Tropic Thunder (R-2008)

I have been chomping on the bit to see "Tropic Thunder" since it hit the theaters and I was not at all disappointed. "Tropic Thunder" is extremely politically incorrect, but is brilliantly funny. The basic plotline is that a group of actors making a war movie find themselves captured by a real warlord and don't have any idea that this is not part of the movie they are shooting. Robert Downey Jr. is quickly re-establishing himself as one of my favorite actors and pushes the boundaries of "good taste" by playing a method actor so embroiled in "the method" that he has his skin darkened to play one of the black soldiers in the unit. His black/white duality makes for some hilarious material as he insists on staying in character, making his "actually black" castmate very uncomfortable. Jack Black plays a "sell-out" comedy star looking to re-establish his acting credentials. When his recovering addict character finds they have been captured by drug runners, he finds his loyalties torn. Finally, you have Ben Stiller as the action star, who is returning to his roots after making an "Oscar grab" by portraying a mentally challenged man (this is the source for much of the most politically correct but completely hilarious material). Joining this trio is an unrecognizable Tom Cruise as the self-involved studio head, showing Cruise has a great sense of humor and possibly resurrecting his career after some of his off-screen antics turned some people away from him. Cruise just about steals this movie. I was also totally amazed that Nick Nolte continues to find ways to play his "mug shot photo" and, yet, manages to turn in great performance. His role here as the Vietnam Vet whose book the movie they are making is based on is completely hilarious. Of course, if you do not like politically incorrect humor, you will definitely be turned off by this movie and will think less of me for liking it so much :)!

Grade: B+

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Meet Dave (PG-2008)

Eddie Murphy catches a lot of flak for "selling out" and becoming a family movie guy. "Meet Dave", in particular, was met with a groan and mostly ignored by the masses. Well, believe it or not, "Meet Dave" is actually a pretty funny flick. Yes, the concept is silly. An alien race of very tiny humanoid creatures lands in New York in a spaceship that is a robotic form of the ship's captain (thus the tagline "Eddie Murphy IN Eddie Murphy in "Meet Dave"-UGH). Murphy, however, manages to make the most of the material and comes up with a family movie that has plenty of laughs. Those of you without kids that might consider checking it out should be warned: The humor is very juvenile, so it probably plays better with children present. Even with that, there were enough funny moments to keep the parents entertained. No, this does not match up to some of Murphy's early work ("Beverly Hills Cop" and "48 Hours"), but it was funnier than several of his more recent efforts. My advice: Going in with lower expectations helps. You may be pleasantly surprised, as I was.

Grade: C

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Eden Lake (R-2008)

"Eden Lake" is one of those really pleasant surprises that keep me watching movies. Just when you start to think they just can't do the horror thing right any more, this gem from England comes along to show you it can still be done and done very well. The framework of the story matches a lot of classic horror films: A young couple goes out to the lake to have a romantic weekend getaway. Their peace and tranquility is shattered by a rude group of young thugs who are hanging out at the beach one day. When the boyfriend (Michael Fassbender) confronts them and asks for some quiet, the couple become the targets of this gang and a weekend of pursuit and agony begins. It is interesting to watch as the girl's dress slowly becomes as black as Bruce Willis' "white" T-shirt in "Die Hard". The film was very well-made with good, believable acting by the couple and the group of thugs, who find themselves getting deeper and deeper into a web of horror that transcends the normal bullying they are probably used to. You get a good look at the mentality of gangs, where a psychotic leader can bring them down to his level before they even realize it is happening. Although I am sure there are bits and pieces you can point to as unbelievable or just stupid on the characters' parts, the movie comes off as completely realistic. While it is a very little known film (I'm not even sure how I stumbled upon it), it is a must for horror fans.

Grade: B+

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Fred Claus (PG-2007)

"Fred Claus" is a sort of silly premise that still had some potential. Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti) has an older brother, Fred (Vince Vaughn), who is sort of jealous of the attention Santa gets and finds himself a bit of a loser and always in trouble. When he needs some money for his latest business scheme, he agrees to come work at the North Pole for a while and earn his keep. Of course, the standard Vince Vaughn character dropped into the orderly toy-making world of the North Pole generates lots of problems. This concept, although admittedly silly, could have actually worked if they let it breathe. However, they felt compelled to create a situation where Fred Claus needs to save Christmas. This is where a corporate efficiency expert (Kevin Spacey) comes in. He is at the North Pole to see if the whole Christmas thing can be done more efficiently elsewhere. He has his own agenda and pretty much makes sure he finds all kinds of issues with the North Pole. This is where the plot went off the rails for me. Are we supposed to believe that Santa Claus has some parent corporation that allows his whole operation to exist. Although Spacey is good, this part of the story is just forced to set up the heroic ending for Fred. There were definitely some laughs and the performances were good (full disclosure: I am a big fan of both Vaughn and Giamatti...oh yeah, Spacey, too). However, overall it just came up sort of flat. Part of the problem is that it did not really know if it wanted to be a family film or a more adult comedy. It was not a total waste of time, but I wouldn't exactly rush out to see it, either.

Grade: C-

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Space Chimps (G-2008)

"Space Chimps" wasn't a bad movie, exactly, but it wasn't a real good one, either. It is the story of a group of monkeys who are launched to find out if a "wormhole" in space is safe to travel through. On the other side, they find an inhabited planet where one of the creatures is using a space explorer previously sent out as a tool to rule the beings of hos world. Of course, when the space chimps arrive, they are faced with the choice of leaving well enough alone or helping to defeat this de facto leader. The humor is basically run of the mill. It is somewhat funny at times, but never really hits the mark. It is also now official that Patrick Warburton (Puddy from "Seinfeld") is being given way too much voice work in animated films. Sure, he has a cool, deep, cartoony voice, but it is so easily identifiable as him that you really can't get too into the characters he is playing. Younger kids may like some of the sillier gags, but, other than that, there is just not much to this movie. As mentoned earlier, it was not awful. It was just "there".

Grade: D+


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Wall-E (G-2008)

The one thing you know when you sit down to watch a Pixar film is that you are in for a visual treat. "Wall-E" is another amazing film to look at, but Pixar doesn't stop there: Their films, including this one, are extremely well-written, although not always this thought provoking. "Wall-E" is a robot designed to clean up an Earth that has become completely over-run with garbage. All of the people have left on luxurious space cruisers, hoping to return when the clean-up is done. "EVE", a robot who searches for plant-life, arrives one day and Wall-E is instantly smitten. There are no humans and, therefore, no dialogue, for about the first 30 minutes. When we finally meet the humans, they have become so mired in the life of luxury and automation that they hardly resemble humans. Their bodies have become totally obese from generations of totally sedentary lifestyles. The movie touts respect for the environment and reminds us that part of being human is getting up and actually doing some things. On top of all of that is a warm and funny love story as Wall-E and Eve strive to be together. While I was not quite as swept away as most of the critics, it had some great slap-stick comedy and delivered its message in a very entertaining way. I'm not sure it has the "re-watchability" of some of Pixar's classics, but it is a much deeper film.

Grade: B

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The Happening (R-2008)

M. Night Shyamalan's latest moves away from the late plot twist and move more in the direction of straight science-fiction. "The Happening" actually is more of an environmental cautionary tale, but is much better than the most extreme example: "The Day After Tomorrow". One of my favorite Shyamalan techniques is used in this film: He likes to take what most of Hollywood would consider a large-scale story and tells it through the eyes of one small group of people. This worked well with alien invasions in "Signs", a superhero movie in "Unbreakable" (possibly my favorite Shyamalan movie) and works well here in "The Happening". As the movie begins, an epidemic of senseless suicides is occurring, starting in New York City. The initial assumption is that terrorists have unleashed some sort of toxin into the city. As this phenonena spreads, it is considered to be a full-scale attack. Mark Wahlberg plays Elliot Moore, a high school science teacher in the Philadelphia area, who flees with his family when the epidemic begins to impact Philadelphia. They quickly find this is spreading faster than they can flee and begin to realize this is not a terrorist attack, but instead a response by plant-life to the threat that human beings pose. It is an entertaining movie and an interesting (if far-fetched) concept. Mark Wahlberg, who is usually very good, but his acting is just weird in this. He delivers all of his lines in some sing-songy tone as if everything he says is a question. A lot of the advertising makes a big deal that this is the first "R"-rated Shyamalan movie, but I'm not sure what the big deal is. There is little gore. In fact, the scenes that probably got him the "R" rating were probably the people jumping off of buildings early in the film. I am not shocked or offended that he showed this, but post-9/11, I found it to be that much more disturbing. If you have been avoiding this one from the bad reviews, you may want to check it out. It is not nearly as bad as you may have been led to believe.

Grade: C+

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Cleaner (R-2007)

"Cleaner" is not a bad way to spend an hour and a half, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it or rush it to the top of my Netflix queue. It was mentioned to me by a friend and once he mentioned the cast included Samuel L. Jackson and Ed Harris, I definitely wanted to check it out. Jackson and Harris are good, as you would expect, but the movie itself is just run of the mill. Jackson plays Tom Cutler, a retired detective who has started a "biological" clean-up business (crime scenes, suicides, etc.). After his latest job, he learns the owner of the house is missing and starts to believe the job may actually have been a cover-up of a murder. He turns to his former partner, Eddie Lorenzo (Ed Harris), who is still on the force, for help in getting to the bottom of it. Of course, the more he digs, the more he begins to find himself as a prime suspect. It is a decent mystery and an interesting concept, but the biggest plot twist in the movie is painfully obvious, to the point that I was thinking: If they go in that direction, it would totally ruin this movie. They did. It did not totally ruin the movie as I am a big fan of Jackson and Harris and they were both good, but it did knock it down a few grades. My recommendation: check it out on cable.

Grade: C-

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Quantum of Solace (PG-13-2008)

Daniel Craig returns as the best Bond since Sean Connery in this latest installment of the franchise. After "Casino Royale" re-booted the series with a new Bond on his first mission, "Quantum of Solace" takes place exactly where "Casino Royale" left off. It looks like Craig's Bond films will pay some attention to continuity and be connected, which is another great decision by the film-makers. After a great opening car chase, Bond is bent on revenge for the death of his girlfriend and finds himself matched up against "Quantum", an organization so secret that the various international intelligence agencies don't even know it exists. Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) is at the forefront of this organization, which is fronted by an international ecological charity. In his quest to avenge his girl, Bond goes rogue, being completely cut-off from MI-6, and relies on his own talents to go after this organization. The movie has incredible action sequences, including a boat chase, a battle while hanging on ropes and quite a few other chase scenes and twists. Daniel Craig does a nice job again as a ruthless Bond who is cool when he needs to be, but emotional at the same time. This reinvention of the franchise keeps many of the classic elements, but does not feel compelled to include them all in each film (no gadgets, "Bond, James Bond", direct reference to martinis). At times, you miss them, but it helps make these movies more gritty and more realistic. As far as gadget goes, this film does include some cool technology in the office with touch-screen desktops and wall screens similar to what we've seen in "Minority Report". Having followed James Bond through the years, I love this direction they've taken. Bond is bad-ass and definitely comes off as someone you would not want to end up on the wrong side of.

Grade: B+

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Pineapple Express (R-2008)

"Pineapple Express" was a very pleasant surprise. Sure, I like the Apatow/Rogen films like "Superbad" and "Knocked Up", but when you watch a few of them, they are funny, but somewhat similar. "Pineapple Express" starts with some of the same themes, but ends up going in an entirely different direction. Seth Rogen plays Dale Denton, a process server who spends a good part of his time getting high. During his travels, he is pulled over on the side of the road and happens to witness a murder. Before long, he finds himself, with his dealer Saul Silver (James Franco), in the middle of a war between rival drug mobs. It is at this point that the film morphs from a stoner comedy into a buddy action film and the transition works perfectly. They are able to manage the action and comedy simultaneously without getting overly silly. I have to also admit that anything with Gary Cole (the boss from "Office Space" and broadcaster from "Dodgeball") gets my vote. He is one of the most under-rated character actors out there. Cole is the drug lord who is determined to find and kill Dale Denton. There is a good car chase about mid-way through the film and a great showdown near the end which finds our stoner heroes right in the middle of an all-out gun battle between the warring factions. Danny McBride, from "The Foot Fist Way", has a great role as Saul's drug-dealer buddy, who professes his loyalty while consistently selling out the duo to save his own skin. The only negative on this one is the final scene in a diner, which just takes entirely too long. At this point, the story has pretty much been told and just should have ended. Being a fan of both comedies and action movies, it is always great when someone can blend them together successfully and this one hits its marks.

Grade: B-

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Saw V (R-2008)

How many "Saw" movies does it take to ruin a franchise? Apparently, that number is 5. "Saw V" marks the moment the series has "nuked the fridge" (the movie equivalent to "jump the shark"-a reference to Indiana Jones surviving a nuclear blast by hiding in a refrigerator). "Saw V" follows the back-story of Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), who has been investigating the Jigsaw murders from the beginning. While this story is told in flashbacks (a way to keep Jigsaw himself (Tobin Bell) in the series), we are also following the story of 5 people trying to survive one of Jigsaw's games. The problem is we have no idea who these people are for a while and by the time they explain, we no longer care. The back-story itself showing Hoffman's relationship with Jigsaw and the murders only serves to remind you somewhat how good the earlier films in the series are. There is a pivotal scene where Jigsaw's ex-wife (Betsy Russell) is given a box, which contains her inheritance from him, but they never go back to that box and never explain what is in it. It is probably meant to be pursued in "Saw VI", but will anybody even care by then. This is one of those sequels that is bad enough that you start to question whether you really liked the earlier films in the series. "Saw" followers will see this any way (I did!), but it was really a waste of time.

Grade: D

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The Incredible Hulk (PG-13-2008)

"The Incredible Hulk" had the dubious distinction of being released in the same summer that "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" were released. If it did not have to stand up to that hype, people may have found that this was actually a very good comic book movie. Edward Norton takes over the role of Bruce Banner, who becomes the Hulk when he gets angry. As this movie opens, Bruce is on the run, in Mexico, trying to research and develop a cure for his duality. Gen. Ross (William Hurt) is determined to track him down to study his mutation to help develop a "Super Soldier" serum for the US Army. Ross has brought in a Russian Special Forces operative, Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), to assist him. When Blonsky gets a look at the Hulk in action, he wants to find a way to duplicate this mutation. The movie works on many levels as Banner is being pursued by Ross and Blonsky while trying to remain calm and find a way to be normal again. As the second half kicks in, there is plenty of action with great effects work, building up to an epic battle in the streets of New York between the Hulk and Blonsky. There are a few great cameos related to past versions of the Hulk, sometimes very quick ones. "The Incredbile Hulk" is action-packed with some great writing and acting and I actually think it gives "Knight" and "Iron Man" a run for the money.

Grade: B

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Get Smart (PG-13-2008)

I'm on the fence with big-screen remakes of classic TV shows and films. If something is done right the first time, why try to recapture that magic? If they do feel they need to do so, they have to get it right. Don Adams in the original "Get Smart" was perfect in that role. I would never think anyone could duplicate his success. I was right, but Steve Carell is the perfect modern-day choice to play Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, and does a very nice job in this film. The movie is very respectful of the original series with plenty of elements of the classic show sprinkled throughout the script, including almost all of Smart's catchphrases. Anne Hathaway does an admirable job as Agent 99, who thinks Max is a moron when she first meets him, but grows to love him. The plotline is not really important, but it basically follows the format of the series: Max is matched up against an evil plot by the group KAOS and must stop them, bumbling his way through the mission, while still managing to foil the plot. Carell plays it straight and the script does not go too over the top. It has plenty of physical comedy and sight gags and it certainly has its share of laughs. Being a fan of the original, I was very pleased not to find this an insulting cash grab that missed the point of the series. It hits its marks perfectly. I found this to be a pleasant 90 minutes of laughs. It will not go down as one of the great comedies, but it works.

Grade: C+

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The Invasion (R-2006)

It seems every generation gets its own version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", the classic film which at the time was a metaphor for communism. After the original, you got the very good remake with Donald Sutherland. This latest version stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig and is the lesser of the three versions. The leads are good, the story is exactly what you might expect it to be, but it just isn't as good overall as its predecessors. The message in this one is sort of a rejection of the whole ideal of Utopia and the concept of "one united world". When the virus at the center of this one, which takes over its host and makes everybody "one", takes root, you have world peace, nations getting along and everything is "just great". The problem is that individuality and your own identity are gone. You are basically part of the global "hive". In that respect, I think it raises an interesting question: Every one thinks they want world peace and a "brotherhood of man", but at what price? Part of being human is the fact that we are flawed and take great pride in our individuality. What if that had to be sacrificed? While thinking that the original was a metaphor for communism, seeing Nicole Kidman front and center in this film made me wonder: Is this one a metaphor for Scientology?? To be fair, no one has implied any such thing, but it did cross my mind. Perhaps that made the film just that much more interesting for me.

Grade: C-

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Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (R-2008)

You had to figure a movie based on a popular series of dolls couldn't possibly be any good. Does anybody actually watch any of the "Barbie" animated DVDs? I didn't think so. However, instead of going for the quick buck, the makers of "Kit Kittredge" put together a good cast and actually seemed to pay some attention to the script. This is hardly a rave, however, as this was basically a "vanilla" movie: the story of a young girl (Abigail Breslin) growing up as the Depression hits and her family struggles to make ends meet. Kit is an aspiring reporter, so she strikes up some friendships with young "hobos" and wants to report on their plight. Meanwhile, there are a series of thefts in the region, all attributed to "hobos" and the evidence is starting to point to her new friends. Of course, she is determined to get to the bottom of this, turning it into sort of a "Nancy Drew" plotline. It is an "OK" family movie, entertaining enough that the parents aren't pulling their hair out and it is very straightforward. It is not the worst way to spend family movie night, but I can't recommend it beyond that.

Grade: C

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