Big Screen
Published Friday November 21st, 2008
QUANTUM OF SOLACE
The latest 007 adventure picks up where "Casino Royale" left off. James Bond (Daniel Craig) wants to avenge the death of lovely Vesper Lynd at the hands of power-hungry Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric). He hooks up with sexy Camille (Olga Kurylenko) in Bolivia to investigate a water conspiracy. M (Judi Dench) wants Bond back in England, thinking he's gone maverick. The CIA is also after him. The film stumbles along a frenetic CGI set of mind-blowing visual stunts, unfortunately all too familiar to moviegoers, impressing far fewer viewers than any of the previous six escapades. The era began in 1963 with Sean Connery chiseling in stone the summit of cool, which all Bonds that followed had to emulate, at least to some degree. The early series featured burlesque antagonists who owned volcanic islands with sliding lids, or spacecraft, and their chief ambition was to hold the world ransom. The Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton Bond editions suffered inflation, but were rescued as Pierce Brosnan's license to kill urbanely surfaced once again, with of course, more CGI action. Daniel Craig's 007 changed the series significantly, and moviegoers we polled noted the shift toward a Jason Bourne-type spy, where drama and thrill replaced hackneyed chases and needless explosions. And the Bourne comparison is spot on. That series used "realistic" action; they were the best at pulling viewers to the edge of their seats, earning a remarkable 86 per cent Audience Approval. Craig's "Casino Royale" scored an identical 86 per cent. Gone was the circus, replaced by bona fide political espionage. Until this week. While Bourne kept his efforts in must-see ranges, "Quantum of Solace" fell precipitously to a ho-hum 65 per cent approval, territory generally reserved for insipid action knockoffs top-heavy with stray bullets and silly car chases. Too bad. Not a recommendation, but I guess most "shaken, not stirred" fans feel obligated to see "Quantum of Solace," which isn't that bad, just not Bourne good. Audiences reacted: "I think it's OK, not what I expected. No fancy spy toys, no super-intelligent weapons or such things. But still, it's a nice action movie, more like Bourne's series" (many). . . "No substance, it's like watching chaos with no purpose" . . . "They need to revamp the series again. It's gotten to be too Hollywood" . . . "Not a classic Bond's movie" . . . and "Is there a story?"
ROLE MODELS
Adulthood makes Danny (Paul Rudd) cynical and mean, which makes his girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) give him the pink slip. He and Wheeler (Seann William Scott, whose face is automatically stuck on "automatic mischievous" since starring in "American Pie") sell energy drinks in schools, but a violent indiscretion finds them as court-appointed mentors to Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, "Superbad") and Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson). Rudd and Scott are so darned charming during the non-crass character-building moments with the youngsters that the comedy achieves an eloquence of funny dialogue mixed with sincerity that elevates it above the slosh. Not as good as "Superbad," but still a must-see 80 per cent Audience Approval, so feel free to observe its critical acclaim. Audiences reacted: "There were some very funny spots" (many) . . . "Funny but also endearing" . . . and "Each character was funny in their own way. Each character had a sensitive side too."
MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA
The four animal friends are now trapped in Madagascar but try to return to their Central Park Zoo home. Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock) and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), reprise their roles from the 2005 original, which didn't really scorch up our poll (72 per cent Audience Approval). The penguins glue together an old plane wreck, and the heroes fly into the heart of Africa where they meet their own kind in a journey of discovery and adventure. Their odyssey leads to a confrontation between their roots and their unnatural zoo upbringing, resulting in a must-see 81 per cent Audience Approval. Audiences said: "A lot better than the first one" (many) . . . "Really perfect for my kids and I think adults will like it too. I did" . . . "Cute and heartwarming but above all, funny" . . . and "Very good family entertainment."
CHANGELING
Based on a true story from 1928 Los Angeles, single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) discovers her 9-year-old son, Walter, is missing. When the police return him, it is apparent to Christine that this is not her son. But the cops (Colm Feore and Jeffrey Donovan) fearing bad press, even against a body of compelling evidence, insist the recovered boy is Walter. The boy is forced upon Christine, and she is hospitalized for psychiatric help, all while her son is still missing. A clergyman (John Malkovich) crusading against rampant police corruption, comes to her aid. A parallel story follows Detective Lester Ybarra (Michael Kelly) investigating a runaway who claims his uncle kidnapped and murdered dozens of young boys. Director Clint Eastwood displays the same audience-engaging talent he showed in the engrossing dramas "Million Dollar Baby" and "Mystic River." The movie elicits anger and frustration, keeping moviegoers absorbed throughout; it earned a superb must-see 92 per cent approval. Audiences cheered: "Angelina Jolie is beyond words, her performance kept me glued to my seat. She should get the Oscar for this" (many). . . "All made better because it's a true story; absolutely stunning" . . . and "Touched peoples' hearts. You could feel what the heroine felt through the whole movie."
ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO
Mack and Miri (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) are BFF living together without sex but in harmony. Broke and threatened with eviction, they hatch the idea of making a porn film for cash. Will sex destroy their platonic bliss? They choose a Starbucks co-worker (Craig Robinson from TV's "The Office") to produce their epic, "Star Whores," starring Hung Solo (Zack). Writer/director Kevin Smith opens the vulgarity floodgates and Rogen navigates the deluge with such frank and inventive aplomb that the torrent of expletives becomes eloquent in an oddly hysterical way. The prudish should be forewarned this ain't "Anne of Green Gables." A large per centage of moviegoers gave the film mid-range reviews, I gather from their quotes based on its blue nature. Yet, few viewers rated "Zack and Miri" poorly. This a clean romance in a dirty wrapper. Audiences said: "So original and hilarious, everyone was laughing out loud" (many) . . . "Raunchiest movie ever, also the funniest" . . . "Seth Rogen plays the clueless slacker better than anyone" . . . and "As a comedy it was great, as a love story it was great."
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR
Troy (Zac Efron) must choose basketball or performing arts in college, and he's facing separation from Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), who is going to Stanford. Meanwhile, Sharpey (Ashley Tisdale) is engineering a shot at Juilliard. The rest of the gang familiar to fans of the Disney TV product, Chad, Taylor and Ryan (Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman and Lucas Grabeel), spill their hearts, vocal chords and gifted toes into their final musical and prom. Its melodies inspire lyrics that address adolescents where they live: relationships, worries about the future and separation anxiety. The characters' charismatic power absolutely enthralled young viewers. All in all, this is healthy, refreshing family fair that teens will love. Comments included: "Amazing" . . . "The critics were right for a change, this was great" . . . "You could feel the excitement in the theatre that was coming from the screen" . . . and "You can't help but love all the fantastic music and dancing."
SAW V
The devious gambit from the shocking original lives on, but the innovative mutilations just don't come across as imaginative. Although Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is theoretically dead, another sociopath (Costas Mandylor) has picked up the gauntlet to stage morbid life-and-death challenges for more victims (Julie Benz, Meagan Good and Mark Rolston). Few would argue that this gruesome genre exists only to satisfy a vulgar urge within viewers to experience fear and death in others. How much visceral gut-ripping under the same banner can we tolerate without growing weary? The first three installments scored reasonable ratings in the mid 70s, but "Saw V" dropped 15 approval points. Comments included: "Not nearly as good as 1, 2 or 3" (statistically correct). . . "The same style but less excitement" . . . "It's so brutal, I couldn't bare to watch a lot of it" . . . and "At least the ending was a big surprise."
THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES
This kind-hearted surprise not only scored the top film currently in theatres -- an astounding 97 per cent Audience Approval -- it will easily be one of the year's best films. An adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's popular novel explores the racial atmosphere of South Carolina in 1964. Fourteen-year-old Lily (Dakota Fanning) runs away with her former nanny and friend Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) to uncover something of her deceased mother's past. Instead, she is taken into the pink house of the Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo), who provide love, learning and growth. Readers told us the movie remained faithful to the book while conveying the same warm and caring mood. Moviegoers raved that "Bees" told a wonderful story and was delivered through Oscar-calibre performances by all. This is a great family film that you should not miss. Audiences cheered: "Does the book proud" (many) . . . "A lot of laughing and crying. It made me warm inside" . . . "Good for the family to see a movie with so much love and caring" . . . "The characters are full of kind hearts and humanity. It makes you feel how good life can be" . . . and "Every single performance in this story was spectacular. This is the most emotional I've felt during a movie in years."
n The Big Screen, written by Bob Habes, appears in Life & Times each Friday
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