The idea of Jack Black fronting an animated movie about a lazy panda bear who is chosen to be a kung fu warrior sent chills up the spine of, well, pretty much everyone. The Tenacious D faithful worried that his mojo would be neutered for the sake of the kiddie market, while Black’s detractors – ahem, Kevin Carr of Film School Rejects – were terrified that he’d find an excuse to start doing that damn scatting thing. Amazingly, “Kung Fu Panda” does neither of those things. It’s still a bit patchy in terms of its pace, and it’s awfully violent…
Author: David Medsker
It’s easy to see why so many people are falling head over heels for “The Wackness.” It’s a movie out of time, in more than one sense; not only is it a throwback to the small but spirited indie films of the mid-‘90s, but the movie actually takes place in the mid-‘90s. Anchored by a star-turning performance by an unknown and a very well-chosen soundtrack, “The Wackness” will be the new favorite movie of any teenager who isn’t quite sure what to do with the rest of his or her life. It is the summer of 1994, and Luke Shapiro…
If the audience reaction to “Hancock” is any indication, Will Smith’s box office dominance of the, um, Independence Day weekend is not in jeopardy…but perhaps it should be. By all accounts, Smith is a talented actor and extremely likable guy, but a quick glance of his filmography brings a startling point to light: the man hasn’t made a truly exceptional movie in a long, long time. He has made many crowd-pleasing movies ranging in quality from decent to good, but a great movie? Hasn’t happened in a while – some would argue that it has yet to happen – and…
“WALL-E” is everything that you’ve come to expect from a Pixar movie. It’s sweet, clever, funny, and visually stunning…but man, does Pixar swing a big stick this time around. If there is anything that Pixar has (wisely) avoided doing in their movies, it’s preaching, but they work a couple of Big Messages to the bone here. The idea behind the story to “WALL-E” was one of the first four stories the founding fathers of Pixar came up with, but the last to be made into a movie. Now that I’ve seen it, I think I understand why. WALL-E (an acronym…
“Get Smart” is not a great movie – heck, it’s not even a good movie – but damn it, it’s trying to be, and that raw enthusiasm is downright intoxicating. There are smarts within the silliness, but for this kind of movie, smart is clearly the supporting actor to silly. It’s the right approach given the subject matter, but in the rare moments where they deliver a really funny or sly joke, it only serves to make the really silly jokes that much more irritating. Good thing they had an extremely likeable guy delivering the silly. Steve Carell is Maxwell…
The concept behind “The Happening” is absolutely terrifying. The execution of that concept, however, is another matter entirely. Shot in a manner that suggests all concerned had a flight to catch, the movie could have used more time in the oven, not to mention a stronger cast. It’s trendy to bash M. Night Shyamalan these days – fun, too – but his skills as a director cannot be denied, and the sense of dread that he wrings out of “The Happening” proves that as well as anything. Imagine what he could do if he worked with an equally talented writer.…
There is something oddly refreshing about “The Strangers” in the way it values the anticipation more than the deed. The movie’s narrative is shockingly simple – many will argue that the plot is too simple, and they are not wrong – but it is relentless in its execution. Some movies get their kicks out of torturing people to death. The bad guys in “The Strangers,” on the other hand, are much more interested in the terrorizing than the bloodletting. You have to admit, it’s a unique approach to a horror film, though not ultimately a fulfilling one. Liv Tyler and…
It has been said that there is no drug more powerful than nostalgia, and few things prove that point better than the Indiana Jones franchise. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas created “Raiders of the Lost Ark” out of nostalgia for the serials from the ‘30s and ‘40s, and now “Raiders” serves as the point of nostalgia for an entirely different generation. The problem with nostalgia, though, is that the memory is often much better than the real thing, and that, in a nutshell, is “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” It looks and feels just like an…
Despite the fact that “What Happens in Vegas” derives its premise from two subpar sources – namely “The Break-Up” and “Sour Grapes” – the movie is absolutely better than it has a right to be, due in large part to its supporting cast. Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher may make for a cute one-sheet, but neither has the ability to carry a movie. Luckily, they are surrounded by people who can carry it for them. Kutcher is Jack, a non-goal-oriented furniture maker who’s ultimately fired by his own father (Treat Williams) for his lackadaisical ways. Across town is Diaz’s Joy,…
Pay no attention to the trailer for “Baby Mama,” as it does the movie absolutely no justice. This is one funny movie, often eliciting the biggest laughs from the most throwaway jokes. The formulaic story structure bogs things down some, but the characters within that formulaic story structure are as sharp and unique as any rom-com – particularly pregnancy-related rom-coms – in recent memory. Tina Fey stars as Kate Holbrook, a successful businesswoman whose clock is ticking like this but has insides that H.I. McDunnough would call a rocky place where a man’s seed would know no purchase. Desperate to…