Speed Racer (PG)
What Happens in Vegas (PG-13)
Iron Man (PG-13)
Made of Honor (PG-13)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PG)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (PG-13)
Sex and the City (R)
The Strangers (R)
You Don’t Mess With the Zohan (PG-13)
Kung Fu Panda (PG)
The Happening (R)
Get Smart (PG-13)
The Love Guru (PG-13)
May 2008 Reviews
April 2008 Reviews
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The Happening (R) opens in New York's Central Park. It's a typical morning, people are walking their dogs and relaxing on park benches, when suddenly everyone stops, becomes confused, and systematically begins hurting themselves. A few hours later, in Philadelphia, science teacher Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) is lecturing his class on the disappearance of honeybees when the news of the New York event reaches his school. Those in charge are blaming terrorists, but as the groups of people affected become smaller and smaller, the theory looks less and less likely. Elliot and his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) head for the countryside with Elliot's fellow schoolteacher Julian (John Leguizamo) and his daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez), but then the trains stop working and they're left stranded in the Pennsylvania countryside, forced to depend on their own ingenuity to survive an event they can't fully understand or comprehend. Spencer Breslin also stars, with a cameo by Alan Ruck.
The Happening starts out promising; the opening scene is genuinely shocking, as are most of the scenes of the event taking its toll on human beings. However, as the movie progressed, I was reminded of the feel of bad 50s sci-fi movies, especially something like The Day The Earth Stood Still but without the awesome robot. Wahlberg oscillated between funny and angry for most of the story, which made any scene without death and destruction hard to judge. Rating is for violence and disturbing images, and I'd say definitely don't take anyone underage. – Ashley Merrill
In Mike Myers’ latest movie The Love Guru, Myers plays the Guru Pitka, an American raised in the cultures of India who has become an expert on love. The Toronto Maple Leafs manager and coach, Jessica Alba and Verne Troyer, respectfully, hire the services of the Love Guru to help their slumping star Darren Roanoke, played by Romany Malco (The 40 Year Old Virgin), overcome his heartache in time to win the Stanley Cup. This will prove to be no easy feat as Darren’s separated wife is currently the girlfriend of rival hockey star Jacque Grande, played by Justin Timberlake, whose character just happens to play for the team that Toronto is facing for the Stanley Cup, the L.A. Kings.
As in any Mike Myers movie, there are plenty of well-known actors playing lesser roles, as Myers wants to keep the laughs rolling even while the focus is away from the “stars.” Stephen Colbert and Ben Kingsley are just a few of the cameos. Another Myers trademark is an elaborately choreographed song and dance sequence, and this one does not disappoint as Myers incorporates two different song sequences with an Indian twist, Dolly Parton’s “Nine to Five” and “Lovin’ on the Run.” Myers also pays homage to his earlier days by having a Wayne’s World reference.
Myers remains one of the smartest comics working in show business today and this latest movie is just another hit in his array of outstanding comedies. He takes his first original character since Shrek, and makes it something completely his own. His interactions with the other cast members show how much fun they all are having, and in turn, the audience will have just as much fun. Justin Timberlake steals the show and proves to be the funniest character of the movie. Some of the jokes are drawn out and juvenile, but for the most part, it was a funny movie. Teens will LOL while watching this movie but most parents will roll their eyes. This movie contains some sexual innuendoes that may not be suitable for young children. – Kenan Stewart
Get Smart stars Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart and is based on the television show from the 1960s. Max is an analyst for Control, a CIA-like agency, but when Control’s headquarters are attacked, he is promoted to field agent status and is sent on a mission to stop the bad guys from Kaos from going through with their plans. Anne Hathaway plays Agent 99 and goes with Max to Russia to provide support and experience. Dwayne Johnson (formerly known as The Rock) plays Agent 23, who helps with the mission.
While I haven’t seen any episodes of the original series in many years, I feel that the movie keeps to the spirit of the show. It was funnier and much more interesting than I expected it to be. Steve Carell turns in yet another great performance and the supporting characters help make the movie hilarious. The film is rated PG-13 and while there is one scene on an airplane that is almost too painful to watch, there isn’t any gruesome violence or pervasive language. – Susannah Driver
Kung Fu Panda (PG) stars Jack Black as Po, an overweight, clumsy panda bear who works in his father’s noodle restaurant. He dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master like his heroes, the Fabulous Five, but is not confident in himself. When it is announced that Master Oogway is about to pick the new Dragon Master, Po longs to see the ceremony but his size and his noodle cart prevent him from even getting up the long staircase. After a few crazy hijinks, Master Oogway “accidentally” picks Po as the Dragon Master and it is up to his assistant, Master Shifu (voiced by Dustin Hoffman) to prepare Po to battle Tai Lung, a menace who has just escaped from prison after twenty years.
The movie boasts a strong cast of voices, including Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, and Seth Rogen. If you love Jack Black’s previous films then you will probably love this one as well, though a bit of the magic is lost since he is not actually on screen. I expected this movie to be a bit more slapstick with corny jokes but while it is funny, there is also a good plot to go along with it. It was good, light-hearted weekend entertainment. The movie is rated PG for the fighting and action but there is neither adult language nor any rude humor at all. The whole family will enjoy it. – Susannah Driver
You Don’t Mess With the Zohan (PG-13) is a mindless Adam Sandler movie with lots of crude humor. And I’m sorry, but I found it funny.
The Zohan (Sandler) is an Israeli counter-terrorism superman who grows tired of the endless fighting with the Palestinians. He longs to work for Paul Mitchell cutting and styling hair, and when he finds a chance, he fakes his death and hops a flight to New York. Paul Mitchell isn’t hiring, and he finally finds a job in a Palestinian beauty shop, saying he’s an Australian with Tibetan heritage. He becomes very, very popular for along with a new ‘do, he makes customers feel very sexually attractive. Along with the laughs, there’s a plot about Arabs and Israelis living and working together.
There’s an endless stream of cameos that range from Shelly Berman to Chris Rock that kept me grasping for who the next one was.
Zohan is full of camera tricks and sexual humor, but no language, explicit nudity or more than cartoonish violence. If you can get past the crude humor, I found it funny. – Barry Merrill
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For those of you who watched the series on HBO, “Sex and the City” has the same diverse group of cosmopolitan, New York women in search of the perfect relationship, picking up 3 years later where the series left off. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is the only one left of the “fabulous four” friends who is not in a committed relationship, which is the major focus of the movie. She and longtime on-again, off-again beau “Mr. Big” (Chris Noth), decide to commit and get married, and with Carrie’s career as a writer, the wedding becomes such a production that “Big” gets cold feet and leaves Carrie standing at the altar. Feeling dejected and humiliated, Carrie is whisked away by Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Samantha (Kim Cattrall) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) to a posh Mexican resort, initially intended for the honeymoon. Once back in Manhattan, Carrie eventually runs in to “Big” again, and they find out if they're meant to be together. If you liked the series , you won’t be disappointed in the motion picture. The setting is exactly the same; so is the wit and wisdom of the whole ‘Sex” gang. If you missed the series, not to worry. The movie has a brief intro on all the characters to catch you up to speed. I watched several seasons of the series and thought the movie was true to form for all the familiar characters. It did seem to drag on a bit towards the end, but the humor kept me interested. Rated “R” for adult sexuality and language, it’s not for the whole family. If there’s a sequel, I’d probably go to see it. – Debra Malarchik
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In The Strangers (R), it's not a matter of if someone is going to die, it's when will they finally get it over with. A young couple, Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman), arrive at James's summer home after a friend's wedding. Their getaway is interrupted by an eerie knock at the door, and from there their lives continue to go downhill, as does the movie. Although I was grateful the movie lacks the usual overload of gore that most current horror movies have, the only "scary" things about it are loud noises and a few things jumping out at you. The plot becomes nonexistent as the "strangers" slowly begin finding their way into the movie. The end of the movie is just as dull as its scare tactics; there is no twist and no explanation for the intruders' actions, other than their monotonal "you're home." The rating could honestly be PG-13. The movie has hardly any language, and sexuality is at a minimum. Violence is the only objectionable content for the R rating, and even that is significantly less than most PG-13 movies today. – Michelle Cobb
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (PG-13) sees the return of Harrison Ford as the adventuring archaeologist, a few years later. It's 1957 and Indy has been kidnapped by Russian mind-control expert Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett). Spalko is obsessed with artifacts of paranormal power, and believes Indy can help her track one down. It's only when Mutt Williams comes to Indy and asks for help in tracking down his parents that Indy really gets on the trail of the crystal skull. Karen Allen again plays the feisty and adventurous Marion Ravenwood, along with John Hurt as Professor Oxley, and Jim Broadbent appears as Indy's professor friend Dean Charles Stanforth.
I fondly remember the Indiana Jones movies I watched in my childhood, excepting one scene involving monkey brains, and I've come to expect a certain level of entertainment from my Indiana Jones movies. When I heard the negative reviews, I went in trying not to expect anything, but I couldn't help it. It's Indy up there on the screen, complete with theme music and whip, but he's mired in a plot that is, at times, entirely incomprehensible. The villains are cartoonish, the action sequences are over the top, and the ending has to be seen to be believed. And all that may be true about the other movies in the series, but never before has it seemed quite so crazy. My friend who went with me entirely disagreed and called it the least hokey of them all, and really enjoyed it; so it's up to you to decide. Rating is for action sequences and some scary images. – Ashley Merrill
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PG) opens in Narnia, where one child is being born and another, Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), is threatened. He flees for the woods and toward the wild country, taking the final gift from his professor, Queen Susan's horn. In our world, the four Pevensie children from the first movie are back in London, about to begin another school year, while the memories of their lives in Narnia make them feel out of place. When he's in trouble, Caspian blows the horn, and the Pevensies are drawn back into a Narnia that is 1300 years from their untroubled reign. Everyone expects them to be older and is disappointed to find they return as children, including the dwarf Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage). In the meantime, Caspian is forced to stand for his life and his rightful crown against his uncle the usurper King Miraz. The lengths to which they must go to free Narnia from the Telmarines are tremendous, and test all the children.
While this adaptation is not entirely faithful to the actual book, it does a good job of putting the story on the screen. I was especially charmed by the choice for Reepicheep the mouse's voice, and the stunning visuals make me excited for the rest of the series. Some of the scenes are a little scary, especially some of the battle ones, so younger children might not do well with this movie, either attention-wise or content-wise. – Ashley Merrill
Speed Racer (PG) is a turbo-charged story of the Racer Family. The movie is a live-action version of a 1960’s anime television series that originated in Japan and later made its way into America.
Racing is in the blood of the Racer Family. The father (John Goodman) designs racecars, the eldest son Rex was a well-known racer who had set records in the World Racing League.
His younger brother Speed (Emile Hirsch) sets out to try and break those records .
Instead of trying to break records, Speed finds himself trying to combat the dark side of racing.
The Wachowski Brothers, known for their work on V is for Vendetta, pack Speed Racer with so much eye candy viewers will leave with a feeling of sugar shock.
The movie contains a few curse words. The fast pace makes it hard to follow the storyline early on, however, families with elementary-school aged children should enjoy the racing thriller. - Jon Therrien
What Happens in Vegas (PG-13) - Ashton Kutcher plays Jack, a womanizing carpenter who has just been sacked by his father (Treat Williams) for not taking his job seriously. His best friend Steve (Rob Corddry) persuades him to take a trip to Las Vegas to cheer himself up. Buttoned-up, New York based commodities trader Joy (Cameron Diaz)'s best friend Tipper (Lake Bell) has persuaded her to embark on a Vegas cheer-yourself-up bender because she's just been dumped by her fiancé (Jason Sudeikis).
With the alcohol freely flowing, Jack and Joy have a wild night together, after which they wake up to find themselves married and then quickly fall out, just before winning a $3 million slot machine jackpot.
Back in New York, they appear before a judge (Dennis Miller), who delivers one great line: "Gay people aren't ruining the sanctity of marriage. People like you are!" But then, the judge announces -- "I sentence you to six months' hard marriage!" He froze their winnings and sentencing them to live together for six months and see a counselor (Queen Latifah) before he'll grant them a divorce and divide up the loot. So Jack and Joy live together with the attitude and all the comedy actions of if I can annoy him/her enough to quit, I will get all the money.
Kutcher, Diaz, Corddry and Bell deliver a spirited comic performance. Be prepared to laugh hard at some of the scenes. As with Made of Honor, this movie was predictable, but is still a good romantic comedy, even though it had more comedy than romance. Is this movie worth seeing? Despite the silly plot, the comic performances deliver plenty of laughs and ensure that What Happens In Vegas is worth seeing. – Lucy Brower
Iron Man (PG-13) stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, the privileged genius behind Stark Enterprises. Stark's business is making weapons, and it's a business he does well. He has an exclusive contract with the American government to provide new weapons for them, and his buddy Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard) is an Air Force pilot. Stark goes to the Middle East to demonstrate a new weapon, the Jericho missile system, when he is kidnapped and forced to recreate it for a band of terrorists. Instead, Stark, with the assistance of a captive doctor, creates Iron Man.
I haven't read any Iron Man comic books, and I knew next to nothing about the character going into the movie, but it was a blast. Downey is a great actor, and he does an awesome job with Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow co-stars as his assistant Pepper Potts, and while I usually find her irritating, she didn't irk me in this film. Jeff Bridges also stars as Stark's business partner Obadiah Stone. Rating is for violence and action, and brief suggestive content. - Ashley Merrill
Made of Honor (PG-13) Millionaire Tom (Patrick Dempsey) lives the perfect life. Girls, cars and a completely self-serving set of rules mean that his only real attachment is to his best friend Hannah (Michelle Monaghan). Their platonic relationship has been a crutch for both of them for the past 10 years. Tom is preparing to tell Hannah that he is in love with her, but Hannah has returned from a month long trip to Scotland with some big news of her own: She's now engaged to Colin (Kevin McKidd), a wealthy Scotsman that she met while she was in Europe. Desperate to stop the wedding and tell Hannah how he really feels, he accepts the role of ‘Maid of Honor’ for the upcoming wedding and works from the inside. Unable to tell Hannah sooner, they end up going for the elaborate ceremony in Scotland, but is it too late for Tom?
This romantic comedy is overly familiar and very predictable. It combines both "When Harry Met Sally" and "My Best Friend's Wedding". I really did enjoy this movie even with its predictability. It’s a chick flick all the way, but my husband seemed to enjoy it too. It had humor that he could relate to.
"Made of Honor" is rated PG-13 for crude sexual humor and language, some strong profanity, comic violence, brief nudity, derogatory slurs, and some brief sexual content. - Lucy Brower