Kansas.com: Movies

Not in love with romantic comedies

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:39 CDT

I am not a big fan of romantic comedies. Sure, there are some great ones ("Sleepless in Seattle" comes to mind). But far too many aren't (almost anything with Matthew McConaughey). I guess, specifically, I am not a fan of the rom-com formula. It's a "tried-and-true" recipe meant to illicit predictable "ahhhs" at precisely the right moment that we can see coming like a freight ship on a sidewalk.

But I am in the minority. There is a huge audience for these films, and people flock to them like zombies at a brain buffet.

I say if you must make these movies, at least make them interesting. I offer the following suggestions:

• Uh, be romantic. Were we really supposed to buy that Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney fell in love in "The Wedding Date"? She had to pay him to be with her. There's nothing more romantic than prostitution.

• Be funny. Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston made "The Break-Up" as hilarious as a root canal. Take some lessons from Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in "Adam's Rib." Now that's funny sparring.

'Dark' victory

ROD POCOWATCHIT — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:39 CDT

Unless you live in a bat cave, you know that "The Dark Knight" opens on Friday. It's the sequel to "Batman Begins," which reignited the superhero's movie franchise after the cheesy "Batman & Robin" was released/used as torture in 1997. "The Dark Knight" arrives with all the subtlety of a gleaming bat signal, with more hype than the next Britney breakdown. Will it live up to expectations?

Here is a light-hearted look at Batman's journey through the film series, and reasons to see -- or, if you must, skip --"The Dark Knight."

Because, as the Joker would ask, "Why so serious?"

REASONS TO SEE IT

• You're a longtime fan -- Holy rest home, Batman! The character first appeared in 1939 (in "Detective Comics No. 27" by Bob Kane), so he's been around a loooooong time. And there have been plenty of Batman fanatics through the years. You can bet they'll be out in force on Friday (but please, leave your capes at home).

New this week

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:39 CDT

• The real draw of "Journey to the Center of the Earth" is that it's in 3-D, and it promises to deliver eye-popping special effects. If you must have a story, it's based on the Jules Verne sci-fi classic novel, about a science professor (Brendan Fraser) who goes on an expedition in Iceland with his nephew (Josh Hutcherson), only to make a discovery that launches them into, well, a journey to the center of the Earth.

• Didn't Eddie Murphy learns his lesson after "Norbit?" Apparently not, because he returns as multiple characters again in "Meet Dave," where a crew of miniature aliens operate a spaceship that has the human form of -- yup, Eddie Murphy.

• "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is directed by original "Hellboy" auteur Guillermo del Toro, whose visually inventive style drove "Pan's Labyrinth" to win three Oscars. "Hellboy II" looks to be just as visually adventurous as Hellboy (Ron Perlman) returns to battle rebellious creatures who plan to take over the planet. As they often do.

• Haaaaaaaaay you guys! Chunk, Mouth and the rest of the gang stop in Thursday for the Orpheum's summer film series for a screening of "The Goonies." Check out Sean Astin before he became a Hobbit! Check out Josh Brolin before he became a star! Check out Corey Feldman before he became a joke! It's showing at 7 p.m. Thursday.

'Journey' just plain fun

COLIN COVERT — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:13 CDT

"Journey to the Center of the Earth" would be a forgettable summer kiddie action movie except for the novel visual effects that make it a sight to see.

"Journey" is the first fiction feature shot with new-generation digital 3-D cameras. There would be no reason to see the film if it weren't stereoscopic; but in 3-D capable theaters, it's a through-the-looking-glass experience.

A modern reworking of the classic Jules Verne adventure, the film stars Brendan Fraser as Trevor, a genial geology professor whose volcano lab is about to be shut down by the penny-pinching dean. That's a personal outrage to Trevor, who is carrying on research started by his brother Max, who disappeared 10 years earlier hunting "volcanic tubes" that he believed would lead directly to the planet's core. During a visit from Max's bored, bratty adolescent son Sean (Josh Hutcherson), Trevor finds data in Verne's novel of subterranean exploration that parallel his findings. With Josh in tow, he embarks for Iceland to explore Max's expedition site.

There are no significant female characters in Verne's book, but that was 19th-century France, and this is Hollywood 2008. So we have the brave, adventurous and capable mountain guide Hannah (Icelandic actress Anita Briem) along for the ride. After a cave-in traps them in a mine, the trio find themselves in a world of jewel-encrusted caverns, dinosaurs, carnivorous plants and saber-toothed flying fish.

The film has about as much plot as a log flume ride. The story is in the tour of the underground wonderland, with Trevor and Sean playing baseball with the leaping prehistoric piranhas, a T-rex chase and a runaway minecart sequence. What little character development arises between potholes and pitfalls comes from a silly cross-generational rivalry by Trevor and Sean for Hannah's affections.

Movie Maniac: Ledger Oscar buzz adds hype to hype

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:41 CDT

Random movie thoughts: • Holy marketing, Batman! -- The buzz about the late Heath Ledger's chances of getting an Oscar nod for his turn as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" seems a bit premature. Nothing against Ledger -- his passing was tragic, I thought he was a good actor, and the performance may rightfully deserve praise -- but let's not add hype onto hype, OK? And, really, does "Dark Knight" need the extra press? Still, I'm rabidly anticipating the film's July 18 opening. I might even wear my Batman underwear. Just kidding! Really, I don't have any.

• Robot romance -- Who would have thought that the most romantic movie of the year would be one with animated robots? Not only is Disney/Pixar's "WALL-E" a breathtaking technological achievement, it's also a tender, touching story. We root for the lonely, naive WALL-E and duty-driven Eve throughout the film, and we get completely swept up in their romance. Listen up, Hollywood: If these guys can make us care this much about animated characters, surely you can do the same with actual humans. Or at least try.

• High expectations -- Movies with marijuana have made a comeback this summer, with mixed results. We've already had the short-lived "Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay," which attracted, like, five people -- and they were just there for the munchies. Still to come, though, with much promise, are the Sundance darling "The Wackness," with Ben Kingsley as a pot-smoking psychiatrist, and the reportedly hilarious "Pineapple Express," with Seth Rogen and James Franco. We haven't seen this much weed on screen since Cheech and Chong's heydays. I mean high days.

• Kansas film scene thrives -- Lawrence is quickly becoming the Austin of Kansas. Several film projects are coming out of the filmmaking community there. Jeremy Osbern's musical "Air," which recently screened in Wichita, is still on a theatrical run, and now "Bunker Hill," directed by Sundance alum Kevin Willmott ("C.S.A.: Confederate States of America"), just screened in Washington, D.C., and kicks off a festival run Aug. 9 at the Santa Fe Film Festival. A Wichita screening is in the works. Willmott's "The Only Good Indian," which filmed scenes at Cowtown last summer, is in post-production.

'Praying With Lior' a heartfelt, moving documentary

ROD POCOWATCHIT — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:43 CDT

A young Jewish boy preparing for his rite of passage into adulthood -- the Bar Mitzvah -- is a monumental event unto itself. But when that boy has Down syndrome, it becomes triumphant.

"Praying With Lior," which screens today as part of the Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation's Summer Film Series, is a tender, moving documentary that follows Lior Liebling and his family as they struggle with the daily difficulties of life with Lior, leading up to the Bar Mitzvah.

But filmmaker Ilana Trachtman also examines Lior's religious strength. He's been raised in a deeply devout setting, and his faith seems to be the one thing that helps him communicate with others. He prays with such conviction -- and such frequency -- that many think he is a "vessel" through which others' prayers are heard. Some think his condition makes him closer to God.

But he's also just a boy. And he's a handful. His birth mother died when he was a child, and his stepmother grapples with how to help him understand life.

His father struggles to help Lior with his Bar Mitzvah preparations. His brother bounces between being protector, teacher and buddy. And his sisters connect in their own positive and negative ways.

NEW THIS WEEK

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:40 CDT

• Pixar (which has yet to unleash a flop) goes to outer space with the robots-in-love epic "WALL-E." It's directed by Andrew Stanton, who helmed a little movie called "Finding Nemo."

• "Wanted" is based on Mark Millar's graphic novels and is directed by Timur Bekmambetov, creator of the wildly successful "Night Watch" Russian vampire films. It follows a meek slacker named Wes (James McAvoy) who is told by the ever-great-looking Angelina Jolie (whose character is named -- and I'm not kidding _ Fox) that his father has been murdered and was actually an assassin. So Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains him to avenge his father's death.

• "Hancock" opens Tuesday and stars Will Smith as a misunderstood, alcoholic superhero who has fallen out of favor with the public. But when he saves the life of a PR executive (Jason Bateman), the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Charlize Theron pops in as eye candy.

• "Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl" opens Wednesday and stars Abigail Breslin (who is way too prolific for her age) and Will Smith's daughter, Willow, in a story based on the American Girl doll line about a young woman who grows up in the early years of the Great Depression.

• And alternative viewings this week include "City Slickers" at the Palace West's Cult Film Series (tonight and Saturday night), "Praying With Lior" at the Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation's summer film series (3 p.m. Sunday at the Murdock Theatre; $7), and "Conventioneers" at Tallgrass Film Festival's Cinema Alfresco (8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Brickyard; it's free).

Movie Maniac: Romanian '4 Months' aharrowing study in loyalty

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:42 CDT

The Romanian film "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" ("4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile") was the winner of the Palme d'Or -- the top honor -- at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

It never came to Wichita, but is now on DVD, and it's a riveting, sometimes hard-to-watch story that is a testament to the power of friendship in dour, desperate times.

Taking place in Communist-era, mid-1980s Bucharest over a 24-hour period, the film opens with two young women in their university dorm room. Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) and Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) are busy preparing for their day, and the story jumps in with a surging, nervous urgency.

On the surface, it seems like it could be a typical day for these women. But we soon find out that Gabita is pregnant, and Otilia is helping her set up an illegal, black-market abortion.

Otilia rents a hotel room with the very little money they have, meets a shady doctor (Vlad Ivanov), and takes him to their hotel, where Gabita is waiting anxiously.

Stars shoot to the top of the animation game

JOHN ANDERSON — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 01:42 CDT

Is it not enough that Angelina Jolie gets to play with Brad Pitt and shoot bad guys in $100 million movies? Must she also take food out of the mouths of people who use those mouths to make a living?

Jolie's role as the voice of Tigress in the animated flick "Kung Fu Panda," which also features Jack Black, is yet another example of the Hollywood Star-ization of the animated voicework industry. Last year brought Jerry Seinfeld and Renee Zellweger in "Bee Movie," this year heard Steve Carell and Jim Carrey in "Horton Hears a Who!" and Friday comes Disney's "Wall E," with the voices of Sigourney Weaver and Fred Willard.

And it's not just the starring roles. Look at the list of voices on the Internet Movie Database for "Panda" or "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" (coming this fall), and you'll find the first 10 or so actors are household names.

"When the 'The Lion King' came out, there was no big deal made about who was in an animated movie," says Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media by Numbers, which tracks box-office figures for the industry. "But you see now with 'Kung Fu Panda' -- it's all about star power and Jack Black."

So are microphones manned by big-name actors becoming a must for animated movies?