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Dreamgirls – A Stage Review by John Strange

John Strange
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Dreamgirls
Dallas Summer Musicals
By: John Strange
There are millions out there who know the full story of “Dreamgirls”. I have to admit I was not one of them. Due to one thing or another I have never gotten around to seeing the film. I only knew it revolved around a girl group and their dream of fame and fortune in the 1960’s who travel from Chicago to New York City to enter a talent show at the world famous Apollo Theater. We have smarmy promoters and egotistical male singers with a strong story wrapping their individual tales into a central theme that is an amazing story of pain and work leading to success and happiness.
Music by Academy Award nominee Henry Krieger and book and lyrics by Tony and Grammy-Award winner Tom Eyen are wrapped around a minimalist set utilizing panels of LED’s that actually enhance the visual thrill that is live theater. I was very impressed by the skill used to integrate these panels with the few set pieces. They simulate the Apollo Theater, various theaters around the world and even to show the group traveling.
I wish the sound system had lived up to the set. The spoken word was reasonably clear but the lyrics in the songs were so blurred by the music that I could barely discern what those words were. And not knowing the full story made it even worse. I had to strain to make out the words and lost much of the pleasure I had expected to have. I asked a fellow reviewer at Intermission and was told that even in the rows closer to stage the words were fuzzy.
If the technical crews are able to correct this problem I would say that this is an excellent show to see. I will update this review once I have a chance to talk to them about the problem.   
Directed and Choreographed by: Robert Longbottom
Starring:Moya Angela, Syesha Mercado, Chaz Lamar Shepherd, Chester Gregory, Adrienne Warren, Trevon Davis
Dallas Show Dates and Times:
    July 4th – July 16th
        Tues-Sat: 8pm
        Matinees:
            Sat-Sun: 2pm (plus Thurs, July 15th)
Run Time: 2 hours 30 minutes, 1 Intermission
Appropriateness Rating: “PG-13. Some language and subject matter”
 

CYRUS – A Review by John Strange

John Strange
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CYRUS – A Review by John Strange
CYRUS
By: John ’Doc’ Strange
Written and directed by: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass
Starring: John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei, Catherine Keener
MPAA Rating: Rated R (for language and some sexual material)
Selig Rating: Full Price
Runtime: 92 Min.
John (John C. Reilly) is in a deep depression. His wife left him (a YEAR AGO) and he has not gotten over it. He does his job and sits in his apartment eating pizza and stewing upon his problems. Along comes his ex-wife, Jamie (Catherine Keener), to make him go out with her and her fiancé, Tim (Matt Walsh) to a nice party. Over his huge objections, John goes.
Convinced to at least TRY to meet another woman, John agrees to give it a go. Man, I have heard lame but this guy sinks down to a level that is truly… desperate. Convinced that drinking will help he does it with a vengeance. His lines get even worse! Kudos to Jay and Mark, his lines actually get worse!
What finally works? John is caught taking a whiz into the shrubbery. The lady who witnesses the action takes it very cool and gives John a great comeback line (Nope, not telling you and spoiling it!). Molly (Marisa Tomei), is sexy and smart in an understated way. Normally I would say she is WAY out of John’s league but in this case there is a hint of “been there/done that” to her that fills the chinks and crevices between them almost too perfectly. What is wrong here? What is she hiding?
The “what” is eventually discovered by John (after he follows her home one night from his house); Cyrus (Jonah Hill), is her step-son, and roommate. I say roommate because he is a young man in his twenties. He is a young man who, at first glance is possibly autistic or living with some other mental problem. Soon the couple begins spending more time at her place than his so the frequency of sex is, uh, reduced (read as stopped dead in it’s tracks). After all, Molly feels odd doing it in a house where doors are normally not closed.
We watch as the relationship between John and Molly blossoms and the relationship between John and Cyrus becomes… defined. Not good, not necessarily bad, but decidedly odd. Does Cyrus REALLY not like John or is it his imagination? Several events leave you wondering. And just what the heck is going on between Molly and Cyrus? Does he truly he look at her as a mother or something else?
This is a truly well-made black comedy written and directed by the Duplass brothers and shot in a style somewhat reminiscent of a documentary style. Jay Duplass was on hand for the screening I attended and was asked why they chose John C. Reilly for John’s character. He said that wrote it with and for John. I agree that he was perfect for the role. So was the choice of Marisa Tomei. Her beauty and brains as well as acting talent were perfect match to the two male leads.
If you enjoy dark comedies this is well worth the watch!
Movie Site: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/cyrus/
The Selig Rating Scale:
FULL PRICE – Excellent movie, well worth the price
MATINEE – Good movie
DOLLAR – OK movie
CABLE – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
FREEBIE – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
COMMERCIAL TV – Commercials and cutting to the allotted time will not hurt this one.
FORGET IT! – Bad. If you see this one, do yourself a favor and keep it to yourself.
GET YOUR TORCHES – BAD! – Burn the script, the writer, the director and maybe even the actors!

TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE – A Review by John Strange

John Strange
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TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE
By: John ’Doc’ Strange
Directed by: David Slade
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of action and violence, and some sensuality)
Selig Rating: Dollar Movie
Runtime: 124 Min.
In 2008, TWILIGHT brought you the characters, the story and the drama of girl finding out the young man she has fallen in love with is, in fact, a vampire. Bella Swann (Kristen Stewart) finds love with vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) after she moves to Forks, Alaska to live with her father, Police Chief Charlie Swan (Billy Burke).
In 2009, they came back with THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, adding a new level of complexity as Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), comes more into the mix and we have lots more beefcake for the girls and enough action to keep their dates happy.
Now, we have TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, Bella Swann is in love with Edward Cullen and Jacob Black has to try and come to terms with that. Something is happening in Seattle. Someone is building an army of new vampires. And that someone is showing they have their eye on Bella and the Cullens. 
This is a chick flick with lots of beefcake. The female leads are just strong enough to keep the males in the audience happy between action sequences. Don’t get me wrong, female lead and the other females in the cast are good actresses. But for the males in the audience I have to believe the action sequences with their amazing CGI wolves outweigh the drab, limited views of the actresses. It really is designed to work as a 3-D movie. I saw it in 2-D and it still worked though not with the awe-inspiring views I am sure were there in the other version.

I decided upon the Selig rating based on the feeling I had when the film was over.  I had a distinct feeling of disappointment.  It really went no where and seemed to only be a vehicle for beefcake and CGI action. The young girls are going to love it and everyone else will leave feeling like I did that nothing really happened.

Movie Site: http://www.eclipsethemovie.com/
The Selig Rating Scale:
FULL PRICE – Excellent movie, well worth the price
MATINEE – Good movie
DOLLAR – OK movie
CABLE – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
FREEBIE – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
COMMERCIAL TV – Commercials and cutting to the allotted time will not hurt this one.
FORGET IT! – Bad. If you see this one, do yourself a favor and keep it to yourself.
GET YOUR TORCHES – BAD! – Burn the script, the writer, the director and maybe even the actors!

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray
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THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE – A Review by Gary Murray

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE

By Gary Murray

Starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner

Directed by David Slade

Written by Melissa Rosenberg

Based on the novel by Stephanie Meyer

Running time 126 min

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Selig Rating: Cable

In full honesty, I hated the first Twilight film. I found a vegetarian vampire to be stupid. Edward was a drippy dope and Bella a whiny little Goth princess. The vampires were wimpy and the big action scene was a baseball game. I want my bloodsuckers full of hate and venom, ripping out jugulars in a gory orgy of violence. The second film was much better. The addition of Jacob and the werewolves gave some much needed conflict and action. All the elements are back in the third part of the series The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

The movie opens on a dark and stormy night. A young man is wandering around the docks and is attacked by some unseen force. It ends with him in agony, screaming to the heavens.

Then we get to our main characters. Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are lying in a flower filled meadow. She reads poetry and they are very much in platonic love. Bella is to be turned once she graduates and Edward doesn’t want to perform the deed. He knows exactly how much pain being undead will reek on her life, him wanting to spare her any discomfort. There is still a very uneasy truce between the vampire clan and the werewolf clan, both staying on their side of the forest. Jacob (Taylor Lautner) still pines away for Bella and resents Edward. Jacob believes that Bella is under a spell and she has no free will to make the right choice, the choice being him.

Into the mix of the love triangle is a series of murders in Seattle. Known only to the vampire Cullen clan, an army of young bloods—new vampires—is being created in the city. No one knows the how or the why for sure but it all seems to come back to a revenge plot by vampire Victoria against Edward. In a previous flick, Edward killed James who was Victoria’s mate. Now, the vampires and the werewolves must ban together in a super pack to protect Bella from the horde of bloodsuckers. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is of how Bella is protected by Edward and Jacob, two very different men who both love the lovely lass.

The three leads are becoming comfortable with their roles. It has taken some time, but they all finally look comfortable saying the corny dialogue. The scene were all three have to share a tent gets some much needed comic relief and comfort between the principles. The enemy of my enemy is my friend may be a mantra, but the two Alpha males still keep a bitter wall between them.

The choice that Bella has to make is an interesting one and it is not as simple as vampire or werewolf. The choice is about the inevitable outcome of her life. If she chooses to be with Edward, it is a cold existence of death. She will eventually see everyone that she has known or loved die. She will also have to leave the world of the living and live in a world of vampires, a never aging existence. As we see through a series of flashbacks with other characters, it is not the perfect way to roam the planet. If she goes the Jacob route, she will grow old and die maybe missing out on the love of a lifetime. Ah, teen angst does have its charms.

What the film truly needed was more action. It starts out strong and spooky then turns maudlin. The film would have been better served with more fights and less gooey eyed stares. We did learn two valuable lessons in dealing with young bloods—never let young bloods wrap their arms around you and never go for the easy kill. The last big battle set piece works on every level, it just takes too long to get there.

The element that was the most surprising was the morality of Edward. We find out for sure that the two leads are as pure as the snow tops of the mountains they hide out in. In a real world of wanton pleasure that happens at the stroke of a computer keyboard, it was refreshing to see some old fashioned morality, initiated by the male.

The Twilight films are not made for me, a middle-aged white guy. These films are made for the females, both young and old. It has dreamy guys that love a fairly plain girl. There is almost enough action to keep the males interested, those poor saps who are dragged along to see the flick. The other problem with the film is that it doesn’t hold up as a separate entity. One really has to have seen both of the other episodes in order to understand this third time out. Without knowing all that has happened before, one would be lost.

These flicks are critic proof. No matter what I say, the kids will flock down to the multiplex to get the latest installment of their soap opera. It is a soap opera in the same vein as Dark Shadows four decades ago. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is going to make a load of cash, no matter what any other person says. While not a bad bit of entertainment, it just doesn’t hold up on its own.

THE LAST AIR BENDER – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray
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THE LAST AIR BENDER – A Review by Gary Murray

THE LAST AIR BENDER

By: Gary Murray

Starring: Jackson Rathbone, Nocola Peltz, Noah Ringer and Aasif Mandvi

Written and directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Running time: 106 min

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Selig Rating: Cable

Let me start out by saying that I am a fan of one M. Night film. That’s too bad because he has made so many films. The Sixth Sense was a brilliant piece of work on the lines of the best of Hitchcock. Unfortunately ever other flick he has been on helm have not been as good. The last one about the killer trees was my pick as the worst film of the year. So, I had very little hope walking into The Last Airbender, based on the Nickelodeon series.

Set in a time long ago in far away lands, the story is of four nations that are the four elements—Air, Water, Earth and Fire. These groups have always had an uneasy alliance, with wars being wages for years. Of the four, it seems that Fire has the most power, ruling the seas with giant war ships which is a cool visual.

Each of these tribes have individuals who are born with magical powers and are called Benders. As the work opens we see Katara (Nicola Pelts) practicing her Water Bender skills by forming giant water globes into the air and tossing them to and fro. The world of the Water Benders is an Arctic wasteland with the people struggling to get enough food.

Katara and her brother Sokka (Jackson Rathbone) see something in the ice and try to free it. Busting through the ice and show is Aang (Noah Ringer) and his flying beast. The two Water siblings believe that Aang is the last Air Bender, a group of monks who had a losing battle with the Fire Nation one hundred years ago. There is a myth of the Last Air Bender being an Avatar, able to command all the other elements and bring the four tribes into a whole people.

Aang thinks that he has been under the ice for a few days and insists on going back to the Air Bender temple. There he learns the dreadful truth of his people. He realizes that he must be the Avatar but has never been trained in commanding the other elements. He decides that he must visit the other elements homelands in order to complete his training.

On the other side of the plot, the ousted and disgraced son of the Fire Lord is searching for the Avatar. He needs to capture the last Air Bender in order to win favor back with his father. Our young prince will do anything and everything to become a hero for his people. Commander Zhao (Aasif Mandvi) has his own agenda for finding the Avatar, cementing his place in the good graces of the Fire Lord.

So as soon as we can say road trip, Katara, Sokka and Aang are ‘off to see the wizard’ by going to the other side of the world and the other Water world, a arctic fortress that protects magical fish. At the same time, the Fire world warriors have figured out where Aang is heading and begin to capture the Water fortress. All of these elements build to a giant fight between the Air Benders and the Fire Benders.

There are so many problems with The Last Air Benders all of it falling directly on the head of the director, producer and writer M. Night. He somehow mistakes complicated for confusing with his screenplay. The entire look of the film reminds one of a Ray Harryhausen flick but not in a good way. The 3D is just flat, forced the way it was in Clash of the Titans remake from earlier this year. This newest generation of 3D imaging is making a ton of money but it just doesn’t work as well with live action as it does with animated films.

At the same time, some of the elements of the film are just stunning. The beast that Aang rides is an amazing cross between the creature from The Never-ending Story and the monsters from Where the Wild Things Are. Some of the action sequences to impress, with giant fire balls and water balls flailing through the air in CGI explosive visuals. Other times, the action is slowed down to a crawl, making the action drag across the silver screen.

The acting of the young cast is very inconsistent, with some child performers shining against some very amateurish reading of roles. The good performers are brought down by others who can’t act their way out of gunny sack.

The opening slate reads Book I: Water. One must assume that the executive producers are planning more installments of the franchise. I think that The Last Air Bender is going to be like The Golden Compass a series that doesn’t make it past the first episode.

GROWNUPS – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray
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GROWNUPS – A Review by Gary Murray

GROWNUPS

By Gary Murray

Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin Smith, David

Spade, Rob Schneider, Chris

Rock and Salma Hayek Pinault and Maria Bello Written by Adam Sandler and Fred Wolf

Directed by Dennis Dugan

Running time 105 min

MPAA Rating PG-13

Adam Sandler is one of the most famous comics to have come from SNL. Over the years, he has consistently given his audience a uniform product. Films like The Water Boy, Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison have taken command at the box office. Every once in a while he delivers a performance like in Funny People or The Wedding Singer that gets critical notice. Mostly he just makes silly, crude adult roughhouse comedies. His latest is a faux family feel good flick called Grownups. The film starts back in the 1970’s with five young boys playing basketball in a championship game. By working together they win. At their honoring banquet held at a lake house, the coach praises the boys and hopes that they will always remember to be a team. He wants the boys to play life like they played the game, with no regrets. Flash forward 30 years and all the guys are grown men with families. Lenny (Adam Sandler) is a successful Hollywood agent with a high fashion designer wife Roxanne (Salma Hayek Pinault) and three very high maintance kids. He finds out about the death of his beloved coach and decides to take the family back to New England for the funeral. Once there he reunites with the team. Kurt (Chris Rock) has become a house husband with a demanding wife (Maya Rudolph). Eric (Kevin James) runs a furniture company and has a large brood of a family and a loving wife Sally (Maria Bello). Rob (Rob Schneider) has gone ‘new age’ with a much older partner and estranged kids from all his former marriages. Finally there is Marcus (David Spade) our man-child, still single and chasing young women. Lenny rents the lake house that was the backdrop for their honorary banquet. It is also the place where the coach’s ashes are to be disbursed. The Feder family has plans to be in Milan, plans that Lenny secretly wants little part of. He has come to realize that his kids are not normal in the way he was brought and wants his kids to be kids. Exposing them to the families of all of his friends should nudge them in the right direction. He is so embarrassed by his wealth that he hides his nanny as an exchange student from China. But the other families are not much better. Rob has issues with both his toupee and how he has treated his former families, leaving some beautiful victims in his wake. Kurt is put-upon, getting no respect for either his kids or his wife’s family. Eric just tries to put on airs, making his world as important as Lenny’s. Finally Marcus knows that something is missing in his life, that element is a family. The film is a giant game of ‘the grass is greener on the other side of the fence’. The single night in the cabin becomes a Independence Day weekend with all the different familial groups bond into a collective whole. We get rowing and playing in the lake, playing arrow roulette (funny dangerous idea), a big set piece of going to a water park and the inevitable rematch of the 30 year-old basketball game with rival team bringing their middle-age game to the floor. The five leads are all funny men and there are some humorous bits here and there, but the whole film never builds into anything solid. It is like eating Chinese food-you know that you had it, you just don’t remember anything about it. Each take pot shots at the other, the way juveniles do, getting off some funny lines but I cannot remember any quip from any comic. The giant set piece at the water park seems like an excuse to get some young ladies in little bikinis. It is just as much a family film as Hooter’s is a family restaurant. The guys reminiscence while trying to build those same kind of memories for their kids. The entire film comes across mostly hateful, even though it has some great performances. The kid cast is just wonderful, being both kids and fully thought-out secondary characters. They find a few places to get a laugh-line stealing from the titans around them. The single best element of the film is the soundtrack. It is filled with tracks from Cheap Trick and Journey, with a single song song by Adam for his dad. But the biggest chunk is given to the great J. Geils Band, a grooving little rock outfit that has never truly been given their dues. Grownups is a family film only in the fact that it concerns families. Imagine The Return of the Secaucus 7 but as a basketball/family movie. A dark underbelly bubbles below the surface, a hateful look on life. It does find a few moments to shine but it is mostly a weak summer entry.

MICMACS – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray
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MICMACS – A Review by Gary Murray

MICMACS

By Gary Murray

Starring Dany Boon, Andre Dussollier, Nicholas Marie, Jean-Pierre Marielle and Yolande Moreau Written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Running time 1 hr 44 min

MPAA Rating R

The French are known for making different and unusual films. They love to capture the absurdity of life and examine it by making it grand. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has been giving audiences on both side of the pond stunning visuals and cleaver storylines. His latest is Micmacs. The film opens with war, landmines and death. The father of Bazil dies just as he is born, leaving him both a war victim and fatherless. Years later, Bazil (Dany Boon) works in a video store, watching more movies than renting them out. A gun battle happens outside the shop and Bazil is hit, a bullet lodged in his brain. The doctors decide to leave it in, giving Bazil a different way of looking at life. Once back on his feet, he finds that his existance is destroyed. Having lost his apartment and his job, he has to perform on the street for coins. A homeless guy takes pity on him and introduces him to a collective that finds treasures thrown away. The place is also a metaphor for the people who live in the collective, they are all freaks who have been abandoned. With names like Tiny Pete, Calculator and Elastic Girl; they are all working on themselves as much as working on junk. One day Bazil is on a run and discovers that the landmine company and the bullet company are on opposite sides of the same street in Paris. Bazil goes into a rage when he sees that the companies that have ruined everything in his life are within his grasp. The rest of Micmacs is Bazil’s revenge against the two CEO’s of the companies, plotting one against the other to destroy both. Visually, the film is stunning. There are elements like dancing clothes on hangers that give a surreal feel to the proceedings. More than once there is a reference to a classic noir but with a modern twist. With this cast of characters, there are also references to some of the great silent comics, with special nods to both Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. The background of the junk cave harks back to something from Arabian Nights. The problem with the film is the aspect of blame. Bazil attacks two different military manufacturers because of the twisted turns that have assaulted his life. It would be like blaming GM if you were in a car wreck. He doesn’t go after the people who shot the gun or planted the landmine, no–he blames the company that made the products. The flick feels more along the lines of Brazil, the Terry Gilliam film. It has all the strange characters and outlandish situations, just not the strong storytelling. It is weird for the sake of being weird. It also drags along, more in love with the images it is putting on the screen than with the storytelling aspects needed to drive the plot. With a summer that has given us some very weak films, Micmacs becomes just another product trying to generate box office. It has a weirdness that betrays the sweetness it wants to become. Not a bad little flick but nothing to rush out and see.

Toy Story 3 – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray
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Toy Story 3 – A Review by Gary Murray

TOY STORY 3

By Gary Murray

Starring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty and Don Rickles

Written by Michael Arndt and John Lasseter

Directed by Lee Unkrich

Running time 103 min

MPAA Rating G

For those who follow my writings, I have stated more than once that Pixar Animation is the greatest film company that has ever been created. They have never made a bad motion picture and their percentage of 100 million dollar blockbusters is currently standing at 100%, a perfect score. They are not only the gold standard of computer animation, they are the gold standard of story telling. As much as I believe in the company, I was still worried about Toy Story 3. Go back and look at the third entry of a series and the third leg almost always is the weakest part. Godfather 3, Alien 3 and Lethal Weapon 3 are all examples of how the franchise had run their course. But every once in a while, the franchise is re-born in the last time out, giving a definite and amazing ending to the idea. Such is the finished product Toy Story 3, one of the best flicks of the year.

The story opens with a giant action adventure moment. Buzz and Woody with a little help from Jessie, rescue a bunch of troll dolls from an evil villain, played by our favorite pig Hamm. There is a runaway train and a giant explosion. We soon find that it is all just a very imagined game and that the toys just dream about being played with.

Andy has grown up and is about to go off to college. All of his toys are still in their giant toy box but they haven’t been played with in years. Some of the group have been lost to garage sales and some have just been thrown away. Mom wants Andy to either toss out the toys, put them in the attic or donate them to Sunnyside, a day care where both Andy and his sister attended all those years ago.

News of this shocks all of the toys. They worry that some will be discarded in the trash and all fear that they will become separated. When Andy makes his decision, all of the toys except Woody are to be put in the attic. Woody it seems is going with Andy to college, leaving behind Buzz, Jessie and all the rest.

But, through a series of misadventures, all of them end up at Sunnyside. Once there, they meet Lotso a cuddle bear who runs the toy part of the daycare. He tells them of how great it is going to be, being played with every day by different kids. Every toy except Woody wants to stay. Woody knows that they are all Andy’s toys and belong with their owner. So, the toys separate with Woody taking out on his own, trying to get back to Andy.

Buzz and the gang find out that being around a group of two year-old kids is a grueling punishment. We also learn that Lotso isn’t as kindly as he first appears. All of Andy’s toys become beat-up relics, used as paintbrushes and hammers. It becomes a miserable existence, with all of Andy’s toys trapped in prison-like conditions.

On the other side of the plot, Woody finds out exactly how bad Sunnyside is for his friends. Ending up at the daycare owners house, he is played with by the little girl who lives there. She has the same kind of imagination that Andy showed so many years ago. Woody treks back to save all of Andy’s toys, breaking them out of their confinement. Along the way we get references to such diverse flicks as Cool Hand Luke and Mission Impossible. The exercise of Toy Story 3 is of how friendship and loyalty bond individuals to one another.

This little film is just a joy to watch. Shown in 3D, the effects just come off the screen without ever resorting to cheap tricks. The colors used in the production create a magic wonderland seldom surpassed on the big screen. The film gives our leads some different aspects, from Woody questioning his loyalties to Buzz finding a different mode to his personality. Barbie meets Ken who is much more complicated then imagined. You will never look at a cymbal playing monkey the same way again.

Toy Story 3 is one of the best films of 2010, destined to make many “best of” lists. It is humorous and heartfelt, tugging with equal measure to the heartstrings an funny bone. During the screening, the ending was drawing sniffles and wet eyes from just about every member of the audience, even the heartless critics rows.

One last thing, the opening Pixar cartoon is called Day and Night. To tell anyone any part of the plot would spoil the fun of this inventive pre-feature. Let’s just say that it combines the best of modern computer animation with some old style Loony Toon fun, without using any WB characters, just the wacky attitude. It is absolutely a brilliant piece of work and a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination.

 

Jonah Hex – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray
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Jonah Hex – A Review by Gary Murray

JONAH HEX

By Gary Murray

Starring Josh Brolin, John Malkovich and Megan Fox Written by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor

Directed by Jimmy Hayward

Running time 80 min

MPAA Rating PG-13

My father was the person who introduced me to the Western. As a kid, we would go to the drive-in and catch the latest flick by John Wayne as long as there were cowboys and horses in the mix. With my two brothers, the family probably saw a few hundred tales of the Old West. I hated every minute of it. But as I have gotten older, I have found an appreciation for the Western genre. The first tales with good guys in white hats and bad guys donning the black ones are a simplistic hoot. The flicks by Master Sam P. showed some of the pathos of the cowpoke and Clint Eastwood envisioned a different style with his trio of Spaghetti Westerns. Lately, the genre has had some strong films with modern action heroes saddling up and taking the reins. The newest entry takes a supernatural bent and is called Jonah Hex Based on a 1970’s era DC comic, the film stars Josh Brolin as the titled anti-hero character. We get just a smidgen of the back story. Jonah was a part of the Confederacy during the Civil War. His commanding officer Turnbull (John Malkovich) orders him to do a deed that Hex sees as an uncalled for act of war. When Hex refuses, many men die. To be punished Turnbull enacts his vengeance on Hex by killing off his family, leaving him for dead and burning his face. He is rescued by the local Indians who give the spirit of the crow, an ability to communicate with the dead and be hard to kill. All of this happens fairly much before the opening credits. The story starts with Hex being a bounty hunter who has a bounty on his own head. We get a blazing gun battle when a group of law men try to collect on Hex’s bounty rather than pay him. It sets the tone both in violence and black humor, Gatling guns blazing. Soon after that, we meet Lilah (Megan Fox) a local lady of the evening who is all business with her customers but who has a soft spot in her heart for Hex. On the other side of the plot, there is a train robbery. Turnbull, who everyone thought was dead, is very much alive and planning a giant revenge plot against the United States. He and his band of outlaws steal a super weapon cannon. The scene is a parallel to our modern day terrorism, with explosive vests and innocent victims. The government contacts Hex through Lilah, promising him a government pardon if he will help them catch this terrorist before he can complete his plans. The rest of Jonah Hex is the hunt for the bad guys while the bad guys hunt for Hex. The fate of the nation rests Jonah Hex. Along the way we get to see Hex communicate with the dead, the curse of knowing the other side. It is his comic book style super-power. Josh Brolin is just brilliant with this role. He is not afraid to look ugly, both on the inside and out. He finds he right degree of snarl with Hex, but still manages to give one liners and quips as he kills the bad guys. It is good to know that ‘Dirt likes the Dead” even for the bad guys. Speaking of bad guys, John Malkovich can do these roles in his sleep. Here is goes down a familiar path as the bad guy, chewing on each scene with a certain degree of rustic charm. He’s got the snarl down pat. It is fun to watch him grunt and growl The weakest element in the film is Megan Fox. Though she is stunning to look at, she still cannot act her way out of a paper bag. All the director needs her for is to look pretty and fire some pistols. Her few moments on the screen are bearable as eye candy not as a performance. Another element Jonah Hex has going for it is its brevity. It doesn’t break the 90 minute mark, getting one in and out of the theater without overstaying the welcome. It just flows along from scene to scene, giving heavy doses of action with little daubs of back-story and romance. Jonah Hex is not a great film and it is never going to win any awards. But it is a fun, slight diversion and not a bad flick to catch on a ‘too hot to be outside’ summer afternoon.

 

 

PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME – A Review by John Strange

John Strange
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PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME – A Review by John Strange
PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME
 
John ‘Doc’ Strange
 
Directed by: Mike Newell
 
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Alfred Molina, Ben Kingsley, Steve Toussaint, Toby Kebbell, Richard Coyle, Ronald Pickup, Reece Ritchie, Gisli Orn Gardarsson
 
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.
 
Selig Rating: FULL PRICE
 
Running Time:1 hr. 55 min.
 
Here is another video game making the jump to the big screen, this time with a script and cast capable of justify said jump. Jordan Mechner, who created the game, penned this screen story from which was then adapted for shooting by Boaz Yaken, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard.
 
The story’s premise revolves around Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) adopted in his youth by the King of Persia for his fearlessness and good heart. Many years have passed since the adoption, Dastan and his to older brothers and true sons of King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup), Prince Tus (Richard Coyle) and Prince Garsiv (Toby Kebbell) have been sent to quell dissent in the realm. They are informed that a holy city is selling arms to their enemies. They are urged to attack the city and stop these sales by their uncle and advisor, Nazim (Ben Kingsley). Dastan asks to lead the attack but Tus gives this task to the older, more experienced Garsiv.
 
Dastan sees a chance to save the lives of many troops by breaking into the city on the side away from his brothers besieging troops. He successfully leads his ragtag company of men and opens the gate to allow entry to the Persian troops.  Seeing his success, his brothers swiftly act on his triumph and storm the city through the compromised gate.
 
The fighting is short and swift. While the troops are fighting their way to the holy sanctuary at the center of the city, the head priestess, Tamina (Gemma Arterton), makes arrangements to smuggle the reason for her existence, the dagger, out of the city. In the only poor scene I saw in this story, the man assigned to this task attacks Dastan instead of attempting to skulk quietly away. In the fight that ensues, Dastan bests him and takes the knife as his prize.
 
Following the battle, Prince Tus enters the holy place and decides to bring peace by making the high priestess his bride thus connecting her city with the Persian Empire for all time. The king hears of their battle and races to the holy city to attempt to make things right. He decides that the wedding should go forward. The sons each produce gifts for the King. As usual, Dastan does not have a gift fit for a King in his spoils so Tus gives him a ceremonial robe to give their father. This robe results in the death by chemical burning of the King. Dastan escapes with the Tamina one step ahead of Prince Garsiv on Garsiv’s horse.
 
What follows is a chase fully worthy of a Jerry Bruckheimer movie (after all, he IS the producer) as Dastan and Tamina race to get the knife safely secreted away where the bad guys can’t find it. Unfortunately for them, the forces of darkness include the Hassasins, killers who were thought to have been disbanded and eliminated many years previously. Their fighting techniques are as imaginative as the movie including trained vipers and many exotic weapons,
 
I am told by several Prince of Persia game aficionados that the acrobatic fighting techniques used by Gyllenhaal (and his stunt doubles) and the Hassasins is perfectly in line with those used in the game. I can’t say about that but it IS fun to watch, full of acrobatic flips and running along poles sticking out of the adobe-like buildings of the region. 
 
For humor we have Alfred Molina as Sheik Amar, the pessimistic, tax-dodging schemer always looking for an easier way to make money and loving his racing ostriches. The sheik reluctantly follows Dastan and Tamina on their quest, accompanied by Seso (Steve Toussaint), a giant of a man, supposedly of an ancient tribe of Africans know for their prowess with throwing knives.
 
This is a film that is full of amazing visuals and exciting action, good humor and endearing teasing touches of love and affection. I can heartily recommend it with a full Selig rating of FULL PRICE! You will enjoy this saga and look forward to seeing if we gat a sequel as much as I did.
The Selig Rating Scale:
FULL PRICE – Excellent movie, well worth the price
MATINEE – Good movie
DOLLAR – OK movie
CABLE – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
FREEBIE – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
COMMERCIAL TV – Commercials and cutting to the allotted time will not hurt this one.
FORGET IT! – Bad. If you see this one, do yourself a favor and keep it to yourself.
GET YOUR TORCHES – BAD! – Burn the script, the writer, the director and maybe even the actors!

 

 
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