Ananas

Chicken Run - ***1/2 (7.5/10) From directors Peter Lord and Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit), the 2000 film Chicken Run is animated comedy before it became safe and templatic. Mel Gibson leads the cast of relative unknowns, although clearly voice work is not a problem. While it is easy to make connections between this movie and "The Great Escape", the film is full of subtle references to action/adventure movies of the past. The animation is not unlike The Incredibles in that the action sequences are just as visually intriguing as they would be had they been done in live action. It looks good, it sounds good, it is good. Thumbs up.

High Times Potluck - 1/2* At this point, I find the words just out of my reach. Oh wait, here they are: this was possible the worst movie of all time. Perhaps I'm biased by the fact that I wasn't stoned when I watched it, but I'm not of the persuasion that you have to be in order to judge good cinema from bad. In fact, to call it cinema is hardly accurate, as I strongly doubt this ever made it into theatres. I'd suggest that the movie tried to do too much with too little time, but that hardly covers the movie's problems. I think the main problem is that throughout the entire developmental process of High Times Potluck, everyone involved with the project was sky high. The result is one of the most amateurish, sloppily put together, poorly written and poorly acted films I've ever seen. I've seen home videos of babies and vacations that are better put together. Now I have to go scrub my eyes a la Spongebob Squarepants, a much better icon of stoners. Thumbs down.

Bah, I thought POTC was a shoe-in for a nod in the best Foreign film category.

I stopped watching about halfway through the season when The O.C. came back. If it had of been remotely interesting then I might have stuck with it, but the characters were utterly forgettable this year. By the way, did they confirm where Survivor 10 is gonna be?

The Spongebob Squarepants Movie - **1/2 (5/10) Written and directed by the creator of the original TV series Stephen Hillenburg, The Spongebob Squarepants Movie takes a step back from most Pixar animations, which often market themselves on the basis of being entirely enjoyable for parents. It's clear here that the indended audience is perfectly satisfied, that audience being children 10 or under and stoned college students. In fact, it reminded me of a less vulgar version of another film, "Freddy Got Fingered". I suppose I'm biased by not actually being a fan myself, but it seemed like there was not nearly enough material to fill 90 minutes with. If you like a bit of subtle humour mixed in with huge doses of juvenile slapstick that is watered down for the PG rating, this film is for you. If not, I'd recommend you avoid. Thumbs down.

Mr. 3000 - *** (6/10) Mr 3000 is a sports comedy from director Charles Stone III (Drumlime, Paid in Full) and more importantly starring Bernie Mac, an actor who has never really been given a chance to shine as a star before this. In it, Mac plays Stan Ross, a self centred hitsmith who upon reaching the coveted mark of 3000 hits abruptly quits baseball. He is certain that this will ensure him a spot in the hall of fame, although his lack of a relationship with the press repeatedly keeps him out. However, after a statistician reveals that he is in fact 3 hits short of the mark, Ross must come back to the game after nine years of retirement to get back his beloved title of "Mr 3000". Along the way he learns a lesson about selflessness, in both love and baseball. Now while my major source of disenchantment towards Wimbledon is the overemphasis on romance, the opposite could be argued for this film. Mr 3000 is clearly a baseball movie. While the trailers make no ellusion to anything different, it has to tread a line between straightforward and one dimensional. The movie certainly isn't perfect either. We see plenty of "same old, same old" with regards to the plot, and the characters are a bit jaded. However, the performances are strong, the direction is really good, and the overriding message is well presented. Plenty of good laughs and great looking shots here. Thumbs up.

Raise Your Voice - *1/2 After "A Cinderella Story", "Cheaper By The Dozen", "The Lizzy McGuire Movie" and "Agent Cody Banks" all within the past 2 years, Hilary Duff serves up her latest steaming pile of crap with director Sean McNamara and generic male lead Oliver James. Having seen both this movie and "First Daughter" in the past day, and having seen a load of horrible teen movies before, it's getting to the point where you can predict the entire plot of the movie before even starting to watch. I can't even begin to count the number of times a misunderstanding has caused a temporary rift between a male and female lead, or the number of misunderstanding fathers who finally come to their senses at the end. The brother dying at the start thing was a nice touch, although Jason Ritter is getting in far too many car crashes. They should really think of something new for the guy. Hilary Duff isn't necessarily the problem in the movie, but she never really is. She's a qualified teen actress with a reasonable palette of emotions, but the scripts she chooses are manufactured and templatic. The music in this movie is every bit as bland; not what you'd expect ouf of a school that is supposed to produce such original and bright musicians. There are several subplots I could have done without. In fact, if you removed all those subplots the movie would have been about 10 minutes long. There are a couple of people in this movie who deserve better, and hopefully they'll find it, because the last thing we need is more nonsense like this. Thumbs down.

I wonder how Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins think about Steven Spielberg putting himself in the credits instead of the rest of the cast? I know he's more popular, but it's still an ego thing. Anyway the trailer is really well put together, doesn't show too much but builds a sufficient mood. I'll be there when it opens; even if I hate Tom Cruise.

First Daughter - *1/2 (3.5/10) It's like deja vu all over again. It's either that, or I already watched this movie in January, when it was called "Chasing Liberty". Seriously, let's go over the specifics. "Chasing Liberty": The daughter of the President feels trapped within the confines of the White House, and goes on a journey of self discovery which is comprimised when she finds out that who she thinks her boyfriend was actually detailed to her as a bodyguard. In the end her father realises the error of his ways, and everyone lives happily ever after. Okay now, "First Daughter": The daughter of the President feels trapped within the confines of the White House, and goes on a journey of self discovery which is comprimised when she finds out that who she thinks her boyfriend was actually detailed to her as a bodyguard. In the end her father realises the error of his ways, and everyone lives happily ever after. BUT WAIT! There's a twist! Whereas the First Daughter goes to University in "First Daughter", that same First Daughter played by a different actress goes to Europe in "Chasing Liberty". Oh and there's one other difference: "Chasing Liberty" didn't suck. At least the male lead had a personality in that movie; the lead this time around could be substituted with any other young male actor in the business without impacting the plot at all. Katie Holmes may have been charming in this film, as well as in "Go" and "Pieces of April", but good is not an adjective I'd attribute to her. Michael Keaton at this point is laughable in any role other than perhaps a Gary Sinise look-a-like competition. The only highlight to this travesty is Matt Dusk's newly recorded material used in one of the scenes. Thumbs down.

Wimbledon - **1/2 (5.5/10) From Richard Loncraine, Wimbledon is a romantic comedy set in the world of tennis; more specifically within the sport's biggest tournament. Some sports romantic comedies (this one included) are hard not to like. They often combine female savvy romance storylines with guy pleasing sports elements effectively enough that they're able to attract a large date audience (a la The Replacements, Bull Durham). They also seem to emphasize sports slightly more than romance, so this movie represents a different perspective of the genre. Indeed, there are a lot of things that work about this movie. I like the performances; Paul Bettany is always good and Kirsten Dunst has always had a lot of charm. The directorial work is interesting too; some of the in-game shots are fantastic, and the "My So Called Life"-esque freeze-frame technique works beautifully. This is, however, a case of style over substance, and where you could pull that off with a big budget and a science fiction theme, it's still just a tennis movie. There were more than a few a-typical romance one liners, and plenty of expected and tired plot twists. Unfortunately for Bettany and Dunst, charm just isn't enough. Thumbs down.

Before Sunset - **** (8/10) Before Sunset, directed by Richard Linklater, is the conclusion to a story left open by the director 9 years ago with Before Sunrise, the story of 2 people who meet on a train in Vienna. In the same style he utilized last time around, Linklater this time tells a much more concise, quick moving story that ultimately drags less. Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke are comfortable in their roles, and they should be; this is the third film in which they've reprised these roles. The camera work once again effectively showcases the lesser shown qualities of its setting; I really love some of the work done in the alleys and gardens. What makes this film slightly better than its predecessor is how effectively it comes together at the end, and how quick the ending turns the plot in a completely different direction. Thumbs way up.

I think this might be the first Johnny Depp role in which he'll really annoy me. Of course I might be wrong, but that's the impression I got from the teaser. He just looks awkward.

The Incredibles - ****1/2 (or 8.5/10) 35 days, and over 300 million dollars worth of box office revenue after its release, The Incredibles is still the much discussed and praised film it originally was. I personally missed out on it for this amount of time, but in that period of time the only film I believe I caught was Finding Neverland, and I certainly don't regret that. However, this sophomore effort from writer and director Brad Bird (The Iron Giant) both lives up to the reputation of it's much beloved predecessor and surpasses it. Once again utilizing a host of talented actors for voices such as Holly Hunter, Craig T Nelson, Samuel L Jackson and Jason Lee, The Incredibles has that same familiarity which made Shrek so watchable. What Shek didn't have, however, were plausible action scenes that are not made any less astounding by the fact that they happen to be animated. This is a smart, funny action/comedy that entertains throughout. I almost gave it the ***** (or 9), but I felt as if while it is wholly fulfilling and entertaining, it doesn't seem like the movie that will leave a lasting impact. About as well written, directed and performed popcorn gets. Thumbs up.

"Disco Inferno" is the first single from 50's upcoming new album "The Valentine's Day Massacre", coming in February. Have you heard it, and if so, what do you think? I wasn't really impressed personally. Better than "Just Lose It", but a little dull nonetheless. I'd link to it but I'm not sure it's legal yet.