DELIGHTFUL RETURN OF “NANNY MCPHEE” BUT NOT SO “VAMPIRES”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS (Rated PG) Five years have elapsed since Emma Thompson made her mark as the flipside of Mary Poppins, a caretaker of the young who only emerges when she is needed and not wanted. In “Nanny McPhee Returns,” Thompson’s Nanny McPhee, who sports moles, facial hair and a large, protruding snaggletooth, is a not an inviting presence to incorrigible children. Thompson, who wrote the screenplay based on a series of children’s books, uses a magical walking stick that she pounds on the ground whenever a new life lesson is about to take root in the minds of impressionable kids. Nanny McPhee, who constantly reminds everyone her name is spelled with a “small c, Big P,” instills basic values of faith, courage, loyalty and the like without sugary sentimentality.

In this second installment of the emerging “Nanny McPhee” franchise, the setting is rural Britain during what is ostensibly the World War II era. There’s a war going on, and London is being bombed, but there is no mention of Churchill, Hitler, FDR or even Americans carousing in local pubs. The war backdrop is important for establishing the fact that the family dad (Ewan McGregor in a cameo appearance) is on the battlefield while his wife Isabel (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is fighting her own losing battle of taming three rambunctious children.

Isabel’s troubles are compounded by the presence of her scheming brother-in-law Phil (Rhys Ifans), who selfishly wants her to sell the family farm so he can pay off gambling debts. One of the humorous subplots involves two women, Miss Topsey and Miss Turvey, who eagerly relish the prospect of dismembering Phil for being delinquent on his payments. Meanwhile, Isabel must contend with the difficulty of running the farm during her husband’s absence and keeping up with payments to the daffy owner (Maggie Smith) of the local supply store.

As if dealing with squabbling kids and a nefarious relative is not enough, Isabel plays host to her niece and nephew from London. Her brother’s children are snooty, rich city sophisticates, who arrive in a chauffeured limousine and wear expensive clothes ill-suited to the countryside. Prissy, spoiled Cyril (Eros Vlahos) and Celia (Rosie Taylor-Ritson) immediately announce their extreme displeasure at having been sent to the boondocks while London endures aerial bombardment. They are particularly unhappy that the farm is covered in cow dung, which proves impossible to avoid stepping into.

It’s bad enough that Isabel’s children constantly quarrel, and now when the obnoxious urban cousins are added to the mix, the arrival of the needed but unwanted Nanny McPhee is assured. As the country household falls into utter chaos, McPhee’s arrival could not be more propitious. Masterful in the art of tough love, Nanny McPhee soon tackles the most nettlesome problems, from fighting cousins to prized pigs that run away from the stable. This is the first movie in which pigs end up swimming in a synchronized water ballet and dancing Busby Berkeley-style. But, of course, such feats occur with the help of Nanny McPhee’s magical powers.

Isabel’s oldest child, Norman (Asa Butterfield), may have a chip on his shoulder, but he does make common cause with his cousin Cyril for a trip to London to confront Cyril’s father (Ralph Fiennes), a senior military official in the War Office. Not surprisingly, Norman is eager to learn the fate of his own father so that he can thwart his uncle’s dastardly plans. Around this time, Nanny McPhee’s warts and blemishes start to disappear, as her mission to bring the family together in harmony nears total success. Of course, by movie’s end Nanny McPhee looks as radiantly attractive as Emma Thompson.

To its credit, “Nanny McPhee Returns,” while resorting at times to some broad humor and slapstick, is mostly distinguished by sharp wit and smart dialogue that should prove entertaining to the adults who want to enjoy a nice family outing at the cinema. Also praiseworthy is the fact that “McPhee” does not dumb itself down for its target audience of youngsters. Furthermore, unlike some of our blowhard politicians and vacuous celebrities who get preachy on their favorite causes, this delightful film also does not talk down to the youth crowd. We should celebrate something smart and fun for all ages.

VAMPIRES SUCK (Rated PG-13)
This column foregoes the DVD Update so that we may alert our readers to a two-fold problem. First, the “Twilight” movies remain, for no apparent good reason, a cultural phenomenon, mostly for its adolescent female audience. Second, this franchise is ripe for satire. Unfortunately, “Vampires Suck,” though it has its decent moments of spoofing sullen teenagers and brooding vampires, falls flat in tweaking pop culture. “Twilight” fans possessing a sense of humor may be curious about the thrashing of their icons, regardless of their affiliation to Team Edward or Team Jacob. The writing-directing team of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer has already churned out a number of inferior spoofs, including the aptly-named “Disaster Movie.” By sticking to their old formulas, these guys have not advanced their art to a higher plane, and so they are unlikely to rival the creative Zucker Brothers (“Airplane!”) in the realm of great comic timing.

FULL-TILT ACTION EXPLODES ON SCREEN IN “THE EXPENDABLES”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE EXPENDABLES (Rated R) Full-tilt explosive action on steroids is the most suitable description one can give to “The Expendables,” a movie with the imprimatur of Sylvester Stallone’s full measure of creative involvement. As co-writer, director and star, Stallone, much like he did with “Rocky,” puts his heart and soul in a film centered on the theme of redemption, one that in this instance requires a lot of violence, gore and gunplay to turn a bunch of anti-heroes into saviors. Now that he’s close to cashing Social Security checks, Stallone shows that age and longevity are no impediments for delivering the action goods.

“The Expendables” is a true ensemble of muscle-bound good mercenaries who have convincing brute force, if not star power, equal to that of Stallone. As the leader and mastermind of the Expendables, Stallone’s Barney Ross has recruited to his ranks the very best specialists, who all just happen to have decent resumes of action heroics in their own right. Jason Statham’s expert knife-thrower Lee Christmas is trying to recover from a breakup with his girlfriend (Charisma Carpenter). Jet Li’s hand-to-hand combat whiz Yin Yang wants a bigger payday for unexplained expenses. Martial arts star Randy Couture plays demolition expert Toll Road. Terry Crews’ weapons specialist Hale Caesar wields the biggest weapons.

Operating within the Expendables orbit is precision sniper Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), whose addictions and volatility make him unreliable, a situation that is painfully evident in the film’s opening when the team seizes a vessel under the control of Somali pirates. A huge rift with the Expendables turns Gunner into an unstable mercenary force that comes back to cause big trouble. Mickey Rourke’s Tool, while retired from the ranks, runs a tattoo parlor in New Orleans that serves as the underground headquarters for the Expendables. Though looking physically up to the task, Tool is no longer involved in a hands-on capacity for the missions.

Though Barney and his gang are mercenaries, they develop a conscience, or at least harbor some reservations about the nature of their work. When the CIA seeks out the team for a routine assignment, Barney and Lee decide to scout the fictional South American country of Vilena to investigate the operations of a ruthless dictator, all the while posing as environmental monitors. After Barney discovers the general’s daughter, Sandra (Giselle Itie), is willing to sacrifice her own life to overthrow the government, he decides the job is even more important than the money.

Like a family of trapeze artists working without a net, Barney and his band of commandos take enormous risks. Not having any kind of plan or strategy, they set out for Vilena armed to the teeth with assault rifles, knives, machine guns and explosives. The heartless dictator, General Garza (David Zayas), cruelly mistreats his countrymen and allows his own kin to be tortured, but he’s also the puppet for an ex-CIA agent turncoat, James Munroe (Eric Roberts). The rogue agent has turned the island nation of Vilena into his own personal fiefdom for the export of illicit drugs, and relishes the idea of terrorizing the locals and those who get in his way.

Eric Roberts is usually quite good at playing the psychopathic tyrant or unstable gangster, and here he does not disappoint as the deranged, evil sleazebag who pulls the strings of the stooge military leader. Roberts has the knack of being the guy you root against. The rogue ex-CIA agent is assisted by iconic former pro wrestler Steve Austin in the role of a deadly sidekick and henchman aptly named Paine. The villains make great targets for Barney and his crew when they lay down a full-scale assault on the general’s heavily fortified palace.

One of the best scenes, as well as funniest, comes early on in the action, when Stallone has a testosterone-fueled meeting in a church, of all places, with two icons of action, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Maybe the Governor agreed to his special cameo appearance as a prelude to his career options following the completion of his term in office. I’d say that these action-oriented old timers still have what it takes. Wouldn’t it be something if they reunited next year in starring roles?

“The Expendables” has a body count that rivals that of a dozen war movies combined. Even with its less than stellar production values, this explosive action film manages to be an orgy of violence and mayhem that results in a chilling entertainment any action junkie would find hard to resist. The action is so wild and crazy that the fact “The Expendables” is totally preposterous proves to be irrelevant to anyone along for the thrill ride.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
I could write about the release of “One Tree Hill: The Complete Seventh Season,” but since I never watched the first six years it is best to pass. Now for something completely different in this column, I will point out that the notorious hip-hop duo, the Insane Clown Posse, takes on the Old West in “Big Money Rustlas.” In this prequel to “Big Money Hustlas” (yes, I missed that one), a deranged gambler, Big Baby Chips (Violent J) has taken control of the small desert town of Mud Bug with his violent antics.

Big Baby Chips enlists the help of a bunch of henchmen (probably some other rappers) in his evil endeavor. His long reign of terror may soon end when a forgotten hero named Sugar Wolf (Shaggy 2 Dope, the other member of the “Posse”) rides in to redeem his family name as Mud Bug’s new Sheriff. This western spoof features appearances by an eclectic group, including Tom Sizemore, porn king Ron Jeremy, Vanilla Ice, Brigitte Nielsen, and former child actors Todd Bridges and Dustin Diamond.

SMOKIN’ HOT ACTION AND WILD COMEDY SUITS “THE OTHER GUYS”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE OTHER GUYS (Rated PG-13) Comedian Will Ferrell, who’s been at best a hit-or-miss proposition in recent films, looked desperately lost in last year’s dreadful “Land of the Lost” as his career appeared to be heading over the cliff. Fortunately, there’s good news in store for him, as well as for us the audience, in that his titular role as a sad sack cop in “The Other Guys” is a hilarious bit of comedic redemption. As the title implies, “The Other Guys” is a buddy-cop comedy, but this one has the good fortune of burnishing the image of a genre that had been sullied only most recently by Bruce Willis, of all people, and Tracy Morgan in “Cop Out.” You probably would have forgotten about “Cop Out” had it not been released on DVD about three weeks ago.

If Will Ferrell can bounce back from disaster, I am hoping the same happens for Bruce Willis. Meanwhile, let’s give credit to the dynamic duo that starts off the action with a big bang in “The Other Guys.” The New York Police Department is graced with the presence of two superstar detectives, Highsmith and Danson, played by Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne (formerly The Rock) Johnson, respectively. They love to conduct high speed chases on the streets of Manhattan in a souped-up 1967 Chevy Malibu (or maybe a ’68 Chevelle or another smokin’ hot car of that era). These guys are more reckless than Mel Gibson the actor in a “Lethal Weapon” movie or Mel Gibson the person after too many drinks while driving on Pacific Coast Highway.

The trash-talking Highsmith and Danson, who have a habit of trashing the city streets, set the tone for the action at an impossibly high level to maintain. This is especially true when mild-mannered, wimpy forensic accountant detective Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and his partner, rogue cop now desk jockey Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), finagle their way into an investigation of white collar crime. No two cops are more mismatched than Allen and Terry. Allen, a nebbish who has never fired a gun, is perfectly happy to be a paper-pusher. On the other hand, the hotheaded Terry is itching for field work, but he’s been sidelined after a very unfortunate incident involving Yankee icon Derek Jeter.

The movie loses some of its momentum when Highsmith and Danson suddenly leave the police department searching for heroes to fill their shoes. Terry, suffering from anger management issues, and Allen, anguished by his lack of grit and self-esteem, are the unlikeliest candidates. Terry flips out every time Allen hums while typing police reports. Allen insists on arguing mundane matters with his partner, and then torments Terry by playing “Little River Band” CDs in his red Prius unmarked police vehicle. This very same car later ends up being covered in cocaine and then vandalized by the homeless for sex orgies.

Some of the funniest scenes involve Terry’s inability to accept that his nerdy partner has an unbelievable hottie for a wife (the always sultry Eva Mendes) and routinely attracts the attention of other good-looking women. Meanwhile, Terry abruptly confronts his former girlfriend at a ballet school in a failed attempt at reconciliation. “The Other Guys” has a tendency, just like this review, to wander all over the map.

The fact that the odd couple detectives are investigating Wall Street whiz David Ershon (Steve Coogan) for a Ponzi scheme is treated as a secondary matter of little importance to the overall picture. This movie is all about finding laughs in every corner, even at the expense of their Captain (Michael Keaton), who happens to be moonlighting as a night manager at a Bed Bath and Beyond. It should also be noted that this action comedy does not stint on the car chases and shootouts, with an explosion thrown in for good measure.

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A good buddy-cop comedy depends on the chemistry of its partners. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, at first glance, are the most improbable collaborators. Until “Date Night,” Wahlberg had shown no aptitude for comedy, and here he proves that being the “straight man” is remarkably rewarding when paired with the right funnyman. For his part, Ferrell does not play the fool for the sake of being the fool; he masters the conviction that timing is everything. “The Other Guys” uses Ferrell’s comedic talents to maximum effect, and the result is one hilarious, riotous comedy that is definitely worth seeing.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
This week’s movie reviewed above has plenty of action, but it’s not a thriller. If you’re looking for a pulse-pounding thrill ride in the high-stake world of international intelligence, then peek no further than the DVD release of “The Diplomat.” International action star Dougray Scott headlines as a mysterious diplomat who is suspected of drug trafficking for the Russian mafia by Scotland Yard after he is caught attempting to smuggle over 20 kilos of heroin.

Offering him immunity for his cooperation in apprehending his criminal bosses, the investigation eventually leads to Australia where a vast global conspiracy is uncovered involving nuclear weapons stolen from the former Soviet Union. The race is on to discover the truth behind the conspiracy. The story spans the globe from London to Sydney to Tajikistan, taking audiences through an explosive chain of events that will keep you on the edge of your seats until the stunning end.

COMEDY TILTED TO THE ODDBALL KIND IN “DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS (Rated PG-13) Going by the title alone should give you some idea that “Dinner for Schmucks” is not likely to be a high-brow entertainment, even if it is based on a foreign film. Pretending for a moment that I am cultured film critic, I’d love to twist myself into a giant pretzel while tortuously explaining that the original French farce, “The Dinner Game,” or “Le Diner de Cons” for you sophisticates, was somehow a brilliant, superior gem. The temptation is resisted if for no other reason that I can only recall that its imaginative premise is replicated here on a grander yet cruder scale. After all, director Jay Roach gave us “Meet the Parents,” so you have to expect humor on a less evolved scale.

As with the French original, “Dinner for Schmucks” walks the fine line between mean-spirited humiliation and outrageous mockery of deserving targets. The trick is to find the right balance so that the gales of laughter easily generated prove not to be uncomfortable and unsettling for the audience. It probably helps that the central buffoon is played by Steve Carell, who has achieved a level of acceptance for derision as the doltish boss in “The Office.” Then again, even though Carell’s Barry Speck is the object of scorn, his lack of guile proves endearing.

So, you ask, why is it so important that Barry, a petty bureaucrat at the IRS, is supremely nerdy and a bit creepy? Barry’s accidental encounter with up-and-coming financial advisor Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd) brings him in contact with an odd assortment of socialites and corporate types not in his league. Tim’s eagerness to move up the corporate ladder engenders a desperate need to impress his slippery, reptilian boss Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood). To reach the inner corporate circle, Tim’s forced to participate in an unsavory game of bringing a complete idiot to his boss’ annual dinner party, at which other invited corporate guests compete by providing their own candidates for ridicule. A trophy awaits the so-called winner of the “biggest idiot” title.

Once Tim has encountered Barry under unusual circumstances, he can’t shake him loose for a moment’s peace. Tim’s conflicted about the nasty business of bringing a pariah for a dinner guest, but he finds that Barry is an irresistible choice. For one thing, the tax agent is a real sad sack, which is readily apparent when he’s terrorized by his IRS boss Therman (Zach Galfianakis), thoroughly annoying on many levels, but mostly for the fact that he claims to exercise mind control over Barry. But the primary reason that Barry would be the likely front runner for the grand prize is that his passion is making dioramas out of stuffed mice wearing tiny costumes. His proud creations involve using dead mice for such things as the Last Supper and other historical events.

The dinner party is itself more of an afterthought, though the strange assortment of invited guests adds a dimension of truly wacky comic situations. It’s best not to divulge too much information about the eccentrics in attendance, because that’ll take the fun out of the party. One guest is a well-known ventriloquist with a tart-tongued vixen for a dummy. Mostly, the action focuses on the angst-ridden relationship that develops between Barry and Tim. In short order, Barry unwittingly destroys Tim’s romance with pretty art gallery owner Julie (Stephanie Szostak) in a case of mistaken identity that involves the skanky Darla (Lucy Punch) who lusts after Tim like a rabbit in heat.

Of course, Julie is so offended by Tim’s sudden change in character and his willingness to debase himself for the sake of a job promotion that she takes off. What is abruptly unsettling for Tim is that she’s becoming more closely involved in the exhibition of the strange artwork produced by oddball painter Keiran Vollard (Jemaine Clement), causing Tim to fret that his girlfriend is sleeping with the artist. Misunderstandings, naturally, are the stuff of comedy, and they abound aplenty in this film.

Despite the cruel nature of the central premise of the dinner party awarding a prize to the biggest idiot, “Dinner for Schmucks” settles for more screwball comedy than vicious humor at the expense of others. In the end, Paul Rudd is incapable of playing a vindictive, heartless person, and Steve Carell, though adept at playing clueless, is so comfortable with his geeky character that he’s impervious to horrible slights. “Dinner for Schmucks” could have been a nasty dark comedy, but settles for laughs derived from slapstick, witty dialogue, amusing situations and bizarre moments.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
While this week’s film review features Steve Carell, this is a good time to point out that we’re a week away from the DVD release of his uproarious comedy “Date Night.” In a comedic adventure of mistaken identity, “Date Night” follows the escapades of Carell and Tina Fey as a sensible, loving couple with two kids and a house in suburban New Jersey. Their typical date nights include a run-of-the-mill evening with little or no romance, but one night they decide to reignite the spark by going to Manhattan’s hottest restaurant without a dinner reservation. Oops, big mistake. What happens next is a wild ride that goes hilariously awry, as they embark on a dangerous series of crazy adventures to save their lives, and their marriage. The DVD release of “Date Night” features an all-new extended edition of the film with never-before-seen footage, plus a gag reel. Buy this DVD and you can make your own date night at home.

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THRILLING “SALT” PEPPERS THE ACTION GENRE TO THE HILT
A Film Review by Tim Riley

SALT (Rated PG-13) In the role of a robust, hard-bitten secret agent, Angelina Jolie achieves equal status with Daniel Craig and Matt Damon in their tough-guy personas of James Bond and Jason Bourne, respectively. Arguably, Jolie’s top ranking as Hollywood’s female action star is anything but a matter of hype in “Salt.” Any doubts of her durability are erased in the film’s opening minutes when she endures the harsh torture dished about by Kim Jong-il’s thugs in a North Korean prison. “Salt” wastes no time in setting the stage for full-throttle action in the service of one really exceptional thriller.

The ad campaign poses the question of “Who is Salt?” True enough, in the titular role Angelina Jolie’s CIA agent Evelyn Salt, an identity that she by the way steadfastly refused to give up to her North Korean captors, is an enigma. But that’s the fun of an action thriller that seems like a throwback to the waning days of the Reagan era when the Cold War was slipping into permanent oblivion. Yet, “Salt” engages a contemporary premise that the glory days of the Soviet Union are just about one serious international incident away from being revived from a moribund state.

Two years after her release from the communist torture chamber, Salt is back at the CIA and married to a German civilian (August Diehl) who researches spiders. Now working a desk job, Salt is pulled into the interrogation of supposed Russian defector Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) who claims that the old Evil Empire peppered America with sleeper cells of true believers ready to act upon a moment’s notice. Orlov tries to peddle the notion that there is a plot to assassinate the Russian president when he attends the upcoming funeral of the American vice president. He boldly claims that Evelyn Salt, no matter how stellar her CIA service record has been, is in fact a Russian sleeper spy.

Salt’s superior, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber), is highly dubious about Orlov’s wild claims. On the other hand, top agency official Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is, for reasons not really clear, almost immediately skeptical about Salt’s loyalty. I wouldn’t waste much time thinking about Salt’s allegiance or even motives, but she instantly leaps to action to break out of the CIA headquarters and to evade her colleagues in a series of daring stunts staged in and about Washington, D.C. One moment she is even more resourceful than MacGyver, as she builds a rocket launcher with the help of cleaning supplies and metal tubes. The next she can leap from one speeding truck to another with the dexterity of Spiderman.

I would like to tell you more about the plot, but that would be a disservice to anyone who would like to enjoy the abundant surprises in store. There appears to be no obstacle that is insurmountable for Salt. No prison can hold her. No foe can overcome her skill and fearsome tenacity. The film’s funniest scene may be on the occasion she enters the White House disguised as a male military officer. Maybe it was funny because, while wearing a short dark-haired wig, Salt looked uncannily like MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Fortunately, on all other occasions, Salt looked remarkably hot and sexy, even after being bloodied in a fight.

Some cranks will quibble that “Salt” lacks plausibility and that the action is too over-the-top. Well, all of that is true, but nobody should really care. This high-octane action spy story is so amped up on thrills that one should easily overlook any plot deficiencies, of which there are many. Still, “Salt,” for all its preposterous exploits, has enough twists and turns to keep anyone guessing deep into the storyline. I’ll take the straight up excitement of “Salt” any day over the self-conscious pretensions of a film like “Inception.”

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
It’s not every week that I get to absolutely rave about a new DVD release, but I eagerly anticipated the arrival of my screener for “Sergeant Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show, The First Season.” Delightfully, this outrageously funny TV comedy series holds up remarkably well after more than 50 years. In Army Sergeant Ernie Bilko, Phil Silvers created television’s most beloved conman and comedic character.

Fort Baxter sets the scene for the hilarious antics of Bilko as he attempts to swindle, bluff and flatter his platoon and fellow comrades in his hilarious attempts to enrich himself at their expense. This is the kind of DVD release where the episodes are so damn good that I care not at all about the extras. Nevertheless, two special features are worth noting. One is the rarely seen live audition show that was never broadcast. The other is a classic episode of “I Love Lucy” in which Phil Silvers guest stars, in true comedic form, as an efficiency expert who takes over Lucy’s office.

MIND-BENDING THRILLS AND MYSTIQUE INFUSE “INCEPTION”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

INCEPTION (Rated PG-13) Beware of people who claim they fully comprehend what is happening most of the time in Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.” They probably cling to a misplaced notion of their own intellectual superiority and would view your ignorance with condescension if not downright hostility. Nolan, the director and screenwriter of “Inception,” performed the same tasks for mysterious films such as “Memento” and “The Prestige.” But then, he also co-wrote and directed “Batman Begins,” a thoroughly accessible action film for the masses.

It is obvious from his past work that the talented Nolan is capable of blending metaphysical abstraction and pure adrenaline of energetic action. These two disparate strains of cinematic styles come together in “Inception,” and the attendant confusion that may be experienced by unaffected filmgoers is understandable. You may count me in the category of those puzzled by Nolan’s peculiar desire to merge the supernatural dream state with the kind of action one would expect to see in a James Bond film. In fact, if the assault on the snowy mountaintop aerie of a corporate bigwig doesn’t remind you of the vintage Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” I don’t know what will.

Described as a science-fiction action and fantasy film, “Inception” plumbs deeply into the human psyche. At least, that appears to be the job description for Leonardo DiCaprio’s Cobb, a skilled thief in the dangerous art of extraction, which involves stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in a treacherous new world of corporate espionage. The downside of his work is that it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved, though the film leaves a lot of ambiguity about where he stands with his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard).

We first see Cobb at work trying to extract vital information from the brain of rich Japanese magnate Saito (Ken Watanabe), but it appears to be merely a test for a more difficult proposition. What matters most to Cobb is to be reunited with his two young kids in the United States, and Saito offers him a way home without a messy encounter with the authorities. Saito targets Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) for a nearly impossible mission – inception. Instead of the perfect dream heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse; their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime.

Fischer, the mark, is about to inherit control of his dying father’s multibillion-dollar empire. Riddled by insecurities, as expected of someone who has lived his entire life in the shadow of a hugely powerful individual, Fischer looks to be the perfect victim. What Cobb’s team needs to plant in Fischer’s mind is the idea of dismantling the patriarch’s global empire so that the mega-corporation can be picked apart like a Sunday yard sale.

To make the inception enterprise work, Cobb relies on his specialists to manipulate the victim’s dream state. First, it requires building a dream world so full of mazes that only an architect could design it. This is where young Ariane (Ellen Page), dubious at first but soon overcome with intellectual curiosity, comes aboard. Cobb’s right-hand man is Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the master planner in charge of the details. In the TV series “Mission Impossible,” Martin Landau would don masks and makeup to impersonate others; here the job falls to Eames (Tom Hardy), who inhabits the dream world like a chameleon. The chemist Yusuf (Dileep Rao) uses a drug compound that enables multiple people to share different dream states.

What ends up being constructed in the dream world is often full of gun battles and fights, with weapons blazing most dramatically in the snowy mountains of Canada. Even though Cobb and his team can enter Fischer’s dream world, little did they realize he had his own army of bodyguards ready for battle. While “Inception” may confuse the cerebral with bewilderment, the movie, at some level, offers the audience the chance to take away from the experience what they will. From my perspective, I think “Inception” is too impressed with its own cleverness. This is the Rubik’s Cube of the cinema, and you must decide if you want to figure out the whole puzzle. Some say that a Nolan film should be viewed more than once; I’ll pass on that idea.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
For something even more offbeat than “Inception,” one should turn to the BBC series “Look Around You,” now available on DVD. Blithely exploring the nonsensical wonders of science, the comedy series is based on unforgettable educational programs of the 1970’s. In the DVD release of “Look Around You: Season One,” presenters Jack Morgan (Robert Popper) and Peter Packard (Peter Serafinowicz) guide viewers through a series of gloriously deadpan experiments. Viewers will observe a colony of ants build an igloo, receive a telephone call from a brain, discover why ghosts can’t whistle, and reveal the largest number in the world. Guest stars include such wacky British comedians as Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who teamed up in “Hot Fuzz.” Further proof of bizarre parody on hand is the recorded commentary by the “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

 

NOTHING DREADFUL ABOUT THE WONDERFUL, FUNNY “DESPICABLE ME”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

DESPICABLE ME (Rated PG) The Disney/Pixar animation crowd is getting a run for its money from an unlikely source in Universal Pictures, and not for any reasons involving superior graphic design. Though no slouch in its own right, “Despicable Me,” realized by French animators, combines American ingenuity and outsourced cartooning. The result is a quirky blend of familiar storyline and the international flavor of fascinating artwork. “Despicable Me” so defies custom that it is almost impossible pin down the film’s actual setting, a matter further complicated by the wide range of accents given to key characters.

Putting aside this animated film’s interesting artful details, “Despicable Me” is for more appealing for its congenial, charming sense of fun. This extremely delightful comedy is equal measure funny, charming and heartwarming. The film’s antihero Gru (voiced by Steve Carell in a vaguely Russian accent) is a preening villain seemingly oblivious to his egregious incompetence. With the help of his henchman Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), who appears to suffer borderline dementia but is still a mad genius, Gru desperately wants to make the evening news as the World’s Top Villain. To make matters worse for him, Gru still endures criticisms and verbal slights from his dismissive mother (Julie Andrews).

But nothing hurts Gru more than being upstaged by his snotty archrival Vector (Jason Segel), who pulls off an incredible heist of Egypt’s Great Pyramid. Gru can only claim recent success in stealing the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty, but sadly they are the replicas found in Las Vegas. The kind of villainy Gru loves to practice is usually found in his delight in popping kids’ balloons or using his freeze gun at a coffee store to turn those ahead of him in line into blocks of ice.

Gru, who looks vaguely like Doctor Evil and lives in a massive lair stocked with James Bond-like gadgets, is busy plotting his next big move, even though he can’t even secure a loan from the Bank of Evil. His ambition is so big he’s literally shooting for the moon. But in order to steal the moon, Gru must possess the shrink-ray gun, but unfortunately it falls into the hands of Vector. In what is the film’s best plot twist, Gru figures that his best weapon to retrieve the ray gun is to adopt three little orphan girls who are quite convincing at door-to-door cookie sales.

The adorable girls – Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) – prove to have a formidable impact on their adoptive “father,” whose cold heart melts as they chip away at his resistance to take them to dance class or to visit an amusement park. At first, Gru is hardly attentive to his young charges, except for his nefarious plans to use them to infiltrate Vector’s fortified mansion. Gradually, though, he gives in to demands for bedtime stories and other signs of fatherly affection. The big villain’s steady transformation is predictable but no less touching and heartwarming.

While Gru’s makeover is foreseeable, the central core of “Despicable Me” is the enchanting, pleasing way that the three adorable girls have such a profound effect on the big lug. Meanwhile, there is plenty of bouncy fun to be found with Gru’s other secret weapons, namely the energetic Minions, the small yellow creatures who vigorous serve their master’s grand schemes. Not surprisingly, the Minions offer great comic relief. Much like the “Toy Story 3” pitch to the young and old audience, “Despicable Me” offers the same type of pleasure across the age spectrum. Abundant with pointed dialogue and witty zingers, “Despicable Me” ranks as one of the best cleverly written animation comedies that I believe adults should truly enjoy. If you happen to see the 3-D version, be sure to stay through the end credits, since that’s when the technology is most impressive.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
It’s not too soon to start thinking about the return of “Mad Men” on the AMC Channel later this month. With the fourth season just around the corner, this would be a good time to pick up the DVD release of “Mad Men: Season Three.” The third season originally aired in the fall of 2009, which now seems like a long time ago. The DVD contains all 13 episodes, including the brilliant final episode that should have everyone breathlessly waiting for the new season. “Mad Men: Season Three,” aside from the genius of one scandalous surprise after another in each episode, is loaded with special features that showcase interviews with the cast and crew and examine the historical events that shaped 1963. To that end, there’s a documentary on Dr. Martin Luther King’s March on Washington. Another feature is “Clearing the Air: The History of Cigarette Advertising,” which is a visual depiction of the relationship between Big Tobacco and Madison Avenue.

A COMEDY ROMP, EVEN IF JUVENILE, FOR “GROWN UPS”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

GROWN UPS (Rated PG-13) When you think of an Adam Sandler comedy, you know instinctively that it lacks the sophisticated wit of a Noel Coward play or even the ingenious humor of the early Woody Allen films. “Grown Ups,” co-written by and starring Sandler, demonstrates that the prolific comedian has not advanced all that much from his Happy Gilmore screen persona. But that’s okay, as long as you understand that Sandler is not looking to deliver high-minded comedic material. His primary interest is to supply an abundance of laughs, and surprisingly “Grown Ups” provides them in decent measure.

Admittedly, I entered into the screening with fairly low expectations since, I think, Sandler’s last film was the execrable “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” which has already been consigned to the dustbin of comedic failures. Now, the plot, such as it is, of “Grown Ups” is summarized in the film’s poster that illustrates five adult males rafting on inner tubes at a water park. That’s right, and not unexpectedly for a Sandler film, the five guys are regressing to childhood behavior which, despite the fact most of them are married with their own kids, is certainly not out of the norm.

Adam Sandler’s Kenny, a high-powered Hollywood agent, is married to high-strung fashion designer Roxanne (Salma Hayek) and has three snotty, spoiled children who never play outdoors. Kevin James’ Eric, a furniture salesman, has a wife (Maria Bello) still breastfeeding their four-year-old son. The henpecked Kurt (Chris Rock) contends with his bossy wife (Maya Rudolph) and the mother-in-law from Hell (Ebony Jo-Ann). Rob Scheider’s Rob, sporting an Elvis wig, is remarried to a woman (Joyce Van Patten) decades older. Meanwhile, David Spade’s Marcus, a confirmed bachelor, appears interested only in youthful, hot cocktail waitresses and store clerks.

The five buddies played basketball in middle school and have since lost touch. The occasion for their reunion is the funeral of their beloved former school coach. As the guys and their families gather for a stay at a lakeside home in New England, the inevitable reminiscing about the good old days is the central focus of the story. Since it is also the Fourth of July weekend, the film’s tone is infected by the holiday spirit, even if some bickering and family tensions simmer below the surface.

Mostly, it’s all about jokes, pratfalls, one-liners, put-downs, boastful stories, physical humor and even the obligatory flatulence. Not much happens that is even remotely surprising or unanticipated. Kevin James is obvious fodder for any pratfalls and high-jinks involving someone overweight. David Spade couldn’t be more perfect in his role of the carefree, lecherous Casanova. On the other hand, Maria Bello has little to do other than to see to it that her breast pump malfunctions at the moment of maximum hilarity.

Basketball also figures into the weekend festivities. The five buddies played on a championship team, and lo and behold, the losing squad, led by obnoxious bartender Colin Quinn, desires a rematch. You’d have to be practically brain dead not to see that showdown coming. The locals, of course, are a bunch of yokels, none more so than Steve Buscemi’s Wiley, who ends up in full-body cast. And since much of what happens over the weekend is so random, three of Rob’s daughter’s show up, two of them very hot looking tall model-types in shorts, while the third one is squat and homely. Naturally, David Spade’s Marcus, always keen on female talent, becomes a little more energetic.

For the most part, “Grown Ups” seems like an excuse for a reunion of comedians, allowing them to sit around and riff on each other. That’s why the film has such a laidback atmosphere that the audience may feel like they are intruding on a private holiday party. Relax, however, because Sandler and company have invited us to this gig, and they hope you get your money’s worth. Whether you agree or not, it’s a matter of perspective, and I think it turned out pretty well because there are plenty of good laughs in this relatively genial comedy.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
While we’re on the theme of buddies looking to recapture a little of their youthful glory, this is a good time to point out that “Hot Tub Time Machine” has been released on DVD. After a crazy night of drinking in the hot tub, pals John Cusack, Craig Robinson and Rob Corddry find themselves transported back to the heady days of the 1980s at a ski resort. Not only was this film an uproarious comedy, it had a great soundtrack of golden hits of that era. The DVD includes over 10 additional minutes of unrated footage not seen in theaters, as well as deleted scenes and promotional spots. It’s the perfect film to add to your collection of “The Hangover” and the better Judd Apatow comedies

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ACTION THRILLS ON DISPLAY “KNIGHT AND DAY” RESULT IN FUN
A Film Review by Tim Riley

KNIGHT AND DAY (Rated PG-13) If you happened to be an unwary moviegoer, you may have stumbled into the recent Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl allegedly romantic action comedy “Killers,” an inferior product in the summer sweepstakes of action-packed escapism based on the premise that bankable stars deliver the goods. First of all, Kutcher is likely better known as Mr. Demi Moore, and in no way does he compare favorably with Tom Cruise, even if he manages to avoid jumping up and down on Oprah’s sofa and does not publicly engage Brooke Shields on issues of psychotherapy. For all his personal foibles, Cruise still has drawing power, and that’s all that’s really necessary to lift “Knight and Day” into the realm of an enjoyable, frenetic and lively action nonsense.

“Knight and Day” thrives on the megastar wattage of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, seemingly mismatched in their respective roles of rogue secret agent Roy Miller and vintage car enthusiast June Havens. They meet cute at the Wichita airport when their paths cross at the security screening. On her way to her sister’s wedding in Boston, June is desperate to get on a supposedly full flight, but shows no interest at all in the fact that only a handful of people are actually on board. Meanwhile, Roy is headed in the same direction, and despite his affable demeanor and bright smile, he appears to be either on the wrong side of the spy business or an honest broker seeking to expose corruption and malfeasance. I’d rather not spoil the opening action sequences, but eventually Roy has to land the plane in a deserted field.

But if you think crash landing the jetliner is an awesome feat, just hang on in amazement at Roy’s nearly superhuman powers to leap onto June’s speeding car, all the while shooting Federal agents in hot pursuit. Roy’s primary nemesis is an FBI agent named Fitzgerald (Peter Sarsgaard), a colorless government drone who does not inspire confidence in his abilities or loyalties. In fact, the more people that chase Roy across the U.S. and then through Austria and Spain the more it becomes obvious that Roy, as we suspected all along, is the good guy. Like me, you may wonder why June is dragged into this whole spy business mess to begin with, considering that her presence has little to do with the plot.

Actually, plot, or lack thereof, is very much an issue in “Knight and Day,” though it is easily obscured by the fact that the action, along with flying bullets, exotic car chases, dangerous stunts and mayhem in general, remains relentless and staggering in scope and scale. What the film lacks in plot, or for that matter in any sense of realism, it more than makes up for its structural weaknesses and contrivances by engaging in the kind of over-the-top action that simply dazzles the senses.

On top of the implausible exploits, “Knight and Day” makes good use of the nearly constant banter and one-liners of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, who seem to be having a good time in each other’s company even if romantic chemistry is not fully realized. Never mind the naysayers who may fault this movie’s lack of logic and credibility; enjoy “Knight and Day” for the sheer delight of its inexhaustible energy and nonstop action.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Not sure if this is a marketing ploy, but the DVD release of “The Eclipse,” starring Ciaran Hinds as a widowed teacher in a seaside Irish town raising two kids and coping with the notion his house is haunted, coincides with the next installment of “The Twilight” films, which is entitled “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.”

I can guarantee you that adolescent girls will not confuse the vampire heartthrobs for a teacher interested in the supernatural. There’s no Team Edward or Team Jacob for Ciaran Hinds to contend with. Meanwhile, in another DVD release, action star Jet Li stars as General Pang in “The Warlords,” set in the midst of war and political upheaval during the Taiping Rebellion of the 1860s. Jet Li’s general barely survives a brutal massacre of his fellow soldiers and then joins a band of bandits to continue fighting, before things turn sour in a web of political deceit.
 

HUMOR, HEART AND CHARM PROVE MAGICAL FOR “TOY STORY 3”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

TOY STORY 3 (Rated PG) The old American expression, “third time is the charm,” hardly ever applies to the second sequel of a popular movie. Think about it, for a moment. Case in point would be “Part III” of “The Godfather” franchise, even if the film tried to make an offer one could not easily refuse. On the other hand, the Disney and Pixar animated “Toy Story” franchise is getting better along the way, with “Toy Story 3” the positive proof that the third time is really the charm. Matter of fact, I may not be alone in thinking that number 3 is the best of the lot, thereby making a strong case that the eleven year wait since “Toy Story 2” was well worth it.

The “Toy Story” franchise has a long history, with the original film coming out in 1995 and the first sequel in 1999. Eleven years ago, the toys felt abandonment issues when their owner young Andy was going off to camp, and as a result the pull-string talking cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks) found himself relegated to a garage sale where he was scooped up by a collector. With “Toy Story 3,” Andy (John Morris), now 17 years old, is packing up and leaving home for college, and the toys, including Woody, the cool space action figure Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), are facing at best a banishment to the attic.

Well, this wouldn’t be a “Toy Story” movie unless some toys were put in jeopardy, and certainly “Toy Story 3” does not disappoint. Through a freak accident owing partly to Andy’s well-intentioned mom (Laurie Metcalf), Woody and his pals, including Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head (Don Rickles and Estelle Harris), Rex (Wallace Shawn), Hamm (John Ratzenberger) and Barbie (Jodi Benson), end up being donated to Sunnyside Day Care. A teddy bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty), who reeks of a musty strawberry scent, promises that the new arrivals will have plenty of opportunity to be played with by kids. Of course, he left out the part about them being relegated to the playroom inhabited by the most destructive and unruly children.

It turns out that Lotso, with his Southern drawl, is a lot like the warden in “Cool Hand Luke.” And while Lotso does not utter the words “what we have here is a failure to communicate,” he rather quickly makes clear his intentions to deprive Woody and the gang of their liberty. With Lotso running the place like a boot camp, Sunnyside is anything but a cheery, jolly refuge for old toys. Even worse, Lotso has reprogrammed Buzz into an obedient minion who has turned on his old friends and enforces curfew during every night’s lockdown of the toys.
Naturally, it falls upon the very resourceful Woody, helped out by the feisty Jessie and the others, to concoct a plan for a massive prison break. Meanwhile, “Toy Story 3” introduces a host of other new characters. At the Sunnyside Day Care, Barbie thinks she has met the man of her dreams when she encounters the preening Ken (Michael Keaton), who is so hilariously obsessed with his wardrobe that he almost breaks down when his precious Nehru jacket is threatened to be ripped to shreds.

The pompous Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton), a British actor hedgehog, is slyly amusing. Most frightening of the bunch is the oversized doll Big Baby, a truly weird enforcer for Lotso. The main mission for Woody and his pals, after resetting Buzz’s control panel, is to find a way out and return to the peaceful life in suburbia. Of course, this doesn’t happen easily, but it does allow for some very inventive use of Woody’s skills to engineer the breakout. During the final act, a full-blown action adventure story is turned loose as Andy’s toys navigate a hellish escapade, first in a dump truck and then through a landfill where refuse meets a fiery fate.

What makes “Toy Story 3” one of the best movies of the summer is that it is truly a great family film that entertains children and adults alike, except for different reasons. Funny gags will capture everyone’s attention, but there are plenty of historical references and enough sophisticated humor that make this film work for adults. On top of all that, “Toy Story 3” has great heart and soul, and everyone will be touched emotionally at the film’s end. The 3-D technology is an added bonus, but “Toy Story 3” is terrific in any dimension.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
More and more excellent British TV series and programs are washing up on our shores through DVD releases from the Acorn Media Group. Alex Kingston, known stateside for her role in “ER,” stars in “Hope Springs,” a 2009 crime caper series set in the Scottish Highlands. Ex-con Kingston had planned to escape to a tropical island with her loot but instead becomes stranded in a picturesque Scottish village that harbors its own dark secrets.

The hit British crime series “Trial & Retribution” has been compared to “Law & Order,” as the British series traces a crime from commission to courtroom, revealing the complex motives and machinations of the police, the accused and the attorneys. Starring David Hayman and Victoria Smurfit as hard-bitten London detectives, “Trial & Retribution, Set 4” is now available. “A Cold War Spy Collection: The Glory Boys & The Contract” delivers two complete dramas, based on the books by best-selling novelist and espionage expert Gerald Seymour, about the British intelligence service taking on international terrorists and the Soviet bloc. All of the above-mentioned programs represent some of the best of British crime and espionage stories.

FULL-TILT ACTION BLAST MAKES “A-TEAM” BIG SUMMER FUN
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE A-TEAM (Rated PG-13) Another blast from the past arrives on the big screen with the movie adaptation of the popular 1980s TV series “The A-Team.” To be sure, the original program, which ran successfully for five seasons, was a cheesy action adventure in which the violence was primarily cartoonish. Nobody ever seemed to get hit by flying bullets during the standard shootouts. Members of the A-Team were former Army Special Forces soldiers falsely accused of war crimes, causing them to go underground. On the lam and constantly pursued by military police, the A-Team became benevolent soldiers of fortune recruited in each episode to right some wrongs and to help decent people oppressed by street thugs or more sophisticated criminal enterprises.

For the theatrical version of “The A-Team” the formula remains essentially unchanged, albeit updated to modern times. The crack unit of former commandos is made up of veterans of the Iraq war, not Vietnam. George Peppard is no longer the unorthodox Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith; the part now goes to Liam Neeson, who is equally adept at concocting unconventional but effective plans. Bradley Cooper replaces Dirk Benedict as the handsome con man Lt. Templeton “Face” Peck, irresistible to all women except former girlfriends who happen to be in the Army. Mixed martial arts champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, minus the fifty pounds of gold chains, takes on the role of muscleman and mechanic Sgt. B.A. Baracus, replacing the iconic Mr. T. South African actor Sharlto Copley (“District 9”) proves to be just as nutty as Dwight Schultz in the role of Captain H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock, the team’s pilot.

The plot is a bit convoluted, but it sets up the guys for a big operation in Baghdad, where they are assigned a secret mission by their commanding officer (Gerald McRaney) to smash a counterfeiting operation and retrieve the engraving plates. In their capacity as Army Rangers, the A-Team members combine their skills and talents for an initially successful effort, only to be double-crossed and set up as fall guys. The bad guys are not easily identified, but from the start it is obvious that the sleazy contractor Pike (Brian Bloom) is up to no good. The four soldiers are sent to separate maximum security prisons, but then we already know that there is no prison that can hold these men.

A mysterious CIA agent named Lynch (Patrick Wilson), initially committed to busting up the counterfeit ring, turns into an increasingly complex and conflicted operator as he puts the A-Team on the trail of the villainous Pike. For his part, Pike is a straight-up jerk, more and more an annoying adversary richly deserving of a grand comeuppance. Then, there’s the problem of Face’s old flame, Captain Charisa Sosa (Jessica Biel), possessing the nicest pair of legs in the Army, who may have her doubts about the innocence of the A-Team but nonetheless gets demoted to Lieutenant for her coziness with these renegades.

As the A-Team members desperately chase bad guys across the globe in attempts to clear their names, the action ratchets up every step of the way. On one occasion, Murdock and the team hijack a huge cargo plan equipped with a tank, only to later fall out of the sky inside the same tank in a plunge into a lake in Germany. In an effort to retrieve the stolen engraving plates, the team members stage a daring assault on a high-rise building which results in an adrenaline-charged blast of superb action. It’s topped off with a spectacular car chase that is reminiscent of the “Bourne” franchise. Plenty of mind-blowing action happens before the climactic showdown at the Los Angeles Port, involving sleight of hand with huge cargo containers.

“The A-Team” is such a total blast of wonderfully explosive action that the plot flaws are forgivable. This is near perfect summer entertainment, and I pity the fool who doesn’t find the great fun in this totally unserious bit of cartoonish violence and B-movie histrionics. Director Joe Carnahan has a winner on his hands, probably big enough to propel “The A-Team” into a new movie franchise.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
To counter the testosterone-fueled summer action movies, let’s look at the heartwarming, critically-acclaimed family drama of the TV series “Everwood.” The Emmy nominated series stars Treat Williams, Gregory Smith and Vivien Cardone as a family tackling life’s hard issues as they build a new life in the Rocky Mountain town of Everwood. Warner Home Video is now releasing “Everwood: the Complete Third Season” on DVD, including all 22 episodes, along with never-before-seen unaired scenes and bloopers.

For the third season, love is in the clear mountain air of Everwood. Back from a troubled summer at Juillard, Ephram commits himself to his music and to Amy. Andy is drawn to a patient’s wife – and into an ethical dilemma. Dr. Jake Hartman moves into town and starts eating a lot of pancakes, as long as Nina’s serving them up. But don’t expect love to conquer all, especially when the secret Andy kept from Ephram last season comes spilling out. On second thought, this DVD set may contain too much romantic drama, at least for me. I noticed on the Internet that I could purchase all five seasons of “The A-Team” in one giant set.  

FAMILY RUN REIGNS IN “MARMADUKE” BUT NOT FOR OTHER DOGS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

MARMADUKE (Rated PG) Owen Wilson and George Lopez, two actors with distinctly different comedic styles, create a strange pair in their leading roles for a buddy movie. The reason that the coupling of these two buddies in “Marmaduke” is so unusual is that they are the voices for the Great Dane Marmaduke and the housecat Carlos. Wilson’s big slobbering canine confines his affection for Lopez’s furry feline pretty much in the presence of the Winslow household, a typical Midwestern two-parent family with three kids.

As most people know, “Marmaduke” is based on the long-running comic strip, but takes great liberties with the usual storyline. First of all, both Marmaduke and Carlos are talking animals, with the big dog in particular constantly blabbing as if he was desperately in need of acceptance. Marmaduke talks not only to all his four-legged pals and acquaintances but also speaks directly into the camera, sharing his deep thoughts and observations with the audience. Owen Wilson was the obvious pick for this assignment. Someday we should see the loquacious actor as a U.S. Senator leading a filibuster.

The film opens with the Winslow family living in Kansas, where Phil (Lee Pace) is recruited by a pet food company based in Orange County. With his wife Debbie (Judy Greer) and three kids in tow, Phil makes the move west, taking the two household pets along. Phil’s new boss is eccentric dog-lover Don Twombly (William H. Macy) who feels his best work is performed barefoot at the local dog park. Of course, Marmaduke, with his bad habit of getting into trouble, proves a disruptive presence, namely because he is smitten with Twombly’s purebred collie Jezebel (Stacy Ferguson, aka Fergie). However, he falls in with a group of lovable mutts, including Mazie (Emma Stone), the wise Raisin (Steve Coogan) and the extremely nervous Giuseppe (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).

There’s not much of a plot to “Marmaduke” other than the big dog getting into virtually nonstop trouble. At the dog park, he challenges the pedigreed bully Bosco (Kiefer Sutherland) in a turf battle, which involves staging a fake fight with Carlos to prove his supremacy. Craving respect from his fellow canines, Marmaduke hosts a wild party at his house which causes so much destruction that he feels he must run away from home. It all ends tidily when the humans launch an all-out search for the wayward pooch, while Marmaduke becomes heroic as he rescues Mazie from her fall into the raging waters of the local aqueduct.

“Marmaduke,” mostly balanced between comic pratfalls and touching emotions, is so predictably formulaic that hardly anyone older than eight years will be surprised by what transpires. Nevertheless, “Marmaduke” proves to be enjoyable family fun at a time that movies geared to the family seem to be in short supply. I certainly found it much more pleasurable than the two movies mentioned below.

Now, briefly, I will refer to the “other dog” movies out there. First, “Sex and the City 2” is not only intolerable and unbearable it’s also an affront to good taste and moral decency. Of course, according to some of my female friends, my views reflect a retrograde insensitivity to important things like shopping for high fashion clothes and jewelry and acquiring more shoes than Imelda Marcos. I can’t believe I sat through this dreadful movie more than a week ago. Only now can I bring myself to write more than one sentence about the horror.

Another movie going to the “dogs” that will also fall flat is “Killers,” in which dashing Ashton Kutcher tries to leave behind his previous career as an international super spy in order to settle down with his hot wife Katherine Heigl. When a price is put on his head, Kutcher finds his suburban lifestyle turned on its head. “Killers” has no idea if it wants to be an action picture or a comedy. As a result, it fails at both.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
With a title this long, “The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It” has to go straight-to-video because, among other things, it would never fit on a movie marquee. The comedies of Judd Apatow give birth to one irresistible masterpiece (at least according to the publicity blurb). Now, I didn’t get around to watching this yet, so this is a situation of buyer beware. But I am guessing that this parody of Apatow films will be predictably crass and offensive to good taste. The stars Bryan Cullen (“Bad Santa”) and Noureen DeWulf (“Ghosts of Girlfriends Past”) are not even familiar names. Rent rather than purchase the DVD copy. However, convince an unsuspecting friend to rent it for you when you decide to host a Judd Apatow retrospective party.  

SWORD-AND-SANDAL EPIC “PRINCE OF PERSIA” FULL OF ACTION
A Film Review by Tim Riley

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (Rated PG-13) Aside from indie films, the choice of new movies this week boils down to one between the sword-and-sandal epic “Prince of Persia” and the female-oriented “Sex and the City 2.” It should be noted that both films are fantasy, each in their own unique way. Since I have no interest whatsoever in shopping for shoes, handbags and jewelry, I found it rather easy to settle on the Walt Disney Pictures’ adaptation of an exotic videogame, even if I am unfamiliar with the fact that is has been around for over 20 years. A bigger selling point for “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” is that it is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who possesses a gifted talent for delivering blockbuster action. For proof of his genius, take into account the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy.

“Prince of Persia” starts with the promise of grand adventure in the mystical lands of 6th century Persia, where one of the greatest empires the world has ever known appears majestic and threatening all at once. As the hero of this adventure, Jake Gyllenhaal’s Dastan was not always a prince. Once a street urchin, young Dastan caught the attention of benevolent King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup) and was adopted into a household with the king’s two sons. Dastan’s destiny was to become a prince as well as one of the fiercest warriors in the Persian Army.

Though raised alongside Sharaman’s sons Tus (Richard Coyle, the sensible older one) and Garsiv (Toby Kebbell, the belligerent striver), and taught the ways of wisdom and nobility by his adoptive father and beloved uncle, Nizam (Ben Kingsley), Prince Dastan retains his rough edges. The putative Persian prince, agile and strong, has demonstrated the physical and mental skills that suggest greatness. The action begins in earnest when the Persian royals are convinced by the sober recommendation of Nizam to invade the holy city of Alamut on the belief that hordes of weapons are being supplied to Persia’s enemies. Unknown to the Persians is that Alamut possesses one incredible weapon, which to the naked eye is nothing but a fancy dagger.

Fateful consequences flow from the attack on the peaceful holy city. A member of the royal family is murdered by treacherous means, and suspicion falls upon Dastan because he was set up as the fall guy. Meanwhile, Dastan has formed an uneasy alliance with Alamut’s Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), whose sole concern is to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time. The mystical dagger, with its crystal handle that holds the precious sand, is a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world, or to at least undo some damage or alter the course of history.

And so, Tamina and Dastan are forced to flee, namely to allow the Persian Prince the opportunity to clear his name and to finger the true culprit. Of course, they are both doomed if the dagger falls into the wrong hands. Now, of course, even a grade school kid can figure out that Dastan and Tamina are also destined for each other. But, first there’s the pesky business of being on the lam and avoiding the dangerous pitfalls in the untamed desert. In due course, they end up in the clutches of shady Sheikh Amar (Alfred Molina), a wise-cracking promoter of ostrich races who shares with the Tea Party movement a profound disdain for tax collectors and bureaucratic types.

Breaking free of the Sheikh and his gang, Dastan and Tamina fight off more enemies before arriving at the inevitable showdown with the party responsible for the royal murder. As to be expected of a Jerry Bruckheimer production, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” is an action-packed adventure that is reminiscent of old-fashioned, sweeping swashbuckling epics. The beauty of this film, aside from the fact that it is easily enjoyed by anyone unfamiliar with the underlying videogame, is that, in the face of pure fantasy, it is grounded in a sense of fun and exciting action. It looks like summer is off to a really good start with this gleaming, rousing action picture that has the requisite thrills along with some welcome comic relief (thanks to Alfred Molina’s daffy Sheikh).

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
As proof that some of the best television is found on cable rather than the networks, I could name a slew of shows on alphabet soup outlets like AMC, USA and TNT. For fun action-packed drama, you can’t do much better than USA Network’s series “Burn Notice.” While waiting for the next season to start, this is a good time to catch Season 3 of “Burn Notice,” now arriving on DVD. Jeffrey Donovan plays blacklisted spy Michael Westen, a free agent following his “burn notice” that effectively wiped out his existence. With no work history or identity, Westen is thrust into the crime scene of Miami where he gets help from old friends like Sam (Bruce Campbell) and sexy ex-girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), while battling nasty old foes from his undercover days. I like the action, suspense and humor of episodes where Westen and his pals must constantly extricate themselves from sinking deeply into some really hot water.
 

 

CRUDE HUMOR TURNS “MACGRUBER” COMIC SKIT ON ITS EAR
A Film Review by Tim Riley

 

MACGRUBER (Rated R) The advance screening for “Shrek Forever After” was held at a date and time inconvenient to my schedule. Instead, I managed the opportunity to catch “MacGruber,” the raunchy comedy based on a “Saturday Night Live” skit. Both films are geared to the adolescent mind, with the major difference being that the former is family friendly, while the latter is definitely not. After years of misfires, I think anyone can rightfully be wary of a film that is inspired solely by the sketch comedy of the long-running late night TV variety show. However, for all its faults, “MacGruber” defies these expectations.

Even if you have only the vaguest recollection or elementary knowledge of the original “MacGyver” TV series, where Richard Dean Anderson could defeat the bad guys with duct tape, fertilizer and a Swiss army knife, you know what to expect with a spoof that mocks an agent’s heroic and daring ingenuity. To full comic effect, “MacGruber” turns a hero’s skill, cunning and resourcefulness on its ear. The titular character for this spoof is ‘80s burn-out MacGruber (Will Forte), retired from military service and performing missionary work in a Third World country. His old nemesis, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer, pudgy and pony-tailed), has purloined an old Soviet nuclear warhead.

MacGruber would be happy to continue his monkish existence, but his former superior officer, Colonel Faith (Powers Boothe), begs for his return for a crucial mission. A decorated war hero, including 16 Purple Hearts and a batch of Congressional Medals of Honor, MacGruber is a lethal combination of Rambo and MacGyver, though in reality he’s more inept that Inspector Clouseau. Ultimately, he’s persuaded that the chance to take out Dieter Von Cunth is well worth getting his hair trimmed to an unfashionable mullet and bringing his vintage red Miata convertible out of mothballs.

In a series of flashbacks, we become aware of MacGruber’s hatred of evil arms dealer Cunth, whose name is repeated over and over again if for no other reason that that it would never get past the network censors on the late night TV show. In any case, MacGruber holds a grudge because Cunth killed his wife on their wedding day. Getting back into the game, MacGruber rounds up a crew only to lose them during an unfortunate mishap. Then he settles on his wife’s best friend Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig) and the reluctant Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) as his backup team to take on Dieter and his gang.

Failing at his attempts to turn balls of twine and other household items into explosive devices, MacGruber proves to be better at empty boastful talk than getting anything done. However, when trying to distract some of Cunth’s henchmen, he sets up a nifty diversion by getting naked and wedging a stalk of celery in his butt. Yes, you read that correctly. For the sake of propriety, I am leaving out the mention of some of the even coarser and more vulgar bits. Be warned, “MacGruber” is full of crude, uncouth humor, and not just for the frequent mention of the villain’s last name and the exposure of body parts.

“MacGruber” is deliberately offensive, with its foul-mouthed characters gleefully trash-talking at every turn. But not all humor is derived from the profane. Probably one of the funniest scenes is when Vicki, complete with a mullet wig, impersonates MacGruber during a stakeout in a coffee shop. “MacGruber” is rescued from the gutter by some of the incongruous wit and charm that breaks free of the cruder humor. Nevertheless, “MacGruber” will not suit all tastes, likely finding its primary audience with younger male viewers and those who would try to evade the R rating restriction.

 

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
I think a great opportunity to cash in on the marketing of the theatrical release of “MacGruber” was somehow missed or overlooked. On June 15th, there’s the DVD release of “MacGyver: The TV Movies.” It should have been moved up a few weeks. “MacGyver: The TV Movies” includes the two fast-paced TV movies that followed the series finale. In “MacGyver – The Lost Treasure of Atlantis,” Richard Dean Anderson’s MacGyver is called on by his former archaeology professor to help verify the legend of the lost city of Atlantis and to recover its treasure. In “MacGyver – Trail to Doomsday,” while investigating the death of his best friend, our resourceful hero uncovers a shocking conspiracy to hold the world hostage to terrorism.

 

EPIC ADVENTURE OF ACTION-PACKED “ROBIN HOOD” TRIUMPHS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

ROBIN HOOD (Rated PG-13) Everyone from Errol Flynn to Kevin Costner has played the mythical legend of Sherwood Forest. Even Mel Brooks came up with a spoof of the men in tights, as they went about the business of redistributing the wealth during the Middle Ages. With typical bombast, director Ridley Scott now puts his own spin on “Robin Hood,” and Russell Crowe is the right guy for updating the legend. Actually, “Robin Hood” is more a prequel than revisionist history. In the service of an epic adventure on a grand scale of explosive action, Ridley Scott finds that slogging through the French countryside during the Crusades is a more useful backdrop to Robin Hood’s eventual outlaw career.

“Robin Hood” is set during the turn of the 13th century, when King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston) is so preoccupied with the Crusades that he’s left Britain ignored and nearly bankrupt from his overseas adventures. Russell Crowe’s Robin Longstride is an infantryman in the ranks of King Richard’s overstretched army. On the return home to England, the King can’t resist laying siege to a French castle, hoping to recoup part of his fortune involuntarily forked over to the French king during the Crusades. King Richard doesn’t survive the battle, and it probably didn’t help that Robin had been locked in the stockades for his insolence.

During the heat of this battle, Robin and his friends, who later become the famous Merry Men, escape back to the homeland, but not before encountering a group of British noblemen who had been killed in an ambush. The sole survivor, a dying Lord Loxley, asks Robin to take his sword back to Nottingham, returning it to his father Walter (Max Von Sydow). Walter and Lord Loxley’s wife, Marion (Cate Blanchett), are trying to save the family farm from tax collectors and the nasty sheriff. Robin agrees to the charade of pretending to be Lord Loxley for the sake of holding the King’s tax agents at bay.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of King Richard’s untimely demise, political intrigue roils the British royal court. The King’s younger brother Prince John (Oscar Isaac) ascends to the throne, but he demonstrates little notice in governing or fighting to save the Crown. He’s more interested in tossing aside his English wife for the sexual favors of French aristocrat Isabella (Lea Seydoux), setting her up to become the future Queen. Feckless and obnoxious, King John proves to an even worse ruler than his deceased brother. Reneging on promises to British barons so that England is united in the face of French invasion, King John quickly turns to autocratic rule that oppresses the citizenry with repressive taxation.

Not to be overlooked is that King John is truly an insufferable twit of the first order. First of all, he is easily conned by his bilingual advisor Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong), who is setting the stage for a French invasion by betraying the confidences of the British royal court. The duplicitous Sir Godfrey plots to divide the barons of the northern countryside from the British Crown, thereby enabling the French to launch a full scale assault on Britain on the belief that the British remain hopelessly divided and easily conquered. Well, it doesn’t quite work out that way, as Robin, among others, rally to the cause and repel the French navy during a spectacular battle on the English shores.

Following the epic clash, Robin returns to Nottingham, where he continues his hesitant courtship of Marion, which is made awkward by the pretense that they are already husband and wife. Though Britain, thanks to its citizens, has defeated the French, King John exhibits no gratitude to the barons for unifying the country. Reneging on his promises, the evil King sends his troops to pillage villages and to rob the people of their money. Robin Hood, of course, rebels against high taxes and the oppressive big government. After the King’s agents destroy Nottingham, Robin Hood retreats to Sherwood Forest for the fight we’ve always expected.

Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” is interesting for the historical dimension offered to the emergence of the hero’s legendary qualities. Political intrigue is one small measure of the film’s appeal. Action fans will not be disappointed that “Robin Hood” is an odd mix of “Braveheart” and “Gladiator,” owing to the fact that Russell Crowe’s swagger and bravado as Robin Hood recalls his work in the latter film. The passage of time, since Crowe fought as gladiator Maximus, has not yet diminished the actor’s physical ability. Still, if a sequel to “Robin Hood” is forthcoming, let it happen soon while Crowe remains credible in an action role. Meanwhile, enjoy this splendid, thrilling epic adventure.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
A cause for celebration for fans of the Western genre, Warner Home Video is releasing “The Louis L’Amour Collection” on DVD. Featuring film adaptations of three of bestselling author Louis L’Amour’s classic Western novels, the DVD collection includes “The Sacketts,” “Conagher,” and “Catlow.” Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott are brothers who migrate west to New Mexico to make their fortunes in cattle-herding and gold prospecting in “The Sacketts.” Sam Elliott and Katherine Ross star as a cowhand and a widowed ranch owner who are drawn to each other when ruthless rustlers threaten his livelihood and her homestead in “Conagher.” Yul Brynner, Richard Crenna and Leonard Nimoy star in “Catlow,” the story of a renegade outlaw who wants to pull off a gold heist but finds it hard because he’s such a wanted man – by the Mexican army, his hellcat girlfriend, an Indian war party, a vengeful killer and several hotheaded cowpokes from his former gang.

 

“IRON MAN 2” BLASTS OFF INTO HIGH-OCTANE SUMMER FUN
A Film Review by Tim Riley

IRON MAN 2 (Rated PG-13) Three things are absolutely certain about “Iron Man 2,” the highly anticipated sequel. First, this blockbuster action film signals the start of a promising summer season. Second, it’s a pure high-octane blast of action adventure thrills. Third, Robert Downey Jr.’s eccentric billionaire playboy industrialist Tony Stark is indeed Iron Man. This last item should come as no surprise to anyone, since Stark unmasked his secret identity at the end of the original “Iron Man.” Not unexpectedly, “Iron Man 2” picks up essentially where the previous film left off.

Though it would help to know more of the origin of Tony Stark’s personal story from the first film, lack of knowledge is no hindrance to full and complete enjoyment of “Iron Man 2.” This second round of action almost stands on its own, and quick learners will pick up the full flavor of the superhero’s off-center persona while hardly missing a beat. Robert Downey Jr.’s aptitude for fleshing out the quirky, quixotic nature of the conflicted Tony Stark is the best thing about this movie. On top of that, the funniest banter is between Stark and his faithful assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Great sense of humor and caustic wit immensely boost the fun factor.

Now that the world knows his identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark seeks to underscore the benefits of his metallic suit by re-launching his late father’s extravagant Stark Expo, a showcase for the humanitarian innovations inspired by its technology. Mostly, it seems like a golden opportunity for Tony to strut and preen on the big stage, along with a chorus of scantily clad cheerleaders. Brash and bold, Stark loves the attention, and his self-promotion also comes in handy when he’s called to testify before a Senate committee. The smarmy Senator Stern (Garry Shandling) is no match for the industrialist’s cool indifference to protocol.

Another person who cannot go toe-to-toe with Stark is rival entrepreneur Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a glib inventor of military hardware competing to win big Defense contracts. Though clearly a person of lesser stature, Hammer fancies himself as being on the same level as Stark. Desperate and needy, Hammer springs the mysterious Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) from prison after he attacks Stark on the race course of the Monaco Grand Prix. The showdown between Vanko and Stark is one of the more exciting confrontations, namely because it involves two nearly fallible challengers. Other battle scenes involve indestructible robots clanging against each other, resulting in a less satisfying experience.

Vanko and Stark are inextricably linked through their respective fathers. Stark’s father Howard (John Slattery, seen only in old movie reels) apparently developed Stark Industries technology with the help of Vanko’s father. Now Ivan Vanko, also known as Whiplash for his own devastating weapon, poses the one great threat to Tony Stark, mainly as a result of pent-up resentment for perceived injustices. Rourke’s Vanko, speaking in a thick Russian accent and covered with scary tattoos, is a truly villainous force to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, Stark is being overwhelmed on all fronts, as even his old pal Lt. Colonel Rhodes (Don Cheadle) is trying to get the Iron Man suit turned over to the military.

Facing his own personal demons, Stark has to deal with a lot of problems, particularly his own survival as he searches for a way to halt his slow demise from rising toxicity levels in his blood. So while the U.S. government insists that Tony turn the revolutionary weapon over to the military, Vanko is even more determined to destroy the brilliant industrialist. To cope with mounting troubles, Stark appoints loyal Pepper Potts as the CEO of his conglomerate. This, in turn, leads to a new assistant coming on board Stark Industries, but the sexy Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson), also known as the Black Widow, may have a secret agenda beyond helping Tony.

Near the film’s end, Samuel L. Jackson returns in the role of Nick Fury, leader of a clandestine organization that serves like a guardian angel to Tony. His job appears to require dealing with the two-legged variety of snakes. Perhaps he’ll have a bigger role to play in the inevitable “Iron Man 3.” If you doubt this proposition, I suggest waiting to the very bitter end of the credits. Meanwhile, enjoy “Iron Man 2” for its frenetic burst of high-octane action thrills. Marvel Comics fans and thrill seekers should find much pleasure here. As for me, I think much of fun is in the banter between Stark and his friends and foes.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Fittingly, to take advantage of fortuitous timing, the DVD release of the animated hit series “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” offers more entertainment fun for Marvel Comics fans.

The four-disc set features all 26 episodes form the action-packed first season. “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” follows Tony Stark as a 16-year-old genius and heir to the billion-dollar Stark International corporation. Young Tony battles the enemies of world peace with his revolutionary power armor technology.

With help from his friends Jim Rhodes and Pepper Potts, Tony’s activities as Iron Man usually result in high-speed flight, high-tech battles and high-octane quests for justice. “Iron Man: Armored Adventures,” the complete first season, might be a great adrenaline rush for fans of the theatrical release of “Iron Man 2.”

 

“FURRY VENGEANCE” WREAKS HAVOC ON THE FAMILY COMEDY FILM
A Film Review by Tim Riley

FURRY VENGEANCE (Rated PG) Family films are in short supply these days, and so “Furry Vengeance” seemed to offer potential in filling a void. On the other hand, the other major cinematic attraction of the week is the umpteenth remake of “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” I didn’t feel like enduring the mental torture and pain of this horror film, one that will undoubtedly generate plenty of box office returns without my complicity. Instead, I decided to subject myself to the eco-terrorism of woodland creatures seeking to destroy the hapless facilitator of forest destruction.

At this point, permit me to mention that the best film released this week is the tough-minded revenge story of “Harry Brown,” starring Michael Caine as a pensioner who summons his inner Dirty Harry to avenge the murder of his best friend by vile drug-dealing punks. Unfortunately, this gem of a thriller is in limited release and may not be readily available outside of a few major urban markets. Michael Caine’s absolutely brilliant performance deserves to be seen, and one can only hope the distributor will get wider play on this film before a DVD release.

Now, we return to the fuzzy forest dwellers of “Furry Vengeance.” The film carries the disclaimer that no animals were harmed. But no such reassurance is given for the humans. Given the amount of animal vengeance unleashed on Brendan Fraser’s well-intentioned real estate developer Dan Sanders, you have to wonder. The poor guy is turned into a human piñata by a pesky raccoon, skunks, squirrels, crows and a bear. The animals are disturbed by Dan’s oversight of a housing development that will obliterate their wooded habitat. The furry creatures should instead direct their wrath on Dan’s boss, the odious Neal Lyman (Ken Jeong), who is the true villain.

The action takes place in the pristine beauty of the Pacific Northwest, where Dan has relocated his wife and son from Chicago. Even though they live in a beautiful model home, the family is not thrilled about being stuck in the boonies. Dan’s wife, Tammy (Brooke Shields), takes a job as a teacher and gamely tries to play a role in the local forest festival. Not until the end credits did I realize that Brooke Shields was playing this spousal role. This could be good news for Brooke, as she may be able to deny that she actually appeared in this film. But even when she’s on screen, her expressions range from puzzlement to bewilderment.

“Furry Vengeance” is clearly intended to be a kid-friendly comedy, and maybe it marginally succeeds on that score. However, even kids are likely to tire of the number of times that the hapless Dan sustains damage to his crotch. On the plus side, the animals never speak English, but their thoughts are sometimes illustrated with cartoon balloons. I also learned that a raccoon is capable of carjacking, and so I would recommend locking your vehicle at all times on your next camping trip to the great outdoors.

TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL UPDATE
Two weeks ago, this column provided notice of the inaugural TCM Classic Film Festival, which turned into a huge success, with attendees traveling from 45 states and 10 countries and territories, including Italy, Romania and Guam. On the last night of the festival, TCM primetime host Robert Osborne announced that the festival will return next spring.

Noting the fun of bringing together legendary stars and movie fans, Osborne observed: “To paraphrase Bogart in ‘Casablanca,’ I think this is the beginning of a beautiful tradition.” Personally, I enjoyed hearing Mel Brooks recount the obstacles to getting “The Producers” into theaters, as he introduced the screening of this great comedy. I was equally impressed with Eva Marie Saint and Martin Landau revealing the reasons behind dialogue changes for Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest.” By the way, it was a real treat to see this excellent Hitchcock film on the big screen. TCM Classic Film Festival is showing films the way they are meant to be seen.

 

TORRID BLAST OF HOT ACTION MARKS “THE LOSERS” AS WINNERS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE LOSERS (Rated PG-13) The choice of major movies for the week came down to “The Back-up Plan,” a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez, and “The Losers,” an explosive action tale of betrayal and revenge starring a bunch of tough guys I could not pick out of a police lineup. Now, I like the pretty Jennifer Lopez as much as the next guy, but it is probably not surprising that “The Losers” would win out, at least for me, over what is inarguably a chick flick. Mindless action drivel is infinitely more appealing than the sugary sentimentality of a love story. If for some reason I end up reviewing the upcoming “Sex and the City 2,” just realize that the reason will be the lack of a back-up plan.

“The Losers” is yet another action adventure ripped from the pages of a comic book series with which I and probably many others are totally unfamiliar. This could explain why many critics will write snarky reviews about the movie’s mind-numbing entertainment value, namely for its overabundance of cartoonish violence. Fortunately, summer is just ahead, and we can look forward to more of the same. In fact, “The A-Team,” to which “The Losers” bares a lot of resemblance thematically, will hit the big screens in June, likely stirring up even more derision from the pseudo-intellectual crowd.

Just like “The A-Team’s” ragtag bunch of ex-soldiers on the lam, “The Losers” centers around the five members of an elite Special Forces unit sent to the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The assignment involves a vicious drug lord. With air support on the way, the job looks to go smoothly until the soldiers discover that a bus load of kids have arrived at the target. Unfortunately, they are unable to abort the air strike and instead make a desperate run to save the children.

Soon enough, they find that they have become the target of a deadly double-cross, seemingly instigated from the inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max (Jason Patric, deliciously twisted).Presumed to be dead, the group goes deep undercover in a dangerous plot to clear their names and even the score with Max. Leader of the group is Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), fulfilling the same role as the A-Team’s Colonel Hannibal Smith, right down to the swagger and sarcasm. The funniest one is Jensen (Chris Evans), the computer wizard who follows his niece’s school soccer team with such passion that he even wears the team’s pink t-shirt. The explosives expert Roque (Idris Elba) has a fondness for huge hunting knives. Mechanic Pooch

(Columbus Short) is the most motivated to return home because his wife is expecting their first child. Quiet but deadly Cougar (Oscar Jaenada) is the unit’s crack sniper who can hit any target at long range. Without money and passports, and facing permanent exile in Bolivia, the group needs help to sneak back into the U.S. undetected. Enter the mysterious and sexy Aisha (Zoe Saldana), who makes an offer the guys can’t refuse. Though it is hard to figure out if she’s truly a formidable ally or a dangerous foe, Aisha gets the team on the trail of the shadowy and ruthless government operative Max.

Of course, when Clay and Aisha first meet, they have a rough tussle in his room, resulting in a fire that burns the hotel to the ground. Trust issues with Aisha always remain, but what matters most is that Clay and his group bounce around from Dubai and Mexico to Miami and Southern California for a climactic showdown on the docks of the Port of Los Angeles.

“The Losers” is so deliciously over-the-top in its action sequences that the wholesale destruction of a fleet of vehicles in a huge firefight in downtown Miami draws hardly any notice from the local authorities. For the most part, the breezy pace of the action is stuck firmly tongue-in-cheek. It helps a lot that Clay’s tight-knit group, a likeable bunch of characters, displays the type of unyielding solidarity and friendship that proves a winning combination. Quite frankly, I don’t much care that “The Losers” is derivative of other action films or that it tilts so heavily to mindless fun. The purely rousing action is infectiously entertaining and amusing.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Unless you are hooked to the Speed Channel, you may have missed Eric Bana’s directorial debut in “Love the Beast,” a documentary celebration of his obsession with cars and racing. At the age of 15 he purchased his first car – the Ford GT Falcon Coupe, and for the next 25 years he and his pals would come together, building and rebuilding the car. “Love the Beast,” now on DVD, documents the rebuilding of the “Beast” for the Targa Tasmania, one of the toughest motor sport events in the world that is a personal Everest for both man and machine. Eric’s journey with his metallic passion is well-documented, including the guidance and wisdom he gets from friends and fellow car-enthusiasts Jay Leno and Dr. Phil.

 

“KICK-ASS” LIVES UP TO ITS NAME IN TAUT COMIC BOOK ACTION
A Film Review by Tim Riley

KICK-ASS (Rated R) If it weren’t for the movies, I would have no idea about the comic book “Kick-Ass,” which apparently finds its titular character is an ordinary New York teenager who becomes a superhero of sorts with the help of new-found vigilante friends. But then, “Kick-Ass” the comic book doesn’t have the seniority of other works in the same genre, such as “Batman” or “Spiderman.” Seemingly unburdened by a long history in the public eye, “Kick-Ass” the movie can make its mark on the big screen without a heavy load of expectations. At least, that’s my theory, for whatever it’s worth.

Maybe it’s a reflection of our contemporary fascination with ultraviolent videogames that “Kick-Ass” is intentionally brutal and vulgar with a heavy dose of bloody mayhem. The R rating of this film should be considered a hard one. Don’t be fooled by the feeling this is something like a “Spy Kids” spoof suitable for younger viewers, even if the spunky heroine is an eleven-year-old. “Kick-Ass” is not what it appears in advertising or even what you might expect it should be. Even the recent “Batman” movies seem relatively tame in comparison to this celebration of carnage.

The geeky teenager Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who finds his superhero’s alter ego when donning a green and yellow wetsuit, is a brainy but ordinary guy, yet awkward around girls. He’s more comfortable at home with internet porn and an abundance of bathroom reading material, if you know what I mean. Still, he asks why no one tries to be a superhero. The answer comes when he gets a serious beat-down when trying to save a guy from a group of thugs after putting on his costume and adopting the moniker of Kick-Ass. For his troubles, Dave’s Kick-Ass ends up in the hospital, but becomes an overnight sensation for his heroics.

Having captured the public’s imagination and after recovering from his injuries, Dave sets on a path of well-intentioned public service, and soon draws the attention of the fearless and highly-trained father/daughter crime-fighting duo, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz). Big Daddy is the alter ego of Damon Macready, a former police officer who was framed by a Mafia boss and unjustly served time in prison as a result. Seeking revenge, Big Daddy is determined to take down the criminal empire of local Mafioso Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong).

Damon’s daughter Mindy is home-schooled, mostly in techniques of martial arts and weapons fighting. Thus, Mindy’s purple-haired Hit Girl develops a hard-bitten and tough persona. For an eleven-year-old, she’s extremely foul-mouthed and profane. I was thinking that in casting this role the perfect pick would have been the diminutive Snooki from “The Jersey Shore.” But, here we have a real kid playing the part of Hit Girl, who turns out to be the toughest character in the film. This is readily apparent when she kills scores of the Mafioso’s henchmen and thugs in a hail of bullets.

The vigilante craze also ensnares the mobster’s son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a spoiled rich kid who desperately wants to garner the affection of his father, who despairs that his son isn’t tough enough for the family business. Wanting to uncover Kick-Ass’ identity, Chris, also a comic book nerd, adopts the superhero alter ego Red Mist. At least Red Mist has the money for a better costume and cruises the streets of New York in a souped-up red Ford Mustang.

“Kick-Ass” may have the dubious distinction of being the most violent film in which kids are the featured perpetrators of brutal mayhem. It’s obvious the film is intended to be satirical, but its methodology is likely to be unsettling to many.

 

TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL
We are taking a vacation this week from DVD releases to feature a preview of the upcoming TCM Classic Film Festival. If you find yourself in Hollywood from Thursday, April 22nd to Sunday, April 25th, the Festival is the place to be. Several classic films will feature discussions with special guests as part of their screenings.

Mel Brooks will perform such duties for a screening of his best comedy film, “The Producers.” Tony Curtis is featured for a screening of “Some Like It Hot.” Eli Wallach leads a discussion for “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” Eva Marie Saint and Martin Landau will share their memories of working with Alfred Hitchcock at the screening of “North by Northwest.” French star Jean-Paul Belmondo will introduce the North American premiere of a newly restored print of “Breathless,” the seminal French New Wave drama by Jean-Luc Godard. Even greater historical importance will be found in the screening of Fritz Lang’s 1927 science-fiction silent masterpiece “Metropolis,” which will include 30 minutes of lost footage. Unfortunately, the TCM Festival will screen more films than one can possibly absorb over four days. Check out the lineup at www.tcm.com/festival.

 

MAKE “DATE NIGHT” A TICKET FOR A TERRIFIC COMEDY MATCH
A Film Review by Tim Riley

DATE NIGHT (Rated PG-13) Tina Fey and Steve Carell are comic stars, known best for their television sit-com work in “30 Rock” and “The Office,” respectively. From the get-go, it’s obvious they are a perfect pair to portray a happily married suburban couple stuck inexorably in a rut, due in no small measure to career pressures and raising young children. “Date Night” brings their tranquil union into choppy waters when a case of mistaken identity sends them into the deep abyss of urban turmoil, mixed with suspense, intrigue and danger. The result is something like the Kafkaesque adventure in “After Hours,” but with a lot less of the disturbing weirdness.

Though steeped in some suspense and action thrills, “Date Night” is first and foremost a comedy, without any pretensions to edgier fare. Tina Fey and Steve Carell don’t seem cut out for the darker humor that has been the rage in recent times. As the married couple Claire and Phil Foster, they epitomize their comic personas that have been well-established in film and TV work. Phil is a straight-laced accountant; Claire a perky real estate agent. Home is in suburban New Jersey, not exactly a hotbed of excitement. Phil and Claire manage to have weekly date nights at a local restaurant, affording one evening away from the rambunctious kids. Their date routine involves the same order of potato skins and wry observations about other couples dining out.

One evening, Phil convinces his spouse that it’s time to spice things up with a trip into Manhattan for dinner at a hip hotspot that caters to celebrities, models and other preening self-centered snobs. Of course, they are not deemed worthy by the snooty maitre d’, and after a wait at the bar, Phil impetuously decides to claim the reservation of a couple named the Tripplehorns, apparent no-shows. Dinner is going along just fine, if you like being overcharged for shrimp cocktails and ostentatious imported wine. Then, a pair of menacing thugs (Common and Jimmi Simpson) comes to their table, insisting that the Tripplehorns meet them outside to discuss an ambiguous matter.

The two goons start demanding that Phil and Claire give up possession of a flash drive. Meanwhile, the couple is trying vainly to protest that what is happening is a case of mistaken identity. The bad guys will hear none of it, and so Phil and Claire start to improvise, suggesting that the sought-after device is stored in a boathouse in Central Park. You’d think they would steer the thugs to a more public place, perhaps allowing for an easier retreat from a bad situation. It’s safe to say that the pair from the suburbs, though not streetwise, begins to summon up their inner secret agents. As fate would have it, they elude their captors and engage in some improbable sleuthing, which leads them to the home a shadowy figure named Holbrooke (Mark Wahlberg).

Spoofing the image he once had as a Calvin Klein model, Wahlberg shows up at the door of his Manhattan shirtless, sweaty and with his muscles rippling. The object of his workout routine appears to be his beautiful young Israeli girlfriend. Equipped with a vast array of intelligence computers and the like, Holbrooke helps the couple track down the location of the cell phone used by the real Tripplehorns. This, in turn, leads Phil and Claire to a sleazy young couple of grafters (James Franco and Mila Kunis), who decide to pack and leave their apartment in great haste.

With the thugs only a few steps behind, the Fosters have to find the real Tripplehorns so that they can hand over the flash drive to the cops or the District Attorney (William Fichtner), though reasons emerge as to why they have to be careful about whom to trust. For good measure, Ray Liotta, foaming at the mouth as usual, plays once again a deranged Mafia boss anxious to get his hands on the flash drive. Has Liotta ever portrayed anyone other than a menacing hoodlum? This is a rhetorical question, but I think he may have on one rare occasion.

Surrounded by an interesting support cast, Tina Fey and Steve Carell get mixed up in a lot of funny business as they bumble through an evening of danger and mayhem. The least remarkable part of “Date Night” just might be the outrageous high-speed car chase, even if it is amusing. The best part of “Date Night” is that Fey and Carell are most believable as the clueless suburbanites who rapidly become savvy participants in the urban underworld. They are witty, clever and thoroughly enjoyable to watch in action.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
National Lampoon has had its share of films that are released straight-to-video. “Tenure” is not one of them, though it seems to have the National Lampoon pedigree. As the title may imply, “Tenure” is about one hapless professor’s (Luke Wilson) attempt to obtain permanence at Gray College, a status that has eluded him during a checkered career. Wilson’s Charlie Thurber is up for tenure, but his notable lack of political skills has kept his career on the slow track. With the help of his well-meaning, Bigfoot-hunting best friend (David Koechner, an anthropology professor), Charlie’s path to tenure is threatened by the arrival of a new staff member (Gretchen Mol). While he falls for her, he also tries to sabotage her efforts. Of course, his plans backfire. “Tenure” has plenty of low-brow humor, which may partly explain why it never had a theatrical release. The DVD apparently shares Charlie’s lack of ambition; its special features are merely outtakes and deleted scenes.

 

NOT MUCH FLASH IN THE 3D ACTION OF “CLASH OF THE TITANS”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

CLASH OF THE TITANS (Rated PG-13) Greek mythology has always been a fascinating subject, and its underpinning of the escapist adventure in “Clash of the Titans” should prove compelling as well as vastly entertaining. Alas, that’s not really the case here, in this marginally improved reboot of the 1981 original film. The first and most glaring problem is that the filmmakers decided after the fact, during post-production, to turn the film into a 3D adventure. Frankly, I have never witnessed duller realization of 3D imagery.

Turning to the third dimension does nothing at all to enhance the viewing experience, nor does it make the gods of Mt. Olympus more formidable or the creatures more fearsome. If this film you must see, try not to pay the extra fee for 3D. During the course of the film, I found that nothing was lost by removing the clunky glasses. On the contrary, the color looked much improved by shucking the 3D lenses. If “Clash of the Titans” represents the future of 3D filmmaking, done on the cheap as an afterthought, I would entertain a boycott of similar productions in the future. Most films will likely need an “Avatar” budget to do it right.

Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is devoted to his human family, having been rescued as an abandoned baby at sea by a humble fisherman (Pete Postlethwaite). But then, on one happy day aboard their fishing vessel, Perseus and his family are attacked by Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld, and Perseus is helpless to save his family. For his part, Hades is a malcontent who wants to stir up trouble for his brother Zeus (Liam Neeson) because he’s basically petulant as well as resentful of his dead-end job of supervising hell.

The scheming Hades would, of course, prefer the blissful paradise found in the clouds where Zeus and the other gods reside. However, he’ll settle for agitating discord in the mythological universe. Prodded by Hades, the gods become angered that the citizens of Argos fail to show them proper respect. As a result, an ultimatum is issued that the princess of Argos, Andromeda (Alexa Davalos), must be sacrificed within ten days or else the hideous monster Kraken will destroy all mortals.

Seeking revenge for his adopted father’s death, Perseus, the mortal son of Zeus, leads a daring band of warriors on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Joining Perseus on the mission are Draco (Mads Mikkelsen), an experienced soldier who encourages the defiant demigod to make use of his god-given abilities, and Io (Gemma Arteron), the ethereal beauty who serves as the mysterious spiritual guide on the journey. While chaos starts to grip Argos, the hardy band of fighters engages in a number of spectacular battles, which on the whole results in an impressive display of action scenes that did not require any 3D enhancement.

Wandering across desert lands, Perseus and his gang confront an army of gigantic scorpions that materialize from beneath the sands. They seek counsel with the ugliest bunch of witches. The greatest challenge awaits them in Medusa’s lair. One gaze upon the face of the snake-headed woman turns anyone into stone. The most rousing battles take place in the cavern where Medusa engages the warriors in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. As you can imagine, capturing Medusa’s head makes not just for a nice trophy, but comes in handy as a fighting tool.

With the help of the winged-horse Pegasus, Perseus takes the fight, as expected, right back to the city of Argos for the climactic showdown with the Kraken. Sadly, as noted before, the 3D experience does nothing to boost the overall wild adventure ride through ancient Greece, nor does it develop the monstrous Kraken into something formidably scary. “Clash of the Titans” delivers its share of escapist fare, with enough sword-and-sandal death matches to offer thrills to action junkies. For the most part, the special effects are thankfully effectively used. On the other hand, the film is hobbled by cheesy, stilted dialogue and characters that are almost uniformly one-dimensional.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
The former Sci-Fi cable channel was renamed the Syfy Channel, but for reasons that may be only clever or cute. In any event, it has spawned an entire cottage industry of original movies and series that often garner critical acclaim. The channel also succeeds in churning out more DVD product. A Syfy Channel original movie, “High Plains Invaders,” the latest installment in the “Maneater Series,” is a war of the worlds in the Wild West.

After a good-hearted outlaw turns himself in for a fatal accident, the guilt-ridden Sam Phoenix is ready to be hanged when an unexpected pardon arrives in the form of an alien-insect invasion. As the bloody killing spree begins, Sam and a small number of survivors are forced to take refuge in a nearby church. Realizing they are going to need a lot more than a prayer and a pistol to survive this nightmare, the small community enters a showdown where only one species will make it out alive. You can catch the ghastly, captivating terror of “High Plains Invaders” on the DVD release.

 

RAUNCHY COMEDY OF “HOT TUB TIME MACHINE” TRAVELS WELL
A Film Review by Tim Riley

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE (Rated R) People easily offended by raunchy comedy might want to avoid “Hot Tub Time Machine.” Of course, the same warning could have been issued for “The Hangover,” which proved to be a major comedy hit. Then there’s the string of Judd Apatow comedies that were also hilariously demented farces. The gross-out comedic trend continues on a winning roll with the time-traveling exploits of a group of grown men reclaiming their glory days through the marvelous power of a hot tub. And you thought hot tubs were beneficial only for their therapeutic powers of the bubbly hot water.

The best friends, who form the core group in “Hot Tub Time Machine,” are what one might charitably call losers. Adam (John Cusack), an insurance salesman, is morose and forlorn because his girlfriend just moved out, taking most of the furniture and the big screen TV. Nick (Craig Robinson), who long ago gave up his dream of a singing career, works as a dog groomer and contends with a wife who cheated on him. The self-absorbed Lou (Rob Corddry) is an alcoholic party animal who ends up in the hospital for what appeared to be a suicide attempt. Rounding out the group is Adam’s nephew Jacob (Clark Duke), a video-game playing geek who won’t leave his basement.

To avoid Lou’s relapse into more reckless behavior, Adam and Nick, joined by Jacob, take him to a ski resort where they had attended Winterfest ’86, a bacchanalia of sex and booze for the young hipsters of the mid-1980s. In the intervening years, the resort town has declined so much that it resembles a ghost town and the hotel is in shambles. Assisted by a surly one-armed bellboy (Crispin Glover, the group checks into the same suite they had more than 20 years before, but the hot tub is rusted and moldy. With the help of a mysterious handyman (Chevy Chase), the hot tub is transformed into pristine working condition, albeit it with a twist.

After relaxing in the soothing waters while drinking abundantly, the group is magically transported to 1986, where the fashion styles appear to be the greatest shock. Quickly adapting to the retro environment, the buddies decide they may try to change things that happened in the past. In particular, Adam would not like to be stabbed in the eye once again when breaking up with his girlfriend. Lou would prefer not to be beaten up by a nasty bunch of ski patrol jerks. The aspiring singer Nick would like to be more aggressive in his stage debut with the local band.

For his part, Jacob, who was not yet born in 1986, wants to be sure nothing alters history to point that he does not exist. This proves to be the conundrum for the group. They cannot change history so much that they are unable to return to the present, but neither can they resist trying to alter destiny on the margins to improve their fate. One of the funniest scenes involves an inebriated Nick calling his future wife, who happens to be only nine years old. Adam is smitten with a pretty girl named Alice (Lizzy Caplan), though any future together seems unlikely. Lou appears destined to remain a booze-fueled reckless fool no matter what.

Just for its title alone, “Hot Tub Time Machine” is an irresistible lure. The beauty of this film, given its excess of raunchiness, sexual antics and comic vulgarity, is that it is wildly funny for its slavish devotion to sheer idiocy. The four time-travelers are a nicely balanced group for their diverse comic talents. The wild-eyed Rob Corddry, of course, is the most manic of the group. John Cusack revives characters he played in the 1980s. The grounded Craig Robinson delivers an earnest portrayal of an aggrieved party. Clark Duke makes a nice comic foil. If you enjoyed “The Hangover” and other comic films of this ilk, “Hot Tub Time Machine” proves to be a real blast.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

As you may notice from recent columns, I remain fascinated by martial arts films and Hong Kong cinema. John Woo, in particular, is the legendary master of the genre, and perhaps no film is a better representation of his style than “The Killer.” This film was his guns-blazing masterpiece about a hitman with a code of honor and it ranks among the best action movies ever. International superstar Chow Yun-Fat plays an assassin who agrees to one last job before quitting for good, but when his bosses double-cross him, he must take on the mob and the police in one of the most explosive showdowns in cinematic history. This outrageously choreographed action film is not to be missed. “The Killer” is being released once again on DVD and Blu-Ray, including extensive behind-the-scene bonus features, along with an exclusive new interview with director John Woo. For the action junkie, “The Killer” is an absolute must-have.

COMEDY FORMULA SEEKS REWARD IN “THE BOUNTY HUNTER”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE BOUNTY HUNTER (Rated PG-13) I have several random, disconnected thoughts about the combination romance-action-road trip comedy that is “The Bounty Hunter.” First, on a sunny afternoon, it is a mistake to see a comedy in a small theater with a bare handful of usually disgruntled movie critics. What’s the fun in that, particularly since eliciting laughs from hardened cynics is like trying to get a smile from the IRS agent conducting an audit of your tax returns? Mind you, the best material is mostly revealed in the trailer for “The Bounty Hunter,” but still I managed a few hearty laughs and a share of chuckles, though a couple of stoic audience members sitting nearby seemed unmoved.

Another thought that also immediately came to mind, not necessarily because of Jennifer Aniston’s presence, is that Vince Vaughn would have been perfect for the titular character of the ex-cop bounty hunter chasing down his ex-wife. However, upon further reflection, Vince already teamed up with Jennifer in “The Break-Up,” and my guess is that no one wanted to invite the inevitable comparisons. Still, Vince Vaughn is much more adept at comedy than Gerard Butler, who nevertheless fits quite well in the role of the slovenly, chauvinistic Milo Boyd, the boorish tracker of scofflaws. Butler was better still as King Leonidas in “300,” but this role doesn’t call for a well-toned gladiator monarch.

For reasons never fully understood, down-on-his luck Milo is no longer a member of the NYPD. Toiling as a bounty hunter, his dream job comes when he is assigned to track down his bail-jumping ex-wife, Daily News reporter Nicole Hurley (Jennifer Aniston). Failing to show in court on a traffic offense, Nicole goes on the lam to chase down a big story of a suspicious suicide case involving a police officer assigned to the evidence room. Over the course of the Fourth of July weekend, Milo figures that an easy payday is within his grasp. To be sure, Milo easily locates Nicole at the race track, but she gives him the slip at an Atlantic City casino.

Not that she’s afraid to appear in court, Nicole has a more pressing mission to track down some leads on what she believes is a murder cover-up that will lead to a sensational news story. Meanwhile, a lovesick colleague, Stewart (Jason Sudeikis), has a big crush on Nicole, having mistaken a kiss with the comely reporter, who was inebriated at an office party, as the sure sign of a budding romance. Getting more than he bargained for, Stewart wants to work the investigative story with Nicole, but obviously for more than professional reasons. For his trouble, Stewart ends up as a sad sack pawn when Nicole is chased by a tattoo artist in cahoots with a corrupt cop.

As much as Nicole would like to escape Milo’s clutches, she inevitably finds the urgent need to make common cause. After all, Nicole’s being chased around New Jersey by thugs anxious to squash her curiosity about the questionable suicide. Meanwhile, Milo is up to his neck in debt to an unforgiving Atlantic City bookie (Cathy Moriarty), who has dispatched a pair of nitwit goons to forcibly collect what is owed. On top of all this, Nicole’s Atlantic City showgirl mother Kitty (Christine Baranski) is more concerned about reuniting her daughter with her ex-husband than listening to her daughter’s more pressing legal predicaments.

Unmistakably, the elements of a generic screwball comedy are mixed in with a heavy dose of action along with a road trip in scenic New Jersey. One could be excused for getting lost in the plot, or even wondering if there really is a plot. “The Bounty Hunter” is more preoccupied with taking a pair of likable lead actors and trying in vain to generate that elusive commodity known as screen chemistry. Let’s give them a generous B+ for effort, but the execution is shaky enough that it scores no better than a gentleman’s C. Still, Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston, though mismatched as a couple, are fun enough to watch, and after all, that’s a better deal than some other recent romantic comedies in which Aniston had the misfortune to appear.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Just recently, I confessed my devotion to Hong Kong action cinema, for which there is no better representative than the truly legendary director John Woo. The DVD release of “Red Cliff,” including Parts I and II, reunites Woo and international superstar Tony Leung for the first time since “Hard Boiled,” in an ancient struggle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty. Set in 208 A.D., the Han Dynasty Emperor grants permission to the greedy General Cao Cao to form a movement that will pulverize two warlords who stand in his way.

The warlords, Liu Bei and Sun Quan, are sworn enemies, but know their only hope for survival is to band together and counter the attack of the army put together by a vastly superior foe. As John Woo never disappoints, you can count on spectacular battle scenes. “Red Cliff” was one of the most expensive film productions in Chinese cinema, and so you can expect some quality in this DVD release, which also features “A Conversation with John Woo: The Journey of Red Cliff.”
 

COMEDY TILTS TO SOME RAUNCHINESS TO BE “OUT OF MY LEAGUE”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE (Rated R) Inviting comparisons to “Knocked Up” and even to a degree “The Hangover,” the romantic comedy “She’s Out of My League,” which tilts heavily at times in the direction of unabashed raunchiness, proves that a Judd Apatow comedy can be successfully made without the aforementioned director’s fingerprints all over it. Instead, we have the deft touch of first-time director Jim Field Smith, who succumbs sometimes to the temptations of comedic excess, but on the whole acquits himself quite well in developing a love story that is by turns sweet, charming and affecting.

The film’s titular character is the knockout Molly (Alice Eve), a high-end event planner with a nice pedigree and a stunning figure. She’s the type of beauty that makes heads spin, while turning the TSA agents at the Pittsburgh Airport into drooling cavemen. The notable exception to this rule is TSA employee Kirk Kettner (Jay Baruchel), a geeky and awkward Everyman who treats Molly with respect as she navigates the screening process. In a rush to make her flight, Molly leaves behind her cell phone, affording Kirk the opportunity to return it to her.

Grateful to Kirk for his thoughtfulness, Molly invites the low-level airport worker to one of her fancy parties, and he can barely believe his good fortune. The self-defeating Kirk appreciates the attention from Molly, seeing that it comes at a time he’s desperately trying to get over his failed relationship with Marnie (Lindsay Sloane), a creature so odious that she still hangs out with Kirk’s parents with her new boyfriend in tow.

Meanwhile, Kirk’s circle of friends includes fellow workers at the airport. His old pals Stainer (T.J. Miller) and Jack (Mike Vogel) forcefully argue that their buddy is out of his league, noting that Molly is a “hard 10” while the lanky Kirk barely registers a “five,” which is at least several points removed from the level playing field. Another friend, Devon (Nate Torrence), the only married guy in the bunch, takes the more romantic view that anything is possible, even though his encouragement is based on having seen too many Disney films.

Naturally, complications for the budding relationship arise for a number of reasons. First of all, the inept Kirk is plagued by a severe lack of self-confidence, which is merely compounded by the lack of support from his buddies. Then, there’s the extremely embarrassing moment when Kirk meets Molly’s parents. The fact that Molly’s old boyfriend, a handsome stud pilot, still lingers about on the off-chance of reviving their affair is plenty unnerving.

Jay Baruchel’s Kirk is reminiscent of the type of loser characters Woody Allen played so effectively in his early films. Baruchel is appealing for his deadpan sense of humor, and when paired up with the ravishing Alice Eve, the situation seems as incongruous as Woody Allen dating Heather Locklear. In a wish fulfillment fantasy, it’s easy to root for Kirk to win the girl, even if we have to slog through some of the obligatory vulgar humor.

Speaking of tasteless laughs, there is something outrageously funny and simultaneously repulsive about the scene in which Kirk is getting his private area neatly trimmed and landscaped in anticipation of the ultimate seduction. Novice director Jim Field Smith is letting us know that he’s willing to go over-the-top for the farcical laughs steeped in offensive humor. This means, of course, that he has a promising start in his effort to join the Judd Apatow school of naughty comedy.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
I like Hong Kong cinema for the mindless entertainment it represents for the most part. “Ninja Assassin” falls into that category, though it was a mainstream Hollywood production that sought to elevate martial arts battles into an expensively orchestrated orgy of violence. “Ninja Assassin” is now being released on DVD and Blu-ray and will include a bunch of special features about ninjas. “Ninja Assassin” starred the Japanese sensation Rain, and I still don’t know what the big deal is about this guy, except that Japanese girls swoon over him like American teenagers did over the Beatles back in the Sixties. All that matters is that “Ninja Assassin” is packed with thrilling action, the kind of heart-pounding adventure that should sate anyone’s appetite for a heavy dose of martial arts overkill.

LEAK, DARK VISION OF POLICE WORK IN “BROOKLYN’S FINEST”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

BROOKLYN’S FINEST (Rated R)The dark side of police work is on full display once again in director Antoine Fuqua’s potboiler “Brooklyn’s Finest.” He favors the gritty, slimy aspects of the genre, which was evident in the explosive “Training Day,” where all the players appeared to be unsavory on the battleground of the mean streets of Los Angeles. Fuqua demonstrates that things are no better on the other side of the country on the equally cruel streets of Brooklyn. Life is so bleak in this New York borough that it feels more like the Seventies, prior to urban renewal and the attendant gentrification of crumbling neighborhoods.

What’s crumbling in Brooklyn is the fortune of three Brooklyn cops, each one unaware of the other even though they work out of the same precinct. Their turf is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods, a situation amplified early on by an officer shooting of a black youth and the simmering anger and hostility of local residents. Eddie (Richard Gere), a veteran cop about a week away from retirement, wakes up to a morning ritual of a few shots of whiskey and putting a gun in his mouth as practice for suicide. This sad sack lives alone in a shabby apartment and just wants to make it through the day so he can spend some time under the covers with his prostitute girlfriend (Shannon Kane). It seems like a stretch to turn Richard Gere into a broken man, but he does his best to bring gloom to the lives of rookies assigned to his patrol car.

When we first see Sal (Ethan Hawke), it is not clear which side of the law he is on. But it doesn’t take long to find out that Sal lives in a state of perpetual crisis. A devout Catholic operating on a twisted set of moral principles, Sal nevertheless cares deeply for his pregnant wife (Lili Taylor) and their many kids. Sal is anxious to move out of his house to a better place, primarily because the wood mold is making his asthmatic spouse ill. With a big family and trying to make it on a cop’s salary, Sal finds it necessary to cut a lot of corners, mainly by skimming a share of the cash retrieved in drug busts. As he struggles to put money together for the down payment on a new home, Sal is driven to take more chances. That Sal puts himself into greater danger probably comes as no surprise to anyone.

The most mysterious of the cop trio is Tango (Don Cheadle), a guy so deep undercover that his identity is known only to some top brass. In fact, Tango has operated on the wrong side of the law for so long that it seems his loyalties are in serious question. His current assignment is to take down the drug empire run by charismatic Caz (Wesley Snipes). Owing his life to Caz from an unspoken event in the past, Tango is terribly conflicted and wants to see no harm come to his target. Bucking for the promotion that is well-deserved, Tango ends up tangling with his superiors. His real nemesis is a hard-nosed FBI agent (Ellen Barkin) who’s orchestrating the sting operation and would gladly toss Tango under the bus just to get what she wants.

As crisis situations simmer and boil, “Brooklyn’s Finest” careens through its plot threads like a junkie on a bad acid trip. Sal grows more desperate and alienates his friends on the force, both after hours and while on the job. Nothing good will come from his increasingly reckless behavior. Meanwhile, Tango is caught up in a web of deception where his divided loyalties are cause for alarm. Though slipping away into irrelevance and oblivion, Eddie just may have one last spark of a chance for redemption.

Atmosphere is very much an important part of Antoine Fuqua’s vision. The world of “Brooklyn’s Finest” is a bleak, grim one, where the line between good and evil is nearly impossible to distinguish. None of the main characters is necessarily sympathetic. Finding a rooting interest for anyone’s well-being is elusive. Nevertheless, the actors are certainly credible in their performances, with Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke delivering the best, likely due to the fact that their characters are the most on edge. “Brooklyn’s Finest,” though it revisits old ground seen in other police movies, is an entertaining potboiler with sufficient action and suspense.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
I used to think of Lee Horsley as the lost brother of Tom Selleck. Maybe it was because he was tall, charismatic and had a mustache. Well, at least that’s what he looked like in the TV series “Matt Houston,” in the role of wealthy Texan who relocated to Los Angeles oversee his family’s oil business.

However, Houston had abundant free time to pursue his passion of detective work. Produced by television legend Aaron Spelling, “Matt Houston” also starred the beautiful Pamela Hensley. Now for the first time, all 23 free-wheeling episodes from the premiere season are available in the DVD release of “Matt Houston: The First Season.” Many celebrity guests highlighted the inaugural season, with appearances by Janet Leigh, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Sonny Bono, George Takei, Jill St. John, and Heather Locklear.

COMEDIC ASPECTS OF BUDDY COP TEAM DELIVERS A “COP OUT”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

COP OUT (Rated R) Film director Kevin Smith recently garnered some presumably unwanted publicity when he was bounced from a Southwest Airlines flight for being too fat for one seat. I have just two questions for a Hollywood mogul. First, why aren’t you flying an airline that offers the larger, more comfortable first class seating? Second, why are you flying from Oakland, of all places? There’s a school of thought that any publicity is good publicity. Maybe that will be put to the test with Smith’s new film “Cop Out,” which apparently is the first film that he is directing that he did not also write.

From a script written by brothers Robb and Mark Cullen, “Cop Out” is imagined by director Smith to be as much Abbott and Costello as the ‘80s buddy cop movie it most obviously emulates. Think “Lethal Weapon” when you see the salt-and-pepper team of Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, the odd couple NYPD officers Jimmy Monroe and Paul Hodges respectively. Willis’ Jimmy is nothing like Mel Gibson, for the wacky member of this duo is the motor-mouthed Paul, whose random thoughts and verbal grilling of suspects prove to be goofy. Willis plays his character with the sort of taciturn reserve that he perfected in the “Die Hard” films.

Barely a few minutes into the story, Jimmy and Paul misplay a drug stakeout, resulting in a shootout that leaves an informant dead along with a trail of collateral damage. The two cops are promptly suspended for a month without pay, an untenable situation for Jimmy as his daughter (Michelle Trachtenberg) has planned an expensive wedding he must finance. But just because the partners are suspended doesn’t mean they won’t fall into a heap of trouble. As a matter of fact, they go about police work as if nothing would hold them back.

Not wanting to be embarrassed by his daughter’s obnoxiously wealthy stepfather (Jason Lee), Jimmy is consumed by pride as well as disdain for the interloper in his family’s life. Desperately needing cash, Jimmy decides he must sell his prized 1952 Andy Pafko baseball card, but unfortunately stoner thief Dave (Seann William Scott) pilfers the card at a memorabilia shop heist. Efforts to retrieve this valuable relic result in Jimmy and Paul being drawn back into the very investigation that got them benched in the first place.

Already in trouble, and brushing up against the uptight officers that replaced them (Adam Brody and Kevin Pollak), the partners break all the rules by enlisting the aid of the crazy burglar to recover the missing card. This puts them up against the merciless, baseball memorabilia-obsessed Mexican gangster Poh Boy (Guillermo Diaz) and his bunch of stereotypical trigger-happy henchmen. But before they can reclaim the treasured Pafko card, the partners strike a deal to boost a vintage Mercedes, and along the way they rescue a Mexican beauty (Ana De La Reguera) who doesn’t speak a word of English.

There is a multitude of things that don’t seem to matter all that much in the grand scheme of “Cop Out,” chiefly a sensible plot and dialogue elevated to a higher level than locker room banter. To be sure, Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan have some good moments of snappy wisecracks, primarily when they are bickering on incidents large and small. But too much of the manic Morgan becomes somewhat grating. His obsession with his wife’s (Rashida Jones) alleged infidelity is also overworked. Meanwhile, Sean William Scott fares better as he plays off both Willis and Morgan, often needling the officers for their anxieties.

Fans of Kevin Smith may be expecting an edgier buddy cop movie than “Cop Out” delivers. What we have is something more like “Rush Hour,” as if Tracy Morgan had somehow tapped into the frenzied, excitable state of Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan’s wacky partner. Aside from Morgan overplaying his part, “Cop Out” is agreeable enough for a good share of laughs, even if much of the humor tends to the most common denominator variety.

 

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
“Bitch Slap” is a candidate for best movie title, but maybe not as good as “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.” This “B” movie about a bunch of femme fatales looking to retrieve stolen jewels at a ruthless gangster’s hideout in the desert is straight out of the Russ Meyer school of exploitation.“Bitch Slap” is a title that tells you all you need to know, as the bodacious bad girls brawl and fight in this wildly explosive tribute to sensationalism and violent excess.

Naturally, the female leads are young and sexy busty creatures who engage in non-stop cat fights and noisy gun battles. These scantily clad women, including Julia Voth, Erin Cummings and America Olivo, are going to inspire adolescent males to run out to purchase the unrated DVD. A cameo appearance by Lucy Lawless is a nice bonus.

THE MODERN WEREWOLF LOOK IN “THE WOLFMAN” STILL HAS BITE
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE WOLFMAN (Rated R)The golden age of horror films occurred so long ago, before the end of World War II, that the great actors who defined the era, including Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney, Jr., are largely unknown or forgotten by today’s modern audience. The creative factory for many of the very best films in the genre, Universal Studios, faithfully remaking its 1941 “The Wolf Man,” is trying to recapture its glory days with the help of modern technology and the attendant special effects. “The Wolfman,” as a result, offers a homage that is more exciting and visually spectacular than most skeptics would wish to grant.

True to its origins, “The Wolfman” takes place in the Victorian era, with its setting in the Blackmoor, England countryside of 1891. A gothic horror story works so much better when the Talbot family estate is a stately mansion on the verge of decay. The prodigal son, Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro), has made a name for himself as an acclaimed actor living in the United States. Currently on stage in London, Lawrence is summoned to his family home when his brother’s fiancée Gwen (Emily Blunt) writes of her concern about his disappearance. Something strange is happening in the woods, and it’s not just the fact that gypsies have an encampment nearby.

The brother’s body, badly mutilated, turns up just before Lawrence’s arrival. For his part, Lawrence is not too thrilled to return to his ancestral village, his estrangement from his father, the sinister Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins), having not diminished over time. Upon seeing what’s left of his brother’s mangled body, Lawrence, appearing in a production of “Hamlet” in London, realizes that something isn’t right in the homeland. So he sets out to investigate, ending up at the gypsy camp whereupon he’s attacked by a malevolent creature that could only be described as a werewolf. Stitched up by a gypsy woman, Lawrence is informed that he is now cursed, which will be apparent at the next full moon.

Lawrence doesn’t want to believe that the worst will happen, and he goes about trying to figure out who killed his brother. Meanwhile, a dogged inspector from Scotland Yard (Hugo Weaving) threatens to turn the whole village upside down. Villagers gather at the local pub to speak to their heightened fears, while planning to scour the countryside with pitchforks and shotguns. Sir John Talbot becomes increasingly menacing. Lawrence suffers from nightmares, particularly reliving the mysterious death of his mother.
That which works best for “The Wolfman” is the ominous tone and the gloomy atmosphere that is efficiently realized by the late 19th century setting.

The sense of doom and apprehension that engulfs Lawrence is palpable and real, and all the more effective because he is truly haunted by the memories of his late mother and recently departed sibling. The atmospherics of this movie are also greatly enhanced by the tremendous amount of graphic violence and bloodshed that could only be achieved by advanced special effects. Sometimes the effects are quite good, such as the chase across rooftops in London. But for all the nifty tricks of modern cinema and the great visual appeal of this remake, “The Wolfman” falls short of the haunting power of the original black and white beloved classic.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
On television, Buddy Ebsen was terrific as the head of the Clampett clan that settled into Beverly Hills. He was better still as the avuncular private eye Barnaby Jones, who came out of retirement after his son’s murder to get back into the sleuthing game. “Barnaby Jones” celebrated the power of brains over brawn. A different kind of detective, the astute Barnaby Jones caught criminals with his intellect rather than his fists. The beautiful Lee Meriwether had a co-starring role as Jones’ daughter-in-law Betty. The inaugural season, including all 13 episodes, of “Barnaby Jones” is now available on DVD for the first time.

 

LIGHTNING STRIKES FOR “PERCY JACKSON” WITH FAMILY FUN
A Film Review by Tim Riley

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF (Rated PG) Harry Potter is not the only kid with special powers who ends up at a unique boarding school that is unlike any of the fancy prep schools on the East Coast. The teenaged title character in “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief” is also capable of working some magic, but he doesn’t know his own strengths. Oddly enough, nobody told Peter Jackson (Logan Lerman) that staying underwater in the school pool for more than five or so minutes at a time is a bit unusual. He has this fish-like ability to remain below the surface because it turns out he’s the offspring of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd).

Even more unusual, and strangely coincidental at this particular time, is the title of “Percy Jackson & The Olympians,” which sounds very much like a boy band that should be performing on the stage of the opening ceremony for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. But then, why quibble about a title, considering some of the weird names for the string of “Harry Potter” movies. Percy Jackson wants to emulate his British cousin, perhaps more in style and tone than is warranted for a movie that doesn’t really measure up to the “Harry Potter” franchise’s imagination and innovation.

Let me dispel one fear that might nibble at the corner of the adult mind. If you have to take the kids to this movie, it’s not really a bad thing. “Percy Jackson” proved more bearable and entertaining than I initially thought possible. The Greek mythology, not so commonplace in today’s world, has a nice twist, particularly as it sets up a celestial battle between the fraternal gods Poseidon, the irritable Zeus (Sean Bean) and the annoying Hades (Steve Coogan). Zeus is upset that someone stole his lightning bolt, and he inexplicably blames Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon, an absentee father if there ever was one.

Back on planet Earth, Percy lives with his all-too-human mother Sally (Catherine Keener) and a slovenly, abusive and creepy stepfather (Joe Pantoliano). Dealing with the mean streets of New York and unaware of his demigod status, Percy has one good friend in Grover (Brandon T. Jackson). On a museum field trip, a fury attacks Percy and his life is turned upside down. It turns out that best friend Grover is in reality a satyr who serves as the demigod’s protector. The teacher confined to a wheelchair is actually a half-horse centaur (Pierce Brosnan). For his safety, Percy is quickly whisked away to a secret location far away from civilization.

Deep in the woods on lakefront property, Percy comes to know other offspring of the gods and learns that he’s arrived at a boot camp, where physical training consists of fighting battles with swords as if they had all been transported in a time machine to ancient Greece. His eyes fall upon the beauty of Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), the daughter of Athena who proves to be a fierce warrior. Unlike the others, Luke (Jack Abel), the son of Hermes, is more interested in contemporary culture and plays a lot of video games in his quarters. A lot of other kids are running around the camp in sandals, but it is unclear as to whether they have demigod status as well.

Given an ultimatum to return the lightning bolt before the summer solstice, Annabeth and Grover join Percy in what amounts to a cross-country scavenger hunt to locate precious gems that allow them to safely enter the portal of the underworld to retrieve Percy’s mom from the clutches of Hades. Along the way they have to battle the wily snake-headed Medusa (Uma Thurman), overpower minotaurs guarding a museum in Nashville, and survive the seductive power of the Lotus Eaters in a Las Vegas casino. Fittingly enough, the entryway to hell is just below the Hollywood sign. If you’ve been to Los Angeles lately, this all makes sense.

“Percy Jackson & The Olympians” redeems itself with plenty of adventure and some great battle scenes. The violence appears almost tame when compared to video games. Percy and his friends are heroic figures in their quest to return the lightning bolt and avert a celestial war on Mt. Olympus. The overlay of Greek mythology is engaging, but may be lost on younger viewers. A “Percy Jackson” franchise, if it comes about, won’t be giving the “Harry Potter” films any sort of lasting challenge at the box office, but this film is a lot more pleasant and entertaining than other recent efforts to tap into the Harry Potter formula.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
The Blaxploitation movies of the Seventies, like “Shaft” and “Coffy” to name a couple, were always great fun and entertaining. The forgotten genre was revived last year with “Black Dynamite,” a little-noticed effort that relied heavily on an outrageous action comedy spoof. Michael Jai White stars as a gun-toting ladies man and soul brother seeking to avenge the death of his brother against kung-fu masters, drug dealing pimps and The Man.

As the smoothest, baddest cat on the street, White’s Black Dynamite is a former CIA agent who’s either taking down the bad guys or sweet-talking foxy mommas. An outrageously over-the-top parody of Blaxploitation, “Black Dynamite” delivers big action and even bigger laughs. Complete with deleted and alternate scenes, “Black Dynamite” is being issued in DVD and Blu-ray.

VIOLENT ADRENALINE RUSH DELIVERED “FROM PARIS WITH LOVE”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE (Rated R) First Mel Gibson, now John Travolta. Two badass dudes going after the villains. Directed by Pierre Morel, “From Paris With Love” is an action junkie’s dream, one to send the average young male audience into paroxysms of visceral delight at the sight of an overabundance of great stunts and well-choreographed gunfights. Hey, it works nicely on older guys as well, as I have come to appreciate recent French efforts, inspired no less by Luc Besson, to try to outdo John Woo at his own game. Despite a title that seemingly riffs on James Bond, “From Paris with Love” delivers shoot-outs and brutal physical violence with a vengeance.

U.S. Embassy functionary James Reese (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a personal aide to the American Ambassador in France, is leading a charmed life in Paris. Engaged to a beautiful French girl, the self-effacing Reese tries to liven up his duties with a side job as a low-level operative for the CIA. On a good day, he may switch license plates on a car. Nothing in this guy’s DNA suggests a quest for real thrills, but Reese is determined to become a bona fide agent and see some real action. Well, he gets far more than he bargained for when called upon to escort a special agent around town.

Reese’s first encounter with deep undercover operative Charlie Wax (John Travolta) doesn’t quite go according to plan. First, Reese has to bail him out of a jam at the customs office at the Paris airport. The volatile, trash-talking, trigger-happy loose cannon Wax is extremely contemptuous of a snooty customs agent who doesn’t want Wax to keep energy drinks packed in his suitcase. Before an international incident is created, Reese uses his diplomatic skills to extricate his charge from the clutches of French police. This is the first and last time that diplomacy works in this film.

What’s immediately interesting about Wax is that with his shaved head, goatee and earring he looks more like a member of a biker gang in Florida than a super spy. The hyperactive Wax, with no time for sightseeing, is on a mission, though it appears unclear what is to be actually accomplished. Dinner at a Chinese restaurant is not likely to go well, particularly when Wax complains about the food. Of course, that’s just a pretext for the mayhem to follow, when Wax deftly turns the restaurant turns into a shooting gallery. Apparently, Wax is determined to shut down an Asian drug cartel even if it means killing every last person who looks remotely suspicious.

No one will confuse “From Paris With Love” with having anything vaguely resembling a coherent plot. After dispatching a multitude of drug cartel henchmen and making off with a vase full of cocaine, Wax abruptly turns the mission into a hunt for Middle Eastern terrorists holed up in a tenement building in a squalid Paris suburb. At this point, it doesn’t really matter if Wax is after Italian mobsters or Irish mercenaries. The film’s objective is to have the trigger-happy Wax unloading automatic weapons upon hordes of bad guys, with the body count growing increasingly outlandish. Even Liam Neeson in “Taken,” another film directed by Pierre Morel, couldn’t match John Travolta’s penchant for gunning down thugs.

Upon reflection, it’s hard to recall how the plot moved from smashing an Asian cocaine ring to a mad dash to foil a suicide bomber connected to a Middle Eastern terrorist plot. Keeping the pace fast and loose, director Morel doesn’t allow the action to slow down enough for us to make sense of it all. Well, there are moments when the talkative Wax drops funny lines and wicked banter. Still, Wax acts more like an escapee from an insane asylum, especially when he gets the thrill of blowing up things. For the most part, Reese shows little aptitude for the rigors of this dangerous field work.

John Travolta is a lot of fun to watch as the larger-than-life, over-the-top, itchy trigger-finger operative who’s mercurial behavior is deliciously explosive. In comparison, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, a classic everyman, can do little more than play the foil for Travolta’s unhinged character. “From Paris With Love” does have a surprising twist in its plot, one that hopefully remains a bombshell. At its core, the frenetic “From Paris With Love” is a classic shoot ‘em up that pleases the hard core action fans with its non-stop orgy of violence.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
The best thing about DVD releases is that so many vintage TV shows are becoming available. Hard to believe, the detective series “Vegas” is more than thirty years old, but still holds up really well. What a great fantasy of having the fun loving, private eye Dan Tanna (Robert Urich) tooling around Sin City in his vintage cherry red Thunderbird solving private cases while on retainer to a wealthy casino owner to keep crime out of his hotels. He’s helped out by his sexy and smart assistant Bea (Phyllis Davis), who’s also a chorus girl. And then there’s his enthusiastic, yet inept, legman Binzer (Bart Braverman). “Vegas: Season One, Volume 2,” filmed entirely on location in Las Vegas, was popular in its time and remains worth seeing.

MEL GIBSON FULLY ON EDGE FOR THRILLING ACTION IN “DARKNESS”

A Film Review by Tim Riley

EDGE OF DARKNESS (Rated R) Whether redemption, following unpleasant personal issues, is in the cards for Mel Gibson at the box office may be a highly debatable proposition. On the other hand, after a long absence Gibson’s return in front of the cameras in “Edge of Darkness” demonstrates most unequivocally and inarguably that he remains in top form. In this emotionally charged thriller, he’s more than an action hero and unstoppable force of nature.

Going beyond his formidable action skills, Gibson in the role of bereaved father consumed by grief seeks not only revenge but to obtain emotional closure. Gibson’s Thomas Craven is a veteran homicide detective for the Boston Police Department and a single father. His daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) and only child, having graduated from college, is working as an intern for a mysterious corporation involved in contract work for the federal government.

When Emma comes home for a visit, she is murdered on the steps of his home in what looks very much like a professional hit. Everyone assumes that Craven was the intended target, a logical supposition given his lengthy career of putting away criminals. Fueled by grief and rage, Craven embarks on a manhunt for the killers, despite the obvious conflict of his position on the police force.

To pursue his investigation, Craven must first peel back the layers of his daughter’s secretive life, starting with her job at the Northmoor Corporation. This leads him to Emma’s boyfriend, Daniel Burnham (Shawn Roberts), a fellow employee who appears to have a lot to hide. In fact, the first meeting of Craven and Burnham is an explosive one and a pivotal moment in the film. Moving forward, Craven is compelled to unearth all the secrets and details of Emma’s personal and professional life, no matter where the trail may lead.

As part of his search, Craven starts poking around the Northmoor headquarters, an impressive hillside complex overlooking vast areas of scenic wooded lands. Coming into contact with slick head honcho Jack Bennett (Danny Huston) is enough to raise his suspicions, to the point that Emma’s death looks increasingly like something other than an accident. All doubt is removed when Craven starts to have violent encounters with mystery men following him in a SUV with blackened windows. On top of that, shadowy operative Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone) shows up in Craven’s garden one late night to engage in an odd conversation.

As Craven strikes closer to the truth of his daughter’s murder, the situation becomes more volatile and brutally confrontational. Before long, the Boston detective tussles violently with men in shiny suits, while other shadowy corporate and government figures lurk in the background, issuing menacing orders and cooking up schemes to get rid of the pesky grieving father. Even an oily U.S. Senator gets mixed up in the intrigue, while the occasional high-level functionary drops in by helicopter. You need a scorecard to keep track of the nefarious players.

The element of surprise in this nicely written and well-executed thriller is better served if too many details are not indiscriminately revealed. Let’s say there is enough going on to keep any conspiracy buff spinning a wide range of theories. One thing that is not a mystery is the depth of Mel Gibson’s performance. His obvious acting talent did not vanish in the wake of his transgressions or during his prolonged absence from the screen.

“Edge of Darkness” calls forth not just Gibson’s credibility as a fearsome action hero but also the ability to tap into a believable personal odyssey of emotional discovery and redemption. “Edge of Darkness” is a good film that deserved a better time slot on the release schedule than the end of January in the dead of winter.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
The best martial arts movies seem to get little notice until they are released on DVD. This is the case for martial arts master Tony Jaa’s latest effort, the epic tale of revenge in “Ong Bak 2: The Beginning.” Set hundreds of years in the past, the prequel to “Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior” follows the journey of an orphaned boy trained to be a killer and prophesized to conquer an empire. Versed in countless forms of weaponry and martial arts, he is an earth-shattering force to be reckoned with who is hell bent on avenging the murder of his parents. “Ong Bak 2” showcases extraordinary fight scenes, as Tony Jaa flies through the air defying the laws of gravity and performing his own jaw-dropping stunts. The DVD affords several special features, including exclusive footage from the upcoming “Ong Bak 3.”

 

 

HARRISON FORD TAKING “MEASURES” TO LOOK EXTRAORDINARY
A Film Review by Tim Riley

EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES (Rated PG) The guy who played the dashing Han Solo and Indiana Jones should be collecting Social Security and soon enough residing in an old actor’s home. Harrison Ford is even getting too old to play the role of commander in chief, riding around in Air Force One and barking orders to underlings.

But now he’s comfortably at home as a curmudgeonly university research scientist in “Extraordinary Measures,” channeling his personality to be eccentric, brilliant and disagreeable in equal parts. Even though wrinkled and looking weary, Ford remains a commanding presence and is fun to watch.

“Extraordinary Measures” is the maiden film released by CBS Films, and as such it has the unmistakable feeling of a made-for-television affair. However, because the story involves a loving family dealing with medical tragedies, the film seems like it really belongs on the Lifetime Channel, or even the Hallmark Channel.

That’s not to say there is anything inherently wrong with a plot that is inspired by a true story, namely one involving the real-life Crowley family desperately searching for a cure for Pompe disease.
John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Aileen (Keri Russell) have three children, the two youngest ones stricken by the rare disease that is a form of muscular dystrophy which confines the afflicted to wheelchairs and respirators.

Children with Pompe disease rarely have a life expectancy beyond 9 years, at least according to the movie script. In the real world, the life span may be even shorter. The Crowleys’ middle child Megan (Meredith Droeger) has just turned eight, and John throws himself into a frantic search for any kind of hope for a cure, staying up late at night scouring the Internet.

Juggling the demands of his executive job and spending time with his family, John believes he’s found the scientist who’s making breakthroughs in researching the rare genetic disorder. The reclusive Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford) spends most of his time at the University of Nebraska lab, but is hampered by the lack of funds to move his research at a faster pace. But since Stonehill won’t return any phone calls, the frustrated John impulsively jumps on a plane to track him down. When John boldly promises to raise the huge sum of money to start up a full-blown research project, it’s the start of an awkwardly tentative relationship.

Raising venture capital and assembling a crack research team are daunting tasks. Finding his work at a drug company too restrictive, John quits his job in order to start up a bio-tech firm with the help of Dr. Stonehill. Unfortunately, things don’t work out quite according to plan, perhaps in part due to the doctor’s prickly nature and the fact that producing experimental drugs using enzymes are more challenging than expected when dealing with the FDA. Like most situations in life, compromises have to be made to survive the corporate culture.

Because “Extraordinary Measures” is focused on the drama that grips the Crowley family, there is much emphasis on the home life of the stricken kids. Of course, there are many touching moments, such as the time Megan suffers heart failure and barely survives yet another big scare. Every setback pushes John more aggressively into raising funds and cajoling pharmaceutical corporate types into stepping up the research project. Stonehill’s abrasive personality often gets in the way, with other research teams keeping their distance, mostly because the eccentric doctor enjoys his work better when blasting rock music in the lab.

Credit must be given to Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser for trying mightily to keep the story moving in a forward arc. Their performances are often undermined by the formulaic constraints of the plot, including showdowns with the business suits that come off as a tad artificial and mostly convenient to stir up some much-needed friction. Again, seeing Harrison Ford as a curmudgeon offers a certain amount of fun, but otherwise “Extraordinary Measures” is too soon destined for late night cable viewing.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
If you are looking for a crude, offensive gift for a friend or even a foe, then perhaps the DVD release of “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” will do the trick. Based on the Tucker Max bestselling playbook for living the life of raunchy debauchery, this film stars Matt Czuchry as the book’s author, a connoisseur of fast times and faster women who is determined to outdo himself in one night of orgiastic depravity.

Tucker Max tricks his newly engaged buddy (Geoff Stults) into lying to his fiancée so they can celebrate his last days of bachelorhood in proper style. Along for the ride is another friend (Jesse Bradford) bitter about a breakup. The night of fun takes a big turn when the boys meet a stripper who can match their vengeful behavior. The coarse, vulgar “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” will work best for those demented souls who thought “The Hangover” was far too tame.

 

AWE-INSPIRING JOURNEY IN A WASTELAND BOOKS PASSAGE IN “ELI”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE BOOK OF ELI (Rated R) Listening to the radio, I heard about a study claiming that some people have become suicidal after watching “Avatar,” likely in response to comparing the utopian vision of the film’s alien world to their own desperate lives. Personally, I feel those sentiments are misplaced and are more appropriate upon viewing post-apocalyptic visions in films like “The Road” and now “The Book of Eli.” Mind you, “The Book of Eli” is a well-made film, but I just don’t know if I can go on with yet more bleak images of the catastrophic destruction of our once vibrant civilization. But then, Denzel Washington as a road warrior bent of a mission to save mankind redeems this exercise in desolation.

In the not-too-distant future, some 30 years after the presumed end of civilization, Denzel Washington’s Eli is a solitary man trekking west across the wasteland that was once America. The landscape is littered with broken highways and dilapidated structures. Occasionally, Eli comes across a few hardy souls, but more often than not these encounters are with murderous biker gangs that terrorize rare travelers. Guided by an undefined faith to believe in something greater than himself, Eli is a warrior by necessity rather than choice. Fortunately, Eli seemingly possesses mystical powers, which are really useful when he unsheathes his gigantic machete.

Early on, the enigmatic road warrior shows that once he is challenged by lawless highwaymen he will cut his attackers down before they realize their fatal mistake. It’s not his life he guards so fiercely but his hope for the future, which appears to be safely stored in his backpack. The object of his careful protection is not immediately revealed, but if you have seen the advertising billboards proclaiming “religion is power” and “deliver us,” you may have some distinct idea about what is so cautiously safeguarded.

Wandering down a dusty highway with determined commitment, Eli stumbles upon a desolate frontier town. Carrying himself like the Man with No Name in a spaghetti Western, Eli soon runs afoul of Carnegie (Gary Oldman), the self-appointed despot of the makeshift town of thieves and gunmen. Like Eli, Carnegie is one of the few people old enough to remember the old world and to have the ability to read. But the self-styled tyrant suspects that Eli is carrying the book he urgently seeks in order to hold even greater sway over the population, going far beyond the borders of his grimy outpost.

Surrounded by the usual assortment of henchmen, Carnegie wields his greatest power by controlling the source of the local water supply. He manipulates his adopted Solara (Mila Kunis), setting her up as a prostitute when it serves his purposes, such as extracting vital information from certain marks. Meanwhile, he exercises vicious control over Solara’s mother Claudia (Jennifer Beals), treating her badly all the time. In his role as Carnegie, Gary Oldman is performing his usual duty as the heavy, though he maintains sufficient nuance as to not turn into a laughable caricature.

Notwithstanding the abusive Carnegie’s tactics, Solara is fascinated by the enigmatic Eli, seeing in him the ticket to get out of Dodge. Not surprisingly, Solara, who incidentally is far too attractive to be residing in the grubby, ravaged Western town, is attracted by what Eli offers as the hope of a better existence beyond her evil stepfather’s domain. After more violent confrontations necessitated by a showdown with Carnegie’s minions, Eli and Solara ride out of town, albeit on foot, just like they would in a Western movie. Even when they find a hideout, they are unable to avoid even more vicious battles with Carnegie’s heavily-armed thugs.

It probably will come as no surprise to you that Eli and Solara reach their final destination on the West Coast. Nevertheless, I choose not to reveal where and for what purpose their journey comes to an end, sensing the audience should experience this for itself. “The Book of Eli” has one advantage over other more recent post-apocalyptic movies, namely a message of hope for humanity. Denzel Washington, most likely, wouldn’t have it any other way. As a result, this journey into a wasteland of despair is actually worth watching.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Do you remember when martial arts action star Steven Seagal made one of his fast-paced action films about every other week? Have you wondered what happened to him, aside from his reality TV show “Lawman?” Well, he still unleashes his wrath – and his fists – in the action thriller “The Keeper” about an ex-cop caught in a web of deceit, racism and murder. Not surprisingly, this latest Seagal effort, now being released on DVD, is a nonstop adrenaline rush, full of high-octane stunts.

Double-crossed by his rogue partner and forced to retire, Seagal’s Los Angeles street cop accepts a gig guarding the beautiful daughter of a wealthy businessman. But when mobsters kidnap the girl, Seagal’s job is to untangle a dangerous web of lies and murder and find his charge. In a race against time, Seagal must use his wits, weapons and brute force to get her back.

 

COMEDY “LEAP YEAR” JUMPED STARTED BY DELIGHTFUL STAR
A Film Review

LEAP YEAR (Rated PG) Amy Adams, more adorable than a pixie, is one of the most appealing contemporary actresses, and suitably cast in “Leap Year” as the frustrated girlfriend anxious for her cardiologist boyfriend to pop the big question. She still has the same effervescent charm that was fully on display in her role of the stranded, naive princess in “Enchanted.” In the latest film, her magical powers, consisting of equal parts beauty, charisma and pleasing personality, serve well enough to lift a fairly predictable, formulaic romantic comedy into an entertainment reasonably pleasant to watch.

Not to be mistaken for avant-garde cinema, “Leap Year” is an old-fashioned exercise in the battle of the sexes, one that might have been the perfect fit for Doris Day many years ago. Adams’ Anna is an energetic, forceful young woman, yet hopelessly conventional when it comes to romance. Highly motivated, she works hard at decorating empty houses and apartments to help realtors close the sale on prime properties. On the other hand, she waits patiently for her workaholic doctor boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) to propose marriage, something that seems entirely logical considering their pending application to move into a luxury apartment.

When a romantic dinner fails to produce the desired result, Anna decides to chase after Jeremy while he’s at a conference in Dublin. Having learned from her father (John Lithgow) about a venerable Irish tradition, Anna wants to propose marriage on leap day February 29, when apparently a role reversal in such matters is entirely appropriate. Naturally, and I don’t think this will come as a surprise to anyone, the journey to Dublin is fraught with peril, beginning with a turbulent flight that forces the aircraft to land in Wales.

Bad weather persists, and the usual ferry option to the Emerald Isle is out of the question. With the clock running, the self-sufficient Anna charters an old fishing vessel, but the storm forces a landing at a remote part of Ireland. After being stranded on the shore, Anna comes upon a small town pub, where the owner Declan (Matthew Goode) appears amused at her predicament. Yet, for the princely sum of 500 euros, Declan agrees to give her a ride to her ultimate destination.

Does the prospect of car trouble seem imminent? Well, yes, of course. But that’s the just the beginning of mishaps. Otherwise, how to explain an awkward night at a country inn, to say nothing of a stopover as uninvited guests at a wedding?

Following the rules of romantic comedy formula, you wouldn’t be wrong to think that polar opposites like the laid-back Declan and the uptight Anna are somehow going to move past the initial phase of intense dislike. Mutual attraction is inevitable in this type of film. On the other hand, “Leap Year” works in a few bumps and twists that serve mainly as red herrings. Even though bickering, Matthew Goode and Amy Adams pair up nicely, and the lovely Irish countryside makes a wonderful backdrop.

 

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

With the popularity of “High School Musical,” it was only a matter of time before “Fame” was resurrected. The original 1980 film remains a fan favorite, and MGM released an updated version in theaters last year. Now being released on DVD, “Fame” is bursting with explosive music and dance moves. Like the original, a group of gifted performing artists travel down a path of self-discovery and stardom.

New York City High School of Performing Arts offers students from all walks of life a chance to live out their dreams to achieve real and lasting fame. Naturi Naughton leads a cast of newcomers, and original “Fame” cast member Debbie Allen plays the role of Principal Angela Simms. The DVD features an extended cut of the film with over 15 minutes of never-before-seen dance footage.

 

 

COMEDIES “COMPLICATED” AND “UP” DELIGHT THE MATURE AUDIENCE
A Review by Tim Riley

IT’S COMPLICATED (Rated R) During the holiday season, it’s gratifying that the movies are not just about CGI chipmunks, blue-skinned aliens and the occasional animated frog. Surprisingly, movies even exist for a more adult, mature audience. A case in point is the romantic comedy “It’s Complicated,” starring actors of a certain age fast approaching senior citizen status. Meryl Streep won’t even pretend to be under 50, inasmuch as her long-divorced character Jane Adler is eager to rebound, though we have to wonder if she’s capable of making the right decisions.

But with Streep continuing her recent trend of portraying women in less heavy roles, mistaking “It’s Complicated” for sophisticated drama is unlikely. That’s just fine for writer-director Nancy Meyers (“Something’s Gotta Give”), who clearly favors the female perspective and enjoys putting established figures into some lightweight material, albeit with more mature dialogue than is normally found in the modern romantic comedies geared to a crowd that hasn’t reached middle age. Joining Streep’s Jane in a triangle love affair are Alec Baldwin as her ex-husband Jake and Steve Martin as Adam, a local architect looking to bounce back from a failed marriage.

With her last daughter leaving home for college, Jane finds that after ten years of divorce she yearns ever so slightly for some companionship. The occasional gossip sessions with old girlfriends that include Rita Wilson and Mary Kay Place have limited value for her, as well as for the audience. Fate, however, brings Jane and Jake together during a trip to New York City for their son’s college graduation. Remarried to the much younger Agness (Lake Bell), Jake is restless and bored, because his new wife is shallow and annoying. For his advanced age, Jake also has a raging libido and takes advantage to initiate a secret affair with his ex.

Upon return to bucolic Santa Barbara, where Jane runs a successful bakery/restaurant, Jake pursues a fitful relationship with Jane, hiding it from their kids as well as his spouse. Meanwhile, Adam is increasingly attracted to Jane, all the while moving forward with a major remodeling job of her stately home. Befitting the movie’s title, there are plenty of complications in the emerging triangular relationship, much of it very humorous. Jake’s seduction scene, where his naked body is discretely screened by the presence of a well-placed laptop, is one of the film’s best laugh-out-loud moments.

Sparkling dialogue and good laughs are not the sole highpoints of “It’s Complicated.” Nancy Meyers has structured the plot with enough twists and complications to keep the audience guessing about its final resolution, and that’s commendable.

 

UP IN THE AIR (Rated R) I’ve never been a particularly huge fan of George Clooney, though admittedly he’s starred in some quite good movies, the latest one being “Up in the Air.” This is a film that has been building considerable buzz, which is the sort of thing that signals potential great things to happen during the Oscar awards season. I don’t much care if “Up in the Air” wins a slew of little gold statues, but

I am here to tell you that this is a brilliant film that mixes comedy and drama with a potent efficiency that is usually not easily achieved. Director Jason Reitman (“Juno”), sharing screenplay credit with Sheldon Turner, knows how to deliver well-developed characters that shine in well-placed situations.

Clooney’s Ryan Bingham, rootless and restless, is a hired gun flying around the country personally delivering the bad news to employees being laid off from their corporate jobs. When not acting as a job executioner, Ryan keeps busy with his motivational seminars. After all, this is a guy on a quest to achieve the elite status of 10 million frequent flyer miles, which explains that his life consists almost entirely of living in airport lounges, airplanes and airport hotels.

Ryan’s carefully crafted world of constant movement is threatened when his boss (Jason Bateman) starts listening to young hotshot Natalie (Anna Kendrick), who figures the company no longer needs a traveling layoff artist when the Internet can do the job cheaper and quicker. Since he wants to preserve his lifestyle, Ryan takes Natalie on the road to prove that the personal touch is more humane and responsible. Meanwhile, Ryan meets his match with the sexy Alex (Vera Farmiga), a fellow corporate travel junkie who enjoys airports and hotel bars as much as he does. Soon, they are in the throes of passion whenever airline schedules permit a fleeting rendezvous.

“Up in the Air” is disconcerting in that it offers a harsh look at the dehumanizing treatment of corporate layoffs, even while mining some gallows humor. Even more upsetting is how chaos is introduced into Ryan’s structured existence. Not only does he clash with Natalie’s rigid view of rearranging the downsizing business model, Ryan is tossed for a loop in the possibility that he could find a measure of permanence with his female counterpart on the road circuit.

For good measure, Ryan has been estranged from his own family, but finds himself pulled into the upcoming wedding of his sister.

It’s tricky and challenging to explain “Up in the Air” in a way that does justice to its inspired and exceptional mixing of devastating satire, subdued drama and incandescent humor. This bright, radiant film needs to be experienced firsthand, as I don’t want to reveal certain plot elements. There’s a complex beauty to the sophisticated dialogue and the attendant requirement that the actors must as a result of the smart script deliver multifaceted performances that are credible and real.

THE “ALVIN” CHIPMUNK SEQUEL TARGETS FUN FOR YOUNGSTERS
A Review by Tim Riley

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL (Rated PG)During this holiday season there are so few offerings at the movies for young children that the arrival of “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” should be a welcome relief to parents. As long as the parents don’t have to sit through it, that is.not that this sequel to the rodent clan’s 2007 movie is completely unbearable to anyone above the legal drinking age.

Nevertheless, the target audience is clearly for those below the adolescent stage of emotional development, as most of the jokes are somewhat simplistic and elementary. Adults may enjoy a few laughs when the humor is occasionally elevated above the one-dimensional. Additionally, some of the pop culture references are aimed beyond the youngsters.

I have already forgotten the plot line of the original “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” and I dare say I shall soon fail to recall the same for “The Squeakquel.” Bottom line, we’ve got a trio of talkative chipmunk siblings with unnatural singing talent. Alvin (voiced by Justin Long) and his two brothers, Theodore (Jesse McCartney) and Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) are forced to take a break from the glamorous world of pop music when their guardian Dave Seville (Jason Lee) is hospitalized in Paris after a backstage accident caused by Alvin’s reckless behavior.

Returning to Los Angeles, the chipmunks are foolishly entrusted to the care of Dave’s slacker cousin Toby (Zachary Levi), whose state of arrested development reveals itself in his obsession with constantly playing video games. With their singing career in hiatus, the chipmunks enroll in the local high school. The educational experience is a daunting task for the shy and nerdy Simon and Theodore, but Alvin, ever the boisterous attention-seeker, shines at school, going so far as to secure a spot on the football team with the help of his jock buddies.

School principal Dr. Rubin (Wendie Malick) conscripts the chipmunks to represent the school in a talent contest, which inevitably leads to conflict when Alvin is distracted by his burgeoning fame on campus. Meanwhile, the disgraced record promoter Ian Hawk (David Cross), who tried to exploit the chipmunks in the previous film, finds his opportunity to get back in the game when he’s approached by three female chipmunks with vocal abilities that rival Alvin and his siblings.

Romance blooms when the chipmunks become entranced with their female rivals, Brittany (Christina Applegate), Jeanette (Anna Faris), and Eleanor (Amy Poehler, who are collectively known as the Chipettes. Of course, sleazy Ian Hawk wants nothing more than to get revenge on Alvin and his brothers, a goal that seems easily attainable when the self-centered Alvin gets carried away with his newfound celebrity as a football star.

Dramatic tension builds when Alvin lets down his brothers by failing to show at the singing competition, but then comes a period of reconciliation that delivers some appealing life lessons.
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” by all accounts, is geared to an appreciative younger audience, but parents along for the ride should find the viewing of this film at least tolerable, with some occasional jokes delivered for adult pleasure. What’s most impressive about this “squeakquel” is the technical skill that makes the seamless interaction between humans and the CGI chipmunks so credible and persuasive.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Unless you are paying for the premium cable channels, it is quite easy to miss some of the notable programs. If don’t have Showtime, you probably missed accomplished actress Toni Collette in her Emmy Award-winning role of the split personality Tara in “United States of Tara.”

Collette’s Tara is a loving wife and mother who goes off her dissociative identity disorder medication, unleashing a cast of internal characters, including a beer-guzzling, gun-loving Vietnam vet, a foul-mouthed teenager and a perfect ‘50s housewife. “United States of Tara: The First Season” is being released on DVD, a two-disc set that includes all 12 episodes, plus a bunch of bonus features, along with an interview with series creator Diablo Cody.

UPLIFTING, INSPIRING “INVICTUS” UNITES SPORTS AND POLITICS
A Review by Tim Riley

INVICTUS (Rated PG-13) It must be the season for the feel-good sports story, even though it feels a lot like Christmas right now. First, “The Blind Side” seemingly emerged from nowhere to trumpet a story of faith and compassion found in a loving home that sheltered and nurtured a homeless black youth who later achieved football greatness.

Now along comes the Clint Eastwood directed “Invictus,” which tells the story of a rougher sport that played in the even tougher environment of a nation torn by its stark racial divide. Using sports as a metaphor for reconciliation is even more timely and appropriate in “Invictus,” given the setting of South Africa shortly after the demise of apartheid.

The combination of sports and politics is an interesting one that works much better than expected. The story is mainly focused on the time of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, about one year after NelsonMandela (Morgan Freeman) became president of South Africa not long after his 27 year incarceration. Though the unjust system of apartheid has officially ended, the bitterness between blacks and whites continues to linger.

To the chagrin of even some of his supporters, Mandela sets about the task of reconciling the racial differences and healing the wounds of resentment and hostility. To that end, he most improbably latches on to the upcoming 1995 World Cup of Rugby that is being hosted by South Africa and seeks to rally his nation around the Springboks, South Africa’s rugby team.

The problem for Mandela, a hugely political one indeed, is that the Springboks were viewed as the manifestation of the white power structure that had long oppressed the black majority during the dreaded apartheid era. Even the team’s colors and emblem stir much hostility among Mandela’s fervent loyalists.Yet, the new president instinctively understood that the fragile social fabric of his post-apartheid nation could easily explode in a full-blown civil war. Thus, he made a political calculation that lending highly visible support to the national rugby team for the upcoming World Cup could yield at least a tentative unity.

An equally challenging problem was the somewhat sorry state of the Springboks, an all-white team save for one prominent black member that was not championship caliber. Against the judgment of his advisors, Mandela sets out to cultivate a relationship with the team captain, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) in order to motivate the Springboks to accomplish unthinkable victory.

Though his Afrikaner parents harbor racist views, the apolitical Pienaar is nevertheless impressed by the sincerity of the president’s avuncular charm and inspirational musings. South Africa had the good fortune, as well as ultimate challenge, of hosting the 1995 Rugby World Cup, for that alone allowed the country to automatically compete. Otherwise, the underdog Springboks would not have qualified.

As such, the national rugby team faces a serious uphill struggle, but the Springboks are inspired and motivated by their new leader, who cites poetry as a source of strength. At one point, the team visits Robben Island, the South African equivalent of Alcatraz, where Mandela and others had been incarcerated.Seeing the small cell where Mandela was held captive for so long appeared to motivate the players. The team is also encouraged by frequent visits to poor townships where they promote interest in rugby with eager kids.

Inevitably, the story shifts to the stadium fields, where the underdog Springboks face the ultimate test of competing with other nations. First up is the national team of Australia, which the South Africans manage to defeat.The Springboks continue to win matches, which are viewed around the nation by increasingly exuberant black and white fans in venues from sports bars to shantytown liquor stores. Then, of course, as with all sports movies, the climactic finale comes down to the championship game with the fearsome New Zealand All Blacks, a team so dominant that it had crushed all other opponents with lopsided scores.

Fortunately, “Invictus” celebrates South Africa’s upset victory over the invincible New Zealand team, a rousing display of hard-fought rugby competition. It’s the sort of thing to remind anyone of the United States’ miraculous victory over the Russian hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Clint Eastwood does excellent work to have us cheering for the gutsy Springboks. But he does even better with orchestrating Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon into playing their respective roles as president and rugby team captain with genial charm and cool passion. “Invictus” is another class act for the director who, nearing 80 years of age, is still perfecting his game.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Nearing the end of a dreadful 2009, the one comedy film that stands above all others this year is “The Hangover,” a laugh-out-loud adventure about a bachelor party in Las Vegas that went horribly wrong.

To refresh your memory, the story is about what happens when the three groomsmen wake up the morning after and can’t remember a thing. Their luxury hotel suite is trashed and the groom is missing.With little time to spare, the boys must retrace their steps and get back to L.A. in time for the wedding. “The Hangover: Extended Cut” is the DVD release I’ve been waiting for, arriving just in time for the holidays. Available as a two-disc Special Edition, the extended cut contains seven additional minutes of hilarious content not seen in theaters.

The original theatrical version will also be available as a single disc. The Blu-ray disc will contain even more features and exclusive footage.

NEW TWIST ON HEIST THRILLER SETS STAGE FOR “ARMORED”
A Review by Tim Riley

ARMORED (Rated PG-13) A heist movie always involves a criminal enterprise organized around the essential principle that money or valuables will be separated from their rightful owners. In order for this to work, the guys pulling off the theft are definitely not Boy Scouts. “Armored,” as envisioned by screenwriter James V. Simpson, would like to turn the conventional heist concept on its head by packing plenty of action and suspense into the traditional plot element while omitting the vital ingredient of bad guys. The basic idea is that villains are removed from the equation when a crew of armored truck guards executes a meticulously planned robbery of their own security firm.

Naturally, there are some serious flaws in the notion that a bunch of regular guys can mastermind a theft of $42 million and remain unaffected by their newfound criminal intent. Not surprisingly, “Armored” puts the audience off-guard by focusing on Ty Hackett (Columbus Short) as the key player. After the death of his parents, Ty has returned from active duty in Iraq to face a stack of unpaid medical bills, a pending foreclosure and responsibility for his teenage brother Jimmy (Andre Jamal Kinney). Recently hired as a guard at Eagle Shield Security, Ty seeks to play by the rules but is increasingly vulnerable to outside pressures as he copes with mounting financial problems.

At the end of his probationary period, Ty celebrates with a bunch of co-workers. Over a couple of beers, they trade anecdotes, reveal loopholes in the security system, and discuss failed robberies and successful heists. Veteran security officer Mike Cochrane (Matt Dillon) sets the stage for the perfect crime by unveiling his personal theory about an unsolved armored truck robbery. He believes the robbery could only have happened if the guards themselves staged it. Later, while driving Ty home, Mike reveals that this incident has inspired him to plan the perfect crime.

Aware that a pickup of fresh bank notes from the Federal Reserve is imminent, Mike proposes a foolproof scheme to slip away from the route, stash the money in an abandoned warehouse and call in a holdup. No one gets hurt, no bad guys are in sight, and no clues are left behind. Mike assures Ty it will be a nonviolent crime that causes no physical harm. All that is necessary is to get the cooperation of the other guards, including impulsive, hotheaded Baines (Laurence Fishburne); intense Quinn (Jean Reno); high-strung Dobbs (Skeet Ulrich); and born-again ex-con Palmer (Amaury Nolasco).

After initial resistance to committing any illegal acts, Ty decides to go along with Mike and the other Eagle Shield guards to hijack the big money transfer. The tipping point for Ty came after one too many notices from the bank and a visit from a social worker who threatens to place Jimmy in foster care. Nevertheless, prior to joining the plot, Ty insists that he must have assurances that no one will be harmed. By now, you will have figured out that volatile Mike’s promises have about as much credibility as a politician’s campaign pledges. The tension comes from guessing exactly when Ty comes face to face with reality.

On the big day, the heist goes down as smoothly as vintage Scotch. After checking in with their dispatcher, the men make the brief detour to their hiding place, a massive warehouse in a forgotten part of town. But then, not surprisingly, just as things seem to be going all too well, an unexpected interruption changes the game plan. As things fail to proceed according to the grand scheme, Ty regains the conscience he never should have lost in the first place. Of course, the situation grows increasingly volatile and explosive, as tempers flare when it appears that lives and money are at serious risk.

Remarkably, “Armored” thrives far more on its character-driven plot than violent thrills. The crew is a colorful bunch, particularly when they start bickering about how to salvage the crumbling operation. The film also confines the majority of its action to the tight interior space of the abandoned warehouse. This serves to heighten the tension brewing within the crew, but also undermines the essential premise that a heist caper needs the conventional thrills of explosive action.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
This column took a breather last time from TV and film DVDs to report on a “Harry Potter” videogame release. We are more comfortable with vintage TV programs, so let’s get back to the good stuff. For the aficionados of crime dramas, CBS Home Entertainment indulges our whims with two outstanding releases.

First, David Janssen’s Dr. Richard Kimble, accused of the murder of his wife, is still on the lam in the release of “The Fugitive: Season Three, Volume Two,” where he continues to look for the killer while evading the increasingly spiteful Lt. Gerard. Raymond Burr made defense attorney Perry Mason look so appealing that applications to law schools probably swelled during the TV season. Relive the great old courtroom days with the release of “Perry Mason: The Fourth Season, Volume Two,” as Perry works his magic with the help of faithful secretary Della Street and investigator Paul Drake. I often admired Perry’s outstanding ability to trick or trap people into unwittingly admitting their guilt.

 

NEW TRICKS PROVE ELUSIVE FOR THE “OLD DOGS” COMEDY
A Review by Tim Riley

OLD DOGS (Rated PG) Aside from some of the rude humor associated with scatological references, the predictable “Old Dogs” comedy, released by the Walt Disney Studio just in time for the holiday season, is exactly the harmless family film it is intended to be. Moreover, it is slightly redeemed by the fact that, as compared to the work of Eddie Murphy in stinkers like “Daddy Day Care” and “Imagine That,” it is almost mathematically impossible to sink too low when even a tired formula gets somewhat energized and uplifted as the result of casting notables like John Travolta and Robin Williams.

Then again, the problem for “Old Dogs,” living up to its title, is that it is, well, starring a pair of old veterans who just haven’t had hit comedies in recent years, unless you’re counting “Wild Hogs” for Travolta. By the way, the director for that particular Travolta film, Walt Becker, is behind the camera for this one as well. Just so you know that it is foolish and ill-advised to take information gleaned from the studio publicity mill with any seriousness, please be aware that the biographical entry in the press notes refers to Travolta’s dreadful “Battlefield Earth” as “the successful sci-fi movie.” Kids, be aware that when you smoke peyote on the job, this is the sort of calamitous thinking that awaits you.

Innocuous as it may be, “Old Dogs” is working off a blueprint so vintage that the film’s premise was fully formed long before TV shows were broadcast in color. Williams and Travolta, respectively, play longtime friends in their 50s and business partners Dan and Charlie. Together, they run a sports marketing firm in New York, though it is never really clear what’s the big business deal they are pitching to a Japanese conglomerate. Nevertheless, Travolta’s Charlie is the playboy bachelor, while Williams’ Dan is a twice-divorced, lovelorn sad sack.

Just as the two partners are about to launch a major overseas deal, Dan’s tranquility is upended by the sudden news from his ex-wife Vicki (Kelly Preston) that he has two kids he never knew existed. But now years later, Emily (Ella Bleu Travolta) and Zach (Conner Rayburn) are seven-year-old fraternal twins. A few crazy things happen, and presto, Dan is reluctantly pressed into service as a babysitter for two weeks, because among other things Vicki has to serve time in a Vermont jail for an act of civil disobedience at the same time that her best friend (Rita Wilson) is sidelined due to an unfortunate mishap.

Now, unless you have not been to the movies in the last sixty or so years, the story of “Old Dogs” takes shape in the most conventional and expected manner. When Dan cannot return to his adults-only condo, he and the two kids have to move into Charlie’s kid-unfriendly bachelor pad. But first, a team of inept home remodelers descend on the swank apartment for some child-proofing safety measures. Needless to say, Charlie is hardly thrilled by this turn of events, which of course will only get worse.

The formulaic setup involves a whole bunch of slapstick incidents, some of which are indeed funny but at other times are just plain silly. Charlie and Dan are often mistaken as the grandfathers for the children. They take a camping adventure at which camp leader Matt Dillon becomes an overbearing martinet, while Justin Long plays a psycho dad who accuses Charlie of stealing his girlfriend. After taking the wrong pills, Dan causes havoc on the golf course by hitting golf balls into the groins of the Japanese executives they are trying to impress. On an outing to the zoo, Dan and Charlie’s assistant (Seth Green) gets abducted by an amorous ape.

As “Old Dogs” drifts from one slapstick set-piece to another, the plot elements back up like rush hour traffic in the Holland Tunnel. One moment, the late Bernie Mac appears in a clown outfit as Jimmy Lunchbox so that he can coach Dan into becoming a human puppet. The next, Dan has strapped on a jet-pack, James Bond-style, so that he can fly like a superhero to impress his kids at a birthday party. Despite the formulaic exercise, “Old Dogs” may not have learned new tricks, but it comes up with humor, some quite good and at other times cringe-inducing.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
As a rule, this column features new DVD releases of films or TV shows. With the Christmas season fast- approaching, let’s take a look at a possible gift item for the videogame-playing crowd, hopefully appreciative adolescents. Warner Home Video is releasing “Harry Potter: Wizarding World,” the second DVD game from the popular film and novel franchise.

Based on the second three Harry Potter films, including the recent “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” the DVD game enables fans to extend the movie experience with activities that include Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup, learning defensive magic in Dumbledore’s Army, potion-mixing in Advanced Potions class and much more. All you need to play the game is a DVD player, remote control and then play alone or with up to three other people – each of whom can choose their own skill level. Whether this turns out better than “Guitar Hero,” you’ll just have to let me know.

INSPIRED “BLIND SIDE” SATISFIES WITH ITS FEEL-GOOD STORY
A Review by Tim Riley

THE BLIND SIDE (Rated PG-13) Not being a young female, I thought I was probably not the best person to review “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” even if vampires are the rage today in popular culture. All things considered, I made the right pick with “The Blind Side,” not solely for the reason that one of the central characters is a hulking football player. Actually, the movie belongs, fully at most times, to Sandra Bullock, a hard-nosed, wealthy Southern belle who defies convention by plucking a homeless black teenager off the road on a winter’s night. “The Blind Side” celebrates and extols faith, compassion and a raft of other virtues, but most importantly it delivers a feel-good story that proves to be one of the year’s best family movies.

On a cold night before Thanksgiving, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), her husband Sean (Tim McGraw), teen daughter Collins (Lily Collins) and young son S.J. (Jae Head) are driving along a deserted suburban Memphis road when they encounter Michael (Quinton Aaron), a large black kid they recognize from the Christian school which the Tuohy kids attend. Charitable and impulsive, Leigh Anne insists on putting Michael up for the night. Since the Tuohys live in a sizable home in a very tony, upscale neighborhood, this proves to be a nice gesture for a kid from the projects who has been in and out of foster homes his whole life.

Instinctively, Leigh Anne senses something special about the gentle giant most people call “Big Mike” (though he prefers to be called Michael). Reticent and introverted, Michael rarely speaks his mind, but this doesn’t keep the forceful Leigh Anne from reading his body language. Digging into his past, she soon learns that Michael, lacking any real educational skills but given his massive size, is seen by the school and the football coach as having real potential for the gridiron. Leigh Anne and Sean, graduates of Ole Miss, are football fans, and also see Michael’s talent, but they want him to succeed as well on an academic level, enabling a chance for a collegiate scholarship to a good university.

Aside from a few lunches in her social circle, Leigh Anne throws herself into an effort to do the right thing for Michael. This involves tracking down his crack-addicted mother at a project, mostly to reassure the birth mother of her best intentions. She hires the tutor Miss Sue (Kathy Bates), an Ole Miss alum, to help him become a decent enough student to get the qualifying grade point average. As a card-carrying member of the NRA, Leigh Anne also struts her no-nonsense stuff to force a gangster in the projects to back down from intimidating Michael.

Back on the school’s football field, Michael has raw physical talent, but little practical application of it that is needed for the sport. While the Coach (Ray McKinnon) likes to bark orders, Michael does not respond to his direction. Thus, Leigh Anne famously enters a practice huddle and schools Michael on the essential need to live up to his natural protective instincts, getting him to see that blocking tackles is the best way to protect the extended family of his teammates. Sassy and blunt, Leigh Anne is often quite funny in the manner by which she asserts herself, as she seeks to advance the interests of the burly kid she comes to treat as one of her own children.

Having been fully incorporated into the family, it is only natural that eventually the Tuohys become Michael’s legal guardians. To be sure, as the dynamic and compelling Leigh Anne, Sandra Bullock, nailing the rapid-fire delivery of her character’s Southern drawl, overshadows much of what happens in this wonderful story. On size alone, Quinton Aaron’s hulking Michael is a presence hard to ignore. But more than physical dominance comes into play for the talented young actor who is very expressive even during his quietest moments.

Fittingly for a movie with a sports theme, “The Blind Side,” directed by John Lee Hancock (“The Rookie”), is a real stand-up-and-cheer experience. This inspired feel-good story is the kind of cinematic experience that has become all too rare in our cynical world. As a film that is as humorous as it is uplifting, “The Blind Side” is a real treat for the holiday season.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Another gem from British television is the “Life on Mars” police drama series that was remade in an American version for the ABC Network last year. In most cases, it is best to stick with the original, and now you have the chance to get the DVD release of “Life on Mars, Series 2.”

John Simm stars as Sam Tyler, a detective in contemporary Manchester, who is knocked unconscious by a hit-and-run driver and wakes up in 1973 as a member of the police force. Although shocked by the brutality of his bullying boss (Philip Glenister) and the callousness of his squad mates, Tyler gamely adapts to crime solving in this retro world. Trapped in the past, he hears mysterious voices from his former life calling him home. Building to a tension-filled finale, “Life on Mars, Series 2” includes the final eight episodes, along with a 45-minute documentary and behind-the-scenes footage. All in all, it might be a good idea to check out the first season as well, so long as it is the original BBC series.

SUBVERSIVE COMEDY ROCKS “PIRATE RADIO” FOR MANY LAUGHS
A Review by Tim Riley

PIRATE RADIO (Rated R) Whenever it is revealed that a story is “fact-based,” keep in mind that the end result has, at best, a tenuous connection to reality. As is the case with “Pirate Radio,” one should expect a fictionalized version of events of the era. During 1966, the government-backed British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) only broadcasted about two hours of rock and pop music every week over the United Kingdom radio airwaves. By contrast, in America, radio stations played this brand of music constantly. Thus, a void was filled in Britain when rogue rock deejays transmitted their music programs from ships outside the British territorial waters.

Ironically, some of the best rock music was emerging from Great Britain during this period, particularly from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and the Kinks. But the British government effectively censored the preferred music, leading to the huge popularity of numerous off-shore pirate radio stations. “Pirate Radio” tells the story of the fictional Radio Rock tanker in the North Sea, where an eclectic band of deejays worked around-the-clock spinning records and titillating the audience with subversive thoughts about the popular culture.

The ringleader for the floating rock circus is station owner and ship’s captain Quentin (Bill Nighy), an oddball father figure to the raucous band of DJs. The radio station star and chief record-spinner is an American (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who calls himself The Count. His position of airwave supremacy is threatened by the glorious return of the mystical Gavin (Rhys Ifans), a very theatrical type who inspires adoration from swooning female fans. A major plot element is the rivalry between The Count and Gavin, which at one point results in a contest of nerves in a race to scale the ship’s mast.

Radio Rock is a ship of eccentrics, the most notable ones leaving lasting impressions. Nick Frost, who starred with Simon Pegg in “Shaun of the Dead,” plays the chubby Dave and figures prominently in amusing situations as an irresistible lothario. The lovelorn Simon (Chris O’Dowd), for one, having finally met the girl of his dreams, is victimized by Dave’s overwhelming libido. There’s the aptly named Thick Kevin (Tom Brooke). Often thought to be a figment of the imagination, the rarely seen Bob (Ralph Brown) is a mystery figure because he spins records during the 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. shift.

The only woman onboard is the lesbian ship’s cook Felicity (Katherine Parkinson). Every two weeks or so, a boatload of women will arrive for a weekend of partying with the male DJs. Usually, the amorous Dave is the most active participant and more than willing to poach on someone else’s main squeeze. Meanwhile, making an arrival to the ship is Quentin’s teenaged godson Carl (Tom Sturridge), who has been sent by his mother to spend the summer at sea. The virginal Carl harbors romantic aspirations, which may possibly come true with the visiting Marianne (Talulah Riley). Moreover, Carl is hoping to discover who might be his long-absent biological father.

A good portion of the plot, mostly for comic effect, revolves around the actions back on land in England, where the government grows increasingly and irrationally determined to shut down the pirate radio stations. Naturally, the forces of censorship are stymied by the fact that the ships are sitting in international waters just beyond the reach of Britain’s legal jurisdiction. This, of course, does not stop cabinet member Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh) from embarking on a vehement crusade to silence the radio signals. Played to hysterical effect as a preening martinet, Dormandy is a buffoonish, uptight character in his quest to defeat the radio pirates. “Pirate Radio” achieves its subversive humor by lampooning the bureaucrats.

Sadly enough, the British government succeeds in passing a ridiculous law that bans pirate radio, but as “Pirate Radio” makes clear, as the tanker slips away Titanic-style, the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll never dies. Though much of the film is very amusing, funny and droll, “Pirate Radio” may achieve its lasting distinction for what is probably the best rock soundtrack in the history of cinema.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
We are getting closer to the holiday season, with the certainty that DVD releases will celebrate the Christmas spirit. The DVD release of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas” will never be confused with holiday fare like “It’s A Wonderful Life” or an Irving Berlin Christmas musical. Apparently, “A Very Sunny Christmas” is something too obscene and crude to be shown on the FX

Network that broadcasts the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” series. Fans of this show have come to expect deviant, offensive behavior from the bar owners of Paddy’s Pub. This feature length comedy special follows the gang as they spread their twisted Christmas spirit with inappropriate childhood videos, a bloody encounter with Santa Claus and a heavy dose of politically incorrect behavior. Expect a lot of crude humor and unwholesome commentary on a wide variety of controversial topics. Just be warned that “A Very Sunny Christmas” is not for family viewing.

HOLIDAY MAGIC ANIMATES SPECTACULAR “A CHRISTMAS CAROL”
A Review by Tim Riley

 

DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Rated PG) There’s probably a good reason that Charles Dickens’ name is not part of the title in the 3D motion picture event that is “Disney’s A Christmas Carol.” Robert Zemeckis, serving as director, producer and screenwriter, observes in the press notes that the classic Dickens tale is the “greatest time-travel story ever written” and that he wanted to do the movie the way he believed it was “originally envisioned by the author.” However, with that said, it is hard, quite frankly, to imagine that Dickens would have foreseen the technological advantages of modern filmmaking, particularly the CGI animation.

Variations of “A Christmas Carol” have appeared over the years on the big screen as well as on TV sets during the holidays. One could fairly ask the question of why yet another production is merited or necessary. Zemeckis, as you may recall, utilized the performance-capture method of animation in “The Polar Express,” and now he has improved those animated techniques to even greater effect in bringing Ebenezer Scrooge to life in the full glory of his misery and contempt for the cheerful Christmas holidays.

What we get is a Scrooge who would probably surprise Charles Dickens for his vivid incarnation.
In a delicious bit of casting, rubber-faced comedian Jim Carrey is Ebenezer Scrooge, realized as the cranky, bitter old man familiar to generations of readers and filmgoers. Entirely lacking in Christmas spirit, Scrooge begins the holiday with usual miserly contempt, barking at his abused, faithful clerk Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldman). His mood is no more jovial for his cheery nephew Fred (Colin Firth), who invites his uncle to enjoy a holiday meal in his home. As usual, Scrooge makes it clear that he has no intention of enjoying Christmas and goes home alone, where he encounters the ghost of his dead business partner Jacob Marley (also Gary Oldman).

Paying the price in the afterlife for his own callousness, Marley hopes to dissuade Scrooge from staying on the same path to a life of ultimate ruin. Marley informs Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits, who in an interesting twist are all played by Jim Carrey. The Ghost of Christmas Past appears in the form of a detached head with flickering red-hot flames, who escorts Scrooge on a journey back in time where he sees himself as a vibrant young man in love and engaged to Belle (Robin Wright Penn).

The Ghost of Christmas Present, a cackling merry giant decked out in robes, arrives to show Scrooge what his life is really like in the present. The old miser is confronted with a few harsh realities, when he observes the modest Cratchit household and his clerk’s meager situation, including the severity of the illness of his young son, the brave Tiny Tim. The Ghost also allows Scrooge to view his nephew’s Christmas party, where he witnesses a guessing game in which Scrooge’s dreary life is the punch line.

Perhaps the most unsettling of the spirits is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, a phantom who takes Scrooge into the future as the pair explores an unnamed man’s recent death. Businessmen discuss the man’s riches, and Old Joe (Bob Hoskins) and Mrs. Dilber (Fionnula Flannigan) divvy up his bedding and curtains. Soon enough, Scrooge learns that this is the future that awaits him if he doesn’t mend his ways. As expected, “A Christmas Carol” delivers its timeless message, just in time to save Scrooge from a fate worse than death.

The Charles Dickens novel has become a holiday tradition for the ages. Only time will tell if “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” achieves success as a classic celebration of the Christmas spirit that endures for generations. To be sure, the 3D animation is absolutely terrific, resulting in breathtaking visual effects that are wondrous to behold. Jim Carrey delivers a remarkable performance as Scrooge, though he gets a bit carried away in over-the-top characterization of the ghosts. The photography is often hypnotic and is at its best when swooping over the landscape of Victorian London. Spectacular in its brilliant animation, “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” a visual treat from start to finish, is a fitting start for holiday season entertainment.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
In the holiday spirit of giving, it is worthwhile to note that one person can truly make a difference in the lives of others. From PBS Video comes the release of “The English Surgeon,” a true story documenting a British doctor’s undertaking to save lives in a Ukrainian hospital full of desperate patients and makeshift equipment. London brain surgeon Henry Marsh, driven for over 17 years to improve conditions he witnessed on his first visit to the Ukraine in 1992, openly confronts moral and ethical issues in his dedicated mission.

On a lighter note, I wanted to point out that “Nash Bridges: The Third Season” is being released on DVD. Don Johnson starred as a San Francisco police investigator with a reputation as a topnotch cop, but who’s not always so successful in his personal life. Recently, I watched an episode of “Miami Vice,” and came to the realization that Don Johnson was much better served in his Bay Area venue.

 

SOARING, SWEEPING EPIC ADVENTURE SENDS “AMELIA” ALOFT
A Review by Tim Riley

 

AMELIA (Rated PG) The fabulous aeronautic adventures of pioneering female pilot Amelia Earhart are the stuff of history, legend, and speculation. Though Earhart’s life and career came to an end somewhere over the South Pacific in 1937, the mystery about her disappearance remains a fascinating topic to this day. This enduring interest remains fueled, in great measure, by a number of farfetched theories about her vanishing act. As a film project, “Amelia” faces the challenge of delivering an intriguing, captivating story when the eventual outcome is already known. To its credit, this biopic does not seek to sensationalize the mystery with any crackpot theories of its own.

The best thing that “Amelia” has going for it is flexible actress Hilary Swank in the titular role. For the most part, Swank has made a career of playing a wide range of non-traditional female characters. Here, she physically inhabits the part of Amelia Earhart with a stunning sense of realism. With short hair and freckles, Swank looks like the famous aviator, as well as carrying herself with the same sort of determined, strong persona that evidently pushed Amelia into the top ranks of aviation pioneers.

With notable exceptions of flashbacks to her Kansas childhood where Amelia marveled at a small plane flying overhead, the film limits its focus to the aviator’s last decade, from the time of her first transatlantic flight to the final quest to circumnavigate the globe. Mostly, “Amelia” is told in flashback, since it opens with the ambitious start of her final journey, accompanied by navigator Fred Noonan (Christopher Eccleston). From the hopeful beginning of making history, the story reflects on Amelia’s grand adventure of becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

Actually, Amelia’s first transatlantic flight in 1928 finds her as a passenger and flight commander with a pair of men serving as pilot and navigator. As Earhart launches her aviation career, she becomes linked to American publisher and publicist George Putnam (Richard Gere), who not only promotes her image in order to finance her exploits but falls madly in love with her. Putnam and Earhart eventually get married, though she enters into this union unburdened by old-fashioned notions of complete faithfulness. “Amelia” plays up a romantic angle between the aviator and fashionable West Point aeronautics instructor Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor), who later on ascends to a high federal government post for civilian aviation.

An unabashed feminist, Earhart not only advanced her career in a male-dominated environment, but also encouraged scores of women to take up aviation and to compete in aeronautical events. “Amelia” may be faulted for not exploring in depth the motivations for Earhart’s ambitions, but at least it delivers the undeniable impression that she was always incredibly courageous and brave in the face of staggering challenges and hurdles, particularly when she flew solo across the Atlantic. Not without good reason, the American public came to embrace Earhart as a genuine hero, even as most people struggled through the bleak days of the Great Depression.

“Amelia” is at its best when its central figure is up in the air, attempting to set new records or to break the old ones. While she was adept at selling chewing gum, soap and her own line of luggage, Earhart shined best when putting her can-do attitude to the test. Determined and resourceful, she could hold her own with any of her male colleagues. Though Earhart’s exploits were obviously admirable, the movie never really gives the sense that she was truly in peril, until of course the fateful last leg of the around-the-world flight.

The most intense moments are saved for last, when Amelia and her navigator Fred try to communicate by radio with the US Navy stationed at the remote Howland Island in the South Pacific. The tension rises as the plane’s fuel level drops and all attempts for radio contact fail as the Navy personnel desperately to try to help her find the small island to refuel. “Amelia” doesn’t dramatize and overstate the mystery of the doomed final chapter. Instead, the impression is that the failure of radio contact with the Navy and likely faulty coordinates resulted in an ultimate crash at sea.

Befitting the era of pioneering aviation during the Thirties, “Amelia” has an old-fashioned sensibility of a grand adventure steeped in picturesque beauty. Earhart’s highflying quest to circle the earth has her touching down in remote locations which are lovingly photographed. One gets the feeling that the beloved female trailblazer enjoyed exploring the different lands as much as the endless skies. On this point, “Amelia” soars as an epic adventure, full of excitement and thrills.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Sometimes quirky films with a talented cast make the rounds of film festivals, never to hit the big screens at the local multiplex. Fortunately, a DVD release can give these films the opportunity to be shared with a wider audience. Such is the case with “The Maiden Heist,” a lighthearted caper film starring powerhouses Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman and William H. Macy in the roles of security guards at an art museum who plan to steal three of their favorite pieces.

These guards are not larcenous; they are resentful of management’s decision to send their beloved artworks to a museum in Denmark. They concoct a plan to switch the real masterpieces with fakes, and all goes well until a mistake forces these novice thieves into a comedic escapade. A clever caper comedy is made all the more fun by its great cast, which is supported in a great turn by Marcia Gay Harden as Walken’s controlling wife.

 

“VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT” TRIES TO SINK ITS TEETH INTO COMEDY
A Review by Tim Riley

CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT (Rated PG-13) Vampires are the rage at the moment, and if you doubt this claim, just wait until the sequel to “Twilight” lands on the big screen next month, luring teenage girls in particular by the droves to the cinema. In the meantime, the vampire bloodlust may be appeased by the comical, rather than melodramatic, “Cirque du Freak:

The Vampire’s Assistant,” a movie based on a book series that is as foreign to me as, well, vampires in general. According to this movie, there are different kinds of vampires, which include the standard violent, bloodthirsty types anxious to draw blood from a victim’s neck and who abhor sunlight and silver bullets. “The Vampire’s Assistant” advances a new kind of vampire, a sort of half-breed who doesn’t need to kill his food source and can move about freely in the daylight hours. This type of vampire is perfectly capable of holding a day job as a used car salesman, lawyer, commodities trader or politician.

The film’s putative hero, as well as titular character, is overachieving high school student Darren Shan (Chris Massoglia), burdened with loving parents who weigh heavily and virtually oppressively on his everyday actions and decisions. Needless to say, Darren’s folks don’t approve of his slacker best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson), whose attitude towards life, school and rules in general match up nicely with those of Bart Simpson. Life for Darren starts sliding rapidly downhill after Steve convinces him to become truant.

When a traveling freak show comes to town, Steve induces Darren to attend at the local rundown theater. The circus act includes a number of strange characters, from the snake boy to the bearded lady. The most fascinating person is a two-hundred year old vampire named Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly), who is recognized by Steve only because the slacker invests his study time in reading about vampires. This slim thread of recognition is all that is needed to involve the two boys in the lives of Crepsley and the freak show.

When Darren unwisely borrows Crepsley’s gigantic spider for some show-and-tell at school, tragedy strikes as Steve, once bitten, will soon die without an antidote. In a typical Faustian bargain, Darren agrees to become the half-vampire assistant to Crepsley to spare his buddy’s life. Darren soon realizes that this arrangement has far more dangerous consequences, which are exacerbated by the demands made by the sinister Mr. Tiny (Michael Cerveris), who has his own motives for stirring up the feud that already exists between the more benign half-vampires and their bloody cousins, the violent Vampanese.

Crepsley and Darren seek refuge in the freak show encampment, creating an unusual situation where vampires hang out with circus dwellers. It’s the kind of strange mix that puts a new twist to the whole vampire experience, and in the process creates some humorous circumstances. However, many of these freaks are introduced without any real connection to the plot. For instance, Jane Krakowski has removable limbs and Orlando Jones’s torso is nothing but ribs. Meanwhile, Salma Hayek is the exotic lady whose full beard comes and goes, apparently according to her moods.

“The Vampire’s Assistant” does not concern itself much with a coherent plot or meaningful character development. As a matter of fact, it seems little more involved with anything other than the clash of the vampires, while dabbling in a continuous run of freakish characters popping in and out of the scenery, mostly for comic effect. Indeed, this is a vampire movie devoid of any scary thrills. Ordinarily a frightening figure at most times, Willem Dafoe shows up as a vampire, albeit briefly and with no apparent purpose. At least, our hero ends up with a girlfriend (Jessica Carlson), even though she has a monkey tail.

Director Paul Weitz and writer Brian Helgeland were obviously playing “The Vampire’s Assistant” for its comic potential, churning teen angst in the context of the troubled world of the undead. It’s a hit-and-miss affair, but at least they score points for sinking their teeth into the humorous prospects of conflicted vampires. John C. Reilly comes off well as the somewhat good-humored, yet unpredictable world-weary vampire.

“WILD THINGS” PROVE BORING; “CITIZEN” POT BOILER THRILLS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (Rated PG) I am definitely going against the grain here, mainly to register my almost complete lack of interest in the cinematic rendition of Maurice Sendak’s illustrated children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are.” On the strength of edgy films like “Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation,” many film critics are enamored with director Spike Jonze and will likely praise his newest effort for its audacity at realizing a fantasy world. “Where the Wild Things Are” marks Jonze’s third directorial feature, though he also keeps busy with music videos, commercials, short films and documentaries.

The film opens promisingly enough, as young Max (Max Records) reveals his playful exuberance outside in the snow, launching a snowball fight against his older sister and her friends. He’ll need this plucky attitude soon enough during his journey to the island of Wild Things. But first, there’s the matter of this nine-year-old boy showing his rebellious, stubborn streak by getting into an argument with his mom (Catherine Keener). Next thing you know, he’s running away from home in his wolf costume, jumping into a boat and sailing off to places unknown.

Maybe it’s just me, but I see an obnoxious child acting churlish and spoiled, causing untold grief to his family. However, Max ends up on this remote island populated with large, giant fuzzy creatures, some of which have very destructive behaviors, particularly the behemoth Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini). For some reason, these giant furballs speak English and have some talent for building structures. But they don’t have very good manners and often express themselves in primitive fashion. Trapped on the island, the beasts appear to be lost souls because they all too readily accept Max as their new “king.”

Though based on a children’s book, “Where the Wild Things Are” seems to be anything but a movie for young children. The wild things are not cute fuzzy creatures you’d find in a Disney film. As for me, the whole thing was an exercise in futility and boredom. The hundred minutes of running time felt almost interminable, and I was glad to escape when the end credits started to roll.

 

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (Rated R) Scottish actor Gerard Butler comes across in every character he plays, from comedy roles to action heroes, like someone on steroids. Much like Spartan King Leonidas attacking the Persians, Butler is once again an unstoppable force in the titular role of “Law Abiding Citizen.” The film’s title is something of a misnomer, but more on that later. This crime thriller is a mix of taut action, bitter vengeance and psychological suspense, all rolled into one very tense pot boiler with an adrenaline rush for action junkies.

Right from the start, “Law Abiding Citizen” pulls no punches in setting the stage. As the story begins, Butler’s Clyde Shelton needs barely two minutes to show that he’s a loving father and husband before all hell breaks loose. A knock at the door leads to an extremely violent and ugly home invasion, where Clyde’s wife is raped before being murdered along with the young daughter. The two culprits are the scum of the earth, but Clyde is powerless to stop them. Meanwhile, though law enforcement apprehends the criminals, Philadelphia prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), assigned to the case, arranges a plea bargain where the testimony of the more egregious perpetrator will land his accomplice on death row.

Not surprisingly, Clyde registers great exception to this arrangement because he saw his family murdered and he knows both men are guilty of first degree murder. For his part, Nick appears consumed with taking on a case that threatens his near-perfect conviction rate and doesn’t want to chance not having the arrests stick. Feeling betrayed by the justice system, Clyde bides his time. Ten years pass, and the execution for the accomplice is scheduled, but something goes horribly wrong when the inmate’s execution is botched with a painful, violent lethal injection.

With the more culpable party now released from prison, Clyde executes a brilliant plan to extract revenge.By taking matters in his own hands, Clyde ensnares the criminal in a trap, taking him to a remote industrial warehouse. At this point, the revenge plays like a twisted snuff film, or something straight out of the brutal “Saw” franchise. Clyde manages to dismember his prey with an assortment of power tools, and it doesn’t take the D.A. and the authorities long to figure out that the aggrieved victim is behind this effort.

From this point forward, Clyde plays an interesting cat-and-mouse game with the judicial system, admitting only enough to get himself behind bars but not offering conclusive proof of his involvement with the killing spree of his tormentors. For awhile, it proves remarkable that Clyde is able to exact vengeance on those he blames for not doing enough to obtain justice. Even when locked away in solitary confinement, Clyde has extraordinary resources to carry out increasingly preposterous attacks on everyone from the murder trial judge to foot soldiers in the District Attorney’s office.

“Law Abiding Citizen” scares up an uneasy feeling of dread and plenty of suspense, only to not hold up over the long haul. You can only suspend disbelief for so long if the underlying action turns incredibly outlandish. Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler perform quite well as the harsh, determined adversaries. But their fine work won’t provoke the debates on the judicial system that the filmmakers were apparently anticipating.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
The late Robert Urich may have gamed his greatest fame as Las Vegas private detective Dan Tanna in the TV series “VEGA$.” Like most TV detectives, he had a good-looking secretary, but to achieve Sin City cool he drove around the Strip in his red vintage Thunderbird. Arriving on DVD for the first time is “VEGA$: The First Season, Volume One,” a three-disc set that features the first eleven action-packed episodes. Urich’s Tanna would crack a new case each episode with the help of his loyal staff. “VEGA$” features a supporting cast that includes Judy Landers, Greg Morris and the iconic Tony Curtis.

 

COMEDY SWINGING “COUPLES RETREAT” TO CONVENTIONAL FORMULA
A Film Review by Tim Riley

 

COUPLES RETREAT (Rated PG-13) Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, actors Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau collaborated as writers on the hit film “Swingers” to deliver snappy, comedic dialogue that cemented their reputations for delivering laughs. The fame achieved by that success has served them well, though Vaughn has been more visible in the public eye since then. Nevertheless, these two old friends have returned to try to work their magic formula for a relationship movie involving couples on the cusp of middle age. The aptly-named “Couples Retreat” is the fruit of this renewed teamwork.

Vaughn and Favreau, assisted by Dana Fox, have pieced together a script that delivers, at the minimum, a serviceable comedy, one that is likely to do well in the future on late night cable viewing. Working off the template of randy sex comedies, “Couples Retreat” strives with the help of its talented writer-stars to come up with comical situations and barbed one-liners that deliver the normal expectations. For good measure, Vaughn and Favreau mix in some drama just to keep afloat the relationship conflicts inherent in a story where couples are expected to bicker, if only to satisfy conventional plot lines.

The story of “Couples Retreat” begins with the obsessive Jason (Jason Bateman) and his frustrated wife Cynthia (Kristen Bell) scheming to get their friends to join them in a package deal for an island paradise vacation. Unbeknownst to the others, Jason and Cynthia, though outwardly contented, are seriously thinking of divorce because they remain childless. Going off to a resort in French Polynesia looks terribly inviting, but the troubled couple can’t afford to go alone, nor can they tell their friends the real reason for the trip, which is namely to take advantage of the “Couples Skill Building” workshops.

Vaughn’s Dave is happily married to Ronnie (Malin Akerman), with two adorable sons, the youngest of which has potty issues with toilets on the showroom floor of a local department store. Meanwhile, Favreau’s Joey and his wife Lucy (Kristin Davis) find their marriage on the brink of dissolution once their daughter goes off to college. Recently divorced Shane (Faizon Love) is hooked up with 20-year-old Trudy (Kali Hawk) in a romance that seems unlikely to survive for another two weeks. Given that these friends are enduring a cold winter in the Midwest, a trip to the sun and fun of the Eden resort proves irresistible.

Arriving at the beautiful Eden resort, the couples soon discover that the seaside paradise is anything but the hedonistic playground they had expected. Instead, they are confronted with a daily regimen that makes an Army boot camp look like a trip to Disneyland. Running the resort with an iron fist is an imperious Frenchman named Marcel (Jean Reno), who insists that everyone must participate in a series of grueling programs, particularly early morning counseling sessions with therapists who seem incapable of doing anything other than creating relationship schisms.

Meanwhile, Joey and Dave are increasingly restless after dealing with Marcel and the pompous henchman who is always insisting that everything is for their own good. Joey, in particular, is itching to get to the other island, which is called Eden West, a sybaritic pleasure zone for swinging singles. The urge to move to the fun island is even more compelling after the guys are exposed to slimy yoga instructor Salvadore (Carlos Ponce), looking very much like an oiled and muscled Fabio. One of the funniest, if crude, scenes involves Salvadore, dressed only in very brief shorts, pacing the women through some very eccentric, sexualized moves.

Except for the brazen Trudy, who is eager to break free of the stodgy routine, the wives are trapped with little to do other than spar with their husbands in therapy sessions. On the other hand, the guys pretty much live up to their predictable screen personas. Vaughn and Favreau do their best to be humorously obnoxious, hurling insults and wisecracks in scattershot fashion. Bateman plays his usual uptight role to varying comic effect, while Love, possessed of considerable girth and size, is the object of physical comedy. “Couples Retreat” may not be a candidate for the best comedy of the year, but it has enough laughs to entertain viewers who have enjoyed these actors in even better comedies.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Sometimes I wonder why films with a holiday theme are released outside the expected time period. With the economy in the dumps, maybe it makes sense to start Christmas shopping early. The DVD release of “Little Spirit: Christmas in New York,” an animated story that features music by Faith Hill and Duncan Sheik, may be just thing to buy now and hold for holiday gift giving. “Little Spirit” tells the story of a young boy who embarks on the holiday journey of a lifetime in the city that never sleeps.

Moving to a new house in a new city is never easy, but when the boy’s dog is accidentally lost in Central Park, he’s determined to find his furry friend in time for Christmas. Feeling lost and alone, a magical spirit takes the boy on an incredible adventure, learning the true meaning of Christmas along the way. “Little Spirit” will entertain both kids and their parents.

 

COMIC RELIEF INVENTS ITSELF IN ALTERNATE WORLD OF “LYING”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE INVENTION OF LYING (Rated PG-13) The concept of fabricating alternate realities may have conceivably originated with politicians and lawyers, both usually interchangeable. I say this only because these two professions appear to predate advertising and public relations. And getting back to the original notion, it seems such a reasonably easy case to make these days about shady political leaders, if you are paying the slightest bit of attention. Thus, it is a revelation to find that dishonesty has, in fact, been created by some sad-lack loser working in a dead-end job as a documentary filmmaker.

Well, that’s the premise behind “The Invention of Lying,” where British comedian Ricky Gervais, the original egotistical office manager in the BBC series “The Office,” is going through the motions of being the same likable oaf he played most recently in “Ghost Town.” Here, Gervais’ Mark Bellison labors at Lecture Films as a screenwriter for historical documentaries. His chosen field is the 14th century, and he’s incapable of making the Black Plague anything but depressing. Mark inhabits a world where the concept of lying is unknown (obviously a make-believe place). No one is capable of telling a lie, even a small white one that could avert hurt feelings. In fact, people blurt out all sorts of insulting opinions.

Mark is about to be fired from his job, except that his boss (Jeffrey Tambor) has to screw up the courage to tell him. Meanwhile, his mean-spirited, acerbic secretary (Tina Fey) has no hesitation in expressing her extreme distaste for Mark, as she gleefully anticipates his departure. Making matters worse is that Mark’s rival, personally and professionally, the obnoxious Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe), is the perfect physical specimen who will interfere with any chance for Mark to find romance with Anna (Jennifer Garner).

In an unlikely blind date, Mark finds himself arriving to pick up the pretty Anna, only to find out that she expresses great doubt how the evening will turn out. At dinner, she frankly tells Mark that he is out of her league, and even the waiter chimes in to agree with her. Anna believes her future is with the tall, handsome type who will be the perfect genetic match to fulfill her child-bearing desires. Apparently, truth in this alternate world leads to a lot of superficial thinking.

Losing his job and facing eviction from his apartment, Mark hits upon the idea of lying in order to solve his problems. At the bank, he insists that he has more money in his account than the computer shows. Armed with a fistful of money because the teller believes him, Mark starts to turn his life around by fibbing his way to fame and fortune. He gains acclaim as a screenwriter by concocting a fanciful documentary about aliens invading the earth during the 14th century. He convinces his depressed neighbor (Jonah Hill) that everything will be okay and to forget suicide.

“The Invention of Lying” works best at originating its comedy when spoofing a world without guile or deception. Even advertising works with certain catchphrases, such as the ad for Pepsi that reads “When They Don’t Have Coke.” A motel bills itself as “a cheap place to have sex with strangers.” Hitting closer to home for Mark is that his dying mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is at a retirement home which is called “A Sad Place for Homeless Old People.” The story takes a big turn when Mark tells his mother in her waning moments that she is going to a better place where she will live in a mansion.

To soothe his mother’s fear, Mark tells her about the Man in the Sky and the afterlife. Word spreads quickly that Mark is a prophet, and soon he is forced to emerge from his apartment with a set of commandments written on pizza boxes. All along, the storyline is attempting to work in a romantic angle between Mark and Anna, which is mostly sabotaged by Anna’s insistence on a mate who’s not pudgy and snub-nosed. On the other hand, it veers off into a spoof of organized religion, since Mark is pressed by anxious mobs to explain faith in a higher being.

If you take what you find on YouTube at face value, Ricky Gervais claims to be an atheist, and since he’s half of the writing and directing force behind “The Invention of Lying,” one could assume that his own beliefs (or lack thereof) factor into the movie’s underlying theme. In any event, this is a comedy that starts strong, mainly because fertile laughs are mined from the inevitable fallout from strict adherence to the truth, regardless of feelings or good sense. But it runs out of gas and peters out to a weak finish. Maybe I should have checked out “Zombieland.”

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Whenever you mention Murphy’s Law, it usually refers to something that goes wrong. But for the BBC TV series “Murphy’s Law,” now being released on DVD for its first season, everything goes right, particularly for delivering an undercover cop drama starring the award-winning actor James Nesbitt, who became a household name in Britain for his roles in “Waking Ned Devine” and “Cold Feet.” Nesbitt brings his considerable Irish charm to the role of hardheaded, hard-drinking undercover cop Tommy Murphy.

The tough maverick Irish cop takes on the London crime world, accepting the most dangerous assignments that include drugs, blackmail and murder. “Murphy’s Law” offers Nesbitt to be as interesting a character to watch as Helen Mirren in “Prime Suspect” or Robbie Coltrane in “Cracker.” Here’s hoping the Brits will keep turning out compelling crime dramas.

 

LOGIC, INTEREST DEFIED BY “SURROGATES” REPLICATING THRILLS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

SURROGATES (Rated PG-13) Maybe it’s asking too much to expect a science-fiction thriller, based on a popular graphic novel, to have a lot of depth and complexity. In all fairness, I am not familiar with the graphic novel “The Surrogates,” written and illustrated by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele, respectively. However, after watching Hollywood’s take on the futuristic utopian world of robotic surrogates in “Surrogates,” I am even less inclined now to read through the illustrated book, no matter how visually appealing it is or how boldly it explores philosophical and ethical concepts.

Bruce Willis is a fun actor to watch, even if he’s getting a bit long in the tooth for action heroics. One thing “Surrogates” has going for it is that Willis’ central character of FBI agent Greer, when forced to emerge from behind his robotic clone, is far more realistic than his hardened role in the “Die Hard” movies. Instead, we get a vulnerable action hero, one who can and does end up on the losing end of a fistfight. Perhaps it’s due more to the fact that he’s surrounded by robots, but Willis in the flesh delivers some believable emotion. On the other hand, he’s extremely bland, naturally, in his robotic form.

In the so-called idyllic world of “Surrogates,” the fact that humans have, for the most part, volunteered to become couch potatoes so that they can run their lives through their idealized clone is a troubling thought. Even more disturbing is seeing Willis’ Agent Greer first appear in his robot form, free of wrinkles and sporting the kind of bad wig that makes him look like a creepy pervert. The foundations of this New World Order are shaken by a flesh-and-blood human who murders one of the clones outside of a nightclub.

The murder becomes more spectacular when it is apparent that the victim is the son of reclusive billionaire Dr. Canter (James Cromwell), the inventor of the surrogate population who has been forced out of his position as chairman of the mega-corporation that produces the robots. The death is a public relations nightmare because the surrogates are advertised as a risk-free way to go through life. In this case, the actual person behind the surrogate is also killed, thus belying the notion of invincibility.

Teamed up with beautiful fellow agent Peters (Radha Mitchell), Greer is charged with investigating the murder, and since it appears to be the first murder in their utopian society, this heinous act triggers questions about the ethics of surrogate technology and the future of society. For his part, Greer is already suffering emotional conflicts, having lost his young son in an auto accident and not having any real human interaction with his wife Maggie (Rosamund Pike), who hides behind the perfection of a flawlessly beautiful clone, for reasons apparent only later.

As a science-fiction thriller interested in social commentary, “Surrogates” raises some interesting questions only to discard them almost as quickly. The brave new technology was approved by a narrow Supreme Court decision, but we have no idea of the issues before the Justices. The few humans who form a resistance live in a guarded encampment, worse than a bombed-out South Bronx ghetto, but how they survive in a world isolated by the robots is a big question. How did a bearded Rastafarian named the Prophet (Ving Rhames) become their leader? And just who is that overweight guy sitting in the massive control room and what’s his agenda?

In the end, there’s a shortage of logic, as well as serious drama, to “Surrogates.” The missing link, so to speak, is the underlying premise that nearly everyone finds it appealing to experience work, life’s daily ups and downs, and all forms of pleasure vicariously through their robotic clones. Isn’t it bad enough that so many of us spend entire workdays lashed to an unloving, uncaring computer in a quest to get the job done? “Surrogates” succeeds at rendering a promising idea into something lame, rather insipid and ultimately unsatisfying.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Just last week, I was writing about director Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, “The Informant!.” Now coming out on DVD is one of his less commercial ventures, probably a movie that few people saw in the comfort of a multiplex. “The Girlfriend Experience” is about a different kind of surrogacy, not involving robots or clones. Arguably, though, the film’s main character, adult film star Sasha Grey, plays the part of a sexual surrogate as an ultra-upscale Manhattan call girl named Chelsea. However, as a high-priced escort,

Chelsea offers more than just sex to her clients. She also provides companionship and conversation, otherwise known as the “girlfriend experience,” where intimacy is just as illusory as a robot capable of expressing human emotion. “The Girlfriend Experience” is more about the culture of money and power than about sex. The DVD release features an alternate unrated cut of the film in addition to the theatrical version, along with some commentary from the porn star.

CLEVER, QUIRKY “INFORMANT” DELIVERS SLY HUMOR AND TWISTS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

 

THE INFORMANT! (Rated R) When a movie has an exclamation point as part of its title, it’s surely a sign that the filmmakers have some tricks up their sleeves. Best known for “Ocean’s 11” and its sequels, director Steven Soderbergh demonstrates that his more subtle approach in “The Informant!” to explore the finer points of character was more likely influenced by his behind-the-camera work in “Michael Clayton.” Once again, Soderbergh returns to the machinations of the corporate world, only this time he doesn’t need fiction to come up with a story that seems almost too capricious to believe.

At the center of “The Informant!,” firmly ensconced in the titular role, Matt Damon employs his chameleon-like talents (honed by his character in the “Bourne” films) to play the part of golden boy Mark Whitacre, a top level executive in agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), based in Decatur, Illinois. Heading up a biochemical research division as the company’s youngest vice president, Whitacre has ambition, often misguided, that reveals itself in layers during the course of an FBI investigation.

During the mid-1990s, Whitacre is tasked with developing a food additive called lysine, a product that was expected to add big numbers to the corporation’s bottom line. Instead, experiments are failing at a great cost and Whitacre floats the notion that a Japanese firm has a mole at the Decatur plant actively disrupting the research efforts. Assuming the company will gladly pay up, Whitacre tells his boss that an informer wants ten million dollars to blow the whistle on the sabotage. But the corporate honchos decide to call in the FBI.

Since Whitacre claims the blackmail call came to his house, the FBI sends local agent Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula, with an unsettling Dr. Spock hairstyle) to put a tap on his home phone. Prompted by his loyal wife Ginger (Melanie Lynskey), Whitacre takes the opportunity to tell Shepard that ADM is engaged in massive price-fixing with its international competitors, resulting in huge costs to consumers for all sorts of food products.

Suddenly, Whitacre becomes the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in history, and secretly wired and armed with surveillance equipment, he embarks on a spy mission to travel the globe with his bosses to conferences with other lysine producers. What’s fun about “The Informant!” is not the cloak-and-dagger stuff, but rather how Whitacre gets emotionally wrapped up in the trappings of espionage work. At one point, he boldly proclaims himself as Agent 0014 because he’s “twice as smart as 007.” The thought that he is so much better than James Bond is only the tip of the iceberg of Whitacre’s delusional thoughts.

Bumbling his way through undercover work to get his bosses to explicitly admit collusion, Whitacre causes increasing heartache for his FBI handlers, which include Shepard and Agent Herndon (Joel McHale) from the state capital office. At a certain point, Whitacre’s story, becoming more fanciful and exaggerated, veers off into uncharted waters. Officials at the Justice Department become increasingly concerned that the informant’s story is unraveling, even as Whitacre successfully obtains plenty of incriminating evidence on tape.

What are also far-fetched and overstated are the delusions that Whitacre has about his role as the good guy in the white hat coming to the rescue. After subjecting his bosses to painful investigations, Whitacre openly states his view that he’ll be the last man standing, with a Board of Directors welcoming him to take over the company. At once, he appears to be a guy with brains that is absolutely clueless.

His flights of fancy go far beyond his future at ADM. During the course of his everyday life, Whitacre voices inner thoughts that run from the ridiculous to the quirky. He’ll observe that Brioni ties are never on sale, and he should get all his ties in Paris and shove them in a duty free bag. During his nonsensical stream-of-consciousness outbursts, Whitacre’s constant quirky ramblings suggest that he might be an idiot savant, or just out of his mind.

Soderbergh does not deliberately set out to make “The Informant!” a laugh out loud comedy. The humor is curious and whimsical, taking flight on the fantasy world inside Whitacre’s active imagination. With a hairpiece, mousy mustache and geeky eyeglasses, Matt Damon fully inhabits the role of the film’s titular character, capable of rationalizing his actions in a corporate world turned upside down. Clever and quirky, as well as a smart bit of storytelling, “The Informant!” succeeds as an original and funny piece of entertainment.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
I’ve gushed before about some of the great British entertainment released on DVD by Acorn Media. Another classic arrives in the form of a second Beiderbecke mystery as quirky and fun as the first. Akin to “The Thin Man” movies, with quirky characters, witty banter and twist-filled mystery, “The Beiderbecke Tapes” star James Bolam and Barbara Flynn as two Yorkshire teachers who can’t stay out of trouble, particularly when one of them is a jazz fan with a knack for sleuthing.

Two years after their last adventure, Trevor and Jill are settling in for a calm life, when someone gives Trevor a Bix Beiderbecke tape that includes a top-secret conversation about nuclear waste. Suddenly life isn’t so quiet anymore. A man shows up at their flat and threatens to break their bones. Six armed suits start following them wherever they go. This second exploit is filled with tongue-in-cheek repartee and odd characters. A nice touch is that the soundtrack is set in the style of 1920s jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke. Here’s hoping for more “Beiderbecke” adventures to follow.
 

 

POTBOILER “WHITEOUT” CREATES A BLIZZARD OF THRILLS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

 

WHITEOUT (Rated R) The remote, unforgiving environment of the frozen Antarctica seems an unlikely place for serious crimes, particularly murder. That’s why the conflicted character of Kate Beckinsale’s U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko accepted a transfer from balmy Miami to a research station located at the bottom of the world. However, a tipoff that something is afoot is signaled by the opening flashback scene to the crash of a Soviet cargo plane during the 1950s somewhere on the South Pole. The mystery aboard the doomed flight is going to surface more than 50 years later.

From the very start, “Whiteout” telegraphs its full-blown intent to crank up a serviceable potboiler, one that is entertaining enough to keep you from wondering too much about the obvious pitfalls and superficiality of the plot. To throw you even further off stride, one of the earliest scenes with the comely Kate Beckinsale shows her stripping off for a nice hot shower. Fortunately, it doesn’t turn out to be anything like the shower scene in “Psycho,” and it’s the only brief moment of titillation, as long as you don’t count the naked guys streaking outdoors.

“Whiteout” takes some time to develop Marshal Stetko’s frustration with the isolation and claustrophobia that comes from being stuck in an isolated place. As the action gets started at the Amundsen-Scott research complex, the inhabitants are counting the hours to their departure in advance of the oncoming winter. Stetko contemplates turning in her badge at the end of this assignment, and she can hardly wait to get on the flight back home. Not only is she stuck at a lousy post, Stetko keeps reliving the nightmare of a mission that went horribly wrong in Miami. Over the course of the movie, brief flashbacks shed more light on the traumatic experience that continues to haunt the dedicated law enforcement officer.

In the waning hours of the Antarctica duty, Stetko is startled by the shocking discovery of an American geologist found frozen to the ground by blood and ice out in the middle of nowhere. Closer examination reveals that the homicide victim, the first ever in the region, has some mysterious wounds that were crudely stitched up. Suddenly, with an eye of the clock and the approaching winter storm, Stetko realizes that she has an obligation to investigate, a mission that becomes even more urgent when she gets a communication from one of the victim’s partners, who claims to be terrified and is on the run and hiding at the Russian outpost of Vostok.

Assisted by the friendly pilot Delfy (Columbus Short), Stetko flies to the remote area only to discover a second murder, followed by a near deadly encounter with an ax-wielding killer disguised by his dark goggles and parka. Then, another mysterious figure arrives in the form of UN investigator Robert Pryce (Gabriel Macht), who has been sent down to expedite the case and control the flow of information about the crime. Why this is a necessary mission for the UN is absolutely unclear. Furthermore, how did Pryce get to the scene so quickly? Why is there so much interest in the death of an unremarkable geologist? Adding to the mystery, these questions go unanswered.

In any event, an interesting cat-and-mouse element develops between the evasive Pryce and the wary Stetko, along with the more visceral cat-and-mouse game that flows from the tracking of the killer. To add to the tension, the confrontation with the ax-wielding murderer is set in the outdoors when the winds and snowdrifts cause the blinding condition of “whiteout.” The fight scenes in this situation lose their potency because it is impossible to identify the good guys from the bad one.

Stetko’s best friend at the base is Doc (Tom Skerritt), who becomes a central player in the autopsy work as well as patching up the US Marshal after a nasty bit of frostbite. A skilled veteran actor, Skerritt brings depth to his character, making himself believable as a kindred spirit who understands Stetko’s conflicted past. Characters with depth, however, are not crucial to the murder thriller plot of “Whiteout.” This action movie thrives on its conventionality of plot twists and red herrings. It’s enough fun while it lasts, but won’t really hold up over the long haul to any serious scrutiny.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

Believe it or not, one of the longest running and most popular television westerns marks its 50th anniversary, as the first season of “Bonanza” officially rides onto DVD. This milestone is celebrated with a brilliantly remastered collection of all 32 full-length episodes, which is being released as “Bonanza: The Official First Season” in two volumes. For 14 years, audiences followed the charming Cartwright clan and their High Sierra adventures during an era of violence and lawlessness in the middle of the 19th century.

Lorne Greene established himself as the patriarch Ben Cartwright, who cared deeply for his three sons, played by Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon, certainly three dissimilar characters. “Bonanza” is credited as TV’s first regular hour series in color, and during the course of its long run the popular show garnered a devoted following. As family-oriented action adventure, “Bonanza” featured strong characters and engaging plots tied around a revolving cast of interesting guest players, helping the series to stand out among the usual gun-slinging formula Westerns of the day. Notable guest stars during the first season included Buddy Ebsen, Vic Morrow, Yvonne DeCarlo, and James Coburn.
 

 

COMEDIC ELEMENTS OF “POST GRAD” BUOYED BY TALENTED CAST
A Film Review by Tim Riley

 

POST GRAD (Rated PG-13) Nearing the end of summer, the release of new movies grinds down to a trickle, and many of the offerings are a mere trifle. I missed out on a screening of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds,” so I settled for “Post Grad” instead. Tarantino’s revisionist history effort may be more entertaining, but it clocks in at more than two and one-half hours, requiring a test of personal endurance. Meanwhile, “Post Grad” runs just shy of 90 minutes, leaving time for a pastry and cup of java at your favorite coffee joint after wards. Not that you’ll need occasion to talk about a film that is, on the whole, only slightly less exciting than a slice of sponge cake.

With interesting and reliable cast members saving the day, “Post Grad” is not altogether a flunkout in the humor department. Central character Ryden Malby (doe-eyed Alexis Bledel) is getting her sheepskin from a California college, as part of her master plan to always have top grades while fixing on her goal of securing a job with the premier publishing house in Los Angeles. Hope springs eternal on Graduation Day, even if it means suffering the indignity of seeing her lifelong rival Jessica Bard (Catherine Reitman) delivering the coveted valedictorian speech. If you don’t expect them to be competitors for the same publishing job, then you flunked Hollywood Screenwriting 101.

Though Ryden waxes eloquently about her love for literature in the interview, she fails to land her dream job. With this setback, Ryden can no longer afford to move into a nifty apartment. By the way, you’ve got to wonder why she would even think she could live in a luxurious place on an entry level salary. Thus, Ryden falls back to earth, and is, gasp, forced to move back in with her parents. Dad (Michael Keaton), a luggage store manager, is something of a goofball, scheming on failed get-rich-quick schemes, the latest being a mail order business in garish belt buckles. Mom (Jane Lynch) is the sensible anchor, though she has some biting wit.

The dysfunctional Malby family includes Ryden’s “weird” younger brother Hunter (Bobby Coleman), whose apparent goal in life is to win a soapbox derby race. Daffy Grandma (Carol Burnett, barely recognizable), a constant dispenser of unsolicited advice, lugs around an oxygen tank and insists on visiting funeral homes to test drive coffins. The sanest person in Ryden’s orbit is her best friend Adam (Zach Gilford), a loyal pal who wants more than a platonic relationship, but is still trying to decide whether to pursue his musical ambitions or enroll in Columbia University’s law school.

“Post Grad” busily strings together a series of unrelated incidents and events. Despite suspicions that he harbors malice, Dad accidentally runs over the neighbor’s cat. Ryden fumbles through some dead-end jobs. Ignoring the obvious with her buddy Adam, Ryden becomes intrigued with the sexy Brazilian neighbor (Rodrigo Santoro), who briefly hires her to be a production assistant for a TV commercial shoot. Unwittingly involved in stolen property, Dad is hauled off to jail for marketing the belt buckles that belonged to someone else. For good measure, Ryden’s car is demolished in a hit-and-run, requiring her to ride a bike to job interviews.

The romantic comedy element of “Post Grad” is elevated by the presence of perky, attractive Alexis Bledel, who may well take advantage of the fan base generated by her “Gilmore Girls” fame. There’s no denying that Bledel’s Ryden Malby is a likable character, even when she’s making mistakes that will soon be rectified anyway. Do you need to ask how things in the romantic department will play out for Ryden and Adam? “Post Grad” has enough goofy laughs and comic delights for a lighthearted diversion.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Just about every TV series, regardless of vintage, seems to be issuing DVDs with complete seasons. Frankly, it gets pricey keeping up with a number of popular shows. Now you have a chance to sample some old and new favorites with “T.V. Sets,” an inexpensive solution to the proliferation of DVD releases. “T.V. Sets: Crime and Punishment” offers the very first episodes of four of the greatest crime shows of all time.

Enjoy episodes of vintage classics like “Streets of San Francisco” and “Hawaii Five-O” and contemporary favorites like “CSI:NY” and “Dexter.” For the sci-fi fans, you’ve got “T.V. Sets: Beyond the Ordinary,” which samples the very first episodes of the “Star Trek: The Original Series” as well as more current fare such as “Medium,” “The 4400,” and “Joan of Arcadia.” If you find yourself hooked on any one particular series, then you might be motivated to pop fifty bucks for a complete season.

 

ASTUTE STORY, CLEVER THRILLS IN “DISTRICT 9” ADVENTURE
A Film Review by Tim Riley

 

DISTRICT 9 (Rated R) Science-fiction films run the gamut from brainless non-stop action heroics to preachy parables about humanity and compassion. Neither extreme on this futuristic spectrum results in particularly satisfying entertainment. Thus, it is welcome relief to come across something more intelligent, with an interesting story and just enough action to maintain the attention of the widest possible audience. South African-born director Neill Blomkamp, in his major film debut, breaks new ground with his deft original vision in “District 9,” which is sure to generate discussion about its unconventional style and its unique twist on classic science fiction.

Peter Jackson, who directed the trilogy of “The Lord of the Rings” films, has attached his name to this project as its producer. My guess is that Jackson may have had a hand in providing some of the talent behind the special effects, even if Blomkamp brought his own vision of extraterrestrial life to the screen. The aliens in “District 9” are not cuddly or cute. On the contrary, the creatures are scary, disgusting and unappealing. Their bodies are skeletal figures with hard shell areas similar to crabs or crawfish. Indeed, the crustacean-like appearance of the “District 9” aliens is so repulsive that they are derisively called “prawns” by the humans.

“District 9” opens in the present time where a gigantic alien spacecraft hovers above the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty years ago the spaceship ran out of fuel and is unable to return to its home planet. Why the aliens decided to come to South Africa is unexplained. Apparently, they did not study history books and were unaware that the nation had only recently unshackled itself from apartheid. Nevertheless, the South Africans, acting in a humanitarian fashion, rescued the hundreds of thousands of malnourished aliens from their stranded vessel.

The government brought them to earth, providing food and shelter.In the intervening years, following crime waves and other societal problems, the aliens have worn out their welcome with the local citizenry.

As a result, the aliens were herded into a slum-like township called District 9, where they continue to scavenge through piles of garbage and debris. Meanwhile, the government has decided to relocate the million or so aliens to a new camp far outside the city, and has outsourced the job to a private company called Multi-National United (MNU). MNU stands to reap huge profits if they can figure out how to make the aliens’ advanced weaponry work. So far, they have not succeeded because activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA.

Tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when armed MNU forces begin evicting the non-humans from District 9. As a result of nepotism, a clueless MNU bureaucrat named Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is put in charge of the massive relocation program. That he has little idea of how to organize and implement the eviction plan is abundantly clear. At the first sign of resistance from aliens, Wikus looks positively stumped. One of the more intelligent aliens, given the name of Christopher Johnson (Jason Cope) by the humans, is working on a project in his dingy shack to come up with the fluid that will power the spaceship once again.

During a scuffle in Johnson’s workshop, Wikus is exposed to some alien fluid, causing him to contract a virus that begins changing his DNA. Not long after the exposure, Wikus is vomiting black fluid and his fingernails fall off. Worst of all, his left hand transforms into alien tentacles, resembling something like a lobster claw. Naturally, the MNU mercenaries take great interest in Wikus, thinking his degraded state may unlock the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized by a fearful public, Wikus is quickly on the run, and the only place he can hide is in District 9. Even within the alien world, trouble awaits in the form of the Nigerian gang that conducts a profitable contraband operation.

To be sure, there’s some great action in “District 9” as Wikus hides among the aliens and battles rage with the MNU forces, particularly when MNU chief enforcer Koobus (David James) becomes a bounty hunter of sorts on orders to retrieve Wikus dead or alive. The film’s focus is on Wikus’ personal nightmare, which anchors the story with the necessary human emotion. “District 9” also gets a big lift from its unique filmmaking style, mixing dramatic scenes, mockumentary footage, and real news video obtained from the South African Broadcasting Corporation. More important than the fancy camera work, this gem of a film delivers the goods for a compelling story and some terrific action.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and nowhere is that more evident in the cinema world than in the career of director David Lynch’s daughter, Jennifer, a director in her own right. Her skewed vision of the human condition takes center stage in the sinister thriller “Surveillance,” which may have been easily overlooked in its theatrical release. But now you can find it on DVD. As you would expect from a Lynch film, “Surveillance” is filled with weird characters. When FBI agents Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman) arrive at a local police station in a backwater area to investigate a series of gruesome murders, they find three different stories of the roadside massacre.  However as the Feds begin to expose the fragile little details each witness conceals, they discover that uncovering 'the truth' comes at a very big cost. “Surveillance” is full of nasty surprises.

DECENT B-MOVIE THRILLS MAKE FOR “A PERFECT GETAWAY”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

A PERFECT GETAWAY (Rated R) So many films in the suspense thriller genre lack the requisite twists and surprises to rise above the comfort zone of predictability. Mostly, these movies have the kind of obvious tricks and gimmicks up their sleeves that only the most indiscriminate viewers are kept guessing until the very end. It’s a welcome relief when a B-movie thriller maintains serious doubt about the identity of the killers long before any discerning, astute person can eliminate the guesswork. Writer-director David Twohy succeeds admirably to keep speculation raging for the better part of “A Perfect Getaway,” a thriller with enough intrigue and conjecture to challenge those who think they can easily spot the usual red herrings.

Newlyweds Cydney (Milla Jovovich) and Cliff (Steve Zahn) seek an adventure on their Hawaiian honeymoon by setting out for backpacking on a remote area of Kauai. On a chance encounter with some tourists, they learn about the brutal murders of another honeymooning couple on the islands. Of course, this revelation comes shortly after a somewhat unpleasant encounter with a pair of hitchhikers, Kale (Chris Hemworth) and Cleo (Marley Shelton). She’s the ditzy blonde type, but he’s a menacing ex-con with tattoos. Together, these two drifters immediately conjure up images of “Natural Born Killers.” Naturally, when Cliff and Cydney have a roadside encounter with these losers, it’s not going to be the last time they are seen.

Arriving by Jeep at the end of the road where the hiking trail begins, Cliff and Cydney encounter an adventurous couple in Gina (Kiele Sanchez) and Nick (Timothy Olyphant). On first impression, Nick and Gina appear pleasant and congenial, but their relaxed attitude includes clothing optional swimming at a waterfall and candid talk on a variety of more intimate, personal subjects. As a matter of fact, Nick and Gina engage in the kind of conversation where the topics grow increasingly strange and unsettling. In particular, Nick makes wild claims about his service in the Iraq War and shows great interest in Cliff’s screenwriting career.

Hoping for the best on his screenplay being realized as a movie in production, Cliff reluctantly talks about his career in Hollywood. Nick eats up the opportunity to unload his story ideas on the screenwriter. True or not, these tales seem farfetched. Nick recounts the liberation of Iraq and finding treasures in Saddam Hussein’s bathroom. He talks of surviving a plane crash and having the back of his head blown off by an explosive device. The nerdy Cliff becomes a little more anxious when he realizes his newfound friend on the hiking trail may harbor murderous intent, particularly since he’s got a big knife strapped to his ankle and he’s prepared with a bow and arrow to hunt for wild goat for a dinner feast.

Meanwhile, a few other suspicious-looking people surface on the remote woodsy trail. Of course, the expansive Kauai forest is not large enough to prevent the dangerous Kale and his surfer-girl Cleo from turning up most unexpectedly. At this point, there’s little that can be said about some of the plot twists, without most unfortunately eliminating some surprises. Just when you think you’ve figured out what is going to happen, writer-director Twohy changes gears so abruptly that the plot is derailed like a speeding train slamming into an obstacle on the tracks.

Once the formula is unveiled, “A Perfect Getaway” has nowhere to go other than into an orgy of violence and brutality. The natural-born killers are unmasked and go berserk, with gunplay and hand-to-hand combat. Near-perfect as popcorn entertainment, “A Perfect Getaway” is most satisfying because the two couples represented by Zahn and Jovovich and Olyphant and Sanchez perform their roles admirably. “A Perfect Getaway” is a fun ride while it lasts, but thinking about it later will only reveal how many holes in the plot render the whole exercise farfetched.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
You might notice that “90210: The First Season” is being released on DVD and wonder why a TV series that ran for 10 years at the end of the last century is only now coming public. Well, you’d be confusing “90210,” which had a recent run on the CW

Network, with “Beverly Hills 90210,” the Aaron Spelling original. “90210” featured a hot, sexy cast of young, fresh faces that are unfamiliar to me, and probably to anyone else older than a college student. But “90210: The First Season” is an edgy, contemporary spin-off of the iconic series that features a whole new generation of love triangles, dark secrets and personal drama. I suspect that “90210” was popular on the CW because of all the bad boys and beautiful babes populating the privileged enclave of tony Beverly Hills. Based on the success of reviving this Aaron Spelling show, the CW Network will try to strike gold again this fall with a newly-revamped “Melrose Place.” Consider yourself warned.

THE DARKER SIDE OF APATOW COMEDY IN “FUNNY PEOPLE”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

FUNNY PEOPLE (Rated R) Over the last few years, writer and director Judd Apatow has crafted a huge cottage industry of ribald comedies that dwell on sexual functions laced with frank talk and often excessive references to the male anatomy. To refresh your memory, I should point out that Apatow delivered “Knocked Up” and “The Forty-Year-Old Virgin,” neither of which were exercises in good taste, but nonetheless produced copious laughs. The master of vulgar humor is taking something of a detour from his trademark unrestrained comedic bent in “Funny People” to plumb the depths of a dramatic contrivance, one that has a well-known movie star and standup comedian diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Joining writer-director Apatow in search of a serious comedy is comedian Adam Sandler, who had his own run at this sort of effort with “Punch-Drunk Love.” Naturally, Sandler’s George Simmons is an unpleasant fellow who’s made his fame and fortune in a standup comedy career and a run of crap movies where he starred as a “merman” or an adult with the body of an infant. Once diagnosed with a rare fatal disease resistant to radiation treatment, George becomes more self-absorbed than usual. Thus, he reaches out to his old flame Laura (Leslie Mann), who wisely dumped him upon discovering his rampant infidelity. Later on, the film unwisely focuses on George trying to rekindle the relationship, notwithstanding the fact that Laura is now married with two small children.

To cope with his anger and anxiety, George takes to the stage of a local comedy club, where he proceeds to spew a dark routine that takes an unsuspecting audience by surprise. Waiting in the wings to deliver his own act is the amateur comedian Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), an aspiring writer working a day job at a sandwich shop in a mall. But George is impressed with Ira’s pluck and offers him a job as a personal assistant who can also help with writing new material. Besides joke writing, the job entails talking George to sleep at night and acting as a surrogate friend, since the big star has trouble keeping any friends or even family close.

Meanwhile, outside the deli counter, Ira has an interesting living arrangement with two other comics. Mark (Jason Schwartzman), the successful one in the bunch, has a starring role in a hit TV sitcom, a show called “Yo, Teach” that appears to be really lame. The wisecracking Leo (Jonah Hill) is another struggling standup comic, but one with a physique even heftier than Ira’s. The trio develops a very funny rivalry, which extends to Mark hustling Ira’s would-be love interest Daisy (Aubrey Plaza) as well as generous helping of verbal smack-downs. Some of the movie’s best laughs are a result of the insulting banter among these roommates.

While George copes with the deadly disease and medical checkups offer no hopeful prognosis, it appears that the needy comic comes to rely increasingly on Ira’s help to continue his superstar lifestyle at home and on the road, including an appearance at a corporate event in Vegas. Then, the film shifts gears abruptly when George gets good news from a freakishly tall Swedish doctor that the disease is in remission. George celebrates the event with a gathering of celebrities, ranging from Eminem to Ray Romano, and after that he decides to take a standup gig in San Francisco, seemingly for no other reason than to be close once again to his former love Laura.

Unfortunately, a reunion between George and Laura at her Marin County home becomes an extended stretch of unnecessary melodrama, where marital problems bubble unconvincingly to the surface. Laura’s volatile Australian husband Clarke (Eric Bana) is on another one of his extended overseas trips, but he manages to come back home just in time to get embroiled in a meltdown of the family unit. Considering what has come before, the sudden focus on the increasingly annoying Laura’s set of problems is too much of a distraction.

Though filled with an abundance of the darker side of comedy, “Funny People,” as expected in an Apatow effort, still has plenty of lowbrow humor and an excess of jokes about male body parts to bring some good news to those who might otherwise be disappointed in the writer-director’s turn to a more serious look at the human condition. The salty language from all the comics doing their shtick is a reminder that Judd Apatow will not likely stray too far from his origins, even when he is driven by a solemn purpose.

COMEDY NOT ALWAYS PRETTY AND THAT’S “THE UGLY TRUTH”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE UGLY TRUTH (Rated R) Not every romantic comedy involving the battles of the sexes must necessarily fall into the obligatory category of “chick flick.” In any event, some have attached that label to “The Ugly Truth,” perhaps for no other reason than this frequently raunchy film has been curiously authored by three women. My guess is that these women were probably crafting a vehicle for Gerard Butler, best known for running around half-clothed in the role of Leonidas, the Spartan King, in “300.” However, Butler doesn’t so much as drop a towel here, leaving that sort of disrobing to his rival.

Comedy is not always pretty, particularly when outrageous chauvinism bumps up against the sensitivity of a work environment where minimum standards of decency must be upheld. “The Ugly Truth” takes gleeful joy in pushing some of the buttons of political correctness, and that approach alone is almost certain to generate visceral distaste from certain quarters that are practically obsessed with avoiding anything crass and crude. It’s important to realize from the start that this comedy will take delight in outrageously racy situations while dropping the F-bomb like a bunch of Italian mobsters trading insults.

There’s little that’s new or exceptionally revealing about the comedic aspects of a heated battle between the sexes, but “The Ugly Truth” aims, though perhaps in the gutter, to deliver laughs at any cost. Katherine Heigl’s Abby Richter is an ambitious, yet uptight, morning talk show producer on a Sacramento TV station. She’s a control freak who mistakenly believes in her ability to solve any problem. Her show is suffering a ratings slump, a situation that is not improved by the fact that the morning anchors are a bickering married couple (Cheryl Hines and John Michael Higgins). For the sake of greater laughs, it would have been more fun if the squabbling newscasters had more screen time.

Abby’s boss decides to spice up the morning show by hiring Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler), a “shock jock” cable personality whose primal approach to relationship advice is guaranteed to cause friction. Indeed, most of the tension is between Mike and his show producer, Abby, who is greatly offended by her on-air talent’s Neanderthal style. As part of a segment on the morning show entitled “The Ugly Truth,” Mike spills the beans on what makes men tick in the gleefully chauvinistic manner that rubs Abby in all the wrong ways. To make matters worse, Mike’s rants become an instant ratings bonanza, sealing his network status.

Just when Abby despairs of finding Mr. Right, she meets her new neighbor Colin (Eric Winter), a hunky surgeon who’s suave, polite and ultimately boring. The good doctor is the opposite of Mike Chadway, an aficionado of female jello wrestling, and yet for some inexplicable reason, Abby decides she needs the loathsome TV personality’s insight into the male psyche in order to impress Colin on a date. Like a modern day Cyrano, Mike coaches Abby through an earpiece at a baseball game, leading to predictable comic mishaps. The obliging Mike even helps her to dress seductively with a push-up bra in a low-cut cocktail dress. He also thoughtfully gives her remote-controlled vibrating panties that unexpectedly functional all-too-well during an important business dinner.

Now, it is time for a movie quiz, because if you have been even remotely conscious while sitting through a string of romantic comedies, you already know the ugly truth of these screen relationships. Does Abby end up with the handsome doctor, the man with impeccable manners and taste who could easily be Mr. Right, though he is as bland as white bread? Or does she get swept off her feet by the most unlikely suitor on the face of the planet, Mike the self-declared misogynist and defender of the primitive male? You might get a clue from the popular notion that opposites attract.

The truth about “The Ugly Truth” is that it offers plenty of laughs that have often been missing in the slew of female-oriented romantic comedies released in recent months. Another truth that should not be overlooked is that there are many absurdly comic situations that bear absolutely no relationship to reality. For instance, the crass-talking Mike Chadway would most likely never last a week on network TV. Only Andy Rooney can get away with constant rambling rants.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Many DVDs offer both the unrated and theatrical versions of a film, an obvious marketing ploy to boost sales. I am here to warn you that the sex comedy “Miss March” is to be avoided, notwithstanding a cameo appearance by Hugh Hefner at his Playboy Mansion.

Nothing can rescue this film from its well-deserved oblivion. On prom night, Eugene (Zach Cregger) is going to lose his virginity to his gorgeous girlfriend Cindi (Raquel Alessi), but an unfortunate accident puts him in a coma.

Waking up four years later thanks to his goofy best friend Tucker (Trevor Moore), Eugene finds that his once chaste companion has hit the big time as the latest Playboy Playmate. A cross-country journey, with all the mishaps, ensues, as Tucker wants to help Eugene win back Cindi. “Miss March” is a road trip that should not be taken, regardless of what version you choose to watch.

 

MAGICAL WORLD OF “HARRY POTTER” GROWS DARKER, MORE OMINOUS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (Rated PG) There have been so many “Harry Potter” films that I have lost count. More than anything, this may explain why I would be considered an “agnostic” when it comes to this venerable franchise, based on the widely popular J.K. Rowling novels. After all, a true believer could recite, without skipping a beat, the full titles in precise chronological order. By all means, I vaguely recall something about a “Goblet of Fire,” or maybe it was “Chariots of Fire.” It probably tells you more about me than the movie that

I can name every James Bond movie starring Sean Connery, but stumble at the thought of recalling a full “Harry Potter” title.After doing some minimal homework, I can now report that “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is the sixth installment. For bonus points, let me just mention that director David Yates is currently helming “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the two-part film adaptation of the final book in the best-selling series. In an ideal world, the film critics reviewing the latest “Harry Potter” film would have read all the J.K. Rowling novels. But on planet Earth, this is asking too much. Movie reviewers spend an inordinate amount of time in darkened theaters, munching on popcorn or the occasional specialty pretzel, and thus have little time for intellectually stimulating enterprises, such as reading the entire library of “Harry Potter” books. Anyone claiming to the contrary should be viewed with suspicion.

My simple-minded belief is that critics and audiences alike should be able to enjoy a film without having to extensive read the source material. A good movie should be a complete stand-alone experience, one that could be enjoyed and understood by the uninitiated. Unfortunately, this is not so evidently the simple case with “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” More than passing knowledge of the back story and the primary characters is a necessity. Ominous things happen and mysterious people are not fully materialized. Even the well-informed may be excused on occasion from being puzzled at some of the dramatic events transpiring. If the spirit of the evil Lord Voldemort is so ever present, why does he not turn up in visible form, but only through surrogates?

At the film’s opening, the Death Eaters are laying waste to London as well as the wizard world, and Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), about to return for another year at the Hogwarts School, suspects new dangers lurk within the campus castle. Headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) interrupts Harry’s auspicious date with a pretty waitress to whisk “The Chosen One,” as he is described in the Daily Prophet, on a mission to recruit a teacher out of retirement. Apparently, the absent-minded Potions Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) may hold a vital key to unlocking Voldemort’s defenses. Years in the past, Slughorn took a young Tom Riddle under his wing, and Dumbledore believes the eccentric teacher may have some memories that prove useful because Riddle grew up to become the infamous Dark Lord.

Returning to Hogswart, Harry teams up once again with his best pals, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). Young love is in the air, as Ron becomes the object of overzealous affection from an admiring Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave), much to the consternation of Hermione whose feelings for Ron are far from platonic. Meanwhile, Harry, who seems a bit slow in the romantic department, is finally taking more notice of Ron’s younger sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright). When you are the Chosen One, shouldering so many responsibilities to fight evil, it’s a little difficult to have time for a social life.

There’s even an occasion, after Harry has endured another fight, when someone asks why Harry is always covered in blood.Hogwarts, which appears more like a traditional British boarding school than a training ground for wizards, nevertheless has a darker, ominous look, more so than in previous films. Maybe that has something to do with the menacing Professor Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) who appears to be ambiguous about his loyalties and should never be trusted. Meanwhile, Harry’s archrival at the school, smug, arrogant Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), who has always looked like a ringleader for Hitler Youth, is envious of the Chosen One, and is looking to redeem his family name while proving to Lord Voldemort that he’s ready to take on an incredibly dangerous task.

As mentioned earlier, a movie should stand on its own, but “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” at least to this untrained eye, comes off as a work-in-progress that may not be fully realized until the final chapter. For the better part of the film’s two and one-half hours, the pace is slow and sometimes meandering, and in turn these proceedings prove to be slightly tedious when the primary action is reserved for the last act. No doubt, followers of the franchise will disagree strenuously, and I would guess the hardcore fans will flock to this installment in massive force.

To be sure, there are plenty of good things on display in “The Half-Blood Prince.” Harry and his pals, coming into their own, are more fascinating as maturing students. The wise Dumbledore takes center stage as the defender of the good wizards and becomes the focal point for the film’s most dramatic moments. The slithering Professor Snape, with his dry delivery, has the greatest dialogue. It’s also refreshing that some of the esteemed supporting characters are back again, such as Maggie Smith’s Professor McGonagall and Robbie Coltrane as the gigantic Hagrid. Though I may not have found this “Harry Potter” to be riveting, I acknowledge that it will deservedly appeal to the legions of fans, and in the end, that’s all that truly matters.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Becoming devoted to a serialized TV show is a challenge when a weekly viewing appointment is necessary. Well, thankfully the DVD release of an entire season solves a major problem, and right now I am in the middle of watching the release of “Mad Men: Season Two.” This is really one of the best dramas ever on TV, focusing on the glamorous and ego-driven “Golden Age” of advertising, where everyone is selling something and nothing is ever what it seems.

This series is so riveting that I stayed up late the other night trying to view as many episodes as possible. Every episode peels back the layers of deception and lies that permeate the cutthroat advertising business at the firm of Sterling Cooper. The DVD includes some special features that deal with fashion and historical events of the early 1960s. You may want to catch up on the second season of “Mad Men” now because the third season starts on AMC on August 16th.

FLAUNTING BAD TASTE IN A QUEST FOR LAUGHS IN “BRUNO”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

BRUNO (Rated R) Best known for his satirical take on culture and tolerance in “Borat,” playing the part of a naive TV personality from Kazakhstan, Sacha Baron Cohen, the human chameleon, returns in “Bruno” to lampoon prejudices and ignorance as well as the absurd fascination with celebrity culture. This time around Baron Cohen, once again in the titular role, is a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashionista who goes completely overboard milking the most outrageous homosexual stereotypes. Where “Borat” tapped into the feigned innocence of a clueless foreign journalist, “Bruno” dives deep into a truly self-absorbed character seeking desperately to be offensive in the extreme.

In his native Austria, the swishy Bruno infuriates the vacuous fashion crowd when he trips down the runway in a garish Velcro outfit, creating a path of destruction. Losing both his job as TV host for “Funkyzeit” and his diminutive Asian flight attendant boyfriend, Bruno decides to take his act on the road to Los Angeles. Aspiring to be “the biggest Austrian star since Hitler,” Bruno gets an assist from his adoring assistant Lutz (Gustaf Hammarsten) to seek fame and fortune in America. Bruno imagines success will come only if he succeeds in Hollywood.

Bruno puts together a TV pilot of his own reality show, one that quickly enrages a focus group repulsed by his vulgarity and multiple scenes of his penis dancing and singing. Indeed, frontal male nudity is exploited for comic outcome, supposedly, otherwise you have to wonder how the fools at the MPAA Ratings Board let this film slide with a mere R rating, when an NC-17 would appear to be in order. Later on, when Bruno is attempting to go “straight,” he’s subjected to belt-lashing from a naked female swinger who appears to be taking sadistic joy in her duties. Then again, I think ambushing a congressman for a sexual seduction under the guise of conducting a legitimate interview merits some type of condemnation, particularly when the payoff is truly lame.

There is no cohesive story to “Bruno;” it’s mostly a series of comic skits, some of which deliver the laughs while others cause discomfort or uneasiness. Bruno skewers self-indulgent celebrities by adopting a black baby boy and then nearly causes a riot with a predominantly African-American audience during a daytime TV talk show by showing casual indifference to his child’s heritage, particularly by claiming that he acquired his son in a swap for an iPod. In a bizarre episode with Paula Abdul, he turns some Mexican day laborers into “human furniture” in order to conduct an interview in an otherwise empty house. Yes, many of these skits are likely to cause people to wince.

As Bruno grows more desperate to achieve fame in Hollywood, he sinks deeper into a world of bottom feeders anxious and impulsive to succeed in the rarefied atmosphere of the rich and famous. Truly frightening and unexpectedly funny are parents being interviewed who will go to extreme lengths to get their kids into the film business, one of them finding it acceptable to liposuction a child of normal weight. One of the high points is an all-too-brief interview with a pair of dim-witted celebrity charity consultants, who glibly advise Bruno to take up the cause of global warming.

When Bruno takes his show on the road to the Middle East, there are brief flashes of hilarious brilliance. His flamboyantly gay attire draws astonished stares from startled bystanders. Later, while dressed in an outfit designed to cause offense to Hasidic Jews, he gets chased down a street by an angry mob. Attempting to broker some peace talks, Bruno sits between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and throws the conversation into complete comic turmoil when he confuses the terrorist group Hamas with hummus.

For the most part, ”Bruno” revels in bad taste, attempting to push the envelope with an in-your-face assault. On one occasion, Bruno visits a psychic to call up the spirit of a dead male celebrity and then proceeds to mimic very graphic, explicit sexual acts. Way too much of “Bruno” appears to be staged instead of relying mostly on the type of guerrilla-style documentary that made “Borat” notoriously believable for the apparently honest reactions from ordinary people. Though sometimes outrageously hilarious, “Bruno” is habitually outrageous, and that’s the modus operandi of supreme prankster Sacha Baron Cohen.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
In the space of this column, it’s an impossible task to keep up with the flood of new DVD releases that occur every week. An outfit called Acorn Media focuses on distributing vintage British television programs. Edward Woodward, known to American audiences for “The Equalizer,” starred in the classic British spy series “Callan” that aired from 1967 to 1972.

In the titular role, Woodward was a brooding, conscience-stricken assassin for a shadowy British intelligence service so secret it didn’t have a name. In the morally complex scripts, Callan traffics in intelligence-gathering, blackmail and assassination, and the show itself spawned five novels and a feature film. Acorn Media is releasing “Callan, Set 1,” which actually turns out to be nine episodes from the third series (the program’s first color episodes).

GANGSTER LIFE GETS FULL STAR TREATMENT IN “PUBLIC ENEMIES”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

PUBLIC ENEMIES (Rated R) John Dillinger, one of the better known Depression-era gangsters, had an affinity for robbing banks in the Midwest, a fact that is central to director Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies.” Acclaimed for a cinematic style that values intensity and realism, Mann rarely disappoints by exploiting Dillinger’s essential charisma in a full tilt. As a populist avenger against the banks that were clearly unpopular during the dark economic times of the era, Dillinger found the public enthralled with his daring exploits. Apparently, eager journalists were also suckers for his jaunty charm.

Dillinger may have been a magnetic figure, but he was decidedly a cold-blooded killer, and “Public Enemies” offers plenty of gunfights and violent shootouts to prove the point. Mann wisely picked Johnny Depp to portray John Dillinger, who not only bears a physical resemblance to the bank robber, but carries himself with the disciplined efficiency of the professional crook thinking of little else than planning the next heist. The film focuses on a narrow period of time when Dillinger is released from prison and embarks on a bank robbery spree crossing multiple state lines at a time that federal laws had not yet been passed to deal with interstate criminal activity.

For those who want to understand the psychology of a public enemy, Mann does little to inform us about the notorious criminal’s past. When Dillinger tells the pretty hat-check girl Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) that he’s fond of “baseball, movies, good clothes, fast cars, whiskey and you,” it pretty much sums up his interests, except leaving out the small detail of his passion for crime. In fact, Dillinger is so taken with the movies that he boldly takes meetings at the local cinema. Though we are getting ahead of the story, Dillinger famously meets his demise outside Chicago’s Biograph Theatre during an FBI stakeout.

That Dillinger was a master criminal for his time is evident in the rise of J. Edgar Hoover’s (Billy Crudup) Federal Bureau of Investigation, when a federal police force was often frowned upon. Hoover famously made it his mission to bag Dillinger, assigning no-nonsense agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to head up the task force headquartered in Chicago. Armed with modern methods such as wiretaps and some good old-fashioned harassment, Purvis and his crew pursued Dillinger and assorted other crooks, including the psychotic Baby Face Nelson. There are plenty of spectacular machine-gun shootouts outside banks and other venues.

Purvis staged a late night raid on the rural northern Wisconsin hideout at Little Bohemia. It was a seriously botched affair, as innocent civilians leaving the scene were gunned down, while Dillinger managed an improbable escape into the woods. In fact, Dillinger mastered escapes several times from the law, once famously breaking out of an extremely well-guarded jail, using the local Sheriff’s Ford for a speedy getaway. On another occasion, Dillinger is seen wandering unescorted through the Chicago Police Department’s Dillinger Squad, looking over exhibits that detailed his crime sprees, while agents nearby ignore his presence.

Since Dillinger was a big movie fan, one can only wonder what he would think of Johnny Depp’s portrayal. On his last night at the Biograph, he appeared to enjoy Clark Gable’s notorious gambler in “Manhattan Melodrama,” blissfully unconcerned with the fate that awaited a hunted criminal. “Public Enemies” would probably be viewed as a testimonial. For the rest of us, Mann delivers a crisp, brutal realization of a crime spree that captured the public’s imagination during the Depression. “Public Enemies” is a really good film, for superb acting by Depp and company and for the director’s keen eye on faithfully recreating the era in sharp detail.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Since we are focused on crime stories, let’s point out a couple of DVD releases that fit the profile. “12 Rounds,” released in an “Extreme Cut,” stars WWE Superstar John Cena as a New Orleans police office playing a vicious game of cat and mouse after spoiling the multi-million dollar heist plan of an Irish arms dealer.

Breaking out of prison, the thief puts the cop through a series of mental and physical challenges in order to save his kidnapped fiancée. “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li,” based on a popular video game franchise, unleashes Kristin Kreuk in the iconic title role, where she must stand strong against a Bangkok syndicate determined to take over the slums already teeming with a dangerous criminal element. The DVD includes a bunch of special features, but the real interest is in the pulse-pounding thrill ride that Kreuk’s street fighter is sure to deliver.

 

HIGH-OCTANE ACTION OF “TRANSFORMERS” A BIG CLASH OF ROBOTS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (Rated PG-13) Turning a popular children’s cartoon series into an exciting live-action blockbuster is hardly a novelty. Even transforming Hasbro toys into a full-blown cinematic adventure is not a stretch, particularly if you are using the directorial services of Michael Bay, whose films are characterized by his aggressive visual style and high-octane action sequences. Going from “Bad Boys” and “The Rock” to the “Transformers” franchise is a logical leap for a director keen on dazzling the audience with the greatest amount of commotion unleashed on screen.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is a sequel that obviously seeks no higher ambition than to cash in on the built-in audience for toy robots beating the daylights out of each other. Frankly, the fact that Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron and all the evil Decepticons have returned is of little interest to me, since the story is often puzzling and needlessly complicated. My attention is drawn to the gorgeous Megan Fox, often seen running for her life while wearing tight-fitting clothes. She’s only in this film because star Shia LaBeouf needs a hot girlfriend handy with mechanical objects. A couple of years ago LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky was busy, with the help of the Autobots, saving the human race from the invading Decepticons.

Now Sam is preparing for the challenge of going off to college and leaving behind his goofy parents (Kevin Dunn and Julie White), who seem clueless, particularly when Mom accepts brownies from a Rastafarian during a campus visit. Despite his extreme heroics, Sam can’t shed the image that his involvement in the battle of Mission City is nothing more than an urban legend believed only by conspiracy theorists. But he still has his guardian robot, Bumblebee, who happens to be a fancy yellow sports car capable of converting into a fearsome robot.

Meanwhile, something called the Allspark was destroyed, and the Tranformers planet of Cybertron is uninhabitable. As a result, the Autobots make the best of their lives on earth, working in league with the military as part of a Top Secret team called NEST. Operating alongside their human counterparts, field commanders Major Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Master Sergeant Epps (Tyrese Gibson), the NEST team seeks to hunt down whatever remaining Decepticons are lurking about on earth.

The Autobots may fit in with the military, but the President’s National Security Advisor (John Benjamin Hickey), the biggest jerk in the movie, is driven to prove the friendly Transformers should be banished from earth, believing the Autobots’ very presence may endanger the human race. Naturally, this officious government clown is completely wrong, and ignores all the blaring warning signs. Optimus Prime cautions that the departure of the Autobots will leave humans defenseless, and sure enough, the Decepticons launch an invasion of earth which has a dual purpose: revive Megatron from his undersea grave and destroy Optimus Prime.

Meanwhile at school, Sam has trouble adjusting to his astronomy class when visions flash across his brain. Then, he’s got to deal with his pushy roommate, Leo (Ramon Rodriguez), whose fascination with conspiracies is cause for some comic relief. Unfortunately, there is no time for Sam to enjoy college life, since the Decepticons figure out that he alone holds the key to the outcome of the struggle between good and evil. If that’s not enough pressure, his girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox) arrives at the school just as Sam is being seduced by an aggressive temptress.

While “Transformers” may be lacking in coherent story, its shallowness is revealed by the unleashing of a fury of robot-bashing that seems to run forever. The metal-crushing violence is somewhat relieved by the comic presence of former agent Simmons (John Turturro), who joins Sam and Mikaela when the action shifts to the pyramids in Egypt. Indeed, the big climactic showdown is a robot rumble in the desert. The trouble with keeping track of what’s going is distinguishing the good robots from the evil ones, but apparently the bad guys have bright red eyes.

At a running time of two and one-half hours, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is an action film badly in need of tighter editing. The action is so relentless that it becomes unduly repetitive, which leads to a certain amount of ennui. Likely, Michael Bay was working with a budget that rivaled the GDP of a small country and decided to throw it all up on screen. Sometimes, less is more, but action junkies that loved the robots in the first film will probably disagree.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Tokyo is an exciting metropolis that lends itself to spectacular realization on film. The DVD release of “Tokyo!” allows three visionary directors to come together for a triptych that examines the nature of an unforgettable city as it’s shaped by the disparate, if not strange, people living and working in a densely populated environment. Michel Gondry’s “Interior Design” looks at the ambitious and rootless behavior of a young couple struggling to maintain control. Leos Carax’s “Merde” features a strange creature from the sewers who spreads panic in the streets.

No, he’s nothing like Godzilla. Bong Joon-Ho’s “Shaking Tokyo” is about a guy who’s lived for 10 years in his apartment, shut off from the outside world. When a pizza delivery girl faints in his home during an earthquake, he falls in love with her and faces a dilemma about crossing the threshold that separates his apartment from the rest of the world. As you can imagine, “Tokyo!” is a combination of a grotesque, surreal and fantasy take on one of the world’s most fascinating urban centers.

“THE PROPOSAL” A COMEDIC OFFER THAT SHOULDN’T BE REFUSED
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE PROPOSAL (Rated PG-13) From my unbiased perspective, there have been too many chick flicks this year. That’s probably why “The Hangover” became a box office success, fueled by the attendance of guys longing for something to call their own. Needless to say, it was with some trepidation that I approached the romantic comedy “The Proposal,” fearing that it would be just another in a long line of barely tolerable gender-oriented entertainments. Happily, I can report that my apprehension was misplaced, as “The Proposal” turns out to be one of the more enjoyable comedies, even if it is appropriately categorized in the chick flick genre.

My faith in the talented Sandra Bullock, who’s starred in a few duds recently, has been restored, now that she’s back in the comedy mode. If you’ve forgotten her comedic charm, just recall some oldies like “Two Weeks Notice” and “Miss Congeniality.” She really needs her magic this time to play the part of tyrannical New York book editor Margaret Tate. Bullock’s Margaret is the type of office barracuda that has staff literally diving for cover under their desks. The high-powered, domineering book editor channels Meryl Streep’s role of the overbearing fashion editor in “The Devil Wears Prada.”

A most unfortunate underling in Margaret’s executive domain is greatly put-upon assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds), who has suffered her torments for three years only because he has ambition to succeed in the cutthroat publishing world. Unexpectedly, opportunity looms for Andrew, though it is hardly something for him to relish. Apparently, Margaret was so preoccupied with advancing her career and torturing subordinates that she overlooked the small matter of securing her immigration status. When she learns that she faces nearly immediate deportation to her native Canada, Margaret abruptly declares to her superiors, and in front of the unsuspecting Andrew, that they are engaged to be married.

As to be expected, Andrew is not too thrilled with this turn of events, but since he’s young and motivated he agrees to participate in the charade on a few conditions. Margaret and Andrew quickly learn from an officious immigration officer (Denis O’Hare) that the penalty for a phony marriage is stiff. Of course, this ups the ante, because Andrew not only wants to be an editor, he has a manuscript waiting to be published. There will be no time for a whirlwind romance for this unlikely couple, as they both agree that a quick divorce is in the offing.

Part of the bargain is that the odd couple has to travel to a remote part of Alaska for Andrew’s family celebration of his Grandma Annie’s (Betty White) 90th birthday bash. Margaret, the always-in-control big city girl, finds herself in one comedic fish-out-of-water situation after another. The Paxton family practically owns the town, and Andrew’s parents, Joe and Grace (Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen), are quirky characters, which seems the norm for remote Alaskan towns. Still, Joe resents that Andrew rejected the family business and is dubious about the older woman in his son’s life.

The fun part is that the tables are turned on Margaret when the love/hate couple is on Andrew’s turf. The uptight city gal doesn’t quite know what to make of the extremely laid-back attitude of the locals. As an unrepentant workaholic, Margaret doesn’t manage too well when her cell phone becomes inoperable or when she can’t find her sea legs on a speed boat. Stumbling around on boat docks is not too great in high heels. But one of the many funny scenes is when Annie and Grace take Margaret on a ladies outing, which happens to be the local tavern that features the pudgy, expressive Ramone (Oscar Nunez) as an unlikely Chippendale dancer.

Though unable or unwilling to escape the comfortable predictability of a romantic comedy involving polar opposites, “The Proposal” scores as a very funny and appealing exercise in conventional storytelling. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are perfectly paired as the odd couple, as her chilly behavior gradually evolves while his deadpan comedic delivery never flags. Delicious chemistry is at work between them, and as a result “The Proposal” is a comedic offer you shouldn’t refuse.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Since we are on the subject of comedy this week, I guess I will make a shameless plug for the DVD release of “The Pink Panther 2.” I loved most, if not all, of the Peter Sellers original films as the blundering French police office, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Then, along came some eminently forgettable sequels starring people other than Sellers, names I cannot recall at the moment.

But then, comedian Steve Martin has revived the franchise with his own spin on the clueless detective, and so the last two “Pink Panther” films have become irresistible. “The Pink Panther 2” involves a thief known as “The Tornado” who steals a variety of precious treasures, including the pink panther diamond. An international dream team of detectives bands together to crack the case, but they are slowed down by Clouseau, who has the propensity to miss the obvious until he somehow stumbles on the truth. “The Pink Panther 2” DVD has the usual bonus features.

TENSE THRILLS OF “PELHAM” PUNCTUATED BY HYPED UP ACTION
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 (Rated R) That director Tony Scott, master of several landmark action films, has previously collaborated on six films with producer Jerry Bruckheimer is abundantly clear as the result of “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.” The Bruckheimer effect, which can only be described as a full-frontal assault in the action genre, is on full display with Scott’s reworking of the audacious hijacking of a New York subway train.

The original “Pelham,” a taut heist thriller which starred a shambling Walter Matthau opposite the hard-edged Robert Shaw, is a mere character study in comparison to the Scott adaptation. Well, much has changed since 1974, which were not exactly the glory days in New York City.

There’s little need to dwell on the original “Pelham” as director Scott obviously wanted to move in a completely different direction by reinventing the thriller to a modern-day sensibility. What that means, of course, is that the action is on steroids, resulting in something at times so intense and hyped up that even Bruckheimer could get dizzy. And yet, considering that a good portion of the story takes place in the confined space of the subway control center, Scott finds ways to even hype the quieter, intense moments with erratic camera shots that swirl around. Still, the best part is the terrifying cat-and-mouse game, pitting an ordinary, overburdened train dispatcher against a mercurial vengeful hijacker with a deadly trigger-finger.

The low-key role of civil servant in the vast MTA subway system goes to Denzel Washington, playing Walter Garber, who’s called upon to attempt to calm and reason with an irrational killer. It’s a task normally above the pay grade of a dispatcher, except that Garber is an MTA administrator who’s been demoted while pending an ethics investigation. On the other side of the coin is John Travolta’s Ryder, a brilliant psychopath with issues relating to a previous stint of incarceration. Leader of a highly-armed gang of four, criminal mastermind Ryder boldly takes control of a subway train midway through its normal run.

Motivated by money rather than terrorism, Ryder threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large cash ransom is paid within one hour. With the menacing looks to match his deranged behavior, Ryder promises to kill a hostage for each minute that his payment is delayed. Early on, he establishes the seriousness of his purpose, which is clearly understood by Garber. As the clock starts to run, Ryder quickly starts playing mind games with Garber, establishing the essential premise of the tension that runs throughout the film. In turn, Garber tries, with variable success, to get into the head of Ryder, probing for the slightest shred of humanity, but mainly trying to stall for time.

Much of the friction is within the subway control center, where Garber is viewed skeptically by his supervisor (Michael Rispoli). Since he’s been demoted to a dispatcher, Garber operates under a cloud of suspicion, but it is evident very quickly that he’s the best man for the job, even after hostage negotiator Lieutenant Camonetti (John Turturro) gets into the act. Ryder explodes in fury when they attempt to replace Garber as the primary link in communications. Further complications arise when the unpopular mayor (James Gandolfini) exerts his forceful personality into the proceedings, though he has a few well-aimed wisecracks.

Meanwhile, below ground in the bowels of the subway system, strain builds for the scared hostages and the trigger-happy captors who become increasingly irritable as the deadline looms. Above ground, the action kicks into high gear as the city officials agree to the ransom demand, and transporting the cash from Brooklyn into Manhattan involves high speed transport that is as thrilling as any cinematic car chase filled with crashes and mishaps. “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” makes efficient use of the ticking clock to constantly stoke the mounting tension.

No one should mistake “Pelham” as a simple remake of the original 1974 film. Brian Helgeland has written an excellent screenplay that relies to a great degree on a battle of wits between the hijacker and the ordinary working man dispatcher. Director Scott brings a quick pace to the proceedings by moving the story along in a crisp, effective manner, punctuating the psychological mind games with enough action to prove a distraction during the quiet spells. “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” delivers suspenseful, tense action, while allowing its two main adversaries to shine with their compelling performances of hero and villain.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
One of the best TV action series is “Burn Notice” on the USA Network, and since I don’t keep up with every episode, the release of the second season on DVD is a most welcome opportunity to catch up. Blacklisted spy Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) heats up the action by using his special espionage skills for a wide range of private clients.

After being unceremoniously dumped by a shadowy government agency, Michael struggles in each episode to put his life back together and find out why he was “burned.” Michael is joined in his private ventures by Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), an ex-IRA operative, and Sam (Bruce Campbell), his closest buddy. In the second season, Michael continues his death-defying assignments, while having to cope with a new cast member, Carla (Tricia Helfer), the woman who may be behind his “burn notice.” The “Burn Notice Season Two” DVID features all 16 episodes and bonus features such as cast/crew commentaries, gag reel, and deleted scenes.

HILARIOUS “HANGOVER” GOES FAR OVER THE TOP FOR LAUGHS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE HANGOVER (Rated R) Right up front, there are two very important things to say about “The Hangover,” an over-the-top comedy from the feverish mind of director Todd Phillips (best known for “Old School” and “Road Trip”). First, this is likely the funniest film of the year, particularly since its carefree, wacky attitude leads to all sorts of reckless escapades. Second, this madcap whirl in Las Vegas is highly inappropriate for children and may prove offensive to large swaths of moviegoers, notably those who may have qualms about its frequent lack of good taste or decorum. Of this I am sure, “The Hangover” may be the ultimate guy’s movie of the year, soon to make a Top 10 List in Maxim magazine.

Working off the familiar premise of the bachelor party gone terribly wrong, “The Hangover” finds dangerous and raucous ways to turn a night of hard partying into a full-blown fiasco. The surprise twists are so numerous in this off-the-wall comedy that you run the risk of getting dizzy from all the excitement. The fun starts before the group of four guys even check into Caesars Palace. The rather placid, straight-arrow Doug (Justin Bartha), who’s two days away from getting married, is persuaded by his best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms) to take a road trip to Vegas. Joining them for a blow-out bachelor party is future brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis), a clueless man-child who definitely acts weird and asks the strangest possible questions.

A night of irresponsibility is telegraphed the minute the group, while checking into the hotel, decides it’s a swell idea to take the $4,000 a night suite, which is secured by a hold on Stu’s credit card. The nervous, henpecked Stu, worried that his domineering girlfriend will find out they are not on a Napa Valley wine-tasting trip, can barely hold himself together for an evening of fun. Meanwhile, Phil, the de facto ringleader, is hell-bent for a night of frivolity, no matter what the cost. As a school teacher, Phil has already set aside his students’ field trip money to finance his gambling plans. Getting ready for a big night of debauchery, the quartet decides to toast their adventures with champagne on the roof of the hotel.

Shortly after the champagne glasses are raised, the action shifts abruptly to the morning after, where the fancy suite looks like it was trashed by a rock band. Chickens run loose, a tiger belonging to Mike Tyson is discovered locked in the bathroom, and a baby is in the cupboard. Inflatable party dolls bob in the Jacuzzi, while a chair still smolders from what appears to have been a fire and an ottoman dangles from the ceiling. As the revelers regain consciousness, they begin to assess the damage, though they have no recollection of what happened.

After it is apparent that Doug has disappeared, Phil remains confident that everything will be fine, while Stu, the worrier, launches into a panic that escalates with each new offense uncovered in the wreckage of their suite, beginning with the fact that he’s missing a tooth. Alan is now dazed and confused, in addition to being clueless.

Since the trio has no memory of a night of decadence in Sin City, they attempt to retrace their steps with whatever clues they find, such as an ATM receipt for $800 and the hospital bracelet on Phil’s wrist. The claim ticket for valet parking turns up a Vegas police car. Their search leads to the dingy side of Vegas, beginning with a cut-rate wedding chapel where Stu apparently married a stripper (Heather Graham). Then they run into a bunch of vicious, armed thugs working for the lethal and unhinged Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), who wildly claims that the group stole his casino winnings. Of course, they also spend some time at the police station.

There are so many gags, jokes and hilarious situations in this movie that it would take a strenuous effort to catalog them, and frankly, I don’t want to give away too much. “The Hangover,” a delightfully crass and outlandish comedy, is the perfect cure for the doldrums. This is not a comedy for everyone, but it is probably one of the funniest films in quite some time. Be sure to stay for the end credits for the gallery of snapshots, some of which are truly offensive.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
The A&E Network scored a hit with its original series “The Cleaner,” starring Benjamin Bratt as William Banks, a drug addict who strikes a deal with God after the birth of his daughter, promising to help others overcome addictions if he’s given a second chance. A highly rated drama series, “The Cleaner: The First Season” is being released on DVD.

Vowing to kick his addictions after hitting rock bottom, Banks helps others to do the same by any means necessary. In his efforts, he’s assisted by Arnie (Esteban Powell), a wily smart aleck who is great undercover, and by Akani (Grace Park), the beautiful and manipulative woman who always gets the best assignments. Darnell (Kevin Michael Richardson), the newest member of the crew, has difficulty balancing his deep religious convictions with the work required to be part of the team. Not surprisingly, “The Cleaner” proved to be an unconventional TV series. But more is on the way, with the second season premiering on June 23rd on A&E.

MAGICALLY FUN “MUSEUM 2” OFFERS DELIGHT TO YOUNG AND OLD
A Film Review by Tim Riley

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN (Rated PG) A few years back, Ben Stiller made the museum world a whole lot more interesting to movie audiences when he discovered all the exhibits came alive during his night shift as a security guard. The wildly successful “Night at the Museum” was destined for a repeat, if only because commerce demanded it. How do you improve on what New York’s Museum of Natural History has to offer? The answer is found in the sequel’s lengthy title: “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.” Indeed, it’s all to be found in Washington, D.C.’s megaplex of antiquities

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This time around Ben Stiller’s Larry Daley has become wealthy hawking his gadgets and inventions on TV. Still, he hasn’t forgotten his museum roots, and on a visit to an evening event he learns from the officious Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais) that all the beloved exhibits are being crated and shipped for permanent storage in the bowls of the Smithsonian. This reminds me of the “Indiana Jones” movie where the artifacts are carted off to a subterranean federal archives warehouse, only to be forgotten for all time. Apparently, the exhibits at the Natural History Museum are familiar with this movie and wish to avoid the same fate.

Frankly, it’s hard to see how the museum’s Board of Directors would find interactive exhibits more appealing, since their own exhibits come to life at night. But then, museums usually keep daytime hours. Besides, you can’t stop progress, and so everyone, from the miniature figurines of cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Roman general Octavius (Steve Coogan) to the wax figures of the Neanderthals and Indian guide Sacajawea (Mizou Peck), get stuffed in wooden crates and shipped to Washington. Unfortunately, the new arrivals at the Smithsonian awaken the denizens of the Smithsonian, including Egyptian ruler Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), who’s in a foul mood after centuries of slumber.

The diminutive Jedediah manages to put out a distress call to Larry, who just might figure out a game plan with the help of his computer savvy adolescent son. Rushing off to the Nation’s Capital, Larry breeches the security system of the Smithsonian, only to find that the Egyptian ruler is busy making alliances with some of history’s most heinous villains. The bad guys include Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), who insists that he has a less fearsome name; a height-sensitive Napoleon (Alain Chabat); and a snarling Al Capone (Jon Bernthal). Fortunately, the museum seems to lack wax figures of Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin and Mao Tse-tung, lest there be absolute carnage on a grand scale.

As it is, Kahmunrah, fueled by an overweening ego, is obsessed with unleashing the dark underworld forces locked behind a portal secured by the golden tablet. “Night of the Museum 2” isn’t real heavy on story, relying instead on creating enough mayhem that people, such as this reviewer, are easily distracted by the likes of a feisty Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) and an Albert Einstein bobblehead. The irrepressible Amelia is the most amusing character, sparking Larry to rediscover some fun and adventure, and all the while jabbering away in vintage slang. Why does Amelia speak like Katherine Hepburn in a Howard Hawks movie, while the Egyptian ruler and Abe Lincoln utter the common jargon of today?

Not quite as pretty as Amelia Earhart, a vain General Custer (Bill Hader), often strokes his long, golden locks, while wallowing in low self-esteem for his military failure at Little Bighorn. The most amusing character is the pompous Egyptian pharaoh, who doesn’t really appear that menacing, regardless of his futile efforts to insist that he’s wearing a tunic, not a dress. “Night of the Museum 2” has great fun bringing to life some very iconic items, such as the classic V-J Day in Times Square photo of the American sailor kissing a young woman or Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” painting (which, to my knowledge, still resides at the Art Institute of Chicago).

The slapstick comedy and the vibrancy of inanimate objects contribute to a youngster’s enjoyment of this delightful comedy. Meanwhile, adults may find delight in the lively realization of historical figures and cultural artifacts. But most of all, great fun is had for all in the fact that “Night of the Museum 2,” though far from brilliant, is nevertheless often very funny and enjoyable for the simple pleasures derived from an abundance of clever special effects.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

In “Night of the Museum 2” there is a giant squid that gets a little frisky, but otherwise is not scary. It’s a different story for the DVD release of “Silent Venom,” a sci-fi action thriller about an unstoppable mutant snake species that breaks loose aboard a decommissioned submarine. On a remote jungle island in the Pacific, Krista Allen has been studying a new breed of mutant snakes.

When Tom Berenger comes along to evacuate the researchers from the island, the only way home is on an old sub making its final voyage to Taiwan. Assisted by Luke Perry, Berenger, his crew and passengers soon find out they are not alone on the sub, and must fight off the hungry, vicious creatures stalking the crewmembers. To make matters more troublesome, they also have to evade attacking Chinese vessels. Apparently, Samuel L. Jackson wasn’t available for duty, so “Silent Venom” just isn’t as funny as “Snakes on a Plane.”

“TERMINATOR” SATURATES THE SCREEN WITH NON-STOP ACTION
A Film Review by Tim Riley

TERMINATOR SALVATION (Rated PG-13) The fourth installment of the “Terminator” franchise, not counting the TV series, searches for a reason to exist, which partially explains that a new director is on board. Following his success with the “Charlie’s Angels” films, McG approaches his directorial duties with the zeal of a 12-year-old-boy given millions of dollars to create an explosive movie that looks like a video game on steroids. Of course, an adolescent wizard would care little for story, going instead full bore on the dazzling bells and whistles of non-stop action. This fairly sums up what McG has wrought with “Terminator Salvation,” an incessant forward-motion machine.

“Terminator Salvation” doesn’t ask the audience to remember too many of the details of the previous films, which is a big help to me in that I don’t recall a lot of the specifics anyway. Still, an element of confusion often creeps into the story, even if you know that man’s destiny is linked to the fate of John Connor (Christian Bale, now playing the part). As if to create some additional bewilderment, the film’s prologue is set in 2003, where a vicious killer is sentenced to the death penalty. Just before Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) is strapped down and poked with needles, the condemned man signs over his body to medical research, under the watchful gaze of Dr. Serena Kogan (Helena Bonham Carter) who offers salvation, perhaps in another life.

Fast forward to the post-apocalyptic world of 2018, and Marcus is brought back from the dead. Trouble is, Marcus doesn’t know how he came into this bleak world or what his purpose is supposed to be. Ending up in the vast wasteland of a Los Angeles decimated by nuclear holocaust, Marcus is about to be wasted by a robotic Terminator, when he is rescued by Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), a young man who will eventually travel back through time to save Sarah Connor (an important plot point that is not explained in this film, but one that is known to the legions of fans). Up until now, Kyle’s only companion has been a feisty young girl named Star (Jadagrace Berry), who happens to be mute.

The only thing keeping Kyle alive in a hostile environment is the shortwave radio broadcasts delivered by John Connor, the spokesman for the Resistance. The enemy is identified as Skynet, headquartered in San Francisco where the Terminators are manufactured and dispatched around the globe to kill all remaining humans. Connor regularly informs the pockets of human resistance about the dangers lurking everywhere, while plotting an assault on the Skynet command center. But first, Connor must do everything in his power to save Kyle Reese from being killed since his very life depends on the well-being of this young fighter.

This is as good a time as any to inform you that “Salvation” is loaded with virtually non-stop action sequences, ones that involve all kinds of chases, from androids racing on motorcycles to fighter-plane battles in the sky. When Marcus, Kyle and Star are ambushed at a remote desert outpost, they are viciously pursued by a Harvester, a giant insect-like machine with multiple arms and legs that seeks out its prey and loads them into a Transporter for a journey back to the Skynet detention center. After the capture of Kyle and Star, Marcus saves the life of a downed jet pilot who is forced to eject after failing to rescue the humans from the Harvester.

The daring pilot turns out to be Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood), who takes Marcus back to the Resistance base. There are reasons why leaders in the Resistance are skeptical about Marcus, and it is best not to explain why, lest an element of surprise is compromised. Conflicts also arise within the human movement when Connor, believing that strategies need to evolve and change, clashes with the recognized leader of the Resistance, General Ashdown (Michael Ironside), who’s only seen running a command center from a submarine cruising the coast.

“Terminator Salvation” evidently had a budget large enough for endless explosions that even a rogue state like Iran would envy. The film works on the simple premise that chases abound and things are blown up every few seconds, delivering the goods for action junkies everywhere. As a whole, the story for “Terminator Salvation” was often confusing or disjointed, but probably matters little when masked by a terrific pyrotechnic display. Oh, by the way, a digital version of the Schwarzenegger killing machine appears for some random mayhem.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
As much as I am thrilled that so many vintage American TV series are being released on DVD, it’s also good to experience some of the best of British television. The BBC crime caper series “The Invisibles” is definitely worth a look. Starring popular British actors Anthony Head and Warren Clarke, the six-episode comedic drama follows a pair of aging, big-hearted retired thieves that decide to take another crack at crime.

Former crooks and best friends, Maurice Riley (Head) and Syd Woolsey (Clarke) are back in Britain after 15 years of living off their ill-gotten gains in the Spanish Riviera. Now they’re determined to stay on the straight and narrow, particularly since Maurice’s wife (Jenny Agutter) demands it. Despite their best intentions, they are soon persuaded by the local pub manager (Dean Lennox Kelly) to get back in the game. But these guys are out of shape and out of touch, and comical mayhem ensues.

QUIRKY “BROTHERS BLOOM” CAPER DELIGHTS IN SMALL PLEASURES
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE BROTHERS BLOOM (Rated PG-13) When the subject of a film is the Catholic Church, I feel that a confession is in order. Ordinarily, I would have reviewed “Angels & Demons,” but I was unable attend the free screening and I did not see myself shelling out hard earned dough on a sequel to a movie that I didn’t particularly like in the first place. Going by the experience of “The Da Vinci Code,” I felt no compelling need to see Tom Hanks once again with a bad hair job (though, it appears he may have a better stylist this time). In any case, why subject myself to pain at the movies when in the comfort of my living room I can read the sports pages and see how poorly some of my favorite teams are faring yet again.

Instead, I made my way to an indie film that may take a couple of weeks to surface outside the New York-Los Angeles axis of terminal hipness. Fortunately, “The Brothers Bloom” is a more accessible film than the usual art-house stuff that unwinds at a bohemian theatre in a trendy urban neighborhood. Perhaps, it has to do with the affable, genial actors in the key role of con men who don’t take themselves too seriously. In the film’s titular role are two brothers, Stephen and Bloom, who we first see as adolescents shipped from one foster home to another. The brothers are always in trouble because Stephen, the older one, has a knack for concocting intricate stories in which Bloom is the leading man in some farfetched con.

Fast forward about a quarter-century and Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrien Brody) are stilling hoodwinking people around the world. Stephen remains the guiding force of all cons, a situation that starts to chafe on the impressionable Bloom, who’s starting to think he should lead an “unwritten life,” at least one not dreamed up by his visionary, meddling sibling. Threatening to quit the game, Bloom is prevailed upon to take part in one last grand scam. Of course, writer and director Rian Johnson (“Brick”) acts on the clever conceit that the audience fully anticipates that things should go horribly wrong, and he does little to dissuade us from that thought. Mr. Johnson appears to be as big a con artist as his characters, and that proves to a good reason why “The Brothers Bloom” is so much fun.

The brothers find their target in a delectable eccentric. Penelope (Rachel Weisz) is a bored, pretty New Jersey heiress who lives alone in a castle-like mansion and drives fast sports car that she cannot handle. Living on her own for so long, Penelope has developed many strange hobbies, which are hilariously explored in an extended montage. Once again, following a script written by his brother, Bloom has to insinuate himself into Penelope’s life, baiting her to join him on a cruise to Greece. She impulsively joins Bloom at the last minute, crashing her car at the docks for good measure.

On board the ocean liner, Penelope is convinced she’s happened upon the adventure of a lifetime and offers to bankroll a million dollar deal. For the grand adventure, Stephen brings along the sexy Japanese explosives expert Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi), who brings added comic relief with her ability to deliver physical comedy with a bare minimum of words. As the quartet makes its way from Athens to Prague to Mexico to St. Petersburg, Penelope becomes addicted to the illicit thrills while she and Bloom grow ever closer in a romantic affair. Meanwhile, the relationships between these disparate characters are so important that the heist of a national treasure is merely an afterthought.

Stephen is a real pro at card tricks, and the attendant sleight-of-hand is an apt metaphor for what is happening in “The Brothers Bloom.” Everything is an elaborate trick, which the film readily acknowledges with a wink and a nod. Aside from some great banter and witty dialogue, the real fun of this film is that the main players are mostly disreputable characters possessed of an infectious charm. The terrific acting turns the whole con game into something truly entertaining. The only drawback is that Robbie Coltrane as an antiquities smuggler and Maximilian Schell as the con artist mentor to the brothers appear to be largely wasted. On the other hand, the film’s globetrotting spirit is a decided bonus.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
While we are on the subject of con artists, this is as good a time as any to tell you about the DVD release of “Yonkers Joe,” a film that may be familiar to only a handful of filmgoers. In the titular role is Chazz Palminteri, a dice hustling crooked gambler named Joe who is determined to make one last grab for a big score in Vegas. His life becomes complicated by the reappearance of his estranged, developmentally disabled son. In efforts to pull off a contrived big win with enough to send his son to private school, Joe learns lesson in fatherhood and love. A high-stakes con film intertwined with a moving family drama, “Yonkers Joe” has a few tricks up its sleeve.

REJUVENATED “STAR TREK” THRILLS WITH STUNNING ACTION
A Film Review by Tim Riley

STAR TREK (Rated PG-13) If I ever have to face a congressional inquiry on the matter of allegiance to a science-fiction franchise, I can easily say that I am not now and never have been a Trekker. For the uninitiated, a Trekker has followed the prolific “Star Trek” industry of endless TV series and movie spin-offs since the days of the Lyndon Johnson administration. Indeed, we are talking ancient history, which explains the desire of Paramount Pictures, director J.J. Abrams and writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman to rejuvenate the franchise and deliver something more appealing to an audience not yet drawing Social Security. As a non-Trekker, I think they have succeeded admirably to reboot the whole package with great thrills, explosive action and character-driven drama, while tossing in some humor and wit for good measure.

Following on the heels of last week’s “X-Men” prequel, “Star Trek” is an equally good prelude, bringing vigorous new life to a moribund franchise that has lost its cachet in modern pop culture. This new “Star Trek” should, for all the right reasons, revive interest in its futuristic adventures for audiences young and old. To be sure, the old-line Trekkers may find some elements objectionable and lacking the requisite purity. As a more disinterested party, I find the latest and improved “Star Trek” to be a very welcome development. Right from the start, the movie begins with a bang, as the U.S.S. Kelvin battles a Romulan vessel in outer space.

We are quickly introduced to a George Kirk, who briefly assumes command of the Kelvin before disaster strikes. At the same time, Kirk’s wife, shuttled to safety with other crew members, gives birth to their baby boy, James Tiberius Kirk.

After the dazzling space battle, the film settles into a stretch of the childhood development of James T. Kirk, who is portrayed as an undisciplined, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. As the brash Kirk (Chris Pine) matures to adulthood, he remains a brooding rebel, though full of smarts and charm. At first, he rejects overtures to join the Starfleet Academy, but then, after spotting the

U.S.S. Enterprise under construction, he can’t resist signing up for what is sure to be his destiny. Life at the Academy puts him into conflict with a young Spock (Zachary Quinto), who tends to think he’s smarter than anyone else. The interesting thing about the young Spock is that because his mother (Winona Ryder, in a brief role) is human, he fights an internal battle with his Vulcan upbringing.

Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) spots the great potential in the young Kirk, probably weighing his leadership skills and independent thinking as more valuable than cool-headed reason. Hey, that’s why we have Spock on board. In fact, Kirk and Spock don’t exactly hit it off like a pair of old drinking buddies marooned in a cantina. During a grueling set of exams, Spock charges Kirk with cheating, nearly derailing the young cadet’s desire to hook up with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Early on, Kirk made friends with Medical Officer Leonard “Bones” McCoy (Karl Urban), who affords a clever way for his buddy to make passage on the spaceship as it starts a dangerous mission.

The very existence of Vulcan is under attack from the renegade Romulan forces under the command of Captain Nero (Eric Bana). Compared to the stylish beauty of the Enterprise, the dark, gargantuan Romulan mining vessel, the Narada, looks ugly and threatening, and it is equipped with a massive drilling device that will blow up any planet. When Pike is taken hostage, Kirk and Spock wrestle over control of the Enterprise, leading to Kirk’s banishment to an ice planet. Caught it the middle of the struggle are the familiar faces in the crew, including communications officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana), navigator Sulu (John Cho) and whiz kid Chekov (Anton Yelchin).

Some of the great fun in “Star Trek” is finding out how the Enterprise crew came together in their early days. During his exile, Kirk teams up with engineer Scotty (Simon Pegg, who brings just the right amount of comic relief). Stuck with a bunch of turbines in an underground bunker, Scotty is relieved to encounter another human, but what he most wants is just a sandwich. Leonard Nimoy enters the picture as Spock Prime (don’t ask me to explain this, because it has something to do with time travel or something). In any case, Kirk and Scotty make their way back to the Enterprise just in time for the epic battle with Nero and his Romulan thugs.

“Star Trek” is so thrilling and exciting that it’s possible to overlook or forget the 40 years plus of the franchise’s development. It all starts anew with a great cast of young characters, full of vitality and exuberance. “Star Trek” is well worth seeing and should go forth boldly with more adventures. One can only hope they come up with better villains the next time. The Romulan thugs are not very impressive, with Eric Bana’s tattooed Nero looking more like a street punk hoping to join a heavy metal band than the scary villain he should be.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
One of the best action movies of the year, filled with suspense and gut-wrenching excitement, is “Taken,” and now it is finally in release on DVD. Liam Neeson is superb as the former CIA operative who’s estranged from his teenage daughter, but desperately wants to reconnect with her. His chance arrives under the most unfortunate circumstances.

When his daughter is kidnapped by a ruthless Albanian gang on a Paris vacation, Leeson’s special skills and killer instinct will come in handy when he turns into a one-man army in search of the abductors. With precious little time to locate his daughter, Neeson skips the diplomatic protocol and launches into a full-scale war against some really bad dudes, one of whom he subjects to very effective electrical torture during an interrogation. The ACLU might not want you to enjoy this film, but it did exceedingly well at the box office.

THRILLS, STUNNING ACTION STIR THE ORIGINS OF “X-MEN”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (Rated PG-13) If George Lucas can do prequels for his “Star Wars” franchise, then why not do the same for the Marvel Comics series of “X-Men” films? As far as I am concerned, there should be little argument that “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” comes out on top as a far better prequel. In fact, it could be better than some of the original “X-Men” trilogy, or perhaps I just have a faulty memory, which also explains my inability to recall another movie I saw a few nights ago. Okay, I digress, but “Wolverine,” the preferred shortened title, does a bang-up job of delivering the action goods.

For the first time, we learn that Hugh Jackman’s Logan (nicknamed Wolverine) is roughly about 175 years old. The film opens with him as a sickly child before the Civil War, and after a terrible family mishap, he’s on the run with his brother Victor Creed. In a montage of war footage that would do well in a John Wayne movie, we see both Wolverine and Victor (Liev Schreiber) as soldiers fighting for the Union during the Civil War. Then we see them fighting in World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War. We don’t see them with Teddy Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War, or even in Grenada or Desert Storm, and we don’t know why they missed this action. But it goes without saying that Jackman looks terrific, with rippling muscles and all, as a guy closing in on being a double centenarian.

In the relatively contemporary times, Logan and Victor team up with a band of mercenaries under the command of Colonel Stryker (Danny Huston). They are sold on the idea that they are actually part of an elite special team known as Team X, comprised of mutants possessing powers that make them relentless. Ostensibly, they are going to pursue and destroy mutants that pose a threat to the world. But as everyone knows, Stryker has his own diabolical plans to create a super-mutant, one who harnesses all the special powers into one unstoppable force. On a disastrous mission in Nigeria, Logan decides to walk away from the group in disgust.

Years later, Logan is living in the Canadian forest, working as a lumberjack and sharing a woodsy home with his teacher girlfriend Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins). The beautiful romance turns tragic when Victor tracks down his brother and decides to kill Kayla only so that Logan, who acquired the nickname Wolverine from his girlfriend, will rejoin the mercenary force. It’s a strange way to recruit, but Wolverine rejoins Team X with the intention of exacting revenge on Victor. In what looks like a Frankenstein experiment, Stryker convinces Wolverine to undergo a dangerous operation that will turn him into a virtually indestructible force, as his entire body is reinforced with a metal alloy called adamantium.

Though Wolverine is often consumed by rage, he’s hardly the brutal fighter like his brother Victor. Still, revenge is very much on his mind, which explains his deal with Styker. However, Wolverine emerges from the painful ordeal of his transformation to face yet another betrayal and an epic showdown with the next generation of Stryker’s military experiments, hidden away on Three Mile Island. Stryker has been busy abducting mutants to fulfill his twisted mandate of turning them into weapons, the deadliest of which is Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), who once was a motormouth with the wittiest lines of dialogue.

Fans of the “X-Men” franchise will likely be thrilled with the cast of so many interesting characters on Team X, from the fearsome Agent Zero (Daniel Henney), an expert tracker with lethal marksmanship skills, to Fred J. Dukes (Kevin Durand), a supreme warrior who let himself go and became a 700-pound behemoth known as the Blob as well as the fiercest boxer in the land. The comic book fans are also going to be excited that this film marks the first presence of Gambit (Taylor Kitsch), a flamboyant New Orleans card shark who also goes by the name of Remy LeBeau. Gambit has special skills that involve the creative use of a deck of playing cards.

Hugh Jackman, who also has a new role as the film’s producer, is quoted in the press notes as saying that he had more “fun playing Wolverine in this film than ever before.” Ordinarily, this type of gratuitous statement could be dismissed for hype, but given how much excitement is found in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” it seems to ring true. What’s truly great about this film is the fast-paced action keeps the level of excitement humming all the way through, while the characters prove to be interesting and some great humor is tossed in to heighten the fun.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Probably one of the stranger shows on TV is “Dexter,” the Showtime series that is quirky and eerily subversive. Michael C. Hall stars as Dexter Morgan, a killer who serves as the series’ hero and star in a unique crime drama that is equally horrifying and intoxicating. The second season of “Dexter” featured guest performances from an array of stars, including Keith Carradine, JoBeth Williams and Jaime Murray. Now in DVD release, “Dexter: The Complete Second Season” also offers a bunch of special features, in addition to the first two episodes of the Showtime series “United States of Tara.”   

ODY SWAP OF “17 AGAIN” DELIVERS THE EXPECTED LAUGHS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

17 AGAIN (Rated PG-13) Though I have no personal knowledge on the matter, Zac Efron is often described as a teen heartthrob, mainly for his starring role in “High School Musical.” So it seems only fitting that he’s the titular figure in “17 Again,” reliving his glory days as a high school basketball star who also displays a few nifty dance moves. The thought that the charismatic Zac may appeal strongly to the teenage girl demographic is not so hard to fathom once you see him in action on and off the court. Then, I started wondering how I got sucked into seeing this movie, before remembering my solemn duties as a movie reviewer.

Surprisingly, “17 Again” is better than expected, even if the old body swapping routine has played itself out over a number of years. The film starts in 1989 with Mike O’Donnell (Zac Efron) as the star player on his high school team with a college scout in the stands ready to sign him to a scholarship. Before the game gets underway, Mike discovers from his girlfriend Scarlet (Allison Miller) that she’s pregnant. At that very moment, with a bright future in his grasp, Mike tosses it all away to share his life with Scarlet and the baby he just learned they are expecting.

Nearly twenty years later, Mike has sadly turned into Matthew Perry, meaning that he lost his good looks as well as his future. Mike’s once-bright future has been overshadowed by a dead-end job. Even worse, his wife Scarlet (now Leslie Mann) is divorcing him, and his teenage kids Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Alex (Sterling Knight) think he is a loser. Upon seeing Michelle Trachtenberg as the teen daughter, I got this thought that the body swapping business has gone too far. It was five years ago that Michelle played a college student in “EuroTrip,” and now she’s back in high school. Maybe it’s a case of reverse aging, and she’s the female version of Brad Pitt’s Benjamin Button.

After a seemingly chance encounter with a mysterious janitor (Brian Doyle Murray) at his old high school, Mike is given a miraculous gift. Gazing upon a mirror, he discovers he’s been magically transformed back to the age of 17, at least in physical appearance. Inwardly, Mike’s still an adult, capable of remembering everything. To get his second shot in life, he moves into the house of his eccentric, wealthy buddy Ned Gold (Thomas Lennon), who pretends to be Mike’s uncle in order to enroll in high school. The dorky Ned gets a lot of laughs for his inept flirtations with the high school principal (Melora Hardin).

Picking up virtually where he left off, young Mike struts his stuff once again, becoming a star basketball player faster than you can say “Magic Johnson.” Yeah, Mike is on a path to becoming the big man on campus, but he has to exercise responsibility as he can’t ignore the fact that his own kids have become his classmates. Wisely, he chooses to save Maggie from making bad decisions with regards to her obnoxious boyfriend, a star athlete abusive to many other students, including Alex. Mike also helps Alex to come out of his shell, pushing him to join the basketball team and to get the girl of his dreams.

Of course, there’s more to life than just the glory of becoming the school’s star basketball player. As Mike gets closer to his own kids than he ever did as a father, he comes to realize that he really loves Scarlet and wants to win her back. Naturally, this poses some real challenges since the grown-up Scarlet sees Mike as an ungainly teenager, though she becomes confused about some feelings towards Alex’s “new friend” with the uncanny resemblance to the her husband. Without causing too much discomfort, the film touches upon ever so briefly on the May-December implications of possible romance.
“17 Again” usually.

POLITICAL THRILLER “STATE OF PLAY” DELIVERS NIFTY TWISTS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

STATE OF PLAY (Rated PG-13) Merely from the standpoint of being in the print journalism business, I find enjoyable a political thriller that, much like “All the President’s Men,” takes pleasure in casting a major newspaper in the central role of breaking the truly big story. In this modern age of blogging and the 24 hour per day cable news cycle, you just don’t often see the major scoop being played out in the morning edition. Now, along comes “State of Play,” set in our nation’s capital but based on a BBC TV series, to revive some good old-fashioned journalistic nostalgia.

Today’s Woodward and Bernstein is an odd couple pairing of grizzled veteran Cal McAffrey (a rumpled, shaggy-haired Russell Crowe) and pert newbie Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), young, pretty and smart. At the outset, they have nothing in common, particularly in professional outlook. A newsroom dinosaur, Cal steadfastly believes in digging deeply for the truth, no matter how long it takes to produce a story. For her part, Della is a blogger who seeks the instant gratification of publishing gossip, no matter how thin the veracity of her exposures.

Under usual circumstances, these disparate players in the newsroom would never come together. But an odd string of events at the opening conspires to create a new dream team working the beat in Washington, D.C. “State of Play” begins with a thief, having snatched a briefcase, being gunned down in an alley, while an innocent bystander, a deliveryman riding on a bicycle, is also shot and critically wounded. Another seemingly unrelated event has a young congressional aide, Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer) falling to her death on the tracks of an oncoming Metro train.

Was the death of the Capitol Hill staffer a suicide, a fateful accident or a premeditated murder? The questions begin to swirl when it is discovered that Sonia was apparently more than just a researcher for Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) in his quest to grill a shadowy military contracting firm during subcommittee hearings. The photogenic Collins is being groomed for higher office, which is apparent when party leader and veteran Congressman Fergus (Jeff Daniels) seeks to reign in Collins’ penchant to be a flashy show horse in search of headlines.

Meanwhile, back at the Washington Globe, where crusty editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) is under pressure from the new corporate owners to sell more papers, the looming story is the infidelity of the Clintonesque congressman, seeing how he’s still married to his wife Anne (Robin Wright Penn). But Cal knows that the latest D.C. sex scandal has a limited shelf life, particularly when the aggrieved spouse puts on a good show. Of course, things could go wrong anyway (remember the tortured look on the face of disgraced Governor Spitzer’s wife as she stood by as the dutiful, supportive spouse).

An abundance of political skullduggery is going on, starting with the congressional hearings into the sleazy doings of the military contractor. Plenty of red herrings are tossed around like it was Friday at the local fish market. On top of the political intrigue, there’s the not-so-small matter of Cal having had an affair with Anne, though it is unclear whether this happened in college or later. The relevance of this fact is that Cal is an old college chum of Congressman Collins, as they were roommates. Now, Cal has to tiptoe around this long-standing friendship while digging deeply into an investigation that just might not turn out so well for the rising political star.

The machinations of “State of Play” invite a rooting interest in Crowe’s Cal McAffrey and McAdams’ Della Frye, partly because they have such an odd chemistry, but mostly for their intrepid dedication to ferreting out the truth regardless of personal danger. Ben Affleck comes through reliably with his usual wooden delivery (how did this guy become a star?). Many of the secondary characters are more fun to watch, including a bunch of eccentric journalists contributing feverishly to assist Cal and Della for a story literally holding up the presses. Jason Bateman’s juicy role of a dodgy political fixer delivers a delicious amount of seediness and sleaze that is alternately funny and pathetic.

“State of Play” nimbly threads elements of conspiracy, suspense, duplicity, intrigue and foul play, while deftly adding punch to the thriller with plenty of good dialogue. Though smart, intelligent storytelling, the film ultimately suffers the common fate of so many other thrillers. The central plot winds up with a few too many twists for its own good, spiraling out of control at the end. Still, it’s fun to watch, especially if you don’t give it ample thought later on.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
The sixth season of the popular crime TV series “Hawaii Five-O” arrives on DVD with all 24 episodes digitally remastered and in full screen format. Running on CBS for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, this long-running series holds up much better than one might expect. The constant figure in all seasons was Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett, the head of a state police agency that had a wide jurisdiction, from pursuing crime lords, fighting espionage, and to just solving the murders of anonymous street people.

If you enjoy cop dramas with plenty of action, you can’t improve on the steady, reliable appeal of the “Five-O” squad doggedly hunting their suspects. “Hawaii Five-O” offers the comforting reassurance of successful crime-fighting when McGarrett barks “Book ‘em, Danno.” The DVD release skips the customary cast interviews and other trivia tidbits; the special feature consists only of episodic promos on certain select episodes.

DARK COMEDY “OBSERVE AND REPORT” SHOCKS THE SENSES
A Film Review by Tim Riley

OBSERVE AND REPORT (Rated R) Not your typical matinee idol type of movie star, Seth Rogen is familiar to fans of Judd Apatow comedies as the lovable, unkempt slob featured in “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” Moreover, he’s played the same type in other non-Apatow comedies, including most recently “Pineapple Express.” Whether by accident or design, Rogen takes a sharp turn in another direction in one of the bleakest black comedies, creating a character that is edgier and more intense than Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando rolled into one. Under no circumstance should “Observe and

Report,” thematically similar to the comedy “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” be considered as anything remotely family-friendly. Unlike some of his previous ventures, Seth Rogen is not a creative force behind “Observe and Report,” only lending his acting talent to the cause of making the head of security at a suburban mall an obnoxious, psychotic brute. To say that “Observe and Report” is a dark comedy is an understatement, sort of like describing “Taxi Driver” as nothing more than an innocuous character study. Rogen’s mall cop Ronnie Barnhardt is so often whipped into a frenzied state and holding delusions of grandeur that it wouldn’t be surprising if he suddenly started repeating “You talkin’ to me” in front of a mirror.

Superficially, Rogen’s Ronnie has a lot in common with Kevin James’ lovable Paul Blart, such as a fierce dedication to a menial job, a crush on a pretty mall clerk, and living at home with his mom. But Ronnie is unhinged in the perverse way that makes him anything but an object of sympathy like Blart. Overbearing and self-important, Ronnie thrives on what little power he wields over his underlings, the fawning, lisping Dennis (Michael Pena) and the pair of gun-loving nitwits Matt and John (John Yuan and Matthew Yuan) who just happen to be twins.

When not treating the sweet coffee shop girl Nell (Collette Wolfe) with obvious condescension, Ronnie blindly pursues the hot makeup counter clerk Brandi (Anna Faris), his elusive dream girl. An obvious tramp with no morals, Brandi won’t give Ronnie the time of day, but nonetheless goes out on a date with him if only to take advantage of his generosity in covering the bar tab. Of course, this so-called date leads Ronnie to think there’s much more substance to their relationship than meets the eye.

Meanwhile, the mall is besieged by a flasher who chases unsuspecting women around the parking lot. Ronnie swings into action after Brandi is the latest victim, which allows him to pursue his ulterior motives. And then after a few stores are hit by a nighttime robbery, the local police get involved when Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta) arrives on the scene. The police detective is smug to the point that he’s soon engaged in a turf war with Ronnie, who’s actually livid that mall management would call in the police. Ronnie obsesses on his single-minded pursuit of glory in solving the case and soon tangles with Detective Harrison.

In what is one of the film’s many subplots, Ronnie decides that he is going to get into the police academy, finally realizing his dream of carrying a gun and a real badge. Of course, this leads to even more confrontations with Detective Harrison, who as part of an initiation in a ride-along dumps Ronnie in a bad part of town, leaving him to fend off a gang of vicious drug dealers. To the detective’s dismay, things are going pretty well for Ronnie at the police academy training camp, at least until he ends up in an interview with the psychologist, revealing his bipolar disorder and an unnatural fondness for guns and violence.

There are so many weird things happening in “Observe and Report” that it’s hard to wrap up a cohesive rundown of these strange events. There are the tender moments with his loving, alcoholic mother (Celia Weston), which is contrasted by his explosive, profane verbal altercations with Middle Eastern kiosk vendor Saddamn (Aziz Ansari). The flasher (Randy Gambill), an obese, pasty middle-aged guy, runs around completely naked, showing too much full frontal nudity.

“Observe and Report” is a bleak dark comedy, one that is certain to make many, if not most, people uncomfortable, which apparently seems to be what writer and director Jody Hill is aiming to do. Humor, as it is employed here, seems geared more to shock value than generating hearty laughs.

But there are times that the film is indeed funny, although one nervously anticipates that things will soon go horribly off the tracks. At other times, it is just hard to know what to make of this film.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Talented actress Kate Winslet, often nominated for Oscar awards, finally achieved her first statuette for a portrayal of a mysterious older woman in post-World War II Germany engaged in a torrid summertime affair with a young local boy in “The Reader.” A young Michael (David Kross) is heartbroken when Hanna (Kate Winslet) inexplicably disappears after their passionate summer together, only to have her re-enter his life eight years later when he is a law student and she is on trial for Nazi war crimes committed long before they met.

Michael must then decide whether to use a secret that only he knows in order to save his onetime love from a life in prison. Already regarded as a masterpiece, “The Reader” also earned Academy Award nominations in key categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. The DVD release includes 12 deleted scenes as well as cast and director interviews and other featurettes on the film’s production.

ACTION THRILLS ARE ALL IN THE NAME OF “FAST & FURIOUS”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

FAST & FURIOUS (Rated PG-13) Sometimes a movie’s title tells you mostly what you need to know about its content. “Fast & Furious” is one of those movies, all the more so if you recall the original “The Fast and the Furious.” In fact, you could skip the two sequels that followed the original, because this latest version reunites all the original stars, including the famously inexpressive Vin Diesel and the handsome mannequin Paul Walker, respectively replaying their roles of gang leader and undercover cop in the world of street racing.

The most anyone really needs to know about “Fast & Furious” is that if they enjoyed the action thrills of the street racing in the original, and even found interest in the first two sequels, then they will find this latest installment likely to be equally enjoyable. However, don’t expect any brilliant acting or sharp, witty dialogue. Everything is geared to the action, and when the film slows down for a few dramatic moments, you just have to be patient. “Fast & Furious” has a certain charm for its cheesy dialogue, because it is truly laughable when spoken by the emotionless Vin Diesel.

The film opens with great promise in what is probably one of the most stunning action sequences involving a high-speed chase of a hijacking of cargo. It’s the sort of thing the filmmakers of a James Bond or Jason Bourne film would love to emulate. Heck, I might go so far as to say that the first 15 or so minutes of the film would be reason enough, or perhaps the only reason, to pick up the eventual DVD release. This exhilarating chase scene is set in the Dominican Republic, where Diesel’s Dom Torreto is teamed up with his girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and his crew of street racers to pull off a major heist.

I don’t want to give away one of the film’s real surprises, so we’ll just cut to Los Angeles where Walker’s Brian O’Conner is working as an FBI agent investigating a Mexican drug cartel operation that is using the underworld of street racing to haul contraband across the border in underground tunnels. Does the Department of Homeland Security know about this network of tunnels that are used with impunity? Anyway, I digress, but it is easy for the mind to wander when watching this kind of mindless action fun.

Meanwhile, Dom returns to Los Angeles, where his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) still lives. Just to refresh your memory, Mia’s important role in the first film is that she was Brian’s love interest, until learning his true identity. Will the romantic sparks fly once more? Not if Dom has anything to say about it. However, Dom’s return to the City of Angels has something to do with the same Mexican drug cartel that Brian is now pursuing. Dom’s interest is revenge, while Brian wants to put the gang out of business. Their interests conflict and coincide when they both compete in street races to fill a slot in the cartel’s drug running operation.

One of them wins the race in a disputed fashion, but the other soon finds a way into the operation as well. So these old adversaries put aside their differences and forge the tentative truce that just might get them out of some tight spots alive. Dom and Brian are dealing with some particularly nasty people, the names of which I don’t recall, but it doesn’t really matter because they are the kind of standard issue bad guys who make the perfect caricature of psychotic drug bosses and their snarling henchmen. Not surprisingly, the bad guys eventually get their just desserts, but first we get treated to a bunch of more thrilling street races, which of course is the main point of this film.

“Fast & Furious” is all about redundancy, namely reliving the kind of thrilling street races that have made the franchise a mindless but fun action ride. Anyone who enjoyed the first film will probably find enjoyment in the exciting action of this one as well. Just like on previous occasions, “Fast & Furious” also populates its illegal street racing world with loads of scantily-attired hot babes, as if they were auditioning for a photo shoot in Maxim magazine.

ROMANCE SPARKS SILLY LAUGHS IN “I LOVE YOU, MAN”
A Film Review by Tim Riley

I LOVE YOU, MAN (Rated R) A serious relationship between heterosexual guys is apparently called a “bromance,” a term I would never use, but which nevertheless feels appropriate for “I Love You, Man.” The simple premise of this comedy is that a successful Los Angeles real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, discovers to his dismay that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man. But just as a fling with a member of the opposite sex could destroy an impending marriage, the possibility of too much male bonding poses risks which are explored comically in this film from writer and director John Hamburg (“Along Came Polly”).

Paul Rudd, who has played as close to a straight man as possible in a series of comedies, is the hopelessly clueless metrosexual Peter Klaven, who is described as a “girlfriend guy” because he relates well to women. The girl of his dreams is Zooey (Rashida Jones), perky, smart and beautiful. They appear to be an unlikely match. Peter has few interests outside of his work. Zooey is surrounded by close friends. After proposing to Zooey, Peter realizes that he has no close friends with whom to share the good news. Peter is not even that close to his own father (J.K. Simmons) and his younger brother Robbie (Andy Samberg). Then, Peter learns that his lack of male friendship worries his future bride.

Maybe the reason Peter doesn’t have any close friends is that he’s just too predictable, sincere and plain boring. To rectify the situation, he turns to his cool brother Robbie, a personal trainer who is gay and seems to know a thing or two about guys. With Robbie’s help, Peter embarks on a series of arranged “man-dates” which turn out to be predictably disastrous, as we’ve seen a number of times in romantic comedies. These so-called dates are funny, even when things are a bit uncomfortable and unsettling. In life as well as in comedy, you never seem to meet the right person when trying too hard.

Finally, while Peter is hosting an open house for the Hollywood Hills mansion owned by Lou Ferrigno, there’s an accidental encounter with Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), a rather slovenly character who seems to be enjoying the assortment of finger sandwiches. A charismatic confirmed bachelor, Sydney cruises open houses to enjoy the hospitality and to meet lonely divorcees. Peter is intrigued with Sydney’s carefree attitude, and the two men embark on a friendship that teaches Peter something he’s never experienced, the true meaning of male bonding.

But Peter’s attempts at bonding are often awkward and painful to watch. He’s not accustomed to bantering with buddies, and he’ll come up with the most ridiculous and inept nicknames for his newfound friend. Basically, Peter’s a dork ill at ease with other males, which is obvious at work when he can’t deal with another aggressive male broker or when he clumsily tries to fit in at poker night with Barry (Jon Favreau), the husband of one of Zooey’s girlfriends who happens to be hilariously disagreeable.

Even though Peter seems at first discomforted in forging his ties with Sydney, he nevertheless finds the type of bond that has eluded him before. Sydney is the polar opposite of Peter. Apparently making money in investments, Sydney lives a bohemian lifestyle in a cottage near the Venice Beach boardwalk. He’s turned his garage into a man cave, which is fully equipped with a flatscreen TV, wet bar and musical equipment for jam sessions. Peter and Sydney also discover a mutual passion for the rock trio Rush. The two spend a lot of time playing music together, with Peter ditching work more frequently.

Naturally, as the relationship between Peter and Sydney flowers into one of serious male bonding, Zooey feels threatened as the level of fraternal immaturity continues to rise. Her discomfort is particularly acute at the engagement party when Sydney makes a toast that embarrassingly reveals details of sexual intimacy. “I Love You, Man” is often silly and just plain funny, especially when Paul Rudd makes his character so desperate to fit in. There’s plenty of the obligatory dumb physical humor, but the truly funny stuff comes from observant dialogue and self-conscious behavior.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
This is a good week for James Bond fans. First, “Quantum of Solace” is being released in a two-disc special edition DVD with several behind-the-scenes featurettes. In a matter of just two films, Daniel Craig has firmly established himself as the James Bond for a new generation, and yet he brings toughness to the role that recalls the original James Bond, none other than Sean

Connery. “Quantum of Solace” starts where “Casino Royale” ended, with James Bond pursuing those responsible for the death of his flame Vesper Lynd. Forced to work without the help of MI6, Bond partners with Camille (Olga Kurylenko), a pretty young woman on her own quest for justice, and together they travel the globe seeking retribution. Also being released is “Never Say Never Again Collector’s Edition.” This is the last Bond film made by Sean Connery, even though it was outside the orbit of the official Bond films. To sure, this film was released on DVD long ago, but this version contains some new features, including commentary from the noted Bond historian Steven Ray Rubin. The Bond aficionado will certain desire both of these DVDs.

GRIM, BRUTAL, SADISTIC “LAST HOUSE” SHOULD BE CONDEMNED
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (Rated R) Apart from enjoying time off, there are certain times when it would be nice to be on vacation if for no other reason than to be excused from reviewing a particular film. That time would be now. But no, I was stuck in a darkened theater watching a remake of Wes Craven’s “The Last House on the Left,” now directed by Greek filmmaker Dennis Iliadis. Not being a devoted fan of horror films, I have never seen the Wes Craven original, and this latest version, graphically brutal and grisly, leaves me with no burning desire to catch up with what I missed.

From the very outset, and as a warning to parents, it must be noted that “The Last House on the Left” is so over-the-top violent, brutal and gruesome in its depiction of sadistic behavior that it has to be one of the most repugnant films of recent times. However, I say this without having seen any of the “Saw” films, which I imagine were also hideous and ghastly. I am not sure why there is such a market for this type of horror, but the only possible saving grace is that vengeance is usually exacted upon the perpetrators of evil, leading to some sort of redemption.

The film begins with the Collingwood family going on vacation to their remote lakeside summer home. John (Tony Goldwyn), a surgeon, and his wife Emma (Monica Potter), joined by teen daughter Mari (Sara Paxton), are still getting over the loss of their son from the year before. Shortly after arriving at the lake, Mari decides to go out for the evening with her friend Paige (Martha MacIsaac). The girls meet a rather shy young man, Justin (Spencer Treat Clark), who invites them to a motel room to smoke a few joints.

Their pleasant fun is soon interrupted by the arrival of Justin’s malicious father, Krug (Garret Dillahunt), his Uncle (Aaron Paul), and his father’s girlfriend Sadie (Riki Lindhome). One of them is an escaped convict and they are all wanted for murder. The girls are seen as posing a risk, and so they are kidnapped for a ride into the woods. Both girls are brutally assaulted. Mari is victimized by a rape so violent and atrocious that it is extremely painful to watch. This is shock cinema at its worst, resulting in brutality so extreme that it seriously offends good sense.

The upshot is that the badly battered and sodomized Mari is left for dead in the forest, while the malefactors seek shelter from the stormy weather. Being in the middle of nowhere, this leads them to the Collingwood lakeside home, where John and Emma, obviously unaware of what has transpired, invite them to take refuge in the guest house. For a time, there’s a decent buildup of tension, knowing the hosts and the visitors are unaware of each other’s relationship to Mari. Though I won’t reveal the details, the film veers off into the revenge thriller when John and Emma become alert to the vicious thugs in their midst and decide to fight back for vengeance.

“The Last House on the Left” is full of sadistic, grisly violence, especially the heinous and seemingly endless rape scene. It’s a form of torture having to sit through this mess. I can’t fathom any good reason to see this gruesome horror film and can only suggest that “The Last House on the Left” should be condemned. Had it not been for a prior commitment, I would have been able to attend the screening of “Race to Witch Mountain,” affording the opportunity to write about something undoubtedly better and far less traumatizing.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
As a contrast to this week’s movie review, I want to tell you about the DVD release of “Azur & Asmar: The Princes’ Quest,” a family entertainment of brilliant animation realized by acclaimed French filmmaker Michel Ocelot.

The fairytale story involves two children who grew up together. Azur, the blue-eyed son of a nobleman, and Amar, the dark-eyed child of a nurse, listened to enchanting stories, but their favorite was about a beautiful fairy waiting to be released from captivity by a good and heroic prince.

The two boys are as close as brothers, until the day Azur’s father cruelly separates them, banishing Asmar from his home and sending Azur away to private school. Years later, Azur and Asmar are reunited, but as grown-ups they become rivals in the quest to rescue a beautiful fairy princess. “Azur & Asmar: The Princes’ Quest” is a magical story that is made even more enchanting about the superior quality of its colorful animation.

 

GRAPHIC WORLD OF “WATCHMEN” BLAZES WITH VIOLENCE
A Film Review by Tim Riley

WATCHMEN (Rated R) A “graphic novel” would appear to the uninitiated to be an extended comic book, albeit one that is exceedingly complicated and involves multi-layered storytelling. That’s the impression a neophyte such as myself takes from the most cursory review of Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel “Watchmen,” which won the prestigious Hugo Award and once appeared on Time magazine’s list of the 100 best English-language novels.

As source material for a movie, “Watchmen” has been deemed by many to be “unfilmable.” But that didn’t stop powerful studios from legal battles over the right to make the film. Director Zack Snyder, who gained fame for his stylized work in the “300,” attempts to do the same for “Watchmen,” creating a complex world for costumed superheroes that have been outlawed and driven underground by a society that once revered them but then grew to fear and despise them.

Respecting the source material is undoubtedly a massive challenge, but apparently Snyder wanted to bring “Watchmen” to life by emphasizing the time period of 1985 America. Others more familiar with the novel may have to judge his success on that score, but I surmise the director sincerely endeavored to capture the palpable anxiety and unease of the alternative universe in which President Nixon is serving his fifth term in office and the Doomsday Clock charting tension with the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War is edging closer to midnight.

Ostensibly, “Watchmen” is a murder mystery, although a complex, elaborate adventure that reeks of conspiracy. In this alternate 1985 America, the once legendary crime fighters known as the Watchmen are now retired superheroes. Brutal violence rears its ugly head right at the start when one of the former colleagues is murdered. Eddie Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), otherwise known as The Comedian, is tossed out of the window of his high-rise Manhattan apartment after an intense fight. The Comedian was once a masked superhero, but he didn’t have any super powers.

Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), who defies a recently enacted law that forbids the wearing of masks, is an enigmatic character. His disguise is a mask with shifting inkblots. Oddly, he’s a sociopath with a sense of honor, which makes him not only one of the film’s most fascinating characters, but a crusader for an uncompromising pursuit of justice. In flashbacks, we learn that The Comedian was also seriously disturbed, particularly when he brutally raped a member of the squad and shot to death a pregnant woman during the Vietnam War.

By the way, it bears repeating that the “Watchmen” is so full of violence that it is, despite its comic book origins, totally unsuitable for younger viewers. When Rorschach is briefly detained in prison, there’s a chainsaw dismemberment of an inmate that recalls the most fearsome scene in “Scarface.” But then, without the masked crusaders performing their heroic deeds, the alternate world is falling into chaos, evident when Dan (Patrick Wilson) and Laurie (Malin Akerman) are ambushed in an alley by a gang of thugs.

That Dan and Laurie are able to fend off their attackers is due to their secret identity as Nite Owl and Silk Spectre, respectively. Laurie’s mother, Sally (Carla Gugino), was one of the original crew members. When in costume, Silk Spectre wears a latex outfit much sexier than Catwoman. Dan is kind of a nebbish who sheds his inhibitions only when in costume and piloting the Owl Ship.

There’s another story going on about Laurie’s former relationship with another superhero, Jon Osterman (Billy Crudup), a brilliant physicist who was exposed to radiation in a horrible lab accident. This mishap transformed Jon, who’s seen throughout the movie as blue-skinned and naked, into a remarkable being with real super powers.

Now he goes by the name of Dr. Manhattan, working for the government to devise a nuclear shield to prevent the impending Armageddon. Another enterprising member of the group is Adrian Veidt (Matthew Goode), a megalomaniac who thinks of himself as the smartest man in the world. Previously known as Ozymandias, Veidt has a strange affinity for the pharaohs and gave up his masked crusader career in order to cash in on his exploits with a line of merchandise that included action figures.

Now he dreams and acts upon world domination, setting up inevitable confrontation with former colleagues.
“Watchmen” is certainly an ambitious, visionary film that is often fascinating in parts, but the sum total doesn’t add up too well. Though Zack Snyder deserves credit for his stylistic approach, the film may prove less than satisfying for those unfamiliar with the graphic novel.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Every week, this update focuses on a recent or upcoming DVD release. Departing from the norm, I wanted to point out that there’s a treasure trove of material on vintage TV shows that is often overlooked. The A&E Network has done a remarkable job of issuing old British TV series. Recently, I had the chance to view several episodes a private eye series that aired in the United Kingdom in early 1970’s.

“The Protectors,” running for two seasons, starred Robert Vaughn and Nyree Dawn Porter as wealthy troubleshooters involved in international intrigue and sleuthing in exotic locations throughout Europe. Delivered in a half-hour format, the episodes are breezy fun, reminiscent of the style found in shows like the “The Saint” and “The Persuaders.” I believe there are 52 episodes in all, and with any luck, I will watch all of them over the next weeks or even months, if necessary.

SEEKING HUMOR IN “CONFESSIONS” DURING A TOUGH ECONOMY
A Film Review by Tim Riley

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC (Rated PG) This review is about a new comedy called “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” but I’ve got my own confession to make. Still suffering a nervous twitch every so often while recalling the trauma of watching the execrable “Sex and the City,” I was reluctant to attend the press screening of this latest homage to the culture of haute couture. But then, I thought the star of the film, Isla Fisher, was at least fun to watch, after recalling her antics in “Wedding Crashers.” Still, I just wanted to hold my opinions on this film in reserve in case I needed a new article.

Well, here it is, another week has come and I have nothing to write about. Maybe, the effects of last year’s writers strike are catching up to us, because the studios aren’t promoting any of their new movies this week or next, as far I can tell. That’s always a bad sign. By the way, I will not endure the self-inflicted torture of sitting through “Friday the 13th,” even though it inexplicably pulled in a high box office return. If we have to suffer a recession, is it too much to ask teenagers to not waste money on these dreadful horror films?

Okay, where was I? Oh, yes, this article is supposed to be about “Confessions of a Shopaholic.” Some critics have gotten on their high horse because they think it is unseemly to glorify excessive spending on high fashion during tough times. Frankly, a little consumer spending might be the stimulus we need. Yet, what’s unnerving about Isla Fisher’s Rebecca Bloomwood, the compulsive shopper, is her casual disregard for maxing out her credit cards with no obvious means to repay her debts. Doesn’t she know that only the Federal Government is allowed to be so reckless?

Now that we have established Rebecca lives beyond her means, let’s move on to the plot, such as it is. To save on rent money, Rebecca shares a Manhattan apartment with her best friend Suze (Krysten Ritter), but seems more interested in using the place as a gigantic closet for more shoes, clothes and handbags than she’ll need or use. Seeking new employment as a journalist, Rebecca wants to land a spot at a high-fashion magazine, but instead stumbles into a sister publication dedicated to financial matters. That she’s unqualified for the job is immaterial to her young handsome boss, British editor Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy), as he sees potential in her audacity.

Given a few improbable chances to make a go of business journalism, Rebecca stumbles into a surprisingly successful advice column entitled “The Girl in the Green Scarf” (a reference to an extravagant purchase made on the way to her job interview). In any case, Rebecca becomes a hit in the publishing world, and then she’s whisked off to a conference in Miami with her boss, where she enthralls business people with awkwardly insipid observations that are perceived as nuggets of wisdom. Well, I probably don’t need to tell you that a hint of romance is in the air between Rebecca and Luke, even though he’s been cozying up with a stunning, leggy beauty (Leslie Bibb) who works at the fashion magazine.

As Rebecca gains fame and public acclaim for her sage advice column, there are obstacles lurking everywhere. For one thing, nerdy collection agent Derek Smeath (Robert Stanton) stalks her constantly, threatening to unravel the tidy fiction she has created at work. Later on, the dogged collector gets some great laughs when Rebecca can no longer dodge him. Trying to cope with her addiction, Rebecca joins a Shopaholics Anonymous group, where the members, including a former NBA player (John Salley), nearly unravel as Rebecca rapturously describes the joys of shopping.

Other things go wrong when Rebecca has to cope with her well-meaning parents (Joan Cusack and John Goodman), and when she messes up her obligations as a bridesmaid. “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” based on a series of fluffy books by Sophie Kinsella, is admittedly not a movie made for my demographic group. But it had its moments of great fun, due in great measure to the enjoyably perky Isla Fisher, who displays natural gifts of physical comedy. At the very least, “Confessions,” with a pleasant central character, is far more enjoyable and infinitely superior to “Sex and the City,” which in my estimation remains one of the most annoying films of the decade.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
This space risks turning into an early warning center on DVD products to avoid. Unfortunately, I must report here that the cottage industry of teen sex comedies is running aground with some truly egregious DVD releases. The latest film to be shunned at all costs is “Extreme Movie,” a terrible example of what happens when about a dozen writers think they’re a clever collective. “Extreme Movie” revels in a series of sexual misadventures, connected only by a string of skits that misfire.

This raunchy comedy attempts to tap into the youth market by using familiar young actors like Michael Cera, Frankie Muniz and Jamie Kennedy, all of whom come off looking bad, particularly when involved in sketches dealing with farm animals and midgets. “American Pie” started out promisingly as a frisky teen comedy, before eventually flopping with an ever increasing run of backfiring sequels. “Extreme Movie” is not derivative of any particular teen comedy franchise, but it comes off tired, warn and insipid. The DVD comes with an audio commentary from the directors, but why would anyone subject themselves to more useless information.

INTENSE, ACTION PACKED “INTERNATIONAL” THRILLER DELIVERS
A Film Review by Tim Riley

THE INTERNATIONAL (Rated R) Very topical in its focus on shenanigans in the international banking community, “The International” is an intense, gripping thriller that captures the audience’s attention mainly for its exciting action, while secondarily touching upon the general angst over the current sad state of global economic affairs. Even though the bad guys are a bunch of slick, evil bankers worth rooting against, the film is less concerned with making any societal or political points than delivering a reckless, impetuous high-stakes chase across the globe in pursuit of relentless thrills. Despite its bland, nondescript title, “The International” is anything but dull.

As the film opens, Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen), formerly of Scotland Yard, is observing a colleague’s rendezvous with a bank insider in Berlin, just before things go horribly wrong. The fellow agent is victimized by foul play, while the insider is later discovered to have died in a mysterious auto accident. The scruffy Salinger, looking like he needs a stiff drink and three days rest, is hot on the trail of duplicitous happenings within an international banking concern going by the initials IBBC. It’s not a coincidence that the IBBC can be mistaken for BCCI, which one may recall was the largest corporate scandal of the early Nineties.

The real-life BCCI scandal involved an operation that engaged in pervasive money laundering, with a brisk sideline business in arms trafficking, mercenary armies, intelligence activities, and support for terrorist organizations. BCCI was a full service bank that included murder and mayhem in addition to simple bank deposits. Whereas BCCI was founded in Pakistan, the fictional IBBC operates from sleek headquarters in Luxembourg. Other than the geographical differences, IBBC is indistinguishable from

BCCI, since the Euro swells running the banking empire are a bunch of scumbags.
Salinger is hell-bent on taking down these bad guys, particularly Jonas Skarssen (Ulrich Thomsen), the head of the IBBC conglomerate, and Wilhelm Wexler (Armin Mueller-Stahl), the old school confidant who was a former Stasi agent in East Germany.

Though typically a loner, Salinger is joined on his quest by Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts), a Manhattan assistant district attorney who is equally driven to bring down the criminal enterprise. Their first mission together involves a trip to Milan, where an assassination plot is carried out against a prominent figure, which goes to show how deep the tentacles of the IBBC are able to reach. This is a bank that has its own hired gun, in this case a shadowy presence known only as the Consultant (Brian F. O’Byrne), a physically unremarkable loner who remains inconspicuous but extremely deadly.

The fast pace of the action takes Salinger and Whitman on a whirlwind tour of the world, with probably the most intense action set-piece in recent memory taking place in New York City’s iconic Guggenheim Museum. Bullets collide with the art world when Salinger follows the mysterious assassin Consultant to the famous art museum, and teams of gunslingers show up to take out both the Interpol agent and the assassin, thereby neatly disposing of the IBBC’s potential headaches. The ambush turns the museum into a shooting gallery, artfully staged because the Guggenheim is a circular building with one long continuous ramp, lending itself to the crossfire of the most explosive gun battle likely ever filmed within a confined space.

Directed by Tom Tykwer (“Run, Lola, Run”), “The International” seems inspired by vintage Cold War spy stories, a mix of James Bond adventurism, and the modern sensibility of Jason Bourne’s penchant for intense chases. The latter inspiration is on full view with a trip to Istanbul, where Salinger shadows IBBC honcho Skarssen’s shady dealings with arms dealers and assorted pond scum. Similar to the most recent “Bourne” film, there’s a nice chase scene on the roof tops in the Turkish capital, where Salinger has an ultimate showdown with his nemesis, though there’s a nifty surprise twist.

One of the fun things about “The International” is its keen ability to tap into our deepest suspicions about the whole panoply of villains. Indeed, the European bankers, appropriately oily and nattily attired, are deliciously sinister, morally bankrupt and just plain evil. The bank’s clients are a cornucopia of easily identified trash, including African warlords, Chinese arms merchants, Middle East terrorists, and venal, corrupt power brokers. We can’t help but have a rooting interest in the soulful Salinger’s quest to take them all down. Intrigue, violence and revenge combine for one fantastic thriller. “The International” rates very highly, along with “Taken,” for the recent crop of exciting action pictures.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Loosely based on British writer Toby Young’s autobiographical account of writing for a prominent American magazine, “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” tells the story of the outrageous rollercoaster of a career path Young carved out for himself. Simon Pegg, the zany British actor in “Shaun of the Dead,” plays the main character of Sidney Young, a disillusioned intellectual who both adores and despises the world of celebrity, fame and glamour.

Hired by an upscale magazine after catching the attention of Jeff Bridges (playing the editor), Young leaves his job at a British magazine. The editor warns Young that he must impress the pants off those around him in order to be successful, but instead the British iconoclast constantly annoys everyone until a rising starlet (Megan Fox) develops affection for him and might be the only thing that could save his disastrous career. “How to Lose Friends” is at its best when sticking to comedy, but is not so great when pushing romance. The DVD extras are just routine interviews and commentary.

LAPSTICK COMEDY STILL RUNS AMOK IN “PINK PANTHER 2”
A Film Review of Tim Riley

THE PINK PANTHER 2 (Rated PG) Granted, “The Pink Panther” films haven’t been the same since the passing of Peter Sellers. All things considered, the franchise was nevertheless sliding precipitously downhill even during the British comedian’s later years. Now, Steve Martin is putting his own stamp on the bumbling French detective Jacques Clouseau, and “The Pink Panther 2” won’t be confused with any of the earlier Sellers films, if for no other reason that previous sequels were given original titles, for example “Revenge of the Pink Panther.” Following the death of Peter Sellers, one film went so far as to introduce an Italian actor as the son of Inspector Clouseau, which marked the rock bottom of the old era.

There is no point in seeing “The Pink Panther 2” unless you are braced for a rollicking good time of silly slapstick humor, pratfalls and ridiculous embarrassments, mostly at the expense of Steve Martin’s inept, blundering Inspector Clouseau. Most critics, of this I am quite sure, are likely to dismiss this comedy as inane, uninspired or even lame. As is often the case, these same critics are probably out of touch with the audience that wants to see Steve Martin as the goofy French detective who struggles mightily to pronounce the word “hamburger.” And the audience just won’t be 10-year-old kids. Okay, I admit enjoying this film more than reason and good taste would dictate, but what’s wrong with that?

When the story begins, Clouseau is back on parking meter duty, mainly because Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese, new to the role) wants him out of the office and out of his hair. The animosity between the Chief and Clouseau might be sparked by the detective’s insistence on ostentatiously wearing his Medal of Honor. Around the world, a thief known as the Tornado steals valuable artifacts such as the Shroud of Turin and the original Magna Carta. When the Pink Panther diamond is also stolen, Dreyfus is forced to assign Clouseau to an international Dream Team of detectives charged with catching the thief and retrieving the priceless relics.

Naturally, Clouseau is out of his element, but he’s backed up by his wise partner Ponton (Jean Reno) and his loyal associate Nicole (Emily Mortimer), the object of Clouseau’s awkward affections. The Dream Team of crack detectives is rather flummoxed by Clouseau’s involvement. They share with Dreyfus a dismissive contempt for Clouseau’s vaunted abilities. The team includes the snooty Brit Pepperidge (Alfred Molina); the flashy, slick Italian Vicenzo (Andy Garcia); gorgeous jewel expert Sonia (Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai Bachchan); and Japanese tech whiz Kenji (Yuki Matsuzaki). As a group, they are irritated by Clouseau’s bloated ego and ineptitude, but Vicenzo seems more interested in wooing Nicole.

Before you can start humming the iconic Henry Mancini theme music, the Dream Team sets off on a globetrotting adventure in search of the master thief. Naturally, this leads to many awkward moments when Clouseau bumbles his way into mischief. A fire that destroys a restaurant in Rome is just one mishap caused by the French detective’s clumsiness. An investigation into the Tornado’s theft of the Pope’s ring from inside the Vatican