Series and Movie Reviews
If you need escapism from all the superhero and CGI movies, go for the feel-good movie of the summer LARRY CROWNE.
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Has Cameron Diaz ever carried a movie before? This was the first thought that came to my mind when I exited the theatre and every title that I came up with had her in a supporting role or sharing the screen. But in BAD TEACHER, Cameron Diaz is definitely the star. The question is did she pull it off and if so, how did she do? Well after weighing the pros and cons I have to say she managed to hold her own and if I was going to grade the film overall, I think I would have to give it a C; a solid effort, but room for much improvement.
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Jim Carrey has returned to the comic silliness that made him a star in MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS. And if you are not already a fan of penguins, you will be.
Everyone loves finding a package on his or her doorstep, but for Tom Popper (Jim Carrey) that experience has lost its thrill. For years his globetrotting father has been sending him exotic gifts from all around the world. As a child Tom Junior loved his dad and was thrilled to follow him on his ham radio at night. But now a package means a missed birthday, Christmas, or other landmark occasion. For “Tippy Toes” Popper a package has become synonymous with disappointment.
As an adult Tom has created his own kind of adventure. He has become one of the premiere real estate developers in New York City and for him New York is the world. To match the prestige of his envious position Popper has traded in all the curios and souvenirs of his youth for a sterile, cold penthouse apartment. He is rich, successful, and at the top of his game, yet he is divorced, alone, and only sees his kids on alternate weekends.
One day Popper receives some devastating news. His father has died on an expedition to Antarctica and during the reading of his will it is revealed to him that Tippy Toes will be receiving one last gift. When it arrives Tom opens the crate with resignation and is surprised to find a frozen box containing a full size Gentoo penguin. Tom is less than thrilled with his father’s gift but admires the expert taxidermy. Little does he know that the penguin is alive and about to upend his life.
Due to a bad phone connection and a language barrier, Tom receives five more penguins. He’s called every agency in the book and no one will take them off his hands. Finally the zoo agrees to give them a home, but before they can pick them up his son mistakes them for his birthday present. Popper decides to go along and now his kids can’t wait to visit him. Enjoying his newfound status as the world’s coolest dad, he puts the zoo off for now and decides to enjoy this time with his kids.
As the needs of the penguins soon outweigh his own Popper begins missing work, changing his priorities and forges a new relationship with his kids (Madeline Carroll and Maxwell Perry Cotton). Even his ex-wife (Carla Gugino) is enamored of his new house guests. For the first time in a long time the family is together and happy.
If you are expecting this film to be similar to the Newbery Award children’s book, let me stop you right here. The original book Mr. Popper’s Penguins written in 1938 by Richard and Florence Atwater has a completely different story line. The only thing that this film shares with the classic tale is the title and a basic premise. But both stories have something to offer. This film just has a different emphasis. In Jim Carrey’s version it is about love, loyalty and a strong sense of family, qualities that penguins exhibit in the wild. You won’t be getting the Popper’s Penguins of your childhood, but you’ll be getting a new story to cherish and love.
Jim Carrey is delightful as Mr. Popper. Using live Gentoo penguins in the making of this film, all his comic skills come into play just to keep up with their chaos. Jim, who loves animals, thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but admits that working in a refrigerated environment was quite a challenge.
Another treat in this film is the return of Angela Lansbury. She plays the fictional owner of Tavern on the Green, Mrs. Van Gundy. This film is a real love letter to New York, and you will thoroughly enjoy visiting some of its most beloved sites.
MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS is a quality family film that everyone can enjoy together. With the mix of live animals, animatronics, and CGI you’ll be hard pressed to tell where the real penguins end and the animated ones begin. To quote Jim Carrey, “They’re like puppies times ten.”
MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS is in movie theaters June 17, 2011.
Melanie Wilson
Visit her blog at LAMelbox.blogspot.com
Brad Pitt gives a solid performance that grounds Terrence Malick's bizarre new film THE TREE OF LIFE. Add a comment
They say that to really know someone you have to travel with them and after watching THE TRIP, it becomes very clear that you should never enter a car with two British comedians.
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X-MEN: FIRST CLASS certainly lives up to its title with first-rate performances by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender but the character-driven film might disappoint some action fans.
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Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor star in BEGINNERS, a beautifully structured and provocative story based on director Mike Mills personal experience.
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Jack Black brings back the charm of Po to KUNG FU PANDA 2 but Gary Oldman steals the show (as always) as the new villain.
Po, the crime fighting Panda is back as the Dragon Warrior, in the sequel to Dreamworks
animated film. KUNG FU PANDA 2 tackles an issue unresolved from the first film. How did Mr. Ping the goose become a father to a panda? Po starts to doubt his origins with a recurring dream about his panda mother. The villaneous Lord Shen holds the key to his past. Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), a peacock with his own daddy issues, plans to conquer China with a secret, unstoppable weapon and destroy kung fu. Po, Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), Monkey (Jackie Chan), and Crane (David Cross) travel far to stop Lord Shen.
While saving the world from domination premise is not at all original, the more engaging story is Po's eventual discover of Lord Shen's involvement with his parent's disappearance. That emotional connection is what makes the two Kung Fu Panda movies work. Apart from being relatable, the animated sequel is much funnier than the first one with more adult humor.
The character of Po, voiced by the always entertaining Jack Black, continues to warm his way into our hearts with his many insecurities and love of food. He may be the Dragon Warrior but he is still vulnerable and that is the charm of the character.
Voicing the character of Lord Shen is Gary Oldman who once again creates a unique villain. Oldman never repeats a performance especially as a viilain which he's played many times in memorable roles such as in The Professional and the Fifth Element. He brings a sophistication to the animated comedy as the peacock. Rather than going for the typical evil voice, The Dark Night actor brought a vulnerability to Lord Shen. The new addition to the cast definitely proved to be the best part of the movie.
The other Furious Five's roles are reduced this time except for Angelina Jolie's Tigress who hasn't quite gotten used to the bumbling Panda. Also missing from the majority of the film is Dustin Hoffman's Shifu. Shifu's dynamic with Po was so entertaining the first time around that you miss it here. Most of the new voices were unrecognizable such as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michelle Yeoh and Dennis Haysbart. Michelle Yeoh as the Soothsayer was hilarious with some of the best dialogue from the film.
KUNG FU PANDA 2 has a lot more action and fight sequences the second time around. One particularly hilarious action scene involves the Furious Five and Po taking cover under a paper mâché dragon but when they are discovered, they take on Lord Shen's henchmen by scooping them up in the dragon's mouth. It looked like a game of centipede and it had the audience rolling in the aisles. Definitely the best scene in the movie.
With a different director at the helm for KUNG FU PANDA 2, Jennifer Yuh Nelson brings a different look to the film with a red color scheme where as the predecessor used a lot more yellows in the photography. Jennifer Yuh Nelson served as the head of story for the previous film so it's no surprise the story flows between the two films.
KUNG FU PANDA 2 is a film that all ages can enjoy. And the finale of KUNG FU PANDA 2 suggests there may be a third Po story in the works.
KUNG FU PANDA 2 is now playing in movie theaters.
PHOTOS: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Jack Black At 'Kung Fu Panda 2' Movie Premiere
VIDEO: Jack Black Meets Real Kung Fu Panda Named Po
PHOTOS & VIDEO: Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman In Cannes For Kung Fu Panda 2
Exclusive Sneak Peek: Jack Black & Antonio Banderas Preview Dreamworks Film Add a comment
The real life story of Stan Herd comes to the big screen in EARTHWORK, an inspirational tale of an artist played by Academy Award nominee John Hawk (Winter's Bones).
Some say that artists have their head in the clouds but for Stan Herd that would be quite the advantage. A third generation Kansas farmer, Stan has pioneered a new art form known as representational crop art, or Earthwork.
Using the tools that he grew up with Stan began manipulating the earth to create pictures that can only be viewed from the air. Struggling for years to bring attention to his art Stan put in a bid to do an Earthwork project on a vacant lot in New York City owned by Donald Trump. Not wanting to lose the opportunity to another artist Stan Herd agreed to do the project for free using his own funds and putting his family in tremendous debt.
The film EARTHWORK chronicles this monumental undertaking and the emotional toll it took on his family. It also shows how the community was impacted by this ambitious project.
In the past year I’ve seen several movies that centered on non-traditional artists such as Wasteland and Exit Through The Gift Shop. But as great as these films are, by making Stan Herd’s story a dramatic film rather than a documentary you are able to experience his emotional journey as well as his artistic one. EARTHWORK not only documents John’s struggle, but it shows us the impact that his work had on the street people who squatted on the land and lived in the tunnels near-by. This is something that would not have been possible in a straightforward documentary. I believe that telling Stan’s story in this way was the best choice, and Oscar nominated actor John Hawkes is wonderful in the role.
When Stan produces his art he tills, rakes and plows the soil to create texture and then adds plants, rocks and other natural materials for color and shade. From the ground you cannot see the result, but from the air everything takes form. In the telling of this story we are right there with Stan in this vacant lot scratching and digging to achieve some distant goal. With every set back we feel his pain, and with every friend he makes we feel his humanity. But like the people of New York we have to wait until the end to see the final result. The reveal is breath taking and I am now very much a fan of his art. I hope one day to meet Stan Herd or better yet fly over his work.
What a phenomenal inspirational man he is and what a tremendous awe-inspiring concept. I highly recommend this film.
Melanie Wilson
Vvisit her blog at LAMelbox.blogspot.com
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