukemia-stricken sister seeks to earn medical emancipation from her parents (Diaz, Jason Patric).
Diaz might very well be a bona fide movie star with a number of hits under her belt but, during My Sister’s Keeper, never once does the actress convince your reviewer that she A.) gave birth; or B.) practiced law — two requirements that define her character. She keeps close company with Breslin. Though the Little Miss Sunshine moppet goes through all of the expected paces, there is very little about her performance that rings true. On the other hand, Sofia Vassilieva — playing the cancer-stricken sister — gives a remarkably genuine turn that steals filmgoers’ full attention. Patric, too, manages to shine in a mostly thankless role. Bottom Line: Crying shame.
The Hangover
Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms
In this R-rated comedy, four friends (Cooper, Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha) head to Las Vegas for a raucous bachelor party only to wake up the next morning with a baby, a tiger and Mike Tyson in their hotel room … but no groom. Chock full of brilliantly played bits, laugh-riot The Hangover hammers home the point that it takes a good degree of intelligence to make (and enjoy) a great low comedy. The set-up is simple, but what results is classic “boys will be boys” monkey business. The movie begins to feel long as it winds into the home stretch, but viewers will be too busy mopping up the embarrassing damp spot where they wet themselves laughing to take proper notice. Bottom Line: Hang 10.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Ben Stiller, Amy Adams
In this PG-rated family adventure, a former museum security guard (Stiller) goes into action when his exhibit friends (Adams, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams) are accidentally shipped to the Smithsonian Institute for storage in order to make way for new-age interactive displays … which is remarkable given the fact that the movie is a 105-minute computer-driven display devoid of much substance. Oh, don’t get your reviewer wrong — there is a lot going on with which to engage viewers … too much in fact. This shallow adventure simply tries to cram too many fine art references into its pop culture craw. The result proves dizzying and, in as much as its predecessor piqued kids’ interest in museums, this sequel will send them away screaming like they were in an Edvard Munch painting. Bottom Line: Embattled.
The Proposal
Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds
In this PG-13-rated romantic-comedy, Bullock plays a high-powered executive who fakes an engagement to her assistant (Reynolds) at the threat of being deported back to her native Canada. Pre-packaged on a factory line, the movie checks off every box on the romantic comedy list — including two affable players who ultimately make the trip worthwhile. It begins as predictable fluff and ends up as predictable fluff, but The Proposal staves off comic cravings for as long as it takes Mr. Filmgoer to stuff it into his craw. The movie proposes nothing new or blue, only something borrowed. But the comedy, though never outright hilarious, proves a pleasantly harmless romp that is better than most of its recent ilk. Bottom Line: Cake walk.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Denzel Washington, John Travolta
In this R-rated actioner, a New York City subway dispatcher (Washington) becomes the unwitting pawn of a criminal mastermind (Travolta) out to hijack a subway car full of civilians. Amazingly, director Tony Scott’s frenetic headache-inducing style doesn’t derail this remake of a little-remembered 1974 Walter Matthau/Robert Shaw thriller. It certainly doesn’t help matters either, but top honors for said derailment falls on a half-baked script with about as much punch as a comatose boxer. Scribe Brian Helgeland has given audiences great screenplays before ... this, however, is not one of them. Washington and Travolta are fully capable of selling through the wares, but struggle to find the actual substance. Travolta’s villain seems remorseful one minute and full-tilt psychotic the next while Washington’s conflicted everyman gets the high hat. Bottom Line: Chattanooga doo doo.
Up
Voices of Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer
In the latest G-rated Pixar film, a grumpy old man (Asner) and a stowaway (Jordan Nagal) head to a tropical paradise in a balloon-powered house. Building upon Pixar’s already amazing catalogue, the rollickingly fun Up indulges nostalgia and takes chances to boot. Perhaps, it could have been one of this studio’s very best were it not for some minor missteps. As much as director Pete Docter takes ample time to set up the plot’s intricate backstory, some other points escape their attention. Some supporting characters are underdeveloped (a friendly bird comes off like a cartoonish cliché) while others strain credibility even for a cartoon (some well-trained dogs speak with an electronic collar and even fly planes). Still, the adventure soars more than sours. Bottom Line: Make Up yours.
Year One
Jack Black, Michael Cera
In this PG-13-rated comedy, a pair of village idiots (Black, Cera) embarks on the first road-trip ever, wandering through many Biblical misadventures. Writer/director Harold Ramis made his bones in the comedy world more than 25 years ago … and damn, does it show. The jokes are somewhat humorous (especially David Cross as Abel), but never fall-down hilarious. Many of the tired jokes simply feel like cast-offs from decades-old comedies like Monty Python’s Life of Brian and The History of the World, Part I. It seems amazing that, in an age when shock laugh-riots like Superbad rule the box office, this movie (amazingly produced by Superbad’s Apatow) lacks the bite of much older comedies. Couldn’t the screenwriters come up with wittier bits than the fact that they condoned sodomy in Sodom … really?! Bottom Line: Bible-thumped.