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Also new this week
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
(Action, PG-13, 150 minutes). Megatron has been defeated and the remaining Decepticons have fled Earth. Life is good ... or so Sam (Shia LaBeouf) and the Autobots thought, until Megatron's body is stolen and Starscream and Decepticon reinforcements are on their way for revenge. Also playing at the IMAX Theatre in The Quarter at Tropicana Casino and Resort.
Rating: Not yet reviewed.
Info for Parents: Rated PG-13 for brief drug material, intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, crude and sexual material, and language.
My Sister's Keeper
(Drama, PG-13, 106 minutes). Anna (Abigail Breslin) was conceived to provide donor marrow for her sick sister Kate (Sofia Vassilieva). When she sues her parents (Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric) for emancipation, it threatens to crumble her family's already-rocky foundation.
Rating: Not yet reviewed.
Info for Parents: Rated PG-13 for language, brief teen drinking, mature thematic content, sensuality and some disturbing images.
OK for all ages
Under the Sea 3D
(Documentary, G, 40 minutes). You never get used to it. Even about halfway in, even having settled into your seat, you'll still find yourself dazzled again and again by the impossibly breathtaking beauty of this underwater IMAX adventure. Longtime documentary filmmaker Howard Hall took his cameras to Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Triangle of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia to capture footage of a wild array of sea life. His intention was to entertain with wondrous visuals as well as convey a message about the impact global warming is having on these exotic creatures. Jim Carrey provides the narration, but the images are so distractingly awesome, it's often hard to pay attention to what he's saying. Kids will be delighted by the vibrant colors and the film's frequently playful tone - the sea lions with their expressive eyes, for example, are just too cute for words - while adults will be wowed by the complexity of the three-dimensional technology. Truly, giant chunks of coral seem to have been plopped right into your lap. A great white shark swims so close to your face, you can count its piercing teeth. And countless black-and-white-striped catfish cascade over each other as they feed on silt, undulating toward you in delicate waves. But much of the joy comes from discovering animals you might never have heard of before, such as the giant cuttlefish, which change color from deep red to bashful beige and back again to communicate with each other. They're a mesmerizing sight to behold - until their long, sharp tongues suddenly snap from their mouths to zap some poor, unsuspecting smaller fish. Cycle of life, man. Sunrise, sunset - even in some of the most remote places on Earth. Playing at the IMAX Theatre in The Quarter at Tropicana Casino and Resort.
Rating: HHH1/2
Info for Parents: The movie is rated G for general audiences.
OK for 10 and older
Imagine That
(Comedy, PG, 107 minutes). The words "Eddie Murphy family comedy" are enough to send shivers down the spine of any self-respecting film lover. Between "Meet Dave," "The Haunted Mansion" and "Daddy Day Care," he doesn't exactly have the greatest track record with this genre, at least in terms of quality (box-office success can be an entirely different and often baffling phenomenon). Which is what makes "Imagine That" such a pleasant surprise. It's based on a clever premise and it makes good use of Murphy's comic strengths - singing, dancing and creating myriad voices and personalities - without letting him go overboard and get too obnoxious. Its feel-good revelations are predictable, yes, but it only really turns sappy toward the very end. And it offers an irresistible young co-star in newcomer Yara Shahidi, who very much holds her own as Murphy's daughter without being too cutesy or cloying. Murphy stars as Evan Danielson, a Denver-based financial executive who barely has time for his 7-year-old, Olivia. Estranged from his wife (Nicole Ari Parker), Evan is stuck watching Olivia for a few days but has no idea what to do with her, so he ignores her and instead focuses on his computer screens and constant phone calls. But she's paying attention to everything he says and does - and so are the princesses, Olivia's imaginary friends. Somehow, the princesses come up with advice on which stocks daddy should buy and sell - and somehow, they're always right. When Evan gives in and starts following their suggestions, he becomes a superstar at work - and naturally, learns to loosen up at home and have a little fun with his daughter in the process.
Rating: HH1/2
Info for Parents: The movie has rare mild profanity, brief toilet humor, a divorce theme (Olivia lives mostly with her mother, played by Nicole Ari Parker) and an awkward scene in which Evan sneaks into a little girls' slumber party to borrow Olivia's "magic" blanket for work. Intermittently amusing for kids 8 and older.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
(Comedy, PG, 105 minutes). This is one of those sequels in which "bigger" is supposed to mean "better," in which more characters, more sight gags and more adventures are supposed to add up to more fun. They don't. The follow-up to the enormous 2006 hit "Night at the Museum" heaps on the historical figures and crams them into not one but two museums, with the end result feeling crazed, scattered and desperate. So many new characters have been added to the ones who appeared in the original film, and director Shawn Levy flits between them at such a zippy pace, no one gets much of a chance to register. And that's a huge waste of the comic talents amassed among the cast. Besides returning stars Ben Stiller, Ricky Gervais, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan and Robin Williams, now we have Amy Adams, Hank Azaria, Christopher Guest, Jonah Hill and Bill Hader. Having said all that, kids are the primary targets for a lot of the visuals, and will probably enjoy themselves. Stiller gets smacked around by two capuchin monkeys this time, and the T-Rex skeleton that acts like a playful pup should provoke some giggles. Stiller, as former night guard Larry Daley, returns to Manhattan's Museum of Natural History and discovers that the friends who came to life in the middle of the night are being shipped off to storage at the Smithsonian in Washington. And so he must step into action and save them, while also battling the Egyptian ruler Kahmunrah (Azaria), who has awaked from a 3,000-year slumber with plans to take over the museum, and the world.
Rating: HH
Info for Parents: The littlest kids might briefly cower at the roaring T. rex skeleton, the giant squid, the Egyptian warriors with shrieking eagles' heads, or the huge sculpture of Abraham Lincoln coming to life. Al Capone (Jon Bernthal) carries a tommy gun, and Huns and Neanderthals wield swords and clubs, but no one gets hurt.
Up
(Animated, PG, 90 minutes). The title is deceptively simple, which is fitting, because the latest achievement from Pixar Animation is deeper and more complex on every level than it would initially appear. It's a classic B-movie exotic adventure, the kind that inspired Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to make "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but it's told through the most high-tech, gorgeous 3-D animation. It's a mismatched buddy comedy, the kind we've seen countless times before, but the buddies are a curmudgeonly 78-year-old man and a tubby 8-year-old boy - who wind up together in a flying house, traveling to South America. And, as with many family films that get pumped out each summer, it has talking dogs. But it's how the dogs talk and what they say that are truly inspired, and oddly realistic. Pete Docter (Pixar's "Monsters, Inc.") and co-director and writer Bob Peterson turn their imagination this time to human beings, rare creatures in the animated kingdom. But between the richness of the characters, the meatiness of their interaction and the authenticity of the details, it won't take you long to forget that "Up" is a cartoon and become immersed. Ed Asner is the perfect choice to voice the cranky widower Carl Fredricksen, who ties thousands of helium balloons to his house and takes to the skies, with endearing newcomer Jordan Nagai playing the overeager scout who's trapped on his front porch.
Rating: HHH1/2
Info for Parents: Kids younger than 6 may start to fidget and wonder what's going on. There are some genuinely scary scenes, too, in which threatening dogs chase our heroes through jungle and canyon.
Older 13s
Angels & Demons
(Action, PG-13, 138 minutes). Blessedly, "Angels & Demons" is more entertaining and less self-serious than its predecessor, the dense and dreary yet enormously successful "The Da Vinci Code." In adapting another of author Dan Brown's religious-mystery page turners, Ron Howard wisely gave in to its beat-the-clock thriller elements, which makes for a more enjoyable summer-movie experience. But its twists, turns and revelations are just as ridiculous as those in "The Da Vinci Code" - perhaps even more so - and it breezes through arcane details with just as much dizzying speed. The key players are back from that 2006 international hit, including Tom Hanks as Harvard professor and symbologist Robert Langdon and Akiva Goldsman as screenwriter (joined this time by David Koepp). Although the book "Angels & Demons" came out before "The Da Vinci Code," the film is positioned as a sequel to take advantage of the strained relationship between Langdon and the Vatican - only this time, it's his expertise the folks there reluctantly need. With the pope dead and the College of Cardinals about to meet in conclave to choose a replacement, a secret society known as the Illuminati has kidnapped the four likeliest candidates. Langdon must decipher clues at various churches and historical sites throughout Rome to prevent the killing of the cardinals, one every hour, leading to a bomb explosion at the Vatican. But wait, we haven't even gotten to the most laughable part of the story yet! Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgaard and Armin Mueller-Stahl are among the estimable supporting cast, all of whom have enjoyed the benefits of stronger material but manage to supply gravitas nonetheless.
Rating: HH
Info for Parents: There are shootings, though with little gore, and mild profanity. Some will object to Langdon's sarcastic view of church doctrine.
The Brothers Bloom
(Comedy, PG-13, 113 minutes). With his 2006 debut "Brick," writer-director Rian Johnson had the vision and ambition to make a film noir set at a California high school. With his follow-up, he's made ... well, he's made a Wes Anderson movie, something that's idiosyncratic enough to qualify as a genre all its own. If Johnson lacks originality here, though, he makes up for it in vibrant energy and visual flair. If he's copying, at least he's made a better Anderson movie than Anderson himself has in about a decade. Eccentric characters, clever background details, anachronistic wardrobe choices and twee title cards announcing each new chapter - they're all there, but Johnson's own complex, verbal voice does emerge from these familiar aesthetic trappings. His con-man comedy is a blast, anchored by strong actors who don't get many chances to show their funny sides. Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody star as Stephen and Bloom, brothers who bounced between dozens of foster homes as children for their various schemes. Now, as adults, they've turned those schemes into a lucrative way of life. Stephen, the brains of the operation, draws up the elaborate plans; Bloom, the romantic, inevitably gets too involved emotionally and swears he wants out for good. And so "The Brothers Bloom" follows that tried-and-true conceit of pulling off one last job which, naturally, becomes way more complicated than anyone could have imagined. Rachel Weisz charms as a lonely heiress who starts out as the brothers' mark but becomes their exuberant partner in crime. And Rinko Kikuchi delivers a sly, silent performance as the brothers' explosives expert, appropriately named Bang Bang.
Rating: HHH
Info for Parents: Rated PG-13 for violence, some sensuality and brief strong language.
Drag Me to Hell
(Horror, PG-13, 99 minutes). The name alone tells you exactly what this is - an unabashed celebration of B-movie schlockery - but the dichotomies director Sam Raimi presents within that familiar genre are what make this such a kick. Raimi returns to the kind of cheeky horror that made him a cult favorite with the low-budget "Evil Dead" trilogy, but he applies all the high-tech tricks he's acquired with the blockbuster "Spider-Man" trilogy. He and brother Ivan Raimi have written a rather old-fashioned terror tale, full of curses and creaks, bumps and shrieks, but they've added a heavy splattering of their trademark dark humor. (Some of the absurdly funny visual gags include creative uses for office supplies, a talking goat and an unsuspecting kitty.) All these contradictions add up to one hell of a ride: You'll squirm, you'll scream, you'll laugh your butt off and beg for more. Alison Lohman's character, the innocent Christine Brown, gets more than she ever could have imagined. A bank loan officer competing for a promotion, she denies a creepy old woman an extension on her mortgage loan, thinking that's the right decision to impress her boss (David Paymer). Turns out she turned down the wrong customer: Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) is a vengeful gypsy who feels so shamed, she places a powerful curse on Christine that torments her day and night.
Rating: HHH1/2
Info for Parents: The film's classic horror images include demons and corpses vomiting maggots and embalming fluid, eyeballs and false teeth popping out, a projectile nosebleed. Violent fights feature implied impalements, and there's a wormy scene in a reopened grave.
Easy Virtue
(Comedy, PG-13, 93 minutes). Contemporary uber-babe Jessica Biel steps into the snappy banter of Noel Coward's roaring '20s, and it's an awkward fit. Simultaneously, director Stephan Elliott tries to make Coward's world more accessible to today's audiences with modern visual flourishes, and those feel uncomfortably forced, as well. The players who play it straight - Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth and Ben Barnes - are the ones who make moments of "Easy Virtue" sparkle as they should. It's not that Biel lacks the presence or the acting chops; she's proven she's much more than a pretty face (and perfectly toned posterior) in films like the Iraq war drama "Home of the Brave." Here, she seems ill at ease with the satirical comedy of Coward's 1924 play, and not just because her character is meant to be a fish out of water. Biel stars as Larita, a barrier-breaking American race car driver who finds herself smitten with younger Englishman John Whittaker (Barnes) and hastily becomes his bride. Then she has to meet his family at their behemoth of a British country estate. While John's sisters are fascinated by her beauty, glamour and mystery, his aristocrat mother (Thomas) isn't shy about voicing her disapproval of this woman, whom she deems beneath her darling boy in stature. Larita finds comfort in the friendship she forms with John's father (Firth), a roguishly kindred spirit who will, of course, provide her redemption. But the tense exchanges between Larita and Mrs. Whittaker are what give the story its spark, and it's in these scenes that Biel seems outmatched by the deliciously icy Thomas.
Rating: HH
Info for Parents: Rated PG-13 for sexual content, brief partial nudity and smoking throughout.
Land of the Lost
(Adventure-comedy, PG-13, 93 minutes). There is exactly one funny bit here, and it stands out because it bookends the film. Will Ferrell, as arrogant scientist Dr. Rick Marshall, appears on the "Today" show to discuss his time-travel theories and pimp out his latest book. Matt Lauer, thinking he's a crackpot, interviews him with unmistakable disdain and chafes at Marshall's attempts to hijack the segment. In between, though, is an awkward combination of kitschy comedy (which is never amusing) and earnest action (which is never thrilling). And it's not as if the source material was worthy of a big-budget summer blockbuster starring an A-lister. The Sid & Marty Krofft TV series "Land of the Lost," about a family that gets sucked into a prehistoric age when an earthquake hits while they're rafting, aired for just three seasons in the mid-1970s. It was laughable with its stiff dialogue and low-tech effects. At least the series knew what it was, though. Working from a script by Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas (though Ferrell and co-star Danny McBride clearly did a healthy amount of ad-libbing), director Brad Silberling can't seem to decide whether he's making fun of the show's cheesy visuals or seizing on its sense of rough-hewn adventure. And so in hopes of pleasing the lowest common denominator nonetheless, they offer an overload of jokes about dinosaur poop and urine. Danny McBride and Anna Friel co-star as Will and Holly, with "Saturday Night Live" writer Jorma Taccone as the mischievous primate Chaka.
Rating: H
Info for Parents: There is all sorts of sexual innuendo, gross toilet humor, midrange profanity and comedic mayhem, including an exploding dinosaur. There are swarming bugs and a huge, blood-sucking mosquito that gets squished. The men drink a hallucinogenic beverage. There is much gay humor and briefly implied toplessness. "Land of the Lost" is not really appropriate for grade-schoolers because of the sexual content, and really young kids may get scared by the T. rex.
My Life in Ruins
(Romantic comedy, PG-13, 96 minutes). As we learn here, the Greek word for mojo - or zest for life - is "kefi." Nia Vardalos' character has lost hers and needs to get it back. Wonder what the Greek words are for corny, hackneyed and flat. Because those are all applicable, too. Vardalos tries to recreate the unexpected magic of the 2002 sleeper smash "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," which made her a star and earned her an Oscar nomination for her screenplay. Although she didn't write the script this time - that's the dubious work of former "Simpsons" writer and producer Mike Reiss - "My Life in Ruins" strives for the same sort of affectionately teasing ethnic humor. Instead, it feels like an uncomfortable parade of Borscht Belt gags and lame stereotypes. Vardalos stars as Georgia, a Greek-American tour guide living an uptight life in Athens. She always gets stuck with the obnoxious tourists while her rival gets the beautiful women and polite Canadians. These people are spectacularly unfunny, especially under the overly jaunty direction of Donald Petrie ("Miss Congeniality," "Just My Luck"). With her love of history, Georgia wants to share the glory of the country's ancient ruins and tell their stories; all her tacky travelers want to do is shop and eat ice cream. But this being a contrived romantic comedy, Georgia naturally finds love where she least expects it: right on her tour bus, with the long-haired, unkempt driver, who's been saddled with the unfortunate name of Poupi Kakas (Alexis Georgoulis). Go ahead, say it out loud to yourself. Then try to contain the sidesplitting laughter.
Rating: No stars
Info for Parents: There are several implied sexual situations, much sexual innuendo, some of it crude and/or homophobic, occasional sexual slang, rare profanity and drinking. More for high-schoolers.
The Proposal
(Romantic comedy, PG-13, 104 minutes). All the romantic comedy conventions are shamelessly on parade here, trampling on our brains and turning them into mush. They include an uptight character who literally lets her hair down to show she's loosening up, a spontaneous sing-along, wacky relatives, a shocking mid-wedding revelation, a mad dash to the airport and, finally, some very public I-love-yous. Where is the creativity, people? By definition, this is a predictable genre - a guy and a girl who are clearly meant for each other eventually end up together, despite the many madcap obstacles and misunderstandings that come their way. We know the destination before we even park the car at the multiplex; it's how we get there that matters. "The Proposal" seemed to be getting there with some spark and ingenuity, led by a couple of actors with solid comic chops. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are both well suited for snappy banter and they play off each other with some nice friction off the top. Bullock has always shown a flair for physical humor, but here she gets a chance to play a scheming, tyrannical book editor, which is a refreshing change from her frequently daffy winsomeness. But Anne Fletcher (who also directed the by-the-numbers "27 Dresses") and screenwriter Peter Chiarelli obliterate any good will they'd generated when "The Proposal" turns gushy and goes precipitously downhill. Bullock stars as Margaret Tate, a Canadian who's on the verge of being deported. She blackmails her put-upon assistant, Andrew (Reynolds), into marrying her to stay in the country. Think they'll fall in love for real?
Rating: HH
Info for Parents: There is midrange sexual slang and innuendo, including a threat to castrate someone, and a male exotic dancer in a G-string. There is moderate profanity, a tasteless remark about immigrants, and a scene in which an eagle swoops down and grabs a dog, but the dog is OK.
The Soloist
(Drama, PG-13, 117 minutes). He's just another homeless man - layers of mismatched clothing, a shopping cart loaded with all his worldly possessions, a voice that never stops chattering and eyes that never make contact. But as he plays a battered violin, Beethoven pours out. And when he drops the phrase "my classmates at Juilliard," Los Angeles Times reporter Steve Lopez smells a story. It will be a compelling human drama of music and a promising life derailed by ... what? "The Soloist" is about Lopez's search for answers to that question and his efforts to make a difference in one man's life. That true story makes for an emotional, transportive movie, a film about two "soloists," loners, and how their connection changes both their lives. Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx, pitch perfect) so tunes out the world that he goes into highway tunnels to play - not for tips, but for solitude. Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) is so wrapped up in his writing that he has lost a marriage (Catherine Keener plays the editor ex-wife) and is losing touch with his college-student son. It's marvelous work all around, especially by Foxx and Downey. Foxx makes Ayers mannered, nervous and sympathetic, yet a plainly ill man with the potential for violence. And Downey turns Lopez into a sympathetic ear who journeys from using Ayers to make a mark with his column to someone who realizes he needs to help this man to help himself.
Rating: HHH1/2
Info for Parents: There are briefly violent scuffles, a bloody crime scene with no body, people using drugs or unconscious from overdoses, occasional profanity, drinking, smoking, and toilet humor. For thoughtful teens.
Star Trek
(Action, PG-13, 127 minutes). J.J. Abrams' hugely anticipated summer extravaganza boldly goes to the past within the distant future of the "Star Trek" universe, years ahead of the TV series and the myriad movies and spin-offs it spawned. And in doing so, he and his longtime collaborators, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, change everything you know - or obsess about, if you're into this kind of thing - about the kitschy pop-culture phenomenon. It's a daring and exciting approach that's sure to tickle and provoke purists, while at the same time probably cause neophytes to feel a bit lost. A major plot twist pops up about halfway through the film (along with Leonard Nimoy), one that doesn't exactly work and from which the film never completely recovers, and from there the adventures feel a bit repetitive. Having said that, Abrams clearly aimed to appeal to the broadest possible moviegoing audience with this dazzling visual spectacle while also leaving plenty of Easter eggs for the hardcore fans to find. It's an absolutely gorgeous film with impeccable production design - the lighting is wondrous, almost heavenly - and lovely, tiny details frequently emerge from within the larger, grander images. Abrams certainly puts on a good show - between "Lost" and the 2006 "Mission: Impossible" sequel he directed, there's no question the man knows how to stage an action sequence - and the opening gets things off to a thrilling start. He efficiently and satisfyingly presents the back stories of the men who will become Capt. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the half-Vulcan, half-human Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and puts them on a collision course with each other, which ups the excitement level early. John Cho, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana and Eric Bana co-star.
Rating: HH1/2
Info for Parents: There is implied torture, intense fighting, an implied impalement and a lobsteresque monster, as well as mild sexual humor and innuendo, a brief nongraphic sexual situation, rare mild profanity.
Terminator Salvation
(Action, PG-13, 114 minutes). We have seen the future, and the future is noisy. This fourth flick in the "Terminator" saga takes place in 2018, 14 years after Judgment Day. John Connor is a rising force in the resistance against Skynet, the artificial intelligence network that started thinking for itself and eradicating humanity, but he has yet to become its leader. He has seen destruction and listened to the recordings left by his mother that foretell his future, but he has yet to send anyone back in time in hopes of stopping it, including the man who will become his father. (You definitely need to have seen the first three movies to have a clue as to what's going on here, and why certain details matter. This is no time to play catch-up. Being a fan also helps.) Director McG, of the "Charlie's Angels" movies and "We Are Marshall," drops into this well-established lore and presents a post-apocalyptic world that is repetitively bleak and relentlessly loud. Yes, the machines have taken over, and so of course there's going to be a healthy amount of clanging, crunching metal - but even things that shouldn't be noisy, like the lighting of a flare, sound like a rocket launch. And Christian Bale steps into the role of John Connor, played previously by Edward Furlong and Nick Stahl, and he ... well, he does the same voice he uses when he dons the black suit for the "Batman" movies, a monotone, guttural growl regardless of the dialogue. John must find and protect his future father, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), while trying to determine whether to trust the mysterious Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) to help in this quest.
Rating: HH
Info for Parents: It's grimly violent, although with relatively little gore (a little blood and some needles) and rare profanity. A female character faces the briefly implied possibility of sexual assault. There are huge gun battles and crashing of machines.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
(Action, PG-13, 107 minutes). Hugh Jackman's mutant Wolverine goes to war in a prologue for this "X-Men" prequel where the immortal mutant and his brother (Liev Schreiber) fight in all the big ones, from the Civil War to Vietnam. The battles set a predictable tone from which director Gavin Hood rarely deviates. Hood presents one duel after another, with a brief respite for sappy romance so Wolverine can get really mad and hellbent on vengeance over his dead girlfriend (Lynn Collins). Wolverine fights his brother, he fights other mutants, then he fights his brother some more on his way to becoming the amnesiac, metal-clawed freak of nature Jackman played in the "X-Men" trilogy. For all the action, there's never much real sense of adventure or risk. We know Wolverine's going to take his lumps but come out OK (though minus his memories) by the time the credits roll.
Rating: HH
Info for Parents: The film is very violent, with lots of implied impalements and a beheading, but little gore. Innocents also die. It is an iffy proposition for middle-schoolers or preteens.
Year One
(Comedy, PG-13, 97 minutes). Making a solid summer comedy starring Jack Black, Michael Cera, David Cross and Hank Azaria should be so easy, a caveman could do it. Somehow, despite the presence of those reliable actors and the highly advanced skills of comic veterans Harold Ramis and Judd Apatow behind the scenes, "Year One" manages to be a dud. A few amusing moments and ideas pop up here and there, but more often the script feels flat, with a needlessly heavy reliance on scatological gags. (Director Ramis co-wrote it with "The Office" writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg; he and Apatow are among the producers.) Black's character literally eats feces at one point, while Cera's urinates all over himself - upside down; it could be a metaphor for what everyone is stuck doing in this movie. Black and Cera star as hunter Zed and gatherer Oh, mismatched Neanderthals who are banished from their village after Zed eats some forbidden fruit. Basically this allows Black to be Black (manic, unhinged but always overconfident) and Cera to be Cera (awkward, sarcastic but always sweet). Not much heavy lifting required of either of them. Zed and Oh set off on a road trip that takes them from their primitive land to a series of biblical settings, including encounters with Cain and Abel (Cross and an uncredited Paul Rudd) and Abraham and Isaac (Azaria and Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Ramis seems to be aiming for his own version of the Mel Brooks classic "History of the World: Part 1," but there's nothing terribly memorable about these adventures.
Rating: H1/2
Info for Parents: There is midrange profanity, sexual slang, crude sexual gestures, a protracted discussion of circumcision and toilet humor. There is a theme about sacrificing virgin girls to pagan gods, and some characters are sold into slavery.
Mature high-schoolers
The Hangover
(Comedy, R, 99 minutes). You'd be forgiven for thinking this is a documentary. After all, who hasn't woken up in a trashed Las Vegas hotel suite with a missing tooth, a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet and little or no memory of what happened the night before? Director Todd Phillips and screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore take this idea to bold new heights - or depths, depending on your perspective - with a comedy that stays weird and wild for the first two-thirds, only to disappoint in the final act. Structurally, though, it's based on a clever concept: Three guys take their buddy Doug (Justin Bartha) to Vegas for a bachelor party right before his wedding. When they wake up the morning after their debauched bacchanal, they realize the groom is missing - and that's only the beginning of their trouble. As they nurse their pounding heads and retrace their steps, they stumble down an increasingly absurd, and surprisingly dark, path. And because it all turns out to be so unpredictable, we feel like we're solving a mystery right along with them. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis make a believably motley trio, with Galifianakis in particular stealing many moments with a performance that's a fascinating balance of creepy and endearing. But Ken Jeong, veteran of many a Judd Apatow production, is stuck in a role that's a distasteful (and unfunny) stereotype of both Asians and gays.
Rating: HH1/2
Info for Parents: It features very strong profanity, rear-view nudity and toplessness, crude sexual language and innuendo, implied sexual situations, homophobic slurs, gross toilet humor, drug humor, and a poor joke about a grandmother's "Holocaust ring."
Sugar
(Drama, R, 114 minutes). Writing-directing partners Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have pulled off the kind of miraculous trick Darren Aronofsky did last year with "The Wrestler." They've taken an overly familiar, potentially cliched sports story, stripped it down and, in doing so, completely reinvented it. Rather than focusing on an athlete past his prime, Boden and Fleck tell the tale of one who's on the rise - a subgenre with all its own formulas and expectations. "Sugar" defies them every time. No score swells to a crescendo when Dominican pitcher Miguel "Sugar" Santos experiences his first triumph on the mound in the United States. There's no slo-mo of the ball leaving his hand on a magical night and landing with an amplified thud in the catcher's mitt. Just pure, intimate and - above all - honest storytelling. It's so fundamental and so compelling, it makes you wonder why more filmmakers don't jettison the gimmickry and pursue such a powerful path. It's also surprising that, given the tremendous influence of Latin players - and especially superstars from the Dominican Republic such as David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez - we've seen very little of this element of the game depicted on screen before. Yes, "Sugar" is a baseball story, but it's also about immigration and, more universally, about finding your place in the world. As the title character, Algenis Perez Soto lets us feel all the enthusiasm, nerves and insecurity that go along with that journey; being a non-actor, his performance always seems natural and realistic.
Rating: HHH1/2
Info for Parents: Rated R for language, some sexuality and brief drug use.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
(Thriller, R, 106 minutes). The way the original 1974 film's title has been condensed tells you everything you need to know about the direction "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" is headed. In these fast-paced, mixed-up times, it simply takes too long to spell out the numbers. Then again, just knowing the director is Tony Scott ("Top Gun," "Man on Fire," "Domino") is a major indicator of the changes in store. A low-key, steadily paced thriller about a New York subway hijacking has been amped up with Scott's trademark acrobatics: incessant camera movement, sped-up footage that jarringly cuts to slo-mo, seizure-inducing edits and a blaring soundtrack. Considering that you have heavyweights Denzel Washington and John Travolta squaring off, with a script from Oscar-winner Brian Helgeland ("L.A. Confidential"), you just want to scream at the screen for Scott to settle down and let the exchanges play out for themselves. For the brief moments he does just that, "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" can be an engaging battle of wits, despite its preposterous premise. Inspired as the original was by the John Godey novel, "Pelham" stars Travolta in the Robert Shaw role as Ryder, the leader of a group of baddies who take over a downtown 6 train. He demands $10 million in one hour (up from $1 million in '74) or he'll start killing the passengers. Washington (in the Walter Matthau role) plays Walter Garber, the dispatcher on the other end of the microphone who must listen/probe/stall/cajole as a de facto crisis negotiator. While Washington brings his typical grace to this rare regular-guy role, Travolta gets shrieky in a way that recalls his performance in the infamous "Battlefield Earth."
Rating: HH
Info for Parents: There are bloody, point-blank shootings of subway personnel, passengers and hijackers. Children are among the hostages. Phobics note: There are rats in the subway tunnel. The script contains strong profanity, brief crude sexual innuendo and a couple of ethnic slurs.
Posted in Movies on Thursday, June 25, 2009 3:10 am
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